***Only God Knows Our Innermost***

        I believe that the God of Christ, being our creator, is the only one who can see what's hidden in our hearts and minds. When we pray to him, he just knows that we are seeking him and not any other being. Consider the Devil or any other spirit, they may be aware of what we do, but they are incapable of deciphering our true thoughts or intentions. So we may disregard them outright. Remain in Christ and we are safe forever.

***Only One True God**

        Many people believe vaguely that God exists. By definition, God is unique, so there can be only one true God, whom we Christians know to be the God of Christ. So all who believe in someone (or something) other than Christ believes in a false god and that's idolatry.

**Good Having Christ to Go To*

        It's so good that I can turn and talk to Christ whenever my peace is disturbed, for he totally understands any situation and can correct me if I were wrong. He's also the one I shall return to forever after I leave this life. 

***Instantly Accessible Savior

        There are those who travel all around the world or read all the books they can get their hands on in hope of finding a savior. But you can call upon Jesus, the only true Savior, from your heart at any time and he instantly hears you and will respond to you. This can save you a lot of time and money and deliver results besides. 

***Becoming Sin-Free (and Falling in Love)*

        It is impossible for us to stop sinning to save ourselves on our own. Only the love of God can transform and save us. Since the Lord already loved us, we only need to be open to him to experience the power of his love to become sin-free. The best thing is once you realize that his love can truly free you from sin, you can't help but fall deeply in love with him.  

**God or the World**

        We cannot love God and the world at the same time. It's either one or the other. It should be God 100 and the world 0. Even 51-49 is not good enough. If you consider yourself to be a Christian, where do you stand? The basic questions: Are you going all out for God? How much are you attached to the world?

**Natural Consequences

        The more you are in union with God, the sharper your conscience becomes and as a result the more you see clearly what the Lord's will for you is.

*****Most Special Friend*****

         We all have family members and friends we know. Some have more and others less. I do count Jesus as a real friend. I do not see him, yet I feel his holy presence at all times and am more certain of his existence than that of anyone else, myself included! And it turns out that he is the most trustworthy and delightful friend you can ever have. He takes total care of me, guides and guards me the whole time, keeps me content and worry-free, inspires and comforts me, and then some! He's really the only friend you need! This is no exaggeration, only the simple truth. These thoughts came to me last night just before I went to sleep. This morning at Mass, lo and behold, in the Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father." What a great honor and joy it is to have Jesus to be your best friend.

**Living the Secret Life**

        It is to live secretly in Christ, only allowing him to know what's going on with you. This is not being selfish; in fact, it's being completely selfless, for you only wish to know him well and do his will. Then over time you become more and more like him, which is exactly what he expects from you. This is an excellent way of remaining in union with the Lord..  

***Only Way to Happiness***

        This is today's complete Gospel reading from John 15: Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." Our joy will be complete if we remain in Christ's love. Let me say that we'll never feel truly happy until we let the God of Christ love us fully!

**Being Christian Full-Time

        Today's psalm response from Psalm 96: Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations. As Christians, we must never stop witnessing for the Lord, testifying to his greatness and kindness, and praising him. 

**Cause of Unrest**

        Ask yourself now if deep down you truly experience peace. If not, then it's basically because you haven't settled your eternal future yet. Since Christ is the only one who can settle that for you, the basic reason for your unrest is that you do not know and believe in Christ yet.

***Freedom with One Will**

        In today's Gospel reading from John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you." This is indeed true because when we are in union with the Lord, we are free to ask for whatever we want and get it, for whatever we want is exactly whatever he wants.       

**Jesus IS Joy**

        Communion experience. The Lord filled me with joy. Jesus is indeed Joy!

***Beautiful Way to Exist

        Today's Communion antiphon, Romans 6:8: If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall live with Christ, alleluia. To die with Christ to live with him—think about this a bit. What a beautiful way to exist!

*****GREATESTt POSSIBLE LOSS*****

         I had a nightmare early this morning. Unlike the other ones I had that usually woke me up in a hurry, this one was long and drawn-out. In the dream, my wife and I were exploring what seemed like a sparsely populated coastal area, then all of a sudden I didn't see her walking next to me anymore. I thought she might have gone somewhere for a reason, for we just went by some small buildings. After I waited quite a while and she didn't show up, I was worried and started to look for her by backtracking and moving further ahead, but to no avail. Finally, it hit me that I had lost her for whatever reason and started feeling the agony. I moaned and cry out aloud "Where are you, Maria?" In her sleep next to me, she must have heard me and responded, "I am here!" That didn't relieve me right away, for the pain I experienced was just too great. Anyway, this made me realize that people losing a loved one happens all the time, often tragically, and we must pray for any specific case we know of. Finally, I asked the Lord why he gave me such a painful dream. Here's what he wants me to realize: Although losing a loved one tragically in this life can wound us deeply and take us a long time to recover, it's nothing compared to losing him as our Savior which one day will make us suffer the greatest possible pain and sorrow for all eternity! For he is the way, the truth, and the life. Without him we'll be lost and dead forever! So rush to Christ right now and give all of yourself to him to experience true freedom and peace! In Matthew 16:25, Jesus said, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." I am now spreading this most urgent and loving message tor the sake of the whole world, for it's truly of life-or-death importance.  

***Sad News***

        Jesus the Son of God has come to us in person and revealed to us that God the Father loves us to death so that whoever believes in the Son will have life eternal in heaven. If you don't think that this is good news, then no news can be good news. Yet people still ignore him. Pride can surely blind us and turn us into utter fools!

***One Great Feeling

        Communion experience. Christ is the only one I can totally entrust with my soul! It's is a most satisfying, comfortable feeling.