Romans 2:7-11

“To them indeed, who according to patience in good work, seek glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life: but to them that are contentious, and who obey not the truth, but give credit to iniquity, wrath and indignation. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek: But glory, and honour, and peace to every one that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For there is no respect of persons with God.”

It has been promised, that in this fallen world, fruit will be borne with trial and aridity: “Cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee” (Genesis 3:17-18). Work in the divine vineyard is no different, for years of prayer and labor can seemingly produce nothing. However, God does not look upon the offering so much as the heart that does it: “The Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offerings. But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect” (Genesis 4:5). A life of failure with constant love and joy is a magnificent window of stained glass illuminated by divine love, one of success with irritation has no light passing through it. Therefore, feast on the love of God, and do all things with a joyful heart, for the work itself will pass away: “The joyfulness of the heart, is the life of a man, and a never failing treasure of holiness: and the joy of a man is length of life” (Ecclesiasticus 30:23). Now, joyful service of the Lord comes with the rewards of the glory of heaven, the honor of saintly dignity, and the incorruption of a glorified, resurrected body. All of these are parts of eternal life, but are imperfect goals to which to strive. Each is a gift of the Divine Bridegroom, but it is the Bridegroom Himself that you should strive for: “Thy face, O Lord, will I still seek. Turn not away thy face from me” (Psalm 26:8-9). The gifts of God are meant to draw you towards Him, that you may fall in love and hold to love of Him alone: “But cleave ye unto the Lord your God: as you have done until this day” (Josue 23:8). Let love of Jesus be your guide and commander, and you will find the wholeness of yourself. St. Paul then speaks against the contentious, or the argumentative: “A mild answer breaketh wrath: but a harsh word stirreth up fury. The tongue of the wise adorneth knowledge: but the mouth of fools bubbleth out folly” (Proverbs 15:1-2). A meek, quiet love that holds to the teachings of the Catholic Church and the words of Scripture with the obedience of a spouse will be a soul in full bloom: “Set before me for a law the way of thy justifications, O Lord: and I will always seek after it” (Psalm 118:33). To not obey these truths is to live contrary to divine love, and to hold steadfastly to them is the delight of the Sacred Heart: “I have no greater grace than this, to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4). Wrath and indignation are the portion of those that spurn this merciful love, for the Divine Spouse has given everything to His people, and reached out to every soul with the splendors of nature, the conscience, the truths of the faith, and devotions without number. To the lover of Jesus, “The king hath brought me into his storerooms” (Song 1:3), to the one that turns away from these movements will be a Jesus completely spurned and rejected, having spent a lifetime of reaching out and pursuing, but never welcomed: “My people have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremias 2:13). Tribulation and anguish, despair at not having loved according to the way laid out in nature and in the Law, will be the portion of those that spurn this merciful love. St. Paul mentions this is to the Jew first, who has the Law and the prophets: “He that loveth his neighbour, hath fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). To know the ways of the Lord imposes a stricter way of life, because to know what Jesus wants from you, and do otherwise, is contrary to love. However, to follow them is a beautiful way of life; it may seem narrow, but it is golden and joyous, for all things become acts of love: “I sat down under his shadow,” or His cross and commandments, “whom I desired: and his fruit was sweet to my palate” (Song 2:3). The treasures of the Lord He will give abundantly to those that ran to Him: “Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry” (Luke 15:22-23), most eminently the gift of Himself: “And whilst they were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing, broke, and gave to them, and said: Take ye. This is my body” (Mark 14:22). These gifts are open to all, and come to their perfect expression in the next life. No one brings merit before Him, for St. John and St. Mary Magdalene both stood with Him on the Cross, wrapped in sorrowful love. Your past is merely a part of your love story, your heritage minor details, it is your love now, your love of Jesus that is present and happening that matters: “Abide in my love” (John 15:9). He gives favors as He will, letting everyone’s love story play out as He has written: “Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee. Or is it not lawful for me to do what I will?” (Matthew 20:14-15). Focus on Jesus and the love He has given you, and let Him take care of the rest.

Romans 2:3-6

“And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them who do such things, and dost the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and patience, and longsuffering? Knowest thou not, that the benignity of God leadeth thee to penance? But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up to thyself wrath, and revelation of the just judgement of God. Who will render to every man according to his works.”

The heights to which one is called to love! Here is a reminder to “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Therefore, the Lord exhorts you: “Cast out first the beam out of thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Now, you will have a beam of some sort in your own eye to your death, so why look to the flaws, faults, and quirks of others with a judgemental eye? No, the spiritual ailments of others are cries for help, opportunities for love, which will aid you in your own journey to improve in love yourself. St. Paul then shows the balance between divine goodness and the extent to which it reaches. While there is an eternal judgement for a lifetime of renunciation of His love, His invitation to love is always extended with an open hand. He is good, He is patient, He bears with you through all of your actions against love: “Thus saith the Lord: ‘I have remembered thee, pitying thy youth, and the love of thy espousals, when thou followedst me in the desert, in a land that is not sown’” (Jeremias 2:2). This is a love that leads you to apologize for your poor love, because He continually sits as a patient Bridegroom, waiting for you to run back to His arms with adoration. Why, then, should one so captivated in love be malicious to the ones that the Holy Spirit puts in their path? “If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?” (1 John 4:20). For Mary carries you through life like the Child Jesus, keeping you close to her Immaculate Heart, and the Holy Spirit draws before her those that you need to encounter: “And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon…And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he also took him into his arms, and blessed God” (Luke 2:25-28). Your every neighbor is someone whom God loves, and is either present in their souls or longing to be: “Therefore the Lord waiteth that he may have mercy on you” (Isaias 30:18). To continue in sin, then, is to abuse the Lord’s extraordinary patience, forsaking merciful love for trivialities. A heart hardened against the Lord, choosing hatred, stores up for itself hatred: “I have brought up children, and exalted them: but they have despised me” (Isaias 1:2). To sin against the Holy Spirit, who is love, is to live a life despising God, remaining far from His tender embraces, and which cannot be forgiven when life comes to its close. The story of one’s life unfolds on its conclusion, being a tale to be told, and that which tells a magnificent love story, overcoming trial and sorrow and ailments, with a tender conclusion of dying of love, will be triumphantly extolled amongst the angels and saints: “And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients; and the number of them was thousands of thousands” (Apocalypse 5:11) all rejoicing in love. A tragedy, one of misery, wasted potential, hate, and living for oneself has no place in the eternal love song: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the pool of fire” (Apocalypse 20:15). Make then, o Theophila, the book of your life a love story adorned with roses. Judge not your neighbor, but be a character in their particular story that adorns the tale with beauty and love. Do all things for love, live on love, hide your cross among flowers, that the divine romance may tell its story with no hindrance through you, that you may hand this book to your King with a joyful heart, that He may eagerly receive it and open it, rejoicing at the tale the two of you have written.

Romans 2:1-2

“Wherefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou dost the same things which thou judgest. For we know that the judgement of God is, according to truth, against them that do such things.”

St. Paul then sternly admonishes against judgement of one’s neighbor: “Judge not, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). He is writing specifically to the Jews in Rome, that they should not condemn the Gentiles for their former way of life, when Israel came from great depths as well. However, for your sake, it is naturally ingrained on the heart to mind one’s own affairs and improve oneself, why then does the heart so incline to speak against the faults of another? Ah, how sweet the remedy to it though! For the human heart is made for beauty, it is drawn to what is beautiful, and to look at the shortcomings of others fills your mind with ugliness. Thus, in judging another, you expose yourself to ugly spiritual patterns, making your soul ugly in the process, for in both body and soul, you only get out what you have put in. However, to “let each esteem others better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3) is to look with merciful eyes on the spiritual loveliness of another, letting what is bitter be cast aside for the positive qualities of others. There is good in everyone, if you have an eye to see it, and to seek the beautiful in your neighbor’s soul allows you to walk through life as if you were in the greatest of art museums, in awe of the magnificent creations around you, each with their own uniqueness and sublimity. If necessity calls for correction, it is doing this with gentleness and a humble heart, realizing that without God’s grace, you could have fallen into equally if not worse vices than the one being corrected: “Thou hast brought forth, O Lord, my soul from hell: thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit” (Psalm 29:4). In this your eyes may be loving, compassionate, and merciful. To harbor a cruel heart is to reject God’s love for others, which is contrary to His ways. Jesus was divinely compassionate upon those that forsook their lusts for love: “Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much” (Luke 7:47) and stern on those that judged from a malicious heart: “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; judgement, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23-24). All are sinners! There is no great height on which to look down on others, but all are on the same footing. You are a sinner that is radically loved, brought out of your ways by mercy alone, and now get to live a life of love. It is the dignity of your Christian calling, then, to fill your eyes with love towards others. Asking Christ for such eyes is a prayer that He will answer: “And Jesus answering, said to him: ‘What wilt thou that I should do to thee?’ And the blind man said to him: Rabboni, that I may see.’ And Jesus saith to him: ‘Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole’” (Mark 10:51-52).

Romans 1:28-32

“And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers, detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelity, without mercy. Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death; and no only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.”

“The voice of my beloved knocking: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights” (Song 5:2), but “their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears: which will not hear the voice of the charmers” (Psalm 57:5-6). God’s presence is in everything, He is knocking at the gate at all times, whether inviting those that have not heard the Gospel to live a life according to right reason, or Logos, the Greek term used by St. John for “Word,” or to the fullness of the Gospel, a live of love. Those that lived upright lives but did not know about Christ will hear His message: “The hour cometh, wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they that have done good things, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgement” (John 5:28-29). Human reason can lead one very far, though with great risk of error, but in closing one’s ear both to reason and to the Word, a life turned in on oneself, contrary to love inevitably ensues. Even pagan philosophers knew that life had to be lived for virtuous love, as Plato said in his Symposium, “We will find wholeness, if we let Love be our guide and our commander.” A life lived for oneself is consumed with self and the things to satisfy this same self, not turning outward for the sake of love. It is a deterioration of love to be filled with malice, lust, desire for things, hatred, rumors, speaking against a neighbor, fights and arguments, deceiving another… all that is contrary to the sparkling bond of love: “Let the love of the brotherhood abide in you” (Hebrews 13:1). It was asked amongst the Desert Fathers why things seemed more difficult and with less fruit than in years past, at which one responded that it was because in the previous times in the desert, each built each other up, encouraging each other in love, and the whole group flourished. In constantly bringing each other down, work slows, because the heart is heavy and cannot run to its God. A heavy heart is signified by St. Peter, weighed down by guilt and discouragement, whereas St. John was filled with joy and purity: “And they both ran together, and that other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre” (John 20:4). Love of God instead manifests in joyful obedience to His commandments, that He may be loved through you at all times, and this is shown in a radiant love of your neighbor: “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12). With a tender love of God, you will follow His commandments, taking care not to do what is displeasing to the One you love, and will follow in His way of love rather than given to the various sins and vices seen here. To sow seeds of love is beautiful work, and the Lord calls you to much of it: “He that gathered in the harvest, is a wise son: but he that snorteth in the summer, is the son of confusion” (Proverbs 10:5). The absence of love for others leads to a heart without affection, fidelity, or mercy: “He that is of a perverse heart, shall not find good” (Proverbs 17:20), because it will not know love. It won’t know the joyful warmth of giving love away, but is turned in on loving itself, or at best poorly loving others. Having no affection, or inordinate affection for that which is sinful, they fall into knowing that there must be a true way to love that they usually hold others to, and do not realize that the punishment of this type of love is death. Spiritual death is a lack of divine love, without authentic love of neighbor, and to encourage someone on this road is to participate in what they do: “For he that saith unto him, God speed you, communicateth with his wicked works” (2 John 1:11). There is a gentleness that lacks justice, and this is not a virtue, but to be a pushover. It is a gentleness that knows how and when to correct that is a true flower of righteousness, for “he that loveth him correcteth him betimes” (Proverbs 13:24), and “he that loveth correction, loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is foolish” (Proverbs 12:1). It is in pruning a neighbor that is willing to be pruned that correction is most apt, rather than in rebuking someone that has no desire to change: “He that teacheth a scorner, doth an injury to himself: and he that rebuketh a wicked man, getteth himself a blot. Rebuke not a scorner lest he hate thee” (Proverbs 9:7-8). Plant love that you may grow love, and then don’t afraid to correct those that are growing into the beautiful flowers they are called to be, for those are the ones that are in a place to be fashioned.

Romans 1:26-27

“For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error.”

Because the turning of one’s back to God is something contrary to nature, for all things naturally incline to the praise and worship of God: “For to know thee is perfect justice: and to know thy justice, and thy power, is the root of immortality” (Wisdom 15:3). In leaving the sanctuary of God’s merciful love, the devil then has free reign to sow seeds of discord, leading to other actions contrary to what one is made for. Now, St. Paul calls these “shameful affections” because they are beneath human dignity to commit: You are made for extraordinary love and righteousness: “The fruit of the Spirit [of love] is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity” (Galatians 5:22-23), to exhibit a supernatural love, not a burning lust that lasts but moments. Now, sins of lust alone are not worthy of human dignity, for they resemble what is natural to animals, “And God created man to his own image” (Genesis 1:27). Sexual actions that cannot even naturally yield children fall to a place that is lower than animal actions, for which no one was made. Now, it is interesting to wonder why people are given to such actions, the answer for which is a lack of love. People burn with lust that they may grasp desperately for love, and homosexual relations are particularly prevalent in those whose parent of the same sex was absent or unloving. Therefore, they rush to others of their sex to experience the love that they did not receive. O hearts, so broken, so needing love! Your longing for affection has overridden what is according to right reason, and now you find yourselves grasping after that which cannot mend your heart, but further hurts your o so beautiful heart. The same is seen in transgenderism: The only reason someone descends to such an action is that they hate themselves to the point of wanting to rebuild themselves as something completely different from who they are naturally. Jesus looks on the lost with eyes of such compassionate pain: “And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Now, the Apostle has designated sexual immorality as a consequence of idolatry. The book of Wisdom supports this: “For the beginning of fornication is the devising of idols: and the invention of them is the corruption of life” (Wisdom 14:12). You, dear Theophila, if you care to set the captives free from their yokes of sin, have a twofold mission: To plants seeds of love in the hearts you come across that have given themselves to such things, that it may grow into a full expression of divine love: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the hair come, and dwell in the branches thereof” (Matthew 13:31-32); and to pray. “All the gods of the Gentiles are devils” (Psalm 95:5), and there is nothing to be done against devils but to pray: “Turn back the evils upon my enemies; and cut them off in thy truth” (Psalm 53:7). There are many great weapons against the ways of devils, but the Psalter is filled with psalms of war: “Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war” (Psalm 143:1). Those that are given to lust are living a life of punishment, as St. Paul here says, and it is the duty of saints to extend the kingdom of God beyond what has been predestined. O love that pulls God to extend His love ever farther! He knows He cannot resist you and your love, thus He says, “Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have made me flee away” (Song 6:4) to souls that need My merciful love, which I will grant in abundance to you, o dear spouse of God. “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21), but “I saw a beast coming up out of the sea” of the world of sin “And he opened his mouth unto blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” (Apocalypse 13:1-7). If all are called to be saints, look to your brothers and sisters that are overcome by the beast, and free them by extraordinary LOVE. Grasp your rosary! Pick up your Psalter! Cry out to God always for those who need the divine love in you: “For I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my brethren, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3). Suffer any trial, risk your life for the sake of one little soul that is enslaved by devils: “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), for “He that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). Love calls you out of yourself for its sake, therefore go! “And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send? And who shall go for us?’ And I said: ‘Lo, here am I, send me” (Isaias 6:8).

Romans 1:23-25

“And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of fourfooted beasts, and of creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves. Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

A soul entirely animated by divine love, that clings to Him alone with trust and love, is the most beautiful sight you can behold in this life: “How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! Thy eyes are doves’ eyes, besides what is hid within” (Song 4:1). The eyes of a dove are those that are attentive to the Holy Spirit and His ways and move according to his inspirations alone, to which He will respond as a brush in the hand of the Divine Artist to make an utter masterpiece. This is a great glory, one that is offered to all, that they may live entirely on the love of God: “Let all your things be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14), and those that turn from God exchange the glory of this life of love to the things of the earth, which is most egregious in the sin of idolatry. Attributing to that which passes the honor due to the Unfailing, Eternal, Glorious Love that is God is an intellectual deficiency that slays the heart. It robs the person of their dignity, “For being mortal himself, he formeth a dead thing with his wicked hands. For he is better than they whom he worshippeth, because he indeed hath lived, though he were mortal, but they never” (Wisdom 15:17). It is a placing of oneself in servitude to that which is beneath human dignity, a lowering of the extraordinary gift that is human nature to something that isn’t even alive. The Lord has put you in a place of incredible dignity that stands alongside your fellow persons above everything else that you see: “And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27); “Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover the beasts also of the fields. The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea” (Psalm 8:8-9). This gift is for the sake of LOVE, for the sake of perfect love, to which you are running: “He, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). God will never dominate the free will of anyone, and seeing someone resolute in either outright worship of something less than Himself, or in the insistent prioritizing of that which is less important than the love of God, He will allow them to have it their way. He allows them to follow the desire for love in the human heart towards things that cannot truly love it, at all times longing to be the Love that they need: “Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Apocalypse 3:20). Lies about God separate from God, be it that the sun is God, or that His mercy has some stopping point, or that He cannot love you in your lowliness. Thus, “I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts” (Hosea 6:6). It is better to know God and His unfathomable love than any other work, because then you will come to know His incredible love for you and all mankind, a love that will not be able to keep silent, but be inspired to make Him loved in the hearts of everyone that can be reached. O blind world, “if thou didst know the gift of God” (John 4:10), you would throw off the garments of your beggary for love and run straight to its source: “[Bartimeus] casting off his garment leaped up, and came to him” (Mark 10:50). Then you too would say that the Lord Jesus is to be blessed forever, and love Him dearly: “Abide in my love” (John 15:9).

Romans 1:20-22

“For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; his eternal power also, and divinity, so that they are inexcusable. Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”

O minds of men! You see love, measuring it against a perfect love that is not merely a concept, but a God that loves you! You see truth, beauty, goodness, and existence, not realizing that all of these have a source, the love that is God: “The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands” (Psalm 18:2). However, a wounded judgement concerning God leads to disbelief in Him, be it in His goodness or His existence. No one doubts God, they doubt what they think He is, which is love. Thus, when someone is loved in truth, “Let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth” (1 John 3:18), they can encounter God, coming to a more correct picture of how He truly is, rather than the smeared image they carry in their minds: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another” (John 13:35). Though nature and reason can lead one to the truth of God and how to act morally, it is far more difficult to proceed to righteousness and love through these means than by realizing how loved they are by this same God. No, people see that there is a good and bad way to love, and expect to be loved perfectly while not giving this same perfect love, or used their reason and heart to act in a righteous manner like some great philosophers, but indulged themselves in the things of the world, neglecting what is spiritual. Sin then clouds the mind, and though people can become knowledgeable about many things, they neglect the wisdom of love, thus why St. Paul implores: “If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18), for the knowledge of things that pass away is nothing, but learning the art of love is perfect wisdom: “I [wisdom] am the mother of fair love” (Ecclesiasticus 24:24). Those that proclaim a superior knowledge, or a worldly way of loving, in fact know nothing, for this is foolishness of heart. Wisdom of heart, however, is pleasing to God: “Study wisdom, my son, and make my heart joyful” (Proverbs 27:11). Thus, it is of great benefit to study the Book of Life, to know the way of I Love You in a divine way: “Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy justifications” (Psalm 118:12). This is why a small child, or a little old woman, may be considered wiser than a man with several doctorate degrees: “I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones” (Matthew 11:25), for the child that knows the love of God is wise in love, whereas the one prudent in the ways of the world knows not where to turn for the eternal fountain of love: “I am Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely” (Apocalypse 21:6). Drink constantly from this fountain, that you may know how loved you are, and from this love with wisdom, for this the wisdom that God urges you to know: “The sons of wisdom are the church of the just: and their generation, obedience and love” (Ecclesiasticus 3:1).

Romans 1:18-19

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice: because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them.”

St. Paul, after gently addressing the Romans, shows the dreadful side of a life without God, which is still done in love: “Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise” (Apocalypse 3:19). However, if Jesus loves all, then chastising words will naturally be sent to all, which is for one’s own good: “He that loveth correction, loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is foolish” (Proverbs 12:1). He sets the table with the delightful foods of love, salvation, and righteousness, then reminds those seated that not to eat is to die. Now this deprivation of God by the will is a surrender to the forces of darkness, like a child refusing the help and protection of their Father and running into danger alone. He will always be following, always encouraging the child to return to love, but a life of fleeing from Him finds itself in the jaws of wolves. This is much more the case with those that “detain the truth of God in injustice,” that is, to those who not only refuse the love of God, but by their teaching or example, keep others from Him: “Woe to you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered in, and those that were entering in, you have hindered” (Luke 11:52); “But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). This is so in the sense that one that comes between two lovers is naturally despised by the two that desire each other. Love seeks eagerly the beloved: “Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices” (Song 2:9), and when one keeps the lovers apart out of ignorance, hatred, or seeking their own pleasure, it is of great displeasure for those who seek each other: “Love is strong as death, jealousy as hard as hell, the lamps thereof are fire and flames” (Song 8:6). It is a particular tragedy to see minds that are clearly gifted led astray into doctrines opposed to God that they then propagate, for the able mind is designed to lead those with less understanding by the hand into the mysteries of God, that they may understand the wonder of His love, but when these minds are used to mock, discredit, argue, and discourage God and His children, one incurs the punishment of a mother bear from whom her whelps were taken. It is also important to note that God is against ungodliness and injustice in themselves, and does not hate those that bear these qualities. He desires to burn away that which is contrary to love of God in ungodliness and love of neighbor in injustice with His very love, that love may be freely received and given by all: “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). God is manifest to all, either by way of philosophy leading to causality, through the beauty of things and the necessity of a source of beauty, or by the presence of love, and the realization that there is a standard of perfect love, and this measure is the Divine Goodness. It is also interesting to consider that the knowledge and love of God is indubitable, but people deny God because their image of Him is skewed, and by erroneous judgements about His nature they conclude that He either does not exist or is not worth being loved. Thus, God desires “the knowledge of God more than holocausts” (Osee 6:6), for a deep understanding of God’s merciful love is of far greater value than many penances. This understanding doesn’t necessarily require a great theological knowledge, for the very order of creation and all the good things within it are a book in which His love is written: “For by the greatness of the beauty, and of the creature, the creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby” (Wisdom 13:5). The beauty of all things leads to a Source of Beauty, and as the person is drawn to beauty and falls in love with it, so can anyone be drawn to this Source and fall madly in love: “No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him” (John 6:44). Plato followed this course in his Symposium, and how much more plainly does God lay it out in His words: “Another book was opened, which is the book of life” (Apocalypse 20:12), “The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life,” (John 6:44), therefore this book of His words are open to you, that they may give you life and enkindle your spirit with love, just as creation tells its own story about the magnificence of their Creator: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 95:1).

Romans 1:16-17

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek. For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: ‘The just man liveth by faith.’”

St. Paul speaks for how Christians should all feel in light of the Gospel. It is a message of God becoming man and dying a horrific, dehumanizing, shameful death like a criminal, mocked, scourged, and crucified. The unrecognizably bloodied, beaten face of Jesus is what love looks like, a message unfathomable to the rest of the world. His salvation is dismissed as ludicrous, stupid, false, and this is the Beloved to which you have fashioned yourself. He has called you to “Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm” (Song 8:6), imprinting Him on your heart and actions, that you may magnify your discarded Love in all things. If you incur mockery because of your love, it is to be expected: “Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake” (Matthew 5:11). The power of the Gospel message is the unfathomable power of Love: “for love is strong as death” (Song 8:6); the words of Jesus being able to bring about miraculous changes in the little sanctuary of your heart. His loving words are eternal life, for these are the vocal expression of the reality of love that is the Father, to whom you run as you “do as He tells you:” “With meekness receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:21-22). This life of love is given “to every one that believeth.” O the blessing of faith! O the gift to know that you are loved, and that this love is expressed perfectly through the loving words of the Savior, whose words are spirit and life. This message of love is open to all, arriving first to the Jewish people, then spreading into the whole world. The story of salvation and the words contained in the Scriptures reveal God’s justice. This is done in three ways: First, that God always upholds His promises to those that believe. The faults throughout Israel’s history are always their own, with God delivering His aid and mercy every time He is called upon, with the utmost expression being the coming of Jesus. By extension, there is nothing in the Scriptures that is withheld from you: His every loving word can be heard as if it were being said to you personally, and nothing you do or say can keep His love from you. It is always present to you; the question is if you are present to it. This is due to the covenantal nature of God’s promise: He has entered into a marriage agreement with Israel and with you: “The bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride, and thy God shall rejoice over thee” (Isaias 62:5). He forgives and welcomes back as eagerly as a spouse, with no grudge, for His forgiveness is perfect. Secondly, God’s faithfulness is shown. A true administration of justice would be that both Israel and you would have been long forsaken by the Lord, who would have been just in discarding what had turned against Him. However, the justice of love sees what is weak and broken, looks at the hurts that have caused you to sin in the particular fashion that you did, sees the heart that is in pain and doesn’t know that Perfect Love is eager to tend to it. He is so gentle, so merciful, so understanding, and this justice of love is patient through the failures of His people, always being there to pick up the little ones who need the aid of love: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart, to preach deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of reward” (Luke 4:18-19). If a child were to break something of their parents’ in front of them, the concern would be less about the broken object and more in helping the hurt that caused them to do so. So does your loving Father desire to bind up the wounds and love you in the places in which you need love. Third and finally, it reveals the justice of God’s might, for it shows that nothing can come between Him and a heart that is open to Him. He is a mighty one when His children call, and He will stop at nothing, even going so far as to die, to keep you in His loving arms, protected by Him on all sides: “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion: he shall not be moved for ever that dwelleth in Jerusalem. Mountains are round about it: so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth now and forever” (Psalm 124:1-2). The entirety of the Bible shows the awesome pursuit of your soul by God, and His justice working in all things with majesty to bring you to Himself. When you have faith in His words and that they are for you, it will become a living faith, a faith of a child of God; “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). When you realize the depths to which you are loved, it transforms into a faith constantly alive, a love that never ceases, and this is what it is to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When your entire life is ordered to God, and you see Him in everything, His words being your guide to acting and His love being the guide of your heart, then you live by faith, and are just according to God’s justice. This is what it means to love well.

Romans 1:13-15

“And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you, (and have been hindered hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. To the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the unwise, I am a debtor; so (as much as is in me) I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are at Rome.”

Paul, beyond having a good will towards the Romans, desired to show his love for them by coming to see them: “My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth” (1 John 3:18). However, there was an obstacle that prevented him. What this is specifically is not of import, but it did take place that St. Paul may be able to bear the fruit necessary among the Romans when the harvest was most ripe: “He shall be like a tree…which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season” (Psalm 1:3). We see St. Paul frequently endeavoring to preach to certain peoples: “they were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6), showing that God knows where you will bear the most abundant fruit, and this may not be according to your own inclinations, but through patience He will place you in the place where the window of your life will allow for the most sunshine: “We glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:3). However, even when his intention is prevented, he desires to make known to the Romans his plans, that they may be warmed by his love; “my soul melted when he spoke” (Song 5:6), and thereby hear his words with greater receptivity. Now, this mission of love was to all: “I became all things to all men, that I might save all” (1 Corinthians 9:22). He places himself beneath the learned, the unlearned, the Jew, the Gentile, the cultured and uncultured, that each may know how loved they are. This is done through the life of a servant: “If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and be minister of all” (Mark 9:34). Therefore, because his apostolate of love and preaching is open to all, it is in no way restricted from those at Rome, that they may not feel abandoned. Give yourself, o Theophila, to all, bring a washrag and basin into your every interaction, that putting yourself beneath all that come across your path, you sow the most possible seeds in the hearts of your neighbors. Let love be your guide and commander in all things, and you will find the greatest possible expression of yourself.

Romans 1:8-12

“First, I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all, because your faith is spoken of in the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you; always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual grace, to strengthen you: That is to say, that I may be comforted together in you, by that which is common to us both, your faith and mine.”

Look, Theophila, upon the affectionate greeting of the great St. Paul. A heart that is softened by love is receptive to all that the lover has to say; “grace is poured abroad in thy lips” (Psalm 44:3), and St. Paul begins his great letter by showing his appreciation for the things taking place amongst the Romans. It is also important to realize that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you through the words of  Holy Scripture, and your Beloved here expresses his thankfulness for your life of faith, that the grace and love He offered to you was accepted, and now you live for Him “whom having not seen, you love” (1 Peter 1:8). This is the grace of God through Jesus, and so thanks are returned by St. Paul to God through Jesus for the gift that is you and the beauty of your Christian walk: “How beautiful are thy steps in shoes, O prince’s daughter” (Song 7:1). That your walk is of this loveliness is of particular joy to the teachers and spiritual parents that bring it about: “I have no greater grace than this, to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4). This joy is directed towards each and every person aspiring towards Christ, because the knowing soul realizes they are on a journey of love, within the throes of a great romance, and “the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy” (John 3:29). Now, there is no greater charity or alms than to pray for others, and St. Paul, who loves his station as a servant of Christ Jesus, constantly held the dear Romans in his heart. So too, is it important to know that a loving pursuit of the Savior answers all the request of the heart; the salvation of family, friends, people encountered, all this is in your heart, which is in the hands of Jesus. He does not fail to reward those who devote themselves entirely to Him, for He is the most gracious of givers. This is what it means to pray without ceasing, for a life directed entirely to God is a life of prayer, and that which is in the heart is seen by the Lord, who answers all prayers of the heart: “He that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what the Spirit desireth” (Romans 8:27). St. Paul then expresses his desire to see the Romans, because while prayer is the greatest of alms, affection also needs to be expressed in tangible ways that our neighbor may feel like the gift that they are. Love needs expression, and giving it every possible expression is the duty of the Christian. He seeks to visit the Romans to fan the flames of their love, “that I may impart unto you some spiritual grace,” not that it was not present before, but for the deepening of the love of the Romans. It is beautiful to think of everyone in the midst of their own love story with God, to whom you may be a wonderful side character, being a vessel of spiritual grace for all, that they may fall more in love with Jesus as you move back to the sideline: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). However, he also desires to see them for the sake of beautiful friendship: “That I may be comforted together in you.” A friendship built on Christ is the most magnificent, with conversations about God being the cause of many fervent ecstasies in the lives of the saints. For on the one hand there is the warning, “Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good, to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29), and on the other, the Lord so delights in talk that is filled with wisdom and meaning: “Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue” (Song 4:11), and it is a great consolation to spend time with someone filled with the Holy Spirit, that you may warm your hands by the fire in their heart.

Romans 1:5-7

“…by whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith, in all nations, for his name; among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ: to all that are at Rome, the beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The bond of faith, the gift of obedience, is a loving gift from Jesus. Just as two spouses tie themselves together, to obey and love each other, being faithful to one another and trusting one another, so has the Lord given the grace of love and the teacher who helped draw you to Him that you may live His life of love. So it is for all Christians; He reached out in love, drawing them to Himself, that they may have the gift of faith in Him who loves them. His bringing you to Himself is a sheer grace, a perfect gift, an act of love that turned your heart to true love. This is all done for His name, for just as Jesus came in the Father’s name like an ambassador goes in the name of His country, so too do you work in the name of Jesus. He has sent you into the world, no matter your task, to be His presence of love to all you meet; “All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Colossians 3:17). Do all things consumed with the love of Jesus, that His love pours out from you in all things. All this dignity is given to His people, no matter how lofty or small: “Among whom;” the grace of apostleship is given to you, that you may join with the saints that had the loftiest missions in spreading love. He has placed His name and His presence on you and in your heart; “Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm” (Song 8:6). This gift of grace is expressed simply: “The beloved of God, called to be saints.” You have always been loved unto folly, but by grace you can now realize it and receive it. The sun of love has always been shining, but you were blind, the sweetness of the Lord has always been present to you, but you could not taste, the way of I Love You has always been before you, but you were lame. Now by grace you can know how loved you are. You are called to be a saint, a great saint! “In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples” (John 15:8). He wants you to be one consumed with love, yet still standing, like the burning bush in Exodus, speaking His love and presence to all who come near you. Your love is not your own, it is a pure gift, “The Spirit breatheth where he will” (John 3:8); “not as though we had loved God, but because he hath first loved us” (1 John 4:10). Then follows a beautiful greeting, a wishing of more grace and the peace of God, the peace that comes from truly being loved: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). Jesus gives the gift of I Love You, which the Trinity is. The very words “I love you” manifest the Trinity, for the Father represents “I” by His existence, the Holy Spirit is “Love,” for He is the presence and action of love, and “You” is the Word, the eternal object of the Father’s affection. Christ is designated here, because by His Incarnation, He is the true gift-bearer, bringing the love of God into the human race: “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). He knocks at the door of your heart with this gift: “If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Apocalypse 3:20); “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights” (Song 5:2). He waits with loving words, deep affection, expressions of love, spiritual gifts, abounding grace if you will only hear Him at all times whispering this love to you: “The sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). Hear Him say, “I love you” to you constantly, for His love is always so very present to you.

Romans 1:4

“…who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead…”

God the Father is love itself, and the Word is the word “I Love You,” and what is the Incarnation but love put into action? “My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Christ Himself was always set aside as the expression of the power of God’s love: for Christ is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24), and “love is strong as death” (Song 8:6). The endurance of Christ through His Passion shows the lengths to which love shall run, for your soul is so precious to Him that He endured all the torments that He suffered for your sake, and that He saw it to the end shows the strength of His love for you. This expression of love was always the plan in the Divine Mind, for He did not cry out in surprise at Adam and Eve’s fall, but knew what their action would be, and He set out to use their disobedience to express His love, for it is a classic story of the hero rescuing the imprisoned maiden. So too does Christ run to His people, imprisoned in sin and a lack of true love, to set them free by His might and nourish them with affection. The sheer grace of His Incarnation was always predestined, then, and this was enacted by the sanctifying Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit alone could make a virgin conceive and bear a son, and this was done to sanctify the whole world. This spirit of sanctification dwelt in the Blessed Virgin and Christ until the dawning of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon God’s people, that Christ’s presence may dwell on earth in the baptized faithful, using them to sanctify the whole world with love. Therefore, the Incarnation, life, passion, and resurrection of Jesus show the love of God and the expression of the spirit of sanctification through Christ Himself, then He ascended to Heaven and opened the heavens to all believers, that the Holy Spirit may be poured out in abundance, for there is no giver as gracious as God; “If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11). The greatest of gifts is the gift of the Holy Spirit, for by His action He makes Christ present in you, which is the sanctifying spirit for yourself, and this spirit of love perceived by others draws them to Christ, that He may be loved more through you.

Romans 1:1b-3

“…separated unto the gospel of God, which he had promised before, by his prophets, in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh…”

“Separated unto the Gospel” means grasped with love by Jesus for goodness, for “Gospel,” or “Good News” is a beautiful work, for the work of love is its own reward. Now, this good news was promised by the prophets, for on love “dependeth the whole law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). “Separated” is of note, “No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him;” (John 6:44), because being drawn by true love, one is therefore captivated by the True Lover. This is a grace that can be requested, as we see in the divine Canticle: “Draw me” (Song 1:3). Be drawn into merciful love! Separate yourself from the way the world tries to love, from how you used to love, and cling to True Love, “It is good for me to adhere to my God” (Psalm 72:28). The Gospel of love had been long announced, for it “had been promised before,” and in the entirety of the Old Testament, the knowing eye can find love and the summons to love truly throughout. “I LOVE YOU” (Isaias 43:4); “I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee” (Jeremias 31:3). St. Thomas Aquinas notes the addition of the word “holy” as a description of the Scriptures as something that sets it aside from gentile writings. The wisdom of love is the true wisdom, and “wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35), and while traces of this can be found in different pagan philosophers, in the holy Scriptures God speaks to you, speaking His beautiful words to you that your heart may melt in affection; “My soul melted when he spoke” (Song 5:6). The eternal generation of Christ is one of love, and the Father looks on the Son with a tender love, a joyful love, a love so extraordinary that this love itself is the Holy Spirit, and the Father through the prophets and the rest of the holy Scriptures wants to show this beloved Son to you. This same Son was a child of David, though a king still a mere man, and was born according to the flesh. St. Paul here begins with what is small and natural to us that we may be brought by heavenly realities. So too does Jesus come to the very depths of your littleness and brokenness, having shared in both, to take you gently by the hand and lead you to the heights of the divine mysteries. He found you trampled and bloodied, restored you to beauty, and now carries you to the depths of His love, that you may radiate His merciful love. O little David, how glorious on earth and how little in comparison with the King that was to come, “The Lord said to my Lord” (Psalm 109:1). No matter how elevated you may become in this world, you are still a precious little one in the arms of God.

Romans 1:1a

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle…”

Paul, addressing the Romans from afar, thus the need to place his name, makes an interesting placement with his words at the outset of his letter. Before being called an apostle, he is first of all a servant of Jesus Christ. “He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors...” (Ephesians 4:11). It is not in the office one takes or in the work one does, but to do what is set before someone with extraordinary love. To serve Jesus Christ is to love one another in Christ, to love with a wise yet abounding love. So while St. Paul is one of the Apostles, he is first and foremost, like you and all others that bear the name of Christ, called to be a servant. Now St. Paul’s name means “wonderful” or “chosen,” and in this you can find the imprint of St. Paul on your own soul, for you are wonderfully made, “How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou!” (Song 4:1) and chosen to be a bringer of the Gospel of love to those you encounter. It can also, in the Greek, mean “quiet,” and in the Latin “small.” In your littleness and brokenness, the Lord approaches you: “Whosoever is a little one, let him come to me” (Proverbs 9:4) and beckons you to Himself. How beautiful is the little soul! The one that can barely squeak to God, yet trust itself into His loving protection; he longs to bear you up to Himself, to hold you close to His breast with tenderness that you may listen to His Sacred Heart beat for you more than to admire your works of virtue and extraordinary accomplishments. No, whoever is a little one, run to Christ, that He may lift you to the heights you cannot attain on your own. While a servant seems a lowly place, and “I will not now call you servants… But I have called you friends” (John 15:15), it is a grand place to serve the great Master, for He is a mighty and holy king, conferring LOVE upon his people, for servitude of Christ is not the servitude of fear, but of love. For though you serve the great Lord, “My yoke is sweet and my burden light” (Matthew 11:30). It is a sweet, wonderful thing to serve a friend, to do for one that will be grateful and happy at what is done; He has paid your debt, everything now is a cultivation of love, an exchanging of gifts between lovers, and His eye is upon you always, rejoicing in every little act of love you put forward.