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

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 Prayer

Lord 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.

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!

Reflection

Of 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 Prayer

Abba 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 wholeheartedly! 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.

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 Love

Fountain 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!

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.

Reflection

Can 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 Prayer

Merciful 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 without end. Amen.

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 Prayer

Dear 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.

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.

Reflection

Can 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 Prayer

Lord 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 with Him unceasingly. Please let me see the true image and face of the Father through Your relationship with Him, so that I may fully cooperate with Him to live out the plan He has for me and give all glory to our Heavenly Father, just like You do.

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.

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 Prayer

Lord 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.

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!

Reflection

What 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 Prayer

Abba 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 the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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 Love

Fountain 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!

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!

Reflection

Is 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 Prayer

Our 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 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.