**Peace of a Faithful Christian**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus appoints seventy-two disciples whom he sends ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intends to visit. He says to them, "Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you." A faithful Christian is a peaceful person. St. Thérèse (the Child Jesus) expressed her inner peace by using the metaphor of a deep body of water; she explained that while surface disturbances may occur, her core remains entirely undisturbed. In essence, Jesus is saying that if anyone rejects the peace you want to share, you will still retain it.

*****Most Urgent Action the World Needs to Take*****

       Today is the Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church. It was her inspiring autobiography, The Story of a Soul, that drove me (and possibly millions of others worldwide) to Christ. She is my favorite saint and my first spiritual director. 

          Today's Gospel Acclamation, based on Mark 1:15, reads, "The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel." "Repent" is what the world needs to do most urgently right now! We absolutely need to possess this humility if we ever wish to get into heaven. Otherwise, we might as well forget about God and do whatever we want in this life, for that's as much as we'll get!

***How to Beat Sin***

        Every sin begins as a temptation and can overcome us if we let it get out of hand. The wrong approach is to face it squarely to fight it, whereas the smart way is to turn away from it at the very outset and run to the Lord. Always nip it in the bud before it gains a foothold within you. The most fundamental and effective way to prevent temptation from emerging is to attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist.

**Letting the Past Go**

        Yesterday, I quoted what Jesus said in Luke 9:62, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." Looking to what was left behind includes dwelling on the past, especially those memories that are unholy or compromised. We must cut them off without mercy if we want to experience union with God unhindered.

**Memorable Saying**

        Today's Gospel reading comes from Luke 9. Let me just leave you with this memorable saying of Jesus without any comment: "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

**Beautiful Transformation**

        This is today's Gospel Acclamation based on Philippians 3:8-9, "I consider all things so much rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him." This is a profound statement. It shows how we can gain Christ, and how people can now see the Lord in us. It's absolutely beautiful!

**Key Realization**

        It dawns on me that we can ask God questions, but we should always do so with trust, for he is omniscient and knows what's best for us. 

**God Meeting You All the Way**

        Trust in God and he trusts in you. Open your heart to him and he reveals himself to you. The Lord always reciprocates your faith. If you call him Father, he will call you a son or daughter.

**Perfect Guide**

       God can do no wrong; by obeying him, we can do all things well.

**Fear No Evil**

        I had a vivid dream last night. I was visiting a city and entered a building that was supposed to be haunted. I experienced the presence of various evil spirits, yet I had no fear at all, knowing that the Holy Spirit was with me since I had received the Lord in the Eucharist earlier at Mass. It is true that when the Lord is with you, no evil spirit can touch you. Psalm 23:4 came to my mind: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me." Amen.

**The Least Shall Be Greatest**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus said to his disciples, "The one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest." If you are full of pride, you are on your own and can only fall. But if you are truly humble, God will exalt you without limit!

**Admirable Faith!**

        In today's first reading from Job 1, the LORD allowed Satan to take away all that Job had, but not to lay a hand on his person. Then, misfortune befell his livestock, his sons and daughters, and the house they were dining in. Job cast himself prostrate upon the ground and said, "Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!" In all this, Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God. I especially admire and love that last sentence. What a great attitude!

**A Wakeup Call**

        Seeing all the amazing technological innovations and advancements made today, we tend to think that we are capable of achieving anything. We forget that it took us many centuries and countless individuals working our brains off to get to where we are today, whereas the Lord God can achieve infinitely greater things in an instant should he so choose. Our false pride simply distances us further and further from the Lord our Savior. Here is my wakeup call to all: The more we think we know, the more ignorant we are of God's omnipotence. Humility, not pride, is our ticket to eternal life!

**Believing Is the Key**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 21, Jesus told the Parable of the Two Sons to the chief priests and elders of the people. Afterward, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him." We see that entering the kingdom of God is not a matter of how sinful we are, but rather whether we believe or not.

**Our Ultimate Aim**

        In today's Second Reading from Philippians 2, Paul, citing Christ Jesus as an example, advises everyone to do nothing out of selfishness or vainglory. Instead, he urges us to humbly regard others as more important than ourselves, looking out not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. This is a high standard and certainly something for us to work on, as becoming more like the Lord is ultimately our aim.

**Best Blessing**

        When God rewards us, it may be a monetary blessing, but it can come in any form. I value any blessing that is unknown to me so that my ego does not get inflated.

**Ultimate Challenge**

        There is usually a gap between our heartfelt love for God and our actual practice of loving others. To close this gap, we must follow the Lord's every word to the letter. This means practicing what we truly believe. It remains the ultimate challenge for every Christian.

***Repeated Reminder***

        From today's Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 90, I'd like to single out this verse: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart." Not wanting to sound like a broken record, I'd like to remind everyone again that we have only one life to live and one place to go after death, so let Christ make it good for us—this is being supremely wise!