**How To Become Holy*

        If you are determined to find a lost treasure, you must be willing to take the risk that comes with going about finding it. After you find the treasure, you'll be very happy that you took the initiative. Similarly, if you are determined to become holy, you must be willing to abandon yourself completely to God to make it happen. Once you've made the leap of faith, you'll know that you did exactly the right thing. No pain, no gain. No faith, no growth. 

**Another Big Deal*

        Today I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. That Jesus came to us and underwent agony, physical beating, ridicule, and finally death on a cross is a huge deal! Think about it. He willingly suffered to the extreme, submitted to his sentencing without protest and even asked the Father to forgive those who put him to death. That was not normal from our point of view. But now we know that he did it to save us for all eternity, so it is a big, big deal and we must be grateful and never forget it!

**True Wisdom

        It is already the last day of 2019. Let's realize that everything in this world is passing. We'll be gone soon one day too. There is no reason to get ourselves attached to anything that passes or perishes. The eternal God who loves us is the only one to whom we need to attach ourselves. This is being truly farsighted and wise.  

**Joy of Submission**

        This is joy you receive when you submit yourself totally to the Lord. Now you know this is going to lead you to union with him. More joy ahead!

*Effective Praying*

        When we pray to the Lord and wish to get clear, specific responses from him, we need to ask for what we wish for clearly and specifically, and with great confidence. Vague and general prayers do not bring good results. Get to the point and the Lord will get to the point too.

**God or the World*

        Today's first reading came from 1 John 2. John advised members of the community, "Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever." We need to listen to this advice more than ever, as our world is becoming more enticing than ever. The spiritual battle has comes down to God vs. the world. We already know who will win in the end, so let us choose sides accordingly.

***Straight Talk (a Strong Reminder)

        Jesus challenges us, for we must decide whether he is the Son of God or merely a hoax. If you cannot say that he is a phony, then you have no choice but to believe in him 100%, no middle ground possible here. There has been no one else like him ever. And if you believe that he is the Lord but do not follow him all the way, be warned that everyone who does not acknowledge him before others he will not acknowledge before the heavenly Father (Matthew 10, Luke 12).

***Most Important Truth

        There are a million things you can learn in life, but there is one truth that is more important than anything else you need to know—God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3.16). Ignore it at your own risk.

*Perfect Attitude Towards God

        Communion experience. I approached the Lord. No questions, just total submission. I experienced great peace.

*Need to Have a Perfect Family

        On this Feast of the Holy Family, let's look at our own families on earth. Some families can be considered happy, but there are a lot more unhappy ones around. Then all families on earth are only temporary, for we are all equally children before God, our eternal Father. I believe that the Lord has made us so that we all feel the need to belong to a perfect family forever and has given us his only Son just to fulfill this need. When we believe in Christ, we'll be with the Holy Family one day. God always thinks of everything ahead for our sake.

**In Fulfilling God's Plan

        Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 2, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. What the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son. When Herod had died, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph again and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." But when Joseph heard that Herod's son was ruling over Judea, he was afraid to go back there. So he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth. Again what had been spoken through the prophets was fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazorean.

        We can see that God had ordained everything, yet Joseph was allowed to discern what right action to take. That's how we should follow the Lord: fully believing that he'll guide us in all things and using our best judgment in carrying out what we are asked to do.

***Realistic Dream Living

        "Be one with God and enjoy his presence every moment of your life." This is not something you only dream about, for you can realize it easily if you let God fully into your life!        

**Life Destroying Death*

        Communion experience. Jesus said in John 6.51: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." And again in John 6.54: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." As I receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, I believed and knew that I was heaven-bound, and all fear of death vanished.

*How Wonderful God Is

        It depends upon how open your heart is. Keep you heart closed and you won't see a thing. Open it up all the way and you see all his wonders.

**Casting Off Sins*

        We sin, but since we have Christ, we do not need to fear sin anymore. Christ our Savior can remove our sins if we accept him and repent. But let's go even further: Surrender ourselves to the Lord to attain union with him and we can become like him, losing even the tendency to sin! The Lord is powerful. Unquestionably he can make us holy.

**Remembering the Unborn*

        Today is the Feast of Innocents, martyrs. When I think about how Herod ordered those baby boys to be slaughtered, I think of how the pro-abortionists today are murdering millions of unborn babies every year. I have difficulty imagining how the Lord must feel when he sees so many of the unborn he has created do not even get a chance to live in the world they are born into. As the innocent unborn will all be following the Lamb, I just pity their murderers. 

***God Instantly Accessible

        Today I am amazed that God is so easily accessible to us. When we pray to him, we are instantly linked to him and he hears us instantly. In fact, he already knew what we are going to say to him. Then I receive  the Most Blessed Sacrament at Mass and he enters me physically to be one with me. When I say yes to him and we become one spiritually. He now dwells within me! If you wonder where the Lord is, that's because your heart is all shut! 

***God for the Down and Crushed

        Whenever you feel down or crushed, it is God calling you to turn to him for help. This is better than hearing inspiring messages daily. Being open to God or not makes all the difference. I could say that the Lord is at your service at any time and always! So allow him to come to you to give you all the help you need. Do not struggle on your own. The lower you feel, the more he loves to raise you high. After he helps you, you'll alway feel better than ever. God strengthens our faith through trials and tribulations.