***Formula for Entering Heaven

        It's simple: Make God more important than yourself. You see, only God can lead us to heaven. If you think you are more important, then you will go your own way and become lost forever. God is to be followed! You don't need to be super intelligent to see this.

***Final Judgment Is Inevitable***

        Don't forget that there will be a final judgment for all of us. The fact that we have a conscience that understands good and evil is already a big clue. If we can do good or evil and it isn't going to make any difference in the end, then life has no purpose. It would be wise to believe that there will be a final judgment, and it is even wiser and more fitting to believe in and follow Christ, the absolute truth!

***The Mark of a True God***

        It strikes me that Jesus, even though he is God and our Creator, never lords it over us. He simply reveals the truth to us and lets us decide whether to believe in him or not. This way, if we believe, our faith becomes something valuable. To me, this is the mark of a true God!

**Prelude to Entering Heaven**

       In today's Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus said to his disciples, "For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation." We who follow the Lord expect to suffer and be rejected by this generation, just as he was, yet this trial is merely the prelude to our glorious entry into heaven!

***Truth Reveals Reality**

        Once I came to know that Jesus is Lord and the truth, I realized that seeking pleasure, wealth, or fame in this world is nothing more than escaping reality. Now, I can boldly proclaim that all is vanity except loving and serving God.

***No Better News***

        You may live in a city and see a lot of nice buildings, parks, and people enjoying a stroll or shopping. Some people are planning a vacation, while others are looking forward to attending a party in the evening. Everything seems fine on the surface, yet a woman might have had an abortion and a man might have committed adultery. There are plenty more sins I can think of. Then God looks at us and sees all those hidden sins. If they haven't been forgiven yet, he'd see our souls all covered with dark stains. This is what the whole world looks like if you could see what the Lord sees. But here's the wonderful news: No matter how soiled your soul is, if you go to Christ and say, "Lord, I am sorry to have offended you. Please have mercy on me and forgive me," he will take away all your sins and make you clean again. The gate to heaven is now open for you! For us sinners, there can be no better news.

*****Are We Traitors?*****

        A traitor by definition is a betrayer. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Strictly speaking, anyone who professes to be a Christian but does not follow Christ's teachings is a betrayer, too. If that's the case, then we must have a lot of traitors among us!

**How We Easily Forget**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke, as Jesus was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going, they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. How often do we give thanks to God for giving us life and sustaining our existence? On top of it all, do we ever thank him for showing his greatest love by sacrificing his own divine Son on the cross so that we may have eternal life in heaven? How thickheaded can we be?

***God Prepares Us for Entering His Kingdom***

        Today is the Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop. In the First Reading from Titus 3, Paul urges all to slander no one and to be peaceable, considerate, and gracious toward everyone. For we all once were foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. I can testify that when we accept God's mercy and his offer of salvation through Christ our Savior, our Creator truly prepares us by transforming us anew—making us clean, holy, and fit to inherit his eternal kingdom!

***Will You Be Ready When You Are Out of Time?***

        I thought I was done blogging today. Then I saw this video and heard the homily given by this Catholic priest responding to the recent tragic crash of a private jet in Florida, and I had to share it.

***God Warning Us Again!***

      Another video by Jerome Chong on the Polish mystic and stigmatic Katarzyna Szymon. We must ask ourselves: How many times must we be warned before turning to God?

**The Right Outlook**

        This same thought impressed itself on me again today. In this imperfect, evil world, we will never find true happiness. Christ is the only one who can grant us eternal joy. So while we are in this world, we should live for him alone. Even when the world passes away—which it will one day—it will not affect us at all.

***The Reward of Delighting in the LORD**

        I particularly like this verse from today's Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 37: "Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart’s requests." Of course, to receive all your heart's requests from the Lord, it stands to reason that you appreciate, enjoy, and cherish him; after all, no father enjoys giving gifts to children who dislike or even loathe him.

**How to Live the Christian Life**

        In today's First Reading from Titus 2, Paul advises us to live devoutly as we await our blessed hope: the appearance of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the core of the Christian life—living devoutly while waiting for the Lord. Though we will be completely liberated when we finally meet him, seeking union with him now gives us the strength to live devoutly today.

*****We Are Holy!*****

        Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. In Reading 2, from 1 Corinthians 3, Paul writes, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy." All Catholics have heard these words before, but hearing them again inspires us to take them to heart. We house the Holy Spirit, and we are holy! Therefore, we must live out this truth and treat other fellow believers accordingly.

**Loving God Amidst Unfaithfulness**

        The more the unfaithful abandon God, the more the faithful love their Lord. This is the ultimate response.

**Why Is the World in Such Disarray?*

        A straightforward answer: Its inhabitants have strayed from God, their creator.

**A Call to Unwavering Faith***

        The rise of Communism was correctly predicted by Our Lady of Fatima as far back as 1917. Then, in 1960 at Garabandal, Spain, she appeared and warned us again that Communism would resurface and cause great suffering before its eventual end. Today, this has already begun to happen in Europe and America. When things get worse, the Lord will intervene. This is just my personal belief. Meanwhile, we must remain steadfast and hold onto our faith. No matter how dark the days ahead may seem, the final victory belongs to God.