*****Called to Console the Lord

        After my last post They Know Not What They Do!, I have these thoughts today. Christ our Lord had been mocked so much already when he was being crucified, and now 2,000 years later, people mock him even more blatantly—don't they realize that hell exists? If they don't really believe in God, I suppose they wouldn't care about hell either. They are to be pitied the most. (Then I see Catholics who support political candidates who fully support abortion. This is basically also mocking the Lord, albeit on a lesser scale.) To console the Lord who is enduring the pain inflicted upon him by the mockers, we need to be extra obedient, pray extra hard, and make more sacrifices for the atonement of all our sins.

**They Know Not What They Do!*

        I know that many of us are praying hard for the world so that the Lord may lesson or even eliminate any chastisement that's coming to us. Here's a new video showing how Madonna horribly mocks God. Watching it makes it increasingly difficult for us to pray for people of her ilk, yet pray we must for the the atonement of their sins, for God loves us all. Here's that video:

*****Christ Our Liberator and Joy*

        People generally talk about things of the world. It often gets boring or even depressing and I feel weighed down. Then I think of Christ and it's like receiving instantly a breath of fresh air that's liberating and exhilarating. I just can't live without my Lord and my God for a single moment. Life would be joyless and unbearable without him.

**Why Be Attached to God Only?

         Because He'll always be there and is the only one who can save us from sin.

***Why We Want God to Judge Us?

        Because he is always fair and right.      

**Our Decision Alone

        Christ the Lord is always present. Once you find him, he'll always be with you unless you decide to leave him. So it's all up to us. 

**How Not to Be Unmeritorious*

        All our thoughts, words, and deeds are measured by how much they draw others to the Lord. If they don't, they have no merit.

**Great Mass Experience*

         At Mass, I feel that I am being initiated into heaven. When I receive the Holy Eucharist, I know that the Lord is the one to whom I want to trust the care of my soul.

**How to Feel Free

        If you are willing to let the Lord see everything in your heart, then you'll feel the freedom and joy in him. To hide or run away from God is what robs us of peace. Only the Lord, being the truth, can set us free. 

****Only Great Tragedy in Life****

         It was in the news that a man in the Los Angeles area killed ten people and injured another ten at an event held at a dance studio last night. Allegedly, it's reported that he's upset because his wife was invited to the event and he was not. Whether this was the true cause or not, if he had surrendered to Christ first, this tragedy wouldn't have had happened. For anyone, Christian or not, it is tragic if he or she does not know the Lord well. I'll quote again what the French novelist Leon Bloy has famously said: “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is to not become a saint." How true it is!

***God Our Salvific Light

        Today's readings at Mass again remind us that we walk in darkness and the Lord is the light we need for our salvation. This is the very truth you won't find anywhere else. To be saved for sure, we need to realize that as sinners we indeed live in darkness and that Christ is the light that shows us clearly how we may be saved. Know that even in complete darkness, the Lord knows our hearts and souls inside out. We either live in God's light or remain in darkness for ever.

***Strengthening Your Union with God

        I just washed some dishes; I did it expressly for Christ and felt his closeness the whole time. So do all things expressly for him to experience his intimate presence. Let this further strengthen the union you attained with him through the Holy Eucharist.

**Are You Wasting Your Time?***

        The so many things we want to do, placed next to what God wants us to do, may all be nonsense. The smart thing is to do only what God wants us to do, that is, to be obedient to him. Our time on earth is so short that every second we don't mind God is every second lost. Then it'll be too late to know him, the one who loves us the most. 

****Pray for Oneself First*

        We praise God, we thank God, and we tell him that we love him. Then we pray for the world, for the Church, for our own country, family, friends, etc. But it's really more relevant to pray for ourselves first, because if everyone of us becomes perfect, the whole world becomes perfect. If the proverb Charity begins at home is correct, so can we say Holiness starts with oneself. If we are not strong ourselves, how can we help others? If we are not perfect, how can we change the world? We'll all answer to God each on our own, so perfect yourself by presenting yourself to God first, then pray for all other things.

**What People Say About You

        This is the short reading from Mark 3 today: Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." When you follow Christ faithfully, your relatives or others may think that you are out of your mind. You are out of your mind only if you let what they say about you bother you. Live for and respond to the Lord alone and just pray for everyone else.

*****Best Move to Make*****

        Christ has offered himself up to God the Father to obtain our eternal redemption. It would be right and just for us to offer ourselves up to him, warts and all, just to show our gratitude. Of course, in doing so, we gain eternal life. And this has to be the best reward we can possibly get, one only God can give.  

**Mass Experience

        Attended morning Mass. Today is the memorial of St. Agnes. I was heartened to see that the church was quite packed and after Mass the confession line fairly long. Before Mass started, I just wished to bask in the Lord's radiance and holiness. 

***Surrendering Ourselves to God**

        To show that we truly love the Lord, we need to surrender ourselves to him fully. If you find this difficult to do, then ask yourself what disadvantages there might be in doing so. See if you can come up with something worth considering. I hope this can help you come to a decision. We can always start out with our willingness and ask the Lord to help us attain what we desire. This is one way to get the surrendering process going.