*What's Not a Bona Fide Catholic

        We can believe in God, attend Mass regularly, and be as nice as we can to everyone, but still not follow the teachings of the Church thoroughly or be aware of the urgency of following the Lord during these dark times. A casual Catholic is not a bona fide Catholic. Go all out for the Lord to receive fully what he has in store for us. 

***Aiming for Heaven Only

        We want to aim as high as possible, for God deserves our highest esteem and love. Some people are resigned to going through purgatory first, but I say we aim for going to heaven directly, bypassing purgatory altogether. We want to honor and please the Lord as much as we can by being as holy as we can. That's going all out for him as he had for us when he died on the cross for our sins!  

**Precarious Situation We Are In

        We naturally like to do what we want to do without anyone telling us what we should do. In other words, we tend to be self-centered, despite having a conscience. It's always easy to follow the easy way, and Satan knows and takes advantage of that. To capture you, he makes you believe that you are on the right path and he's with you. Of course, once he has influenced you, it becomes increasingly difficult for you to think of God. This is exactly the situation we're in. The illumination of conscience warning will be a drastic measure taken by the merciful Lord to steer us back to him. What we should do is to wake up and turn to him now rather than risk reaching the point of no return before that warning comes.

**Decluttering the Mind for Peace

       People in general are interested in what's going on around them. When they meet each other, they talk about what's happening with their family or someone else's. They talk about current events and share their views. Sometimes we just like to talk, even about trivial stuff. One reason I have peace is because I don't waste any time thinking about things that would draw me away from God or won't do me any good. Even if I hear something that needs help, if it's a situation that I cannot directly help except through prayer, I just pray and not let it weigh me down in any way. Although this can give the impression that I am not a very sociable or caring person, to preserve my peace in the Lord is the best part for me and I must not lose it. Actually, I don't have to try hard at all, for I automatically know what to pay attention to and what to tune out. We should always do our best in what we should and can do, but not waste any time thinking about things extraneous to our spiritual life.

*****God's Foremost Desire Is . . .

to save us from our sins so that we can go to heaven. I hope you realize and believe in it.

***Riddle of Life

         It's all about us and God. We have strayed away from God and he wants us to return to him. The way has been all paved, but we resist going back. We think we can be free on our own, not realizing that freedom is born the moment we let the Lord fully "capture" us. Those who see this truth are few. The war is really between us and God. Once we surrender and reconcile ourselves to him, order is restored and we are set free forever. Life is no longer a riddle.  

**Duped and Becoming Heartless

       Psalm 51 is today's responsorial psalm. From verse 5 and 6, we have "For I acknowledge my offense; and my sin is before me always. Against you only have I sinned; and done what is evil in your sight." We need to be aware of the fact that every time we sin, we hurt the Lord, and ourselves: we cause him great sorrow and stray further away from him ourselves. He has made us in his image so that we can become like him, but we just go the opposite way. We've been duped by the world and become heartless. 

**Force That Makes Us Grow

        I look out the window and see the dragon fruit cactus my wife has recently transplanted into a large pot. Its growth is quite amazing, for it's noticeable daily. Two small segments that sprouted just a few weeks ago are now over a foot long. There is a force behind it which is of course the Lord. Then I see that we have a powerful force behind us too—it's God the Holy Spirit who can help us grow amazingly spiritually, if we, like that dragon fruit, do not resist the Lord.

*Decision You Must Not Delay

        Turning to God to convert yourself is a decision you must not delay making. Putting it off is like not getting ready for evacuation when you know that a fire is approaching and could make you lose everything, including your own life. Even after our conversion the Lord wants us to remain awake, vigilant and alert for his next coming. So burying your head in the sand is never the smart thing to do. 

**Who Can Save Us?

        If you don't think you need to be saved, you don't need to read on. I know that I am a sinner and can't get into heaven without having my sins removed. Who can save us? Buddha can't. Neither Muhammad nor any self-proclaimed prophet can. For they are all human beings created by God. Only God himself can forgive our sins and save us. That leaves Christ alone as our Savior. His Resurrection is solid proof that he is the creator of all life. It is he or no one.