***Reason We Need Christ***

        The Lord can heal and perfect our souls, preparing us for entry into heaven. (This thought came to me at Mass today)

**Heaven Wipes Out All Past Inequalities**

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus tells the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. The landowner hires laborers at various times of the day, meaning some work many hours and others very few. Yet, at the end of the day, everyone receives the exact same daily wage. The Lord concludes, "Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last." This illustrates that while some of us turn to the Lord early in life and others much later, we all receive the same ultimate gift of heaven.

**Life Is Christ and Death Is Gain**

        In today's Second Reading from Philippians 1, Paul longs to depart this life to be with Christ, yet he feels it necessary to remain in the flesh to labor for the Lord. He is not sure about which one to choose. Many Christians ponder making such a choice. Since I do feel the Lord's presence at all times, I don't mind remaining in this world as long as He wishes me to.

**A New Beginning**

        Today is a big day for me. Ever since my fall last April 26, I had not gone to Mass. Then, this morning, I finally felt good enough to go. The Entrance Antiphon read, "I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever." That really cheered me up—surely he would be my Lord forever!

***Gone for the Right Reason**

        "You are gone" can mean "you are missing," "you are dead," "you are too intoxicated," or, in general, "you are out of control" or "you are in trouble." But if you are gone because you are now in heaven—nothing else matters!

**How to Pray Right**

        Pray as if the salvation of the entire world depends on your prayers, for it truly does.

***True Humility***

        Humility is a strength, but it is not feeling superior or inferior to others; it is simply not judging them, nor allowing yourself to be swayed by them. I hold Christ up as our model. No matter how people mistreated him, he never struck back nor gave in to them—he simply focused on completing the Father's will, remaining clear-headed and in deep peace at all times.

***Three Choices, One Good Outcome**

        Living for Christ seals your eternity. Living without him condemns you to total emptiness. Living against him guarantees your destruction.

**Unique Feature*

        Catholicism is not just another religion; it is the truth. If you consider it a religion, it is the only one whose leader came directly to us from heaven and is, in fact, God Himself.

***No Upper Limit!***

        God being perfectly holy and boundlessly merciful, there is no limit to how much we can love him, praise him, adore him, worship him, trust in him, believe in him, fellowship with him, listen to him, learn from him, and obey him. This is what makes following Christ so fulfilling and satisfying.

***To Bear Rich Fruit for God**

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 8, Jesus told the Parable of the Sower to the crowd, describing a sower who went out to sow his seed. Afterwards, he explained the meaning of the parable to his disciples, saying: "The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance."

         We see that we must watch for the Devil, believe in the word of God deeply, guard against temptation, and not let the anxieties, riches, and pleasures of life affect us in order to bear much fruit for God. To fulfill this tall order, seek to attain union with God through the Holy Eucharist first. For once you attain union with God, you fulfill his ultimate desire.

*****How to Go Straight to Heaven***

        According to Fr. Mark Goring, Mirjana—one of the six visionaries of Medjugorje—once asked the Blessed Mother where most people go when they die. She answered that most go to purgatory before ultimately passing through to heaven, the next greatest number go to hell, and only a few go directly to heaven. This sounds logical to me. Even though we are all sinners, God's mercy is so great that most people are still saved; however, they need a final purification through the fire of God's love in purgatory before entering the glory of heaven. Fr. Goring believes that if we completely abandon ourselves to God, there is no reason we cannot go straight to heaven when we die. I agree with him. If we are willing to let God do whatever he wishes with us, of course he will bring us straight to himself when we die.

**Way to Get Your Sins Forgiven**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, a certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. There was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet, weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. Because she showed great love, Jesus forgave all her sins. We can love God in different ways and be forgiven—the important thing is that we love him. Now, start doing it.

***Heavenly Joy on Earth***

        This story is going viral online right now. The video I am going to show is just one of six I have encountered on YouTube so far. I totally understand what this priest, Fr. Brent Bowman, experienced. When you are in union with God through the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit often enkindles great joy in your heart that is impossible to resist. It completely takes over your whole being; you simply immerse yourself totally in the Lord. You are now a soul that belongs to him alone. It is a moment of heaven on earth!

***Secret of Knowing Anyone (What We Lack Today)***

        The best way for two people to get to know one another and deepen their relationship is to share their inner thoughts. Unfortunately, this rarely happens, even within families—we are simply too busy leading our own separate lives. Even Christian families often fail to pray together. When we do gather to have a good time, our interactions usually remain on a superficial social level. Satan’s influence has been subtle but palpable. Deepening our relationship with God works the same way. If you are completely open with the Lord and share everything in your heart, he will reciprocate by sharing his heart with you! The good news is that it is much easier to know God intimately, if you truly desire it.

**Pathetic Situation**

        Part of today's Gospel Acclamation is based on what Peter realized about Jesus in John 6:68: "You have the words of everlasting life." Everlasting life is the greatest gift God wants us to have, and also the greatest gift we can possibly expect to receive. Then pride gets in our way and we get all bogged down. What a pathetic situation!

*****God Is All About Love***

        In today's First Reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul gives a beautiful discourse on the way of love. Let me quote these four verses from Chapter 13: "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Now you can measure yourself against Paul's criteria and see how loving you are.

**Sign of End Times**

        In Matthew 5:37, Jesus says to his disciples, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." I love this saying—it highlights the importance of being non-duplicitous and reflects how Jesus teaches. We should all strive to be like that. Unfortunately, many people do not talk straight when dealing with others. Even the Church no longer speaks clearly, causing great confusion among the flock. The end times are definitely here.