In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, we hear Jesus say "Whoever is not with me is against me." This is worth our attention. With God, it's either you are with him or you are not with him, no third choice.
Friday, October 9, 2020
****Why Satan Still Thrives
God can easily wipe out Satan, but we who sin get in the way. If we all instantly become holy, that'll be the end of Satan and we all go to heaven. But as we continue to sin, the spiritual warfare continues on. The clear solution is that we turn to my Savior and believe in him, then we'll be set free from sin and Satan loses for good. So very clear.
*Start Exulting with Christ Now
Today's entrance antiphon: Th souls of the Saints are rejoicing in heaven, the Saints who followed the footsteps of Christ, and since for love of him they shed their blood, they now exult with Christ for ever. We can follow the footsteps of Christ and start exulting with Christ now.
****Holy Spirit the Great Unifier
It is the Holy Spirit that unites us to God. When we are totally Spirit-filled, we become one with God. This union breaks down all barriers between you and God and between you and all the saints in heaven or others on earth who are in union with the Lord, creating perfect unity. That's why I feel I already know all the saints in heaven whom I have not even met. That's why the best marriage on earth is one between a man and a woman who are both in complete union with God. But no matter, we can always seek to attain union with the Lord himself. Believe in the Lord completely, receive the body and blood in the Holy Eucharist with utmost devotion, and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and you become one with the Lord.
Thursday, October 8, 2020
*****Asking for the Gift the Holy Spirit*****
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus told his disciples two parables on prayer. Here's the second parable. "What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" Wow, the Father is ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks him! I knew this parable, but I neglected noticing that the gift Jesus mentioned was specifically the Holy Spirit! This is exactly the gift we all need. You probably have been told that that Spirit dwells in you, but you must submit to the Holy Spirit to receive power! I'll mention again that when I prayed for baptism in the Holy Spirit at a charismatic prayer group meeting four decades ago, the Spirit "zapped" me and I was never the same person again. If you wish to snap out of your lukewarm state, just ask the Father to give you the Holy Spirit or pray to the Holy Spirit directly. This is a gift many of us neglect to ask for, but it's essential and most precious, for you'll be amazed how the Holy Spirit can make you holier in no time. To this day, I still remember the joy and excitement I experienced. The Holy Spirit is real and is to be embraced and enjoyed! Do not miss the opportunity of receiving this life-changing, life-saving gift. Remember that God can do anything with you, and when you let him do what he wants with you, it's instantly accomplished.
**Compelled to Choose
In today's entrance antiphon, we hear "O Lord, you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all." We either believe that the Lord is the Lord of all or he is not the Lord at all. We are compelled to make a choice here with no third choice available. Not to make the choice is an option, but that'd be the same as not believing that the Lord is the Lord of all, which is the same as believing that God doesn't exist.
**Blessed Carlo Acutis
Fr. Mark mentioned Carlo Acutis in the video I just posted. Carlo was a saintly boy who died at 15 in 2006 and will be beatified this Saturday, Oc. 10. He loved the Lord since he was a little boy. This reminds me of St. Thérèse, The Little Flower. He was known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world. I encourage you to watch at least one of the many videos about him on YouTube. I love his saying: "The Eucharist is my highway to heaven." Indeed, if you are a Catholic and don't know and believe in the Eucharist, then you are a Catholic in name only. Carlo Acutis is a shining example for all of us. Praise Jesus!
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
***Christ Alone Fully Suffices
Once you have Jesus, you never look back anymore. You don't wish that you should have done this or should not have done that. You no longer remember all your sufferings nor ever compare yourself to others. Christ alone now overflows and fulfills you.
**God Anticipates Your Action
I posted about the Holy Rosary without realizing that today is the memorial of Out Lady of the Rosary. I posted about the Lord's prayer and the Gospel reading from Luke 11 turned out to be about how the Lord taught his disciples to pray the Our Father. I picked up my new Testament, intending to look at the reading in Luke 11, and the book opened exactly to the page that showed the reading with the prayer. God is amazing!
On Unfinished Business
There will always be unfinished business for us to finish in this life, so finish what you can and don't let any unfinished business bother you. When you leave the world, you'll have to leave all your unfinished business unfinished. Finish only your business with God on earth.
***The Power of the Lord
God remains all powerful. If we believe in him, we are saved. If we reject him, we are doomed. All that power is useless to us if we don't want it. And it's all ours if we desire it. Jesus came to us so that we may receive his power to save ourselves! So it's all up to us to utilize or waste that power. So very clear.
***Why the Holy Rosary Is Powerful
Early this morning, the Lord also made me see how perfect and powerful the Lord's Prayer he taught us is. If we can have only one prayer, this would be the one to choose, for if you truly mean what you say when you pray it, you can become a saint. I also saw that the Hail Marry is most effective in asking our Blessed Mother to intercede for us. She's the one who can sway our Lord the most. Now, the Glory Be to the Father is the best prayer for praising the God who deserves all our praise. It dawned on me why the Rosary is a most powerful weapon for crushing evil and saving souls: it combines all three of these powerful prayers. We dedicate each decade of the Rosary to a particular mystery and concentrate upon praying the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory.
After I got up, I was overjoyed to find that Fr. Mark Goring talks about why Our Lady asks us to pray the Rosary in today's video of his.
***An Awakening Moment!
Recently, President Trump caught the COVID-19 and was hospitalized. Then nationwide, millions of people prayed for him and he recovered in a few days and is back to work already. Praise our God! Early this morning, the Lord made me see for the first time very clearly that he had chosen Trump to stem the tide of evil. Without him being elected in 2016, we would never know the corruption in our government and the existence of the deep state that is planning to subvert our democracy. Trump has now made the whole world aware of the threat of globalism, socialism, and Communism. Today, we are able to openly invoke the name of Jesus and say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays at Christmas time. This has to be the Lord's doing. I pray that this is not just a temporary turn of events. If we all turn to God and repent, we can overcome evil altogether and win the spiritual battle. Otherwise, there will be more chastisements and persecution of all God-fearing people coming. We are at such a critical point that what happens next will depend entirely upon how much we obey the Lord now. We can no longer lie back, say that we trust in God, and not do anything anymore. Pray hard and unceasingly.
*Beauty of God's Love
There is secular music out there that's beautiful enough to make me think of God. Under Good Websites, Blogs, Videos..., I have already listed two videos featuring Rachmaninov's two preludes written for the piano, to me one expressing our yearning for God and the other, the love of Mary for her son, our Lord. I just watched another video featuring the most talented Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino playing the piano arrangement of Rachmaninov's 3rd movement of his 2nd symphony. Again, the music made me sense God's beautiful love for us. Here's that video.
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
**Listen to the Lord First*
This is today's entire Gospel reading from Luke 10.
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."
We are very much like Martha, but we must listen to the Lord first and always, putting everything aside if necessary. This will be hard for many and they would probably argue that it won't work in real life. All I know is that if we listen to the Lord and do not be anxious or worry about things, everything will work out best. In other words, live your spiritual life right and your earthly life will follow in good order. Place God first and everything else second.
***We Are Before God!
Also, in today's reading from Galatians 1, Paul made this side remark: "As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying." It's kinda cute. But seriously, it's good to be beware that whatever we do, we are doing it before God; so we'd better be truthful. (The world has gotten so evil because it's no longer aware that God exists.)
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