***Features of Christ

        The Lord is thorough with us – he wants to save our souls for all eternity! He never gives up on us and will always remain faithful to us, for he loves us. All we need to do to let him be my Lord and everything is accomplished for him and for us! Don't you see?       

**Guide to Living as Christians

       Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5 was Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, giving us the Beatitudes. The 6th, 7th, and 8th Beatitudes also made up the Communion antiphon. Here they are.

          Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

          Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

          Blesses are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, 

          for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

        Just these three declarations of blessedness alone show how we are to live and what our rewards will be. We must be solely concerned about living for the sake of God and not about whether we go against the world or not.

*The Best Is Yet to Come

        1 John 3.2 from Reading 2: We are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. My thought was that for the Christian, it just gets better and better with the very best coming at the very end.

Rest From the Lord

        On this All Saints day, the Gospel acclamation came from Matthew 11.28: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord. I know all about this rest. It is not physical and goes beyond temporary mental relief – it is enjoying permanent spiritual peace, knowing that the Lord has settled your eternal destiny. How can you not rest in joy when the Lord has now removed your most urgent concern about your existence?

Renewal Time

        Communion experience. God renews me each time I receive him in the Holy Eucharist.

Only Way to Deal With God

        How do you deal with God, the God of Christ? You either submit yourself to him or you don't. If you think clearly, you'll see clearly that submitting yourself to him is the logical choice. You try it and experience peace, freedom, and joy, confirming that you've made the right choice. (Should you choose not to submit yourself to God, your will never receive any such positive confirmation.) 

*What We Know and Must Do

       In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, someone asked Jesus, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Jesus did not answer the question directly, but made it clear that the gate through which we must enter to be saved is narrow and that many would not be strong enough to enter through it. He said that the evildoers would one day find the door locked and hear the Lord say to them, "I do not know you. Depart from me." When they found themselves cast out of the kingdom of God, there would be wailing and grinding of teeth. 

        We do not know who will or will not be saved for sure, but this much we know: Hell exists and will not be empty. Therefore, know God as intimately as possible now to avoid being cast out later. It's such a serious matter that we must absolutely pay serious attention.

***Possessing the Kingdom of God

        This is today's Gospel reading from Luke 13: Jesus said, "What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches." Again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened." 

       This tells me that the kingdom of God is to let God completely fill us so that we bear fruit to the max. This is to be in union with him. When we let God do whatever he wishes with us, we are free! And the kingdom of God now belongs to us.

Most Treasurable Moment

        Communion experience. Receiving my Lord in the Holy Eucharist is the most treasurable moment of my day, for it's the moment he heals my soul again.

***Wise Advice!

        Do not let your trials and tribulations bother you, for they will all pass. But be on guard for the safety of your soul, for it lives on forever.