**Getting Ready for Heaven

        We enjoy belonging to any group that share the same interest. It was fun when I once belonged to a car club and all members would meet and drive around together to various interesting spots. And I enjoy talking to fellow smartphone photographers now. I would love to share my joy in Christ with others in person, but this does not always happen in today's world. Anyway, I am thinking ahead that in heaven we'll have all the saints as our company. To get ourselves ready for a smooth transition to heaven, now would be the time to seek to attain union with God. Then we'll fit perfectly in with those already in heaven. 

Most Comfortable Position

        If you are most comfortable with God, you are in the most comfortable position of your life.

***Simple, Direct Path to God***

       We are often taught to know our faith, study the catechism, the Bible, learn more about the saints, etc. But if you want to develop a personal relationship with God, acquiring knowledge is pretty much barking up the wrong tree. We can progress spiritually so much faster and most efficiently if we start from God. Go straight and open up your heart to him and he will reveal himself to you and set your heart on fire! Officially, it's known as seeking union with God. You attain union and God becomes your soulmate!
       
         Fr. Mark Goring's vlog today on YouTube backs up my point:

A Simple, Logical Question

        Christ and the Father are one. As the Son, he came to us. If we do not even listen to him, how can we ever expect to understand God, let alone know him?

**Personal Relationship Needed

        Because we have the communion of saints, we can ask all the angels and saints to pray for our intentions. Holy Mother Mary is usually our first choice. But even if the whole heavenly court prays for you and you do not pray yourself, the Lord will not hear you. So we should start praying ourselves before enlisting others for help. What God desires is a personal relationship with him. Seeking union with God is seeking that most personal relationship that pleases him the most.  

*Logical and Sensible Reasoning

        If we were all holy and perfect, Jesus wouldn't have needed to come down from heaven to save us. But without a doubt we all know that we do sin. Therefore, we should be honest with ourselves and welcome the Lord into our hearts to let him save us.

Good Cardinal Rule

        We have only one Lord and one God, Jesus the Christ. Therefore, follow him and no one else. 

Amazing Grace

        Communion experience. I still remember the days I lived in my own prison away from God. Now I dwell within the Lord himself in complete freedom. In saving me, the Lord also liberated and transformed me. 

*Make Your Existence Beautiful!

        Everything must pass through Christ the Lord – nothing can ever sneak by him. Being aware of this reality, you will want to do everything in his holy presence, and your existence will be made beautiful. 

***Jesus Achieves His Goal*

        Communion experience. When I received the Holy Eucharist, Jesus entered me physically; but his main goal was to transform me spiritually. When I believed and yielded to him, it was done. What a wonderful heavenly grace! So cool!

***Jesus Reveals Himself Unseen*

        In today's Gospel reading from John 20, the resurrected Christ appeared to the disciples yet again. Thomas was not there and thus did not believe what they told him. A week later Jesus appeared when Thomas was with them. He saw and believed. We do not visually see Jesus either, but we can get to know the Lord so well that we would know that he is real. Believe me, once you attain union with him, he becomes more real than anyone you see with your eyes. What a wonderful grace!

***Important Message for All

        Just saw this video of Bishop Barron receiving an award at his high school. The talk starts at 4:06. The message, especially good for our youth to hear, comes later. So watch the video to the end.

**A Touching Story

        This powerful video was voted the Best Short Film at the 1970 International Catholic Film Festival.

***Secret of Possessing God

        Let the Lord God inspired you to want to be humble for his sake. Don't even think about that he will exalt whoever humbles himself. We must decrease to zero so that God may fill all of us. Voilà, when we become nothing, God is all ours!

***Exciting, Purposeful Living

        Jesus wants us to live a life known to him only, that is, living a secret life in him for him. At the same time, once we taste his sweetness and witness his magnificence, we cannot possibly contain our joy anymore – we just want to proclaim his love and mercy to everyone everywhere! So it's remaining hidden in God, while proclaiming him openly to all. This is living the exciting, purposeful life.

**So Much to Learn from God

        Sometimes I feel frustrated and lose patience when people don't seem to want to understand me. At Communion time, I realized that I was still being self-centered. Didn't I tell myself not to care about what people think of me? It's what God thinks alone that matters. I looked at the Lord. When people did not listen to him, he felt sorry for them, but never showed frustration, for he understood them perfectly. His great selfless love motivated everything he did, enabling him to be infinitely patient. We fall so short of God's perfection that we have no better choice than following him even more closely.

God's Awesome Love

        If we are willing to die in someone's place, we may be able to save that person's life on earth. Here we have Christ who died for all of us to save us forever! Be awed by his pure, selfless, magnanimous love to let it change your present life as well.

***Repentance Absolutely Required

        It was clear from today's Gospel reading from Luke 24 that the primary mission Jesus gave to his disciples was to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins to all the nations in his name. And we are to continue doing so. Repentance is absolutely the key to entering God's kingdom – we must get our sins removed to be saved! Repent to God if you care about your soul. His mercy does not expire, but our lifetime will. God has yielded to his love for us, now it's our turn to do the same.