*Under God's Watchful Eyes

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, Philip found Nathanael and told him that he had found the Messiah. He then took him to see Jesus. Nathanael believed when Jesus told him that he saw him under the fig tree even before Philip talked to him. I feel blessed that our Lord knows everything about us and me. Knowing that he watches over me, I've never felt so secure in my life. 

Problem-Solving Strategy

        Trust in God with all your problems. Virtually, you drop all your problems in God's lap. Now, he has them and will solve them for you.

***Most Urgent Warning***

        The world is in chaos. The Church is in chaos. If Christians cannot see the light clearly themselves, how can we expect the secular world to see it? This is no time for complacency. In fact, it is time to repent our sins most urgently and surrender ourselves completely to God. Right now, our physical body prevents our soul from leaving this world. Once our soul is free, it'll either rise to heaven or descend into hell. After receiving Holy Communion today, I asked the Lord to wash me clean with his Most Precious Blood. Be ready during these last days for his imminent Second Coming. Don't ever give me the chance to say "I told you so"!

**The Lord Means It

        In John 6.51, today's Communion antiphon, Jesus said: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. If the bread the Lord offered us at the Last Supper and at every Mass today were merely ordinary bread symbolizing his flesh, what he had said would have made no sense. 

***Dealing With Hell Now

        In the battle against Satan, it is a foregone conclusion that God will crush all evil in the end. For us, there will be either heaven or hell awaiting us. If we are smart, we shall ally with God right this moment. Fr. Mark Goring posted this relevant video today:

A Spiritual Certainty

        Communion experience. Let the Lord God enter to be one with you and great things will happen to your soul! 

*Know Where We Are Going

        There are people who do not wish to know or understand Christ and tell me that they are happy and feel peaceful the way they are. These are good people and I don't doubt them, but they do not know what the true joy and the deep peace one experiences after being saved by God are like yet. Wait until the moment they are dying and heading into the unknown. Would they still feel the same? I doubt it.  

***The Eucharist Difference

        For me, it is the Real Presence of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist that make you experience his dwelling within you. If ordinary bread and wine (or grape juice as used in some churches) are used to symbolize the body and blood of the Lord, you may still be moved or get uplifted, but I do not believe you can ever experience that great intimacy of union with God, as the Eucharist realizes and seals that union. 

***Most Holy Desire

        Desiring to have God is a most holy desire, for it allows God to make you holy!       

**Living the Exciting Life*

        It is not good enough not to do anything evil. Often, with a dull or lethargic conscience, we become inactive in serving the Lord. Being lukewarm is most displeasing to God (Revelation 3.16). To wake up on your own is not always easy. This is why I advocate seeking union with God from the very beginning, for the Lord will keep you awake by turning your ordinary spiritual life into exuberant and exiting living.

***Grave Transgression

        Satan wants you to believe that Jesus is merely a good teacher, a good man, but not divine. Therefore, it is a grave transgression to believe and claim that Jesus is not God. (Applying this criterion, you can easily spot those religions, denominations, or sects that are false.)

**Know Your Calling and Role

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, John the Baptist testified to himself. He admitted that he was not the Christ, denied that he was a prophet, and said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said." We who follow Christ must also know who we are, what our role or calling is. It does not have to be specific, but we should at least know clearly that we are to serve God. In my own case, since 2010 the Lord has made it clear to me that he desires union with us through receiving him in the Holy Eucharist. I will devote myself to spreading this message as best I can for the remainder of my life.

*God Most Understanding and Just*

        God is both strict and lenient. He is strict because his words are truth and we must believe and obey them. He is lenient because he is love and will consider our circumstances and intention in each case and modify the rules, you might say, to be fair to us. 

Alone With God

        Communion experience. Only God and I were present. In a church filled with priests and parishioners, there was no one between the Lord and me. It was the most beautiful, private, exclusive moment of union with God.

Three New Realizations

(1) That the Lord knows the future is reason enough for us to trust in him.

(2) To trust in God is to trust in the power of God.

(3) To know God well, be aware that he is most holy first!

Blessed Art Thou Among Women

        Today January 1 is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. We all need a perfect mother and that mother is the mother of our Lord whom he has give us to be our mother. When you feel drawn to this Mother, the Lord is drawing you to him. Being most holy and close to the her Son, sometimes I feel that Mary is the only intercessor I need. I love the mother of my Lord, our Mother.

Rejoicing in the Lord Always

        Happy 2019 to all! Nowadays you can easily watch the New Year's celebrations around the world online. I sampled a few of them and would guess that Dubai had the most beautiful fireworks display. I wonder why people are so happy to welcome each New Year. Is it because they hope or believe that things will get better for them in the new year? Or is it because they see themselves getting a new start in life? Perhaps they are happy simply because New Year is new? The reason could be a mixture of all three or more. I can't help shifting my thoughts to Jesus, who is forever new to us. What I mean is that he can continuously teach us something new, make us anew, and give us fresh hope at all times. Besides, the happiness he gives is not anticipatory – we actually receive deep, sweet, refreshing joy in our heart that's soul-cleansing. That explains why once you've tasted the Lord, New Year is just not very exciting anymore.

***Yearend Insight

        Because we are at the complete mercy of God, the most sensible, intelligent, and logical thing for us to do is to abandon ourselves completely to God. The proof is in the peace and freedom you receive. 

Most Fundamental Resolution

        Reviewing what I lack spiritually, I see that I need to see Christ in everyone more. Of course, making any resolution on my own will not amount to anything if I do not let the Lord help me adhere to it. Looking at it this way, the most fundamental resolution is clearly to surrender ourselves to God in all things.

***Astounding Truth

        The first 18 verses of the Gospel John were read at today's morning Mass on this last day of the year 2018 of our Lord. The words are earthshaking, soul-shaking. I shall reproduce verses 1-5 and most of verses 10-14 below.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God . . . . And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth.

         As the year ends, it is fitting to review how it all happened at the beginning.

Peace and Joy to All!

        Communion experience. Deep joy rooted in deep peace only God can give.

Start Finding Life Now

        Our goal on earth is to find life now and forever in Christ. Therefore, detach yourself from your present life and start living in and for Christ now. Every journey begins with a first step.

Walking in Step With God

        I realize that in glorifying the Lord, we mush temper our zeal so as not to interfere with his time table. There is a delicate balance here to achieve. We can sense that by making sure that our ego does not take part and listening quietly to the voice of the Lord in our heart. Seeking union with God is the way to go. 

**A Reality to Recognize

        All of us came from God and will have to answer to him alone – not to you, me, or anyone else – in the end. This should teach us not to ever judge others or get over-concerned about their salvation. What is proper for us to do is to pray for each other with all our heart and leave it all to God.

**God Is Waiting

        To let God draw us deep into him is the same as letting him enter deep into us, as either way results in union. Since the Lord longs to become one with us, it is inconceivable that he would refuse our invitation for him to enter us. The ball is now in our court.

Trembling Before the Lord

        Communion experience. I trembled upon approaching the Lord to receive him, not because I fear him, for he loves me, nor because I fear the evil one, for he absolutely has no power over me when I am with the Lord; I trembled because the Most Holy One was about to enter me, still a most wretched sinner.

Another Critical Realization

        Today is the Feast of Holy Innocents. Evil is real. King Herod, attempting to destroy the child Jesus, the prophesied king of the Jews, ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under. Today's Response from Psalm 124: Our soul has ben rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare. Has your soul already been snared by the evil one? Is it in danger of being snared by him? We must be aware that evil snares are all around us at all times, so that if we do not remain vigilant and watchful, we can easily lose our soul. 

*Thinking Simply to the Point

        It may be difficult to believe in Christ, but it is practically impossible to prove that he never existed, that he never told the truth, or that he never rose from the dead. To believe in him only requires stopping playing God yourself, but people choose to ignore and not to resolve this issue as long as possible. So we see that Christ has to be our Lord and God. Then he must come again to judge us or our whole existence would be meaningless. Whether his Second Coming will happen in our lifetime or not, we must be ready for it, and this is my final point. 

**God Completes Us

        We all have our own shortcomings, but God can heal us spiritually, fill our hearts with joy, and make us whole so that we no longer see them as obstacles. In fact, they now make us even more dependent upon him in all things. The Lord always completes us where we fall short.

**God Is All We Need to Desire

        Communion experience. The Lord is holy and can make us holy. The Lord is perfect and can make us perfect. The Lord is also eternal and can give us eternal life. Desire all these things and they are yours. Desire to be like him and he'll fulfill you desire by becoming one with you. 

Entrusting Our Spirit

        Today is the Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr. As he was being stoned to death, 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." As disciples of Christ, we must also be ready and willing to entrust our spirit to God's care, even if we are not under any threat of death.

*My Sane Advice*

      Seek to please God alone who can truly fill you with peace and joy. Do not seek anything else just to please yourself.

What Our Generation Is like

        Once you are in union with God, his values are yours and you see the world as he sees it. The people of our generation are now like kids keeping themselves entertained with whatever they can find, not knowing what they are doing nor where they are going. Unavoidably, some of them become badly spoiled and start to bully and beat up on others, creating chaos and disorder throughout the world.

***Key to Salvation

        The holier you are, the more God is pleased with you. But the key to salvation, no matter how unholy you might be, is repentance. No repentance, no salvation.

*Saddened at Christmas Time

        I attended the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Mass yesterday. I never saw my church this packed. The adjacent ministry center had to be used to offer a second Mass for those who could not fit into the main church. The spacious parking lots were full of parked cars overflowing onto unpaved areas and the roads. And there was another Vigil Mass scheduled for 7 p.m. later too. Would that all regular Sunday Masses get flooded like this! I felt sad for those Catholics who only show up at Christmas and Easter times. I was at the ministry center and the crowd there was relatively quiet, not in any celebratory mood. All this somewhat dampened my Christmas spirits. Back to praying hard.

*Christmas Advice

        You may cast many things out of your life or treat something lightly in your life, but there is one you must never shut the door on and must, in fact, take most seriously – that is the God of Christ. He has come, is here with us, and will come again. A most blessed Christmas to you all! 

*Our Best Plan

        To be in union with God is to be solidly embedded in God. It's like having an indestructible temple built within your heart for the Lord to dwell in. There is no better plan to secure your future for all eternity. 

Jesus My Greatest Joy

        Photography, music, and mathematics have been my favorite subjects. I enjoy talking about them, but you do not often meet people who share the same interest. Now, my greatest joy is to talk about Jesus, for he has given me the greatest joy in my life, but meeting people who are excited about him is even rarer.

Ceaseless Praying

        Even if we don't see all our prayers answered in this life, we can continue to pray in heaven. Never lose hope.

**Thoughts and Intention

        Being human, our thoughts dart around involuntarily, even in our dream. But as long as our intention remains pure, we commit no sin. Therefore, be rooted in the Lord, be one with him, so that no evil, impure, or inappropriate thought will ever cross your mind, then you'll be OK with the Lord, for he is most understanding.       

Another Folly

        Time belongs absolutely to God too. Our time on earth is simply borrowed time from God. We sense only the present instant, but for the eternal God, time stands still with the past, the present, and the future all rolled into one. Therefore, it would be utter folly to think that we can escape from God for a single moment.

Another Critical Realization

        Everything comes from the Lord God our creator. When we create something, we simply make something out of what has already been created. And we do not own anything either. It is important to realize that everything belongs to God, including ourselves. So it is outrageous and even outlandish to think that we do not need God anymore. In today's 1st reading from 1 Samuel 1, Hannah, the mother of Samson, dedicated her son to the Lord. It would be entirely proper for us to consecrate ourselves, our families, and all that we have to God, acknowledging that he is the creator to whom we belong. Then order will be restored in the universe.

*Christ Our Ultimate Rest

        Communion experience. Most of us labor, and in receiving Christ, we experience true rest.  In Matthew 11.28, Jesus promises: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."

***Our Greatest Deficiency

        Probably John 3.16 is the best known verse of the New Testament: "God so loved the world that he gave his own Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life." God is infinitely deep and profound, yet he reveals his love for us in such a simple straight way. Are we so dense that we don't even get it? I think it's more that we do not really want to get it.

**God Our Peace

        Let God initiate all your thoughts, words, and actions, and you'll experience great peace. As long as we still rebel against the Lord, there will be no peace within our hearts. This is how he has made us! It only shows how much he loves us and wants us to return to him to enjoy his holy presence for ever. 

*Most Sweet Feeling

        Letting the love of God melt your heart.

**Formula for Peace

        To let God be our Lord and King, all we need to to do is to not stand in his way. Let God have his way and we would have instant peace on earth and in our hearts.

*Don't Pass the Buck for Your Sins

        If you sin, don't blame anyone else and take full responsibility for it. For every sinner will have to answer to God on his or her own.

*How to Become Loving

        Care only about loving the Lord and you'll become the most loving person in the world.

***Critical Realization

        It is critical that we realize God and Evil are engaged in a spiritual warfare fighting for our very soul. Without this awareness, we are likely to make many wrong life decisions at the risk of losing our soul. We simply cannot remain as bystanders. This is another wakeup call for all.