**Taking Advantage of God

        God is infinite and powerful, and he loves us. We were made in his image and can call him Father. His ardent wish is not to control us, not to force us to be holy, but for us to trust in him so that we may get to heaven to live in everlasting joy with him! Please do understand him correctly! Therefore, we should take maximum advantage of our most privileged and favorable position and ask for and get all the help we need from him – there is no better way to show our trust. This is truly a no-brainer unless your brain is disordered. First thing we need do is to settle our eternal destiny with God. Then we can relax and enjoy serving him the rest of our lives.     

Reacting to a Speedster

        On my way home after Mass, I was driving at a decent speed and a speeding car behind me all of a sudden illegally crossed the double solid lines to pass me when we were already nearing a stop sign ahead. Here are some of my reactions: (1) It is alarming that someone would drive in such an unsafe way. (2) He got in front of me and I don't like it (it's the bad pride surfacing). (3) He might get into an accident – should I care? (4) Perhaps he has a good reason for speeding. (5) I hope he realizes that everything we do will have consequences. (6) He cannot be my enemy, for he doesn't even know me. I feel sorry for him and pray that God will illuminate and bless him (as I come to my senses).

**Preparing for Jesus' Coming

       In today's Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus told his disciples to be vigilant at all times and pray that they have the strength to stand before the Son of Man when he comes, for that day would catch everyone who lives on the face of the earth by surprise like a trap. I belief that before he comes to judge us, to separate the sheep from the goats, he already knew everything about us. And the moment you realize that he is here, your time for reconciliation with him also expires. After not listening to him and not paying attention to his warning your whole lifetime, do you think he still should hear your last confession? God's mercy is ever present and his love, ever wanting to unite us with him. Seek and attain union with him now and you don't ever need to be concerned about his coming anymore.

**Evil of Abortion

        Jesus said in John 15.13: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." He lived up to what he had preached and demonstrated it by going on the cross himself. (We certainly can at the least demonstrate our love for the Lord by living, if not dying, for him.) The diametrical opposite would be to take other human lives for our own benefit or convenience. Then it can be said that there is no greater evil than terminating the lives of innocent, defenseless babies for selfish reasons. I do understand that choosing to abort an unborn child is not easy and can be most agonizing to the mother, so the large blame must be placed upon those who are pro-abortion and have contributed to making the mother choose abortion. If such holocaust does not horrify us, then we have indeed become an ally of the devil. 

God Determines Eternity

        Only God, being eternal, knows eternity and has the power to determine all things that have to do with eternity. Since our soul lives on forever, we'll have to deal with eternity. In this way, God becomes our agent. Therefore, we must take God seriously, as he'll be determining our eternity. 

To be Like Jesus Is . . .

to remain humble, pure, and holy, and be filled with great love for all our brothers and sisters without exception. (I underlined "and" because the part that followed is specifically most difficult for us to put into practice.)    

*Imitating Christ, Our Aim

        God has created us in his own image. The difference is that we were created at various times, while God has existed forever. We are the only creatures on earth who can understand good and evil, virtue and sin, and our creator. Thus Jesus asks only us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is (Matthew 5.48). Therefore, we should aim to imitate Jesus to become perfect. First, let him purify us and fill us with his love. Then yield to him with an open heart so that he may teach us his thoughts and his ways for us to follow the Father's will perfectly as he did. 

**Truth About Being Free*

        We easily build walls around us, shutting God out, thinking that we are now secure and free to do whatever we feel like doing. The truth is we have only succeeded in enclosing ourselves in a private prison. True freedom is found by breaking down all barriers between God and us and connect ourselves to him by sharing the same space with him. Then we'll have security as well. In essence, we can never be free until we let God be our God – a truth we must realize.

*Coming to Senses

        If you are running away from God but not truly happy, then God is calling you! It's impossible to escape or hide from him, something you should know. And there will be a price to pay in the end for evading him, which basically amounts to rejecting his love for you. There is really no alternative out there, for there is only one creator, one Lord, and one Savior. Stop running away from him, face reality, turn to your Father as the prodigal son, and you'll find hope, joy, and experience the greatest homecoming welcome of your life to boot!

**Sad Reality*

        Today is the feast of St. Andrew, Apostle. In the first reading from Romans 10, Paul wrote: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So God has truly made it simple for mankind to be saved, but we simply do not wish to yield to him for selfish reasons. This is the plain sad fact! There is nothing more I can say, only plenty to pray about.

*Worthy commitment

        Members of many religious orders take the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. A more general basic commitment we the laity can make is to reserve ourselves for use by God alone. This should bring great joy to both the Lord and ourselves.

Make-Believe Living

        As I drove to church this morning, I saw that one neighbor had already displayed various, colorful things (I had no chance to see exactly what they were) in their side yard in preparation for the coming holidays. Christmas decorative lights have started showing up on various houses too. I wonder if all these things really cheer people up. Perhaps they do, but the true joy has to be experienced deep within the heart. The world is good at showing faux joys, especially in advertising and show business. All the fun things people do to entertain themselves without involving God are rather empty and it seems that people are just killing time, to be blunt about it. This couldn't be farther from being vigilant and preparing for the Lord's coming at the unexpected time. 

Responding to Persecution

        In this morning's Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus talked to the crowd about the coming persecution because of his name and how they should deal with it. I see that for his followers, every hardship they face is a form of persecution because of his name. The Devil would tell you to hit back, to retaliate, while the Holy Spirit wants you to rejoice in it for the sake of Christ. And you make the choice as to whom you should listen to.  

Only One, Trustworthy

        The only one you can and should trust completely is the one who can save your soul.

Jesus Speaking as God

        One of the Communion antiphons was Matthew 28.20. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, says the Lord. We must take this saying seriously. For if he did speak the truth, then obviously he knows where we are and what we are doing at all times and is present with us. He has to be God.

**Love Your Enemies

        Often people judge you harshly, are not grateful for what you've done for them, don't want to listen to you, ignore you, misunderstand you, or even look down on you. That's OK if your conscience is clear, knowing that you have always acted out of love. God understands everything and that's good enough for you, for you aim to serve and please him alone. And always pray for your enemies in all forms.

Be Transformed by God at Mass

        If you go to Mass as a blank canvass for God to paint whatever he wishes on it. You can be sure that he'll end up with a masterpiece at the end of Mass.

*Entering the Lord

        Before a large ship arrives at a port, the captain must carefully negotiate all the obstacles to steer the ship slowly all the way through docking. By contrast, we can enter God instantly by casting aside all our cares and head straight for his heart. The only question is whether we would do it.