**Stay Awake so You Don't Get Locked Out**

        Today's Gospel reading is the Parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25. The five foolish virgins were not ready and missed the bridegroom's arrival. When they showed up to attend the wedding feast, the door was already locked. They called out, "Lord, Lord, open the door for us!" He replied, "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you." This is something you never want to hear the Lord say to you; it's worse than "Woe to you!" The lesson is clear: We must stay awake, for we know neither the day nor the hour of his coming.

**A Prayer We May Need to Say**

        Today is the Memorial of Saint Augustine. The Gospel Acclamation, Luke 21:36, reads: "Be vigilant at all times and pray, that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man." This is what Jesus said to his disciples. Indeed, we need to pray this, for the day to stand before the Lord will surely come for each of us. The question is: Are we ready? 

***Wrath of God Arriving!***

        The following is the latest urgent message from the Hermit of Assisi, a modern-day prophet.

***Most Loving and Uplifting Promise***

        If we love God, he will never forget us. Obey him and we are his forever! In John 14, at the Last Supper, Jesus says to his disciples, "In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be." This is absolutely music to my ears—I cannot imagine hearing a promise that is more loving and uplifting!  

***STAY AWAKE & BE PREPARED**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 24, Jesus said to his disciples: "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." We make sure no burglar can break into our home and we make sure our own health and wealth remain sound and safe, yet we don't look beyond this life—how myopic and foolish we can be! Is not our soul much more important than everything else about us?

***Our Highest Calling!***

        Today is the Memorial of Saint Monica. The First Reading consists of 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. Paul starts out: "Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God... to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Right here, I realize that when the Lord God calls us to follow Christ Jesus, it is a sanctifying grace calling us to be holy, so that we may be saved forever! It truly is the highest calling of our whole life.

****Be Ready for Judgment Now****

        Every day we live, God measures us by how Christlike we are before the day of judgment. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to show us what we should be like, and no one goes to the Father except through the Son (John 14:6).

**Scribes & Pharisees vs. Today's Politicians*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 23, Jesus said to the scribes and the Pharisees, "Woe to you, hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing." These were harsh words! I thought of today's hypocritical and evil politicians. They don't appear beautiful on the outside at all. They absolutely show no joy, committing fraud and attacking anyone who disagrees with them. Compared to the scribes and the Pharisees, they are less smart and thus more pitiable.

****Perfecting God's Love in Us!****

        Today's Gospel Acclamation, 1 John 2:5, reads, "Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him." This is a big deal! Who doesn't want the God's love to be perfected in him? We now know that if we want it, we only need to keep the word of Christ.

***How God Loves Us***

        Never worry about anyone; be concerned solely with their souls. This is how God loves us.

*Hard Life vs. Comfortable Life*

        When life is too comfortable, it is easy to forget about God. On the other hand, when life is hard, people may complain and curse God, or they may turn to him for help. Between the two, I think a hard life is still a safer choice.

**What Love Requires of You**

        If you truly love God, you will want to be united with him completely. Of course, since God is the Lord, you must surrender yourself to him.

**Recognizing the Lord in Prayer**

        Everything comes from God, including us whom he created. Therefore, whenever we pray to God, we should recognize that he is the Lord and submit ourselves to do his will. I hope you see this connection too.

***Jesus Is God with Us***

        Today, as I prayed the first two Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary—the Resurrection and the Ascension—these thoughts came to me. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is unquestionable. In the book and movie The Case for Christ, journalist Lee Strobel tries to disprove the Resurrection, only to find overwhelming, undeniable evidence of its truth after an exhaustive investigation. The Resurrection alone is enough proof that Christ is God. Furthermore, his Ascension into heaven does not mean he is now far away from us on earth. Because he is transcendent, he can be with us spiritually. In truth, the faithful and the Lord dwell in each other!

**Keep the Inside Clean First**

       In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 23, Jesus continues to denounce the scribes and the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Here is the second half of the reading: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean." We also commit the sin of caring more about how we look on the outside than how clean we are on the inside. May we never hear the Lord say "woe to you" to us!

**How God Communicates with Us**

        Today's Gospel Acclamation, Hebrews 4:12, reads, "The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." It is interesting that the author writes "reflections and thoughts of the heart," not "reflections and thoughts of the mind." The Lord always communicates with us through the heart, not the mind, with his word guiding our reflections and thoughts.

***Living in God's Infinite Space**

        When you surrender yourself to the Lord, he becomes your only master. With yourself out of the way, you enjoy full freedom. Now you can do whatever you want, because whatever you want to do is what he wants you to do. In the Lord's infinite space, you can now explore to your heart's content. All in all, living in the Lord is most exciting!

***An Urgent Message***

        Death for us is inevitable. I am only being realistic. I, who trust and follow Christ, "welcome" death, for it begins my eternal life. Non-believers face the unknown when they die. After death, they might even experience something infinitely worse. This I really don't want anyone to experience! Of course, I can only tell you what I believe to be true, and have no power to make you believe the same. You must open up to the Lord yourself to let him reveal the truth to you. When he does, you shall know it without a doubt!