Joy to the Soul

        Reading 1 at Mass from Hebrews 4: The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. Paul uttered these words in union with God. For it is in union with the Lord that you gladly let his word (and his love) penetrate your heart to help you discern your inner thoughts and learn his ways. Such intimacy brings great joy to the soul.

God Is Hope

        At this morning's Mass, I read all these sayings from the missal that gave me so much hope in the Lord. From the Entrance: Upon a lofty throne, I saw a man seated, whom a host of angels adore, singing in unison: Behind him, the name of whose empire is eternal. The Responsory from John 6.63: Your words, Lord, are spirit and life. The Communion antiphon, Psalm 36.10: With you, O Lord, is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. An alternate, John 10.10: I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. The God of Christ is our shining hope, our joy, and the cause of our optimism. Trust in him with all your heart to be uplifted by him.

Prepare Now for Eternity

        If you believe in the Second Coming of Christ upon which he will judge all the living and the dead, the time of preparation is now when you are still alive. Whether the Coming happens in your lifetime or later, know that your preparation time expires at the same time you do. 

Jesus Indispensable

        Jesus is most valuable, most desirable, in fact, indispensable to us, for only he can forgive our sins as he is God. He is the way and the truth and the life. To be more specific, only he can save us from eternal damnation and lead us to heaven. He is the one we need to go after, embrace, and follow with all our heart and our might. If you reject him, I will only respect you if you can solidly prove to me that he is false in some way, that you actually know more than he, or that your are a better person than he. My belief is that those who reject him are in reality running away from him, afraid of confronting God. How foolish it is to try to avoid something that is imminent!

Putting House in Order

        Yesterday in a post I mentioned that anyone in an emotional state may lose self-control. For example, an angry person may do harm to others or a person under stress may no longer consider the consequences of his action. We all make wrong decisions when we lose inner peace and clear thinking. Similarly, when we lose God's peace in our heart, we no longer hear him speak to us and start sinning. Union with God prevents all this. It is putting your house in order, a state for the soul to cherish and enjoy.  

Freedom That's Free

        "Freedom is not free" is a popular American idiom. We owe gratitude to our military for its sacrifices in defending our personal freedoms. By contrast, I think of the freedom God is ready to bestow upon each of us. It won't cost you anything and you won't have to fight for it either. All you need to do is to submit to God and humbly ask him to set you free.

On Practicing What You Preach

        To practice what you preach is usually harder than just preaching, for it is in practice that your theory is being tested. It is also a fact that anyone in an emotional state may lose his self-control. Therefore, if you are a spiritual person, it is all the more important not to lose your inner peace in order to practice what you preach as successfully as possible.

On Fearing God

        We should fear God so that we may not sin. After we sin, we should not fear turning to God immediately to ask for his forgiveness to remove any fear of being judged by him. 

On Not Judging Others

        Reasons for not judging others: (1) We are sinners ourselves. (2) Judging is not being kind. (3) To judge is to play God. (4) Last but not least, Jesus commanded us not to judge others. 

*On Following God's Will

        Jesus came into the world to spread the good news of God's love and our salvation, knowing well that not all would welcome or believe him. Nevertheless, he went ahead with God's plan. Similarly, we strive to be holy, knowing that we would never be perfect. Nevertheless, we should not give up and must continue on, following God's will. What we can actually achieve is up to the Lord.

In the Name Of Jesus

        We pray to God in the name of his Son Jesus. We can do everything, big or little, in the name of Jesus too. It's especially helpful when we find it hard to forgive someone who has wronged us; we can simply forgive him in the name of Jesus. In this way, we let the Lord handle the case and we are off the hook. In the name of Jesus, we can be detached to all things and become holy. For his sake, we should be willing to do anything. This is letting God be God with us out of his way.

Our God

        My God is my God, but he is our God. I treasure and cherish him as if he is mine alone, yet I gladly wish all to possess him. This is the Lord who can transform us into selfless, generous beings. This is our magnanimous, all-embracing Lord, capable of uniting all of his children as one in him. This is the exact Lord we need to complete our existence. Submit to him with all your heart and soul.

In the Light

        Today's Communion antiphon, Psalm 36.10 reads: With you, O Lord, is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. Jesus is our light. Without him, we are in darkness. To know him is to be in his light, then we see and understand everything.

Doing the Will of the Father

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1 at morning Mass, Jesus cured the sick and drove demons out of those possessed. In fact, in his entire ministry he always helped those who were helpless. Yet when he was persecuted by his enemies, got sentenced and put to death . . . throughout the whole ordeal, he never tried to lessen his own suffering ~ this is the amazing part. Obviously, carrying out the will of the Father was his overriding mission. Any of us who does the will of God likewise will be with him and saved, as the Lord had promised.

*Look at the Bright Side

        If we have perfect health and live in a completely stress-free environment, we probably wouldn't think about God at all. Therefore, see your physical problems and stressful encounters as blessings. It is easy to notice the gloomy side of things and forget to look at the much brighter side of them.

Powerful Sorrows

       Today Tuesday is the day for praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Why should the Passion of Christ move me so much? I believe it is because deep within I know that I am a sinner and need God's salvation. Otherwise, it would be just one of the myriad sad stories of the past. 

Salvation Without Cooperation?

        Salvation is free in the sense that God alone has made it possible, but we still need to cooperate with him to be saved. Otherwise, faith becomes unnecessary, Jesus didn't even have to come to us, and we can keep on sinning. God gave us the free will precisely for us to choose to believe in or to reject him. Note: Once you have chosen to follow Christ, your are free to retire your free will. (This post is prompted by a non-Christian friend who believes that he is going to heaven anyway.)

Only Way to Freedom

        How happy and free we are in life depends upon how we handle ourselves. If you play God, you won't be happy because you are not him. Those who are happy let God be their Lord and follow his will and see all problems as his problems. Abandon yourself to God is the only way to freedom. When you taste this freedom, you'll know that you have the truth.         

*God's Companionship

        God is always there for us. It is when we stray away from him that we lose his companionship. Of course, you need to get to know him first. Anytime I miss my intimacy with him ever so slightly, I know that I have strayed away, usually in thoughts. This is good for me, for it makes me want to go right back to be in full union with him. It is this intimate companionship that makes life sweet, satisfying, and worth living.

*Heaven and Hell

        Heaven exists because God is love. Hell exists because sin is real. Our free will exists because God wants to give us the chance to choose him.

*Do You Hear Yourself?

        It is easy for us to hear others talk and then criticize them, but hard to be aware of exactly what and how we speak to others. It is hard because when we speak, the intention to listen to ourselves is not there. So if someone criticizes what we have said, that person may have a point. If we do not hear ourselves, mostly likely we are not as perfect as we think we are. In sum, be sensitive to what you say and know that other speakers do not hear themselves well either. This can help us avoid unnecessary arguments.  

Entrusting Your Soul

        Communion thoughts. You can fully entrust your soul to Jesus, for he is the soul healer. Now, there are those who sell their soul to the devil for riches on earth. With Jesus, not only you gain eternal life, you also inherit all that the Father has in heaven.

Division and Unity

        Jesus said that he had come not to establish peace on earth, but rather division ~ you see that this has been happening to this very day. But let's not forget that he has also brought unity among all the faithful disciples, the communion of saints, and for many of us union with God. (Note that there is no unity on the other side.) 

*Revelation Amplified

        Revelation from God needn't be some new knowledge we learn for the first time; it could also be a confirmation that something already revealed to us is absolutely true.

A Creation Secret

        The more we give ourselves to God, the more we experience freedom. How so? Answer: God has created us this way.

*In God's Light

        Today is the Epiphany of the Lord. In reading 1, Isaiah speaks of God as the light that shines upon us. Today, if you are not in the light of Christ, you are still in darkness, for only in him is your path to eternity made crystal clear! 

*Sorrow Lined With Joy

        Is the death of Jesus a tragedy? No, because the love of God triumphed. Of course, I feel sorry for the suffering Christ underwent, then I am even moved more by God's love for me. So it's great sorrow lined with greater joy.

*A Plea to Turn to God*

         What hurts me the most is to see so many of us continue to ignore God and go their own way, sinning as if there would be no consequences. To them I address the following questions and remarks. 

       Don't you know that you are hurting the very Lord, your creator and Father, deeply? What has he done to deserve all this? All he wants to do is to love you and give you eternal life! He has already died for you on the cross, so why do you continue to wound him mercilessly and unceasingly? Don't you realize that you are returning love with ingratitude, thus cutting off the only hope of your life? How cold and hard can your heart possibly get? Instead of offering it to the Father as you should, you have killed it. He is weeping for you, while you should be weeping for yourself. His mercy is infinite, but it's useless if you reject it all. Know that if you choose not to turn to him, you choose to be lost forever. Creating a tragedy with yourself being its protagonist is tragic indeed! 

*Have Jesus, Have Your Way

        Communion thoughts. Once you have Jesus, what you want is always what he wants, and you'll have all you want.     

Need to Involve God

        There are many human teachings out there advising you on how to think positively, to fulfill your personal goals, to live without stress, to make friends, etc., but without the involvement of God, they are basically self-centered and all efforts must still come from you alone – think of trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Only by doing whatever with God's help and for his sake will you have the best chance to succeed and have joy too.

Blessed During Consecration

        During the consecration of the bread and wine when the Lord transformed them into his own body and blood at Mass today, I felt blessed to be present at this great miraculous happening.

*What to Associate with Jesus

        This morning at Mass when I heard announced that the opening hymn would be #110 in the song book, Beethoven's great Op. 110 piano sonata popped into my mind, as it was one of my favorite piano compositions. So I wondered what we would quickly associated with the name "Jesus" when we hear it. I dare guess that many would say "love" or "forgiveness of sins." But there is one more perhaps less abstract thing we should always remember to associate with Jesus, and that is "eternal life." Jesus came into the world precisely so that everyone who believes in him might not perish and have eternal life! (John 3.16.)

*Exciting Spiritual Life

        Is the spiritual life a tranquil life? An exciting life? I would say both. Tranquil, because you enjoy the peace of God. Exciting, because God speaks to your heart, teaching and guiding you. What spices up the spiritual life are the surprises the Lord springs upon you at various times, showing that he is with you and capable of doing wondrous deeds. This adds extra joy to the spiritual life. 

Changed Outlook on Life

        As we age and our physical health deteriorates, we can see that life overall is not as happy a thing as we thought it could be when we were young. But those who have Christ would see that he is the bright light in their lives and knowing him far outweighs all the other sad parts of life. In addition, they know that their yearning for the Lord will soon be fulfilled ~ a joy that no sadness on earth can touch. 

God's Forgiving Mercy

        There is no question that only God can take away our sins. It follows that only God can make us totally forgive someone we find it most difficult to forgive on our own. Since God's mercy knows no bounds, let that mercy infiltrate our hearts first so that we may be merciful to all others, friends and enemies. 

*Let God Transform Us

        I remember in my youth, I rode with a friend in his British racing green MGB sports car. What impressed me more than the car was the manner in which he drove it. I had expected any sports car driver to push the vehicle hard, test its road-hugging capability, and enjoy the swift rush through the open air. But somehow my friend went the opposite way: he was polite at every turn, never revved the engine for speed, and made my ride silky smooth. He actually became a perfect English gentleman! This effect of the car on him has remained with me to this day. It gets me thinking that if we are clothed with Christ, we should also let the Lord transform us into his perfect disciples, showing love, humility, and more. If we are willing, certainly the power of the Lord can be greater than that of any car.

The Saving Eucharist

        Communion thoughts. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is more than being in God's presence ~ we have God actually entering us for union. Whoever receives this sacrament with great reverence will be saved!

God Speaking

        Matthew 19.29 is today's Communion antiphon: Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life, says the Lord. This saying would've been astounding if it had come from a human. But as it had been uttered by God, it completely makes sense.

Love We Must

        In this morning's first reading at Mass from 1 John, St. John the Apostle urges us to always love and never hate others. Jesus laid down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. These are strong words. God has shown us the power of love and that only love can save us and the world. Saying all this sounds hackneyed, but it is the truth. Here we have the secret of peace and our salvation – there is no other way out. Since God is love, we must let love rule our hearts.

On Getting Up in the Morning

        When you wake up every morning, what is your mood? Are you grumpy? Do you have anything to look forward to or would you rather go back to sleep some more? During one past period of my life, I did not look forward much to waking up each morning to face the day, for I hadn't let God completely take over my life yet. But now I am always joyful in getting up as early as possible with only doing what the Lord wants me to do, while leaving everything in his hands, on my agenda. I am acutely aware that for our happiness, we were created to love God alone. This has expelled all anxieties from and brought great peace to my heart – I thank the Lord for that.

*Being Self-Centered?

        How important are your various desires to you? Even if all your desires are fulfilled, what do you really gain? Anyway, if your desires are more important than God's will, you are still living a self-centered life. 

*Remaining Free

      Do not let yourself be enslaved by anything on earth so that you may freely embrace your Father in heaven for all eternity!

Know Where We Are Headed

        We should live with a clear vision of the overall scheme of things – how we got here, what our existence means, what life is all about, where we'll go after death ... – never live from one little thing to another, not knowing where we are headed. 

Liberation Is . . .

shedding your ego, dying with Christ, and living for God as a new creature. 

Clear Vision of Life

        First, realize that you are just passing through the world and will never be able to solve all the problems of your lifetime. Next, know that heaven is definitely where you want to be after you leave this earth. Then it should be clear that you should be content to live an unknown life devoted to serving and loving God only. 

The Divine Christ

        When we first believe in Jesus, our faith is weak. Then as we come to know him better, we come to believe in him more. Finally, when we attain union with him, all doubts vanish and we are more sure than ever that he is the Lord and God. So, if your faith is still not that strong yet, do not give up, for you are on the right path. By the way, anyone who tells you that Christ is not divine is being deceived by Satan ~ have nothing to do with them.

*The Bread of Life

        Today is the Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. John 6.51 was the Communion antiphon. Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." There is no doubt that the Holy Eucharist I receive at Mass each time is truly (not symbolically as many Protestants believe) the real flesh of the Lord. (If not, then the Apostles, the early fathers of the Church, the great saints throughout history, and all Catholics to this day have committed the sin of idolatry for worshipping a piece of bread!)

To Be Like Jesus

        This morning I am thinking about how Jesus, the king of the universe, with whom nothing is impossible, came to us simply preaching the truth and performing great miracles with no hoopla or hype whatsoever, never bragging once about himself and remaining meek and humble through his death on the cross – this alone should inspire us to follow him. To be like him is to be like God and to be with God – there is no higher goal for us. Reach for him to help you succeed! 

*Life on Fire

        If your yearn for the Lord, then he has set your heart ablaze. Let the sweet flame totally engulf and consume your whole being to maximize your enjoyment of the Lord in this life!

Huge Blessing

        Communion experience. Receiving the Holy Eucharist is one of the biggest possible blessings God can bestow upon us! Appreciate and treasure the opportunity with all your heart!