**Joy in Union with God

         Happy Easter to  you all! We rejoice today, for the Lord is risen. I do feel that we need to rejoice in the Lord everyday in the interior of our heart, not just showing joy outwardly during the time of Easter. God is to be experienced and enjoyed every moment of our life. There is no better way to achieve that than attain union with him so that you and the Lord become soulmates.

*Making Heaven Rejoice

         Jesus told us in Luke 15:7 that "there will be great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents." We can make heaven rejoice once more after repenting by surrendering to God to attain union with him and become holy.

**About Sinning

        I just finished talking to my oldest granddaughter on the phone who will be graduating from college next month and start working for a company in Boston, not exactly a holy place. I recall my college days attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The opportunities to sin abounded. I still remember one fellow student boasting often about his illegitimate infant daughter living with the mother in nearby Detroit. Sinning is like stepping on quicksand. Once you start sining, it becomes easier and easier. But if you can refrain from committing small sins, you avoid committing big sins too. To stop sinning and enjoy inner peace, seek to attain union with God. You are never too early or too late for that. In union with God, you remain holy in God wherever you are.

***Spiritual Reality (a Warning)

        These thoughts came to me while walking this morning. We are the only creatures on earth that were made in God's image and possess a soul. The spiritual warfare fighting for our souls between God and the evil one is real. It will end one day for sure. Warnings have been coming from heaven to us all along. The central message is clear—we need to surrender to God, repent, and obey him. The latest messages coming from the Blessed Mother, St. Michael the Archangel, Jesus, the Father have all been most urgent. When this war will end and how severe the chastisements will be will depend upon how we respond to God. We can end up all going to heaven or with multitudes going to hell. It is important that we see this reality and not waste our time focusing upon the insignificant mundane things of life.

*Our Only Perfect Savior

         I love the last two verses from today's second reading from Hebrews 4 and 5: Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation. First, it is obedience to God that makes us perfect. Secondly, Jesus the Son made perfect became fittingly the source of eternal salvation. There is not another who can save us.

**A Delightful Thought!

         With spring in full swing, I look out the window and see fresh green leaves and blossoms on many plants. I realize that I won't be outlived by any creation in heaven or on earth, for I will live on forever with my God! The thought greatly delights me!

***Good Friday Thoughts

          This is Good Friday. It is good because God showed his greatest love for us on this day. Jesus followed the will of God the Father perfectly. He came to us to save us from sin by dying on the cross in our place. He knew what he had to go through, yet during his some 33 years on earth, he continued to perform good deeds and spread the gospel. A normal person in his place wouldn't have been able to sleep well every single night. He never complained again those who persecuted him. A normal good person in his place would have tried hard to justify and defend himself. The example of Jesus leaves me with no doubt that he is the divine Savior! For that, I accept him as my Lord and Savior. I am reaping abundantly now and that's only the beginning. Let us thank, worship, and glorify him today and always! 

*Living the Temporary Life

        People just get their priorities all wyong. They live in this world as if it's the only life they have, so they concentrate on living comfortably in this life, not considering what might happen after they die. Death might be their best blessing, for when they are near death, they may finally turn to God. The wise would settle their eternity first. When you do that, you'll see life in a new light and start living in freedom. It takes courage to buck the trend, but nothing is impossible for God and you'll be richly rewarded.

*Leaving This World

        This morning I also thought about ourselves besides God. We are merely passing through this world. Each of us was born through a family, but our association with our family is only temporary. Before God the Father, we are equally his children. When I leave this world, I'll leave freely, detached to all things left behind. As for the people I leave behind, I hope I'll seen them again. Anyway, I can continue praying for all souls from heaven. It's doing God's will alone we must heed. Things turn out best when we do that. Let's leave the world the way we came with our Father in full charge.

**The Lord God, What We Need

        As I was walking outside this morning, I thought about God's love for us. Things of the world are enticing because they gratify our senses and our desires. The Lord God operates on an entirely different level. I've fallen deeply in love with the Lord because his love, mercy, and holiness have touched me to the core, capturing my heart, my spirit, and my soul completely. Living without the God of Christ is living in emptiness. Believe and desire him, and you are fulfilled.