**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! 

***What We Should Only Boast About**

        Lower back pain is a common ailment among the populace here. I was always proud of having a very strong back until the time I fell while pruning a tree. When the ladder toppled sideways, I was forced to hang from a branch. Since I was wearing work gloves, before long, my hands just slipped out of them and I ended up landing on my buttocks about ten feet below. Two vertebrae were crushed, and I was never the same person again. Ever since, I have learned never to boast about my own physical condition. St. Peter and the other Apostles come to mind. They were all young and in good physical shape, for sure, when Christ first called them. Besides John and Judas Iscariot (who committed suicide), they were all martyred. So we should only boast about the Lord and his goodness, never about ourselves.

*****Fully Secure in Christ*****

        I believe in Christ as my Lord, my God, and my Savior. He lets me know in my heart and my mind that he is truly the one I believe in, leaving absolutely no doubt—a sign of a true God here. Therefore, my eternity is fully secure in the Lord, with nothing that can possibly touch that. I rejoice greatly in my most beloved, loving Lord!

***God's Incredible Humility***

        In Matthew 11:29, Jesus said, "I am meek and humble of heart." Being God, he is the meekest and humblest person of all! He could easily have used his mighty power to impress us, but that wouldn't have won our hearts. All of his wonderful deeds were performed out of pure love. We should be humbled every time we recognize our own pride. It is this great humility of our Lord that has finally won many of us over to follow him into his kingdom. 

***Only Two Ways for Us to Go**

        Today's Psalm Response, Ps 105:4b, reads, "Seek always the face of the Lord." We either seek the Lord or turn away from him. If we can ward off the evil influences of the world, we can more easily seek God. The more open we are to the Lord, the more secure our souls are in him. If we'd rather remain in the world, we risk losing our souls forever. Starting early and on the right path is critical!

**Letting Joy Prevail**

        Normally, we pray to God when we feel sorrow in our hearts, and afterwards, our sorrow turns into joy. So, why not start praying with pure joy? Shouldn't talking to our dearest and most loving Father always be a great joy?

**Still Lost and Abandoned Today**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Let us realize that today we are troubled and abandoned by our own choice, since we have already heard about the Lord. We need him to shepherd us now more than ever!

*****Salvation, Our Must Choice!*****

        Christ has come and shown us the way to salvation, clear and straight. If you don't see it, it can only be that you don't want to see it. By rejecting salvation, you in effect are choosing damnation!

***My Union-with-God Experience***

       It was through receiving the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the forms of bread and wine, at each Mass that I attained union with the Lord. These are the three telling signs: (1) I feel the holy presence of the Lord at all times, nonstop. (2) All the good, enjoyable things in life simply pale next to God's beauty and attractiveness. What is worldly and unclean becomes absolutely boring or loathsome. The Lord developed a super sharp conscience in me, and I just don't ever want to sin again! (3) My fear of dearth no longer exists, as I yearn for my God.

         Since I had a bad fall, I have not been attending Mass for over two and a half weeks. I miss receiving the Lord, but once you have attained union with him, receiving the Eucharist simply gives you more joy, while the union remains intact.

**Saving Unconverted Family**

        At church, I meet parishioners who attend Mass alone because their spouses are not Catholic. I also notice that the children of many older couples leave the faith once they leave home. This causes much pain in these families; in fact, I have personally experienced this. I came across a YouTube video that resonates with many facing this exact issue. Here it is. (Note: If you are interested in reading all the comments, you can always hit the Play button to watch it on YouTube.)

***How I Feel About Jesus**

        What drew me to Jesus was his total obedience in carrying out the will of the Father by undergoing his Passion. I know he does not want us to feel sorry for him, but we absolutely need to thank him for loving us so much as to die for us so that we might have eternal life. This incredible love deserves all our gratitude and adoration.

*****Christ vs. the Unknown***

        Some people face death without knowing what awaits them on the other side. Their only choice is to take a chance by plunging into the unknown—what a tragic and unfortunate situation! Compare this with those who know and trust in Christ completely: they know exactly where they are going, whom they will encounter, and that everything will exceed their wildest expectations—in fact, it will be perfect for them. The difference between these two situations is as great as the difference between heaven and earth!

**Resting in the Lord**

        Since God is Spirit, to rest in him is to rest in him spiritually. That is, we surrender ourselves and everything else to him completely. Any physical benefits we receive afterward flow from this surrender. This is the way to achieve absolute freedom, for you now belong entirely to God.