"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

**Feel More for God than Ourselves*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus told his disciples that it's not the will of their heavenly Father that one of the little ones be lost. So every soul is precious to God the Father. We feel sorry for ourselves after we commit a sin; we really should realize first that we grieve God greatly when we sin. Feeling this sorrow of his will definitely help us sin less and become holier over time.

***What's Good Enough

        This is not a new message, but is worth hearing again. Being a real nice person is not good enough; having all your sins taken away and becoming holy is crucial.

*****Feeling the Lord***

        I really feel Christ today. I feel his presence, his tremendous love for us and his great sorrow for our ungratefulness. His joy is always with me, yet the burden on my heart is heavy. Knowing that he understands me thoroughly, I feel drawn closer to him more than ever. The bittersweet feeling gets sweeter.

Sunday, December 8, 2024

**Rejecting Salvation

         To be Saved by God is so simple—you only need to believe in Christ the Savior. But we foolishly think we are too smart for that—so pitiful! 

***Joy All the Way***

        The prophet Isaiah predicted that the Savior would come, and he indeed showed up two thousand years ago. It is time for us to rejoice and await his next coming. But if you seek union with him thru the Holy Eucharist, he'd come straight into your heart to dwell within you! More joy before entering heaven!

***Letting God Be Our Witness**

        In today's reading from Philippines 1, Paul writes, "God is my witness ..." What a powerful statement! God does see everything that's going on, exposed or hidden, and we must be aware of this so that we may live a life without blemish before him. 

***What Pleases God the Most***

        To serve and glorify God, you can sing in the church choir, compose hymns, help building a new church, volunteer in various ministries, pray extra hard, etc. But to please God the most, surrender yourself completely to him first.

Saturday, December 7, 2024

*****Greatest Invitations of Our Existence*****

        At each Mass, the priest in consecrating the bread and wine repeats what Jesus said at the Last Supper to his disciples: "TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU" and "TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT: FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME." These are the two greatest invitations of our whole existence! And when we accept them with open hearts, we give our greatest responses of our whole existence, for we now have eternal life! 

*****Rock Solid Reality*****

        Every moment you live without acknowledging Christ as your Savior is a moment you risk losing you soul forever! 

**Freely Receive, Freely Give*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus sent out the Twelve to various towns and villages to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven at hand, cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons. He said to them, "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." Indeed, all things we have come from the Lord as we own nothing. Therefore, we are to provide all things freely to those in need.