**Call to Endure to the End!

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus spoke to his disciples of coming persecutions. He said, "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved." This is what's virtually happening today when we see the globalists and the radicals of the deep state trying to wipe out all beliefs in God. And we also see many people under pressure ready to give in. As true followers of Christ, we must never ever give up, even if we must die. We must endure to the end, for the Lord awaits us. It is only his wish that we must follow and his glory that we must defend. With him, we'll invariably triumph in the end.

***Time to Abandon Ourselves

        Today is the feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr. He was stoned to death at the feet of Saul. As he was being stoned, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." We may not be stoned to death, but are being persecuted in other ways. Are we ready like Stephen to call out to the Lord to receive our spirit? With or without persecution, the time will come when we all shall have no choice but to let the Lord do whatever he wishes with us. The time to abandon ourselves to him is now!

***Beauty of God Everywhere

             I hope that you all had a great Christmas Day. Since my first son and his wife live next door to us and their daughter and son, our grandchildren, were also home from college, the six of us got together. Later my daughter-in-law's parents came and joined us. We all enjoyed a well-prepared home-cooked supper and had a good time together. This morning I took a brisk walk outside. The scenery looked extra beautiful when the sun came out right after an earlier rain. You see the fallen fall leaves stuck to the wet pavement and hear frogs croaking in the surrounding fields. I couldn't help thinking how immeasurably more beautiful our future environment God has prepared for us will be! As I like to photograph whatever beauty I can spot around me, I took these two shots with my phone recently. The first image I captured a week ago while walking outside after a rain. The white spot was bird poop and looked good next to the dead leaf. The second shot I captured yesterday when my daughter-in-law and our granddaughter came over to deliver something. I love the way the boots and shoes landed inside the entrance. It shows that you don't need to travel around the world to find beautiful images. And we don't need to go anywhere to experience the beauty of our God in our hearts and spirits either.

***Christmas Is the Day to Thank God

         Today is Christmas Day. Christians are joyful because they know that the Lord has saved them from eternal fire and is taking them to paradise to live with him forever! This morning as I was doing my daily walk and praying, I felt most grateful to the Lord. He has created me, given me life, enabled me to live on this earth, suppled me with what I need, and on top of all that, given me many things to enjoy. Moreover, he's ready to forgive all my sins against him so that I might have eternal life—this is truly a huge favor and blessing! The Lord has taken care of me completely, how can I possibly not be grateful to him? I want to praise and thank him forever. It's so good to have such  a loving Father!

*Joyful Mass But . . .

        I attended the Christmas Vigil Mass today at noon, the first of three Vigil Masses scheduled for today. It was a cool day, but the sun came out before noon. The Mass was held outside the church. We all sat with masks on in chairs spaced 6 feet apart from each other set on an asphalt road that ends at the rose garden. It was gratifying to actually receive the Holy Eucharist again, greatly strengthening my faith at this time. The prayers offered at Mass were very general as usual. At this urgent critical time when our nation can cease to remain a republic and our people lose religious freedom altogether, it was disconcerting not to hear any specific prayers said regarding such serious threats. It's been the timid noninvolvement of the Church all along that has gotten us into this sorry state of today. Sign of end times for sure.

**A "Dead" Generation

        We know that we'll inevitably die one day. So shall we inevitably appear before the Lord to be judged by him! Why do we still live as if we'll never die? How foolish can we be? If we receive a red flag wildfire threat warning from the National Weather Service, we mostly likely would get ready for evacuation right away. Now, for at least two thousand year, we've been warned about how sin can lead us into the fires of hell, yet we just shrug it off. How deaf or dead can we be? 

***Truth Is Supreme

        Today the Lord makes me see the importance of knowing the truth, which is the Lord himself. Only the truth can set us free. Once you know and possess the truth, you lose all you fears, for the Lord is with you and for you! The evildoers do not know him, so they always live in fear. When they fall, it'll be a free fall with no one able to stop it. For those who embrace the truth and yearn for heaven, God will gladly grant their wish. There is nothing greater or more precious than the truth!

***Only Two Paths for Us***

        We have just one Lord, the God of Christ, who is everlasting. We become either his friends or his foes. We get either exalted or humbled by him. After we die, we'll either inherit his kingdom or be cast into the nether world. Everything is clearly laid out before us. Fix your eternity now.

***Our Fundamental Joy

        This is a joy many of us set aside, ignore, or even jeer at, a joy so few ponder, appreciate, or treasure. I am talking about the joy of being saved. God has come to us, made it clear to us by his wonderful words and deeds, including his own sacrifice on the cross and Resurrection, that he wants to save us to enjoy eternal life in heaven, yet many of us have hearts so hardened that they tune out this best news of all. If we do not realize that we are sinners, then we lose all hope of being saved. On the other hand, those who know what salvation is all about are filled with heavenly joy; they can't believe that God loves them this much. It's a joy that will infiltrate their souls and spirits forever.       

**When Our Faith Is Challenged

        Our faith is being tested by God at all times. Times can be so dark that it seems that all we can do is to pray. This challenges us to the core to choose trusting in God all the way or not; it separates the ones with strong faith from those whose faith is weak. Know that God is not just our first or last resort, he is our only resor! Without him, we lose everything. Therefore, always trust in him all the way.

**Believing Without Seeing

        God can speak audibly or appear visually to us if he so chooses, so not hearing or seeing him does not mean at all that he is not with us. Attain union with the Lord through the Holy Eucharist and you'll know him personally without needing to hear or see him. Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:29, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." I choose to be blessed this way. If I ever wish to see the Lord now, it'll be only because I yearn for him.

**:How to Best Follow God

         Since we cannot see the future, we need to trust in God who knows everything and has a plan for each of us. With the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3:8). God has his schedule. Sometimes he changes things depending upon how we respond and pray to him. The best and only thing we can do is to trust in him with no anxiety nor worry, knowing that he is in control and his timing will always be perfect for our greater good. What Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 should help: "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." One thing is clear: we must never lose hope in God.

**Most Rewarding Spiritual State

        When we pray to the Lord, we connect with him. And if we pray with all our heart and soul in earnest, that connection becomes most intimate and beautiful. It solidifies your union with him. Sharing everything with the Lord with absolutely no barrier between you and him as one is absolutely the most rewarding state you can be in. After surrendering yourself completely to him, you can finally exclaim "My Lord and my God!" as Thomas did after seeing the Risen Christ.

***God Always Wins

        If you do not yet fully believe in Christ, you are really playing a game with God. If you reject Christ outright, believing that you don't need him, you are playing a deadly game that could end up with you dead for all eternity. Those who believe in him only lukewarmly are also playing a risky game. It's a foregone conclusion that you cannot beat God in any game you play, for he created you and knows all that's in your heart. So wise up.

**God More than Uplifting

          There are many things you see, hear, or read about that uplift the soul. Examples are beautiful landscapes, great music, and inspiring stories of saints or other extraordinary human beings. But only Christ our Savior can save our soul.

**Faith over Understanding

        We never know what can happen tomorrow. Life can be full of unexpected twists and turns. Looking back on what we've gone through, we often see things clearly. What I have learned in following Christ is that I don't need to understand why certain things happen that seem to thwart my progress in certain endeavor. As I plow forward, I learn more and more about everything and finally the greater good emerges at the end as all problems are resolved. This is very satisfying and is often how the Lord puts us through. We only need to keep our faith, knowing that by following him faithfully, we'll ultimately arrive at heaven. 

***What Is Success?

         Do you feel that you are successful in life? What is success to you? Let me share with you what true success is. It has nothing to do with what people think of you or even what you think of yourself. It is not measured by any standard of the world. True success is measured by how you succeed in doing God's will. If you are totally obedient to the Lord and accomplish whatever he wishes you to do, then you are a resounding success in his eyes! So it all has to do with what God thinks of you. When you succeed this way, you are a fulfilled and happy person and are ready for heaven.   

**Glad Earthly Life Is Finite

        Today I feel good that I don't live forever in this world and that I shall die one day and return to God our loving Father. You have to be out of your mind to want to live in this sinful world forever. Happiness is not good enough if it's not forever; that's how the Lord has made us. I rejoice that I've found Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life. He is what I ever wanted and need. He fulfills me for all eternity!