**Joyless Living

        Christ has already redeemed us from sin! If you don't feel any great joy in living, then you must be ignorant of this momentous fact or spiritually somewhat dead.

**Proper Attitude Toward Suffering

        Again, on this Friday I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Thinking about the amount of horrendous suffering Jesus had undergone so that we might be saved forever, we really should be willing to carry our relatively tiny crosses daily with great joy.

**Preparation for Entering Heaven

        There can be no total surrendering to God if we do not "erase" ourselves first. God can only increase if we decrease. Our goal is to decrease to nothing so that God may occupy all of us. This is the best preparation for us prior to entering heaven.  

**How to Change People

         Only God can change people. We can only pray for them and try leading them to God with love. Each of us will have to answer to God alone. 

**Christian Confidence & Optimism

        One who has strong faith in God is confident in him. He knows that he is in charge and will always prevail over all things. This is why a faithful Christian is always optimistic and filled with hope.

**Least We Can Do (Precondition of Discipleship)

         Christ has undergone so much suffering to save us. We can never match him out of gratitude in return for he's done for us. The least we can do is to welcome whatever suffering he sends our way. 

****Inspiring Saint

        Reading about Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi has been inspiring. She truly served God selflessly. We all choose to serve God the way that suits us, but Anna-Maria totally disregarded her own will and did what the Lord wanted her to do, no matter how difficult or unpleasant it might be. As a mother and wife, she had to deal with her husband who's a good man but could be rough at times, and also her mother-in-law who liked to gossip. She catechized all her many own children. Quite a number of them died later before she did. Those who survived came to her with their own family to stay with her when they had nowhere to go. She then let them have her place and moved to an inferior place herself. Because of her God-given gifts of knowing the future, reading souls, and even performing miracles, the poor, the great of the world, and the princes of the Church all came to her for advice ad help. She welcomed them all and refused all personal favors offered to her. She never complained and worked hard to make ends meet, besides suffering for God as a victim soul. It's always God's will be done first. There's so much to admire and to learn from her. Praised be God!  

**Making Humility Enjoyable

        As you live you life for Christ in secret, you also offer up all your sufferings to him in secret. This males humility most enjoyable. 

***My Great Consolation

         Living in Christ is a great joy, but living thus in a secular world, you experience the great sorrow of division between you and most of the world, even among your own family members or friends. During consecration of the bread and wine at Mass this morning, I just knew that Christ is my great consolation, the only consolation I need to overcome all sorrows.

**Life Is All About . . .

preparing for our final judgment.         

****What God Desires the Most*

        I am not quite halfway through reading the book Wife, Mother & Mystic about Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi. The Lord taught this saint many things. He advised her that spiritual profit consists not in penance nor frequent visitation of the Sacraments, not even in remaining in sorrow for sin, but in uniting her will with his. Renouncing our will in all things to follow the Lord is even more pleasing to him than a whole year of penances. This message impressed me very much. Indeed, obedience to God will please him the most and take care of all of what we should do for him.

***Only One Thing Critical

        Last thought after morning Mass ended. There are really thousands or more things going on around me in my life in this world at any moment, but nothing can be considered critical to us except for one thing, and that is, not bering aware that Jesus Christ is our Lord, our God, and our only Savior.

**Yet Another Joy

         That we can become like God when we submit ourselves to him and let him transform us.

*Instant Communication

        Another joy came to me again. It's realizing that I can connect with my Lord and God instantly from my heart. It's faster than the speed of light.

**How God Serves Us

        When I say that the Lord God serves me, I mean that that he guides me, motivates me, strengthens me, and makes whatever he want me to do easy. I could say that he really does everything for me. Without him, I'd be laboring in vain.

***Happy Tears to Shed***

        If you realize that you are a sinner and have offended God, and you break down and cried, those would have to be your most blessed tears. How I wish we'd all experience that. Crying from the heart is what we need to realize our miserable states and God's great mercy. To be humble enough to repent of your wrongdoings is one of the most exhilarating and liberating feelings you can possibly have, as that makes the whole heaven rejoice! Yes, all those in heaven root for you! It is certain that whatever joy you give to God will always come right back to you.

***An Unbelievably Beautiful Thing*

        After my last post, I realize that when God has given all of himself to us and we now give all of ourselves to him, it is a most beautiful thing! We and God are now united as one! No more rebellion from us, no more sinning; only perfect harmony and peace exist between God and us. We are now heaven bound, on my last leg of return to our Father and creator. Bon voyage to all who are traveling on such a unique journey!

**Proper & Profitable Giving of Ourselves

        Today is the Memorial of the The Presentation of the Virgin Mary. Here's the Gospel reading from Luke 21: Jesus saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two mall coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." We should give all of ourselves to God because he has already given all of himself to us. By so doing, we show our love for the Lord and will be rewarded with eternal life.