Our Frist Priority

        Communion experience. The Holy Spirit made me see that before attempting to change anything around us, our first priority should be to change ourselves first. This completely made sense to me. Then he also showed me that as sinners, we have no right to judge other sinners. 

All Will Be Settled

        The world seems so unfair when the evil ones get away with whatever they do and the good people get beaten down and suffer. That's because we live in a sinful world. But this is just the beginning, for in the end, all will be settled. It will be either eternal dwelling with God or eternal separation from him, and this is what matters.

Present at the Last Supper

        Communion experience. I felt as if I was one of the Apostles at the Last Supper, hearing Jesus offering us his own body in the form of bread to eat and his own blood in the form of wine to drink.

Following the Truth

        Since Christ always speaks the truth, listen to him and keep his word.

How Good and Rich We Are

        We are only as good as how much we let God transform us and as rich as how open we are to receiving gifts from him.

So Much in Christ

        In Christ, we can be free of sin, gain entry to heaven, and live with our Father in bliss for ever, in addition to having our own resurrection on Judgment Day. There is so much for us to look forward to and rejoice about!

God for Everything

        You go to God not just to get your sins forgiven, but also to get your heart purified and your soul liberated! Let him fill you with hope, courage, peace, and joy. If you belong to him, all he has is yours. This is what a good Father is for. (These were my first thoughts before Mass this morning.)

Joyful Realization

        Communion experience. I felt great joy realizing that Jesus could take away all my sins. 

A Self-Realization

        Before Communion was given, I ran out of words in praising and thanking God for his love and greatness, and I realized then that I was finite before the infinite God. 

God or Us

        Also in today's Gospel of Luke 16, Jesus said, "No servant can serve two masters." It follows that we can not serve ourselves and God at the same time. It's "serving God alone," not even "God first, we second." 

All or Nothing

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16, Jesus said to his disciples, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones." This says that a trustworthy person is one who is trustworthy in all matters, that is, he has consistency. Similarly, a faithful Catholic is one who follows all teachings of the Catholic Church with consistency. Sadly, there are many Catholics who follow only those teachings that are palatable to them and veer away from others they think they can ignore. With God, we must go along 100%, giving our all and never overriding his will. Loving God not with all our heart is not an option ~ either we are with him all the way or not. Complete surrender to God is our only way out, but it's the logical, realistic, and most glorious way. Once in union with God, you will never ever want to leave him again ~ it's that beautiful!

Securing Your Real Future

        If you know exactly where you are going after you die, that is, you are certain that you are going to live forever with God, your entire outlook on life will change and you will experience peace and freedom. Should you wait until the last moments of your life and wake up to reality, you might still make heaven, but then you've already squandered away much of your lifetime ~ not a pleasant thing. Be a visionary and secure your real future for all eternity first.

Ultimate Fulfillment

        Today being a first Friday, I attended Eucharistic Adoration after Mass. With the Holy Eucharist displayed in the monstrance on the altar, the sanctuary became the holy of holies. It is hard to imagine that this same bread of heaven entered me personally a while ago during Mass. I could only tremble in awe. Being one with the One you are in love with ~ what more could one possibly ask for?

Rx for the Soul

        Communion experience. The Holy Eucharist is God's prescription for our soul. 

Living in God

        Go deep into God and forget about yourself totally.

Linking to God

        In today's first reading at Mass from Philippians 3, Paul spoke of all followers of Christ as having their citizenship in heaven. We become citizens of a country because we love the country and the country welcomes and accepts us. As citizens of heaven, we love God and God welcomes and accepts us. To link ourselves to God, to heaven, is the most important single thing we need to do in this life. It may sound selfish, but it's exactly what God wishes. 

Every Prayer Counts

        If you were the only human God had created, he would have died for your sins. Since you are that important to him, every prayer you utter from your heart he hears and heeds. Therefore, never cease praying and trusting in him.

Healthy Living

        Memories exist in our mind, but they are like virtual images we see in a mirror ~ they do not exist in substance. Memories are always about the past. Lingering over memories is a waste of time, a fruitless activity. The Christian is untethered from all past memories, be they pleasant or bitter. He or she lives forth with faith, hope, and charity ~ Christ now is the only draw. Such healthy living leads to eternal life.

Our Only Second Chance

        Everything we do in thought, word, and deed is known to God and thus consequential to our eternity destiny. If you had started out badly, only repentance and asking for God's forgiveness can reverse your course, giving you a second chance ~ there are no other means.

Communing With God

        My heart was heavy when I went to Mass this morning because of the many pressing issues on my mind. The entrance antiphon from Psalm 38 read: Forsake me not, O Lord my God; be not far from me! Make haste and come to my help, O Lord, my strong salvation! This perfectly mirrored my feelings. Then at the same time I did not want to hear the Lord say "O you of little faith," which he had used on his disciples on different occasions. Later, the response to Psalm 105 read: Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord! And that was the answer I needed to hear.  

Death Perfectly Timed

        Surrendering to God makes you see that when your body starts falling apart, it's the time to shed it and return to God, removing all fear of dying.

Foolish Evildoers

        Evildoers are myopic and the greatest fools because they think they can get away with what they do from God, not knowing that at the end they will have to face God to account for their every single thought, word, and deed. 

Maximizing Trust in God

        Surrendering yourself to God maximizes your trust in God.

Our Certain Resurrection

        Today is All Souls Day. The entrance antiphon from 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 reads: Just as Jesus died and has risen again, so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep; and as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be brought to life. I believe in what Paul believed in. Our life does not end with death, for the soul is everlasting. Through Christ, we shall rise again. With Christ, we always have hope, for he is our hope. All who believe in him will live with him for ever.

All Up to You again.

        The line separating believers and nonbelievers in Christ is clear, but the thickness of that line varies for each individual. Take the extreme cases. If you are ready to believe and follow Christ, the line vanishes completely. But if you decide to reject him, that line becomes like a wide chasm. Again, you choose to unite yourself to or separate yourself from God. 

*All Up to You

        As I have said more than once that the spiritual battle we fight is basically between us and God. We don't even need to factor in Satan. We let God be our God and we are free! But if we let ourselves be our gods, then we remain slaves to ourselves. It is clear, precise, and simple. Experience God and you'll know. How close to or far away from you freedom is ~ that all depends upon you.

Beautiful Saints

    Today is Solemnity of All Saints. The Mass was a joy for all its beautiful readings.

1. In Reading 1 from Revelation 7, John saw that God would put his seal on the foreheads of his servants to protect them, and that those who had survived the time of great distress had washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb and made them white.
2. In Reading 2 from 1 John 3, John tells us that the children of God shall be like God when they see him as he is.
3. Gospel acclamation, Matthew 11.28: Come to  me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give your rest, says the Lord. 
4. The Gospel reading from Matthew 5 was on the Sermon on the Mount, the beautiful Beatitudes.
5. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, I was greatly moved when the words and actions of Jesus at the Last Supper were recalled. 
6. These three Beatitudes made up the Communion antiphon: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. 

    It's just so beautiful to be a saint for God!

To Know God Is . . .

to know your inner self.

Our Greatest Therapeutist

        Communion experience. God is the one to whom I can safely bare my inner self completely. I can go to him to empty any junk, trash, and filth in me, spill forth all my emotions and feelings, and get myself cleansed, healed, and revitalized. Accepting the fact that there is nothing I can possibly hide without his knowledge is greatly therapeutic. Shall we say that being totally honest with God is the best policy?

The Golden Rule

Jesus said all the following:

Matthew 6.14-15: "If you forgive others their transgressions, you heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do no forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."       

Matthew 10.12-13: "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

               

Luke 6.37: "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven."

Luke 6.38: "Give and gifts will be given to you . . . the measure with you measure will be in return be measured out to you."

Matthew 7.12: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you." This pretty much sums things up with God taking part also. 

*Secret of Inner Peace

        Lesson from today's Gospel reading from Luke 14. Jesus went to dine at the home of a leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Indeed, before we invite someone to eat with us, we even consider if that person has ever invited us or if he has, how many times, how good the food was, etc. The same consideration is given when giving a gift. (This reminds me of the "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" saying.) Where is genuine generosity? What Jesus has taught is that we must do good from the heart and not for the sake of repayment. Love must be unconditional. To summarize it further: we must be completely selfless and do good for the sake of pleasing God alone. As a matter of fact, this is the secret of inner peace, when we exclude ourselves (our own egos) from the equation. 

Making Love Meaningful

        Loving others for love's sake may be meritorious, but only loving others for the sake of God who loves us makes it meaningful.

Joy of Perfection

        Communion joy. The grace we receive through the Holy Eucharist is sufficient to make us perfect. It is pure joy to be made as perfect as can be by God.

Our Biggest Pitfall

        Unfortunately, much of the world does not realize that if they do not humble themselves before God, they will never know the true God. Again, ego or pride is our biggest enemy, blinding our way to God. Beware.  

Known by God

        God knows everything about us. What about it? For me, if my God doesn't know everything about me, then he is unqualified to be my God. I rejoice that he does, so that he may know exactly how to help me with my needs and guide me to keep me on track, avoiding falling into Satan's traps. What a blessing! 

To Feel Free

        It took me a long time to see that feeling uneasy when I performed some task before others was because I was concerned about what others thought of me. Therefore, when we care only about what God thinks, we lose our self-consciousness. Aim to please God alone and we are set free.

Where Charity Begins

        One test of holiness is how well we get along with our own family members. By getting along, I mean no shouting, no arguing, no blaming, no getting angry at others, but listening, communicating, forgiving, admitting we are wrong when we are, seeking reconciliation, and making peace always. 

Union Is Ecstasy

        I've said that it's a good feeling knowing that you and God are on good terms. Let me add that an even much greater feeling is knowing that you have confessed every single sin, no matter how minute it is, and know that the Lord has thoroughly cleansed and purified your heart. Now, surrender to him and you and God become one. This is ecstasy on earth.

False Pride

        When a human being makes an astounding discovery in science or technology, he can mistakenly think that he is now more godlike, with his ego puffing up some more. When I was studying nuclear engineering many years ago and first learned the mathematical equation that calculates the critical amount of uranium needed to initiate nuclear fission, I felt the power man had in controlling nature. But all our discoveries and knowledge, while amazing, only show the omnipotence of God, not making us more powerful in any way. After all, our intelligence and ingenuities are given to us by God as well. We should be humbled by what we discover and praise God for it.

Perfect Love Expressed

        Communion antiphon today, John 14.23: Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. Here perfect love is perfectly expressed by the Lord himself.

To Know Perfect Love

        Today is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. The entrance antiphon: These are the holy men whom the Lord chose in his own perfect love; to them he gave eternal glory. Yes, God's love is perfect. But you say if it is perfect, then why people suffer so much. I would respond by asking you why people sin so much. You will know that his love is perfect when you stop sinning.

Timely utterances

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus, knowing that he would be killed, lamented over Jerusalem: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!" In reading 1 from Ephesians 6, Paul advised about battling evil: "Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil. For your struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness ...." These expressions from the heart resonate with me, as I feel very much in my heart the heavy burden Christ is now carrying at this critical time in the history of my country.

The Exact One

        Communion experience. The Holy Spirit let me see spiritually (not intellectually) that Christ was exactly the one to whom I should belong. 

Deepening Our Prayer

        We can only do so much to fight the war against evil as soldiers of Christ, but God is infinitely powerful. Therefore, let us trust in the Lord even more, pray even harder, begging him to unleash his power to vanquish evil and save all souls for the sake of all those who love and remain faithful to him. 

Serious Message of Salvation

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13.22-30, Jesus talks about the narrow door, and salvation and rejection. We must take the message of salvation seriously ~ it's either you believe or you don't. This is exactly why great holy saints regard themselves as most wretched sinners, for casually thinking that you are OK is not taking the message of salvation seriously. It's infinitely better to make sure that you get through the narrow door than being locked and cast out for all eternity!

Picture of Our World

        The moment we are born into this world, we enter amidst a spiritual warfare. God has given each of us a conscience and free will, and we are faced with choosing good or evil. The fact that we understand good and evil shows that there must be God and an evil one as well as heaven and hell, and that life can be made meaningful. Those who know Christ know that they have found the truth, so they know exactly what they should or should not do and where they are heading. But those who do not have Christ have only themselves to follow, resulting in moral decay and social chaos ~ this is the shape of the world we are in today. 

Beware of Selfcenteredness

        You may live your own life, do your own things, and not particularly do anything evil. But beware, if you live solely for yourself, minding your own business, you are being self-centered. And heaven is inhabited by God-centered souls.

Eliminating Shocks

        Recently, in walking I got a shock when I stepped off a descending step I didn't see. We encounter shocks when we do not see what's ahead. Therefore, prepare well so that you may not encounter the biggest shock of all when Jesus comes or when you depart from this world. 

Continuous Loving

        I used to wonder about the souls who lived before Jesus came into the world. How were they saved? The Old Testament and, especially helpful to me, the Psalms, made me see that God had always loved his people from the beginning and many of them were intimate with the Lord, yearning for him. I see that Jesus came into the world to further assure us that God is love and revealed to us that it is through him, the Son of God, that all are saved.   

Ingredient of Holiness

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to yeast. When a mustard seed is planted and fully grown, it becomes a large bush and the birds of the sky dwell in its branches. When yeast is mixed in wheat flour, the whole batch of dough is leavened. I realized then that when we have Jesus as our center, we grow into holy saints.