**Jesus Christ, Our God and Judge

        Jesus came and preached the best possible news to us. Those who were evil felt threatened and became hostile to him, but those who were good and open-hearted accepted him. It is the same today. Christ has made both enemies and friends, so he has brought us division. The people who wish to remain in darkness do not like to be exposed, while those wish to get out of darkness welcome his light. Jesus Christ is truly our God and judge.

**Mercy and Peace

        Communion thoughts. The Lord God is my true source of mercy and peace. When I place myself at his mercy, I receive peace from him.

**Capturing God*

        The only way to capture God is let yourself be captured by him first.

*Rejoicing in Order

        Today's entrance antiphon started with Philippians 4.5: Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice. Jesus has come and saved us from our sins so that we can get to heaven to enjoy eternal life—how can we possibly not rejoice? Can you possibly think of any better news than this?  

When to Repent

        Don't put off repenting your sins and think that you'll have time to do it later. True, some people get to repent just before they die, but you might not get that moment. Besides, if you plan that way, the Lord would see your insincerity and it may not work for you. My wise advice: Repent now while you are still alive and your mind still clear.

Passing into Our Next Life

        The soul lives on forever and life is continuous. We can make our transition into our next life smooth, easy, and joyful or rough, difficult, and horrible. It all depends upon how much we let Christ into our life.

God Always with Us

        Look at one of your good friends. You see him, you hear him, and he sees you and hears you. You ask him for help and he often complies. But he cannot always be with you. Now look at God. Even if you don't see him, he sees you and knows all about you. He hears you instantly and you can hear from him too if you are open to him. You ask for his help and he always complies in the best way possible for you. The Lord God is our superior and most trustworthy friend. And he is with us always!

God's Challenging Promises

        I have not gone through the Gospels to see how many times Jesus had promised that we would never die or have life forever if we believed in him, kept his words, did the will of the Father, or ate the heavenly bread he gave us. He'd done it time and again. Can we possibly dismiss all these promises? I think not. You'll have to be so foolish as to think that are greater than he. The only sensible choice is to yield and believe in them. 

All Is Vanity Except . . .

        On December 6th, I posted "Is Life Fair?" after I learned that one sister in Christ had passed away unexpectedly. She was only 53. Today I attended the funeral Mass at her church. Life is short. This saying of Thomas à Kempis in his spiritual classic Imitation of Christ came to my mind: "All is vanity, except to love God and serve him alone." To make it possible to love and serve God alone in our short life, seek and attain union with him, for we cannot succeed on our own.

Boasting in the Lord

        Today's is the memorial of St. John of the Cross. Galatians 6.14, the entrance antopjon: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. We boast in Christ, in his death and Resurrection, in his love for us, in that he has made us anew, freed us from sin, saved us and given us life everlasting . . . not out of self-pride, but out of gratitude. Eternal love deserves eternal appreciation. 

**Way to God Made Straight!

        Before Jesus came on the scene, John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord, proclaiming "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said." Are you aware that now that Jesus has already come, he has made our way to him perfectly straight?

The Same Generation

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus said to the crowds: "To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'" Today's generation is just like this. They busily engage in activities in their own interest, not truly knowing what's best for them to do. They are deaf to the gospel of Christ, but always criticizing and judging others.

*Know You Are a Sinner?

        Here is a short video on a Jewish man who found Jesus. Before that happened, he never realized that he was a sinner. One must be aware of this reality before hoping to find God.

*Why Not Accept Jesus?

        I just listened to KingFace, a popular black conservative, giving a talk at the recent Blexit meeting held in Atlanta, GA. He told the audience that he recently accepted Jesus into his heart and got a big cheer from them. He asked himself "why not let Jesus into my life?" I think that this is a good question for unbelievers to consider. Instead of wondering why they should accept Jesus, why not think about why they shouldn't let him into their lives? Asking this way, they might see the light.

**Effective and Ineffective Praying*

        If we pray to God "May we love you more," "May we trust in you," "May we serve you faithfully," or for anything else this way, we are being timid as we still center upon ourselves. The right approach is to open up boldly to God—abandoning or surrendering ourselves to him. Then what we pray for will come to fruition, as we now rely upon God entirely.

*Being Good Not Good Enough

        That's because to get into heaven, you must repent for having been bad first.

*Only Approved Marian Apparition in America

**Knowing My God*

        Communion experience. As I went up the aisle to received Holy Communion, I knew I was going to receive my most beloved, my loving creator, the Holy One who died for my sins, is now dwelling within me, and will take me to him in a little while.