****Have Faith and Succeed***

         In today's Gospels reading from Matthew 14, the disciples of Jesus got into the boat and went on ahead to the other side of the lake. When evening came, the boat now far out on the lake was battling with a heavy sea. In the fourth watch of the night, the disciples saw Jesus walking towards them on the lake. They were terrified at first, for they thought it was a ghost. But Jesus at once called out to assure them that it was he. Then Peter answered, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water." "Come," said Jesus. Peter got out of the boat and started walking across the water towards Jesus, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. "Lord! Save me!" he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him, "Man of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 

        What I've learned is that when the Lord asks you clearly to do something specific, no matter how difficult or impossible it might seem, you can be sure that you shall succeed if you do not doubt. Obviously, nothing is impossible for God—whatever he wills, it's done. Now, go follow all his commandments and counsels with complete confidence!

**No Happiness in This Life

        In 1858, When the Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette in Lourdes, France, her third statement to her was "I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other." This came to my mind because in this sinful world, ungodly things all around the globe happen nonstop, placing a heavy burden on your heart. Surely, we hope in the Lord and enjoy him in private, but amidst all the tragedies and human follies. It helps us greatly to know that this is reality of this world and that we can be perfectly happy in our next life.

**Creation in Action

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 14,  Jesus  took five loaves of bread and two fish and multiplied them to feed a crowd composed of five thousand men, not counting women and children. This was an amazing feat. But more than that, it was creation in action, proving that he is our creator!

***Best Possible News for Us

        In reading 2 from Romans 8, Paul writes: "I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." In other words, nothing can possibly stop God from loving us. This has got to be the best possible news we can ever have! Just thinking about it should make us jump for joy. We will have instant peace in the world if everyone realizes this truth.

***God Our Perfect Listener

        Most of us like to share our thoughts and feelings with others. Even when we have private thoughts difficult to share, we still hope that someone will understand and hear us. Then I see the Lord as our listener. You can share your thoughts and feelings with him at anytime and he hears you and understands you perfectly. Since he already knows everything about you, he's the ideal one to talk to. Besides, he is forever patient and loving. And (this is a big "and") he can heal your heart and soul! He is truly the only one you need to share everything with from your very heart. (By the way, sharing all your thoughts and feelings with God puts you well on the way to union with him!)

*Jesus' Consolation for Us Today

        Matthew 5.10, today's alleluia verse, one of Jesus' beatitudes: "Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."  This is Jesus' consolation for us—how good and sweet it is to hear it. You can be sure that all his promises are true. 

**Lamenting Today's Generation

        We are supposed to love God with all our heart, with all my soul, and with all our mind, yet how much do we, even as Christians, think of him daily? Putting ourselves ahead of our Creator and Savior also puts us in danger of losing our souls. Man is so enthralled with it own scientific achievements and material successes that God is all but forgotten. The message of salvation has fallen on many deaf ears for two thousand years. Other heavenly messages, signs, and warnings since then have also been ignored. If Christ appears today, I would not be shocked that the godless mobs and secular crowds would want to kill him again. But the good (or sad, depending on your view) news is that when he comes next, it'll be judgment time.    

***Cutting Off Mainstream Media

        I am letting Fr. Mark Goring say what I have wanted to say because he says it well.

 

**Defeating Satan

        Satan wants to ruins our souls because he knows that God loves us. Since we have inherited the original sin, we are capable of sinning even without Satan's instigation. But if we sin, we become easy targets for Satan to snatch. The right way to defeat Satan is to seek refuge in God and become holy. Even if God allows Satan to attack us then, it'll be for the purpose of strengthening us. If Satan cannot ruin any souls, he loses the battle and God will put him away for good.

***Ignorance Is Not Bliss!

        We live in a mostly secular world, unaware that there is a spiritual war going on between God and Satan battling for our souls. So we simply try to succeed on our own in the eyes of the world as if God does not exist. Some of us do become wealthy, famous, or powerful, but to what end? We'd better ask ourselves what Jesus asked his disciples (Matthew 16.26): "What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" It'd be infinitely better to live according the God's plan, trusting in him always and not be self-centered. Then you'll enjoy freedom and peace, knowing that you'll live on forever happy beyond this life too. It comes down to getting all your reward here and now or getting it later for all eternity!

*To See God Doing Mighty Deeds

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus did not work many mighty deeds in his native place because of the lack of faith of the local people. That's why nonbelievers do not see wonders of God, while those who believe see God working mightily in their lives and elsewhere and continue to grow in faith. You either get it all or get nothing. It seems unfair, but it is totally expected. Faith opens the door to God's wonderland.

***Living the Ultimate Christian Life***

        When you let God do everything for you, everything becomes easy for you to accomplish. This is the result of abandoning yourself to God, the secret of living the ultimate Christian life. Nothing can be stronger than you and God being united as one! For he is now free to back you in all things. You have conquered enemy No. 1, yourself, and become God's friend. Whatever you want to do is what he wants to do. Who can possibly stop you now? Without the Lord, you simply fight yourself to the day you die. 

**Greatest Short Prayer

        When the Risen Lord first appeared to the disciples, Thomas was not there. When they told him that they had seen the Lord, Thomas said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand unto his side, I will not believe." Then a week later Jesus came again and Thomas was there. He said to him, "Put you finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" To me this is the greatest short prayer of all. Thomas finally realized the truth. To say these words to Jesus from the heart is to surrender yourself to him completely. Calling Jesus Lord is not to be done lightly. In Matthew 7.21, Jesus said : "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." God is the only Lord we should have. Calling him Lord but not doing his will is being a hypocrite. 

**Another Urgent Message

        Signs are plenty. The problem is our hardened hearts.

 

***Plead to Treasure Eternity***

        God has always existed. For him there is no beginning nor end. That is, God is eternal. After we are created, we become eternal too, for our soul lives on forever. We must now take eternity seriously, for it can give us the greatest joy or the greatest sorrow. Personally, I am most grateful and rejoice that I can get to live with God the Father in heaven for all eternity. Considering that I am sinner, this is incredible! But I pity greatly those who do not take their eternal existence seriously and might end up one day wishing that they were never born. So I plead urgently with everyone to take advantage of this once-in-an-eternity opportunity God has offered us through the shedding of his own blood to become happy forever!

**Faith and Hope We Need Now

        In today's Gospel reading from John 11, Jesus went to see Martha and Mary whose brother Lazarus had already died. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wold not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Of course, the Lord did go ahead and raise Lazarus from the dead. This is the kind of faith we need to have: even now we know that whatever we ask of God, God will give us. Believe and hope in God always and he will get us through anything.

***Urgent, Urgent Reminder

        John 8.12, today's alleluia verse: I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. What do you see life as?  Do you just think that you were just born into this world to just try to stay alive for the short period of time you have on earth? Well, you are not really living until you see that you are a sinner who needs salvation, that both God and evil are real, fighting for your soul, and that you are being tested to see if you are good enough to enter heaven. At this critical time, it's more urgent than ever that we realize this reality, for our soul is at risk! As Jesus is the light of the world, only he can light you way to the whole truth. Ignore or reject him and you remain in darkness.   

***Saving Ourselves Now Up to Us

        We have turned our back on God. It's happening within the Church and outside the Church in this country, and worldwide. It is sad that many are not even aware that they are now serving Satan. We are going though possibly the darkest period of human history. Hear Fr. Goring's urgent message to all.

*Feeling Happy Not Good Enough*

        We feel happy about many things. Old people feel happy that they are still alive. Then we have evildoers happy that they have succeeded in destroying other people' lives. At any rate, if you do not know Christ and feel happy about a lot of things, you can still lose your soul. But if you truly feel happy (joyful) that you know Christ, then you can be sure that you are not in any danger zone. 

*To See Death Properly

        Sometimes when the Lord chastises his people, the good and the bad both perish. We humans see someone very old dying peacefully as being fortunate and feel sorry for anyone young dying unexpectedly or tragically. But God sees things his way. When and how we die does not matter. It's where we go after death that matters. We are always shortsighted and show our own wishes.

**Suffering Is Necessary

        Suffering is unavoidable and necessary for sinners to enter heaven. If you suffer for the sake of the Lord, that is, you offer up your sufferings to him, you become stronger each time. So suffering is a blessing. As the sun comes out after the rain stops, making everything look even more beautiful, God comes to you after your suffering is over, making your life sweeter than ever. In John 16.16, Jesus said to this disciples, "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me." For us, it'll be "for a little while, we'll be suffering, and a little while later, we'll be in paradise forever."

**Unlimited Growth for Us

        As we age, our physical condition deteriorates and there's not much we can do about it. Our mental capacity remains pretty much constant, then weakens too over time. But the potential to grow spiritually for us is practically limitless, for we can submit to God to let him make us as holy as we wish. ln fact, this is what we should concentrate upon primarily, besides going to the gym and exercising our minds. The everlasting soul is infinitely more important than the passing body. In giving it the best attention, we are getting ourselves ready for eternity!

***Warning About the Warnings***

        Today's message from Fr. Goring is one to which everyone in the world should listen and pay attention. It is especially appropriate for the Catholics. If we do not let others know that the Lord is calling and warning us, then we are not totally with him yet.

***Exception to "Too Good to Be True"*

        In the world, if anything sounds too good to be true, you can be sure that it is false. If you receive an email informing you that you have inherited millions of dollars, you can be sure that it is a scam. Since God is always truthful, if something coming from him sounds too good to be true, you can bet that it is true! He tells you that he loves you even if you are the worst sinner in the whole world; it is true. He tells you that he will forgive you and make you all clean if you repent, even if you have committed ten million heinous sins; it is true. He tells you to just follow him and you'll have eternal life in heaven; it's absolutely true! The Lord God, being Truth himself, is totally trustworthy and is the only guide we need for our existence!

***True Haves and Have-Nots

        Here is a true case of "To anyone who has, more will be given; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Matthew 13.12). The more you listen to God, the more you learn from him and grow spiritually until you attain complete union with him. On the other hand, the more you ignore God and immersed yourself in the world, the more you cut yourself off from him until you lose even your own soul.

**Cause and Effect

        Last night I went to bed later than usual, working on a book project. This morning I got up much later than usual. Even though I had slept more, I did not feel so good. Deviating from the normal has produced its effect. It comes down to "you reap what you sow." This made me see that everything we do affects us. If we continue sinning, the cumulative effect on our soul can be devastating. How good it is to do everything for the sake of God and not have to be concerned about their effect anymore!

**Realizing God Knows Best*

        When the Lord calls us to go to him, it's our time to go. I start thinking. I don't mind going, but what about the people I've tried to convert who have not converted yet? What about the events I've been praying for, but still have not taken place yet? Shouldn't I remain a little longer on earth? Then I realize the following. Of course, God knows best about everything, including the best time for me to go. And in heaven, I am certain that I can be even more effective in accomplishing his will on earth. Shouldn't I put all my trust in him? I see the light. No more questions.

**Predictable Results

        Reading 2 contains the well-known verse 28 from Romans 8: All things work for good for those who love God, who are called to his purpose. Of course, God has a perfect plan for each of us, and if we love him, we follow his plan and everything works for our good, that is, we get to heaven. On the other hand, I don't need to elaborate. If you don't love God, your life will end up a mess.

Why We Worship and Praise God

        We do it because deep down we know that we are finite and imperfect and that we need God who is infinite and perfect, and that he is our creator too. It's simply following our instinct.

*What Would You Ask of God?

        In today's reading 1 from 1 Kings 3, The Lord said to Solomon, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." God was pleased that Solomon asked for understanding to know what is right instead of a long life for himself or riches or the life of his enemies. It'll be interesting to see how we would answer such a question. Normally, we pray for others more than for ourselves. Of course, we have to be truthful in what we say. I think each answer would reveal much about the person who was asked the question.  

***Sign You're Not a Serious Catholic

        If you do not look forward to confessing your sins, you are not a serious Catholic. It is a great joy to go to confession before God and be made clean again! Humility is the key to entering the kingdom for heaven.

**A Human Defect

         We humans are imperfect. No matter how good all our intentions are, we still have involuntary, undesirable thoughts going through our minds, not something we can prevent, but something God understands. I see this as a basic defect of being human. I believe that once we are in heaven, we'll be completely made anew so that we can worship, praise, and enjoy the Lord in perfect peace and joy. 

***Key to Entering God***

        Going back many decades, I remember I accepted Christ into my life because I felt the emptiness of life and was pretty much convinced intellectually that he was the Savior. I acted alone and felt relieved afterwards, nothing more. A couple of decades later, I experienced the Holy Spirit strongly after I got involved with the Catholic Charismatic Movement. I did not know much about being baptized in the Spirit, but I was open and desired it. So here's the key. You can know something and believe in it and nothing special happens. But even if you don't know much about something, but trust in God and desire it, he grants your wish. It is in desiring (not knowing) something that the Lord opens the door for you. So, desire to know the Lord to discover and experience his wonders!

***Unique Joy in God

        The joy you experience in God is unique. It is a joy the world does not know and cannot give you. This is the joy you receive from God after you let him satisfy all your spiritual hunger and thirst and know that your eternity is all settled! Only God can deliver all that.

***About the Holy Spirit

        The Holy Spirit is like the wind—you cannot see that he is here or he is there, but you can feel it. If your heart is on fire yearning for God, then he is in you. It is this Spirit that enabled Mary to conceive Jesus and Jesus to rise from the dead. Nothing is impossible for God the Holy Spirit. With him in you, you'll never feel alone again. And the purity of the Spirit will intoxicate you with heavenly joy!

***Only Hope We Need

        I am drawn to focus upon the Lord himself, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. First I see the Resurrection of Christ the Son as a unique event. He is the only one who has demonstrated that death has no power over him, proving that he has to be our creator! The Resurrection alone gives us all the hope we need, that we can also live forever like the Lord himself! I rejoice from the bottom of my heart. Lighten up and shout for joy!

***Our Greatest Challenge Today!

        Today is the Feast of St. James, Apostle. In Reading 1 from 2 Corinthians 4, Paul wrote, "We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed..." This is how we Christians feel today. How can we fight back? In the Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave." To fight evil and remain humble—how can this be possible? I see that it is possible only if we love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. Since God is love, we must let love motivate whatever we do.

*Isaiah"s Prophecy Fulfilled Today

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus quoted Isaiah to show how his prophecy was fulfilled in the crowds around him. Sadly, it is fulfilled by the crowds of today also. Here is what Isaiah said: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them. 

**What Ultimately Matters

        We all believe in different things and live the way we want. As a result, the world, my own country, and even my own family are more polarized than ever. We are all given the free will by God to choose to do his will or not. Coming right to the point, I'd say that division is the work of the devil. Do whatever you want, but what ultimately matters is whether you'll end up in heaven or not. Remember my advice: never do anything that will later make you regret doing? It's still good advice.

***Jesus Always with Us!

          Today is the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. The Gospel reading from John 20 tells that when Mary saw that the tomb was empty, she thought someone had taken the Lord and started to weep. Yes, Mary loved the Lord. How blessed we are to know that Jesus is always with us and no one can possibly take him away from us! Alleluia!

***Enjoying Loving God

       Our love for Christ is more beautiful than all our other loves. The Lord first loved us with the greatest possible selfless love. When we embrace this love, our hearts are transformed and our souls healed. And we fall in love with him with a love as pure as his. I know that one day I'll be seeing him, but right now I prefer just to believe in him and enjoy being loved by him and loving him back.

**Learning from the Lord

         Fr. Mark Goring again. I post his messages because they are what we need to hear. We need to zero in on the Lord.

**Heaven Assured

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 12, Jesus said, "Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." Do every will of the Father and you become a member of God's family. It goes without saying that your future home will be in heaven.

*If I Were a Plant . . .

and follow Christ, he will turn me into a beautiful tree that blooms and yields sweet fruit. If I follow Satan, he would turn me into an ugly, stinky weed. At harvest time, the Lord will have all the angel gather up all the weeds and throw them into the furnace of fire (Matthew 13).

***Jesus Our Last Chance

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 12, some of the scribes and Pharisees wished to see a sign from Jesus. He said to them,  "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here." If we do not repent at the preaching of the one who will be our finally judge or even wish to listen to him, then we are indeed doomed. 

Another Good Message for the Soul

**A Sin We Don't Realize

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus told the parable of the weeds in the field to the crowds. Later, he explained the parable to his disciples. I'll quote what the Lord said, for I believe that's what's going to happen at his Second Coming. "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." It is interesting that the Lord did not group those who cause others to sin with the evildoers. It is clear that causing others to sin has to be a grave sin. Most of us do not intend to do any evil, but neither do we pay attention to whether what we do might cause others to sin. If our bad behavior causes others to imitate us, the we have sinned. If our poor example as a Christian turn others away from Christ, we have sinned. So, we must not only reject evil, but also become holy. Aim for holiness and you can forget about evil.  

*The Ball Is in Our Court

        Do you think that the Lord God of Christ is for you or against you? Ask yourself if your are a sinner or not. If you know that you are, then he is against your sins and not you, for he still loves you and wants to save you. If you don't believe that you are a sinner, then all he can do is pitying you. The bottom line, God is always for us and we are free to go with or against him. 

***Facing Reality

        I walked outside my house early this morning. I saw the familiar trees and plants; some were doing well and some not so well. The cracks in the asphalt-surfaced road seemed to have widened every year. I realized that my life on earth would soon be over. This sounds sad, but it is reality and I do not dread it. Holding onto this life and not willing to leave the world is sad. Pretending and hoping that you will not die is being foolish. Again, Fr. Mark Goring's short sermon today tells us the reality we should be aware of and believe.

*As Long as Your Soul Is Safe . . .

        We can get so hung up on getting something we want or want done that we lose our peace. The Lord God wants us to leave everything to him and not be anxious about anything. As long as you soul is secure, nothing else matters. In Matthew 10, Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." Again in Luke 14, he said, "When you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companion at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he one who humbles himself will be exalted." So be humble enough to abandon yourself to God, and he will exalt you.