**Doing the Impossible with God*

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus said to his disciples: "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back." I'll stop quoting right here. Do we have to be "insane" to follow the Lord? We know that he must be right. How can we go against the grain like that? Answer: seek union with him to become like him. And he is merciful enough not to test us to the point that we would fail if we truly want to follow him.

Aligned with God

        The Lord God is (1) in front of me, leading and guiding me, (2) right with me, defending and shielding me from any attacks that can harm my soul, and (3) behind me to back me up whenever I need his help.

The Heart and the Will

        To love involves both the heart and the will. The heart wills us to do God's will, but often this can go against our grain. Jesus sacrificing himself for our salvation is our supreme example. Again, nothing is impossible with God. In union with him, you can get all the help you need.

***Our Reason for Living

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Plain, in which he said, "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man." This tells me that if we suffer or are being persecuted on account of our Lord, he will bless us! This tells me that we must live, do or go through everything for his sake. Yes, he must be our very reason for living! Seek to attain union with him so that he becomes inseparable from us.

*Christ Our Power Source

        To love God, to kill our ego, to fight temptations . . . to do all these things successfully, the power must come from the heart. And, of course, only God can gain access to our heart to give us that power. Therefore, open up your heart to the Lord.

*God's Justice Will Prevail

        The elite evildoers and hypocrites seem to be able to evade justice in this world. Then since we do not judge as God judges, our justice is never truly just. The good thing is that none of us can ever escape the justice of God in the end. 

**Man Versus God

        This is precisely the cause of mankind's unrest and loss of peace. 

**Cure for Worries and Concerns

        Jesus warned us that when he comes next, "two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left" and "two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left." We almost all have loved ones who choose not to follow Christ. Of course, we continue to pray for them, believing that they will turn to the Lord one day. Nevertheless, they place heavy burdens on our hearts in the meantime. This morning I heard Fr. Albert at the Fatima Center ask the question "Happiness of Heaven Lessened by Lost Loved Ones?" on a short two-minute video on YouTube. He concluded that we must know that God's will is our peace. I felt peace after hearing this. Knowing and believing in this can certainly rid us of all our worries and concerns.

*Completing Our Union with God

        Jesus loves us, comes to us, and enters us through the Holy Eucharist. If we love him back, go to him, and enter him through surrendering ourselves to him, then our union with him is complete.

**Greatest Learning Experience

        You may consider yourself to be a Christian, but if you are not in Jesus yet, you are merely a spectator observing and reporting on him without conviction. On the contrary, if you are inside the Lord or in union with him, you feel what he feels and speak his mind. Getting inside Jesus has to be life's most uplifting, beneficial, and humbling experience.

Today's Scribes and Pharisees

          In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, on a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisee were watching Jesus closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. Jesus, realizing their intentions, said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he restored the hand of the man. They became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. Lo and behold, all this drama is being reenacted on our political stage today. We have the hypocritical politicians of one party together with the fake mainstream media intent on coming up some reason to take down the leader of their opposition party. They failed, were enraged, and continue to figure out what they might do to him.

Commissioned like the Apostles

        Jesus made his Apostles fishers of men. We are his disciples or followers today, but let's remember that our mission is exactly the same, to be fishers of men. 

*How to Live Happily

      For everything we do for Christ, he will reward us. If we live to keep him happy, we shall live a happy life, now and forever.

**Discipleship Leads to Freedom

        The Gospel reading came from Luke 14. Jesus addressed the crowds which were traveling with him, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Those were hard words to hear. Of course, Jesus was letting all know that they ought to love God the most, above everyone else—something our common sense would agree with. I do see here that the Lord was also giving away the secret to freedom. You see, when we become attached to God alone and detached to everyone and everything else, we become free! If is the same as letting God increase to 100% and us decreasing to zero. Yes, when we become nothing, we are liberated and free.

*How to Be Sure Always

        From today's first reading from Wisdom 9: The deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. It's true that when we plan something, we are never sure about the outcome; but God knows it all. Therefore, trust in him to let him guide us through everything. We don't know exactly what can happen, but we can be sure that the end result will be what he wishes for us.

**Sorry State of Man*

        The majority of the world live as if there is no God and plan their life as if they are going to live forever. The majority of Christians in the world live as if Satan does not exist and think that everything happening is OK, not realizing that Satan has already broken into their house, precisely because they have not remained vigilant. In the eyes of the Lord they are in worse condition than the unbelievers, for they are held to a higher standard. Luke 12.48: Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

*The Truth Will Set You Free

        Jesus said in John 8 that if you followed him, you would know the truth, and the the truth would set you free. Knowing Jesus is indeed knowing the truth, for he is the Truth. Once you attain union the Lord, you belong to him alone and nothing else can change that relationship anymore, and you remain free in him.     

End–New Beginning–Final End

        Communion experience. My quest for truth reaches its end when I find Christ; there is no need to look beyond him anymore. Then my new life begins, once the Lord starts to work on me. This transformation continues and will reach its end after I get to heaven where we are all made perfect.