*****How to Experience God*****

         I have visited many beautiful and magnificent cathedrals, basilicas, and churches which are big tourist attractions. Examples are Notre Dame of Paris and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. People flock there to see the impressive architecture, sculptures, murals, paintings, etc., but I would be surprised if many visitors actually felt drawn to Christ during their visit. All the attractions can easily become distractions. I attended Mass at one church in Escondido, CA, once. The singer was so good that it made me focus on the singing more than on the Lord. Over a decade ago, I attended daily Mass at a nearby seminary. The Mass was held in a small chapel with an altar and some stained glass windows. There were not even regular pews. So it's a rather spare place. Yet in remaining at the chapel alone after Mass, I experienced many spiritual breakthroughs. Now this chapel had been fully furbished with pews, red carpet, improved lighting, etc. and looks beautiful. Somehow I miss its former spare look which was less distracting. I had mentioned that I felt the intimacy of God most when I woke up late at night or very early in the morning when it's quiet and dark. So the best way to experience God is to be in solitude without any distraction, leaving only you and God alone together. The world does not know God because it is being distracted by all sorts of things not of God.

**Never a Lonely Moment

         Whether you are young or old, extrovert or introverted, if you feel lonely, you do not know God yet. Attain union with the Lord so that he becomes one with you, then you can be in the desert all alone and still do not feel lonely. As a matter of fact, the lonelier the place, the more acutely you'd feel his presence.

***To the Max with God*

         If we are to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength, namely, to the max, then let's do everything to the max for the Lord. This would include praying from the heart, loving others, maintaining our sanctify, remaining genuine, speaking the truth always, submitting ourselves to him, worshipping him, praising him, and all other good deeds we perform. When you love the Lord to the max, you will be blessed and rewarded by him to the max too. This is living to the max, the happiest living. 

***Holy Greed

        In Matthew 7:11, Jesus said, "If you who are wicked know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him." You can be sure whatever you ask for that's good for you, the Father will give it to you! God cannot refuse us blessings when we seek them. Ask for "what will make you holy and glorify him" to the max. Holy greed is perfectly fine.

*****Holy Eucharist Most Holy!*****

       Christ the Lord has made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may be saved from eternal death. And he has given us the great gift of his most precious body and blood through the Holy Eucharist. In receiving this Sacrament of Holy Communion, we get to nourish our body and soul. In consuming his body and blood, we get to achieve union with him physically and spiritually. I bring all this up again because I want all Catholics to know that the next time you receive the Holy Eucharist, you must receive it in a state of grace with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, for the Most Holy, Loving Lord from heaven is entering you!

***Prayer Power

        Going back decades before I knew Christ, I read a book that says prayers work. I don't think the author was any fervent Christian; he just wrote what he had discovered. So I thought that must be something to prayers. Of course, now I know that Christ is real and is God, and he hears and knows everything we do. If we pray with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength, you can be sure the Lord will open his heart wide to us and bless us or the world in some way. So with prayer we can influence and change God's heart, ultimately to benefit us and the whole world. 

**Short, Simplified Meditative Prayer

         Sometimes there are myriad things on my mind to pray for and I don't even know where to begin. I decided to just pray the name of Jesus. While saying "Jesus" each time, I let him know my request. It could be just one thing or group of things. This way I save a lot of words and proceed in a proper order and the Lord knows exactly what I pray for each time I say his holy name.

**Our Big Glaring Fault

        One big fault we have today is that we see the faults in others but not in ourselves. It's so easy to blame and complain about others, but never about ourselves. We wish that others would change, but not us. This is being self-centered, wanting everyone to live up to our expectations. It is forgetting that only God is our judge and only he is perfect.

***The Heart Reveals God's Existence

         Today is the Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Think about our heart, it is one of God's most amazing creations. We all have a heart and know that the purity of the heart determines our sanctity. It is our very center and what we use in contacting God. The Lord looks at the heart when he judges us. It is the heart that experiences God's peace and joy and all our other emotions. And the Lord usually always speaks to us through our heart. Most of all, when God chooses to dwell in us, he choose to dwell in our heart. Right now my heart tells me that we do have an amazing creator, our Lord and our God.

***Best Relationship We Can Have

         Our relationships with other fellow human beings can be good or bad. In a good relationship, you and the other person will always love, support, and help each other. How about a good relationship with God? It has to be better than any good relationship between two humans. Think about it, God knows you more than anyone else can. He knows exactly what you need and what's best for you. He can protect you from all evil if you trust in him, and guide you to heaven! Nothing is impossible for him to accomplish for you. He is with you always and can be contacted instantly. His love for you is greater than any human love. Put yourself entirely in his hands and you'll become like him. So, seek to attain union with God to enjoy the extraordinary and most exalted relationship you can possibly have for your existence.

*Judge Not, lest Ye Be Judged

        Those who judge others quickly are easily the ones who have trouble forgiving others. We should not judge others for the following reasons. (1) God has commanded us not to judge. (2) We can easily be wrong about others. In my own case, quite a few times I thought someone was not so nice and it turned out to be untrue. Not being God, we don't know everything. (3) Would you want others to judge you? (4) Ask yourself if you are truly a better person than the one you judge. God who is perfect does not even judge us as long as we are still alive in this world. (5) Remember that the last shall be first, so some of those you judge may even enter the kingdom of heaven before you do. 

**Courageous Speech*

         In the news is this courageous parent speaking up at a school board meeting in Carmel, New York. It shows how evil has also infiltrated our school system. Watch the video before it gets removed from YouTube. 

**How to Treat Evildoers

         Today I saw a photo posted online showing two public figures posing in a disgusting manner. There are now so many such sick and godless people out there that many people, including Christians, wish that they would die and/or go to hell. We must ask how Jesus would want us to treat them. I know the Lord must be weeping over them, for they know not what they do and he loves them all. I also know that he does not want us to judge them. So like him, we should pity them and pray for them, especially if you know that you are heaven bound. If we hate or judge them, we may get locked out of heaven ourselves. For to receive mercy from God, we must be merciful to others.

***How to Stop Sinning

         After we commit a sin and feel sorry about it, we can always repent and ask the Lord to forgive us (or go to confession if the sin is serious). Then he takes the sin away and we are clean again. But the tendency to sin still remains. To take care of that, you need to surrender to God completely. Once you attain union with him, he removes that as well. Now you live in great peace.

**Blessed the Clean of Heart

         In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Here's one of the Beatitudes he gave: "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God." I say amen to that. One who has a clean heart is with the Lord, for he has nothing to hide, and he enjoys his constant companionship. Let the Lord purge you of all your sins so that you may enjoy living a happy and peaceful life in him.

*****Beautiful Ave Maria

         I have posted a number of recordings of Ave Maria in the right sidebar under Good Websites, Blogs, Videos.... Of course, Schubert and Bach/Gounod's Ave Maria are best known. But in recent years, William Gomez of El Salvador composed an Ave Maria that's magnificent. I also love the version by the Polish composer Lorenc which was played in the Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ film. You can find all these videos in my list. Today I am going to post another beautiful Ave Maria attributed to the 16th century Italian composer Giulio Caccini and the 20th century Russian composer Vladimir Vavilov. I listed both names because no one is sure who the original composer was. 
       I was deeply moved by the song. The melody is gorgeous and the images shown in the video made me realize how sorrowful Mary must have felt about the death of her son. Her sorrow must have been doubly intense and painful, as Jesus was not only her son, but also her Lord! Then I realize that Jesus is not only my friend and soulmate, but also my Lord and Savior, and my joy doubled! The video is long because the song was played I think three times over. But if you are drawn into it, you can meditate on it and time will go by quickly. May watching this video increase you love for both Christ and his (and our) mother.

**Christ Our Liberator!*

         As you might know, I like both music and photography. I enjoyed listening to various genres of music. Performed well, music can touch one's heart and perhaps even the soul. As I photograph, I look for images that resonate with me. So what I see often touches me deeply too. Then Christ, whom I do not hear nor see, captures my heart and soul totally—this is the amazing part. I know that there are people who live only for their music or the art they create. But only Christ is worth dying for! After you know him, all else just fade away. Now you remain free in him and live for him only, no longer attached to anything in the world.

**Jesus the True God

         Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. If Christ is truly our Lord God and Savior, then we must absolutely take him seriously, for our entire existence and survival now depends upon him. To ignore, dismiss, or reject him can no longer be an option. If you don't have him, you'll have absolutely no one else to go to, for there is not another one like him. I am being dead serious. Again, it's all or nothing with the Lord, a mark of the true God.