**Becoming Useful to God

        Today is the Feast of Saint Lawrence. In the Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." So the question is how much of my old self has died? With God, you gain maximum benefits only if you go all the way with all your heart! This is precisely what makes following Christ so exciting, for you are amazed that he can indeed transform you to make you fruitful. Now you know that you are useful to and loved by God.

*End of Our Toil

         My wife had her kidney stone surgery this morning. It's her third time having to remove a stone from the kidney. Earlier the doctor said that he might have to operate a fourth time, since the stone this time was very large. I prayed in the waiting room practically the whole time and at the end, the doctor came out, happily informing me that he succeeded in removing the entire stone. I was most grateful to God.
        While waiting in the car for my wife to come out of the hospital entrance to drive her home, I watched many other patients being discharged. One old gentleman apparently came with his own wheelchair. He had difficulty in getting into his waiting car and the driver had to fold up the chair and put it back in the car afterwards. What I saw was that most of us had to toil a lot in life, so the earth is definitely not where we want to be for long. Fortunate are those who know Christ and that they are going to settle in heaven with him for all eternity.

**Fear of Devil Examined

        Looking at how evil has infiltrated our society and how so many people exhibit ungodly behaviors, should we fear the Devil? My answer is NO, for if you remain humble and holy in the Lord, the Devil has absolutely no power to touch you. He is annoying at times, but he can easily be ignored. Those who should fear the Devil are the ones who have already been deceived and snared by him and are in danger of losing their soul. But God is always there to save them. They can be freed instantly if they would only turn to the Lord and beg for his mercy. So, to fear the Devil or not, it's your choice.

**Our Most Appropriate Response!*

        Communion experience. The Lord enters me, body and soul – this is the perfect time for me to yield to and rest in him. As a matter of fact, I can't think of another more appropriate response! 

Most Powerful Joy

        The Joy of Christ can wipe out all our sorrows!        

Two Requirements for the Disciple

        Today is the memorial of St. Dominic. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus confirmed to his disciples that he was the Christ, the son of the living God. And he rebuked Peter for not thinking as God does, but as human beings do. So we must not only believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior, but also think as God does. This clearly requires that we become one with him so that we might become like him.

**Precise Advice (Best Ever News)

        If you are not perfectly happy living in this world, there is an option – seek out Christ who can make you perfectly happy in heaven for all eternity!

***Dwelling in Each Other

        Communion experience. As I went up the aisle to receive the Holy Eucharist from Father B this morning, I saw the open tabernacle on the altar behind him and immediately thought of the house of the Lord. After I received the sacrament, I realized that the Lord had entered my house and that made me the house of the Lord too! We are indeed temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6.19). Nevertheless, house or no house, when you become one with God, you and God are in each other!

**Joy of Hearing from the Lord*

        It is a joy and blessing to hear from the Lord. He speaks directly to the heart and that makes the communication so much more personal and intimate. And his messages always inspire and build you up spiritually. Now you have a personal protector, a travel guide, the perfect soulmate, and your greatest joy.

**How We Can End Up

        God will treat us the way we treat him or others. If we reject God, he will reject us. If we are ashamed of him, he'll be ashamed of us. He will judge us the way we judge others. He will forgive us the way we forgive others. So we'll be treated in accord with how others are treated by us and receive what God receives from us. To be precise, since God always loves us, it is really us who put ourselves in any bad position. Aim to be perfect, and we'll be OK. 

**Our Ultimate Wish

        Today's Gospel reading came from Matthew 15. A Canaanite woman came to beg Jesus to deliver her daughter from being tormented by a demon. Because she showed great faith, Jesus finally said to her, "Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour. This is the pronouncement we'd love to hear from the Lord. When we attain union with him, we will hear that, for we and the Lord then will alway wish for the same thing. By the way, this is the ultimate we can ever wish for.

**Where We Need God's Help Most

        Today's entrance antiphon from Psalm 70: O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me! You are my rescuer, my help; O Lord, do not delay. We need God's help in so many things. But most importantly, we need him to help us open up to him so that we may obey him always, not doing his will only when we feel like it.

God Needs Our Fervent Support

        When we petition the Lord for something with a burning desire, it is not that we lack faith and thus need to pray extra hard to make up for that; on the contrary, it's because we know what we ask for is in accordance with his holy will and are with him 100%.

**Our No. 1 Desire and Goal

        Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Here is 1 John 3.2, the Communion antiphon: When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. To be like Jesus – this is most personal and even better than to be in heaven! Brothers and sisters, let's make that our No. 1 desire and goal! Start seeking union with the Lord right this moment.

***Our Final Fulfillment

        We are basically lonely creatures. There is no one on earth whom we can truly rely upon, for we are all alike. Then we run into Christ, start to follow him and we are not alone anymore. As he draws us closer and closer to him, we desire to become one with one. When we attain union, we are completely fulfilled, for we now belong to God totally! 

**Gift to Keep You Holy

        We are set free when we surrender to God the Truth. The first emerging sign is that our conscience becomes super sharp, making you aware of what pleases and what offends God. You lose peace the moment you sin, even if you sin ever so slightly. This is great help in keeping you holy.

***Urgent Call to All Christians

        The Lord wants us to remain vigilant, for we don't know when he'll be coming. But he also wants us to be vigilant about attacks coming from Satan! We must fight evil as hard as we can every chance we get. This is serious business, for all souls including our own are at stake. Because of the laxity of all Christians, evil has managed to infiltrated our societies and the Church rapidly during the last half century or so. The time to go all out to fight for God our savior has been long overdue. Surrender to the Lord to be one with him now so that we may become strong, bold, and fearless.

***Awesome Union

        Communion experience. Since the whole Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist, when I received his Body and Blood, I also received his Soul and Divinity! Realize this and you are never the same again.