Salvation Criterion

        In Mark 16, we read that when the resurrected Lord first appeared to his disciples, he said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned." I italicized the last verse for emphasis. It seems that we must believe to be saved, even if we cannot love Jesus perfectly, for his mercy is great. Then if we do not believe and think it won't matter, it matters most seriously!

Critical Matter

        The funeral for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia took place today at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. He was an outstanding man of faith and law. As I flipped on the TV this morning, I caught a glimpse of the casket being carried out of the basilica to a waiting hearse. The thought that popped into in my mind was that the most critical matter concerning each one of us is whether our soul ends up in heaven with God or elsewhere separated from him for all eternity after we leave this world.

Jesus' Agony

        I feel the agony when I pray for the conversion of just one person I love and nothing seems to happen. Imagine the agony of the Lord when billions of souls in our world do not even know or love him! 

Great Human Tragedy

        Anyone who does not know Jesus well does not see what the will of God is clearly. Thus they continue holding erroneous views and are not even aware that they are rebelling against God.

Highest Calling

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus wants his disciples to love their enemies and be perfect, just as the heavenly Father is perfect. He points out that the Father makes the sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Obviously, the Lord loves everyone and we are to pray for the conversion of everyone, enemies or not, whom he loves. God is love and he wants us to be like him to break down all barriers with love.

Extraordinary Life for Us

        Communion thoughts. Who could have foreseen that God would give us his only Son so that we might have eternal life? Who could have foreknown that the Son would give himself to us in the Holy Eucharist so that we might become one with him beginning in this life? Our extraordinary God has truly given us an extraordinary life to live!  

Jesus Answers Us

       In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7 at Mass, we heard this familiar saying of Jesus to his disciples: "Everyone who asks, receives; the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." We don't quite get excited because we just haven't see anything dramatically happen after we pray to God each time. I believe that Jesus' promises are true; what is wrong is that we expect God to be like a magician. To receive, find, and see may take time and what we get may not be what we had expected; but respond, he will.

Topsy-Turvy Living

        We pick up knowledge the moment we were born. Do you realize that for most people almost all the things they learn daily serve only to help them survive or live a better life in this world and just a small portion of it might have something to do with the afterlife? Whereas the right way is to learn all you need to know about attaining eternal life, and God will rightly take care of your present life.  

On Mother Mary

        Steve Ray came into the Catholic Church as a Baptist. You can find his website Why I'm Catholic listed under Good Sites, Blogs, Webpages . . . on this blog. He's been interviewed by Marcus Grodi on the EWTN Journey Home program before. I am posting this latest interview, for it's worth listening to him talking about how he came to accept and appreciate Mary (14:37-28:58).  

God Knows Me

        Communion experience. The Lord knows me thoroughly, inside and out. I feel greatly rewarded.

Perfect Lord

        We all need someone to show us the way and I see Jesus to be our perfect guide. He's the perfect Lord, one we can fully trust, follow, hide in, lean upon, and love. If you do not accept him, the reason can only be you. I even see that God created me so that I might be fulfilled by his Son.

A Promise to Remember

        When Jesus starts out with "Amen, I say to you," we'd better pay attention. One of the Communion verses for today was based upon Matthew 19.28-29. To his disciples, Jesus says, "Amen, I say to you that you who have left all and followed me will receive a hundred fold and possess eternal life." Here's a crystal clear promise we should keep in mind, for believing in it can surely change our lives.

Living Longer

        I believe I have lived beyond the male life expectancy in this country. How long we live is completely in God's hands. Here are some obvious advantages of living longer: we get more time to learn from God, more time to serve him, more time to pray for the world, more time for accomplishing the work he has assigned us, more time to grow holier and closer to him, and more time to get ready for meeting him after this life. All for our good and the glory of God.

Ready to Go

        Communion experience. In Luke 2, we read that it had been revealed to Simeon, a righteous and devout man, that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when Joseph and Mary brought in the child Jesus to present him to the Lord, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation . . . ." After receiving Christ in the Holy Eucharist, I felt as St. Simeon did after seeing Jesus.

What Life Is Like

        Here is what I see life is really like, as I get closer to returning to my loving creator and Father. No matter how you look at it, life is a relatively short time for us. It is not incorrect to say that we were all born just to die a little later. Whether you feel lonely or not, you basically do exist alone in this life ~ only you are you. There is not another fellow human who knows all about you, can help you in all things, or speak for you at judgment time. In summary, without God life is transitory and desolate existence. With God, the transitoriness of life becomes irrelevant and its desolation changes into endless joy after it is over.

Changing Our Status

        Communion thoughts. Only our spiritual status matters to God and only God can change that. When the lowliest surrender to God, he elevates them to become the loftiest.  

Highest Security

        When we follow Jesus as his sheep, we are safe for all eternity!

Mark of True God

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 25, Jesus made clear to his disciples the following. He will come again in glory as the king to judge all nations and separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep, blessed by the Father, will inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world and the goats, accursed, will depart into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. The sheep and the goats are differentiated by whether they gave the king food when he was hungry, gave him drink when he was thirsty, welcomed him when a stranger, clothes him when naked, cared for him when ill, visited him when in prison; and whatever they did (did not do) for one of the least brothers of the king's, they did (did not do) for him.

        These most important, astounding messages of Jesus are consistent with all his sayings and revelations. His whole life, his work, completely back him up as a no-nonsense teacher. Again, Jesus becomes an all-or-nothing choice for us. There is no one else who can put us in such a situation without interfering with our free will.