***God Our Deliverer

        In today's first reading from Romans 7, Paul wrote, "Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?" We need the Lord to deliver us not just from our bodies, but also from sin and the whole world. The Lord, being the truth, will deliver us from all our burdens and set us completely free one day, this I know for sure.

**Worse Dementia**

        Many older people suffer from dementia nowadays and their families and friends feel sorry for them. Then I thought of those whose minds are still clear and sound, but suffer from shall I say "spiritual dementia," for they still live for themselves and this world, having no awareness of their need for salvation and God . . . are they better off than those who have the regular dementia? I don't think so. For the latter might have already been saved before dementia started. Anyway, believe in Jesus our Lord and Savior to secure your eternity in advance; and dementia or no dementia, it doesn't matter anymore. Better yet, pray that the Lord will keep your mind sharp and clear all your life so that you may enjoy him every single moment while you're on earth . . . he may very well grant you that wish for loving him!

****The Ultimate End

        Communion experience. Christ is absolutely my end! By that I mean I have gone as far as I can to fulfill and satisfy myself. When I possess him, I lack nothing. He's the only one worth our giving up everything to love and treasure.

***Our Greatest Joy on Earth***

         It is knowing that Christ Jesus our most beloved loving Lord gave himself up so that we might have eternal life! Praise be to him forever!

**How Strong Our Faith?

        In today's first reading from Romans, Paul told the Christians at Rome that they now had been freed from sin and become slaves of God. Yes, to be "enslaved" by God actually sets them free! In the Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus told his disciples that he had come not to establish peace but division—another saying that's seemingly paradoxical. In both cases, faith in the Lord played a central role. For if we all have a strong faith, we'll be united in freedom and live in peace. 

***Be Worry Free

        We usually accept the fact that as humans we can't help worrying about various things, so we don't even believe that we can stop worrying. But the other fact is that if we totally trust in God, we can indeed be worry free. In Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to depend upon God and not worry about anything. The Lord wouldn't have said anything that's impossible for us to attain. No matter, we should always aim for complete abandonment in God, never limiting him in any way. 

**Two True Sayings**

        Psalms 130:3: If you, LORD, mark iniquities, who can stand? True. This could be the flip side: If you, LORD, impart blessings, who can lose? Also true.

***The Lord Giving Himself Up***

        Communion experience. When the priest consecrates the bread and wine, they change into the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. This is one great miracle I witness at every Mass. It shows that the Lord gives himself up for us for the forgiveness of sins. I wonder how many of us really see and appreciate all that.

***We've Been Raised Too!

        In today's reading 1 from Romans 6, Paul asks his brothers and sisters to present themselves to God as raised from the dead to life. As believes and followers of Christ, we have indeed been raised from the dead, since as sinners we were lost and dead, but now we have life eternal!

**Getting Out of God's Way*

        The only way to save he world is let God do it. To let God do it is for us to obey him. Anytime we disobey God, we stifle his work.

**Longing for God

        How much you long for the Lord to come to you reflects how much you long to go to him. 

*****Most Beautiful Intimate Relationship (Entering Heaven Is Easy)*****

        Thanks to the Holy Eucharist, we can attain union with God and become his soulmates. This absolutely has to be the most intimate relationship you can possibly form on earth, beautiful beyond words! That you and God can belong to each other is truly amazing. Well, we have an amazing God who is all love. Who says that getting into heaven is hard? The door is wide open—all you need to do is to run straight to him and he'll take care of the rest!

***Know How God Has Made Us

        Altho we are sinners, we basically do have a kind heart willing to help others in need and a conscience that informs us what's good and what's evil. We also do feel the emptiness of life without God, and deep down hunger for and desire to know him. This is how God has made us and it is important that we realize this. We didn't just appear on earth and were meant to wander thru life aimlessly. If we believe in the God of Christ, everything starts to make sense. As he is always calling us, if we pay attention and listen to him, we see the light and are set free. 

***Letting God Humble Us***

        Communion experience. Receiving the Lord humbly is most effective in making us humble. (He makes us feel this way so that he can exalt us.)

***My Only Reality

        At this point, I feel that Christ is the only reality. All non-God experiences are like a bunch of dreams I've had. They just fade away. And I am not dreaming!         

*****Important Distinction*

        Knowing the teachings of the Lord doesn't necessarily help you become like him. It is in knowing him personally first that you receive power to follow his teachings to become like him. The Lord himself always comes first.

**Greed Turns Us into Fools**

        In today's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus said to the crowd,"Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then the Lord told the people the parable of the rich fool. A rich man decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones to store up all his grain and other goods for many years. And he was going to rest, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, "You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?" Touché! Most of us store up treasure for ourselves, but what we really need is to be rich in what matters to God!

***Do Not Judge Others

        We all fall short of loving God as we should, so we have no right to judge others. Only God, our Lord and creator, holy and perfect, is fit to judge us. Thus judging others is playing God, showing the total lack of humility.