***What Are You Doing in Life?

        Today is the Feast of St. Luke. The Gospel acclamation, John 15.16: I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. To bear fruit for the Lord is what we should be doing. Otherwise, we waste our whole lifetime. Of course, you may not see it that way if you do not believe in Christ yet. Then let me ask you what you are doing. Are you only trying to keep yourself happy while you are in this world or just drifting on, not knowing where you are headed? Either way, you are being myopic and foolish, for you neglect your more precious possession, your soul.

****Praying Without Limit*

        I have posted about this before. To reject God, it's easy. You reject him and it's bye-bye forever. On the other hand, to love God, you can love him as much as you want, for there is no upper limit to that. And this is exciting! Now, prayer is the same way. You can say a prayer without paying any attention to it and it'd be worse than having not prayed at all. Or you can say it, meaning every single word with all your heart and focusing 100% on the Lord. And here too there's no upper limit to how sincere and devout you can be. This is also exciting, for you definitely would experience your closeness to the Lord and know that he hears you. An absolutely rewarding experience!

*****Where We Must Never Go!**********

        The lava flow that's continuing in its 4th week on La Palma is a terrifying sight. The suffering in hell is even more terrifying, for unlike the lava flow it continues on forever. So for the sake of your soul, aim for heaven. God wants to save all of us from going to hell and we'd better listen to him. I just can't emphasize that enough! I just can't emphasize that enough! I just can't emphasize that enough!

***That Uncomfortable Feeling

         The name Jesus is holy, for he is God. Yet there are many who, even though they may not use his name in vain, do not wish to hear it said. Obviously, the name, unlike any other subject, bothers them. Hearing it makes them feel uncomfortable. This is a clear sign that they need him as they try to avoid him. They should know that their reaction is a grace and that we were all created that way so that we may know that he is exactly the one we need in our lives.

*****Christ Our Greatest Gift

        Today's Communion experience. I know that receiving this bread from heaven can and will change me forever. The Lord is now all mine; he's all I need forever.

***How We Are Set Free

        Jesus said to those who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32) Since Jesus is the truth, knowing him does set us free. So how are we set free? We are set free when we become free of ourselves so that we no longer lord it over ourselves and we let Jesus truly be our Lord. A very cool move.

**Jesus Speaking as Lord

       In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus to ask him to grant that in his glory they might sit one at his right and the other at his left. Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" They said to him, "We can." Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared." To me, the fact that Jesus knew exactly the answer to what James and John asked shows that he is indeed the Lord God. 
         He also said to all the Apostles, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Here he revealed to us how to be great in heaven and that he was their perfect selfless example.

**A Church Divided

        In Luke 11:17, Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house." Today, our Church, Christ's body, is completely divided. We have bishops against bishops, cardinals against cardinals, priests against priests, creating great confusion for the laity. If the Church had been united and remained strong, evil wouldn't have been able to infiltrate her. This is the critical time for all Catholics to choose sides, for our souls are at stake. This I know, if we stick with Christ and the original teachings of the Church, our souls will be secure.

*****How Great God's Love Is!

        God's love for us is infinite. Our Holy Mother who prays for us unceasingly loves us as her own children. It's not possible for us who are finite beings to feel or imagine how truly great God's loves is. One thing I know, if you can feel it, you'd want to surrender yourself to the Lord completely on the spot.

***Christ Truly My Lord

        Attended Sunday Mass this morning. There were so much on my heart I'd like to share with Christ and so much I'd like to receive from his heart. I felt great joy in him and also great sorrow for him. I desired to be one with him more than ever. He truly is my Lord.

*2023 Synod Prophesied

        An interesting message. If true, then the illumination of conscience probably won't take place until after the Synod ends. 

***Our Top Priority

        Christ is supposed to be our Lord and the most important and influential person in our lives, yet we Catholics hardly mention him outside our church or at any nonspiritual gatherings. This is not the way it should be. Protestants are used to giving testimonies, so it's easier for them to bring up Christ. Many prominent Catholics do talk about Christ with zeal, but not surprisingly many of them were converts from Protestantism. Anyway, a Christian needs to submit himself to Christ to the point he feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to do what Christ has instructed his apostles to do: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." So we must testify for the Lord.

***Our Body Is Not Ours

         You know you are getting old when you find it hard to get up from the floor and your joints start to hurt after doing your normal work a little too much. You get out of breath easily and walk slower in order not to fall. You notice the wrinkles on your hands and the pronounced blue veins around your ankles. Your bruises turns purple and it takes a longer time to recover from any physical injury. I am experiencing all these things and the Lord made me see that we were given our physical body for living on this physical earth only. When our short life ends, we just drop our body and it'll be gone from us forever. What we need to attach ourselves to and preserve is our soul, which lasts for all eternity. This is a great realization that liberates the spirit.

**God Makes All the Difference

        Here is one of the many videos showing the awesome and terrible power of the volcanic eruption at La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, which has intensified since it began three weeks ago. If I were an atheist, I would probably say that the whole thing is Mother Nature at work. Since I believe in God, the eruption scenes make me want to abandon myself to him more than ever. For without God, I would absolutely be helpless, but with him I'd be secure forever.

****Time to Go All Out

        We are in end times. Most people have abandoned God, including many of his own children who belonged to his Church. We who still hold onto the faith are the remnant. The Lord now depends upon us more than ever. It is because of our prayers that he's giving all more time. We are truly in a position to help him save the World! This is the perfect time for us to go all out for God. 

Mankind Stuck in a Rut

        Matthew 22.14: "Many are invited, but few are chosen." Today God is calling us through numerous messengers, but few pay serious attention to them. So it's "All are being called, but few will listen." Spiritually, mankind has not at all progressed.

*Looking for God

        You may not be aware that we are all looking for God. Then along the way, we run into something that makes us feel good and we hold onto it and it becomes our god. Some of these gods are money, power, fame, music, art, material possessions, worldly pleasures. Then there are some who have found the God of Christ to be their true God. They are the only ones who know they have found the right God and are now set for all eternity.

***Preempting the Lord

        This video again gives us messages coming from Mary, our Queen and Mother. There is nothing new, again pleading with us to believe in her Son, our Lord. God, out of love, always warns us in advance, never forces us to go against our will. Once more, I'd like to point out that in all the numerous messages coming to us, the Lord has never asked us to start a war, to go kill our enemies, or to apply force to get anything done. Instead he has always asked us to convert ourselves first. In Jonah 3, the Lord send Jonah to Nineveh to warn the people in the city that forty days more and Nineveh should be destroyed. People believed God, proclaimed a fast, and all put on sackcloth. When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he changed his mind about destroying the city. So the Lord only wants us to do what he asks of us; if we obey, he will take care of our problem. It is true that if we all convert, we'll have peace and make the Lord reconsider chastising us. Yes, we can preempt the Lord.