***Big Commitment

        Our soul is our most important treasure. If we can entrust our soul to the Lord God, that would certainly please him and give us deep peace for knowing that our soul is now secure. A win-win situation.

***Heaven and Hell Await***

        In yesterday's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus said to his Apostles: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household." This is actually happening today all around the world. The only way to heal this division is for us to repent all our sins and believe in Christ. Meanwhile, both heaven and hell are open and waiting.

***Awaken to This Reality***

        In todays Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus reproached some unrepentant towns and made it clear that they wouldn't be tolerated on the day of judgment. It's also clear that there will be the day of judgment for all of us. This is a reality truth we need to consider most seriously—definitely not everything will be hunky-dory for all of us.

***Way to Become Strong

        I have finally learned that the only way to become strong is to submit myself to God completely. That is, when I acknowledge that I am truly weak and need help before the Lord, he readily helps me directly. Our Father just loves helping us when we trust in him with all our heart. 

***Safe with Christ***

        If you are in sin and don't do anything about it, it's like you're hanging from a precipice, holding tightly onto its edge. If you ever fall, you're going to die for sure. Having Christ is like having a hand of his always under you, ready to catch you whenever you fall. 

**Letting God Rejuvenate Me

        Communion experience. The bread I receive is the bread of life! And the chalice of wine, the chalice of salvation! The Lord God entered me—how could I possibly bear this? I decided to let him crush me totally so that he may fill me up with life! 

***A Re-realization of Jesus***

        Christ is the Lord, the True one, our ultimate fulfillment, and the solution to all our problems. We must totally submit ourselves to him. (The resulting experience is phenomenally liberating and unspeakably wonderful!)

**Sign You're Ready to Die

         When we die, we meet the Lord. So if you are ready to meet the Lord, you are ready to die.

*****Greatest Transforming Force

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthews 10, Jesus laid down the conditions of discipleship: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Asking us to love him more than our own family? You just don't do that unless you are the Lord God speaking the truth, and I believe that's just the case. Now that's settled, we must love Jesus more than anyone else. The miracle is when we do that, we start loving others as well. God being love, his love turns our to be the greatest force in transforming us. Believe in it and we are saved!

***Choice We Face*****

        God is awesome because he is holy, and we being sinners are awful. The good news is that if we submit ourselves to the Lord God, he can transform us to become like him, for his mercy and power are boundless. So the choice we face is to remain in sin or to become holy. Think of the consequences and the right choice should become crystal clear.

***The Last Will Be First

        In Matthew 19, Jesus said to his disciples, "But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." Again, in Matthew 20 in using the parable of the workers in the vineyard to explain the kingdom of heaven, he again stated "Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last." I am not sure how to interpret this saying, but this I am sure of: If you rank last according to how much pride you have, you'll come out first in a lineup based upon how easy it is to get into heaven. 

***All About Giving Yourself Up

        At each Mass, we are reminded that the Lord gave up his body and poured out his blood for us. It's really all about offering oneself up. To follow his example, we must be willing to offer ourselves up to him for his sake. After receiving him each time, offering ourselves up is in order.

****Dealing with Material Possessions****

        All the material possessions we have are useful to us only when we are living on earth, so enjoy using them while you are still here and be thankful to the Lord, for they were all supplied by him. Never become attached to them though; for we came without them and we'll be leaving without them. It's the Devil who wants you to get yourself attached to these transitory, material things to keep you away from the Father. Do not fall for it. Follow Christ only for a little while on earth and you'll enjoy everlasting life in heaven! Even if you can live on earth for all eternity, you won't be happy. We can only be truly happy in heaven—this is how the Father has made us, so we'll ultimately seek him. Don't disappoint him and our happiness is guaranteed.           

****Accessing God's Power

        How much power you can receive from God is entirely limited by how much you are open to and trust in him. Imagine what you can gain by totally abandoning yourself to him!

**Way to Store Up Treasure in Heaven

        We do many things in our lives. Not long age, eight of us from church met after Mass and enjoyed eating a meal together at a local restaurant. But among all the things we do, those done out of love for God are the ones that will earn us spiritual merit. This is the way to store up treasure in heaven. 

**Mighty Deeds Speak Volumes

        In Matthew 9, people brought to Jesus a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When he saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. The Lord performed a mighty deed here to show that he did have the authority to forgive sins. This morning I got up early and saw the sun already shining thru the bedroom window. Here the sun, almost 94.5 millions away, sending its rays to the earth regularly year after year since they were created. This mighty feat clearly points to the existence of an omnipotent creator, our God.

**All Fears Dispelled

        Communion experience. So much comfort in receiving the Lord. His love dispels all fears. 

***Be One with God Always***

        Know that everything that draws you away from God does not come from him. Attain union with God thru the Holy Eucharist and nothing can separate you from him anymore.