***Transcending Worldly Enslavement

        Looking at the current ongoing brutal war in Ukraine, we see people killing each other as if human lives don't mean much anymore. They are locked in fighting for a small area on this planet. Others are deeply immersed in finding happiness in this world. Christians can transcend all that to reach God and secure their eternal life! This is not escaping—instead, it's facing the reality that's open to all of us. For God is our Savior who can set us free for good, irregardless of whether you believe or not!

*Love vs. Hatred

        God's love is most beautiful. It is what we need to become like him and to bring peace to our hearts and the world. This makes hatred, the total lack of love, most horrible. Clearly, hatred can only come from the Devil. Unfortunately, our world is filled with hatred, even hatred of things that are all made up. You can realistically say that our life is made of all the moments requiring us to decide whether to love or to hate. Anyway, love will triumph in the end, as God is love.

***God Most Personal

        The Lord knows each of us thoroughly. He knows my thoughts, my feelings, my joys and sorrows, my pains and fears, what I need . . . things I don't even know about myself. This makes him my most personal friend. From him, I can get all the guidance I need, help, protection from evil, and the power to transform myself. It'd be utter folly to think that you can survive by yourself without him.  

***How to Love Each Other

        In today's Gospel reading from John 13, Jesus said at the Last Supper after Judas had left to his other disciples, "My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for oner another." How can we love each other as Jesus has loved us? The only way I can see to achieve that is to let the Lord love us so that we may know his love. This will give us the strength to love everyone else. We trust in God's mercy; we need to trust in his love too.

**How We Are Measured*

        As we journey through this life on earth, we are measured entirely by how much we love God. It would be ideal that our love for God increases as time passes, reaching a peak at the time of our departure from earth. 

**Living a Special Life

        In my last post, I see being chosen by the Lord to follow him as a most special calling. It follows that everything he sends our way is special too. This teaches us to accept all things he allows to happen to us and to bear fruit in all circumstances. We are called to live a most special life in Christ! Hallelujah!

***Most Special Calling

         Today is the Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle. In the Gospel from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you." So if you are already a believer, know that he has chosen you! This is a most special calling we need to appreciate, treasure. and fulfill by bearing fruit that do not perish. 

**Cause for Rejoicing*

        Today's Communion experience. The Lord called me and entered me, I am completely in!

**How God Overwhelms Us

        As you get to know Christ the Lord, you receive freedom, peace, and joy, more or less in that order, although they often blur together. As the Lord removes your sins, you experience spiritual freedom. When you are free, peace naturally follows. Joy, though it's now just the icing on the cake, can be most overwhelming. So God frees your spirit, sets you heart at peace, and fill you with heavenly joy. Plenty enough for us prior to entering heaven.

***Two Greatest Callings from God

        (1) Repent our sins and follow Jesus. (2) Become holy and attain union with God through receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

**Division Among Us a Reality*

        Jesus said that he would cause division among us. So has this happened, as we have those who believe in and follow him and those who don't. This division is no small, temporary separation. In fact, if not mended, it would last for all eternity! The main thing is that you want to be on God's side. Attain union with him to insure that you'll never be separated from him.

***Jesus Most Personal

        You may know about Jesus or even believe or know him to a certain extent, but that is not good enough. You must worship him, live and die for him . . . that is, loving him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Why? Because he is your Lord, your creator, your most loving Savior who has died for you so that you may have eternal life. He is your most personal God.

*Suffering Prepares Us for Heaven

         We are sinners living in a sinful world, so sufferings are unavoidable. Christ came into this world and suffered greatly. So we need to accept all our sufferings too. Otherwise, we can become lifelong complainers. Be willing to suffer for Christ, and we'll be fit for heaven.

**Pride, Cause of All Trouble

        Russia invaded Ukraine just 11 weeks ago and has so far already caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people. It looks like Vladimir Putin is not going to win this war. He's in a really tough spot. He can keep on fighting, hoping to somehow win, so he won't look so bad to his own people, or swallow his pride, admit defeat, and withdraw from the invasion. Either way, I think his career is over. It all comes down to following your own pride or following God. To avoid ever getting into a bad spot like that, remain humble always, for pride leads to self-destruction. 

**The World Lost

        As I was praying the Our Father at Mass this morning, I came to the phrase "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I felt great sorrow because the world today is so far from doing God's will! A chastisement for the world seems inevitable. Nevertheless, continued prayers from the faithful are always needed, for God's mercy is unfathomable.

**No Christ, No Peace

        At Mass this morning, I received great peace from the Lord. I remember that way back in the early days when I didn't know Christ yet, many nights I went to bed trying to forget what's troubling my heart. What a change it's been! Now, I won't be able to sleep in peace if I do not have Christ in my life.

*Various Levels of Living*

        (1) You live for Christ completely, you die and go straight to heaven. (2) You live for yourself, but one day you wake up and start living for God. You die and enter purgatory to get purified first before entering heaven. The length of purification would depend upon factors known to the Lord only. (3) You live selfishly for yourself only, not believing in God at all. You die and enter hell. Of course, there are many grey areas in-between. The first and last extreme examples simply define the range of all possible cases.

**Our Two Spiritual Directors

       "Love" and "forgive" go together. You can't have one without the other. They are to govern everything we do. Think of God and others, and lastly ourselves.