"Abide In Me, and I In You"

These two Truths, Jesus always speaks Together, so Necessary is our Belief in this, His Teaching, that He says it Over and over again, thereby Affirming our Divinization in The Economy of Salvation.

The Prominent Theme throughout the writings of St Agustine that we "Become as gods" due to His Loving Condescension in Becoming so Intimately United With us in His Humanity and Divinity.

The Truth is That each one of us, is Created in The "Image and Likeness of God," yet due to sin, The Christian's Responsibility is to maintain that Image, but if I fall into any sin, Mortal or Venial, I Must Return as soon as possible to the Perfection of His Image that has been mutilated by my own "Brokenness," through The Reception of The Sacraments and The Sanctifying Grace of God.

Oh would that I had Never sinned, that His Beautiful Image would be That which shines through my every Word and Deed.

Yet, it is Never too late, no matter the sin, no matter How long one has traveled a path that is contrary to Thier Calling, Divine Mercy and Forgiveness will Always be offered to one who turns back to The Beloved.

It is in Rising from the Depths of my Sinfulness that is All Important to God, so much so that Once He has Forgiven, He Forgets the Transgression, Restoring me to The Grace that I had before the Fall. Therefore, rather than beginning all over again, I am able to Continue, but now, with a greater awareness, not only of my Weakness but with an Increase in Gratitude and Love of my Lord and God.

Since all sin Hurts The Mystical Body of Christ, I must Repair the Damage I have done, and the Best way to do that is by Falling Deeper in Love with My Beloved Lord. By so doing, I Confirm and Strengthen my Resolve to Never sin again thereby Remaining In Him, and Him in me.

God Bless You

"The Silence of Jesus"

One will inevitably find that there will be times of Dryness, where the Voice and Consolations of God are seemingly nonexistent, and it is then that I must Determine whether or not it is my own Fault, a Test, or a Means to Increase my Yearning for My Lord.

If the Dryness that I Experience is a "Self Inflicted" Wound, it may be because of a Laxity in my Devotion, a Tepidity in my Prayer Life, or an Habitual Spiritual Laziness, and it could even be that I have knowingly or unknowingly fallen into some Sin.

If so, I Must, Seek His Forgiveness in The Sacrament of Confession, Double my Acts of Devotion, as well as my Prayer Life, for if left alone, the Entirety of one's Commitment to Christ will be in grave Jeopardy of Extinction.

On the other hand, if I find no fault of my own, then I must see it as a Challenge to Serve my Lord, for Him and Him Alone, Despite His Gifts, and not because of them, for it is quite easy to get attatched to even Spiritual things, focusing on the Gift more than The Giver.

And Finally, Spiritual Dryness could simply be that the Beloved Hides His Face to move the Soul to a Greater Desire for He, Who Must be one's All.

In either case, Spiritual Dryness can be a means of Knowing One's Self before God, and Regardless of how long it may last, if Confronted with The Determination of Loving Faith, cannot Help but Lead The Soul to The Perfection to which it has been called.

God Bless You

"...The Holy Spirit...will Teach you All Things..." Jn14

With these words Our Beloved Lord Promises The Guidance of The Holy Spirit throughout the ages. That which we call "Tradition" therefore, must be our guide. One Who speaks "In The Name of Christ" is Governed by that which The Spirit has revealed down throughout time. If he strays from that, I am able to know if the one who speaks is a True, or a False Prophet.

Without this Gift, anyone could say anything and declare that it comes from God, for such Authority does not come from any individual but rather Only By way of The Spirit, Who Cannot contradict Himself for that which is True Will Forever be so.

It would be an impossible burden, to imagine that, I, as an individual, am able to determine what is Truth and that which is not since Truth is an Objective Reality, depending not on man, but on Divine Revelation.

Therefore the Preacher must have The Humility to check that which he may say against the Two Thousand Years of The Guidance and Activity of The Holy Spirit.

It is Only by way of "Scripture and Tradition," (two sides of the same coin), that one may preach with True Authority. My "Opinions" count as Nothing when place before Divine, and Unchangeable Truth.

Most Loving and Affectionate Father, may I always be Docile to All that You, in Your Infinite Mercy have Revealed throughout The Ages, and I ask that You Grant me The Grace to Accept it all, without Exception in a True Spirit of Humility and Obedience to Thy Sacred Will.

God Bless You

"The Jesus Who I Must Know"

There are those who seek a mere "Friendship" with Jesus that will Conform Himself to them. That is the reason for so many "differences" between so many Christians.

But Who do I Seek?

A Leader to Trust? A Teacher to Instruct? A King to Rule? A Knight to Defend? A God to Adore? A Beloved to Love above all else?

All of these Together, bespeak of an internal disposition that I must foster.

If Jesus is My "Leader," I must be Willing to Follow, Believing that He will Lead me to my True Destination.

If He is my "Teacher," I must have the Docility to Listen and Learn, not only what Conforms to "My" way of thinking, but "His," working to make it my own.

If Jesus is my Lord, He must have "Sovereign Rule" over Everything in my Life.

As knight, I will have Absolute Trust that whatever battle I may have to wage in Life, I will Fight along side, He Who Gave His Very Life For me, and if Given the chance, I pray that I may do the same in Giving my life For Him.

As my God, I must be Humbled before Him, recognizing that my life, and All within it, are His Gifts to me, thus moving me to Return them as perfect as they were when I Recieved them.

As my Beloved, He and He Alone Must Possess my Heart, so that there is No room for anything outside of His Grace.

Only once The Soul has Embraced The Totality of Who Jesus Really IS, only then, can I call Him my Friend, for knowing Him through the Lenz of Revelation, I will be able, without Fear, to approach The Son of God without Trepidation, but with Trust, Confidence and Love.

This is The Jesus I Need, This is The Jesus in Whom I must Entrust my Hope, this is The Jesus Who, While hanging on The Cross due to MY sins, Forgives me,

This Is My "Friend" Jesus.

God Bless You

"And The Disciples were filled with Joy"

These words follow their extradition from the region, a Humiliation, a Persecution, false accusations, and Injustice, so, why would they be "Filled with Joy?"

Unless one Is "In Love" with Jesus, through Knowledge and Faith, one will have a Difficult time understanding.

Joy is different from "Happy," for happiness comes and goes, riding on the coat tails of Emotion, whereas, True Joy resides deep within the Soul, where the tempest of "Feelings" have little or no effect.

Since Joy is a CHOICE, no one has the Power to take it from us, unless we Give it away.

This Most Precious Gift of "Joy," must be Guarded, against the Deception of our Enemy, who will pervert it into a means of controlling the Mind and Heart, which will erode the True Joy that God has Infused within The Soul.

My Beloved Father, may I always be attentive to the Workings of Thy Holy Spirit within me, and by Thy Grace, may I have The Humility to accept, with Complete Abandonment to Thy Most Holy Will, That which, in Thy Loving Mercy, Thou hast, in Thy Infinite Love, established as my True Calling as A Child of God.

May I have The Courage and Conviction of Faith, to Offer To Thee, my Most Loving and Affectionate Father, The Joy that, only in Loving, Unconditionally Thy. Only Begotten Son, I may give of myself so Completely, that whatever Life may bring, You, and You Alone, will always be, My Lord My God and My All.

God Bless You .