***Praying Slowly**

        I have found that when saying any fixed prayer—such as the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Rosary, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet—slowly, I get a lot more out of it. When you rush through a prayer, your heart is not really in it. Dwell on each word a little bit, and you feel that the Lord is truly listening to you. My last post was about patience being a sign of holiness, and it applies here too. By the way, when I learn a new piece on my piano, I do much better when I play slowly and pay attention to all the notes. It is easy to play fast after a while, learning it by rote. Then, when muscle memory fails, you are stuck. Playing slowly enables you to remember all the notes in your mind as well. 

**Patience: A Sign of Holiness**

        God is most wise for he is infinitely patient with all our faults, forever waiting for us to turn to and put our trust in him. Nowadays, people often get upset when things do not go their way. When that happens, they can no longer think clearly, and things get even worse. Impatience is caused by a lack of trust in God, turning people into fools. 

*****Why We Must Trust in Christ*****

        Life flows seamlessly into death; there are no barriers to cross or overcome. It happens when our time is up. Therefore, we must trust in Christ, putting ourselves totally in God's loving hands!

**No Fruitless Toil and Drifting Away**

        This verse from today's reading from Psalm 90 strikes me: "Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong. And most of them are fruitless toil, for they pass quickly and we drift away." This holds true for those who do not follow Christ. When we know him, we will bear fruit and walk the path to paradise.

**Ultimate Freedom**

       e.Without faith in God, life can feel absolutely meaningless. Believing in him brings hope. And when you believe that Jesus is truly our Savior, everything in the Gospels falls perfectly into place, ultimately the truth setting you free.

**Be Like God, but Don't Play Him**

        When we say someone "plays God," we really mean that the person thinks he or she is God. Of course, that is impossible, for God is infinite and utterly humble, while we are the very opposite. So, to play God basically is to be like the Devil.

**Pathetic Belief**

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 12, as in many other Gospel passages, we read that the chief priests, scribes, and elders sought to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the crowd. It is ironic and sad that they feared the people, but not the true God.

***Presence of the Spirit in Us***

        Galatians 4:6, today's Communion Antiphon, reads: "Since you are children of God, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of his Son, the Spirit who cries out: Abba, Father." When you pray to God, do you just say "Father" or cry out "Abba, Father" from your very heart?

'*****Most Beautiful Message*****

       On this Solemnity oI the Most Holy Trinity, I am going to reproduce today's entire Gospel Reading from John 3 without comments:

          God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

**Know How Good You Actually Are**

        Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The First Reading from Exodus 34 reveals that the LORD came down in a cloud on Mount Sinai and stood with Moses. Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship and said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own." We also need God's pardon: All the great saints see themselves as most wretched sinners, yet so many of us today think that we are pretty good people and that the Lord will surely ignore their minor sins. He is indeed infinitely merciful, but this does not mean that his high standards can be lowered or we don't need to repent of our sins. The Lord God is precise and does not fudge on things. He is holy, and we, measured against him, are deplorably wretched. Know that if you think you are better than you actually are, you are not good enough.

**Know That You Are Not God**

        When God created us, he gave each of us certain abilities and talents besides our conscience and free will. So, we are definitely finite beings. To think that we are great in any way before the omnipotent Lord is both outlandish and laughable, but this is exactly how many people see themselves. To be humble is to be humble before our God and Creator. Sadly, the proud do not see that this is the key to inheriting eternal life.

**On Questioning the Lord**

        In today's Gospel Reading from Mark 11, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached Jesus and said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things?" Jesus said to them, "I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin?" They discussed this among themselves and said to him in reply, "We do not know." Then Jesus said to them, "Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things." You see, when we approach the Lord, we must genuinely want to know something. If our intention is insincere or malicious, we will only set ourselves further back. With the Lord, we must be sincere, humble, and reverent always.

***On Departing This World**

        To remain a lost soul is to depart this world and stay lost forever. You might reunite with others you once knew in the afterlife, but it will offer no comfort. Because of this, I would absolutely follow Christ to gain eternal life; bidding farewell to this world would be the happiest thing I could ever do. Besides, I will finally be reunited with all my saved loved ones.

***Prayer Secrets***

        Also in today's Gospel reading from Mark 11. Jesus said to his disciples, "Have faith in God.  Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions." So here we learn the secrets to effective prayer: Make sure that we don't hold any grievances against anyone, and believe without a doubt that we shall receive whatever we ask for. May I add, this is how we will always have peace.

***Reverence for God's House!*

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 11, Jesus entered the temple area and began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area. Then he taught them saying, "Is it not written: My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples? But you have made it a den of thieves." If the Lord even cleansed the area outside his house, imagine how much more we should revere the Lord inside our churches!

****Lesson on Love***

        In today's First Readind from 1 Peter 4, Peter writes: "Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." Yes, we are to love each other intensely! Yes, we are to love each other intensely! If we have God in our hearts, we will be able to love others. Every moment of every day is an opportunity to love someone. But we must always let the Lord love us intensely first, so that we may truly become a channel of his love.

**Suffering for the Lord**

        Physical suffering can draw us close to Christ. First, when I suffer, the greatest suffering the Lord  underwent out of love for us immediately springs to my mind. He is still suffering today for the innumerable souls who still have not yet submitted themselves to him. My suffering is nothing compared to his. Nevertheless, the fact that I am suffering along with him really brings us together as one. Secondly, when I suffer, I sense his holy presence acutely and know I can slip into his side instantly, should he call me home. This further unites us. In conclusion, suffering for the Lord in this life is a blessing. God's mercy is infinite and his joy, eternal. 

**Danger to Be Aware Of**

        Verse 11 of today's First Reading from 1 Peter 2 struck me: "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul." It made me see how the world is constantly luring us away from God.