We use the word thanks when we want to be grateful about something, be it a gift, a kindness, or even a help. We use this word many times a day because our parents taught us to be educated.

Now I ask you, how far does your thanks go? It's very easy to say thank you to all kinds of people. But about for God? Have you ever stopped to think that we just thank Him for the good times, as we do to people in our day-to-day lives? Where's our "thank you my Lord" in times of suffering? In moments that we don't see a light at the end of the tunnel? In moments when our world just seems to have collapsed?

It may seem a bit strange to speak about the environment on a Catholic website, it appears some what activist. But if you think about it, it is more akin to us than we imagine.

Environment is all the living and nonliving things on planet earth or regions of it. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, it says that God created heaven, earth, plants, animals and man and woman, i.e., "God created the environment."

The first commandment is: Love God above all things. How do we love God and destroy His work? It's not possible! If a person is a fan of Leonardo da Vinci, he or she will not want to burn the picture of the Mona Lisa, it would be an insult to the memory of the artist. Likewise, we offend God when we destroy His work!

We often feel ungrounded, alone and discouraged. It's hard to believe that a person is up there watching over each one of us, watching us even in difficult times. Sometimes we want to look good, but it seems that a higher power puts us down. Why? What should we do?

Maybe continue being sad and wait for the next day, because 'there's nothing like a day after another.' But have you ever stopped to think about the time you spend complaining and feeling down? We could spend that time praising and thanking God for what He did for us a long time ago: sacrificed his only son for our salvation.

Relatively few people participate in organizations or enroll in atheistic movements. But also, there's no need for it. While many do not call themselves atheists, they live as if God did not exist; they lead their lives as if God was dead.

Do you know what's worse about it? It's that instead of having to go to a National Secular Meeting to find some of these people, you can go to Sunday Mass ... Many of us, Catholic Christians, live as if Jesus never left the tomb.

But now I can proclaim the good news. Like Mary Magdalene told the disciples, we may say, the Lord has risen! He lives!