***Taking God the Wrong Way

        John 3:17, the last verse of today's Gospel reading: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Do you get it? No condemnation intended; salvation, God's only intention. So there is no need to be afraid of the Lord at all! Yet people do not approach him because they are afraid that he would reveal their sins and force them to change their way of life, while they really should be concerned about their salvation. They need to see this and make a complete turnabout. 

**Cross to Be Loved

        Today is Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. We who follow Christ must deny ourselves and take up our cross (Matthew 16:24). The Lord is suffering from carrying a most heavy cross, as the world continues sinning against him. When we willingly carry our cross, we help the Lord carry his. Let us who love the Lord love the cross too. 

**God Helps the Weak

         Communion experience. Before the Lord, I felt so weak and inadequate that I surrendered to him even more in order to receive strength and power from him.

***Christian Victories

         What's victory to you? To the Christian, the big victories are to overcome sin, to belong to Christ and become holy, and to succeed in doing God's will and getting to heaven. No material wealth or vainglory is involved. 

***Free Will, an Impediment

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, Jesus raised a widow's son who had died. If the Lord can raise the dead, surely he can transform each one of us. Unfortunately, since we are still alive, we often exercise our free will to block God's action. This is why we do not experience wonders.

***Essential Understanding

        Another piece of advice from the Lord this morning. There are myriad things around for us to learns about, but all we need to know and understand are our state and our place before him and what he wishes for us.  

****Wise Advice from the Lord

        I got to the chapel at Mount St. Joseph for Mass a little early this morning, so I remained in my car for a while. Through the windshield I saw a panorama of distant trees and some houses. Somehow I sensed that I am in this world, but I am not really part of it. And the Lord showed me that in the limited time I have left on earth, I should just do his will—do one thing at a time—with love and no rush nor anxiety. It was good advice for me to have. 

**Ingredients of Good Discipleship

        (1) Unshakable faith in Christ and (2) total obedient to him.

*End of Unrest

        Now that I already know Christ most intimately, for me there's no more hiding, no more running around, no more trying to fill the void of life . . . I simply rest in him, enjoying his peace and my content.

***Sure Way to Immortality***

        Communion experience. Chinese emperors are known to have searched for the elixir of life, hoping to achieve immortality. Even today people try to find ways to look young and live a long life. As I received the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I knew that it's the bread of life, the living bread from heaven, and whoever eats it will live forever (John 6:51). The is fantastic! It's the sure way to immortality. You not only live on forever, you get to live on in peace and great joy as well!