****Palm Sunday Reminder***

        You get only one chance to know Christ the Savior, to be sure that you'll get into heaven. After this earthly life is over, that chance is gone forever! On this Palm Sunday; Christ is getting ready to fulfill the Father's will by dying on the cross in our place. Only a truly loving God can initiate such a compelling act of love. It's time for us to die for him by dying in him out of gratitude. When we do this, we live forever!

*****Formula to Peace and Freedom*****

        Today the Lord made me see clearly that the most proper, glorious, and rewarding thing for us to do is to surrender ourselves completely to him. The lack of our interior peace and spiritual freedom is completely due to the lack of our trust in God or, shall I say, our rebellion against God. Return to him like the prodigal son and all will be well! If you see this truth, the Lord is calling you. If not, you only prove that I am right.

**Another Reason to Follow Christ*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 11, the chief priests and the Pharisees were so concerned about losing their power that they, ignoring all the wonderful signs Jesus had performed, saw him as a threat to them and planned to kill him. This is the same with the people of today. In this country, members of one political party, intent on holding onto their power, try hard to destroy the leader of their opposition party who has accomplished many good things for the country. They are today's Pharisees, only concerned about themselves and not a bit about anyone else. So if you don't know the God of Christ, your views and reasoning just become warped and wrong. Only by following Christ will we be able to become selfless and know how to love all others right. 

**Three Levels of Belief

        We can (1) totally believe in Christ and follow him, (2) belief that Jesus exists, but have no faith or do not know him, or (3) ignore or reject him. These levels of belief are more or less reflected in these three levels of living, respectively: We do (1) everything according to God's will, (2) all things dutifully, neither for God or ourselves, or (3) all things to serve ourselves only. 

**What's Most Important for Me*

        At Mass this morning, I realize that the most important thing for me is to trust in the Lord and not worry abut anything else. Therefore, receiving the Holy Eucharist daily is a top priority. All the problems I have in life I'll deal with dutifully, never letting them make me lose my focus. Realizing that when my life ends, I'll have to leave everything behind also helps.

***Loving God Is Easy (& Welcome)**

         It is beautiful to see people kneeling in a church adoring the Lord. This makes me realize that loving another human being in the world is often a lot harder, for the person may not care or even resent us for whatever reason. On the contrary, the Lord is always open and ready to receive any sinner turning to him. Imagine the immense joy we bring to him and the whole heaven when we decide to love him! 

***End and Beginning

        Communion experience. I've reached the end and beginning. End, because there is nothing beyond Christ I need to seek. Beginning, because I've started living a life in Christ that will me take me straight to him.

***Banish Your Pride and Live!

        Today's Communion antiphon, Romans 8:32—God did not spare his own Son, but handed him over for us all; with him, he has given us all things. God has indeed given us all things, even his own Son! We need to realize this, for he has already paved the way for us to return to him in paradise—what more can you possibly ask for? Let's be humble and gratefully submit ourselves to God to avoid being destroyed by our own stupid pride in the end!

***Settled for Eternity***

        Hebrews 9:15, today's entrance antiphon: Christ is mediator of a New Covenant, so that by means of his death, those who are called may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance. Eternal inheritance is what we are going to receive! It's so good that our Lord deals with all things that are eternal—anything we settle with him, it's settled forever!

***Only One True Sorrow***

         It is also our greatest sorrow that much of the world is still trying to crucify Christ our most loving Lord again!