Jesus, More Real than Ever

        I feel especially close to St. John the Apostle. I just got Stephen Ray's St. John's Gospel, A Bible Study Guide and Commentary. In the introduction, he talks about the Apostle John.  I am just going to put down the instances in which John was a witness according to how Stephen Ray lists them.

        (1) While John was mending nets with his brother James and their father Zebedee in a boat, Jesus called the two brothers and they immediately left their boat and their father and followed him (Mt 4:21-22). 

        (2) He (John) was at the table when Jesus instituted the Eucharist and in fact, was the one who reclined upon the Lord's chest during the meal (Jn 13:23-25).

        (3) He received the Holy Spirit as Jesus breathed on him (Jn 20:21-23).  

       (4) His feet were washed by the Lord himself (Jn 13:5). 

        (5) As one of Jesus' favorite disciples, he was referred to as "the one Jesus loved" (Jn 13:23; 20:2; 21:20).

        (6) Jesus nicknamed him and his brother, James, Boanerges ~ sons of thunder (Mk 3:17).

        (7) He fell asleep as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk 14:32-42).

        (8) He was there when Judas betrayed the Lord, and then followed Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest (Jn 18:15).

        (9) He's the only disciple who stayed at the foot of the Cross, while the others had fled earlier (Mk 14:50; Jn 19:26).

        (10) Jesus entrusted his Mother to John's care and John to his Mother's care (Jn 19:26-27).

        (11) He was a witness to the Resurrection (Jn 20:1-10).

        (12) For 40 days he saw the proofs of the Lord's Resurrection and received further instructions on waiting for the Holy Spirit to come, etc. (Mt 28:16-20; Acts 1:1-10)

        (13) While fishing at dawn, he was the first to recognize the Lord standing on the shore of the sea of Tiberias (Jn 21:7).

        (14) He saw the Lord being taken up into heaven (Acts 1:9-11).    

       (15) He also saw the Blessed Virgin crowned in glory in a heavenly vision (Rev 12).

        John testified to the truth of all that he had written down (Jn 21:24).

        Jesus was already real to me, now after reading St. John's personal witnessing, he is more real to me than ever! 

Everything We Do Matters

        Everything we do affects the whole world (or universe).  Sometimes the effect may be minuscule or barely detectable, but it's there. On the contrary, everything we do, no matter how small, has a great impact on our soul! Every move is known to God and contributes to determining our eternal destination.  

Our Sole Intention Should Be...

to give God glory. All of what we think, speak, and do should be so guided. 

Following the Lord with Trust

        When we follow the Lord, we simply follow and do not know how he is going to lead us and/or how things we prayed about are going to turn out; but we know that he always leads us in the right direction for our best. 

Best Prayer for the Heart

        Today something that could trouble the heart came up and I prayed "Thy will be done" and peace reigned. In the final analysis, this is the best prayer for the heart.  Saying it means that we are obedient to God and we trust in his mercy.

Serving God Today

        Jesus said that we could not serve God and mammon at the time.  It's sad that today, no matter what government system you live under, whether we are in good economic times or bad, money and material wealth are what the world is after. Look at the troubles of the world ~ it's safe to guess that the majority of them are mammon-caused. To chase after God is to be like a sheep among all the wolves, then we have an invincible shepherd guarding and guiding us. 

Being "In"

        Thoughts this morning during Mass.  I know that God is everywhere around me.  Then when I receive the Holy Eucharist, he fills me as well.  So I become totally immersed in him and he in me.  The two merge into one and are in each other.  God and I belong together.  No matter how you look at it, it's a great, satisfied feeling.

The Union Advantage

        Normally, when we try to be more Christlike, we do our best to become holier; but sometimes old sins just don't go away easily, so we continue to struggle.  Without genuine repentance, determination, and persistent prayer, progress can be slow. It could even go on like this the rest of our lives.

        The quick and effective way is to aim for union with God. I remember once my insurance company unfairly increased my premium for an accident not due to my fault. I wrote to the chairman of the board and got the action reversed.  To solve the problem, go to the top. For spiritual progress, aim for union with God. Once you surrender to God, your struggle is gone as he takes over. God now is free to transform you.

        By comparison, the first approach is hard work and not always effective, while the second way is quick and certain for both you and God. This is the union advantage.   

Father Knows Best

        This was the title of a TV series starring Robert Young back in the 50's.  Here "Father" in my title refers to the Heavenly Father.  Many things happen in our lives.   At one time of another, I think we all have imagined living a happy life with all our fond wishes and dreams coming true.  Life never turns out this way and you wonder why God doesn't help.  You look back and see that many things could have turned out differently to keep you happy.  Now I see that God is in control and always knows what's best for you spiritually.  If things had always gone my way, I might even be a lost soul today. We must trust in the Father. Eternal life with him, not self-centered happiness in this world, must be our goal.  Wisdom, obedience, and perseverance will pay off in the end.             

As Temples of God

        Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.  In Reading 2 from 1 Corinthians 3, Paul wrote, " Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  We need to remember this.  As temples of God, we are consecrated. We must make sure that the temple stays clean on the inside for God's holy presence and that he is to have full reign in his place. Then we shall be in full union with him.   

Holy Eucharist Most Awesome

        Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper.  When he said, "This is my body" and "This is the chalice of my blood," he meant exactly that ~ "is" means "is" and we are to believe and not try to figure out how it possibly could be.  This is a mystery as all the other mysteries about God.  The Holy Eucharist is the bread from heaven, in which the Lord is truly present.  What you receive at Mass is exactly what the Apostles received at the Last Supper.  In receiving this sacrament, you welcome God into you, acknowledging yourself as his child, and the love between you and him is sealed, so to speak.  Appreciating this physical union will take you all the way to full spiritual union with the Lord. No wonder this great gift is the center of worship in his Church from the very beginning.  Loving the Holy Eucharist is loving Christ and his Church.

God's Final Mercy

        The aging process comes to my mind.  I see it as mercy from the the Lord.  As we age, we get weaker and develop various physical problems and ailments.  It's as if the Lord is preparing us to face our final days.  We have to accept reality now and see death more as relief than something terrible.  The shock is gone.  Of course, to those with strong faith in the Lord all along, they already see the mercy of God in all things.  

How to Be Born Again

        Protestants believe that once you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you are born again.  It sounds so easy.  To me, this is only the beginning.  To be truly born again, you must die to sin first and then relive in Christ ~ there can be no new life without death first.

Jesus Is like a Cave

        When you stand at the entrance of a deep cave, you first notice the darkness and are not sure what might be hidden inside, but it does arouse your curiosity. You decide to explore it, with uneasiness at first. As you penetrate deeper and deeper, you discover more and more beauty ~ the colorful rock formation, a clear stream and crystal pools... At the end you find the most magnificent chamber with brilliant sunlight flooding in overhead.

How Jesus Draws Us

        Suppose that you go to a school, take a course, and find it interesting.  Your teacher also happens to be good and you earn a top grade in the course at the end.  You are happy about your success and want to continue taking more courses. 

        This is how we feel good about Jesus too.  Let me use an example. Assume that you have the problem of losing patience easily and you pray sincerely to Jesus to correct this problem.  Before you know, you realize that you have become a more patient person. You are then amazed and excited  that Jesus can actually change you in a fundamental way and look forward to being transformed more by the Lord.  This is how Jesus draws us.             

Just You and God

        I've posted more than once that in the final analysis, it's always between you and God.  Today the Lord showed me something more.  Normally, we all struggle to solve our own problems.  I've found that when I maintain the best possible relationship with God, he just takes away all my struggles by handling the problems for me.  Satan is still out there, but God takes care of him too.  As long as you stay in union with God, you are safe to ignore Satan.  It's just between you and God, with Satan kept away.  As the saying goes, two's company and three's a crowd. 

Seek and You Will Find

        We heard about Mt. Everest, the highest mountain on planet earth.  You may not have seen it, but it's there in Nepal.  You will see it if you travel there.  The same with God.  The fact that you don't see him does not mean that he does not exist.  In fact, the existence of God is more certain than that of Mt. Everest.  Without God, there wouldn't be Everest.  The reason people don't believe is because they have not gone looking for God. By learning about Jesus, studying the Scriptures, praying for guidance and enlightenment...they will begin to find him.  And then they'll see that he has been there all along.    

Best Hiding Place

        As I was consuming the Holy Eucharist during Communion, I asked the Lord to consume me for me to become totally dissolved in him.  Let's look at it from a practical point of view ~ God is everywhere and there is absolutely no place to hide from him.  In other words, there is no place to go except the Lord himself.  Besides, in him you'll find maximum security, love and kindness, consolation and comfort... everything your heart desires. There's no better hiding place!