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!

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.

Drawn to the ocean drawn to the sea
Your love is a river that is flowing free
From the well of love you draw living water
In partaking, we become sons and daughters
You have drawn me from the depths of earth
Holding me in your hands from before birth
You opened your merciful loving heart
Broke me open so healing could start
Arms spread wide on that cross, on that hill
Show me you loved me, and you always will
Draw me closer than I've ever been before
Draw me deeper in love each time I adore
Draw me nearer to you every minute, every day
Your hand upon my shoulder whenever I pray
Take me beyond what I have ever done
That, in fullness of time, we may live as one
Lord, come to bless, make holy, and sanctify
The gifts and the graces you bestow on I
Help me shine your light to a world in need
Make holy every thought, word, and deed
Draw us together in faith, hope, and love
And join with the angels in Heaven above
To glorify your name in every place and time
Draw me to you that I might be ever thine

You are everything we ever need
You are the living water to seed
Fill us with your Holy Spirit
Give us these spiritual gifts
As, with our voices, your praises we lift
You are greater and stronger
Your sin controls you no longer
In the light of your amazing grace
Come Lord Jesus, invade my space
Drive out the darkness and fear
I come crawling; will you meet me here?
Receive the greatness and the power
Of this glorious and holy hour
Shout to God be honor and glory
The world needs to hear your story
Free us and heal us from our sin and shame
All is possible when we call on your Holy Name

We are called out for the mission
To give of love without condition
Some are called to the foreign land
But all are to be his feet and hands
Where words fall silent, love speaks
To find a home is what the heart seeks
Our own homes can be the mission field
Our towns and communities to be healed
Preach with conviction, with peace, not rage
The voice of a prophet and wisdom of a sage
They will see your joy and how it is portrayed
In the face of persecution, you stand unafraid
If they question, they are open
If they are open turn them not away
Pray for them and with them
I will break their hearts of stone
Until they beat for me alone
Each of us has a mission should we accept it
Something to reach out right where we are
At work, in town, or riding in your car
Each gifted uniquely for a special role
And what a gift to uplift another human soul
To care for the widows and orphans
The forgotten and the oppressed
The stranger and the refugees
To work and know the work is blessed
Each of us is on a mission to do the work of God
Just don't expect the whole world to applaud
Sow the seeds of faith and hope
The seeds of charity and love
The wisdom of God was spoken
Like an echo from above

You find me Lord and you speak my name
Fully known and truly loved, I'm not the same
I find myself in your eyes of grace
I find myself in a much better place
I find myself with joy in my heart
I find myself a work of living art
I find a new song formed on my lips
I find my stomach doing flips
I find my cheeks most deeply blush
My pulse quicken and my blood rush
I find to think of you gives me a thrill
And my God! I pray, pray that it ever will
To life's most burning questions I find
That the only answers truly lie
In finding a love that lasts a lifetime
For love takes all of a lifetime to tell

Lord, I lost my way, and I lost my ground
I lost the innocence I once had found
I lost my faith, and I lost my hope
Losing my grip at the end of this rope
I buried the treasure, I misplaced the map
Broke my compass, and now I'm at a gap
Can't see the sun, the stars have gone dark
Wherever it is I am, I'm way off the mark
So, I fall on my knees and say "God, if you please
If you're there and you care here's a flare
Hear this prayer I shout to the air:
Help!!! I'm so lost and so lost without you
I know that you love me with a love that is so true
You who are shepherd, the lion, the lamb
You who are prince of peace and Great I Am
Please bring me from darkness into the light
To where I can rest safe through the night"