**Decluttering the Mind for Peace

       People in general are interested in what's going on around them. When they meet each other, they talk about what's happening with their family or someone else's. They talk about current events and share their views. Sometimes we just like to talk, even about trivial stuff. One reason I have peace is because I don't waste any time thinking about things that would draw me away from God or won't do me any good. Even if I hear something that needs help, if it's a situation that I cannot directly help except through prayer, I just pray and not let it weigh me down in any way. Although this can give the impression that I am not a very sociable or caring person, to preserve my peace in the Lord is the best part for me and I must not lose it. Actually, I don't have to try hard at all, for I automatically know what to pay attention to and what to tune out. We should always do our best in what we should and can do, but not waste any time thinking about things extraneous to our spiritual life.

*****God's Foremost Desire Is . . .

to save us from our sins so that we can go to heaven. I hope you realize and believe in it.

***Riddle of Life

         It's all about us and God. We have strayed away from God and he wants us to return to him. The way has been all paved, but we resist going back. We think we can be free on our own, not realizing that freedom is born the moment we let the Lord fully "capture" us. Those who see this truth are few. The war is really between us and God. Once we surrender and reconcile ourselves to him, order is restored and we are set free forever. Life is no longer a riddle.  

**Duped and Becoming Heartless

       Psalm 51 is today's responsorial psalm. From verse 5 and 6, we have "For I acknowledge my offense; and my sin is before me always. Against you only have I sinned; and done what is evil in your sight." We need to be aware of the fact that every time we sin, we hurt the Lord, and ourselves: we cause him great sorrow and stray further away from him ourselves. He has made us in his image so that we can become like him, but we just go the opposite way. We've been duped by the world and become heartless. 

**Force That Makes Us Grow

        I look out the window and see the dragon fruit cactus my wife has recently transplanted into a large pot. Its growth is quite amazing, for it's noticeable daily. Two small segments that sprouted just a few weeks ago are now over a foot long. There is a force behind it which is of course the Lord. Then I see that we have a powerful force behind us too—it's God the Holy Spirit who can help us grow amazingly spiritually, if we, like that dragon fruit, do not resist the Lord.

*Decision You Must Not Delay

        Turning to God to convert yourself is a decision you must not delay making. Putting it off is like not getting ready for evacuation when you know that a fire is approaching and could make you lose everything, including your own life. Even after our conversion the Lord wants us to remain awake, vigilant and alert for his next coming. So burying your head in the sand is never the smart thing to do. 

**Who Can Save Us?

        If you don't think you need to be saved, you don't need to read on. I know that I am a sinner and can't get into heaven without having my sins removed. Who can save us? Buddha can't. Neither Muhammad nor any self-proclaimed prophet can. For they are all human beings created by God. Only God himself can forgive our sins and save us. That leaves Christ alone as our Savior. His Resurrection is solid proof that he is the creator of all life. It is he or no one.

***My Warning to the World!

         I really feel bad about how we have caused God our Father so much sorrow, placing him in a most difficult situation. This is how I see it. Our Father loves us and wants to save us, yet so many of us reject him and continue offending him. All his calls for us to pray, repent, and convert pretty much get ignored. We have reached the point of deserving punishment, yet the Father continues to hold off, for that would cause him immense pain. So he still waits in agony. I believe that if things continue to get worse, he will warn us with the illumination of conscience which is like a mini-judgment. That would be a special act of mercy on his part. Hopefully most of us will then turn to God and change their sinful ways. Of course, if we all do that now, we can change our whole destiny now. If not, we'll be pushing the Father closer the point of no return. If that point is reached, we'd have the saddest day in our whole existence. This is my big warning to the world now.

***Top Priority in Fighting Evil

         It just seems that the evildoers are more united in attacking the righteous ones, who appear more divided in defending themselves. I think you can see all evildoers to be in darkness, and the righteous ones in various degrees of light and shade. To become united and strong in fighting evil, every righteous one needs to be in full light. This means that they become holy and be fully united with the Lord. Thus, seeking to attain union with God becomes the top priority. The best way to overcome evil is to be holy.

**Prerequisite for Receiving Favors from God

        To receive whatever we need to become holy or obedient to the Lord, we must become empty first. If we are not completely open to him, then we are not quite empty yet. Once we are empty, we can ask for whatever we need, or better yet, whatever he wishes to grant us.

***How Jesus Satisfies Us

       In today's Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus declared to the crowd, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." Based upon my own personal experience, I can say that after knowing Jesus, I no longer desire anything else anymore, for he alone has fulfilled all my desires and filled the emptiness of my life with meaning, hope, and joy. Basically, he's all we need.

**In God's Good Hands

         If we strike out on our own without the Lord, we'll most likely end up lost forever. For we came from the Lord God, our creator, who knows all about us, loves us, and want's what's best for us. Once you realize this and know that you are in his good hands, you can start putting your relationship with him in order and living happily for all eternity. This has to be the smartest move you can possibly make in this life. Think about it. 

***Purgatory Exists

         I thought I did my last posting on this last day of July, then a friend emailed me asking if I'd like to read his copy of Fr. Mark Goring's new book Hold My Beer. I went to Fr. Mark's video of today which showed that the book is now available on Amazon and also watched that video on purgatory I somehow passed when I first saw it this morning. I am posting it now because it shows that purgatory is real. God bless you all.

***Good Warning from Mother

         Convert before it's too late.

***How to Know the Lord

        To know God, we need to enter solitude and search within our hearts. Otherwise, external distractions would occupy all our attention. Once alone, you settle down and open up to God completely. The key is to be receptive, casting aside barriers of any kind between you and the Lord. You'll hear from him and/or experience great peace.

**Simple but Challenging Truth*

        Today is the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. In the Gospel reading from John 11, Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die." Christ just told us how we can live forever! It's simple and clear. If you don't accept him, it's not because you can't understand what he'd said, but because you have chosen to reject him. In other words, you and God are still at odds with each other for the time being, and this will have to come to a resolution one day.  

***Consecration to the Holy Mother

         When I consecrated myself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary decades ago, I did it with many others in the whole Sacramento area. We prepared ourselves for a whole month and met together for Mass at St. Philomene in Sacramento. The church was packed and the occasion still remains vivid in my mind. Here's a short video that shows you can do the consecration on you own in under two minutes. How strongly you feel about it matters more than how long you prepare yourself for it. You'll be happy when you have  the heavenly Mother guide, support, and protect you.

**God Calling Us Ever So Gently

        I am not familiar with Our Lady of Zaro. Nevertheless, the message is simple, straight, and beautiful.