In today's Gospel reading from Mark 2, people came to Jesus and asked, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day." We now know that Christ is with us always until the end of the age (read the last verse of Matthew), and we realize this especially when we receive him in the Holy Eucharist. Therefore, as disciples of the Lord, we experience constant joy. Anyone who is melancholy cannot be possibly be a genuine disciple.
Monday, January 15, 2018
*Perfect Justice
Each one of us comes from a different background, receives an individual upbringing, and lives in a unique set of circumstances. When God, the only one who knows our soul, judges us, he takes all that into consideration and whatever we receive is exactly what we deserve. Therefore, his justice is perfect.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
How To Change the World
Someone I know suffers greatly in an unhappy marriage. The thing is you cannot make anyone live up to your expectations, as only God can fundamentally change a person. To make it happen, you must petition God, and before that, you must ask him to change yourself first if you wish to be taken seriously. The reason the world, the nations, the cities, the communities, and the families are in such chaos and disorder is because the interior of so many individuals is in chaos and disorder. Almost everyone nowadays is so busy judging and blaming others that hardly anyone bothers to examine his own conscience anymore. Here is another awakening we need to bring peace to the world.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
**A Matter of Awakening
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 2, some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus heard this and said to them, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." I believe that all of us know that we are not perfect and holy, which means that we are sinners and need God's mercy to be saved by him. This becomes increasingly clear to me as I age. Unfortunately, most people live so much for this life that the need for salvation just doesn't occur to them until things go really badly or their life is under threat. Some awaken early and some later; still, others never do. I hope this message will help awakening those who are still asleep.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
**Obedience to God First
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus healed a leper and said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleaning what Moses prescribed." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report so much that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. Here is a case of emotion overriding obedience to the Lord. The other instance I recall appears in Matthew 16. After Jesus first revealed to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer greatly, and be killed and then be raised, Peter rebuked him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." Jesus turned to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." We human beings are so used to following our emotion and forgetting what God wants us to do. Self-directed emotion must be set aside to clear the way for total obedience to the Lord.
On Not Accepting Christ
It is only fair that you do not reject Christ before you even had a chance to taste him. If you see a dish of possibly delicious food served, you'll never know if it truly tastes good or not until you have tried tasting it. But I do suspect that people reject Christ mostly because they are not ready to deal with their sinful state yet.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
**Living the Interior Life*
In union with God, you commune with the Lord dwelling in your heart. He speaks and you believe. It is cherishing and enjoying the Lord in secret in the most intimate way.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Great Principles of Living
(1) Focus upon Christ so that you would have no time (desire) to sin.
(2) Next, abandon yourself completely in him. (That is, rely upon him for all things.)
*Most Beautiful Act
When Jesus saw Peter and his brother Andrew fishing at the Sea of Galilee, he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Likewise he called the two brothers James and John in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are models for us to follow. Responding to God's call immediately without hesitation is the most beautiful act we can perform this side of heaven. There is nothing more rewarding than pleasing our Father.
*Our Lovable Lord
We are simple human, limited in what we can do, while the Lord God is boundless in what he can do and is so high above us that his infinity and greatness are beyond our comprehension. To think that we know so much that we don't need him anymore is sheer folly! Do you keep your own heart beating and your own lungs pumping? If you think so, then how come you have absolutely no control over them?
If a human friend donates an organ to save your life, you would feel grateful and treat the donor as one of your best friends. Now God has donated his own life so that you may live for all eternity! Shouldn't you at the very least treat him as a friend too?
Our God is completely approachable. Whatever barrier there is between him and you is set up by you, not him. He has so made us that we can never be truly happy until we find and rest in him. He has really given us all he can possibly give us, and is ready to enter union with us. This is our most lovable Lord.
Monday, January 8, 2018
**Pay God Full Attention
I've been advocating focusing upon God alone under all circumstances. Even in petitioning for a favor from God, concentrate upon him and not think about our problem or wonder if, when, or how he is going to grant our request. Do not let anything detract your attention from the Lord one iota.
*God Most Awesome!
I am most impressed by Christ the Lord who came into the world, but did not treat us as if we were lowly creatures and he was the high and mighty God. On the contrary, he lived among us and suffered for us as the meekest and humblest servant of us all. This is why to me he is awe-inspiring!
Believe and You'll Know
Jesus Christ is the Son of God who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and became one of us. If you are not sure that this is true, that's because you do not have faith in him yet. What's amazing is that when you believe in him first, he will let your know in your heart without a doubt that this is true.
***Our Duty
Today is The Baptism of the Lord/Feast. Reading 1 was chosen from Isaiah 55, containing these two verses, 8 & 9: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. With this understanding, we should never question the Lord why this or why that, for his understanding and comprehension of all things is infinitely superior to ours. While he knows the past and sees the future, we only think that we know what we can sense at any moment. Our duty is to believe, trust, and follow the Lord, the God of Christ.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Fusing Together
Communion experience. As the Host melted in my mouth, Jesus melted my entire being with his love. And we fused into one.
***On Loving God
Since God is infinite and forever, you can never love God enough. But we can love him as much as possible by surrendering ourselves to him as much as possible!
***Only Way to Live
We can only live in the present, for the past is gone and the future not here yet. Therefore, to ensure that we'll have the best possible future, live every moment now for the sake of Christ the Lord. There's no better way to live!
Enjoying God to the Full
When you let God into your life, wonderful things happen. He becomes an integral part of you. What a wonderful feeling when he cleanses or transforms you! How sweet it is to hear his voice in your own heart! How soothing it is to be humbled by him and exhilarating to be exalted by him! Let him immerse you completely in his love so that you may enjoy him to the fullest!
**Perfect Rest for Eternity
Today is the Epiphany of the Lord, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles when the Magi paid homage to the infant Jesus. Epiphany means "a showing forth." My personal epiphany today is realizing that in Christ we have our perfect rest. When we rest in him, our sins are removed, our heart purified, our soul healed, our spirit freed, our eternity settled, all our burden lifted, and our peace restored. We fulfill both God's desire and our own secret wish. We are now completed by him.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Tragedy and Loss
It can be considered a tragedy if you let the time of your life pass without seeking to achieve union with God. And I also consider it a big loss if one never gets the chance to receive the Lord present in the Holy Eucharist.
Never Enough Time on Earth
Just got back from attending a funeral Mass for a close friend of my wife's. Her death came unexpectedly. This teaches us never to think that we'll have enough time on earth to do all the things we want to do. With limited time, we must consider what we should take care of first. We spend time either serving God or money, building up treasures in heaven or not, getting our eternal destination settled or not. It's never too early to deal with what's critical to our eternal wellbeing. This is being both truly farsighted and realistic.
Friday, January 5, 2018
Being With Jesus
Communion experience. Great joy. I focused upon Christ alone, shutting out my past and not looking ahead either, knowing that as long as I am with him every moment, I do not have to worry about a thing. He remains trustworthy forever.
*God's Promise!
Today's Communion antiphon, Matthew 19.29: 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. Here is Jesus' promise. If you realize that sometimes your own family is even more important than yourself, why not give up yourself first? Then everything else will follow. The Lord has placed eternal life completely within our reach!
*Great Journey With Jesus
In today's Gospel reading from John 1, Jesus called Nathanael. Philip first found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nevertheless, he went with Philip to see Jesus. Jesus said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael was bowled over and answered, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this."
We can all see great things if we follow the Lord faithfully. This is precisely what makes seeking union with God so exciting. The great thing here is seeing that God can actually transform us, and experiencing it is what makes our discipleship exciting. Never a dull moment, that's for sure!
**Secret of Possessing God*
If you try to hold onto God, let go of him to let him take hold of you. In life, you should always get out of the way so that God may be free to do what he wants with you!
**Sober Thought and Advice
Last night I did not fall asleep right away. As I stayed awake in darkness, I suddenly saw that human souls are continuously departing from this world. With the world population over 7 billion, I have no idea how many souls are leaving every minute or second, but the number should be high enough that the movement would appear to be continuous. Of course, in no time we'll be joining that line ourselves. My thought is that we should definitely plan well now so that when we cross over to the other side and face the Lord, we will be directed to proceed toward heaven.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
***Completing Union With God
Today's Communion antiphon, John 6.51: I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord. Whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world. Again, at the Last Supper, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." I underlined "is" for emphasis, for nowhere in scriptures did Jesus ever use the word "symbolizes" in place of "is." Those who do not believe that the consecrated bread and wine are truly the body and blood of the Lord miss something really big. To me, just as I am assured that my sins are forgiven after receiving the sacrament of confession, I am assured that my union with the Lord is complete after I receive him in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Perfect Communion Prayer
Communion thoughts. Before Jesus breathed his last on the cross, he cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit!" This makes a perfect prayer for us to say during reception of the Holy Communion, for it expresses our willingness to entrust ourselves to the Lord.
Living Without Anxieties
I've advocated living for God alone and not caring about what people think of you. This is abandoning yourself in God. In that case, you ask the Lord for favors and are no longer concerned about when and how he is going to answer you. Thus, you banish all anxieties.
Our Last Words
Have you ever thought about what your last words will be before you die? Some like to reveal their personal wishes and others, to confess their personal secrets, to others. It dawned on me today that I really should reserve my last words for Christ, whom I was soon to meet. I know what I shall say already, but that's going to remain personal.
*Beware of False Prophets
In today's Gospel reading from John 1, John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. He has personally come and revealed to us all we need to know to be saved. He also foretold that false prophets would arise after him. Therefore, if any self-proclaimed prophet today add or subtract something to, or change what the Holy Church holds Jesus to be, dismiss him or her instantly. First of all, you can be sure that anyone who claims that Jesus is not divine serves the evil one.
*God Praised
God the Father is great, for he is holy. God the Son is great, for he is meek and humble. God the Holy Spirit is great, for he is gentle and patient. The Triune God is great, for he is Agape.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
**The Beautiful Soul*
We all have a soul. When I look at the portrait of someone or the person directly for the first time, I can to a small extent sense what kind of person I am looking at. Of course, the more I get to know the person, the more I become sure about him or her. Nevertheless, I shall never know what's truly in his or her heart. But, the Lord, being our creator, knows everything about us – he sees the heart inside and out and even our soul, which is dearer to us than the heart. Even though I cannot read anyone as the Lord, I can picture a person with a pure heart and a spotless soul, constituting a most beautiful sight for the Lord to behold. And we know that any of us can be that soul, if only we'd let God do whatever he pleases with us.
**Either for or Against Christ
Today's first reading at Mass came from 1 John 2. The apostle writes: "Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist." Many of us still have not fully accepted the Father and the Son. According to St. John, they are still not out of the antichrist camp yet. Let's realize that with God, it must be all or nothing. We either belong or not belong to him. On the day of judgment, we'll be either chosen as sheep or rejected as goats.
**Supernatural Communication*
It is through the senses that we experience pleasure, revulsion, or other feelings; but when the Lord bypasses our senses and reaches directly for or touches our heart and soul, it is the greatest consolation and most satisfying feeling this side of heaven.
Monday, January 1, 2018
**Best New Year's Resolution
Happy 2018 to all! If you have not made any resolutions yet, how about resolving to go all out to love the Lord our God? Give him what he deserves, for he has already given us his only Son to us! Give God all you've got and all of yourself, and you'll live the most satisfying and rewarding life. I tell you, this is how God has made us. Give in, listen to him and follow him, and he is all yours. Make union with God your goal this year.
Are You a Child of God?
In today's second reading from Galatians, Paul writes, "As proof that you are sons [and daughters], God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!" Therefore, if you can cry from your heart, not just saying, "Father!" it is proof that the Spirit of Christ dwells within your heart and that you are a child of God.
Simple, Encompassing Prayer
Today is Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is fitting to start the new year with this celebration to commemorate the Mother of Christ and our Mother. At Mass, we always pray to God to have mercy on us. It struck me today that this is such a simple, beautiful and powerful prayer if we say it with all our heart. It means we acknowledge that we are sinners and need God's help, that we trust in him, and that we are totally dependent upon him. It is truly an all-encompassing prayer.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
*Year-End Insight
Today's Mass celebrated the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We heard the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple from Luke 2. There was a prophetess named Anna who never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. I realized that the ultimate point of prayer is to let the Lord make us perfect. You see, we sin against God, and to restore order and harmony we must become obedient children so that God's will may prevail. It is in constant obedient prayer to the Father that we learn and are transformed.
Year-End Realization
As the year ends, the Lord God leads me to reflect on myself or the human race as a whole. I realize that God can be absolutely trusted or counted on, otherwise he cannot possibly be God, and it is us who are the weak, failing to bring ourselves to believe in him. The peoples of the world welcome and celebrate New Year, hoping that things will get better and that they will be happier, but they do not realize that nothing like that will happen if they do not first believe in God and become his obedient children.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Fulfilled by God
Communion experience. God came to me to fulfill me. What I received from the Lord were the three Cs: consolation, contentment, and completion.
No. 1 Priority
God is to be enjoyed to the fullest. Therefore, our No. 1 priority of life should be making our relationship with God as perfect as possible. Then everything else just wouldn't matter much anymore.
**Correcting Our Focus*
Good to be home and resume attending daily Mass again. The thoughts I felt in my heart today were nothing new, but worth re-expressing. Once more, the Lord made me see that focusing upon how we can get to know and love him more is not the productive way, as it's much like concentrating upon ourselves to figure out how we can lift ourselves off the ground. The right, quick and efficient way is to focus upon the Lord exclusively to let him draw us to him. We must always let God take the center stage and he'll do all the lifting for us.
Friday, December 29, 2017
Key to Seeing God
Only the humble will see God. If we voluntarily humble ourselves before God, he will exalt us high. If we do not humble ourselves before God, we will be humbled by him and crushed forever in the end.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
How Much Are You With God?
We can go to Mass every Sunday out of habit and not feel anything. Robotic Catholic might be a fitting name. Then there are those who hang on to God because they feel miserable about life. Truly blessed are those in union with God, who no longer struggle on their own, just living a triumphant life in the Lord. [Since I'll on the road with my son for the next three or four days, I won't able to attend daily Mass nor blog. I should be back on Dec. 30, if not sooner.]
*Beautiful Prayer for Us
Today is Feast of St. Stephen, first martyr. Response at Mass from Psalm 31: Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. As Stephen was being stoned, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Before Jesus breathed his last on the cross, he cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." This should be a prayer for us too. Whether we face martyrdom of not, it shows our trust in the Lord and readiness to go to him.
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