***True Freedom Meaning**

         In my last post, I talked about freedom. So what is true freedom? Certainly being able to do whatever we want is not it. Freedom can only mean that we no longer sin! Think about it carefully and you'll see that I am right. Should sin does not exist, we'd never wonder whether we have freedom or not. It is sin that causes us to lose our freedom. I can also say that when one is no longer on the way to heaven, he has lost his freedom.

****Obey God and Be Free

        How can you obey God and still be free? Let me explain. If you don't obey God, then you are free to do whatever you want to do. Invariably, you end up sinning, becoming enslaved by your own sins, and losing all your freedom. On the other hand, God never forces us to obey him, so it's by our own free will that we choose to follow him. Now we serve the Lord freely, and we stop sinning or at least get all our sins forgiven at all times. As a result, we are truly free. In sum, only God can set a sinner free.

****Be Proud of Loving God

        If you love the Lord and feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to declare your love for him openly and have no problem yelling out "I love you, Lord" at the top of your voice, you are ready for total abandonment to him. Many Christians love God but remain quiet, either their hearts are not on fire yet or they stifle the Spirit. Openly expressing your true feeling allows the Holy Spirit to reign free within your heart, thus setting you free. Don't be a closet Christian. Be a bold, proud, and fearless follower of the Lord instead.

***Understanding God's Love for Us (Living the Most Wonderful Life)

        God loves us so much that if we can actually feel that love, we would break down, cry, and beg for his mercy. If you love someone, it's natural that you would want that person to love you back. God's love for us is so great that he's not satisfied if we just love him back 10%, 50%, or even 99%. So when we love him back 100%, union with him takes place and we start living the most wonderful life!

***Freedom from Knowing Christ

        If you do not know Jesus well, you simply live for the world. You seek pleasure and find enjoyment in food, music, art, collecting objects, various hobbies, leisure time, your environment, etc. When someone dear to you passes away, you look back and go over old memories trying to find some answer. In sum, people dwell upon the present life or reminisce. I treasure the freedom that comes from knowing Christ. I am now free from the world and the past and know exactly where I am going. This makes all the difference to one's outlook and disposition. I no longer need to struggle to figure out what I should do to find happiness in this life, and the past is no longer relevant. I am still in the world, but I have a comprehensive overall understanding of it and beyond. Thanks to Christ, I am no longer bonded to this world and this life.

***Most Beautiful Life

        Today at Mass, when I heard the priest say the words of the Lord during consecration of the bread: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU, the Lord readily changed the the bread into his body without reservation. It struck me that I should receive him into me without reservation too. When we want to be united with him as eagerly as he wants to be with us, the most beautiful life begins.

**Learning from the World and God

        Reading today's psalm 19 prompts me to share the following thoughts. In my many decades of existence on earth, I have learned a lot about engineering, mathematics, music, photography, etc., but none can compare with what I've learned from the Lord in the last decade and a quarter. While the world gave me knowledge, the Lord gave me wisdom. The world taxed my mind, but the Lord refreshed my soul. The teachings of the world can be drudgery, but God's revelations are always delightful to the heart. The world is often vague, but God always clear. God's words are Spirit and life.

***Joy of a Christian

       In today's first reading from Nehemiah 8, Ezra the scribe read the laws of Moses to the people. He told them not to be saddened on this day holy to the Lord, for rejoicing in the Lord must be their strength. Come to think of it, joy is a Christian strength. The joy of Christ's Resurrection alone is enough to overcome all sorrows. A Christian who experiences no joy in his heart is not a bona fide Christian. Even being persecuted for the sake of Christ or suffering for him becomes a joy. We have another distinguishing mark of Christianity here. This is a good time to watch the video Infectious Joy in Jesus I posted on October 17, 2010.

**Why Spread the Gospel?

         There are those around the globe who do not know Christ through no fault of their own, but are good people—they may still be saved through God's mercy. Then why do we still need to spread the gospel? We do it for these reasons. (1) Before his Ascension, Christ commanded his Apostles to go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. (2) Truth deserves to be made known to all. (3) Even though those who do not know the gospel may be saved, they do not have the assurance. Knowing and believing in it makes it certain that you will have eternal life in heaven. This is the crowning trademark of Christianity.

**Dealing with Temptation*

        If we pray the Our Father and ask him not to lead us into temptation, we must learn to turn away from temptation the instant we sense its presence. As starving the ego is the best way to eradicate the ego, escaping from temptation is the best way to overcome temptation. It is to be nipped in the bud fast. If you have a pretty good conscience, a one-second delay can cost you many days without inner peace. Temptation is worse than quicksand or plague, for it can lead to spiritual death. 

***Our Only Business

        We need to see all others as our loving Father sees them. He loves them all and wishes them to be saved from eternal damnation. If we go against his will, then we really do not love him, and we become no different from those we dislike, despise, or hate. Our only business is to learn to be like our merciful Father.

*Price Christ's Disciples Pay

       Today is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection for Unborn Children. Legalizing abortion is the greatest sin of this nation. We need to repent and try to correct this grave wrong before asking for God's blessings. Allowing the murder of the defenseless, innocent unborn shows the extent to which evil has entrapped this country. We are in an emergency right now.
        The Gospel reading today from Mark 3 consists of only two verses: Jesus came home with his disciples. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." For any of us who are zealous in following Christ, be prepared that others, often our relatives, may think that we are out of our mind. For we are not of the world anymore. This is the price we pay as his disciples, and what we gain is great joy now and forever.

**Two Truths We Face*

        Today I see these truths. (1) Since we have inherited the original sin, we are somewhat like wild animals that need to be tamed; and to let God love us is exactly what we need and can transform us. (2) We wonder what life is all about: Christ turns out to be our test. Whether life is meaningful or not depends entirely upon whether we accept him as our Savior or not.

**Sane View on End of the World

         Ralph Martin of Renewal Ministries is a spirit-filled person who loves the Lord, not one of those self-proclaimed prophets. And I value his views. Here's an interview with him on the end of the world. After I watched it, I rejoiced that I actually know Christ the Lord God and creator of the universe personally and most intimately. The incredible is now totally credible!

**What's Truly Impressive

        Here is a video showing the new art museum named M+ Museum which just opened in Hong Kong last November. It took 10 years to build and is spectacular and most impressive. For many, it'd be an exciting place to visit. But I doubt if a project like this would draw people closer to God or help them get to heaven. I thought of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (now Saint Teresa) who went to India to care for the poorest and the dying. Her work impresses me more than any mega-project the world has built. All that glitters is usually empty.

**Praying Properly*

         Since God always looks into the heart, we should love him with all our heart and pray to him with all our heart too. We can rush through a prayer to fulfill our obligation, say it lukewarmly, or take our time and pray with utmost sincerity, meaning every word we say. I believe that the last way mentioned is most proper and will work wonders. Surely God is to be taken seriously, and you reap what you sow.

***Baptism of Jesus Christ

        I love the first Luminous Mystery of the Holy Rosary, Baptism of the Lord. Here is a cool new video to watch:

**Living for Christ

        This is to do everything for his sake, under his guidance and relying totally upon his power. It's the Lord doing all his work through you. You are getting ready to serve him in heaven. It's living in his love. 

**Think like God Foremost

        In Matthew 16, when Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, the scribes, and be killed, Peter rebuked him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
        Peter spoke out of good will like a normal person, yet Satan was behind it. Imagine how much worse a situation an evildoer who knowingly serves Satan would be in. We must not only be good, but also think as God does. Again, attaining union with the Lord is the way to go.

*One More Reason We Need God

        We are finite. We may have strong faith, but when we are tested, we may still experience anxiety, fear, uncertainty, insecurity, etc. Not so with the infinite God who knows exactly what he's doing. Realizing our imperfections and limitations, all the more we need an all-perfect and omnipotent God to rely upon.

**Sin and Inner Peace

        If you don't have your sins removed, you'll never experience God's peace. That's how God has made us. Carry on as if you were OK, and you only fool yourself. God loves the genuine you, not the fake one. 

***To Jesus Through Mary

        To those who hesitate to face the Lord God directly for whatever reason, I suggest that you approach Mary our Holy Mother first. We all need a truly loving mother and she is it. A mother good enough for Christ is surely good enough for us. She is instantly available to guide you, assist you, and protect you. Once you get in touch with her, she will always lead you to her divine Son, for that is her mission. She is our best ally.

***The Reality of Christ

        This morning my wife got up at 5 a.m. because she had to leave for another city to take care some things. I got up an hour later and it was still dark outside. With no one around, the house was completely silent. Sitting alone in my bedroom, I could almost hear my own blood circulating through my body. I instantly sensed the presence and reality of Christ. He is the unavoidable and indispensable one to all of us, always watching over me. And he is also the one to ensure that I'll be clean and blameless when I return to him.  

***Top Choice for Us

        I am interested in music and photography, so I consider myself an artistic person. To be an accomplished artist, craftsman, computer person, etc., you need to work hard to learn and practice as much as possible. Then I thought of becoming a saint. All you need to do is surrender yourself to God and let him do all the work. It's a lot more exhilarating and enjoyable. This should be everyone's top choice, for the benefits you'll receive will be phenomenal and out of this world. 

**We Are Key Players

        In bringing order to the universe, do you know that we are the key players? We can end the war between God and Satan. We can be in total harmony with God and let him restore peace and order in the universe and in our hearts. Or we can remain rebellious, creating chaos, and end up destroying our own souls.

**Glad God Looks into the Heart

        Today's first reading comes from 1 Samuel 16 in which the Lord sent Samuel to Bethlehem to choose a new king for Israel. He instructed him not to judge from the appearance, for God does not see as man sees—the Lord looks into the heart. I rejoice that our God can see everything in our hearts. This is such a great consolation, for if no one knows what's in my heart, I'd absolutely be lost! Because the Lord knows everything, he keeps me on the right track on my return journey to him and sets me free spiritually on earth. 😇

**Thanking God Always

        1 Thessalonians 5.18: In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. We might thank God when something good happens to us, but we really ought to thank him at all times in all circumstances. That he has laid all the groundwork for us to enter heaven is more than sufficient for us to rejoice and be thankful forever. Let nothing on earth divert us from our straight path to the loving Lord.

*A Hunch

         Christ came into the world to save us from sin. I sense that the fact that he had no problem with becoming one of us first is because we were made in his image. 

**Illuminated by Christ

        Communion experience. In John 8:12, Jesus said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." After I received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I felt him as a light illuminating, cleansing, and healing my whole inner being. He always renews us thoroughly and from the inside out. 

**Sin Is Most Ugly

        First thought at church before Mass started: "This world would be so beautiful if no one sins anymore!" 

****Blunt Reality

        Time moves on. We are heading into the future, but we can also see it as the future coming to us—it's the same. What's approaching us successively are aging, death, and "heaven or hell." Since I believe that God exists, that we do have an everlasting soul, and that good and evil are real, there will have to be heaven and hell. This leaved us with just two possible final destinations and they are mutually exclusive. Of course, if you do not share my belief, you are free to dismiss everything I've said. But be aware that should you turn out to be wrong, the consequences can be disastrous.

***Obedience Test

        Christ teaches us to love our enemies, never judge, and always forgive. So what should we do with evildoers? Should we hate them? wish that they go to hell? eradicate them by force? If you answer one yes, then you are doing exactly what the Devil wants you to do! Christ would want you to just love them and pray for their salvation and conversion, for he loves all of us equally. The evildoers are the victims of the Evil One, and we must do our utmost to save them so that we may comfort and glorify the Lord even if it entails going against the grain.

****Holy Thoughts*

        To have holy thoughts always, we must let the Lord motivate all our thoughts. Thus we need to give our heart and mind over to him. As obedience to the Lord leads to our freedom, holy thoughts leads to our sanctity. 

**Hate the Sin, Not Yourself

       After one has sinned, repented, and been forgiven by God, it's still easy to start disliking oneself, especially if the sin committed had been a repeated offense. Is this how we should feel about ourselves? The answer is no. First of all, if you truly love God, you'll see how inadequate you are alright, but you'll never be unhappy with yourself, for you know that you are dearly loved by him. Once you have repented and been forgiven by God, you are made anew! Should you commit the same sin again, all the more you need to move forward and submit yourself to him even more. A good follower of the Lord never looks back—this applies here too. So hate your past sins, but be happy with yourself always.

***Focusing upon Christ Only

        In this past year or so, I have posted quite a number of videos showing messages that were purportedly received by various prophets of today from heaven. I posted them because they warn us about our sinful ways and urge us to turn to God in these end times. Then I wasn't always quite sure about the prophetic part of them. So I read more about some of these prophets online, and what I learned did raise questions about their authenticity. As a result, I decided to delete their videos. If we believe in and cling to Christ, we really don't need to worry about anything anymore no matter what happens. Reading too much about the various prophecies can make us look away from the Lord and possibly become confused. Focusing upon Christ alone unquestionably shuts out Satan completely.

**Disposing of Our Crosses

         We carry many crosses daily, and it's easy to lose our inner peace. Then I see that compared to the crosses Christ carries, ours are nothing. No cross can be heavier than the Passion he underwent, and he never complained and kept on loving us. Since then through all these centuries, he still suffers daily as we continue offending him. For the love of the Father, he endures it all! We need to endure our small sufferings for the same reason. In fact, if we offer our crosses up to the Lord, we are drawn deeper into union with him and all our crosses practically vanish.

***Making Christ Our Center

        Jesus, being the Lord God, must become our center. That is, we must do everything according to his will. This is not being extreme, only being right and proper. This is also being realistic and wise, for we came from him and must go through him for our final judgment. We need to make him truly our Lord, for he loves us with the greatest possible love.

****Praying for Trust

      We pray for our needs, but I see that it's fundamental to pray for our trust in God. Without trust, we pray in vain. With trust, all things are possible. So open up to God to let him increase your trust foremost. 

***The Way to Freedom

        We all worry or get anxious about things. Christ tells us to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first and not to worry or be anxious about anything. I've come to see that we either trust in ourselves or Christ, and to achieve inner peace we have no choice but to trust in him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. This entails total obedience and abandonment to him, setting ourselves totally free from ourselves. It may be difficult, but with God everything is possible.

**World's Sad State and Hope

         Rampant worldwide scamming plus the fact that law enforcement agencies are slow in going after the scammers is another sign indicating that the world has more or less accepted evil as a way of life. One needs to be keenly aware that once evil takes hold of you, you are on your way to perdition. Good and evil are as distinguishable from each other as day and night. If we lose this discernment, we are doomed. Wait, we do have the light of Christ shining among us; this is our bright hope! Remain in his light and we'll be going nowhere but heaven, come hell or high water.  

**God's Certainty

         Dealing with fellow human beings, who are all sinners, is not always easy. You can never be certain about what they might do to you. I've been let down numerous times by Christians too. Also, we can never be certain about what accidents or ailments might befall us through nobody's fault. This leads me to trusting in God who is the only one about whom I can be totally certain. I know that he'll always love me and is totally trustworthy. If I follow him faithfully, he'll without a doubt lead me to heaven. 

*****God Indispensable!

     Yesterday I blogged that another reason we need God is that he's the only one who can understand us perfectly. Here is a list of more basic reasons. Of course, I am talking about the God of Christ, our only God.

1. He created all of us in his image.
2. He's the one who keeps our hearts beating and lungs breathing.
3. Everything we need for our sustenance comes from him, including the earth we dwell on.
4. He loves us with the greatest possible love.
5. His sole aim is to save us from sin and get us to heaven.
6. Only he can take away our sins and make us pure and whole again.
7. Only in him can we find the joy that satisfies the soul for all eternity.
8. Only in him can our soul rest in true peace.

     I can give many more reasons. Anyway, let me just pause and ask if you can still possibly live without this God?

**Be Smarter than Evil Spirits

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus came to Capernaum. He entered the synagogue and taught. A man with an unclean spirit was there; he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come our of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. 
          The unclean spirit knew exactly who Jesus was and obeyed him. On the other hand, many of us do not obey Jesus because we don't know who he truly is—this is most unfortunate. In Philippians 2, Paul wrote, "At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord." Be smart and recognize and accept who Jesus truly is, then no evil spirit will be able to touch you.

**Being Wise Early

        When you are young, you live and plan as if you have all the time in the world. Then when you get old and realize that your time on earth is limited, you start to wonder if you've done enough for the Lord—surely you don't want to appear before him empty-handed. This is the beginning of wisdom. To be most wise, look for Christ when you are young, start storing up your treasure in heaven and settle your eternal destiny early. Then you will live a life in peace.  

**Another Reason We Need God

        In this life, there is just not one person who can truly understand you. In fact, we, being imperfect, misunderstand each other all the time. This is how arguments get started. This is also one big reason we need the Lord God who alone understands us perfectly and can make us more understanding. In heaven, there will be only trust and harmony without any misunderstanding.

***One-on-One with the Lord

        Communion experience. The Lord entered me and it's a one-on-one with him. He alone created me, keeps me alive every moment, and will judge me when I face him. My destiny is completely in his loving hands. I rejoiced in my good fortune!

*****Our Selfless Lord

        Today we celebrate The Baptism of the Lord. Jesus was completely sinless, yet he still asked John the Baptist to baptize him like any one of us. This moved me very much, seeing how humble and meek he was. Later he even washed the feet of his disciples. Finally, he gave himself up so that we might be freed from sin and have eternal life. How more selfless can one possibly be? Here's God, the Almighty, to whom we ought to submit ourselves totally, yet he never lords it over us. It is this astounding selflessness that has won me over to follow him.

***God Knows What's Best for Us

         We often don't see what's best for others. For example, parents give their small children all the material things to keep them happy and entertained, but end up spoiling them. Grown children give their parents expensive gifts, not realizing that they'd rather have you talk and listen to them more. We have good intentions, but we don't often see what others need the most for their good. Our Lord God doesn't always promise us happiness in this life, but he surely knows what to give us now to make us happy for all eternally later. All you need to do is to trust in him a little longer while you are still here on earth.

***The Warning Again

        I just finished the second book on Garabandal, Garabandal, Message of Hope, by José Luis Saavedra. The coverage of the apparitions is comprehensive. I was impressed and inspired after reading about the miracles associated with the apparitions and the messages from God given to us through the Blesses Virgin to the seers. The Warning of illumination of conscience was specifically prophesied. I personally believe that this can happen anytime now. Anyway, you have no obligation to believe in it.
           I am posting this video I came across today because it explains the warning well. Besides, I believe that it's always prudent that we be prepared in case it does come. Otherwise, the shock we experience might be too great to bear. (The message ends around 8:20.)

****Being Truthful to Yourself*

        To be set free by God, we need to be truthful to ourselves. That is, we must have the courage to look at ourselves squarely in the face in God's presence. It is analyzing yourself scrupulously while remaining wide open to the Lord. He then makes you see what truly lies deep within your heart and soul. This is a most rewarding moment, for you've let the Lord in and now understand yourself and experience a great freedom in him.