We often take great pride in whatever we accomplish, forgetting that every time we do so, we have to learn new things and go through trials. Our Almighty God knows all things, yet he remains humble and meek. There is a clear lesson for us to learn here.
Monday, July 27, 2026
***How I Follow God*****
The God of Christ is my Lord, my creator, my loving Father, my brother, my spiritual guide, my Savior, my best friend, my most humble servant, and my dearest soulmate. I follow him simply by letting him hold me in his most tender hands, while I enjoy his sweet love and holy presence.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
**The Kingdom of Heaven*
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus says to his disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." If you can totally relate to Jesus' sayings here, you have entered the kingdom of heaven.
**To Be Pondered
In today's First Reading from 1 Kings 3, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream. God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." Solomon answered: "Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong." If the LORD were to say that to you, what would you ask for? It is not an easy question, and I think your answer would reveal quite a bit about you as a Christian.
**Battling God**
We ask God for things; sometimes we don't get them right away, and sometimes it appears that we are never going to get them. We persist, but we remain patient, always remembering, "Thy will be done." Instead, as the "battle" goes on, we appreciate and love the Lord even more, knowing that he knows best. This is a win-win situation all the way. The ending will be extremely happy for both sides.
**Connecting with God**
If you sense that God is real for a moment, dwell on that. If you are in pain and feel like crying out to him, do it. If the sorrow of Christ touches your heart, weep for him. If you recognize that you have received a grace from God, thank him. If joy suddenly bursts forth from your heart, rejoice. Every chance you get, connect with him. Revelation 3:20—"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me." Better yet, leave your door wide open for him to enter at any time.
**The One Who Holds Our Destinies**
That Christ rose from the dead is no surprise, for he is the life and the creator of all life. We can expect him to judge whether we deserve eternal life. Our destinies are entirely in his hands. This is great joy and consolation for those living in his light, but woe and discomfort for those dwelling in darkness.
Saturday, July 25, 2026
**A Conjecture
We learned from Genesis that God created us in his image. I believe that he also modeled the Earth after heaven for our sake. In numerous NDE stories, people report that they saw beautiful skies, meadows, trees, and flowers in heaven. This makes sense, because when we get to heaven, it won't seem like a strange place to us at all. I also speculate that the Earth and the sun were created specifically for us because no other planet in this immense universe seems to have the right conditions for our survival.
**Sharpening Our Focus**
I have visited most places where Mother Mary has appeared, seen the miracle of the sun three times, and encountered other amazing events. These things are all good if they draw us closer to God, but there is the danger that we become more interested in them than we are in Christ. I was once somewhat of a miracle chaser. Today, we hear about the various miracles happening as well as the messages from innumerable alleged prophets all around the world. This has caused much confusion. So, my present (mature) feeling is that we only need to focus on and approach Christ alone, and ignore all the current miracles and prophecies. Once you have him and have secured your eternity, you are ready for anything.
Thursday, July 23, 2026
***The Fountain of Life*
Today's Responsorial Psalm reads, "With you is the fountain of life, O Lord." In fact, I see the Lord as the fountain of life because he is the life, has given me life, and has assured me of eternal life. I can say that with him dwelling within me, I am bubbling with life. (By the way, I have mentioned on this blog that when I got baptized in the Holy Spirit in the 1970s, my upper body bubbled exuberantly and nonstop for three and a half months—I was on cloud nine the whole time!)
**God's Most Admirable Virtue**
The Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary are (1) the Annunciation, (2) the Visitation, (3) the Nativity, (4) the Presentation in the Temple, and (5) the Finding in the Temple. They show that God did momentous things, but he always accomplishes them humbly. The central Mystery here is, of course, the Nativity. There cannot be anything more momentous than God the Son entering this world to become one of us, yet he was born in virtual poverty. At the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to tell her that God had chosen her to bear a Son to be named Jesus. She would conceive by the Holy Spirit. Mary willingly consented. At the Visitation, when Mary greeted her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who was already pregnant with John the Baptist, the baby leapt with joy in her womb. At the Presentation, Jesus was offered to God. The righteous and devout Simeon recognized that the infant Jesus was the Messiah. When Joseph and Mary found their lost 12-year-old son in the Temple in Jerusalem, he was listening to and questioning the teachers. To be humble like God is what we need to imitate from him the most.
**Faith, Hope, and Love**
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul identifies faith, hope, and love as the three fundamental virtues, with love being the greatest. We can tie these three together by recognizing that as long as we have faith in God's love, hope will always remain.
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
***Declaring My Faith***
I am finite and imperfect, whereas God is infinite and perfect. Because his love for me is absolute, he can do no wrong. In fact, by placing my complete trust in his Son, our Savior, I am saved forever. He revealed this truth to me the moment I opened up to him completely.
***Joyful News***
In today's Gospel reading from John 20, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning and saw it open and empty. She thought someone had taken the Lord from the tomb and began to weep. Then Jesus appeared and said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She recognized him and said to him, "Rabbouni," which means "Teacher" in Hebrew. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" I have blogged about this before, but I can't help doing it again because it is such a joy to know that Jesus' Father is our Father, and his God is our God!
**Resonding to God's Love**
Today is the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene. In the First Reading from Song of Songs 3, the Bride describes how she sought the One whom her soul loves. Indeed, Jesus gives us the greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." We see that loving God only with our heart is not enough. He created our soul, and it is the soul that is most precious to him and loved by him. Therefore, we must respond to him at the soul level. This will please the Lord, and we will surely be saved.
***Precursor to Paradise**
This world is entirely inhabited by sinners, with evil infiltrating every level of our society—including our homes and even the Lord's own Church. Indeed, one must be ensnared by the devil to love such a world. Confronted by this reality, my thoughts turned toward heaven, where we will experience nothing but God's absolute love. No evil will ever touch us again as we dwell in perfect, eternal union with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Mother, and all the great saints. I now see that for the faithful Christian, passing through this tiresome earthly life is simply a necessary precursor to paradise. Our time on earth is merely a brief moment at the very beginning of our journey to heaven.
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