*****The Only One*****

         Today's Communion antiphon, 1 John 4:9—God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. On this last day of 2025, let me declare that Christ is our Savior, the only one through whom we may have life for all eternity! There is absolutely not another one to whom we can go to get all our sins removed. Lose him now and you lose your way forever.

*****God Can Make You Perfect*****

         Communion experience. In union with God, you are in union with the one who can make you perfect for you to get along with him perfectly.

**Don't Forget Prayer "

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 2,  we heard read that when Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus to the temple for presentation, a prophetess, Anna, who never left the temple, was worshipping night and day with fasting and prayer. She csme forward to the Holy Family, gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. We usually try to serve the Lord by helping someone directly and forget that to worship with fasting and prayer can do as much good if not more. Look at prayer alone, we can reach God instantly to get him to release his power to do good. So never rule out prayer. For some, this is their only way, and that's just fine. The best way is to do the best in whatever way that suits you best.

***Living the Joyful Life***

        Today's Responsorial Psalm Refrain, Ps 96:11a—Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Believing and following Christ is living a life of rejoicing in the Savior! This joy is unstoppable, turning all our tears into tears of pure joy.

***Simplify Following God***

         From today's first reading, 1 John 2:17b—Those who do the will of God remain forever. Such a clear, simple statement! Obey God and we have eternal life. Why do we always make following the Lord so hard for ourselves?

***Only Way to Fulfillment***

        People are constantly looking for "fun" things to do to fill the emptiness they feel in their hearts, not realizing that basically, they are looking for God, the God of Christ. Those who have found Christ are completely satisfied, overjoyed, and lacking nothing. We'll all face God in the end. The sooner we turn to him, the sooner we get fulfilled by him.

**Balanced Response to God**

        Christ, our Lord and God, has redeemed us with his Most Precious Blood; this shows how much he loves us. So we should be humbly grateful to him and at the same time not undervalue ourselves.

***Ready to Go in Peace***

       Today's Gospel reading from Luke 2 tells the Presentation of the Child Jesus. Simeon, a righteous and devout man awaiting the consolation of Israel, came into the temple. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation, the light and the glory." We have not seen Jesus in person yet. But for us who already know him intimately and even consume his flesh and blood regularly, we definitely are ready to go in peace also.

**Our Guiding Light**

        In today's first reading from 1 John 2, we learn from the Apostle that whoever loves his brother remains in the light and whoever hates his brother is in darkness. So we see that the light dispels darkness and makes us love others—that light is Christ! Remain in his light and we'll never lose my way.

**Another Reason for Not Judging**

         Do not judge anyone, for if you had gone thru and experienced what that person did, you might not come out a better person than he is.