**Let Christ Refresh You

        Jesus is forever refreshing, for he can refresh you spiritually at all times, especially when you are in union with him. You can always start anew with him, up to the last minute of your life on earth. But why take a chance, for you may suffer dementia or die suddenly without warning? 

***Joy of Going Home (What Makes Life Worth Living) *

        The first thing I felt today was the joy of going home to my Father, also the Father of Christ our Savior. It's only a matter of time. I don't desire that it come sooner nor later; I am just looking forward to it. This is what makes life worth living, no matter what kind of life you have now.

***Power of the Holy Eucharist***

        Communion experience. Believe in the Holy Eucharist and you'll experience the greatest and most beautiful transformation of yourself!

*****Demanding Commandment

         In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." (Some translations say seventy times seven times.) In other words, the Lord wants us to always forgive others. So if we do not forgive anyone, we go directly against the Lord—something we must not do if we don't ever want to impair our soul!

***Ultimate Objective

        We usually pray to God asking for something. But even if we don't ask for anything, communicating with God from our hearts always endear us to him, bringing him closer to us. Our objective should be to attain complete spiritual union with the Lord. Be one with him so that we may become like him. 

***Faith Being Tested**

        The world is in a horrible state. Looking at my own country, I see so many lies being propagated daily, so much hatred among people . . . godlessness and lawlessness in general. Good news is always followed by a lot more bad news. Will things reach a lowest point and turn around? At times like these, our faith is being challenged to the core. For those who follow the Lord, they are experiencing a form of martyrdom, even though they know that the Lord will triumph in the end. It's like us watching Christ undergoing his Passion, knowing that he'll rise from the dead and ascend into heaven afterwards. Meanwhile, they must offer their own passion up to the Lord, never deviating from the truth. Mercifully, life on earth doesn't last that long.

***Dealing with Suffering*

        As sinners living in this sinful world, it's impossible to avoid suffering. The right attitude is to accept it, believe in Christ who went thru so much suffering for our sake and is still suffering horribly today due to our unbelief, and offer all our sufferings up to him for his sake. This way we earn merits and will be rewarded greatly in heaven. 

***The Christ Challenge***

        You probably have heard of Pascal's wager. Pascal is a 17th century French philosopher and mathematician. The wager goes like this: If God exists and you believe in God, you'll go to heaven. If God exists and you don't believe in God, you may go to hell. Of course, if God doesn't exist, it wouldn't make any big difference whether you believe in him or not. But if he does exist and you don't believe in him, you'd be in big trouble. So it's wise that we don't take a chance in not believing in him. Let's look at Christ. He is either true or false. If you cannot prove that he never existed, he never worked miracles, he never rose from the dead, or what he had taught was all false, then you'd better believe in him totally.

****Division Among Us*

        We'll either go to heaven or go to hell for all eternity after we die. Witnessing how the world is sharply divided between those who follow Christ and those who reject him, you see clearly where they are headed now. Of course, anyone is free to change his destination at any time. A clear conscience is our best hope.  

***Wise Warning and Advice***

         We only live once on earth. It's a oneway journey and there's no reincarnation. So live the best possible life here and now.  I'd follow Christ to head straight for heaven.