Everything is Temporary

When you think of what you own (clothes, shoes, books, trophies, etc), you must know that you will only have them temporarily. If you have a possession which you pride yourself on, you may want to think about how long you will actually have it. It's okay to be grateful for the items you own, but this life is only temporary. In the afterlife, items like you had on Earth won't matter. It'll just be God and you. One thing you can take with you to the afterlife is knowledge that you've done a good job on Earth. Allow me to explain, if you spend your entire life being selfless, giving to charity, volunteering, and making a difference to other people's lives on Earth, you will carry that to the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, if you spend your life working for more money and spending it on bigger houses, faster cars, and on the more recent technology, you won't be taking those things to the Kingdom of God. I want to live a selfless life, like the Saints did. Not one of those saints have that title because they had a bigger house than everyone else, or because they had the prettiest clothes. They knew what would really, truly matter in the long run.

Acting NOW

Have you ever met somebody, or have you ever been the person to say, "I'm tired, I think I'll go to church NEXT week," or maybe "I think tomorrow I will start reading daily Scripture," then it never happens? What we to do is say, "I will go to church NOW," and "Right NOW I am going to start reading daily Scripture." Procrastination is a part of one of the Seven Capital Sins: Sloth. Why not act now? Why not act right this moment? If there is something you want to do that will educate you in the Lord's Word, act NOW! If you are in the middle of a crowd in the city, and suddenly you remember a prayer that you feel really needs to be done, do it right that second, because I can almost promise you that you will not remember that prayer later. Isn't God our priority? Shouldn't we put Him first before anything else?

The Dream (Short Story)

I'm standing in a field, the grass is a bit darker than usual, and the sun is setting. A hill stands out in a strange way, as everywhere else is flat as the eye could see. Curious, I walk up the hill. People begin to come into focus. Suddenly, I am surrounded by a huge crowd. Everyone is crying. I continue, pardoning myself as I push my way through. I spot a cross. It is not standing, but lying down. A beaten, worn, wounded man lies on top of it, arms outstretched. The guards standing by it stand and face me. One walks to me. He has a forked tongue, but a smooth voice. He says, "Go ahead, it will be over soon. Just don't think about it." Before I could question him, he hands me a hammer called Free Will and a nail called Mortal Sin. The guard pushes me over to the man. I place Mortal Sin onto the hurt man's palm, and raise Free Will. I pause and look to the guard, who nods and hurries me. I look to my left and see a beautiful young woman, bawling. I then look into the sad eyes of Our Lord, Jesus. I could not bear to bring down the hammer, I couldn't lose control of Free Will, I couldn't use Mortal Sin to pin my King to the cross. I ask Him to forgive me, and He takes Mortal Sin and throws it out of sight. Defeated, Satan spits out his forked tongue and vanishes. Suddenly, everything is gone except for Jesus and Free Will. He lets me keep it, but warns against using it for the wrong reasons. I nod my head in agreement. With this hammer I will build, not destroy. If I come across Mortal Sin again, I will know what to do.

Our Blessed Mother

So today I've realized that some Catholics have trouble finding personal devotions for Our Blessed Mother, Mary. Maybe it is the way we think of Her? I don't know, but I love her very much because I think of her as my Mother. Not my mother (I love her very much too), but my Mother. I look at a painting of Madonna and picture myself as a baby in her arms. She holds me, she watches over me, she cries when I am hurt or mislead, and rejoices when I find joy in Her Son's teachings. She smiles when I treat others kindly, or give to charity. But she also hurts when I lie, cheat, steal, or treat others less than they should be treated. I don't want Her to hurt or cry. I'd rather make her happy. I pray the Rosary, and when I do, I picture her smiling face when I say a Hail Mary. I want to make her proud. I want to make her Son proud. Here's another thing maybe I could put up for discussion later; If our Mother is Mary, and Her Son is Jesus, does that Make Jesus our Brother? There is the Father, the Holy Spirits, and the Son. But could the Son also be our Brother?

Would You Be Ready?

You are sitting on your couch watching TV. Someone knocks softly on your door. Not wanting to miss any of the program, you shout, "Just a minute!" After another few seconds of watching the TV, you slowly stand up and begin to make your way to the door. When you open it, you stagger in shock. The Great Warrior, Saint Michael, is standing patiently on your doorstep, a light somehow dancing behind his head. You bow down, forehead to the floor. The Holy Warrior speaks loudly and confidently, "Rise, for I am a servant of Our Great and Holy King, just like you are. Now Go! Grab your sword, your shield, your armor! It is time. The Evil One is nearly hear!" You stand slowly, knees shaking. Saint Michael speaks again, "Why are still standing here? Have you not been reading the Word? Have you not listened to the teachings at Mass? Have you not confessed your sins lately? Are you not prepared to fight?"

At this point many of you would have different answers. You would either say, "I am prepared! I am ready and willing to fight for our King!" or you may be a bit more unsure about just how ready you are. As for me, I will do what it takes to say that I am prepared. But what about you? Would you be ready??