Smart Seeing

         I look first at the black and white, not the many gray shades, in anything. If I see only the grays, then my vision is limited. Seeing the black and white gives me a clear overall picture. Therefore, I notice good and evil, the existence of God and the Devil, and the reality of heaven and hell. This seeing keeps me on my path, heading into eternity.    

Contrasting Attitudes

        (1) Go to Mass on Sunday. Receive Holy Communion to fulfill your obligation. Then back to your old self for another week.

        (2) Prepare for attending Mass. Receive Holy Communion and meditate upon it. Realize that God has entered you. Determined to surrender to him even more.

Huge Difference Between...

being in Christ, who is the truth and can lead you to eternal life, and being external to him, which is being lost and not knowing where you'll end up.  

Only Two Ways

        (1) We play God. We determine what we want to do, how to live, and follow our own "dreams." In the end, we don't find happiness and feel the emptiness of life. Then if our demise is not sudden or unexpected, we have time to finally turn to God.

        (2) We let God be God. We follow him, seek his will, consult him in all things. We place our trust completely in him. We are free in God, no longer enslaved by the world. Glorifying God brings us joy and peace. We look forward to returning to the bosom of the Father. Earthly life passes and everlasting life with Christ begins.

Mankind's Critical Choice

        Communion experience. God is love. Only this love can transform our hearts, heal our spirits, make us pure, brings us peace, and lead us straight to heaven. Without this love, the world is doomed. Therefore, rejecting it amounts to self-condemnation. This love is our only hope and salvation. In John 14.6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The fate of mankind hangs on whether we hang on these words of the Lord or not.

Glorious Oneness

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus taught the permanence of marriage. Here are his words: From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate. But as imperfect beings, how are a man and a woman become truly one flesh? The answer is that if both of them attain union with God, they will have all their differences bridged and become one in God, mirroring the most glorious oneness of the triune God.

No Swearing Allowed

        In today's first reading from James 5, the Apostle essentially repeated what Jesus taught about oaths in Matthew 5 ~ that is, we are not to swear, but let our "Yes" mean "Yes" and our "No" mean "No." In other words, we must be even-tempered, never letting our emotions go out of control. We are to remain cool. This is accomplished by abandoning ourselves in God, a most cool idea.

Call to Holiness

          Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Mark 9. I urge you to read verses 42-48. Jesus' command for us to be holy is urgent. Know that if your conduct also causes others to sin, your sin is a lot more serious. In the wake of the news of the disappearing EgyptAir plane and other tragedies, the call to be holy is more urgent than ever. Never think that you are already good enough for God, when Jesus told his disciples to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Christ the Light

        Communion thoughts. Christ is the light that illuminates my spiritual path, making me see clearly what should and should not remain in my heart. (I am not saying this to sound good; I am saying it because the light makes everything crystal clear to me.)

Moved to Tears

        At church before Mass began this morning, I felt like crying for these two reasons. (1) The world does not know that God loves every single one of us and continues offending him. (2) I realized how much I need and depended upon God!

Forever and Done

        With God, it's forever. Jesus came to reveal that God is love, and this love is for ever. Once he has forgiven our sins, those sins are forgiven forever, and it's done. When we receive the Lord in Holy Communion in total surrender, we belong to him forever and it's done. This is why God is to be trusted, for he is completely dependable and forever the truth.

Why I Believe in Christ

        I went through a drawer in my study and found a list of 16 reasons I shared with my two sons in January, 2009, as to why I believe in the God of Christ. I am going to post them here. Of course, those of you who have been chosen by the Lord already will not need any more reasons. But for those who still have some doubts, a list like this can help.

1. In Christianity, God entered the world as one of us so that we might relate to him. This unique feature distinguishes Christianity from all other religions.
2. Jesus came and sacrificed himself in our place so that the gap between us sinners and the holy God was bridged – amazing!
3. Jesus showed that God is pure love, not what we humans would have expected.
4. God is omnipotent, yet he is meek and humble – an amazing combination of characteristics.
5. It follows that Jesus is not just our Lord and God, but also our brother and servant.
6. Jesus came and performed numerous miracles – healing the sick, the crippled, the blind ... even raising the dead. He multiplied loaves and fish, walked on water, calmed the storm ... all incredible feats.
7. His transfiguration when his face shined like the sun and his clothes turned dazzlingly white was awesome.
8. He forgave sins as only God can.
9. He loves us to the extreme, teaching us to love even our enemies and never stop forgiving others who have offended us – so radical that it seemed almost foolish.
10. He forgave those who crucified him with absolutely no hatred.
11. Of course, there was his Resurrection, which alone is sufficient for me to accept him as God.
12. He challenges us to love him above everything else, including even our own families. This makes sense only if he is truly God.
13. If Jesus is good enough for all the great saints and martyrs, he should be good enough for me.
14. My personal experience as a believer firmly confirms that I am believing in the true God. No one else can possibly grant me the peace, freedom, and joy I experience.
15. There have been so many amazing miracles occurring worldwide, witnessing to how God loves us.
16. Last but not least, Jesus was the one who fulfilled the hundreds of prophecies found in the Old Testament!

Conclusion: We have an incredible, extraordinary God, deserving all of our love and trust.

The Holy Spirit

        On this Pentecost Sunday. Pope Francis said that the Holy Spirit brings Jesus' timeless teachings to life and helps us to both understand and live it throughout our lives. "The Holy Spirit grafts his teaching into our hearts, helps us to interiorize it, making it become part of us," the Pope said. He concluded that the Spirit is a Consoler, Advocate and Intercessor who assists us, defends us, and is by our side on the path of life and in the fight for good and against evil. To me personally, God the Holy Spirit is the God in action, stirring our hearts to seek union with and to love him. Let the Spirit enkindle our hearts with the fire of his love. 

Guide to Living

        Today is Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle. In the Gospel reading from John 15, we hear Jesus saying to his disciples, "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you" and "It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last." Here is our succinct guide to living: know that we have been chosen by God, then go and bear fruit by loving one another. 

Humility Always

        When we are young and healthy, it's easy to behave high and mighty, believing that we can accomplish all things on our own. In yesterday's Gospel reading from John 21, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Although here Jesus said this signifying by what kind of death Peter would glorify God, it is true that as we age with failing health, we just won't be able to do many of the things we want to do. Realizing this, it's best to remain humble from the very beginning like Jesus, the only high and mighty one.

Merging Into God

        Communion experience. What a beautiful opportunity to enter deeper into union with God, forgetting more and more of the self.

Jesus Most Precious

          Communion experience. The Lord is my private refuge and consolation. The secret joy I experience is impossible to communicate with anyone who has not tasted it. He is my treasure, more precious than my own existence. 

*Most Attractive Lord

        Here is a Lord I revere and rightfully fear, yet I can't help but fall deeply in love with him. I shed tears when I think of all the transgressions his children commit against him, yet more often than not, I rejoices in the love and the hope he has given me. Though his word pierces my heart and soul, it also oozes unspeakable joy within them. He overwhelms me with his majesty and holiness, yet he beckons me to recline at his side. His love makes me tremble and bold at the same time. This is my beloved Lord.        

Advantage of Knowing Christ

        Jesus is the only one who can take away our sins and save us, whether we know him or not. For those who know him, they have the advantage of repenting their sins, getting them removed, becoming holy, and being assured of salvation. 

Jesus' Agony

        Communion experience. I felt Jesus' agony of being rejected by the world. 

Distinct Separation

        In today's Gospel reading of John 17.11B-19, Jesus made it clear to his disciples that the world hates those who do not belong to it. Indeed, you either belong to God or to the world. Those who belong to the world do not long for heaven because they are too immersed in and attached to the world, while those who belong to God long for him as they find the world to be frivolous and boring.  

Exciting Future

        Communion thoughts. The future is most exciting for those who follow Christ ~ so much to look forward to. Just imagine that in permanent union with the Lord, you'll know exactly how God feels about all things!

Praying as God's Children

        Read today's Gospel reading at Mass, John 17.1-11A, and you'll see how Jesus poured out his heart to the Father, knowing that he would soon be arrested and be put to death. We should pray to the Father like this too, revealing our innermost thoughts from our hearts with total freedom, enjoying great intimacy with him.  

Jesus' World

        The world of Jesus is otherworldly, but it is a world of peace, tranquility, carefreeness, and extraordinary beauty. Enter the Lord and it becomes your world.

**Being Good Not Good Enough

        Believing that God cannot help or save you is a serious sin. Denying that Christ is not God is perhaps an even more serious transgression. There are many good people who are law-abiding, never try to hurt anyone, and even love to help others in need; but they knowingly do not believe in the God of Christ.

          John 14.6: Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." It shows that we have no way of bypassing Jesus and must inevitably go through him. In Matthew 10.33, Jesus said to the apostles, "Whoever denies me before others, I will deny before the heavenly Father." It shows further that you can be a good person and still be denied by Christ in the end. The correct order of business for us is to accept and believe in Christ and then be good for his sake.

Primary Mission

        Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told the apostles, "You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you will be my witnesses even to the ends of the earth." Therefore, witnessing for Jesus must be of first priority in what we say and do. It is is our mission.

God Our Only Hope

        Only God can fundamentally change us for the following reasons. (1) He made us; therefore, he alone knows how to remake us. (2) Fundamental changes must start with the heart and God alone understands and knows how to enter our hearts. (3) There can be no fundamental change without purification and cleansing of the soul and again, only God can accomplish that. (4) God is love. No threat or force but love can renew a person.

Shackles of the Past

        Today's Communion antophon at Mass, John 17.24: Father, I wish that, where I am, those you gave me may also be with me, that they may see the glory that you gave me, alleluia. Are we already with Jesus, witnessing his glory? I ask because many people, especially the older ones, are mired in their past ~ they love to tell the same old stories, usually the less pleasant ones. I feel sorry that they do not see that the waiting Lord wants to show us his glory and to glorify us too. Otherwise, they would be freed from all shackles, past and present, and look forward ardently to going to him!

Serious Sayings

        Today's Vigil Mass celebrated the Ascension of the Lord. Excerpts from what Jesus said in the Gospel reading from John 16: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you" and "I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." These are serious sayings ~ either he spoke the truth or did not know what he was talking about. Therefore, we must consider them carefully ~ either we should believe in Jesus or disbelieve and dismiss him.

You Are Not Your Body

        Our physical body has a life of its own. When it is healthy, it's certainly our good friend, but when it deteriorates, it goes its own way and you just have to bid farewell to it one day. Therefore, we are not our body; we are our own spiritual soul. The physical union on earth is only temporary, so don't get attached to your body.

Eucharistic Intimacy

        On this first Friday of the month, there was again Eucharistic adoration after Mass at church. Whether I was siting close to or far away from the Blessed Sacrament displayed on the altar, it didn't make any difference because I had already received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist with him dwelling within me.

No-Brainer Choice

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus, with his imminent departure from the world in mind, said to his disciples, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." All of us will either have grief first, joy later, or have them in reverse order. For me, the no-brainer choice is to accept all unavoidable sufferings and hardships now and enjoy eternal bliss in heaven later.

Please Don't Hit the Bottom

        As I was conversing with a friend this morning, this old idea I previously blogged popped up. It'd be worth mentioning again in today's version. Absolute zero, -273.15 C (-459.67 F), has been determined by scientists to be the lower limit on the temperature scale, for at that temperature, all atoms are "dead," no longer vibrating. On the other hand, there is no upper limit to how high the temperature can rise. It's estimated that the temperature of the sun at its center reaches 27 million degrees F. I see an analogy between this and loving God. There is no upper limit to how much we can love God. That limit is God's love for us, which is infinite, and we can only approach, but never reach it. On the other hand, to not love God is easy ~ all you need to do is to reject him and you hit the bottom.  

Never Alone

        Communion experience. I was alone with God, but it turned that I couldn't be farther from being alone when I am with God.

Superior Draw

        Why didn't all the great saints enjoy the pleasures and attractions of the world? Answer: Because they had seen the beauty and tasted the sweetness of God. 

*Knowing God's Will

        We often pray to God for a sign when we seek his will, and often no sign appears. Today the Lord made me see that we must first be completely selfless, that is, absolutely allowing no ego to fool us into believing that what we want to do is God's will. Then whatever we seek to do to glorify God will be his will. In short, be selfless and you will is God's.

Wonderful Timelessness

         When you humbly rest in God, enjoying your oneness with the everlasting Lord who has no beginning nor end, you experience that same timelessness, all passing events no longer disturbing. 

Temptation vs. Joy in God

        All temptations keep us earthbound, only joy in God makes our spirit soar heavenward in freedom.

Highest Possible Honor

        In John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit." You may be chosen as Person of the Year, the recipient of an honorary degree, or the gold medal winner in some competition, but all these notable honors are nothing compared to what you receive when God choses you to follow him now to enjoy eternal life with him later in heaven. Think about it.

How Well Knowing God

        Once you get to know God intimately, you can't help but fall in love with him. Now you have reached the top level of knowing God.

Exciting News

        Today is the Feast of Saints Phlip and James, Apostles. In the Gospel reading from John 14, when Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus said, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." So, if we know Jesus, we know the Father. If we want to know what the Father is like, we only need to look at Jesus. Therefore, we can know about as well as know the Father. Exciting!

Most Favored Creature

        These realizations make me see that we are most special. (1) God made innumerable creatures. (2) He created only us in his image. (3) He became one of us. (4) And he laid down his own life as testimony that he loved us.       

Joy Complete

        At Mass this morning, I knew that I was not alone nor on my own, since Christ is with me. In fact, I now see that everything is happening for a reason. I am totally at one with God, my creator, and feel that through Christ, he has fulfilled my life and completed my joy ~ sort of a nirvana moment. At one time in my past, I was interested in abstract mathematics. Whenever I studied or worked out the proof of some theorem and saw how beautiful, clear, thorough, and complete it was, I felt great delight. It's the same feeling, but even deeper and more satisfying, when I come to know God. 

*"Shocking" Experience

        Communion experience. In receiving the Holy Eucharist, God humbly lowered himself to draw us all the way to his bosom, exalting us to the highest possible status ~ shocking, but most delightful! (Only our God, the God of Christ, can do this.)

Advice Not Quite Sound

        It's common to hear successful people telling others to persevere, never give up, believe in what you can go and go after what you want to do, and your dream will come true. This piece of encouraging advice sounds good, but is not sound. First, you are hearing from those people who happen to have succeeded. Secondly, in reality you can waste a lot of time pursuing a goal that's just not right for you; and stories of failure are never broadcast aloud for everyone to hear. Last, Jesus never taught thus. This advice might work in the secular world, but it in reality replaces trust in God with trust in yourself, which can never fill the void of one's life. Better advice is to follow Christ who alone can lead you to living a joyous and fulfilled life.

A Christian's Work

        Sitting in the family room, I looked up and saw the many books on the shelves. They were mostly travel guides, books on gardening and plants, and some collections of short stories. I thought about each author who must have put in a lot of work to get each book published. As Christians, what should we be busy with or work hard for? In Luke 2, when Joseph and Mary finally found the 12-year-old Jesus teaching in the temple after looking for him for three days, he told them that he must be about his Father's work. I thought this should be our mission too ~ to be busy with the Father's work, working in his house. It would be time smartly spent for a glorious future.

Precious Opportunity

        Communion experience. We must let the Holy Eucharist change us each time. The more we abandon ourselves, the deeper our union with God, and the more thorough our spiritual transformation. Rejoice when such opportunities still exist. 

Diametric Opposites

        In today's reading from John15 at Mass, Jesus mentioned the world's hatred of him and his disciples. For me, the very existence of this hatred from the evil world only proves that the Lord is truly the Holy One. Hatred and love are like Yin and yang. Both exist with one always pointing to the other.

Looking Farther Ahead

        People don't look too far ahead ~ they only look forward to attending events scheduled for the coming days one by one. For example, I have noted on my calendar such events as our church's pancake breakfast, funeral service of a friend, dental checkup, grandson's graduation from junior hi next month, etc. We are truly here today and gone tomorrow. No one knows when that tomorrow (or last moment) will be. The most important thing is to look far ahead to see where we are going. If we know our destination, then we do longer live from event to event, for the events are like receding telephone poles we see from a moving train as we travel toward our final destination. There is no comparison between knowing that you'll arrive safely at the end and not knowing when train might crash along the way.

Making God Your Refuge

        Imagine that you live in the country in a nice house among beautiful, peaceful surroundings. There are birds singing and a nearby brook running. Moreover, you have no financial worries and no one to bother you. Mostly likely, you would be too happy and content to think any evil thoughts. Now, let's thrust you into the working environment of a big city. You have a stressful job and you work hard, but no one appreciates you. You even have to fight for finding a parking space wherever you go. Besides, the cost of living is high and people do take advantage of you. Very likely, you would hate living there and might even devise ways of hurting your enemies. The point I wish to make is that our environment can greatly affect our behavior. My recommendation is to let God shield us from all evil. To be in union with God is to be immersed in him and have himself surround us completely. Making God your refuge is the way to go.