Great Relationship With God

        Your relationship with God is gauged by how comfortable you are with him. If you do not hide anything from him, are receptive to anything coming from him, and even long to be with him – in other words, you are completely comfortable with him – then you have a great relationship with God who is your Father.

A Blessing!

        Before Christ was born into the world, God spoke to the Jewish people through the prophets and other leaders. I feel so blessed that I came into being after Christ's arrival so that I can get to know God most intimately, for Jesus has said to Philip, "If you know me, you will also know my Father" and "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."

Retiring Our Free Will

        The Lord God gave each one of us the free will to choose to follow or reject him. We are entirely responsible for all the choices we make. Keep in mind that at all times God tests our free will. The only way to make sure that we'll always pass the test is to give our will to God, then we won't ever need to exercise our free will anymore.  

**Love Gives Joy

        Communion experience. The greatest love we can feel in this life is God's love for us, for it is the greatest possible love. After I received the Lord in the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit filled my heart with overflowing joy. I felt as if a might force from within my heart was trying to bust open its walls. The joy was powerful, vigorous, and absolutely soul-touching – I couldn't do a thing about it. I knew that it came from the love of Christ.

Key to Entering Kingdom of Heaven

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is? They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father." It is the key to entering the kingdom of heaven to be able to believe and say truly that Jesus is the Son of the living God.

Home Sweet Home With God

        It is good to be back home, especially because I am now able to receive the Lord daily again. Away for home this past week, I attended Mass only on one weekday and Sunday in two different cities. The first church was quite far from where I stayed and the second one, to get there, I had to drive through heavy traffic and ended up not being able to find a parking space right away. So I appreciate driving to my church back home on nice country roads in 5 minutes and encountering no traffic. 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 drank the chalice of the Lord and became the friends of God. It is good to be back home, but it is infinitely better to become a friend of God.

Sin Preferred Over Gravity

        Sin and Gravity are alike in that they both weigh us down. Because of gravity, we are limited to moving around near the surface of the earth. The only way to rid of gravity is to be at some spot in space where all the gravitational forces attracting you from all directions cancel each other out. It's safe to say that we are entirely earthbound. As for sin, it becomes our spiritual burden, keeping us from soaring to God. But we don't need to be bound by it, for Christ can free us from sin instantly if we let him. So, in a way, I like sin more than gravity.

Most Satisfying Feeling

        Knowing that you maintain a private, close relationship with none other than God.      

True Freedom

        Those who follow God's will are not affected by what others do, thus they are free in doing what they want to do. But those who follow their own will always get bothered by others' actions, so they never feel free.   

More Than No. 1

        The Gospel reading yesterday came from Matthew 6. Jesus pointed out that doing anything to make people think that you are doing it for God is being hypocritical and will not receive any recompense from God. If we do things to win the praise of others, we have received our reward already. So it comes down to choosing to please God or ourselves, to serve God or ourselves, to worship God or ourselves. God not only needs to be No. 1, but the only one in our life.

Treasurable Feeling

       Since I am traveling, I may not be able to blog daily in the coming week. Anyway, yesterday the entrance antiphon from Psalm 14 read: The clean of hands and pure of heart shall climb the mountain of the Lord and stand in his holy place. To me, keeping the hands clean is not to do any bad deeds and keeping the heart pure is not to have any bad thoughts. Both clean hands and a pure heart assure that you will feel good in God's presence, and what a treasurable feeling that is!

Blessed and Worthy Are ...

those who receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist with humility, love, and trust. (Today's Communion experience.)

Our Mission and Goal

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus asked his disciples to love not just their neighbor, but even their enemies. And he wants them to be perfect, just as their heavenly Father is perfect. The lesson here: (1) Specifically, we are to love everyone as the Father loves us, irrespective of whether the person is good or bad, just or unjust and (2) fundamentally, we are to imitate the Father who is perfect.

God Wouldn't Mind

        Today's entrance antiphon from Psalm 27: O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my savior. We can ask, beg, pester, or even argue with God. As long as we treat him as our most loving Father, he wouldn't mind a bit. Sharing everything in your heart with him surely endears yourself to him.

Sole Influence

        It is easy to follow the crowd and do whatever everyone else is doing, especially when there is the chance of making money or looking fashionable, but believing that it should always be between you and God means that you let only God influence you.

Egregious Disconnect

        So many people are disconnected from God, for they are deeply immersed in the world and have lost whatever spiritual awareness they had. They say that God is dead, but I say that their own hearts are dead. Here's a human analogy that illustrates the situation. A father raises his children, loves them very much and gives them the best in everything he could. Now the children have grown up and totally forgotten about the father. They are immersed in doing what they want to do and no longer visit or communicate with the father. You don't have to be a parent to know how bad that father would be feeling. Imagine now how our heavenly Father with infinite love for us would be feeling over us. 

The Lord Making a Point

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one what wants to borrow." These are hard sayings, but they completely make sense if you truly love everyone as God loves us, never wishing to judge or hurt anyone. Naturally, vengeance is out of the question. I think this is the point Jesus had wanted to get across. Another example, in Matthew 5.30, Jesus said, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and throw it away." Here he made the point that we are not to sin. Nevertheless, love the Lord with all your heart and you'll know what to do in each situation.

**Call to Decision

        We are trapped in the middle of an intense spiritual warfare. As a matter of fact, we are involved because our souls are the sole object of this warfare. We'd better open our spiritual eye from sleep to recognized this reality and take a stand. There is a time for everything and there should be one for detaching yourself from the world and choosing to follow Christ to save yourself and the world. That time, more urgent than ever, is now.

Peace of Belonging to God

        Communion experience. I received profound peace, knowing that I have the truth. Of course, there are still issues unresolved and pieces of work unfinished in this life, but if the Lord wants me to go to him, I just go (no packing needed) because it's his will. This is the peace of belonging to God alone.   

***Our Most Precious Food

         Today is Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus said the following to the Jewish crowds: "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," "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him," "The one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven," and "Whoever eats this bread will live forever." If there are sayings of Jesus that we should listen to and take most seriously, these are the ones. Many non-Catholic Christians gloss over these sayings of Jesus in John 6, for they believe that the bread and drink merely symbolizes his flesh and blood. In other words, they remain ordinary bread and wine. Can you imagine that Jesus had meant "Whoever eats this ordinary bread will live forever"? It's in believing that Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist that we receive the power of transformation to be made fit for living forever. (All the early Church fathers agree with me on this.)

**Heaven-Shaking Event*

        When any prodigal or lost sinner returns to the Father in heaven, the whole heaven rejoices! (Now you see how beloved you are to God.)     

To Hear the Holy Spirit Speak

        To hear the Holy Spirit speak to your heart, let him enter to shape and condition your heart first and then keep him dwelling happily there.

*All for God's Sake

        Even when we pray to God for our own sake, we should pray for his sake. This is to be obedient to his will. There is no conflict here when you and he are one.

**To Show Selflessness

        When Jesus gave his life so that we might live forever, he was being completely selfless. The ultimate way for us to show our selflessness is to surrender ourselves to him for his joy. (Ultimately, this becomes our joy.)

More Than I Asked For

        Communion experience. After the priest elevated the Eucharist and said: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." We all responded: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." After I received the Lord, I realized that he entered under my roof not only to heal my soul, but also to dwell within me to be one with me forever!

**Between Knowing & Not Knowing

        A good friend passed away yesterday after suffering a stroke. Life hangs by a thread. When that thread breaks, you fall either into the safety net you knew Christ had prepared for you or into some abyss unknown to you. You see, if you know Christ, you know where you'll be. Without him, you are simply lost. The difference is huge! Make your own choice now.

Dishonest Generation

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One." Our pastor correctly pointed out that those who put out fake news today are ignorant of this counsel. A lot of dishonest politicians and new media spread fake stories in pursuing their own agenda for their own gains. This puts their soul in danger, for according to the Lord, they have tuned in to the Evil One.

*Our Greatest Revelation

        That is, God is love. You may have heard this said so many times and never thought about it. But it is an amazing truth. I don't think that anyone who does not know God could have guessed it. 

Claiming God's Promise

        Communion experience. Jesus said, "I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." (Mark 11.24). After receiving the Lord, I asked for making me new in prayer and believed that I would receive it.

Reckless Living

        Total abandonment in God is living with total freedom in God, which may be considered reckless living in God, if you prefer.

*Our Greatest Consolation*

        The Holy Eucharist sets one apart. Believing in and receiving it opens the door to union with God and assures your place in heaven, marking you as a sheep of Christ and a child of the Father heading home. Spiritually, receiving this Most Blessed Sacrament is our greatest consolation on earth.

*Living for Christ

        I feel that we should behave as if Jesus were standing right next to us and we do everything for the love of him. This is possible once you know him intimately, as in union. In fact, you can't help becoming that way after seeing how compellingly beautiful he is.

Our Attitudes Toward God

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus first said to his disciples, "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Since the scribes and Pharisees were known to be hypocrites, it seemed then that getting into the kingdom of heaven shouldn't be too hard. Then Jesus said things that made me think otherwise, among which were statements such as "I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment" and "Whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna." To play it safe, of course, we can strive to be as perfect as possible, which is what the Father wishes anyway. 

         In general, there are three prevalent attitudes out there. (1) Some just do not believe in Christ at their own risk. (2) Some believe, but not really follow all his teachings. For example, when it comes to forgiving others, they would say "I can't do it" and not even try to do it. These are closed-minded people. (3) And there are those who are open-minded and, despite being weak, ask God to help them follow him in all his teachings. It is clear which one of these attitudes pleases the Lord the most. 

*Winning Tactics*

          The best way to shake off Satan is to run away from him, and the best way to catch God is to run toward him. You goal is to hide yourself in God to remain hidden from Satan and be safe and secure forever.

**What Makes God Beautiful?

        The beauty of nature and many other things we enjoy seeing all reflect, but not reveal the beauty of God. Then how do we discover the beauty of God? I did not know until I got personal with him. Once I entered him, what impressed me the most were his perfection, his holiness, and his love for all of us. He amazingly cleansed my heart, healed my soul, and took away my sins, making me anew – these experiences further bowled me over. It's this total awesomeness that makes him truly beautiful.

Going to Heaven for Sure

        If I tell you that I am going to enter heaven, it's not because I want to let you know that I am holy or anything like that, for I am a great sinner; I know because Jesus promised that whoever believes in him will have life eternal, and all God's promises must be ironclad and true. I am simply "taking advantage of" his free offer out of his love and mercy. It's really all his doing, working out so nicely for me.  

*Most Beautiful Hideaway

        Communion experience. Christ is now my most beautiful private hideaway. He is precisely the refuge every single one of us needs!

**Just You and God

        Everything will be settled between you and God in the end, depending upon how you and God get along in this life. God's love for you is so strong that nothing can change that, so you should stick with him so that nothing can take you away from him. Observe these three rules to secure your soul for all eternity. (1) Follow Christ with all your heart and soul so that no temptation can possibly lure you away from him for even an instant. (2) Never mind what others say or think about you. (3) Don't even think about yourself. God is now your only companion and kindred spirit. Persevere for just a short lifetime and you'll be richly rewarded for all eternity! 

How We Live Viewed

        It seems that many of us live as if we are going to live forever, since we just plan for this life. When I was young and healthy, that's how I lived. Now I realize that we all know that we are going to die one day, so perhaps it is more accurate to say that many of us live as if there will be no life after death. But, of course, either view is incorrect and we live or have lived wrongly.

*Thorough and Forever

        God loves us all the way; he wishes us to be one with him completely; he wants us to be happy forever; when he forgives us, he makes us thoroughly clean; when he heals us, he goes straight to our soul; if we keep him away, he waits with infinite patience and will never turn away from us. He first loved and will never stop loving us. There is nothing more we can ask or add.

Thoroughly With Me

        Communion experience. God came not just to be with me for a while, but to dwell in me forever! 

How to Get Blessed

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, we heard the declarations of blessedness pronounced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. We learn that God bless those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are merciful, who are clean of heart, who make peace, who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, who are insulted and persecuted because of Christ. May I also include those who are intent on seeking union with God.

*Lack of Humility Lamented

        Humility is letting God be God. Therefore, it is correct to say that the lack of humility is the cause of much of the chaos in our world. Since most people have forgotten about God, humility is all but extinct. Any politician or well-know personality nowadays showing any sign of meekness would surely be perceived as being weak and laughed at. As long as we think that we know more than God, we'll never be able to break free from this self-imprisonment. More importantly, we won't be able to get into heaven.

*Love's Urgent Concern

        Losing your soul to Satan is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to a person. Therefore, if you have loved ones in this life, you must do your utmost to make sure that this won't happen to any of them. Otherwise, your love falls way short.

Specific Request

        Communion experience on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It was the perfect time for me to ask the Lord to help me imitate Christ so that I might be able to react correctly to anything in any living situation.

Mercy Granted

        When we ask God not to lead us into temptation (in saying the Lord's Prayer), we really pray that he will not test us to the point that we fail – this is asking for a specific kind of mercy. I do believe that as long as we remain in (union with) him, this mercy is already granted.

Good Enough Promise

        Jesus never promised to make us happy (from the world's point of view) in this life, but he did promise to make our eternal life happy (from any point of view) if we follow him, and that's good enough for me.

Making Loving God Easy

        The first commandment requires that we love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all my mind, and with all our strength. How is this possible? Well, fall in love with God and that will no longer be an issue.

Fulfilled by God

        Communion experience. The feeling was "God has fulfilled me in every way." I was totally content.

Effective Way of Presenting Christ

        If you want people to get excited about a certain product, you want to tell them how wonderful or great that product is, not how it is made, what you should do with it, how to use it, or where and how you can buy it. The same applies when it comes to getting people excited about Christ the Lord. We must exalt him, praise him, telling others how wonderful and awesome he is. Christianity is all about knowing Christ to take possession of him. Outside the Church, you find many inspiring personal testimonies and conversion stories posted online. The Church could definitely use this means to fire up the faithful.