Here's Fr. Mark Goring's latest video. It's worth watching to know that sin can cost us and purgatory exists. Our lifetime is relatively short, but we do have our whole lifetime to turn to God to avoid eternal condemnation, and that's enough time. [Dear Readers: As I won't be able to blog for the next eight days, I'll resume blogging most likely on July 4. God bless you all abundantly.]
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Monday, June 24, 2019
**What Should Matter to Us
We are easily bothered by ordinary events such as some old thing around the house finally stopping to work or some new thing we just bought turning out to be defective. Shouldn't we be more concerned about how mankind is falling fast and further away from God that they are near the brink of losing their souls? Yes, for we should let what matters to God the most matter to us the most too.
*What Matters and What Don't
I've mentioned that once you are in heaven, your past life on earth, how you fared, how you died, and everything else will be forgotten. What only matters then will be the presence of the Lord.
***Approaching God Directly
People wish to know God more, so they read a lot of books, attend conferences, go on retreats, seek out spiritual directors, say the many already formed prayers, etc. Yet God is the closest being to all of us – he can even enter our hearts and completely transform us! So take the fast track: approach God directly, open yourself up to let him see what's in your heart in order to hear from him firsthand. Attain union with him and you'll know that he dwells within you. God is ever ready to connect with you. Trying to approach him indirectly is basically foot-dragging.
*Faithful Living Without Anxiety
Today's Gospel reading from Luke tells the birth of John the Baptist. As you know, Zechariah, the father of John, was made speechless for not believing the words of the angel Gabriel when he announced to him that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son, to be named John. After John was born, the neighbors and relatives made signs, asking the father what he wished the child to be called. Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name." Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. My thoughts are that God has his perfect timing and we must always trust in him fully with patience. This is living faithfully without anxiety.
**We Are Wonderfully Made*
Today's response, Psalm 139.14: I praise you, for I am wonderfully made. We are indeed wonderfully made by God. What an ingenious creation! We can do, and experience and enjoy so many things. We can even attain union with our creator and be made fit for entering heaven! God is wonderful and has made us wonderful. See this and rejoice. Feeling sorry for or being unhappy with yourself amounts to telling the Lord that he has done a crummy job in making you.
**Our Clear Role
Today is Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The entrance antiphon from John 1 and Luke 1 reads: A man was sent from God, whose name was John. He came to testify to the light to prepare a people fit for the Lord. I see clearly our role is to testify to Jesus to prepare whomever we come into contact for his Second Coming.
Sunday, June 23, 2019
**Stray Generation
God does not judge us before we die, for he wants to give us as much time as possible to repent and return to him. Even at judgment time, he would take into consideration our intention behind everything we did. By sharp contrast, corrupt politicians today create false evidence, put out fake stories, make false charges, etc., with the sole intention of taking down some opposition leader they dislike. How far can you possibly stray away from God! What we urgently need is to examine our conscience and repent as a nation. It would be nice to have a national repentance day created.
*Perfect Joy and Contentment
Communion experience. You can have all the pleasures you can get out of the world. For me, to die to live in God's love is perfect joy and contentment.
***Our Greatest Reward
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. I know that God has chosen me from the very beginning, put me on the path to salvation, and shields me with his love on my entire journey. Through receiving his most holy Body and Blood, he has brought me to union with him. There is no greater love or reward for us than the Lord himself!
Saturday, June 22, 2019
***How to Stop Worrying
In the same Gospel reading from Matthew 6 today, Jesus told his disciples not to worry about life, what to ear or drink, about the body, what to wear, or about tomorrow. He came up with many good reasons. You can truly eliminate worrying by seeking to attain union with God and become inseparable from him. Then you'll know that you are going to live in heaven for all eternity and nothing is worth worrying about anymore.
Serving God Alone
The Gospel reading came from Matthew 6. Jesus said to his disciples, "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." I see that when we serve God, we must serve only him and no one or nothing else, for only he deserves the utmost attention and devotion from all his creatures.
*Constraints and Weaknesses*
Today's first reading came from 2 Corinthians 12. Three times Paul begged the Lord to remove a thorn in the flesh that had been given to him, but the Lord said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." This is a powerful, profound statement. It's when we acknowledge our weaknesses that God enters to make us strong. The Lord surely will not help those who think they are strong and do not need his help. And if God's grace is sufficient for us, then we truly have nothing to complain about. Anyone who is not satisfied with God will surely not be satisfied with anything else and remain unhappy.
***All Depends on Our Choice!
When you obey God, you do it out of your own volition and the Lord never tries to take control of you. Again, if you have submitted yourself to him, you are free to leave him at any time. In other words, the Lord God absolutely respects your free will. So it's all up to us to choose to go to heaven or be be separated from God our Father forever.
Friday, June 21, 2019
*Better than Positive Thinking
Norman Vincent Peale is best known for his book The Power of Positive Thinking. It first came out in 1952, became an international best seller and is still popular today. I did read the book and agree that positive thinking can help you succeed in carrying out your ambitions and hopes, but the author focuses a lot upon one's self. I believe that the superior approach is to put your trust entirely in God and you don't even need to be concerned about yourself. I am speaking of total abandonment in God.
**Big Realizations
(1) Jesus is the one before whom every knee shall bend and beg for mercy!
(2) Jesus is the only one who can free us from our self-imprisonment!
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