**Easter Joy Brings Peace**

         The Resurrection of Christ revived all his followers, and the Church was born. Today, we live in the assurance of eternal salvation, and peace ensues. 

***Our Only Savior***

        From today's Reading 1 from Acts 4, verse 12a reads: "There is no salvation through anyone else [other than Jesus]." I totally agree here. There is no one else who can claim that. Resurrection alone shows that Christ is indeed the author of life and God. Of course, as our creator, he can save us.

****First Everlasting Joy****

        Christ's Resurrection makes it possible for us to rejoice in God forever!

***My Loving Warning***

        Accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and follow him, and you are saved forever. The more you delay, the higher your risk of losing him forever—as sudden death can occur without warning.

*****Easy to Please!*****

        The Lord Jesus is wide open to us. In Matthew 7, he says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." The Lord is so easy to please! He is overjoyed if you just cast a glance in his direction. So ,tell him that you love him often. Repent your sins without delay from you heart. Thank him for everything. Pray to him as your most personal friend and talk to him as your soulmate unceasingly. Yes, let him know you want to be like him . . . imagine how happy you can make him feel!

**Time to Choose Sides**

         Christ stands as the absolute truth. In the end, we'll be separated by him into two groups which can in appropriately named Sheep and Goats (cf. Matthew 25:31-33). He'll place all those who are with him in Sheep and those not with him in Goats, for he has said that whoever is not with me is against me. All the sheep will be saved for eternity and the goats, cast out forever. As long as evil exists, this division remains. If you are smart, you will start preparing now. Not doing anything plays right into Satan's hands.

**Out of Darkness into Light**

        Today's Communion Antiphon based on 1 Peter 2:9 reads: "O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light, alleluia." The Lord has certainly called me—I was blind to the truth and now see it so clearly. (When I received the Lord in the Holy Sacrament, I knew I was receiving exactly what the Apostles and all the great saints had received.)

**Trusting in God All the Way**

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 24, the resurrected Lord appears to his disciples in Jerusalem. He tells them that everything written about him in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled—specifically that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. We can be sure that the Lord always knows what is coming and how everything will finally end. Therefore, trust in him all the way and not worry about a thing!

****Christ Exists Forever!**

         From today's First Reading, Acts 3:15 reads: "The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses." Obviously, it is impossible for the creator of life to die, for he is the beginning of all things.

**How You Feel Without Ego**

        When you no longer have an ego and people hurt you, you only feel sorry for them, not for yourself anymore. I believe this is how Jesus feels, for he is most humble and meek, and full of love.

***God's Love Is . . .*

infinite, pure, generous, and completely selfless; it is unconditional and meltingly sweet, yet absolutely overwhelming.

***Be Alive for God!***

         When you are enthused about doing something, it is always more fun. The same is true for leading a spiritual life. Being a lukewarm Christian is merely scraping by—you certainly won't please the Lord. It is essential to let the Holy Spirit enkindle within you the fire of love, allowing you to live by loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. Ultimately, attaining union with God through the Holy Eucharist is the answer. Be completely open to God and he will fill you to overflowing.

*****Greatest Gift of This Life*****

         In today's Gospel reading from Luke 24, the disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread. When the Lord Jesus first broke bread at the Last Supper, he instituted this Most Holy and Divine Sacrament—the greatest gift we can receive in this life: the Lord himself. It unites us to him both physically and spiritually, leading us to eternal life in heaven!

***Never See Yourself the Same Way Again***

        Today's Entrance Antiphon, based on Matthew 25:34, reads:"Come, you blessed of my Father; receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, alleluia." This is a monumental statement; we were in the Father's plan before the creation of the universe! We are not just random beings—each of us has a major role to assume in God's plan. We who were made in God's image truly belong to him!

***Ignorance May Not Be Bliss**

        The Passion Jesus underwent was extreme: the agony in the garden, scourging at the pillar, crowning with thorns, carrying of the cross, and crucifixion. There are many other details I could mention. If you have no qualms dismissing all that, you must believe that you do not sin—nor do you care about the fate of your soul after death.

**Seeking What Is Above**

        Today's Communion Antiphon, Colossians 3:1-2, reads, "If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God; mind the things that are above, alleluia." We all tend to seek things that are of interest to us. For example, men enjoy talking about cars, tools, and sports, or drinking beer at a bar with each other. It's great camaraderie, but these things do not make us holier or uplift us to God, for we are very much influenced by whom we associate with. It's by seeking the Lord above that we can grow spiritually. In fact, the closer you get to him, the speedier will your progress be. To become holier just gets easier as you allow the Lord to do more and more for you. For the Christian on his journey, it always gets better and better.

***Enjoying he Lord to the Fullest***

        If you are a baptized and confirmed Catholic, the Holy Spirit should already dwell within you. However, if you are unsure of this, I encourage you to seek union with God through the Holy Eucharist. Upon reaching that ultimate intimacy with the Lord, you will feel the Holy Spirit guiding your thoughts, words, and deeds, allowing you to experience, savor, and cherish the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at all times.

**My Resurrection*

        Communion experience. The Lord has already raised me from the dead spiritually, while I believe in a future bodily resurrection, according to the Church's teaching.