*Odd Christians*

         They love to tell others about their family members or friends who are doctors, lawyers, professors, or prestigious in any way, yet they don't tell others or are even ashamed of telling them that they believe in Christ who is supposedly the most important and prestigious person of their life. Why do Christians often relegate the Lord to the periphery or even oblivion?

**We Need Christ to Anchor Us*

         We all live in different environments. Some people live in countries so poor that their main concern is to be able to make a living. And there are rich people in affluent countries whose main occupation is to seek material comfort and worldly pleasures. For those who do not believe in God, they don't care about government oppression so long as they are not affected, while those who believe in God under the circumstances may completely change their outlook on life and rearrange their priorities. We all live in our own world and react differently to different things. How to always know the right thing we should do? I say that we need to firmly believe in Christ and get to know him intimately so that we'll know his ways, his thoughts, and his will. Then we'll just follow him, no matter how circumstances change, where we are, and what we face. We'll feel good, knowing that we are with Christ always.  

**Again, Do Not Judge

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus got rejected at Nazareth, his native place. When the sabbath came the Lord began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. And they took offense at him. They came to judging the Lord quickly as the people of today do. To me, no matter how bad someone is, you should always give that person another chance. Jesus does not condemn anyone who is still living because there is alway a chance that person might repent and turn to him. In any case, leave the judging to God, as our judgment of anyone does not affect his in the slightest besides making us look bad.

*****Where to Find Freedom (Power of Infinite Love)*****

        God's love and mercy for us is infinite, and we can let him love us as much as we allow him to. When we open ourselves up completely to him to let his love fill us to the brim, we are set free in our infinite Lord! The love of God now unites us to him as one. In short, when we let God love us as much as he wishes, we are set free.

****Get Disciplined the Smart Way

        In today's reading 1 from Hebrews 12, Paul writes that the Lord disciplines those he loves and that he disciplines us as a father because he treats us as his children. We are not perfect children, so we should welcome discipline when we misbehave. But I do see a way of preempting any harsh discipline. Here's how. You surrender yourself to the Lord, aiming at attaining union with him. Now you let him teach, shape, and mold you to his heart's content to perfect you, while you experience only sweet and tender love! A case of no pain and lots of gain.

*Overcoming Fear of Death

         If you still fear death, you haven't been liberated from the world and yourself yet. The only way to overcome that fear is to attach yourself entirely to God, as in union with him. When you know that you belong to God alone and is totally under his care, you lose all fears, not just the fear of death. 

*Getting Down off Our Pedestal

        Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Psalm reading comes from Psalm 24. Here's verse 8: Who is this king of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle. Then Jesus, the king of glory, came, humble and meek, not strong and mighty as people had expected nor fighting the kind of battle they had envisioned. For his ways and thoughts are higher than theirs as the heavens are higher than the earth (Isaiah 55:9). We are the ones who do not get it. To the ones who got it, they were overwhelmed, for the Lord was more amazing than they could possibly have imagined! We need to be open-minded, objective, and never look down on anyone different from us. Whatever we do to the littles ones, the meek and humble, the weak, the poor ... we do it to the King of Glory.

***In These Dark Days

        We are going through dark times. In this country, we are losing our freedom of speech, religious freedom, our right to life, right to vote, and democracy. It's never been like this since the founding of the republic. This is the result of man falling away from God and ignoring all his warnings that we need to repent and return to him or be chastised. Even the Church did not take these warnings given to us through the Holy Mother, other saints, and various seers seriously. Since my soul is already safe and secure in my God, I no longer fear the death of my body. Psalm 23:4 comes to my mind: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for the LORD is with me. But I pity those who are lost and not repenting. It seems that they are just asking to be punished—how tragic! And I do share the Lord's great sorrow over their self-centeredness, ingratitude, and hardened hearts. How difficult it is to be childlike indeed!

**Wise Living

       In this material world, God as our Lord is meaningful to us only because God is knowable to us. As our Lord he knows everything about us. Every thought, word, and deed of ours cannot escape him. Whatever we do, good or bad, will have its consequences. This is good to know so that we may live right to be sure that we'll have secured our eternal life! It's a pure case of "we reap what we sow." 

***Most Satisfying, Rewarding Living

         February has begun; time marches on. We are all getting closer to being judged by God, so are you rejoicing and not even thinking about it? I want to praise the Lord as much as I can by word or deed in the time I have left on earth. My prayer is that every single person in the world will turn to Christ and be saved. To trust in, obey, and serve our most wonderful Lord is what makes our life most satisfying and rewarding. You see, when we submit ourselves to him, he makes us selfless. When we are selfless, we become free! So live for the God of Christ alone, which is really letting him live exclusively in you. This is loving your God with all your heart, with all you soul, and with all your mind.