God is not old. He just always is.

"Therefore, you correct little by little those who trespass, and remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin, that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord." -- Wisdom 12:2

I tried to explain Christmas was pagan to my first grade teacher. I've come a long way.

Baptism does not take the place of grace. It IS grace -- and a channel OF grace.

How can the Christian be assured of eternal life? My old quasi-Christian church taught we needed to "qualify for entrance into God's kingdom" through a life of obedience. But what was the standard for passing the qualification test? I never knew. It was disconcerting. Now I know the plain truth. In the simplest terms: repent, be baptized, and believe the gospel; then be sure not to die in the state of mortal sin. That doesn't necessarily make it easy, but it makes it clear.

If we as Christians have eternal security (i.e., are "once saved always saved"), then why should we ask for God's forgiveness when we commit a new sin? Isn't it already forgiven? What happens if we don't ask God to forgive us our trespasses from today? Truth: The #eternalsecurity doctrine ends up nullifying the importance of daily repentance. It would be a legalistic view of God if we think we can choose to turn away from him through intentional serious sin, but then say it doesn't really matter because I "accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior" when I was 14. We have to name and claim our sins whenever we commit them so we can offer them to God -- so he can heal us and forgive us. Not just in the past, but now. Right now. Jesus never tells us we no longer need to ask, seek, and knock. It's not one and done. He says we need to endure to the end.

I still reflect on how shallow my former religion was: 🗓️ We emphasized that Saturday (definitely not Sunday) was the true day of worship. 🥩 Real Christians don't eat pork. ✝️ Easter is pagan, and you can't even fit 72 hours between Good Friday and Sunday morning. 🎄 Christmas is pagan, and December 25 was not Jesus' birthday anyhow. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 You can't understand the Bible if you don't know the promises to Abraham are fulfilled in the Unites States and British Commonwealth. ☘️ The Trinity is false -- there are two God Beings: the Father and the Son. 🌫️ No one goes to heaven. 🔥 There is no everlasting hell. 📖 You would believe as we do if you just let the Bible interpret itself. There were many more, but it was these kinds of things that made us stand out. These were the things true Christians believed; others were "counterfeit Christians." It's extra sad when I see friends and family growing old with this kind of malnourished, non-salvific, false faith. God have mercy on us all.

If the Church started as an acorn and over time grew to be a beautiful oak tree, it doesn't seem right 2000 years later to chop off limbs in a supposed effort to look more like an acorn or anything else.

It might help us to see Christmas for what it is and to think of it accordingly if we stop using the word "Christmas" for a while - - and instead use a longer, more descriptive name, such as: **The Feast of the Incarnation.** It changes our perception for the better. If we took it seriously, who then would ever listen to Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for the Feast of the Incarnation Is You"?

If the Apostle Paul was #Protestant, he would have started his own church.

Jesus did not die as our Substitute; he died as our Representative. He did not suffer, die, and rise again *instead* of us. All of us will suffer, carry our crosses, and die. But we must choose to do so in Christ. Because if we are joined to Christ, then we will likewise be raised *with* him and *in* him.

There is no Christmas without Jesus being born of his human mother, who of her own free will said, "Let it be done to me according to your word." Mary's central role in our salvation must not be undermined.

It's encouraging to hear that the OCIA class at the Cathedral in Toledo, OH, is the largest its been in decades. Young based dudes are coming in.

Use your imagination and consider what it will be like the moment after your death, even when your body is still warm. It's the inevitable time when, ready or not, things get real -- when you know exactly what's up. See yourself approaching your ultimate "Come to Jesus Moment," which is to say, your personal judgment. Will you wish your priorities had been different, even moments before, while you were still breathing? Will you wish for a do-over? At that point, there are no do-overs. No second chances. Hard stop. Your do-overs and second chances are graciously given to you now, in this life. Make use of them, and don't turn back, because you never know when you'll get your toe tag. Repent of sin and be baptized. Look to Jesus and follow where he leads. Not only can you avoid an unbearable eternity of regret and misery, but you can enjoy the free gift of peace and love and joy with your God and Father forever.

In doing good works, Catholics do not suffer from an irrational fear of possibly daring to earn their salvation. They're just trying to do what Jesus said to do. If they falter, they simply confess it and repent, and keep trying to live as Jesus taught us.

Jesus will not be referring to our employer's HR policy handbook when we face our personal judgment.

To me it's odd when I hear Protestant Christians say they love nothing more than talking with each other about the Bible. I understand what they mean, and maybe some really love sharing their biblical studies, which is good. Not to be nit-picky, but I'd say our focus in Christian fellowship ought to be on Jesus, on prayer, on the Church, on the sacraments, on our Christian journeys, etc. In other words, not just a Book *about* spiritual things, but in the spiritual realities themselves. If I'm at a restaurant, I might talk about and refer to the wonderful menu, but what I really want is to share and enjoy dinner itself. Just trying to keep it real.

Stay humble and stack #indulgences.

When people debate the pedantic question of whether Jews and Muslims worship the same God that Christians do (i.e., the one, true God of Abraham), it's easy to get lost in the arguments, the nuances, the gotchas. But no matter where we might land on this question, one immovable fact remains: Islam and modern Judaism are false and evil religions, utterly unable to save. Because Jesus.

It is sobering to realize there are people in hell who have committed fewer and less-grave sins than us. #GoToConfession