**Greatest Learning Experience

        You may consider yourself to be a Christian, but if you are not in Jesus yet, you are merely a spectator observing and reporting on him without conviction. On the contrary, if you are inside the Lord or in union with him, you feel what he feels and speak his mind. Getting inside Jesus has to be life's most uplifting, beneficial, and humbling experience.

Today's Scribes and Pharisees

          In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, on a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisee were watching Jesus closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. Jesus, realizing their intentions, said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he restored the hand of the man. They became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. Lo and behold, all this drama is being reenacted on our political stage today. We have the hypocritical politicians of one party together with the fake mainstream media intent on coming up some reason to take down the leader of their opposition party. They failed, were enraged, and continue to figure out what they might do to him.

Commissioned like the Apostles

        Jesus made his Apostles fishers of men. We are his disciples or followers today, but let's remember that our mission is exactly the same, to be fishers of men. 

*How to Live Happily

      For everything we do for Christ, he will reward us. If we live to keep him happy, we shall live a happy life, now and forever.

**Discipleship Leads to Freedom

        The Gospel reading came from Luke 14. Jesus addressed the crowds which were traveling with him, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Those were hard words to hear. Of course, Jesus was letting all know that they ought to love God the most, above everyone else—something our common sense would agree with. I do see here that the Lord was also giving away the secret to freedom. You see, when we become attached to God alone and detached to everyone and everything else, we become free! If is the same as letting God increase to 100% and us decreasing to zero. Yes, when we become nothing, we are liberated and free.

*How to Be Sure Always

        From today's first reading from Wisdom 9: The deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. It's true that when we plan something, we are never sure about the outcome; but God knows it all. Therefore, trust in him to let him guide us through everything. We don't know exactly what can happen, but we can be sure that the end result will be what he wishes for us.

**Sorry State of Man*

        The majority of the world live as if there is no God and plan their life as if they are going to live forever. The majority of Christians in the world live as if Satan does not exist and think that everything happening is OK, not realizing that Satan has already broken into their house, precisely because they have not remained vigilant. In the eyes of the Lord they are in worse condition than the unbelievers, for they are held to a higher standard. Luke 12.48: Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

*The Truth Will Set You Free

        Jesus said in John 8 that if you followed him, you would know the truth, and the the truth would set you free. Knowing Jesus is indeed knowing the truth, for he is the Truth. Once you attain union the Lord, you belong to him alone and nothing else can change that relationship anymore, and you remain free in him.     

End–New Beginning–Final End

        Communion experience. My quest for truth reaches its end when I find Christ; there is no need to look beyond him anymore. Then my new life begins, once the Lord starts to work on me. This transformation continues and will reach its end after I get to heaven where we are all made perfect.

**Being Extremely Wise

        Jesus told us that the gate to life is narrow and many don't even find it. Actually, our heart acts like a gate. We can keep it closed, leave it open a crack, or leave it wide open. Keep it closed and we keep God out completely. Leave it partially open and he won't be able to enter completely. If we leave it wide open, then he will enter to dwell within us, and we don't even need to be concerned about the narrow gate to life. We beat God to it, you might say, and this is being very wise.

*Letting God Be Your God

        This is a first Friday, so we had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass. The Lord showed me what attitude we should assume before him. It was real simple. We only need to submit ourselves to him completely; there is not another thing you need to do.

Jesus Our Savior

        Communion experience. Life in this sinful world is far from being perfect, but Christ is exactly what we need. He fills the void of our life and frees us from the world. He is indeed our Savior.

**Jesus Is Joy

        There are a million things we can talk about, but only talking about Jesus can give us the greatest joy, for he is joy.

**Our Joy

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5, the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink." Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." We today are so fortunate that the Lord is always with us; we can even receive him daily in the Holy Eucharist. For me, the "J" in the name Jesus certainly stands for "Joy."

*Are You Seeking Union with God?

        I have been blogging for 10 years, spreading the message that God loves us so much that he wants to draw all to union with him through the Holy Eucharist. I am just doing my part. How people respond to the Lord is his concern, not mine. But if this blog has motivated you to seek union with God or because of it you've already attained union with God, it would be gratifying for me to know. Feel free to post a comment or email me at 4d16p23w@surewest.net. Of course, you may remain anonymous if you wish. Praised be Jesus and God bless you all.

***Jesus Our Perfect Perfecter

        Communion experience. Only Jesus can make us perfect. Not another one can even come close. Therefore, follow him. 

***Not Praying for Ourselves Shows . . .

our lack of humility.

***Urgent Call to Seek Union with God***

        Sin, evil, hell are real. Jesus talked about them. Why is it that we do not hear them mentioned in homilies at Mass? We need to hear Christ speaking to us through the priest. We want to hear messages that pierce our hearts and shake our conscience; not mild, weak reflections that are instantly forgettable. The spirit needs to be fed. This makes seeking union with God for all of us all the more urgent, for the Lord can and wants to feed our spirit to the fullest!

*Faith in Christ

        This is believing that he is truly your Lord, God, and Savior. Holding this belief, you find that all his claims are true and things do work out the way he promised. Now your faith is rock solid.      

*Amazing God

        Today's Gospel reading was Luke 5.1-11. Two things I picked up from the reading. The first was that if you always do what Jesus wants you to do, as Peter did in the reading, you will be amazed by how things turn out from time to time. The exciting thing about following Jesus is that you think you know him well, yet you have no idea how he is going to surprise you next. God is amazing in amazing you. Secondly, when the Lord calls you, you must leave everything and follow him, as Peter, James, and John did in the reading. If you hesitate, you are not ready and fit to be his disciple yet.

God's Way All the Way

        We need to do God's will, but we also need to do it his way. It must be his way all the way.

*All the Wisdom We Need

        Yesterday I joined a small study group after Mass to look at the readings of the coming Sunday Mass. The first reading came from Wisdom 9, in which King Solomon asked God for wisdom. I started thinking that Christ had come and given us all the counsel we need to live a righteous life and told me exactly how we can be saved and enter heaven. So for us, we already have all the wisdom we need.

*God Has Changed Me

        Last night when my wife was shopping at a food store, I went into Dimple Records next door to take a look, as this local chain is closing all their stores after 45 years. The worldwide Tower Records, which also started out in this area, went out of business in 2006. As the music industry and people's listening and shopping habits change, local stores get crushed.

          I used to be "addicted" to collecting music CDs and was a loyal customer at Tower Records for many years. It's around 2010 that I finally stopped buying CDs. It was a hard decision I had to make so that I might continue to progress spiritually.  Cutting this attachment gave me freedom and peace. Inside Dimple, I saw some CDs I would have grabbed right away before, but I now do have the slightest desire to own them – the allure was gone. The Lord has changed me by setting me free. I can't be happier.

**I Wasn't Out of Order!

        After I posted "Church Priorities Out of Order" yesterday, I thought I might be rocking the boat a bit, as I was a lay nobody, criticizing the Church. Then I saw Fr. Goring's new video "What's Your Opinion?" today and knew I was all right.

***More Union with God Advantages*

        Once you attain union with Christ, you'll be so fulfilled, so content, and so satisfied that you no longer wish to search, to question, or to go elsewhere anymore. The Lord is your final stop and home. You are now inseparable from him!

Making Sin Your Blessing

        God can draw you closer to him through your sins. See every sin as a stepping stone to greater holiness. Each time after you commit a sin, turn to the Lord to ask him to forgive you and to draw you close to him. As you are drawn closer and closer to him, sin becomes more and more repulsive. When you reach union with the Lord, he removes even you tendency to sin. Make good use of you sins when you are weak. Then you won't need them anymore after you become strong in the Lord.  

*Heaven on Earth for God

        Communion experience. The Lord entered me, so I became heaven on earth for God! How awe-inspiring!

**Quick Summary of Union with God*

        It is being one with God. His ways and thoughts are now yours too. You experience the same joys and sorrows as he. It is dwelling in the Lord in total freedom. You no longer struggle spiritually, for he is right in you and with you. You simply enjoy his delightful company. 

Discerning Promptings

        If you feel prompted to spread the good news of Christ in some specific way, should you go right ahead and do it? If the urge came from you, then hold off, for you do not want to rush ahead on your own. You will know that the prompting did come from God if you've been led to this point and feel no anxiety about it. Peace of mind is a good indicator.

**Aiming our Prayer

        If we pray that we may grow closer to God, we miss the mark. If we pray that we may become holy, we still fall short. If we pray that we may open ourselves up to let the Lord make us holy, we are on target.

**Christ, Only Teacher We Need

        The Apostles were all sinners. They followed the Lord and learned from him directly and became saints. Let them be our models. We can also follow Christ, learn from him directly, and become saints. Seek union with the Lord so that we may become like him. Then we'll understand everything.

**Sinner Responding to God

        If I were perfectly holy with no sins, I would not understand why Jesus came into the world to die for me. Since his Passion truly affected me and I feel so grateful for what he has done that I can't even help falling deeply in love with him, I know that I must be a sinner. In my case, a sinner who has found the perfect remedy. 

***Church Priorities Out of Order***

        Global warming is a controversial subject. Even if it is a fact, it certainly is not the most urgent issue we need to deal with right now. For Christians, saving souls has to be the foremost goal. After all, that was the primary goal of Jesus when he came to us to die for us. And the souls today in this evil world need salvation more than ever! I cannot possibly imagine that Jesus would talk about something like global warming more than about our sins and our need for salvation. We truly need to be concerned about Christ's Second Coming! Yet Pope Francis repeatedly warned us about global warning as if it's the most pressing issue today. I am truly disappointed. Meanwhile, the world and Church continue entering the evil's orbit. When the Church loses credibility, fighting spirit, or focus, myriad souls are lost! If we don't shape up, there is no point in begging for God's mercy.

*Our Only Gift for God

        Communion experience. I received what the Apostles received at the Last Supper. When we return fully to the Lord, everything he has is ours. Since we do not have anything except ourselves, all I could offer him was myself.

***Perfect Soulmate*

        I look at my brothers and sisters in Christ at Mass, we belong to the same Lord, but somehow we do not talk about him with each other very much outside church. My wife believes in the Lord too, but she and I do not share the same spirituality, so we end up not talking about Christ with each other as much as we should. This leads me to Christ the Lord himself. We can get to know him as intimately as we wish and he understands every one of us perfectly. You can share whatever with him all you want and he listens and communicates with your heart. Here is our perfect soulmate.

***Praying to Be Holy First!

        As long as we pray only for others, but not for ourselves to be holy, we'll never have true peace in the world! For peace must first start within our hearts and only being holy can bring us inner peace. If sinfulness is our first order of business, then holiness must be too.

God All-Knowing

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 4, people were astonished that Jesus spoke with authority and power. Even the best politicians or most learned pundits today stumble or make gaffes under questioning, but no one was ever able to trip, trick, or stymy the Lord, for he knows everything!

Absolute Fool

        In reading 1 from 1 Thessalonians 5 today, Paul wrote that the day of the Lord would come like a thief at night. Jesus himself said that of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angles of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone; and that we must be prepared, for at an hour we do not expect, he will come. Therefore, anyone who spends time trying to figure out when the Lord will come instead of staying alert and sober has to be an absolute fool, and there has been no shortage of them.

*Alone Before God

        We stand before the Lord alone. Even if someone has caused you to sin, you are still at fault. Playing the blame game doesn't work here. Just know that no one, with the possible exception of the Blessed Mother, can help you at judgment time.

Pity Our Faith!

        At this moment, the US East Coast is bracing itself for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian which had just pounded the Bahamas. In Mark 4, we read how Jesus calmed a storm at sea. He rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind ceased and there was great calm. If the Lord can totally command the wind and calm the sea, then we must see Hurricane Dorian as an intended sign for us. God is always telling us something; we are the ones who have no faith.

*Fundamental Motivation

        We love our family or good friends, that's because they are close to us and we know them well. But the fundamental motivation for loving them should be because God loves them. With this motivation, we'll be able to love those not close or even obnoxious to us, strangers, and even our enemies. Aim to please God alone and we can accomplish the impossible. Open up to let the Lord do great works through us.

***Sensing God's Presence

        It would be difficult to live a good spiritual life if you do not sense God's presence. Even a single brief encounter with God can make a difference. Catholics do have the advantage of receiving the Holy Eucharist, but the key requisite is that you remain open to the Lord. If you do, he will enter, as he is always knocking on the door of your heart. If you go all out to seek union with God, then in time he will let you know of his presence within you without the slightest doubt. Christ now becomes more real than anyone you can see or touch! As I've said, God is to be experienced, enjoyed, and savored. 

*All in God's Hands

        Yesterday the Lord popped one thought into my mind before Mass and nine more during Mass for me to blog. Today there has been only one so far, which shows that all is in God's hands, exactly what I want to post about. Since all is in God's hands, I realize that my future is in his hands too. Therefore, I must obey the Lord to insure that I shall have a bright future. Also, it would be stupid and a waste of time for me to go out and do whatever I wish to do, ignoring God's will. Knowing that you are in God's hands behooves you to live in his holy presence. 

***Living the Superior Spiritual Life***

        If you do not seek union with God and want to be holy, you have a ton of things to remember to follow . . . do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that . . . the list is endless. But if you seek and attain union with God, there is not one thing to remember, let alone struggle against. For now the Lord God does all the work for you, in you, and through you; you just keep him company.

***Freedom of the Soul

        Communion experience. I relish and cherish the Lord entering me. It's so good to live in my God and Father and not care about what the world thinks of me. This is what freedom is all about! It's freedom of the soul.

***Get Personal with God*

        Always go directly to God or at least to him first if you are still going to other human beings, for he is instantly accessible. Once you have established intimate contact with him, you hear and learn directly from him. This is the fast track that will save you so much time and effort in your quest for the Lord because it is exactly how you seek union with him.  

*Only Influence We Need

        Our feelings are greatly affected by what we encounter. We become unhappy when bad things happen to us. If we can only let God influence us, we can be sure that we'll always be happy, for God will shape us to become like him in dealing with problems and God can surely handle anything. I can testify to you that his theory has been proven experimentally to be correct time and again. 

*Contagious Holiness

        Do you know that sensing the awesome holiness of the Lord God can inspire you to become holy? Holiness is not a disease, but shall we say that it is also contagious? Therefore, meditate upon God's holiness to get inspired. I suppose this would be difficult for those who are deep in sin to respond. It only shows all the more that they need to become holy. 

**Side Benefit of Doing God's Will*

        The joy of knowing that you are pleasing the Lord. When you make God happy, how can you  possibly not feel happy? Another secret of happiness.

**Simple and Powerful Way to Live*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, we learn from Jesus that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. What shall we do? My personal solution is to remain in union with God and not even be concerned about ourselves. A simple and most powerful way to live our life.