Sweet Sorrow

        Once you live for Jesus, every sorrow becomes sweet because it's in sorrow that you are brought closer to him.

Great Consolation

        During prayer before Mass began, the Lord let me see that he's capable of squaring away everything and ironing out every problem in my interior life.

Surrender to Freedom

        We enslave ourselves any time we do not follow God. Therefore, we become free when we surrender ourselves to God. It's because we are no longer in the way and have become one with God.

One Big Family

        At Mass this morning, I felt extra close to the Holy Mother. I know that she watches over me and prays for me, to make sure I would follow her Son faithfully. What I love being a Catholic is the sense of belonging. I have God, my Father; Mary my mother; Jesus my Lord and my God, but also my brother; and all the saints as my intimate friends, among whom is St Therese, to me my sister and spiritual guide. We are all one big family, including all the faithful who are still living, bonded as one in the Holy Spirit.

One Thing Never to Lose

        Chile just got hit by a powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake. One man I watched on TV says that he has lost everything. Here in California, hundreds and hundreds of families have lost their homes to wildfires. I feel great sorrow for all the victims. Then I thought of the one thing we must never lose and can't afford to lose, and that's our soul.

Living in God

        Living in God does not make your life more peaceful; it only makes you peaceful in your heart. Life remains the same, but you have changed. You see life as what the Lord wants you to go through for your good, and your wish and goal is to follow and obey him knowing that he is with you always and will lead you to eternal happiness. This is how you receive strength and remain at peace.     

Reaching God From Within

        If you long to reach God, let Jesus into your heart to lift you up to him.            

Not Leaving God Alone

        God is not only real and existent, he is alive and active! Therefore, relate to him, link up with him, and best of all, become one with him.

On Loving God

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 7 tells that a woman came to Jesus weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment she had brought in a alabaster flask. Because she showed her great love, Jesus forgave her sins. The way she expressed her love might seem excessive or over the top to some, but if you truly worship the Lord, you can never show enough love. It's OK to be crazy about showing your love for the Lord, even if it makes you look like a fanatic, a slave, or a fool, for loving God is a great honor and privilege.

Fear of Death Dissolved

        We all die, and we avoid thinking about it when death is not yet on our horizon. But when death is imminent, it could strike fear in anyone who is unprepared for it. On the other hand, if you are already in union with God, you are sure of the Lord's existence in you as much as you are of your own and you've been longing for him all along. As a result, you see death as your triumphant return to your loving Father. Union with God has dissolved all fear of death.              

*Imperfection Accepted

        Communion experience. Jesus revealed to me that he accepts our imperfections as long as our intention remains pure, for as humans we are naturally imperfect.

On Doing God's Will

        Some Christians tend to go ahead do what they want to do, reasoning that if it goes against the will of God, they will know when they do not succeed. The more faithful Christians will remain patient and not rush into action, for they have learned that not awaiting God to direct them always results in wasting more time and energy in the end.

Disobedient Catholics

        As Pope Francis is coming to visit the United States, people start talking about the many American Catholics who buck the teachings of the Church on contraception, woman priesthood, etc. Catholics who believe that they are right and the Church wrong in its teachings are playing god, for the Holy Spirit will never initiate in us any action that tends to fracture the Church. Disobedience is most displeasing to God.

Only One Good Reason

        There is only one "good" reason for rejecting Christ, which is that you can prove that he is not truly God.

Spiritual Progress

        I have prayed to Jesus to heal my badly sprained left wrist, but nothing miraculous seems to have happened after two months. Years back, I would have felt disappointed, wondering why something so easy for the Lord he wouldn't perform. Today, not only am I more certain than ever that he heard me, but I feel completely at peace. So I have grown spiritually, and I am very happy about that. 

Living for God Alone

        Learn from Matthew 6.1-8. We are to do all the things for the Father for him alone, never for our own ego or others to know. A blessed life is one that's lived secretly in God for God. Our best treasures are those stored up in heaven, invisible to all but God. What's meaningful to him is what matters, not  what others know or think about us. Live without ego for the Father for a short time now and you'll end up living forever in heaven! 

Dealing With Sin and Sinners

        God hates the sin but loves the sinner. We must also make this distinction. Unfortunately, we tackle sin by judging and punishing the sinner. If we see as God sees, we would try to remove the cause of sin first. All this brings us back to that we should become holy. And seeking union with God is the perfect solution.

Attaining Life's Goal

        Communion experience. It is abandonment time. I welcome the Lord entering me and rejoice in letting myself go in him. You do not know freedom until you reach this union. The goal of life is now attained.