***Beautiful Happening***

        When you accept God's love for you, you become a humble, selfless person. Let's not overlook this fact. It is a beautiful happening, as wonderful as a miracle.

**How God Makes You Beautiful

        Communion experience. He first heals your soul. Then he transforms you to become like him. Now you are beautiful. 

**Supporting Jesus

        Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. It's worth noting that Mary supported Jesus as her Son and Lord, and we support him as our Lord. So spiritually, we can be as close to Christ as Mary is. Something to rejoice about.

***Holy Beggar

         This is one who trusts in the Lord fully and begs for his mercy and blessings on himself and the whole world. This is someone to look up to.

****Amazing Intimate Relationship****

        I'd like to emphasize again that we need to be wide open to the Lord God. This means that we be 100% honest with him, sharing everything with him, our joys, our sorrows, our wishes and desires, even our doubts, complaints, hangups, secrets we wouldn't share with another human being . . . all kinds of problems. Believe me, if you can be this open with God, you'll develop an amazing, most intimate and life-changing relationship with the Lord God!  

**Power of Prayer*

        Know that every good prayer said straight from your heart blesses and sanctifies you! So pray unceasingly for God's great glory.

***Matter of Faith***

        If you are not happy about yourself, let God remake you! If you don't believe that he can make you happy, then you'll remain unhappy. On the other hand, if you believe that he can make you perfect and happy, then nothing will be able to stop that from happening! You see, it all depends upon whether you believe in him or not.

***See All the Good Things

        The world is in a mess caused by sins, but think of all the good things God has done and still does for us! The list is endlessly long. He sustains us so that we remain alive. He gives us so many things in the world to enjoy. He is ever ready to hear our troubles and offer his help, and to console us when we are sorrowful. He heals us when we are wounded internally and turn to him. His love for us in boundless. And he has paved the way for us to get to heaven. This last alone is enough for us to rejoice and become carefree!

**Persecutions Leading to Eternal Life

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus said to Peter, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come." Give up everything for Jesus' sake and we'll receive a lot more with persecutions, and finally eternal life. Suffering for Christ for a little while longer now is definitely worth it, for we shall soon be rewarded with living happily forever!

**What's Truly Meaningful and Satisfying

        I probably could show my talent in some way and earn some oohs and aahs from some people. But that would only puff up my ego—no real joy here. Making a lot of money or becoming famous can never make us truly happy either. Doing God's will in secret is the only thing that's both meaning and satisfying to the soul. Of course, God's will is to save all of us from sin so that we may get into heaven. So this is what we should aim for: spreading the good news to catch others for the Lord.

***Confidence in the LORD***

        The Apostles and all the great saints in heaven seem to be so close to God. What about us? Well, the Lord God is separated from us neither by time nor by distance. When we remain in the Lord, we are as close to him as all those in heaven with him. Union with God is union with God, and we are accessible to all his wisdom and power. Besides, the Holy Spirit has been given to us. We can be absolutely confident in the Lord and his love. Nothing can possibly stop us from doing his will! 

**Good Heart w/o Humility Is Not Good

        If you have a good heart, you are a good candidate for the Lord God to make you perfect. But pity those who don't allow that to happen because of pride.    

***Believing Before Seeing

        John 20.29: Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." If you wait too long unbelieving, you may miss the boat altogether. Times now are more urgent than ever. For me, to be unprepared when the unexpected can happen at any time is being foolish to the extreme, whereas believing without seeing is being most wise. This is having faith in God that means much to him.  

*****Possessing the Lord Instantly*****

        We try to get close to God to know him via various avenues. Again, I'd like to remind all that the best way is the most direct way. Without any fanfare, you simply turn to the Lord with a wipe open heart. and you are connected with him who's been waiting for this moment all along! Better yet, attain union with him thru the Holy Eucharist and he dwells within you at all times—you don't even have to reach out. Now you and he remain in each other, no more looking for each other ever! 

**Reasons for Wanting to Go to Heaven*

        The main reason: It is God's will that we go there. He even died for us to make sure we can get there. The second reason: We ourselves want to be happy forever after we leave the earth. I have a third reason. You see, as a finite being on earth, it's impossible for us to become as perfect as we'd like to. True the Lord God can transform us, but sometimes involuntary disruptive thoughts still arise from the human psyche so long as we still have our physical body and a subconscious mind. I believe that in heaven the Lord will be able to completely purify and renew us so that we may enjoy him in perfect peace.

**No Christ, No Me

        Communion experience. I cannot possibly survive without Christ. He not only created me, but also is the only one who truly loves me. 

***Most Loving & Generous Father***

        Today, I ask the Lord to bless me to the max. And I also ask all the saints and good angels to pray for and watch over me. Thru the same Lord, they are all most endearing to me. I know that the LORD will not refuse me. How can the most loving Father refuse any of us for asking for things that are best for us?

***Only One Thing We Need to Do

        In today's Gospel reading from John 21, when Peter saw John and asked Jesus about him, Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me." It's clear that the Lord wants us to follow him and not be nosy or comparing ourselves with others. Focus on serving the LORD alone and we'll have peace. 

***God's Judgment

        God's judgment on us will be strict, but also most lenient. We can be sure that it'll always be fair and justified, for he knows us through and through. 

*****THE Way to Exist*****

        Communion experience. Falling in love with someone is a most happy feeling. When that someone happens to be God who loves you the most, that feeling becomes pure joy! On top of all, you now get to go to heaven for all eternity! There is not another way you can exist with such satisfaction and fulfillment.

**Cause of Great Joy

        Again on this Friday I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. I felt the greatest possible joy when I realized that God offered himself up for me.

***Love 'Calls for Response

        In today's Gospel reading from John 21, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples and ate breakfast with them. He asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then asked Simon Peter the same question a second time. Simon Peter gave him the same answer as before. He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He now asked him the same question a third time and Peter again affirmed his love for him. Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep." What I see here is that the more we love God, the more we are called to serve him. This is the process that leads to total trust and abandonment in God.

**Most Special Calling

        Communion experience. We who follow Christ were first chosen by God the Father and given to his Son and our Lord, to keep. And none of us should be lost (John 17). Imagine how special we are and the benefits we're going to reap!

**How to Sense God

        Even if you visually see and audibly hear God, it doesn't mean that you now know him. You can know him only through the innermost of your heart. So solitude is needed. It's in the stillness of the heart that you sense God's presence. (In union with God, you do sense his dwelling within you at all times.)

****Our Greatest Influencer

        Being good or bad does affect others. If you are a good example, people will be impressed and inspired by you. So I advocate that we all go straight to Jesus Christ, for he is the perfect example of love. Let him impress and inspire us and we can become like him. In this case, he also has the power to make it happen effortlessly for us! He is the greatest influencer we can possibly have.    

**God Always Speaking to Us

        Volcanos are erupting all around the world. The current ones in Italy, Indonesia, and Mexico are particularly alarming, for they can potentially affect hundreds of thousands of people. Of course, you can say volcanos have always been around, but I see all such happenings as God warning us and calling us to return to him. God is always speaking to us through various means. For the faithful who already believe in him, no sign is necessary. But if you still don't believe and can shrug off volcano eruptions, hurricanes, tsunamis and the like, then most likely you are not going to succumb to the LORD easily.

**God's Special Peace

        Communion experience. You know that the peace you receive can only be given by the Lord, the one who knows you heart and soul. It is that special.

**Outstanding Difference

        On earth, we all are just passing through until life ends, but the Christians also see themselves on a pilgrimage to their eternal home in heaven. This is the outstanding difference.

**Loving God Makes You Lovely

        As Christians, we must love everyone as ourselves. But you can't help noticing that those who love God dearly are extra lovely. 

**Being One with God*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 17, Jesus prayed for those whom the Father gave him out of the world that they might be one just as he and the Father are one. To choose to be on God's side is not good enough, we need to be one in the Lord. And there is no better way to attain union with God than through the Holy Eucharist.

***Enjoy the Lord Now

         God is infinite. His love for us is infinite. He'll draw you as close to him as you'll allow him. There is no limit to how much you can let him love you and how much you can love him. Start enjoying him every moment every day now when you are alive on this earth.

***Secret of Success*****

        A big responsibility comes with accepting God's blessings. We must now live up to his expectations. This becomes easy when we let him make it happen. The Lord demands and gives. Follow him and we'll always succeed. You want to get to heaven? Listen to and obey him and it's done! You want to become a saint? Just as easy. If you don't know that God can be so amazing, you should get to know him better first.

**Ego Existence

         When you are still aware of your ego, you still have it. 

***Do Not Burden God

        God carries each one of us. Of course, many don't want God to carry them, not realizing that he still sustains their every breath and heartbeat. For us who know that we are totally dependent upon the Lord, we must make sure that we do not burden him. Obey him always and we become his delight.

***Communion Benefits*****

        I received the LORD, entered his infinite space, and experienced infinite freedom in him. And I gained access to all the power I needed to live a triumphant life!

*****Our Only Way Out

        We are surely living in evil times. So many godless and lawless acts are being carried out by so many people. Three days ago, three of the locked metal mailboxes (one of which was mine) outside my house were pried open by force. Of course, this kind of crime, though serious, is nothing compared to say corruption at various levels of a government or legalizing abortion. Recently, I read some history of the Church and learned that she had certainly gone thru troubled times. The Church had faced persecution, attacks from within and without, and dealt with heresies and schisms. Today you can add corruption and immorality to the list. Then in today's Gospel reading from John 16, we hear Jesus say to his disciples, "Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone." Of course, we know Jesus was going to be arrested, scourged, mocked, and nailed to a cross. Can any act be more godless and lawless? I don't think so. So whether it's two thousand years ago or now, sins have always been around. You can't really say that one time is better than another. To follow Christ is the only answer, regardless of the time you are in. Only by living in him can we be freed from sin and disassociated from the world we live in. I sincerely hope that everyone will see that this is the only way out for us.

****Opportunity for Surrendering to God

        When we pray to God, especially in making supplications, we need to submit ourselves to God interiorly first. Can you imagine that we ask God for favors, but haven't yielded ourselves totally to his will yet? Many prayers such as the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet Catholics say are repetitive in nature. Here I see an excellent opportunity to surrender your will to God each time you say the same prayer. This can really help you achieve union with God through the Holy Eucharist.

****Life Made Meaningful!

        I am so glad that the Lord has made life meaningful to me in this way. Every one of us will appear before him to bring his or her existence to a conclusion. We'll receive either punishment or reward, exactly what we deserve on that day. It's a one-way journey with no turning back. The only time we can change things ahead is the time we have now on earth. After that it'll be all up to the Lord. This may sound somewhat pessimistic, but as long as you are still on earth, bright hope is ever present, for Christ still awaits us with boundless love.

**The World Becoming Boring*

        Once you know the LORD deeply, you'll find all the so-called fun things people enjoy in the world becoming boring. That's because by God's design they can never satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst for him. When you become attached to anything in the world, you're surely to lose your spiritual freedom. Furthermore, know that all things we enjoy in the world do pass, whereas the Lord God exists forever.

***Power of the Truth

        Be completely open to the Lord God to let him reveal whatever he wishes to you, and you'll know without a doubt that what you have received is true. The Lord God being the truth himself can only impart truths. 

***How to Get Along with God

        The Lord God means everything he says always. If we do that also, then we and God will surely get along with each other well.  

***How to Not Judge Others

        When we are totally willing to let the Lord God judge us, we stop judging others. 

***New Prayer Experience***

         I learned of some news who broke my heart. I never thought people could be this evil (demonic is the word), so oblivious of God's love for them. I feel sorry for the people these evildoers hurt, but most of all I feel sorry for the Lord who bears the brunt of all such attacks. I felt called to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to atone for our sins. I stood before the Divine Mercy image of the Lord and prayed from my heart and my soul with closed eyes, and I felt the presence of the Lord and knew he heard every word I uttered. This was a new prayer experience because I felt the Lord so close and intimate that it's almost unreal! I thoroughly enjoyed it and will never forget those seven or eight minutes I spent with him. May this be the beginning of a new phase of my walk with the Lord.

**God Tidies up and Completes Me

        Communion time thoughts. Before I know Christ, my life was like a pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces not yet put together. After I find Christ, it's like he not only puts all those pieces together, but also turns out himself to be the main piece needed to complete that puzzle. Life changes from a pile of mess to an integral beautiful picture!

***Why Spread the Gospel?

        Is this really my business as a Christian? The question is almost as basic as asking why Jesus should come to us. It's all about letting the truth be known. Genuine truth is most compelling. Christians who have been revealed the truth is so filled with joy that it'd be impossible for them not to share it with others, for God's pure love has set them free! Their most ardent desire now is to proclaim the good news to save as many souls as possible for the glory of God.

**Greatest Adventure

        The Lord is infinite. By submitting ourselves to him, we receive his peace and power. Then we go deep into him and find the experience to be most exciting with so much to explore and learn. In the process we are transformed into new, holy creatures. Knowing God has to be our most rewarding adventure.

*****How to Defend the Lord Against Evil

        We must realize that the Evil One attacks God by attacking us, for he knows that he loves us. So we need to be strong and holy. The Lord showed me that the best way to achieve that is to learn to suffer along with him. If we are not afraid of suffering for his sake, Satan just won't be able to touch us anymore. This is the secret, the breakthrough we need in defending the Lord in his warfare against the Evil One.

***Total Abandonment in God***

        This means you focus upon serving the Lord alone and not wonder about how well you are doing or how things might turn out. With ego and pride completely absent, you leave the outcome totally to the Lord. This is also how you preserve you inner peace.

***God Is Great for Us

        Whatever God does to us is always thorough and complete. When he secures my soul, it's secured forever! This is one big reason I love and trust in him. So be wise and remain with and in him always. Don't ever make him cast you out.

***Unbeatable Joy Awaits Me

    Today's entire Gospel reading, John 16:20-23: Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” I just know that one day my joy will make me forget all my past pains, for there is no joy that can beat the joy of being home with my God and Father! And this is also the joy no one can take away from me. Knowing all this alone is enough to make me rejoice right now. 

***Making the Right Choice Made Easy

        Since we have a sinful nature, what God tells us to do often goes against our grain. But we also have a good part in us that can make us obey him. So making the right choice is the crux of the matter. We can choose to remain sinners or to become saints. Let me surprise you by telling you that to become saints can be a lot easier than to remain sinners if you allow God to make it happen. For nothing is impossible with him. Try getting into heaven on your own and you'll find it impossible. Now let God do it and it's done! 

***Life Is All About . . .

 finding God, our creator and Father, so that we can get back home.         

**Most Important Learning from God*

        Communion time thoughts. Only from God can we learn and taste what pure love is like. Normally, when we love someone, our love is never that pure. So fall in love with God first, then we'll know how to love others more perfectly.

*****Essential of Christianity***** (God's Greatest Gift)

        Christianity without the Holy Eucharist is incomplete. The Church without the Holy Eucharist as the center of worship is like the Last Supper with Christ absent. The Holy Eucharist is Christ. If I don't get to receive this Most Blessed Sacrament, I lose my most intimate connection with the Lord. That the Holy Eucharist is in all Catholic churches backs up the Lord's promise to the eleven in Matthew 28:20 that he'd be with them always until the end of the world. It's through the Holy Eucharist that one may seal one's union with the Lord, and be assured of eternal life (John 6:48-58). Do not miss receiving this greatest of God's gifts in this life.

**My Sane Choice*

        Jesus knows everything about us. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, our motives, our past as well as what we plan to do. You might say he's always a step ahead of us. This is evident from the Gospel readings. Being a sane person, I know that he is the one in whom I can and must believe and trust.   

***Tragic Unawareness

        We are all unknowingly searching for God, attempting to find the meaning of life. And we'll reman restless until we find the true God, the God of Christ. The message he has already given us is loud and clear, but sadly the secular world has captivated and enslaved so many of us that they are no longer aware of their spiritual needs.

*****Our Ultimate Fulfillment

        Communion time thoughts. Isaiah 55.9: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, says the Lord, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Yet the Lord is willing to come down to us to offer himself to us via the Holy Eucharist. This is both amazing and a great joy to us. I see it as our ultimate fulfillment on earth!

***The Spirit of Truth Extolled***

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus tells his disciples that when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide them to all truth. This Spirit is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. Let me share what I know about him and some of my experiences. Like the wind you don't seen him, but you see how he has affected us. He can set our hearts aflame with God's love, a fire so intense that it purifies and refines us, yet so gentle that it never scorches us the slightest. The Holy Spirit consoles us whenever we experience sorrow for God's sake and doles out joy to delight us when we least expect it. He is the Spirit of truth that makes us see the truth and prompts us to seek union with God. He gifts us with a super-sharp conscience to keep us holy. This is the Spirit in whom you can totally abandon yourself. He is the greatest mystery and reality in one. I love and enjoy God the Spirit of truth. 

***St. Malachy's Prediction of Future Popes

         In case you you haven't heard about these prophecies, here's a video that tells you the whole story.

***Big No-No!*** (A Big Reminder)

        If you don't acknowledge that your are a sinner, you are virtually dying right now? To die in sin is no better off than committing suicide; it's in fact a serious sin in itself. So get all your sins removed by Christ now if you ever wish to live happily ever after.

***Blessed State

        Communion experience. Being totally occupied with the Lord after receiving him, all my problems seem to have vanished in the sense that they longer bother me. This is as it should be when you remain totally in him and let him remain in you. 

*****A Reason to Be Holy

      Adam and Eve's sin has affected all their children to this day. Know that every sin has its far-reaching effect on others, especially your own children which the LORD treasures. A sin that makes others sin is a far greater sin, for it can destroy more than just your own soul. All the more we need to surrender to God to become holy.

***Truly a Man of His Word

        I pray the Sorrow Mysteries of the Holy Rosary today.  In John 15:13, Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." And he demonstrated that by dying on the cross for us himself. The Lord always lives up to what he says.

**Reasons I Pray

         The reasons are many, the least of which is to pray for my own well-being. The main reasons are to be obedient to the LORD, to let his will be done on earth, to honor him, to glorify him, to please him, to show my love for him, to seek union with him, and to be holy so that I may become a most effective intercessor before him. 

****A Small Prayer Answered*

         I use drip lines to irrigate my plants. I had noticed that the lines that irrigated the trees had been dripping water continuously even when that zone wasn't turned on. The valve that controlled that zone must have been clogged or its diaphragm seal had worn out. To solve the problem meant digging underground to locate that valve, checking it out, and most likely ordering a replacement. All this would take much work and time, and in the mean time I wouldn't be able to water the trees in this hot 90+ deg F weather. So after praying for the world, the Church, my own country, the souls in purgatory, my family and friends, and myself at the end of each morning Mass, I tacked on this little prayer asking the Lord to help me solve this water problem. Today my son's regular gardener showed up to whack and pull some weeds for me and I asked him to take a look at the valves. He dug up all the dirt around them and started to hear a faint hiss, indicating that water was indeed seeping through the valve. He dug some more until we could see all the valves and the pipe connections below. All of a sudden the hissing sound stopped. We checked the drip lines and sure enough, water had stopped dripping from the holes along the lines! We had no idea how it had happened. There might be a logical explanation to it, but I didn't care. All I knew was that God definitely had something to do with it. That my prayer was answered was all that mattered. Once again, I thank the Lord from the bottom of my heart.

**Amazing Discovery*

 

        You may wish to visit the website of the host of this video to see more such videos.

**Praying for Evildoers

        We'd like God to crush all evil for us, but we should always pray for the conversion of the evildoers, not their condemnation, for the Lord loves all of us. 

**Going to God

        Communion time thoughts. I wish to go straight to the Lord after I die, not because I am concerned about going thru purgatory, but only because I look forward to going to him so much. Nevertheless, his will be done.

**One Business to Be Finished First

        As long as we live on this earth, there will always be unfinished businesses to deal with.  But with the Lord God, once you believe in and follow him, your business with him is essentially finished—remain faithful and you are assured of going to heaven. Now you just take care your other unfinished businesses if need be without any anxiety.

***Our Greatest Unifier***

        Jesus came and caused division, for not all of us believed in him. Then I also see the Lord as our greatest unifier, for it we believe in him, he breaks down all barriers between him and us to become one with all of us, forming the strongest possible bond forever!   

**Sign the Holy Spirit Dwells in You

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning." If you do have the compelling urge to testify to the Lord and spread the gospel, the Holy Spirit dwells within you! 

***Letting the Lord Raise Us

        Communion experience. Christ came to me to enter me. I must rise above myself, letting him uplift me to his level!

***Jesus' Beautiful Response***

        I feel sorry for anyone who loves to point out the faults of others, but never see their own. I'll always remember in John 8 what Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees when they brought the woman caught in adultery to him to test him by asking if they should stone her according to the law of Moses. The Lord simply answered "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." What a wise beautiful response, one we need to remember and apply to ourselves!  

***God's Infinity*****

        Our Lord God is infinite in every way. His love, mercy, and patience are all infinite. To get yourself condemned, you have to be foolish to the extreme. God's wisdom and spiritual riches are also infinite, and they are freely granted to those who love him. Today I am thinking about the consolation the LORD can give us when we are troubled—that can be infinite too. When the Lord consoles me, my soul is healed!

**Spending Our Time on Earth

        Life is short. Only time spent in doing God's will is time well spent. All time spent for our own sake is wasted, for it does not help us get to heaven. Of course, God's mercy is infinite that you can still make heaven if you repent of your sins before you die, but that's not the best way to go. Follow the Lord every moment of your life and you'll have freedom, peace, and joy on earth, and receive greater honor in heaven.

***Encountering God's Love

        Communion experience. I experience the most powerful force in the whole universe, God's LOVE for us. Receiving him is receiving his all-transforming love.

**Telling God Everything*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father." The Lords never holds back any truth from us. Do we tell him everything about ourselves? Of course, hiding anything from him is futile, for he knows everything already. To create the best relationship of trust with the Lord, we need to tell him everything about us. This is to show that we are l00% open to him and don't mind him knowing everything about us.

*****Most Merciful and Faithful

        From today's reading from Psalm 57, we heard read "I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD, I will chant your praise among the nations. For your mercy towers to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the skies." Indeed, the Lord is the most merciful and faithful of all the beings. How can we not trust in him with all our soul and with all our heart? And it is so good that we have him to trust in!

**Communion experience

        I feet that receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist is my greatest blessing!

**Heaven's Got My Back*

        That God alone backs me is good enough. Then I realize that all the angels and saints in heaven are for me too, and I become extra strong. Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

***True Ignorance*

        The world has become so godless and tumultuous that we need to return to God, repent, and become obedient most urgently. Despite that, life is so short that we can die and face God at any moment. So now is the time to jump-start your spiritual life. God awaits us, but time doesn't. Delaying facing the Lord is truly not knowing what you do.

***All God Expects from Us***

        The Lord has sacrificed his only Son to save us. What can we sacrifice for him? Knowing that he's thoroughly aware of our limitations, I believe that he'd be satisfied and pleased if we just die to ourselves, set aside our own will, and let his will be done always. 

**Our Perfect Example

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love." So let's imitate Jesus by keeping all God's commandments to remain in his love. 

*****Only One We Must Need*****

        I've been realizing many old truths again. Today I became acutely aware of our absolute dependence upon God. My every breath, every heart beat, everything I accomplish . . . they are all dependent upon the Lord alone. I would instantly cease to exist should he so wish! We need to cling to him for our existence as well as for eternal life. He is the only one we truly need most dearly! 

**Our Life's Mission

         To learn the ways of the Lord so that we can become like him.

**Close to God?

        The moment we die, we see God, so we are that close to him. But if we don't make heaven, then we are in reality not close to him at all! Seek union with God on earth and we can get really close to him in this life and even closer in the next.

***Love Continues On

        When the Lord God created us, it was a great loving act. When we strayed away from him and he sacrificed his own Son to redeem us from sin so that we may return to him in grace, it is another great loving act.

**Remain in Christ and Bear Fruit

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus asked his disciples to remain in him, as he remains in them, so that they could bear fruit. To remain in the Lord is to let his words remain in us. As for the fruit we bear, we may not necessarily see it. But as long as we obey him, we can be sure that our fruit multiplies, storing up treasures in heaven.

***God's Special Joy***

        The Lord gives us freedom and peace, but his joy is extra special—overpowering, exuberant, and intoxicating, deeply affecting our innermost. It's not caused by anything that stimulates your senses externally; it's just there bursting forth from your heart whenever the Holy Spirit chooses to touch you. It's a life-changing gift.

**Most Joyful Sound

        When you hear the priest breaking the consecrated Host, it's a most joyful sound, for the Lord is now ready to let himself be given to each of the faithful to consume. The disciples of his day knew him by the breaking of the bread.

***Solution to All Our Problems

        At Mass this morning, the first realization I had was that Christ is the solution to all our problems. Our worst problems are caused by sin. Since Christ can free us from sin, and assure us of eternal happiness, we really don't have any permanent problems anymore. Since nothing is impossible for the Lord, all problems will eventually become nothing in him. That he asked his disciples in today's reading from John 14 not to let their hearts be troubled or afraid is totally justified.

*****Through Christ Always

        Since we cannot go to the Father except through Christ, let's do everything in his name and thru him. This is how we pray and trust. Seeking to attain union with Christ thru the Holy Eucharist is the perfect approach.

***Ultimate Fulfillment and Union***

        Communion experience. No one can take me away from Christ and no one can take Christ away from me. This union is for all eternity! Belonging to Christ fulfills us completely! 

**What to Offer God

        We love God and offer our hearts to him. Perhaps it's harder to offer God our will to become obedient to him always. Nevertheless, offer all of ourselves to him. 

***Simple Truth

        Do you know that God is ever ready to love you, and all you have to do is to let him love you and you'll be freed from sin and saved forever?  

**Seeking the True God

        It amazes me that when I call out to the true God, he knows it. Should I call out to a false God, he knows it too. The Lord knows all about our intent and I am happy about that, for if I seek the true God, I can't go wrong. 

**What Do We Look Forward To?

        Without God, I used to look forward to the next vacation, the next party with friends to attend, the next football game to watch, the next chance to have some fun or relax and do nothing. With Christ, I only look forward to be with him one day forever. This expectation surpasses all others. It just shows that only God can truly satisfy us.   

***Wonderful Quiet Miracles***

         Communion time thoughts. When Jesus transforms the consecrated bread and wine into his own body and blood, it happens invisibly and quietly to us. Once we receive this heavenly gift with great reverence it starts to transform us, also invisibly and quietly. The Lord performs many wonderful miracles in this way without any fanfare. 

***Don't You See?

        The Lord created us in the first place, so going to him is going home to our Father! 

***Christ to Dive Into***

        Christ, so full of love and riches, is to be dived into with total abandonment. Inching toward him hesitantly is a waste of time. He is wipe open and if we drag our fee, that won't work out well. Go all out for him all the way—this is what he deserves and what we deserve too.

*Communion Experience

        As Jesus called his disciples his brothers, I felt that he was also treating me like a brother. I was elated, even though I felt that I must be the least of all his brothers.

***Truth Is Relevant Forever!

        Also in today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Truth is truth, whether you hear it in Thomas' days or today. It applies to us always.

***Most Endearing Lord!***

        In today's Gospel from John 14, Jesus said his disciples, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be." Such endearing words! They are a joy to hear. Such a loving Lord! 

**Perfecting Prayer Concentration

        When we pray, the mind often wanders. It needs something to focus upon. Of course, when you pray the Rosary, you can focus upon each mystery. When you pray to God, then focus intently upon the Lord. Sometime an actual image can help. What I have discovered lately is that if I try to hear and listen to every single word of my mine whether I pray aloud or in silence, the mind no longer wanders.

***Proof Christ Present in the Eucharist***

         Many Eucharistic miracles have occurred around the world. The most common phenomenon has been the Host bleeding. Not long ago, I posted about the pulsating Host that took place in Guadalajara, Mexico. My May 1 and May 4 posts show two more Eucharistic miracles that happened in U.S. and Canada. Twenty years ago, I personally met the mystic Maria Esperanza in Betania, Venezuela, and visited the nearby city Los Teques to see the miraculous bleeding Host that's kept in a convent there. One pilgrim named Daniel Sanford from New Jersey actually saw the Host on fire. Here's his testimony: "After the end of the celebration, the priest opened the door of the Tabernacle which contained the Host of the Miracle. With great amazement I saw that the Host was burning, and there was a Beating Heart that was bleeding in the center of it. I saw it for about 30 seconds, then the Host returned to normal. I was able to film part of this miracle with my video camera." I contacted him and did obtain a copy of his video. You can read about Maria Esperanza and this miraculous Host here. When Jesus took the bread and said "This is my body" and took the chalice and said "This is my blood" at the Last Super, he really meant it.

***Glowing Eucharistic Host***

**Power of Transformatin

        Communion experience. I accept the Lord and treasure him, and know that he's going to transform me.

***Best Response to God

        Since it's impossible for me to match what God has done for me, I just gratefully accept it with all my heart. Accepting our heavenly Father's love and becoming obedient to him is all he expects from us. 

**Journey to Freedom*

        What is he key to freedom? Of course, the best answer is total abandonment to God or total trust in God. But specifically, there's another small key that can really help, that is, forgiving others always. The makes a good start before you to reach total abandonment. 

****Taking Care of God First

        We deal with problems in life constantly. Right now, I face an internet problem. After I improved the network, my printer stopped working. And the irrigation control unit for watering the yards is giving me trouble. I see people dealing with all kinds of problems nonstop. It becomes all the more important to take care of God first. We absolutely need to spend time communicating with the Lord daily, For me, going to Mass to receive him daily is essential. Without God, everything in life can easily fall apart. By the way, when I thought of all the problems before Mass started at church this morning, I felt the Lord asking me what if I were going to die today, would I still let those problems bother me? This is good to remember.

***Letting Sins Make You Holy

         Use sins to your advantage. Every time you sin, repent and ask the Lord to take it away. Then be determined not to sin again. Think of your sins as stepping stones that you lead you to God. The farther you travel, the faster you go as you let the Lord make the journey easier for you. All in all, a most exciting journey. It's fitting to make the last part of your life the best part.

**Be Clean and Kind

        People usually remember bad news more than good news. So do not tell any dirty joke to anyone, for it can stay with the listener all his life. I wouldn't tease anyone harshly either. It may be fun for you, but it can hurt a sensitive soul.

***Love Most Attractive

        The more you remain in the Lord, you more you want to remain in him. Such is the drawing power of love.

***Christ Is Real!

        Communion time feeling. Christ became real and familiar to me more than ever. I felt in my heart and soul as if he's someone I had already seen, met, and been with for a long time. Such peace and joy!   

*Are You Worthy?*

         The more we realize God's awesome holiness, the more we realize how unworthy we are. If you still think that you are a very worthy person, then you really have no idea how holy God is yet.

**Sin Bars Us from God

        Know that every sin we commit adds a barrier between God our Savior and us. Remove these barriers as soon as they appear. Otherwise, you could reach the point of no return.

**Compelling Claims

       Today is the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles. Excerpts from what Jesus said to Philip in John 14; (1) "If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." (2) "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (3) "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" Im mathematics, if A is a subset of B, B is a subset of A, then A = B. So Jesus = the Father. These are bold sayings, compelling us to think it they are true or false. To me, all the miracles he performed and his own Resurrection are more than sufficient to make me believe in him all the way. And my own personal experience has completely confirmed that I was right. 

**Smart Switch

        We who have a conscience feel bad when we have sinned against the Lord, but the Lord also feels bad when we offend him. Furthermore, he even feels worse if we don't repent our sins, and continue heading in the wrong direction. So why not seek to become holy so that we and the Lord can always feel good about each other?

***HAPPY REALIZATION***

         Just became aware that God is for me, the whole heaven is for me, and Christ is doing everything for me that's good for me! It's getting to be more and more amazing!

***Only One Perfect Union***

         Officially, the Lord is my Lord and my God. Privately, he is my all and as dear to me as my own soul. Union with him is the most beautiful and satisfying union of all unions, for it can make you prefect as he is perfect.

***Blessed and Cool***

        This is anyone who focuses upon loving only God. 

***Never Gamble with Your Life*

        If you do not know Christ, you do not know where you are going—you virtually gamble with you life. For those who know Christ well, they know exactly where they're going and are assured of getting there. The difference is great indeed. Let Jesus unify us, not divide us.

***Love Guarantees Life Eternal***

        We feel God's love for us, but we'll never be able to fathom it's immensity. Accept and trust in this love and eternal life is guaranteed!

**"Secret" to Eternal Life*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus said to the Jews, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one." Decades back as I was studying nuclear engineering, I learned how to calculate the critical mass needed to sustain the process of nuclear fission using a mathematical equation, I felt I'd learned a great secret. But this is nothing compared to what Christ has revealed to us here—follow him and we are assured of receiving eternal life no one can take away from us.

***Being a Christian Is . . .

all about helping the Lord defeat evil, defending the one who defends us.         

*****Formula for Peace*****

        Allow only God into your heart and nothing can disturb you anymore.

***Three Heavenly Gifts***

        Jesus gives us freedom, peace, and joy, more or less in that order. We experience freedom when we become detached from the world. Peace follows after we put our trust entirely in the Lord. Joy is now his free gift to us to sweeten and strengthen our union with him.

***New Eucharistic Miracle***

        This amazing miracle happened on March 5th this year at St. Thomas Church, Thomaston, CT. Let the Pastor, Rev. Joseph Crowley, tell you about it. He has a good message for us too.

*****Amazing Endearing Relationship**

        I have not seen God visually nor heard him audibly. I have only read and heard about him, Yet, without the slightest doubt, I know he loves me, and I have fallen deeply in love with him. Amazingly, he is more real to me than anyone else in this world, myself included!

**God Is Omnipotent**

       Being finite beings, we don't know or understand all things. Then we figure out how to do many things, progressing increasingly. This puffs up our pride to the point that we don't think of God anymore, not realizing that he is infinite and can accomplish anything simply by willing it. He even created all of us! We have to be out of our mind to think that we don't need him. If we possess any sense at all, we would pray to God and believe in him with all our heart.

***Incredible Truth***

        Still can't believe that I can have eternal life through Christ! But yes, I am going to live forever with my most beloved Lord and God for all eternity!!! This time, too good to be turns out to be absolutely true!