***Sign You're Ready for Jesus' Coming

        Today is the first Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 24, Jesus told his disciples to be prepared always, for he will come at an hour unknown to us. Of course, for those who are not prepared, he will always come at an unexpected hour. But if you long for the Lord, you are definitely ready for his coming at any time.

****Super Climax for the Faithful*

        All true Christians have this to look forward to. They are going to return to the Father who created them out of love to live with him in his house forever. This is the Father they have never seen, but now they are going to inherit everything he has for them. There can be no climax more exciting and joyful than that.

*****Breaking Free from the World

        When we don't have Christ, we have the whole world to us. This is the situation the worldlings are in. Once you gain the Lord, you lose the whole world as it no longer tastes good and becomes even repugnant to you. Now the world rejects you for having rejected it. This is a warning I am giving you, so you can be prepared should you decide to go all the way with Christ. Gaining the Lord is truly the only thing that makes life worth living. Knowing that you are losing the world shows that it can no longer hold you as its prisoner and you are on your way to eternal freedom. Hallelujah! 

***Tragic Misunderstanding

      I have mentioned in the past that many Protestant preachers don't consider Catholics to be Christians. They even believe that all Catholics are headed for hell. This is a big tragic misunderstanding. I came across this video today which I believe can clear things up a bit.   

**Dumb, Radical Questions

        Today's radicals and ultra-leftists have no answer to why they believe in what they believe in. This is also a tragedy. Here you see Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life, fend off some of the dumb, radical questions.

**A Tragedy

        It is tragic to see people, even Christians, who do not truly know Christ. They are still immersed in seeking fun in the world. As a result, their children are like that too. One day, they'll be rudely awakened to see the truth. It'd be so much better to see the truth now than later.

**God Remembers Our Sins

         We sin and try not to face the fact or try to forget it, but God the Father remembers every sin we've ever committed against him—there is just no escape. So it's best for us to repent of every sin right after we are aware of it and ask the Father to make us holier. This is the process for us to continue until the day we die. But if you can attain union with God thru the Holy Eucharist, you can become a saint. 

**Joyless Living

        Christ has already redeemed us from sin! If you don't feel any great joy in living, then you must be ignorant of this momentous fact or spiritually somewhat dead.

**Proper Attitude Toward Suffering

        Again, on this Friday I prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Thinking about the amount of horrendous suffering Jesus had undergone so that we might be saved forever, we really should be willing to carry our relatively tiny crosses daily with great joy.

**Preparation for Entering Heaven

        There can be no total surrendering to God if we do not "erase" ourselves first. God can only increase if we decrease. Our goal is to decrease to nothing so that God may occupy all of us. This is the best preparation for us prior to entering heaven.  

**How to Change People

         Only God can change people. We can only pray for them and try leading them to God with love. Each of us will have to answer to God alone. 

**Christian Confidence & Optimism

        One who has strong faith in God is confident in him. He knows that he is in charge and will always prevail over all things. This is why a faithful Christian is always optimistic and filled with hope.

**Least We Can Do (Precondition of Discipleship)

         Christ has undergone so much suffering to save us. We can never match him out of gratitude in return for he's done for us. The least we can do is to welcome whatever suffering he sends our way. 

****Inspiring Saint

        Reading about Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi has been inspiring. She truly served God selflessly. We all choose to serve God the way that suits us, but Anna-Maria totally disregarded her own will and did what the Lord wanted her to do, no matter how difficult or unpleasant it might be. As a mother and wife, she had to deal with her husband who's a good man but could be rough at times, and also her mother-in-law who liked to gossip. She catechized all her many own children. Quite a number of them died later before she did. Those who survived came to her with their own family to stay with her when they had nowhere to go. She then let them have her place and moved to an inferior place herself. Because of her God-given gifts of knowing the future, reading souls, and even performing miracles, the poor, the great of the world, and the princes of the Church all came to her for advice ad help. She welcomed them all and refused all personal favors offered to her. She never complained and worked hard to make ends meet, besides suffering for God as a victim soul. It's always God's will be done first. There's so much to admire and to learn from her. Praised be God!  

**Making Humility Enjoyable

        As you live you life for Christ in secret, you also offer up all your sufferings to him in secret. This males humility most enjoyable. 

***My Great Consolation

         Living in Christ is a great joy, but living thus in a secular world, you experience the great sorrow of division between you and most of the world, even among your own family members or friends. During consecration of the bread and wine at Mass this morning, I just knew that Christ is my great consolation, the only consolation I need to overcome all sorrows.

**Life Is All About . . .

preparing for our final judgment.         

****What God Desires the Most*

        I am not quite halfway through reading the book Wife, Mother & Mystic about Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi. The Lord taught this saint many things. He advised her that spiritual profit consists not in penance nor frequent visitation of the Sacraments, not even in remaining in sorrow for sin, but in uniting her will with his. Renouncing our will in all things to follow the Lord is even more pleasing to him than a whole year of penances. This message impressed me very much. Indeed, obedience to God will please him the most and take care of all of what we should do for him.