let go and let God // 2018.11.04

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Many people find it hard to fall in love with God, because they claim to not see love when they talk about God. And yet from the Old Testament, way up to the New Testament, God asks us...
love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength
And Jesus tops it off with...
love your neighbor as yourself
St. John tells us that "we love because he first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). God is our source of love, and it is ironic for us not to see love when we remember Him. But why do many still not find Him?

One of the greatest paradoxes of life is that it is when we give ourselves that we find ourselves completely. In other words, the more we give of ourselves, the more we'll experience authentic lvoe. We find it hard to see love in our efforts to build a relationship with God because we still focus on ourselves, and hold on to the things we have.

Want love that's infinitely abundant? Let go and let God!

not destined for road rage // 2018.11.03

The longing to be first is quite evident with my children even at their young age. They'd fight over who sits at the front of the car, who gets to pick from the choices first, or even who finishes a chore first (whether or not they actually like the chore).

As a grown up, I won't pretend to not have those tendencies anymore. From time to time, I'd secretly want the best cut of that steak or roast pig, eat the part of the cake with the most icing, or want all the cars in front of me to go away when I'm driving (whether or not I'm in an emergency).

The longing to put ourselves first seems to be our natural tendency. But Jesus warns us about this attitude, and asks us to choose the lowest place, or to put others first. I can even imagine Him asking us to do that without resentment in our hearts. Impossible, right?! Or is it?

When Jesus asks us to put others first, He isn't asking us to join pity parties, but rather calling us to unconditional love -- to receive to the fullest His gift of charity. When we realize how His humility on the cross brought about His glory in the resurrection, than we see how empty it is to do things merely for ourselves. It is then that we learn what love truly is.

juliet's response // 2018.11.02

Christianity is the only religion where not only is God the one who reaches out to His creations, but more so, dies as a sacrifice for their salvation. And as if that was not enough, He died a criminal's death on the cross.

What Paul reminds us today is that Jesus did not die for those who are already holy, but for sinners; and all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Pause for a while and let that truth sink in -- God, who is infinitely beyond our grasp, chose you to be with Him at the price of His life and glory! Only perfect and unconditional love can drive someone to such humility.

The beauty in all of this is that if Jesus was Romeo, He wouldn't have a hard time proving His love for us, and there is only meaningful death that brings life to the beloved. But if we are Juliet in this story, what response have we provided to Him? Just as He gave up His life for us, so should we give up our lives to Him.

red detergent // 2018.11.01

"They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Rev 7:14

When you wash yourself with something, you basically state it is clean, and it is removes dirt on you. But it is not only cleansing yourself, but also "putting on" that which cleansed you. One does not wash oneself with something foul, but instead with something that refreshes and leaves a lovely scent.

Robes washed with blood seems visually unappealing, but blood is the symbol of life. Jews, muslims, and Christians see blood with sacredness. And in today's reading, it is not only ordinary blood, but the Lamb's that cleansed their robes, thus underlining that only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us. Without His death on the Cross, there is nothing that could clean us -- i.e. His death that is the ultimate sacrifice for our redemption, and His resurrection that crushed death forever for us.

But if we mean Jesus' life when we speak of His blood, we need to look at His life to show us the Way, too. The road to the cross and resurrection, is, as Jesus said, filled with sacrifice and pain; worse than foxes with holes and birds with nest, it seems. Thus, to wash ourselves with His blood and to put Him on, is to live His life. Does that mean the Christian life is a sad life?

The Gospel leads us to the beatitudes, that is, the ultimate blessedness. In them we realize that real happiness is found not in the material things we have, the power we possess, or the fame that we may have. It is rather found in the complete giving of oneself for the sake of God and of others, without asking for anything in return.

It is counter intuitive to what the world teaches, but if all joy comes from God, than He is the only reliable guide to how we gain life to the fullest. The world will always teach us otherwise, but God will always tell us that it is only when we give ourselves fully to Him and to others that we our life is realized and fulfilled.

Lost? Empty? Uncertain of where to go? Let Jesus' blood fill your life and lead you to give yourself to others, just as He did for us.

no reason needed

I am not moved, my God, to love You

by the heaven You have promised me.

Nor am I moved by the dread of hell

to cease, out of fear, from offending You.

You move me, my God; it moves me to see You

nailed to that cross and mocked.

It moves me to see Your tortured body.

It moves me to see the anguish of Your death.

In sum, Your love moves me in such a way

that even if there were no heaven, I would love You,

and though there were no hell, I would fear You.

You do not have to give me a reason to love You,

because even if I were not hoping for all I hope for,

I would love You the same as I love You now.

-attributed to various authors