**Christian Joy

        I overheard a conversation. An older person was saying that her great joy nowadays is waiting for a relative of hers to come by on a regular basis to take her to eat at her favorite restaurant. That sounds rather sad coming from her who's a Christian, since any Christian who knows the Lord well should feel the greatest joy merely at the thought of him. 

***Last Supper Experience

        Communion experience. I was brought back to the Last Supper. The Lord entered me and was consumed totally by me—he's all mine now. How could I possibly not be humble anymore? 

**To Forgive or Not to Forgive

        In praying the Our Father, we ask God to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We often find it most difficult to forgive some people who have hurt us or others badly. If we can't forgive others, we really shouldn't ask God to forgive us either. To not forgive someone is playing God, judging that person. Learning not to judge can help a lot. If you can really let go of it for God's sake and even pray for your enemy, you'll experience a new freedom and great joy that can change your life forever! Remember, God is always right. 

**Blessed and Chosen by God

         All Catholics, who have already been revealed the whole truth, should know that God has blessed them in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose them in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him (Ephesians 1:3-4 from today's first reading). Since we've been blessed and chosen, we can be confident that we'll be able to live up to what God has expected of us.

***The World Revealed

        The more you know Christ, you more you see the hypocrisy, falsity, and emptiness of the world. For the truth reveals all that's hidden.  

**Eliminating Wasteful Thinking

        As I came to know Christ the Lord more, I began to lose interest in a lot of things the world was interested in. Now I just know what I need to pay attention to or dismiss instantly. As a result, many things I no longer think about. I believe this is why I experience a lot of inner peace. Generally speaking, I no longer think about anything that is impure, worldly, trivial, or gossipy. The best part now is thinking about the Lord and his goodness. 

**Overcoming Sin

        In not falling into sin, we must be relentless. Again, the most effective way to overcome a sin is to seek refuge in the Lord. That is, the smart way to fight sin is to run away from it as far and fast as possible. A sinner is just not fit to fight his own sins on his own. Letting God do it for you is always the good rule to follow.

**Taking God's Blessings Seriously

        We ask God to bless us and others all the time. This is no making empty wishes. When you ask for blessings from the Lord, he's going to give you what's best for you bountifully. Things will happen in your heart and without you. You are now under his watch and care. When I bless you, I simply express my good wish. When God blesses you, your life can change! So take his blessings seriously and believe in him with all your heart.

**Foolish Cowards

        Christ has died for us to save us from eternal death. People reject him, yet they never say that they don't need salvation. The fact is we all know that we are sinners, and even think about going to heaven. What we ought to do is to welcome the Savior and submit ourselves to him with gratitude. If we ignore or reject him instead, then we are not only being foolish, but also cowardly.

**More than We Need

        Today I really feel that I can rest in my Lord and God after he has totally fulfilled me. My eternity is all set, and I know he'll take care of me no matter what happens. He is more than we need. Follow and stay with him and you can't possibly go wrong. 

*****Small Sins Matter*****

        In Luke 16, in telling the parable of the dishonest steward Jesus said "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones." Since it's a lot easier to commit small sins than big ones, along the same vein the Lord made me see that anyone who does not commit small sins will not commit big ones, and anyone who commits small sins easily is likely to commit big ones. Ask the Lord to make us perfect.

**Stop Destroying Yourself!

        Without God, we get unhappy easily. We are anxious about many things and get stressed out all the time. We continue harming ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. With God, we enjoy our abandonment in him and experience freedom, peace, and joy. We now have the best possible physical health God wants us to have, are mentally at peace always, and remain in union spiritually with the Lord. We are no longer self-destructive! 

**Much Ado About Nothing

        After I consumed the Lord at morning Mass, I knelt before the altar in appreciation of such a great favor he'd bestowed upon me. One of the chapel windows was open. From this chapel situated on the top of a small mount, you could hear clearly thru the vast open space the noises generated by the tires of many cars speeding on the freeway in the distance. They were all going someplace. My thought was that if whatever we do is not for the glory of God, then no matter how fast or far we go, we are not getting anywhere—not one inch closer to heaven.  

***Joyful Submission

         Communion experience. I felt tangibly the love of God and gladly let myself be overcome by it.

***Signs of Intimacy with God

          When the Lord God is most lovely and his words most sweet to you, you know that your relationship with God is most intimate. Rejoice even more!       

***How God Makes Us Beautiful

        God, being most holy, is the source of all beauty. Whereas the world can make us superficially attractive for a brief moment, the Lord God can make us beautiful to the core forever.

***The Biggest Fundamental Obstacle . . .*

to spiritual progress (sainthood) is our pride. Displace it with humility so that you may move on.

**What the World Needs to Wake Up To

        I feel sorry for the world, when I see people everywhere trying to find happiness, while struggling to live each day. They, with heavily burdened hearts, have already been enslaved by the material world. Sadly, they do not yet know Christ the Lord who alone can liberate them from all evils. Once you've experienced him and tasted his sweetness, you are freed from all shackles and become a new creature. This is something to which the world needs sorely to wake up.