***Very Foolish Decision***

        There are many ex-Catholics who no longer attend Mass, but at the same time they haven't totally rejected Christ either. Some of them even plan on coming back when they are ready. How foolish can you get? This is basically telling the Lord to wait until you are ready to accept him, while you don't know how much time you still have left. Gamblers usually end up losing and what's at stake here is the loss of your very soul! The idiom He who hesitates is lost applies to the case.   

****A Wake-Up Call****

         Are you aware that we are living in a secular world so evil that we are in constant danger of losing our souls? What the entertainment industry puts out, all the commercials you see, and our insatiable desire for material goods all reflect that. At morning Mass today, a couple brought their little boy with them. Like all kids, he wandered away from his parents a bit and made some noise, but he looked totally innocent. Then I thought of all the evildoers in the world today, and there are plenty of them—they were all innocent like that beautiful little boy once! The battle between good and evil is real. We need to be on guard at all times, and clinging to Christ is the only way to go!

**All-Knowing God**

         From the First Reading, we heard read, based upon 1 Jn 5:15—God hears us in regard to whatever we ask. Basically, the Lord knows everything about us. If you're not aware of this, I feel sorry for you. If you are, you would feel either disconcerted or comforted, depending upon your relationship with the Lord. Personally, I rejoice that I have such an all-knowing God taking the best care of me.

**The Letting-Go Test**

        Communion time question: God personally comes to seek union with us—how much do we let go of ourselves? 5%? 10%? 50%? 99%? How about matching his giving 100%? Abandon yourself totally to him and you are free. You can say that "Lose to God and you always win."

***Christ Indispensable to Us***

         Today's Communion Antiphon, 1 Jn 4:9—By this the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. Let us realize that we have inherited Original Sin and are dead in spirit, so we absolutely need Christ to restore us to life!

**Avoid Being a Fool**

        We all have a bucket list of things we want to do or accomplish in our lifetime. When I was in my teens, I already made up a list of all the things I wanted to learn and try, such as playing the piano, swimming, horse riding, mountain climbing, etc. Of course, I never reached my goal. Being more mature now, I realize that if loving and following Christ is not first on my list, I essentially remain a fool, a big one at that. So make sure you don't end up on the Lord's list of fools!

***Trump in Prophesy***

         This is a video I saw five years ago on the John-Henry Westen Channel. Later I couldn't find it anymore. Now it just resurfaced and I think you'll find it interesting. God has a way of doing things we can never expect.  

**Testing Your Readiness for Heaven**

         Which would you choose between wining a $100,000,000 lottery or having Jesus make you holy? Picking the better answer should be a no-brainer. Did you hesitate in answering the question? Were the consequences in each case instantly clear to you?

***Seeking Union with God Not Advocated?***

         People don't talk about seeking to attain union with God—I think it's because it requires you to surrender yourself to God and most people are not there yet. This is a big mistake. We can talk about learning how to swim even if we don't know how to swim yet. We can surely talk about becoming holy even if we are not perfectly holy yet. Perhaps people wrongly assume that union with God is for the saints only. If that's the case, it's due to muddy thinking and the lack of faith. The Lord wants us to be at our very best and we should let him make us so!

*****Monumental Great News*****

         We have first today's Entrance Antiphon, John 1:1—In the beginning and before all ages, the Word was God and he humbled himself to be born the Savior of the world. The Lord had revealed that to John—what a magnificent and monumental statement! Then we have today's Communion Antiphon, John 3:16—God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. This has to be our most beloved verse. If we must memorize one verse, this one should be it. God is giving us the "secret" to Eternal Happiness here! If you are not elated on hearing this, you need to be hit with a baseball bat on the head!