***Signs from Heaven***

         This video is significant, for God speaks to us through signs.

****Setting Faith on Fire!

        In today's Gospel reading from John 1, John the Baptist testified to Jesus, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God." Jesus can baptize us with the Holy Spirit! I am no theologian, but I know from personal experience that by asking the Lord to baptize you in the Holy Spirit, he can set your faith on fire! Here's choosing to live a most exciting Christian life vs. living an ordinary lukewarm one.

***Solving Our Biggest Problem*

        From today's first reading from 1 John 2 & 3, I like the last verse most: No one who remains in God sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him. Knowing God is the solution to this biggest problem of ours: sinning. Here are the three steps to take to succeed. (1) Realize that sin is our biggest problem. (2) Resolve that we want to stop sinning. (3) Then we open ourselves up to God to let him take complete control of our lives. This is all there is to it. 

***Beautiful Way to Start Off the New Year

        (Even though I've gotten over my COVID, I still have a lingering cough and that's been keeping me from attending Mass. I truly miss receiving the Lord.) In today's reading from 1 John 2, the Apostle wrote "Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well." Since God the Father has revealed his Son to us, we must now accept them both. For they are one. And we might as well include the Holy Spirit, since our God is the Most Holy Trinity. When we remain in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are promised eternal life, becoming inseparable from our God. 

***Review of 2023

         As 2023 ends, I look back to see if it's been a year better than the one before, and the answer is a resounding yes because I am now in the Lord more than ever. You might say that my satisfaction with the Lord has so far reached its highest level and is still rising. No void in my life whatsoever! Psalm 23 is now perfect for me. I wish all of you the best possible New Year in which you'll find your greatest fulfillment and receive the most blessings and joy from our God! Know that there is no limit to how much you can let the Father love you.

***Our Big Challenge*****

        We continue to hear readings from 1 John 2. I like these verses today: Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever. Everything's pretty clear here. We must love and obey the Father alone and not love the world at all! This is something we seem to have difficulty even in taking it seriously. It just shows how much we have entrenched ourselves in the world. There is only one way to turn us around: letting the love of God overwhelm us. Again, there's no better way than seeking to attain union with God thru the Holy Eucharist.  

*****In God's Light or Not

        I like what John the Apostle wrote in 1 John 2 from today's reading 1. Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Christ is our light. Here's how to know if you are in his light or not. If there are still people you don't care whether they make heaven or not, you are not in his light yet. When you are in his light, you love everyone, including your enemies, and work hard to save all for Christ.  

*Trust in God Sensibly

        God wants us to trust in him totally, but he also wants to to be prudent and sensible. For examplet, if you trust that he'll always shield you from evil, it doesn't follow that you would choose to go walking in a known unsafe neighborhood at right. We still need to remain alert and wise always. 

*****Living the True Life

        If we live on earth, die, and become absolutely nothing, that would make our whole existence meaningless. What would be the point of knowing how to think, reason, curious about things; wanting to help others; understanding good and evil; etc.? Literally, everything we do in life becomes pointless. Christians who know the Risen Christ know for certain that there is life eternal after death. This makes life completely worth living. As a matter of fact, that's the life I am living for now!

***Crucial Acknowledgment***

        Today is Feast of the Holy Innocents. Reading 1 comes from 1 John 1 & 2. These are the last three verses from 1: If we say, "We are without sin," we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he [Jesus Christ] is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. If we say, "We have not sinned," we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. So to acknowledge that we are sinners is the step we must take if we we ever hope to be saved. It's totally logical and rather obvious, but I don't know how many of us truly realize this. Anyway, humility is the key to entering heaven. And God will only exalt those who humble themselves.