Intimate Experience

        Communion experience today. Receiving the Holy Eucharist was uniting with my most beloved one. It's not quite the same as embracing the Lord or reclining at his side as St. John did, but it's just as intimate, if not more so.

Timely Question

        Jesus has given us his all ~ all his is ours now! How have you responded?

Always Timely Call

        I still remember the witty saying "Everything changes but the avant-garde" I came across a long time ago. I can now also say that "Everything changes but the love of God." Today's Gospel acclamation (Mark 1.15) at Mass reads: The kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the Gospel. Like the avant-garde, this call always remains fresh.

Comments on Gay Marriage

        With the recent SCOTUS ruling favoring gay marriage in mind, I'd like to present Fr. Barron's views on the subject with these two videos.

God Is Different?

        Jesus came into the world to die for all of us so that we might not perish and have eternal life, and he became our Savior. Today suicide bombers kill themselves in order to kill as many others as possible, and they are considered martyrs. Do we have the same God here? Obviously, there can only be one God, so it must be that one side did not get it right.       

Union Begets Freedom

        When one is in perfect union with Jesus, he becomes aware of the Lord's holy presence at all times and forgets his own. That is, when you are in the Lord completely, all you see is he. It is this absence of the self, its importance, that sets one free.    

On Dismissing Jesus

        In today's Gospel from Matthew 9, when Jesus drove the demon out of a demoniac who could not speak, the mute man spoke. The Pharisees saw it and said, "He drives out demons by the prince of demons." They formed this false opinion because they out of fear did not want to believe in Jesus. This is still true today ~ many do not want someone to "lord it" over them, so they just dismiss Jesus.

Self-Gratification Forfeits the Soul

        In the news today, a celebrity finally admitted in court that he did give women sedatives in order to have sex with them. If you seek only pleasures in this world to satisfy your desire, you are sure to lose your soul. Jesus asked, "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" Indeed! Every pleasure you derive from sin will weigh you down heavily at the time your soul leaves your body, unless you have already repented and been forgiven by the Lord. 

The Great Deception

        The Holy Father Pope Francis is visiting Ecuador right now. I heard on NPR a reporter interviewing a Ecuadorian woman who is pushing to make abortion legal in her country. She was asked by the reporter if she considered herself still a Catholic. She said yes because she saw no problem in promoting what she believed in and still remaining in the Church. I know there are many, many more Catholics like her, the so-called cafeteria Catholics. I see Satan sowing the seed of confusion among the faithful. He wants them to believe that they can be right and the Church wrong. This has deceived those who have not yet surrendered to the Lord completely. Let's realize that the Church was built by Christ with the promise that the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. Therefore, like the Lord himself, its teachings are to be obeyed. God's one will is for us to be one with him through his one holy church.   

Acknowledging Our Need

        Communion time thoughts. The finite needs the infinite; the imperfect, the perfect; the helpless, the mighty. Let's face it, we all need to be uplifted. Since we are incapable of doing it ourselves, we need to ask our creator to transform us. The Holy Spirit is always ready if you are willing.  

Let God Perfect You

        Jesus said to his disciples, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Whatever he had said and promised, we can absolutely depend upon. If we do not have that kind of faith, it's entirely due to our own weaknesses. Seek union with God to remove all our deficiencies. 

To Be Avoided at Any Cost

        Communion experience. The holiness of God and his love for us made me see that sinning against him is so horrible that we must avoid it at any cost. Offending the Lord is crucifying him again and "condemning" ourselves in the process.

Partnering with God

        Today's Communion experience. The point of the Lord entering me was to call me to be like him. He would do all the work, with me putting all my trust in him ~ the typical arrangement in any joint venture we undertake with God.

Communicating With God

        I personally find thoughts, which are really silent words, more expressive than spoken words when communicating with God. Reading prayers others have written doesn't work well for me because I feel I am just following someone else's thoughts. Communicating with God really doesn't require spoken words, for God reads the heart. Even if you have difficulty with silent thoughts, the Lord knows what you want to express already. Nevertheless, whether you pray silently, whisper your words to God, cry aloud to him, or do all of the above, let the Holy Spirit be your heart's guide. Communicating with the Lord should always be natural, intimate, and lined with love.  

To Remain in Peace

        If we do something for ourselves or someone else, we lose peace if we do not succeed. If we do it all for Jesus leaving the outcome up to him, we remain in peace. Do God's will always to remain in peace.

*What Not to Fear

        Realizing that I was a sinner and God is holy, I thought that if I touched the Lord, he would be contaminated by me. This morning at Mass, when Jesus was ready to enter me in the Holy Eucharist, I came to see that I had been wrong. You see, God is light and a sinner is one in darkness. Darkness is simply the absence of light and has no power whatsoever over light. My sin offends God, but cannot contaminate him, for he remains holy forever! The presence of darkness precisely shows our need for light. Therefore, have no fear to let the light of God shine upon you. Fear only if you do not want to approach him.   

Are You With God Yet?

        If you still keep doing what you want to do without consulting the Lord, then you are not with him yet. And you won't be until you want to do everything that pleases him. Note that if this is truly your goal, whatever you do to please God will definitely please you too. 

Only Known Among Unknowns

        For me, God is a known. Without God, we wouldn't be existing. Besides, Christ had come and made everything clear to us about the Father. If you do not believe in God, then you wonder about how the universe came to be, where you came from, where you are going, how you came to understand good and evil, etc. ~ you really have nothing to believe in or just have to believe in the unknown.         

Abominable Crimes

        If people knew God, they would see that he loves every single one of us, for God the Son has died for us so that we might have life. So it's extremely sad and horrifying to see that people, innocent or guilty, are being brutally killed and slaughtered, randomly in the worst cases, all around the world every day, not to mention the termination of the unborn that's been carried on routinely, particularly in this country. Look, we are destroying what God treasures and loves! The killers, especially, should realize that God loves them too. May we all wake up, repent, and beg for God's mercy. 

Belonging to Christ

        Today's Communion experience. I feel that the Lord is with me, hears me, and will always look after me. I am all his. 

The Way to Union

        Not being able to surrender yourself completely to God shows that the world still has got a grip on you. To let God set you free, you must give him the go-ahead. This can get emotional, since in essence, you are repenting a sin ~ the sin of holding yourself back from him. Once the Lord has gotten the clearance from you, you are on your way to becoming one with him.

Let God Love You!

        On this last day of the month. I feel called to post this message for all who are unhappy or feel even miserable in life, but have not turn to Christ yet. It may be some painful experience someone had inflicted upon you in the past or you own sinfulness that has kept you away from him. No matter, whatever caused your unhappiness, Jesus is patiently waiting to help you. He is the only one who can make you clean and whole. He is exactly what we need and is calling you. The Father wants to take you back as his beloved sons and daughters. Do not set up any barriers; run to him as fast as you could and he'll be overjoyed. He does not want to punish you, only wants to love you! If you are a lapsed Catholic, go to confession first. Jesus is our Savior because he can set us free. 

Small Matters Matter

        In Luke 16.10, Jesus said, "The person who is trustworthy in small matters is also trustworthy in great ones." How faithful we are in small matters measures our overall faithfulness. Serving the Lord faithfully could be as small as reciprocating a smile from someone. This is what the Little Way of St. Therese is about ~ following her way can transform anyone into a saint. When Jesus wants us to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect, we are not to neglect small matters. I am old enough to recall the popular hit song of the 50s "Little Things Mean a Lot" ~ perhaps adding "to God" at the end of the title would make it more memorable and more meaningful.

Abandoning Our Own Will

        As I drove the two-and-a-half mile distance home after Mass this morning, I saw the familiar scenery ~ the same houses, the same trees, the same road, etc. I knew that one day I wouldn't see them anymore. This made me think that whatever we do on earth following our own will, will all vanish, and only what we do according to God's will stores up permanent treasures in heaven seen by God.

Abandonment to Death

        Communion thoughts. Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The entrance antiphon reads: These are the ones who, living in the flesh, planted the church with their blood; they drink the chalice of the Lord and became the friends of God. Both Apostles were martyred. To follow Christ, we must also die in one form or another. We die after surrendering to the Lord and are born again as friends of God ~ a joyful new birth following a most peaceful death.   

Abandonment to Peace

        My old computer had slowed to the point that I had to get a technician to transfer everything on it to another computer. It turned out that many important documents and email messages did not show up after the transfer ~ this alarmed me. Then I realized that a disturbed heart always causes one to sin. Besides, a fire could have destroyed everything I had or I could have died already. So I let all go by abandoning myself to God and remained in peace. The Lord rescued me again for another day.

Slipping Away from God

        Without God, everything that sounds good becomes OK, and this is what's happening to this generation. Living together without getting married is OK because the couple can find out if they can really live together. Trying out drugs is OK because you need to feel good. Abortion is fine because it eliminates unwanted children ~ besides, a woman has the right to do whatever she wants with her body. Legalizing gay marriage grants equality to all couples ~ that sounds good too. When we slip away from God, we lose our conscience and critical thinking and become our own gods. Only a rude awakening can now turn us around. 

On Remaining Holy

        I attended Vigil Mass today. Seeing how the world was offending the Lord, my human reaction was to want to punish the offenders in some way. But during Communion, the Lord said no to that ~ instead, he wanted me to become more like him.
       What Jesus did to me confirmed my experience that we sin when we let things bother us and as a result lose my inner peace. If we let nothing disturb us, we can remain holy. This is also saying that a sinner is always someone who has lost his peace.

Showing True Love

        If you truly love someone, you would be most concerned about the soul of that person.      

Time for Weeping

        Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, Matthew 8.17: "Jesus took away our infirmities and bore our diseases" (as prophesied by Isaiah). Jesus must be our first victim soul, who suffered for our sins for our salvation. Seeing how uncaring and ungrateful the average sinner is today, it's most appropriate for us to pause and weep for them and ourselves. Seeking God's forgiveness is urgently our first order of business. 

No Jesus, No Peace

        In Jesus, there is only peace. There is no peace in the world, precisely because it does not embrace Jesus.

Fearing Ourselves

        We do not need to fear God, for he loves us and is waiting for us to show up in heaven. We don't need to fear the evil one either, for if we have God, he won't be able to touch us. What we need to fear are ourselves, for our eternal destiny is completely determined by whether we choose God or the evil one.

Perfect Teacher

        Anytime I sin, I realize how holy Jesus is ~ and I see him to be the perfect teacher to make us holy. 

To All Christians

        This morning's big headlines on BBC News: "Deadly attack on Tunisia beach," "US Supreme Court backs gay marriage," "Man decapitated in French attack," "Kuwait mosque hit by suicide blast," "Militants storm Somalia military base," "IS 'kills 120 civilians' in Kobane." More than enough bad news! The US Supreme Court got it wrong on the abortion issue and got it wrong again. Anytime you leave God out of consideration, you are bound to fall. The world does not know or does not want to know the true God anymore. In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8, a leper approached Jesus, did him homage, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." How many of us today have that kind of attitude? All Christians need to know that it's do-or-die time to submit themselves to Christ without reservation. We cannot serve both God and mammon. Rather than thinking about making money all the time, set your heart on entering heaven first by serving God with all your heart. There will be final judgment and we shall reap only what we now sow. Pray for the salvation and conversion of all souls unceasingly, for God depends upon those who love him.   

Belonging Wholly to God

        Communion experience. While Jesus was taking away my sins, I also asked him to take my heart and my soul as well. That's because sin can not remain in one who belongs wholly to God.

Authentic or False

        Today's Gospel acclamation, John 14.23, at Mass read: Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him. Suppose that Jesus was the Son of God, then he really meant what he said and you can accept that. Now suppose that an ordinary human had said it, you'll know immediately that the speaker must not know what he's talking about. Read the Gospels through and you'll find Jesus not only speaking always with authority, but also being consistently authentic throughout his earthly life.   

Not a Thorny Issue

        In 2 Corinthians 12.7, St. Paul mentioned that a thorn in the flesh was given him so that he might not become too elated. Even though he begged the Lord that it might leave him, the Lord said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." We do not know exactly what Paul's thorn was, but we all have thorns in our lives too ~ it could be someone or something that annoys us or one of our own sins. By remembering that Jesus was crowned with thorns on his way to Crucifixion, we can let our thorns help us walk along the Lord, who is still suffering today for our sins, and reach new spiritual heights.        

Not to Be Alone

        A parish friend is suffering from terminal cancer and does not have much time left to live. Many are praying for her, but it's all up to God. Again, I quote this saying attributed to Mother Teresa: "In the final analysis, it's between you and God." I do feel that each one of us is on his own with God. Family, friends, and all those who love you can only do so much. Only God who knows us intimately can do whatever he wants with us. We truly stand alone before God; but we can amend this situation in advance. Seek union with him now and you'll have God with you at all times.

Called to Go Home

        Entrance antiphon at Mass: A Man was sent from God, whose name was John. He came to testify to the light to prepare a people fit for the Lord. I came to realize that we are all called to be fit for God, not just a few of us. God wants to save us all, so do not count yourself out. Respond to his call with gratitude to become his chosen one and you are safely home. Or would you rather stray away and never return to your Father in heaven? He waits for us forever, but we have only one short lifetime to respond.

Most Personal God

        Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. At the beginning of Mass, I felt like crying as I was deeply moved by the Lord's presence in my heart and in my life. He's been so good to me and is the only one who will be with me always. Later as Psalm 139 was read, my feelings were confirmed. I'll just quote the response here: I  praise you, for I am wonderfully made. 

One-Sided Readiness

        God is always ready for us. If we do not see him, hear him, or feel him, it's because we are not ready for him yet.

Most Important Feeling

        Communion experience. The Holy Spirit showed me that one of the most important feelings to keep is knowing that you are holy, irrespective of how your enemies are attacking you to stir up negative feelings.

Finding the Way to Life

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7 at Mass, Jesus said to his disciples, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few." For the general public today, it is still true that the gate is narrow and the road that leads to life constricted for many, for this is how they perceive it. Naturally, if you don't wish to submit yourself to God, you don't make the effort to find the gate to him and you see the road to life as unpassable. This perception or vision can entirely change if you approach the Lord with humility and openness. Discovering his mercy and love will make you see that the gate is wide open and the road to life direct. In fact, when you reach union with the Lord, your effort is reduced to almost zero with God completely taking over. How difficult or easy is it to find your way to life? It all depends upon you.    

Living My Last Day (Not Really)

        Life is fragile. Right now storms and tornadoes in the Midwest are destroying properties and threatening human lives. And the current Pakistan heat wave has already killed near 700 people. I myself could have died in any of my past accidents. This is definitely not the world in which I want to live forever, and my heart is already where God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is. Today I am living as if it's my last day on earth, despite the fact that there are still things I need or plan to complete. But unfinished business is unfinished only if you are obsessed with finishing it. Feeling free to go to God is a special freedom no one can take away from you, for it came from God.

Burning Request

        On the road to Emmaus, the disciples of Jesus felt their hearts burning within them when Jesus spoke to them on the way and opened the scriptures to them (Luke 24). Pray to God the Holy Spirit that he will set your heart ablaze with his love and it shall happen to you!

Freedom sans Ego

        Absence of ego leads to freedom because you don't care about yourself anymore!

A Simple Guide

        This is the strong message from today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7. Jesus said to his disciples, "Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you." In other words, how we treat others is how God is going to treat us ~ a simple enough guide for us to follow. Again, I advocate seeking union with God, for when you are one with the Lord, you automatically see others as he sees them. 

The Heart Belongs to God

        Today's Gospel acclamation at Mass, Hebrews 4.12: The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and the thoughts of the heart. The mind has its own intelligence, but God always speaks to the heart. While our intelligence remains fixed, our heart grows in knowledge as God teaches us. Also, the heart directly affects the mind. When the heart is pure, the mind is pure; if it's filthy, so will the mind be. To serve God, always think with your heart, but be aware of the Evil One attempting to contaminate your heart by manipulating your thoughts of the mind. 

Opposite Effects

        Fear of God drives one to want to be more prominent than God, while love of God humbles one to regard himself to be the least important.  

To Nonbelievers

        Jesus has come and revealed the good new of salvation to all mankind. If you do not believe in him, what are you waiting for? The next time he comes, it'll be Judgment Day! If you are not waiting for anything, then your existence is empty. Sinners without having their sins taken away by God sink continually ~ believe in Christ as your Lord and Savior to reverse your course. Letting him go by and not getting your eternal destiny secured has to be the the most foolish and cowardly of all your acts.