God always hears the cry of the poor

"But here I am miserable and in pain;
let your saving help protect me, God,
*That I may praise God’s name in song
and glorify it with thanksgiving.
That will please the LORD more than oxen,
more than bulls with horns and hooves:
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, take heart!" (Psalm 69: 30 - 33)

God always hears the cry of the poor. Trust Him always and everywhere.

Put no trust in princes; they have no power to save you.

"Put no trust in princes,
in children of Adam powerless to save." (Psalm 146: 3)

In whom do you put your trust?

"God indeed is my salvation;
I am confident and unafraid.
For the LORD is my strength and my might,
and he has been my salvation.
With joy you will draw water
from the fountains of salvation" (Isaiah 12: 2 - 3)

Do you repose your trust in good health, family, money, good job, your property and tools or your bright future?

"Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:
“The Lord is my helper,
[and] I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?"  (Hebrews 13: 5 - 6)

I am being initiated into the mystery of peace and contentment

"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."  (Philippians 4: 12)

Peace and contentment do not depend on circumstances.  No, they do not depend on money, good health, great family, good job, nice home and tools.  Peace and contentment depend on what Jesus, our hope of glory is doing inside us here and now.  Where Jesus abides, there abide peace and contentment.

Jesus is the direct and efficient cause of peace and contentment in the heart.  Any other presumed cause or agent is there to exploit our weakness and insecurity.


"I say to the LORD,
you are my Lord,
you are my only good.
They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips."  (Psalm 16: 2, 4)


"Let the peace of Christ control your hearts. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."  (Colossians 3: 15, 16)

When he finds a pearl of great price...

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." (Matthew 13: 45 - 46)

Jesus Christ is the Pearl of great price.  What must we sell in order to acquire in the fullest sense this priceless treasure?

"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life."  (Matthew 19: 29)

What is our response to the above challenge?

"LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.
*Pleasant places were measured out for me;
fair to me indeed is my inheritance."  (Psalm 16: 5 - 6)

In the Name of Jesus

"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,
to the glory of God the Father."  (Philippians 2: 10-11)

Jesus means Savior.  The name says what it is and it does what it says.  The Savior has absolute power to save man from sin and from every distress.  The name of Jesus puts Satan to flight.  It is the most potent one word prayer:  Jesus!  The power of the Jesus Prayer has been universally recognized.  It has the power of the sacramental.

Jesus!  Amen!

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

"The eyes of all look hopefully to you;
you give them their food in due season.
You open wide your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing."  (Psalm 145: 15 - 16)

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. 
Lord Jesus, grant me deep faith in the above truth.  May I never doubt your willingness and power to provide me with everything that I need.

My home is by your altars

"As the sparrow finds a home
and the swallow a nest to settle her young,
My home is by your altars,
LORD of hosts, my king and my God!
Blessed are those who dwell in your house!
They never cease to praise you.
Blessed the man who finds refuge in you,
in their hearts are pilgrim roads."  (Psalm 84: 4-6)

Thank you Jesus for the access to your Sanctuary.

"God indeed is my salvation;
I am confident and unafraid.
For the LORD is my strength and my might,
and he has been my salvation.
With joy you will draw water
from the fountains of salvation" (Isaiah 12: 2-3)

The seed sown on rich soil yields rich harvest

"But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."  (Matthew 13: 23)

• Understand what you hear and read.
• Believe what you read.
• Teach what you believe.
• Practice what you teach.

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."  (John 13: 17)
Change happens not because of what you know but because of what you do daily.

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."  (John 13: 17)

Change happens not because of what you know but because of what you do daily.

I chose you to go and bear fruit that will last

"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you."  (John 15: 16)


"I will bear a witness to you in the world, O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers, alleluia!"  (Psalm 17: 50; 21: 23)

"So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help." (Hebrews 4: 16)

"So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."  (Hebrews 4: 16)

Who can be confident to approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace at a time of dire need?  The Psalmist in answer to this says that it is the man whose heart is pure and whose hands are clean.  I am lost for I do not feel that my heart is pure and that my hand is clean.  What shall I do because I am desperately in need of favor from God?  Then the Spirit whispered to me:  Take courage!  Come along and approach the throne of grace through Jesus Christ in faith and you shall receive the mercy and favor that you seek.  The righteousness of Jesus covers my impurity and my uncleanness.  Thank you Jesus.

The Holy Spirit helps us to remember what God is doing in our lives

"He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.  He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant for ever."  (Psalm 111: 4 - 5) 

The Holy Spirit causes us to remember God's wonderful deeds in our lives.  When I welcomed this amazing truth into my heart many years ago, it changed how I looked at memory.  Remember is an active verb that we find all over scripture.  The act of remembering is critical in forming a loving relationship with God.  If we do not remember what God does for us, we may either give the credit to some other cause or not at all.  Because God wants us to give Him the credit for his wondrous works in our lives, He causes us to remember His deeds.  The Holy Spirit helps us to remember these deeds.  For me, this is one of most beautiful works of the Holy Spirit in my heart.  Thank you O Holy Spirit.

There is no God

"In their insolence the wicked boast:
“God does not care; there is no God."  (Psalm 10: 4)

The above scripture captures the attitude of the human heart a couple of thousands of years ago.  Is this different from the attitude of many today?  Not at all.  What causes man to turn his back on God and say in his heart, "There is no God?"

God created man in his image and likeness.  That means, God stamped man with His own DNS at creation.  But God created man with a free will.  Man is free to accept or reject God's loving initiatives in his life.  When man accepts God's love, the life of God in him grows.  But when man rejects God's love, the rejection weakens and diminishes the divine center and influence in his life.  This diminution of the divine in him may come to a point of extinction when man says in his heart, "There is no God?"

"Blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor sit in company with scoffers.
Rather, the law of the LORD is his joy;
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted near streams of water,
that yields its fruit in season;
Its leaves never wither;
whatever he does prospers."  (Psalm 1: 1 - 3)

You have given me health and restored my life

"Those live whom the Lord protects; yours is the life of my spirit.
You have given me health and restored my life."  (Isaiah 38: 16)

When I read the above scripture this morning, my mind flew back to 1995.  Like Hezekiah, I was very sick and thought I was going to die.  I thought that the Lord was ready to take me in the noon time of my life.  Hezekiah cried to the Lord to spare his life and the Lord saw his tears and heard his prayer.  He healed him and gave him fifteen more years of life.

What was my reaction when I believed that I was about to be consigned to the gates of sheol for the rest of my years; when I saw my dwelling being plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent?  Strangely, I was very calm.  I informed all of mine to be calm and that I was ready to go.  But God had other plans.  He healed me and I realized that those live whom the Lord protects.  The Lord gave me health and restored my life.  I resolved to serve the Lord with all my time, talent and treasure.

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

"“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."  (Matthew 11: 28 - 30)

Gracious invitation from Christ.  But how do we come to Christ?  We come to Christ in prayer, in His word, and in the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance.

What are the labors and burdens that we bring to Christ, the Doctor to heal?  We bring our burdens of sin.  We are overwhelmed with fears, worries and doubts about our health, family, finances, job, tools, food and the future.  We bring all these to Jesus.

How does Christ give us the promised rest?  He cancels our sins and relieves us once and for all from guilt.  Sometimes He heals our bodies and finances.  At other times, He gives us a supernatural perspective from which to view our woes.  This is in depth perspective therapy.  People go to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France for physical healing.  Many such people receive the in depth perspective therapy and decide to stay in Lourdes to minister to pilgrims sicker than themselves..

What yoke does Christ invite us to take upon ourselves?  The yoke of Christ is the Gospel of Christ.  The yoke of Christ is the Sermon on the Mount.  Christ Himself says that this yoke is both easy and light.  John says that to keep the commandments is not burdensome.  Paul writes of the weight of glory that awaits us after some light suffering.

"Learn from me," pleads Christ.  Christ is the Teacher and the Lesson.  Learn to be with me.  Learn to be like me.

You cannot serve God and mammon

"“No one can serve two masters.m He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."  (Matthew 6: 24)

What is mammon?

• The lust of the flesh
• The lust of the eye
• The pride of life
• Belly
• Comfort
• Sports and pastimes
• Riches
• Honors
• Praise of men

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."  (Matthew 22: 37)

"Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm!" (Isaiah 7: 9)

"Unless your faith is firm,  you shall not be firm!"  (Isaiah 7: 9)

Since I upgraded to  Lifejournal 3.0, I try  to use often the Pulse Input feature to measure how I stand on any particular day.  The Pulse Input measures the following variables on a scale of 1 to 10:  Mood, Stress, Energy, Health, Faith, Charity, Purpose, Contentment, Obedience.  After doing this exercise for several months, a pattern began to emerge.  I discovered that my mood, stress, energy, health, charity, purpose, contentment and obedience level is directly related to my faith level.  If my faith is high like 8 or 9,  my mood, energy, health, charity, purpose, contentment and obedience will be at least 7 and above.  My stress level is almost constant at 2.

Why is faith so important in influencing everything that goes on in the inner man?  The answer may well be found in Isaiah 7:9 where the word of God states, "Unless your faith is firm,  you shall not be firm!"  (Isaiah 7: 9)

Faith gives us access to God's promises of: Pardon, Peace, Power, Purpose, Presence, Protection and Provision.  You can call this, the 7 P's .  You receive in direct proportion to your faith.

Is there a way to increase faith?  Masters of the spiritual life have identified two key means:  Prayer and the Word of God.

I have no job, no money and no idea

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides."  (Matthew 6: 33)

O Israel, why do you complain, "I have no job, no money and no idea?"
But seek you first His kingdom and His righteousness and trust completely in Jesus to do the rest.

Chosen, Called, Destined and Sealed with the Holy Spirit

"In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ."  (Ephesians 1: 11 - 12)

Ephesians 1: 3 - 14 was read as the second reading today, 15th Sunday of the Ordinary Time.  I am excited by the theme:  Chosen, Called Destined and Sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Father, may your love make me what you have chosen, called, destined and sealed with your Holy Spirit to be.  Amen!

Even all the hairs of your head are counted

"Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.: (Matthew 10: 29 - 31)

What beautiful and precious words are these, Lord Jesus.  They appear just too much for the mind of man to accept as true.  But I believe they are true.  Lord, the doctrine of your divine providence is the sweetest teaching for me in all of scripture.  How I pray that you help me to remember and live this every step and every moment of this day.  O thank you Jesus.