**Prayer Demands Submission to God*

        When we pray the Our Father, the Rosary, or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, every time we say "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death," and "For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world," we should surrender ourselves to God. Otherwise, we just say the words in vain.

**Solving the Puzzle of Life

        If life were a jigsaw puzzle, then Jesus is that last missing piece we need to solve the puzzle. Without him, life remains incomplete. 

**Test of Our Pride

        Psalms 145:8, The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. Indeed, God is  infinitely patient. If he weren't, we would have been wiped out by him a long time ago. Being human with pride and ego, we had always expected that our Savior would be someone like a king or military leader on our side and come and wipe out all our enemies so we would become powerful in this world. We never would have imagined that God could turn out to be humble and meek and be purely love to save all of us. This is one reason we find it hard to accept and believe in him. The test is whether we would realize our sinfulness, swallow our pride, and admit that we indeed need salvation from him.

****Something You Must Know*

        Never forget that we are mortal; only God is everlasting. But we can become everlasting like God if we love him as our Father. This is an irrefutable fact and you don't want to bet your soul against it!

**Our Best Preparation Now

        A true Christian lets the love of Christ rule over him. It's this love that motivates him to think, speak, and act like the Lord. He remains in union with him thru the Holy Eucharist. This is our best possible preparation on earth before meeting the Lord in person.

**Sure Way of Entering Heaven

         I live in California and Interstate 80 is the major highway connecting San Francisco and New York City. To go to NYC, I only need to get on I-80 about 5 miles from here and head east. When I-80 ends, I'll be just 4 miles from the city. To go to heaven, I know I only need to believe in and follow Jesus and one day soon, I'll be there with him. I don't even need a car. Unliking driving, the trip will be absolutely safe and direct. And heaven is a lot cleaner and more fun than NYC.

***Greatest Unseen Miracle

        Today's Communion experience. When the bread and wine were consecrated and became the body and blood of the Lord, it was the greatest invisible miracle. Believing in that just makes your faith extra special.

**Enjoying Freedom in the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 9, Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." So serve the Lord single-heartedly and think not about yourself at all. 

**Fear of Facing Reality*

        Good and evil are real. So is spiritual warfare. God wants you to follow him, while Satan wants you to follow yourself. This is not difficult to see. If you don't want to think about it, that's because you've chosen to follow yourself and want to remain so.

****Church Doesn't See End Times

         Many of us sense that we are near or in end times. There is a plethora of signs and prophetic messages coming to us from heaven. The urgent call to prayer and conversion you just don't hear coming from the official Church with the exception of Archbishop Vigano and a few other good bishops I know of in this country. The handful of brave priests who spoke up all got cancelled by their bishops. At most parish churches, social events are held as usual as if nothing is going wrong. It's been like this ever since things started going bad decades ago. It is very sad to see evil getting the upper hand all around the globe. We reap what we sow, and if we do not change, what we are going to reap won't be nice. Watch Fr. Mark Goring's video here about Catholicism being watered down. 

**Feeling of Freedom

         Trust in God completely with total absence of your own ego and you'll feel the freedom in the Lord.

***Prayer Power

           In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said to the 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." Again, in Luke 17:6, he said to the apostles, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Of course, what's commanded to take place here is all done through God. It just shows the great power we have in making God do things for us. Have faith and trust in God is what we need to know and practice. 

***Our Perfect Model

        Reading about Jesus in the Gospels, you see that he was perfectly obedient to the Father, did everything selflessly with love, practiced everything he preached, and always spoke the truth forthrightly. Forget that he is also God, as a human being alone he is worthy of our respect and admiration, one for us to imitate and learn from. Add the fact he is our Savior and he becomes indispensable for me to know and embrace.

***Wonderful Things Happen . . .***

when you and God are one, on the same wave length, in perfect harmony. (This is just a periodic reminder.) 

*God's Good Feeling

         When you want to be good or do something good, you feel good. This is God's doing. Imagine how good you will feel when you become one with him.

**New Awakening Needed

         Here's what I read from the 1st reading from 1 Timothy 6. "If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains." We should be content if we have enough food and clothing. Then I see that the world has fallen into the trap of wanting to be rich and is pretty much out of control. Everybody is in the game; becoming rich is now the the accepted goal and way of life. Man has strayed further away from God.
       The reading continues on. "But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith." To make the change, submitting ourselves to God is the only answer. Since chances don't look too good, I believe God will do something big to wake us up. 

*****Disabling Satan

        Because we have inherited original sin, we all tend to sin. Satan knows that and he exploits that in his fight against God. So if we have God take away our urge to sin, then Satan loses all his power over us. Seeking to attain union with God will help us accomplish just that. Be one with God and he becomes your refuge and shield against all evil.

**How to Be Real Heroes

        We enjoy watching films and videos showing Superman or some hero or a bunch of kids with super powers saving the world from being destroyed. Of course, they are all fictitious characters. But we can be real heroes in saving our real world. We simply become saints and do God's will only. Then God will save the world and all of us from eternal damnation. Now we are heroes in God's eyes. This will sound fictitious only to unbelievers. For those who have faith, it's a no-brainer.

***Thanking Mary*****

        If you had read my post "A Jewish Convert Story" of Nov. 8, 2018, you would have learned from that amazing story that Mary's favorite prayer is the one she asked St. Catherine Labouré to inscribe on the Miraculous Medal she ordered her to strike, which reads "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse for thee." So many of us ask her unceasingly to pray us. Today I realize that she loves us so much that she prays for her children anyway. So it's time to thank her and to tell her that we love her. What a joy to have such a beautiful, caring mother! God is love, and Mary is our Mother filled with that love.        

***Our Ultimate Call from God*****

        To be like God, we need to know his ways and his thoughts, and then follow his will thoroughly and throughout. And the best way to achieve that is to attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist. This is the Lord's ultimate call for every one of us and is completely within our reach because it is what he wants for us. Say yes to God and it'll done for you! 

*****Our Concerns Now

        Our fundamental concern is the safety of our soul. With the coming of the illumination of conscience or our own death, our immediate concern should be our readiness for either of these events. The time to be ready to stand before the Lord is right now.

***God Is Hope*****

        As I prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary this morning, the Lord gave me these thoughts. (1) When Christ suffered agony in the garden, only the Father alone was there to console him. Think of it, the only one who can truly console us in any agony is also our heavenly Father. (2) Christ knew all along that he's going to suffer and be killed for our sake, for he is God. Thinking about the Passion, how can you possibly not love him, I ask you? (3) After the Crucifixion, all the disciples thought that they were finished. Their Messiah was dead, what could they possibly do? Then we had the Resurrection and saw that the Crucifixion was a total triumph of the Lord. Yes, God is our hope!

**Division, the Natural Outcome

        In Matthew 26 or Luke 19, Jesus taught that "to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Does this sound unfair to you? I see this to be fair if you understand how one become someone who has or who has not. The one who has is the one who works hard and bear fruit, while the one who has not is the one who is lazy and does not bear fruit. Of course, one will grow rich and the other one lose everything. These are natural outcomes. This is how at the Second Coming, you'll chosen either as a sheep or as a goat. This is the division Jesus talked about.

****Praying freely to God

         There are many good prayers, the Lord's Prayer, the Holy Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, etc. But when you pray something long, the mind tends to wander. So I sometimes just pray the holy name "Jesus" or simply dwell upon the Lord silently. Such simple prayers makes it easy to focus upon the Lord and are just as efficacious as any other good prayer. I encourage you to let the Holy Spirit guide you in inspiring you to pray however he wishes you to pray to the Lord. The important thing is to feel free with the Lord as in union with him. After all, the Lord God is your home, your refuge, and your most beloved. 

***Satan Dumber than a Dog

        My neighbor's two small dogs barked a lot whenever they saw me walk by the low wired fence on the property line. Then I hung up a DogSilencer which emits an ultrasonic tone when activated by the barking. This sound which only dogs can hear apparently is unpleasant to them. In a short time they stopped barking. Here I see that dogs can learn to accept defeat, but Satan keeps on fighting God even though he knows he can never beat God in the end. In this way, Satan is not even as smart as a dog. This also tells you a lot about those who follow Satan.

**Another Christian Joy

         If you know Christ, know that you are in touch with reality and rejoice! 

***What the Lord Will Surely Do***

         Thoughts on the Lords's Prayer. The Lord personally taught us this prayer which I consider to be the most perfect prayer. He wants us to ask him (1) to give us our daily bread, (2) to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, (3) to lead us not into temptation, and (4) to deliver us from all evil. Unquestionably he shall do all these things to us if we ask for them.

****Ideal Time to Die

        I was watching a documentary on the life of the composer Franz Schubert. He died when he was only 31. I know Chopin died at 39 and Gershwin at 38. They were all very talented or geniuses. The question "When is the ideal time to die?" came to me. The answer that came to me was "After you know the Lord thoroughly."

***Most Beautiful Exchange***

        Communion experience. The Holy Lord was present and I was about to receive him in person. He's the one of whom I desired all. As he entered me giving all of himself to me, I gave all of myself to him. Now we became one.  

**Secret of Saving Ourselves

      In last Sunday's Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus said to his disciples, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it." Here we're given the secret of saving ourselves! Live for the Lord and we'll live forever, Live for ourselves and we'll be doomed. It's somewhat surprising, but expected. Now you take it or leave it.

***Eucharistic Mega-Procession

         Today is September 15. In catching up, I am supposed to start blogging what came to me on September 12. Then I just saw this video which cheered me up after my last posting. So I am going to jump ahead and post it now. This just happened in Hungary. It's good news indeed. :)

***Pray for Mexico!

        It's sad to hear that Mexico has legalized abortion. Evil is real! The only way for us to realize it is to know God. Not knowing God is openly inviting the Devil to enter your lives. The proabortionists have caused the Lord great sorrow, foolishly placing themselves on the edge of a precipice over hell. 

**God's Plan for You

        For everyone of us, God has a unique plan. Don't expect that this plan will make you feel somewhat important in this world or be marked with any remarkable events, for his plan is designed to make you holy and pleasing to him so that you will have eternal life. You may remain unknown in the world, but you will be "famous" to him. 

***Another Personal Warning

        Many sense that we are in end times as evil seems to have dominated the world. It is urgent that we repent and convert before it's too late. Since we don't know when the next warning or chastisement will come nor how much time we have left in this life, we should truly repent and convert now in any case. The longer you put off considering it, the higher the risk of losing your life forever.

**Who Need Christ the Most?

        The more you don't think you need Christ, the more you need him. The more you don't want to know him, the more you need to know him. Christ is the one we must go through to get to the Father. He is unavoidable, for without him, we wouldn't even exist. He is compelling and absolutely indispensable to us. It is by him that we'll be finally judged. In John 8:12, Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." This is so correct, for light is precisely what those who walk in darkness need the most.

***Most Amazing Feeling***

        I walked up to and looked out of the sliding door in the family room this morning and saw the blue skies above and all the tall trees and various plants down below. I realized that the Almighty Father created all that and the whole universe with all its galaxies; and through receiving him in the Holy Eucharist, he now dwells right within me. What an amazing, incredible, and wonderful feeling!

**God's Consolation More than Sufficient

        In this life, tragic things happen and it seems that when it happens, our only resort is to seek consolation from God. Is this good enough for us? I'd say yes, for God alone is sufficient. Whatever happens is only temporary for a reason; it's never that God is abandoning you now. Stick with him and your eternal happiness is assured. There are those who seem to have everything and success in everything they do in the eyes of the world, but are they happier? I doubt it. True happiness is interior and can only come from God. Trust in him unto death and your reward will be great in heaven. We live for God and eternity, not for the world. Those who live only for the world will perish with the world, but those who remain in the Lord will be with him one day soon. A Christian always hopes in the Lord and never pities himself, for he knows that he is loved by God the Father.

***Greatest Satisfaction

         You can receive all the honors and accolades the world can possibly bestow upon you, but the satisfaction can not possibly compare with knowing that God is pleased with you when you do one small act of love for his sake. Live for God in secret and you'll have satisfaction after satisfaction throughout your whole life!

***What You Must Not Die to Find Out***

         It is if Jesus is truly your Savior or not. Believe in him now is being super smart. 

***God's Transforming Love

        All sinners are self-centered, but the amazing love of the God of Christ can make us become selfless. Normally, when we find a treasure, we would want to keep it to ourselves. But once we discover that Christ is our greatest treasure, you become so joyful that you would want everyone to know about and have this treasure. In fact, you wouldn't mind a bit if everyone else loves the Lord a lot more than you do. Instead of feeling jealous, you feel great joy because now everyone loves your Lord.  

**Preparing for the Second Coming

         If Jesus is coming again, then we need to prepare for that day. Even if it does not happen in your lifetime, you still need to get ready for meeting him. Prepare for his Second Coming should take care of things. The following video shows encouraging words from our Holy Mother on this subject. 

**Making Heaven Sweeter

        After attending school for many weeks, the vacation that comes afterward is most welcome. After a torrential rain, the sunny day that follows appears especially beautiful. So after undergoing sufferings for the sake of the Lord, you can be sure that heaven will taste extra sweet for those who are on their way there.

**The Lord in Control

        It was a hot evening and suddenly, thunder roared and lightning flashed. Rain came later in the middle of the night. The next morning everything was back to normal. I know that God is in full control of nature and everything else. Also I know that our soul is under his full protection. 

**Caution, Would-Be Sinners

        Before you commit any sin, consider how it would affect others, you own soul, and above all, offend the Lord God. Sinning is never something to rush into. In fact, it's something you should run away from ASAP. Do you realize why our world is in such disorder and chaos? We are the cause, being the only creatures in this universe rebelling against God!

**Prophecies of Maria Esperanza

        I had personally visited Betania, Venezuela, where Maria Esperanza was from in 1993, and two years later was on the same pilgrimage to the Holy Land as she and her whole family. I met her and she probably read my soul and said something to me I exactly needed to hear at that time. So this video interests me and is worth listening too. 

***Warning Coming

        A review of the coming Illumination of Conscience. Awesome or Awful, that would depend upon whether we are ready or not.

*****Living in and for the Lord

        We should live for the Lord and this means we live for ourselves in the Lord and not the world. The ideal Christian living is to remain hidden in the Lord and unknown to the world. When the Lord and we become one, the Lord receives the greatest glory and we the greatest satisfaction. 

**Untrendy Christians

        Most people follow trends. They want to be popular and not look like oddballs. On the contrary, true Christians want to remain humble and do not care about what others think. They follow only Christ Jesus and care only about what he thinks of them. They are joyful, proud "oddballs" beautiful to the Lord.

*How Sinners Behave

        I've had the chance to tell others about Jesus. A few days ago, I met one person I'd witnessed to and she still seemed uninterested about the Lord. I could understand that. For she is still young, has a decent job, and is free to do what she enjoys doing. Even though she might realize that she is a sinner, the pressing need to think that she would need salvation is just not there. To me, those who do not want to face God behave just like those kids who have misbehaved and try to avoid facing their father when they can. Of course, the day will come for all of us to face the heavenly Father.     

***The Right Way to Know God***

         The good people who follow Christ want to know him better, but they go about it not in the most effective manner. They attend conferences featuring eloquent and knowledgeable speakers to encourage them to love God, they celebrate certain feast days of the Church, dedicate statutes of saints, hold Bible studies, read spiritual articles, etc. Let's realize that our goal is to know the Lord, so why don't we go directly to him to let him know us? You see, when we open ourselves up to him, we get to know him! If you really don't know the Lord well yet, doing all the other things shows that you don't really want to know him. It's like you want to go somewhere and you spend all your time getting your cart ready, but not going about looking for a horse to pull the cart. To really want to know the Lord, you must be willing to surrender yourself completely to him, no holding back. This is the basic challenge we all face.