*****Belief in Jesus Matters!*****

        Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. So Happy Birthday, Holy Mother! The Gospel reading from Matthew 1 tells us that the birth of Jesus fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."
           Now, those who believe in and follow Jesus and those do not believe in nor follow him are on two separate paths leading to opposite ends. The difference cannot possibly be greater, as one leads to eternal life and the other to an existence infinitely worse than nonexistence!