***Another Union Advantage

        It's hard for many Catholics not being able to attend Mass to receive the Lord in the Holy Eucharist. This Most Holy Sacrament is essential in helping us complete our union with God on earth. But if you have already attained union with the Lord, you know that you already belong to him and that he shall keep you forever. Therefore, even though you cannot receive him physically for the time being, you receive great consolation knowing that he is already in you and with you. This is another union advantage. The one you yearn for the most is already one with you.

**The Earth Our Prison

        I have already mentioned the Aerial America series on the Smithsonian Channel. Today I watched the state of Illinois from the air. Of course, Chicago being the most prominent city of the state, was featured. The narration began with the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, touched upon the past corruption of the city officials, told how notorious gangsters Al Capone and John Dillinger operated, etc. Anyway, as I saw the earth from above, it was clear that we are all bound to the earth. We can move around the earth, but cannot get off it very far. Even if we go to another planet, we still cannot escape gravity. I see my brief existence on earth as a period of imprisonment for my sins. All the more I long for God to set me free after this life. Most fortunately, Christ has already promised me to do just that! For this, I rejoice greatly in him.

*Grief Becoming Joy

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." The Lord was talking about his impending crucifixion and resurrection. I can't help seeing that we are going through the same experience now. Christians are weeping and mourning over the persecution of Christ and his followers, while the world is rejoicing over that. But our grief will ultimately turn into great joy when we meet Christ in person! History does have a way of repeating itself.

**Our Only Hope for Unity

        The world is polarized. You have the rich vs. the poor, conservatives vs. liberals, globalists vs. nationalists, socialism vs. capitalism, pro-abortionists vs. pro-lifers, etc. At the most fundamental level, it comes down to God vs. Satan, i.e., good vs. evil. Believing in the God of Christ is the only way for us to become unified. It's all up to us. All up to us.

***Smart Spiritual Living

        Union with God is the best way to stop sinning, for in union the Lord completely shields you and removes your tendency to sin. The way to fight sin is to stop it at the earliest possible stage. Nick it in the bud! The smart, way of beating Satan is to turn away from him, not out of fear, but to thwart him. You want to have nothing to do with him. Disregard him, ignore him, and focus upon the Lord Jesus instead. With Satan, treat him as a nobody and he becomes a nobody to you. On the other hand, with God, treat him as everything and he becomes everything to you! 

**Living Our Life Right

        You have heard that we should live everyday as our last day on earth. This is good advice, so we don't waste time doing things that won't help us get into heaven. Many people wish that before they die they could reconcile themselves with any loved ones who are estranged from them. Well, thinking that this might be your last day on earth can get you started on restoring those relationships right now. You do your part to make the move, so you'll be in the clear, and leave the outcome to God. We want to face God knowing that we've done all we can to be clean and blameless for both his and our own sake.  

**Time for Action!

        Today is The Ascension of the Lord. The Gospel reading came from Matthew 28. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. The Risen Lord appeared and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." So there will be an end of the age. Whether it be tomorrow or a million years from now, it doesn't matter. Just as the dinosaurs had become extinct, the world as we know it will come to an end. Now is the time to prepare for our future. Not making heaven is so much worse than becoming extinct. Now is the time to trust in Christ to cast aside all uncertainties. 

**Betraying Jesus Today

        The Lord made me see that when Christians knowingly sin against him, they betray him as Judas Iscariot did. It doesn't matter how you appear on the outside to others, what kind of mansion you live in, what kind of position you hold in or outside the Church, the Lord knows every single heart. I feel the greatest sorrow for people who knowingly do evil things and never show any sign of repentance, and you see plenty of them today. You can still sin and be smart and repent, knowing that God loves all sinners. But to sin and remain in sin and not repent, that surely takes the cake.

***Everything God's Is Ours!***

        In today's Gospel reading from John16, Jesus said to his disciples, "Everything that the Father has is mine." In the parable of the lost son (Luke 15), the father said to the elder son, "My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours." In Romans 8, Paul wrote: We are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him. In conclusion, everything God has can be ours! Think about it and rejoice. Also, everything God has is good. It is impossible that he will not give us what's good for us when we ask for it. We can even have the Lord God, the Father, to ourselves!

**Don't Forget Returning to God

        In today's reading 1 from Acts 17, Paul said to the Athenians that it's in God that we live and move and have our being. How true! Without God, we won't even be here. But as sinners, we lack one thing: not all of us have given God our heart yet. So we just go through the motion of living, moving, and having our being in God. Give your heart to God and we can say that we live, move, have our being, and are returning to our God. 

***Having God Support Us to the Max

        As I was walking and praying outside the house this morning, the Lord made me see that the more we trust in him, the more we shall experience his wonders. Obviously, if there's zero trust, you won't experience him at all. Most Christians have some faith in God, so they experience him to some extent. But if you put all your trust in him, he will support you to the max! The truth is that our Father has always wanted to support us fully; it's us who won't let him do it. Such a loving Father will never leave us as orphans. Put all your faith in him. Do not struggle and labor on your own. Rely upon him completely to experience his love and care. Let him catch you whenever you fall! 

        By the way, it had happened quite a few times in the past that I would have a thought to post and find out that Fr. Mark Goring had basically the same thought presented on his YouTube video that day. Today I got back into the house and watched his new video and the same thing happened again. You can hear him below.

**Simple but Difficult to Accept

        In today's reading 1 from Acts 16, Paul and Silas were put in prison in Philippi. About midnight, while they were praying and singing hymns to God, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open and the chains of all were pulled loose. When the jailer woke up and saw all this, he trembled with fear. He rushed into Paul and Silas' cell and fell down before the two. Then he brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved." So simple, right? But what bothers me is that people are willing to go through hoops to win some trivial prize, yet they don't even want to consider believing in Jesus to be saved forever! Something is very wrong here for sure.

**Best Treasures for Us

        You can accumulate and store up treasures of the world, but they are perishable and can never be truly yours. Besides, when you die, you have to give them up all if they haven't perished yet. Then if you follow Christ and serve him faithfully, you accumulate and store up treasures in heaven that will never perish. When you get to where they are in the end, they are yours forever! The difference between the foolish and the wise is even greater than that between earth and heaven.

**Signs of Abandonment to God

        No matter what you face or go through, you have peace deep down in your heart. Suffering for God's sake is a joy. God is now your greatest joy. You trust in the Lord and are no longer concerned about consequences. Anxieties and worries are gone. All his will is now your will. In your urge to praise the Lord, you receive the gift of praising him in tongues. When a Spirit-filled priest pray over you, you rest in the Spirit and experience profound peace. You feel completely liberated. You know that you are in the Lord.

**What Life Is All About

        Life is all about how much you submit yourself to God. Our time on earth is limited. We can let God be our God or play God ourselves—these are the two extremes. As long as we do our best to let God be our Lord, we are on the right track. Once you attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist, you belong to him totally and are ready to enjoy eternal life. Receiving the flesh and blood of the Lord completes and perfects that union.

***About Truth*

        How do I know that Christ is true God? My answer: the Spirit of truth reveals it to me. It sounds as if I am trying to avoid an argument, but I am telling you as straight as I can. Truth is never complicated nor roundabout. It's always blunt and never slippery. It cannot be scientifically proven. If you have to explain a truth, it cannot be one. Truth always challenges us to accept it or reject it, so faith is required. And you must discover it on your own.

***God Breaks Down All Barriers

        When you are in union with the Lord, no barrier exists between you and him. When you meet another person also in union with him, no barrier exists between you and that person either. The Lord breaks down all barriers among those in union with him. It follows that the best possible friends we can find in this life are to be found through union with the Lord. 

***Why Jesus Causes Division

        In Luke 12.51, Jesus said, "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." That Jesus causes division is precisely because he is the one against whom we'll all be measured. We choose either to follow his example or not to follow his example.