As you know I enjoy listening to piano music. Nowadays you can watch so many superb pianists performing online. Some of the talents are truly amazing. For us who follow the Lord, there is no question that we can let the Lord transform us into amazing holy saints, beautiful for him to behold. Then we shall have fulfilled our potential and duty in serving and glorifying God.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Most Private Moment
Communion experience. Every time I receive the Lord, it is a most special, private intimate moment of my life.
**Believe in Jesus Now!
If you think that if you had lived at the time of Jesus, watched him speak with authority and perform all the miracles, and witnessed the resurrected Lord, you would have believed in him, then you should believe in him right now. God is forever! If he was good enough to believe in 2,000 years ago, he's good enough to believe in now and anytime.
Fundamental Realization
It is the realization that God exists and so we were created by him. The alternative (not logical to me at all) is that we are simply here, not knowing anything about ourselves and much else.
Only God and Heaven Matter
Imagine that you are already in heaven. You feel so joyful and content, knowing that this will go on forever. For sure you wouldn't care about all the good and bad times you had during your extremely short stay on earth anymore. It comes down to the fact that when you have God, nothing else matters anymore.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
**Good to Keep in Mind
You may take a chance on doing something that could affect your health, your wealth, or your reputation; but never, never risk doing anything that can make you lose your soul! With God, you always play it safe.
***Living the Exhilarating Spiritual Life
Most people believe that following God is hard and trying to be holy is a big struggle. They are only right if they don't let God help them. As a matter of fact, if you submit yourself to God totally to put yourself entirely at his disposal, he shall carry you along, guiding and sanctifying you – eliminating all your struggles. That is, God makes everything easy for you when you let him. This is the fast track, the secret, the brave way, the breakthrough . . . this is going all out for God. God being infinite and all love, the proper and smart approach is to abandon all of yourself to him with all your heart and with all your soul! And you get to live the exciting, exhilarating spiritual life to boot!
To Be Fair to Yourself
As I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary today, I saw how Jesus didn't just die easily. Rather, he underwent so much excruciating suffering to save us from perdition. It's only being fair to yourself to look into it to see if he is truly real or trustworthy, for dismissing him outright could result in losing your eternal life altogether!
Monday, July 8, 2019
*God Knows It All!
Sometime I pray the Rosary while driving to save time or rush somewhat through a prayer just to get it over with. Then I realize that God knows all my intentions and motives! In fact, he knows me much better than I know myself. But I am actually happy that God knows everything! For, without an all-knowing God, we would simply do whatever we wish with no concern about consequences. Imagine what kind of chaotic world we'd be in!
***What Having Faith Involves
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9, a woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." For her faith, Jesus cured her. Let's see how we can have our prayers answered. First of all, the woman really wanted to be healed by Jesus. Next, she firmly believed that Jesus could cure her. So we have a combination of desiring something strongly and believing that God can accomplish it for you. It would be nice to have God do everything we want him to do, but most of the time the strong desire is not there. For example, I accidentally cut my finger a little bit, and I could ask the Lord to heal me instantly. But as I am aware that the finger will heal itself in a few days, I just lack the strong desire to be healed instantly. It's a different case over two decades ago, when my oldest son was attacked by a virus and lay practically dying in emergency care, I went to him, made the cross on his forehead with my thumb and at the same time saying without hesitation (like giving a command), "Be healed in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." He got well enough on the 4th day to be sent home. I met the requirement of having a strong desire plus faith. I see that it was the Holy Spirit who prompted me to pray boldly. The same goes for wanting to be holy: we need to have the desire and believe, and let the Holy Spirit guide us.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
***How to Stop Sinning
Let Jesus completely occupy you and there will be no room left for you to sin.
***Joy of Being Holy
A holy person is happy because he knows that the Lord has chosen him, called him, and blessed him. Besides, when God sets you free and fills you with peace sprinkled with great joy, how can you not be elated?
Missing Crowds
Communion time thought. The Lord is ready to be worshipped, adored, and praised, but where are the crowds?
*How Not to Judge
Judging needn't be verbal. If you think of someone without love, you are judging already. Only one who is at complete peace with God does not judge others.
Proper Rejoicing
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus sent seventy-two of his followers as laborers to reap the harvest. They returned rejoicing, for even the demons were subject to them because of Jesus' name. Jesus said to them, "Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven." It is proper that we do not rejoice over anything of the world, but rejoice in the Lord alone.
Beautiful State of Existence
Today's Gospel acclamation drawn from Colossians 3: Let the peace of Christ control your hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. This describes a most beautiful state of existence which we can attain by seeking union with God.
*Changing Ourselves First
We cannot always change others, but we can certainly let God change us. If we all do this, there will be peace in the whole world.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
God Makes All Meaningful
Attended a friend's funeral earlier today. Saw this sign at the funeral parlor with this quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln: "Live a good life and in the end, it's not the years in a life, it's the life in the years." It sounded good, but somewhat vague, depending on what "life" means to you. Anyway, everything becomes meaningless when God is excluded.
Have Pity on Us, Lord!
Communion time thoughts. Our God can take away all our sins and crush all evil, yet we put so little trust in him!
**Sluggish Christians
Today's Catholics in general lack optimism. They focus upon their own sins, but do not place great hope in the Lord. They acknowledge their sinfulness and thank God for his mercy, but do not press forward to ask him to transform them in order to transform the whole world! In other words, they are not confident that God can solve all our problems and lack the fighting spirit needed to conquer evil. In this godless world, we need to recognize that not fighting hard is giving in to the enemy. Offense should be our best defense.
Rejoice in the Lord Always
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9, the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." I thought about now that Jesus is always with us, we can certainly rejoice always.
*Unprofitable and Harmful Entertainment
The entertainment industry in this country is a multi-billion dollar business, but much of what it produces is immoral. Let's face it – the whole industry primarily serves mammon. Even when its output seems innocent, it rarely propels you toward God. Therefore, cut out all spiritually unprofitable and harmful entertainment provided by the secular world so as not to waste any precious time of your life by knowing Christ the Lord well.
Friday, July 5, 2019
Sweet Union
Communion experience. The Lord melted in my mouth and I let myself be melted by his love to remain completely in him.
***How to Get to Heaven
I am going to list all the truths I have learned that will get you to heaven. It would be good to know them, even though you don't need to consciously follow all of them. So here I go, starting with what comes to my mind first:
- Believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
- Eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist to remain in him (John 6.54).
- Keep all his words.
- Let God be your God and never play him yourself.
- Abandon yourself totally to God.
- Center your life around serving God and not yourself.
- Remain meek and humble as the Lord and live hidden in him.
- Do to others what you want the Lord do to you.
- Never leave yourself closed to God.
- Never die without having all your sins forgiven or removed by God.
Again, I recommend seeking union with God. For once you attain union, the Lord will make all things easy for you. He is now your secret weapon, secret power, secret helper!
Thursday, July 4, 2019
**Communicating with God*
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!
*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.
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