**Call to Action!*

        At the Last Supper, Jesus said to his disciples, "If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." We can know God! He has revealed himself to us completely, so it's our move now! I'd like to say this again and again so that the whole world might hear me and know.

*No Comparing Yourself with Anyone

         I've advised "Never compare yourself to anyone." It should always be between you and God, not between you and anyone else. This means that you don't compare holiness with others either. A true holy person loves God. If someone is holier, he rejoices for the Lord. If someone is not as holy as he, he remains humble and would pray for that person. It's always charity, never judgment. 

*Reverence Needed

        As disciples of Christ, you don't want to become robotic. I love St. Thérèse's Little Way. Following it, we should do every little thing with love for God. Today I realize that prayer is one of these things. You hear so many written prayers and readings said robotically, even at Mass. What we need to do is to not rush, but to mean truly what we say. I confess that I have rushed through prayers to save time myself. I think if we show great reverence, everything will come out right.

*How God Made Me Anew*

        Thinking back many decades, I see that I used to be a very different person. I was a spoiled child and a shy, moody adult. I wanted to excel in many things, but felt inadequate and inferior to others. The ego was big, for I wanted to be somebody. Trying to "improve" myself always became a struggle. I never felt free, peaceful, or any joy. Life was empty and meaningless. But Christ changed all that. The journey took a while, as the Lord lead me through the various stages; but there were breakthroughs as well. To make a long story short, I am now free, peaceful, and feel great joy. There is nothing I shall want, and the Lord is more than sufficient for me. I can't be happier. Yes, God is more precious to me than myself and everything else. 

***Why Go Directly to God

        If you want to know the Lord, then go directly to him. He is forever present and instantly accessible. In fact, he is ready to embrace you as his beloved child at anytime! Do not waste precious time by going through other human beings, even if they are saints. They can help, but it's not the same as getting help directly from the Lord himself. All it takes is an open, humble heart. God is accessible to all. He is as close to you as he was to the Apostles and the saints, and as he was to Adam and Eve. To not go to him directly and share everything with him is to avoid him.

***The Sacrament for Union***

        Communion experience. The Lord made me see clearly that he is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. Let's just say that consuming this Most Blessed Sacrament is the same as eating his flesh and drinking his blood. This may sound uncomfortable to some or many, but it completely fulfills my longing for intimacy with him. God understands our nature thoroughly. In fact, it's out of longing to be one with us that he instituted this sacrament in the first place!

*Sign of Salvation

        Today's Communion antiphon, 2 Timothy 4.8: The Just Judge will bestow a crown of righteousness on those who eagerly await his coming. If you believe that Christ will come again and long for his appearance, it's a sign that you've been saved. 

***Greatest Tragedy We Can Make!

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus said to his disciples, "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost." Although we are not quite sure whom Jesus was referring to as "these little ones," we see how precious each soul is to the Father. What's important to him must be important to us. Therefore, we must make saving souls our top priority. The greatest tragedy for all is to run away from the Lord and end up being lost forever.

God Calling

        If you are tired of this world, it's God calling you to check him out.

***The Joy of Freedom!

      Do you know that if you are not happy, it's because God is not happy with you for being in his way? You are not allowing him to do what he enjoys doing with you: to make you perfect! Get out of his way and you'll feel this great joy of freedom.  

***Most Personal Lord

        Communion experience. As I went up to receive the Holy Eucharist, my heart leaped for joy. This was my personal Lord. He would have gone through everything he went through for you or me alone!

Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

        We are sinners and should not remain so. To rise above ourselves, we need God. Let Christ remove your sins and lift you up to where he is. How can we possibly not take advantage of this marvelous, incredible, and most beautiful opportunity? This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

To Become a Joyful Person

        Whether you realize it or not, we are all spiritually thirsty and hungry and if that thirst and hunger are not satisfied, we become unhappy. Unfortunately, in our world full of attractions and distractions, we are prevented from seeing this truth clearly. If you realize this truth, it's God calling. Search for him with an open heart and you'll find him. Once your thirst is quenched and your hunger filled, you will be a joyful person.

*How a Christian Feels

        Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Isaiah 61.10 is the entrance antiphon: I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels. Isaiah describes perfectly how a Christian feels (or should feel).

***Our Glorious Attainment

        We seek union with God because by becoming one with the Lord, we come to know his will and become obedient to him. And we eagerly let him purify our heart. Once the heart is clean, the mind becomes clean too. With a clean heart and a clean mind, our soul now remains pure. What a glorious and joyous attainment!

**Let the Holy Sprit Revive You!

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 3, John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing his followers in the Jordan river as they acknowledged their sins. Even many of the Pharisees and Sadducees showed up. John announced to all, "I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Of course, John was referring to Jesus. If you do not feel any zeal or fire in your faith, may I seriously suggest that you ask Jesus to come and baptize you with the Holy Spirit? For me, the Holy Spirit became real after I asked a whole prayer group to pray over me to be baptized in him. This happened over four decades ago and the effect has remained with me to this day!

Advent to Look Forward To

        In this season of Advent, we commemorate the coming of Christ into the world. The reality is that Christ has already come and can now even dwell within us when we open up to him. For the Catholics, receiving the Eucharist is having the Lord entering you physically to be one with you completely. What we should truly look forward to now is his Second Coming or meeting him after we depart from this world, whichever comes first.

**O Holy Night*

        As Christmas approaches, enjoy listening to this beautiful rendition of "O Holy Night."