God Close to Us

        God is so close to us for the following: (1) He created us in his own image. (2) He came down from heaven to become one of us. (3) He was born through the womb of Virgin Mary, a human being. (4) He died for us so that we might have life. (5) He feeds us with his own body and blood in the Holy Eucharist. (6) He desires to be in full union with us. (7) God the Holy Spirit dwells within each of us who are open to him. Why not gravitate toward the one who are closest to us and loves us the most?      

Close to God

        After staying home for the last 3+ days because of my bad cough, I felt good enough to resume attending morning Mass again. "Close to God" could mean different things. Here it means that we can die anytime and God is there to meet us ~ I acutely sensed this when I was sick and felt miserable. The fact is that God is never away; he simply waits for us. When we are healthy and well, it's so easy to live in a "fantasy world" without thinking about him. Meeting him when you are still alive is infinitely better than doing it after you die. Do not make the Father who is so close to you wait.

Living the Secret Life

        Today is Ash Wednesday. In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus gave the teaching about almsgiving, the teaching about prayer, and the teaching about fasting. The lesson: we are to give alms, to pray, and to fast for God alone, not for others, for performing righteous deeds for others to see is the same as doing them for oneself. This is a clear guide to living a selfless life, a secret one, you might say, in God. How well we succeed directly affects how much the Father will repay us.

Truth of Christianity

        When Christ died for our sins, he completely gave himself to us as the Father had willed. Now as Christians, we are able to completely forget about ourselves to attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist as he wills. This unique, extraordinary "disappearing act" enabling God to occupy all of us testifies to the truth of Christianity.

Jesus Our Example

        When I see someone who is highly opinionated, always has his defense up, and sounds most aggressive, I think of Jesus who is meek and humble and feels absolutely secure in his Father. If we want others to know that we are Christians, we must follow Jesus' example. 

Shifting Our Focus

        I never quite shook off the cold I caught after last Christmas and now I seem to have caught another one. As I looked out the window from my house and saw that the recent rains had transformed the outdoors landscape into a beautiful green, I couldn't care less as my physical discomfort now takes center stage. I see in the same way once we realize that we would face judgment and be assigned our final destination, we would care little about what grabs or attracts us now.

Moored to Christ

        Communion experience. When I received the Lord, he let me know that he is my center, my anchor, and my refugee. If I had even strayed away from him a little bit, he brought me back right away. I rejoiced in that.

Ending the Mess

        The world is in a horrible mess. There are only two ways to resolve the problem. (1) We all turn to God, the God of Christ who is love, repent and ask for forgiveness and salvation. (2) We simply wait until the same Lord comes and judges all of us.

Teach Us, Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 at Mass, when Jesus saw the vast crowd waiting for him, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. I then realized how absolutely necessary it was for God to teach us, for it is by his word that we learn to live right and by keeping his word that we shall never see death (John 8.51).

Foolish Living

        People of the world live on as if God does not exist, as if there will be no judgment, as if they will never die, as if they will always be able to do what they do now. What fools, not expecting that they will get the greatest shock of their life at the end of their sojourn on earth! Hopefully, as they age, they will wake up to face reality.

Dangerous Living

        There are people who do not believe in or think much about God, but nevertheless appreciate the beauty of nature and enjoy the good things of life. This could be dangerous living if they live with no regard to moral principles. After all, God did give us the ten commandments to guide us in how we should live. I believe that we will be judged by them. 

Gratitude to Jesus

        Communion experience. I was grateful to Jesus for having made me realize my sinful state, taken our sins away, and opened wide the door to heaven for me. There's nothing more I could ask for myself. 

Jesus Under-Revered

        On this first Friday of the month, we had Eucharistic Adoration after morning Mass. Philippians 2.10: At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth. How many of us would do this or at least feel this way?

God's Foremost Wish

        Today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 was on the beheading of John the Baptist by King Herod. Jesus, during his trial before Pilate, answered him,"My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handled over to the Jews" (John 18.36). Earlier, when Jesus had been betrayed and was being arrested, one of those who accompanied him drew his sword to defend him. Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its sheath.... Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?" (Matthew 26.52-53).

        The main things to notice are: (1) God's kingdom does not belong this world. (2) What God has ordained must come to pass. These explain why John the Baptist died and Jesus got arrested, suffered, and was crucified without direct intervention from God. When we pray for God's help, we must realize that God's ways are not our ways. The Lord could do exactly what we ask for, but his foremost wish is to convert our hearts so that we may convert the world. Yes, our hearts are the "weapons" of his choice.

Exhilarating Words

        Communion experience. I was being invited to this most special banquet. The Lord himself came to me to be my food ~ an invitation to be in union with him. I heard him say "I have chosen you" in my heart, the endearing words the soul needs to hear the most. 

On Rejecting the Gospel

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus sent the Twelve out to preach repentance. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." It is clear to me that the Lord knows if we welcome his gospel or not, and if not, there will be others testifying against us one day.  

Speaking for God

        God's voice is gentle and sweet and his words, tonic to the soul. If you are afraid of God, it's because you are hiding or running away from him, not because he is scary. We are good at instilling fear in ourselves. There is no one more approachable or delightful than the Lord God, our creator and Father.

Picking up Leftover Pieces

        The title describes my feeling about getting old. As we age, our bones and joints let us know. Physically, we'll just have to gradually give up doing a lot of things. When you are young, you are used to picking up the best pieces you can find, but when you are old, you just have to settle for whatever is left out there. After we pick up the last leftover piece, we are ready to meet the Lord. I am not being pessimistic, only realistic. In fact, I see the mercy of God working here ~ he is easing us out of this life. To those who know Christ well, the good life is just on the other side. Picking the pieces, good or leftover, is not anything worth setting our hearts on.

The More . . .

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus in his native place was not able to perform any might deed because of the lack of faith among his own kin. So we can say that

        The more we have faith, the more we shall see God performing mighty deeds.

        It's also true that

        The more we rely upon God, the more we become strong.

        The more we surrender to God, the more we become free.

        The more we rejoice in God, the more we receive joy from him.

        The more we rest in God, the more we experience peace. 
        The more we praise God, the more he blesses us.

        The more we hate sin, the more God purifies us.

        The more we suffer for God, the more he comforts us.

        The more we forgive others, the more God forgives us.

What's Amazing

        The fact that Jesus never ceases to amaze me as our God, our brother, and our servant. I can not get over it.       

All About Giving

        Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. God being the creator can only give, for all things come from him. He has given his only begotten Son for the sake of our salvation. And God the Son has given us his own mother to be our mother. The Son is also preparing a place in his Father's house so that we may be where he is. Such giving, such generosity, and such love! This is the big difference between God and us, for we are good takers. We love to receive anything that gratifies us. Until we are ready to give as God, we are not free. The truth is that there is nothing we can consider to be ours, for all things, ourselves included, belong to God. One greatest joy is actually the giving of ourselves back to God.

How Long Should We Live?

        As long as God needs us to serve him in this world.     

Making a Good Confession

        Here is a good talk by Fr. Adam Skwarczynski, a Polish priest. I recommend that you listen to his wise words on making a good confession (38:50 – 45:24). Going through the motion and hearing the priest absolve you at the end does not necessarily mean that God has forgiven you. 

        By the way, Fr. Adam says in this video that the Blessed Mother told him not only to ask God for much, but to ask God for everything. If you are praying for a few loved ones you know, God also wants you to pray for the billions whom you do not know. That is, never limit what you ask for!

Being Serious (Joyfully)

        Communion experience. Jesus made me sense the seriousness of receiving his body and blood in the Holy Eucharist. In fact, we must be serious about everything the Lord has said, about doing his will, about how we should serve him . . . about every aspect of our relationship with him. Of course, being serious is not to be without joy. In fact, taking the Lord seriously itself is a source of joy. 

Offer Your Heart First

        We are supposed to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, yet we talk about ourselves most of the time. Shouldn't we at least think about him from time to time? No, we should instead think and talk about God at all times. How would that be possible? Answer: Offer your heart to God and it will happen.

Captured to Be Free

        Communion experience. I wanted Jesus to take complete hold of me because I knew that's how I could become free.

Primary Christian Goal

        We should never let any experience we encounter within or without the church, good or bad, pleasant or otherwise, make us ever forget that our primary goal is to get to know God, to know Christ, and to know the Holy Spirit. That's why seeking union with God must be our primary goal.

Small Act, Big Payoff

        Compared to eternity, our life span is so brief as to be practically nonexistent. We only need to believe in God, specifically the God of Christ, for such a short duration to gain eternal life!

Most Natural Return

        From Reading 1 from Jeremiah 1 at Mass, "The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you . . . ." I see clearly that it's most natural for us to return to our Father.

Like Father, Like Son

        When I saw how much my second son loved his newborn daughter, I realized God did create us in his image and we "learned" to love our children as he loves us.

How to Be Hopeful

        Appreciate God's mercy and you'll always be hopeful.

Calming the Storm in Our Heart

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4 at Mass, we heard the calming of a storm at sea. Jesus was asleep in the stern of a boat with his disciples. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. They woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind ceased and there was great calm. Can Jesus also calm the storm in our heart? Of course, he can ~ but with one catch: possessing the free will, we must give him the OK first.

Humanity Under Siege

        Today's sad news is that more people starved to death in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya. The UN says some 400,000 people are trapped and in need of emergency assistance in 15 locations in Syria due to sieges imposed by the Syrian government-led coalition as well as by opposition groups. I recall when Jesus in his days saw some crowds, troubled and abandoned, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Today he must feel the same about these besieged children of his. The least we could do is to pray hard for them and live as holy a life as possible.

Know Our limits

        Scientists try to figure out how our universe came about. If we exclude God, we do not even know how we first came about. So we have a bunch of unknowns trying to figure out other unknowns ~ it can't be any easy task. If we include God, then we realize that at best we are merely observers discovering how existing things work and that there is but one all-knowing creator, our God.  

Aching Heart

        Even after we've found God or attained union with him, the yearning for him continues. I believe it's because we are still material, living in a physical world, while God is Spirit (John 4.24). And I believe that after we shed our body, we'll be able to fully enjoy God without an aching heart.

Up to Us

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Once this smallest of all the seeds on the earth is sown in the ground, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade. How we respond to the word God sows in us determines whether we fulfill his kingdom or not. We all have the intellect or common sense needed for receiving his word, so it boils down to whether our heart is willing or not.

Amazing Truth

        In Christianity, we believe that God came down to earth, sacrificed himself on the cross so that we may have everlasting life with him in heaven. This is either the most incredible truth or just a fairy tale. Since all fairy tales are imagined and Christ is historically real, we are left with the most amazing truth!

Best Father

        My sons have grown up, but I still remember that when they still lived with me, I instinctively protected them from all harm and always wanted them to receive the best in life. If this is true with a finite, sinful mortal like me, imagine how much more our heavenly Father would protect us and give us the very best!

Powerful Love

        It's easy to get upset when things don't work out right for us, and life is full of such instances. Sometimes we tend to assume that someone intends to screw us up when it's not the case. The point is that we experience a lot of negative emotions in life. When I feel something disturbing my inner peace coming on, I just turn to Christ and immerse myself in his love ~ and I find this love so beautiful and powerful that nothing else matters and all my negative emotions just dissolve into nothingness.                

Vain Living

        "All is vanity except to love God and serve God alone" (Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ). To live not doing God's will is to live in vain (the thought came to me this morning).

Simple Progression

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus said, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." Jesus wants to bring us back to God our Father. All we need to do is the will of God. The Holy Eucharist is the perfect sacramental vehicle for accomplishing this goal. So it's a very simple progression: Holy Eucharist > Obedience to God > Back to God.

The True Jesus

        Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle. Before his conversion, Paul zealously persecuted followers of Jesus. Here in Reading 1 from Acts 22, Paul tells how Jesus first called him: "On that journey [to Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment followers of Jesus] as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' I replied, 'Who are you, sir?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.'" It strikes me that Jesus was gentle and polite in speaking to one of his then worst enemies and humbly referred to himself as "Jesus the Nazorean" rather than "your Lord and God." This should put all of us at ease in approaching the Lord who spoke the truth when he said "I am meek and humble of heart" (Matthew 11).

Dealing With God

        God knows everything about you and can detect the minutest insincerity in you. Examine your conscience to see how much you conceal from him and change. Stop being foolish, thinking knowingly or unknowingly that he does not know or care. 

Our Reference

        How are we doing? Good? Bad? It all depends upon what reference we use. Everything is relative. We may think that we are making good spiritual progress, but before the holy Lord, we are all wretched sinners. That's one big reason we should remain humble and not judge anyone. Let God be our reference and we won't go astray.

*Power of God's Holiness

        Communion experience. The holiness of God is awesome and most powerful. No sin can exist where his holiness reigns. Therefore, go humbly before the Lord to let his holiness obliterate all your sins so that you may be clean again. How beautiful it is to bask in God's holiness to remain pure!

Loving Jesus

        If you love Jesus, you would love his words, his teachings, the joy and consolation as well as the gifts and tests that he gives you, to hear his voice, to share his suffering, to rejoice in his glory . . . everything about him and from him.

God Waiting

        God is ready to give you all you need to get you to heaven ~ aren't you going to respond?

Most Beautiful Life

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 4 at Mass, we heard that Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

This event had to be as astounding as any of the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. In fact, Jesus' whole life is astounding act after astounding act until even after his death, revealing fully to us the love of God for us. His life on earth had to be the most beautiful, amazing, and awe-inspiring life of all.  

Believing in Jesus

        In John 20, we read that after Thomas saw the resurrected Jesus, he believed and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." If I do not believe, then I do not believe that Thomas actually saw Jesus. If I do believe, then, of course, there is no need for me to see Jesus. What happened to Thomas and what Jesus said to him help me believe in the unseen Lord with my whole heart.

Joy of Following Christ

        Self-importance imposes a big burden upon us. When we follow Christ as Lord and Savior, we lose our self-importance and joy ensues.