***Exception to "Too Good to Be True"*

        In the world, if anything sounds too good to be true, you can be sure that it is false. If you receive an email informing you that you have inherited millions of dollars, you can be sure that it is a scam. Since God is always truthful, if something coming from him sounds too good to be true, you can bet that it is true! He tells you that he loves you even if you are the worst sinner in the whole world; it is true. He tells you that he will forgive you and make you all clean if you repent, even if you have committed ten million heinous sins; it is true. He tells you to just follow him and you'll have eternal life in heaven; it's absolutely true! The Lord God, being Truth himself, is totally trustworthy and is the only guide we need for our existence!

***True Haves and Have-Nots

        Here is a true case of "To anyone who has, more will be given; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Matthew 13.12). The more you listen to God, the more you learn from him and grow spiritually until you attain complete union with him. On the other hand, the more you ignore God and immersed yourself in the world, the more you cut yourself off from him until you lose even your own soul.

**Cause and Effect

        Last night I went to bed later than usual, working on a book project. This morning I got up much later than usual. Even though I had slept more, I did not feel so good. Deviating from the normal has produced its effect. It comes down to "you reap what you sow." This made me see that everything we do affects us. If we continue sinning, the cumulative effect on our soul can be devastating. How good it is to do everything for the sake of God and not have to be concerned about their effect anymore!

**Realizing God Knows Best*

        When the Lord calls us to go to him, it's our time to go. I start thinking. I don't mind going, but what about the people I've tried to convert who have not converted yet? What about the events I've been praying for, but still have not taken place yet? Shouldn't I remain a little longer on earth? Then I realize the following. Of course, God knows best about everything, including the best time for me to go. And in heaven, I am certain that I can be even more effective in accomplishing his will on earth. Shouldn't I put all my trust in him? I see the light. No more questions.

**Predictable Results

        Reading 2 contains the well-known verse 28 from Romans 8: All things work for good for those who love God, who are called to his purpose. Of course, God has a perfect plan for each of us, and if we love him, we follow his plan and everything works for our good, that is, we get to heaven. On the other hand, I don't need to elaborate. If you don't love God, your life will end up a mess.

Why We Worship and Praise God

        We do it because deep down we know that we are finite and imperfect and that we need God who is infinite and perfect, and that he is our creator too. It's simply following our instinct.

*What Would You Ask of God?

        In today's reading 1 from 1 Kings 3, The Lord said to Solomon, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." God was pleased that Solomon asked for understanding to know what is right instead of a long life for himself or riches or the life of his enemies. It'll be interesting to see how we would answer such a question. Normally, we pray for others more than for ourselves. Of course, we have to be truthful in what we say. I think each answer would reveal much about the person who was asked the question.  

***Sign You're Not a Serious Catholic

        If you do not look forward to confessing your sins, you are not a serious Catholic. It is a great joy to go to confession before God and be made clean again! Humility is the key to entering the kingdom for heaven.

**A Human Defect

         We humans are imperfect. No matter how good all our intentions are, we still have involuntary, undesirable thoughts going through our minds, not something we can prevent, but something God understands. I see this as a basic defect of being human. I believe that once we are in heaven, we'll be completely made anew so that we can worship, praise, and enjoy the Lord in perfect peace and joy. 

***Key to Entering God***

        Going back many decades, I remember I accepted Christ into my life because I felt the emptiness of life and was pretty much convinced intellectually that he was the Savior. I acted alone and felt relieved afterwards, nothing more. A couple of decades later, I experienced the Holy Spirit strongly after I got involved with the Catholic Charismatic Movement. I did not know much about being baptized in the Spirit, but I was open and desired it. So here's the key. You can know something and believe in it and nothing special happens. But even if you don't know much about something, but trust in God and desire it, he grants your wish. It is in desiring (not knowing) something that the Lord opens the door for you. So, desire to know the Lord to discover and experience his wonders!

***Unique Joy in God

        The joy you experience in God is unique. It is a joy the world does not know and cannot give you. This is the joy you receive from God after you let him satisfy all your spiritual hunger and thirst and know that your eternity is all settled! Only God can deliver all that.

***About the Holy Spirit

        The Holy Spirit is like the wind—you cannot see that he is here or he is there, but you can feel it. If your heart is on fire yearning for God, then he is in you. It is this Spirit that enabled Mary to conceive Jesus and Jesus to rise from the dead. Nothing is impossible for God the Holy Spirit. With him in you, you'll never feel alone again. And the purity of the Spirit will intoxicate you with heavenly joy!

***Only Hope We Need

        I am drawn to focus upon the Lord himself, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. First I see the Resurrection of Christ the Son as a unique event. He is the only one who has demonstrated that death has no power over him, proving that he has to be our creator! The Resurrection alone gives us all the hope we need, that we can also live forever like the Lord himself! I rejoice from the bottom of my heart. Lighten up and shout for joy!

***Our Greatest Challenge Today!

        Today is the Feast of St. James, Apostle. In Reading 1 from 2 Corinthians 4, Paul wrote, "We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed..." This is how we Christians feel today. How can we fight back? In the Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave." To fight evil and remain humble—how can this be possible? I see that it is possible only if we love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. Since God is love, we must let love motivate whatever we do.

*Isaiah"s Prophecy Fulfilled Today

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus quoted Isaiah to show how his prophecy was fulfilled in the crowds around him. Sadly, it is fulfilled by the crowds of today also. Here is what Isaiah said: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them. 

**What Ultimately Matters

        We all believe in different things and live the way we want. As a result, the world, my own country, and even my own family are more polarized than ever. We are all given the free will by God to choose to do his will or not. Coming right to the point, I'd say that division is the work of the devil. Do whatever you want, but what ultimately matters is whether you'll end up in heaven or not. Remember my advice: never do anything that will later make you regret doing? It's still good advice.

***Jesus Always with Us!

          Today is the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. The Gospel reading from John 20 tells that when Mary saw that the tomb was empty, she thought someone had taken the Lord and started to weep. Yes, Mary loved the Lord. How blessed we are to know that Jesus is always with us and no one can possibly take him away from us! Alleluia!

***Enjoying Loving God

       Our love for Christ is more beautiful than all our other loves. The Lord first loved us with the greatest possible selfless love. When we embrace this love, our hearts are transformed and our souls healed. And we fall in love with him with a love as pure as his. I know that one day I'll be seeing him, but right now I prefer just to believe in him and enjoy being loved by him and loving him back.