*Leaving this World Joyfully

        I dreamed early this morning that I lost something very important and panicked. Since dreams reflect our life experiences, the fact that we all have nightmares is proof that our life experiences are not always that good. PersonalIy, I am looking forward to going to heaven to be with God forever. To not want to leave this world is pitiful. To leave with great sadness is not good enough either. If you know that your Father is waiting for you to return to him like the father in the parable of the lost son, then you would want to leave this world in great joy and triumphantly as you return to him! 

***Amazing Pro-Life Rally*

        For the first time, a sitting president spoke at a pro-life rally and that was President Trump speaking at March for Life in DC yesterday. The crowds were bigger than ever and the presence of the younger generation was noticeable. (At my church, usually one bus was enough to take all members to the Walk for Life in San Francisco. Today, two full buses took off this morning.) The cheering and exuberance during Trump's speech were awesome. In case you missed the talk, catch the highlights in this eight-minute video provided by Life Site News.

**Abortion, Work of the Devil

        Yesterday the March for Life took place in Washington D.C. Today it's the Walk for life on the West Coast in San Francisco. These are the world's two largest pro-life events. I'll always remember this quote I came across: "Everyone who supported slavery was free. Everyone who supports abortion was born. And that, my friends, is how oppression works." If God had made us so that aborting a child would also kill the mother, I am sure no one would talk about abortion anymore. Since the unborn are totally defenseless on their own, they become the targets of oppression.

       Another thought. You can say that the pro-abortionists play God by taking the lives of the unborn into their hands. Of course, God would never do what they do. So more accurately, they play the Devil, for they do exactly his work.

*Avoiding Promised Condemnation

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 16, the Resurrected Lord appeared to the eleven and commissioned them to go into the world to proclaim the gospel to every creature. He said to them, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned." I am struck by the severity of the second half of this saying. It it is true, the majority of us today will be condemned. Perhaps this is justified because God's mercy is so great. But as long as we do believe, we won't have an issue. This is good enough for me.

*Conversion Needed for All

        Today is the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle. As you know, Paul started out as a leading persecutor of those who followed Jesus. And he was converted by tho Lord in a most dramatic way. What a blessing! Our conversions may not be so dramatic, but every conversion is a great blessing. How you are converted matters less; it's whether you are converted or not. Cradle Catholics need to experience an interior conversion too if they are to serve the Lord effectively. Our highest goal should be to attain union with God to complete the ultimate conversion. 

*God Needs Our Response

        Paul writes in Galatians 2.20, "I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me." We must all be aware that the Lord loves us and has given up his own life on earth for us! We are very special and must respond to him in some way if we are humane at all.

**Smart Realization

        Do whatever you want to do, but just do not offend our Lord God. For if you do, you just condemn yourself.

Allegiance-Switching Time

        Communion experience. It's time to let the world go and focus upon storing up treasures in heaven in whatever remaining time left in this life. The sooner the better for all of us to realize this.

*Being Open to God a Must

        God has a plan for each one of us, whether you know it or not. To learn about his plan, we must be open to him, for we can do nothing without him (John 15.5). There is a role for us to play in life, and to play it right, we must let God direct us. Today's Communion antiphon, John 15.16: It was not you who chose me, says the Lord, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will last. To let the Lord choose us to go and bear fruit, again, we need to open ourselves to him.

*Starting with God First

        If we can relate to God perfectly, we'll be able to relate to everyone and everything in the world perfectly too. If not, we mess up our lives. It's that simple. Start with God first to get everything else right, for he who made us knows us best. Let him be your teacher or better yet, your soulmate, then you'll live the most rewarding life on earth.

***How to Know God in a Nutshell***

        The God of Christ is always open to us. If we do not feel his presence or hear his voice, that's because we are not not completely open to him! We are the ones to blame! If you are truly open to him, 100%, you will know him to be the Lord and the truth with absolute certainty, for he is the one revealing everything to you. Then you are set free forever! 

Biggest Blessing of Each Day

        Communion experience. I felt so happy and blessed that I was called to the Lord's supper daily. Quoting from Psalms 23.5, You set a table before me; my cup overflows.

*Stop Being a Fool

        If Christ is real to you, then you should live as if he is present with you at all times. So if you are still not completely open to him, not willing to let him know everything about you, then you are still running away from him. This is fooling yourself, thinking that you can fool him. Again, seek union with the Lord first so that you'll be wise and not be foolish ever. 

**Tip on Making Spiritual Progress

        When we first search for Christ, we need to use our head to learn as much as possible about him. Once we are intellectually convinced that he is the one worthy to be believed in, it's time to make the leap of faith and accept him as Lord and Savior. From this point on, we don't need to intellectualize anymore; we should just try to believe in him without question. Now, to make the most rapid spiritual progress, we need to switch from head to heart completely. It is the heart that can move the Lord's heart and capture him. Union with him would be impossible if you don't offer him your heart.

***On Our Way to Meeting God

        We may not hear a clock ticktocking or a drum beating in the background, but as sure as the sun will set, we are marching on our way to meet God, our maker and judge. Consider that to be an interview and it will be the most critical interview of your whole existence. Have you thought about the kind of questions you might be asked? What may you want to say to him? It's best to think about and prepare for all this as early as possible. If you put it off until the last minute, you may not have any time left at all. I am dead serious (while I am still alive).

**God Making Your Life Easy (clarified)*

        I have always said that the fast track to making your life easy is to let God do all the work for you. Of course, I am not saying that you sit back and do nothing. What I mean is that you now submit yourself completely to God, trust him with everything, and let him guide you in all that you do. While resting in him, you'll find everything super easy to perform with no anxiety nor stress. It becomes God doing his work through you. By the way, this is how you become holy too.

*Trembling Before God

        Communion experience. Sometimes we cry out of joy or because we are sorrowful. We also tremble out of fear or when we feel overwhelmed and most grateful. Today after receiving Holy Communion, I trembled, feeling the latter way. So awesome that the perfect, infinite Lord should unite with the most imperfect, finite me. It's all real and miraculous!

Getting Along with God

        Today I feel that pleading for mercy from God is most appropriate for us to approach him. It shows that we need him to save us from death and that we are completely at his mercy. Of course, we also know that he loves us and that he shall save us when we submit ourselves to him. All works out well.

***Most Precious Blood of Jesus!

        The thought came to me during Mass. The Lord shed his own blood to save us! It is a monumental deal! 

        That's why for us, his blood is so precious. We even get to drink it during the liturgy of the Eucharist. You can't help feeling good that the Lord God should love us so much!

**Love to Be Our Weapon

        In today's first reading from 1 Samuel 17, we heard how David challenged Goliath. In those days, the Israelites went up against their enemies by fighting them physically with weapons. But Jesus had come and revealed himself to be love, demonstrating to us that we are to fight our enemies spiritually with love always. Love to be our weapon—a revolutionary idea, but ultimately the right solution. In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus cured a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. Again, he let love override the established rule and proceeded to do good by restoring the man's hand. Follow Jesus and you follow love. 

***Prayer to End Abortion

          Today is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. At Mass we all recited this prayer to end abortion by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life. Please join us by saying this prayer or any of your own. God bless you.

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,

And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,

Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son.

I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.

Today I commit myself 

Never to be silent, 

Never to be passive, 

Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, 

And never to stop defending life 

Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,

And our nation once again becomes

A nation with liberty and justice

Not just for some, but for all,

Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

***Let the Fire Begin!

        Another video from Fr. Mark Goring. I am letting him speak exactly what I want all of you to know. Praised be the Holy Spirit!

**All About the Free Will

        I appreciate the fact that God had given me the free will so that I got to choose to follow him. Of course, the free will also allows me to choose not to sin against God, and I appreciate that as well. Once we are completely with the Lord, we don't need to exercise our free will anymore. So we can either retire it or give it back to God and remain in peace.

**Complete Conversion

        Communion experience. The Lord showed me that a complete conversion goes beyond believing in him as your Savior—you need to go all the way to become one with him.

*Purgatory Is Also Real

        If heaven and hell are real, what about purgatory? If your body is not completely clean, you need to get into a shower to be washed clean. Now, if your soul is not completely pure, you need to go to a place called purgatory to get purified before entering heaven. Here is an 8-minute video to tell you a few things about purgatory.

**Heaven and Hell Both Real

        It would be illogical to say that no matter how we live our lives, we would end up in heaven, and hell doesn't exist, and vice versa. If both good and evil are real, then both heaven and hell must exist. Listen to Fr. Mark Goring on this. Please, let's all aim for heaven.

        [A footnote: I want to let all know the reality of hell because it's such a horrible place that I do not wish anyone to go there, not even for a minute, let alone for ever. Then I realize that when we tell others about hell, they might think we're trying to scare or judge them. So we must be careful and do it with love.] 

Getting the Priorities Wrong

        I see so many people worrying about their health, but showing no concern about life after death. Take care of your eternal life and you take care of all your temporary worries as well.

***God's Calling Today

        The Church is in bad shape. Many decades ago when I was traveling through Europe, I already noticed the mostly empty pews and absence of young people at Sunday Mass. Today the German Church has gone against church tradition. Ireland no longer prohibits abortion. The American Church is more in sympathy with the leftists who support abortion. Many countries seem to embrace LGBTQ people more than they do Christians, who are increasingly being persecuted around the globe. The Church is fractured now due to internal corruption, scandals, and the lack of clear teaching and leadership from the Holy Father. Overall Church membership is declining fast in this country. Local churches in general are not much more than being lukewarm. We must become more vigilant and militant and go on attack if we ever wish to turn the tide. I can see that evil has infiltrated all levels of our society in the last half century or so, while we remained complacent. To win the spiritual battle, the Lord wants us to become holy foremost so that we may fight evil with great fire and zeal.

*Indication Jesus Is God

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Earlier he spoke of Jesus as one who ranked ahead of him because he existed before him. This is interesting because we all know that John the Baptist was born some six months before Jesus. So if he knew that Jesus existed before him, it must be that Jesus had always existed before coming into the world. 

***First Things First!

        While exercising on a treadmill at the gym early this morning, a Sunday preacher was giving a sermon on TV. He asked his audience to have perseverance. I started thinking that we were always told to do this, to do that, but never to surrender ourselves to God first. Surely we already know that we should believe in God more, love and forgive others, pray more often, persevere, etc., but where do we get the power? Now, if we can surrender ourselves to God first, then he will help me accomplish whatever we wish to accomplish via the power of the Holy Spirit. Without surrendering to God's will first, it's putting the cart before the horse. Think about it, or better yet, try it.

***Using Your Heart

      To get to know the Lord, to love him; use your heart, not your mind. Union with God would be impossible if your heart remains uninvolved. In fact, do everything for God at the heart level. Offering your heart to him makes a good start.

From Restlessness to Stillness

        Communion experience. In my college days before I found Christ, I can remember that my heart was always restless. Today after I received the Holy Eucharist, my spirit experienced an absolute stillness, thanks to Jesus. This is the Lord who can get us into heaven!

Egotistic Hypocrite

        Be the genuine you always, no duplicity. Never do anything for show (no ego play). If you cannot do it, then you have to be categorized as an egotistic hypocrite. 

*Do We Need Jesus?

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 2, some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinner and tax collectors and asked his disciples why he ate with them. Jesus heard this and said to them, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." Are we the righteous or sinners? Do we need Jesus? The fact is that we are all sinners and need him. It is interesting that those who believe that they are righteous and do not need Jesus are the ones who need to be saved the most, while the great saints always regard themselves to be the most wretched sinners before the Lord. Looking at our world realistically today, my assessment is that we need Jesus most desperately!

The Life in Union with God . . .

is a life of joyfully waiting to hear from the Lord and doing what he wishes you to do, without any anxiety.

Settling Eternity

        Let's get right to it: since our soul lives on forever, we cannot be happy until we get our eternity settled. Now, God is eternal, so if we can latch onto him, we should do fine. Fortunately, he loves us and desires that we spend all eternity with him. It all works out perfectly. Follow Christ the Savior and our issue is no more (for all eternity). 

**Beautiful Conversion Story*

        Watch and hear the beautiful conversion story of the Croatian photographer Don Elvir Tabakovkić. Chances are one or more of the things he said would resonate with you. His photographs are beautiful too.

**Morality Reversed!

        Here is Fr. Mark Goring's new short video. The message is not directly related to the content of my last post, but it's the same Spirit that prompted us. Hear Fr. Mark's revealing message (warning), and pray for Ireland.

*What Mass Should Be Like

        The center of Mass is of course Christ the Lord. Everything that happens at Mass should help us focus upon and not distract us away from him. I know that what I have to say will sound too strict or worse to many, and may even draw ire from some of you, but that's OK. It's to each his own. 

1. First, I'd like to see lectors prepare and practice their readings ahead of time. Too often the lector sounds robotic, enunciates poorly or speak not loud enough. What bugs me the most is that there is no pause between readings. When you are still reflecting on the first reading, the second reading starts already. A pause at least 15 seconds long would be nice. 
2. Personally, I don't find music that sounds more like pop music uplifting. It's difficult to say, but when you hear it, you know. Music can be nice, but not necessarily uplifting.
3. There is a reason why in the older days the Church required that women cover their heads and not to bare shoulders, etc. You see, men are different from women. A man can easily be distracted (attracted) by a woman he sees. So, for all those who are servers at Mass, please dress appropriately in order not to distract anyone from the Lord. I'd like to mention that I personally feel uncomfortable when I see a female Eucharistic minister offering me the white consecrated host with fingers whose nails have all been painted a very dark or some deep red color, definitely a distraction.
4. I don't need to hear the homilist telling jokes or making remarks just to amuse the people. They tend to take the focus off Jesus. Also, things extraneous such as singing Happy Birthday, etc. should be done outside Mass. 
5. Ideally, people should refrain from talking freely before and right after Mass. After Mass because after receiving the Lord, there might be those who'd like to remain in reverence for a while.
6. Today when many Catholics don't even know or believe that Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, it would be appropriate to announce the requirements for receiving the Holy Eucharist at Mass from time to time, especially at Easter and Christmas times when submarine Catholics surface.

       I'd say whatever you would not do at the Last Supper, we should not do at Mass.

**Extraordinary Food

        Communion experience. I was not receiving any ordinary food; I was receiving the living bread, the Lord God himself. This is the food that unites me to God my creator. This is the food that heals my soul. It is the food that promises life eternal! I felt gratified and elated. God always uplifts us when we rest in him.

***All or Nothing with God*

        It is not good enough to go near Christ to be close to him; you want to enter him to become one with him! It's not good enough to know that he is the Lord, you want him to be your Lord! It's not good enough to obey him 99.99% of the time, you need to obey him 100% of the time! The greatest commandment God gave us is to love him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. Would God, thinking that we are not good enough, say to us, "Stop trying to love me more, you''ll never make it"? Of course not! Would God think that we are good enough and say, "Stop loving me, you are already good enough for me"? I think not. What he wants us to realize is that on our own we cannot possibly succeed, but if we let him do it for us, nothing would be impossible, especially when we wish to do only his will.

**God Knows About Me!

           Today is the Memorial of St. Anthony. The Gospel reading from Mark 2 tells the healing of a paralytic by our Lord. Four men brought the paralytic to see Jesus. Unable to get near him because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him and let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Some of the scribes present asked themselves, "He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?" Jesus immediately knew what they were thinking. To show that he has authority to forgive sins on earth, he said to the paralytic, "Rise, pickup your mat, and go home." He did as he was told in the sight of everyone.

        I do not know the age of the paralytic. He could be older and not much younger than the Lord. Anyway, the fact that he called him "Child" strikes me that he was speaking to him as God. As always, Jesus knew what people were thinking or what they were going to do. I find great consolation in knowing that God knows all about me and all my thoughts. It would be terribly lonely to know that there is not a single soul out there who can fully understand you. Being aware that the Lord knows all about me guards me against losing my way. Furthermore, it keeps me on the path to becoming holy and more perfect. 

**Exalted Spiritual State

        Communion experience. When we submit our will to the Lord, we become one in perfect harmony with God. And all is well! 

***We Are the Antichrists!

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark, a leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Yes, the Lord only needs to will and it is done! But wait a second, there is a problem. Do you realize that we have the power to prevent God from completing his will by exercising our free will? See how we ignore him, defy him, or betray him all the time. Look at the politicians who claim that they are Catholic, but openly support abortion without shame. I now see life also as a testing ground for the Lord to find out whether we deserve to be his children in heaven or not.

***God No Longer a Mystery

        Communion experience. The Lord entered me—God could not possibly be a mystery to me anymore. In fact, he had come into the world, becoming one of us so that we might know him as one of us. And he revealed all we needed to know about the Father, the Spirit, and how we can have life for all eternity. In union with us, he becomes one we know more intimately than anyone else! It turns out that he is also more exciting to know than all the mysteries there are!

**Focusing on Jesus*

        Christianity is all about Christ. Therefore, we should zero in on him. He is everything and all things to us. Going peripherally about him is a waste of time; you won't get to know him well. We need to live in him, breathe him, be wide open to him to be fed, nurtured, shaped, and molded by him, and become one with him. Then we'll be like him, fulfilling his loving desire and satisfying all our inner thirst and hunger.   

Love for All Eternity

        Communion experience. Relationship with anything or anyone in the world, no matter how enjoyable or intimate, can wane, grow tiresome, or become burdensome over time. With God, the deeper you enter him, the more you witness his beauty and splendor, and the more you fall in love with him. 

No Duplicity in Us with God

        Jesus said in Matthew 7.21: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." In other words, when we say "Lord, Lord," we must mean it, that he truly is our Lord and we obey him always. Otherwise, we are hypocrites. 

*Faith as Gift from God

         If I want to enlarge my house, no problem. I could do the work myself or hire someone else. If I want to plant more trees in my yard, again no problem. If I want to grow more muscles, I can join a gym to work out. With most things, I can do something about it. As to my faith in God, it is different. I can try my hardest to force myself to believe in him more and that won't work. Only by the grace of God can my faith grow. In this sense, faith is a gift from God.
        The above I blogged earlier. Then I thought about it. There is something we can do to increase our faith. Instead of trying hard, we simply relax ourselves and open up to God. With resistance out of the way, the Lord can increase our faith by drawing us close to him.

Bolder Prayers Please God

        I hear too many prayers that begin with "May...." They sound timid, too polite, or even wishy-washy. I venture to say that the Lord would rather that we be bolder, more commanding, or more resolute, especially when we know we are following his will. I particularly remember Jesus' parable of the persistent widow from Luke 18, in which the dishonest judge eventually caved in to the demand of the widow who persistently pestered him. Remember that our Lord is our dearest Father.