God has already given us his own Son! To create any kind of relationship with him, there has to be mutual giving. And the greatest possible relationship is achieved by giving yourself entirely to him, and your cup will overflow.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Friday, February 3, 2017
True Freedom
Communion experience. When you are united with Jesus, all barriers between you and God vanish and you see others as Jesus sees them.
*Gruesome Realities
Today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 told about the death of John the Baptist. Briefly, King Herod at his own birthday banquet was so delighted by the performance of a dance by his own daughter that he swore he would grant her whatever she asks of him. She asked her mother Herodias what she should ask for. Herodias replied with "the head of John the Baptist," since she harbored a grudge against him and wanted him dead. The girl made the request and Herod was forced to keep his oath made before all the guests and ordered the beheading. It was a gruesome story. My thoughts turned to the killing and dismembering of the unborn in our abortion mills. These are equally gruesome acts, performed on a massive scale. (For a true horror story, read about Kermit Gosnell online. This former abortion-provider, having been convicted of killing infants that were born alive had been sentenced to life imprisonment. But it's the Supreme Court which legalized abortion in the first place. To rule legally that terminating the life of an infant outside the womb is wrong, but doing it inside the womb is OK, is ironic and done without any kind of conscience or even common sense.) Lord, please rescue us!
Thursday, February 2, 2017
**Freedom Is Yours!
The more you focus upon Jesus, the more you are free! This is true because Jesus was the one who took all our sins, placed them upon himself, and died for our salvation. If he could do all that, certainly he can free you from any kind of bondage. As a matter of fact, he has already freed you – you only need to realize it!
*Live-Die-Live-Die-Live*
We first came into the world to live. Then we find Christ and die in him. We are reborn and begin to live a new life in him. We die again and leave the world. Finally, we live with Christ in heaven for all eternity. Have you gone beyond the first stage?
***Union Is . . .
you and God doing the same thing to each other ~ you love him and he loves you; you trust him and he trusts you; you agree with him and he agrees with you; you listen to him and he listens to you; you serve him and he serves you; you exalt him and he exalts you . . . you dwell in him and he dwells in you.
**Living by Heart
If you can live for God by the heart alone without engaging the mind, then you have penetrated the heart of God.
*Recognizing the Fact
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Response from Psalm 24: Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!" It is pure joy to hear "It is the Lord!" We should recognize this in all things that happen to us and at all times, and God will bless us abundantly.
*Most Beautiful Disposition
If you love Jesus, the best possible disposition for you to assume is to put your trust in him and not be concerned about how he is going to guide you nor what he is going to say to your heart, just letting him love you. To trust is to have faith, and nothing pleases the Lord more than having great faith in him.
*How God Shapes Us
When we submit ourselves to God, we do not become his slaves or puppets. In fact, we get liberated from ourselves! This is what all who are not with Christ yet need to know. Each of us is a unique being created by God of individuality with a particular disposition, so the Lord leads and shapes each of us in the way that suits and would benefit us spiritually the most. The result is that we become like myriad flowers, looking all different, but equally beautiful before God.
*Index of Spiritual Needs
If you ever felt that life was empty and that you needed something to fill that void – even for a brief moment, it's God calling you, letting you know that you need him!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
*Be Reckless and Greedy
Reckless: follow Jesus single-mindedly with no regard to what people think of you. Greedy: ask Jesus for everything you can possibly have to make you holy and perfect. And you will be rewarded.
Original Sin Realized
The BBC's series on Planet Earth narrated by Sir David Attenborough is excellent, for it presents astounding footages on the various features of the earth such as mountains, caves, deserts, jungles, etc., with their amazing wildlife. It is nature at its best. While watching one episode, I saw how "unnatural" humans were, as if they shouldn't even belong on earth. We are the creatures that have turned our world into a mess, causing vast destruction of our environment and mass suffering among fellow humans. It was clear to me that the cause of it all was our rebellion against God, and the reality of original sin dawned on me. [Good news: The series Planet Earth II has come out.]
Jesus Always With Us
When Jesus was on earth, his disciples saw him, heard him, and spoke with him. Now almost 2,000 years later, we do not see him visibly, but the relationship can be just as intimate. He is with us exactly as he was with his early disciples. We now even have the Holy Spirit and can attain union with him through the Holy Eucharist. He still speaks to our hearts and we speak to him through prayer. God will never abandon us. He is close to us until we distance ourselves from him.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Ultimate Trust
Communion experience. The soul is my most precious possession. Recognizing that Christ was the only one who could safeguard it, I gladly gave it to him for safekeeping.
How to Live
On this Memorial of St. John Bosco, the Communion antiphon, Matthew 24.46-47, reads: Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Amen, I say to you, he will put that servant in charge of all his property. Attributed to Gandhi: Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Now, more to the point: Live today as if the Lord were to come tomorrow.
*Be Like a Worm
Earthworms live in tunnels in the soil. Because they become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long, they remain hidden underground. Nevertheless, this habit of the worm should inspire us to remain hidden in the Lord, not physically, but spiritually, so that we may be in his holy presence always and never seek the limelight of the world. It is concentrated, but relaxed and joyous living.
Our Main Business
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 5, we heard the healing of a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched his cloak, believing that she should be cured by doing so. Immediately her flow of blood dried up. Jesus was aware at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around, saw her, and said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
Here we learn that the woman had faith and when she needed help, Jesus knew it immediately, and that her faith saved her. Sometimes God tests our faith, but we must always trust in him. For me, the Resurrection of the Lord alone is enough for me to cast all my care upon him. We should worship, adore, and praise God, but our main business is to trust him.
Proud to Be One-Issue Voter
Yesterday I conversed with a Catholic friend who voted for Hilary Clinton. One big reason I couldn't vote for her was her extreme pro-abortion stand, allowing aborting a baby anytime before its birth. My friend, a female, insinuated that I was a one-issue candidate, but I am honored to be one (even though I had other issues with Clinton) for following the will of God. Is it alright to follow nine of God's Ten Commandments and disagree with him on the one that says "You shall not kill"? I don't think so. With God, it must be all or nothing ~ either you obey him 100% or think that he is not worth obeying. Faith is nonnegotiable and must not be compromised at any cost.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Enjoying the Lord
Communion experience. Since I was in a state of grace, it was so enjoyable to receive the Lord to become one with him ~ to be exalted by him! I became completely his and vice versa.
Extreme Separation or Fantastic Union
Jesus said he had come not to establish peace on the earth, but rather division. From the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, we learn that a great chasm exists between the place of comfort and that of torment, which prevents anyone from crossing from either side to the other. This is extreme separation. On the contrary, there is the greatest unity on the side of God where barriers do not exist among those who belong to the same Lord – all in perfect union with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Again, we are confronted with making a choice now.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Unavoidable Choice
Everything we do has consequences, affecting the universe and most of all, ourselves. Know that doing anything selfcenteredly moves us away from God, whereas doing something for God's sake brings us closer to him. These are the only two directions to go. Putting off making the choice is definitely being self-centered.
Bread From Heaven
Communion thoughts. Food on earth may taste good to the mouth, but still upset the stomach. The bread from heaven not only uplifts and refreshes the spirit, but also heals and delights the soul.
A Special Reminder
If your mind is clear, it would be nice to thank the Lord for that when you still can.
Blessed Living
In today's Gospel reading at Mass from Matthew 5, we heard the Sermon on the Mount delivered by Jesus, giving us the beautiful Beatitudes. They guide us in the way of Jesus. He will bless those who acknowledge their need for God, feel sorrow for others, are meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, are merciful and clean of heart, make peace, and are willing to suffer for the sake of righteousness and for him. Last, he asked all to rejoice and be glad, for their reward would be great in heaven. How can we possibly not rejoice over this good news? I say, get blessed all the way to heaven!
Saturday, January 28, 2017
*Jesus Our Servant
Communion experience. I felt I was like some mud, dirty and full of germs before the Lord. Yet, in spite of my condition, he lovingly cleansed and sterilized me. The scene of the washing of the disciples' feet came to mind (John 13). God humbles himself so that we may be exalted.
Why Jesus Draws Me
Jesus draws me because of his perfection as God and sanctity as man. His unconditional love for us is the perfect manifestation of these two characteristics.
*Our Longevity
Some people live a long life and others die early. It seems that there is no correlation between longevity and how ready we are to die, how saintly or unholy we are, whether we are rich or poor, if we are healthy or sick, or other. Of this much I am sure: God allows those who love him to live long enough to do maximum good in serving him. He retires you after he thinks it's time to reward you.
*Jesus the Restorer
A newborn baby is pure and blameless. Unfortunately, it is born into an impure and sinful world and the child easily ends up as a full-blown adult sinner. I see Jesus as the only one who can make all the corrections to restore us to our initial pristine condition.
*To All Strangers and Aliens
Today is the Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas. In the first reading from Hebrews 11, Paul wrote how the descendants of Abraham in seeking a better homeland, a heavenly one, acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth. Now, all of us did appear on earth at one time or another, so we are in that sense strangers and aliens here too. Besides, we who follow Christ definitely know that life on earth is just a stopover on our way back to the Father. Happy journey to all strangers and aliens!
Friday, January 27, 2017
Life Is Winning
Today, Vice President Mike Pence became the first sitting vice president to address the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. Listen to him and cheer!
*Solving Problem the Right Way
I think that we all agree that running away from a problem does not solve it and that only by facing it can we hope to find the solution. The same goes for the problem of running away from God. It's only by facing God that you get to understand and correct it.
*Receiving Life
Communion experience. Certainly, without God, there would be no life. So today, I received Christ the life, the life eternal, the source of all life, the creator of life. What a momentous moment!
*Unique Cross
If you love Jesus and see that some of your most loved ones do not even believe in him, you suffer the agony the Lord experiences himself whenever he sees a chasm existing between him and any of his children. How painful it is to be rejected by your own for whose sins you have died! This is a unique cross that we who love the Lord must bear. Our choice is to remain in sorrow or place our faith and hope even more in the Lord. I chose the latter and was rewarded with joy outweighing sorrow.
God My Rest
There are so many things, unsettled, disturbing, that rattle the peace of our minds. At the start of Mass this morning, I knew I was coming to rest my whole body and soul in God, who alone can provide me with his peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4.7).
*Settling Eternal Destiny First
Right now, a friend of my son is in danger of losing his life at a medical center. One of my church friends just underwent surgery on his leg. I called a cousin of mine in New York and no one answered the phone. The last time it happened not long ago was when she was taken into a hospital for an emergency operation, so I hope that it's not the same thing again this time. Obviously, I am already an old person, but that's not the point. The point I want to make is "Believe in God now!" Put aside planning your dream vacation, buying a new house for your family, finding ways of investing your money to make more money, etc., and settle your eternal destiny first! Don't wait until the last moments of your life – do it when you are still young and healthy! Make the most important decision first before considering any other decisions. Closing pointer: Put God ahead of you to know the way; put yourself ahead of God to be lost.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
*Creator Power
Communion thoughts. Receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist stands as a landmark in my daily journey. It was of great consolation to realize that since the Lord God created me, he surely can correct, reshape, and transform me into a new creature that's pleasing to him. It's the power of the creator at the disposal of his creature!
When Do We Sin?
We sin only when we lose sight of the Lord. (Seek union with God to be in his sight always.)
*Playing God
In this country, we have the left (liberals) and the right (conservatives) going against each other on so many issues. Both sides are guilty of distorting the truth and creating fake news. If the left plays God without believing in him much, the right plays God while claiming that they believe in him.
Recently, Pope Francis had an interview with a Spanish newspaper on the day of Trump's inauguration and was asked what he thought about Trump. He said that he wanted to wait to see how he acts, what he does, before forming an opinion. Toward the end of the interview, the Holy Father added that the rise of any populist figure could be a cause for concern, citing Hitler as an example. He is making a point, but the moment I read that, I was quite certain that the right would seize upon this "undiplomatic slip" and accuse him of comparing Trump with Hitler. Sure enough, one popular Christian (non-Catholic) network on the right in a YouTube video called for all Catholics to leave their church and find Christianity elsewhere. This saddened me and almost made me laugh at the same time, for so many Protestants are ignorant of the fact that Catholics do not leave the Church just because the Pope or a bishop or their pastor is someone they don't like or is a sinner – the faithful remain with the Church because it was established and given to them by Christ to be guardian of the whole truth. Unlike Protestants, Catholics do not shop around for a church or denomination until they find one that appeals to them. Also, Protestants in general are not required to belong to any church and can even start a church of their own. By the way, I read one page of the comments on that video – the vile words and foulmouthed expressions used by the commentators were shocking in condemning the Holy Father and the Catholic Church. I just hope that they are not representative of the majority of the people of this country. What that presenter of the video did and caused was exactly what the Pope was concerned about.
For all Christians who wish to spread any kind of message in public, remember these two sayings. (1) When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery to Jesus and were ready to stone her, Jesus said, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (2) I say, "If you cause anyone to hate more and love less, that could not have been prompted by the Holy Spirit."
Going Beyond Minimalism
Two guys, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, known as "The Minimalists" are becoming increasingly popular. There is a documentary made about their Minimalism, which you can watch on YouTube. In it, they point out that the problem with society is compulsory consumption, which is acquiring things because that's what we are supposed to do. In their own words, they explain that Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life's excess in favor of focusing on what's important, so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.
This message is catching on with the public. I am posting it because I want to share a superior way that cures the problem at the fundamental level. Naturally, God is involved. Submit yourself to God completely and become detached to all things except the Lord himself. Then even if you are surrounded by material things, you enjoy your freedom. Besides, doing it for God's sake and not your own adds purpose and joy to your existence.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Communion Effect
Communion experience. The Lord made me aware that after receiving him, he had made me a better person. All the Communion experiences can certainly create a cumulative effect. Praise be to God!
Eternity Is Timeless
Time is not something you can see passing, not a clock ticking away . . . it is an abstract concept not easy to grasp. All I can say is that things happen in a certain order in time. Anyway, here is an awareness that makes me forget all about time for the time being: it is the knowledge that I'll be with God in heaven for all eternity. It must be that in eternity, time becomes obsolete.
Sign of Spiritual Progress
We all have things we'd like very much to get done. But if you are OK with it in case you can't accomplish any or all of them in time or at all, then congratulations, for you are no longer being enslaved by them!
*The Ideal God
Wouldn't it be nice to have a God who is omnipotent so that nothing is impossible with him and also omniscient so that he personally knows about you and fully understands you? Wouldn't it be nice if he also loves you to death and wants to lead you to paradise to enjoy eternal life with him? To make that possible, with your consent he can and would even take away your sins. Such an extraordinary God turns out to be none other than the God of Christ, for he alone fits the bill. Now the good news – he is wide open to accepting new candidates to be heirs in his kingdom.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
*Are You Bearing Fruit?
Today's Communion antiphon based upon what Jesus said in John 15.16: It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. You bear fruit only when you do God's will. Know that the fruit you bear becomes the treasure you store up in heaven. Alas, most inhabitants of the world are fully occupied with doing only what they will to do. [I admit there are those who are intent on doing God's will, but are unfortunately misguided, for their work miss the true marks of doing his will, which are love and humility.] To not bear fruit is to waste your lifetime. If it dawns on you to repent in the last minutes of your life, you might still squeeze through the narrow gate to heaven, but taking such a chance is being foolish to the extreme. Of course, should you deliberately plan it that way, you'd be shut out for sure, for trying to fool God makes you the biggest fool of all time.
*Doing God's Will Smartly
Think of God's will as a flowing river. Doing God's will is get in that water and float along smoothly and effortlessly with it. If you do not resist or panic, it will be easy and a joy. Again, God can make all you think is impossible possible. The secret is trust. Letting God do all the hard work for you is being truly smart (or wise if you prefer).
Key Relationship
Today is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, the mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they asked for him through the crowd gathered around him. He said to them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Looking around at those seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." Jesus made a big point as God speaking. All of us are equal before God as his children – and it's not how we relate to each other but how we relate to God that matters.
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