**Rejecting Salvation?

        It's most amazing that God should offer to save us from sin so that we may have eternal life! And it's thickheaded and cruel of us not to even consider that offer! Don't you see that to save our souls, we need to give God our hearts and minds first?

**The Lord Eager to Please Us*

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus said to his disciples, "Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." So let us ask, seek, and knock as much as we want and the Lord cannot refuse us. He only wants to give us life forever and we need to respond to him favorably always.

**At Your Service, Lord**

        Communion time thoughts. I was both an empty vessel and an open channel. As the former, I let the Lord fill me with whatever he deems to be the best for my spiritual growth. As the latter, I attempt to bring as many of his children as possible back to him, our most loving Father. There is no greater honor than being called to serve God. 

***Most Beautiful Heart*

        Today's response Psalms 51:19b at Mass: A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. A heart contrite and humble is most beautiful to God. Anyone with such a heart who believes in Christ is bound to enter heaven.

***My Joy Forever

         That was what I experienced when I received the Lord today in Holy Communion.

*****Bold Statement of Truth*****

        It is impossible for us to have any sort of life without Christ, for he is God, our creator, our judge, and our Savior! I am making this sweeping statement because I know that it is true! I cannot prove it, but you cannot prove it otherwise either. Anyway, we are to believed in the Lord without any doubt. For that, he has given us the free will. 

**Timelessness in Heaven*

        On earth, we feel the passing of time and everything else as we grow old. Then I realize that in heaven, we'll be young and the same, and experience the constant peace and joy of being in union with God forever. When we embrace God's love fully, we are settled for all eternity and time is no longer a consideration.

***Everything Belongs to God***

        We came into the world all naked and will leave without being able to take anything with us. We ourselves and all the things we have in this life belong to God alone. Realizing this can greatly help us get detached from ourselves as well as all the things in the world. Otherwise, living can be most burdensome and leaving the world, a rough experience. And we could also end up in a place we never want to be. Traveling unburdened is the way to go.

***Are We Alone?*

        Aside from the Lord God, specifically Jesus Christ, there is no one whom you can totally trust, who totally understands you, or who can save you from sin and get you into heaven. So each of us is basically alone with God. If you do not have him, then you are really alone.

***Most Pitiful Ones***

         There are people who have so much pride that their hearts have hardened to the point that they turn away from Jesus totally. So Christ, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, who created all of us and the whole universe, the most humble and exalted holy God is not even good enough for them—this is absolutely insane, shocking and revolting! They are to be pitied the most.

**Heavenly Experience

        Communion experience. When you are in love with Christ, you feel that you are literally already in heaven! 

**Christ Deserves Our Full Trust*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 4, the devil tempted Jesus three times. Jesus responded to the devil's last attempt by saying to him, "It is written You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." So let's not ever be like the devil testing Jesus, but trust in him fully always.

***Appreciating the Lord***

         You can always see anything in opposite ways. For example, a glass of water may be seen as half empty or half full. Today I see the holy Lord God in the most favorable light. Because of him, I am now aware of all my imperfections (mainly sins) so that I can ask him to take them away all to make me holy. This is a huge deal! It is changing my life now, and is going to save my soul in the end—an even huger deal! 

**A Wake-Up Question**

        You believe in God, but do you also seek him? If you don't follow the Lord closely, you can lose him quickly! For the Lord is a dynamic Lord, not a static one.

***Most Desirable Virtue*

         Christ being most high is most humble. The more humble we are, the more we become like him and are exalted by him. Humility eradicates the ego, frees our soul to love others and brings peace to our innermost. When we remain most humble, we become invulnerable to Satan's attack and super safe in the Lord. Be humble and God will have a hard (or real easy) time judging you. Humility is the key to entering heaven.

***Greatest Spiritual Malady Today***

         The Communion antiphon based upon Matthew 9:13 today—I desire mercy, not sacrifice, says the Lord, for I did not come to call the just but sinners. Mercy stems from love, and is a virtue, while sacrifice is an act. If we love God, we'll automatically perform sacrifice for him when we are called to. So start from love always, that is, be merciful always. Tragically, much of the world today does not hear the Lord and and continue to remain in sin. Witness the current wars between Israel and the Hamas and between Ukraine and Russia—the killing and dying goes on with no side willing to give in a little bit to achieve peace.

***Jesus' Holy Face Again***

        My Lord and my God!

***Between Just You and God***

         Today's Psalm 51:6a: Against you [God] only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight. Yes, when we sin, we truly hurt God only, for he is the holy one. And we'll all be judged by him alone. It all comes down to whether we obey God or not. Quoting Mother Teresa:—"In the final analysis, it is between you and God."