There is a golden chain of love
That ties us all together
It unites us in one spirit and heart
Joined as sister and brother
Across the land, the sky, and sea
There is a chain by which we're bound
The world's most wondrous mystery
Is this love so deep and so frofound
Do to others what you would
Want to have done to you
This was the old law and fair
Now we take this command to new heights
When we love one another
As we have first been loved:
With a total, radical, sacrificial
Eternal, unconditional, unwavering
LOVE
Make peace, not war. Make love, not hate.
Be kind, not callus. Be genuine, not fake.
This love that binds us breaks the chains
We wrap ourselves in of sin and shame
Though our differences seem great
They really become quite small
When we stop and think and wonder
At the love God has for us all
So, live your lives in this tapestry of gold
And reject not a proffered hand to hold
For we are all a link in this great chain of love
Connected to each other and God up above

What are the keys to holiness and perfection? Practice, patience, time, and integrity. Like any good thing, it takes work and lots of it. You don't become Van Gogh, or Mozart, Michael Jordan or Mother Theresa overnight. Granted, some of these people have certain gifts and talents that make it easier, but it still took practice and consistent work. Patience is also necessary. There may be setbacks or failures, mistakes and sleepless nights, but one must be patient and endure, because if you keep going, things are going to look up and trials will strengthen and give us the tools we need for the future. Time is something we all have and never seem to have enough of. Make good use of your time and fill it with good and wholesome things. Do not hurry or rush perfection or holiness or any good thing. Nothing good comes to those who hurry and rush and do not wait. Finally, and perhaps most importantly is integrity. To be holy and strive for perfection, one must have true integrity. As Shakespeare said once "... above all else: To thine own self be true". Be true to who you are and who you were made to be. Do not try to live someone else's life or be someone else. You aren't. You are you and that is that. Be the best you that you can be. For, as Mother Theresa is quoted as saying: "in the final analysis it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway".

God bless us all on our path to holiness and perfection. Amen

In the soft and silent stillness
Of the soul the Spirit speaks
Of conviction and of comfort
And a heart that wholly seeks
The higher truths of Heaven
And the deepest truths of man
That form faith's firm foundation
And discern God's greater plan
The soul that finds repose and rest
To dwell so close to God's own heart
Indeed, that soul is richly blessed
My Lord, my God, how great though art!

Come and follow me if you do believe
Trust that all you need you will receive
Come away with me to the secret place
Where hope takes flight and fears erase
Land of eternal light, of rest, and peace
And every day love and wonder increase

Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man
I am small and weak, but you say that I can
I am not worthy so why do you insist
Why keep waiting? What have I missed?
But you can't stop, you won't stop. Fine. You win!

Do away with me, make my will your own
Take me away from all I've ever known
Fill me up with only you
Consume me through and through
If all I am is who you are, that's where I wanna be
So, I'll go when you say "Come. Away with me"

Flower from Heaven, sweet smelling rose
Simple and lovely, it's beauty only grows
Red for the passion of Christ and of love
White for purity and the angels above
Yellow is light for the whole human race
Blue for the rays of redemptive grace
Surround me with the sweetest fragrance
Help me enter into this Heavenly dance
Fill up the air in this most holy room
So that my prayer is as sweet perfume
Bless and guide me oh Little Flower
And grant me serenity in my final hour
Help me to follow your beautiful Little Way
And, by your example, help me joyfully obey

Even behind the clouds and the rain
There is a rainbow, and I won't complain
My faith will stay, my faith will remain
When I call on Jesus' name
When you look beyond the seas of gray
You'll see the light of a brand-new day
The sun breaks through to show the way
So, through it all, I'm gonna say
Even behind the clouds and the rain
There is a rainbow, and I won't complain
Now I'm looking back, and I see it all so plain
What I thought was loss was really gain
Sometimes life is more than I can take
And I'm sure another step and I'll break
I believe you know best, but for Heaven's sake
I'm a little concerned when my life's at stake
I trust you though and I choose to abide
I run to your open arms and curl up inside
Your love is deep, and your arms are wide
And in your merciful heart I will reside
Because there, behind the clouds and rain
Lies a rainbow, so I won't complain

So often I fall into sin. More often than not, it's the same one or two. I fall down again and again and it's hard to not get discouraged. I heard a beautiful song today that said "a saint is just a sinner who fell down... and got back up again. There are good days, weary days and bad days, but in the end the good days outweigh the bad days and so I won't complain". To me, it's a simple and beautiful reminder of something we all too often forget. In a contemplation from St. Thomas Merton, it said that hell is hatred and it's a hatred not of other, but of what we know others see in ourselves. It is the "curse of shattered sight". (A secular TV reference, but well applicable for these purposes). Sin is a symptom of this shattered sight as well. It is a desire for the good, but the good is twisted and distorted and we are caught in the trap of "looking for love in all the wrong places". We see the worst things that other people see in us and fail to see the good. We end up turning against each other and destroying ourselves. The love that satisfies and fulfills is the love of God for us, his beloved children. He loves us and accepts us for who we are: good, bad, shattered sight and all and he sent His only son to die for us when we were his foe. How great is the Father's love for us! To be truly free, we must admit to ourselves that we are imperfect, and we make mistakes. Even when we ***** up pretty bad, good family and friends still love us, accept us, encourage and challenge us to move forward and keep doing better. If there are those like us who can do that, then surely God, in his perfection, will do that all the more! Accept yourself fully and embrace all of who you are. We cannot truly love others or be loved by others if we don't love ourselves. Next time you fall, remember: Jesus fell (in love) for you, and he fell three times (out of the fullness of love) for you, and got back up again.

Lord Jesus, please grant us the strength and grace to get up again when we fall down. Help us accept and love ourselves without condition as you first did for us. By your grace and mercy, heal us from this shattered sight in accordance with your will and may we find comfort and solace by your side in the shadow of the cross. Amen.