***To Be like Jesus*

        This is today's Gospel reading from John 15: Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." So if we keep his commandments and remains in his love, we shall be like him, keeping the Father's commandments and remaining in his love! Having our joy made complete is a beautiful way of describing our state when we remain in Christ's love.  

*****The Greatest Miracle of the Sun*****

        While the Shroud of Turin I just posted is an amazing miracle, this amazing Miracle of the Sun took place at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. Over 70,000 people witnessed it, and many newspapers reported it. Even if you are already familiar with the Fatima story, it should be interesting to see how this event affected a famous atheist journalist at the time. I am here mainly to present the miracle, not the prophetic messages on salvation, the end of World War I, the threat of Communism, and the future of the Church which Our Lady of Fatima revealed to the three shepherd children, and which have been or are being fulfilled.

*****The Shroud of Turin*****

        Whether you already know about the Shroud of Turin or not, you must watch this video, as the findings are most amazing! It has been studied since 1898, with serious scientific investigation beginning in 1978 and continuing to this day. When I first saw the image on that cloth, I knew it was the burial cloth of the Lord. While many scientists hoped to prove it a forgery, this video presents the latest findings. To me, this is solid proof that Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead, and is our God. If you still do not believe, then God help you!

**A Test Question

        The world is divided into two groups: the faithful, who will go to heaven, and the unfaithful (including the most evil), who will not. If you are faithful and believe that God is merciful, would you be happy with this, or would you pray that all the unfaithful also go to heaven?

**How to Bear Fruit**

        In today’s Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus says to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every branch that does, he prunes so that it bears more fruit." The Father prunes us when we encounter anything trying or unpleasant. If we accept these trials without reservation, we will bear much fruit. The Lord continues: "Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." Are you connected to Jesus like a branch to the vine? If not, you cannot bear fruit.

*****Call to Seek Union with God*****

        When the Lord was on earth, he answered all our questions truthfully. Now that we are on our own, we often interpret his messages to suit our own liking, leading to dissension among us. Therefore, we must seek union with the Lord through the Holy Eucharist, a necessity that applies even more so to the Church hierarchy. Only by knowing the Lord's ways and thoughts in our hearts can we remain fully in him and adhere to the truth.

***Our Goal Is Heaven***

        Fr. Chad Ripperger is a well-known Catholic priest, theologian, and exorcist. Because of his encounters with demons in his work, he seems to know a lot about heaven and hell. I watched his talk on hell—believe me, what you learn will make you believe in the God of Christ fast. Of course, you should really believe because God loves you in the first place. Here is Fr. Ripperger's short talk on heaven. I learned that the joy you receive in heaven is proportional to how much you love him on earth. This made sense to me. A holy person on earth will experience greater joy in heaven than someone who repents and is saved in his last moments on earth. When you yearn for the Lord, it is really a form of prayer, and he answers that! Note: Don't miss the last statement of the talk.

***Requisite for Knowing God*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." People say, "I don't believe in God because I am open and don't hear a thing from him." Now we see that to know God, you must love him first; you cannot expect the Lord to come to you if you don't have any desire to know him. You are not really open when you have not yet cast aside your pride. 

***We Are Not Left Out***

        In yesterday's Gospel Reading from John 14, Jesus makes it clear to his disciples that he is in the Father and the Father is in him. It amazes me that when we attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist, the Lord is in us and we are in him.

**Eternal Salvation Assured**

        I was not able to blog yesterday because an emergency came up. Now that things have calmed down, I am going over the Mass readings. In the First Reading from Acts 13,  I read: "All who were destined for eternal life came to believe . . . ." So if you believe in the word of God, you are destined for eternal life. Persevere to the end and your eternal salvation is assured.

**All for Our Sake!**

        The Communion Antiphon, Roman 4:25, reads: "Christ our Lord was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification, alleluia." We now ought to live for him and die in him in order that we may be raised again. 

**Unforgettable Pronise**

        On this first day of May, what Jesus said to his disciples in the First Reading from John 14 fills me with joy: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. 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." I shall always remember these comforting words!

***Most Amazing God***

        In today's Reading 1 from Acts 13, Paul quotes John the Baptist regarding Jesus: "Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet." Yet this Lord was willing to die for my salvation and unite with me in body and spirit today. This is so unexpected and overpowering that it is virtually a miracle. I shall rejoice in my most amazing God forever!

***Another Urgent Reminder****

        After swimming ten laps or running on a treadmill nonstop for 30 minutes, you probably feel pretty good about your fitness. Nevertheless, you are still aging. Remember that you were once an infant, a teenager, and then a young adult; perhaps you are already middle-aged. Regardless, the Lord God knows the exact day you'll leave this world. You may feel great now, but you are just passing through. Instead of focusing only on your temporary physical condition, I suggest you pay attention to the state of your soul, which will remain the same forever in the next life.

***Serious, Clear Messages***

      On this Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, I am going to separate the Gospel reading from John 12 into four parts.

         (1) Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.

       (2) I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.

        (3) Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.

        (4) And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

         Parts 1 and 4 show that Jesus and God the Father are one. Part 2 reveals the purpose of Jesus' coming into the world, which is to save, not condemn, us. Part 3 reveals the consequences if we reject him.

**Learn This Wisdom**

        When we are young, even if we profess to be Christians, it's easy to put ourselves in charge of everything rather than the Lord. He may come after you, or a long way back. However, upon reaching old age, you may finally realize that all the time you lived without Christ truly being your Lord is time wasted, and you don't have much time left to get ready for meeting him. Of course, this awakening could have started and unfolded gradually earlier. Knowing this reality should help you see that it would be wise to start out letting the Lord be in charge from the very beginning.

**Stop Deceiving Yourself**

        The Apostle wrote in 1 John 1: "If we say, 'We are without sin,' we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. If we say, 'We have not sinned,' we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." So the very first step we must take to follow Christ to eternal life is to acknowledge that we are sinners. This is the minimum humility needed to follow him. Do not continue deceiving yourself, for Christ is the Truth.

***Best We Can Do***

        I thought about what Jesus had undergone to save us from eternal death. The best thing I could think of, as a finite being, was to completely obey him in all things—we cannot do any better than that. If we all do that, love and peace will reign in this world before we all enter heaven!