*Best Acts of Charity

        People show their love in different ways. Some call you often to see how you are doing; some tell you that they love you or send you presents; some don't say much but always do things for you; still others may donate money or just pray for you. Which way is best? That depends upon the motivation behind the deed. All acts done for the sake of the Lord God meaningful to him would have to be ranked best.

**Opposite Views

       Foolish Living: Going all out to satisfy the desire for pleasure and gain, but living without inner peace. Eternity uncertain.

          Wise Living: Casting aside the desire for worldly things and living a life known and pleasing to God only in peace and joy. Eternity locked in with Christ.

         The foolish ones view the wise ones as boring people and feel sorry for them for not knowing how to enjoy life, while the wise ones think that the foolish ones are, well, foolish, and feel sorry that they don't take care of their own souls.

***Truth Before Our Eyes!

        In today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Wow! This has to be one of Jesus' boldest proclamations. It compels us to listen up. "He is the way" tells us that we must follow him to know where we are going. He is our true guide. "He is the truth" tells us that he is the absolute reality. And "He is the life" lets us know that we can have eternal life through him. We always look for things to satisfy ourselves in this life. Jesus is right here telling us that we only need to seek and follow him to be satisfied for all eternity!

**Reason Jesus Is Not Welcomed

        In logic, if a hypothesis leads to a conclusion, then negating the conclusion would necessarily negate the hypothesis. For example, if it is raining, the grass would be wet. If the grass is not wet, then it cannot be raining. The conclusion is irrefutable. Jesus has said in Mark 2 and Luke 5 that he had come not to call the righteous to repentance but sinners. If we are all righteous, we would have no fear and welcome Jesus. But since so many of us avoid facing him, it must be that they are sinners afraid for themselves. Logic does not lie. 

***We're Being Tested Again

          In today's Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus continued, "If anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak."

        These sayings are important for us to understand. Jesus did not come to condemn us. He came to tell us what we should and should not do and left the decision to us. It's like God telling Adam that he's free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, they ended up dying. Now we are being tested again by God. He is giving us a second chance. If we hold fast onto Christ, then we are surely to pass the test. Note that there won't be another second chance this time!

**Jesus as Our Light

        In today's Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus said, "I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness." I see Jesus as the light that illuminates my mind, dispels the darkness around me, exposes what's in my heart that should be removed, and reveals the way to union with him.

**In God's Household

        If we believe in Jesus, we must see that he uses us to further his kingdom on earth and attune ourselves to the Holy Spirit. If we presume that the Lord is not going to speak to us, of course, we won't hear from him. But if we are all ears and eager to hear from him, we will hear his voice. It is an honor, privilege, and joy to know that the Holy Spirit is with you and that you belong to God's household.

***The Sin We Must Repent Of

       Historically, the world wars, the Holocaust, revolutions, genocides, dictatorial regimes, etc., have killed millions and millions of lives, and we are appalled. Yet most of us seem to have acquiesced to the even greater nonstop killing of the unborn worldwide. Perhaps because the killing is silent and has been legalized by many governments. But this direct and willful termination of life is undeniably denying that God is the author of life and that he loves us and commands us not to kill. In the case of the unborn, the victim is not only innocent, but also defenseless. This has to be a cruelest sin we can possibly commit against God. For this sin alone, we need to repent to God to avoid any further chastisement and damnation of the soul.  

**The Great Split Warning*

        We are all marching toward death, and when we face death, there'll be two paths waiting for us. One will take us to heaven and the other to hell. I am just putting up a road sign to warn you of what you might run into ahead. Follow Christ now and I'll change the sign to point to heaven only. Warning of the split is no longer necessary. 

***Time for Church to Repent***

        Repentance is the key to entering the kingdom of heaven. Christ teaches that and the Church teaches that. Sadly, the Church is not practicing what it preaches. Shouldn't the authorities of the Church to be our shining example openly repent of their corruption, covering up scandals, being timid in condemning and stopping evil such as abortion, failure in teaching the truth such as the real presence of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, being lax in evangelizing souls, trying to be political correct instead of following only Christ? I am not here to judge . . . I am only echoing what many faithful Catholics feel about the Church today. Repentance is required of every sinner on this earth, even non-Christians.

***Praising the Lord!

        Today the Lord of Christ lets me see clearly that he is our God, our Light, our Guide, our Model, and our Judge. No one can possibly bypass or hide from him. He is the absolute reality. Blessed are we to have such a God who also loves and understands us. Without him, we are utterly lost. With him, we gain everlasting life. I rejoice that he called me and that following him has been an immense joy. 

**Good News Becomes Great News*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one." Knowing that we shall never perish is already such good news. Knowing that no one can possibly take us out of the Father's hand makes the good news even better. That we can become one with the Father and the Son has got to be the best icing on the cake.

**Why Christianity Is not Winning

        In today's first reading from Acts 11, the disciples went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. A great number believed and turned to the Lord. I am wondering why this is not happening today. First I thought that everyone pretty much has heard about Jesus, so it's nothing new to get excited about anymore. Then I realized that it's because of the allure of the the well-developed material society on the one hand and the lack of zeal and spirit in most Christians on the other hand. Ultimately, it is the lukewarm Church that's responsible for the present situation. If we can be as excited and spirited about our faith as the early Christians, the world would be a lot different today. We have not abandoned ourselves in the Lord completely. Perhaps this is also why we do not see that many miracles being performed today. Only a total recommitment to the Lord by the Church and all of us can turn things around.

**The Power of God

        In today's Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus said, "I have power to lay my life down, and power to take it up again." The power of the Lord comes from his will. Whatever he wills, it's done. Since he can will anything, he can do anything. Compared to him, we have zero power, for to accomplish anything, we need to toil and labor. But if we acknowledge to the Lord that we are nothing before him, he will empower us to do good.

**Please Die in Peace*

      If I do something and lose peace, I know that I've gone against the Lord. Then I undo what I've done and regain peace, and I get confirmed. We want to be able to correct all wrongs so that we may leave this world in peace. One thing that can put a heavy burden on our heart is that we are not on speaking terms with someone we love or who used to be close to us. The first thing you can do is to pray for that person (and for yourself too). Then maybe you can send the person a card at Christmas time to wish him or her well. *Take the first step to see how far you can get. Of course, you must forgive that person (and yourself too) before the Lord first. If you die with peace in your heart, you will enter peace. But if you die with a heart in turmoil, you will encounter turmoil on the other side too.

What Christianity Is All About

        In reading 2 from 1 Peter 2, Peter wrote: Christ himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. This is what Christianity is all about and Peter fully realized it then. If we realize it now, it's time for us to become full-fledged Christians.

God Most Dependable

        In Matthew 6.33, Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." We want so many things, and most of all, we want to make money. We are so busy that we either don't have time to seek the kingdom of God at all or seek it when there is some time left over. Let me testify to you that if you seek to please God first, you'll enjoy freedom and peace and all the things you need will be provided you by God besides. He is most dependable. If you don't try him, it's your loss.

***God the Most Beautiful

        Today's responsorial Psalm is Psalm 23, which consists of only six verses. If the parable of the lost son is the most beautiful parable of all, then Psalm 23 has to be the most beautiful Psalm of all. Verse 4 reads: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. How can you not feel good when you read this? God is just too beautiful to even imagine! Don't think about going to heaven; just think about being with him forever!