**Practicing the Endearing Prayer

         I have somewhat revised "Most Endearing Prayer" I posted yesterday, so you may want to check it out. I am practicing this prayer now and wish to tell you how satisfying and rewarding it is. I do not say "Jesus" aloud. As I say the name mentally or quietly, I present to the Lord my wishes and desires without words. So I quickly go through all my petitions, while calling on the holy name of my Lord draws me close to him more than ever!

**It Matters to Know!

        Just watched Fr. Mark Goring's new video this morning and feel that it needs to be seen by all. 

***A Principle, a Law, a Given

           If you have the God of Christ on your side, you always win in the end. Depending upon the battle you are fighting, you may win tomorrow, next month, ten years from now, or most certainly, after you die.

****Division to This Day***

           Jesus knew that his coming to us would cause division (Luke 12:51). Two thousand years later, the division is worse than ever. The Church now is even deeply divided within. This all proves that the spiritual warfare between God and Evil is real, that heaven and hell exist, and that there will be the Second Coming of the Lord and final judgment of all of us. No question about it.                              

*****The Light of Christ!

        The image I received from the Lord today. Christ is the only shining light in our universe or outside our universe. Without him, there'll be complete darkness.

Alternative News Sources

         In these days when almost all major news media and and the big tech giants suppress and censor conservatives, newsmax.com, oann.com, and breitbart.com are some of the news sources from which you can get true stories, and the list is growing.

***Most Endearing Prayer***

           Romans 10.13: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. We can call on the Lord simply by repeating the most holy name "Jesus." This we can do continuously right after we get up in the morning, anytime during the day, and as we go to sleep at night. Each time we address the Lord from our very heart, he already knows our intention(s). This is a simple one-word prayer that truly endears us to the Lord.

***Totally Ashamed of Our Bishops!

        Biden may not even be our president yet. The U.S. Bishops have already joined the fake media in supporting this notorious fake Catholic. This surely made me squirm. Listen to Archbishop's Vigano's letter slamming them.

*Temple of God Indestructible

        Today's Gospel reading came from John 2. Jesus cleansed the temple by driving out all those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers out of the temple area. The Jews asked him what sign he could show for doing this. Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." He was speaking about the temple of his Body, for he did rise from the dead on the third day later. The Lord is not only the temple of God, he is God. When we also become the temple of God, we can be sure he will also raise us up too. 

**We're the Temple of God!

        In today's second reading from 1 Corinthians 3, Paul wrote, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy." It is good to know this truth when we are now surrounded by evil forces intent on destroying us! 

**Our Life Journey in a Nutshell

         The Lord created each of us in his image. We all came from him and we shall return to him. And we will be judged according to how well we have followed his will. 

***Time to Listen to God Only

        Today, with almost all the mainstream media spewing fake news, all the more we need to tune into God interiorly alone and shut out all external evil noises that are pure garbage.   

***The Sacrament of Confession

        One sign that tells how conscientious Catholics are is how often they go to confession. In generaI, I do not see the majority of catholics taking this sacrament seriously enough. Keeping the soul clean and pure is important—that is why the Son of God came to us to die for us in the first place. It is God's primary intent to save all of us for all eternity, so we must also do our best to save as many souls as possible, including our own, of course. I think Catholics shy away from confession for these reasons: (1) They do not realize how important this sacrament is to the soul. (2) Their conscience is dull to the point that they don't feel that that are really that sinful. (3) They know if they go to confession, they'll find it very difficult to honestly repent some of their sins, so they just stay away. This is serious. (4) They cannot change their sinful ways and wish to remain so. This is very serious. Being human, we are weak without God. If I sin in a certain way and find it impossible to change on my own, and say to God "Sorry, I just can't change," this would be a serious sin in itself. The correct approach is to admit my weakness and say to God "I cannot change on my own, but I must listen to you, so help me." This is the key to being saved! Without the humility to submit yourself to God, you won't be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.

**Getting Inside the Door Now

        From today's Gospel reading from Matthew 25, we hear the Gospel of the ten virgins. The five foolish ones were not prepared when the bridegroom arrived and were locked out of attending the wedding feast. When they knocked on the door to ask the Lord to open the door for them, he said in reply, "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you." Know that the door is now before his Second Coming. If you are wise, you would get ready to get inside the door right now, for you do not when it will close for you. With God, we should always be ready and prepared.

***Most Comforting Words

         In today's second reading from 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul, in expressing hope for the dead, wrote, "We shall always be with the Lord."         

***One Thing We Must Not Forget

          No matter what we undergo, we must always yearn for the Lord and praise him!

Comforting Prayer

        Today we need to fight evil and do good at the same time. The prayer before the first reading at Mass was what I needed to hear: Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. Pray that the Lord will ward off evil so that we may spend more time doing good.

***Choosing Heave or Hell*

        This post ties in with the post "Avoiding the Worst Oppression" I wrote yesterday. If you know you are heaven bound, you would become detached to all the things in the world. You enjoy the good things, but you know that things in heaven will be so much more enjoyable. You wouldn't mind the bad things that happen to you much anymore, as they will pass and be all forgotten after you get to heaven. Now, let's suppose that you know you are on the way to hell. You should realize that all things, good or bad, that happen to you on earth will no longer mean anything, as you'll be suffering terribly in hell for all eternity. Since you are not in heaven or hell yet, I hope these thoughts will help you see clearly which way you should choose to go.  

***How to Know God

         You can let ten thousand people tell you how to know God or you can go directly to the Lord on your own, open up to him and tell him that you desire to know him.

*Clarifying Faith

        People who do not know Christ tend to think that we who love the Lord have gotten brainwashed somehow. This couldn't be further from the truth. Brainwashing is always forced on you externally by someone, whereas coming to believe in God happens internally voluntarily. Faith is now born, the mark of the Christian belief. There is no one more gentle than the Holy Spirit. Your brain gets illuminated, not washed. We are always free to change our mind at any time. The Lord loves us, but we can either accept or reject him. 

**Suffering with Joy

        The possibility that this country may be taken over by a party that would suppress religious freedom and cause more godlessness has placed a heavy burden on many of us. The battle between good and evil has never been so intense and clear. I am compelled to pray unceasingly to the Lord with a heavy heart. Then I realize that I am suffering along with Christ and decide to offer all my sufferings up to him. I remain hopeful in my Lord, as nothing is impossible with him. The joy is that I am now united with him more than ever. 

***Only Rule We Need to Follow*

         I went into deep prayer in solitude and the Lord, the God of Christ, made me see clearly that he is the only one we need to reconcile with, trust in, and obey. There is nothing more and we'll have eternal life. It's so simple and beautiful.  

**Clear Lesson from the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God." The fact that God knows our hearts shows that he is God and our creator. "Abomination" is a severe word. Here, regarding yourself to be more important than God is an abomination to God. Think of it, it's pretty much spiritual common sense. Obviously, remaining humble before the Lord will be most pleasing to him.

**Empowered by the Lord

         I like what Paul wrote in Philippians 4, today's first reading: "I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through the Lord who empowers me." Paul has learned to reply solely upon God. Empowered by our Lord, we should be able to live triumphantly in every circumstance too. 

*****Avoiding the Worst Oppression*****

         If we were spiritually oppressed or politically suppressed we would feel so bad that all other problems don't matter much anymore and lose joy in all the things we normally enjoy doing. All you need to do is to talk to someone who lives or has lived in a country that doesn't allow you to worship God or speak freely. But my point goes further. If we were in hell, the spiritual suffering would be infinitely worse, knowing that we've been cut off eternally from God! You don't want to wait until you are there to find out, for you cannot get back out of hell—the truly horrible part of it. The great news is that you can prevent that from ever happening to you. The central message of Christ is loud and clear, if only you'll listen to him. I am here to awaken everyone once more that Christ is our Savior. He is here to save us from going to hell by leading us to heaven. How can you possibly let your stupid pride get in the way and not follow him?

***Pray Boldly

          In Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." We didn't even ask for our salvation and he came and died for us. What he said to his disciples makes total sense. Of course, he will answer our good prayers when he loves us this much. So be bold when you ask for favors from him, especially now when we need to pray for our country as evil has already corrupted so many human hearts.

**Happiness Beyond This Life

        Again, I'd like go over something that should be obvious, but not taken seriously. Try all you want, you'll never find true happiness in this life. All lives end in time, so any happiness you find on earth is short-lived. And we cannot be truly happy if our happiness is only temporary. We desire permanency, as we sense that we have a soul that's everlasting. So we should look beyond this life. Lo, there is Christ who can promise you eternal joy, and those who have chosen to follow him are filled with real joy in their heart, spirit, and soul. Heaven is what we need to fulfill our desire for happiness, and Christ fulfills that desire perfectly.

Loneliness, Begone!

         Once you possess the Lord, you and he become one. You will rejoice and suffer along with him on earth, but you'll never be lonely again from now on. 

**Successful Praying

        We can pray halfheartedly or with all our heart. To pray effectively, we must go all out and pray from the bottom of our heart, with a strong will and voice and a deep faith, to connect with the Lord to move his heart. Let the Lord know that we mean business. Also, always pray with great hope.          

**Happy is the One Who . . .

keeps God's word, for the Father will love him and both the Father and the Son will come to him and make their dwelling with him. (John 14:23)

****Deep Prayer Experience

        Three posts back, I posted "To Be Drawn Deep into God." I just took a short break and went to my bedroom to pray for a few minutes. This time I truly prayed with all my soul, with all my heart, and with all my strength. I could not have been more honest. I even questioned the Lord. After I finished, I was absolutely exhausted. This is a new experience for me. I used the present tense "is," as I still haven't fully recovered yet. This "spiritual exhaustion" is felt all around and within the heart, different from any physical exhaustion. I now feel closer to the Lord more than ever. It's as if I have felt his suffering. Jesus had said to his disciples, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Of course, Jesus didn't mean for us to move mountains, but I now understand fully that if we really have the faith to change things, we have that power. To pray with great faith puts us in union with the Lord.

**The Good of Knowing Christ

        Quoting Paul from today's first reading from Philippians 3, "I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Can you relate to that? This is so true. When you know Christ, everything else becomes insignificant, as God is infinitely great. Whoever knows Christ knows that he's been chosen and that his name is now in the book of life. 

****A Modern Parable of the Son

          Here is a story that's being going around online. I think you'd enjoy reading it.

      A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. The would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam-conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of  the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200. Another angry voice. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids." But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the  painting." Being a  poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!" 

        God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything! 

***To Be Drawn Deep into God***

        Our faith is being tested right now when the outcome of our presidential election is still unclear. No matter how bleak things look, the truly faithful never panic or give up; they continue to believe in the Lord and know that nothing is impossible for him. In fact, I see the golden opportunity to pour our heart out to the Lord whenever we face a crisis. When I do that, I feel closer to him more than ever—what a blessing! Often my feelings are so deep that I have trouble expressing them, yet I know that the Lord understands me thoroughly—how satisfying! Sharing you thoughts and feelings with God at the deepest possible level truly brings you and him together into deep communion—a most rewarding experience!

**Big Things for Us*

          There are two big things in life; they are big because they can affect our whole life. The first one is marriage. Finding the right person to marry is a gamble to a certain extent. You do you best to choose the right one and the marriage can still fall apart later. The next big thing is your career, the kind of work you should do. I dare to say that there are probably more unhappy workers than happy workers out there. My point is that with these two things, we need to hand them completed over to God, asking him to lead us to the right person or job. He absolutely knows what's best for us, and we must be patient and trust in him with all our heart. Actually, the biggest thing of all for us is to let God lead us in all things, with us following the perfect plan he has for us. Then we'll end up happy forever!

***Important Realization***

        Let's face it. All of us are born onto a battlefield where a fierce spiritual battle rages on between God and Satan for our souls. We eventually learn that to win this battle, we need God. I have lived long enough to know that I cannot beat evil without God, for I am a potential evildoer myself. This realization has made me submit myself to God completely. The evil you see, hear, and encounter all around you can place a heavy burden on your heart and soul. You finally see that letting God into your soul to let him fight the battle for you is the most sensible thing to do. And your eternal life is assured as well. So, give up fighting evil by yourself and give up fighting God, then both you and God win.

**Be Spiritually Smart

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus said to the great crowds, "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. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." If you are spiritually smart, you would realize the this is the Lord speaking and that we must love him first and most.

***Never Postpone Accepting God

        If you do not seek God early or do not respond when you first hear him knocking at the door of your heart, you are likely to drift further and further away from him as time goes on. Then your last moments on earth may be your last chance to repent your sins in order to save your soul. Of course, you may not have such moments, for you may die suddenly or suffer dementia before death. Accepting the Lord is something one should never postpone!  

***Urgent Need to Be Renewed by Christ!

          I am going to quote parts of what Paul wrote in Philippians 2 from today's first reading: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold onto the word of life,
      My guess is that an average person today reading this advice would not comprehend its meaning and think that it sounds antiquated or out-of-date. It may not even connect with every Christian. My point is that we have fallen so far away from the Lord God that a fundamental change of our heart by Christ is urgently needed for us to be made anew!

***Lamenting This Nation, a Warning***

        Looking at how the presidential election is turning out, I can say that this nation has already lost half of its soul. It's hanging by a thread over an abyss. Christ is whom we need for salvation, but the world does not see the light. The door for us to return to the Lord remains open, but not many choose to enter it. I am cut to the heart to see so many souls on the path that leads to destruction. To seek power and glory for your own gain in this world is the very opposite of submitting yourself humbly to the Lord God. Christ is coming anytime now and I pray that all will be ready for their judgment.

*****Sweetest Thing God Did for Me

        I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary today. As I got to the 5th and last mystery, The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus on the Cross, I felt that Jesus going through all that was the sweetest thing he could possibly have done for me, for I realized that I was a sinner. 

*Getting Things Done

        When God wants something done, he simply will it. When we want him to do something for us, we must pray from our very heart to ask him to do it for us. For those whose faith is weak, they pray from their heart only when they are a dire situation. For those who have faith in the Lord, they always pray from the heart—this is much more preferable. Attain union with God to enjoy communion with him at the heart level at all times.      

**Today's Saddest Reality

        The greatest reality is that Christ had come to save us, for God loves us. The Lord our loving creator is to be worshipped, praised, adored, and obeyed, as he alone is the Lord of all. Yet most of us do not recognize or accept this reality or just don't take it seriously. This seems to fulfill what Jesus had said: "Many are invited, but few are chosen." It is today's saddest reality. Once our hearts are hardened, we cease seeing the truth. 

**Letting God Reveal Himself to Us!

        In today's first reading from Philippians 2:5-11, Paul wrote that though Jesus Christ was in the form of God, he took the form of a slave, came in human likeness, humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Then God greatly exalted him that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. How did Paul know all this? It had to be revealed to him by God. We can confidently believe in Christ as much as Paul did. And the Lord will reveal himself to each of us too!

**Your Only Meaningful Inheritance

        In today's Gospel acclamation, Matthew 25.34, Jesus says, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Most of us would be pleased to inherit some material wealth from our parents, but that can cause others to dispute you in court. Imagine inheriting what God has prepared for you in heaven! It will be indisputably all yours. So never mind your earthly inheritance which merely passes through you, focus upon inheriting your heavenly treasures that will be yours forever.

***What Our Soul Needs the Most

        After All Saints Day, it's All Souls Day today. The most important thing for our soul is to be in peace in God.  This peace can only come from God and is what we receive after we surrender ourselves to him. I am giving away the riddle of life here. Reconciling yourself to God and you'll enjoy peace forever. Rebelling against the Lord and youll suffer unrest forever. 

**Be the Lord of Your Possessions

        We all possess material things, a lot in some cases, and we enjoy them. That is fine, but we must never let them enslave us. God is our Lord; and we are to be the lord of our possessions, not the other way around. Those who let their material things possess them are not free to go to the Lord and will suffer great pains on the day they must leave all their things behind.

*****Great Pro-Life Message!

        A great homily preached by Fr. Mathias Thelen. The specific pro-life message begins at 3:24.

***A Truth Disclosed

         Today is already the first day of November, the Solemnity of All Saints. In the first reading from Revelation 7, John had a vision of a great multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, crying out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." All the angels stood around the throne. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: "Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
         The Lord has made me see clearly that he has so made us that we become free only when we worship him alone! If we choose to be God ourselves, we invariably shall end up enslaving ourselves. 

***Crucial Realization

         Ernesto Nazareth was a well-known Brazilian composer. He is best known for his tangos, but he also composed many waltzes, polkas, etc. The composer was regarded to be the incarnation of the Brazilian soul. Here is an intoxicating waltz titled Confidências. You may enjoy listening to it, but the pictures you see as you play the video have generated some thoughts I want to share with you. As you see, people dress up to look good, play the piano, listen to music, travel, go on an outing, see sights, party, dance, look for love, etc. We live in a different era, but we do many of the same things. I could add that we go to meetings at work, take vacations, attend weddings and funerals, work in the garden, socialize over the internet, etc. My thoughts are that doing all theses things without Christ is much ado about nothing—we simply go through the motion. It is crucial we realize that we are sinners and need salvation, and if we believe in Christ, we are saved for all eternity. Now, life becomes purposeful.