**How Are We Doing?

        We can grade what we do by the motives behind our acts. I'll list these motives from the worst to the best: (1) to hurt someone, (2) to benefit ourselves only, (3) no particular motive, (4) to help someone, (5) to help someone for God's sake. Acting with the first three, you wast time on earth. Only acting with the last two, especially the last one, will you be storing up treasures in heaven. 

**Being All Settled

        When I call out "My Lord and my God" from my heart to Jesus, everything about me is settled. The past is gone, but my present and my future are being settled by him. I have completely settled down in the Lord.

**The Lord Drawing us*

        I feel the Lord drawing all of us to him like a powerful but gentle magnet. Perhaps it's a gift or a calling, but I believe that if you are open to him, you'll feel it. If you are totally closed to him, of course you won't feel anything. Then if you really open up to him, you should definitely feel his attraction. When you feel it, do not resist, for it's the holy, perfect, most loving Lord drawing you.

****Prayer Attitude****

        When we pray to the Lord, we can see him as high above us and ourselves as little creatures begging for favors. This is proper and fine. Then I see another way I personally prefer. I see praying to my God as fellowshipping with him. He is not just my friend—he is my soulmate, my very soul! Prayer is my time to commune with him and become even more one with him, thus showing that I am totally with him all the way. The Lord needs our support, not just our obedience. To love him is to be dear to him who loves us so much as our Father.

*****Life's Ultimate Attainment*****

        Common experience. Union with God through the Holy Eucharist is our ultimate attainment that fulfills the Lord's most ardent wish. It is God and us melting or melding into one—it has to be the most jubilant occurrence that can happen to us in this life!

***Cure for the Ego***

        First part of reading 2 from Philippians 2: Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Every time you feel your ego surfacing, remember the Almighty Lord humbling himself for our sake, and we are all but helpless sinners who cannot even survive without him. 

***Indebted to Jesus*

        Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of of the Holy Cross. Entrance antiphon, Cf. Galatians 6:14: We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered. We owe everything to the Lord!

***Having Great Expectations

        Communion experience. I expect great things to happen to me, for the Lord now dwells in me and the whole heaven is with me, interceding for me.

***Choose to Be Rewarded Wisely***

        Be good and the Lord will reward you. But do not seek to be rewarded in this life, for this life is brief and your reward will pass. Build up your treasure in heaven now so that you may receive your reward in heaven that'll last forever! 

**Readiness Befoe Askng for Mercy

        We shouldn't ask for God's mercy on us if we are not really ready to obey him in all things yet. So surrender yourself completely to him first, then pray "Have mercy on us."

***Our First and Last Resort

        Communion experience. The more I feel my burden, the more I feel united with the Lord and surrender myself to him. And my burden becomes light and even a joy. If you don't turn to the Lord, you can only find some temporary escape and the burden remains. Go to the Lord is our only way out (Matthew 11:28-30).

**God Most Trustworthy

        Our feelings can change and our devotion fluctuate, but the Lord forever remains steady with the same unwavering love and mercy. This is the One we can return to and trust in at all times.

***Experiencing God's Sorrow***

        In Christ, I feel great joy as well as great sorrow. The latter because the Lord is grieving over our disobedience to him. Imagine how you would feel if your children disobey you, ignore you, or even mock and blame you! We normally love our children, but God's love for us is infinitely greater. Then surely any grief and sorrow we cause him would be so much greater too. But there is joy in suffering along with the Lord, as it draws us ever closer to him. 

***Yearning for God

         You may believe in the Lord and feel that life is now meaningful, but if you still do not yearn for him, you don't really know him yet. The Lord is so lovely and beautiful that even if you are already satisfied with him, you can't help desiring more and more of him. That's why we need to get into heaven so that we may be one with him for all eternity.

*****Great Imbalance*

        I got to church early, parked my car in a shady spot and started to pray. I could concentrate better in solitude. But this morning a fire engine went by, loudly sounding its alarm siren—it must be responding to some emergency. At the same time, the sound of many other running vehicles reached my ears. I realized that when we are not asleep, we are always going somewhere or doing something throughout our lives, hardly thinking about God or doing anything just for his sake. The Lord who should be first in our lives usually ends up last. This is a huge imbalance (or injustice) that can make us truly regret later on. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said to his disciples, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." You don't want to risk being shut out of heaven: no, no, no; you want to solidly secure your eternal life, skip purgatory, and go straight to heaven! 

***Most Beautiful Thing*****

       The love of God is the most beautiful thing there is. It's essential for our existence. It's precisely what we need to be saved from sin. It can transforms us completely to become like God. It's most beneficial for us. Abandon ourselves to God in his love and we'll enjoy peace and joy with him forever!

***Today Much like the Days of Christ

        Today's Gospel reading came from Luke 6. On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. These hypocrites were so intent on finding a reason to accuse Jesus that they became oblivious to the amazing miracle Jesus just performed. Alas, today so many of our government and Church officials remind me of them.

**Sorrow Will End

        The more joy I feel in the Lord, the more sorrow I feel for the world. In the end, there'll be only joy, this I know.