**Fight with the Right Vision!

        As Christian warriors, we must see that we are fighting the Devil. As Paul wrote in todays' first reading from Ephesians 6, our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. We must see all events in this light and base all our actions on helping good to overcome evil. It's to win for God and not just to fight for our own security. Change your vision to become effective valiant warriors. 

**Toward Total Abandonment*

        As I age, I realize that I must depend upon the Lord for all things more and more. Our whole life should be a process of shifting our independence to total dependence upon God. The sooner we achieve this, the better off we are. It's letting go of the world and yourself and start clinging to Christ alone. It's total abandonment to God to become free and secure your eternal life.

**Freedom of Speech Matters

        Another straight talk from Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel.

**Sobering Warning

           This is today's entire Gospel reading at Mass from Luke 13:

         Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.' And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.' Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!' And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." So if you think you already know Jesus, but slack off and do not remain watchful, you may end up last and get cast out of heaven.

**Thoughts on Prayers*

        God hears all our prayers. If we don't pray at all and continue sinning, we'll be chastised for sure. If we all pray for his will be done, we'll all be rewarded for sure. In reality, not everyone prays, so what we'll receive will be determined by how many of us pray and how fervently we pray. Nevertheless, pray hard and fervently always!

**Right Thing to Do*

        If everyone in the world believes in Christ, follows his example of loving others, and resolves to become holy, the world would have instant peace and be filled with joy. So even if the world were 99.99% evil in reality, you know the right thing to do.

***To Rest in Christ

         We wish that all who die would rest in peace. I want to be more specific: I want to die and rest in Christ, for only he can give us true peace now and for all eternity.

**God Is . . .

         When you hear "God" mentioned, what's the first word that comes to your mind? Most Christians probably would say "love." I'd say "life," for only God can create life and make it eternal.

***When Being Childlike Is Appropriate***

        Believing like a child works only when you believe in the true God of Christ!

***Appreciating Our Creation

        We are absolutely God's unique creation. He created inanimate objects such as rocks . . . then living things like trees. At the next level, we have insects, birds, and nonhuman animals. Finally, he created us in his image with souls. Unlike other animals, we look all different from each other. And we can become his sons and daughters to inherit his kingdom. Be aware of this fact and be thankful and rejoice in it. 

***Smart Move*

         Tell the Lord that you wish to receive all your reward from him in heaven. This makes him grant you eternal life.

***Absolute Truth***

        Christ remains the truth irrespective of whether you believe in him of not. 

***To Attain Union with God Is . . .

to reach the highest level of spiritual freedom on earth.

**More than My Lord and My God**

        Jesus is my Lord and my God.  But he is so close to me that I feel that he is also my life and my soul!

*Sense of Humor Changed

        Recently, I heard some jokes that really made people laugh. Since they made fun of others, I didn't feel that they were funny at all. I then realized that the Lord had changed my sense of humor.

**Sad Reality

        Recently, I heard about some oldsters in pretty bad physical shape still talking about buying a new house or getting one more dog. When we are young, we focus upon acquiring many things. As we age, we either begin to wake up to our need for God or remain as oblivious as ever.

***Being Heartless*

        Jesus died for us purely out of love. If we don't even care, then we are heartless indeed. 

**When We Become Free

        We are not free as long as we still live in our physical body. We become free only after we leave our body and return to the Father in heaven. 

***Living Without Christ***

         In John 15:5, Jesus said to his disciples, "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." We do all kinds of things for our own sake, divorced from Christ. To come right to the point, that's all for nothing.

**Salvation Is Up to Us.

         Surely God can save us, but we must allow him to do so. Otherwise, nothing will happen.

***How to Know God

        To know God, we must loosen up first. That is, we remain open, should he choose to communicate with us. The big mistake is to expect God to come to us when we don't even try to meet him halfway. The worst position is to play God, then you won't ever know him. Humility is what he loves. (Note: For the next three weeks or so, I won't be able to blog daily. I do expect to catch up before this month ends. May God bless all of you who read herein. Ask for his blessings yourselves too. If you sincerely believe that he is blessing you, you'll know or feel it.)

***Prayer Joy*

        The Lord's Prayer (Our Father) Christ has given us is the perfect prayer for us as God's sinful children. If we mean and follow everything in that prayer from the heart, we can become holy! Today when I prayed it before Mass began, I was filed with great joy. 

***Be like Christ***

         God wants us to become like him so that we may return to him in heaven. We are called to be holy, period. So make that your top goal. (If you haven't read Thomas Kempis' The Imitation of Christ yet, read it to help you reach that goal.)

***Believe First Always***

        Today's Communion antiphon, Jesus' saying in Matthew 18:3—"Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Again, this is a very clear statement. We are far from entering the Kingdom of Heaven because we are far from being childlike when it comes to believing in God. The wise would start out believing. Should you find that he is false or doesn't exist, you can always disbelieve then. If you start out not believing, surely you'll never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Know that the Lord has a soft spot for the humble: If you are humble enough to believe in him, he'll humble himself to welcome you with open arms.

***Our Glory

        The cross was the glory of Christ, and Christ is our glory. That makes the cross our glory too.

***Lord Our Only Guide***

        Today is the Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, the first person who made me realize the beauty of loving God. I am most grateful to her. The entrance antiphon reads "The Lord alone was her guide." Indeed, we need the Lord to guide us in everything. Should we are to follow someone else, that has to come the Lord first. Following ourselves is the worst way of living, inevitably leading to the loss of inner peace in this life and even beyond.