**Joy on a Different Level**

        There is a commercial that claims using their product—I can't remember the name—makes you feel guilty for feeling so good. It made me think of the joy of Christ, which elevates our spirits to a heavenly level without a single ounce of guilt.

**The Lord Is Our Physician*

        Today is the Feast of Saint Mathews, Apostle and evangelist. In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9, as Jesus passed by a man named Matthew sitting at the custom table, he sais to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." Thus, we can see all sinners as sick people and the Lord as their physician.

**Follow This Rule to Perfection***

        Since God is love, to live for God is to live for love. So let us bear with one another through love, as St. Paul advises in Ephesians 4 today. Follow it to perfection and we become perfect. This is the only simple rule we need to remember in following Christ.

**Humility, A Must for Eternal Life**

        If you are a fairly intelligent, talented person but are not aware of God's omniscience and omnipotence, it is easy to believe that you know enough to no longer need him. This is like a curse—the very opposite of a blessing. You are being foolish in the extreme, for whatever you have came from the Lord who created you in the first place. Don't let pride imprison you; It is by acknowledging that you are absolutely dependent on him that you may inherit eternal life.

***Communion Experience***

        I finally got to receive Holy Communion after almost five months. The fact that I felt the Lord's presence within me at all times helped a lot. Nevertheless, after I received both the consecrated bread and wine, I couldn't help weeping tears of joy for at least five minutes, lifting my spirit high.

***Reason We Need Christ***

        The Lord can heal and perfect our souls, preparing us for entry into heaven. (This thought came to me at Mass today)

**Heaven Wipes Out All Past Inequalities**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus tells the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. The landowner hires laborers at various times of the day, meaning some work many hours and others very few. Yet, at the end of the day, everyone receives the exact same daily wage. The Lord concludes, "Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last." This illustrates that while some of us turn to the Lord early in life and others much later, we all receive the same ultimate gift of heaven.

**Life Is Christ and Death Is Gain**

        In today's Second Reading from Philippians 1, Paul longs to depart this life to be with Christ, yet he feels it necessary to remain in the flesh to labor for the Lord. He is not sure about which one to choose. Many Christians ponder making such a choice. Since I do feel the Lord's presence at all times, I don't mind remaining in this world as long as He wishes me to.

**A New Beginning**

        Today is a big day for me. Ever since my fall last April 26, I had not gone to Mass. Then, this morning, I finally felt good enough to go. The Entrance Antiphon read, "I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever." That really cheered me up—surely he would be my Lord forever!

***Gone for the Right Reason**

        "You are gone" can mean "you are missing," "you are dead," "you are too intoxicated," or, in general, "you are out of control" or "you are in trouble." But if you are gone because you are now in heaven—nothing else matters!

**How to Pray Right**

        Pray as if the salvation of the entire world depends on your prayers, for it truly does.

***True Humility***

        Humility is a strength, but it is not feeling superior or inferior to others; it is simply not judging them, nor allowing yourself to be swayed by them. I hold Christ up as our model. No matter how people mistreated him, he never struck back nor gave in to them—he simply focused on completing the Father's will, remaining clear-headed and in deep peace at all times.

***Three Choices, One Good Outcome**

        Living for Christ seals your eternity. Living without him condemns you to total emptiness. Living against him guarantees your destruction.

**Unique Feature*

        Catholicism is not just another religion; it is the truth. If you consider it a religion, it is the only one whose leader came directly to us from heaven and is, in fact, God Himself.

***No Upper Limit!***

        God being perfectly holy and boundlessly merciful, there is no limit to how much we can love him, praise him, adore him, worship him, trust in him, believe in him, fellowship with him, listen to him, learn from him, and obey him. This is what makes following Christ so fulfilling and satisfying.

***To Bear Rich Fruit for God**

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 8, Jesus told the Parable of the Sower to the crowd, describing a sower who went out to sow his seed. Afterwards, he explained the meaning of the parable to his disciples, saying: "The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance."

         We see that we must watch for the Devil, believe in the word of God deeply, guard against temptation, and not let the anxieties, riches, and pleasures of life affect us in order to bear much fruit for God. To fulfill this tall order, seek to attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist first. For once you attain union with God, you fulfill his ultimate desire.