***God Needed More than Ever

       Last night I emailed a petition to many of my friends to sign. It was to call on the president of the Catholic Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles to cancel a scheduled fundraiser on behalf of Planned Parenthood on campus. Catholics now openly promoting abortion! Because many Christians have not been vigilant, evil has succeeded in infiltrating much of the world and even the Church. To sin in a secular, materialistic, godless society filled with temptations is just too easy, as easy as going down a slide. Without a strong faith in God, conscience is our only weak brake. We always need God, but now we need him more than ever in these last moments! 

**Discipleship Requisites

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus addressed the great crowds traveling with him. He said, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." Jesus is basically saying that we must put him ahead of everything else. We must be detached from everyone else, including ourselves. Of course, this doesn't mean that we do not love our family members and ourselves anymore. Once we follow the Lord, we'll know how to love all others properly with his love, a love that's pure and truly selfless. His last saying here tells us that we must also accept our crosses.

**Sign of Total Conversion

        If you totally obey the Lord God of Christ in all things, you have totally converted.

**Don't Create Disorder

        God is totally meek and humble. So if we are haughty and full of pride, we create disorder. Naturally, our infinite almighty God is to be glorified. If we finite creatures start glorifying ourselves, we also create disorder. Be humble following God and we'll enjoy peace now and be happy for all eternity!      

**Be Heirs to God's Kingdom Now

        Matthew 25:34, today's Gospel acclamation: Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. This is what you'll hear the Lord say to his faithful sheep at his second coming. Happy indeed are those who will hear him say this to them! Start enjoying the Lord now and let your joy increase to that day and beyond.

**How to Understand Truth

        Today is All Souls Day. From the first reading from Wisdom 3, verse 9 reads "Those who trust in God shall understand truth...." This simple statement is very beautiful! God is the truth. When you trust in him, he reveals himself to you and you know the truth. And, of course, the truth sets you free. If follows that those who trust in God are free!

***Christ Never Boring!

        Christians feel about Jesus differently. Believing in him with a strong faith no matter how you feel is always a great blessing. Personally, I find knowing and following Christ most exciting and exhilarating. He is the same always, yet I can never get bored. For he is the truth, remaining forever new and refreshing, and he makes me new and refreshing to him too! He is the one I greatly look forward to spending eternity with!

**Our Business and Challenge

        Instead of minding whether others love the Lord God or not, we should mind first whether we ourselves love him enough or not. By the way, we can never love God enough, and that's the challenge for all of us on earth.

*Christ as Our Teacher

         Have you ever noticed that the Pharisees of Jesus' days only cared about following set rules for all to observe, while Jesus always spoke spiritual truths aiming at people's hearts? 

***Lord's Prayer Revelations****

        In praying the Our Father this morning, I saw that the plea "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" truly is the key to our salvation, and the following plea "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" ultimately tests our our love for the Lord (and our obedience).