Initiating a Miracle

        God has created each of us as a unique being. The miracle is that even though we'll always have our individuality, we can will to surrender to him and become one with him. 

*Inspiring Holiness

        If you consider the vastness of the universe containing billions and billions of stars, you sense you own smallness and are humbled. Similarly, ponder upon the awesome holiness of God and you'll sense how wretched you are and be inspired to love him even more. 

Most Fundamental Prayer

        There are many things to pray for in our imperfect world because we are imperfect. While praying for specific things is fine, to get to the root of all our problems, the fundamental and most comprehensive prayer has to be praying for the conversion of all sinners. If we all become faithful followers of Christ, we would have peace in our hearts and the entire world. Pray for all your needs, but always pray for all the souls for the conversion of the world.

*Consider the Future Seriously*

        In today's Gospel from Luke 12, Jesus again taught his disciples to be vigilante and prepared, for he would come at an hour they do not expect. Today we do not think about the Lord much, and it follows that we do not think about life after death much either. Instead, we talk about mostly things of this life, what's happening with everyone, how we plan to invest with our money, where to buy good clothing, rising food prices, and other mundane things. The most people would do is to find a burial plot for themselves now, which is missing the whole point I am trying to make. I look ahead and realize that either the greatest shock of all or the greatest joy of all will happen to anyone after death. And we must now make choices and live this life to make sure we shall not encounter the unexpected. If you decide to prepare for it, you should come out fine. If not, then you will be shocked and crushed forever. 

We Need God's Pity

        As I was praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, these thoughts came out of my heart. Jesus never complained or protested while undergoing extreme suffering all the way to his death on the cross. It is clear that he had a mission, which is to carry out the Father's plan of our salvation. He revealed to his disciples in advance that he was going to be killed and rise on the third day. He had to die to redeem us from our sins, for we are powerless to save ourselves. How do we react to such incredible love reaching out to us? It seems so unfair, insensitive, insensible, even cruel, that we don't care very much about what God has done for us. 

Peace Most Precious

        Communion experience. The peace of Christ dispelled all my anxieties, putting everything in the right perspective. To remain in Christ is remain in heaven. To be anxious about earthly things is to remain in the world. 

*Secret of Knowing God

        If we shut the Lord out of our lives, naturally we won't get to know him. Today's response from Psalm 40: Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Therefore, if we remain open and ready to do God's will, he will reveal himself to us for us to know him most intimately. I can testify to this fact from my personal experience. 

Incredible Living

        Communion experience. The union with God in Holy Communion is also definitive, incredible, and most refreshing. As a matter of fact, so is everything about Jesus. Those who belong to the Lord live the most incredible life.

Most Incredible, Relevant News

        Mark 10.45: The Son of Man has come to give his life as ransom for many. We get a lot of bad news daily and some good news at times, but the coming of Jesus into the world has to be the biggest and most definitive, incredible, ever refreshing news of all times. Unlike any other happening, it is relevant to our eternal existence! Think about it.

***Most Amazing Love of Jesus***

        Jesus is all mine, yet I want everyone to have him. I wish to be the one able to love him the most, yet I would rejoice if everyone else can love him more than I. It just shows that the amazing love of Christ for us can make us completely selfless. We cannot live without water or air, but we'll surely perish forever without his love!

**Most Soothing Feeling

        Communion experience. There is no feeling more soothing than the Lord entering your heart to set it ablaze, letting you know that he loves you.

**How to Love God*

        Know Jesus first and you will know how to love him, for you cannot love someone unknown to you. So "preach" Jesus only and let the Lord do the work.

Malice v. Honesty

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 22, the Pharisees plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, asking, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person' status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" This is still the same trick used by government officials or common people today to test others. But the disciples of Pharisees at least got it right in their first two sentences: Jesus being always truthful and not concerned with whatever others think about him. May we have the same courage.

Only One True God

        Today's first reading came from Isaiah 45. The LORD let it be known that "I am the LORD and there is no other, there is no God besides me." This is unique about Christianity in which God directly communicates with his people since the beginning of Israel to this day. In Exodus 3, God said to Moses, "I am I AM." There is only one true God and he is the God of Christ.

World Lost

        We make sure that our house is good condition, our body is healthy, and our worldly knowledge of what affects us is kept up-to-date, but maintaining all these things will have been wasted if we do not make sure that we are also spiritually clean. The world is so deeply immersed in itself that it's got its priorities all wrong.

God Most Sensible

        In both Matthew and Luke, we read that as Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. To the Pharisees, they were doing something unlawful on the sabbath, but the Lord totally understood them and lectured the Pharisees instead. This morning I forgot to bring a pen and a sheet of paper with me to Mass for jotting down any thoughts coming from the Lord, so I used a pen and a copy of some church announcement that's blank on the back I found in the foyer of the church. I had no intention of stealing anything and knew that the Lord would understand. We often accuse others by what we see but do not necessarily understand. Only God can read our hearts, so he is the only one qualified to judge us. Without such ability, we are prone to become insensible. Again, we should rejoice that we have a most understanding and sensible God. 

Living a Fearless Life

        Whom should we be afraid of? No one! God loves us and wants us to live forever with him, so there is nothing to fear unless you rebel against him. Once you are with the Lord 100%, you may totally ignore Satan. In union with God, Satan cannot touch you without God's permission. In God, we live without fear.

God's Hallmark

        Today's Entrance antiphon from Psalm 130: If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel. Forgiveness is the hallmark of our Lord and God, our Father, giving us the hope, just what we sinners need. Praise God and rejoice! 

Finding Life the Easy Way

        Matthew 10.32: "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father." Take advantage of this wonderful mercy! I can argue that entering heaven is super easy if you pay attention to what Jesus says.

*Most Urgent Concern

        It's definitely not what new car you should get or even how you can bring peace to the world. It should be how you're going to face God when the time comes.        

Sign of Spiritual Growth

       Becoming more humble.

Serious Consequences (for Not Being Serious)

        In Luke 17 (and Matthew 24), Jesus talked about his coming. He said to his disciples, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day they entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will on the day the Son of Man is revealed." Today's world is no different since the times of Noah and Lot. People are now eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, building – not believing in Jesus and what he had said the slightest. Accepting Christ becomes impossible when they all play his role. Human intelligence has made them lose common sense. There will be absolutely seriously consequences for those who have so much pride that they do not take Jesus seriously. Those who reject God will be rejected by him in the end – common sense. I can only pray for them as hard as I can. 

To Get Close to God

        This morning as I was going to Mass, I realized that it's another day to do some of the many necessary things on a list I have prepared. Then every day is also a day for us to get close or closer to God. In fact, this should be our prime goal daily. And we can accomplish this by performing all things for the sake of the Lord. 

*How to Be Truly Cool

        People can hate you, even if you have not wronged them. Let it go and pray for them, for God loves them too. What you should be concerned about is whether you wrong God or not. He always loves you despite your sinfulness. Take this seriously and pray for his help and forgiveness. In other words, care only about what God thinks about you and never let anyone else rob your of peace. In my book, this is being truly cool.

Christ My Heaven

        Communion experience. Christ has settled my eternal destiny. In him I have begun and shall end. Now I remain in him, completely safe. He is my heaven!

Fantastic News

        Today is the feast of St. Luke. Entrance antiphon from Isaiah 52.7: How Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings of peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation! In plain language, God has cleared the way so that if we believe in Christ, we shall live forever with God in heaven.

***Conquering God (Not a Fairy Tale)

        God is like Mount Everest. To conquer him, we must climb the mount. Surrendering to God is like receiving a speedy aerial tram from him. Getting on it and you are pulled to the top fast. Then God is all yours. He and you now live as one happily ever after. 

Home of My Soul

        Good to be home again to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist daily.

        Today's Communion experience. My soul found its home in Christ.

*Calling for Prayer

        In these last few weeks away, I did have the chance on several occasions to share about the necessity and joy of seeking union with God, so I might have sown a tiny seed in those hearts. But the harvest is immense and I felt utterly feeble in serving the Lord. The only choice I have is to do my little part faithfully and pray intensely for him to do the work, directly and through others also. Prayer becomes absolutely necessary for us to depend upon him.   

Cleansing the Interior First

            The Gospel reading today came from Luke 11. Here's the entire reading:

        After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to that is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you."

           The lesson here. We must always work from the inside out, starting with the heart. Similarly, to tell others about God, we must know God ourselves first.

***Christ Most Personal

        Today is the memorial of St. Ignatius. The entrance antiphon came from Galatians 2: I am crucified with Christ, yet I live; no longer I, but Christ lives in me. I live by faith in the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself up for me. How more personal can God possibly get? Christ die for us as a whole, but he also did it for every single one of us as if there were only he and you. This is what's unique and great about our Lord – he is our pure joy!

**Jesus' Invitation, Our Salvation

        In Matthew 22, Jesus, in telling the parable of the wedding feast, said, "Many are invited, but few are chosen." Did you ever receive an invitation from Jesus? If you did, did you accept it? If you didn't, why not? Many reject his invitation – do you feel sorry for him or for those who reject him? (A good question to think about.) If you accept his invitation and get chosen, both he and you win. Rejecting his invitation and both he and you lose. With the Lord, it's all or nothing. He invites you to inherit all of his kingdom, nothing less. Reject his invitation and you'll regret it for all eternity.

Being a Loner or Lonely

        By definition, a loner is someone who prefers to be alone, avoiding the company of others. For God, you may even prefer to be a loner, and with him, you are never lonely. On the other hand, many seek the company of others because they do not know God and are lonely. While being a loner may be good, being lonely is always bad. 

What God Will Ask

        In this world of tech-savvy entrepreneurs, successful app developers are making a lot of money. I have known one recently associated with an app that has become so popular globally that the company is now estimated to be worth five billion dollars. My point is that no matter how successful you have become in the eyes of the world, in the end God will not ask you so much what you have done as what you have done for his sake. 

Letting Go in the Spirit

        A follow-up on the post "Something Very Odd." I think the only way to make Christ personal to you is to let the Holy Spirit take over so that you become spiritually free. Yes, seeking union is definitely the way to go.

*Which Life to Take Care of 1st?

        We have two lives to live, our life on earth and our life after death. Which one should we take care of first? Those who concentrate upon taking care of their life on earth will never get to taking care of the other one, for it becomes a lifelong task. But those who take care of their life after death first (and quickly) take care of their present life as well.  

*Something Very Odd**

        Christ is our Lord and God, yet among Christians, it is rare that we talk about or even mention him in our daily lives. Are we just nominal Christians? 

Keeping Christ's 2nd Commandment

        There is a great gap between the haves and the have-nots in today's world and our societies. Therefore, in starting a business or doing whatever else, it is important that we do not exacerbate this situation anymore. We must never aim for profiting ourselves alone by taking advantage of others. Ultimately, it comes down to loving all our neighbors as ourselves.   

Motivation Matters

        I know that Christian martyrs are glorified by God, but what about those who died for, say Communism? Lately, I learned that during the Chinese civil war in the late 1940s, many on the Communist side got slaughtered by the Kuomintang and were officially recognized by the Chinese Government as martyrs. This got me thinking that one could be misguided, but if his action is truly motivated by a desire to help others, God, out of his great love and mercy, would understand that, for he alone knows the heart. Therefore, motivation, rather than action, matters.

To Do No Wrong

        Within the will of God, there are an infinite number of things for us to do. Without the will of God, there are also an infinite number of things we could do. To be sure that whatever we do is good and meritorious, follow God's will always. 

***Most Delightful Living!

        First, you give your heart to God by sharing everything within it with him. He now enters your heart and transform you to his liking. This way you and God come to know each other most intimately, with you as his delight. Now we have two persons in deep love with one living in total freedom and without fear in the other.

**Perfect One for Love!

        We all need to be loved by someone, and also need someone to love – this is how God has made us. And the perfect one to love us and for us to love is the Lord himself, our Father! When we have him to ourselves, we are complete and fulfilled.

Fire of the Holy Spirit

        Communion experience. I wished the Holy Spirit to set my heart ablaze to burn away all the impurities and soothe my soul. [Please note that I shall have to take a hiatus from blogging for a month or so, as I'll be somewhere unable to attend daily Mass nor blog. Check back on October 18 or 19 for new postings. While reading any spiritual writings can be beneficial, the superior way is to meditate upon the Gospels and go to the Lord directly – communicating with him one-on-one with an open heart. Think of the Apostles – they just followed him and learned firsthand from him. Be his Apostle today too. God bless you all!]

Passing on God's Mercy

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 18 on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Jesus wants us to forgive our brothers and sisters always. If God forgives us, we must forgive others, treating them as the Father treats us, or face severe consequences. By the way, when you forgive others, you gain freedom for yourself and find peace in your heart!

Sweet Consolation

        Today at Mass, I felt the sweet consolation from God, wiping away all my sorrows.

Mankind's Lows

        Here are three examples: (1) Coyotes smuggle poor Latin American immigrants into US for a hefty fee (often borrowed money or their entire savings) and abandon them across the border. (2) Recently, thieves looted evacuated homes and stores in Florida during Hurricane Irma. (3) Now, Whole Woman's Health, a reproductive health care organization is offering free abortions to women affected by Hurricane Harvey. Is this compassion? Don't they realize that abortion can affect a women more catastrophically than a hurricane? Abortion also destroys a new life, period. Does it ever occur to these callous people that a hurricane could be God's warning for being anti-life? (In case you missed my post Abortion Horrendous of November 28 last year, you may read it here.) 

Standing by Christ

        In today's Communion antiphon, Luke 22.28-30: Jesus said to his disciples, "It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom." To stand by Christ in his trials is to know what causes him to suffer and do our best to alleviate his sufferings. This is following the Lord, requiring us to deny ourselves and take up our cross. To stand by him is the duty of and appointed task for all his followers.

True Kindness

        We are kind to others, then they don't care and we get upset. Here is the right and enlightened way. Be kind to others for the sake of Christ only, so you no longer care about if they appreciate you or not. Now you are being truly kind.

All Up to Us

        God always loves us. If we reject him, it's because we choose to do so. God takes us seriously (he even died for us). If we don't take him seriously, it's because we choose to do so. The ball is always in our court.

Two Extreme Cases

        (1) We keep ignoring Christ, time passes quickly and our life is over, over for good. 

       (2) We know that Christ will reward us for everything we do for his glory, no matter how minute. We remain faithful and keep building up our treasures in heaven. When life is over, we'll be where our treasures are.