***Treating Your Loved Ones Right*

        In any family, we normally help each other out in various ways. Providing material aids or services is common. At a time like Christmas now, gift giving is popular. But much more meaningful is taking the time to talk to those you love to really get to know them. This is not always easy because we are always so busy with other things in life and listening to another person takes both humility and patience. I've seen people regret when one of the parents died. They wished they had spent more time getting to know that parent. For anyone, to show love is to show that you are interested in knowing and understanding that person. So to all of you who read this message, do not neglect to get to know your parents well (or for that matter, anyone you love). If you show that you truly care for them from your heart, your children will treat you likewise too. We sow what we reap, and this is also true with the Lord God. Anyway, do all things for the sake of God's love for us.   

**Living Our Life Is Important

        Our time on earth is the time the Lord God has allotted to each of us. How we use up this time will determine the kind of life we'll live after we leave here. Basically, we reap what we sow. 

***Awake to God Now!

        Some old messages from Medjugorje, but it's good to hear them again. If we sleep thru life, we'll miss heaven. 

**What We Can Logically Believe

         There is a talk on YouTube now showing a Fr. Robert Spitzer presenting the latest scientific evidence of God and the soul. As usual, we can group people into believers, agnostics, and atheists. My private thoughts are that we don't even know how we came into the world, so we are just not qualified to say God doesn't exist or cannot be known. The only logical thing to do is to believe in God and the gospel. As it turns out, this leads me to freedom, peace, joy and the positive knowledge that God is both real and personal.

*****Something So Special to Us!

        Today I rejoice because the Lord God loves me. That's a fact and something huge! It makes all the difference to my life. This love is all yours if you believe in the God of Christ and be open to him. It can't be easier. We all need to be loved, but if you are loved by none other than God, that makes it extra special and in fact, perfect. It settled my whole existence forever! 

***Way of Regaining Peace***

        Many minor sins bothered me and I suffered. Then I decided to accept this suffering as my penance and my peace was restored. In others words, accepting our imperfections and moving on to become more perfect by abandoning ourselves in the Lord even more is the way to go.  

*The Imperfect Meeting the Perfect

        Communion experience. Before the awesome holy Lord, I was aware that he saw all my blemishes. I'd never be worthy to receive him. But because of his infinite love and mercy and my earnest longing for him, I dared to receive him and humbly submitted myself to him even more.

**The Day to Ready Ourselves For

        Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, first martyr. As his enemies were stoning him to death, he called out "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." The response to readings from Psalm 31 is its verse 6B: "Into your hands I commend my spirit." Jesus' cried out these exact words to the Father just before he breathed his last on the cross. We should likewise be ready to commend our spirit into the Lord's hands at any time. The day for the Lord to receive our spirit is the day we look forward to. 

**Facing's What's Unavoidable

    Death, our natural death, is unavoidable. Entering the afterlife is also unavoidable unless you believe that there's no afterlife and after you die, you just become nothing. Last, facing Jesus is also unavoidable, for he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can go to the Father except thru him (John 14:6). And he'll be our final judge too. Of course, if you can absolutely prove that Jesus never existed or is totally false, or can dismiss him outright and still feel at peace, then you can totally ignore what I am saying here. But if you can't, you'd better pay attention. 
          Death we have to accept. Afterlife, if we don't accept, then what are we doing here? What's the purpose? Why do we have a conscience that can tell good from evil? Believing that we have a soul and an afterlife leads us to believing in the God who created us and will take care of our soul after death. Everything now falls into place. Blessed is the one who believes in and prepares for all that's unavoidable.

**Request that Pleases the Lord

        Asking for his mercy on the whole world, your country, your family, and youself.

***Most Satisfying, Fulfilling Food***

        Communion thoughts. There have been various saints and saintly laypersons who lived on the Holy Eucharist alone for a period of time or all their lives. Of course, that had to be a special gift from the Lord. But truly the Eucharist is so satisfying and fulfilling that you wouldn't mind giving up eating anything else if you can survive without them.   

***Great Christmas Offering & Petition

        The Christmas Mass was beautiful. We had decorated trees, red poinsettias, infant Christ displayed, and beautiful liturgy and music. The Lord made me see that what he wants most from us are our hearts. Otherwise, it's just going thru the motions. So let us offer the Lord our hearts this Christmas day and ask him to set them aflame!

*****Incredible Love!

        Merry Christmas to all! I attended the early morning Mass and sensed the tremendous beautiful love that exists between the Father and the Son. And we are not left out, since the Father even sent his only begotten Son into the world to die for us in order to save us from sin. God' love s is truly incredible! If we have no sin, this wouldn't have made any sense. But since we do know that we are sinners, any of us with a heart would feel most grateful and want to submit himself to God with all his heart.

***Entering Heaven with Aplomb

        After death, we either go to heaven directly, thru purgatory first, or not at all. If we're headed for heaven, it's best that we go straight there and find the Lord and all the angel and saints joyfully anticipating our arrival. You wouldn't want to live a life such that you barely made it. That would be like squeezing thru the narrow slit of a door. By how you live your life, you determine the way you enter heaven. Don't take any chance, but live the most holy life you possibly can for the glory of God, and you start enjoying heaven right now.

***God, the Lord of All

        We are completely judged by how much we love the God of Christ. Whether we are united or divided, have peace or war, go to paradise or get ourselves condemned . . . it can all be traced to how we respond to him. For he is the Lore of all. (As for those who do not know Christ yet, the standards used for judging them will vary, but always fair.)

***Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes***

         I was fortunate enough to have visited Lourdes, where miraculous healings continue to happen.

*Impression of Life

        Looking back, life seems like a dream except for the part I spent time serving the Lord.  

**Just Ask Jesus

        Jesus is the one who has the answers to all our questions. Then, of course, he knows how to lead us to eternal life.