Giving All to God

        Of course, we should love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and all our mind. By giving our all to God, we are saved and become free. This is correct in theory and putting it into practice is completely possible. As always, we only need to remain passive and open, revealing our desire from the heart, and the Lord will take over from here. Now, after giving our all to him, all things become possible for us.

*Vain Union

        The physical union with Christ in the Holy Eucharist will be in vain if there is no union of the wills and hearts between you and the Lord.

What You Believe

        You can believe if God exists or not. You can believe if Christ is your Savior or not. You can believe if heaven and hell are real or not. You can even believe if there is life after death or not. This I know: what you believe now shall shape your eternity. 

Head and Heart

        When we think thoughts, we automatically know that the brain in our head is working and when we feel emotions, we feel it in our heart. I marvel at how God has made us thus. Of the two, the heart occupies a more central spot, for it is the heart that communes with God. Giving the heart to God is the ultimate giving of oneself. Our first priority, more than to keep the heart healthy, is to keep it pure and undefiled for the glory of God. 

*Food of Immortality

        After Communion, I heard the priest in prayer referring to the Holy Eucharist as the food of immortality. In John 6, Jesus referred to himself as the living bread that came down from heaven and that whoever eats it will live forever. In the old days, kings and emperors searched for the fountain of youth or tried to come up with the formula for making the elixir of life to prolong living in this world. Here we have Christ himself for us to partake so that we might live forever! How can we be so foolish as not to appreciate such a gift? 

God's Deep Joy

        Communion experience. I felt great joy and realized that with Christ, even our great sorrows are always lined with joy, hope, and sweetness.

Uniting Power of God

        Yesterday I posted about how we can belong to the greatest family of God. Today on this Solemnity of Christ the King, again I am deeply impressed that through Christ, we can all become one with each other, with God, and with all the saints and angels in heaven. We will surely feel at home in heaven! Let us rejoice unceasingly.

Under Rule of Love

        If God chooses to rule us with fear (which is impossible, of course), clearly, he won't gain any true believers. The truth is that the Lord "rules" us with the greatest possible love. Now, all believers have genuine faith and become true believers, and nonbelievers by their own choice separate themselves from the rest. This is a most logical reality that makes perfect sense.

Saving Power of Christ

        Today is Solemnity of Christ the King. The Gospel reading from Luke 23 tells us that Jesus and two criminals were crucified, with one on his right and the other on his left. One criminal hanging there reviled Jesus, but the other rebuked him, saying, "Have you no fear of God? We have been condemned justly, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Here Jesus struck me as one with infinite mercy and saving power. All the sinner did was to beg for his mercy and he was saved. Jesus is our Savior par excellence!

First and Final Joys

        At the beginning, I experienced joy when I first received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. This joy stemmed from believing that I had been washed clean of sin and was now heaven bound, so it' was centered on me. Now finally, my joy is centered on God, for I experienced great joy in him alone.

Securing God's Dwelling

        Communion experience. Each time I receive Christ, he firms up the foundation he has built in my heart, making his dwelling in me more secure.

On Finding God

        There are many truths, but only one that's absolutely and forever true ~ this is the God of Holy Trinity as revealed to us through Jesus the Christ. I am stating what I have come to know with no intention of getting anyone to agree with me. I have no proof in my head, only knowledge deposited in my heart by God. All I can say is "I know." No one can find God for anyone else, for one must search with his heart on his own.

*Tragic Absence of Humility

        Without humility, God becomes unknowable. In our nation today, too many people play God and blame those who disagree with them. For one example, look at the politicians and their protestors. Remember what Jesus said to the scribes and the Pharisees who were ready to stone the woman caught in the act of committing adultery: "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8.7). Jesus is the Lamb of God and we have turned into wolves! Without humility, we have created a tragic situation for humanity ~ the ignorance of our creator. 

Greatest Family

        It feels great to belong to a loving family on earth, but even if you don't have that, you can belong to the loving family of God in heaven, including the Father, Jesus your brother, the Holy Spirit your teacher, the Holy Mother, and all the angles and saints ~ an infinitely greater family than any family on earth and for all eternity too.

*God's Joy

        Communion thoughts. The Lord God created us in his image for his own joy. When we sin, we let him down. Let's be aware that he has also provided us the way to restore ourselves to become his joy again through Christ the Son.

Beating Suffering

        Whatever you suffer in whatever way, don't feel down, for it will pass, especially if you know that your'll go to the Father in heaven after this life. See that each suffering provides an opportunity for you to enter God even deeper.

Piece of Wisdom

        Since God is all-knowing, we'd better not sin.

Ready and Willing

        I've met so many people whose lives are "messed up" with personal problems, bad relationships with others ~ not always their fault, etc. They definitely need help. I am thinking of the Lord God awaiting, eager to lend help, only if they would turn to him and cry out for his help. It comes down to "God is ready, but are you willing?" By the way, God's help is always permanent, never a temporary patch-up.