***Critical Fundamental Choice

        There are many ways of living out there for us to choose from. With the world in such a horrible shape, I see clearly that there are only two basic ways of living: we either live in Christ or outside of him! It is critical that we make a choice at this most fundamental level ASAP while we still have time. 

***The World Our Enemy

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus told his disciples that the world did not know the one who sent him and thereby hated him and them for not belonging to it. Dear Christians, be aware that the world is your enemy, so do not fall in love with it. Evil has infiltrated and influenced the world to a large extent, setting it up as a trap to ensnare as many souls as possible between now and final judgment. Don't fall for it. Stop seeking happiness in this world. Instead, detach yourself from the world by seeking refuge in the Lord so that you may survive safely till eternity. Christ is our only hope, the one who can vanquish evil.  

**Better than Miracles

        Miracles are wonderful and shouldn't surprise us. They serve a purpose. But it you already have faith, you don't need to witness them anymore. Remember what Christ has said to Thomas: Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed. Besides, Jesus as the enabler of all miracles has to be greater and more glorious than all of them. He has already come to us himself. So if you already believe in him, you only need to focus upon him and not the miracles. 

***Going All Out for God

        Christians are given the greatest commandment "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." So if we truly love and follow the Lord, we must go all out, not do it only when we feel like doing it. God has already gone all out for us—see how he showed his greatest love by dying on the cross for us! With God, it has to be an all-or-nothing proposition for us, or we are not taking the greatest commandment very seriously. 

**What Having Faith Is All About!

        In Mark 11, Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." To believe that you will receive what you ask for is to abandon yourself entirely to the Lord. This is what Jesus wishes from us. This is what having faith is all about!

**Hearing from God

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus also said to his disciples, "I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father." Pay attention to everything Jesus has said and we know exactly what God wants us to know.

**Healthy Christian Outlook

        We all have happy memories and bad memories, but it's the happy ones that can keep us attached to the past. Being oversentimental is a form of self-indulgence, which can weaken us spiritually. A Christian should always look forward to meeting the Lord in person, as the past is gone forever and the best is sure to come.

**Love Leads to Freedom

        Today's Gospel comes from John 15. Jesus said to his disciples, "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." I see that when one regards himself as the most important person, he becomes a self-centered slave to himself. So if one is able to lay down his life for his friends, then he is free, as Jesus has demonstrated that to us himself! Love is truly the key to freedom, and we can be like Jesus when we surrender ourselves to him.

**Jesus Calling for Union

        Today is the feast of St. Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot as the new Apostle. In the Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus continued to speak to the disciples. He said to them, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." To me, Jesus is calling us to remain in union with him, and it's in union that we will experience him as our sole joy.

***God Completing Our Existence

        For all ages past, people have looked for some god or gods to worship, adore, praise, and glorify. If there is an extraordinary almighty, holy God, then of course we need to look into it. I am not even talking about salvation of our souls. Then we have Jesus with outstanding character and virtue, infinite mercy, and amazing power who fits the bill perfectly and more—how can we not worship, adore, praise, and glorify him? With such a beautiful Lord to worship, our lives are fulfilled and made complete. That those who believe in him receive freedom, peace, and joy only confirms that he is the true God.

***Most Beautiful Assignment*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples: "Remain in me, as I remain in you. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit." Jesus is talking about being in union with him. We must remain in him completely, not just partway in. He also said: "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." I just asked for something I'd wanted and now wait for it to be done for me. Remain in Jesus and bear fruit to glorify the Father—this surely has to be the most beautiful assignment we can ever have. 💮💮💮

**Afraid for the Right Reasons

        Most people are open to hearing whatever they come across daily, yet when they hear "Christ is Lord" proclaimed, they often don't even want to think about it. How come? Could it be that he challenges us to the core? That he would expose us as we are, thus making us feel uneasy? That he might be the true God who knows everything? I think so. In Philippians 2, Paul wrote: "At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." I believe that Paul was saying exactly what he knew to be true.

**Know Your Limitations

        There are only so many ways you can help others. You can help them financially or give them materials things to fulfill their needs; you can give them good advice or inspire them by your example as a believer in God; and lastly, you can pray for them. The outcome is still up to the person you try to help. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. So, beware of your limitations and leave it all to God.

*Receiving God's Peace for Us*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." You can be sure that Jesus wants to give us his peace, When we accept it, we will have untroubled and unafraid hearts.

**Heavenly Joy vs. Worldly Pleasure

        As humans, we seek pleasure in this world to satisfy ourselves. Such pleasures don't last long, but can still enslave us. The source is always external. When we are overdosed with them, they can turn distasteful. Temporarily they give some people something to live for, but the emptiness of life remains. On the other hand, heavenly joy can only come from God. It emanates from the inner heart and affects your whole being, your soul! Its sweetness is intoxicating. Once you have tasted it, all worldly pleasures are no longer tasty. This joy uplifts and refreshes your spirit every time you experience it because it comes from above. It makes you yearn for God. It's definitely heavenly!   

**Sin Made More Serious

        Christians especially face persecution today in these dark times. I reported earlier how California officials delayed permitting a mansion to be used for housing sex trafficking victims just because Catholics were going to run the operation. More recently, an evangelical Christian organization built a new field hospital in New York designed to treat any overflow patients from a nearby hospital, but city officials did not trust the organization just because the church opposed same-sex marriage. When we cause others to sin also, our sin becomes a lot more serious. It's the same with preventing others from doing good.

***Simple Key to Union with God

        In today's Gospel from John 14, Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him" and again "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." All this is just so beautiful, filling my heart with joy! So it is love that will get God to come to dwell with us and reveal himself to us. In sum, open your heart up to let the love of God lead you to full union with him.

**We Are Made for Heaven!

        I followed Fr. Mark Goring's Sunday Mass on TV today. In his homily, he says that we are made for heaven. That resonates with me. Yes, God's sole wish is to save us from sin so that we may go to heaven; we are made to be heaven-bound! Why would you ever want to go against God's intention to your own detriment? Wouldn't that be sheer folly? Obviously, we are not made for living on this earth forever. As Jesus said to Pilate, "My kingdom does not belong to this world," we are never meant to belong this world either.