A dream suggested to me that my last day will be Feb 8, but did not state which year. It is human nature to assume each of us will live for a long time, but sooner or later one day will be our last, and nobody knows how soon that might be, might be tomorrow, might be Feb 8, might be much later, nobody knows.  So if I make it to Feb 9, which I expect I will, then my plan to live to over 100 is still intact. However when my last day comes, what is next on the other side? If you are an atheist, after your last day, you simply cease to exist, there is no hope for you so there is no point following any rules or morals, but for others there is hope for an afterlife so it makes sense to prepare for that.  Since you are going to be dead a whole lot longer than you are going to be alive, you might as well figure out what are the right preparations, just in case there really is an afterlife, and there is, so don’t miss out, wake up and seek the Truth. Now.

We all live in one world, or do we? Your world is not the same as your neighbor’s world, times (x) the number (#) of neighbors on your block, x# of blocks on your street, x# of streets in your town, x# of towns in your county, x# of counties in your state, x# of states in your country, x# of countries on this planet, x# of different types of non human creatures, all of which have their own different worlds, and this is only one planet. Maybe life exists only on this planet, maybe not, if there is life elsewhere, consider the x# of planets in our galaxy, x# of galaxies in our known universe, x# of unknown galaxies or universes. This is all way too overwhelming, none of it makes any sense unless there is an afterlife, which puts everything in perspective. In other words, we all have a choice to either ignore all this, or make preparations by seeking the Truth on how to get to this afterlife.

The Resurrection was real. If you think this is only a fairy tale, read about the Shroud of Turin. The evidence from this is overwhelming. Believe it and act accordingly.

Wonders, Gifts, and Miracles (WGM), all coincidences?  I think not.

Creation is full of WGM.  Consider the vastness of the universe. The speed of light is almost 200,000 miles per second, but as fast as that seems, it still takes several minutes for light to get from the sun to earth.  Our planet earth is only one speck in our solar system, and our solar system has only one star, the sun, which is only like one speck of sand on the beach of stars within our Milky Way galaxy, a galaxy which is only one speck among many other galaxies. Every time a more powerful telescope is invented, more and more galaxies are discovered further and further away. Where does it end? Think about that, this is mind blowing.

So does it make sense that there must be life existing somewhere else in this vast universe? Perhaps if God willed it, but if life does exist elsewhere, it most certainly will be different than earth’s creatures, because the odds of a planet having ALL the same conditions exactly the same as our Earth are really small when you consider the following:

We take for granted our daily environmental conditions, but if you consider all the daily WGM at play in the overall combinations of all these things, we cannot assume that all the possible conditions on any newly discovered planet anywhere in our galaxy or any other galaxy can possibly be exactly the same as ours, just because they are the same size as ours …

·      For human life to exist, it requires a planet that has a specific type of atmosphere with a mix of oxygen and other types of gasses with temperatures in the range of -50 to +120 degrees F.

·      This atmosphere must have an ozone layer to protect life from destructive ultraviolet rays and yet allows photosynthesis, unlike our sister planet Venus which has an atmosphere that would be poisonous to human life.

·      This planet must have an abundance of water and land masses. The water must be fresh enough to support human life. Ocean salt water can support life, but not human life.

·      Our sun has just the right size and stability, and Earth is just the right distance away from the sun to allow our current temperature ranges. Venus is too close and too hot, and Mars is too far and too cold. A pulsing star would not have enough stability and therefore would obliterate any chance of life.

·      Comets, asteroids, and larger meteors could collide with our Earth at any time and end our existence. It is divine providence that larger planets like Jupiter and Saturn have enough gravitational pull to suck up comets and meteors which might otherwise be bombarding the Earth, although some of these do get through and hit the Earth as evidenced by Meteor Crater in Arizona. Scientists believe the dinosaurs were rendered extinct by impact of a comet or asteroid before humans existed.  If this impact had never occurred, I am not sure humans could have co-existed with dinosaurs. Another such impact could also render humans extinct. This could happen without warning, or even if there were some warning, we would be powerless to prevent it.

·      The Earth’s daily spin rate is just right to keep from overwarming and overcooling, and its precise axis tilt, 23 degrees, allows for changing of seasons.

·      The Moon’s gravitational pull keeps earth from deviating from this 23 degrees tilt, allowing perfect 365 day changing of seasons, which means the heat of summers and the cold of winters are not overly long.

·      The transition of intermediate seasons of spring and fall are both pleasant and amazingly colorful in different ways.

·      The Earth’s gravity is just right for human life, not too weak and not too strong, just right for sports like baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, and other activities. Imagine how different sports and life in general would be if gravity were stronger or weaker.

·      Human life also requires fresh water that is drinkable and not poisonous. Earth’s water has 3 states, ice, vapor, and liquid, and is only liquid between specific temperature ranges. When it becomes too hot it vaporizes, too cold and it turns to ice and curiously floats rather than sinks. Salt water covers two thirds of our planet but it cannot be consumed, yet there is just enough fresh water to survive.

·      Rainy cycles and snow melts are just right to provide enough fresh water for humans to survive.

·      Clouds do not cover the surface of the earth, but rise just high enough to allow visions of the earth’s surface, that is probably not by accident. WGM.

·      Fire is a phenomenon that allows humans to have warmth, without it we could not exist. However fire can be extremely dangerous, so we are extremely fortunate to be able to control its boundaries. WGM.

·      In order for any creature to survive, its heart must beat continuously, or else it dies immediately.  What is it that allows the next heartbeat? WGM.

·      In order for any creature to survive, its lungs must be able to take a breath, or it dies immediately.  What is it that allows the next breath? WGM.

·      In order for any creature to survive, its immune system must be able to fight off viruses, bacteria, and other forms of diseases or venomous bites from insects or other animals. There is a constant war between harmful and beneficial bacteria to keep us alive. It is a WGM that some of us have enough beneficial bacteria and strong enough immune systems to fight off viruses and other illnesses.

·      Skin is very tough to fights off injuries, but even when penetrated it heals itself, WGM.

·      Humans with higher intellect enabled society to advance with constant improvements in technology, instead of existing with lifestyles not much better than apes.  The vast majority of people do not have the same high intellect but because of society structures we have benefitted from the efforts of those who did.

·      To be able to see, to envision colors, the eyes can adjust to brightness or darkness, some of us can see better than others. Sight is a WGM that we take for granted, but blind people are denied this privilege, nevertheless their other senses become more keen to compensate for this deficiency.

·      All of us have the same facial features, hair, eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, ears, etc., but we all are recognized differently. Given the number or people in the world, this is clearly WGM.

·      It is a gift that hand-eye coordination allows us to catch or hit a fast moving object without much forethought.

·      It is a WGM that motor muscle memory allows us to play a musical instrument or operate a keyboard without much forethought.

·      It is a WGM that we have the ability to memorize things.

·      It is a WGM that we have to capacity to appreciate music and other arts.

·      The greatest gift is the ability to love and to have compassion.

·      Our bodies consist of many organs that we take for granted. Each organ of the body has a unique function and it is WGM that all functions work together so well. Failure of any of these organs would drastically hurt your quality of life.

·      Senses of smell, touch, emotions, taste, sight are WGM, not everyone is blessed with all of these. Failure of any of these senses would drastically hurt your quality of life.

·      Consider the many types of animal life, some for eating, some for beauty, some are dangerous, some can be trained, some cannot.

·      Consider the many types of plant life, some for eating, some for beauty, some for healing, consider the intricacies of viewing their cell structures by microscope.

·      Animal life and plant life can exist in many different environments, air, land, and sea, hot or cold, from tiny bacteria to large beasts.

·      Consider the food chain, every plant or animal is food for another. Even at the human level, some foods and drinks are more or less desirable depending on individual tastes.

·      Every animal has a special skill to hunt for prey, look how the spider is able to spin a web from its own bodily fluids in order to make a web to trap insects. Birds can fly and spot their prey on the ground. They can also build nests for their young in places where other animals cannot reach. Large cats and dogs can run faster than their prey. Bears can catch fish from running rivers.  Insect colonies such as ants and bees can work together for their common needs.

·      Consider the defense mechanisms of skunks, porcupines, octopi, etc. which protect them from predators.

·      Consider the cuteness of babies of all species, from humans to dogs to cats to alligators. This cuteness makes us want to protect them.

·      Consider the body’s ability to heal itself from wounds, both internal and external, that is WGM, without which we would certainly die after the first wound.

·      Consider how we have learned about various different blood types, which allow life saving transfusions, but only if the blood types are compatible. That is amazing WGM.

·      Consider the ability of creatures such as dogs and dolphins to interact with humans and allow themselves to be trained. WGM.

·      Consider the vastness of the universe, does it go on forever? if it is limited, what is outside the limits of the universe?  Nothingness? If so, does that have size limits?  Could there be there multiple universes? WGM

·      It is WGM that the earth is mostly covered by water that we cannot drink, and also has fresh water that we can drink, and aquatic life is abundant in both salt water and fresh water.

·      It is a WGM how fresh water gets continually replenished by rains and ice melts.

·      It is a WGM that the air we breathe has just the right mix of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other components to support life as we know it.  Our sister planet Venus does not have this mix and therefore cannot support life as we know it.

·      It is WGM how the circle of life has a food chain of plant-eating and meat-eating creatures. Every creature is food for another creature, from tiny creatures to bigger creatures. Plant life in itself is amazing in its diversity, from microscopic cells to huge trees.

Conclusions

This is a preponderance of evidence of intelligent design created by God. All these WGM’s, in all their combinations, are not likely to be random coincidences. Take away any of these items, fresh water for example, and our lives would not be the same, maybe our life forms could not be able to exist at all.

What does this all mean? Corinthians 1:15 is a good summary. If the Resurrection and Eucharistic Miracles are only fictional stories, then our faith is in vain, but if they are true, and they are true, as evidenced by studies of the Shroud of Turin, then we all had better pay attention to the truth about the afterlife, because the opportunity is coming to all of us.