God's Revelation of Himself

In today's first reading, Romans 1: 16-25, St. Paul says to us (I am personalizing the message, using "I" and "me" as the one to whom the passage is addressed):

"The wrath of  God  ("wrath" indicates how serious sin is) is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their  wickedness."  Whenever I resort to sin or intentionally give into the temptation to turn away from God, I suppress the truth that I am, by the grace of God, empowered to choose otherwise. When I sin, then the truth of the power of the Holy Spirit at work within me is suppressed. I grieve God!  Paul goes on to say: "...[W]hat can be known about God is evident [to me] because God made it evident to [me].  Since God makes Himself and His way known to me, I am, when I sin, that is, when I intentionally obey Satan or any other evil spirit, suppressing this truth about God, who is Truth itself. God's eternal power and goodness, God's divinity and eternal holiness, which God shares with all humankind and with me, exists within me as a thirst for holiness and goodness. I betray that thirst for God and for holiness when I intentionally engage in that which is evil.  Paul says: "Ever since the creation of the world, [God's] invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made." God has made every human being and all that exists in the universe, and the universe itself. All of creation embodies the "invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity." Therefore, St. Paul tells me, I "have no excuse; for although [I] knew God [I] did not accord him glory as God [by following the direction of good spirit and the Holy Spirit within me]...Instead [I] became vain in [my] reasoning, and [my] senseless mind was darkened. While claiming to be wise, [I] became [a fool] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man  [which I do when I choose God substitutes or even treat myself as above God.

Vanity of vanities! Lord have mercy on me when I make idols of material things, other human beings,  myself or the universe itself.  You and you alone are God!  You and you alone are Good! Righteousness and Truth and Freedom come from you and return us to You for all eternity. May I choose that path and no other!