**Hearing Directly From God

        Before Christ came into the world, the Lord God spoke directly to the prophets. Now, once we get to know Christ most intimately (as in union), the Lord God speaks directly to our hearts too. (This further strengthens our relationship with God. Indeed, to anyone who has, more will be given.)

*Joyful Living

        Live your life aimed at pleasing the heavenly Father and he will fill you with great joy!

Unsure Path vs. Sure Way to Heaven

        Let's be sensible and realistic. We are all going to die. In our limited time on earth, we are so immersed in things of the world and just don't think about God much. Then near the end of our life, if nothing unexpected happens, we finally realize that we have to leave all the things we've worked so hard for behind, and begin to turn to God, maybe. The smart way to realize this in advance and live for God and not ourselves. Then you'll enjoy living a joyful life not being weighed down by anything – a life without fear of death. It's taking the uneasy, risky path or the enlightened, sure way to heaven. 

**Privilege of union With God*

        Came across this video on YouTube featuring the great Brazilian guitarist Yamandu Costa accompanied by his great bassist Guto Wirtti. The two play differently, but together as one they play perfectly as if they read each other's minds. We don't need to know music to live as one with God with total understanding of each other – a special privilege we can all enjoy when we abandon ourselves in the Lord. Yes, make God your soulmate!

  

Bad Things, Good Blessings

        Tragedies and misfortunes can be blessings, for they might be the only way for God to get your attention. Any happening that draws you close to God is to rejoice about. 

**Our Stubbornness and Close-mindedness

        Before the time of Christ, we had people who believed in one God and people who didn't. When Christ was on earth, again we had those who believed in him and others who didn't. After Christ had come, we now clearly know that if we believe in him, we'll have eternal life; still the same division exists. Of course, that are also those who do not know about him yet. Anyway, God knows exactly how to judge each of us fairly. It's sad that we can be so self-centered and stubborn, preferring locking ourselves up in our own space, rather than opening up to God. If Christ is truly not our Lord and Savior, then Christianity has to be the biggest hoax in the entire history of mankind, fooling so many of us to die for him rather than giving up the faith. And you would have trouble explaining why even many more now experience freedom, peace, and joy in him. I believe we are divided, only because we are facing the true God.

**Safe and Free in Christ!

        I abandon myself to God and my soul rests safely in his mercy. The Lord has set me free so that nothing can imprison my spirit anymore.

**Knowing God Is Easy

        Communion experience. I let the Lord enter to heal my soul, mind, and body. The thought came to me that knowing God is easy. As long as you open yourself to him, not offering any resistance, he will enter to let you know of his presence. Of course, this would take some courage. We live in a physical world we can see, but we are also living in a spiritual world we cannot see. There are all kinds of spirits who would readily manifest themselves to you if you invite them to come, but the holy God is the one most immediate to us. Getting in touch with any unknown spirit can get you into trouble, but open yourself to the loving God who created and knows you best and he will make you holy and ready for returning to him in heaven.

*Compelling God

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 8.12: I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Jesus is challenging us again – should we believe in him or not? This is how Jesus causes division, as we are compelled to choose to be with him or not by our free will. There is not another one like Christ, as there is only one God.

**Most Common False Belief

        We fear God because we think that we would lose our freedom if we enter God, not realizing that we've been enslaved by the world. Once you have completely crossed over to God's side, you find unlimited freedom in the Lord and that all your previous fears were absolutely groundless. You see, God never wants to control us – remember that he gave us the free will in the first place. He never intends to lord it over us – remember how he came as our greatest servant? And he never wants to instill fear in us – remember how he loved us so much that he died in our place. It's pure foolishness on our part to stay away from our God. I had those old fears before too, but now I feel I may very well be the freest person in the whole world!

**Most Tragic Reality

        Today's Response to Psalm 23 at Mass: Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for the Lord is at my side. The world is darker than ever. The more you have God with you, the more you feel sorry for the evildoers in the world. I want to shout out: What are you doing? Why are you hurting your God who loves you? Don't you know that you are condemning your own soul to eternal death? If they don't listen to Christ, I doubt they would pay any attention to me. I can only offer up my sorrow to the Lord. They have the dazzling brightest hope ever before them and they don't even know it. When one no longer cares about his own soul, it is a sign that the devil has already taken hold in that soul.

**Disgusting Cold Truth*

          The current pro-life movie "Unplanned," based upon the true story of Abby Johnson who was a clinic director of Planned Parenthood and one day turned into an anti-abortion activist, is doing quite well. See it if you can. Here is the latest pro-life video by An0maly worth watching. You can hear Abby Johnson speak in the last third of the video.   

**We Condemn Ourselves!

      First part of today's entrance antiphon, Psalm 43 1: Give me justice, O God, and plead my cause against a nation that is faithless. From the deceitful and cunning rescue me. This is how I feel about my own country right now. In today's Gospel reading from John 8, the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, asking him whether she should be stoned according to the law of Moses. They did this to test Jesus, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. This made me think of the leftists today in this nation who are trying so hard to come up with some false charge against our duly elected President.

        The wonderful, astounding thing about Jesus was that he did not condemn the woman in the end at all. He simply asked her not to sin anymore. Yes, God does not condemn us. If we get condemned in the end, it would be due to our own doing, not the lack of God's mercy! A world which keeps rejecting God is one heading toward self-destruction.

**How to Serve God Right*

      Never consider how much you have done for God; care only about how faithful you are in following his every will.

***Falling Short of God's Expectations

        Many love God, but few are willing to go all the way. It's as if we want God to come close to us, but not too close. There's that last barrier to keep God at a distance. Most of the prayers we hear, read, or come across reflect this. We pray for God's mercy, favors, etc., which is right and just. And we pray that we will be more forgiving, loving, etc., which is also proper. But I have never heard us openly expressing our desire to surrender ourselves completely to God to allow him to do whatever he wishes with us. This is falling short of total abandonment to God and is our great shortcoming. 

*Why Truth Causes Division

        In today's Gospel reading from John 7, some in the crowd believed that Jesus was the Prophet, while others said that he was the Christ. Still others did not believe that the Christ could have come from Galilee. So a division occurred in the crowd. Of course, the chief priests and the Pharisees did not believe in Jesus at all and were intent on arresting him. Simply put, truth always causes division because the world is in sin.

**Fighting Evil

        Today's entrance antiphon from Psalm 18: The waves of death rose about me; the pains of the netherworld surrounded me. In my anguish I called to the Lord . . . . This is how I feel now when I hear about the insane, out-of-control, crazy liberals demanding the killing of our own children (see my post of yesterday "Today's Radical Evil"). Today's response to Psalm 7 provides the answer: O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge. We seek refuge in God not to escape from evil, but to find more courage and strength to fight it. 

Reciprocal Treatment

        If we are proud of Jesus, he will be proud of us. If are are ashamed of Jesus, he will be ashamed of us.

*Today's Radical Evil*

        How should we react when we face evil? For example, we now have crazy, insane radicals who want the mother to have the right to order her child killed even after birth! It's hard to believe that evil has taken hold of so many of us today. One extreme thought is to round them up and kill them all, but we know that would make us as evil as they. So the clear action to take is go the other extreme as Christ did when he came to save sinners. Since only God has the power to turn evil into good, we must pray extra hard asking the Lord to crush evil and at the same time make us holier than ever so that we might be more effective in fighting evil.

*Glorious Final Hours

        In today's Gospel reading from John 7, some of the Jews tried to arrest Jesus, but no one laid a hand upon him because his hour had not yet come. We all have our hours for various things to happen in our lives, and only God knows them. We who follow the Lord faithfully know that we can move on with confidence without fear. When our final hours arrive, glory will be ours. 

**Saving All Souls

        In today's Gospel reading from John 5, we read that many did not believe in Jesus. It's no different nowadays. Satan has blinded the eyes, hardened the hearts, and polluted the conscience of many among us. The pro-abortionists and the extreme leftists are prime examples. They no longer listen to reason; they are like zombies or wild animals that have been trapped, not even understanding why they so behave. You can't help pitying them. Under the circumstances, we need to double our efforts to become holy and pray for those who have fallen into the clutches of Satan.

**Meet Me on the Bridge*

        After the preceding post, I think you'll enjoy watching this much happier BBC story. Here's a brief description of it: 

         

        When Kati Pohler was three days old, she was left at a market in China and was later adopted by an American family. When she was 20, Kati discovered her birth parents had left her a note, and that every year on the same day, they waited for her on a famous bridge in Hangzhou.

***Reality of Evil

        As you know, Planned Parenthood in the United States is basically an abortion mill. Here is a great testimony given by Patricia Sandoval last year in Sacramento, CA, exposing how PP operates and telling how she found salvation in Christ. It will both horrify and move you. Do not watch this video if you do not have a strong heart! The talk starts at 2:04 and ends at 38:20. (In case you missed seeing my post "Magnitude of Abortion," you can click here.)

Do Not Misunderstand God

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 3.17: God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him. So, relax. Jesus came to save us! Be afraid only if you reject him.

***God Challenging Us for a Reason

        John 5:17-30 was today's Gospel reading at Mass. Jesus succeeded in incensing the Jews, for he called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Reading the 14 verses confirms that the Jews heard him right. Jesus truly challenges us here again: we must say he is either equal to God or someone who doesn't know what he's talking about. There is no way out; we are cornered and must make a choice. We can evade everything else, but not this matter pertinent to our eternal survival. This is how compelling God can be for the sake of our salvation.

Let God Make You Beautiful

        It is most beautiful to let God transform you into a new spiritual being, beautiful for him to behold. The world worships physical beauty which can be a curse, for it can inflate the ego, fostering pride. When God makes you beautiful, you are beautiful indeed. And it's only what he thinks of you that matters. 

*Being Open-minded or Not

        In today's Gospel's reading from John 5, Jesus cured a man who had been ill for 38 years. The day was a sabbath. The Jews found out about it and instead of being curious about the miraculous healing, they began to persecute Jesus for doing it unlawfully on a sabbath. People who always find some fault with Jesus are the ones who do not want to believe in him in the first place. I met one person once who said that he could not believe in Christ because he referred to himself as the Son of Man, not as Son of God. This is something you can easily explain away. Anyway, to those who want to believe, everything comes together and there are no stumbling blocks. 

**Don't Ignore God

        God is not limited by time nor distance. He lives forever and is everywhere. As long as you open your heart to him, he enters to dwell within you. You could have been one who followed Christ while he was on earth 2,000 years ago; but if you hadn't allowed him to enter your heart, he remains outside of you. On the other hand, if today you who haven't even seen the Lord open your heart to him, he is all yours. God is always there, but we pass. Therefore, grab him while we can or we'll leave this world empty-handed.

Up to Us First

        We need to leave all things up to God, but it's up to us to make it happen or not – we hold the starting gun.

**Great Partnership

        In serving God, he accomplishes his will through us and we accomplish ours through him.

**One Great Feeling!

        Being aware that the Lord actually dwells in you in complete union with you.

**To Know God's Will

        We need to be patient for God to reveal any specific will he has for us. He does not want us to be anxious about anything, including knowing his will. More often than not, the revelation evolves over time and in the end, you know what he wants you to do and you feel right and comfortable about it. This is your reward for trusting in him. God is love, joy, and also peace.

Nosiness and Contentment

        Of these two, one is undesirable and the other desirable. The definition of nosiness is undue interest in the affairs of others; prying. The motivation here is not pure, so we must avoid wasting time being nosey about the affairs of others lest God is displeased. Contentment is feeling that you no longer lack anything after you already possess God. If you are still not happy with yourself or life, you are not happy with the Lord yet. 

God Makes the Big Difference

        Today I realize that Christ Jesus has made everything in life significant and meaningful for me; for this I am most grateful, not to mention a host of other much greater benefits or blessings. 

**Intention Over Execution

        Communion experience. I knew that my execution to be perfect was imperfect, but my intention to be perfect was good enough for the Lord and saved my day.

**A Question We Must Respond To

        We are all sinners and only God our creator can take away (forgive) our sins to make us clean again. Do we want to remain in sin and die with sins unforgiven or take care of them before we die? We must respond to this simple but critical and no-nonsense question before we die, the sooner the better.

***Complete Abandonment to God!

        The desire to be a saint or a martyr can originate from the ego too. The intention sounds good, but is it pure? If you wish to be a saint because you love God, that would be fine. On the other hand, if you want to be a martyr, God may wish you to live a long life instead! Therefore, the best attitude to assume is to desire the Lord's will only – you just trust in him and accept whatever he wishes you to do or be. This is total obedience and abandonment, the perfect Christian way, simple and most beautiful.  

*To Be Restored to Perfection

        We may not be addicted to something as bad as gamboling or narcotic drugs, but we can be addicted to things such as cussing, getting impatient, fishing, golf, video games, etc. In general, I do believe that we are all addicted to my own ego and acquiring material goods. In other words, we are all shackled or enslaved to various degrees, one way or another. Here's where we need God to enter our life (heart) to free us from all our shackles. We need to be restored to the way we should be as God's perfect children. Since nothing is impossible with God, it's up to us to make it happen.

*Most Incredible Mercy

        Again, today is Friday and I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. I thought about Jesus who came into the world and got himself killed. Those who did it not just killed another human being, but unknowingly killed one who is the Lord God, our beloved creator! Jesus knew that this was going to happen to him, as he carried out the Father's plan of salvation for us. On the cross, he even prayed for those who put him to death – "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." If they had repented, they would have been saved too. The mercy of our God is truly incredible!

*Bearing False Witness*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus drove out a demon that was mute and the mute man started to speak. Some in the the crowds falsely believed that it's by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that the Lord drove out demons. This reminds me of today's leftist main stream media and politicians who knowingly ignore the facts and keep on accusing falsely those on the right they do not tolerate. This is a clear violation of God's 8th Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. I pity those who keep on doing this relentlessly without repentance, for they doom themselves. 

**Our Big Folly*

        Communion time thoughts. Here's our living, eternal, holy God who is our creator and knows all about us. Here are also all of us, finite and sinful, who think that we'll do just fine on our own. Don't you see the utter folly of our posture? We are no better than those who crucified the Lord for whom he prayed on the cross, "Father, forgiven them, they know not what they do." We are a big bunch who does not know what we do either. (Note: Not all of us are like that – I am just trying to make my point.)

*How to Love Properly

        We all have concerns that place heavy burdens on our heart. Our most urgent prayers are usually said for family members who are dear to us. Then when I place my trust fully in the Lord, I see that he is truly the one to take care of everything, way beyond the people I pray for. In this way, I become detached from them. Of course, I still love them, but this love is now transferred onto the Lord God in charge. As a result, I feel peaceful with no unnecessary concerns anymore. I see that loving properly is to love with faith and in peace.

***Going the Only Way***

        In Deuteronomy 6.5: Moses tells the Israelites: "You shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength. In Mark 12.30: Jesus says: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." The only way for us to accomplish this is to surrender ourselves completely to God to become one with him. There is not another way! Once you've done it, you would be so happy that you did it, for now the Lord communicates directly with your heart. Without such a breakthrough, your spiritual progress will always be restrained.

***How to Be Free and Happy*

        Surrender yourself to God and do his will. This is the only way. And this is the simple truth. (This is how he has made us.)

Best Lenten Offering

        During this Lent, giving up something like eating chocolate cookies is good, but it's infinitely better to give up yourself to God so as to attain union with him. This positive approach will result in your becoming a saint for the rest of your life. With God, always go as far as you can for maximum security and enjoyment.

***Perfect Submission to God

        Communion experience. It should be a time of experiencing peace, but I felt that it's also a good time to let the Lord shake us up. Whatever God does to us can only be good for us. Therefore, remain completely passive to let him do whatever he wishes with you. 

***Living the Perfect Life

        Let the love of God reign in your heart so that everything you do will be motivated by him who is love. This happens when you let God increase to 100% and yourself decrease to zero. Then guess what, the Lord increases you to 100% in him! This is how he rewards us!

***Our Most Beloved Father

        Today's Gospel reading from Luke 15 was the well-known Parable of the Lost Son. All of us are sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are officially adopted by God. Can't you hear the Father calling each one of us "My son" or "My daughter"? How endearing he is to us! At the same time, we must realize how much we can hurt him if we sin against him, for he loves us so much.

*To Rein in Our Speeches

        We speak freely on our own most of the time, and when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit, we speak what the Lord prompts us to say. When speaking on our own, if we are not discerning enough, what comes out can be critical of others or even start an argument. This happened to me recently at a small group sharing. In responding to something someone said, I expressed my point of view and sounded as if I was criticizing the person. If Jesus were at this meeting, he probably wouldn't have minded at all. Afterwards, I realized that I still did not have enough humility in me. From now on, I want to say only what Jesus wants me to say or whatever meets his approval. Humility must rule and the ego never surface. More submission to the Lord is in order.

*Ultimate Spiritual Action

        God alone is more than sufficient for us. Once you have him, you can let everything else go. Therefore, the ultimate spiritual action to take is to dive deep into the Lord to remain in union with him. You fulfill all your desire and receive continual graces from him. This is living in the Lord, not just surviving on your own.