Keeping Motivation Pure

        I just posted about obedience to God, then I realize that sometimes we do little things we don't think much about and have no intention to hurt anyone either, but nevertheless our motivation may not be that pure. Therefore, what we have done is still a sin. Am I being nitpicking? Maybe, but it's necessary because it is part of obedience to God. Don't forget, as sinners we need God's help in all things.

Obeying the Lord first

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus cleansed a leper and said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. Here is a clear case of disobeying the Lord. We usually do what is natural for us to do, but we need to listen to the Lord carefully and do what he wants us to do even if doing it goes against our grain.

***Dwelling in God

        I see union with God in a new light today. It is true that in union, God and you become one. We know that God the Son and God the Father are in each other and they are one. But for us, it is more accurate to see us in God and not the other way around, as he is infinite and we are finite. I could say that the Lord is in me, but that's because I am in him. So from now on, I am going to see myself completely dwelling (hidden) in God. I now belong to him and to his house, learning from and being fed by him directly. 

Obedience to God Leads to . . .

calmness of the heart.

***Transfiguration of the Heart***

        The Lord made me see today that if we let him have our heart, he can totally transfigure it! Receiving the Hoy Eucharist is the perfect time to ask him to do this. A transfigured heart is one in total union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a terrific grace we can receive from the Lord. It is hard to imagine that we can attain that state, but this is what would please him the most. With God, the higher you aim, the more he makes you realize your goal, as there is no limit to how much he wants to favor us.

*Jesus Our Extraordinary Friend

       I dare guess that many of us have heard the Christian song "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Jesus is our friend for sure, but he is in truth the only friend you need to have. Here's why.

        (1) He is a friend who always wants to be with you.

        (2) He is a friend you can always trust, for he is most faithful.

        (3) He is most understanding, for he knows you through and through.       

        (4) He will always be kind to you.

        (5) He will be your wisest guide, for he knows everything.

        (6) He can make you beautiful before God.

        (7) He can lead you to heaven. 

        Jesus is our perfect friend.

See Ourselves Thru God's Eyes

        Today at morning Mass, the first thing the Lord made me realize was that he can make us see all things through his eyes. We may feel inadequate in serving him, but he showed me that we are most precious to him and that despite the deficiencies we feel in us, we can always serve him in some way comfortable to us with humility. The Lord truly loves the weak with a good heart. I have posted before that anyone who is unhappy with himself must not have known the Lord well yet. This remains true. If God loves you, how can you not love yourself? After you come to know the Lord well, you begin to see things exactly as he sees them and become a well-rounded spiritual being.  

*Finding Stillness in God

        Our mind seems to have a mind of its own – we have great difficulty in controlling our own thoughts. Somehow, this morning I experienced a great stillness in my heart and was able to focus upon the Lord without any distracting thoughts. I sense that if we remain still in the Lord, even our thoughts come to find rest in him.

**Sweet, Precious Joy

        Communion experience. I feel great joy in my Lord. Even though his joy is available to all (which I don't mind), I consider mine to be mine alone. It is so sweet and precious that you want to possess it all.

***Go Directly to God***

        Let's face it. Deep down we all know that life is empty without God. We do have that spiritual hunger and thirst within us whether you think about it or not. If evildoers seem not to feel it, it's because they choose to ignore it. The fact that we do not have inner peace is clear indication that we do not have enough of God in us. The Lord is always knocking on our doors. Nowadays you hear so many voices out there in the world that are confusing. Even the Church lacks clear-cut leadership, thus hindering the Holy Spirit. Being weak and being meek are not the same thing. Evil is rampant and time is urgent. There never should be time for dillydallying. Do what the Lords wants and never mind what people think. The good news is that we can always go to God directly to get our hunger satiated and thirst quenched. In fact, the direct way is the best way. Of course, at no time you should disobey the teachings of the Holy Church. It's a story too long to tell here: I have learned that trusting in the Lord alone, not even letting any miracle get in the way, is the way he desires. If you read St. John of the Cross, you'll find him making this point. Go straight to God now and you'll go straight to him later too.   

*Quality, Not Quantity

        I took a walk outside my house today. I live in a city, but in the "country" part of the city. I could still hear the street traffic in the distance, but nearby were tall trees and large granite boulders. A stream also flows by my house. Now that rain season has begun, it's doing quite well. Amazingly, there is plenty of wildlife all around. So far, I've seen or heard deer, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, possums, wild turkeys, humming birds, egrets, Canadian geese, woodpeckers, hawks, many squirrels, snakes, lizards, and unfortunately, rats too. There are also goats, sheep, alpacas, horses, cows, to keep the weeds down, chickens, ducks, geese, and, of course, dogs and cats. As I was taking the walk and praying the Rosary, I heard frogs croaking nearby, geese honking overhead, and dogs barking in the distance, creating quite a cacophony. I knew all these sounds would all pass, our own lives on earth too. It's like everything that passes has its own clock. Each of us has one too and only God knows when each clock will stop ticking. I wasn't sad or anything – my thoughts just drifted toward God as usual – how could I possibly not be aware of his presence when he dwells within my heart? He let me see it's not how long I live, but how I live my life that matters. It's quality over quantity! It comes down to whether I live for God or not.

*Again, We Need God

        When one loses inner peace for whatever reason, he becomes occupied with his own state and serving God couldn't be further from his mind. Therefore, maintaining inner peace is of utmost importance, and that peace can only be restored by entering deep into the Lord. There are millions of things around us tending to upset our peace, but one Lord can fundamentally transform us to become unperturbed by any of them. For he is our shield, our refuge, our rock, and our stronghold.

**Planned Parenthood Exposed

        This is the month Walk for Life or March for Life will be held nationwide in the United States. The Lord has placed a heavy burden on the heart of those who love him, realizing what a grave sin we are committing. Plant Parenthood is basically all about abortion. Here is a video you may not want to watch because it'll make you sick. Pray hard that God will crush all evil and save all souls!

The Pain We Cause God

        Be with Jesus to realize and feel the pain we inflict upon him so that we may sin no more.

**Fair and Square

       (1) God will forgive our trespasses if we forgive those who trespass against us. 

        (2) If we acknowledge Jesus before others, Jesus will acknowledge us before the Father. (Matthew 10.32.)

         (3) If we are ashamed of Jesus, he will be ashamed of us.

         (4) If we trust in him, he will trust in us.

         Exception: If we do not love him, he still loves us.

**Pained by Abortion*

        Trying to publicize my video "Magnitude of Abortion" of Nov. 16, 2018, I searched for pro-life sites online and was greatly impacted by the many excellent contents and presentations I came across, exposing the true horror of killing the most innocent and defenseless of us all, our own children! Right now as I am typing this message, their lives are being snuffed out. Abortion has to be the most horrible sin of our times, and there shall be retribution. Each of us should at the least pray daily for this abomination to end. Lord, have mercy on us! Christ, have mercy on us! Lord, have mercy on us!

**Overwhelmed by God*

        Communion experience. Jesus came to take away my sins! Think about it; this is a huge deal! More than meeting each other, the Lord entered me to be one with me when I received the Holy Eucharist – another huge deal! I love the Lord overwhelming me.

Our Roles Before Jesus

        In today's Gospel reading from John 3, John the Baptist said to his disciples, "I am not the Christ; I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease." So John regarded himself as the best man at the wedding. I guess we can take on the roll of flower girl or ring bearer. Rejoice!