Where Charity Begins

        One test of holiness is how well we get along with our own family members. By getting along, I mean no shouting, no arguing, no blaming, no getting angry at others, but listening, communicating, forgiving, admitting we are wrong when we are, seeking reconciliation, and making peace always. 

Union Is Ecstasy

        I've said that it's a good feeling knowing that you and God are on good terms. Let me add that an even much greater feeling is knowing that you have confessed every single sin, no matter how minute it is, and know that the Lord has thoroughly cleansed and purified your heart. Now, surrender to him and you and God become one. This is ecstasy on earth.

False Pride

        When a human being makes an astounding discovery in science or technology, he can mistakenly think that he is now more godlike, with his ego puffing up some more. When I was studying nuclear engineering many years ago and first learned the mathematical equation that calculates the critical amount of uranium needed to initiate nuclear fission, I felt the power man had in controlling nature. But all our discoveries and knowledge, while amazing, only show the omnipotence of God, not making us more powerful in any way. After all, our intelligence and ingenuities are given to us by God as well. We should be humbled by what we discover and praise God for it.

Perfect Love Expressed

        Communion antiphon today, John 14.23: Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. Here perfect love is perfectly expressed by the Lord himself.

To Know Perfect Love

        Today is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. The entrance antiphon: These are the holy men whom the Lord chose in his own perfect love; to them he gave eternal glory. Yes, God's love is perfect. But you say if it is perfect, then why people suffer so much. I would respond by asking you why people sin so much. You will know that his love is perfect when you stop sinning.

Timely utterances

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus, knowing that he would be killed, lamented over Jerusalem: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!" In reading 1 from Ephesians 6, Paul advised about battling evil: "Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil. For your struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness ...." These expressions from the heart resonate with me, as I feel very much in my heart the heavy burden Christ is now carrying at this critical time in the history of my country.

The Exact One

        Communion experience. The Holy Spirit let me see spiritually (not intellectually) that Christ was exactly the one to whom I should belong. 

Deepening Our Prayer

        We can only do so much to fight the war against evil as soldiers of Christ, but God is infinitely powerful. Therefore, let us trust in the Lord even more, pray even harder, begging him to unleash his power to vanquish evil and save all souls for the sake of all those who love and remain faithful to him. 

Serious Message of Salvation

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13.22-30, Jesus talks about the narrow door, and salvation and rejection. We must take the message of salvation seriously ~ it's either you believe or you don't. This is exactly why great holy saints regard themselves as most wretched sinners, for casually thinking that you are OK is not taking the message of salvation seriously. It's infinitely better to make sure that you get through the narrow door than being locked and cast out for all eternity!

Picture of Our World

        The moment we are born into this world, we enter amidst a spiritual warfare. God has given each of us a conscience and free will, and we are faced with choosing good or evil. The fact that we understand good and evil shows that there must be God and an evil one as well as heaven and hell, and that life can be made meaningful. Those who know Christ know that they have found the truth, so they know exactly what they should or should not do and where they are heading. But those who do not have Christ have only themselves to follow, resulting in moral decay and social chaos ~ this is the shape of the world we are in today. 

Beware of Selfcenteredness

        You may live your own life, do your own things, and not particularly do anything evil. But beware, if you live solely for yourself, minding your own business, you are being self-centered. And heaven is inhabited by God-centered souls.

Eliminating Shocks

        Recently, in walking I got a shock when I stepped off a descending step I didn't see. We encounter shocks when we do not see what's ahead. Therefore, prepare well so that you may not encounter the biggest shock of all when Jesus comes or when you depart from this world. 

Continuous Loving

        I used to wonder about the souls who lived before Jesus came into the world. How were they saved? The Old Testament and, especially helpful to me, the Psalms, made me see that God had always loved his people from the beginning and many of them were intimate with the Lord, yearning for him. I see that Jesus came into the world to further assure us that God is love and revealed to us that it is through him, the Son of God, that all are saved.   

Ingredient of Holiness

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to yeast. When a mustard seed is planted and fully grown, it becomes a large bush and the birds of the sky dwell in its branches. When yeast is mixed in wheat flour, the whole batch of dough is leavened. I realized then that when we have Jesus as our center, we grow into holy saints.

Perfect Obedience

        Jesus underwent the Passion, suffering so much, yet he remained meek and humble, not protesting that he was innocent in the slightest, and even prayed for those who put him to death. Did he demonstrate turning the other cheek, remaining meek and humble, and loving his enemies? All that, yes; but most inspiringly above all, he demonstrated his perfect obedience to doing the will of the Father. (This should be our #1 duty too.) 

How God Feels

        We care about how we look, how to impress others . . . but hardly about how our clean and pure our hearts and thoughts are. Shouldn't we care about how God feels in the first place? 

Most Important Sorrow

        Today, Tuesday, is the day to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Naturally, we are aware of the sorrows Jesus underwent. And there's the sorrow we feel when we see others suffering or in distress. But there is one sorrow we tend to forget, that we have sinned against God. If we do not repent, we cut ourselves off from God. Hence, this make it the most important sorrow of all sorrows. 

Most Special Grace

        Communion thoughts. Jesus is God ~ you probably have heard this said many times already. But if you truly believe that he is, then he has called you, for no one can make you believe this except the Lord himself.