**Wise Living

       In this material world, God as our Lord is meaningful to us only because God is knowable to us. As our Lord he knows everything about us. Every thought, word, and deed of ours cannot escape him. Whatever we do, good or bad, will have its consequences. This is good to know so that we may live right to be sure that we'll have secured our eternal life! It's a pure case of "we reap what we sow." 

***Most Satisfying, Rewarding Living

         February has begun; time marches on. We are all getting closer to being judged by God, so are you rejoicing and not even thinking about it? I want to praise the Lord as much as I can by word or deed in the time I have left on earth. My prayer is that every single person in the world will turn to Christ and be saved. To trust in, obey, and serve our most wonderful Lord is what makes our life most satisfying and rewarding. You see, when we submit ourselves to him, he makes us selfless. When we are selfless, we become free! So live for the God of Christ alone, which is really letting him live exclusively in you. This is loving your God with all your heart, with all you soul, and with all your mind. 

**Akita Warings and Prophecies

          The Akita messages seem to reinforce the Fatima ones. The possible fire falling from the sky mentioned could conceivably be a large meteor on its way to hitting the earth.

**A Matter of Knowing the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus came to Capernaum, entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. Today many teachers or homilists are weak or instantly forgettable, for they sound like someone who doesn't personally know the Lord yet. To be effective, you must know the Lord and then share you thoughts based upon personal experience. Knowing the Lord in person is the key here.
          Also, in the synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit, he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are—the Holy one of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. Since the unclean spirit knew who Jesus was, it had to obey him. If we truly know who Jesus is, we would have no choice but to obey him too. The fact that many still do not believe in Christ is because they do not truly know him yet.

**Agonies to Be Welcomed

          If you have a good conscience and sinned against the Lord, you experience the agony as you are being tested by the Lord. Then you can be sinless yourself and see that the world is offending the Lord horribly, and you taste the Lord's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest and Crucifixion. In the first case, the agony makes you abandon yourself to the Lord. In the second, you and the Lord become united in suffering. Welcome these agonies, for through them God purifies and strengthens you and draws you deep into him. 

*Saint Anthony of Padua

          St. Anthony is well-known as the patron saint of lost things. As far as I can remember, every time my wife and I lose something and ask for help from the saint, we always get it back. My younger son recently gave my wife a pair of AirPods to help her hearing. Yesterday she wore them before going to Walmart to shop. This is the biggest new Walmart around here. After shopping for 40 minutes or so, she was on her way home and realized that her left AirPod was gone. So she drove back to the store, praying to St. Anthony along the way. She then parked her car close to where she parked earlier and started tracing her steps back to the store, looking for the pod the whole way, but saw nothing. So she went to the customer service counter inside the store and asked about it. The lady rep told my wife that another employee Cindy who usually worked outside the store had picked up a pod. So she had someone go look for Cindy to get it. Lo, it matched my wife's right one perfectly. Again, thanks to St. Anthony and the Lord. [One clarification. Protestants pray to God only. When Catholics pray to a saint, they do not worship the saint as God at all. "Pray" here simply means "to make a request to someone or for something," one of the definitions of the word "pray" as a verb.]

*We vs. God

        Infinity is a concept, not a number. It is infinitely large. Any finite number compared to infinity becomes zero. A google is the number written with a hundred zeros following the numeral 1. It's big all right, but still finite and becomes nothing next to infinity. Our finite life on earth also becomes nothing when we consider that our soul will live on in heaven or hell for all eternity. Since we are finite and limited, all the more we need God who alone is infinite in every way. You have to be out of your mind to believe that we can survive on our own without God. And it would be sheer folly to think that we can rebel against God and still come out ahead. Looking at the finite us before the infinite Lord, submission to him is our only sane and sensible choice. Besides, he loves us.

Priest Speaking from the Heart

           Judases are not Catholics.  We need to support courageous priests!

***All the Lord's Doing

         In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus continued speaking to the crowd with parables. In the parable of the seed growing, he said, "This is how it is with the kingdom of God, it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of it own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. When the grain is ripe, it is harvest time." Do you know that this is exactly how we grow when we yield ourselves to God? We come to know his ways and thoughts, attain union with him, grow wise and holy, become eager to do his will, experience freedom, peace, and joy, and lose all fear of death—we know not how either. It's all the Lord's doing.

**Living as a Christian

        In today's first reading from Hebrews 10, Paul says it all about living as a Christian. We have been enlightened and will suffer for the Lord's sake. Remain confident and we'll have great recompense. We need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. Live by faith. We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and possess life. Exactly!

**Warnings from Our Lady of La Salette

        I was blessed to have visited Our Lady of La Salette in the French Alps twice. The Blessed Mother appeared there to two children in 1846. Here is one video I just saw informing us of some of her prophecies. It seems that they are being fulfilled today. Take a listen. 

****Have God or Nothing****

        In today's Gospel reading, Jesus also said, "To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." So you have the haves and the have-nots. You either are with Jesus or are not with him. You either get to heaven or you don't. With God, it's all or nothing; you can't go halfway or be lukewarm. Didn't the Lord command "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind"? Believing in God is for the humble-hearted only, not the half-hearted nor the faint-hearted. Have God or have nothing, your choice.

***Warning to Evildoers

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus told the parable of the lamp to his disciples. He said "There is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come yo light." He also said, "The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you." Evildoers, take notice. If you harm the good people, how much more God will "harm" you who are evil! For nothing can be hidden from him. Everything we do will come back to either justify or condemn us.

****Making the Universe Perfect****

        Today is Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas. Reading 1 continued from Hebrews 10. Paul wrote the following: Since we have "a great priest [Jesus] over the house of God," let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope for he who made the promise is trustworthy. A sincere heart, absolute trust, a clean conscience . . . these are what the Lord deserves from us. If you give him all that and more, you'll know that you are doing the right thing and it'll give you the greatest good feeling! Make submitting yourself to God your top priority so that you may become one with him. When man becomes obedient to God again, God's will is done on earth and the universe is made perfect. 

**To Bear Fruit for God

         In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus told the parable the sower to the crowd. Later he explained to his disciples that he was the sower who sows the word of God in us. In some cases, Satan comes at once to take away the word sown. In some cases, people receive the word at once with joy, but when tribulation or persecution comes, they quickly fall away. There are also people tho hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold. So, to be rich soil for the word of God and bear fruit abundantly, we need to keep Satan away, be strong in the Lord and trust in him, and be detached from the world. It seems that remaining in union with God is the state for us to be in.

***Most Wonderful News

         In today's first reading from Hebrews, Paul made it clear that the priests of his days who offered those same sacrifices could never take away sins. But by the one offering of himself, Jesus has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is no longer offering for sin.
         This is the main message of our salvation. That is, if we believe that God has redeemed us through the sacrifice of his own Son, we only need to believe in the Son, repent of our sins, and he'll take them away and grant us eternal life. You probably have heard this so many times and no longer pay much attention to it. When I really think about it, I see that this revelation is truly incredible, awesome, amazing, momentous, earthshaking, compelling, right on target, and exactly what we need to know. That's why it's called the "good news." In fact, it is the best possible news you can hear in your lifetime. Everyone should give it his utmost attention, look into it, and test it out. It is unthinkable that one would ignore this most wonderful news about gaining eternal life.

*Intention Under Scrutiny

         There are only three possible intentions in whatever we do: we do it for God, for ourselves, or for someone else. Often doing it for someone else is also doing it for ourselves. It takes discernment to know our true intention, but knowing the Lord definitely makes you more alert. Of course, we should always do all things for the sake of God, directly or indirectly. Doing whatever we feel like doing without considering whether we offend God or not is using up the time you have for storing up treasure in heaven. Seek to attain union with God so that you may have the right intention each time you do something.

***Joining God's Family

         In today's Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus said, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." Now you know how to belong to God's family.

***What God Wants to Know

          I believe that when God judges us, the first thing he wants to know is how much we labored for his sake on earth. I see that this is equivalent to knowing how much we belong to the world on earth.

**Worse than Communism

         Communists follow atheistic leaders who do not believe that God nor Satan exists. For a Christian country to follow Satan knowingly is a lot worse than becoming Communist.

**Living by Prayer*

        The world has become increasingly blasphemous and godless. Christians are being marginalized and persecuted. But we do have Christ on our side and praying to him provides us with strength and endurance. I now say the Lord's Prayer every chance I get. It seems that I am living from prayer to prayer, and it has turned out to be a rewarding experience. The Lord will be coming (or we'll be going to him), so praying unceasingly is a great way to prepare ourselves for meeting him, especially now when the need for prayer has never been so urgent.

**Test Questions for Christians

         Today's Gospel acclamation based upon John 15.16: I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. Two questions to test yourself if you consider yourself a Christian: (1) Are you aware that God has chosen you? (2) If yes, are you bearing fruit that will last? Not being able to give two firm yeses shows that you have much catch-up to do.

**God Calling All of Us

         Today is Feast of Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle. How the Lord called Paul to serve him was most dramatic. From Acts 9, we learn that Paul was on his way to Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment any men or women who followed the way of Jesus. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He said, "Who are you, Sir?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so his companions led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see. Then the Lord sent a disciple named Ananias to Paul to lay his hands on him and say to him, "Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues that he is the Son of God. 

       Sometimes I wish that God would call each one of us this way, but the Lord had chosen Paul to be his special instrument to carry his name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel. He calls us too to be his instruments to do what suits us best. It's not how the Lord calls us that's important; rather, it's how we respond to his calling that matters.

**Overwhelmed at Mass

         It was a cold, windy, and cloudy day. Fr. S celebrated today's outdoor Mass. He is a young priest, but I respect him very much for always saying Mass with great reverence. The Lord filled me with hope, no matter how dark times seem. After I received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I looked up and saw the entire sky filled with grey clouds. I realized the immensity of the universe and my smallness, yet the creator of this universe had just entered me to dwell within me! I am connected with him! It was an overwhelming feeling that God should care so much. One of those life's unforgettable moments. 

**Our Great Consolation

          Knowing that you'll have eternal life with God in heaven.

***How God Has Fulfilled Me

        Before I knew Christ, I was not a happy person as I searched for the meaning of life. I felt inadequate and wanted to be somebody. Even after I had accepted Christ, I was still struggling with myself. I wanted to do certain things, but wasn't able to for various reasons, so I was frustrated and saw myself as a failure. Looking back, I could have easily committed serious sins on various occasions, but the Lord had always held me back, so I want to thank him for that grace. We all want to be successful in the eyes of the world, but that certainly doesn't mean that you'll be happy. My first breakthrough came in the 1970s when I got involved with the Charismatic Renewal within the Church. It was the Holy Spirit who set my heart on fire as I searched for him. I was never the same again. The Lord God became alive for me and praying became spontaneous. The Lord made me see how easy we could progress spiritually when we submit ourselves to him. I became a happy person, but there's more to learn. In the last twelve years or so, the Lord amazed me further by drawing me deep into him, letting me know that he wishes to draw all to union with him through the Holy Eucharist. This blog was born. Of course, he teaches me the whole time right along. I finally feel that he has fulfilled me fully that my past doesn't mean anything anymore. When you possess God, all else is forgotten. He alone is more than sufficient for us!

**True Wisdom

         I have seen this in certain elderly people. They reach the point knowing that they're going to return to the Lord soon and become unattached to the world. Unfortunately, most of the younger generation do not acquire this wisdom easily, as the world is still very much attractive to them. The whole process of spiritual maturation is about detaching yourself from the world and attaching yourself to God. Growing old can be a blessing. Foolish and sad is the one who lives and dies, remaining a worldling.

***The Perfect Prayer***

         There are thousands or more composed prayers out there. Many of them are inspirational and beautifully written, but many others are just too wordy, unfluent, and sound somewhat contrived. Of all the prayers available to us, the Lord's prayer taught us by Jesus himself has to the most perfect prayer. You cannot take away a word from or add one to it. If there is one prayer I must choose, this one has to be it. This is the prayer that defines our relationship with God. If you pray it unceasingly from your soul, it will transform you. 

**Worse than Gambling

         When you gamble at a casino, you have at least a chance of winning some money if you are lucky. But if you reject Christ and believe that you'll be all right, then you'll absolutely lose everything: money, body, and soul, in the end. The wise will not gamble with their money and never bet against God!

***The BIG Awakening!

        In today's reading 1 from Hebrews 9, Paul referred to the God of Christ as the living God. We know that there can be only one true God. Whoever says that all religions will lead you to the same God is pure nonsense, putting is mildly. Anything that sows confusion comes from the Evil One. First off, all the non-Christian religions contradict each other and Christianity. So if you reject Christ now, you'll have the biggest awakening coming to you after you die: you'll realize that you had rejected the only God. I thought it would be good to let all know this now. Of course, you can say that it's your belief against mine. But are you sure about your belief? I know that I am absolutely certain about mine as I've said before, "When God personally reveals the truth to you, you just know that it is true (no proof needed)."

*****Perfect Way of Living

           When you and God are in full union with each other, your will and his will become identical. So you accomplish your will through him while he accomplishes his through you. Now you accomplish the Lord's will triumphantly via his strength—the perfect way to live!

****Complicit in Promoting Evil

         The West Coast Walk for Life will take place in San Francisco tomorrow, followed by the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Friday, January 29, next week. Anyone who voted for the current administration which is 100% for abortion partook in promoting abortion for at least four more years, during which time millions of unborn babies may die. I am not trying to scare anyone, for this is reality, and you can always repent your sin to the Lord and be forgiven. It is also a reality that we'll have to answer to the Lord for all our doings. Promoting abortion in any way is going against God who created us in his image, no matter what you think.

**Only One Direction to Go

        Recently, I came to know some people who are exited about finding relatives they've never met or had met when they were still children. After making connections, they are now interested in learning more about all the deceased relatives they can remember. Somehow, I have no desire to delve into the past. Even if you can trace my lineage all the way back to Adam and Eve, I am not excited. Where I came from doesn't matter; it's where I am going that I only care about. Once Christ has set you free, you head straight toward him.

*****Abortion Is an Abomination

        Today is Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. As long as we approve the killing of the unborn, how dare we still ask God to bless us? Should God bless evildoers who do not repent nor change their ways? I think not. For an abomination such as killing the unborn, God will not bless you until you repent and beg for his mercy. Legalizing abortion lies at the root of the disorder of our nation. Let me quote what Mother Teresa said: "Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion."

***Most Horrible Ending***

           Good Christians are now being persecuted. There seem to be Judas everywhere. The division Jesus said that he had come to establish on the earth (in Matthew 10 and Luke 12) is now more clear than ever. The separation between those for him and those against him is sharper than ever. The faithful Christians are going through a horrible time, but this will pass for each of them individually. It's nothing compared to what the evildoers will undergo in the end for all eternity! Pray that they will realize this and turn to God before it's too late.

**Three Days of Darkness

        This video tells how Fr. James Blount received a sign from Mother Mary foreshadowing Three Days of Darkness. Before that happens, I believe that Illumination of Conscience will happen first. 

**Freedoms, True and False

        You can do whatever you want in order to feel free, but this is false freedom. For you do not truly know what's best for you. In a secular world, what attracts you the most may very well be the worst for you soul. You'll realize eventually that one cannot possibly free oneself. You can find true freedom only if you follow Christ, the God who created you. There is no freedom outside of him; for we'll all have to go through him when we leave this world. He alone holds the key to eternal freedom. When you try to be you own lord, you'll end up being your own prisoner. Only when you let Christ be your lord will you find true freedom, for his sole intention is to liberate you from self-enslavement.  

***How to Become Strong

        You can choose doing everything by your own strength or doing everything by God's strength. I prefer the latter because (1) God is infinitely stronger than I and (2) he would be doing most of the work for me. It's so much easier to let him lead me with me just following him every step of the way. This is basically abandoning myself in him, which is basically letting him carrying me all the way. 

***Biggest Loser

        He is not the one who has lost all his money gamboling at a casino. He is not the one who has lost his whole fortune on the stock market. Neither is he the one who has lost his home and all his belongings in a fire and become homeless. Neither is he the one who has been rejected by his family and all his friends. The winner of the big losers is ... drum roll please ... the one who has lost his soul to the Devil!      

****Learning Directly from the Lord

        I have posted in the past that when you open yourself up to the Lord completely, he lets you know exactly who he is. No proof is needed; the knowledge is deposited right in your heart! It's a personal thing, for the Lord alone makes that possible—proof to me that he is real. In John 1, when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of he world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God." How did John know all this? It's the Lord who revealed it to him. In Matthew 16, when Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in replay, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father." Again, the Lord had let him know that. Of course, all the greats saints knew God intimately. Here is sufficient evidence for you to believe in the Lord, if he has not revealed himself to you in person yet. The best way to know who he is is still to open yourself up to him to learn it firsthand from him. When you know him without a doubt, you are in union with him.

***Need for Christ***

        Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world, did all the good works and performed great miracles, and still got crucified because he upset all the hypocrites and evildoers and was betrayed. Since we are just ordinary human beings living in this evil world, all the more we need Christ so that even if our body is killed, our soul will be safe.

**Lost Time

        Any time you spend doing things that do not contribute to drawing anyone, yourself included, closer to God. 

*Those Who Fear God

         It's interesting that those who fear God and those do not fear God both do not fear the Devil for different reasons. Those who fear God obey God and the Lord is with them, so they no longer fear the Devil anymore. Those who do not fear God do the work of the Devil and are in cahoots with him, so they don't fear him, at least not yet. Actually, those who fear God become friends of the Lord and lose all their fears, while those who do not fear God remain to be his enemy. 

****Our Dangerous World!

         This is a dangerous world, dangerous to your soul, that is. There are so many material sensuous things to give you pleasure, high-tech inventions to make you feel that you have super power, and opportunities to lure you into thinking that you can become rich. If you do not have a firm faith in Christ, you are easy prey. Going to hell has never been made this attractive. This explains why today there are so many people around with no principles. They do whatever that would benefits them. You see this even among Christians, Church clergy included. What Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 rings more true than ever: "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few." I am ready to go the Lord myself, but I feel sorry for the young people who do not know the Lord well and are about to enter the society to make a living on their own. They start out already with a big strike against them. Please pray for them in particular.

**Christians Do Not Despair

        No matter how tough times get and how bad things go, a Christian never despairs. He always hopes in the Lord, knowing that he'll be exalted by him in the end. Even though he suffers persecution and experiences agony as the Lord did, he always rejoices in following his master. 

**Only Thing You Need to Secure

           Life has its ups and downs. Dynasties begin and end. Rulers emerge and fall. Fashions come and go. Everything in this world passes or perishes, but our soul lives on forever. So be wise and secure your soul and let everything else go. 

***Reality of Life

        Each of us will face God and be judged after we live a relatively short time on earth. No matter how powerful we become, if we are not with God, we'll lose our life forever in the end. For those who love and follow the Lord, life is an endurance test. You'll have some good times and may go through some really tough times, but it's what you gain after your brief life ends that counts. This is reality! So be patient, remain strong, and love God alone always. Time passes quickly and eternity awaits.

***Most Appropriate Gift for God***

          In today's Gospel acclamation from Ephesians 1, Paul prayed that God might enlighten the eyes of our hearts. Yes, our hearts have both ears and eyes to hear and see. This is how we connect with God. If the heart is not involved, we cannot know God. Give your heart to God, then he will revealed himself and the whole truth to you. Our hearts rightfully belong to our Father, for only he can purify and comfort them.

***Saving the Soul*

        To save your soul, you need Christ, of course. Then you must believe that he is the Savior. Others can pray for you to help you make it happen. Of these three parties, God is already on your side and others can help, but you are the main one responsible for the salvation of your own soul. These thoughts came to me because someone I know is dying right now. He is a good friend of my oldest son; a very nice person. I knew him too. [My phone just rang; it was my son informing me that he just passed away.] 
        Let me tell you a little bit about this friend. He was in the 70s. He came from an old Italian family well-known locally. He left the Church a long time ago. Some years back, I tried to get him back into the Church, but his response was that he wasn't ready yet, as there were still so many things in the world to take care of. That was a typical excuse I'd heard from many others. Then he started losing his memory, no longer recognizing everyone. His health deteriorated and entered a hospital. I hoped to go see him, but with the coronavirus lockdown, it wasn't possible. I texted his daughter a prayer for her to read to her father, basically telling God that he's sorry fo his sins and asking the Lord now to forgive him. Then he came home, for the hospital couldn't do much for him anymore. I went along with my son to see him twice. I prayed aloud, hoping that he would hear me. The second time, his eyes opened slightly and with his mouth open, his chin started to move up and down as if he were praying. That was a good sign to me. I called my parish priest about giving him extreme unction. After obtaining permission from the daughter, Fr. P went to him the day before yesterday and administered the sacrament. Today, he is gone. I pray that he's with the Lord now. Happy and wise is the one who gives his soul to God before he goes to him!

***Our Perfection

        In today's first reading from Hebrews 5, Paul wrote about Christ: Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Our perfection too can only be made by the Lord, and obedience to him is the key to achieving that perfection.