**Bright Hope for Our Times*

        This is a video about Our Lady of Good Success. She prophesied in the 16th century for our times through Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, a Spanish mystic in Quito, Ecuador. I chose this presentation over some of the others on the same subject. You'll be amazed how the prophecies have come true and heartened by what's still going to come. There is also a Part I you can look up and watch.

***To Be Safe from Satan

        Satan is tricky. He is the master of deception. What he presents always looks or sounds good outwardly, but is always defective in some way. He can even produce false miracles and apparitions to fool you. That I can tell you from my own experience. Only God is perfect in every way. I really appreciate the advice of St. John of the Cross. He counsels that if you are seriously interested in seeking union with God, then focus upon the Lord alone and do not let anything else distract you, no matter how attractive, alluring, wonderful, or even miraculous it seems. Of course, these are not his exactly his words, only what he essentially stated. I'll always remember that.

Our Pressing Issue

        We are rightly concerned about our environment, our living space, our air, our water, etc. But our inner peace, our soul, our eternal existence are so much more important. Common sense tells me that the earth is not to be mankind's permanent abode. First of all, the earth is a finite body, so it's surface area and its resources are limited. If the human population keeps growing, one day we'll run out of space as well as resources. God would not have put us on such a planet if we are not going to come to some kind of an end one day. That end could be his Second Coming, I don't know. So the #1 issue should be our own eternal survival, as each of us will only live a short time on earth and be gone.

*Beyond Expectations*

        Communion experience. Today's Communion antiphon, Jeremiah 15.16: Lord God, when I found your words, I devoured them; your words were my joy, the happiness of my heart. When we yearn for the Lord, hearing his words is a joy, gladdening our heart. But we do not see him, nor can we touch him. Then the Lord gave us his own flesh and blood to consume to satisfy our yearning for him, exceeding all our expectations.

***Evil amid Us

        Luke 17.1: Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur." When you cause others to sin, it is indeed a grave sin. It saddens my heart to see that the hierarchy of our own Church is promoting globalism and a new humanism and is much concerned about "global warming" instead of condemning the continuous global murdering of the unborn, addressing the issue of general disbelief in the Real Presence of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, questioning why so many Catholics are leaving the Church, etc. When evil has infiltrated the Church hierarchy, it's a sign that something momentous is happening. It's time to take complete refuge in the Lord.

*Our Power to Know God

        If we ignore God, we'll never know him. If we let God be our God, then we can get to know him most intimately. To know God is impossible or easy—it's all up to us. The truth: we are not free until we relinquish our control of ourselves to God.

**A Spiritual Warning

        The evil forces of our godless world are so deceptive and prevalent that we must be deeply grounded in the Lord and remain vigilant in order not to be influenced by them. Seeking to achieve union with God is absolutely the best way to keep your soul pure and safe. Be one with the One who one day will completely trounce evil. 

Jesus Most Satisfying

        Communion experience. The Lord filled my cup to overflowing.

**Our Ultimate Voice

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16, we heard the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Both the rich man and poor Lazarus died. The rich man, suffering in the netherworld, saw Abraham far off with Lazarus. He said to Abraham, "I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house to warn my five brothers, lest they too come to this place of torment." But Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the prophets. If they will not listen to them, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead." I see Jesus as our ultimate voice, for he is far more than Moses or the prophets—he is God and will be our judge too. Therefore, we must listen to him! After him, there will be no one more worthy to listen to.

***Key to Spiritual Success***

        Do you know that you do not have to try hard to hold onto Jesus? As a matter of fact, he is always waiting for you to abandon yourself to him for him to become one with you. You accomplish great things when you remain passive to let him be your Lord. You want to love him, let him love you. You want to be strong, let him make you strong. You want the Church purified and restored, trust in him to make it happen. In total union with the Lord, whatever you will is whatever he wills. You let him and he'll have it done, since you are no longer in his way.

Prayer Obedience

        True we can ask God for anything that comes to our mind, but let's obey him in prayer too by asking the Holy Spirit at the start to guide us in our prayer. This way, we remain in tune with the Lord throughout.

***Perfect Relationship

        I've been married to my wife for over 57 years and you can say that she is the person I know best in this life, but not that we thoroughly know each other. After we die, that relationship will be gone. Our relationship with the Lord God is on an entire different level. This relationship can be perfect for these reasons: we can reach a complete mutual understanding with the Lord, we can become one with him through obedience, and the relationship can last forever! Therefore, establish this heavenly relationship with God to live on an exalted level.

*Priorities Out of Order

        In the news just now, Pope Francis calls for an ethical use of technology. Good idea, but personally I don't think it'll do much good when so many people do not even know or love Christ yet. Without God, doing anything for the good of others doesn't always happen.

***Two Timely Urgent Messages

Watch the first 2 minutes 46 seconds of the first video for the main message.



Catholics, unite!

*Lack of Reverence at Mass

        This lack of reverence brings to my mind the picture of the disciples of Jesus falling asleep when he was praying. Instead of trying to amuse the congregation in some way, why can't we focus our entire attention upon the Lord? Instead of talking aloud and laughing the moment Mass has ended, why can't we wait at least until we have entered the vestibule of the church?

Final Settlement

        Communion experience. I had finally settled, resting completely in God's hands. 

*Christ the Only Truth

        Today is the memorial of St. Vincent de Paul. The Gospel reading came from Luke 9. Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They replied, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'" Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God." It is important for us to realize who Jesus truly is. Then we'll know that not all religions are the same and that Christ is the sole truth.

***Key to Getting Close to God***

        Some people are used to read prayers written by others; they have trouble saying their own. Some don't consider themselves to be contemplatives and have to rely upon words. And there are numerous books out there teaching you how to pray. Of course, the goal is to be drawn close to God. Let me say that if this is your goal, all you need to do is to open yourself up to God, surrendering to him, and he will draw you to him in no time. As long as you do not abandon yourself completely to him, you can read a thousand of these books and pray all you want, it won't draw you any closer to him. As Jesus said in Matthew 26.41: The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Here the flesh is your own pride. Only God can draw you to him, but you have to let him do it.

*Focusing upon the Holy Eucharist

        With so many Catholics no longer believing in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, Fr. Mark Goring makes a great point in this short video:

**Best Spiritual Journey

        If you believe that heaven and hell are real, then you should see them always before you and make sure that every step you take is going in the right direction. Best yet, be one with Christ the Lord and not worry about anything. This is the simple, carefree, and assured way to go.

**Huge Challenging Claim*

        John 14.6 was today's Gospel acclamation. Jesus made this earthshaking statement to his disciples: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. That first sentence is a most bold claim, and the second sentence that followed authenticates it. Not believing in what he claimed here is equivalent to believing that he was a phony.

*It Makes a Huge Difference

        The truth you either see or you don't. Once you know Christ, you are set for eternity. This life is only temporary, for you know exactly where you are heading. On the other hand, if you don't know Christ, you are not sure what life is all about. You are basically heading into the unknown, not a comfortable feeling. The difference can't be any greater.

**Sharing Yourself with God*

        There are many prayers already written that are beautiful and you can certainly use them to pray to God. But I still believe that the Lord loves to hear prayers that come directly from your heart. Only you know your own feelings and thoughts best, so prayers formed by you in your heart speak most intimately to the Lord. You don't even need to be concerned about correct grammar, proper wording, or how fluent or clumsy you are ... just thinking about your intention is good enough for the Lord to know. The main point is to let him see the genuine you. Keep sharing yourself with him like this and you will hear from him and develop a most intimate relationship with him. Then you will experience his holy presence. Naturally, receiving him in Holy Communion can greatly expedite this process. In sum, open up to God to let him open up to you.

Peace of Christ

         There will be no peace as long as we rebel against God. The peace of Christ comes to us when we reconcile ourselves to God completely. It is the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4.7).       

*Relying upon the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus sent the Twelve to proclaim the Kingdom of God at the many villages. He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic." This is trusting in God that he will always provide what you need —great advice for all. But many of us don't even believe in that, so they never find out whether it works or not. The truth of the matter is that the more you rely upon the Lord, the more he supports you.

Our Only Way

        Communion experience. I saw Jesus as our only hope, our only way out of bondage and misery, our only way to be liberated forever, and our only way to heaven. John 14.6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 

**Foremost Important Relationship

        Here is today's Gospel reading from Luke 8: The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." I see that we have mother, brothers, and other blood relatives, but to God we are all equally his children. What unites or separates us is whether we keep God's word or not. Our relationship with God is foremost among all our relationships. Each of us is important to our Father. Therefore, we must love everyone for his sake.

Our Great Sorrow

        Today's response from Psalm 122: Let's go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. What a joy to be chosen by God! What a joy to know Jesus! What a joy to follow him! What a joy to know that I am returning to the Father! Yet there is great sorrow. The Lord loves all of us, yet there are many who might not make it to his house. How can we deal with this sorrow? All we can do is to pray hard for and trust fully in God's mercy on all souls. Being extra holy ourselves can definitely help. One thing I do know: in the end our great joy will overcome all sorrows.

**Unique Loving Father

        The Lord God is so holy, perfect, and high above us that we need to worship and praise him in awe and with great reverence. Yet he is so loving and tender that we can place ourselves completely in his hands, for his ardent desire is to adopt us to be his children to live with him in heaven forever! What I wish to highlight here is the unique duality of awesome almightiness and tender lovingness our heavenly Father possesses.   

*Best Move for Us*

        There are so many things to pray for, too many to possibly cover. At the same time, I am aging and can no longer do many things physically with ease. So I see that the only sensible and really always the best move for me to make is to submit myself even more to God—it's one thing anyone can at any time do unrestrictedly. 

**The Truth of Love

        Communion experience. God is love. I realize that it is love that created us, saves us, and heals us. Commune with the Lord to receive the power of his love. This truth is what today's world urgently needs to know and wake up to.

**Christ Is Power

        If we preach to others how we should or can love God, we sound nice but not much will happen. It's like telling our children to be good—they need to know why and how. But if we preach Christ, then we preach power, for only he has the power to change our hearts. So, know Christ ourselves and then preach only him!

***Most Beautiful Experience of Life***

        More thoughts followed from the last post. If we think God won't know what we are doing, we become instantly the biggest fool of the whole universe. The light of Christ can reveal everything in our heart, even things we do not even see ourselves. It is so beneficial to go before the Lord to let him reveal what's in your heart. What you learn will amaze you. This is a challenge! You must be sincere and honest to yourself and thus to God. Remain still and look as deeply as possible within your heart. Eventually, you'll come to know and understand yourself. (I did this after receiving the Holy Eucharist in front of the tabernacle in a most peaceful chapel. All this helped.)  A somewhat parallel example: At one time in the past, I studied mathematics. Once in a while the professor would throw his students a most challenging problem to solve. I remember the time I spent the whole weekend working on one proof. I thought as hard as I possibly could and caught a glimpse of the solution—I scribbled it down, for I knew I would lose it instantly the moment I let it go. When we examine our own inner self, we should also go as deeply as we can. But here we won't forget what we have discovered. With God's help, we can truly achieve self-understanding, which is the beginning of knowing God. As you and the Lord explore and share all your "secrets" together, you get to know him intimately. Eventually, you can't help but fall head over heals in love with him! This is the most beautiful experience you can have in this life, for it transforms your heart and shapes your soul! 

***No Escape from Light!

        Today we heard the parable of the lamp read from Luke 8. Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be be known and come to light. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away." Jesus is our light, for nothing can be hidden from him. Those who welcome his light see their own imperfections and know exactly how to ask the Lord to help them, and he makes them holier. But those who hide from his light are blind to their sins; they remain in darkness and lose their life altogether. 

**What Life Is Like to Us

        Life can be seen as a peaceful period of time interspersed with many disruptions or as a series of disruptions interspersed with short peaceful periods in-between. Since I receive the Lord daily, I see my life as a continual dwelling in him who protects me from all disruptions and blesses me with inner peace.

Are You Trustworthy or Not?

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16, the parable of the dishonest steward was read. Jesus said, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones." People are either trustworthy or not trustworthy. It doesn't matter if you are a Christian or not. I had Christians who promised me to do something for me and never heard from them. I bet we all had friends or acquaintances who owed us money or borrowed a book from us and never mentioned it again. And they are lawyers and government officials who do not follow the laws themselves. One small incident I still remember. I was learning how to develop prints in a city photo lab many years ago. A staff member told all learners never to dip their hands in the developer. In the darkroom, I saw this very staff member doing exactly what he forbade us to do; he was rubbing the paper with his fingers in the solution, attempting to make the image appear sooner. If we want God to trust us, we must be trustworthy to him.

*Jesus Revealed

        We do not know what we want until we know Christ, for he leads us into a new existence out of this world. He is our missing piece that makes us see the whole truth. He is absolutely essential for our soul, our whole being. Yes, he is our treasure, pearl, and prize. And he turns out to be our creator, Lord, and loving God.

**How to Know the Lord

        John 10.14 is one of today's two Communion antiphons. I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep and they know me. It comes down to knowing the Lord as our shepherd. Do you truly know him? If not, seek to attain union with him and you will know him when you become one with him. A most amazing life-changing experience!

What's Our Concern?

        Living in this physical world, we are most concerned about my physical existence. We wish each other good health and believe that to have good health is most important to us. The last thing we are concerned about is our spiritual well-being. Therefore, those who are ready for Jesus' Second Coming will have an excellence chance of being saved and those who don't even think about the Lord will have a much smaller chance of being saved.

Worse than You Think

        Is the spiritual condition of the world better or worse than you think? In Mark 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile." Since these evils may not manifest themselves and we can't see what's hidden in people's hearts, the spiritual condition of the world is definitely worse than you think. When we think that we are good enough for God, it only shows that we are not, for lack of humility. 

*Experience Your Conversion

        As sinners, we can all experience conversion. When we truly repent of our sins, we experience it. Besides, God always wants us to become holy and he can surely help us succeed. Open up to the him and you'll experience being converted by him continuously, living a life ever refreshing. 

**Cleansing Time for the Church*

        Today is the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle. Matthew 28.19-20 was the entrance antiphon: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that I have commended you, says the Lord. This is the chief mission Christ has given to his disciples. Then you look at the Church today, busily occupied with covering up all the scandals and allying with the world's leftists and globalists. As the members are losing their faith and leaving the Church by the droves, the Church doesn't even seem to care. Yes, there are still clergy and laity that are God-loving and God-fearing, but the hierarchy has become more like our politicians or the Pharisees. Schism within the Church has already begun (look at the German Church that wants to go even further left). In fact, the present division could end up with a breakup into more than just two factions. This is a sad, trying time for all of us, but God will triumph in the end. Pray hard that he will cleanse and restore his own Church again quickly.

**To Be Freed from Sin and More

        I see that we sinners (7.7 billion as of this year) continue to sin in thoughts, words, and deeds. On the surface, we can't always tell until our own or others' sins hit us in some way. In other words, we are living in a pretty filthy world full of unclean hearts. This can't be our permanent home and the good thing is that all of us will be leaving this world. I see clearly that the way out of this predicament is to follow Christ. He is the only one who can remove our sins, even our tendency to sin, and heal all the wounds inflicted upon us by sin. Not only we are set free from sin now, we also get to enjoy paradise forever later!

***Mission of the Church

**Ultimate Food

        Communion experience. Here I was receiving the food that would fill my hunger and quench my thirst not just for a day, but for all eternity!

*Easy Path to Heaven

        Matthew 10.32, today's Communion antiphon: Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father, says the Lord. Be proud of Christ and he'll be proud of you. What an easy way for us to get to heaven!

God Our Ultimate Goal

        You can never _______ God enough. Can you fill in the blank? Here are just some correct answers: love, praise, adore, trust, obey, surrender to, be holy for.

More Dark News

**Dark Days of the Church*

        Worldwide abortion of the unborn continues on, less and less Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Church membership dwindles, and Catholic universities are become increasingly secular—just to name four alarming facts. I don't see the Church doing much to turn the tide. Instead I see the Church continuing to cover up the various scandals, not providing complete transparency. Millions and millions of dollars were paid out, resulting in the closure of many parishes and schools. The Holy Father seems to be more concerned about "global warming" and conciliating the various other religions and the secular world than saving his own flock. We with the Church are going through some very dark days. 

***Get Personal with God***

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, a sinful woman showed great love for Jesus—she brought an alabaster flask of ointment with her, stood behind him at his feet, weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears; then wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. And Jesus forgave all her sins. 

         Lessons. For those who show great love for God, much will be forgiven; but to those who love little, little is forgiven. The Lord is not someone remote or from whom you need to keep a distance. In fact, he loves you to get personal with him. Therefore, tell him everything and show your affection—there should no barrier between you and such a loving God. He wants all sinners to go to him so that he may free them from their sins! There is no other Savior than the God of Christ. Yes, seek union with him and he even becomes your soulmate!

What We Forget to Do to God

        We pray to God, praise him, thank him, and serve him diligently, but we often forget to rest ourselves in him, which is equally important.

Most-Pleasing-to-God Prayer

        May your will be accomplished in us and through us.        

**Our Only Resort

        At troubled times like these today, the only resort for us is to enter even deeper into our Lord. In fact, this is what we should always do. The only way to achieve that is to surrender or abandon ourselves to him even more.

***No Prejudging Others

        Because the window installer came, I had to skip morning Mass. Nevertheless, I looked up the Gospel reading for today from Luke 7. Jesus said to the crowds, "For John the Baptist came neither eating food or drinking wine, and you said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'" This is prejudging others, worse than judging! We are the same today. We rarely remain open-minded, making up our mind about whom we like and whom we hate before knowing all the facts. This is not the way the Lord sees us. In Matthew 5.37, Jesus taught, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes" and your 'No" mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." Let's be genuine and honest to ourselves; let's be like Jesus.

*Surprise in Seeking Union with God

        I mentioned that a pair of metal French doors that open up to the outside deck area from the family room at my home just would not close. It must have been the hot weather that caused the door bottoms to scape the threshold. An installer I contacted weeks ago finally showed up this morning. I thought he would surely lower the threshold somehow or grind the door bottoms. To my amazement, he sized up the situation and decided to shim up the door frames at the top, forcing the rectangular frame to be out of square, just enough to clear the door of the threshold at the bottom. It was a surprising solution that worked perfectly. Again, my thought turned to seeking union with God. There is no surprising approach here. Submitting yourself directly to God is the only way. The surprise comes from how God can truly fulfill your desire and make your life exciting.

***Shocking New Teaching!***

        When I first heard that Pope Francis asked us all to obey the United Nations, I couldn't believe it! I really would have liked to hear him say that we should obey Christ our Lord. Now I came across this new video by Mother Miriam who has always inspired me ever since I heard her telling her conversion story many years ago. At the time, she was Rosalind Moss before becoming a nun. The headline of this video is "Pope's proposal for 'new humanism' would 'wipe out Christianity.'" I watched the video and was appalled. This is the message all faithful Catholics should hear. Yes, it's time to prepare ourselves for persecution or even martyrdom! Here is the video. (Since Mother Miriam answers email questions in the second part of this presentation, you only need to watch the first 26 minutes of it.)

**Time to Be Somber

        Reading my church bulletin, I saw one neighboring church announcing its coming Annual Multi-Vendor Sale of crafts, food, and gently used items, and another local retreat center publicizing its Annual Autumn Splendor Gala on the theme "A Night in Venice." All these fundraising events are fine, except I can't help thinking about all the somber, tragic events happenings around the world such as the continuing murdering of the unborn, the infiltration of Satan into all levels of our societies and governments, the failure of the Church to lead and teach the faithful causing vast numbers of Catholics to leave the Church and division within . . . and more. It is the time to pray together, repent, fast, make amends. It is already late! Always remember that Jesus will come at an our we do not expect. 

Fulfilled and Completed

        Communion experience. More than joy, I felt fulfillment in the Lord and being completed by him.

*To Know Yourself

        To know your ego is to know yourself.

*In God's Hands

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, As Jesus drew near to the city Nain, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep." He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearer halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. I know that my own life is completely in the Lord's good hands too.

**Most Important Call

        Normally, we don't see any rain until November here, so it was a big surprise when I came out of my church this morning after Mass that the skies had turned grey and a relatively heavy rain was pouring down from above. The earlier sunny vision had turned gloomy, and I thought of the the metal door that lead to the outside deck area at home which I couldn't close, due to expansion caused by the heat. Then I thought if Jesus were to ask me to go to him right then, I would let the gloomy weather and the door that wouldn't close go and happily comply with the Lord without hesitation.

**Receiving the Greatest Gift

        Communion experience. I was still on earth, yet I was receiving the bread of heaven that came down from heaven!

A Simple Question

        You know you are a sinner and God died for you to save your soul—how can you not trust in him?

*With Mathematical Certainty

        For anything we do for the love of God, we will be rewarded by him. If we stand by the Lord through thick and thin, we will eat and drink at his table in the end. These are as certain as 2 + 2 = 4.

Is God in charge?

        If you believe that God is not in complete charge of all things, then there's no point in believing in him at all! If you believe that God is in complete charge of all things, then you have no choice but to trust and obey him in all things.

**Keep Heaven Rejoicing

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 15, Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes, "There will be great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents." When you repent, you soul is saved. Heaven rejoices because the love of God has triumphed. So you must first repent to be saved. After that, you can make heaven rejoice once more. This time you surrender to God to be one with him. Heaven rejoices again, for you have fulfilled the Lord's most ardent desire.

**There'll Always Be Unresolved Problems

        I used to bring the Blessed Sacrament to the homebound in my parish who could not attend church for Mass. I got to talk to them about their faith, family, etc., and found out that they all had problems within their family. My own family is the same. I realize now that life is facing all kinds of problems and we'll certainly be leaving this world with many of them still unresolved. Therefore, concentrate on surrendering yourself to God to become holy—this you can actually achieve in your lifetime! Do this and let the unresolved problems go. For we are meant to live for God alone.

**Best Use of Life*

        See life as a learning process, during which we let the Lord God teach us to be perfect.

*No Unknowns with God

        Without the Lord, heading into the future is heading into the unknown. Not what I would want to do. Call me chicken if you like, but I'll be a smart one. With Christ, even though I do not know all the details, I know that heading into the future will be a most delightful adventure leading to my eternal home with God.                   

**Letting No One Bother You

        If you are bothered when people do not understand you, you still have too much pride. When they are the ones who are closest to you, it becomes even more difficult to remain calm. Know that what others think about you doesn't matter. They don't understand you because they are not all-knowing like God. Only what God thinks about you matters. Since God always understands us, we only need to be concerned about not sinning. Therefore, never mind the others and focus upon being holy yourself. Then no one, not even God, can bother you anymore.

Conscience as Spiritual Indicator

       When you totally let God be your God, you'll develop a super sharp conscience. On the other hand, if you play God yourself, you'll end up with a dull, muddy conscience. Therefore, your conscience is a good indicator of your spiritual condition.

***Our Greatest Blessing

        Knowing that we are sinners and finding Christ to be our Savior.        

Heaven and Earth Bridged

        Communion experience. The Most Holy unites with a most wretched sinner, and heaven and earth are now bridged.

***Our Greatest Loss:

not possessing Christ. Life is precious precisely because it provides a window for us to possess him.

*Proven Sinners

        When we experience great joy after we repent of our sins and know that we are forgiven by God, it is ample evidence that we are sinners and sin enslaves us and God can liberate us from sin.

*Feeling Extra Sorry for Ourselves

        Following my last post "Brood of Vipers Within the Church," I started to think that all sins offend the Lord, but if his own people, believers, sin against him, how much more they must hurt him! We are all more affected by those close to us than by strangers. Therefore, as Christians, while we feel sorry for others who offend the Lord, we should feel extra sorry for our own transgressions.

**No More Unfinished Business*

        In life, there are always things for us to do. When we die, we'll just have to let the many unfinished things go. But it would be nice to know that we have done all we need to have done when we depart from this world, so that we can leave in peace. This is possible if we always do what God wants us to do, not what we want to do. When the Lord calls, we know that we've accomplished everything we need to have done for him.

*Compelling Mercy

        Communion experience. Before we received the Lord, we all recited "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under our roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." I didn't feel I was worthy, but the Lord entered anyway and healed my soul. 

***Looking at Yourself First!

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus asked his disciples, "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?" We all have this blind spot—we just don't see our own faults first. Just wonder how many of us still examine our own conscience daily. Holiness must start with each one of us. Seeking union with God is precisely trying to perfect ourselves first.

***Taking Care of Your Eternity

        We can only do so much to keep our body healthy, as it unavoidably ages and deteriorates toward death. As far as our mental health is concerned, it is affected by both our spiritual outlook and our physical health. When we develop some form of dementia, we become quite helpless. But the great news is that we can attain maximum spiritual health by becoming holy and one with God. I'd say, let the body and mind go and take care of you spirit foremost and you won't have anything to worry about for all eternity!

**Sin Stinks*

        We sin because we want to feel good selfishly. It is absolutely foolish to feel good temporarily and lose your inner peace for having offended God. Know that when you lose that peace, you lose God. So think twice before you sin. Better yet, don't even give sin a chance. Again, be one with the Lord to remain holy.

*Focus of Mass

        Jesus must be #1 in our life, so we must seek him with all our heart. The focus must be 100% upon the Lord when we worship him at Mass. Anything we see, hear, or do that directs our attention away from him is out of place. We are not at Mass to be entertained, amused, or informed about extraneous things. We must let God draw us closer to him, especially after receiving him in the Holy Eucharist. 

**How God Deals with Us

        In the last two verses of today's reading from Luke 6, Jesus gives us the rule of life. He said, "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." In other words, God will deal with us the way we deal with others. If we become like God, then we won't have any problem. Therefore, seek union with him.

**Doing the Impossible with God*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus said to his disciples: "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back." I'll stop quoting right here. Do we have to be "insane" to follow the Lord? We know that he must be right. How can we go against the grain like that? Answer: seek union with him to become like him. And he is merciful enough not to test us to the point that we would fail if we truly want to follow him.

Aligned with God

        The Lord God is (1) in front of me, leading and guiding me, (2) right with me, defending and shielding me from any attacks that can harm my soul, and (3) behind me to back me up whenever I need his help.

The Heart and the Will

        To love involves both the heart and the will. The heart wills us to do God's will, but often this can go against our grain. Jesus sacrificing himself for our salvation is our supreme example. Again, nothing is impossible with God. In union with him, you can get all the help you need.

***Our Reason for Living

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Plain, in which he said, "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man." This tells me that if we suffer or are being persecuted on account of our Lord, he will bless us! This tells me that we must live, do or go through everything for his sake. Yes, he must be our very reason for living! Seek to attain union with him so that he becomes inseparable from us.

*Christ Our Power Source

        To love God, to kill our ego, to fight temptations . . . to do all these things successfully, the power must come from the heart. And, of course, only God can gain access to our heart to give us that power. Therefore, open up your heart to the Lord.

*God's Justice Will Prevail

        The elite evildoers and hypocrites seem to be able to evade justice in this world. Then since we do not judge as God judges, our justice is never truly just. The good thing is that none of us can ever escape the justice of God in the end. 

**Man Versus God

        This is precisely the cause of mankind's unrest and loss of peace. 

**Cure for Worries and Concerns

        Jesus warned us that when he comes next, "two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left" and "two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left." We almost all have loved ones who choose not to follow Christ. Of course, we continue to pray for them, believing that they will turn to the Lord one day. Nevertheless, they place heavy burdens on our hearts in the meantime. This morning I heard Fr. Albert at the Fatima Center ask the question "Happiness of Heaven Lessened by Lost Loved Ones?" on a short two-minute video on YouTube. He concluded that we must know that God's will is our peace. I felt peace after hearing this. Knowing and believing in this can certainly rid us of all our worries and concerns.

*Completing Our Union with God

        Jesus loves us, comes to us, and enters us through the Holy Eucharist. If we love him back, go to him, and enter him through surrendering ourselves to him, then our union with him is complete.

**Greatest Learning Experience

        You may consider yourself to be a Christian, but if you are not in Jesus yet, you are merely a spectator observing and reporting on him without conviction. On the contrary, if you are inside the Lord or in union with him, you feel what he feels and speak his mind. Getting inside Jesus has to be life's most uplifting, beneficial, and humbling experience.

Today's Scribes and Pharisees

          In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, on a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisee were watching Jesus closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. Jesus, realizing their intentions, said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he restored the hand of the man. They became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. Lo and behold, all this drama is being reenacted on our political stage today. We have the hypocritical politicians of one party together with the fake mainstream media intent on coming up some reason to take down the leader of their opposition party. They failed, were enraged, and continue to figure out what they might do to him.

Commissioned like the Apostles

        Jesus made his Apostles fishers of men. We are his disciples or followers today, but let's remember that our mission is exactly the same, to be fishers of men. 

*How to Live Happily

      For everything we do for Christ, he will reward us. If we live to keep him happy, we shall live a happy life, now and forever.

**Discipleship Leads to Freedom

        The Gospel reading came from Luke 14. Jesus addressed the crowds which were traveling with him, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Those were hard words to hear. Of course, Jesus was letting all know that they ought to love God the most, above everyone else—something our common sense would agree with. I do see here that the Lord was also giving away the secret to freedom. You see, when we become attached to God alone and detached to everyone and everything else, we become free! If is the same as letting God increase to 100% and us decreasing to zero. Yes, when we become nothing, we are liberated and free.

*How to Be Sure Always

        From today's first reading from Wisdom 9: The deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. It's true that when we plan something, we are never sure about the outcome; but God knows it all. Therefore, trust in him to let him guide us through everything. We don't know exactly what can happen, but we can be sure that the end result will be what he wishes for us.

**Sorry State of Man*

        The majority of the world live as if there is no God and plan their life as if they are going to live forever. The majority of Christians in the world live as if Satan does not exist and think that everything happening is OK, not realizing that Satan has already broken into their house, precisely because they have not remained vigilant. In the eyes of the Lord they are in worse condition than the unbelievers, for they are held to a higher standard. Luke 12.48: Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

*The Truth Will Set You Free

        Jesus said in John 8 that if you followed him, you would know the truth, and the the truth would set you free. Knowing Jesus is indeed knowing the truth, for he is the Truth. Once you attain union the Lord, you belong to him alone and nothing else can change that relationship anymore, and you remain free in him.     

End–New Beginning–Final End

        Communion experience. My quest for truth reaches its end when I find Christ; there is no need to look beyond him anymore. Then my new life begins, once the Lord starts to work on me. This transformation continues and will reach its end after I get to heaven where we are all made perfect.

**Being Extremely Wise

        Jesus told us that the gate to life is narrow and many don't even find it. Actually, our heart acts like a gate. We can keep it closed, leave it open a crack, or leave it wide open. Keep it closed and we keep God out completely. Leave it partially open and he won't be able to enter completely. If we leave it wide open, then he will enter to dwell within us, and we don't even need to be concerned about the narrow gate to life. We beat God to it, you might say, and this is being very wise.

*Letting God Be Your God

        This is a first Friday, so we had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass. The Lord showed me what attitude we should assume before him. It was real simple. We only need to submit ourselves to him completely; there is not another thing you need to do.

Jesus Our Savior

        Communion experience. Life in this sinful world is far from being perfect, but Christ is exactly what we need. He fills the void of our life and frees us from the world. He is indeed our Savior.

**Jesus Is Joy

        There are a million things we can talk about, but only talking about Jesus can give us the greatest joy, for he is joy.

**Our Joy

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5, the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink." Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." We today are so fortunate that the Lord is always with us; we can even receive him daily in the Holy Eucharist. For me, the "J" in the name Jesus certainly stands for "Joy."

*Are You Seeking Union with God?

        I have been blogging for 10 years, spreading the message that God loves us so much that he wants to draw all to union with him through the Holy Eucharist. I am just doing my part. How people respond to the Lord is his concern, not mine. But if this blog has motivated you to seek union with God or because of it you've already attained union with God, it would be gratifying for me to know. Feel free to post a comment or email me at 4d16p23w@surewest.net. Of course, you may remain anonymous if you wish. Praised be Jesus and God bless you all.

***Jesus Our Perfect Perfecter

        Communion experience. Only Jesus can make us perfect. Not another one can even come close. Therefore, follow him. 

***Not Praying for Ourselves Shows . . .

our lack of humility.

***Urgent Call to Seek Union with God***

        Sin, evil, hell are real. Jesus talked about them. Why is it that we do not hear them mentioned in homilies at Mass? We need to hear Christ speaking to us through the priest. We want to hear messages that pierce our hearts and shake our conscience; not mild, weak reflections that are instantly forgettable. The spirit needs to be fed. This makes seeking union with God for all of us all the more urgent, for the Lord can and wants to feed our spirit to the fullest!

*Faith in Christ

        This is believing that he is truly your Lord, God, and Savior. Holding this belief, you find that all his claims are true and things do work out the way he promised. Now your faith is rock solid.      

*Amazing God

        Today's Gospel reading was Luke 5.1-11. Two things I picked up from the reading. The first was that if you always do what Jesus wants you to do, as Peter did in the reading, you will be amazed by how things turn out from time to time. The exciting thing about following Jesus is that you think you know him well, yet you have no idea how he is going to surprise you next. God is amazing in amazing you. Secondly, when the Lord calls you, you must leave everything and follow him, as Peter, James, and John did in the reading. If you hesitate, you are not ready and fit to be his disciple yet.

God's Way All the Way

        We need to do God's will, but we also need to do it his way. It must be his way all the way.

*All the Wisdom We Need

        Yesterday I joined a small study group after Mass to look at the readings of the coming Sunday Mass. The first reading came from Wisdom 9, in which King Solomon asked God for wisdom. I started thinking that Christ had come and given us all the counsel we need to live a righteous life and told me exactly how we can be saved and enter heaven. So for us, we already have all the wisdom we need.

*God Has Changed Me

        Last night when my wife was shopping at a food store, I went into Dimple Records next door to take a look, as this local chain is closing all their stores after 45 years. The worldwide Tower Records, which also started out in this area, went out of business in 2006. As the music industry and people's listening and shopping habits change, local stores get crushed.

          I used to be "addicted" to collecting music CDs and was a loyal customer at Tower Records for many years. It's around 2010 that I finally stopped buying CDs. It was a hard decision I had to make so that I might continue to progress spiritually.  Cutting this attachment gave me freedom and peace. Inside Dimple, I saw some CDs I would have grabbed right away before, but I now do have the slightest desire to own them – the allure was gone. The Lord has changed me by setting me free. I can't be happier.

**I Wasn't Out of Order!

        After I posted "Church Priorities Out of Order" yesterday, I thought I might be rocking the boat a bit, as I was a lay nobody, criticizing the Church. Then I saw Fr. Goring's new video "What's Your Opinion?" today and knew I was all right.

***More Union with God Advantages*

        Once you attain union with Christ, you'll be so fulfilled, so content, and so satisfied that you no longer wish to search, to question, or to go elsewhere anymore. The Lord is your final stop and home. You are now inseparable from him!

Making Sin Your Blessing

        God can draw you closer to him through your sins. See every sin as a stepping stone to greater holiness. Each time after you commit a sin, turn to the Lord to ask him to forgive you and to draw you close to him. As you are drawn closer and closer to him, sin becomes more and more repulsive. When you reach union with the Lord, he removes even you tendency to sin. Make good use of you sins when you are weak. Then you won't need them anymore after you become strong in the Lord.  

*Heaven on Earth for God

        Communion experience. The Lord entered me, so I became heaven on earth for God! How awe-inspiring!

**Quick Summary of Union with God*

        It is being one with God. His ways and thoughts are now yours too. You experience the same joys and sorrows as he. It is dwelling in the Lord in total freedom. You no longer struggle spiritually, for he is right in you and with you. You simply enjoy his delightful company. 

Discerning Promptings

        If you feel prompted to spread the good news of Christ in some specific way, should you go right ahead and do it? If the urge came from you, then hold off, for you do not want to rush ahead on your own. You will know that the prompting did come from God if you've been led to this point and feel no anxiety about it. Peace of mind is a good indicator.

**Aiming our Prayer

        If we pray that we may grow closer to God, we miss the mark. If we pray that we may become holy, we still fall short. If we pray that we may open ourselves up to let the Lord make us holy, we are on target.

**Christ, Only Teacher We Need

        The Apostles were all sinners. They followed the Lord and learned from him directly and became saints. Let them be our models. We can also follow Christ, learn from him directly, and become saints. Seek union with the Lord so that we may become like him. Then we'll understand everything.

**Sinner Responding to God

        If I were perfectly holy with no sins, I would not understand why Jesus came into the world to die for me. Since his Passion truly affected me and I feel so grateful for what he has done that I can't even help falling deeply in love with him, I know that I must be a sinner. In my case, a sinner who has found the perfect remedy. 

***Church Priorities Out of Order***

        Global warming is a controversial subject. Even if it is a fact, it certainly is not the most urgent issue we need to deal with right now. For Christians, saving souls has to be the foremost goal. After all, that was the primary goal of Jesus when he came to us to die for us. And the souls today in this evil world need salvation more than ever! I cannot possibly imagine that Jesus would talk about something like global warming more than about our sins and our need for salvation. We truly need to be concerned about Christ's Second Coming! Yet Pope Francis repeatedly warned us about global warning as if it's the most pressing issue today. I am truly disappointed. Meanwhile, the world and Church continue entering the evil's orbit. When the Church loses credibility, fighting spirit, or focus, myriad souls are lost! If we don't shape up, there is no point in begging for God's mercy.

*Our Only Gift for God

        Communion experience. I received what the Apostles received at the Last Supper. When we return fully to the Lord, everything he has is ours. Since we do not have anything except ourselves, all I could offer him was myself.

***Perfect Soulmate*

        I look at my brothers and sisters in Christ at Mass, we belong to the same Lord, but somehow we do not talk about him with each other very much outside church. My wife believes in the Lord too, but she and I do not share the same spirituality, so we end up not talking about Christ with each other as much as we should. This leads me to Christ the Lord himself. We can get to know him as intimately as we wish and he understands every one of us perfectly. You can share whatever with him all you want and he listens and communicates with your heart. Here is our perfect soulmate.

***Praying to Be Holy First!

        As long as we pray only for others, but not for ourselves to be holy, we'll never have true peace in the world! For peace must first start within our hearts and only being holy can bring us inner peace. If sinfulness is our first order of business, then holiness must be too.

God All-Knowing

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 4, people were astonished that Jesus spoke with authority and power. Even the best politicians or most learned pundits today stumble or make gaffes under questioning, but no one was ever able to trip, trick, or stymy the Lord, for he knows everything!

Absolute Fool

        In reading 1 from 1 Thessalonians 5 today, Paul wrote that the day of the Lord would come like a thief at night. Jesus himself said that of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angles of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone; and that we must be prepared, for at an hour we do not expect, he will come. Therefore, anyone who spends time trying to figure out when the Lord will come instead of staying alert and sober has to be an absolute fool, and there has been no shortage of them.

*Alone Before God

        We stand before the Lord alone. Even if someone has caused you to sin, you are still at fault. Playing the blame game doesn't work here. Just know that no one, with the possible exception of the Blessed Mother, can help you at judgment time.

Pity Our Faith!

        At this moment, the US East Coast is bracing itself for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian which had just pounded the Bahamas. In Mark 4, we read how Jesus calmed a storm at sea. He rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind ceased and there was great calm. If the Lord can totally command the wind and calm the sea, then we must see Hurricane Dorian as an intended sign for us. God is always telling us something; we are the ones who have no faith.

*Fundamental Motivation

        We love our family or good friends, that's because they are close to us and we know them well. But the fundamental motivation for loving them should be because God loves them. With this motivation, we'll be able to love those not close or even obnoxious to us, strangers, and even our enemies. Aim to please God alone and we can accomplish the impossible. Open up to let the Lord do great works through us.

***Sensing God's Presence

        It would be difficult to live a good spiritual life if you do not sense God's presence. Even a single brief encounter with God can make a difference. Catholics do have the advantage of receiving the Holy Eucharist, but the key requisite is that you remain open to the Lord. If you do, he will enter, as he is always knocking on the door of your heart. If you go all out to seek union with God, then in time he will let you know of his presence within you without the slightest doubt. Christ now becomes more real than anyone you can see or touch! As I've said, God is to be experienced, enjoyed, and savored. 

*All in God's Hands

        Yesterday the Lord popped one thought into my mind before Mass and nine more during Mass for me to blog. Today there has been only one so far, which shows that all is in God's hands, exactly what I want to post about. Since all is in God's hands, I realize that my future is in his hands too. Therefore, I must obey the Lord to insure that I shall have a bright future. Also, it would be stupid and a waste of time for me to go out and do whatever I wish to do, ignoring God's will. Knowing that you are in God's hands behooves you to live in his holy presence. 

***Living the Superior Spiritual Life***

        If you do not seek union with God and want to be holy, you have a ton of things to remember to follow . . . do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that . . . the list is endless. But if you seek and attain union with God, there is not one thing to remember, let alone struggle against. For now the Lord God does all the work for you, in you, and through you; you just keep him company.

***Freedom of the Soul

        Communion experience. I relish and cherish the Lord entering me. It's so good to live in my God and Father and not care about what the world thinks of me. This is what freedom is all about! It's freedom of the soul.

***Get Personal with God*

        Always go directly to God or at least to him first if you are still going to other human beings, for he is instantly accessible. Once you have established intimate contact with him, you hear and learn directly from him. This is the fast track that will save you so much time and effort in your quest for the Lord because it is exactly how you seek union with him.  

*Only Influence We Need

        Our feelings are greatly affected by what we encounter. We become unhappy when bad things happen to us. If we can only let God influence us, we can be sure that we'll always be happy, for God will shape us to become like him in dealing with problems and God can surely handle anything. I can testify to you that his theory has been proven experimentally to be correct time and again. 

*Contagious Holiness

        Do you know that sensing the awesome holiness of the Lord God can inspire you to become holy? Holiness is not a disease, but shall we say that it is also contagious? Therefore, meditate upon God's holiness to get inspired. I suppose this would be difficult for those who are deep in sin to respond. It only shows all the more that they need to become holy. 

**Side Benefit of Doing God's Will*

        The joy of knowing that you are pleasing the Lord. When you make God happy, how can you  possibly not feel happy? Another secret of happiness.

**Simple and Powerful Way to Live*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, we learn from Jesus that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. What shall we do? My personal solution is to remain in union with God and not even be concerned about ourselves. A simple and most powerful way to live our life.

Food for the Soul

        We need to hear the words of Jesus spoken to us, for our soul needs to be fed and nourished. They are as important to the soul as food is to our body.

***What Catholics Need know Urgently!

        Number one is to know the Lord thoroughly. Seeking union with God is essential. Number two is to know their faith thoroughly, especially as regards the significance of the Holy Eucharist. Here the Church bears the full responsibility of teaching the faithful. 

*The Only One Trustworthy*

        When I accepted a job offer which I thought was the best one for me, it did not turn out that way. Last year I picked a painter among several to paint my house, I wished that I had picked a different contractor. I can say that anytime we make a choice in this life, we are taking a chance. But there is one exception! Choose Christ the Lord and you'll never be disappointed, for he is the only one who will not ever let you down.