**Successful Praying

        We can pray halfheartedly or with all our heart. To pray effectively, we must go all out and pray from the bottom of our heart, with a strong will and voice and a deep faith, to connect with the Lord to move his heart. Let the Lord know that we mean business. Also, always pray with great hope.          

**Happy is the One Who . . .

keeps God's word, for the Father will love him and both the Father and the Son will come to him and make their dwelling with him. (John 14:23)

****Deep Prayer Experience

        Three posts back, I posted "To Be Drawn Deep into God." I just took a short break and went to my bedroom to pray for a few minutes. This time I truly prayed with all my soul, with all my heart, and with all my strength. I could not have been more honest. I even questioned the Lord. After I finished, I was absolutely exhausted. This is a new experience for me. I used the present tense "is," as I still haven't fully recovered yet. This "spiritual exhaustion" is felt all around and within the heart, different from any physical exhaustion. I now feel closer to the Lord more than ever. It's as if I have felt his suffering. Jesus had said to his disciples, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Of course, Jesus didn't mean for us to move mountains, but I now understand fully that if we really have the faith to change things, we have that power. To pray with great faith puts us in union with the Lord.

**The Good of Knowing Christ

        Quoting Paul from today's first reading from Philippians 3, "I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Can you relate to that? This is so true. When you know Christ, everything else becomes insignificant, as God is infinitely great. Whoever knows Christ knows that he's been chosen and that his name is now in the book of life. 

****A Modern Parable of the Son

          Here is a story that's being going around online. I think you'd enjoy reading it.

      A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. The would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam-conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of  the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200. Another angry voice. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids." But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the  painting." Being a  poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!" 

        God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything! 

***To Be Drawn Deep into God***

        Our faith is being tested right now when the outcome of our presidential election is still unclear. No matter how bleak things look, the truly faithful never panic or give up; they continue to believe in the Lord and know that nothing is impossible for him. In fact, I see the golden opportunity to pour our heart out to the Lord whenever we face a crisis. When I do that, I feel closer to him more than ever—what a blessing! Often my feelings are so deep that I have trouble expressing them, yet I know that the Lord understands me thoroughly—how satisfying! Sharing you thoughts and feelings with God at the deepest possible level truly brings you and him together into deep communion—a most rewarding experience!

**Big Things for Us*

          There are two big things in life; they are big because they can affect our whole life. The first one is marriage. Finding the right person to marry is a gamble to a certain extent. You do you best to choose the right one and the marriage can still fall apart later. The next big thing is your career, the kind of work you should do. I dare to say that there are probably more unhappy workers than happy workers out there. My point is that with these two things, we need to hand them completed over to God, asking him to lead us to the right person or job. He absolutely knows what's best for us, and we must be patient and trust in him with all our heart. Actually, the biggest thing of all for us is to let God lead us in all things, with us following the perfect plan he has for us. Then we'll end up happy forever!

***Important Realization***

        Let's face it. All of us are born onto a battlefield where a fierce spiritual battle rages on between God and Satan for our souls. We eventually learn that to win this battle, we need God. I have lived long enough to know that I cannot beat evil without God, for I am a potential evildoer myself. This realization has made me submit myself to God completely. The evil you see, hear, and encounter all around you can place a heavy burden on your heart and soul. You finally see that letting God into your soul to let him fight the battle for you is the most sensible thing to do. And your eternal life is assured as well. So, give up fighting evil by yourself and give up fighting God, then both you and God win.

**Be Spiritually Smart

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus said to the great crowds, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." If you are spiritually smart, you would realize the this is the Lord speaking and that we must love him first and most.

***Never Postpone Accepting God

        If you do not seek God early or do not respond when you first hear him knocking at the door of your heart, you are likely to drift further and further away from him as time goes on. Then your last moments on earth may be your last chance to repent your sins in order to save your soul. Of course, you may not have such moments, for you may die suddenly or suffer dementia before death. Accepting the Lord is something one should never postpone!  

***Urgent Need to Be Renewed by Christ!

          I am going to quote parts of what Paul wrote in Philippians 2 from today's first reading: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold onto the word of life,
      My guess is that an average person today reading this advice would not comprehend its meaning and think that it sounds antiquated or out-of-date. It may not even connect with every Christian. My point is that we have fallen so far away from the Lord God that a fundamental change of our heart by Christ is urgently needed for us to be made anew!

***Lamenting This Nation, a Warning***

        Looking at how the presidential election is turning out, I can say that this nation has already lost half of its soul. It's hanging by a thread over an abyss. Christ is whom we need for salvation, but the world does not see the light. The door for us to return to the Lord remains open, but not many choose to enter it. I am cut to the heart to see so many souls on the path that leads to destruction. To seek power and glory for your own gain in this world is the very opposite of submitting yourself humbly to the Lord God. Christ is coming anytime now and I pray that all will be ready for their judgment.

*****Sweetest Thing God Did for Me

        I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary today. As I got to the 5th and last mystery, The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus on the Cross, I felt that Jesus going through all that was the sweetest thing he could possibly have done for me, for I realized that I was a sinner. 

*Getting Things Done

        When God wants something done, he simply will it. When we want him to do something for us, we must pray from our very heart to ask him to do it for us. For those whose faith is weak, they pray from their heart only when they are a dire situation. For those who have faith in the Lord, they always pray from the heart—this is much more preferable. Attain union with God to enjoy communion with him at the heart level at all times.      

**Today's Saddest Reality

        The greatest reality is that Christ had come to save us, for God loves us. The Lord our loving creator is to be worshipped, praised, adored, and obeyed, as he alone is the Lord of all. Yet most of us do not recognize or accept this reality or just don't take it seriously. This seems to fulfill what Jesus had said: "Many are invited, but few are chosen." It is today's saddest reality. Once our hearts are hardened, we cease seeing the truth. 

**Letting God Reveal Himself to Us!

        In today's first reading from Philippians 2:5-11, Paul wrote that though Jesus Christ was in the form of God, he took the form of a slave, came in human likeness, humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Then God greatly exalted him that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. How did Paul know all this? It had to be revealed to him by God. We can confidently believe in Christ as much as Paul did. And the Lord will reveal himself to each of us too!

**Your Only Meaningful Inheritance

        In today's Gospel acclamation, Matthew 25.34, Jesus says, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Most of us would be pleased to inherit some material wealth from our parents, but that can cause others to dispute you in court. Imagine inheriting what God has prepared for you in heaven! It will be indisputably all yours. So never mind your earthly inheritance which merely passes through you, focus upon inheriting your heavenly treasures that will be yours forever.

***What Our Soul Needs the Most

        After All Saints Day, it's All Souls Day today. The most important thing for our soul is to be in peace in God.  This peace can only come from God and is what we receive after we surrender ourselves to him. I am giving away the riddle of life here. Reconciling yourself to God and you'll enjoy peace forever. Rebelling against the Lord and youll suffer unrest forever.