A Valid View of Life

         We are just passing through this world. Life is a test and the earth is our training place. The goal is to reach heaven. If we learn and do well, we'll pass at the end. If not, we'll fail and be left behind. 

***Our State Never Any Clearer***

        In today's Gospel from Acts 13, when the Jews saw the large crowds that had gathered to hear Paul preach the word of God, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what he said. Later they even incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and his companion Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. It's clear that that the spiritual warfare had intensified ever since Jesus came to us and has been continuing to this day. Only the enemy has changed from the Jews to the globalists. Satan has never stopped fighting hard. But one day this will be all over with God coming out on top. It's all very dramatic and we are the ones caught in the middle who must choose sides. Our eternal destiny depends upon the choice we make now!

**Stick to Logical Thinking

        The other day I lay down in my bed to put an eye drop in my right eye. As usuaI, I temporarily put the the bottle cap on top of the comforter to my left. Since the bed hadn't been made yet, the comforter was a pile of mess. After I applied the drop, I searched for the cap with my left hand, and it wasn't there. I got up to look for it and didn't spot it either. So I rubbed my hands over the entire comforter and again felt nothing. As a last resort, I took the comforter off the bed and started shaking it; still nothing fell out. I was mystified—perhaps it's really gone! In the back of my mind, I knew that'd be impossible—the cap had to be somewhere in the room. I am telling all this to show you that sometimes our experience can fool us into believing in something that's illogical. This is the way with Christ too. Following logic, we should be able to see that Jesus is truly our Lord and Savior, for the overall evidence is overwhelming. But our experience in life makes us question that. I do admit that here we have the factor of whether you are willing to submit yourself to Jesus or not when you realize that you are a sinner. But my main point is that once we are convinced that something is true, we should not ever look away to let ourselves be fooled. (By the way, I did find that bottle cap later. When I shook the comforter, it actually fell to the floor. But since it's a very light object, I didn't hear the sound of it hitting the floor. I didn't see it first because it'd rolled under the bed.) 

***Attack on Christendom

        All Catholics need to hear this talk by Michael J.Matt to get a clear overall picture of the spiritual war that's been waged against Christ and his Church by the world.

***The Illumination We Need

        We came into the world, knowing nothing. The only things we had were a conscience and a free will. Then we discovered the "secrets" of many things and started gaining knowledge. The big mistake is that we now think we know or can know everything. Now, God is the creator of all things and his knowledge starting out was already infinite. And this deserves our utmost respect. To think that we don't need God will be sheer foolishness. To submit ourselves to the Lord completely is the only logical and sensible choice for us to make. This is the illumination we need if we wish to have life forever. We need to see things from heaven's side.

***Jesus Most Endearing

          In today's Gospel reading from John 14, Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be." Jesus always speaks the truth from his heart. Here he spoke most endearingly. This is your and my Lord too, so rejoice!

**Are We Too Far Gone?

        From today's Psalm 2, I read. these verses: "And now, O kings, give heed; take warning, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him; with trembling rejoice." Look at our world today. Not only the kings and rulers of the world and so many of us have no fear of the Lord, we all behave as if he doesn't even exist, and we don't even beg for his mercy! It's certainly a far cry from what God had expected us to be like.

***Seeking the True Joy

        Many of us have hobbies such as woodworking, cooking, needlework, reading, etc. But as we age, we have to give up doing such things that have always given us pleasure. I have friends who have physically weakened to the point that they have to give up all their hobbies. My suggestion is that we can always get to know Jesus better if our mind is still clear. The joy of knowing the Lord transcends any enjoyment you can find in the world. Once you know him well, everything else normally enjoyable becomes "boring" by comparison. I am not exaggerating; it's a fact. People don't learn this because they encounter the other enjoyable things easily first. Now is the time to enjoy what truly delights your soul and spirit, not what merely pleases your senses. Incidentally, if you are not interested in knowing God well, but still wish to get to heaven, you are taking a big risk.

***A Eucharistic Miracle

        The Holy Face of Jesus imprinted on a Eucharistic host.

*Imperfect but Innocent

           We humans are full of imperfections. For example, someone say something harsh about me and I lose my peace, even just momentarily. And we have inappropriate fleeting thoughts at times. If you consider these imperfections as sins, then they are unintentional ones. I believe that the Lord fully understands our human nature and that we won't be perfect until we get to heaven. It's good to know that we can be imperfect and be innocent, and that we'll be like the Lord after we see him. 

*In a Hurry to Go to Heaven?

        If I know that I am heaven bound, do I want to go now or later? Of course, I look forward to being united with the Lord completely, but at the same time if I am going to be with him for all eternity anyway, what's the rush? Should the Lord ask me when I'd like to go, I'd probably say that I prefer to wait until some loved ones for whom I have been praying for decades have finally come to believe in you. That'd be a reasonable request, but I'll still let him have the final say.

**Learning from the True Guide

        The colleges talk about providing you with a well-rounded education to help you thrive in this world. But the Lord God teaches you how to live in freedom now and forever. God, being the truth, can reveal all we need to know to live in this world and not be of it. He is the only guide who can truly set us free. The time to learn all that is now when we are still on earth.

**Teaching the Truth

           This Fr. Corapi video just got posted. Again, he hit the nail on the head.  This is real teaching. Would that all priests have the courage to teach the truth and not be concerned about offending people or not..

**God in a League of His Own

        These thoughts relate to today's earlier post "True Beauty." We live in a physical world, so we seek beauty and pleasure in nature, architecture, music, etc. Thus we visit parks, castles, museums, and attend musicals, concerts, etc. But we fail to realize that we can experience beauty and joy plus peace in the Lord God! What he has to offer transcends everything our world offers. Every enjoyable thing you can find in the world simply pales in comparison with what you can experience in the Lord. For the former passes, while the latter lasts forever.

***Our Move Now***

         Today's Gospel reading comes from John 12. I am going to put together some verses and part of one to show you that we must absolutely pay attention to these words of the Lord. Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. If anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day." What is made clear are the following: (1) Jesus and the Father are one. (2) Whoever rejects him gets himself condemned on the last day. We must clearly get these two points and decide what to do with ourselves. We are dealing with God!

***True Beauty***

        I saw a video presenting the most beautiful village in France. It was beautiful in a quaint way. It has history and some interesting natural rock formation. In any case, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but  there are definitely things we see or hear that we agree are beautiful. As I walked this morning, the Lord made me see that true beauty is to be felt in one's heart and soul—it is his peace. In heaven, what you see and hear will definitely be most beautiful, but the peace you experience in the Lord will surpass all that. Let me tell you that when you dwell in God, knowing that he loves and takes care of you, it is the most beautiful feeling this side of heaven.   

*Comforting Words

         In today's Gospel reading from John 10, we hear Jesus say to the Jews, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand." These ironclad assurances are such a comfort for those who follow the Lord to hear!

***Ultimate Warning************

       I started this blog in 2009 and out of love have posted more than 11,200 messages, always extolling the God of Christ. Today, out of love I am going to post a most serious warning to those who consciously reject Christ. This needs to be made known. I don't intend to offend anyone. On the contrary, I wish everyone to get to heaven to enjoy eternal life.
         Jesus has come as the Messiah, fulfilling all the Old Testament prophecies. He claimed that he is the Son of God and had come to save us from sin. He proved that he has the power to forgive our sins by miraculously healing the lame and the sick. Here's what John wrote about Jesus in John 1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be." In John 14, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In Matthew 14, Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Wow! That so many had seen the Resurrected Lord is undeniable. Back in John 10, Jesus knew that he was going to die and rise again, for he said to the Jews, "I lay down my life in order to take it up again. I have power to lay it down and power to take it up." Finally, the Apostles witnessed the Ascension of Jesus into heaven.”
         If you reject Jesus, then you reject all I've said above and more. This would amount to saying that Christ is not only not God, but that he is a liar, a phony, a false teacher, and that he never rose from the dead. If you turn out to be right, you gain nothing and still remain lost. But if you turn out to be wrong, then I know you'd wish that you were never born! Think about it. [Please help spreading this message to as many as possible for their sake and for the glory of God.]