Cristy Li

Jesus ministered saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” –Matthew 4:17

The Two Ways

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers but their delight is in the Law of the Lord and on His Law they mediate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield fruit in its season and their leaves do not wither. In all they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish.
–Psalm 1:1-6

• You May Know the Joy of Salvation and Eternal Life
  Today Through The Good News of Christ Jesus!

Homelessness California — Image Courtesy: Reuters

Those who give to the poor will lack nothing but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. –Proverbs 28:27

Faith Without Works Is Dead

What does it profit my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead.

Someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is One God, you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. Do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the alter? (Genesis 22:1-18) Do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8) You see then a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot (Joshua 2:1-24) also justified by works when she received the messengers (spies) and sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. –James 2:14-26

• You May Know the Joy of Salvation, Forgiveness of Sins
  and the Assurance of Eternal Life in Heaven Today,
  Through The Good News of Christ Jesus!

“…There will be difficult times
in the Last Days!” –2 Timothy 3:1
Image Courtesy: MFVA Friars

The Last Days

Remember that there will be difficult (perilous) times in these Last Days. People will be selfish, greedy, boastful and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent and fierce; they will hate the good; they will be treacherous, reckless and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion but reject its real power. Keep away from such people! –2 Timothy 3:1-5

Signs of the End of the Age

When Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’

Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My Name saying, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there will be famines and earthquakes in various places, all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”

Persecutions Foretold

Jesus continued, “Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, you will be hated by all nations because of My Name. Then many will fall away and they will betray one another and hate one another, many false prophets will arise and lead many astray and because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold but the one who endures to the end will be saved. This Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.” 

–Matthew 24:3-14

Hear The Truth

St. Paul: “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires and they will turn away from listening to the Truth and wander away to myths.”  –2 Timothy 4:3-4

The Promise of the Lord’s Coming

“…First of all you must understand this, that in the Last Days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!’

They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the Word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. By the same Word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the Day of Judgment and destruction of the godless.

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise and the elements will be dissolved with fire and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the Coming of the Day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire? In accordance with His promise (1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:10;  1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23) we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Final Exhortation (Appeal) and Doxology

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by Him at peace, without spot or blemish and regard the patience of the Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen! 

–2 Peter 3:3-18

• Jesus taught, “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near; Repent and Believe in The Good News!”  –Mark 1:15

If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved! For one believes with the heart and so is justified and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, “No one who Believes in Him will be put to shame.” (Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 25:1-22) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on Him. For, everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved!”  –Romans 10:9-13

• You May Know the Joy of Salvation and Eternal Life
  Today,Through The Good News of Christ Jesus!

Blessed Daniel Brottier (1876-1936) Image: Cradio

(Catholic Online) Born in France, Blessed Daniel Brottier, was a decorated Priest who served as a volunteer Chaplain during World War I risking his own life from time-to-time, cited six times for bravery, receiving the ‘Croix de Guerre’ and the ‘Legion of Honor’ according to 365 Rosaries during his 4 years at the front, ministering to the suffering and dying–It was miraculous that during the war, Fr. Brottier didn’t suffer a single wound.

Following the end of the war, Fr. Brottier was invited to help establish a project for orphaned and abandoned children in Paris, spending the last 13 years of his life there.

Fr. Daniel Brottier –Image Courtesy: 365 Rosaries

Fr. Brottier was Beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II in Rome in November, 1984

Jesus taught, “…about that day and hour no one knows,
neither the Angels of Heaven, nor the Son but only the Father.
For as the days of Noah were,  so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:36-37
Image Courtesy: Kayla Cusano

Signs of the End of the Age

When Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the Disciples came to Him privately saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’

Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ They will lead many astray and you will hear of wars and rumors of  wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there will be famines and earthquakes in various places, all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Persecutions Foretold

Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, you will be hated by all nations because of My name (Jesus!) then many will fall away, they will betray one another and hate one another, many false prophets will arise and lead many astray and because of the increase of lawlessness (See also: Romans 1:18-32;
2 Timothy 3:1-5) the love of many will grow cold but the one who endures to the end will be saved. This Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations and then the end will come.”  –Matthew 24:3-14

Jesus taught, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life! Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (Jesus) Those who believe in Jesus are not condemned but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

–John 3:16-18

• You May Know the Joy of Salvation and Eternal Life
  Today Through The Good News of Christ Jesus!

Related: Final Battle will be Over Marriage/Family, Says Fatima Visionary Sister Lucia dos Santos  -Church Pop

Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio
Image: Roman Catholic Saints

(Franciscan Media) Sebastian born of poor parents in Spain Galicia, throughout life his roads and bridges connected many distant places, his final bridge building was to help Women and Men, recognize their God given dignity with destiny.

At the age of 31 Sebastian sailed to Mexico where he began working in the fields, eventually building roads to facilitate agricultural trading and other commerce–his 446 mile road from Mexico City to Zacatecas took 10 years to construct and required careful negotiations with the indigenous people along the way.

As the years went by, Sebastian became a wealthy farmer and rancher. When he was 60, he got married, his spouse motivation many have been a large inheritance, his was to provide a respectable life for a young Woman without even a modest marriage dowry, when his first wife died, Sebastian remarried for the same reason, his second wife preceded him in death.

When Sebastian was 72 he distributed his wealth among the poor and entered the Franciscans as a Brother, assigned to a large Friary at Puebla de Los Angeles, south of Mexico City, Sebastian collected money for the Friars for the next 25 years, earning him the nickname “Angel of Mexico.”

Sebastian was Beatified on the 17 May, 1789 by Pope Pius VI