***No Upper Limit!***

        God being perfectly holy and boundlessly merciful, there is no limit to how much we can love him, praise him, adore him, worship him, trust in him, believe in him, fellowship with him, listen to him, learn from him, and obey him. This is what makes following Christ so fulfilling and satisfying.

***To Bear Rich Fruit for God**

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 8, Jesus told the Parable of the Sower to the crowd, describing a sower who went out to sow his seed. Afterwards, he explained the meaning of the parable to his disciples, saying: "The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance."

         We see that we must watch for the Devil, believe in the word of God deeply, guard against temptation, and not let the anxieties, riches, and pleasures of life affect us in order to bear much fruit for God. To fulfill this tall order, seek to attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist first. For once you attain union with God, you fulfill his ultimate desire.

*****How to Go Straight to Heaven***

        According to Fr. Mark Goring, Mirjana—one of the six visionaries of Medjugorje—once asked the Blessed Mother where most people go when they die. She answered that most go to purgatory before ultimately passing through to heaven, the next greatest number go to hell, and only a few go directly to heaven. This sounds logical to me. Even though we are all sinners, God's mercy is so great that most people are still saved; however, they need a final purification through the fire of God's love in purgatory before entering the glory of heaven. Fr. Goring believes that if we completely abandon ourselves to God, there is no reason we cannot go straight to heaven when we die. I agree with him. If we are willing to let God do whatever he wishes with us, of course he will bring us straight to himself when we die.

**Way to Get Your Sins Forgiven**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, a certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. There was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet, weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. Because she showed great love, Jesus forgave all her sins. We can love God in different ways and be forgiven—the important thing is that we love him. Now, start doing it.

***Heavenly Joy on Earth***

        This story is going viral online right now. The video I am going to show is just one of six I have encountered on YouTube so far. I totally understand what this priest, Fr. Brent Bowman, experienced. When you are in union with God through the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit often enkindles great joy in your heart that is impossible to resist. It completely takes over your whole being; you simply immerse yourself totally in the Lord. You are now a soul that belongs to him alone. It is a moment of heaven on earth!

***Secret of Knowing Anyone (What We Lack Today)***

        The best way for two people to get to know one another and deepen their relationship is to share their inner thoughts. Unfortunately, this rarely happens, even within families—we are simply too busy leading our own separate lives. Even Christian families often fail to pray together. When we do gather to have a good time, our interactions usually remain on a superficial social level. Satan’s influence has been subtle but palpable. Deepening our relationship with God works the same way. If you are completely open with the Lord and share everything in your heart, he will reciprocate by sharing his heart with you! The good news is that it is much easier to know God intimately, if you truly desire it.

**Pathetic Situation**

        Part of today's Gospel Acclamation is based on what Peter realized about Jesus in John 6:68: "You have the words of everlasting life." Everlasting life is the greatest gift God wants us to have, and also the greatest gift we can possibly expect to receive. Then pride gets in our way and we get all bogged down. What a pathetic situation!

*****God Is All About Love***

        In today's First Reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul gives a beautiful discourse on the way of love. Let me quote these four verses from Chapter 13: "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Now you can measure yourself against Paul's criteria and see how loving you are.

**Sign of End Times**

        In Matthew 5:37, Jesus says to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." I love this saying—it highlights the importance of being non-duplicitous and reflects how Jesus teaches. We should all strive to be like that. Unfortunately, many people do not talk straight when dealing with others. Even the Church no longer speaks clearly, causing great confusion among the flock. The end times are definitely here.

***A Timely Reminder***

        The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this saying of Jesus to his disciples: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Certainly, Jesus will always be with us. As long as we are alive, we must decide what to do with him. I am simply here to remind everyone that he is patiently waiting for our response, and our time is limited.

***Sorrow of Today's Church***

        Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. In the First Reading from 1 Corinthians 12, Paul stresses that we are many parts of one body, all baptized in one Spirit. The problem with the Church today is that many of its members no longer listen to the Holy Spirit and have started going their own way, bringing great sorrow to the Lord and the faithful. This could very well be a sign of the end times—meaning we need to be all the more vigilant, ready, and praying for God's mercy.

***'Christ, Our Only Lifeline***

         We absolutely need Christ! As sinners, we must repent to God to rid ourselves of our sins. For us Catholics, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which was instituted by Christ. For this reason, Christ is our lifeline—he is far more important to us than we are to ourselves. Without him, we are nothing; with him, we will be safe and secure for all eternity!

***Know Your True Reason**

        Christians are in the world, but not of the world—the difference is immense. If you belong to the world, you will pass away with it. But if you are not of the world, you belong to God and will live forever! The right choice is a no-brainer. If this isn't clear to you, I challenge you to find your true, honest reason, if only to be fair to yourself. Refusing to think about it only proves all the more that you need to.

****Easy Sin, but Potentially Deadly****

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus told the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant to Peter. Once again, the Lord made it clear how important it is to always forgive others. Withholding forgiveness is an easy sin to commit, so we must be extra vigilant. I am posting this as a warning: Don't let this common sin become the obstacle that blocks you from entering heaven!

**How to Be the Lord's**

        These are Paul's wise words from today's Second Reading from Romans 14: "None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s." Certainly, to die for oneself does not make any sense, but to die for the Lord—who loves us and died for us—makes perfect sense. It follows that living for him should precede our death. To become the Lord's, we must go with him all the way.

**Today's Lesson**

        Psalm 103:8 is today's Responsorial Psalm response. It reads: "The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion." We may be kind and merciful, but what we can always work on is being "slow to anger" and "rich in compassion."

**Cool Truth**

        Today's First Reading comes from Sirach 27 and 28. Here are the first three verses: "Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven." They give excellent advice in total conformity with what Christ teaches. Forgive others and you will be forgiven—how cool that is!

**Keeping Your Thoughts Pure**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus said to his disciples, "A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." Every sinful act begins as a thought in the heart. By keeping your heart pure, you remain holy; conversely, evildoers lose control of their thoughts, sinking deeper and deeper into their own traps.

*****Great Catholic Crisis*****

        In today's First Reading from 1 Corinthians 10, Paul writes, "We, though many, are One Body, for we all partake of the one bread." I dare say that the Church is so fractured today because many no longer take the Holy Eucharist seriously. A 2022 research study showed that 31% of Mass-going Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist—even 5% would be a crisis! In my humble opinion, the Church should drop everything to address this problem first, yet I do not detect any sense of urgency. If the Eucharist is merely a symbol, it will be the end of Catholicism. Might this be another sign of the end times?

********MOST AMAZING GOD********

       The late summer weather has been great. It gets a little hot in the late afternoon, but cools off nicely overnight. When you get up the next morning, a new day begins with a perfect temperature of around 70°F. 

         I am amazed that the Lord God has created this perfect planet in the vast universe for us to dwell on. We have the right environment, sunlight, water, and everything else we need for survival. We tumble through space, yet we feel no movement. The earth rotates on its own axis while revolving around the sun, creating day, night, and our seasons. This has likely been going on for billions of years! Who else but our Lord God could set things up so amazingly? I have nothing but total admiration.

        When you also consider how he loved us and sacrificed his own Son to save us from sin—so that we may enter a place even more perfect than this planet for all eternity—my gratitude is so overwhelming that I gladly surrender myself to him completely. My existence is now complete! 

**Final Determiner of Our Eternity**

        In John 14, Jesus declares to his disciples, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Therefore, he is the final determiner of our eternal destiny. He is our only Savior and the sole pathway to eternal life.

***Never Underestimate God***

         God is always far greater than we can possibly imagine. As a result, we don't abandon ourselves to him enough, thereby missing out on his wonders. We must trust in him fully, and then some! Of course, we should ask for his help judiciously in times of need. The Lord himself multiplied bread and fish to feed thousands only when no other human solution existed. We will recognize those moments if we trust in him. In sum, remember that truly, nothing is impossible for our God.

**Yearning for God with the Right Motivation**

        Today's reading from Psalm 84 begins with this verse: "My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." While I yearn to go to the LORD, I wonder if I have the right motivation. I truly love God, which is a good reason. However, if my yearning stems merely from being sick and tired of this mundane world, that would reveal impatience and a desire to escape my earthly obligations. The right attitude is to remain patient and faithful in this world for as long as the Lord desires, all while continuing to yearn for him. Doing so will make my joy greater than ever on that day.

*****Love with Faith Leads to Perfection*****

         Today's Gospel Acclamation, 1 John 4:12, reads: "If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us." When we can love as God loves, we become perfect; therefore, let God perfect us.

***Know You Are Wonderfully Made!****

        From today's Psalm 139, I read these verses: "Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works." I came to realize that I was wonderfully made by the Lord God after I got to know him. Yet, perhaps it's even more beautiful when someone realizes this first, and that realization leads them to believe in him. Either way, returning to God is home sweet home!

**Facts We Should Be Aware Of**

        These are facts I think we all know, but perhaps they are so familiar that we don't think about them anymore. After reading today's First Reading from 1 Corinthians 8, I became deeply aware of them. Here they are: We know that we are sinners—we sin and we lose our peace. Now, Jesus has come and openly revealed that he can totally free us from sin! Shouldn't we get excited, rejoice, and flock to him? The fact that we don't see this happening enough suggests that people in general have already fallen deeply into sin, making turning around even harder.

***Heart-Wrenching Scenes***

        I have all four volumes of The Life of Jesus Christ from the visions of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich. If I had the time, I would love to read them—most likely starting with the last volume, entitled The Dolorous Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This video by Christian Way presents a revelation received by the visionary on Good Friday, March 30, 1820. It is powerfully heart-wrenching and beautiful.

**Salvation Is Up to Us**

        In our fractured and weakened Church today, Catholics do not always receive all the teachings essential for them to know. Ultimately, it depends on our effort to find out as much as possible about our faith in order to serve the Lord rightly. Salvation is offered by God, but receiving it is up to us.

**Spiritual Sommit**

        I encourage all to seek union with Christ through the Holy Eucharist. Of course, you need to become a Catholic first to receive this Sacrament. Union with God absolutely enriches your spiritual life to the highest degree—you cannot go any higher than being one with the Lord.

**Apparent Conclusion**

        That Jesus rose from the dead on the third day is undeniable. It happened just as he had foretold to his disciples. If we are clear-headed, it should be apparent that Jesus is God!  

**You Will Know It**

        If Christ has chosen you to follow him, you will know it; you are now his sheep and belong to him totally.

**The Church in End Times**

        The clergy and the laity form the two parts of the Church. To keep the Church unified and strong, both groups need to follow Christ more closely than ever. This video highlights the current weakened state of the Church.

**From Sorrow to Rejoicing**

        When the world crucified Christ on the cross, it was easy for us, who believe him to be our Lord and Savior, to see that day as the saddest day of all; however, on that day, Christ glorified God the Father to the utmost by completing his will, and we can greatly rejoice in that.

**How to Live for God (Ideal Living)**

        Live every moment for God, not for yourself or anyone else. Trust in him in all things, and never get anxious about anything. Let time pass while you always live in the present. It sounds hard, but God can make that totally possible. 

**Great Opportunity for Honoring God**

        If God's will is clear to you, follow it, even if it goes against the grain. An opportunity to honor the Lord and show your love for him is a great blessing, not to be missed.

*Sin of Being Lukewarm**

        Being lukewarm is a sin of omission, for lukewarm Christians do not sufficiently pray for other souls or bear witness to Christ.

***Great Feeling of Freedom***

        When you live in the light of Christ, you have absolutely nothing to hide from God—this is such a great feeling of freedom!

**A Pathetic World**

        Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:19, today's Gospel Acclamation, "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." This is the image I see. The Lord God is patiently waiting, wanting to reconcile the whole world to himself in Christ. Some of us have already reconciled ourselves to him, many others are still dragging their feet, and still a lot more totally ignore the Lord. What a pathetic picture, while the clock ticks away.

**Do Not Omit the Sin of Omission**

         In today's First Reading from Ezekiel 33, the LORD says to the prophet: "You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. If I tell the wicked, 'O wicked one, you shall surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death." The LORD is speaking of the sin of omission here. This means not doing something good or required that we are able to do. We often don't recognize this sin. Just remember that any time we see someone in danger of losing their soul, we must try to save them.

***Be Holy . . .*

and you'll be moat beautiful to God.

**Help from Heaven**

        When you are old, maintaining your physical health becomes your biggest burden. The biggest help now is not you doctors, your loved ones, or your government; it is your faith in God, assured that before long, you'll achieve your greatest victory in heaven.

**Misonception or Just an Excuse**

        It is often heard said that to be a good Christian is to do the best you can at your job or to use your God-given talent fully. We often use this to justify what we enjoy doing, overlooking whether we truly serve and honor God. To be the best bartender or pianist in the whole world is no guarantee that we'll get to heaven.

*****Inevitable Conclusion*****

        If you read the Gospels with a completely open mind, you cannot help but believe that Jesus Christ is our living God and Savior. He is someone to whom we should absolutely surrender ourselves—to follow, to live for, and even exclusively die for. I know the language is strong here, but how can you remain timid when you have found the truth?

***Follow the Truth***

        Compared to other religions, only the Christian God teaches his people personally. His teachings are always clear and loving, never oppressive. These to me are the markings of the true God. My personal experience of freedom, peace, and joy confirms this truth without any doubt. Follow the truth always! 

**Asking God to Make Us Great**

        The Lord is mighty and most loving, so why not ask him to make us humble and holy so that we may be "great" before him? Since he he desires that we be perfect as he is (Matthew 5:48), all will be ours for the asking!

***We Are Special to God!**

        It has been estimated that our universe contains at least 200 billion trillion stars. The Lord God who created this immense universe also created us—tiny as we are—and gave us life, free will, and the ability to communicate with him. This should make us realize that we are incredibly special to God, a truth confirmed by the coming of Christ, who brought us the good news of salvation. We must appreciate the Lord and never deprecate ourselves again.

***The Light of My Life***

        John 8:12, on which today's Gospel Acclamation is based, reads, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." To me, Christ the Lord is the light of my life, for he has made me see the whole truth—what is right and what is wrong. By following him, I shall never fall again!

**Today's Delight**

        From today's Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 37:4 reads, "Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart’s requests." This verse is an absolute delight to me!

***What to Know About Judgment Day***

        In today's First Reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul writes, "It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself... the one who judges me is the Lord." This is the perfect attitude: We should not judge anyone, ourselves included. This way, we focus completely on serving and honoring the Lord. Paul continues, "Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts...." We must be careful with our motives, for if our hearts are not clean, our motives will likely prompt us to sin. Ultimately, for all those who have nothing to hide, judgment day will be a glorious day!

****A Very Special Joy****

        Every sin starts with a thought. The moment I sense a bad thought emerging and can dismiss it outright, I feel triumphant that through God's grace, I can remain unstained. It is pure joy to realize that our mighty, loving, heavenly Father can truly transform us into holiness. It's a dream come true!

***How to Make Sure You'll Be Saved***

        "Belief in Christ and you will be saved"—it's not quite that simple. It depends upon how much you believe in him. If you still live mostly for yourself, you are a Christian in name only. To be a bona fide Christian, you should strive to follow Christ with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. In other words, you should surrender your entire will to his—that is, let him truly be your Lord. This is the challenge we all face and the standard by which we'll be measured. When you surrender yourself to him totally, he will accomplish that for you effortlessly! Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21—"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."

**Mean Business When You Pray**

        When we recite structured or formal prayers such as the Our Father, it is easy to say them perfunctorily while the mind is thinking about something else. Once, while I was praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet right in front of a small Divine Mercy image hanging on a wall at home, I closed my eyes and focused on praying it from my very soul. The closeness of the Lord that I felt right there and then has been unforgettable to this day. Therefore, when you pray, take your time and mean what you say, and the Lord will reward you for it. We reap what we sow.

**Let Us Welcome Jesus**

        In today's reading from Luke 5, Jesus called Simon the fisherman to be a fisher of men. After Jesus finished speaking to the crowds from Simon's boat, he asked him to lower the net into deep water for a catch. Simon replied, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." This reaction is normal, for he had not yet realized that Jesus could forgive sins. Otherwise, he would have repented of his sins and asked Jesus to take them away. Therefore, we as sinners need to welcome the Lord into our lives instead of running away from him.

***Why God Is Worthy of Our Worship**

        The fact that the Lord God is most holy is enough for us to worship and adore him, to say nothing of his great love for us.

***Spiritual "Secrets"***

        A vain soul remains distant from God, whereas the childlike find union with the Lord effortlessly.

***The Riddle of Life Solved**

        Because we inherited original sin, we will all physically die. We are merely passing through this earth, and now is the time to get ready to enter our next life. How we live now determines how we shall live later, forever. I am absolutely sure that if we follow Jesus faithfully now, we will be back with God our creator in heaven for all eternity.

**Knowing Our Place**

        In today's First reading from 1 Corinthians 3, Paul reminds us that we all work for God, and he alone causes us to grow spiritually. We are merely channels through which the Lord does the work; nothing more.

***Most Precious Lord***

        How shall I praise the Lord today? These verses from Matthew 13 come to my mind: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." Jesus is the ultimate treasure and the finest pearl. The joy of "possessing" him is out of this world!

***What Is Your Ideal God?*

        Let us suppose that you don't know God and have never heard of Jesus, and you are asked to tell me what kind of God you would like to have. I don't think this will be easy. Suppose you want God to be like a genie in a bottle who can grant you whatever you wish for. Obviously, that won't work—what if someone else wishes that you don't get your wish? Maybe you want your God to be the most powerful king who will destroy all your enemies. That will not work either. I really don't think we can come up with a valid answer. Then the Lord God revealed himself to us. He is our Father and Creator who loves us so much that he sent his own Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in our place. Now we are redeemed from sin and will inherit eternal life if we believe in him. This is the amazing truth, a great surprise! We are taught not to be self-centered, but to love, be humble, and accept suffering—it is through suffering that we come to know God.

***Our Great God***

        In Psalm 145, today's Responsorial Psalm, these two verses describe our God beautifully: "The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works." I know that he is holy, perfect, and worthy of our absolute trust. Above all, out of pure love, he desires to save us from sin and grant us eternal life. Let us start rejoicing in him forever!

***Our Ultimate Choice***

        In today's First Reading from 1 Corinthians 2, Paul writes, "Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone." Because of this, a spiritual person perceives the entire world differently than a natural person. While a true Christian maintains a clean, sharp conscience, a non-Christian can easily fall into a muddy, dull state of mind. To each his own, but the resulting eternal consequences could not be more distinct. Ultimately, it comes down to a single choice: living for yourself, or living for God.

***It Is Up to Us***

        In Matthew 16:25, Jesus says, "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Similar versions of this verse appear in all the other Gospels.) Jesus speaks either profound truth or utter nonsense here. You see, he never forces our hand—he simply presents the challenge and leaves it to our free ill to decide.

**Becoming Wise and Undestanding**

        From today's Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 119), I read these verses: "Lord, I love your commands. Your command has made me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers when your decrees are my meditation." My thoughts are: If you know the Lord, you know the whole truth. This makes you wise and understanding so that you don't have to feel inferior to anyone anymore.

***The Only One We Need to Know***

        In today's First Reading from 1 Corinthians 2, Paul writes, "When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified." That last sentence impressed me. Jesus is truly the only one we need to know. He is our Lord, our God, and should be No. 1 in our lives. I really would like to be able to shout from the highest point on earth to let the whole world know that Jesus Christ is our God and Savior, who loves us with the greatest possible love and wishes to lead all of us back to heaven to be with him for all eternity. Yet, when I tell others about him with love and zeal, I am often seen to have lost my mind. They think that there should be a balance between believing in God and living one's own life. If I get too excited about Christ, then I have gone overboard. This is understandable. Encountering such misunderstanding makes me want to spread this good news even more!

***Pointed Sayings, But the World Goes Its Own Way**

        In today's Gospel reading, Jesus also said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" These are pointed sayings. Everyone sees the point, but alas, few seem to take it seriously.

**Do Not Obstruct God!***

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed—and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." So, it is important that we always see clearly what God's will is before we say or do as human beings do. Seek to attain union with God so that we may think as he does. 

**Our Hearts See and Hear**

        This is today's Gospel acclamation, based on Ephesians 1:17-18: "May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call." The phrase "the eyes of our hearts" makes me see that our hearts can indeed help us distinguish truth from falsity, the good from the bad. The Lord always speaks to our hearts. Now I "see" that our hearts have both eyes and ears. 

**Your Interest May Turn into Hope**

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, King Herod feared John the Baptist, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When he heard him speak, he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. Today, many people feel that way about Jesus. They may come to follow the Lord one day, leaving them more blessed than those who show no interest in God at all.

**Do You Realize This?*

        Since the Lord God knows everything about us, he knows exactly what we think of him.

***How to Have God Choose You**

        Today is the Memorial of the Passion of John the Baptist. In the First Reading from 1 Corinthians 1, Paul writes, "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God." All this shows that the Lord loves the humble. Be humble, and he will choose you. The door to heaven is now open for you. 

**No Time to Waste**

        As we approach the end of life, we must become more like Christ and not remain the same old person each day. Best yet, let the Lord bring you into union with him through the Holy Eucharist, and then you will live the happiest life both now and forever.

**Reality**

        That there are righteous people in the world shows that God exists. By the same token, the fact that there are evildoers shows that Satan exists. Therefore, Good and evil, God and Satan, are all real.

***Another Healing Miracle

**Stay Awake so You Don't Get Locked Out**

        Today's Gospel reading is the Parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25. The five foolish virgins were not ready and missed the bridegroom's arrival. When they showed up to attend the wedding feast, the door was already locked. They called out, "Lord, Lord, open the door for us!" He replied, "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you." This is something you never want to hear the Lord say to you; it's worse than "Woe to you!" The lesson is clear: We must stay awake, for we know neither the day nor the hour of his coming.

**A Prayer We May Need to Say**

        Today is the Memorial of Saint Augustine. The Gospel Acclamation, Luke 21:36, reads: "Be vigilant at all times and pray, that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man." This is what Jesus said to his disciples. Indeed, we need to pray this, for the day to stand before the Lord will surely come for each of us. The question is: Are we ready?