Comforting Prayer

        Today we need to fight evil and do good at the same time. The prayer before the first reading at Mass was what I needed to hear: Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. Pray that the Lord will ward off evil so that we may spend more time doing good.

***Choosing Heave or Hell*

        This post ties in with the post "Avoiding the Worst Oppression" I wrote yesterday. If you know you are heaven bound, you would become detached to all the things in the world. You enjoy the good things, but you know that things in heaven will be so much more enjoyable. You wouldn't mind the bad things that happen to you much anymore, as they will pass and be all forgotten after you get to heaven. Now, let's suppose that you know you are on the way to hell. You should realize that all things, good or bad, that happen to you on earth will no longer mean anything, as you'll be suffering terribly in hell for all eternity. Since you are not in heaven or hell yet, I hope these thoughts will help you see clearly which way you should choose to go.  

***How to Know God

         You can let ten thousand people tell you how to know God or you can go directly to the Lord on your own, open up to him and tell him that you desire to know him.

*Clarifying Faith

        People who do not know Christ tend to think that we who love the Lord have gotten brainwashed somehow. This couldn't be further from the truth. Brainwashing is always forced on you externally by someone, whereas coming to believe in God happens internally voluntarily. Faith is now born, the mark of the Christian belief. There is no one more gentle than the Holy Spirit. Your brain gets illuminated, not washed. We are always free to change our mind at any time. The Lord loves us, but we can either accept or reject him. 

**Suffering with Joy

        The possibility that this country may be taken over by a party that would suppress religious freedom and cause more godlessness has placed a heavy burden on many of us. The battle between good and evil has never been so intense and clear. I am compelled to pray unceasingly to the Lord with a heavy heart. Then I realize that I am suffering along with Christ and decide to offer all my sufferings up to him. I remain hopeful in my Lord, as nothing is impossible with him. The joy is that I am now united with him more than ever. 

***Only Rule We Need to Follow*

         I went into deep prayer in solitude and the Lord, the God of Christ, made me see clearly that he is the only one we need to reconcile with, trust in, and obey. There is nothing more and we'll have eternal life. It's so simple and beautiful.  

**Clear Lesson from the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God." The fact that God knows our hearts shows that he is God and our creator. "Abomination" is a severe word. Here, regarding yourself to be more important than God is an abomination to God. Think of it, it's pretty much spiritual common sense. Obviously, remaining humble before the Lord will be most pleasing to him.

**Empowered by the Lord

         I like what Paul wrote in Philippians 4, today's first reading: "I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through the Lord who empowers me." Paul has learned to reply solely upon God. Empowered by our Lord, we should be able to live triumphantly in every circumstance too. 

*****Avoiding the Worst Oppression*****

         If we were spiritually oppressed or politically suppressed we would feel so bad that all other problems don't matter much anymore and lose joy in all the things we normally enjoy doing. All you need to do is to talk to someone who lives or has lived in a country that doesn't allow you to worship God or speak freely. But my point goes further. If we were in hell, the spiritual suffering would be infinitely worse, knowing that we've been cut off eternally from God! You don't want to wait until you are there to find out, for you cannot get back out of hell—the truly horrible part of it. The great news is that you can prevent that from ever happening to you. The central message of Christ is loud and clear, if only you'll listen to him. I am here to awaken everyone once more that Christ is our Savior. He is here to save us from going to hell by leading us to heaven. How can you possibly let your stupid pride get in the way and not follow him?

***Pray Boldly

          In Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." We didn't even ask for our salvation and he came and died for us. What he said to his disciples makes total sense. Of course, he will answer our good prayers when he loves us this much. So be bold when you ask for favors from him, especially now when we need to pray for our country as evil has already corrupted so many human hearts.

**Happiness Beyond This Life

        Again, I'd like go over something that should be obvious, but not taken seriously. Try all you want, you'll never find true happiness in this life. All lives end in time, so any happiness you find on earth is short-lived. And we cannot be truly happy if our happiness is only temporary. We desire permanency, as we sense that we have a soul that's everlasting. So we should look beyond this life. Lo, there is Christ who can promise you eternal joy, and those who have chosen to follow him are filled with real joy in their heart, spirit, and soul. Heaven is what we need to fulfill our desire for happiness, and Christ fulfills that desire perfectly.

Loneliness, Begone!

         Once you possess the Lord, you and he become one. You will rejoice and suffer along with him on earth, but you'll never be lonely again from now on. 

**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!