***Always Take God Seriously*

         At the end of each Mass, the priest blesses the congregation in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are so used to hearing it that it's easy not to take it seriously; but this is truly having God bless us! So if we remain open and receptive, blessings will definitely be bestowed upon us. The Lord will take us seriously only if we take him seriously.

***Basic Reminder***

         Before God, we are all sinners; so we are in no position to judge others. If we ask the Lord to save us, we need to ask him to save everyone else too, for he loves all of us. Know that our greatest enemy is our pride, and humility is a must-have for getting into heaven.

***Serious Wake-Up Call***

         Christ is always with us, even when we are unaware of that or when we ignore it, for he is our Lord and our God. Each of us is basically alone with him, as only he matters to our existence. If you lose him, who is our only Savior, by choice or thru negligence, you become alone and lost forever!

*****Great Way to Know God Dearly*****

         Anytime you lose peace over anything, go straight to Christ the Lord to tell him about it, and he'll comfort and guide you. This is such a great way to endear yourself to him to deepen your relationship with him. Treat the Lord as your soulmate and he'll treat you as his. Now, watch how your life takes a wonderful turn!

***Onward with the Lord***

         Communion experience. That the Lord would feed me with his own body and blood through the Holy Eucharist is true giving! After receiving him, I know that I belong to him and my soul is in his most holy hands. Now I am rich beyond bounds and victorious over all obstacles. When the Lord is with you, you are unstoppable!

***Greatest Unjust Misunderstanding***

         Today's psalm response from Psalm 106: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Indeed, God is more than good: His not only sustains us phsically, he also loves us to death and wants to set us free from sin so that we may return to him to enjoy eternal life in heaven! But so many of us have chosen to live for themselves in their brief time on earth—how foolish and blind they are! Have they no concern about their souls? To believe that Christ has come and died for nothing is not only a serious sin, it also has to be the greatest unjust misunderstanding of all times! That's saying that you can survive without God, that he doesn't exist, or that he doesn't care about you at all. If you still have some heart and a mind left, it's time to wake up and give yourself a thorough internal examination. 

***Most Secure Bonding***

        Communion experience. Receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, you then form a bond with him impossible for anyone else to break!

***To Be Blessed to the Max***

         Today is the Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle. He's the one who came to believe that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead after seeing the mark of the nails in his hands, putting his finger into the nailmarks, and putting his hand into his side. Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." This is true and valid only because he is true God. If you can believe in Jesus to be your God and your Lord without seeing him, without knowing him, or even without questioning about him, then you'll surely be blessed by him to the max! It works because he is true God.

***Critical Awareness***

         Be aware that basically, each of us exists alone with God, for only he knows all about us and shall determine our eternal destiny. All the billions of other fellow human beings are in the very same boast with no direct power to change anything for us. Only we alone can shape the way we want the Lord to shape our eternal future. So start living for Christ right now! 

***Most Soul-Satisfying

         Communion time thought: Doing God's will is the most soul-satisfying thing we can possibly do on earth.

***Key to Salvation***

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8, two demoniacs met Jesus and immediately cried out to him, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" The demons recognize who Jesus is and we should too. When we truly believe and know that he is the Lord and our Savior, we are saved!

***Sins That Can Sink Us***

         Here's a video that's a little long, but is important for all Catholics to watch. Come to think of it, it's also important for all others to watch so that they may come to understand sins more. It will definitely make some people feel uncomfortable, but you can always choose not to watch it. Mind you, the fact that it makes you feel uneasy only shows that you need to face sin and deal with it. Of course, if you're closed to Christ, to become sinless would be impossible. On the other hand, if you are open to him, sin can become totally manageable and you can even become effortlessly a saint! "To sin or not to sin?" is what we struggle with all our lives.

***Spiritual Elevation***

        Communion experience. As a lowly, finite being, you are overawed in becoming one with the glorious, infinite holy God, knowing that he's going to exalt you to the full. "To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich" (Matthews 13:12) really applies here.

*****Our Only Business*****

        Before the Most Holy Almighty God, our only business is to love and obey him ... no more, no less. Then we become totally free.

***Leaving All Up to God

         For all these years since 2012, I've been posting on the average at least three messages per day. Once in a while I receive as many as ten messages almost at the same time. For the first time his month, while I am still as open to the Lord as ever, I've been receiving on most days at most two messages to post. Job 1:21 comes to my mind: "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away." I had experienced this when I was actively involved in leading a charismatic prayer group decades ago. I would receive all the ideas from the Lord to share with the group in advance. (I still have the notebook that I wrote them in.) Then after years one day, thoughts suddenly stopped coming to me—I sensed it's time to let someone take over and phase out of the charismatic renewal movement. Now I have definitely been called to let the world know that the Lord desires that we all seek union with him thru the Holy Eucharist. Perhaps I am now going thru the final phase of my spiritual journey on earth; then again, perhaps not. I am leaving all up to my Lord and my God.

***Living in Christ Wisely***

         Always be open to and rejoice in him, knowing that he is leading you to eternal life and total spiritual freedom. Follow him every step of the way. Instead of expecting things to happen, let him surprise and amaze you. 

***Our Most Beautiful Act!***

         Bliss is the ecstatic joy of heaven. We experience bliss in heaven because we can do whatever we want in heaven as we only want to do God's will up there. And when we desire that, it's done for us! Therefore, the most beautiful act for us now on earth is to submit ourselves to God completely. When we attain union with God, we perfect his plan and the entire heaven rejoices!

***Our Ultimate Prayer***

         In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8, we have the centurion who asked Jesus to cure his paralyzed servant, impressing the Lord with his faith by saying to him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed." Faith is believing that God can do whatever you want him to do, not necessarily that he will do whatever you ask of him. And we must believe that whatever he wishes for us will always be the best for us. "Thy will be done" is to be our ultimate prayer.