***A Puzzle?***

        If I enter a race I really want to win and someone else wins, I'd be disappointed. Now I'd really like to love Christ more than anyone else. If it turns out that everyone else in the whole world actually loves him a lot more than I do, instead of feeling disappointed, I'd be overjoyed to the hilt! You figure that out.

**Helpful Realization*

        To be saved, we first need to realize that we are sinners. It also helps to realize that the Lord God is most holy and try to perceive that! Let him set you free from sin and inspire you to become holy so that you may experience freedom, peace, and joy all at once. Or you'd rather remain a miserable sinner for all eternity?

*****To Be Taken Seriously (Important Message)*****

        This is going to be a long "special" message which I feel compelled to post. I may not make everyone feel comfortable, but I cannot keep it unsaid, for truth must be faced squared when it affects our eternal life! First, let me post from Mathew 25 what Jesus has said about the judgment of the nations.

        “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

        The message is crystal clear: To inherit the kingdom of God, we must love all, especially the least ones. I look at the world, at least America here, and see that most people live a self-centered life: They want make the most money, buy the best things, eat the best foods, live in the best possible house, etc. They do help others in need at times, but it's not top priority. Sadly, many of them do not end up with much savings in their old age. My thoughts are that I can be a nice person, well liked by everyone, never trying to be mean to anyone, believing that I am OK with God, and still get shut out of heaven for having essentially lived a self-centered life and not loved others enough. So we need to take Christ most seriously and believe in and follow him to avoid encountering any future shocks. After all, he is the Judge of all judges through whom we'll all have to go.

***Transformational Joy of Christ

        Communion experience. The joy of Christ penetrates my heart and liberates my soul—how I love my Lord and my God! 

***Mutual Glorification*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 13, after Judas had left the Last Supper to begin getting Jesus arrested, the Lord said to the rest of the Apostles, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him." So anytime we do God's will, we glorify God and he in turn glorifies us. 

***Living for Victory*

        Psalm 27:12, today's entrance antiphon: Do not leave me to the will of my foes, O Lord, for false witnesses rise up against me and they breathe out violence. So evil has ben around ever since our creation. Even Jesus was betrayed by one of his Apostles. Accept this fact and and join our Lord in his battle against evil and we'll surely come out victorious!

***The Split We Create Among Us*

        This is an afterthought after the last posting. If we remain closed to God, we'll never learn anything from him. The evil influences around us are so great that we really need to open up quite a bit to the Lord to become strong enough to grow holier. Then once we get going, the sky is the limit. This bring to my mind what Jesus said in both Matthew and Mark: To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

****Effortless Way to Progress Spiritually****

         How can we get to know the Lord well? It's simple: You just remain completely open to let him reveal himself to you. This is the effortless way and the result can be astounding! The common mistake is to try so hard on your own as if God doesn't even want to know you. The truth is that he longs to know all of us most intimately, but we more or less do not open up completely to him. If you want to give all of yourself to him, again, be open to let him take possession of you.

****Christ Indispensable to Us**

         In today's Gospel reading from John 12, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead was. Mary, one of Lazarus' sisters, took a liter of costly perfumed oil and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair. Then Judas the Iscariot, the disciple who would betray him said, "Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?" Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." This just made me aware of how indispensable Jesus is to all of us. As air and water are vital for keeping us physically alive, Jesus is essential to the preservation of the integrity of our soul for all eternity.

**Making Going to Heaven Hard or Easy**

        It you are reluctant to leave this earth and not really looking forward to going to God, you may have trouble getting into heaven. For example, if you expect someone to come to your home and find out that person's not that willing to come, you may decide not to want this unhappy guest come at all. On the other hand, anyone who greatly looks forward to returning to the heavenly Father with joy will likely go straight to heaven. The good criminal who were crucified next to Jesus is a good example.

**God's Invincible Power**

        The Lord is pure love. In union with him, no evil can come close.

**Where to Find Eternal Peace*

        Communion experience. I don't just sense, I know that only in union with Christ (God), will you find eternal peace. 

***Faith Works Wonders

        Today's long Gospel reading, Luke 22:14-23:56, began with The Last Supper and ended with The Burial of Jesus. As you know, two criminals were also crucified along with Jesus. one on his right, the other on his left. Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." What's clear here is that as long as you believe that Jesus can save you and ask him to have mercy on you, you are saved! If you already know this, now believe in it, for with God, nothing works without faith.

*****Jesus Christ Is Lord

        Here's today's second reading from Philippians 2: Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. I reproduced it here because I have come to the same conclusion.

****Palm Sunday Reminder***

        You get only one chance to know Christ the Savior, to be sure that you'll get into heaven. After this earthly life is over, that chance is gone forever! On this Palm Sunday; Christ is getting ready to fulfill the Father's will by dying on the cross in our place. Only a truly loving God can initiate such a compelling act of love. It's time for us to die for him by dying in him out of gratitude. When we do this, we live forever!

*****Formula to Peace and Freedom*****

        Today the Lord made me see clearly that the most proper, glorious, and rewarding thing for us to do is to surrender ourselves completely to him. The lack of our interior peace and spiritual freedom is completely due to the lack of our trust in God or, shall I say, our rebellion against God. Return to him like the prodigal son and all will be well! If you see this truth, the Lord is calling you. If not, you only prove that I am right.

**Another Reason to Follow Christ*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 11, the chief priests and the Pharisees were so concerned about losing their power that they, ignoring all the wonderful signs Jesus had performed, saw him as a threat to them and planned to kill him. This is the same with the people of today. In this country, members of one political party, intent on holding onto their power, try hard to destroy the leader of their opposition party who has accomplished many good things for the country. They are today's Pharisees, only concerned about themselves and not a bit about anyone else. So if you don't know the God of Christ, your views and reasoning just become warped and wrong. Only by following Christ will we be able to become selfless and know how to love all others right. 

**Three Levels of Belief

        We can (1) totally believe in Christ and follow him, (2) belief that Jesus exists, but have no faith or do not know him, or (3) ignore or reject him. These levels of belief are more or less reflected in these three levels of living, respectively: We do (1) everything according to God's will, (2) all things dutifully, neither for God or ourselves, or (3) all things to serve ourselves only.