Farmer of Hearts - How Not to Miss God’s Voice

Yesterday, we experienced the essence of God and how it revealed some enlightening truths to us. These revelations help us better understand why God has such high expectations of us and assist us in responding to His various invitations with the right mindset and actions.One thing we must always remember is that no matter how high the expectations, no matter how difficult the path, the nature of God gives us a guarantee: that God will not allow us to pay a higher price than if we had to personally pay for our own sins. Isn't this a source of comfort God has given us?Before we delve further into the cost of following Jesus, let us continue to draw greater wisdom from what is revealed to us about the nature of God. This wisdom will become our guide in fulfilling our mission as Christians and in responding to God's invitations in the future!The first piece of wisdom is based on the first revelation of God’s nature. Remember that the focal point of the first revelation is "God loves us deeply". When you love someone deeply, you will focus all your energy on that person. And because the one who loves us is the Almighty God, we can rest assured that not only does He possess absolute integrity, but He is fully capable of fulfilling His promise. What is the promise of God? His promise, which is also the first wisdom, is that: "Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33). This promise is directed at our lack of confidence in God and our excessive anxiety about life's necessities. Yet, Jesus instructs us, saying, "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." (Matthew 6:31-32). Therefore, as Christians, we must remember that the focus of our lives is not on what to eat, drink, or wear. Shouldn't our faith help us view these things differently from those who do not believe in Christ? Shouldn't our focus be distinct from those who have yet to embrace our faith? If we believe in God's words, we should choose to focus on God and the Kingdom of Heaven first, as He has commanded, and let our faithful God take care of the rest!The second piece of wisdom is based on the second revelation of the nature of God. The focus of this revelation is "God's salvation." God will go to any lengths to ensure that no soul is lost, firstly by granting us salvation and secondly by assisting us in preserving our salvation. Jesus has made this promise to us: "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20). Jesus primarily remains with us through the Church He established, accompanying us and walking with us. The primary means are through the seven sacraments administered by the Church, using tangible signs to continually pour forth invisible grace, so that we can obtain and preserve salvation and the promise of eternal life that it brings. Through this second piece of wisdom, namely the seven sacraments of the Church, we can strengthen our faith, enabling us to more effectively apply the first piece of wisdom, directing our energy towards what God desires us to focus on. Through the power of God and our cooperation, may His plan be fulfilled in us.ReflectionsDo you believe that the promises God made to us through the Bible are true? Do you have full confidence that God will fulfill His promises?Do you feel that your focus in life differs from that of non-believers? Do you believe that God knows your needs and will provide you with everything you need?Do you believe that Jesus desires to be with you through the seven sacraments of the Church? How will you become more connected to Jesus through partaking of the sacraments?Today’s PrayerLord Jesus, I thank You for this time of retreat. Not only have You continuously revealed Your love to me, but You have also helped me to straighten the path of my relationship with You. I thank You for allowing me to have a clearer understanding of Your plan, allowing me to know myself better and more importantly, to know You better!Thank You for granting me two pieces of life wisdom through today's reflection. You have taught me how to learn to trust more in Your gifts to my life and reminded me of how much You desire to be with me every day.Please grant me a steadfast and longing heart, a commitment to regularly receive the sacraments to be in Your company and to accompany You. May I never be separated from You.--------------------The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul YeungMandarin Editor: Anthony X.Cantonese Narrator: Margaret WooEnglish

Yesterday, in our reflection, we inferred three key points from the nature of God. For ease of reference, we will call these three key points as the Three Revelations of God's Nature.The first revelation: Out of love for us, God is willing to do all things and become all things. This revelation reminds us that God is willing to bestow grace upon us unceasingly and boundlessly. The second revelation: God will do anything to save us at all cost. This demonstrates God's characteristic of being willing to "go to all lengths" and "have no hesitation" to save us. The third revelation: God has specific requirements for us, namely to deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Him – a demand that sounds easy but is challenging to fulfill. While this may seem like a demand from God, it is essentially rooted in our benefit. Instead of a demand, it is more accurate to say that God has given us crucial guidance, teaching us the key to attaining His greatest blessings! Most importantly, the third revelation plays a decisive role as it is the only key that can "activate" the first and second revelations.Why is that? Because God has given us free will and will not force us to accept His love. Additionally, relationships are always mutual, so our willingness and cooperation are key to whether God can unfold His perfect plan in us. We need to understand that when it comes to achieving this goal, no one understands it better than God. However, as we have consistently emphasized, there is only one method, and it's not easy. But if we follow through, God's promises will manifest in our lives!The key to victory, as we refer to it here, is precisely the advice Jesus gave to His disciples: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23). This is not only the key to unlocking God's infinite blessings upon us but also the first step in returning God’s love.Please don't be intimidated by these seemingly high demands. After all, what does it mean to "deny oneself"? For the rich young man, Jesus' answer was, "Go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor." But for different people, God has different requirements on how we should "deny ourselves." One thing is certain – God asks us to let go of things that may seem important to us but are not so in the eyes of God. This is where it becomes most challenging for us.These things we can't let go of have a captivating power over us, and they can blind our hearts and minds. What's more frightening is that they can prevent us from seeing the truth, hinder us from receiving the most crucial messages from God in the present moment, causing us to lose the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and make wrong decisions. Wasn't it because the rich young man couldn't let go of his possessions that he completely missed the crucial message that Jesus told him? And most importantly, these things we can't let go of can deprive us of the freedom that we have gained through the free will given by God!Of course, in addition to tangible things, what we want to abandon also includes intangible things, such as our desires, our pursuits, our plans, etc. These things that we strive to pursue greatly hinder us from choosing God's tailor-made plan for us. Regrettably, these things not only take away the place God should hold in our hearts but also cause us to lose the "ultimate love" we should choose in our lives!ReflectionImagine if Jesus stood before you and said, "If you want to become my follower, you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me." How would you feel? Do you perceive this request as a significant burden, or do you see it as a special reminder and tip from God?How do you think God wants you to "deny yourself"? I invite you to ask God in your meditation.Are there difficulties or fears in implementing this invitation from God in your life? If so, why?Today’s PrayerLord, I understand that through today's reflection, You invite me to see with new eyes and accept and embrace Your call to follow You. Please remind me not to view this request as a burden in my life but as a key for unlocking infinite blessings from You, an opportunity to love You as You have loved me.Help me to act in accordance with this new perspective, to accept Your invitation on how to deny myself, and to face and renounce those things that captivate me and cloud my judgment.Holy Spirit, please enlighten me, teach me to use the free will gifted by God wisely, and guide me in making the right choices, so that the Father's plan for me may unfold smoothly.Lord, I willingly surrender myself to You...--------------------The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul YeungMandarin

In the reflection of the past week on the encounter between the rich young man and Jesus, one particularly thought-provoking point emerged. What Jesus asked of the rich young man is also what He asks of each of us Christians who long for eternal life. Jesus said to the rich young man, "Go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross." (Mark 10:21) We can’t help but wonder, "It can’t be that serious, right?"Another important realization is that we didn’t take God seriously enough. To put it simply, we lack genuine interest in God and don't take the initiative to care about His needs and emotions.At the same time, we also recognize that God goes to great lengths to enter into our lives and connect with us through various roles, images, and other creations according to our individual needs. Besides revealing His true nature to us, the most crucial aspect is to enable as many people as possible to accept His salvation in order to win the most souls.Having understood these key points, we further recognize the essence of God, which is that, out of love for us, He is willing to pay any price. Yes, for us, He will give up everything He has without reservation, regardless of Himself, so that we can regain eternal life and be with Him forever in our heavenly home! Therefore, when Lord Jesus asks you and me, "Who do you say that I am?" He not only desires us to understand who He is, His role, and image, but most importantly, He wants us to know His essence, the nature of God!This "unreserved" nature of God reveals several key points to us. First, out of love for us, God is not only willing to "become all things," but He is also willing to do whatever is necessary for us. Hence, if it is beneficial to us, God will not hesitate to provide us with all our real needs and rescue us from danger.Second, since God has paid such a heavy price for us, how could He possibly not use all His power and means to bestow upon us and as many people as possible the grace of salvation, and prevent all those who have received salvation from losing this grace for any reason?Third, because God takes our relationship with Him seriously and desires its healthy development to fulfill His above two expectations, God also expects us to be serious about Him and hopes for a responsive love towards Him. His minimum requirement is that we follow Him. Yes, just like the demand He made of the rich young man – in other words, the minimum threshold for us to embark on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.Please note that after Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20), He told them, "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." (Luke 9:22) He then continued by saying, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) We can note that this request is similar to His request for the rich young man. Firstly, it involves "denying oneself," which is equivalent to what He told the rich young man: "Go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor." (Mark 10:21) The next step is to carry our own cross every day and follow Jesus.This indicates that the path to the Kingdom of Heaven should be difficult, and there are no shortcuts! Although we may not fully understand why it needs to be this way, one thing we see is that Jesus not only asks us to do so, but He Himself indeed went through it! Everything happened just as He foretold how He would suffer, be killed, and rise again.Yes, following Jesus is not an easy task. But one thing we can be sure of is that God will not allow us to pay a higher price than if we had to pay the debt of our own sins ourselves. Otherwise, how could He, for our sake, give up His own life as a ransom for many? (See Matthew 20:28)ReflectionHave you ever put serious thoughts about how to follow Jesus that is up to His standard? Do you perceive yourself as earnest or lightly in your commitment?Do you believe that you are worth the great sacrifice Jesus made for you? Why?God paid a heavy price out of love to redeem and save you. Are you moved by this? How would you like to give back more to God?Today’s PrayerLord, I have always thought of myself as a pretty decent Christian. I realize now that I haven't truly grasped the depth and breadth of Your love for me – a love so profound, so boundless. Your unreserved love prompts me to question why I can be so indifferent and heartless towards You. I find myself appalling in my own eyes.Yet, You remain silent, patiently waiting for me. It makes me feel like the prodigal son in the parable, shamelessly piercing Your heart.Lord, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me once again.Thank You for allowing me to come home and rediscover the identity and love that You have always reserved for me.Heavenly Father, please don't let me be s

"Who do you say that I am?" This is a simple question that Jesus asked His disciples, and it is also a question that is constantly asked to each of us who follow Him today. This question reveals God's profound desire for a deep and unique relationship with each one of us. In the past, present, and future, there is no one else in the world who can take the place that each of us holds in the heart of God.If, upon reflecting on yesterday, this question from Jesus still lingers in your mind, you'll know that the Holy Spirit is stirring within you. Regardless if you can make sense of it or have the answer, rest assured that the Holy Spirit's work is relentless. Unless you actively hinder the Spirit from continuing His work in you, He will persistently guide you until your soul finds its rest in God.An important reminder is that you won't find the perfect answer to Jesus' question because it's a lifelong journey of discovery. Life experiences and lessons will guide us, paving the way for us. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, our relationship with God will mature, enabling us to see more clearly who Jesus is for us. If we are serious about our relationship with God, we can be certain that Jesus, who is willing to interact with us in any way, will continue to pose this question at different stages of our lives.When answering Jesus' question, there is a truth that we need to understand, that is, God is willing to pay any price for us. Firstly, in order to share His love with us, God decided to create us and all other creations for our enjoyment even though He knew that we would betray Him. Secondly, in order to interact with us in the closest way possible, God was willing to be born as a human being and humbly became one of us. Thirdly, in order to save us, the Heavenly Father did not hesitate to sacrifice His only begotten Son, which is equivalent to laying down His own life for us. Finally, to ensure that as many people as possible accept His salvation, God is willing to enter our lives in different roles and images for the purpose of winning the most souls.Our God is a God who can completely forget about Himself for our sake! Ask yourself, is there any relationship in the world that can be compared to the relationship we have with God?If we recognize and confirm that this "unreserved" God is indeed our God, we should no longer doubt that God would change His nature over trivial matters. With this correct understanding and interpretation, we should believe that when we encounter real difficulties, God will not let us hang out to dry; and when we have needs in life, our God will certainly intervene to help us and fulfill all our true needs.Therefore, St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verses 31 and 32: “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32)With these evidences of love, do we still have a reason not to believe in our God? Is there any reason not to choose God to be the ultimate love in our lives?ReflectionHave you pondered in your heart the question from God, "Who do you say that I am?" Why?Have you ever questioned in your heart the unreserved nature of God, who will do whatever it takes to love us?Now, take a moment to reflect on some past life experiences. Were any of your past complaints caused by your failure to understand the nature of God?Today’s PrayerO God, thank You. Today, besides having a clearer understanding of Your essence, I deeply feel Your love that goes to the utmost, to the very end for me. Faced with all this, faced with Your love for me, what else can I say? What additional requests can I make? How can I be so discontent?I ask myself, if You can make such sacrifices for my sake, what can I do? What can I sacrifice for You?Your love for me is unspoken, but my complaints against You are always on my lips. Such a contrast makes me feel utterly ashamed and truly speechless!Please grant me a content and grateful heart. May I not always be an unlovable child in front of You!Abba Father, let me learn to love You more and more...--------------------The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul YeungMandarin Editor: Anthony X.Cantonese Narrator: Margaret WooEnglish Narrator: Bonny ChanMandarin Narrator: Rene RenAudio Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Margaret WooYouTube Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Arnold ChanGraphics: Francis Lai, Rosa TseWebsite: Patricia Young, Angela WongPodcast: Angela WongSocial Media: Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa TseTheme Music:“Friends Only” by Introvert Pianist https://www.youtube.com/@intro

On the sixteenth day of retreat, you might have a question: why does it seem like we haven't yet touched upon the main topic, which focuses on "finding God in all things"? In fact, while this theme is important, it is not our ultimate goal. I hope that over the past fifteen days, you have realized that the ultimate objective of this retreat is to establish a true and intimate relationship with God through a deep and correct understanding of the God in whom we believe. Any misunderstandings, misconceptions, distorted images, incorrect expectations, as well as our human weaknesses and sinful nature, etc., significantly affect our relationship with God. If the image of God in our minds is distorted, even if we can find God in all things, what we find may not be the image that God wishes to reveal to us, and it will not bring us positive and lasting benefits.So how can we know if the image of God in our minds is authentic? This is indeed a question we need to reflect on, and it is a key factor in whether we can benefit from this retreat. However, since the image with which God desires to relate to us is individual and unique, the experiences of others can only serve as references and cannot be directly applied to our own situation. Therefore, our only and most direct way is to personally approach God, engage in heartfelt communion with Him, and build a relationship with Him, which cannot be achieved solely through book knowledge.In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, verses 18 to 20, it is written:Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:18-20)Here, Jesus purposely first asked His disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" and then asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Jesus intentionally wanted them to differentiate between the two. Clearly, Jesus does not want them to rely on hearsay or popular opinions, treating others' relationships with Him as if they were their own. This is not the individual and intimate relationship that God desires. Just as Jesus not only wants to teach publicly as a teacher but also desires time and space to interact individually with His disciples. Of course, during His time, Jesus faced limitations of the flesh and the constraints of time and space, making it impossible to establish individual relationships with everyone. However, now, unrestricted by time and space, Jesus desires to build a unique relationship with each of us, lasting until the end of this world.We should take note that after asking this crucial question, Jesus foretold the suffering, death, and resurrection to His disciples, and used different methods to strengthen them. This implies that if the disciples want to follow Jesus completely till the end, with unwavering loyalty, and persist through difficulties and pain, having a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus is absolutely essential. Otherwise, when faced with storms or even persecution, especially for the sake of Jesus, an unreal image of God in our hearts and a relationship not rooted in Him cannot help us withstand these challenges. Jesus, who is in the same boat with us, will not be able to rise up to rebuke the wind and the sea and calm the storm for us.ReflectionDo you feel that your relationship with God is genuinely personal, or is it an impression you've gained over the years from others talking about God?If Jesus were to ask you now, "Who do you say that I am?" how would you respond to Him?Do you believe that your current relationship with God can withstand trials and challenges? Are there life experiences that can attest to this?Today’s PrayerLord Jesus, thank You for allowing me to realize, as I revisit and reflect on my relationship with You, that the various images of You in my mind are superficial and lack depth, as if they have no experiential foundation and lack a genuine connection between us. It makes me wonder if these impressions are merely hearsay.Please strengthen me, don’t let me be shaken by this doubt. Guide me to seize this opportunity to clarify the relationship between us with a more earnest attitude, to face You more seriously, and to acknowledge the boundless thoughts and love You have poured into me. Do not let me deviate again from the image You desire to reveal in my heart.Lord, please allow me a little more time to reflect on who You truly are to me…--------------------The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul YeungMandarin Editor: Anthony X.Cantonese Narrator: Margaret WooEnglish Narrator

Yesterday we mentioned that God interacts with us in different roles and images in order to meet our unique needs. What evidence do we have in the Scripture that this is the nature of God? Let’s look for some clues from one of the greatest apostles in the Bible!In the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 19 to 23, he says, “For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. “ (1 Cor 9:19-23)This soul-stirring confession of faith by St. Paul the Apostle is probably familiar to many Christians and is also particularly touching. This proclamation makes us feel that St. Paul has such a broad mind. As an apostle, he does not demand respect from others to be one. He is willing to set aside his own status, freedom, and rights for the sake of spreading the Gospel. In order for Christ to win the most people, he is willing to accommodate the needs of everyone. He vowed: "I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some." For Christians dedicated to spreading the Good News, St. Paul the Apostle is a perfect example of an evangelist.Have you ever wondered where this exemplary apostolic demeanor comes from? St. Paul reveals it in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 2, verses 19 to 20, when he says, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:19-20) Here, St. Paul makes it clear that because Christ loved him and sacrificed Himself for him, not only is he willing to follow Christ and imitate his example, but he also desires that his life is not for himself. He does not want to live according to his own ways and abilities but yearns to completely follow Christ. When he realizes that he cannot fulfill this desire with his own strength, he earnestly wishes to put on Christ, allowing Christ to enter his life as Lord and King. This way, he can fully transmit the spirit of Christ, the will of the Father, and allow the mighty power of Christ to permeate his thoughts, words, and actions through the Holy Spirit. Thus, he can boldly declare, "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."This spirit of willingly surrendering oneself completely, allowing God to use and selflessly dedicating oneself entirely, is precisely the example set by our Lord Jesus Christ for the Apostle Paul and all His followers. The spirit that St. Paul desires to become all things to all people is a manifestation of his allowing Christ to be the Lord and master of his life, which is also the manifestation of the spirit of Christ. As the Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect image of the Heavenly Father, this most pure and flawless Heart of Christ is indeed the Father's affection for us! Therefore, the Father is willing to become all things for all those He loves, even willing to send His only begotten Son to take on human flesh and human nature in the most meek and humble manner. This is done so as to engage with humanity in the closest and most thorough way possible, aiming to win the most people. This is the essence of God, and it is also the ironclad proof that God loves us and is willing to surrender Himself unconditionally and without any bottom line!The perfect image of the Father tamed the Apostle Paul and numerous saints throughout history, inspiring them to dedicate themselves to fulfilling the Father's project of love in them and for all humanity, as a way to return the Father’s love. What about you? Are you also willing?ReflectionIn your reflection, please try to sense the sentiments of St. Paul the Apostle: that due to the boundless grace of Christ, he was compelled to sacrifice everything for the sake of the Gospel, to share the promise of the Gospel with others.In these 15 days of reflection and drawing closer to the Lord, do you perhaps feel a deeper understanding of how God spares no effort, willing to give up everything out of love for us all?Are you willing to imitate St. Paul the Apostle and commit yourself to fulfill the work of love that our Heavenly Father wants to unfold in you?Today’s PrayerO God, thank You for touching my soul today through the confession of faith of St. Paul the Apostle. It deepens my understanding of how thorough and boundless Your love for me is. For me, You truly can set aside everything,

Yesterday, we mentioned the importance of seeking and recognizing the role and image of God in our lives. One thing we need to bear in mind is that at different stages of our life, faith, and spiritual growth, God communicates and interacts with us in different roles and images, and this is entirely normal. Moreover, even the same image may be presented differently in different individuals. This variation is due to the unique circumstances of a particular stage in our lives, tailored to meet our current needs.For example, when God recognizes the need to strengthen the virtue of trust in us, He desires to interact with us in the image of a Heavenly Father and Creator. If we are in a crisis of self-worth or harbour self-hatred due to our sinful nature, He will console and reassure us in the image of mercy. Conversely, if we are prone to sin and do not fear the Lord, God may use the image or approach of justice and righteousness to guide us. Of course, because relationships are two-way, our ability to see these images of God depends on whether we have any misunderstandings about the various images of God or personal preferences, leading us to selectively accept or reject them.Additionally, due to our past experiences and personal tendencies, we may also "limit" or, in other words, fixate the image through which God communicates with us. Because God connects with us in various ways based on our current needs, if we fixate the image of God in our thoughts and hearts, we also limit the ways in which God can connect with us. Ultimately, this amounts to limiting the opportunity for God to speak to us and provide us with timely help.An example that many might be familiar with illustrates this point. In a flooded village, a devout believer was trapped in his house. He firmly trusted in God and believed that God would save him. He prayed fervently, expecting God to personally come to his rescue. However, he stubbornly believed that God would save him in the form of an angel. Consequently, he missed three opportunities to be rescued by different people. In the end, he was drowned, losing his life in vain, while God helplessly watched on as the three messengers sent to help were rejected by the villager one by one.Doesn't this seemingly absurd story depict certain attachments we have to the image of God, which have, at times, led to undesirable conditions in our interaction with God? In the past, the Jews anticipated the Messiah to come in the form of a king to save them. This attachment prevented them from recognizing Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, even though Jesus had performed countless miracles before them. Their blinded hearts could not be opened, leading to a dreadful outcome. They crucified the Messiah on the cross, thus personally forfeiting the opportunity to be saved by Jesus. We must take this as a lesson, not to let Jesus sacrifice Himself in vain for us and not to betray God's boundless love for us and all the painstaking efforts He is willing to make for us!Furthermore, we tend to "tailor-make" an image of God that makes us feel comfortable and is non-threatening to us. We must be vigilant because this self-crafted and one-sided illusion is not the true face of God, nor is it the authentic image that He desires to reveal to us. Such a practice not only disrespects God but is also a form of self-deception. The greatest danger lies in creating a comfort zone for ourselves, a self-imposed illusion that not only deprives us of opportunities for breakthroughs in our spiritual life but also suffocates the space for establishing a correct and intimate relationship with the Lord.ReflectionLooking back on your past experiences, have you ever made a mistake similar to the villager in the story, missing out on the assistance God offered or misunderstanding God in the process?In your journey of faith, has the image and role of God in your mind remained unchanged, year after year? Do you think it's because you subjectively fixate on a particular image of God?Now, I invite you to seek confirmation from God in your meditation. Have you ever tailored a "comfortable or non-threatening" image of God for yourself? What might be the underlying reasons behind this?Today’s PrayerLord, thank You for the significant revelation and crucial warning You provided me today. It made me realize that the image of You in my heart is a fabrication, something I have constructed and even invented over time to protect myself. This discovery is truly surprising, and I now understand that subconsciously, I have been unwilling to let You enter my life, to guide me, and to transform my selfish behaviour.I pray for Your help to immediately cease these disrespectful actions towards You and myself. May I no longer be swayed by the influences of the enemy, and may it not affect my genuine and sincere relationship with You.As I stand before You now, I ask that You reveal Your true image to me. My heart only trusts in You, so please prevent me fro

As we build our relationships with God, we need to fully understand God's actual role in our lives. Mutual understanding of our respective roles and positions can help and guide us in establishing an appropriate way of interacting—how to treat, respect, accept, trust, understand and cooperate with each other. These principles of human interaction also apply to our relationship with God. On this basis, building an intimate relationship becomes much easier. With a good relationship with God, we can hear His voice more easily and understand His will, and consequently, discern and recognize our own identity and the mission He has given us more easily. Lacking any of these aspects can affect our ability to find the direction of our lives and live a meaningful life.If the rich young man not only perceived Jesus as a "good teacher" but also recognized Him as the Saviour he had been longing for, the one who would bring him eternal life and the God who provides for his needs, he would have known how to interact with Jesus with the right mindset and attitude. Recognizing Jesus's role would have helped him establish the right and trusting relationship with Jesus. In that case, he would not have overlooked the personal promise from Jesus that, as soon as he responded to and fulfilled Jesus’ request, God would immediately bestow upon him treasures in heaven.The way God connects with individuals and the roles and images He assumes vary according to each person's situation and needs. It is personalized for each individual for our greatest benefit. God interacts intimately with each individual. What is suitable for one person may not be so for another. Therefore, you will find that among the many saints in the Catholic Church, they have their unique ways of connecting with God, and because their personalities and callings are different, their paths and methods of responding to their callings are also different. How the saints lived out their faith is worth modelling after, but we should not just blindly adopt the exact way of living of a particular saint.But there is one important foundation: understanding the primary role through which God connects with us. This is crucial in establishing a relationship with God. If we choose the role of God in our lives based solely on our likes and dislikes, it is not what God desires of us. Relationships are mutual, and we need to consider God's will and perspective. Through prayer and meditation, and by humbly listening to the prompts of God in our hearts, He will gradually reveal His image to us, enabling us to see more clearly who our God is.God is the Creator, and He knows our makeup and our needs most intimately. The essence of God is love, and in creating us, He poured His love upon us. In fact, it is out of deep love for us that He desired to share all His creation with us, and that is the reason for our existence. But He is also a righteous and merciful God and cannot bear to see us lose the endless grace and eternal life that He wants to bestow upon us because of our sins. Therefore, He spared no effort, even sacrificing His beloved only begotten Son to bear the punishment we couldn't endure. Jesus endured humiliation and suffering on the cross, died and rose again after three days, gaining for us the identity of His adopted sons and daughters. This was all done so that we could regain the grace of God and the promise of eternal life. Our heavenly Father continues to provide for all our needs through everything He has created unceasingly.In fact, all creation is a gift from God to mankind and can lead people to God. This is the first principle of Ignatian spirituality. Since all creation is God's handiwork, it should help us know the Creator better and, consequently, return God’s love more readily. If we can approach the various blessings and experiences in our lives with the right mindset, we will understand how to establish a proper relationship with God, respond positively to His invitation, and accept everything that happens in our lives as allowed by God.Take the rich young man in the Gospel as an example. If he could recognize that his many possessions were blessings and gifts from God, through which he should give glory to God, we can imagine that it would be easier for him to let go of God’s unconditional gifts and accept God’s invitation to follow Him. As a result, the trajectory of his life would have changed, possibly turning him into a great apostle!ReflectionYou are now invited to meditate on your relationship with God. What roles has God played in your life?Based on these roles that God has played in your life, what identities has God given you? Are there some identities that you were not aware of before?Do these identities of yours remind you that God might have invited you to respond to certain missions in the past?Today’s PrayerOh God, my Creator, Saviour who grants me eternal life, Teacher who guides me, Father who gives me life and provides for my needs, gra

The encounter between the rich young man and Jesus did not lead to a better outcome for him. Apart from the fact that he was unwilling to let go of his possessions, the core issue was that he didn't truly trust Jesus, the "Good Teacher" he had sought. Ironically, the person he longed for turned out to be someone he didn't trust! But why couldn't this trust be established? The reason might be that he firmly believed his many possessions were the result of his hard work, and have nothing to do with God. The contradictions here expose the dark side of human nature, which is selfishness, greed and pride.Let's reflect on ourselves as Christians. Are our motives for seeking faith sometimes impure, similar to the rich young man? Do we often focus on our own interests, rather than desiring a relationship with the Lord built on mutual trust, love, and a willingness to give oneself to each other? We cannot deny that these are crucial foundations for establishing a healthy and lasting relationship. To be honest, just examining our usual prayers reveals that most of the time, we mainly hope for God's care, consideration, and provision for ourselves. We often pray for our needs and desires. But we have little interest in God Himself, nor do we care about His needs and feelings. No?In front of God, we just keep asking Him for this and that. Of course we need to rely on God. But we cannot deny that this relationship also hides self-centeredness and even greed. In addition, we have not delved into the true requirements and standards Jesus has for us as Christians, so that we fail to see what we have failed to do. Instead, we may wrongly believe that God has not taken care of our needs and has not granted all our prayers. When we are dissatisfied, we are like a greedy child, very unlovable! And when God answers our prayers in other ways, we are too slow to understand and blame God for "not being able to deliver". Not only are we not grateful, we also lose faith in God! We have really misunderstood this "Good Teacher", this God who loves us so much!If we realize that we have this tendency, we need to take heart. The consequence of the above problems is that we lack awareness and gratitude for the tangible and intangible gifts in our lives. Not only are we not satisfied, we also fail to recognize that these blessings are unconditional gifts from God. Instead, we attribute them to ourselves, as if everything depends on our own ability and our own merit.And when one day, God presents us with a "demand", like asking us to give up everything, just as He requested the rich young man to sell all his possessions and give to the poor, it will be even harder for us to let go of all the things we think we have earned through hard work, whether it's material possessions, like wealth, or intangible aspects, like our health.Under the influence of this kind of thinking, it is no wonder that the rich young man seemed completely unable to hear the important words that Jesus clearly told him: after selling all his possessions and giving to the poor, he would have "treasures in heaven"! However, the rich young man's attention was solely on losing what he considered his life's foundation – his many possessions. How could he not go away grieving?From this example, we can see that the shortcomings of our character and sinful nature affect the image of God in our minds and our relationship with God. Please do not underestimate this issue because it can lead to erroneous understandings and interpretations of God or events in our lives, influencing our reactions and motivations for corresponding actions. This directly impacts the outcome of situations and creates obstacles in relationships! These are lessons we can glean from the story of the rich young man, and we absolutely should not overlook them.Hopefully, you will agree that this less-than-ideal situation ultimately has a serious impact on our willingness to put God first in our lives and make Him our ultimate love. This once again explains why we need to diligently examine ourselves every day, reflecting on our personal deviations and sinful nature to straighten the path of our relationship with the Lord.ReflectionIs the motivation behind your pursuit of faith and building a relationship with the Lord pure? Do you pay attention to God's feelings and needs, or do you mainly focus on your own needs and expectations?Are you more inclined to make many demands of God while expecting little in terms of what you need to contribute?Do you easily notice both the tangible and intangible blessings in your life? And do you attribute these blessings in your life to God?Today’s PrayerLord, once again, thank You for giving me an opportunity to reflect today. It has brought to my attention many blind spots in my character, actions, and in my relationship with You. It has opened my eyes and made me feel ashamed. I realize that I have not been attentive and have not taken these matters to heart. I believe that

At this stage of the retreat, especially after the reflection on the tenth day, I hope you can sense that in choosing Jesus as the love of our lives and in responding to and living out God's call, there is a clear disparity between our willing hearts and our practical actions. We must never rely solely on subjective feelings to determine whether we have established an intimate relationship with God, or use our own one-sided understanding to determine whether we have met the requirements of Jesus. We must seek confirmation from Jesus because relationships are not one-sided, and the standards are not set by ourselves. Not seeking verification only shows that we are not serious, or we have not understood clearly before jumping to conclusions, or when faced with God’s very clear demands, we continue to avoid facing God because we are unwilling to take responsibility. I believe that most of us know in our minds what we should do and what we should not do. God often speaks to us through our conscience, doesn’t He? Besides, God’s words, which reveal His mind, are clearly written in the Bible. That leaves us no excuses not to understand His will for us.After all, it is very likely that we are not serious enough about this relationship, or have other preferences in life distracting us from establishing a normal and healthy relationship with God. Therefore, whenever choosing God leads us away from investing in our interests, we distance ourselves from God or avoid His gaze and gentle invitation. In our relationship with God, we often take advantage of Him and take His love and understanding for us for granted. Poor God is often neglected and mistreated by us, and becomes the victim in our relationship.If we don't earnestly clarify these issues, how can we claim with a clear conscience that we desire to find God in all things? Wouldn't that be hypocritical and self-deceptive? Therefore, we really need to spend enough time in this retreat to examine our conditions, consciousness, understanding, and true intentions. Only then can we truly explore how to seek, see, and feel God's presence in the details of our lives. Otherwise, it's all just empty talk with little meaning.The story of the rich young man provides us with a lot of room for reflection. At that time, Jesus was already on His way to Jerusalem, facing the suffering He would endure for the salvation of all people. That means, this incident did not occur when Jesus was actively calling people to be His disciples. Therefore, we know that Jesus’ invitation to the rich young man is the same as the invitation to anyone who wishes to follow Him – including you and me. What's noteworthy is that the rich young man's intention was not necessarily the same as that of other people in the Gospel who wanted to follow Jesus. Instead, he simply and intently desired to "inherit eternal life." Therefore, we can infer that Jesus’ requirements for His disciples and apostles must be higher than those for the rich young man. In other words, the demands Jesus made to the rich young man are the lowest threshold for us to embark on the path to the Kingdom of heaven.You might think, "Isn't God too demanding?" This perception is related to the image of God in our hearts. Assuming that we firmly believe that God is all good and always looks out for our best interest, and because we are created by Him, so God knows our weaknesses and temperaments. On this basis, we can be assured that God will show us the most effective and direct ways for our salvation, and will not deliberately make things difficult for us. If we suspect that God has raised the bar unnecessarily, our image of God deviates from the essence of God. If God were truly so unreasonable and demanding, you probably wouldn't choose to find this God in all things!When we are clear about all of this, we can make a serious and resolute response to choose God as the love of our lives. With this solid foundation, "finding Him in all things" becomes meaningful!ReflectionHow would you rate and evaluate yourself in your relationship with God and in responding to His demands? Do you think God thinks the same about you? Have you asked God for confirmation on this?In your relationship with God, are there things you know, based on reason and conscience, that you should do, but you fail to do them? Why?Do you think you are serious enough in your relationship with God? Are you more concerned about God, or do you think God is more concerned about you?Today’s PrayerOh God, thank You for allowing me to face myself in today’s reflection. In my relationship with You, I really didn’t take Your feelings into consideration. I am so used to justifying my actions, and I have never thought of seeking any confirmation from You. God, why am I so self-centered and selfish?Please help me, Lord. Enable me to think from Your perspective, to understand why You have such high expectations for me. Help me reflect on why I take my personal interests more seriousl

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 17 to 22, it is written:“As he (Jesus) was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” (Mark 10:17-22)The encounter between this rich man and Jesus is recorded in three Gospels (cf. Matt 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23), showing the importance of this event. The Gospel of Matthew mentions that this man was a young man, so we often call this rich man "the rich young man".From the detailed description in this passage from the Gospel of Mark, we know that Jesus had a good impression of this man. Because this man not only recognized that Jesus was the one he should be looking for, but he also humbly knelt down and asked Jesus for advice. The question he raised also pleased and consoled Jesus, because he recognized that the ultimate goal in life is to "inherit eternal life." And he was ready to listen to Jesus’ guidance and determined to live it out. From his response to Jesus, we know that the rich young man expected Jesus’ answer to be to a higher standard than the commandments he had been able to keep since his youth. Therefore, he was ready to accept the higher requirements of Jesus. This was a mature and rare display of faith that even impressed Jesus, who “looked at him intently and loved him.” Jesus admired the rich young man’s willingness to transcend himself for the higher goal of life, so Jesus frankly pointed out to him that the one thing he still lacked was to sell everything he owned and give to the poor!Here, not only did Jesus point out how the rich young man could inherit eternal life, but He also pointed out the only way for him. If there were another alternative, given Jesus' love for him, why wouldn't He have also directed him to that path?The rich young man ran to Jesus with joy, but as soon as he heard Jesus’ answer, which came like a bolt from the blue, he “went away grieving”. His hundred and eighty degree turn not only made Jesus heartbroken, but also those of us who are meditating on the Gospel feel sad and wonder why this story didn't have a more favorable outcome. No doubt, it’s because Jesus' answer struck his weak point, "because he had many possessions"! From this, it can be seen that Jesus has high expectations for those who follow Him, those who aspire to inherit eternal life. This is a fact that we as Christians cannot deny. The most challenging hurdle in this journey is the “wealth” we accumulated in the present world. The more we possess, the harder it is to give them up. How can we then follow God easily, freely, and decisively, let alone carry the cross? If we only listen and understand in our minds but fail to act, Jesus can only watch us sadly as we walk away grieving with a sad face, and ultimately missing out on eternal life!From this incident, we can be certain that there is no other way for us to inherit eternal life, no alternative path to the Kingdom of heaven. Furthermore, from Jesus' decisive and unambiguous expressions, we can sense the urgency in responding to His invitation. The response that Jesus requires is a resolute one, not a hesitant, lukewarm, or delayed reply. From this encounter between Jesus and the rich young man, the Lord’s intention could not be clearer!Whether we admit it or not, we are all this rich young man. Jesus also loves us and invites us to humbly run to Him for guidance for our own salvation and to inherit eternal life.ReflectionHave you ever felt hesitant to ask Jesus for advice because you didn’t want to give up the things you love and possess? Have you ever tried to avoid facing Jesus’ request or delayed responding to His invitation?Now imagine that Jesus is looking at you, loving you, and asking you the same thing as He did to the rich young man. How would you respond to Him?In silence, please look squarely at Jesus before you, and courageously invite Him to present His personal demands and calling for you.Today’s PrayerLord Jesus, during today’s meditation, I saw the image of the rich young man in myself, which shocked and saddened me. I have never been so closely connected to the rich young man, to experience his excitement and expectations, but at the same time understand his inner struggles and disappointment. What really pains me is experiencing Your gaze, Your eyes full of hope, and ultimately, disappointme

How absurd it is for us Christians to find ourselves becoming God's greatest adversaries. There seems to be no conflict between choosing what you desire, and choosing what God desires. But the heart of the matter is this: what we think is good is often very different from what God thinks is good.In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 19 to 21, Jesus said: “ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)What does this Bible passage mean to us? We must acknowledge that our perspective is shallow, often fixating on immediate worldly matters, especially instant gratification, pleasures, and all the wealth that can be exchanged for these satisfactions. We are even willing to sacrifice some of the more important things in our lives, such as family and health, in exchange for what the Bible describes as "treasures on earth", things that we will eventually lose for various reasons. The enemy is well aware of our weaknesses, so it will attempt to disguise these things as beneficial to us, setting traps and patiently waiting for us to fall into its traps.The result is that we no longer have time to get close to the One who can give us treasures in heaven. The scary thing is that these treasures on earth are the very places where the devil lurks with malicious intent. The last verse of this Bible passage teaches us that when our treasures belong to this world, our hearts are there as well. Then we will naturally look for treasures there and end up falling into a trap. We would rather seek to find these earthly treasures in all creation. Being deceived, we are ultimately unable to find God in all things (cf. Matthew 6:22-24).On the contrary, Jesus said: “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) These words of Jesus should bring us great joy and comfort, because this is the promise He gives us, the evidence of His love, and a guarantee for those who follow Him. It is something that no one or anything in the world can provide us. He will surely provide all our needs.Does this mean that when we seek and follow God, He will provide us with all earthly treasures? I believe you are smart enough to know the answer. Although following God does not mean that God will definitely provide us with earthly treasures, when we have God and the tangible and intangible grace He bestows upon us, other things will become less important to us.In fact, when you put God first, the world you perceive will become different because you will gradually see things through God's perspective. By then, although you may have less material possessions, your spiritual satisfaction will be richer than if you owned the entire world! This is the reason behind the testimonies we often hear from people who have chosen God: “When I have God, I have everything.”Therefore, for those of us who believe in God, we should no longer live in contradictions. If we don't believe in eternal life, we can just focus on earthly desires and pleasures. However, if we believe in God and His promise of eternal life, recognizing that the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Holy Spirit are different, yet we still choose the desires of this world, we are essentially sacrificing the eternal treasures of heaven for the pursuit of transient worldly pleasures. Is it worth it?In the Letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verse 17, St. Paul says, “For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.” (Galatians 5:17)ReflectionWhere do you think your treasure is?When you make choices in life, do you feel that your perspective is usually shallow or far-sighted? Why?Are you aware that earth and heaven, flesh and spirit, are constantly in conflict with each other in your life choices? Do you believe that when you choose the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, your other needs will be provided to you?Today’s PrayerLord, although I know I should choose You, I often succumb to temptation. In life and in my actions, I choose myself, satisfying my desires and pursuing the treasures of this world. I am frustrated with my weakness and indecision. Please, once again, make me sober, help me realize that I have no reason not to choose You, and prevent me from yielding to my worldly desires. Do not let me stray from Your merciful gaze and betray the expectations You have for my repentance.Lord, teach me to trust in You once again!--------------------The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God prote

Did the song "Need You Every Minute" that we used to reflect on and connect with our relationship with God yesterday give you a special, fresh, and warm feeling? I hope yesterday's experience allowed you to savour the realization that our personal relationship with God can be much like that between the best of friends or lovers—very human, affectionate, and sweet. This is especially true when both God and ourselves hold important roles and positions in each other's hearts; the love will be stronger and more sincere. This is also God’s will and desire.The more we become aware of our need for God, the more significant His role in our hearts becomes, and the higher His position. As a result, our relationship with God becomes closer.The more important the role, the higher the position, and the greater the expectations—that's only natural. God desires a relationship with us that is as intimate as that between husband and wife. In a marital relationship, the husband and wife hope to be irreplaceable in each other's eyes, and have a commitment that lasts a lifetime. Since we are most precious in God's eyes, and God is even willing to sacrifice His own life for us, doesn’t it make sense that He would want us to put Him above everything else?Therefore, the first part of yesterday's third reflection question, "Do you hope to find the true ultimate love in your life?" is equivalent to asking: "Who do you hope to find among all things?" This "who" must be your ultimate love, and the crucial point is that this "who" should also be willing to put you first. This is a prerequisite for a healthy relationship.So, these past two days, we embarked on a marvelous journey of exploration to find the object of our ultimate love in our lives and the true King who will never leave or forsake us. Whether we admit it or not, each of us has someone or something close to our hearts—perhaps a cherished individual or something we desire most in life. Let's explore the latter first.Some people pursue health, some pursue pleasure, and some pursue a sense of success. These pursuits are understandable and everyone desires them. But when these things become the objects we spend our whole lives pursuing, have we considered the price we pay? Health, knowledge, pleasure, wealth, talent, achievement, self-esteem... which one is lasting and eternal? How much time and effort we invest in these things is equivalent to how much we lose on other things. This is natural and fair.The question is: How much have we sacrificed for these things? Do you think the price you paid is worth it? If we spend more time and effort on these things than on God, we must re-evaluate. The pursuits mentioned above are all temporary; they will eventually fade away. Only God, and only God’s love for us, is everlasting. If you acknowledge this truth today, are you willing to let go of these passions, though secondary, for God?I remember asking before if we were willing to give God a chance to “compete” with the one we love most at the moment. Whether you realize it or not, if we are unwilling, it's like God loses to ourselves. Isn't it? All these pursuits are about building ourselves up or satisfying our desires! Are these worldly and temporary achievements and satisfactions worth sacrificing eternal joy for? Are we willing to pay such a heavy price for our souls?ReflectionHow much have you paid for the things you keep pursuing in life? Do you think the price you have paid is worth it?What do you think you have lost for these pursuits in life?Are you willing to give up the pursuit of these passions for the sake of God?Today’s PrayerOh God, I don't even know when it began, but unknowingly, I've been blindly pursuing things that ultimately I don't know will benefit me. I don't know the magnitude of the price I've paid or how much I've lost. Thank You for providing me with a space for reflection, allowing me to pause and examine how my life has become imbalanced. Most importantly, I've gradually lost You, lost the time to establish a relationship with You, and missed the opportunities to draw near to You.Lord, please rescue me from this state of "selfishness" and let me know that losing You means losing everything. Teach me once again to affirm that I truly need You every minute of my life.--------------------The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul YeungMandarin Editor: Anthony X.Cantonese Narrator: Margaret WooEnglish Narrator: Bonny ChanMandarin Narrator: Rene RenAudio Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Margaret WooYouTube Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Arnold ChanGraphics: Francis Lai, Rosa TseWebsite: Patricia Young, Angela WongPodcast: Angela WongSocial Media: Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa T

A week ago, at the beginning of the retreat, I asked everyone a question: Do you desire to find God in all things? I wonder what your answer was. If you have been following this retreat, I believe your answer is yes. But when you think about the theme of this retreat, "Finding God in All Things," what comes to your mind? How does it make you feel? I'm sure you would agree that if you could find your ultimate love in all things, whether it's your favourite "food", "money" that makes you feel safe, or "happiness" that makes you satisfied, or an "achievement" that makes you confident, or most importantly, a "lover" who makes you excited and exhilarated, the world would be so much more beautiful!The lyrics of a popular Cantonese song “Need You Every Minute” by George Lam came to mind:The Lyrics go like this:With you, I am happier, and I am content with everything.Even frugal meals taste delicious.I want to be with you forever; every minute, I need you.You are like sunshine and air to me.有了你開心啲 乜都稱心滿意鹹魚白菜也好好味我與你永共聚 分分鐘需要你你似是陽光空氣Isn’t “Finding Him in all things” similar to what this song describes? Shouldn’t the “Him” we look forward to meeting, or the “you” mentioned in the lyrics, take the place of what appears to be more important in our lives? When we can spend time with this "you", isn't it true that it doesn’t really matter as much what we eat or wear? As for us, when we have God, the “you” in our lives, isn’t it as important as having “sunshine and air” in our lives? In such a time and space, even if external circumstances pose challenges, if you can always see your favourite person or thing in front of you, isn’t it possible to overlook everything else that is not favourable?The lyrics continue like this:Together with you, everything is joyful, and we're so content.Catastrophes seem like trivial matters when we're together.Even in the midst of storms, just seeing youis like seeing the sunshine.Dressing up beautifully all because of you.Being crazy and silly, all because of you.Willingly doing foolish things for you.Pretending to be a chimpanzee, laughing at everything.Having you by my side brings so much joy.共你雙雙對 好得戚好得意地冧天崩當閒事就算翻風雨 只需睇到你似見陽光千萬里扮靚啲皆因你 癲癲哋皆因你為你甘心作傻事扮吓猩猩叫 睇到乜都笑有你在身邊多樂趣Isn't it very romantic? Have you ever thought that being with God can actually be such a romantic thing? Romantic enough to do “foolish things” for Him, just like He did the “most foolish” thing for us. Do we ever consider looking at and experiencing our God from this perspective? Can we have a playful interaction with God? Can we amuse God in our daily lives? Can I be a fool for God?If we have such a romantic relationship with God, wouldn't "finding Him in all things" be our most anticipated and lifelong goal? If we truly have this romantic relationship with God, we wouldn't want to lose Him. Instead, we would exhaust all efforts to pursue Him, cherish Him, and keep Him.Here is the most poignant part of the whole song:If I were to lose you one day, even blooming flowers wouldn't be beautiful.I'd rather live on a deserted island forever.I would make a puppet like you, look at it every dayand act in front of it.若有朝失咗你 花開都不美願到荒島去長住做個假的你 天天都相對對木頭公仔做戲Fortunately, the biggest difference between God and the other “favourites” in our lives is that, if we are willing, we will never lose Him. So we should not make a fake "God", performing acts with this puppet, to replace the once and for all, the true and eternal King of our lives, both in this life and in eternity. We have someone we can trust and lean on, a true ultimate love!Living to a thousand years, my heart remains captivated,With you by my side, life is so much more joyful.活到一千歲 都一般心醉有你在身邊多樂趣ReflectionHave you ever had the following experience? The moment when you find the person or thing you love most, suddenly, the things that were important before became not so important. Recall how you felt at that moment.Is there a "puppet" in your life that has taken the place of the true "King” of your life?Do you hope to find the true "love" in your life? Are you willing to let go of the other lesser loves for this "ultimate love"?Today’s PrayerDear God, thank You so much. Thank You for taking away my entanglements from yesterday, allowing my eyes to see more clearly, and gradually opening my heart, letting me feel the emotions that were lacking in my past relationship with You! Why didn't You share Your feelings with me earlier... or maybe it's my problem instead... not being sensitive enough to hear and feel You…Lord, please don't allow me, this foolish child, to let You down, betraying Your lavish love for me.My dear Lord, I'm sorry. I love You.--------------------The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Editors: Bonny Chan, P

In the first five days of the retreat, we mentioned that if we are not aware of our need for God, it is difficult for us to have the motivation and desire to establish a relationship with Him, especially since God is not someone we can see or touch. This awareness and awakening can be achieved through several ways.The first is to choose a simple lifestyle and avoid living a luxurious or materially rich life, which will give you the illusion that we can be "self-sufficient". The second way to become aware of and experience that one has needs is through self-denial. In particular, it applies to some higher-level needs which cannot be satisfied by oneself, such as spiritual needs. The third is through continuous self-examination and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly, making ourselves aware that we are limited and weak and in need of God's forgiveness, grace, and help.If we don’t realize that we need God through these deliberate life choices, one day when something unexpected and beyond our control happens, such as a disaster or crisis, it will dawn on us that we cannot live our lives by relying on ourselves.Of course, we cannot enter into a relationship with God with a selfish motive, that is, only seeking to satisfy our own needs. After all, God is not a tool. We need to have a genuine relationship with God. Whether this relationship is healthy or not depends on how accurate our image of God is, and more importantly, the role and position of God in our minds.When we love or care about someone, we constantly think of them and wish to see them anytime, anywhere, even in our dreams. Isn't that true? If the object of our affection is God, we would hope to encounter Him in all things and be with Him. Conversely, if God is not the one we love or care about, or if He is not our ultimate love, we won't have a strong desire to find Him in all things. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves, who or what are more important to us than God? These things could be tangible or intangible, such as achievements or status.If there is something in our lives that is more important than God, are we willing to give God a chance to “compete” with the one we love most in our lives right now? This is also a chance for ourselves! Isn't it the greatest blessing to be able to find your true love in life, the person who loves you the most? Isn’t it worth investing our time to find the answer?Let's embark on this amazing journey of exploration together!ReflectionIs there anyone or anything more important than God in your life right now? That is, when you think of this person or thing, you will be more excited and happier than when you think of God. You will also put more thought into this person or thing.What role and position does this person or thing have in your life?Why is this person or thing more important to you than God?Today’s PrayerLord, I’ve realized that there are many things in my life that I consider important. You know I value those things... but why do You want me to make a choice? To me, You are important. It's true... but those things are equally important! I'm really not ready to make this choice.Could You please give me another way out... to have both... or at least give me a little more time?Please... help me... when I am about to give up on making a choice, please give me the perseverance to make wise choices through this retreat, through the free will You have given me.The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers.Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul YeungMandarin Editor: Anthony X.Cantonese Narrator: Margaret WooEnglish Narrator: Bonny ChanMandarin Narrator: Rene RenAudio Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Margaret WooYouTube Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Arnold ChanGraphics: Francis Lai, Rosa TseWebsite: Patricia Young, Angela WongPodcast: Angela WongSocial Media: Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa TseTheme Music:“Friends Only” by Introvert Pianist https://www.youtube.com/@introvertpianist“Watercolor Lilies” by Aaron Kenny https://youtube.com/@contactkennya ★ Support this podcast ★

Sometimes, we feel ignored or excluded by others not because they intentionally alienate us, but rather due to a mistaken impression they have about us. This misconception is often based on a flawed understanding of our preferences, likes, dislikes, or needs. Such misconceptions can easily lead to mismatch in expectations, giving rise to unnecessary misunderstandings.Similarly, the image of God in our minds greatly influences our interactions with Him, thereby affecting our relationship with Him. If in our hearts, God is perceived only in a transcendent way, distant and exalted, then we will keep a respectful distance with Him. This is quite natural. By observing some parent-child relationships, you'll see a similar pattern. If God desires to present Himself in a "supreme and lofty" manner, He cannot and will not blame us for keeping Him at arm's length in our daily lives because, fundamentally, He doesn't care. But is that the case?The birth of Jesus and His presence among us not only reveals the transcendent aspect of God but also unveils the heart of God and His emotions. The object of His emotional expression is not other created beings but us humans. It can be said that God has a very special and deep affection for us.The Word became flesh and lived among us. This is a mystery. The profound meaning it contains is worthy of our repeated reflection! One crucial aspect of this is that God took on human nature and engaged with humanity on a relational level in the affairs of the present world. This emotional connection with God is often an aspect easily overlooked by ordinary believers, and it can even be said that there is a lack of awareness in this regard.From the interactions between Jesus and His disciples, it is not difficult to observe that the disciples often did not understand the thoughts and needs of Jesus. This made Jesus feel saddened, not understood, unappreciated, and even lonely. If we carefully examine some of the conversations between Jesus and His disciples, we can easily discern that Jesus did not want to assume the role of a lofty master. He desired to be a friend, to engage in heartfelt connections with people, to enter each other's inner chambers, to accompany and trust each other, and to rely on each other to fulfill their immediate needs. This inner resonance, compared to the disciples merely comprehending His teachings intellectually, brings more solace to the heart of Jesus.For example: When Jesus was about to face His Passion and death, while eating the Passover meal with His disciples, He “got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:4-9)The act of Jesus washing the disciples' feet in the role of a servant and the dialogue with Peter reveal the kind of relationship Jesus desires to establish with His disciples. Besides teaching them to serve one another, He also demonstrates His willingness to enter into the details of our lives with the utmost kindness and humility, to accompany, guide, and teach us in a gentle and persuasive manner. If, like Peter, we refuse to let Jesus "wash our feet," rejecting Him from our lives, meaning He cannot enter into the details of our lives to serve us, we can be certain that Jesus' response to us will be the same – we would have no share with Him! Isn't Jesus very clear in this regard?If we can understand God's humanity, His human touch, we can better enter into the heart of God, empathize with His needs, and comprehend His feelings towards us. When we truly understand the emotions and intentions of God, His teachings will no longer appear rigid or difficult to accept. We will follow Him wholeheartedly, without reservation, and being a true follower of Christ becomes easier and more natural.ReflectionPlease imagine that Jesus is now standing before you, intending to wash your feet. How do you feel, and how would you respond to Him?In your life, are there any areas where you do not allow God to enter, or where you resist accepting God's help?If God were to ask you once again right now: "Do you need me?" How would you respond?Today’s PrayerLord, facing You and Your question, I am truly speechless. Indeed, "Lord, not only my feet but also wash my hands and my head!" Please cleanse me thoroughly! How can I refuse You from entering into my life, every detail of my life, even the broken and fragile parts, to repair and heal me?I need You to teach and accompany me through this more intimate relationship between You and me!Lord

Like many of us, you may have had the following experience: You knew that in your circle of friends, an event that you valued very much and looked forward to was coming up, but in the end, you found out you were not invited. The feeling of not being valued, being excluded, being given the cold shoulder, or even being shut out is very painful. The feeling of being rejected and excluded can have a lasting impact on us, and may even hurt us deeply. As the “victim”, if we are open-minded and proactive, we may say to the host: "Be sure to count me in next time!" and then look forward to being invited to the next event. But if we were not invited again, we would be even more sad and disappointed. We would lose confidence in the host, and the relationship would turn sour. The damage to the relationship may be difficult to repair! You may say to yourself: "What kind of a friend is this? Forget it!"But have we ever imagined that the wrongdoer is us – you and me – and the victim is God?Ask yourself, have we ever actively invited God into our lives, every aspect of our lives? We usually only take the initiative to invite God into our lives when we are faced with serious matters, when we are in crisis, need help, or need to make important decisions. Our defense is: "God is so busy. I shouldn’t disturb Him. How would He have time to get involved in the trivial matters in my life?" But is that true?We need to have a better look at the true face of God! If God really only wants to be involved in important things but doesn’t want to be troubled with small things, then why would Jesus enter the world as a baby and spend thirty years with people in seemingly insignificant details of life before beginning His public ministry? If God doesn’t want to bother with the details of our lives, as we imagined, how is it possible that He desires to build the most intimate relationship with us?Think about this. Hasn’t He shown fine attention to the details of our lives and has taken tender loving care of us? In the Gospel, when large crowds of people kept following Him, wanting to hear Him speak, pleading Him to heal them, or just hoped to catch a glimpse of Him, didn’t Jesus express His concern about whether they had anything to eat, and then, performed the miracle of "five loaves and two fishes" to feed everyone? Not only did God love us so much that He sacrificed His only begotten Son and suffered for us, but He also cared about our daily needs and was willing to enter our lives. To be more precise, He is not just "willing to", but "desired" to enter our lives! He wants to enter into the details of our lives, not just to relieve us of troubles or provide for our needs, but to accompany us through the ups and downs, joys and sorrows. This is our God!Do we want to see such a God to be rejected by us? Our God is a gentle God. He is not willing to impose His will on us. He will not take the initiative to ask us to invite Him. He will only wait silently outside our door, waiting for us to open the door and invite Him in and be with us every moment of our lives.ReflectionTry to recall an experience of being shut out. Relive the experience of being rejected and excluded. How do you feel?Have you ever shut God out of your life? Imagine how He felt. How will you avoid putting God through this painful experience?Please allow your Heavenly Father to tell you His feelings, how He wants to accompany you and pay attention to every detail of your life.Today’s PrayerO Lord! Have I ever hurt You because I rejected You? Now I understand how painful it was for You! You love me so much, but I...Dear Lord Jesus, I sincerely invite You into my inner chamber, my heart, and the details of my life. I want to be accompanied by You, cared for by You, and loved by You!Lord Jesus, please forgive me for all the harm I have done to You. I love You! ★ Support this podcast ★

“A friend in need is a friend indeed” does not only apply to human relationships, but it is also reflected in our relationship with God. God is faithful and His love for us never changes. Yet we only acknowledge God’s faithfulness when we are in need. Whenever we encounter adversity, such as setbacks at work or school, challenges in family and marriage, financial crisis, serious illness of ourselves or our relatives or friends, or the death of a loved one, etc., that is, difficulties that cannot be overcome by our own ability alone, we realize our limitations and need to turn to God for help.No matter what the reason is for us to return to the Father and take refuge in Him, He is pleased because He knows that it is best for us when we rely on Him and live in Him. You know, God does not want disasters to happen to us. Most of the disasters and setbacks that happen to us are caused by our or other people's free will, or by nature and natural laws. Although God wants us to remember Him and take refuge in Him, it is painful for Him to see that we only go back to Him through these painful experiences, in order that we can receive His power, His grace and support for us. Like any earthly father, He is eager to help us and provide for our needs at all times. Unfortunately, under most circumstances, we may not be willing to accept it, nor do we feel that there is such a need.Usually, we will wake up suddenly when we have experienced some crisis that we cannot overcome by ourselves. You may have also heard the testimonies of people who have remarkable turnaround in their lives. It could be survivors who have overcome terminal illnesses, individuals who have escaped from disasters, or those who have been released from prison. It could also include people who have committed serious crimes in the past and have been forgiven. Through these experiences, they understand their own limitations, or even unreliability, and learn to turn to the more trustworthy One in their lives. People who are awakened in this regard will live a completely new life, just like the beginning of a second life. Not only will they live more humbly, but they will also cherish every moment and every gift in life. They don’t want to waste their lives or miss the opportunity to make contributions. They realize that nothing can be taken for granted and they need to cherish every moment of their lives. These "lucky ones" who have this sudden awakening will not easily let go of the new mission given to them by this second life. They have a new set of values ​​and mindset to embrace and accept all the opportunities given by above. If they are Christians, they will trust God more and try to find God in every situation in life.Among the saints, St. Ignatius of Loyola is a classic example of this kind of person. Having experienced the devastating injury by a cannonball, he awakened from an extremely secular and utilitarian mindset. He was transformed from a military man who pursued fame and fortune to become the founder of the Society of Jesus. Besides, "Finding God in all things" is a key aspect of Ignatian spirituality. In fact, similar but less dramatic examples can often be seen and heard from the testimonies of catechumens and newly baptized. Unfortunately, among the more privileged brothers and sisters who have been baptized since childhood, testimonies in this regard are rare!Let the great example of St. Ignatius remind us once again that the earlier we can recognize our own shortcomings, limitations, unreliability and sinfulness, the more we will understand how much we need God and how much we need to rely on His grace and power. We will do our best to find God’s footprints wherever and whenever possible, to find Him in all things. In addition to inviting us to pray, fast and give alms more readily, Lent is also an opportunity that cannot be missed as it allows us to reflect, examine ourselves and repent more. In fact, in every Sacrament of Reconciliation, our Heavenly Father gives us another experience of a redeemed life, giving us an opportunity to awaken and be reborn, and to begin a new life.Our ability to find God in all things is directly related to our awareness of how much we need God. When we can fully understand that we need God every moment, we can embark on the wonderful journey of "finding Him in all things"!May the Holy Spirit enlighten us. Let us take this opportunity to rediscover how much we need God in order to reorient our lives!ReflectionTry to recall an experience in which you took refuge in God in a difficult situation or crisis. Please step into the role of the Heavenly Father. How do you feel?Have you ever had a “rebirth” experience or major turnaround in life? What immediate and lasting changes did this experience bring you?How are you going to use this retreat to reflect on how much you need God so that you can better prepare yourself to find God in all things?Today’s PrayerCreate in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new a

The theme of "Finding God in All Things" for this year's retreat actually poses an important question to us: "Do we need God?" Or conversely, it is God asking us, "Do you need me?" This is a question worth pondering.In the process of growing up, we are taught to be "independent", to take care of our own needs, and this "handle it yourself" mentality becomes deeply ingrained. "Don't bother others" becomes our mantra. On the surface, it may seem polite and considerate of others, but beneath it may hide a sense of pride, a reluctance to show our weakness. Or at least we do not let others know about our problems and the fact that we are unable to solve our own problems.Under the influence of this mindset, besides being deceived by the hidden pride, we are also blindfolded by our “false self” about what we truly need and the reality of our actual situation. This "self-sufficient" mentality stifles the mutual trust and support we could build with others in neighbourly relationships, and more importantly, it stifles our ability to establish the right relationship with God. Without having a proper and healthy relationship with God, let alone establishing an "intimate relationship" with Him!It's important to know that God created humans in relationships, and humans live within relationships just as God, being a Trinitarian God. Therefore, humans are inherently social beings, and the concept of "self-sufficiency" is fundamentally flawed; from the beginning of creation, such thinking was not in line with God's intention. The basis of "self-sufficiency" lies in "pride" and "distrust of God", a crude tactic used by the enemy to derail our normal relationship with God.God created everything in the world for us to enjoy and manage based on our relationships with all things and with God. We depend on all things for our survival, and all things, including ourselves, depend on God for sustenance. This interdependence makes us mutually necessary and reliant on each other. It is the original intention and vision of God for all things to be united and harmonious in Him, and humanity is entrusted by God to be the executor and steward.Therefore, the deviation of "self-sufficiency" strays far from God's will. While we essentially depend on God for our existence, our mindset and behaviour do not reflect that dependence; we erroneously believe we are "self-sufficient". This mentality discourages us from seeking God in all things but rather drives us to seek our own benefits in everything. Although we essentially need to rely on other things to survive, we attribute it to our own abilities. Therefore, God's question to us, "Do you need me?" is worth careful consideration. Otherwise, the theme of this retreat, "Finding God in All Things" would mean nothing to us.Apart from our mindset, our lifestyles and habits largely determine whether we live by the principle of "self-sufficiency”. When we are living in abundance, we tend to be less aware of our need for God. Isn't it natural? The more prosperous the cities we live in, the more materially abundant we are, the harder it is for us to feel the need for God, let alone finding Him in all things.Therefore, the three Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving call us to re-experience that we are needy, that we need God! Fasting reminds us of our physical needs; prayer, our spiritual needs; and almsgiving makes us aware of the needs of others and encourages us to lend a helping hand. These three Lenten practices also help us wake up from affluent living, shifting from blindly pursuing and satisfying surface-level needs to discovering and understanding our hidden inner and spiritual needs. The more we know our own needs, the more we can understand and see ourselves clearly. This awareness is crucial in helping us build relationships with others and, more importantly, in understanding how to establish a genuine and intimate relationship with God.Ultimately, this authentic relationship with God can help us keep a distance from the devil, as it will try to set traps and lead us into temptation. The devil deceives us, making us refrain from openly expressing our needs because we fear others may look down on us. In doing so, we deviate from the Father's desire for us to trust and depend on Him. This reliance, originating from created beings leaning on the Creator, evolves into a relationship where children trust their Father due to the love the Father has for us.ReflectionHave you ever experienced in some relationships in your life that the other person only comes to you for their own benefit, and it feels like they do not respect your feelings and needs? The feeling of being taken advantage of is very hurtful. Has this ever happened to you in your relationship with God?If God were to ask you, "Do you need me?" How would you respond to Him?Today’s PrayerMy dear Lord, I thank You for allowing me to feel Your gentleness as I reflect today. I know You never desire to impose Your will and lo

In the past two years, amid the upheaval of wars and social unrest, the world appears unfamiliar and hostile compared to our previous experiences. People are growing more anxious and restless. We may wonder: Why is God so elusive? Has He turned His gaze away from us? Is He indifferent to the widespread suffering in the world? Is God's omnipresence a mere fiction or a thing of the past?This year's FLL Farmer of Hearts online Lenten retreat, themed "Finding God in All Things," aims to awaken the awareness of God's omnipresence and provide a fresh perspective. Beyond offering contemplation for Lent, the retreat seeks to inspire "metanoia" or transformative changes in our lives.In the entire process, we have to invite the Holy Spirit to be our guide, leading us and showing us the way, including when to pause and when to continue. We encourage you to participate in this retreat with an open and willing heart to make changes. We hope that, guided by the Holy Spirit, you will be willing to renew yourself in thought and understanding, thus changing the usual patterns of response and action. During the retreat, when you hear words that touch and inspire you, you may pause to carefully reflect on the touch and movement of the Spirit in your heart and the messages He gives you.The desired outcome is increased inner freedom, fostering a more peaceful, resilient, and hopeful life—an essential state in our unpredictable and turbulent world."Finding God in All Things" is not just a life skill. To be exact, it is a mindset and direction in life. This attitude guides us to "encounter God" in our daily lives, ultimately leading to the goal of "being in communion with God". This is precisely what the Heavenly Father desires! Therefore, "finding God in all things" is not a fabricated utopian illusion. In fact, all created things are gifts from God out of love for humanity. Hence, in everything, we can find His footprints!“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.” (Rm 1:20)If you find your emotions stirred during the process, please allow your emotions or memories to speak to you, and ask the Lord to reveal the reasons and meanings behind these emotions. Use them as materials to discern God's invitation to you in the present moment. If at that moment, you can share your inner feelings with the Lord and engage in a conversation with Him, that is ideal. The purpose is to establish an intimate and trusting relationship with Him through heart-to-heart conversations, ultimately feeling His unique and personal love for you, gaining a deeper understanding of His intentions, and responding to His invitation.The essence of the retreat is not to rush through the content of listening and meditation but to integrate the inspirations gained during the retreat into daily life. The more you can sense the presence of the Lord during this retreat, the more it will help you establish new attitudes and patterns of life, encountering the Lord in all things in your everyday life.A retreat is a window through which God and His words can enter our hearts, bringing us closer to our Heavenly Father. The main purpose of a retreat is not to learn or to take a course. It cannot answer all questions about the subject. The more we can let go of our subjective desires and entrust unresolved issues emerging during the retreat entirely to God, the more we can extract the maximum benefit from the retreat. Our focus is on experiencing God's presence, that He is real, and His intense personal love for us.ReflectionHow is the current state of your mental and spiritual life? Are you experiencing joy or anxiety? Do you feel a sense of direction or are you feeling lost?Do you feel the presence of God in your life?When you learned that the theme of this retreat is "Finding God in all things," how did you feel? Do you feel excited and look forward to it?Today’s PrayerCome, O Holy Spirit, illuminate me and open the eyes of my heart! Remove all stumbling blocks that hinder me from experiencing God. Enlighten me to joyfully find God in all things, encounter His presence, and hear His voice!Lord, breathe Your life in me with renewed hope, and instill in me a desire to encounter You every moment of my life! ★ Support this podcast ★

According to the Gospel of John, the first question Jesus asked when He began His ministry was "What are you looking for?" (John 1:38). After Jesus died and resurrected, He said to Mary of Magdala, who was looking for Him in the tomb, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" (John 20:15) These two questions of Jesus echo in history and in our lives. Indeed, life is a "journey of searching" - searching for something, searching for someone. Many people may not be able to find what they are looking for all their lives, because they searched in the wrong places; some people kept going in circles, and some people stopped searching for various reasons. As Jesus matured, He also continued to seek and discover His own identity and direction, and in the process, He was guided and affirmed by the Father and the Holy Spirit. The person whom Jesus was searching for was the Father, and what He was looking for was to "do the will of the Father." This is the anchor in the life of Jesus. All of Jesus' other desires were based on it. Jesus’ complete trust in the Heavenly Father enabled Him to give Himself unreservedly, never questioning His Father, let alone doubting the Heavenly Father’s arrangement. He loved His Heavenly Father to the end, and followed the Father to the end. This became the cornerstone of the life of Jesus.On the last day of this Lenten retreat, we hope this year's theme of "I Thirst" will give everyone an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of life and find a way to "quench our thirst" in the Lord. You may wonder, what is the ultimate goal we hope to achieve? You might want to ask yourself: what kind of person do I want to be?The journey of searching in life will not end, but there will be some clear signs that let us know we are moving in the right direction. This is the first line that Jesus said to His disciples and us after His resurrection: "Peace be with you!" (John 20:19) This peace is the greatest sign.With Jesus and His peace as our companions on our journey of searching, our directions in our lives will become clearer, even if life is bumpy and challenging, we will still experience the state that St. Augustine longed for: "Lord, our heart will be restless until it rests in You." The thirst for feeling settled, at peace and at rest in the Lord becomes our goal and pillar, constantly giving us strength and perseverance, making us like the Samaritan woman who finally encountered Christ at the well and gained an unprecedented release and freedom. This healing from Jesus allows us to accept and embrace the imperfections in our lives — weaknesses, powerlessness, trauma, brokenness, guilt, unforgiveness, anxiety...— those bonds that haunt us in the past, present, and future.Jesus wants to unbind us personally, so that we can leap out of the valley of life like the Samaritan woman, and be able to face ourselves, face God and all the people around us, and be supernaturally empowered and willing to be a witness of our encounter with Christ and His goodness, and not be afraid to reveal our past to others and become a new creation. Our past and all our present weaknesses have become the most powerful tools to witness for God. Those who see our witness will be like the Samaritans in the Bible, who became open to establishing a relationship with Jesus because of the woman's testimony. Isn't that a goal we aspire to?At that time, what we need to hold on to in our lives is no longer wealth, fame, achievement, or even our own talents and abilities, but like what St. Paul the Apostle said in chapter 12 in his Second Letter to the Corinthians. When facing his own weakness, God said to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, Paul was willing to boast of his weakness, not his power, so that the power of Christ may be manifested in him (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).To be able to boast of our weaknesses for God and in Him is the greatest freedom in our lives as followers of Christ. Just like the example set by Jesus for us, His life was never to accumulate things that were beneficial to Him, but to constantly let go of them, and at the very end, on the cross, He gave up everything He possessed in His body, mind and spirit. He had nothing, but the power of the Father in heaven to rely on. United with His Heavenly Father, Jesus had everything and could accomplish everything!Our Lord Jesus is the perfect reflection of the Father and our perfect example. Jesus wants us to follow Him without holding back and not to waste the new life He redeemed for us by His most holy blood on unimportant things that we cannot bring into eternal life.The first of the two missions that Jesus gave us is to love the brothers and sisters around us as He loves us, and to give without expecting anything in return, just like He did, in order to repay His love for us. Jesus earnestly hopes that each of us will be like the child in the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and

Today, we, together with the universal church, remember with a heavy heart how our Lord Jesus Christ willingly walked a path of betrayal and extreme humiliation, and was nailed to the cross for us. It was the will of the Father, and the Son willingly obeyed, all because of love!Because of love, the Son took on the form of a slave (cf. Philippians 2:7) and dwelt among us, and never enjoyed the honour and dignity that a king deserves. Jesus was born in a lowly way and lived a humble life. He never accumulated any wealth, nor sought to win the love and admiration of His subjects, but lived a simple and subdued life among His people. He wanted to show us that a humble and simple life, combined with the intentionality of "emptying oneself", enabled Him to submit to the Father more easily and follow the Father’s will more readily.Looking at ourselves, on the other hand, we are constantly accumulating, whether it be wealth, honour, achievements, accomplishments, power, and so on. In order to look respectable in front of others, we unconsciously wear layers of masks, making us not only prideful but also heavily burdened.As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He laid down the baggage of being loved by people, let go of His plans, and even His freedom, and focused on receiving instructions from the Father and fulfilling His will. We keep accumulating, while Jesus keeps letting go! Jesus also let go of His expectations of His own followers, even those closest to Him, like His disciples and apostles. He only sought to keep giving without expecting anything in return.Jesus, once a highly respected teacher and Messiah, suddenly became a “criminal” who was scorned by people. He went from being the charismatic master and divine healer who attracted many followers from far and wide, to someone who was abandoned by everyone and treated like dirt, and all of these happened in just a few days! What could be more tragic than what this King of kings went through? And what He bore were not His own debts but the heavy debt of sin that you and I owe! Who among us can claim to be without sin and deny this fact?But this is how ridiculous the world is: Jesus, the sacrificial lamb who bore the sins of the world, approached His own cross step by step. He was betrayed and abandoned by those who loved Him, ridiculed and insulted by those who wanted to put Him to death in the most despicable and contemptible way. Even those who had once admired and loved Him mocked and spat on Him. As the executioners swung barbarously the most cruel instruments, Jesus was beaten and bruised all over, unrecognizable as the revered king and teacher He had once been. After being stripped of His dignity in His mind and spirit, Jesus was violently and insultingly stripped of His garments, left naked and exposed to the ridicule of those who had once worshipped Him. Finally, after being toyed with by the soldiers, He was nailed to the cross, unable to move, hovering between life and death, being seen helpless, struggling between excruciating pain and gasping for breath... until His final breath. As bystanders, betrayers, and executioners, we still cling tightly to our dignity, our face, our identity, and everything we feel entitled to. This is the cruel reality we are faced with on this day when we commemorate the Passion of Jesus!Now, let us listen to the first words that Jesus spoke to our Heavenly Father on the cross: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) It was in this way that Jesus absolved all those who had cruelly crushed Him! But...is it true...is it true that we really have no idea what we are doing? Are we satisfied with how Jesus absolved us? Lord Jesus, what really was on Your mind?Finally, Jesus, who was hanging on the cross, was stripped of everything that rightfully belonged to Him, both material and non-material. Hanging between heaven and earth with nothing on Him, He reconnected heaven and earth and finally reconciled people with God. But what about Him..., when He had totally emptied Himself, Jesus cried out loud, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) This was the most astounding and heart-wrenching cry of our Lord Jesus, His most complete and radical offering of Himself! Everything in the world belonged to Him, yet He had completely offered it without reservation. And at last, Jesus experienced the pain that no one had ever experienced since the beginning of time, and no one will ever experience till the end: being abandoned by men and by God!"I thirst." (John 19:28)This statement represents the cry of humanity to God and the intense thirst of God for humanity, which finally came together in our Lord Jesus! Just when Jesus was stripped of everything, and seemed to be unable to do anything, He accomplished the greatest task, breaking the separation between God and men, reconciling and reuniting them once again!Finally, the Lord Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:28).ReflectionSeeing that

We need to acknowledge that we are easily deceived, especially by ourselves. For example, we are easily deceived by our own "outward behaviour." As we were growing up, for different reasons and motivations, we learned to do some "window dressing" to gain people's recognition and praise, while making ourselves feel better and feeling like we have fulfilled our duties. As Christians, we may also be deceived by our outward displays of piety, feeling like we have done well, completed our obligations, and feel self-satisfied and justified, but forgetting that Jesus cares about the state of our hearts, not just our superficial actions and appearances. Just as Jesus despised the hypocritical Pharisees, who were self-righteous and gradually became conceited, deceived by their own superficial behaviour, and judged others by their own perceived righteous behaviour. Each of us has a piece of Pharisee in us, which we cannot deny and warrants our reflection!In addition, we sometimes overestimate our own abilities and loyalty to God. For example, St. Peter did not think he would deny Jesus. Even Judas did not think it was a big deal when he betrayed Jesus, until he later realized that he had committed a heinous crime out of his greed, causing the death of his master, but it was already too late, and there is no way back!All of the above examples warn us that if we neglect our "blindness" and "hardness of heart", we would be tricked by the various "blind spots" in our lives without even realizing it. It can potentially cause us deep trouble and great regret.If we truly want to be Christians who can live up to our name, not wanting to be far away from God and His ways, and truly seek to desire what God desires, we must get rid of the attitude of "self-righteousness", not just believing in our own ideas, and not just caring about our own interests.Before facing His own suffering and death, Jesus did not only care about His own safety and interests. Instead, He did His best to focus on the needs of others and the community. As the Creator, Saviour, and Teacher, He even personally washed the feet of His disciples, setting an example of humble service to others. Jesus showed us the true example of a Christian, just as described by St. Paul the Apostle in his letter to the Philippians 2:6-8: "Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross."If we want to become true Christians, we only have one way, which is to imitate Jesus, following His teachings and His way of life; not just partially, but to be 100% like Him.We often feel that we are entitled to receive many things in life, that God, our parents, family, and people around us should provide for us, as if they owed it to us. But Jesus wants to break this mindset! We came into the world naked, and everything we have now, including material and non-material things, and all our relationships, are given to us freely by our Heavenly Father, and not something we are entitled to. If we can adopt and live out this mentality, it becomes easier for us to let go of the desires in our lives that are not important or appropriate. We can then be transformed from a self-centred and egoistic mentality that always serves one’s own needs, to one that considers the needs of others and the community which is modeled after the spirit of Christ's love and humility through serving others. In this way, we can achieve the goal that St. Paul the Apostle urged the local Christians to strive for in Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."Only when we learn to live out Jesus’ spirit of "do unto others as we would have them do unto us" can we truly realize that we are not living for ourselves, that we should not be just taking care of our own needs or inflating our own desires. When we are truly able to let go of our own “selves”, we will have the space to appreciate the spirit that Jesus Christ taught us to "wash each other's feet" and to live out the new commandment that Jesus gave us after the Last Supper: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. " (John 13:34)Lord Jesus, please guide me as I reflect on this new commandment and new attitude that You have enlightened me today, and teach me to put them into practice from this day forward.Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, I have learned from You that I should not be focusing only on my own needs and caring only about my own interests, not to dedicate all my energy in planning for myself, satisfying my own desires, and ignoring the needs of others and the community. Please do n

Some of you may feel a little uneasy when following this retreat, and may think that you are not as bad as described in the contents of the retreat. "I am not that stubborn, not that proud, not that shameless, not treating God that poorly..." Please do not be mistaken. The purpose of this retreat is not to belittle or look down on anyone, nor is it to teach or make anyone feel uncomfortable. However, the theme of "I thirst" involves content that is not to be received just intellectually or through simple reflection. It also requires us to go deeper, to make time and space for ourselves, to face the most difficult and core issues in our lives, to meet the Lord in our hearts, and to genuinely and wholeheartedly experience God's presence and companionship. The purpose of this retreat is to reveal our “blind spots” one by one, so that we can slowly see the truth and be more “awake”.“A hardened heart” is our greatest enemy in quenching our thirst. It is the result of long-term "dryness," a state of being constantly closed off by our own "blind spots," which is the devil's most adept tactic!Satan was originally an angel who, like other angels, knew God very well. However, because of his pride and jealousy, he hardened his heart against God, became a fallen angel, the prince of darkness, the father of lies, and could also be called the father of "hardened hearts". Therefore, Satan is eager to lead more people into a state of "hardened heart", making them more easily manipulated and influenced by the devil, turning them into the devil’s slaves, and leading them away from our Heavenly Father who loves us most dearly.What is alarming is that most people are not aware that they have a "hardened heart" and believe they have no problem. The devil is happy to go along with this and encourage you to keep your heart hardened.Our "hardened heart" causes us to gradually drift away from God without even realizing it. On the contrary, to resolve our spiritual dryness, we need to try to draw closer to God. We can imagine this relationship as the true distance between ourselves and God. The closer the distance, the better the relationship; the farther away, the more distant the relationship. Generally speaking, you cannot say that you have a good relationship with God if you feel that you are far apart from each other. This relationship is also reflected in the gap between what we desire and what God desires. The greater the difference, the farther we feel God is away from us and the more distant the relationship becomes. Therefore, the key to "quenching our thirst" lies in our efforts to narrow the gap between what we desire and what our Heavenly Father desires; the more our desires are in line with God's desires, the better the relationship becomes.Our Heavenly Father, who is ever-loyal, only desires us and nothing else, with a single-minded focus and attention. That is the key. However, our desires are varied and scattered. When we couldn’t even focus on only one thing but chasing after several things at the same time, how could we remain faithful by having only one main desire in life? In this unequal relationship, our “thirsty” condition won’t even be satisfied, let alone attaining happiness in life. As a result, our Heavenly Father will keep waiting for us bitterly, and our spiritual dryness will not be relieved. This is because what we seek is not what our heart and soul truly need. We may deceive ourselves for a moment, but we cannot deceive ourselves perpetually. We will come to realize and experience the state described by St. Augustine: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord." Indeed, we were created by God and for God. It is a fact that we cannot deny. Only when God and our desires meet, that is, when our desires are in line with His, can both God’s and our thirst be satisfied at the same time, as one cannot be without the other. This is the crucial and only way to quench our thirst in life.To reduce our blind spots and opportunities that lead to a "hardened heart", one of the most effective methods is to simplify our lives. A simple life helps us to reduce the clutter and lesser things in life, which not only minimizes our distractions but also our non-essential desires. Because satisfying these desires requires a great deal of time and effort, it not only wastes our energy but also distracts us from directing our energy in handling the most important things in life. It increases our blind spots in these important areas, indirectly crowding our mind and vision, making it hard for us to receive God's messages and guidance, which may prevent us from making the right decisions in life. This is something we cannot neglect.ReflectionDo you think you have any blind spots? Do you have a hardened heart?We tend to think that God has complete control over everything, including our relationship with Him. After the reflections of the past two days, do you have any new insights?In your relationship with God, do

"Feeling thirsty" is a state of being "unsatisfied", a state of "waiting", and a "signal" to us to take action to quench our thirst. No matter how difficult the action may be, it is something within our control, something we can take initiative and act on to relieve our “thirst”. For example, if our desire is to increase our savings , we can work hard to earn money or cut expenses so that we can have more savings. These are results that we can obtain through our efforts and proactive action.On the contrary, God's desires are not many, in fact, He has only one primary desire, which is that we freely choose to love Him. God is thirsting for our thirst for Him! Because He loves us, He has given us the freedom to choose, making God the passive party. He keeps waiting and waiting, until we respond! Imagine you are waiting and longing for someone who is not waiting and longing for you, or you have fallen in love with someone who doesn't love you. How painful and torturous that is!We have all experienced the anticipation of a long-awaited holiday, a dream vacation, or the reunion of family and friends. That kind of waiting is joyful, rather than painful, and it even enhances the excitement of the anticipation, allowing us to have a foretaste of the sweetness of that happy day. But our Heavenly Father does not have this privilege! His waiting is bitter, like an indefinite sentence, and it will very likely be in vain! That pain is even more unbearable than death! If God were willing to give up on us, He would not have to endure this heart-wrenching agony forever! But He hasn't! He would never give up on us, and He has chosen to wait...God has given us everything He can out of His love for us, to the point where He gets Himself into real trouble. The deeper His love and the higher His expectations for us, our indifference and even cruelty towards Him are more like swords that pierced His Heart.This is not just a human lover who is madly in love with us. This is God the Almighty who loves us to the point of subjecting Himself to us, His own creation and beloved mankind, to be betrayed and cruelly whipped and beaten, shamelessly mocked and insulted, and… at the end, allowing us, using the most brutal and humiliating way, to strip of His clothes, piece by piece,... stripped totally of His dignity… This majestic Creator, King, Master, and Saviour, whom we should bow down to, was stripped naked before us, allowing Himself to be nailed to the Cross and died for us, and died on the cross. This is our choice, the price God paid for His love for us. Oh my soul, what kind of reasoning is this!Unfortunately, our hearts are so hardened that we do not have the slightest compassion for our Saviour. We simply watch our Heavenly Father, who loves us to such an extreme extent, wait for us in agony, and we continue our own ways, giving Him cold shoulders heartlessly. We even have the audacity to complain about God not treating us well. When will this hardness of heart end? My soul, what has God done wrong to you? Where is your conscience?Today’s PrayerAbba Father, standing before You, facing my hardened heart, I am truly speechless... Why have I allowed myself to come to this point? I really don't know. Perhaps it's my selfishness, my lack of compassion, or maybe I truly don't know You, don't understand Your love for me, and don't realize that You are willing to do anything for me…Heavenly Father, please grant me a bit more courage to face my own ugliness, to face Your silent gaze, and to respond to Your thirst for me... please, make me a repentant prodigal child and put me on my journey back to You!_________________________Fundraising AppealThank you for participating in this 40-day Lenten spiritual journey, I Thirst. We hope you have been inspired and have benefitted from it! For the spiritual benefit of all of you, Fountain of Love and Life devotes a lot of time and effort in producing various spiritual projects every year, and all our ministries are sustained by the generous donations of our supporters. We hope you will support us with prayers and donations. Please make an online donation using the button at the top of the website Lent.FLL.cc. Thank you very much for your support. God bless!The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: I Thirst” team, including FLL staff and volunteers.Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.Project Manager: Michael LamWriter: Paul YeungEditors: Bonny Chan, Rosa TseEnglish Translators: Bonny Chan, Sammy Ip, Zenia LauCantonese Narrator: Margaret WooEnglish Narrators: Bonny Chan, Sammy IpMandarin Narrators: Anthony X. and teamAudio Editors: Arnold Chan, Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Margaret WooYouTube Editors: Fonte Ip, Damaso WongGraphics: Francis Lai, Rosa TseWebsite: Angela Wong, Patricia YoungPodcast: Angela WongSocial Media: Clara Chang, Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa Tse, Damaso Wong ★ Support this podcast ★

We have officially entered the Holy Week and also the final phase of our Lenten retreat. Whether you have been accompanying us for the past 34 days of the retreat or have just begun the journey, we invite you to cherish this last stage of preparation for Easter, and through our Lord Jesus Christ, to feel deeply the Father's intense desire for us, and at the same time, deepen our thirst for God.Perhaps, like many of our brothers and sisters, you are worried and anxious about many things in life, feeling that life is complicated, distressing, and helpless, as if there is no way out. Life seems to be tangled knots of unsolvable problems, causing you great pain. We need to know that not all of life's problems have answers, and some problems seem unsolvable. This is the reality that we must accept.We are not God, and we don’t have enough wisdom to fathom God's master plan and the various reasons behind things that have happened. Just as we don't need to understand how medication works, we just need to believe the doctor and follow his instructions to take the medication. Then, we will be healed. Similarly, we don't need to know God’s reasons and His designs behind everything, but only need to follow His will with complete trust, and cooperate with His guidance for us, then things will unfold according to God's best designs.If we approach God with a skeptical attitude and question His faithfulness and love for us, demanding His explanation for our every misfortune, we will tend to be obstinate and unwilling to follow His guidance, but blindly follow our own will and the ways of the world. In the end, we will suffer the consequences.As we stand before the all-knowing and all-powerful God, we must acknowledge that we cannot fully understand or comprehend everything. We are short-sighted and ignorant. Just like how children relate to their parents, when we are unable to comprehend things and the reasons behind them, we can only believe in and obey our parents, trusting that they have our best interest in mind, rather than being obstinate and demanding answers for every matter. As St. Paul said to the Corinthians, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:11-12). We need to humbly acknowledge that this reflects our condition in life. As long as we place our trust in God wholeheartedly, we will surely have a more abundant life. This is how life works, and more so, this is the promise of the Father’s Love to all of us as His children.Therefore, when we are faced with various problems in life, instead of being obsessed with demanding answers for everything that happened, it is wiser for us to spend our time on seeking God's will in the present moment, tackling our problems proactively while carrying out God’s will.We must believe that no matter how difficult and painful the situation is, if it is God's will or something He permits to happen, there must be a divine reason which is beyond our understanding. It serves to sanctify us, preparing us to enter God’s Kingdom.Isn't it true? The most important goal of our earthly journey is to prepare ourselves well to enter eternal life and return to our Father's house. Therefore, we must not allow ourselves to desire earthly things more than heavenly things, lest we put the cart before the horse and miss out on what is most important.We are not like cars that retire once they have reached their limit. When God created human beings, it was His design as well as His desire that we share His eternal blessings in heaven. Therefore, our lives are created for eternity, not just for the brief earthly journey. As such, our focus should not be on the passing world, but on preparing to receive eternal blessings. We only need to endure the temporary hardships of this world in exchange for eternal happiness. Isn't this incredible news? Most importantly, Jesus Christ has already paid the ultimate price for us, redeeming us from the heavy debt of sin. What reason do we have to complain that the Father allows us to face the temporary suffering that is rightfully ours?Without reserve, the Father has already given us everything, and the Son willingly gave His all for us while we were still sinners, bearing the cross given to Him by the Father and becoming the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As we enter Holy Week, let us learn from Jesus who humbly followed the Father's will without questioning, and let us imitate the unconditional and unreserved love of Jesus to fulfill the Father's promise of His love for all people!ReflectionWould you be willing to learn from Jesus, to set aside your own desires and humbly accept the cross that God has prepared for you?Do you resolve to renounce any doubts you have in God even when there are no answers to your problems, that you still have absolute trust in Him, accepting His plans and His will for you?D

As we are about to enter the Holy Week - the holiest time of the year, let us prepare ourselves so that we will be in the best spiritual state and have the most awakened heart to accompany our Lord Jesus to enter Jerusalem, into the darkest and most painful moment of His life.Jesus bore the heftiest price for us with only one purpose, that is to use His suffering, death, and resurrection in exchange for our eternal life, so that we can share in the eternal joy with our Heavenly Father forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. Our Heavenly Father, because of His longing to be with us forever, is willing to pay the price of sacrificing His only Son. God wants us to be freed from the bondage of sin and death, to regain true freedom, which is the greatest gift besides life itself and His love for us!However, the gift of "freedom" that God has given us actually costs Him a heavy price. Because we are all bound by our own desires and the desires of the world, which influence every choice we make in our lives, we are left with very little freedom. Unfortunately, we are governed by these bondages in our intention to choose God. Ironically, the Almighty God, who has created and owns everything in the universe, cannot obtain what He most desires from the people He loves the most, that is, our will to choose Him and our love for Him. It is because of His radical love for us that He unreservedly grants us the freedom to choose, even the freedom not to choose Him or to treat Him recklessly!By giving us absolute freedom, God is like asking for trouble! His radical love for us inevitably makes Him weak and vulnerable in our relationship with Him! This is absolutely absurd! If we were steadfast in our will and were truly faithful to Him, it would make sense for Him to grant us absolute freedom. However, for us humans who betrayed Him from the beginning, giving us the gift of the freedom to choose is tantamount to allowing Himself to be subjected to us, and being enslaved by the free will that He bestowed upon us! Seeing us choose other things but Him causes God extreme pain!We may all have experienced the feeling of being forgotten or abandoned by the person we love the most, such as our spouse, child, or close friend. How much more so it is for God, who loves each of His children so unreservedly and radically! We can imagine how unbearable it is for Him when most of His children desert and abandon Him. The devil tries to steal our hearts from God ruthlessly and uses this most despicable means to attack God. It is precisely because we constantly choose to distance ourselves from God that the devil can continuously win this battle. What is even more tragic is that we often remain unaware of it, allowing the devil to sneakily manipulate us and hurt our Heavenly Father who loves us the most! Oh, my soul, how could you be so heartless!Today’s PrayerAbba Father, I am speechless when facing You and Your endless love for me! I would rather be punished by You, to be fiercely rebuked, or even to have my freedom of choice taken away. But You didn't. You simply remain silent, allowing Yourself to be constantly hurt by my heartless choices! Why? Why? Am I really worth You doing this for me? Why?The Collection of The “5L2F moment” Acts of LoveFountain of Love and Life intends to collect the acts of love from the Farmers of Hearts all over the world and offer them as spiritual bouquets to our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us on the Cross.We encourage you to respond to our invitation and share with us the fruits of your “5L2F Moments” acts of love. We will offer all the fruits of the charitable acts collected in this Lent to our Heavenly Father in the solemn mass of Easter, in return for the grace of our Lord Jesus who sacrificed His life to redeem us! Please visit lent.fll.cc/action and share with us your “5L2F Moments” acts of love.On every Sunday during this Lent, we will post on our social media selected sharing from those who consented to have them published, so that these testimonies of how God touches us will continue to inspire and encourage others and multiply the impact of these “Five-Loaves-And-Two-Fishes Moments”. Thanks again for your sharing! God bless! ★ Support this podcast ★

Our life is a continuous process of seeking, and depending on the goals we pursue, we will have different desires. As we age and go through different stages in life, our goals also change, and these goals we pursue shape the trajectory of our lives. It can be said that our life goals affect the ultimate direction and destiny of our lives and shape us into the person we become, with profound impact throughout our lives.Imagine, if the life goals that we pursue were constantly shifting, then the course of our lives would always be changing, easily influenced by external factors, and in the worst case, we would feel lost and uncertain about the future. But if we choose not to set clear goals and pursue them, we could easily become complacent and stagnant.When we set our life goals, we need to start with a long-term goal, which should determine the ultimate direction of our lives. This goal should have a foundation that is not easily shaken by time or external factors. This unshakable foundation is like an anchor for a ship, which can stabilize the ship in a storm.Since everything in the world is only temporary, our focus should be on things that are eternal and unchanging. As Christians, we know that only our faithful God is eternal and unchanging, and He is our true foundation! Jesus Christ and the Church He established are the cornerstone of our lives.St. Augustine, after experiencing being bound and deeply affected by various desires in his life, realized that there is only one ultimate goal that can bring true peace to his life, and he made a famous statement, "Lord, our hearts are restless until they rest in You." St. Augustine transformed from living an unrestrained life with endless desires to finally finding a refuge, abandoning other desires and pursuits, and finding peace only in God. His conversion brings us an important revelation and great news.On the other hand, if a person's life is not anchored in God as an unshakable foundation, their heart will not have lasting peace and tranquility. They are prone to feeling restless or losing peace and hope due to minor issues, and are easily influenced by mood swings.Therefore, before we are able to proclaim the Good News to those around us, we must first recognize God's unchanging role in our hearts and firmly acknowledge this relationship. If we have not recognized Jesus Christ as the centre of our lives, our spirits will inevitably remain dry and thirsty, and we will continue to draw water from different wells until the day we finally encounter Jesus.In fact, according to some research, many believers have never truly encountered the Lord and have not had a true conversion, but only believe superficially and intellectually. This is really a pity! Let us examine our hearts to see if we have lasting peace in order to evaluate our relationship with God and whether we have complete trust in Him.When we recognize Jesus as the unchanging goal of our lives, we also need to acknowledge our own ignorance and blind spots, and recognize that we cannot see the whole picture. Therefore, we should not pridefully judge whether God is faithful or whether He is a Saviour we can trust with our limited knowledge and experience. If we start to doubt God, He will no longer be the unshakable anchor in our lives, and we will be controlled by our wavering desires.ReflectionIs your faith in God unwavering? Have you ever questioned if He is a faithful God?Do you have long-term and clear goals in your life? Are they worldly goals or spiritual or godly goals?Do you believe that when you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all the things you need will be added to you as a result?Today’s PrayerHeavenly Father, thank You for showing me today that the restlessness in my life and the unquenchable desires I have are all because I have not made You the top priority in my life. I have not firmly believed that You are the best for me, and I have questioned whether You will give me the best of everything. I have not established a firm belief in You, and that is why I am swaying. Lord, please rescue me from my unbelief and strengthen my faith. Please give me a heart that longs for You so that I will not let Your desires for me go unfulfilled! I pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. ★ Support this podcast ★

The most important inspiration from yesterday's reflection is that even if we encounter great challenges and obstacles in our lives, they will not lead us to a dead end because God will not allow that to happen! Just as St. Paul the Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." Isn't this marvellous news? However, we cannot just believe with our mind; we must believe from our heart that our God is a faithful God. Without Jesus Christ, even if everything goes well in our lives, it would still be a one-way road leading to our demise. But with Jesus Christ, who is the "way, truth, and life" as our Savior, even if our lives seem hopeless and without a way out, we can still find new life. The reason Jesus was born was to break the curse of this dead end destiny and to redeem us from the valley of death and sin.In John 3:16-17, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."Would this Savior, who was willing to die on the cross and open the door to eternal life for us at any cost, not be willing to help us overcome the challenges of life, but instead watch us walk down the path of no return and waste the precious blood that He shed for us? My soul, do not be deceived by our enemy and wrongly accuse our gracious Lord! This is not fair to Him!However, we must understand that God, who has given us absolute freedom, will not force us to choose the way He provides. The choice is still in our hands! If the Samaritan woman at the well did not believe that she had met the Messiah, was unwilling to accept Jesus into her broken life, did not fully believe and accept Christ's love for her, and chose not to follow the way that Christ had set before her, Jesus would not force her to let go of her various desires that had been binding her. As a result, Jesus would not be able to turn her life around, and she would continue to laboriously draw water daily from the well that could not quench her thirst, and remain trapped in the dead end that she had created for herself.But we must know that to break this curse, we need great courage and complete trust in God. We must be willing to step out of our comfort zone, this false safety net, and reach out to Jesus, allow Him to lead us out of the valley of death, enabling us to restore a new life.In today's prayer, let us allow Jesus to transform our hearts and courageously choose the path He has set before us, and follow the example of the Samaritan woman to share the good news of our transformed life with those around us.Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, please forgive me for my lack of trust in You, only believing in You superficially and intellectually but lacking genuine trust from my heart. Please forgive me for only believing in myself, doubting You and insisting on my own beliefs, not choosing the path You have set before me. My pride has become Your enemy, causing me to be stuck and failing to reciprocate Your endless love for me! Beloved Jesus, please forgive me for hurting You and grant me the courage to be transformed by You! ★ Support this podcast ★

The key point of yesterday’s retreat was that if we don't want to be weighed down by the endless desires in our lives, we need to prioritize our desires. The key is to put our "thirst for God" as the top priority, then our other desires will be put in the right order easily.Amazingly, this solution is also the key to living a life of freedom and abundance. There are many examples in the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels that illustrate this truth. For example, Jesus liberated the Samaritan woman at the well from the bondage of many desires (cf John 4:1-42); He reminded Martha not to be worried and distracted by many lesser things in life (cf Luke 10:38-42); He reminded His disciples not to serve two masters, not to serve God and wealth at the same time, not to worry about what to eat, drink, or wear, because our Heavenly Father knows that we need all these things (cf Matthew 6:24-34). There are countless examples that illustrate this is a core teaching and exhortation of Jesus to us as Christians. Therefore, He used different methods and parables to repeatedly emphasize the importance of this core Christian value.Jesus wants us to clearly understand that following Christ is not a complicated matter; it does not require professional training, and it is not a teaching that only a few people can grasp. Our loving Father is not trying to make things difficult for us, nor does He want only a handful of people to become Christians, receive salvation, and embark on the journey to holiness. The purpose of this teaching is not only for us to be saved, but also for us to find truth in this world, to live a joyful life, to become people of the Beatitudes, and to enjoy life more abundantly! This is also the reason why Jesus emphasizes that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (cf John 14:6).We must understand that although Jesus teaches us to take up our cross daily (cf Luke 9:23), it does not mean that God wants us to suffer all kinds of pain and persecution in this world in order to receive the reward of eternal life and happiness. Our Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy a life of joy and freedom in this world, so He hopes that the Kingdom of Heaven can be present on earth, that we can find the Kingdom of Heaven, and enjoy the blessings and happiness that the Kingdom of Heaven brings to us! Therefore, Jesus made a lot of effort in explaining the truth of the Kingdom of Heaven to the disciples through seven parables.One of the shortest and most powerful parables that Jesus uses to describe the Kingdom of Heaven is the parable of the treasure. In Matthew 13:44, Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."If we apply the parable of the Kingdom of Heaven to the theme of our retreat, the "treasure" is "God's thirst for us". When we discover this treasure and learn of this truth, we should be like the Samaritan woman who, without hesitation, left behind her water jar and joyfully "sold" all her other desires to "buy" the promised land full of "God's thirst for us", refusing to continue to live under the bondages of numerous desires in order to become truly free.Therefore, we need to emphasize here that life is not an endless and helpless struggle, a hopeless dead-end, or a curse filled with tribulations and persecutions. Life has choices and a way out. The choice is in our hands, and Jesus tirelessly points out the direction of life and the way out for us in His teachings. Because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, desires not only to free us from the bondage of sin and death, and bring us the grace of redemption, but also to give us life, and have it more abundantly (cf John 10:10)!ReflectionDo you find it difficult to let go of the desires in your life that keep you away from your Heavenly Father?Have you ever felt like life has no choices or way out? Has today's reflection brought you some inspiration?Now, in your prayer, meditate on the teachings of Jesus and ask for guidance on how to make choices among various desires.Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, thank You for helping me understand through today's reflection that You and the Heavenly Father have not only paid a heavy price for my salvation, but have also patiently taught me over the years, endured my rebellion and constant abandonment, in order for me to enjoy the goodness of the Kingdom of Heaven and to have a joyful and abundant life. Thank You for helping me understand today that my life is not without options or ways out, and that You have quietly prepared the best for me! Please help me learn to cherish You, Your teachings, and all the graces You have bestowed upon me.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. ★ Support this podcast ★

Everyone has different needs in life. It is natural and normal to have desires for what we need, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, the more desires a person has, the more time one spends on them. If those desires lead us closer to God, the time spent on them is valuable. But if those desires lead us away from God, they are wasting our lives, and even more sadly, they distract us from focusing on things that lead us closer to God! As Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."Therefore, if our deepest desire is to approach and draw closer to God, we must learn to discern which desires are beneficial to us and which are not. Learning to differentiate and prioritize our desires according to their relative importance can be a shortcut on our journey to holiness!Therefore, we do not need to renounce all desires in our lives. Instead, we need to learn to discern which desires are good and which are bad or evil, in order to protect ourselves from being led away from our God, who loves us most dearly, by the enemy without realizing it.As mentioned in yesterday's reflection, the most important and highest level of thirst in life is our thirst for God, which is also God's thirst for us. When this thirst is being addressed and satisfied, everything in life will fall into place. Even if the external environment and our lives are chaotic, we are more likely to have inner peace and a sense of inner order. This peace and order that the world cannot provide can help us remain hopeful in adversity, stay awake, recognize and fully understand the meaning of our lives, and move clearly towards the direction of the Kingdom of Heaven. Otherwise, without this "thirst for God" to guide our other desires, our lives will not be disciplined, and our conflicting desires will cause our lives to lose balance and focus. As a result, we will not be able to stay awake or have clear goals, and thus will lose our direction. In this case, we will be less capable of controlling our endless desires, causing our lives to become even more chaotic and disordered. This vicious cycle will continue until we can reprioritize the thirsts in our lives.Facing the various needs in life, we need to make sacrifices. It is not easy to let go of some seemingly practical desires in life. Let us remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Indeed, because our Heavenly Father knows best what we need, if we surrender, trust and depend on God wholeheartedly, He will not let our other important needs go unsatisfied. This is a time for us to stir up our faith and put it into action. In our prayers, let us ask the Lord to strengthen our faith so that we can reach out to help our brothers and sisters who lack faith in God.Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, thank You for setting the best example for us, putting God the Father first in Your life, and believing that the Father will provide everything You need. No matter how difficult the challenges and persecutions You faced, You fearlessly moved forward. Please teach me to thirst for our Heavenly Father like You do, and to make fulfilling the Father's will the only goal in my life. ★ Support this podcast ★

Everyone must have had this painful experience before, that is when the person you love doesn't understand you —— doesn't understand your pain, your difficulties, your feelings, your struggles —— this kind of pain is indescribable. The more you love that person, the harder it is to bear such pain. This feeling of not being understood can bring about a strong sense of loneliness, as if no one in this world understands you and can care for you in a way that suits you. The longer this situation persists, the more disappointed, discouraged and even hopeless a person can become. This kind of situation often happens between spouses, because they see each other as the closest person and should be the one who understands them the most. But the higher the expectation, the more disappointed they become. Because everyone's needs are different, the expectations are also very different. This gap brings about many misunderstandings, conflicts, and even separation.Therefore, some people give up seeking fulfillment from people and turn to objects or other desires, such as fame, status, pleasure, wealth, and so on. Regardless of whether it is for people or objects, everyone has some desires and wants, without exception. Therefore, everyone is pursuing something in their lives, and before obtaining that thing, they are in a state of longing, or you could say, in a state of dryness, and no one is immune from that. The sooner a person can identify what they need and desire, the sooner they can devote themselves to finding it, and the sooner they can find satisfaction and consolation in their heart and spirit.Therefore, life can be seen as a process of constantly seeking the desires buried deep in our hearts. This process requires us to keep trying and usually involves stumbling and falling before the truth is found. Unfortunately, many people spend their whole lives without finding it and live in a state of emptiness until their last moments.So, in this process of constant searching, we need to continuously review our desires, gradually elevating them from lower-level desires to higher-level ones. Fame, status, pleasure, and wealth are all low-level desires that cannot satisfy our true needs in the long run. Instead, they make us crave for more, with even more desires, and makes it harder for us to be satisfied, like falling into a bottomless pit.The desire for relationships between people is a higher-level desire pursued by many wise people, who have accumulated more wisdom in life that allows them to see things more clearly. But as we mentioned at the beginning, to fulfill this desire, deep mutual understanding and the same degree of mutual desire are required. It takes a lifetime of effort for us to learn and achieve perfection.No matter whether we can satisfy our inner desires through people, the truth is that the deepest desire in our hearts does not come from external things or from people, but from the Creator who made us. Because we are all created by our Heavenly Father, only He knows each of our needs best; only He has the means to satisfy our deepest needs; only He can continuously and permanently meet these needs, so that we don’t need to quench our thirst among other lower-level desires.We all know that for any relationship to be fruitful, it requires the cooperation of both parties. And we can be sure that God's desire for us far exceeds our desire for Him. So we can trust God completely and be certain that if we invest our limited lifespan in this relationship, we will not be disappointed, but also bear endless fruit. This endless fruit is that our lives will no longer feel dry, we will no longer feel not being understood, and we will never need to look elsewhere for other ways to "quench our thirst"! At that magical moment, we can truly experience the same astonishment as the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus, and we will immediately receive spiritual satisfaction. Our whole being will be transformed, and we will joyfully and resolutely put down the water jar and share with others the gift of meeting our Lord Jesus!ReflectionOf all the longings you have tried to satisfy in your life, which ones have given you more lasting satisfaction?What are those desires and longings in your life that you keep trying to satisfy but cannot bring you lasting joy and peace?Are you willing to be more open to God's thirst for you?Today’s PrayerAbba Father, please forgive my dullness. I have been striving to satisfy other desires in my life, thinking they could fill the loneliness and emptiness in my soul. Despite years of trying, they have not brought me spiritual joy and satisfaction. Yet, I continue to pursue these unimportant things and have not opened myself to receive Your desires for me, causing You to wait for me endlessly. Please forgive me for constantly hurting Your heart and help me see clearly once again that only You can satisfy the deep longings of my soul. Heavenly Father, please help me turn to You wholehearte

Although we know that we shouldn't make any more excuses and turn down God's invitation, there may still be fear in our heart. It is normal in our human nature to feel frightened, anxious, confused and uncertain, when we receive the invitation from God. Even the Blessed Virgin Mary was no exception. In Luke Chapter 1 verses 28 to 29, in the narration of the Annunciation, the angel went to the young Mary and said, ‘“Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.’Indeed, God's invitation usually happens when we least expect it, and sometimes it may catch us off guard. But on that day, the angel immediately said to Mary, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God" (Luke 1:30). Although we would not be favoured with God the way like the Virgin Mary, we can be certain that God knows we will also feel perplexed the moment we receive His invitation. Just as Jesus often said to His disciples, "Do not be afraid, it is I!" God will also gently say to us, "Do not be afraid, for you are my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased." When Jesus was baptized, which was before He began His public ministry, the Father proclaimed, “This is my Son, the Beloved,with whom I am well pleased” (cf Matthew 3:17) So, apparently, the Father's joy was not based on the merits of Jesus or us. His joy in us is unconditional! The Virgin Mary would never have imagined that she would be able to bear the burden of being the mother of the Son of God, but she did not doubt that God could make this incredible thing happen, so she peacefully and confidently accepted God's astounding invitation.How could Mary, a humble young girl, be qualified to become the Mother of God? From this example, we can be certain that God does not consider our ability, but our love and fidelity towards Him. The Heavenly Father is pleased when we desire to respond to His call because of our faithful love for Him. These simple conditions are enough to drive us to take one step further and offer ourselves to the God we love! This is a response out of love, which is much better than being driven by responsibility!When we are willing to take one step further for God, we must trust that He will not forsake us and leave us to bear the burden alone. He will surely give us the best support, the Holy Spirit, so that we can accomplish great things beyond our own ability, just as the Blessed Virgin Mary and her cousin Saint Elizabeth did! Imagine, who would say that they were suitable to become the mother of the Son of God and the precursor of Jesus respectively? Who are we to judge in what way the Heavenly Father can empower us to accomplish His great works? Our souls, let us not be so proud!Are you willing to set aside your plans in order to accomplish the work of God whom you love, just as Mary did? Are you also willing to set aside your own wishes for the person whom God wants you to love today?Today's prayer:Loving Heavenly Father, thank You so much! Though I have been rejecting Your invitations over and over again, You have never given up on me. You have shown me that nothing is impossible with You if I humbly allow You to work wonders in my life, just as Your beloved Son and the humble Virgin Mary did. Please don’t let me ever forget that You are well pleased with me. You take pride in me simply because I am Your child! From this day forward, I am willing to surrender to You. Father, may it be done to me according to Your word.The Collection of The “5L2F moment” Acts of LoveFountain of Love and Life intends to collect the acts of love from the Farmers of Hearts all over the world and offer them as spiritual bouquets to our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us on the Cross.We encourage you to respond to our invitation and share with us the fruits of your “5L2F Moments” acts of love. We will offer all the fruits of the charitable acts collected in this Lent to our Heavenly Father in the solemn mass of Easter, in return for the grace of our Lord Jesus who sacrificed His life to redeem us! Please visit lent.fll.cc/action and share with us your “5L2F Moments” acts of love.On every Sunday during this Lent, we will post on our social media selected sharing from those who consented to have them published, so that these testimonies of how God touches us will continue to inspire and encourage others and multiply the impact of these “Five-Loaves-And-Two-Fishes Moments”. Thanks again for your sharing! God bless! ★ Support this podcast ★

In yesterday's reflection, we asked if the concept of the "perfect father-son team" resonated with you. We believe that many of you may not have been able to relate to it, as you may not believe that you could become a perfect team with our Heavenly Father. This is understandable. First, we do not think that we are worthy of collaborating with our Heavenly Father. Second, we do not think that we have the ability to be a perfect partner to our Heavenly Father, let alone help advance His salvific plan! You may think that this role can only be fulfilled by the Son of God, Jesus. But is that true?Indeed, Jesus is the Son of God, and of course, His role is irreplaceable. However, let us not forget that Jesus has repeatedly declared that He would only perform the work entrusted to Him by the Father. In fact, in John 5:19, He said, "Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise." Jesus clearly indicated that everything the Son did, how He did it, and when He did it, were all under God the Father's authority. Jesus was the One entrusted with the mission to carry them out.Furthermore, in John 8:28-29, Jesus said, "I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him." Jesus said that He did not act on His own, nor did He try to carry out what was entrusted to Him according to His will or in His own way. Jesus even stated that what He said was based on the Father's instructions. This further reveals that not only did the authority rest with the Father, but also the execution details and His teaching content were from the Father. Yet, Jesus did not mind not being the one in charge, and willingly cooperated with the Father and enjoyed His Father’s companionship. He took great pleasure in pleasing the Father and considered it His responsibility.In John 14:10, Jesus said, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me." Jesus once again explained that the words He spoke were not His own but were from the Father. He even emphasized that it was the Father who dwelled in Him doing the Father’s work. Jesus could collaborate unceasingly with the Father in this way because He humbly submitted to the Father and, more importantly, because He lived in the Father and allowed the Father to live in Him. This shows us how to become the perfect partner with the Father.What is even more surprising is that Jesus did not know the day when the Son of Man would come again. When Jesus spoke to His disciples about the end times in Matthew 24:36, He said, "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." From this we know how Jesus allowed the Father to work in and through Him without any reservation. He willingly submitted Himself completely to the authority of the Father, perfectly cooperating with the Father’s plans and work.There are more examples in the Gospel that show Jesus as a collaborator with the Father, rather than taking the leading role. Even though He is the Son of God, He offered the ultimate decision-making power to the Father.The Father wants each of us children to learn from Jesus. When we question our ability to be a perfect partner to the Father, especially when we feel weak, unworthy, and inadequate, we must remember that Jesus, as the Son of God, was willing to hide in the weakness of His humanity to serve the Father, and was even willing to reveal His weakness before His creation. We really have no reason not to admit and accept our own weaknesses, while at the same time face our hidden pride squarely, so that we can imitate Jesus to willingly expose our weaknesses and humbly cooperate with the Father.ReflectionCan you recall some instances in the Gospel where Jesus humbly admitted that He needed to rely on the power of God to carry out His mission?Compared to the humility of Jesus, do you see the pride in yourself?After today's reflection, do you have any new thoughts on whether you can become the perfect partner of the Father?Today’s PrayerMerciful Father, thank You for allowing me to see not only my weaknesses but also my pride during today's reflection. I constantly make excuses for myself for declining Your invitation and being unwilling to bear my own responsibilities. You made me understand that these attitudes and behaviours are the same as rejecting Your love for me. Please grant me greater courage to face myself and to face You, and let me become Your worthy child. For this I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world

Yesterday, we talked about the "perfect father-son team." Does it resonate with you in any way? Do you think that this perfect team could only describe the relationship between the Heavenly Father and His Son? The truth is that our Heavenly Father also desires to establish this kind of close relationship with us, His children, as He has with His Son. This is the deepest longing from the bottom of His heart! Jesus has demonstrated the perfect relationship and the mode of cooperation that He has with God the Father through His words and actions on earth. Jesus has also longed for all His disciples to establish the same close relationship as He does with the Heavenly Father. The cooperation itself is secondary; yet establishing the relationship is the most important and it is the foundation for everything else!Just as Heavenly Father worked through His Son Incarnate, Jesus Christ, to do His work on earth, He also wants us to continue Jesus' work of spreading His love and salvation to all nations. We can see how Jesus revealed the Heavenly Father’s will through His words and deeds. It is also our responsibility to let the Heavenly Father's will and image be manifested through our words and deeds.In yesterday's Gospel (John 5:17-30), we clearly see that the Heavenly Father never stops working. In fact, He wants to complete His salvific plan through cooperating with Jesus and us. So each and every one of us can and has the responsibility to advance the work of salvation and bring it to fruition. Our Heavenly Father's plan is for each of us to be part of it, to be saved, and to participate in the work of saving others. But at the basis of all these is the loving relationship between the Father and the Son, and also between the Heavenly Father and each one of us! In our Heavenly Father's eyes, none of us can be left out!So, in addition to showing His Son what to do, Heavenly Father also shows, entrusts and commissions us to complete the mission He has specially chosen for us, together with Him.Not only are we the beloved children of our Heavenly Father, but also the perfect partners of His work. How blessed we are!We are the reason why the perfect Father-Son Team has been working tirelessly to bring us His love. Today, to whom does the Heavenly Father want to cooperate with you to bring His love?Today’s PrayerDear Abba Father, thank You for showing me the perfect father-son team and teaching me how to trust You completely, just as Jesus has trusted You completely. Heavenly Father, I am amazed how much You have trusted me! Please help me realize how important I am to You. I am not only Your beloved child but also Your perfect partner in the work of salvation. ★ Support this podcast ★

In today’s Gospel, from the dialogue between Jesus and the Jews who wanted to kill Him, we learn about how Jesus related to and interacted with His Father, as described in the Gospel of John, Chapter 5, verses 19 to 20:Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.” (John 5:19-20)Jesus used the work model of the apprenticeship system of His time to clearly illustrate His identity. He identified Himself as the apprentice and the Father as the master. That was the manner in which Jesus used to interact and cooperate with the Father as He carried out His mission on earth.First and foremost, it was stated that with His identity as the Son, what Jesus was supposed to do. We see that He demonstrated absolute obedience to the Father, as Jesus said, "The Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise." Jesus has also revealed to us that whichever way the Father does, He would do the same. He would not take it upon Himself, handle the situation and act upon it His way. Through imitating what the Father would do and how He would do it, the Son must trust completely and surrender Himself to the Father, that the Father knows best what the Son needs to do and how to do it to best align with the Father’s plan. As the Son and the apprentice, Jesus was willing to accept the authority and responsibilities that were bestowed on Him along with such identities and joyfully fulfilled the mission that God the Father has entrusted Him. He did it fairly and impartially, without conceit and diffidence.Jesus' words also show a deep and intimate relationship between the Father and the Son. Jesus spoke confidently, saying, "The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these." This completely reveals the deep trust between the Father and the Son, as well as between the master and the apprentice. The master does not hesitate to demonstrate and pass on to the apprentice all the skills and abilities he possesses, so that the apprentice could inherit his skills and power.Jesus even confidently described the miracles that the Heavenly Father would perform through Him, saying that the Father "will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be astonished." Before these greater and more amazing things happened, Jesus had already declared that the Heavenly Father would certainly work through Jesus Himself to do greater things. God would share His glory with the Son unreservedly, rather than keeping it for Himself! This is the highest and most sublime expression of the relationship between Father and Son, and master and apprentice. Jesus' words not only expressed His intimate relationship with the Heavenly Father, but also His willingness to cooperate with the Father's will without any reservation, so that the Father's will can be carried out on earth and in Jesus Himself.This is also the best model that Jesus demonstrated to His disciples. Jesus desires that we could follow and learn from Him, so that we could be like Jesus. Even though He was limited by His humanity, He could still be focused, peaceful, confident and meticulously complete the important tasks that were entrusted to Him by the Heavenly Father even at times of extreme pain and hardship.If there were no intimate relationship and unceasing collaboration between the Father and the Son, the mission of redeeming mankind, which was impossible for Jesus in His humanity, could not have been accomplished!This also gives us, as the children of the Heavenly Father, great confidence. If we can focus on our relationship with the Father, and make fulfilling the Father's will the most important goal in our lives, we, like Jesus, can successfully complete the mission entrusted to us by the Heavenly Father in our limited lifetime on earth! All of these are not due to our own ability, but through the great power that comes from the Heavenly Father.ReflectionCan you fully embrace your identity as a child in your relationship with the Heavenly Father? Are there any obstacles that you need to overcome?Can you fully embrace your identity as an apprentice in carrying out the mission that was entrusted to you by the Heavenly Father? What obstacles do you need to overcome? Do you believe wholeheartedly in your Heavenly Father, which in His role as the Father and the master, that He fully trusts us and desires to share His glory with us?Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, thank You for revealing to me the relationship between You and the Father, and for showing me how You communicate and interact with the Father in order to have a close relationship with Him and be able to collaborate wit

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. (John 1:35-39)From yesterday's reflection, we have learned that in order to hear God's voice and discern His will more easily, we need to imitate Jesus and continuously stay awake and abide in the Father. John's two disciples understood this clearly, and so they followed closely behind Jesus, hoping to know where He lived and stayed with Him.Do we not also, like the two disciples, hope to discover the truth, the life direction as well as the true master of our lives, and desire to follow Him? Then we must learn from these disciples that when we have found the true God and the true master, we must be willing to give up everything and grab every opportunity to follow Him closely, with the goal of abiding with the Lord Jesus!We should not be surprised that disciples or apprentices hope to live with their masters. That is pretty much the norm in both Eastern and Western cultures. In order to obtain as much skills and wisdom from our master, we cannot just pick up from the classroom or books but need to imitate the master. Is there a more effective and direct way of learning than living with the master?An old saying goes: "Birds of a feather flock together - One takes on the colour of one's company." If we want to fully receive the entire repertoire of our Master, we need to distance ourselves from all the bad influences around us and get as close to God as possible, living within Him. Otherwise, our enemy lurking around the corner will certainly take advantage of our weakness and incompetency to knock us down!Therefore, as we enter the wilderness to meet God, establish a relationship with Him, and learn from Him, we not only cannot assume a utilitarian mindset, but we also need a great deal of patience and strong determination. Otherwise, we may spend our whole lives going around in circles and feeling lost.In fact, the whole process is like the journey of vocational discernment of those who live a consecrated life. Although we are not really entering a seminary to discern our vocational calling, if we truly hope our discernment to bear fruits, we must be as serious as these religious, willing to leave everything behind, be determined to follow God alone, and persevere in seeking the call set apart for us by our Heavenly Father, the unique personal mission in our lives.In prayer, please imagine yourself searching for the Master like what the disciples did that day. Now that you have found Him, what would you say to Him?Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, I know that You have been waiting for me to follow You and abide in You. But I often hesitate and am unwilling to give up my current lifestyle to follow the new way of life You have instructed me, and to seriously learn from You up close. Please strengthen me again, so that I can be like those two disciples who grabbed every opportunity to follow You. Lord Jesus, I am willing to follow You, please take my hand. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this retreat a few days ago, it was mentioned that our Heavenly Father doesn’t want to let go of us. No matter how much we want to forsake Him, He still desires to be with us. In fact, our lives cannot be complete without our Heavenly Father and without knowing our individual calling from Him. Therefore, to encounter our Heavenly Father also means that we need to learn to listen to His voice, and to discern His will. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight, and it requires us to maintain a good relationship with our Heavenly Father. Many factors affect this relationship, in which our “mindset” has a significant role to play. And our mindset is greatly influenced by our age.The age factor is certainly not a criterion for us to get close to God or a factor of consideration when He calls us. In the Bible, whether Jesus is choosing disciples, healing those in need, delivering His sermon on the mount, or preaching in public, He does not focus on young people or those who are capable, such as deliberately choosing those learned or experienced to help Him establish the church and spread the Gospel. Therefore, if Jesus does not use our age and background as criteria for calling us, then there is no ground for us to refuse or deny God's invitation to us. If we doubt God in this regard, that means we don’t trust Him, in which case, we really have no relationship with Him! Therefore, we should not judge how God treats us and invites us based on our current situation, whether it is age, background, experience, ability, and so on. We play no role in this nor is it up to us to make such judgments.Our mindset is a crucial factor affecting whether we can get close to God, and whether our mindset is biased or not depends on our assumptions and judgments. For example, if we assume that God only chooses, favours, or prefers those who are capable and young to become His disciples and establish a close relationship with Him, and appoints them to preach the Gospel, then we will naturally not take the initiative to get close to God because we have already assumed that if God has a choice, He will not actively approach and choose us. Having this mindset is like falling into the devil's trap, thinking that we are not good enough to be loved and used by God. This is not God's intention and plan, but our way of reasoning determines our behaviour, and unfortunately, this behaviour also determines our final destination, that is, the fruits we can bear in our lives and, ultimately, whether we can attain holiness!Another key factor that affects whether we can approach God is whether we choose to follow the paths that God loves, such as poverty, meekness, mercy, generosity, patience, purity of heart, peacemaking, and so on, and stay away from the paths that God detests, such as pride, self-righteousness, love of judgment, envy, greed, deceit, slander, and stirring up trouble. This is not about flattering God, but about truly loving what God loves and despising what God despises.Apparently, it is not easy for the proud and self-righteous Pharisees to get close to God. So when we feel resentful or complain that God is distant from us, and that He doesn't love or care for us, let us also examine ourselves and ask whether it is because God is unwilling to approach us, or whether our mindset and actions have unconsciously pushed God away from us? The prerequisite for getting close to God and encountering Him is to abide in God. If God is holy and perfect, and we deliberately sin or choose to live in sinfulness, how can we also abide in Him? If we do not abide in God, how can we have a personal or intimate relationship with Him? And without a healthy relationship, how can we hear His voice? In this way, it is not surprising that we are unable to receive from God the personal "instruction manual" for our lives, or cannot discern His will and calling for us. It is not fair for us to pass the blame onto our Heavenly Father!ReflectionWhat obstacles do you think exist in your relationship with the Heavenly Father?Please examine how your biased mindset affects your relationship with the Heavenly Father.Now, in silence, ask the Heavenly Father to reveal to you what changes He wants you to make in your mindset to bring you closer to Him.Today’s PrayerAbba Father, I know that You constantly thirst for me, thirst for my love for You, and You also know that I thirst for You too. But when I don't feel the intimacy between You and me, I often feel disappointed. I have complained that You don't love me enough, and that's why I can't feel the intimacy between us. Today, I understand that my mindset has been affecting my relationship with You. Please let me see clearly and teach me how to correct the deviations in my mindset, so that I can establish a truly intimate relationship with You. Heavenly Father, I really long for You. Please accept my imperfect love for You!Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was

In yesterday's reflection, we started to look into the future positively and anticipate opening a new chapter in our lives. However, in this process, there are still many temptations and challenges.First, we need to clarify that although we have repeatedly emphasized that we need to meet with God, to return to His side, to obtain the "instruction manual" for our lives, and then continue to move towards a clear goal, it does not mean it is a single encounter with our Heavenly Father or seeking a “once for all” answer. Since having God as our “teacher" means regarding God as our Master, and we are His apprentices.Jesus prayed before taking any action, to discern the will of the Heavenly Father and to seek His guidance. This habit allowed Jesus to focus and carry out the Father's will precisely, rather than based on His personal desires and preferences. Because Jesus knew that the Father's will and ways are the best, He would not go down the wrong path by following the Father, and He would have more confidence in moving towards clear goals, without wasting any time.Therefore, we need to understand that learning to "stay awake" in our lives is important, but more importantly, it is essential to learn from Jesus how to continuously "stay awake”. Only in this way can we truly live with dignity, avoid straying away from the right path due to our unclear vision, biased perspectives, and our decisions being constantly influenced by external factors.In this process, our greatest enemy is "pride." That is when we believe that just by ourselves, we have enough wisdom and ability to make every decision and take action, and we are the masters of our lives.As in today's Gospel, the Pharisee was very proud and self-righteous, spoke with arrogance before God, despised everyone else and acted as if God was nothing (cf. Luke 18:9-14). This attitude is detestable to God, and such people foolishly give up obtaining wisdom from God. In contrast, the humble tax collector, although a sinner, won the favour of God through his humility. His humble attitude opened doors for God to enter to fill his shortcomings so that he went home justified rather than the Pharisee. As Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18 verse 14, "For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” This is the way of God!So, as we embark on a new chapter in life, let us learn from Jesus and humbly return to the Father's side every day, accepting His wisdom and blessings, and moving forward with confidence and steadfastness.Now, please honestly examine your own attitude and behavior before the Heavenly Father, whether you are more like the Pharisee or the tax collector in the Gospel.Today's prayer:Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for pointing out to me in today's reflection that my relationship with You should not be built upon an utilitarian mentality, nor should I be like the Pharisee who is complacent and self-righteous, believing that I have no problem, and thus, no room for improvement. You have reminded me that pride is my greatest enemy to “stay awake”, and it is also the attitude that most displeases You! Please help me to come humbly before You every day, listen to and follow Your instructions, and to be the ambassador of Your love and peace.The Collection of The “5L2F moment” Acts of LoveFountain of Love and Life intends to collect the acts of love from the Farmers of Hearts all over the world and offer them as spiritual bouquets to our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us on the Cross.We encourage you to respond to our invitation and share with us the fruits of your “5L2F Moments” acts of love. We will offer all the fruits of the charitable acts collected in this Lent to our Heavenly Father in the solemn mass of Easter, in return for the grace of our Lord Jesus who sacrificed His life to redeem us! Please visit lent.fll.cc/action and share with us your “5L2F Moments” acts of love.On every Sunday during this Lent, we will post on our social media selected sharing from those who consented to have them published, so that these testimonies of how God touches us will continue to inspire and encourage others and multiply the impact of these “Five-Loaves-And-Two-Fishes Moments”. Thanks again for your sharing! God bless! ★ Support this podcast ★

At the blink of an eye, we are already on the 21st day of Lent, which also marks the beginning of the second half of the Lenten season. Thank you for your continued participation and journeying with us. May the second half of this retreat symbolize our entry into the second half of our lives, or rather, the beginning of a new chapter in our lives!People often say that in order to succeed in life, whether at school or at work, the key is to have a head start, or to “win at the starting line”! So, how should we plan and prepare ourselves in the marathon of faith and spiritual life in order to ultimately receive the crown of life? Where is our "starting line"?On the thirteenth day of the retreat, we mentioned that our ability to live with dignity depends on whether we can "stay awake". As we were created in the image of our Heavenly Father, we possess unmatched dignity, which we cannot deny! Therefore, living with dignity is not only our calling but also our responsibility!We must also humbly acknowledge that we cannot learn to "stay awake" on our own. We need a teacher. But who on earth is more qualified than God, who created us, to assume this role as our teacher? Moreover, everyone of us was individually created as God's masterpiece, but not made in cookie-cutters! We each have unique features and personalities, endowed with different charisms, born and raised in different families, destined to live and serve in different environments, and given different graces and life experiences in order to accomplish missions that others cannot bear. It can be said that each of us is unique, with our own distinct characteristics, whether they are strengths or weaknesses. This "uniqueness" is the reason why no one can take our place! That is to say, our roles and missions are set apart and tailor-made for us, that no one else can "wear them" or "fit into” them better than we do.Therefore, our relationship with God, who created us, is also unique. In the eyes of the Father, no one can replace our identity and role in His heart. We are not dispensable in the eyes of our Father. Our Heavenly Father deeply cares about whether we can live with joy and meaning, have a personal relationship with Him, and bear fruit in our lives. No one is excluded!Therefore, there is no "divine handbook or blueprint” that can serve as a reference for building a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father and for us to master the techniques to remain fully awake. You may ask, “What about the Bible? Isn't it The Book from above?” Yes, the Bible is the Word of God and it indeed can be considered a divine handbook. However, simply studying the Bible without living out its teachings will not make a lot of difference in our lives! Only when we use the Bible as a means of communicating and praying with the Heavenly Father, can this divine book have an impact on us. In other words, nothing, and no one in this world can take our place to go back to the Father, personally ask Him why He created us, His hopes and dreams for us when we were created, how we can personally relate to Him, what qualities we have yet to discover in ourselves, what He expects of us, our unique calling and mission, and so on. This personal "instruction manual” for life cannot be obtained elsewhere. We must turn to our Heavenly Father, meet with Him one-on-one to obtain this life manual, which is tailor-made for us individually, teaching us to live our lives fully awake and with purpose!That is why we proclaimed yesterday that this extremely important encounter with our Heavenly Father is not only a turning point in our lives, but it can even be considered as the "starting point of our lives".I bet you would understand that if we want to “win at the starting line” on our journey of "learning to live," we need to turn to the Heavenly Father early on. We should not continue to blindly move forward without a clear understanding of our own "instruction manual" for life, thus wasting our precious lives!ReflectionIs the direction of your life clear? If there is a mentor in your life who could guarantee your success, would you be willing to seek His advice?Have you ever taken a wrong turn in your life? Do you wish to have a life with more purpose and clearer goals?Have the things you once pursued in your life changed? Do you desire what God desires for you?Today’s PrayerOur Father in heaven, I am so grateful for Your constant and never-ending acceptance, patience and grace in my life. Even when I have taken wrong turns or strayed from Your will for me, You have always been there, waiting for me, and have never left or forsaken me. How could I ever deserve such a blessing? Please grant me the greatest determination to return to You, to find in You my true self and be able to understand clearly Your original purpose for me. I pray that from now on, I will live with greater clarity and purpose, so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me! I pray this in the name

In the previous days of this retreat, we have repeatedly emphasized the importance of meeting God, who is waiting for us in the wilderness, to quench our spiritual thirst. In fact, this crucial encounter is a turning point in our lives, and even the starting point of our lives.Any valuable object, such as a valuable violin displayed in an antique shop, is just a decorative item that is collecting dust if no one appreciates it. A discerning antique buyer would cherish and purchase this violin at a high price, carefully preserving it for appreciation and then selling it for profit. However, if this violin "met" a master violinist, the master would not hesitate to buy the violin with all his savings and then carefully clean it, polish it and tune it, restoring it to its former glory and making it shine on stage under the master's superb performance!You are like the violin that is abandoned in the corner of a run-down antique shop. You have suffered the hardships of life and the ravages of time, gradually forgetting your own value, your former brilliance, losing your spirit and hope, giving up on yourself and letting your life slip away, losing your purpose and meaning of existence, and only hoping to live one day at a time.Jesus Christ is the master violinist who searches for the lost violin, which is you. He does not hesitate to use His life savings, which is His life, as ransom in exchange for your new life in Him.But Jesus does not want to see you just being displayed in a museum. He wants you to rediscover your true value, let go of all the burdens of the past, and regain your confidence. He wants you to put yourself in the Master's hands, so that you can come alive and recognize the meaning that you have been given since the beginning of creation, and restore the splendid radiance when you were created, and put this light of yours on the lampstand to shine on all nations!Are you willing to wake up today? Are you willing to let Jesus redeem your life, bandage and heal your wounds, and inject new life into you, so that you can start a new chapter in your life? Are you also willing to help other brothers and sisters who are lost to establish a new relationship with Jesus Christ and start a new life?Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, am I really worth this much that You use Your life to redeem mine? I believe that only You could see the true value of my life! Help me, Lord, to appreciate myself through Your eyes, and let myself be appreciated by You. Please work miracles in me once again! Lord Jesus, do not let me give up on myself or You ever again! ★ Support this podcast ★

Do you think God thirsts for you more, or do you thirst for Him more? Does God love you more, or do you love Him more?For most people, this is a very difficult question to answer. The answer itself is obvious because cognitively speaking, we know that God's thirst for us must be greater than ours for Him, and His love for us must be more intense and complete than our love for Him. However, our experiences and feelings tell us otherwise...If God really loves and thirsts for me so deeply, why is my life still filled with so much suffering and challenges? Why do the situations in life always seem to go against my will? Why doesn’t God care to answer my prayers, the things that I have been begging Him for day after day? Why does He watch me suffer without even extending a helping hand?Oh my soul, please know that God is not indifferent, heartless or refusing to help when He sees us in pain and being hung out to dry. In fact, it is heart-wrenching for Him to see us suffering and feeling aggrieved. Like any earthly parents, Our Heavenly Father feels the pain when He sees a child fall and get hurt when growing up, or make the wrong move and thus experience setbacks or lose direction in life, or even being devastated by traumatic experiences. All parents should know that this is part of their children's growth, and they know they should not intervene in every aspect of their children’s lives and deprive them of the opportunities to make decisions and grow.That is how our Heavenly Father feels for us but only a million times stronger than how earthly parents would feel for their children! Moreover, since God has given us the freedom to choose, He will respect our decisions and the consequences that come with them. Otherwise, if God intervenes, it would mean that He is taking away our freedom to choose and the opportunities to grow that come with it.Doesn’t it make sense? If we do not need to bear any consequences for the wrong decisions that we make in life and if God always intervenes and fixes them for us, we would keep making the same mistakes. We would hurt ourselves and others and never learn and grow from them. You must have met some immature adults who burden and wound others by their irresponsible decisions.In fact, our Heavenly Father is in a very difficult position: each of His children has different demands and His children’s decisions do have an impact on other brothers and sisters. How can God answer everyone's requests and prayers? Particularly, when our wishes deviate from God’s will or are in conflict with each other’s, how can God only answer the prayer of one child but ignore those of the others? Wouldn’t He be accused of favouritism or being unfair? What is our Heavenly Father supposed to do? We ask God to be considerate of our needs and circumstances, but do we ever consider the difficulties that our Heavenly Father faces and which He cannot reveal to us?Moreover, the difficulties and pains in life have a certain value. Isn't that so? As the example previously cited: before enjoying a lavish dinner, we may even skip lunch to preserve our appetite to enjoy the meal. Achievements in life that are easily attainable are not considered precious, so we tend not to cherish them. The marathon or Olympic athletes would not feel as much excitement and satisfaction upon reaching the finish line or receiving a medal if they had not gone through many challenges and made great sacrifices and efforts during training and competitions. Similarly, in the marathon of life, if we have not experienced setbacks and overcome various obstacles with our efforts and the grace of God, we will not eagerly anticipate receiving the crown of life and accepting the reward from our Heavenly Father when we finally reach the finish line. If everything in life is easily attainable, we will, in turn, complain that life is boring, lacks colour, and that we are deprived of the anticipation and the joy of finally reaching the goal.So, is it really a good thing for us to keep asking our Heavenly Father to take away all our pains and difficulties, or ask Him to give us everything we need? Is that what a responsible father should do? In the end, will it benefit us or harm us? Is it really best for us that our Heavenly Father follows our will? My soul, can you be fair to our Heavenly Father? Will you understand His unspeakable dilemmas? Can you accept that even though He loves us deeply, He still allows us to experience some pain in life for our own good?ReflectionNow, in silence, please reflect on how you relate to our Heavenly Father and whether your requests of Him are reasonable.Have you ever experienced an overwhelming sense of fulfillment after overcoming some difficulties or challenges in life? Would you be willing to live a life without any of these painful experiences and difficulties?Please take a moment to quiet down and let the loving and compassionate gaze of our Heavenly Father rest upon you, allowing yourself to experience a

No one has ever truly understood you in your entire life - the pains and sufferings you have experienced, the heavy burdens you carry, the many difficulties you face, the sense of helplessness you feel - who could possibly understand?All that you have done in your life, your aspirations, your pursuits, and… the stories, reasons, and struggles behind them - who would know, to whom can you confide all these?The traumas you have experienced in the past, the mistakes you have made, the people you have hurt, the people and things you have been avoiding,... thoughts that have been constantly haunting you forced you to run away and hide - the feeling of helplessness engulfs you, making it unbearable...You have been carrying all these heavy crosses on your own. Is there anyone who can share your burden, and empathize with your situation? Does this person exist? Where? Why is that even the person closest to you doesn’t seem to understand?The unbearable burdens in our lives, the scars left from the past wounds, the history that cannot be rewritten, and the seemingly hopeless future all make us unable to face the reality and the truth. Instead we constantly try to distract ourselves with things external, in order to numb our emotional pains, to make life a little easier, and to make us feel better.All these scars in your life leave indelible marks on your heart and soul, making you unwilling to enter the closed chambers of your heart. The brokenness… and the voids… make life exceptionally hard for you, and you think to yourself: I just want to take one step at a time, live one day at a time, and enjoy life whenever possible. I really don’t want to think too much...Is this really the way out? Deep down inside, you know that this is not the state you want to be in. You know you can do better...If we cannot even face ourselves, face the reality, and face the God who created us, there can be no way out, let alone leading a meaningful life.To lead a life without meaning is barely surviving. There is no life, no energy, and no hope in it.Jesus is waiting for you in the locked inner chamber of your heart, in the wilderness, by the dry well, to soothe your pain, heal your wounds, restore your strength, and empower you to face yourself, God, others, and the future! He also longs to give you the living water of life, so that your heart will never go wanting.Jesus knows everything about your past and all the grievances and sufferings you have endured. Therefore, He does not want to judge you, but with His compassionate heart and as the merciful face of the Heavenly Father, He wants to release you from all bondages and bring true freedom to your life!Today, when you go to "draw water" again for your life, invite Jesus, who has been waiting for you, to enter and water your dry and weary heart! And the best place to "draw water" is before the Holy Eucharist and during confession.Today’s PrayerDear Jesus, I know my sins have offended You, but You have tolerated my offenses with Your merciful love. You have forgiven all the hurts I have inflicted on You! I know that You want me to forgive myself and others in order to set me free! But I am weak, please help me to act according to Your will what You desire to do unto me! ★ Support this podcast ★

In the past few days, we have been talking about entering the wilderness to meet with God. You may wonder: there are so many better places to choose from, why do we have to encounter God in the wilderness? Indeed, before Adam and Eve sinned, God used to meet and walk with them in the garden. The rest is history. Before we sinned, everything was good, so was our relationship with God the Father. But after we sinned, everything changed. We are deceived by the lies of our enemy and are blinded by our desires and weighed down by our guilt. And what is even more pitiful is how our sin has distorted the image of God in us! We cannot face God and so we try to hide from Him.Because of our sins and unrighteousness, we cannot continue to enjoy the true beatitude in God. However, this does not diminish His love for us. His love for each one of us whom He deeply loves has become even stronger! God, in His divine mercy, has pardoned us sinners and He even laid all our sins on His only begotten Son!In the letter of Paul to the Romans, chapter 5 verses 6 to 8, St. Paul says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)What other reasons do we have to escape from our Heavenly Father? What reasons do we have to hide from Him? What other excuses do we have to ignore Our Heavenly Father, leaving Him to wait for us in vain? We have absolutely no reason not to reconcile with our Heavenly Father. In the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 5 verse 21, St. Paul says, ”For our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)This is the main reason why the Lord Jesus was born as a human, to save us from the slavery of our sins. As sinners, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. So, for us, God is willing to humble Himself and be born as a human, entering into humanity and our sin! This is mind boggling! How can this be real? My soul, do you understand?God is willing to meet us in our sins. He is with us where we fall, help us regain our footing in Him and move on! So, our Heavenly Father is willing to wait for us in the wilderness because we are the ones who wander in the wilderness, the ones who aimlessly search for things or goals that seem appealing, things that we think are the most important in life. Isn't it a familiar scene as Jesus deliberately waited for the Samaritan woman at the well in Samaria during the hottest time of the day? Jesus did this to remind her that what is more important in life is not about satisfying one’s desires, no matter how important they seem to be, but to seek above all things, the eternal spring of life, which is the Lord Jesus Christ!Let us not be deceived. We should not focus all our energy on things temporal, the desires of this world, while neglecting the eternal longing that has always been planted in our hearts. Oh, my soul! Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish!If we know not to foolishly stuff ourselves with snacks to spoil our appetite before a scrumptious dinner, then we should not foolishly satisfy our worldly, temporal desires and sacrifice what God the Father has gifted and prepared for us in the Kingdom of God: the eternal banquet with endless goodness.Let us not forget the words that Jesus said to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)Mary and the Samaritan woman have both chosen the better part, and now it is our turn to choose!ReflectionAre you willing to be like the Samaritan woman, courageously face your past before God, and allow God to transform you, so that you can start your life anew?Do you believe that the personal mission that God has chosen for you is the best part for you or a dreadful one?Are you willing to meet the Lord in the place where you have fallen? Please let God enter the wounded parts of your heart and allow Him to tenderly heal you!Today’s PrayerMerciful Father, I truly don't understand why I have been avoiding You all these years, lacking the courage to face You and my own past. Thank You for not leaving or forsaking me and for remaining silently by my side in places where I have fallen. Please grant me an unshakable faith and an unwavering hope, so that I will not repeat my mistakes and walk away from Your path again. I promise to never again walk astray from Your boundless mercy and to always thirst for Your eternal spring of life. I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. ★ Support this podcast ★

Can you imagine what it feels like to wait for your loved one in the wilderness? Have you ever imagined that from the moment you were conceived in your mother's womb until now, the One who loves you the most has been waiting for you in the wilderness, eagerly anticipating your appearance, and cherishing every moment spent with you?The waiting in the wilderness signifies the Heavenly Father’s thirst for us! A deep desire for us to "return home to Him" like the Prodigal Son, to re-embrace Him as our Father, to acknowledge that we are His beloved child, and to receive the love that He so desires to pour out upon us! This love is unconditional, because our Heavenly Father knows that we cannot repay His love the same way He has loved us. So, He does not have high expectations of our love for Him, but only hopes that we have a desire for Him as well. It can be said that our longing for our Heavenly Father is enough to quench His thirst for us!Waiting in the wilderness not only shows the thirst of our Heavenly Father for us, but also His thirst for our active and enthusiastic response to His love for all mankind. Our Heavenly Father hopes that we can cooperate with Him to become the "conduit of His love" to the world through the offering of our "five loaves and two fishes," so that His lavish and everlasting love could be poured upon all mankind whom He loves.Therefore, if we still stubbornly resist our Heavenly Father’s love by holding tight on our perceptions or even making up excuses, we are ignoring this thirst of our Heavenly Father and mercilessly making Him wait endlessly in the wilderness! Our thoughts like "I am not good enough, so God will not use me!" or "I am too old, the time for God to use me has already passed," pierce the heart of the Father like a sword because we do not understand His heart and intentions, cruelly denying His humble desire.Let us not be mistaken that our purpose of existence is to quench the thirst of our Heavenly Father or to merely become His tools. Through the mission He entrusted to us, our Heavenly Father desires to lead us into His inner room, allowing us to better understand His will. This process helps us understand ourselves better, acknowledge our true identity and self worth more clearly, and reconcile with our brothers and sisters, enabling us to sanctify ourselves and help more brothers and sisters return to the Father.Each of us has hurt our Heavenly Father to various extents, and we are all like the younger son in the "Parable of the Prodigal Son." It is not easy to face the Father whom we have hurt, and it requires even greater courage to face the hurts we have inflicted on our Father in the past. Here, we need to learn from the younger son!On this day of action, let us also take the initiative to care for our brothers and sisters who are spiritually bound in different ways, so that, through our love and care, they will courageously respond to the Father's invitation of love.Today’s PrayerAbba Father, thank You for helping me untie some knots in my heart today, so that I can truly feel Your loving intentions towards me, and the pains You have been suffering waiting for me. Please deliver me from all my bondages, so that I may return to Your embrace freely and joyfully. May I become a wounded healer to bring others back to Your love!The Collection of The “5L2F moment” Acts of LoveFountain of Love and Life intends to collect the acts of love from the Farmers of Hearts all over the world and offer them as spiritual bouquets to our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us on the Cross.We encourage you to respond to our invitation and share with us the fruits of your “5L2F Moments” acts of love. We will offer all the fruits of the charitable acts collected in this Lent to our Heavenly Father in the solemn mass of Easter, in return for the grace of our Lord Jesus who sacrificed His life to redeem us! Please visit lent.fll.cc/action and share with us your “5L2F Moments” acts of love.On every Sunday during this Lent, we will post on our social media selected sharing from those who consented to have them published, so that these testimonies of how God touches us will continue to inspire and encourage others and multiply the impact of these “Five-Loaves-And-Two-Fishes Moments”. Thanks again for your sharing! God bless! ★ Support this podcast ★

At our baptism and confirmation, we were consecrated. This "consecration" means that we are chosen, set apart by God and for God to fulfill the special mission that He entrusted to each of us. This means that each one of us and the mission entrusted to us are unique and irreplaceable. And because "God is love", so each of us, the Christ-follower, is God's "special envoy of love."We all have experiences of having some important mission or projects that we need to complete, such as taking the public exams during school days, organizing large projects in the workplace, preparing for our own wedding, or welcoming the birth of a new life, we would naturally choose to step away temporarily from the less important things in life so that we can focus on completing the more important ones at hand. It makes sense, right? When we are occupied with "many things" in our minds, we become like Martha, anxious and distracted. We are unable to put all our energy and thoughts on the most important mission at hand. When we are confused and distracted, our performance will naturally suffer, and we are more likely to make wrong decisions and the outcome would not be as good as expected. The saddest thing is that we cannot "live in the present moment". As a result, we would not be able to listen to God's voice or discover His presence and footsteps in each moment of life.In fact, many of us dedicate all our energy and efforts into achieving as many accomplishments as possible in our lives. Perhaps we want to contribute to society and serve others, or we want to prove our abilities and leave a lasting legacy. Whatever our intentions and goals may be, when we reach the end of our lives and look back, we may find that the most important things in our lives are not what we thought they were. We may be surprised to discover that what we spent our whole lives pursuing was not the most important thing, nor was it what God intended for us to achieve!That is why Jesus told Martha in Luke 10:41-42, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”So what about you? Do you know what is the "better part" that God has prepared for you? It's certainly to choose God, but it's also to choose to accept the unique mission that He has entrusted to you. The sooner you can discern and identify this mission, the more time you will have to carry it out. And most importantly, this mission can only be fulfilled and completed by you.Jesus responded immediately to the Father's call to "enter the wilderness" when His time had come. His great example should profoundly inspire us, prompting us to act. Because God’s timing is not for us to know or predict, we cannot assume that we still have lots of time ahead of us. We must put the talents that God has gifted us to good use in a timely fashion and not to procrastinate, so that we can prepare ourselves well for the Master's return and be able to give an account.When Jesus knew that His time had come, according to God’s plan, He responded with absolute obedience and took action immediately. Although Jesus is God, He humbled Himself to be baptized by John the Baptist before letting the Holy Spirit lead Him into the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil. He demonstrated His faithfulness to the Father through His actions and accepted the mission entrusted to Him by the Father. He was determined to cast aside all the unnecessary and lesser things in life in order to focus all His energy on the work entrusted to Him by the Father!So let us once again learn from the example of Jesus and follow the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, acknowledging before our Father that we are important in His eyes. We have both the identity of being God's beloved children and the responsibility of carrying out the special mission He entrusted to us. We must not believe the devil's lies that we are not good enough. In God's eyes, each and every one of us is equally precious and important!Our Father is waiting for each of us in the wilderness, ready to declare His love and express His hope for us. Just like our earthly parents, only that God's love is ever more unconditional and bottomless!ReflectionDo you believe that God has entrusted you with a mission that only you can fulfill? Have you been avoiding this important question in life?Are you anxious and worried about many things? Are there many things that you can't let go of?Are you fearful of the call to "enter the wilderness"? During this Lenten season, do you have more courage to "enter the wilderness"? Now, please ask God to grant you enough courage to do so.Today’s PrayerMerciful Abba Father, thank You for letting me know that You have been waiting for me in the wilderness, eager to express Your love to me. Please help me seize this opportunity of Lent and seriously contemplate the reason why You created me, as well as discern and acknowledg

Yesterday we mentioned that we need to "enter the wilderness" regularly in order to quiet ourselves and listen to God's message. We need to make space for sorting out our lives, re-evaluating what is most important to us, and discerning the mission that God has for us. This process can help us see clearly the state of our spiritual life and then take action accordingly.But what does it mean by "entering the wilderness"? What exactly is “the wilderness”? As the name suggests, the wilderness is a barren land that most people would not choose to enter or stay in unless they were like Moses, who entered the wilderness because he was fleeing or avoiding responsibility. We have previously invited everyone to imagine what it would be like to stay in the wilderness for forty days. The wilderness is not a place of rest where we can escape from our busyness, or a long vacation where we can rest our body, mind and soul. Doing these things are certainly beneficial for our body and mind, but "entering the wilderness" has a deeper meaning here."The wilderness" is a space of solitude, where we stand before God honestly in silence, and also to take a good, hard look at ourselves and our lives, including our weaknesses, failures, and sins. In the wilderness, we must also be prepared to face those intractable problems, and those important but tough issues that we have been avoiding in our lives. In the process of spending some lone time in the wilderness, we need to listen attentively to the messages and revelations from God, and be prepared to make some important choices and decisions.After Jesus turned thirty, He knew His time had come, according to God’s plan. Despite the path ahead was against His humanity, He knew that He had to take up the mission which God had given Him. So, Jesus courageously put everything aside and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead Him into the wilderness. There, He accepted the mission that God had entrusted to Him.The hardships He had endured in the wilderness had not shaken or worn down Jesus' will, but rather, strengthened His trust and reliance on God the Father. Even when Jesus was facing intense temptations from the devil, He did not do anything against the Father’s will, not even merely performing a small miracle to satisfy His hunger. Jesus was willing to go through all these, with great determination, to embark on His public ministry. He also wants us to follow His footsteps to enter the wilderness with a submissive heart, and by relying on the power of God the Father instead of our own strength, to fulfill the mission which God has entrusted to us.On this Action Day, let us first attend to our own spiritual needs. In your prayer, ask the Father for the courage and determination to enter the wilderness to encounter Him personally.Today’s PrayerLord Jesus, I thank You for Your example of surrendering Yourself completely to God the Father. I ask You to teach me to place complete trust in God's plan, knowing that He will provide for all that I need to set out on the journey He has set before me. Please do not let me flinch from difficulties and grant me the same faith as You have to enter the wilderness to encounter God the Father. ★ Support this podcast ★

If we want to be able to discover the true meaning of life, discern the personal mission that God has entrusted to us, or simply hope to live well at the present time, "staying awake” is the prerequisite of achieving these goals. In fact, it can be said that one of our most important survival skills is the ability to "stay awake" as much as possible. We can even put it this way: whether we can live with dignity depends on whether or not we can live our lives with heightened awareness.Just as when the human body lacks sleep or rest, the mind becomes muddled, thinking becomes fuzzy, which leads to slower decisions that are more prone to mistakes with far-reaching consequences. Similarly, when our mind and spirit lack rest or have not “recharged" fully, our ability to analyze will be compromised, we would lack the wisdom to make proper spiritual decisions and to discern God’s will for important decisions in our lives.Just as the human body is not a machine and cannot operate endlessly, our spiritual life is also the same. Without regular realignment and nourishment, we won’t be able to maintain and grow our spiritual life. The most basic realignment is to make time to pause and ponder on life, which enables us to move from the space of "survival" into the space of "living", and to get our lives back on track.Before embarking on His important mission, Jesus entered the wilderness, giving Himself and the Father sufficient time to be united in a quiet and sacred space. Jesus becomes our best role model. We must understand that a life without sorting out and integration will not be in order but in chaos. When we are faced with a busy life and bothered by the distractions that come with it, it is difficult for us to make the right decisions for our lives. Therefore, we need to learn to follow Jesus into the wilderness, to face ourselves and God, and to recognize our identity and our role. Our encounters and connection with God can ease our mind and spiritual dryness, and allow the Holy Spirit to breathe in the breath of life into us again and rejuvenate our souls.We have all experienced unexpected changes in our lives that forced us to make important decisions without being mentally prepared. However, it is often in these tough times that we realize who and what are the most important in our lives, which then drives us to make choices that can change the trajectory of our lives. Miraculously, these realizations in times of hardship and the decisions made afterwards usually bring positive changes to our lives, turning these originally dreadful moments into blessings in disguise. These moments make us see the essence of life, prompting us to let go of the lesser things that had once gripped us, and instead aim for the most important things in life. In these helpless moments, we are able to see our own weaknesses and limitations, and truly realize that we cannot rely solely on our own abilities and wisdom, but need to rely on the power of God and His grace to live fully the life that our Heavenly Father has given us.Jesus, through His own example, reminds us not to wait until the alarm of life goes off that forces us to make inevitable and critical decisions. If we, like Jesus, can regularly "enter the wilderness", return to the basics of life and see the focus of our lives clearly, then we can face ourselves and God with complete honesty. We will then be able to let go of unnecessary burdens more easily, return to simplicity, and live more lightly. Let us dwell in the Holy Spirit to reclaim our freedom and vitality, so as to respond actively to God’s invitations and promptings in every moment of our lives.ReflectionDo you feel like you are living a life with full awareness? What are the main reasons that cause you to live your life without being fully awake?Please reflect on your life and recall some critical or unexpected events where you had to make important decisions urgently. During those times, who and what things did you find were the most important in your life?After going through today’s reflection, please ask God to reveal to you in your prayers what you can learn from Jesus’ experience of “entering into the wilderness”.Today’s PrayerMerciful Abba Father, thank You for reminding me again today what the most important thing in my life is and what I truly need. It is not any external possessions, my experiences or wisdom, or even the abilities that You have granted me; but rather, it is a life I can live with full awareness, and to remain connected with You.Please help me to always remember that if even our Lord Jesus Christ needed to receive His strength and wisdom from You, how much more do I need to rely on You? Heavenly Father, now I humbly declare that You are the King of my life. Let me live solely by the graces that You have bestowed upon me. I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever sha

Have you ever wondered why Jesus entered the wilderness and fasted for forty days and forty nights, and then faced temptation from the devil? What was Jesus' state of mind when He entered the wilderness?Jesus' entry into the wilderness demonstrated His determination to follow the will of His Father, to redeem the world He loved in complete obedience to the Father's way. We must understand that this way contradicted Jesus' humanity. He assumed the role of a servant of God, taking a path of extreme pain, being rejected and humiliated, a path that no earthly king would voluntarily choose! Was the Son of God being obedient without any choices? Was it an expression of foolish filial piety from the Son of God? Jesus Christ is the perfect reflection of the Heavenly Father. If Jesus Christ did not love us as deeply as His Heavenly Father, there was nothing to compel or force Him to make such a choice!Every step Jesus took revealed His intention and heart. Can you imagine what it was like to live in the wilderness for forty days and nights? And He chose to have a complete fast! Was it really necessary for the Son of God to do this? Of course not! But this fully reveals Jesus' determination to love. I believe you have also made sacrifices before for those whom you loved! Jesus' choice fully revealed God's desire to experience human sufferings in the human form and with human weaknesses. In fact, this is the very reason why Jesus became man: to live among us, to accompany and redeem each one of us whom He deeply loves.Jesus' Passion began when He chose to enter the wilderness and face temptation from the devil. Jesus' mission was not easy. In just three short years, He had to call disciples, teach and preach, institute the church, and ultimately enter His Passion to die for us on the cross. To accomplish so much, Jesus could not afford to waste any time! Without complete focus, He would not have been able to complete the mission that the Father had entrusted to Him in just three years.Choosing to enter the wilderness not only revealed Jesus' determination to follow the Father's will, but also showed His seriousness about this mission of love and salvation! Therefore, He treated the mission entrusted to Him by the Father with utmost seriousness and prepared Himself rigorously by spending forty days and forty nights with the Father, attentively listening to the instructions given to Him, setting aside His personal aspirations and desires, and focusing on completing the tasks entrusted to Him by the Father.If Jesus, as the Son of God, took us so seriously, what about you? Have you taken the mission which was entrusted to you by the Father seriously?Today’s PrayerLord Jesus Christ, how can I repay Your love? For my sake, You made such a serious and humble decision to follow a path of humiliation to enter Your Passion. Please teach me to follow You closely, to imitate You, and to take seriously the personal mission entrusted to me by the Father in order to make me whole. ★ Support this podcast ★

In previous reflections, it was mentioned that the state of "I thirst" has become a "pandemic" in our world. Today, let us deepen our understanding of this state of "I thirst". In this online retreat, "I thirst" refers to the dryness of our spiritual and mental state. Few people would describe their condition in this way, just as people lacked knowledge and understanding of depression in the past and did not take it seriously. Only in recent years, through extensive media coverage, the public has come to understand that many serious conditions, such as suicidal tendencies, might be caused by depression.The condition of "I thirst" that we are discussing here is more common than emotional illnesses such as depression, and includes more mental and spiritual conditions. Most people may not be aware of its existence or admit that they have this problem. In today’s world, people lead busy lives, and they are distracted by the desire to fulfill different wants, which leads to neglect of this fundamental desire. Only those who have a high level of spiritual sensitivity would know that they are in a state of "I thirst". Although most people do not realize that they are in a state of "I thirst", it does not mean that they are mentally and spiritually healthy. On the contrary, the less aware they are of this situation, the more lax they are in guarding against it, and the more vulnerable they are to being affected and becoming victims.Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, the condition of "I thirst" can be considered an "invisible pandemic" that quietly erodes our mental and spiritual health. However, because few people are aware of this hidden threat, no one is concerned about it or advocates the need for its prevention. As a result, no remedy is in sight. Also, because it is not life-threatening, it will not prompt different countries to actively develop "vaccines'' and epidemic prevention measures like those of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why the "invisible pandemic" — "I thirst" — is so alarming!In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a blessing in disguise. Because during the pandemic, we were forced to pause and have more time for ourselves and those around us, especially our families. But now that we are in the post-pandemic era, when everything seems to be back to normal, we are prone to neglecting our mental and spiritual well-being, thinking that "I'm OK, you are OK, and everyone is OK!"We need to constantly ask ourselves while everything seems to have returned to normal, but do we really have no problems? As we discussed before, the two main tactics that the devil often uses will rampage in the post-pandemic era. We really cannot take it lightly! But how can we increase our sensitivity to our mental and spiritual needs?God has already warned us through the Holy Spirit. But when we are busy trying to satisfy the various desires in our lives, we not only don't have time but also don't have the heart to respond to God's call deep in our hearts. Unfortunately, most people, even Christians, because of various distractions and temptations, do not have the awareness or are too busy to face this "spiritual dryness". As Christians, we need to first save ourselves so that we can assume the role of a prophet to awaken others.In the face of the attacks of the devil's two major tactics, we have two strategies to cope. The first strategy is the "mountaintop experience" mentioned the day before, that is, we must constantly revisit the "evidence of God's love" in our lives, including the experience of "encountering the Lord" and the various graces He has given us. In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, these experiences are called "spiritual consolation".The second strategy is to "enter the wilderness", which means to pause our never-ending hectic life, break away from the fast pace and noises, and enter a state of stillness and tranquility, to face ourselves and God. Lent is the perfect time for this! Before starting His public ministry, Jesus humbly let the Holy Spirit lead Him into the wilderness, where He fasted and prayed, talked and united with the Father. We should also follow Jesus' example, respond to the call of the Father in our hearts, and listen to God’s messages and His will for us before we set out again.ReflectionIs your life too fast-paced, depriving you of the time to encounter the Lord or appreciate the various graces that God has given you?Please examine if you are in the state of "I thirst". Do you feel a mental and spiritual need that has not been met?Are you willing to take advantage of the Lenten season to pause, give yourself a chance to breathe, and leave some space for the Father, who has been waiting for you?Today’s PrayerFather, I know You have been calling out to me, but I have not responded to You due to various reasons and excuses. I know You are heartbroken and have been waiting patiently for me. Abba Father, how can I be so indifferent and cruel to You! Please awaken my conscience an