*****Christ Our Only Savior*****

        If you believe there is life after death, the most urgent question is whether you will be happy forever. True happiness is impossible if it isn't permanent. This is where Jesus fits in. He is the only one who can solve this problem for us for good, as long as we believe in and follow him. We have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. I know this to be true, because when God reveals truth to us, we just know it deep in our hearts!

***From Death to Life***

        The Lord made me see this clearly today. We have all inherited original sin, making us unfit for heaven. As a result, we ended up on this earth, having to toil all our lives. But this is not the end, for we have Christ, who can free us from this life forever if we trust in and follow him. This changes everything, and we can rejoice in God for his love and mercy forever from now on!

**Endearing Ourselves to God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'" What we can learn here is that we must not focus on serving the Lord for our own sake, but instead on doing his will alone. This is how we endear ourselves to God.

**We Are Wonderfully Made**

        Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. Let me quote from today's Psalm 139: "Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I give thanks that I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works." Then, in the second reading from Acts 13, Paul  says, "John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'" The fact that we feel that we are not worthy to unfasten the sandals of Jesus' feet shows that we are indeed wonderfully made.

**To Follow or Not to Follow God's Plan**

        God has a plan for each of us. If we trust in and follow him, we will live a happy and peaceful life, both now and forever. Conversely, if we follow our own path, we are guaranteed a fulfilled afterlife only if we seek salvation before we die. So choose the path of faith!

**We Cause Great Sorrow to God**

        If someone you love turns you down, it naturally hurts. The more you love that person, the more your pain. Now, Christ the Lord loved us with the greatest possible love by laying down his own life for us, imagine how great his sorrow must be when today so many of us still reject his love!

**The Golden Rule**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets." This is what is known today as the Golden Rule, the basic moral principle of treating others exactly the way you would want to be treated. It is an easy principle to remember, but sadly, we often forget. Yet, if you follow Christ, you will automatically follow it without even thinking.

***Praying to God as One**

        When you are in union with God, every time you pray to him as one, that union is strengthened!

***Loving Jesus***

        I love everything Jesus has said and done for me, but most of all, I love him, my Lord and my God.

**The Face of Jesus**

 https://youtube.com/shorts/dr-axbs05nY?si=cTv-lmwi6pesWN_p

**To Judge Is to Play God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye." It is true that we see others' faults easily, but rarely our own. We should simply perfect ourselves and pray for others, leaving all judgment to the Lord.

**Soul Over Body**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." This should make it clear to all that the soul matters much more than the body, for it lasts forever. If you have not yet realized this, you are in greater need of God's mercy than ever.

**Trusting in Jesus' Mercy**

        Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet is all about trusting in Jesus completely. Therefore, I put all of myself—my soul first and foremost—my loved ones, my Church, my country, and the whole world with its inhabitants into his holy, merciful hands. Now, all I need to do is to follow him in peace.

**Living a Pointless Life**

        We enjoy cooking or eating good food, listening to nice music, pursuing hobbies, watching TV shows, attending parties, traveling around the world, and so on; however, none of these activities gets us any closer to heaven. This is not being brave or fearless; it is simply being ignorant and foolish.

**Happy Father's Day to Our Heavenly Father**

        Today is Father's Day. The only father who deserves all our love, all our reverence, all our praise, and all our gratitude is our Father in heaven. As for all of us who are fathers on earth, our happiest day will be when we meet him meets him and hear him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. [...] Come, share your master’s joy" (Matthew 25:21). May we please our heavenly Father by remaining obedient to him.

**Dependance on God**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus says to his disciples, "Do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." Such common-sense wisdom should make sense to us all. The challenge is whether our faith in the Lord is strong enough for us to want to follow him.

**Be Proud of Christ!**

        What Jesus said in Luke 9:26 comes to my mind: "Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Matthew 5:15 follows: "Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house." Since Christ is our brightest light, we are to proudly hold him up for all to see!

**"Spoiled" by Christ**

        Once you have tasted the Lord, all the pleasures of the world tastes insipid.