***Yearning for God

         You may believe in the Lord and feel that life is now meaningful, but if you still do not yearn for him, you don't really know him yet. The Lord is so lovely and beautiful that even if you are already satisfied with him, you can't help desiring more and more of him. That's why we need to get into heaven so that we may be one with him for all eternity.

*****Great Imbalance*

        I got to church early, parked my car in a shady spot and started to pray. I could concentrate better in solitude. But this morning a fire engine went by, loudly sounding its alarm siren—it must be responding to some emergency. At the same time, the sound of many other running vehicles reached my ears. I realized that when we are not asleep, we are always going somewhere or doing something throughout our lives, hardly thinking about God or doing anything just for his sake. The Lord who should be first in our lives usually ends up last. This is a huge imbalance (or injustice) that can make us truly regret later on. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said to his disciples, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." You don't want to risk being shut out of heaven: no, no, no; you want to solidly secure your eternal life, skip purgatory, and go straight to heaven! 

***Most Beautiful Thing*****

       The love of God is the most beautiful thing there is. It's essential for our existence. It's precisely what we need to be saved from sin. It can transforms us completely to become like God. It's most beneficial for us. Abandon ourselves to God in his love and we'll enjoy peace and joy with him forever!

***Today Much like the Days of Christ

        Today's Gospel reading came from Luke 6. On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. These hypocrites were so intent on finding a reason to accuse Jesus that they became oblivious to the amazing miracle Jesus just performed. Alas, today so many of our government and Church officials remind me of them.

**Sorrow Will End

        The more joy I feel in the Lord, the more sorrow I feel for the world. In the end, there'll be only joy, this I know.   

**Returning to God Examined

        Because we have inherited the original sin, God requires that we repent and have faith in Christ the Son our Savior to restore our original relationship with him. 

***Best Way to Overthrow the Ego*

        Ego is the worst enemy of a Christian and can only be eradicated by the Lord after you have submitted yourself completely to him. For the Catholic, it makes seeking union with God through the Holy Eucharist your top priority, for that will prepare you best to overcome any spiritual obstacle! 

**Heaven Linked to Earth*

        In todays's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." This shows that whatever we do on earth shall directly shape what happens in heaven and that the Lord will alway be with us when we gather together in his name! 

**The Door We Must Pass Thru**

        We are either united or divided by Christ simply because he is our Lord and God. Our destinies are completely dependent upon whether we believe in him or not.

***Neglecting the Soul

        In today's homily, Fr. Steve mentioned "Too many neglect their souls." How true, foolish, and tragic that is. This applies to Christians too. Being lukewarm is neglecting your soul. Being not watchful, unprepared, or living a self-centered life is totally neglecting your soul. To continue to do evil is to have already lost your soul.

*****Our Most Precious Gift

        Communion experience. The Eucharist is our most precious gift from the Lord, for it is the Lord himself! We must know what we are receiving.

**God Knows Best

        Why doesn't God wipe out evil outright every time for us? In overcoming evil, God makes it neither too hard nor too easy for us so that if we have enough faith in him, we succeed. He always tests us to help our faith grow. Naturally, the stronger your faith becomes, the easier it is to ward off evil.

*****Urgent Message to All*****

        Satan has taken over a large portion of our world. Only by accepting the love of Christ can we be set free. Listen to the latest urgent message from St. Michael the Archangel to Archbishop Vigano regarding the state of this country. (You may skip to 2:03 just for the message.)

**Evidence We're God's Creation

        I am amazed that we eat a lot of different foods and the body knows how to process them so that we absorb the useful part for nutrition and health, and discard the waste that's of no value to us. Furthermore, we understand good and evil. These two facts alone show clearly that an omnipotent God created us.

***Alleviating the Lord's Suffering

        On this Friday, I thought about the horrible sufferings Jesus had undergone for our sake. We cannot possibly go back in time to console him, to help him carry the cross, or to alleviate his pains in any way. Knowing that he is still suffering today for our unbelief and unfaithfulness, the least we could do is to accept our own cross and follow him. I believe this should please him and is also what he expects of us. 

***Christ Understands Me Perfectly***

        Today again, I am aware that Christ is the only who always understands me, thoroughly. This is of great consolation to me. How can you possibly not fall in love with such a beautiful, amazing personal Lord?

The LORD Revealing His Love

        Again during consecration of the bread and the wine at this morning's Mass, Fr. Phil recalled the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: "TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU" and "TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT: FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME." These words are filled with pure, selfless love that should melt our hearts. 

**Our Calling*

        Today is the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From the first reading from Romans 8, we heard the following read: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son... So God not only wants to save us from sin, he intends that we become like his Son too.