Nothing to Say, Just Believe

        In today's Gospel reading from John 14: Jesus said to his disciples, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

         All I can say is that Jesus knew exactly what he's talking about. We'd better believe.

**What Preaching Needs

        Once I met someone promoting a certain product, telling how wonderful and useful it was. I asked him if he owned and used one himself. He admitted that he did not, but knew about the product well. Right there and then, he lost much of his credibility. This makes me realize that if we only tell others how great God is, but not mention how he has changed our lives in any way, we can't be very convincing. Giving personal testimonies is an effective way of backing up what you preach. To spread what God has done to and for you is to glorify God, something to boast about. Catholics can learn much from their Protestant brothers and sisters.   

**In the Light of Christ

        Communion experience. I feel I am basking in the light of Christ. In this light, I know that he knows all about me, and that he loves me, watches over me, and takes care of me. In this light, I feel good because I am completely content and comfortable with him. Basking in the light of your most beloved and enjoying him, there's nothing more I can ask for. 

***Union With God, the Breakthrough*

         The Church is a living church, but it needs to be on fire, especially in these dark days now. When the Catholic Charismatic Renewal originated in 1967, a flame started. Sadly, it never received the solid guidance and sustained support it needed from the Church, and after some decades it eventually died down. I see seeking union with God taking the Church to the next level, setting it aflame, God willing. It's in union with God that one comes to meet and know the Resurrected Lord, find out that he is alive, hear him speak directly to the heart, and fall deeply in love with him. May the Holy Spirit soften the hearts of all faithful to permit him to enkindle them.

**What Life Is All About*

        It is all about how much you let God be God. Vast many never give God a chance and a few like the greats saints open themselves up completely to God. Between these two extremes, the rest just remain stagnant or vacillate back and forth. Overall, not an exciting or pretty picture.       

**Secret to Becoming Free*

        By nature, we treasure ourselves more than all else. In this way, we become our own slaves. Therefore, if we can give ourselves totally to God, we become free! Then we become detached to everything else too. (Again, this is how God has made us.)         

**Man and God Connect

        Communion experience. It's the moment man and God connect. More than that, it's man and God become one. This verifies what Jesus said to his disciples before his Ascension: "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." 

**What We Most Need*

        What we most need is God's love! Since he is ready to give us that love, what we most need to do is to accept this love.

***Our Foremost Duty

        Today is the Feast of St. Mark, evangelist. Here are the first two verses, 15 and 16, of the Gospel reading from Mark 16: Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned." Proclaiming the Gospel to the whole world really should be one of our foremost obligations or missions if we consider ourselves to be disciples of Christ. The Gospel remains fresh and the world needs to hear it as longer as we are still sinners. We don't have to proclaim Christ like those street corner preachers, but we certainly can share about Christ with anyone when we get a chance. Then how many of us even mention his name as if he is real outside of church? This is the one who created us, loves us, and died for us! We cannot exist or survive without him! This is the one we should love with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength! In general, Catholics are too timid and not used to testifying for Christ. All the more we need to seek union with the Lord to let the Holy Spirit set our heart on fire, so that we may be emboldened to proclaim the Gospel as the Apostles did.

***Fears and Perfect Obedience

       Fear of God can be healthy or unhealthy. The healthy fear makes you afraid of being lost if you do not believe in God, while the unhealthy fear makes you afraid that God is going to take over if you surrender yourself to him. The healthy fear normally leads one to reconciliation with God, so it's the one to keep. And the unhealthy fear keeps you from growing closer to God, the fear you should not have. How intimate you are with the Lord is gauged by how comfortable you feel about him. Ideally, we should feel completely comfortable about our Lord, thus ready for whatever he wishes to do with us. This is perfect obedience. 

*Belonging to the Very Best

        We feel good if a university accepts us as a student, a company decides to hire us for a position, some well-known club invites us to be a member, etc. In other words, we feel good that we can belong to an organization or group. Of course, our application can get rejected too. Now, there is the very best we can belong to and will always accept us if we apply properly, and that is God's Family! It's the very best because in this family, you'll be loved, blessed, and protected forever!

Evangelization Effort

        I think we've all heard the saying "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." The horse has his own will too. This also holds true is evangelization. You can lead a person to Christ, but accepting the Lord now depends upon that person. Since nothing is impossible with God, we must always persevere in believing that the Lord will bring about the conversion.

*Joining Jesus and the Father

       Communion experience. Jesus and the Father are one. Receiving the Holy Eucharist unites me to Jesus and the Father. Now, there are three! The Lord desires to invite all of us to be one with him. (To find out about how God longs to be one with us, I again recommend reading the amazing book "He and I" by Gabrielle Bossis.) Rejecting any of God's invitations is a big deal (read the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22)! If you do feel invited to do whatever for the Lord, you may ask why, but "no" can never be the right answer. 

Positive Message From the Lord

       In today's Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus said to the Jews, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one." This message comes to us positively without ambiguity. It needs no clarification, amplification, or interpretation. If you do not accept it, you must declare that it's all rubbish first.  

How Not to Judge

        Pray for the salvation of all souls, including those of our enemies and all evildoers. This should help us follow Jesus' command "Do not judge."

Proof We Are Sinners

        If we are spiritually perfect and do not sin, there would be no need for God to come to save us. The fact that many of us have found out that we need Christ and are even willing to die for him proves that we know we are sinners who need salvation. Of course, there are others who have not woken to this reality yet.         

**Made for God!*

       Communion experience. I love the Lord because his love for me has made it possible. The Lord has made me for him! 

*God Most Personal*

        In John 10, Jesus declared to all, "A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep and they know me." It strikes me that our God, the God of Christ, is most personal. You won't find another god like that anywhere else. Since there is only one true God, perhaps I should have stated that our God is more personal and caring than any other being. This is logical and as it should be, and I rejoice in it.