Ever since humans began to reflect on the moral life, they have been aware of some perfect ideal of character and conduct toward which they must strive. All nature works by a common process to a common end, and the duty of the individual is to assist that process by devoting oneself to spiritual inquiry. Sometimes moral virtue was regarded as the imitation of divine perfection, and sometimes philosophers held out a human figure (especially Socrates) as the model of excellence; but more often they wrote abstractly of their ideal of a wise person. Evolution constantly diminishes the amount of objective chance in the Universe, but only in the limit does it wholly disappear. At any given times, some chance remains, and the laws of nature are not yet wholly exact.  “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect,” reports Matthew 5.48. Perceptual judgments, therefore, form the real starting point in knowledge and must be taken as the ultimate evidence statements. People of the covenant are required to be perfect (or holy) by obedience to the law (Bible) which embodies God’s will and reflects his character. Piety is embracing God and others with real love, not fake devotion. The moral perfectionism demands for complete inward purity and self-renunciation. “Words of truth are hard against all uncleanness,” reports 2 Nephi 9.40.  #RandolpHarris 1 of 6

Piety is opening one’s heart to God and one’s arms to embrace everyone as family. It prepares the way for the coming of God’s kingdom on Earth: the time when everything will be redeemed and sanctified and holiness of all God’s creations will be fully evident. The secret gift of piety that the Holy Spirit gives us consists in seeing the whole World as belonging to God and reflecting his glory. To rise in the morning seeing the light of a new day, to eat your favorite cuisine, to see a stream running between mossy stones, to watch the day slowly turn into evening—these precious things can brim with meaning when seen as allusive of God’s majesty. To accept the good things of life, most of which come to us quite apart from our own efforts, as if they were matters of course without relating them to God is quite wrong. I was reminded, to eat or drink without first making a blessing over the meal is compared to robbing God of his property. We should enjoy life’s goodness, and at the same time we should augment this joy by sharing it with God, just as any joy we feel is augmented when share with out human friends. I have been making an honest effort to change my ways and thank God when things go right or I accomplish something, as simply as getting maintenance done on my car. “And above all these put on love, which is the bond of perfectness,” reports Colossians 3.14. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6

Scientific research indicates that grateful people sleep better, are healthier, happier, less depressed, less stressed, and have more beneficial ways of coping with difficulties. Faith provides us with powerful reasons to be grateful. We recognize God in all good things and put or trust in the Lord who loves us. To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything he has given us. Every breathe we draw is a gift of God’s love, every moment of existence is a grace. Gratitude, therefore, takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and praise of the greatness, mercy, justice, love, and compassion of God. For the grateful person knows that God is wonderful, not by hearsay, but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference. When we are mired in crisis, a spirit of gratitude can help us. It can prompt us to go deeper to the foundation on which we can stand. Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Piety is recognizing our belonging to God, our deep bond with him, a relationship that gives meaning to our whole life and keeps us resolute, in communion with the Lord, even during the most difficult and troubled moments in life. Piety shows people “signs and wonder,” reports Helaman 16.4  #RandolphHarris 3 of 6

This personal bond with the Lord is not created out of obligation nor force, it is a relationship lived from the heart, a friendship that changes our life and fills us with enthusiasm and joy, gratitude, praise, and authentic worship. Inevitably, theologians have affirmed that moral perfection is the goal of the Christian life. Thus, we look forward to the time when we all attain to the unity of the faith and knowledge of God, to perfect humanity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Savior. We must continue to give primacy to love, by which all the natural virtues are supernaturally perfected. When the Holy Spirit helps us sense the presence of the Lord and all of his love for us, it warms our heart and drives us almost naturally to prayer and celebration. Once people experience the loving relationship of God as our Heavenly Father, it helps us pour out this love onto others and recognize them as our spiritual family. Christians are expected to life and the counsels of perfect that anyone can follow with great determination. “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself,” reports Matthew 9.18. This is an absolute realistic attitude toward the spiritual capacities of the average Christian. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6

If we ask how this sense of sanctity of all things is to be preserved against the backwash of the World’s routine, the chief answer is through tradition. Without attention, our sense of wonder and the holy will stir occasionally, but to become a steady flame it must be deliberately fed. One of the best means of doing this is to be steeped in a history that cries aloud God’s superb acts of providence and mercy in every generation. Against those who would throw the past away with both hands that they may grasp the present more readily, Christianity accounts the memory of the past a priceless treasure. Most historically minded of all the religions, it finds holiness and history inseparable. In sinking the roots of our life deep into the past, the Christian draws nourishment from events in which God’s acts were clearly visible and in doing so keeps the deadly prosaicness of God’s eclipsed perspective at bay. The Sabbath eve with its candles and cup of sanctification, the Passover feast with its many symbols, the austere solemnity of the Day of Atonement, and the hauntingly beautiful stained glass windows in churches (a symbol of royalty in ancient times, which tell a specific story from the Bible, and unlike a sermon, stained glass windows are always there to tell a story, remind people of unforgettable events), one finds nothing less than the meaning of life in all these thing, a meaning which spans the centuries in affirming God’s greatness to humanity. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6

Even when we recall the tragedy of our people and the price of their survival, we are made vividly aware of God’s sustaining hand. To live the Law is to live within time the life of eternity. Piety is about identity and belonging, that is why it renders people truly capable of being joyful with those who are happy; to cry with those who weep; to be near those who are alone or in distress; to correct those in error; to console the afflicted; to welcome and come to the assistance of those in need. Piety is a tree of life to those who grasp it. There is meaning in this simile, for a tree is symbolic of life itself, of the miracle whereby inert elements in the Sun and rain and soil are taken up and transformed in the mystery of growth. Pity is a creative power which can elicit and sustain holiness in the lives of those whose flowering World would otherwise become a wasteland of dry stones. It is a tree of life to those who grasp it. A spirit of adoption, not “a spirit of slavery to fall back in fear. Let us as the Lord that the gifts of his Spirit overcome our fears and uncertainties, out restless and impatient spirit, too, and that it may make us joyous witnesses of God and his love,” reports Romans 8.14-15. If we take human perfection in its widest sense to mean an ideal that satisfies human’s deepest needs or fulfills their true being, we can the outcome of present faith in God and a preparation for a future vision of the Lord face to face. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6