Dear Family of God,

What is temptation and the three stages of committing sin? There are three stages of committing sin: First, we perceive it as “good” just like Eve “saw the tree was good for food.” We think it is good and can make us happy. But God is the “only Good”, the source of our true happiness.

Secondly, “It is pleasing to the eyes”, if I possess this, I will be happy.

Dear Family of God,

What is the best choice in life that we can make in a world full of choices?

As our first reading this weekend is reminding us: “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.” Yes, God wants us all to be saved, but God does not force anybody into heaven.

Dear Family of God,

How can we be a thriving light for the world?

“Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16).

As followers of Jesus, we should move step by step to be detached with things of this world and be attached to God alone.

Dear Family of God,

Do you know where and how to find true joy in life? Our readings this weekend teaches us how and where to find true happiness. God is the source of true happiness.

Outside of God, we cannot be truly happy. Money, power, prestige, or any material things or person for that matter, cannot fully satisfy us. Only God can ultimately make us happy.

Dear Family of God,

Did you know that this Sunday is “Sunday of the Word of God”? Pope Francis has declared every Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, beginning in 2020, as "Sunday of the Word of God" to be celebrated in all Catholic Churches around the world. Since this day is the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, it means the Seventh Celebration of "Sunday of the Word of God" will take place today in all Catholic Churches in the world.

Dear Family of God,

John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the Jews as the “Lamb of God” on the second day (Jn. 1:29). He repeats it on the third day. “Lamb of God” is the most meaningful title given to Jesus in the Bible. It is used 29 times in the book of Revelation. It sums up the love, the sacrifice and the triumph of Christ.

Apple ran a commercial not long ago called “Behind the Mac – Greatness.” It shows artists and creators, such as Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga, working behind their MacBooks. The narration says, “There’s a certain kind of person who doesn’t wait for greatness. They make it.” It’s a compelling message. There’s beauty in using our gifts with passion and purpose.

Dear Family of God,

As we celebrate Epiphany or the Manifestation of Jesus as God and our light, I want to continue with the message of Pope Saint Paul II on the vocation of Christian Families.

In matrimony and in the family a complex of interpersonal relationships is set up--married life, fatherhood and motherhood, filiation and fraternity--through which each human person is introduced into the "human family" and into the "family of God," which is the church.

Dear Family of God,

As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, I want to share with you an excerpt from an Encyclical by Pope Saint John Paul II, “Familiaris Consortio” in 1981, Paragraph 14.

According to the plan of God, marriage is the foundation of the wider community of the family, since the very institution of marriage and conjugal love is ordained to the procreation and education of children, in whom it finds its crowning.34

Dear Family of God,

The Obedient Faith of Joseph: a Model to Follow

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:20-21).

Dear Family of God,

Do you need patience? How to be patient?

St. James said from our Second Reading this weekend, “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” He wants us to imitate the farmer who waits patiently for the fruit of the earth.

Dear Family of God,

What are the messages of Our Lady, St. John the Baptist and St. Paul from our readings today?

St. John is not being vindictive toward the Pharisees by warning them; he is being merciful. He does not want the Messiah to arrive and find them unprepared. His urgent mission is to rescue them before it is too late, to show them how to receive God’s great mercy.