***Our Greatest Loss:

not possessing Christ. Life is precious precisely because it provides a window for us to possess him.

*Proven Sinners

        When we experience great joy after we repent of our sins and know that we are forgiven by God, it is ample evidence that we are sinners and sin enslaves us and God can liberate us from sin.

*Feeling Extra Sorry for Ourselves

        Following my last post "Brood of Vipers Within the Church," I started to think that all sins offend the Lord, but if his own people, believers, sin against him, how much more they must hurt him! We are all more affected by those close to us than by strangers. Therefore, as Christians, while we feel sorry for others who offend the Lord, we should feel extra sorry for our own transgressions.

**No More Unfinished Business*

        In life, there are always things for us to do. When we die, we'll just have to let the many unfinished things go. But it would be nice to know that we have done all we need to have done when we depart from this world, so that we can leave in peace. This is possible if we always do what God wants us to do, not what we want to do. When the Lord calls, we know that we've accomplished everything we need to have done for him.

*Compelling Mercy

        Communion experience. Before we received the Lord, we all recited "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under our roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." I didn't feel I was worthy, but the Lord entered anyway and healed my soul. 

***Looking at Yourself First!

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus asked his disciples, "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?" We all have this blind spot—we just don't see our own faults first. Just wonder how many of us still examine our own conscience daily. Holiness must start with each one of us. Seeking union with God is precisely trying to perfect ourselves first.

***Taking Care of Your Eternity

        We can only do so much to keep our body healthy, as it unavoidably ages and deteriorates toward death. As far as our mental health is concerned, it is affected by both our spiritual outlook and our physical health. When we develop some form of dementia, we become quite helpless. But the great news is that we can attain maximum spiritual health by becoming holy and one with God. I'd say, let the body and mind go and take care of you spirit foremost and you won't have anything to worry about for all eternity!

**Sin Stinks*

        We sin because we want to feel good selfishly. It is absolutely foolish to feel good temporarily and lose your inner peace for having offended God. Know that when you lose that peace, you lose God. So think twice before you sin. Better yet, don't even give sin a chance. Again, be one with the Lord to remain holy.

*Focus of Mass

        Jesus must be #1 in our life, so we must seek him with all our heart. The focus must be 100% upon the Lord when we worship him at Mass. Anything we see, hear, or do that directs our attention away from him is out of place. We are not at Mass to be entertained, amused, or informed about extraneous things. We must let God draw us closer to him, especially after receiving him in the Holy Eucharist. 

**How God Deals with Us

        In the last two verses of today's reading from Luke 6, Jesus gives us the rule of life. He said, "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." In other words, God will deal with us the way we deal with others. If we become like God, then we won't have any problem. Therefore, seek union with him.

**Doing the Impossible with God*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus said to his disciples: "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back." I'll stop quoting right here. Do we have to be "insane" to follow the Lord? We know that he must be right. How can we go against the grain like that? Answer: seek union with him to become like him. And he is merciful enough not to test us to the point that we would fail if we truly want to follow him.

Aligned with God

        The Lord God is (1) in front of me, leading and guiding me, (2) right with me, defending and shielding me from any attacks that can harm my soul, and (3) behind me to back me up whenever I need his help.

The Heart and the Will

        To love involves both the heart and the will. The heart wills us to do God's will, but often this can go against our grain. Jesus sacrificing himself for our salvation is our supreme example. Again, nothing is impossible with God. In union with him, you can get all the help you need.

***Our Reason for Living

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Plain, in which he said, "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man." This tells me that if we suffer or are being persecuted on account of our Lord, he will bless us! This tells me that we must live, do or go through everything for his sake. Yes, he must be our very reason for living! Seek to attain union with him so that he becomes inseparable from us.

*Christ Our Power Source

        To love God, to kill our ego, to fight temptations . . . to do all these things successfully, the power must come from the heart. And, of course, only God can gain access to our heart to give us that power. Therefore, open up your heart to the Lord.

*God's Justice Will Prevail

        The elite evildoers and hypocrites seem to be able to evade justice in this world. Then since we do not judge as God judges, our justice is never truly just. The good thing is that none of us can ever escape the justice of God in the end. 

**Man Versus God

        This is precisely the cause of mankind's unrest and loss of peace. 

**Cure for Worries and Concerns

        Jesus warned us that when he comes next, "two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left" and "two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left." We almost all have loved ones who choose not to follow Christ. Of course, we continue to pray for them, believing that they will turn to the Lord one day. Nevertheless, they place heavy burdens on our hearts in the meantime. This morning I heard Fr. Albert at the Fatima Center ask the question "Happiness of Heaven Lessened by Lost Loved Ones?" on a short two-minute video on YouTube. He concluded that we must know that God's will is our peace. I felt peace after hearing this. Knowing and believing in this can certainly rid us of all our worries and concerns.