"Ever since God created the world his everlasting power and deity - however invisible - have been there for the mind to see in the things he has made. That is why such people are without excuse: they knew God and yet refused to honour him as God or to thank him; instead, they made nonsense out of logic, and their empty minds were darkened. The more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew, until they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for the image of mortal man, of birds, of quadrupeds and reptiles. That is why God left them to their filthy enjoyments and the practices with which they dishonour their own bodies, since they have given up divine truth for a lie and have worshipped and served creatures instead of the creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen!" - Romans 1:21-25 -

"Don't delude yourself into thinking God can be cheated: where a man sows, there he reaps: if he sows in the field of self-indulgence he will get a harvest of corruption out of it; if he sows in the field of Spirit he will get from it a harvest of eternal life. We must never get tired of doing good because if we don't give up the struggle we shall get our harvest at the proper time. While we have the chance, we must do good to all, and especially to our brothers/sisters in the faith." - Galatians 6:7-9 -

"Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he/she has decided in his/her own mind, not grudgingly or because he/she is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you - he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works." - 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 - 

"He/She who sows injustice reaps disaster, and the rod of his/her anger falls on himself/herself." - Proverbs 22:8 - 

"I lift my eyes to the mountains: where is help to come? Help comes to me from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth. No letting our footsteps slip! This guard of yours, he does not doze! The guardian of Israel does not doze or sleep. Yahweh guards you, shades you. With Yahweh at your right hand sun cannot strike you down by day, nor moon at night. Yahweh guards you from harm, he guards your lives, he guards you leaving, coming back, now and for always." - The Psalms 121 - 

"Never try to get revenge; leave that, my friends, to God's anger. As Scripture says: Vengeance is mine - I will pay them back, the Lord promises........ Resist evil and conquer it with good." - Romans 12:19 -21 -

"I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us." - Romans 8:18 -

"As Sacred Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives generously to the humble. Give in to God, then; resist devil and the evil one, and the devil will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer the devil will come to you." - James 4:7-8 - 

"Everything will soon come to an end, so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober mind. Above all, never let your love for each other grow insincere, since love covers over many a sin. Welcome each other into your houses without grumbling. Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If your are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God's orders: so that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ, since to him alone belong to all glory and power for ever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 4:7-11 - 

*** No one can ever fully develop his/her character who does not understand the law; to use is to have. The wise get wiser, the rich get richer and "those who have, get." Hence the general complaint at raffles is that it is always the one who has the automobile who gets the prize; those who do not need money receive the inheritance. But it is not just windfall wealth that is received; rather, those who have capital are apt to put it out successfully for investment and thus double or triple their income. Treasure grows when it is used, but when hidden in the ground and not used it rusts. "To him /her who has, more shall be given."

Even in the higher realms of the moral order, the more one uses what is good, the more one develops and enriches it. The more the intellect is used for the high purposes to which it is destined, the more agile and profound it becomes. On the contrary, those who substitute eyes for the mind, or looking at pictures for thinking, eventually reach a point where reading a solid work is a positive trial. When everything is made easy, the noblest parts of man wither through disuse.

In the moral order as well, when the voice of conscience is used, respected, obeyed and followed, it becomes more sensitive to duty, more sympathetic to the burdens of others and more solicitous about the aches and worries of neighbours. On the contrary, when the voice of conscience is thrust aside; when the carnal and the erotic are allowed to dominate it; when the animal instincts are used to the detriment of the God-like imperatives, conscience begins to dwindle until it becomes "seared as if with a hot iron". Everyone is born with "moral capital" which is conscience. If he/she uses that capital he/she gets more of it, namely, an increase of goodness and honesty. Moral power is lost by inattention as the eyes of the mole lost their vision by groveling in the earth. Neglect has terrible penalties: talents are taken away and, after awhile, one becomes like the profligate woman in the Book of Proverbs who "wipes the mouth and says: 'I have done no wrong'."

This law explains why some intellectuals who seem to know so much have not always a virtue comparable to their knowledge. Some teachers know all the proofs of Aristotle for the existence of God, and yet they never say any prayers. Because they have not acted on the little knowledge atrophies like a parched tree, bearing no more fruit. It is the use of brains and not their mere possession to which the reward attaches. Any truth that is meant to influence life, if held lightly or indifferently, generally evaporates. The moral truths that we already know, if not followed through with some discipline and effort, soon become unwelcome truths, because they are at variance with the way we live.

Every D.D. ought to be a saint; every Ph.D. ought to be as good as Plato or Socrates but, as a matter of fact, there are more saints among the non-D.D.s, and more good moral pagans among the non-Ph.D.s. If the mind, the will and the moral sense of duty are to grow, they must be pressed to the heart with hoops of steel, allowed to dominate us until they begin to produce their capital of a happy and a peaceful life.

What is true in the order of nature is true in the order of super nature or grace. Only those who use the graces they are given are given more. As in the order of nature, we get our second wind only when we have used up our first, so in the order of the spirit, as we exhaust ourselves in the pursuit of the Divine and the Kingdom of God, are we given increments and compound interest of new insights and energies.

The law is written in every heart: Whatever we cultivate, bestial or divine, will grow; whatever we repress or neglect will die. Disregarded truth becomes disliked truth; truth acted on grows more rapidly than money produces interest. It is up to us to choose - everyone is reaping what he/she sows.

*** By VENERABLE  FULTON  J.  SHEEN 

-     WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY     - 

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -