As I flew home yesterday, I looked out the plane's window and saw the sun setting just above a sea of clouds, and I saw how the earth had been rotating on it own axis, creating day and night, and at the same time orbiting around the sun, creating the seasons, for perhaps billions of years, I knew that God exists and I prayed to him and knew that he heard me. I could communicate with this amazing God instantly! I was overwhelmed, feeling great joy!
Thursday, July 4, 2019
*Opposite Extremes
A soul on the brink of falling into hell and a soul ready to soar to his Father in heaven.
Breakthrough in Trusting in God
You no longer worry about or are bothered by anything, and offer up all your pains to God.
*Man and Woman Becoming One Flesh
In Mark 10, Jesus said, "From the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh." Today (June 30), the Lord made me feel this. My own 57th wedding anniversary is coming up in August. This oneness is unique, for one doesn't even feel this with one's own blood relations. Only union with God is superior.
***Self-Conversion First Priority
Communion thoughts. Jesus wants us to bring others to him; but most of all, he wants us to surrender ourselves to him first. That is, God wants to convert us before we convert others.
*Converting Others
Only God can fundamentally change a person, and that person has to let God in to be changed. We should not hold onto them, but to release and consecrate them to God and do our best by example and through prayer to lead them to God. The rest is up to the Lord.
**Turning Suffering into Joy
While away from home, I attended Vigil Mass at a St. Mary's Church. I had to offer up the heavy load on my heart to Christ my Lord, for the only way out is to suffer along with him. This in fact brought freedom and joy, for it further solidified my union with my most beloved.
***Process of Freeing Oneself
You should belong to God alone and not attach yourself to anything or anyone else. Not because you don't care about all things and others, but because that's what God desires!
**Questions to Ask*
We all have a soul that lives on forever. So what are you going to do with eternal life? Instead of living your life as if you'll never die, shouldn't you at least think about and be concerned about your soul before you die? Are you prepared to assert that Jesus came, died, and served no purpose whatsoever? Do you even give him a chance?
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
**Settle Eternity Before You Die
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.]
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!
Holy Spirit Our Prompter
Whenever your ego motivates you to do something, you may feel good momentarily, but you will not experience true peace in your heart. Let the Holy Spirit prompt you to do everything, and you'll feel good and also experience peace. So get to know the Holy Spirit well first.
*State of the Soul
Have you ever opened yourself up to let God reveal the state of your soul to you yet? When you submit yourself to him, you are letting him in to reveal himself to you and to help you understand yourself. This is something everyone of us should do before we die. When you see your own soul in God's light, it's time to ask for its healing. Once the soul is made whole, you are ready to live your Christian life to the fullest.
*Wise Declarations to Follow
In today's Gospel's reading from Matthew 19, Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." This is what we need to hear and heed, for we are completely immersed in living on earth and hardly ponder heaven. How about starting out by giving your heart to the Lord? Then he will surely make you understand all his wise counsels.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
***Featuring the One and Only God
Communion time realization. Christianity is unique in this way. God came to us in person to demonstrate his love for us and to show us how we can be saved forever. Then we can attain union with him, with him residing within us and with us knowing him most intimately. He is for all, yet he also becomes our most personal God.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
**Living Secretly in God
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus taught the people about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Essentially, we are to give alms, pray, and fast in secret, without any intention to make others notice you. It comes down to that we should do everything for God and not for our own ego. Recognize also the reality that each of us is on his or her own in this universe. When we face the Lord at judgment time, we shall be there alone and all issues will be resolved between us and God. It should be clear that only what we do for God will matter. Therefore, start living for God in secret. By the way, such selfless living will definitely bring you joy and peace.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
**How Good Is Your Life?
There are people who lament that they do not have a good life. They feel sorry for themselves or complain that life is not fair. Here are my thoughts. If you know that you are returning to God, then you should feel good about your life, for it is your very path to heaven. If you are heading towards hell, then no matter how good you think you life is, it has to be horrible living.
*Most Personal Bonding
Communion experience. I actually received the body of my God. Talk about bonding!
***To Have Life Forever!
To be alive for a limited time definitely cannot be considered as having life. To me, to have truly life is to exist in happiness and contentment forever. Is this even possible? I can answer yes with great joy, for Christ has come to us two thousand years ago to tell us that he is the life and whoever believes in him shall have eternal life! The best part of this is that we'll be happy not just for a century or even a million years, but forever without end, as the God of Christ lives forever without end. Obviously, becoming one with him will without doubt make you live forever.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Joy of Hearing from God
When God speaks to your heart, it is such a heavenly joy, for you are assured that he is with you, you are with him, he cares for you, and you belong to him.
To Live Without Anxiety
Jesus spoke to his disciples and crowds, taught them many things, performed great miracles before them, etc., and he never ever showed anxiety. He suffered greatly, but always remained in peace. He advised all not to be anxious about anything. By trusting in him and becoming one with him, we can also live without anxiety.
God's Peace and Joy
The peace and joy we receive from God are beyond human understanding, for they are deposited in our hearts directly by the Lord.
***Secret of Spiritual Attainment
When we abandon ourselves totally in God, God totally accomplishes all things through us. Again, it comes down to us letting God be our God, with us staying completely out of his way. This is the secret of attaining rapid spiritual growth.
**Desiring What God Desires
John 17.20-21: I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us. Here, Jesus prays that we may be one with him and the Father. So if we desire union with God, coinciding with his desire, you can bet that wonderful things shall happen to us within our hearts.
**Key to Preserving Inner Peace
Anytime we play God, it is certain that we will lose our inner peace. For example, we judge someone and we get upset, forgetting that God is the only one who is qualified to judge us. If we truly love God, we will surrender ourselves to him to let him truly be our Lord. Then nothing will be able to rob us of our inner peace anymore.
***How God Makes Us Anew
Today's first thoughts before Mass began. We should think right, speak right, and do our deeds right, then we shall have inner peace. But how do we get there? The Lord showed me that the heart, the brain, and the mouth, apart from the soul, are the operating parts. To start, we must let our soul be healed and made whole – precisely what we ask for before receiving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist and what he grants when we receive this Most Blessed Sacrament. Once the soul is made whole, God can start purifying the heart to take care of our thoughts, words, and deeds. Very cool to see this. You are now made anew from the inside out. During the process, you get to know the Lord most intimately. Such a great joy to let him transform us!
Sunday, June 16, 2019
**Glory to Our God!
Today is the Solemnity 0f the Most Holy Trinity. We have God the Father who created us and loves us to death. We have God the Son who is our brother, our friend, and our Savior. And we have God the Holy Spirit who teaches us, guides us, and shields us from all evil. We have the perfect Triune God. Hallelujah!
**Recognizing Our Predicament
While I was exercising on a tread mill at local gym early this morning, around a dozen or so TV sets were turned on throughout the extensive space. Today being Sunday, there was a preacher preaching to a group of people on one screen, but you must be careful nowadays, for many preachers present their own views, often in disagreement with other preachers. Anyway, all the other secular shows, including commercials on screen, served to draw our attention away from God. Today the academia are mostly secular too. Then Hollywood and the entertainment industries couldn't be further away from God. As for the many politicians today, they are plain anti-God. This world is filled with those in cahoots with Satan, placing all souls, their own included, in great jeopardy. Of course, there is always hope – all it takes is to believe in and follow Jesus, our Savior. But with us full of pride, we become our own stumbling block. I hope that recognizing our predicament can help us overcome ourselves to get on the path of salvation.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
***Is Everything God Has Ours?
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the father consoles the unhappy older son, saying to him, "Everything I have is yours." Is everything our heavenly Father has ours too? Well, we and Jesus share the same Father and the same mother. Then we seek and attain union with God and become one with him. If we possess him, then, of course, we also possess everything he has. Can you imagine that the Lord God who died for us will not let us enjoy freely everything he has after we get to heaven? I can't.
Be Genuine Before God
In today's Gospel reading from Matthews 5, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes," and your 'No" mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One." It is clear that we must always mean what we say. God does not like hypocrites and phonies. And you'll sleep better too being genuine.
State of Mankind
Here's a mental image that came to me during Mass this morning. I see billions of people in God's presence. A relatively small number of people choose to remain with the Lord, not going anywhere. Another larger group are sticking around, but they stay some distance away. A much larger group sit on the borderline, for they still do not know which way to go yet, while idling away their time. Perhaps forming the largest group are those who are walking away from God, not aware that they are heading toward a precipice. Pray hard so that all will turn back to God.
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