***Final Settlement***

        For all of us, nothing is settled until we have settled with God through Christ.

**How We Live Matters!**

        In this life, we usually do what we like to do, not giving it much thought. The reality is that we'll be passing into another life after we die, and what we do in this life will shape our next one! As one who follows Christ, I already know that everything I do now will be overseen by the Lord to determine my eternity. So how we live now absolutely matters. Living casually is being reckless.

**Mercy, Not Sacrifice**

        In today's First Reading from Isaiah 1, the Lord made it clear to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah that he did not care for the number of their sacrifices, had had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings, and found no pleasure in the blood of calves, lambs, and goats. First of all, making such sacrifices without involving yourself—such as through fasting—is no true sacrifice. In Matthew, twice Jesus said to the Pharisees, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." So, to make sacrifice without reforming your life is hypocritical.

**Ultimate, Satisfying Reality*

        All the things we encounter in this world, ourselves included, are real, but they are never stable, for they change or fade away. Once you have settled in Christ the Lord, you dwell in him who is stable forever—he is the ultimate, satisfying reality for us.

**A Good Realization**

        When you realize that you are ready to go to God in peace, letting go of everything in your life becomes easy. Unfortunately, that realization usually occurs only near the end of life. Happy and blessed are those who realize this early on. Christ died at thirty-three; perhaps that is a good age by which to aim for such spiritual readiness.

*Same Crowds Today*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, the disciples of Jesus ask him why he speaks to the crowds in parables. He replies, "This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see, and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them." This describes many people I see around me today. They are exposed to the good news, but their hearts remain unmoved.

***How Pride Grows*

        We all come into this world as infants, helpless and not even knowing how to survive on our own. As we grow, we learn more and more about everything, based upon what past generations have discovered and learned. One thing we often fall short of learning is what is right and what is wrong. Then, one day we do something sinful and say to ourselves it's all right, since it's just a little thing. This is the moment  we think we know more than God and become ignorant fools! We forget that God knows everything and that we started out not knowing a thing.

**Are You Fooling Youself?**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus said to his Apostles, "Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known." Anyway, the Lord knows everything. Whatever you think, say, and  do, he sees and knows. Basically, you do everything in broad daylight right before him. To think that nobody knows what you are up to is truly fooling yourself. There are no smart evildoers.

**Division in the World**

        The world offers many interesting things. When you are young and innocent, you are curious about everything. Then as you grow into an adult, you learn the ways of the world, and your interest remains mostly on a secular level. But those who feel the call of the Lord discover the true beauty of Christ's sacrifice and love for them. Their interest then rises to a higher spiritual level, which naturally creates a divide—even within families.

**Best Thing You Can Do for Yourself**

        God is love. To let yourself go in the Lord is like diving into an ocean of love where you will be transformed and protected forever! This is absolutely the best possible thing you can do for yourself and, ultimately, for God.

**Mercy Demands Submission**

        In praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, for each decade we pray, "Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world," and then, "For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world." For me, every time I pray for God's mercy, I submit myself to let him draw me as close to him as possible, and that is most comforting. Mercy demands submission, and the result is union.

*****God's Most Awesome Gift*****

        I have already blogged that the Holy Eucharist, being the most humble miracle, is the greatest and most exalted miracle of all. It is the Lord God sharing his own body and blood with us! Receiving it is the perfect way to achieve union with him, and we must never take it lightly. If you believe in it, it will make you holy in this life and happy forever in the next!

**Be Shrewd and Simple*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus said to his Apostles, "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves." To me, the Lord wants us to be shrewd (alert) in dealing with the world and remain simple (pure) in him. We can achieve that, since the Holy Spirit will be guiding us. 

**Common Sense Advice

        If you follow yourself more than God, good luck! If you follow God 51% and yourself 49% of the time, you may have a chance of getting into heaven. Then why not try your best to follow God always? Even if your don't quite make it, God would understand, for your intentions are good.

**The One for Us to Submit To**

        The fact that God is the Creator of heaven and earth is reason enough for us to submit completely to him; this is not even considering that he created us out of love and has paved the way for us to shed our sins on earth and return to him in heaven!

*****Presenting the Whole Truth*****

        In John 8:12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." In John 14:6, he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Being the truth, he is the one on whom we can absolutely depend. Being the light, he leads us out of darkness. Being the way and the life, he takes us to the Father in heaven to enjoy eternal life. And that is it—you have the whole truth!

****Jesus' Serious Warning!****

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus sent the twelve Apostles to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He said to them, "Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." We cannot ignore these words, especially the last half, which I have italicized. Essentially, it tells us that rejecting the gospel of the Lord will result in facing the most severe consequences.  

***True Wisdom***

        Realizing you won't be on earth for long, you are truly wise if you choose to follow Christ instead of yourself. Your reward will be great beyond all your expectations!