**Big Things for Us*

          There are two big things in life; they are big because they can affect our whole life. The first one is marriage. Finding the right person to marry is a gamble to a certain extent. You do you best to choose the right one and the marriage can still fall apart later. The next big thing is your career, the kind of work you should do. I dare to say that there are probably more unhappy workers than happy workers out there. My point is that with these two things, we need to hand them completed over to God, asking him to lead us to the right person or job. He absolutely knows what's best for us, and we must be patient and trust in him with all our heart. Actually, the biggest thing of all for us is to let God lead us in all things, with us following the perfect plan he has for us. Then we'll end up happy forever!

***Important Realization***

        Let's face it. All of us are born onto a battlefield where a fierce spiritual battle rages on between God and Satan for our souls. We eventually learn that to win this battle, we need God. I have lived long enough to know that I cannot beat evil without God, for I am a potential evildoer myself. This realization has made me submit myself to God completely. The evil you see, hear, and encounter all around you can place a heavy burden on your heart and soul. You finally see that letting God into your soul to let him fight the battle for you is the most sensible thing to do. And your eternal life is assured as well. So, give up fighting evil by yourself and give up fighting God, then both you and God win.

**Be Spiritually Smart

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus said to the great crowds, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." If you are spiritually smart, you would realize the this is the Lord speaking and that we must love him first and most.

***Never Postpone Accepting God

        If you do not seek God early or do not respond when you first hear him knocking at the door of your heart, you are likely to drift further and further away from him as time goes on. Then your last moments on earth may be your last chance to repent your sins in order to save your soul. Of course, you may not have such moments, for you may die suddenly or suffer dementia before death. Accepting the Lord is something one should never postpone!  

***Urgent Need to Be Renewed by Christ!

          I am going to quote parts of what Paul wrote in Philippians 2 from today's first reading: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold onto the word of life,
      My guess is that an average person today reading this advice would not comprehend its meaning and think that it sounds antiquated or out-of-date. It may not even connect with every Christian. My point is that we have fallen so far away from the Lord God that a fundamental change of our heart by Christ is urgently needed for us to be made anew!

***Lamenting This Nation, a Warning***

        Looking at how the presidential election is turning out, I can say that this nation has already lost half of its soul. It's hanging by a thread over an abyss. Christ is whom we need for salvation, but the world does not see the light. The door for us to return to the Lord remains open, but not many choose to enter it. I am cut to the heart to see so many souls on the path that leads to destruction. To seek power and glory for your own gain in this world is the very opposite of submitting yourself humbly to the Lord God. Christ is coming anytime now and I pray that all will be ready for their judgment.

*****Sweetest Thing God Did for Me

        I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary today. As I got to the 5th and last mystery, The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus on the Cross, I felt that Jesus going through all that was the sweetest thing he could possibly have done for me, for I realized that I was a sinner. 

*Getting Things Done

        When God wants something done, he simply will it. When we want him to do something for us, we must pray from our very heart to ask him to do it for us. For those whose faith is weak, they pray from their heart only when they are a dire situation. For those who have faith in the Lord, they always pray from the heart—this is much more preferable. Attain union with God to enjoy communion with him at the heart level at all times.      

**Today's Saddest Reality

        The greatest reality is that Christ had come to save us, for God loves us. The Lord our loving creator is to be worshipped, praised, adored, and obeyed, as he alone is the Lord of all. Yet most of us do not recognize or accept this reality or just don't take it seriously. This seems to fulfill what Jesus had said: "Many are invited, but few are chosen." It is today's saddest reality. Once our hearts are hardened, we cease seeing the truth. 

**Letting God Reveal Himself to Us!

        In today's first reading from Philippians 2:5-11, Paul wrote that though Jesus Christ was in the form of God, he took the form of a slave, came in human likeness, humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Then God greatly exalted him that 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. How did Paul know all this? It had to be revealed to him by God. We can confidently believe in Christ as much as Paul did. And the Lord will reveal himself to each of us too!

**Your Only Meaningful Inheritance

        In today's Gospel acclamation, Matthew 25.34, Jesus says, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Most of us would be pleased to inherit some material wealth from our parents, but that can cause others to dispute you in court. Imagine inheriting what God has prepared for you in heaven! It will be indisputably all yours. So never mind your earthly inheritance which merely passes through you, focus upon inheriting your heavenly treasures that will be yours forever.

***What Our Soul Needs the Most

        After All Saints Day, it's All Souls Day today. The most important thing for our soul is to be in peace in God.  This peace can only come from God and is what we receive after we surrender ourselves to him. I am giving away the riddle of life here. Reconciling yourself to God and you'll enjoy peace forever. Rebelling against the Lord and youll suffer unrest forever. 

**Be the Lord of Your Possessions

        We all possess material things, a lot in some cases, and we enjoy them. That is fine, but we must never let them enslave us. God is our Lord; and we are to be the lord of our possessions, not the other way around. Those who let their material things possess them are not free to go to the Lord and will suffer great pains on the day they must leave all their things behind.

*****Great Pro-Life Message!

        A great homily preached by Fr. Mathias Thelen. The specific pro-life message begins at 3:24.

***A Truth Disclosed

         Today is already the first day of November, the Solemnity of All Saints. In the first reading from Revelation 7, John had a vision of a great multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, crying out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." All the angels stood around the throne. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: "Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
         The Lord has made me see clearly that he has so made us that we become free only when we worship him alone! If we choose to be God ourselves, we invariably shall end up enslaving ourselves. 

***Crucial Realization

         Ernesto Nazareth was a well-known Brazilian composer. He is best known for his tangos, but he also composed many waltzes, polkas, etc. The composer was regarded to be the incarnation of the Brazilian soul. Here is an intoxicating waltz titled Confidências. You may enjoy listening to it, but the pictures you see as you play the video have generated some thoughts I want to share with you. As you see, people dress up to look good, play the piano, listen to music, travel, go on an outing, see sights, party, dance, look for love, etc. We live in a different era, but we do many of the same things. I could add that we go to meetings at work, take vacations, attend weddings and funerals, work in the garden, socialize over the internet, etc. My thoughts are that doing all theses things without Christ is much ado about nothing—we simply go through the motion. It is crucial we realize that we are sinners and need salvation, and if we believe in Christ, we are saved for all eternity. Now, life becomes purposeful.    

*****Happy to Know My God!

        Communion experience. It's All Saints Day this Sunday and I attended Vigil Mass today. The Lord already knew me more that I knew myself. As I received the Holy Eucharist, I felt I knew the Lord now more than I knew myself! And this filled me with great joy.

***What God Expects of Us

         We sometimes feel that that we are not doing enough for God, but the Lord makes me see that he measures us by how much we live up to what he expects  of us, not by how much we live up to what we hope to achieve. He knows our capabilities thoroughly. If we can accomplish everything he expects us to accomplish, that's all he expects of us and we should be pleased.