**Most Rewarding First Step

         To take that first step in anything can be hard. One example is getting up from your comfortable bed in the morning. Once you are up, you enjoy the morning and get a few things done, and you start feeling pretty good. Joining a gym to start exercising is another instance. You dread the physical exertion, but then you get going and feel better physically, and you are glad that you made the move. Surrendering yourself to Christ can be a most difficult step to take. But once you take it, you come to realize that you've made the best commitment of your life, for your reward now is nothing short of eternal life. It is a natural law that the greater the commitment you make, the greater the reward you receive.

***Globalists Without God

        A video exposing evil in disguise. If you are with God, you should watch it. 

***Pro-Life Message for Catholics

           Hear today's pro-life message from Fr. Mark Goring. Viva Christo Rey!

*God Our Liberator

        We live on the earth. The gravitational pull keeps us close to its surface, so I do feel chained to it. But knowing the Lord changed everything. My heart and my spirit are already his. In a short time, I'll be totally free from the confinement of this earth and be with him in person. The Lord is truly my liberator.

***Jesus' Glorious Transfiguration***

        Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In the reading from 2 Peter 1, Peter wrote that at the Transfiguration he personally heard the voice of God the Father come from heaven, declaring "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Then I read the whole account from Matthew 17, today's Gospel. As I read, the Lord gave me copious amounts of tears of joy, which made me tremble—I just knew that this is the Lord I know! As I've said, when God lets you know something, you just know that it is true. 

**Importance of knowing God

       Once you know the Lord God, you know the ultimate truth. You now see the his holiness and come to understand the human soul. With a sharpened conscience, you see good from evil clearly. And most important of all, you see things as God sees them. This can cause others to misunderstand you, but the joy or being one with the Lord far outweighs everything else. Just know that to be with God can make you an outcast in this world.

*What Your Heart Desires Most

        I checked Fr. Mark Goring's video today and found his message to tie in nicely with the post I just did. 

**Our Infinite Reservoir of Riches

        God is our infinite reservoir, able to supply us with whatever we need. If you trust in him, nothing is impossible for him. Never hesitate to go to him to ask for what your heart desires. If you do not receive what you ask for, it's only because it's not best for you, at least for now. How good it is to know that we have an infinite Father who loves you and supports you always and from whom you can receive eternal life plus everything else you need to enrich your present life!

***Our Ultimate Joy!***

        If God is love, then it's equally true that God is joy. It is God's love that drew me to him and his joy that made me want to be one with him. We all seek happiness in life, but true joy can only be found in the God of Christ, for only he can free us from our sins, the cause of our misery! The joy we receive from him on earth can already be so overwhelming as to touch the soul and intoxicate the spirit. Imagine how much more so our joy will be in heaven!

**Heaven for the Humble Only

        Early this morning, in a dream I saw people starting to admit on social media that they had been foolish in not believing in God and now want to let all know that they now believe. If this were true, how great that would be! We believers should at least let all know how happy we are with the Lord. If only takes admitting that we are sinners and need God to start our journey to heaven. If you are too proud to do that, then you remain being foolish.

**Taking Care of Our Judgment

         In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 15, the Lord said to his disciples, "Any plant my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots." I see that the judgement of God at the end will be completely thorough. This is the time to let the Farther plant us solidly in his Son. Yes, to attain union with him! How good it is to take care our judgment now once and for all!

**Know that You Know Nothing

        In Matthew 11.25, Jesus said, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for though you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike." When the Blessed Mother appeared on earth, she chose to appear to the uneducated and often children. Today, many who are wise and learned in the world think that they know so much that they don't need to listen to God anymore. For us to hear the Lord to learn from him, we must be childlike, realizing that we truly know nothing before him. It is humility that will get you God's attention.

*Need to Follow the Only God

        There are many teachers, gurus, belief systems you can follow in this world. You can even choose to follow yourself. But to me, following anything except the true God is a waste of time. It'd be a case of the blind leading the blind. Satan wants you to believe that there is no hell or everyone goes to heaven, and that all religions are the same. The truth is that there can be only one true God and he does not confuse you with his teaching. In John 14.6, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." There is no ambiguity here, and he is the only one who claimed that and has his Resurrection to back him. Follow Christ the Lord and you are no longer lost and know exactly where you are heading. 

****Have Faith and Succeed***

         In today's Gospels reading from Matthew 14, the disciples of Jesus got into the boat and went on ahead to the other side of the lake. When evening came, the boat now far out on the lake was battling with a heavy sea. In the fourth watch of the night, the disciples saw Jesus walking towards them on the lake. They were terrified at first, for they thought it was a ghost. But Jesus at once called out to assure them that it was he. Then Peter answered, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water." "Come," said Jesus. Peter got out of the boat and started walking across the water towards Jesus, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. "Lord! Save me!" he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him, "Man of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 

        What I've learned is that when the Lord asks you clearly to do something specific, no matter how difficult or impossible it might seem, you can be sure that you shall succeed if you do not doubt. Obviously, nothing is impossible for God—whatever he wills, it's done. Now, go follow all his commandments and counsels with complete confidence!

**No Happiness in This Life

        In 1858, When the Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette in Lourdes, France, her third statement to her was "I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other." This came to my mind because in this sinful world, ungodly things all around the globe happen nonstop, placing a heavy burden on your heart. Surely, we hope in the Lord and enjoy him in private, but amidst all the tragedies and human follies. It helps us greatly to know that this is reality of this world and that we can be perfectly happy in our next life.

**Creation in Action

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 14,  Jesus  took five loaves of bread and two fish and multiplied them to feed a crowd composed of five thousand men, not counting women and children. This was an amazing feat. But more than that, it was creation in action, proving that he is our creator!

***Best Possible News for Us

        In reading 2 from Romans 8, Paul writes: "I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." In other words, nothing can possibly stop God from loving us. This has got to be the best possible news we can ever have! Just thinking about it should make us jump for joy. We will have instant peace in the world if everyone realizes this truth.

***God Our Perfect Listener

        Most of us like to share our thoughts and feelings with others. Even when we have private thoughts difficult to share, we still hope that someone will understand and hear us. Then I see the Lord as our listener. You can share your thoughts and feelings with him at anytime and he hears you and understands you perfectly. Since he already knows everything about you, he's the ideal one to talk to. Besides, he is forever patient and loving. And (this is a big "and") he can heal your heart and soul! He is truly the only one you need to share everything with from your very heart. (By the way, sharing all your thoughts and feelings with God puts you well on the way to union with him!)