***Letting God Have All or Nothing

         If you love someone, you pray hard for his or her conversion and decide it's best to offer that person to God to be taken care of by him, then you should release and no longer worry about that person anymore, right? Either you mean to hand over your problem to God totally or you don't. Offer anything to God and it becomes his. Offer yourself to him and you shouldn't be attached to yourself anymore. Either you belong to God or you don't. Not letting go is from the evil one.

**Sign You're a True Believer

         Today is the Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle. In the Gospel reading from John 20, after Thomas saw the nails in Jesus' hands and put his finger into the nail-marks and his hand into Jesus' side, Thomas finally believed that Jesus had risen from the dead and said to him, "My Lord and my God." If you can say this same to the Lord spontaneously from your very heart, you are a true believer and will be greatly blessed by him.

*****Coming of the Illumination of Conscience

        Because even details had been revealed about the Illumination of Conscience, I believe that it's imminent. Here's another video to warn you about it. Of course, you are free to believe or disbelieve it.

***Making Light of Mortal Sins

          I watched a YouTube video titled 15 Mortal Sins Catholics Are Frequently Missing in Their Confessions. I'll just mention a few on the list, such as using contraception, masturbating, wearing immodest clothing, and not keeping Sunday as a day of rest, which most Catholics no longer consider to be serious sins. But a mortal sin once is a mortal sin always! It's us who have fallen further away from God. Even priests today no longer touch on these subjects openly, for it seems that not offending people matters more than not offending God. We are in or near end times.

**Two Big Realizations

        The world has strayed far away from God. First, we need to realize that we are sinners and need salvation from the Lord. Next, we need to realize that Christ is the perfect example for us to emulate. We truly need someone to guide us in all things and there is no one but Christ who knows everything and has the greatest love for us. 

*Being a Bona Fide Christian

          Since God communicates with our heart and touches our soul, the life we live for him is always an interior one. We communicate with him and experience his joy secretly. Whatever we do for him is for him alone, to be known to him alone. So a bona fide Christian is one who lives for Christ only in secret. 

**Tough Conversions, but Not for God

         Smart, educated people are most difficult to convert. They think that they can find all answers themselves. I talked to a prominent doctor who was a Protestant at one time, but he was never able to bring himself to believe in Christ fully. He was always asking me questions and couldn't understand why someone like me would even want to be involved with serving at a local prison. Another person I talked to recently has no qualms about following the way of the world. I just sense that bringing up Christ is not going to make any impact at this point. You need to pray for people like him. This reminds me of in Mark 9 the time the disciples asked the Lord why they couldn't cast a demon out of one boy. Jesus said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer."
       Fr. Goring's video today more or less ties in with I've just said above. Also, since the Miraculous Medal was mentioned, I can testify that wearing one and believing in its efficacy, you do receive abundant blessings from God as promised by Holy Mother. 

**How to Treat Your Body

        To survive on earth, we need our physical body. Therefore, it is proper to keep it healthy and functioning. But if we are obsessed about making our body attractive to others, then we have become vain. Know that the body is like our material possessions which we'll have to leave behind one day. So we should learn to become detached from it. Take care of your body to serve God well, but never "worship" it for your vainglory.

***Our Greatest Teacher and Mentor

        God is our greatest teacher and mentor, for he knows and understands everything. For your spiritual growth, you only need to consult him. Again, I advocate seeking union with him, for he'll help you every step of the way and once you attain union with him, you'll understand all his ways and thoughts. Now you grow to be like him and we can truly say "like father like son" or "like father like daughter." In our case, the father is the Father and that make it even more special! 

**The Lord Most Enjoyable

         Since Jesus remain holy and the same forever, he remain forever new and refreshing. By contrast, we sinners need to be renewed continuously by him to remain new. That's why I enjoy my union with him more than anything else in the whole universe.

*On Toward Eternity

        Will we only turn to God in our last moments when we know that we are dying? But that would be taking an awfully big chance, for we don't know when and how we're going to die. But since we know that we will die one day for sure, then definitely it'd be wise to turn to God before we die, the sooner the better. We can also see that our whole lifetime is but one big dying moment, as we march toward death the moment we were born. Indeed life is just our way to eternity.

*****Heaven Needs Our Prayers

        Here's another beautiful message from Mother Mary to the Medjugorje seer Mirjana. God is sending messages through more and more lay individuals. I think it's because there are now more trustworthy and faithful lay people than most of the clergy who no longer have the courage to preach the truth. The Holy Mother really needs our prayers. She told Mirjana that "Life is like a flower and is short, and all of us will soon meet God who will ask us about our life." And furthermore, "Be ready! I am calling you, through prayer, and the Holy Mass when my Son unites Himself with you in a special way, to try to be like Him; that, like Him, you may always be ready to carry out God's will and not seek the fulfillment of your own. Dear children! Do not forget that you are here on earth on the way to eternity and that your home is in heaven. Again I am warning you, pray for those whom my Son called, whose hands He blessed and whom He gave as a gift to you. Pray, pray, pray for your shepherds. Thank you." We can truly say that we are in our last days when God's judgment is near. 

**This Distant Generation*

          Jesus has made it so clear that we need to be prepared and ready for his coming. This means we must be prepared for anything that threatens my life and eternal life. What if you die right now? Are you ready? What if disaster strikes and shatters all your dreams? How would you handle that? Yet we don't even turn to God to deal with our sins, so how can we be prepared for his coming? Why is this generation so afraid to look at their own sins? God is ready, waiting, and willing to take away their sins anytime for the asking. It's not being aware of the need for salvation that's most alarming. Sadly, a great awakening is needed before they'll even consider getting themselves ready.

*****Built for Union with God*****

         God has made us so that we shall not have peace until we have reconciled ourselves completely to him. This truth becomes crystal clear once you attain union with him. It is good to know that we can have God and we can have peace. The Lord is our amazing hope!

**Stop Condemning Yourself

        Every time we sin and do not repent, we march a little closer toward hell. I am being blunt but realistic about it. Even if you just end up in purgatory, every little sin would increase your suffering for purification there. And little sins can add up fast over a lifetime. For example, if you habitually use the F word in your daily conversation with others, over years you can easily reach saying it tens of thousands of times. Always repent your sins right away and try not to sin again. This is the only way to halt your march toward hell. To go all out, seek to attain union with the Lord through the Holy Eucharist and you can forget all about hell.

**The One I Need

         In life, this does't happen often, but sometimes you meet the exact person or find the precise thing you need and you are overjoyed. My Communion experience yesterday (at the Vigil Mass): I just felt and knew that Christ was the exact person I needed for my life, my existence. And that completed my joy.

***God's Most Special Creations

           From today's first reading from Wisdom 1, I read "For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it." So the Lord made us the image of his own nature! That explains why we can understand him and know him! And we will not experience death if we belong to him, having nothing to do with the devil. We are indeed most special to God.

***Mother Mary's Concern for Us

         Good and wise messages for us in these difficult times.

****Letting God Inspire You*

         We ask for favors from God continuously, but have you ever thought of asking him to inspire you? If you haven't yet, I urge you to do so. Of course, you need to be open to him. Ask him to inspire you in every way so that you would want to be like him. Ask him to inspire you to be humble to be exalted to new heights. Let him inspire you to become fearless and confidant in serving him. He can even inspire you to know all his thoughts and ways! Yes, let him inspire you to the max! This becomes truly living in union with him.

***Warning to the Stony-Hearted

        I see so many hearts that have turned into stone. God has done his utmost to save us—he has sacrificed his own Divine Son to suffer in our place so that we may have eternal life. Yet so many of us still ignore him, reject him, or even blaspheme him. This is absolutely being heartless. If God cannot change you, then nothing besides yourself will be able to. Don't ever believe that without God everything will be fine. You always reap what you sow. By the way, whether you believe or not, hell does exist. Rejecting the God of Christ who is the only one who can save you is the sure way to hell. I want to warn all, for hell has to be the most horrible destination for anyone. To each his own? That would be a sad remark to make. Let us hear "For all, God is our hope." 

**Suffering Has Its Purpose

         We can not avoid physical suffering in this life. I believe that God has a purpose for allowing anything to happen to us. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was struck dumb when he doubted what the angel Gabriel told him, that his wife Elizabeth in her advanced years would conceive a son. He didn't regain his power of speech until John was born. And Paul was struck blind by a bright light on his way to Damascus when Jesus called him. He regained his sight three days later when Ananias of Damascus laid his hands upon him and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul also mentioned his thorn in flesh the Lord gave him to keep him humble. We don't know what it was, but it could be a form of physical suffering too. My left shoulder joint due to a number of falls has suffered pain for years. I know that the Lord can heal me in an instant should he so wish. In the meantime, I know he has purposed it too. For us who follow the Lord, we know that offering our sufferings up to him glorifies him, and one day all our sufferings will turn into eternal joy in heaven.   

*True Freedom

           To be free, you can do whatever you want to do or do whatever God wants you to do? Which way is better? Most people would like to do what they want to do, but this "freedom" does not guarantee happiness, for it's self-centered and things do not always turn out the way you want. If you always follow God's will, then you are God-centered. With yourself out of the way, you remain free and happy as well. 

***Do you know that . . .

if you love and want to serve the Lord, but are weak in some way, the Lord will make you strong in some other way to fulfill your wish? 

***Making God Listen to Us

         The more we listen to God, the more he listens to us. Also, the more sincerely we pray from the heart, the more effective our prayers become. The Lord always looks at our hearts and loves hearing from and speaking to our hearts. 

**To Be Assured of Salvation

         To be assured of having eternal life, it's essential to believe that (1) Jesus is our Lord and Savior and (2) he is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. Most helpful attitude: Believing in the Lord like a child.

All About Us

         It's undeniable that we have all strayed away from God, for we have sinned. So we need to return to him to become his obedient children as he had always wished. This explains why we are miserable on our own and shows how we can rightfully become free and happy.

***Union Privilege

        Each of us has our cross to carry. One great joy and satisfaction being in union with the Lord is that you can talk to him, consult him, share all your joys and sorrows with him, and enjoy any experience with him at any time; you are never alone and the Lord never gets tired of listening to you. Of course, you get to hear his sweet voice in voice in you heart too. Such is the privilege of being one with him. 😇😇😇

**Satan Within the Church

            One dark side revealed.

*More About Jim Caviesel

         Interesting video about Jim Caviesel, an actor who serves the Lord.

*Meeting Matthew Kelly

          Father Goring's instructive interview with Matthew Kelly. Hear his comment on his mystical experiences. Ley's realize that receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist is also a great mystical experience.

**What to Give Up

         Our daughter-in-law suggested to my wife and me to have a bag containing all the important things ready so that we'd be prepared to leave in case we have to evacuate our house. I had thought about this before because I live in an area with a lot of trees around and California gets lots of wild fires every summer. With just two cars to load what we can carry, I pretty much have to leave behind almost everything normally you would want to keep for a while. This is virtually as "bad" as when you leave the world. Nevertheless, this has been a good exercise, making me realize that there is a time to let all things go and the time to learn to say goodbye to them is now.

***Fighting a Winning Battle

          With Christians facing persecution, the Church in disarray, and evil seemingly having filtered the fabric of our entire society, the days look dark indeed. But let's know that Satan is loose only because God has permitted it. It is a given that the Lord will triumph totally in the end. Because Satan knows that his days are numbered, he is fighting extra hard out of desperation. So we should fight him and his minions without any fear, but with full confidence in our God. It's only a matter of time before the days will be brighter than ever. We may not be here then, but that shouldn't make any difference to us. Just know that we are fighting a winning battle.

**Living Right Is Terribly Important

         We were all born into this world and get to live our lives. We can choose to live a holy or an evil life or one anywhere in-between. Then when our time is up, we all die. So what does it matter how we live our lives? Answer: It matters a lot because we have a soul that live on forever after death. This life is only the infinitesimal beginning of our everlasting existence. You want to live it right in order not to screw up your whole eternity.

**Still in the Doldrums

         In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And who find it are few." Jesus gave us these warnings 2,000 years ago and we still are not taking it seriously enough. Time to snap out of the doldrums! 

Conscience Affects Peace

        The Lord has given each of us a conscience. The one who has a dull conscience can sin more and not get bothered too much. Then he won't have much inner peace either. Anyone with a sharp conscience sins a lot less, for he knows the pain of carrying a sin, so he enjoys peace in his heart almost always. It's a choice, but know that if you lack inner peace, it's God calling you to him.

*We Reap What We Sow

         Everything we do, the Lord knows, and we'll be either rewarded or punished. You can say that what goes out from us will always come back to us in some way or form. That is, there'll be consequences to whatever we do or don't do. It's good to remember Proverbs 22:8, "Those who sow iniquity reap calamity." 

*Antichrists Galore

         Because of the many prominent politicians who claim to be Catholic, but publicly go against the teachings of the Church and continue to receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass, the U.S. bishops are meeting, trying to come up with clear guidelines for the reception of Holy Communion. Actually, the guidelines are already there, but since the Church is now divided, the topic has become controversial. Some 60 Catholic Democratic congressmen have already called on the bishops not to weaponize the Holy Eucharist. Cleve choice of words indeed. One congressman who is all for contraception, abortion, divorce, and same sex marriage openly dared the Church to deny him Communion. This I know, when you say you are a Catholic and reject the teachings of the Church, you are a lying antichrist. 

*The Blaming-Others Generation

        Hebrew 4:12 is today's Gospel acclamation: The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the the heart. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye." These two quotes are directly related. It's precisely not hearing the living word of God that has made us blind to our own faults. This is the generation that never see themselves blameless and always blame others. Naturally, if you think that you are perfect, you don't seek God anymore.

***Our Only Way Out

        What awaits us depends all on us.

*Christ Is the Point

         Knowing the truth is not the same as knowing about the truth. You can know about Jesus but not know him at all. Once I had a guide on a Holy Land tour who knew more about Jesus than any of us in the group, but he was a Muslim. To preach the good news, we must preach Christ and not about Christ. Even in a Bible study class, the focus should be on the Lord. Focusing on all the peripheral details won't draw you closer to him.  A Christian must live fully in the Lord and not just observe him from the side.

***Remaining New in Christ!***

         Today is special, for it's the first Sunday we are able to attend all Masses inside the church with all seats in place. Only a few people wore masks, and social distancing was no longer observed. In today's second reading from 2 Corinthians 5, Paul writes, "Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." What's so wonderful and great about Christ is that he can make us anew at any time so that we can remain new at all times! This certainly makes following Christ most exciting and rewarding! 

**Life Out of Order*

         In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus said to his disciples, "Do now worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." Most of us are getting the order wrong. We seek these things first and God only when we didn't get them, forgetting that the Father is the provider of all the things we need. To reverse this order is to put your life in order, and you'll witness the wonders of God.

***Be God's Powerhouse

        In today's reading from 2 Corinthians 12, Paul again boasts of his weaknesses, for the Lord told him that power is made perfect in weakness. I can see that the more we realize that we are weak on our own, the more we know that we need to rely upon the Lord. And the more we rely upon him, the more power we receive. Since God's power is infinite, there is no limit to how strong we can become! It's truly exciting to live and trust in God alone.

**Be Free of Material Possessions!

         I saw a YouTube video showing an entire Italian village that had been abandoned about 15 years ago due to an earthquake. The crew who explored the place showed that almost all the houses abandoned were left open with pretty much all the personal belongings left behind, including clothing, artworks, personal letters, etc. One of the crew members remarked that walking through the village, he felt like he was the last man on earth. By the way, there are many other videos showing the mysterious abandonment of a single mansion or house. After I watched the video, I realized that one day, I may not abandon my own house, but I'll have to leave it behind with no choice. After I am gone, all my possessions will be disposed of by others. This realization brought relief, for it made me see the foolishness of being attached to all material things? Let them go and be free. God is the only one worth holding onto supremely! 

***All Set to Live Forever***

        Jesus is the light. When you are in union with him, he floods your entire being, enabling you to see the whole truth. Your soul now rests in the Lord in perfect contentment. You lack nothing, for God is more than sufficient. You are all set to live forever!

**Where Is Your Heart?*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus says to his disciples: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your  treasure is, there also will your heart be." Let's ask ourselves how much time and energy we devote to storing up treasures for ourselves on earth and how much we spend on storing up treasures in heaven. If the passing grade is 60, will you pass? You've heard the proverb "Home is where the heart is." If you are not storing up treasures in heaven, then heaven is not you home yet.

**Holy Boasters

        In today's first reading from 2 Corinthians 11, Paul boasts of how he labored for Christ. He writes, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." For us who love and follow the Lord, we can certainly joyfully boast of my total dependence upon the Lord. This is holy pride!

***Forgive All, We Must!***

         In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to pray the Lord's Prayer and concluded by saying "If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." These words came clear as a bell. So we must do our best to forgive others (evildoers included). Then the Lord will do his best to forgive us. The commandment "Stop judging, that you may not be judged" makes perfect sense now. 

*****Greatest Possible Accomplishment*****

        If you want to have a great relationship with the most loving God of Christ so that you get to know him intimately, belong to his heavenly family, and be all set for eternity, it's really simple—you just go beyond believing in him and surrender yourself completely to him. This can be accomplished in an instant and will be remembered by God the Father forever!

***World Getting Out of Bounds

       We are in end times for sure, hastening the Lord's coming. But first, there'll likely be more warnings, followed by chastisements. So be prepared and pray hard.