*Wise Petition

        Communion experience. I just asked the Lord to displace all my pride with simple humility, for I knew that this would please him and give me more peace. 

***Christ Heals!

        Jesus came to cause division because he knew that not all of us would accept him readily. But let us realize that there is no division he cannot heal, for he is our greatest healer and his true intention is to bring us peace to our hearts and the world.  

***Think of Ourselves as Nothing

        We all have pride and when it gets hurt, we feel hurt. The remedy is to see ourselves as nothing before the Lord. Today is the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle. In the reading from Psalm 19, we hear that the LORD gives wisdom to the simple. So be simple and become wise, then we'll shine before him. Focus upon loving God alone and not think about ourselves much is the way to go.

***Urgent Need for Prayer

          Innumerable souls are teetering on the brink of falling into hell now; probably many do stumble or slip and fall into it every second. Keep this picture in your mind and show your love for God by praying hard for the salvation of all of them.  

**To Become Free for God

       First, you need to be free of ourselves. Then you'll be free from the world and ready to belong to God exclusively. That first step is crucial—taking it would require great humility and faith. But once you do it, nothing can stop you anymore. You have now officially become a bona fide child of your heavenly Father. (This is also the step you need to take in seeking union with God.)  

***We Are Important to God

         We are not nobody. On the contrary, we not most important and precious to God for the following reasons. (1) God as our Father loves us to death. (2) Each of us is unique and most personal to him and he would do anything to make any of us eternally happy. (3) We are indispensable to God, for only thru our diligent prayers will we have peace in the world and salvation of all its inhabitants. 

**Let Advent Begin in Our Heart

        The Advent season has begun. Christ has already come and will come again. In the meantime, we'd better let him enter our hearts. We'll all go to him sooner or later and it's best that we don't meet him with an empty heart.

***Wonderfully Made by God

        I felt a little tired, so I went to bed to rest a little bit. I turned on the radio and the light jazz that came out was relaxing. Things were OK for the moment. You can add drinking some good wine, having a good sex life, traveling to visit all the beautiful places around the world . . . but I instantly knew that all such things could never completely satisfy us. Living like that forever may be better than living in hell, but something is missing. And it's clear that something is the Lord God. Only in heaven shall we be completely satisfied when we'll be with him forever—God has made us for himself.

***Sign You're Ready for Jesus' Coming

        Today is the first Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 24, Jesus told his disciples to be prepared always, for he will come at an hour unknown to us. Of course, for those who are not prepared, he will always come at an unexpected hour. But if you long for the Lord, you are definitely ready for his coming at any time.

****Super Climax for the Faithful*

        All true Christians have this to look forward to. They are going to return to the Father who created them out of love to live with him in his house forever. This is the Father they have never seen, but now they are going to inherit everything he has for them. There can be no climax more exciting and joyful than that.

*****Breaking Free from the World

        When we don't have Christ, we have the whole world to us. This is the situation the worldlings are in. Once you gain the Lord, you lose the whole world as it no longer tastes good and becomes even repugnant to you. Now the world rejects you for having rejected it. This is a warning I am giving you, so you can be prepared should you decide to go all the way with Christ. Gaining the Lord is truly the only thing that makes life worth living. Knowing that you are losing the world shows that it can no longer hold you as its prisoner and you are on your way to eternal freedom. Hallelujah! 

***Tragic Misunderstanding

      I have mentioned in the past that many Protestant preachers don't consider Catholics to be Christians. They even believe that all Catholics are headed for hell. This is a big tragic misunderstanding. I came across this video today which I believe can clear things up a bit.   

**Dumb, Radical Questions

        Today's radicals and ultra-leftists have no answer to why they believe in what they believe in. This is also a tragedy. Here you see Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life, fend off some of the dumb, radical questions.

**A Tragedy

        It is tragic to see people, even Christians, who do not truly know Christ. They are still immersed in seeking fun in the world. As a result, their children are like that too. One day, they'll be rudely awakened to see the truth. It'd be so much better to see the truth now than later.

**God Remembers Our Sins

         We sin and try not to face the fact or try to forget it, but God the Father remembers every sin we've ever committed against him—there is just no escape. So it's best for us to repent of every sin right after we are aware of it and ask the Father to make us holier. This is the process for us to continue until the day we die. But if you can attain union with God thru the Holy Eucharist, you can become a saint. 

**Joyless Living

        Christ has already redeemed us from sin! If you don't feel any great joy in living, then you must be ignorant of this momentous fact or spiritually somewhat dead.

**Proper Attitude Toward Suffering

        Again, on this Friday I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Thinking about the amount of horrendous suffering Jesus had undergone so that we might be saved forever, we really should be willing to carry our relatively tiny crosses daily with great joy.

**Preparation for Entering Heaven

        There can be no total surrendering to God if we do not "erase" ourselves first. God can only increase if we decrease. Our goal is to decrease to nothing so that God may occupy all of us. This is the best preparation for us prior to entering heaven.  

**How to Change People

         Only God can change people. We can only pray for them and try leading them to God with love. Each of us will have to answer to God alone. 

**Christian Confidence & Optimism

        One who has strong faith in God is confident in him. He knows that he is in charge and will always prevail over all things. This is why a faithful Christian is always optimistic and filled with hope.

**Least We Can Do (Precondition of Discipleship)

         Christ has undergone so much suffering to save us. We can never match him out of gratitude in return for he's done for us. The least we can do is to welcome whatever suffering he sends our way. 

****Inspiring Saint

        Reading about Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi has been inspiring. She truly served God selflessly. We all choose to serve God the way that suits us, but Anna-Maria totally disregarded her own will and did what the Lord wanted her to do, no matter how difficult or unpleasant it might be. As a mother and wife, she had to deal with her husband who's a good man but could be rough at times, and also her mother-in-law who liked to gossip. She catechized all her many own children. Quite a number of them died later before she did. Those who survived came to her with their own family to stay with her when they had nowhere to go. She then let them have her place and moved to an inferior place herself. Because of her God-given gifts of knowing the future, reading souls, and even performing miracles, the poor, the great of the world, and the princes of the Church all came to her for advice ad help. She welcomed them all and refused all personal favors offered to her. She never complained and worked hard to make ends meet, besides suffering for God as a victim soul. It's always God's will be done first. There's so much to admire and to learn from her. Praised be God!  

**Making Humility Enjoyable

        As you live you life for Christ in secret, you also offer up all your sufferings to him in secret. This males humility most enjoyable. 

***My Great Consolation

         Living in Christ is a great joy, but living thus in a secular world, you experience the great sorrow of division between you and most of the world, even among your own family members or friends. During consecration of the bread and wine at Mass this morning, I just knew that Christ is my great consolation, the only consolation I need to overcome all sorrows.

**Life Is All About . . .

preparing for our final judgment.         

****What God Desires the Most*

        I am not quite halfway through reading the book Wife, Mother & Mystic about Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi. The Lord taught this saint many things. He advised her that spiritual profit consists not in penance nor frequent visitation of the Sacraments, not even in remaining in sorrow for sin, but in uniting her will with his. Renouncing our will in all things to follow the Lord is even more pleasing to him than a whole year of penances. This message impressed me very much. Indeed, obedience to God will please him the most and take care of all of what we should do for him.

***Only One Thing Critical

        Last thought after morning Mass ended. There are really thousands or more things going on around me in my life in this world at any moment, but nothing can be considered critical to us except for one thing, and that is, not bering aware that Jesus Christ is our Lord, our God, and our only Savior.

**Yet Another Joy

         That we can become like God when we submit ourselves to him and let him transform us.

*Instant Communication

        Another joy came to me again. It's realizing that I can connect with my Lord and God instantly from my heart. It's faster than the speed of light.

**How God Serves Us

        When I say that the Lord God serves me, I mean that that he guides me, motivates me, strengthens me, and makes whatever he want me to do easy. I could say that he really does everything for me. Without him, I'd be laboring in vain.

***Happy Tears to Shed***

        If you realize that you are a sinner and have offended God, and you break down and cried, those would have to be your most blessed tears. How I wish we'd all experience that. Crying from the heart is what we need to realize our miserable states and God's great mercy. To be humble enough to repent of your wrongdoings is one of the most exhilarating and liberating feelings you can possibly have, as that makes the whole heaven rejoice! Yes, all those in heaven root for you! It is certain that whatever joy you give to God will always come right back to you.

***An Unbelievably Beautiful Thing*

        After my last post, I realize that when God has given all of himself to us and we now give all of ourselves to him, it is a most beautiful thing! We and God are now united as one! No more rebellion from us, no more sinning; only perfect harmony and peace exist between God and us. We are now heaven bound, on my last leg of return to our Father and creator. Bon voyage to all who are traveling on such a unique journey!

**Proper & Profitable Giving of Ourselves

        Today is the Memorial of the The Presentation of the Virgin Mary. Here's the Gospel reading from Luke 21: Jesus saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two mall coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." We should give all of ourselves to God because he has already given all of himself to us. By so doing, we show our love for the Lord and will be rewarded with eternal life.

**God Beyond Comprehension (for Now)

        My first feeling this morning before Mass began: We cannot possibly comprehend how great, how beautiful, how magnificent God is until the day we see him face to face. And this is the day we should all look forward to.

***No Ego → True Freedom***

        Sometimes I say something that seems to be innocent or even amusing, then I realized that I was basically being unkind, and I regretted it. Because of the presence of our ego, it is difficult to suppress our proud feelings. Even if we do receive many favors and joys from God, a truly humble person would not reveal it to anyone. To live secretly in the Lord alone, not for the world to know, is the way to go. This is the beginning of true freedom.

****Becoming Immortal!*

        Communion experience. At this heavenly banquet, I receive the food of immortality! I rejoice that the Lord has included me in his banquet guest list.

*****Most Amazing Lord*****

        Today is The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The Lord is much more than just a King to me—he is also my God, my creator, my Savior, my liberator, my best friend, my soulmate, my confidant, my brother, my companion, my consoler, and even my most meek and humble servant. And most amazing of all, he is invisible to me, yet I know him so much better that anyone else I see and know, for he directly speaks to my heart and heals my soul—he makes me anew. This Lord is definitely the one to worship, to adore, to love, and to live and die for!

***End Times Chaos

         There have been alleged messages from heaven warning us that we are heading toward a one-world religion, and I just read in the news that Pope Francis has met with all the world religious leaders at Mt. Sinai, together putting forth a set of new Ten Commandments for climate justice. Also in the news is that in Listowel, Ireland, when a Catholic priest in his homily let it be known that promoting abortion, sex between two men or two women, and transgenderism are all sinful, exactly what the Church teaches, a number of parishioners couldn't take it and walked out, accusing the priest of lacking compassion. Later the Bishop had to apologize for the priest and say that the priest's views were not Christian. Trying to save souls is not not being compassionate nor Christian? This would put our Lord in that category. Satan has certainly captured a large part of the world. Another video shows a prominent Protestant pastor telling the congregation that all Catholics are heading for hell. True that evil has infiltrated the Church, but those who criticize the Church don't realize that the Church holding all the truths is no guarantee that all her members are saints. They should look at themselves first before judging others. Anyway, this is nothing new and it's almost impossible to make such people see the truth. With so much confusion and conflicts going on, we are certainly in or near end times. I am just holding onto Christ, the Holy Eucharist, and my Catholic faith and nothing'll be able to disturb me.   

**Christ Makes It Easy for Us*

         Christ has already undergone his Passion for our sake. All he now asks of us is to believe and trust in him and be willing to take up our little cross and follow him. With his help, all that can become almost effortless and even joyful. We've got it made!

**Heaven No Longer a Dream

        People dream that there is a heaven or about being in heaven. Of course, when you believe in Christ, that dream becomes a reality, and you simply wait for the day you go to him in peace. 

****Best and Only Way to Glorify God

        Since God is infinite and we are finite and can never outdo God in any way, our proper role to to be obedient to him. By doing his will always, we glorify him best and shall be richly rewarded by him.

***Understanding God Clearly

        Our heavenly Father loves us and never wishes to condemn us. He sent his only Son to us exclusively to save us from sin. Any fear of him is unjustified unless we deliberately offend him. So, if we get condemned, it's by our own choice. 

*****Image of the Invisible God*****

        I have posted quite a number of times about the Shroud of Turin. You can find two videos on the Shroud listed under Good Websites, Blogs, Videos . . . in the right sidebar of each blog page. Here's another video I just came across and watched. While the others show more scientific facts, this one was done more from the heart and is quite beautiful. I watched it and was almost moved to tears. My faith deepened even more, as I was filled with unspeakable joy. I pray that you will also be enlightened by the presentation.  

***Focusing on God's Will Only

        Today I prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The second one is The Visitation—Mary, newly pregnant with Jesus, travels to Judah in the hills to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is in her 7th month with John the Baptist. As I meditate on this mystery, I start feeling sorry for Mary. The journey couldn't have been an easy one and she's making it while she's pregnant. Then I realize that this thought is all mine and not from God. I love Mother Mary, but I also know that she always does the Father's will joyfully and would not ever feel sorry for herself. After all, it's a Joyful Mystery. So we lapse into our thinking and let our feelings take over easily, whereas we should always focus upon the Father's will instead.

**Prayer Priority

        If you pray for someone who is ill, pray for his or her soul first, then the illness. For the soul is infinitely more important than physical health.  

*****Key to Receiving Blessings from God*****

        God's blessings are all right before you and they can all be yours. How do you receive them? Simple—just be receptive! That is, you open yourself up to the Lord. This is the key! It is also what we struggle with all our lives. Of course, if you don't believe in or even turn to him, what can you expect? Know that God is always open and is waiting for a change of your heart. Viewing this as a game, you could say that win or lose, it depends entirely upon how you decide.

**Can't Be Any Closer to God*

        Communion experience. After receiving the Lord, I felt that I had entered the holy of holies. 

***Lamenting the World

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 19, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, for he foresaw the coming devastation of the city. Many cities in our world are being destroyed too. The war in Ukraine has already wiped out many towns and villages. For the rest of the world, the buildings may still be standing, but the moral decay and godlessness of the society is ruining many souls. This is much more serious than losing properties and material possessions in a war or natural disaster. The time is fitting for us to lament the inhabitants of all our cities. We need God's mercy more than ever.

***Indispensable Lord***

        From today's first reading from Revelation 5, we learned that "The Lamb that was slain purchased us for God with his Blood from every tribe and tongue, people and nation." So Christ died for us to redeem us from sin! If you know that you are a sinner, this has to be a huge deal, not something to be dismissed outright. It means Christ is absolutely indispensable to our ultimate survival! Let this post be another urgent reminder to all.

****Most Remarkable Lord*

        Today's entrance antiphon from Matthew 25: Come, you blessed of my Father, says the Lord: I was sick and you visited me. Amen, I say to you: Whatever you did for one of the least of my brethren, you did it for me. Jesus identities himself with the least of us. It just shows how humble, meek, and loving he is. Every one of us matters to him. Blessed are we who have such a remarkable Lord! 

**Better Way to Know God

        It's more blessed to want to know God interiorly than to wish to experience him physically through our senses.

*****Great Stupidity*****

         Rejecting the God of Christ who created us and loves us for all eternity! (It's also a most heartless act.)

***Letting the Holy Spirit Fill You***

        Catholics seek the Holy Spirit. The best time to experience the Spirit is right after we receive the Holy Eucharist. We open up completely to God to let the Spirit take over. When we feel great love for the Lord and all our fears and anxieties gone, we know that the Holy Spirit has filled us.  

*****God's Wonderful and Powerful Love

        Communion experience. I sensed God's greatest possible love for us! If you let this love permeate all of you to the core, it will bring about the greatest possible transformation of you and you'll feel so good that you won't ever want to revert to your old ways one iota anymore! (The Lord God has already put everything that's best for us on the table. It remains for us to go to that table to pick up what's been offered to us free by him.) 

***Do You Know That . . .

starting right now you can get to know God and obtain your entry permit into heaven? If you wait too long, you can miss this truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

***God to Be Worshipped and Loved

         That the Lord God is almighty and infinite alone makes him worthy to be worshipped by us. The fact that he also loves us to death makes him deserve all our love for him.   

***Spiritual Growth to Remain Spirited***

        It's not good enough to repent every time you've sinned, and then keep on sinning and repenting. You must realize that you as a sinner need God's mercy and salvation and seek to become holy like him. Then you'll reach the point you no longer sin and repent ad infinitum. Spiritual growth must not remain stagnant; it has to be alive and dynamic like the mustard seed growing into a gigantic tree. We want to grow in God to become like him as much as possible before we see him.

***Joys Overcome All Sorrows

        Communion experience. The Spirit of the Lord uplifts my spirit so much that all my sorrows are overcome. Psalm 23 enters my mind. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me. You set a table before me in front of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days." (The LORD is all mine forever!)

***What to Be Afraid Of

        In this life we are afraid of many things that might come, such as volcanic eruptions, an economic collapse, a third world war, etc. There is one thing we ought to be truly concerned about is our last day on earth, a day that's surely to arrive. If we live wrongly, we can end up in hell for all eternity. But if we see things right, we needn't be afraid of it at all, as God's most ardent wish is that we all go to heaven; and if we obey him, we'll get there. (Faith makes all things simple and easy.) 

***Endearing Invitation***

        Also in today's reading 1 from Revelation 3, John wrote what the Lord wanted the Church of Laodicea to know. In it he said, "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." How can one who's not self-centered possibly refuse such an endearing invitation?

***Totally Trustworthy

        Jesus' promises to us are rock solid. In today's first reading from Revelation 3, the Lord had a message for the Church of Sardis. He knew that there were a few people in Sardis who had not soiled their garments and would walk with him. And he said that he would never erase their names from the book of life but will acknowledge them in the presence of his Father and of his angels. The God of Christ is the one we can absolutely trust with complete confidence. There is not another one who can deliver like that.

**What Does the World Have to Offer?*

        I've been away from home the last eight days, so I haven't been able to blog as much. Yesterday I got back home after a long ten-hour drive. On the way I saw the many billboards and signs along the highways and roads, luring travelers to stop for good food, rest, fun, and entertainment. I asked myself, "Is this all the world has to offer—temporary gratification?" Then I saw that what God can offer us is so such more superior and satisfying—eternal contentment. 

***Secret of Remaining in Peace***

        Do everything for God, then if you run into difficulties, it becomes his problem and he'll solve it with and for you, and you'll have nothing to complain about and remain in peace. 

***The Shock to Avoid (a Warning)*

        We need to be vigilant and prepared at all times. Otherwise, when the Lord strikes, for you it will always be at an unexpected time—this is the shock you must avoid at all costs if you are wise.  

***Warning from the LORD

        Today's first reading from Malachi 3 is most appropriate for us to hear in these trying times: "Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays."

***God Our Ultimate Divider

        God being our Lord and God is our supreme model, our standard, and our judge. Therefore, it comes down to whether we are with him or against him, obedient or disobedient to him. Fortunately for us, his great mercy has also provided us with a way of being saved in the end if we listen to him. Meanwhile, we are simply divided along the line that separates those who accept his love and those who rejects his love. 

**Be Worthy to Be Chosen

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow and asked, "Will not God secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily." I see that God calls us, and how he answer us will depend upon how we respond to him. If we call out to him day and night, then he will do justice for us speedily. In short, pray to the Lord unceasingly to receive the best response from him always.

** Learning from God

        God is always teaching us, so there is a lesson in everything that happens to us. But if we don't tune in to him, we learn nothing from him. 

**Sign We Are Not with God

        We are always with our thoughts. If we don't think about God, we are not with God. 

**Sign You Belong to God

        You have no hesitation leaving all things behind and going to God.

**Wise Thing to Do

        Live for the Lord right now, for your next hour may be your last on earth. 

***Christ My Consoler

        I was breast-fed by a woman after I was born for many months. I don't remember much about my earliest years except for the moment I realized that she's going to leave me, and I cried. That was the first big sorrow of my life. Now that I am already an old man, My soul bears great sorrows for the world only my most beloved Christ can alleviate. This draws me ever closer to him and I rejoice in that. 

***Sad Reality to Awaken To

        This is the day after midterm election with votes still being counted. At this point the leftists still seem to remain firmly leftist and the conservatives have made only small gains. Here in liberal California, sadly over 60% voted to modify the state constitution to allow for abortion. The grip Satan has on this nation is strong. Not until people realize that there is a war going on between God and Satan and start praying, things will only get worse. A polarization such as the one we have now could lead to a civil war one day All of us need to wake up to this reality or many will perish. We cannot escape the judgment of God.

**Falling Short of Loving God!

        Communion experience. I am out of town now and attended morning Mass at a new church. After receiving the Lord, I shed tears, as I realized how far we had fallen short of loving him.

***For Our Payer to Be Effective

        (1) God-centered Prayer: We acknowledge God's mercy and power and ask him to help us in all things. (2) Self-centered Prayer: We acknowledge our rebellious nature and submit ourselves to him. Both are essential. The reality is that we often forget 2. As a result, 1 becomes ineffective. We need to meet God all the way for us to receive his full power. 

***No Longer Questioning God***

        When you trust in God completely, you are no longer concerned about anything else but his will.        

*No Vacuous Imagination

        I used to look at the distant mountains in beautiful colors or the azure sky thru an opening of a group of clouds and imagine that I could fly straight toward them and arrive at a fantastic world beyond or on the other side. But now I know for sure that by following Christ, I'll end up in a real paradise upon leaving this world.

**Worldly Pleasure vs. Heavenly Joy

        Any mundane pleasure you derive from giving in to temptation is alway short-lived and will cause you to regret later, but the joy you receive from God penetrates your heart and soul and will last forever.

*Fanfare or No Fanfare*

        We came into the world without much fanfare, let's leave the world that way too. Once we arrive at our permanent home in heaven, it'd be appropriate to have all the fanfare you want. Then again, we'll leave it to the Father.  

***Spiritual Progress

        If you are no longer bothered by the evils of the world, but go even deeper into the Lord, you have reached a higher spiritual level. 

*****Only Miracle We Need to See*****

        We all hope to witness miracles so that we might believe in God more. Miracles to us are things that are not normal nor natural. But what's normal and natural? When we came into the world, we see things God had already created for us on earth, and we accepted them as normal and natural. But miracles to us or not, they are all made by God. So to him, they are all normal and natural. In a way, all God's creations are miraculous. Look at our body, it's a miracle! The trees grow, the birds sing, the sun provides light and heat . . . miracles abound! We humans tried so hard and finally came up with something like the smartphone, but compared to the eye God has created for us, it's absolutely nothing! Anyway, the greatest miracle of all has to be Christ the Lord, who came down from heaven to save us. You don't need to seek another one. He is brighter than the shining sun—if you don't see it, you are blind. 

*****Ideal Journey to God

        When you open up completely to the God of Christ, you enter his infinite space and experience great freedom. From then on, things just get better and better until you return to your Father in heaven to dwell in his house forever. 

***Our Biggest Obligation***

        It is clearly "To obey God, to do his will." This will not only bring instant peace to this world, but also send all of us to heaven in our next life!  Just imagine.     

**Trustworthy to God?

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16, after telling the parable of the dishonest steward to his disciples, Jesus said to them, "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." It is clear that the Lord demands that we be thoroughly honest in all matters. A good test question to ask ourselves: "Am I honest enough to be trustworthy to God?"

***Most Beautiful Relationship*

        Thoughts before Mass began this morning. We can abandon ourselves to God totally. Give all of ourselves to him, literally hearts and soul. We let the Lord do whatever he wants with us and receive all the blessings from him. And we become completely carefree. Such a beautiful relationship with God! Just thinking about it gives one joy! 

**Being Super Smart

         If you are not a faithful Christian yet, it has to be that you just don't believe in Christ or that you are putting off believing in him fully. In the first case, you have a good reason, albeit a sad one. In the second case, your decision is not a smart one. If you know you are going to meet the Lord anyway, postponing making your commitment simply wastes your limited available time. Should the nonbeliever decide to convert, he'll be ahead of you. Believing in the Lord so that you may be saved for eternity is something you must take advantage of without delay. This is to be realistic and super smart.

^**How to Hear the Lord Speak*

        It's all done in silence. First, you remain silent and still. Then you listen for his voice speaking to your heart silently.     

**Most Important Reality**

        To not think or talk about God is to ignore the most important reality, for you owe him for your very existence right now. 

**Intelligence, a Common Sense Choice*

        In scriptures, we learn what makes you wise and what makes you foolish. So we choose to be smart or to be dumb before the Lord. Obviously, if you were smart, you'd choose to go along with him, and if not, you go against him. 

***To Live Openly and Secretly

        This is the ideal way of following the Lord God—you live with your heart completely open to him and live secretly in him for him alone. (And God will reward you in secret too.)       

**True Ideal Way of Livijng

        We all try to live our lives the way we want, then things never quite work out that way and we feel that our dream of living an ideal life is just a dream. I'd been thru all that and now know that Christ can take care of this. Whatever we lack and can't achieve, he can provide in a far superior way. It may not be your ideal way, but letting him have his way will get you to enjoy freedom, peace, and perfect contentment. There's just not another way to equal it. His way is the true ideal way for us, not to mention the fantastic reward you'll receive at the end. I recommend that to you with all my heart.

**The Knowing-God Difference

        People who are afraid of facing God also have difficulty accepting all the problems in life. Those who have already given themselves to God are ready to meet any challenge coming their way, knowing that God is with them.        

**Spreading Joy in Heaven

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance." We who repent to God regularly should rejoice that not only God forgives our sins, but also we cause great joy in heaven. Spreading joy itself is a joy. 

***Our Only Gain

        In today's first reading from Philippians 3, Paul wrote, "But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ." Only the Lord is absolute; everything else is relative. Once you know him, everything else pales by comparison. If he is a spoiler, it is for your own good. Pity those who are deeply entrenched in the world, for they do not know him yet. The Lord alone is supreme.

**How God Has Affected Me

        I used to be restless. Then I found Christ and now experience profound peace. Spiritually, the Lord has completely satisfied me. I only long for him, for he has deeply touched my soul and I belong to him now.

***All for Him for Us*

        One reason I pray to God is to show my obedience to him. The Lord deserved all the support we can give him. And he needs it so that he in turn may help us more.

**Answer to Our Desire

        We all want to live happily ever after and Jesus can actually fulfill this desire of ours by granting us eternal life! 

**To Live in Christ Is . . .

to live for him alone, known only to him and yourself.

**Letting the Saints Bless Us

        As it's All Saints day today, I am asking all the saints to bless me and pray for me and the world. Why not? They are one with us in union with the Lord and will be happy to intercede for us in glorifying God. Take advantage of all the extra help you can get to make your job easier and even more rewarding in serving the Lord. 

**Letting Joy Reign!

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, we heard the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus gave us the Beatitudes and said at the end, "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." Faithful Christians should realize that there will be so much glory coming to them greater than they can possibly imagine and start to rejoice and be glad right now, no matter how dark the world seems.  

**Something to Look Forward To

        Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. In the second reading from 1 John 3, the Apostle wrote, "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Of course, we look forward to going to heaven. The other thing we can really look forward to is that we shall be like God!

**Praying Hard Needed

        The world is falling apart, but I know in the end it'll be all straightened out by God. In the meantime, we must pray hard and unceasingly so that it may turn around. This is the right thing to do, for if everyone prays to God like that, we'll have instant peace and order. If you do not pray hard, you obstruct the Lord.

***God in Charge

        I am open to the Lord everyday. On some days I receive as many as ten thoughts or more to blog. On other days, maybe just two, three, or four. Yesterday I received none. This shows clearly that the Lord is in charge. He gives and take away as he pleases. It makes me trust in him even more.