***Remaining New in the Lord

         When you are in union with God, he renews you continuously and you remain a new creature. This is what makes being in union with God so exhilarating.

****God's Will Only

        It is not always easy to distinguish what God wants us to do from what we want to do, especially what we want to do is something good. To make sure that we do only God's will, we need to rid ourselves completely of our own ego, listen intently to the Lord, and are ready to go against our own grain if need be. That's why abandoning ourselves totally in the Lord is central to living the Christian life. God first and we don't even appear on the list.

**Our Mission in Exile

        Let us realize that we who love and follow the Lord are living in exile on this earth. For we do not belong or fit into this evil world. Our permanent abode is in heaven with the Father. While here, our mission is to glorify him by saving as many of his children as possible.

***No Excuse for Committing Sins

        We've all been given a conscience by God to distinguish good from evil. Now that Christ has come and is with us, good and evil are made clearer than ever to us. So there's no excuse for committing sins anymore. If you seek to attain union with God, he'll even give you a super sharp conscience to keep your soul pure and spotless. 

***God's Profound Peace*****

        When you do everything for the sake of the Lord and never for your own sake, that is, your motivation always remains selfless and pure, you experience the most profound peace. That tells me all I need to know about my God!

**Sin of Presumption

        All the great saints consider themselves to be most wretched sinners. So if anyone thinks that he is a pretty good person and quite sure that he'll go to heaven, he doesn't know what he's dealing with. With God you can't be so casual about such matters; you'd better be 100% sure. When the Lord says yes, he means yes, and when he says no, he means no. We should get his yes first and not presume that we'll have it. Presumption is a sin too. St. James warns about that in James 4:13-17.

**Prayer Focus

        If you pray for some favor for someone or yourself, do not focus on that someone or yourself or that favor. Instead, you focus on the Lord alone when you pray. You do your part and it's now completely in his hands. You neither wonder what'll happen next nor hope that he'll answer you in a certain way. Show the Lord that you possess both humility and trust. 

***The Basic Question

        Luke 13:22-30 is today's Gospel reading. I'll just quote the first four verses. Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Here's the Lord describing a poignant scene. In end times like ours now, this is what we particularly need to hear, take seriously, and ponder upon. The basic question: Do you want to be be saved or not? 

***Possessing God's Glory

        2 Thessalonians 2:14, today's Gospel acclamation: God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can possess the glory of Christ! Be with Christ and everything the Father has becomes ours! (Luke 15:31)

**Holy Spirit for All

        The Holy Spirit is the Lord who sets your heart on fire and uplifts your spirit. He does not make you complacent, but calls you to action. This seems to be a gift not all the faithful seek or receive, causing division among them. But I do believe that we can all receive this gift if we are open-minded and truly desire it. 
         Just finished blogging the above and I read today's first reading from Romans 8. This is what Paul wrote: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will. So the Holy Spirit as Lord God is a most personal Spirit.

***Great Words from Our Mother

        Two older messages, but more relevant than ever. Specifically, we were told that judging people is a sin, and we must not judge anyone but let God judge everyone. This should be easy to remember; we only need to obey the command.

**The Best Is Yet to Come

        In today's first reading from Romans 8, Paul writes, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us." In this world, we undergo many sufferings. I am not being pessimistic. Relatively speaking, this sinful, godless world is not a happy place to be in. But we know that the glory to be revealed to the faithful Christians will make them forget all their present sufferings. This is the good news from our Lord. All you need to do is to remain patient and persist just a little longer.

**A Great Feeling

         Knowing that you are with the Lord God and that he is with you!

**Cherish and Enjoy Your Prayer Time

        We can pray from our hearts and make Almighty God listen to us and do things for us! Make your daily prayer time the most cherished and enjoyable time of your day.

***God's Monumental Triumphs

         When Jesus died for us on the cross to redeem us from the clutches of sin, it was a monumental triumph for God and all of us. When he comes next to judge all the nations and put Satan in his place, it'll be another monumental triumph, but this time for God and only his sheep.

*Mending Relationships with Others

        Mending relationships with others is necessary but not always easy. The most important relationship we need to mend is our relationship with the Lord God, our maker. Once that is made whole, you'll be able to mend all other relationships with ease. 

**Dealing with Your Enemy

        Today is the day to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. There is much to learn from how Jesus took the Passion he underwent. He remained meek and humble, and perfectly obedient to the Father. He even prayed for those who crucified him. When we are attacked unjustly by someone in any way, we get upset and tend to defend ourselves as best we can. Sometimes I think remaining silent is the best policy, especially when it's obvious that you cannot "convert" the attacker. Again, take your burden to the Lord is the way to go. Be like Jesus and not your enemy.

***Made Anew by Christ

        I was going thru my old papers and found something I wrote in preparation for attending an inner healing workshop in 1976. I recalled and wrote down all the things I wanted the Lord to heal. After reading all twelve pages (yes, it's that long), I felt I was reading about someone else. I was then truly a different person, very much like anyone else in the world. To find happiness, I tried so hard to fit myself into the world. The result was I found more unhappiness and little happiness. Today I follow the ways of Christ only and I no longer need to compromise myself, for he has made me anew, set me free, and made me forget all my poor past. In him, I remain new and content.