**I'm Glad That . . .

this life will end, for who would want to live in this sinful world forever? I am also glad that there will be a judgment by the Lord so that justice will be served, setting all things straight. Best of all, we have a loving God who can save us the moment we wish to be with him forever.

**Grateful to God for This*

        I am so happy the Lord knows all about me so that he may show me exactly how to live the best life on earth. 

***We Need to "Help" God

        God's sole mission is to save us and he needs our cooperation. For without it, he cannot do anything. Then we may be doomed. So if we want the Lord to help us, we must "help" him too. There is no relationship more beautiful than God and us becoming of one mind and one heart!

**Christ, Source of Our Peace

         The peace we need the most is the peace we experience when we have reconciled ourselves to God through Christ. This is the peace granted by the Lord that surpasses understanding. No other peace is on that level nor as permanent as this one.

***We Absolutely Need God

        Today I realize that we absolutely need God, no matter how righteous we are. First of all, without him sustaining us, we would instantly stop breathing and die. Secondly, as sinners, how are we going to overcome evil and save our souls without his help? Among the myriad reasons, these are just two most fundamental ones.  

***The Lord Serves Us!

        The Lord, being most meek and humble, always serves us. We ask him for so many favors, to do this or that. And he often does more than we ask for. Shouldn't we at the least serve him back equally?

***Beautiful Miracle

        This maybe an old video, nevertheless the sign is wonderful. I have seen another photo taken here in California not far from my place, showing a light beam shooting straight up through the roof of a house where a priest resides. It turned out that the beam originated from a consecrated host that happened to be in the house at the time. 

**Greatest Ignorance

        To those who know Christ, everything is meaningful; to those who don't, life is big puzzle. Being ignorant of God is the greatest ignorance'

**Lamenting the World*

        I weep for those of the world who have rejected Christ, the only one who can give them life now and forever. They know not what they do nor what's coming to them, remaining alone and lost.

***How to Love God?***

         Simple. Just obey him. This is all he wishes from us (out of love) and the best we can do. This is also the way to receiver power from him!

**Another Tragedy

        In Matthew 15:11, Jesus said to the crowd, "It is not what enters one's mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one." Jesus is right. People don't change unless they allow God to change them interiorly, and that's difficult for many, for they have already become deeply mired in the material world. So they remain the same. And God gets shut out.

***God Infinitely More Merciful

        God is infinitely more merciful than us. If I pray that someone will not be lost, I am sure the Lord would want to save him even more. Suppose my guess of the ratio of those who'll end up in heaven to those who'll end up in hell is say 7 to 3, I wouldn't be surprised that it turns out to be 8 to 2 or even 9 to 1. God is always more generous than we can expect.

**Our Choice Here

        God knows all about us and it's up to us to create the kind of record we'd like to have in heaven. We can make it delightful for the Lord to look at or make him want to vomit when he sees it. It's our choice.

*Help Galore

        To the Catholics, help is available not only from God, but also from all the saints, the angles, and the souls in purgatory. Pray for the last listed and they'll in turn pray for you.

**Full Request to God

        Ask God not only to take away our sins, but also to prevent us from future sinning by giving us the discernment to know what is good and what is evil and by letting us taste his love and sweetness as well as the pain of offending him. 

**Praying for the Worst Evildoers?

        In the Fatima prayer we say at the end of each decade of the Holy Rosary, we ask Jesus to save from the fires of hell and lead to heaven especially those in most need of his mercy. This makes sense. But we are often so turned off by the worst evildoers that we wish them dead. Of course, this is wrong, for God loves all of us equally. Pleasing God must be our sole concern and goal.

***Serving the Lord

        In today's Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be." It's so comforting and a joy to know that when you serve the Lord faithfully, you are always with him. What a beautiful relationship!

***First Step to Knowing God***

         Realizing and acknowledging to God that you are a sinner. With this new humility, your journey to him can now begin. (To speed up things, surrender to God as much as possible.)