To Win with God

        Anyone who is in union with God knows that the Lord always works things out. Therefore, he does not get anxious nor ever reach the point of not knowing what to do. Getting ahead of God is playing the losing game. To win, you always follow God's lead.

*Guadalupe Confirms Revelation

        Today is Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Reading 1 came from Revelation 11. We heard read: "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth." Immediately, the 1531 image of Our Lady of Guadalupe came to my mind. It shows the Blessed Mother having sun rays emanating behind her, the moon under her feet, and a black girdle around her waist signifying that she was with child. There are other signs in the image not that obvious, but what I could see confirms what St. John wrote in Revelation – pretty amazing.

**Falling in Love with God

        Falling in love with God is different from falling in love with any other human being. All love starts with a sense of attraction, usually physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual. With God, the attraction is spiritual, then you discover that he, being your creator, can actually transform your heart and heal your soul to make you experience freedom, peace, and joy. Now you can't help but fall in love with him who is actually your most beloved Father. 

*Need for Praying Together

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." It shows the importance of praying together. Most churches hold Bible study sessions, but lack a prayer group. Praying together will certainly draw you closer to God more effectively. By the way, Catholics should learn to pray spontaneously and not always read prayers written by someone else. After all, only you can express what is exactly in your heart.

**Fire and Water

        Today is Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, an incredible priest who showed his love for God at Auschwitz. May he inspire us to be as selfless and obedient to God as he was. The response to readings from Psalm 66 at Mass: Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire! God is not only fire, but also water. He is fire because he burns away our impurities and inflames our heart with zeal to serve him. He is water because he quenches our thirst and refreshes our soul. The Lord is good for us!

***To Live Passionately in Christ

        Benjamin Zander, the English musician, is currently the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He gives interpretation classes to young musicians. I am impressed that he can make them play more passionately to liven up the music. Here is one video you'll enjoy watching if you like classical music. Of the ten violin sonatas Beethoven wrote, the "Spring" (No. 5) and the "Kreutzer" (No. 9) are best known. They are masterpieces for sure. Here the violinist and the pianists succeed in playing the first movement of the "Spring" as one. The music is filled with joy. My thoughts turn to  what we can do too: Living passionately in union with Christ as one to be filled with joy.

***Worth Dying For

        Communion experience. Unfortunately, all new churches built nowadays no longer provide altar rails and we simply receive Holy Communion standing and in the hand. But more importantly, how do we receive the Lord in our heart? Today I knew that I received the one worth dying for and who will raise me on the last day! 

Making It Easy for the Lord

         In Matthew 8, a centurion appealed to Jesus to help his paralyzed servant. When the Lord was ready to go and cure him, the centurion said to Jesus, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed." Now at Mass we respond the same way before receiving Holy Communion by putting ourselves in the servant's place. Today I thought I wouldn't even need the Lord to say the word – I only need him to will it and I shall be healed.

*Be True Christians

        In John 1, Jesus saw Nathanael (Bartholomew) coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." "No duplicity" – I love hearing that! In Matthew 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." Therefore, let us be complete honest to God and to ourselves. Be genuine. Phoniness is from the evil one. Aim to please God alone, not anyone else. Then we'll be true Christians and sleep better too.

Hanging by a Thread

        Life on earth for all of us will end one day, as physical death is imminent. It's as if we are all hanging by a thread, a thread that can break at any time. What happens to us after that thread breaks is what we should be concerned about. The good news is that if you know Christ, that thread will never break and will in fact be used by him to pull you up heavenward to him in the end.

***Failings of the Church

      I came across this video by Brian Holdsworth today and his message resonates with me. If it's true that only 1/3 of Catholics believes in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, then the Church has failed miserably in teaching her members. This belief in the Real Presence is at the core of being Catholic. If a Catholic does not hold this belief, I don't think he should consider himself to be a Catholic. By the way, when all the submarine Catholics show up only at Easter and Christmas Masses, why don't the individual churches make it clear that Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist and that one should not receive the sacrament if he has not been attending Mass regularly?
     Brian also mentions the lack of reverence at most Masses and I agree with him too. We should worship the Lord as if we were at the Last Supper. Anything that distracts us from focusing on the Lord is out of order. I personally freak out a little bit when I receive the Holy Eucharist and see fingernails painted black or dark red holding forth the consecrated white host for me to receive. That's why I always chose to receive the Lord from the priest if possible. Also, music that sounds more like pop music is another distraction. I still remember the time a high school student was allowed to play the drum with the band and I got jumpy when I knew that a predictable big drumbeat was coming. There are many other things I can touch on. Anyway, believing in the Eucharist and showing proper reverence at Mass are of primary importance in making you a true Catholic.

***Lukewarm Catholicism

        Today's brand new video from Fr. Mark Goring. A great warning for us!

*Most Pleasing Prayer to God

        "Lord, make me holy for your sake."        

*God's Great Love

         I love the Father for loving not just me, but also everyone else equally. 

**Trusting in God with Our Burdens

        Communion experience. My heart had been weighed down spiritually by a number of heavy burdens, so I sought refuge in my Lord, as he was the only one who understood and could console me. This lead to complete abandonment in him. I see that God desires that all of us do this when we are burdened. Trusting in the Lord with all our burdens pleases him who loves us. 

***Fantastic God!

        Our God is our Lord, our creator, our master, our teacher, our counselor, our comforter, our healer, our father, our brother, our friend, our server, our confidant, and our soulmate! Whom else would you ever need?

Straight Path to Heaven

        In today's Gospel reading, Jesus also said, "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be." It's obvious that following Jesus will lead you straight to heaven. Attain union with the Lord now and your destination is assured.

**Becoming Useful to God

        Today is the Feast of Saint Lawrence. In the Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." So the question is how much of my old self has died? With God, you gain maximum benefits only if you go all the way with all your heart! This is precisely what makes following Christ so exciting, for you are amazed that he can indeed transform you to make you fruitful. Now you know that you are useful to and loved by God.

*End of Our Toil

         My wife had her kidney stone surgery this morning. It's her third time having to remove a stone from the kidney. Earlier the doctor said that he might have to operate a fourth time, since the stone this time was very large. I prayed in the waiting room practically the whole time and at the end, the doctor came out, happily informing me that he succeeded in removing the entire stone. I was most grateful to God.
        While waiting in the car for my wife to come out of the hospital entrance to drive her home, I watched many other patients being discharged. One old gentleman apparently came with his own wheelchair. He had difficulty in getting into his waiting car and the driver had to fold up the chair and put it back in the car afterwards. What I saw was that most of us had to toil a lot in life, so the earth is definitely not where we want to be for long. Fortunate are those who know Christ and that they are going to settle in heaven with him for all eternity.

**Fear of Devil Examined

        Looking at how evil has infiltrated our society and how so many people exhibit ungodly behaviors, should we fear the Devil? My answer is NO, for if you remain humble and holy in the Lord, the Devil has absolutely no power to touch you. He is annoying at times, but he can easily be ignored. Those who should fear the Devil are the ones who have already been deceived and snared by him and are in danger of losing their soul. But God is always there to save them. They can be freed instantly if they would only turn to the Lord and beg for his mercy. So, to fear the Devil or not, it's your choice.

**Our Most Appropriate Response!*

        Communion experience. The Lord enters me, body and soul – this is the perfect time for me to yield to and rest in him. As a matter of fact, I can't think of another more appropriate response! 

Most Powerful Joy

        The Joy of Christ can wipe out all our sorrows!        

Two Requirements for the Disciple

        Today is the memorial of St. Dominic. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus confirmed to his disciples that he was the Christ, the son of the living God. And he rebuked Peter for not thinking as God does, but as human beings do. So we must not only believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior, but also think as God does. This clearly requires that we become one with him so that we might become like him.

**Precise Advice (Best Ever News)

        If you are not perfectly happy living in this world, there is an option – seek out Christ who can make you perfectly happy in heaven for all eternity!

***Dwelling in Each Other

        Communion experience. As I went up the aisle to receive the Holy Eucharist from Father B this morning, I saw the open tabernacle on the altar behind him and immediately thought of the house of the Lord. After I received the sacrament, I realized that the Lord had entered my house and that made me the house of the Lord too! We are indeed temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6.19). Nevertheless, house or no house, when you become one with God, you and God are in each other!

**Joy of Hearing from the Lord*

        It is a joy and blessing to hear from the Lord. He speaks directly to the heart and that makes the communication so much more personal and intimate. And his messages always inspire and build you up spiritually. Now you have a personal protector, a travel guide, the perfect soulmate, and your greatest joy.

**How We Can End Up

        God will treat us the way we treat him or others. If we reject God, he will reject us. If we are ashamed of him, he'll be ashamed of us. He will judge us the way we judge others. He will forgive us the way we forgive others. So we'll be treated in accord with how others are treated by us and receive what God receives from us. To be precise, since God always loves us, it is really us who put ourselves in any bad position. Aim to be perfect, and we'll be OK. 

**Our Ultimate Wish

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 15. A Canaanite woman came to beg Jesus to deliver her daughter from being tormented by a demon. Because she showed great faith, Jesus finally said to her, "Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour. This is the pronouncement we'd love to hear from the Lord. When we attain union with him, we will hear that, for we and the Lord then will alway wish for the same thing. By the way, this is the ultimate we can ever wish for.

**Where We Need God's Help Most

        Today's entrance antiphon from Psalm 70: O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me! You are my rescuer, my help; O Lord, do not delay. We need God's help in so many things. But most importantly, we need him to help us open up to him so that we may obey him always, not doing his will only when we feel like it.

God Needs Our Fervent Support

        When we petition the Lord for something with a burning desire, it is not that we lack faith and thus need to pray extra hard to make up for that; on the contrary, it's because we know what we ask for is in accordance with his holy will and are with him 100%.

**Our No. 1 Desire and Goal

        Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Here is 1 John 3.2, the Communion antiphon: When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. To be like Jesus – this is most personal and even better than to be in heaven! Brothers and sisters, let's make that our No. 1 desire and goal! Start seeking union with the Lord right this moment.

***Our Final Fulfillment

        We are basically lonely creatures. There is no one on earth whom we can truly rely upon, for we are all alike. Then we run into Christ, start to follow him and we are not alone anymore. As he draws us closer and closer to him, we desire to become one with one. When we attain union, we are completely fulfilled, for we now belong to God totally! 

**Gift to Keep You Holy

        We are set free when we surrender to God the Truth. The first emerging sign is that our conscience becomes super sharp, making you aware of what pleases and what offends God. You lose peace the moment you sin, even if you sin ever so slightly. This is great help in keeping you holy.

***Urgent Call to All Christians

        The Lord wants us to remain vigilant, for we don't know when he'll be coming. But he also wants us to be vigilant about attacks coming from Satan! We must fight evil as hard as we can every chance we get. This is serious business, for all souls including our own are at stake. Because of the laxity of all Christians, evil has managed to infiltrated our societies and the Church rapidly during the last half century or so. The time to go all out to fight for God our savior has been long overdue. Surrender to the Lord to be one with him now so that we may become strong, bold, and fearless.

***Awesome Union

        Communion experience. Since the whole Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist, when I received his Body and Blood, I also received his Soul and Divinity! Realize this and you are never the same again. 

**Worse than Being a Fool

        In my last post, I talked about not to let God see you as a fool. What's worse than being a fool? California is ready to pass the so-called "abortion pill" bill, forcing all on-campus California public universities to provide the abortion pill at student health clinics. From the spiritual point of view, this is clearly choosing evil over God, going beyond being foolish. Alas, Judas Iscariot is alive and well today. Please pray for California.

**Don't Be a Fool to God

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12 at Mass, Jesus told the parable of the rich fool. A rich man produced a bountiful harvest and decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones to store his harvest and other goods. He said to himself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, "You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?" Many of us are just like the rich man. Recently, I thought of the things such as my piano which I had enjoyed playing for years and the many most personal photographs I'd made over the years. To whom should they go after I die? The answer was "I really shouldn't care." If God is calling you go to him, how can you not drop everything and leave? If you have not been perfectly obedient to God, here is your last chance to show him that you do obey him!

Characteristics of a Disciple

        One of today's suggested Communion antiphons, Matthew 5,7-8, are two of the Beatitudes given by Jesus: Blesses are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Being merciful to others and having a clean heart certainly should characterize any true disciple of Christ.

*Power of the Heart

        The heart is like our steering wheel. It can steer us toward God or away from God. The end results couldn't be more different from each other. But you are the driver in control of your heart. If you steer your heart toward God, as you get close to him, your heart gets purified more and more, and you would want to go all the away. If you had steered your heart to go the other way, turning around can become harder and harder as time goes on. So be a smart driver; steer you heart in the right direction at the start.

***Smart Petitioning

        In just about all the preached messages I've heard anywhere, we ask the Lord to help us love him more, believe in him more, to be more forgiving, etc. But the effective approach is to ask the Lord to help us open up to him, surrender ourselves to him, letting him take complete charge of us! We cannot make ourselves holy, only God can make us holy. If we don't let him in, how can he do the work? We forget that we are the stumbling block that needs to be removed first. This has been the message the Lord wants me to spread and I am repeating it again. 

*Intention Wins

        Attended first Saturday morning Mass today. The congregation sang the entrance hymn and didn't sound too good, for there was no unison. Then I realized that the Lord cared only about our intention, so what I heard was still beautiful to him.

*Choosing Your Reward

        Any reward you receive in this life that feeds your ego comes from the Evil One, and it diminishes your chance of receiving any reward from God. Any reward that humbles you in secret comes from God, and you will be rewarded even more in heaven. 

Rejoice in the Lord Always

        Again, I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary today. It really breaks your heart to think about how Christ suffered so excruciatingly for us. But I felt that the Lord just wanted me to be grateful and rejoice, for he has triumphed!

Intimate Bonding

        Today being a first Friday, there was adoration of the Blesses Sacrament following morning Mass at Church. I was adoring the Lord whom I just consumed five minutes earlier. That's how intimately the Lord bonds himself to us.

What Makes You Happy?

        I had mentioned that when I told some friends that I was really happy to have found Christ, they all congratulated me and were happy for me. It seemed to them as if there were many ways to happiness and I was lucky to have found the one that worked for me. What they failed to see was that there is only one thing that can set us free and truly satisfy us, the truth of Christ.

Just God and Me

        Communion experience. As the Lord and I melded into each other to be one, I became aware of only him and myself.

***Secret of Spiritual Success Reiterated***

        If you want to love God, then let God make it happen. On you own, you cannot succeed. You must have God draw you, inspire you, and dazzle you. So you need to open up to let him in. Then make everything you want to accomplish to be his doing. God, being your creator, is the only one who can transform you! This is the secret of spiritual success. This is why in union with God, you progress spiritually effortlessly, as he helps you do everything! God is your secret power!

*Preparing for Your Own Judgment

        People today love suing others, at least in this country. There have been innocent people who were wrongly sentenced to prison as well as guilty ones who got away with their crimes. But in the end all such cases don't matter much, for one day we'll all appear before God to be judged and receive the exact verdict we deserve, the only verdict that matters. Instead of wasting time suing someone on earth, it would be much more profitable to use the time to prepare for our day in God's court later.

*Abandonment to God Brings Wonders

        I have blogged about being slain in the Holy Spirit. This had happened to me several times. Each time, a charismatic priest put his hand on my forehead to bless me, with or without some relic, and I just fell involuntarily to the floor. It's also called resting in the Spirit, for you experience deep peace in that state. When I went up the aisle to be blessed, I did not question if I was going to fall or not. By abandoning myself to the Holy Spirit, I did fall and experience the peace. The one time this did not happen was when I had some bothersome thoughts on my mind, preventing me from complete abandonment. So the lesson I learned was that if you wish to experience the wonders of God, you need to abandon yourself 100% to the Lord. 

Don't Blame God

         If we don't hear God, it is us who cause the disconnect, not God, for he is ever ready for us.