THE COMPLETE WORKS
OF

Saint Alphonsus

de

Liguori,

Doctor of the Church,

Bishop of Saint Agatha and Founder of the Congregation of the Most
Holy Redeemer.
TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN.
EDITED BY

GHIM ILÆ,

Priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

THE ASCETICAL WORKS.
Volume I.

Preparation

for

Death;

OR,
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE ETERNAL TRUTHS,
Useful

for all as

Meditations

and

Serviceable to Priests for Sermons.

{MAXIMS OF ETERNITY.—RULE OF LIFE.)

THE COMPLETE ASCETICAL WORKS
_

.

OF

ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI.
Each book is complete in itself, and any volume will bo sold separately.

Volume I. Preparation for Death ; or, Considerations on tho
Eternal Truths. Maxims of Eternity—Rule of Life.
“
II. Way of Salvation and of Perfection : Meditations.
Pious Reflections. Spiritual Treatises.
“ III. Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection:
Prayer. Mental Prayer. The Exercises of a Re­
treat. Choice of a State of Life, and the Vocation
to the Religious State and to the Priesthood.
** IV. The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus
Christ; or, The Mysteries of Faith.
**
V. The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ.
* VI. The Holy Eucharist. The Sacrifice, the Sacrament,
and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. Practice of
Love of Jesus Christ. Novena to the Holy Ghost.
*" VIL, VIII. Glories of Mary: i. Explanation of the Salve
Regina, or, Hail, Holy Queen. Discourses on th*
Feasts of Mary. 2. Her Dolors. Her Virtues. Prac­
tices. Examples. Answers to Critics.—Devotion to the
Holy Angels. Devotion to St. Joseph. Novena to St.
Teresa. Novena for the Repose of the Souls in Pur­
gatory.
IX. Victories of the Martyrs ; or, the Lives of the Most
Celebrated Martyrs of the Church.
··
X., XI. The True Spouse of Jesus Christ : I. The first
sixteen Chapters. 2. The last eight Chapters. Appen­
dix and various small Works. Spiritual Letters.
*· XII. Dignity and Duties of the Priest ; or, Selva a
collection of Material for Ecclesiastical Retreats.
Rule of Life and Spiritual Rules.
** XIII. The Holy Mass : Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Ceremo­
nies of the Mass. Preparation and Thanksgiving.
The Mass and the Office that are hurriedly said.
** XIV. The Divine Office. Explanation of the Psalms and
Canticles.
·* XV. Preaching : The Exercises of the Missions. Various
Counsels. Instructions on the Commandments and
Sacraments.
** XVI. Sermons for Sundays.
XVII. Miscellany. Historical Sketch of the Congregation
of the Most Holy Redeemer. Rules and Constitutions
of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. In­
structions about the Religious State. Lives of two
Fathers and of a Lay Brother, C.SS. R. Discourses on
Calamities. Reflections useful for Bishops. Rules
for Seminaries.
♦’XVIII-XXI. Letters. 4 vols.
4· XXII. Letters and General Alphabetical Index.

PREPARATION FOR DEATH
OR,

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE ETERNAL TRUTHS,
(Maxims of Eternity—Rule of Life.)

BY

St. ALPHONSUS

de LIGUORI,

Doctor of the Church

EDITED BY

REV. EUGENE GRIMM,
Priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

REDEMPTORIST FATHERS
BROOKLYN
ST. LOUIS

TORONTO

Niljil iibstat.
Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D.,
Censor Librorum.

imprimatur.
t Patritius Cardinalis Hayes,
Archiepiscopus Neo-Eboracensis
Neo-Eboraci

Die 16 Julii, 1926

APPROBATION.

By virtue of the authority granted to me by the Most Rev.
Patrick Murray, Superior-General of the Congregation of the
Most Holy Redeemer, I hereby sanction the publication of the
book entitled PREPARATION FOR DEATH, or Considerations
on the Eternal Truths, which is Volume I. of the complete edi­
tion of the Works of St. Alphonsus de Liguori.
James Barron, C.SS.R.,
Provincial
Brooklyn, N. Y., July 15th, 1926.

Copyright by

VERY REV. JAMES BARRON, C.SS.R.

1926

PREFACE
TG

THE CENTENARY EDITION
OF

THE WORKS OF ST. ALPHONSUS.

The present volume is the first of a new and only
complete edition in English of the ascetical and dog­
matical works of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori. The
works of the Saint, relating to Moral Theology and
written by him in Latin, will remain untranslated. In
regard to the arrangement of matter, this English edition
is based on the French translation, from the Italian, pub­
lished in twenty-seven volumes, of Fathers Leopold
Dujardin and Jules Jacques, of the Congregation of the
Most Holy Redeemer. It will contain many of the ex­
planatory notes with which their translation is enriched.
These notes will enable the reader to understand more
fully the writings of the holy Doctor. It was usual with
the saintly author to insert in his works Latin Scripture
texts and Latin quotations from the Fathers. This
method, which has been adopted in the published Ger­
man and French translations, is also followed in this
new English edition. The Latin texts will, however, be
given as foot-notes. The sacred poetry composed by
Saint Alphonsus will be found interspersed through the
different volumes of the ascetical works. The editor

4

Preface to the Centenary Edition

has availed himself of lhe few works already translated
into English by the late Bishop Coffin, C.SS.R., and
by others. But whatever he has used he has thoroughly
revised and made to conform to the general plan
of the present publication. Besides the table of con­
tents, each volume will contain an alphabetical index.
This new and complete edition bears the name of “The
Centenary Edition,” in commemoration of the one-hun­
dredth anniversary of the death of Saint Alphonsus,
occurring in the year 18S7.
In regard to the value and merits of the writings of
Saint Alphonsus, the editor believes that it will prove
interesting to insert here the sanctions and approbations
conferred upon them by the sovereign Pontiffs.
The learned Pope Benedict XIV. approved very
highly of the writings of the Saint, and in a letter ad­
dressed to him in regard to his Moral Theology, ex­
pressed the belief that his work would prove most
welcome and useful to the whole Christian world.
Clement XIV. entertained the highest esteem for the
Saint. This was the Pope at whose death Saint Alphonsus
assisted in so wonderful a manner.
Pius VII. wished to possess as relics lhe three fingers
of the right hand with which the Saint had written his
works and defended the honor of God, of the Blessed
Virgin, and of our holy religion. He also confirmed the
judgment pronounced, May 3, 1803, by the Sacred Con­
gregation of Rites, that in the printed as well as un­
printed works of Saint Alphonsus there is nothing that
deserves censure. A second decree of the same Congretion, of the year 1815, met also with his approbation. In
this decree we read these words: “The omnipotent word
of God that calls the stars that they should shine in the
firmament of the Church militant, has also called his
Venerable Servant Alphonsus Liguori that he should
shine by the light of apostolic virtues. He was obedient

0f the Works of St. A Iphonsus.
to the call, and like the sun that sends its rays every­
where, he has sent forth rays of virtues, worthy of an
apostle, when he contemned the honors of the world or
showed by his voice and his writings, the road of justice
to those who were wandering about in the dark night of
this world, that they might be able to pass from the
power of darkness into the light and the kingdom of
God; or when he gave the best rules to his disciples whom
he called members of the Congregation of the Most IIolv
Redeemer; or when, as Bishop, he united fortitude to
meekness, and adorned his crown with the ornaments of
the other virtues like so many heavenly jewels. To ad­
judge to so great and illustrious a man the honor of the
saints, may be regarded in these days a joyful event for
the Church, because the faithful may learn therefrom that
though the times and years do indeed change and pass
away, yet the Church of Christ cannot change nor perish ;
that the spirit of our holy Fathers has not become
extinct; and that the Spouse of Christ never grows old.
but amid the perishableness and changeableness of the
years is ever blooming in continual youth and beauty.
Thence, all those who have the care of souls, and all
those who preach the word of God, may learn how very
much of that which is noble and salutary in Alphonsus
Mary de Liguori they may imitate.”
The finest eulogy of Saint Alphonsus was, however,
pronounced by Pius VII. in his Bull of Beatification.
September 6, 1816. He says : “ Alphonsus was in God’s
hands a sharp arrow, which, discharged against vice,
strikes now in one place, now in another, in order to
promote the honor of God and the salvation of souls. As
a sharp arrow, heated by the fire of love, he has wounded
the hearts of not a few priests, and so inflamed them that
they also left all things and followed their Redeemer.
Thus he established the Congregation of the Most IIol\
Redeemer, whose priests have the special duty to preach

6

Preface to the Centenary Petition

to the people living scattered in the country. One cannot
wonder enough how many enmities he has removed,
how many wandering sinners he has led back to
the right road and to Christian perfection, by word and
example, and by his numerous writings. Besides, he
was so devoted a client of the Mother of God, that
it was always a pleasure to him to praise this sub­
lime Mother and Virgin, and to write about her glories
books filled with holy learning. (This is beautiful praise
of his book The Glories of Mary.) Bowed down physi­
cally by age, labor, and very grievous illness, yet mentally
strong and ardent, he never ceased to speak and to write
about heavenly things till his ninetieth year, when full of
joy, he died a saintly death.”
Pope Leo XII., in a Brief dated February 19, 1825,
addressed to Signor Marietti of Turin, approving of his
complete edition of the works of Saint Alphonsus, classes
the saint among the number of pious and learned writers
raised up by Divine Providence to stem the torrent of
bad publications which at that time was rushing down
on society, and says of him, “that he is pre-eminent for
a most tender piety and devotion, and for a singular
zeal with which in his writings he urges the fréquenta­
tion of the Sacraments, and inculcates the love of Jesus
Christ, and confidence in His merits and mercy, together
with devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, and
to the saints, which are indeed the surest bulwarks
against every kind of demoralization.” And of Signor
Marietti himself His Holiness says, “ that in collecting
and publishing the works of such a writer he had de­
served well, not only of religion, but, if it did but know
its own real good, of society in general.”
Pope Pius VIII., when as Cardinal Castiglione he held
the office of Pœnttentiarius Major, exhibited on different
occasions his great affection for Saint Alphonsus. For
example, he congratulates the Bishop of Marseilles

of the Works of St. y? tphonsus.

7

because he promoted among the faithful a veneration
for the Saint, “ who not only in our day has adorned the
august episcopate with the lustre of his virtues, but has
made it resplendent by a doctrine that is sound and ac­
cording to God (sana ac secundum Deum), and who has
written so many books in which, according to the laud­
able judgment (of the Holy See), nothing is contained
worthy of censure.” In another letter he expresses his
joy that the veneration of Saint Alphonsus is extending
more and more every day. For “Saint Liguori was
conspicuous by the light of all the virtues that can be
imitated by the clergy, and his writings are a pure
fountain (fons purus), from which one may draw sacred
science without endangering the piety of faith, as Saint
Jerome expresses himself.”
Gregory XVI., of holy memory, loved to praise the
profound learning and eminent sanctity of Saint Alphon­
sus. He placed his name in the ecclesiastical calendar,
and extended his Mass and office to the universal Church.
“He is resplendent,” said the great Pope, “even among
the brilliant lights that adorn the Catholic Church. It
was under Pope Gregory XVI. that the decision was
given by the Sacra Pœnitentiaria that, according to the
words, Nihil censura dignum repertum est—there is nothing
found worthy of censure,—the opinions of Saint Alphon­
sus may be followed in the pulpit as well as in the con­
fessional, even if one has not maturely examined the
reasons upon which the opinions are founded, provided
only that one does not regard it as a reproach to those
who follow the opinions of other approved authors. This
decision induced the Cardinal Archbishop of Besançon,
Rohan-Chabot, earnestly to exhort his clergy to adhere
to the practice of Saint Alphonsus, in order that uniform­
ity might be attained.
Pope Pius IX., in a letter to the Rev. Father Ungues,
of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, dated

8

Preface to the Centenary Edition

November 25, 1846, is pleased to express his joy and
consolation on hearing that the German edition of the
works of Saint Alphonsus had met with so great success,
“at a moment, too, when by the insidious devices of the
enemies of religion so many pestilential books are in cir­
culation on every side, to corrupt and deprave the minds
and morals especially of those not on their guard against
them.” “Wherefore,” His Holiness continues, “we
greatly commend your pious undertaking, and we en­
courage you to continue with still greater diligence in
endeavoring to spread the most wholesome writings of
Saint Alphonsus every day more and more. To read
them cannot but be of the greatest advantage, not only
to Christians in general, but also to ecclesiastics, and to
those especially who have the care and the direction of
souls. For the works of that most holyand most learned
man, written with an extraordinary tenderness of piety
and devotion, breathe in every page a special love for
Jesus Christ, and confidence in His merits and mercy;
they inspire the highest devotion to the Virgin Mother
of God and to the saints ; they inflame men’s hearts with
the desire of frequenting the most holy Sacraments, and
furnish a most copious supply of excellent admonitions,
counsels, and injunctions for procuring and carrying on
the work of the salvation of souls.”
It was Pope Pius IX. who graciously responded to
the petition of many Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops,
Bishops, and other dignitaries, by declaring Saint Al­
phonsus a Doctor of the Church—a distinction that
had not been conferred on any ecclesiastical writer or
theologian for six centuries. The following is a transla­
tion of the decree which placed the name of Saint Al­
phonsus in the category of the Doctors of the Church:
“Among those who have done and taught, and whom our
Lord Jesus Christ has declared should be great in the kingdom
of heaven, is rightly counted Saint Alphonsus Maria di Liguori,

of the Works of St. AIphonsus.

9

Founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, and
Bishop of Saint Agatha of the Goths. He shone as a watch-light
on its tower, giving examples of all virtues to those who follow
Christ and are of the household of God. Already, because of
the brightness of his light, he has been reckoned among the
Saints, the domestics of God. But what he reduced to practice
in his holy life, he taught also in word and by writing. He
stands distinguished for exposing and destroying the lurkingplaces of unbelievers and Jansenists, so widely spread about.
And, over and beyond this, he has cleared up questions that
were clouded; he has solved what was doubtful, making a safe
path, through which the directors of Christian souls may tread
with foot unhurt, between the involved opinions of theologians,
whether too loose or too rigorous.
“ And besides this, he has signally cast light on the doctrines
of the Immaculate Conception, and of the Infallibility of the
Sovereign Pontiff teaching ex cathedrâ; and he strenuously
taught these doctrines, which in our day have been defined as
of faith.
“ He has, finally, made clear dark passages of the Holy Scrip­
tures, both in his ascetic writings, which are freighted with a
celestial odor, and in a most salutary commentary, in which, for
the nourishment of piety and the instruction of the soul, he has
given expositions of the Psalms, as well as of the hymns re­
cited in the Divine Office, for the benefit especially of those
obliged to its recitation.
“Pius VII., of holy memory, was greatly moved by the ex­
ceeding wisdom of Alphonsus, and spoke in his praise as fol­
lows : ‘ In the dark night of the world, he has shown by his voice
and his writings the road of justice to the wandering, by which
they may pass from the power of darkness to the light and
kingdom of God.’
" Nor were less remarkable words used by Pope Gregory XVI.,
of holy memory, when he raised, by decretal letters, Saint Alphon­
sus to the honors of canonization. Pope Gregory XVI. s..i<l that
there were in the writings of the Blessed Alphonsus *a wonder­
ful force, an abundance and variety of doctrine.’ But in our
days the ‘nations declare his wisdom, and the Church shows
forth his praise.’ So that very many cardinals of the Holy Ro­
man Church, almost all the prelates of the whole Catholic uni­

io

Preface to the Centenary Edition

verse, the generals of religious orders, the theological faculties
of the most celebrated universities, illustriouschaptcrs of canons
and learned men of every ecclesiastical body, have presented pe­
titions to our Holy Father Pius IX., Supreme Pontiff, in which
they express their common desires that Saint Alphonsus Maria
di Liguori may be adorned with the title and the honors of
Doctor of the Church. His Holiness, graciously accepting these
pr iyers, committed to the Congregation of Rites, according to
custom in matters of this kind, the examining of so very grave
a question. Consequently, in ordinary meetings held at the
Vatican on the day below mentioned, hearing the Most Emi­
nent and Reverend Cardinal Constantine Patrizi, Dean of the
Sacred College, Prefect of the said Congregation, and reporter
of the Cause; full attention having been given to the animadver­
sions of the Rev. Father D. Peter Minetti, Promoter of the
Holy Faith, with the answers of the Promoter of the Cause;
and also the opinions of the theologians not engaged in the
Cause {pro veritate}', and finally, all relating to the matter on
the one side and the other having been most severely weighed,
the Most Eminent and the Most Reverend Cardinals of the
Sacred Congregation of Rites have judged by unanimous con­
sent that it should be answered :
“To give counsel to His Holiness in favor of the granting, or
declaration, and extension to the whole Church, of the title of
Doctor, in honor of Saint Alphonsus Maria di Liguori, with
special Office and Mass, the Credo; the antiphon O Doctor at the
Magnificat of the First and Second Vespers; the Sapientiam
(from the Common of Doctors) for the lessons of the First Noc­
turn; and the In medio Ecclesice, for the Responsory of the Eighth
Lesson. Dated March 2, 1871.
“ Afterwards, a faithful account having been made of all and
singular of the above, to our Most Holy Lord Pope Pius IX., by
the undersigned Secretary of the said Congregation, His Holi­
ness approved and confirmed the rescript, and of his supreme
authority ordered that a General Decree, urbis et orbis, should
be sent forth, on the twenty-third day of the same month and
year.
“ Constantine, Card. Patrizi,
“ Bishop of Ostia and Villetri, Prefect of the Sacred Congrega­
tion of Bites.
[L. S.]
“D. B A RTO LINI, Secretary of S. C. /1.”

of the Works of St. A Iphonsus.

11

The editor wishes to add one more testimony in regard
to the value and the merits of the works of Saint Alphon­
sus. In a letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII. ad­
dressed to Fathers Dujardin and Jules Jacques, priests of
the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, we read
as follows:
“Beloved Sons: Health and Apostolic Benediction:
“Although the writings of the holy Doctor Alphonsus
Maria de Liguori have already been spread throughout
the world, not without very great profit to the Christian
religion, yet it is desirable that they be propagated more
and more, and be found in the hands of all. For he
very well knew how to adapt Catholic truths to the com­
prehension of all, to provide for the moral direction *of
souls, to excite in a wonderful way true piety in the
hearts of all, and ‘to show to those who wander in the
dark night of the world the road by which they may
pass from the power of darkness to the light and to the
kingdom of God’ (Decree of December 21, 1815). And
assuredly he has protected by the most solid reasons
divine revelation against the attacks of thq Deists; he
has defended with zeal the truths of our faith; he has
very efficaciously maintained the Immaculate Concep­
tion of the Mother of God; he has fought very energeti­
cally in behalf of the primacy and infallible authority
of the Roman Pontiff; with as much learning as piety
he has thrown light upon the designs of Divine Provi­
dence in the work of saving man through Jesus Christ;
he has written commentaries on the Psalms and Canti­
cles in a manner best adapted to nourish the pietv of the
clergy; he has shown the glory of the Church in the
victories of the martyrs; in a history of heresies and a
dogmatical work he has vigorously refuted all heresies,
but has chiefly overthrown Jansenism and Febronianism, the errors of which had already spread, carrying
with them the germs of so many monstrous opinions that

r2

Preface to the Centenary Edition

to-day shake the foundations of religious and civil so­
ciety, and which he himself attacked with such perspi­
cacity that most of the propositions condemned in the
Syllabus a century after are expressly refuted by his
writings. ‘One might even truly say that there is no
error in our time that has not been refuted, at least for
the greater part, by Saint Alphonsus ’ (Apostolic Brief,
July 7, 1871). And without speaking of the Moral The­
ology, which is everywhere held in the highest esteem,
and which offers to directors of souls a perfectly sure
rule of conduct, be has by means of numerous learned
ascetical works enkindled, as it were, by burning coals,
nourished and augmented languishing love principally
toward our Lord Jesus Christ and His sweetest Mother,
for whom, to the great advantage of the people, he
knew how to inflame the coldest hearts. And, ‘what is
above all worthy of remark, though he wrote so many
things, it must be acknowledged that, after an attentive
examination, these writings may be read by the faithful
without the least danger to their faith ’ (Bull of May 26,
1839, n. 7). We therefore congratulate you, Beloved
Sons, that you have translated into French all the dog­
matical and ascetical writings that are published, either
in Latin or in Italian, by your very holy and very learned
Father; first, because the French language, being known
nearly to all peoples, can extend more the fruits of the
works of the eminent Doctor; and, secondly, because it
is to you in preference to others that has been intrusted
this difficult task,—you, who otherwise should have writ­
ten about the character, the learning, and the holiness of
these same writings, and who, as sons, could more easily and
more perfectly acquire the spirit of your Father. More­
over, we congratulate ourselves because of your under­
taking in this, that the holy author often glories in his
writings that he has followed the doctrine of the Angel
of the schools. Such deference of the new Doctor of

°f the Worhs of St. Atphonsus.
the Church in regard to the latter is a new eulogy and a
new glory of the doctrine of St. Thomas. Hence fol­
lows a recommendation of great weight in favor of the
restoration of Christian philosophy, which, by our recent
encyclical letter, we have so strenuously urged that it
should be carried into effect according to the spirit of the
angelic Doctor. We therefore bespeak for this new
publication of the works of Saint Alphonsus a very
great success, corresponding to our and your desires; and
in this expectation as an omen of celestial favor, we grant
most affectionately, Beloved Sons, to you and to the
whole Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the
Apostolic Benediction as a mark of our paternal benevo­
lence.
“Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, August 8th, 1879, the
second year of our Pontificate.
“ Leo XIII., Pope.”

CONTENTS.
PAGE

Approbation .............................................................................................
Preface to the Centenary Edition.............................................
Dedication to the Blessed Virgin ..............................................
The Author’s Protestation.............................................................
Aim of the Work...................................................................................

2
3
21
22
23

PREPARATION FOR DEATH.
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE ETERNAL TRUTHS.
CONSID.

I. Portrait of a Man who has recently gone into the
Other World............................................................ 27
The body on the death bed, 27. The body in the grave,
30. Let us labor to save our souls, 32.
II. With Death All Ends.............................................................. 35
Death deprives us of everything, 35. Glory and power
on the death-bed, 37. Let us hasten to give ourselves
to God, 40.
III. Shortness of Life........................................................................ 43
Death comes quickly, 43. The lighted candle at death,
45. · Importance of the last moment, 48.
IV. The Certainty of Death........................................................ 51
All must die, 51. Every moment we approach death, 54,
We should think continually of death, 56.
V. Uncertainty of the Hour of Death .............................. 59
The moment is fixed, but it is unknown, 59. We should
make up our accounts, 62. We must always be ready,
65.
VI. The Death of the Sinner...................................................... 68
The sinner will seek God at death, but he will not find
him, 68. Anguish of the dying sinner, 70. We must
seek God when we can find him, 73.
VII. Sentiments of a Dying Christian, who has been
Careless about the Duties of Religion, and
has Thought but Little of Death..........
78
Sad state of the worldling at death, 78. Desire of the

16
CONSID.

VIII.

IX.

X.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

XV.

XVI.

Contents.
PAGE

worldling at death, 81. Tardy regrets of a dying per­
son, 84.
The Death of the Just......................................................... 87
The death of the just is a rest, 87. The death of the just
is a victory, 90. The death of the just is the entrance
to life, 94.
Peace of the Just at the Hour of Death................. 98
The just have nothing to fear at the hour of death, 98.
The just die in a sweet peace, 101. The just in dying
have a foretaste of celestial joy, 104.
Means of Preparing for Death......................................... 10S
Not to wait till the last moment, 108.
Put our con­
science in a good state, and regulate our lives, in.
We must detach ourselves from the world, 113.
Value of Time............................................................................. 117
Time is a treasure of the earth, 117. Neglect of time,
119. We must profit by the time, 122.
The Importance of Salvation............................................. 126
Salvation is our own most important affair, 126. Salva­
tion is our only affair, 128. Failure in saving our
soul is an irremediable evil, 131.
The Vanity of the World.................................................... 135
The goods of this world are useless, 135. The goods
of this world are contemptible, 137. We must work
for heaven, 141.
Life is a Journey to Eternity........................................... 144
Man is a traveller on earth, 144. Man can secure eter­
nal happiness, 146. Man shall go into the house of
eternity, 148.
The Malice of Mortal Sin................................................... 152
The sinner insults God, 152. The sinner dishonors
God, 156. The sinner afflicts God, 158.
The Mercy of God................................................................... 162
God waits for the sinner, 162. God calls the sinner,
165. God receives the sinner with kindness, 168.

XVII. Abuse of Divine Mercy........................................................ 171
God is merciful, but he is also just, 171. The sinner
abandoned by God, 175. Unfortunate is he who
allows the time of mercy to pass by, 178.
XVIII. The Number of Sins............................................................. 1S2
The measure is determined for each one, 182. The

Contents.

17
PAGE

CONSID.

measure is not the same for all, 185. We must al­
ways fear, 189.
XIX. The State of Grace and of Disgrace with God. 193
Dignity to which the grace of God raises us, 193. Ad­
vantages that the grace of God procures for us, 196.
Enmity with God, 19S.
XX. The Folly of the Sinner.............................................. 202
The large number of fools, 202. Great folly, 204.
True wisdom, 208.
XXI. Unhappy Life of the Sinner; and Happy Life of
HIM WHO LOVES GOD........................................

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.

XXVI.

XXVII.

XXVIII.

XXIX.

.................211

The world cannot make us happy, 211. Interior tor­
ments of the sinner, 214. Happiness of the just
on earth, 217.
The Habit of Sin............................................................... 221
The habit of sin blinds the soul, 221. The habit of
sin hardens the heart, 225. The habit of sin leads
to final impenitence, 227.
The Delusions which the Devil puts into the
Minds of Sinners........................................................ 232
I will go to confession.—I cannot resist, 232. God
is merciful, 235. I am young.—Perhaps, 237.
The Particular Judgment.............................................. 241
The guilty soul before its judge, 241. Nothing will
remain hidden, 244. The sentence, 247.
The General Judgment.................................................... 251
The general resurrection, 251. The valley of Josaphat, 254. The eternal sentence, 25S.
The Pains of Heli.............................................................. 262
The pain of sense, 262. The fire of hell, 266. The
pain of loss, 269.
The Eternity of Heli...................................................... 273
Hell is eternal, 273. The weight of eternity, 275.
Eternity is unchangeable, 279.
The Remorse of the Damned........................................ 283
The little for which the damned are lost, 2S3. The
little that was required for their salvation, 285.
The great good that the damned have lost, 287.
Heaven..................................................................................... 290
Entrance of a soul into Paradise, 290. Happiness
of Heaven, 294. Heaven is eternal, 297.

Contents.
CONSID.

PACK

XXX. Prayer..................................................................................... SOI
Efficacy of prayer, 301. Necessity of prayer, 304.
Conditions of prayer, 307.
Perseverance........................................................................
Necessity of perseverance.—Means of defence
against the devil, 311. We must conquer the
world, 315. We must struggle against the flesh.
Recapitulation, 319.
XXXII. Confidence in the Patronage of Mary.................. 326
Power of Mary, 326. Mercy of Mary, 330. Charity
of Mary, 334.
XXXIII. The Love of God................................................................ 33s
Love and goodness shown by God to man, 338.
God has given himself to us, 341.
Love that
Jesus Christ has shown in his Passion.
XXXIV. Holy Communion......................................................
348
The Eucharist is a precious gift, 348. The Eucharist
is a gift of love, 351. How much Jesus Christ de­
sires to unite himself to us, 355.
XXXV. Dwelling of Jesus on Our Altars..........................
36I
Jesus makes himself accessible to every one, 361.
Jesus gives audience to all at all times, 365. Jesus
only wishes to bestow his graces, 368.
XXXVI. The Conformity to the Will of God..................... 372
Excellence of this virtue, 372. In what we should
conform to God’s will, 375. Happiness derived
from conformity to God’s will, 378.

Plan

for a

Retreat of Eight Days............................................. 383

Hymn: The Soul Enamoured of the Beauty of God........................ 384
MAXIMS OF ETERNITY;
or,
MEDITATIONS FOR EVERY DAY IN THE I VEER'.

Sunday........ . .The End of Man........................................... ................. 387
Monday----- ...The Importance of Our Last End............ .............. 389
Tuesday. .. ..Mortal Sin....................................
.............. ano
Wednesday . . . Death.............................................
...............
Thursday .. .. Judgment.......................................
...............
Friday.......... ..Hell.....................................................
............. jyy
Saturday.. . .The Eternity of the Pains of Hell............ .................. 401
Hymn: The Soul Sighing for Heaven.................................
..404

Contents.
A CHRISTIAN’S RULE OF LIFE.
PACK

Chap.

i.—the Means of Preserving the Grace of God. 407
I. To flee from the occasions of sin, 408. 2.
Mental prayer, 409. 3. The fréquentation of
the sacraments, 411. 4. To hear Mass, 412.
5. The visits to the Most Holy Sacrament of
the Blessed Virgin, 412. 6. Prayer, 413.
Chap. IL—Acts and Practices of Piety.................................. 414
Acts and different prayers on rising in the morn­
ing and during the day, 414. Method of mak­
ing mental prayer, 415. Acts to be made by
way of preparation and thanksgiving, both for
confession and communion, 418. Method of
hearing Mass, 424. Acts to be made in visiting
the Most Holy Sacrament and the divine Mother,
425. Acts to be made in the evening before go­
ing to bed, 427. Devout prayers to Jesus and
Mary to obtain the graces necessary to salvation,
428.
Chap. III.—The Practice of the Christian Virtues.......... 435
The practice of humility, 435. The practice of
mortification, 438. The practice of charity to­
wards cur neighbor, 441. The practice of pa­
tience, 444. The practice of conformity to the
will of God, 450. The practice of purity of in­
tention, 453. Rules for avoiding tepidity, 454.
The practice of devotion to the Great Mother
of God, 456. The practice of certain means by
which we may acquire the love of Jesus Christ,
458.
Admonitions to Persons of all States who desire to be
saved......................................................................................................... 460
Protestation for aHappy Death.................................
464
Hymn: Mary our Hope...............................................................................467
Index.......................................................................................................... 469

It was towards the year 1758, at the age of sixty-two, after
more than thirty years of apostolic labor, that St. Alphonsus
published this excellent work, which has converted and sancti­
fied so many souls.
In the order of the ascetical works the Preparation for
Death is put, not without reason, in the first place. It is death
that predominates in some way over our life on earth ; it should
also predominate over our thoughts and our whole conduct.
Man, the Christian, begins to live well only when he prepares
himself to die well. This method is precisely that which is
followed in the exercises of spiritual retreats and of the missions
during which we begin to meditate on the Last Things of man,
in order to enter at first what we call the Purgative Way. This
is also the order that our Author has followed in the Considera­
tions that compose the present work.—Ed.

£o XHéirn immaculate
AND

Hber Virgin,
TO HER WHO IS FULL OF GRACE, AND BLESSED AMONG ALL THE
CHILDREN OF ADAM:

TO THE DOVE, THE TURTLE, THE BELOVED OF GOD:
HONOR OF THE HUMAN RACE, DELIGHT OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY­

HOUSE OF LOVE, EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY:

MIRROR OF ALL VIRTUES:

MOTHER OF FAIR LOVE, MOTHER OF HOLY HOPE, AND MOTHER OF
MERCY:

ADVOCATE ΟΓ THE MISERABLE, DEFENCE OF THE WEAK, LIGHT OF

THE BLIND, PHYSICIAN OF THE SICK:
GATE OF HEAVEN:

ANCHOR OF CONFIDENCE, CITY OF REFUGE, ARK OF LIFE, RAINBOW

OF PEACE, HAVEN OF SALVATION:
STAR OF THE SEA, AND SEA OF SWEETNESS:
ADVOCATE OF SINNERS, HOPE OF THOSE WHO ARE IN DESPAIR, HELP

OF THE ABANDONED:
COMFORTER OF THE AFFLICTED, CONSOLATION OF THE DYING, AND
JOY OF THE WORLD:

HER

AFFECTIONATE

AND

LOVING, THOUGH VILE AND UNWORTHY

SERVANT, HUMBLY DEDICATES THIS WORK,

THE AUTHOR’S PROTEST.
In obedience to the decrees of Urban VIII., I declare
that I have no intention of attributing any other than a
purely human authority to the miracles, revelations, fa­
vors, and particular cases recorded in this book; and the
same as regards the titles of Saints and Blessed, applied
to servants of God not yet canonized, except in those
cases which have been confirmed by the Holy Roman
Catholic Church and the/Vpostolic See, of which I declare
myself to be an obedient son; and therefore I submit
myself and all that I have written in this book to her
judgment.

0

AIM OF THE WORK.
(this should be

read.)

Some persons asked me to write a book on the Eternal
Maxims, for the use of those who desire to establish
themselves in virtue and to advance in a spiritual life
Others requested me to prepare a collection of matter
for the sermons of the missions and of the spiritual ex­
ercises. Not to multiply books, labor, and expense, I re­
solved to compose the work in the present form, with
the hope that it might answer both purposes. To render
it useful as a book of meditations for seculars, I have
divided the considerations into three points. Each point
will serve for one meditation, and therefore I have an­
nexed to each point affections and prayers. I entreat
my readers not to grow weary, if, in those prayers, they
always find petitions for the grace of perseverance and
of divine love. For us, these are the two graces most
necessary for the attainment of eternal salvation.
The grace of divine love is, according to St. Francis
de Sales, the grace which contains in itself all graces:
because the virtue of charity toward God brings with it
all other virtues. Now all good things come to me together
with herd He who loves God is humble, chaste, obedi­
ent, and mortified; in a word, he possesses all virtues.
“ Love,” says St. Augustine, “ and do what you wish.” 1
They* who love God labor to avoid whatever is offensive
to him, and seek to please him in all things.

■OHNM

1 “Venerunt autem mihi omnia bona pariter cum illa.”—Il'isd.
vii. ii.
1 Ama, et fac quod vis.

24

tAim of the Work,

The grace of perseverance is that grace b)r which we
obtain the eternal crown. St. Bernard says that Para­
dise is promised to those who begin a good life, but is
only given to those who persevere. “ To beginners a
reward is promised, but to him who perseveres it is
given.’ 1 Bnt this gift of perseverance is, as the Fathers
teach, given only to those who ask it. Hence St. Thomas
asserts that to enter heaven continual prayer is neces­
sary/ And our Redeemer said: We ought always to
pray* and not to faint,* It is because they do not pray
for the gift of perseverance that so many miserable
sinners, after having obtained pardon, lose again the
grace of God. Their sins are forgiven; but because they
afterward neglect to ask of God the grace of persever­
ance, particularly in the time of temptations, they relapse
into sin. And although the grace of final perseverance
is altogether gratuitous, and cannot be merited by good
works; still Suarez teaches that it can be infallibly ob­
tained by prayer: and according to St. Augustine, it may
be merited by humble supplication.1
234
1 his necessity of prayer I have demonstrated at length
in another little work, entitled The Great Means of Prayer.
This book, though small, has cost me a great deal of
labor. I consider it to be of extreme utility to ail sorts
of persons; and I unhesitatingly assert that, among all
spiritual treatises, there is none, and there can be none,
more necessary than that which treats on prayer as a
means of obtaining eternal salvation.
To render these considerations useful to preachers who
1 Inchoantibus præmium promittitur, sed perseverantibus datur.—
De modo bene viv. s 6.
2 “ Post baptismum autem, necessaria est homini jugis oratio, ad
hoc quod coelum introeat.”—P. 3, 9, 39, a. 5.
3 “Oportet semper orare et non deficere.”—Luke, xiii. r.
4 “ Hoc Dei donum suppliciter emereri potest.”—De Donopersev.
c. 6.

Aim of the Work.

25

have but few books or little time for reading, I have fur­
nished these considerations with texts of Scripture and
passages from the Fathers, which are short, but strong
and animated, as they ought to be in sermons. The
three points of each consideration will supply matter for
one sermon. I have endeavored to collect from many
authors the sentiments which appeared to me best
suited to move the will, and have inserted several of them
expressed briefly, that the reader may select and extend
at pleasure those that please him most. May all tend to
the glory of God !
I pray my reader to recommend me to Jesus Christ,
whether I am living or dead; and I promise to do the
same for all those who perform this act of charity toward
me. Live Jesus, our love, and Mary, our hope !

PREPARATION FOR DEATH;
OR,

Considerations on the Eternal Truths.
USEFUL TO ALL AS MEDITATIONS, AND SERVICEABLE TO
PRIESTS FOR SERMONS.

CONSIDERATION I.
portrait of a jJHan

ijo Ijas rcccntln gone into the
<£>tljer tüorlù.

“Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.”—Gen. iii. 19.

FIRST POINT.

The Body on the Death-bed.

Consider that you are dust, and that you shall return
to dust. A day will come when you shall die, and rot
in a grave, where worms shall be your covering) The
same lot awaits all, the nobleman and the peasant,
the prince and the vassal. The moment the soul leaves
the body, it shall go to eternity, and the body shall re­
turn to dust. Thou shalt send forth their breath, and they
shall fail and shall return to their dust)
Imagine that you behold a person who has just ex­
pired. Look at that body still laid on the bed, the head
(alien on the chest, the hair in disorder and still bathed
in the sweat of death, the eyes sunk, the cheeks hollow,
1 “Operimentum tuum erunt vermes.”—/sai. xiv. 11.
2 “ Auferes spiritum eorum, et deficient, et in pulverem suum rever­
tentur.”—Ps. ciii. 29.

28

Preparation for Death.

[CON. I.

the face the color of ashes, the lips and tongue like iron,
the body cold and heavy. The beholders grow pale and
tremble. How many, at the sight of a deceased relative
or friend, have changed their life and retired from the
world !
Still greater horror will be excited when the body
begins to putrefy. Twenty-four hours have not elapsed
since the death of that young man, and his body has al­
ready begun to exhale an offensive smell. The windows
must be opened; a great quantity of incense must be
used; and, to prevent the communication of disease to
the entire family, lie must soon be transferred to the
church, and buried in the earth. “If he has been one of
the rich or nobles of the earth, his body shall send forth
a more intolerable stench,”' says Saint Ambrose.
Behold the end of that proud, of that lewd and volup­
tuous man! Before death desired and sought after in
conversations, now become an object of horror and dis­
gust to all who behold him. His relatives are in haste
to remove him from the house; they hire men to shut
him up in a coffin, to carry him to the church-yard and
throw him into a grave. During life, the fame of his
wit, of his politeness, of the elegance of his manners, and
of his facetiousness, was spread abroad; but after death
he is soon forgotten. Their memory hath perished with a
noise?
On hearing the news of his death, some say, He was
an honor to his family; others say, He has provided
well for his children. Some regret his death because he
had done them some service during life; others rejoice
at it because it is an advantage to them. But in a little
time no one speaks of him. In the beginning, his near­
est relatives feel unwilling to hear his name, through
fear of renewing their grief. In the visits of condolence,
1 “Gravius fœtent divitum corpora.” In Hexamer. 1. 6, c. 8.
’ “ Periit memoria eorum cum sonitu.”—Ps. ix. 7-

Man after Death.

29

all arc careful to make no mention of the deceased; and
should any happen to speak of him, the relatives ex­
claim, For God’s sake, do not mention his name!
Consider that as you have acted on the occasion of
the death of friends and relatives, so others will act on
the occasion of your death. The living take part in the
scene. They occupy the possessions and offices of the
deceased; but the dead are no longer remembered—
their name is scarcely ever mentioned. In the beginning,
their relatives are afflicted for a short time; but they will
soon be consoled by the share of the property of the de­
ceased wlrch falls to them.
Thus in a short time your death will be rather a
source of joy; and in the very room in which you have
breathed forth your soul, and in which you have been
judged by Jesus Christ, others will dance, and eat, and
play, and laugh as before. And where will your soul
then be ?
Affections and Prayers.
O Jesus, my Redeemer! I thank Thee for not having taken
me out of life when 1 was Thy enemy. For how many years
have I deserved to he in hell! Had I died on such a day or
such a night, what should be my lot for all eternity? Lord, I
thank Thee; I accept my death in satisfaction for my sins, and
I accept it in the manner in which Thou shall be pleased to
send it. But since Thou hast borne with me until now, wait
for me a little longer. Suffer me, therefore, that I may lament
my sorrow a little!' Give me time to bewail, before Thou
judgest me, the offences I have offered to Thee. I will no
longer resist Thy calls. Who knows but the words which I
have just read may be the last call for me? I acknowledge that
I am unworthy of mercy. Thou hast so often pardoned me,
and I have ungratefully offended Thee again. A contrite and
humble heart, O God! Thou wilt not despised Since, O Lord,
1 “ Dimitte ergo me, ut plangam paululum dolorem meum. ’—Job
x. 20.
9 " Cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.”—Ps. 1. ic>

30

Preparation for Death,

[con. i.

Thou knowest not how to despise a contrite and humble heart,
behold the penitent traitor who has recourse to Thee. For Thy
mercy’s sake, cast me not away from Thy face. Thou hast
said : Him that cometh to me I will not cast out} It is true that
I have outraged Thee more than others, because I have been
favored more than others with Thy lights and graces. But the
blood Thou hast shed for me encourages me, and offers me
pardon if I repent. My Sovereign Good ! I am sorry with my
whole soul for having insulted Thee. Pardon me, and give me
grace to love Thee for the future. I have offended Thee suffi­
ciently. The remainder of my life I wish to spend, not in
offending Thee, but only in weeping unceasingly over the insults
I have offered to Thee, and in loving with my whole heart a
God worthy of infinite love. O Mary, my hope ! pray to Jesus
for me.
SECOND POINT.

The Body in the Grave.

But, Christian soul, that you may see more clearly
what you are, follow the advice of St. Chrysostom: “Go
to the grave; contemplate dust, ashes, worms; and sigh.”3
Behold how that corpse first turns yellow, and then black.
Afterwards, the entire body is covered with a white, disgusting mould; then comes forth a clammy, fetid slime,
which flows to the earth. In that putrid mass is gener­
ated a great multitude of worms, which feed on the flesh.
Rats come to feast on the body; some attack it on the
outside; others enter into the mouth and bowels. The
cheeks, the lips, and the hair fall off. The ribs are first
laid bare/ and then the arms and legs. The worms,
after having consumed all the flesh, devour one another;
and, in the end, nothing remains but a fetid skeleton,
which in the course of time falls to pieces; the bones
1 “ Eum qui venit ad me non ejiciam foras.”—John vi. 37.
* “ Perge ad sepulchrum, contemplare pulverem, cineres, vermes, et
• uspira.”—Ad Theod. paræn. 1.

Man after Death.

31

separate from one another and the head separates from
the body.
They became like the chaff of a summer J
threshing-floor, and they were carried away by the wind) Be­
hold what man is: he,is a little dust on the threshingfloor, which is blown away by the wind.
Behold a young nobleman, who was called the life and
soul of conversation: where is he now? Enter into his
apartment: he is no longer there. If you look for his
bed, his robes, or his armor, you will find that they have
passed into the hands of others. If you wish to see him,
turn to the grave, where he is changed into corruption
and withered bones. O God! that body, pampered with
so many delicacies, clothed with so much pomp, and at­
tended by so many servants, to what is it now reduced ?
0 ye saints! who knew how to mortify your bodies for
the love of that God whom alone you loved on this earth,
you well understood the end of all human greatness, of
all earthly delights; now your bones are honored as
sacred relics, and preserved in shrines of gold, and your
souls are happy in the enjoyment of God, expecting the
last day,-on which your bodies shall be made partners of
your glory, as they have been partakers of your cross in
this life. The true love for the body consists in treating
it here with rigor and contempt, that it may be happy
for eternity; and in refusing it all pleasures, which might
make it miserable forever.
Affections and Prayers.
Behold, then, O my God ! to what my body, by which I have
so much offended Thee, must be reduced ! to worms and rotten­
ness. This does not affl ct me; on the contrary, I rejoice that
this flesh of mine, which has made me lose Thee, my Sovereign
Good, will one day rot and be consumed. What grieves me is,
that, to indulge in these wretched pleasures, I have given so '
1 “ Redacta quasi in favillam æstivæ are®, quæ rapta sunt vento.”—
r'in. ii. 35.

32

Preparation for Death.

[con.i.

much displeasure to Thee. But I will not despair of Thy mercy.
Thou hast waited for me in order to pardon me. The Lord
waiteth, that He may have mercy on you.' Thou wilt forgive me
if I repent. 0 Infinite Goodness, I repent with my whole heart
of having despised Thee. I will Say with St. Catharine of
Genoa, “My Jesus, no more sins! no more sins!” I will no
longer abuse Thy patience. O my crucified Love, I will not
wait till the confessor places the crucifix in my hands at the hour
of death. From this moment I embrace Thee; from this mo­
ment I recommend my soul to Thee. Into Thy hands, 0 Lord,
I commend my spirit I My soul has been so many years in the
world, and has not loved Thee. Give me light and strength to
love Thee during the remainder of my life. I will not wait to
love Thee at the hour of death. From this moment I love
Thee; I embrace Thee, and unite myself to Thee; and I prom­
ise never more to depart from Thee. O most holy Virgin ! bind
me to Jesus Christ, and obtain for me the grace never to lose
him more.
0
THIRD POINT.

Let us Labor to Save our Souls.

>
My brother, in this picture of death behold yourself
and what you must one day become. “Remember that
dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” Con­
sider that in a few years, and perhaps in a few months
or days, you will become rottenness and worms. By
this thought Job became a saint. I have said to rotten­
ness : Thou art my father : to worms, my mother, and my
sister.1
*3
All must end; and if, after death, you lose your soul
all will be lost for you. Consider yourself already dead,
says St. Laurence Justinian, since you know that you
1 “ Expectat Deus, ut misereatur vestri.”—La. xxx. ι8.
8 “ In manus tuas. Domine,commendo spiritum meum.”—Ps. xxx. 6
3 “ Putredini dixi: Pater meus es;—Mater mea, et soror mea, ver"ns ”—fob, xvii. 14.

Man after Death.
must necessarily die.1 If you were already dead, what
would you not desire to have done ? Now that you have
life, reflect that you will one day be among the dead.
St. Bonaventure says, that, to guide the vessel safely,
the pilot must remain at the helm; and in like manner,
to lead a good life, a man should always imagine himself
at the hour of death. Says St. Bernard, “ Look to the
sins of your youth, and be covered with shame.”2 “Re­
member the sins of manhood and weep.”3 Look to the
present disorders of your life; tremble/ and hasten to
apply a remedy.
When St. Camillus de Lellis saw the graves of the
dead, he said within himself: If these return to life,
what would they not do for eternal glorv ? And what
do I do for my soul, who have time? This the saint
said through humility. But my brother, you, perhaps,
have reason to fear that you are the fruitless fig-tree of
which the Lord said: Behold, for these three years I
come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none/ λ ou
have been in this world for more than three years; what
fruit have you produced ? Remember, says St. Bernard,
that the Lord seeks not only flowers, but fruits; that is,
not only good desires and resolutions, but also holy works.
Learn then to profit of the time which God in his mercy
gives you: do not wait until you desire time to do good,
when time shall be no more. Do not wait till you are
told, Time shall be no longer; depart/' the time for
leaving this world has arrived; what is done, is done.
1 “ Considera te jam mortuum, quem scis de necessitate moriturum.
'—Lign. vit. de hum. c. 4.
2 Vide prima, et erubesce.
’ Vide media, et ingemisce.
4 “ Vide novissima, et contremisce.’’—De Divers, s. 12.
s “ Ecce anni tres sunt, ex quo venio quærens fructum in ficulnea
hac et non invenio.’’—Luke, xiii. 7.
6 “Tempus non erit amplius: proficiscere.”—Apoc. x. 6.

3

Preparation for Death.

34

[CON. I.

Affections and Prayers.

Behold me, O my God ! I am that tree which deserved for so
many years to hear trom Thee, Cut it down—why cumbereth it the
ground?' Yes; for so many years during which I have been in
the world, I have brought forth no other fruit than the briers and
thorns of sin. But, O Lord ! Thou dost not wish that I despair.
Thou hast said to all, that he who seeks Thee shall find Thee.
Seek and you shall find? I seek Thee, O my God ! and wish
for Thy grace. For all the offences I have offered to Thee I am
sorry with my whole heart; I would wish to die of sorrow for
them. Hitherto I have fled from Thee; but now I prefer Thy
friendship to the possession of all the kingdoms of the earth. I
will no longer resist Thy invitations. Dost Thou wish me to be
all Thine? I give Thee my whole being without reserve. Thou
gavest Thyself entirely to me on the Cross. I give myself en­
tirely* to Thee.
Thou hast said : Ifyou shall ask me anything in my name,that
I will do? My Jesus, trusting in this great promise, I ask, in Thy
name and through Thy merits, Thy grace and Thy love. Grant
that Thy grace and Thy holy love may abound in my soul, in
which sin has abounded. I thank Thee for having given me
grace to make this petition by inspiring the prayer, Thou
showest that Thou dost intend to hear it. Hear me, O my
Jesus; give me a great love for Thee; give me a great desire
to please Thee, and give me strength to do Thy will. O Mary,
my great advocate! do thou also listen to my cry, and pray to
Jesus for me.
9

3

“ Succide ergo illam: ut quid etiam terram occupat?"—Luke, xiii. 7.
“Quæriteet invenietis."—Matt. vii. 7.
“Si quid petieritis me in nomine meo, hoc faciam?'—John, xiv. 14.

* · ’ ■

Willi Death all Ends.

CONSIDERATION II.

tOitl) Dcat!) all Qsnbs.
“ An end is come, the end is come.”—Ezek. vii. 6.
FIRST POINT.

Death Deprives us of Everything.

By worldlings they only are esteemed happy who en­
joy the pleasures, the riches, and the pomps of this
world; but death puts an end to all these earthly goods.
For what is your life I It is a vapor which appeare th for a
little while.' The vapors exhaled from the earth, when
raised in the air and clothed with light by the sun, make
a splendid appearance; but how long does their splendor
last? It vanishes before the first blast of the wind. Be­
hold that nobleman: to-day he is courted, feared, and
almost adored; to-morrow he is dead, despised, reviled,
and trampled upon. At death we must leave all things.
The brother of that great servant of God, Thomas à
Kempis, took delight in speaking of a beautiful house
which he had built for himself: a friend told him that it
had one great defect. “ What is it ?” said he. “ It is.”
answered the other, “ that you have made a door in it.”
“What,” rejoined the brother of à Kempis, “ is a door a
defect?” “Yes,” answered the friend; “for through this
door you must be one day carried dead, and must leave
the house and all things.”
1 “ Quæ est vita vestra? vapor est ad modicum parens. —-James
iv. 15.

Preparation for Death.

[CON. II.

Death, in fine, strips man of all the goods of this
world. Oh, what a spectacle to behold a prince banished
from his palace, never more to return to it, and to see
others take possession of his furniture, of his money, and
of all his other goods ! The servants leave him in the
grave, with a garment scarcely sufficient to cover his
body. There is no longer any one to esteem or flatter
him, no longer any one to attend to his commands.
Saladin, who had acquired many kingdoms in Asia, gave
directions at death, that when his bod}’· should be carried
to the place of burial a person should go before, hold­
ing his winding-sheet suspended from a pole, and crying
aloud: “This is all that Saladin brings
o with him to the
grave.”
When the body of the prince is laid in the grave, bis
flesh drops off; and behold, his skeleton can no longer
be distinguished from others. “Contemplate,” St. Basil
says, “ the sepulchres of the dead, and see if you can
distinguish who has been a servant, and who has been a
master.”1 Diogenes was one day seen by Alexander the
Great seeking with great anxiety for something among
the bones of the dead. Alexander asked him what he
was in search of. “I am looking,” replied Diogenes,
“for the head of Philip your father. I am not able to
distinguish it: if you can find it, show it to me.” “ Men,”
says Seneca, “are born unequal; but after death all are
equal.” 2 And Horace says that death brings down the
sceptre to the level of the spade.’ In a word, when death
comes, the end conies; all ends, we leave all things; and of
all that we possess in this world, we bring nothing to the
grave.
1 “Contemplare sepulchra, vide utrum poteris discernere quis servus,
quis dominus fuerit.”—Horn. ii. E. 13.
2 Impares nascimur, pares morimur.—Ef>. 91.
3 Sceptra ligonibus æquat.

With Death alt Ends.

Ή

Affections and Prayers.

My Lord ! since Thou givest me light to know that whatever
the world esteems is smoke and folly, grant me strength to de­
tach my heart from earthly goods, before death separates me from
them. Miserable that I have been ! How often, for the miser­
able pleasures and goods of this earth, have I offended and lost
Thee, who art an infinite good! O my Jesus! my heavenly
physician, cast Thine eyes on my poor soul, look at the many
wounds which I have inflicted on it by my sins, and have pity
on me. If Thou wishest Thou canst make me clean.1 I know
that Thou art able and willing to heal me; but in order to heal
me, Thou wishest me to repent of the injuries which I have com­
mitted against Thee. I am sorry for them from the bottom of
my heart. Heal me, then, now that it is in Thy power to heal
me. Heal my sont for I have sinned against Thee.’1 I have
forgotten Thee ; but Thou hast not forgotten me ; and now
Thou makest me feel that Thou wilt even forget the injuries I
have done Thee, if I detest them. “ But if the wicked do pen­
ance ... I will not remember all his iniquities.”—Ezek. xviii.
2i. Behold, I detest my sins, I hate them above all things.
Forget, then, O my Redeemer, all the displeasures I have given
Thee. For the future I will lose all things, even life, rather
than forfeit Thy grace. And what can all the goods of this
earth profit me without Thy grace ?
Ah, assist me! Thou knowest my weakness. Hell will not
cease to tempt me: it already prepares a thousand attacks to
make me again its slave. No, my Jesus, do not abandon me.
I wish to be henceforth the slave of Thy love. Thou art my
only Lord ; Thou hast created and redeemed me; Thou hast
loved me more than all others; Thou alone hast merited my
love ; Thee alone do I wish to love.
SECOND POINT.

Glory and Power on the Death-bed.

At the hour of death, Philip II., King of Spain, called
his son, and throwing off his royal robe, uncovered his
1 “Si vis, potes me mundare.”—Malt. viii. 2.
2 “Sana animam meam, quia peccavi tibi.”—Ps. xl. 5.

38

Preparation for Death.

[CON. II.

breast, which had been eaten away by worms, and said
to him: “Prince, behold how we die ! see how all the
grandeur of this world ends !’’ Theodoret has truly said
that death fears not riches, nor satellites, nor sovereigns;
and that from princes as well as vassals rottenness and
corruption flow.'
Thus the dead, though they be princes, bring nothing
with them to the grave: all their glory remains on the
bed on which they expire. When he shall die, he shall take
nothing away, nor shall his glory descend with him?
St. Antonine relates, that after the death of Alexander
the Great a certain philosopher exclaimed: “Behold!
the man who yesterday trampled on the earth is now
buried in the earth. Yesterday the whole earth was not
sufficient for him, and now he is content with seven
palms. Yesterday he led his armies through the earth,
and now he is carried by a few porters to the grave.”
But it is better to listen to the words of God. Why,
says the Holy Ghost, is earth and ashes proud 13—O
man! do you not see that you are dust and ashes?
Why are you proud? Why do you spend so many
thoughts and so many years of life in seeking worldly
greatness? Death will come; and then all your great­
ness and all your projects will be at an end. In that day,
says David, all their thoughts shall perish?
Oh ! how much more happy was the death of St. Paul
the Hermit, who lived sixty years shut up in a cave, than
the death of Nero the Emperor of Rome! How much
more happy was the death of St. Felix, a Capuchin laybrother, than that of Henry the Eighth, who lived in the
1 Ncc divitias mors metuit, nec satellites, nec purpuram; putredo
sequitur, et sanies defluit.—De Prov. s. 6.
2 “ Cum interierit, non sumet omnia; neque descendet cum eo
gloria ejus.”—Ps. xlviii. 18.
3 “ Quid superbit terra et cinis?”—Ecclus. x. 9.
4 “ In illa die peribunt cogitationes eorum.”—Ps. cxlv. 4.

With Death alt Ends.

39

midst of royal magnificence, but at the same time at
enmity with God ! But we must remember that, to
secure a happy death, the saints have abandoned all
things; they have left their country; they have re­
nounced the delights and the hopes which the world held
out to them, and have embraced a life of poverty and
contempt. But how can worldlings, living in the midst
of sins, in the midst of earthly pleasures and dangerous
occasions, expect a happy death? God warns sinners
that at death they shall seek and shall not find him.1 He
tells us that the hour of death shall be the time, not of
mercy, but of vengeance.2 I will repay them in due time.
Reason tells us the same; for, at death, men of the world
shall find their understanding weak and darkened, and
their heart hardened by the bad habits which they have
contracted. Their temptations will then be more violent;
how can the}’ resist at death who were almost always
accustomed to yield to temptations during life, and to
be conquered by them ? To change their heart a most
powerful grace would be then necessary. But is God
obliged to give them such a grace? Have they merited
such a grace by the scandalous and disorderly life which
they have \ed ? And on that last hour depends their
happiness or misery for eternity. How is it possible that
he who reflects on this, and believes the truths of faith,
does not leave all to give himself to God, who will judge
us all according to our works.
9

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, Lord ! how many nights have 1 slept in enmity with Thee ?
0 God ! in what a miserable state was my soul during that time.
It was hated by Thee, and wished to be hated by Thee. I was
condemned to hell: there was nothing wanting but the execu­
tion of the sentence. But Thou, my God, hast never ceased to
1 “ Quæretis me et non invenietis."—John, vit. 34.
5 “ Εςο retribuam in tempore.”—Peut. xxxii. 35.

40

Preparation for Death.

[con. ii.

seek after me, and to invite me to pardon. But, who can assure
me that Thou hast pardoned me? Must I. O my Jesus ! live in
this uncertainty till Thou judgest inc? But the sorrow which
I feel for having offended Thee, my desire to love Thee, and still
more Thy Passion, O my beloved Redeemer, make me hope that
Thy grace dwells in my soul. I am sorry for having offended
Thee, O Sovereign Good, and I love Thee above all things. I
resolve to forfeit everything rather than lose Thy grace and Thy
love. Thou wishest that the heart which seeks Thee should be
full of joy. Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lordi
Lord, I detest all the injuries I have offered to Thee. Give me
courageand confidence : do not upbraid me with my ingratitude ;
for I myself know and detest it. Thou hast said that Thou wilt
not the death of a sinner, but that he be converted and live.’
Yes. my God, 1 leave all things and turn to Thee. I seek Thee,
I desire Thee, I love Thee above all things. Give me Thy love ;
I ask nothing else. O Mary, thou, after Jesus, art my hope ;
obtain for me holy perseverance.
THIRD POINT.

Let us Hasten to Give Ourselves to God.

David calls the happiness of this life a dream of one
who awakes from sleep.3 Tn explaining these words, a cer­
tain author says: The goods of this world appear great,
but they are nothing: like a dream, which lasts buta little,
and afterward vanishes, they are enjoyed but a short
time.4 The thought, that with death all ends, made St.
Francis Borgia resolve to give himself entirely to God.
The saint was obliged to accompany the dead body of
the Empress Isabella to Grenada. When the coffin was
opened, her appearance was so horrible and the smeh
1 “ Lætetur cor quærentium Dominum."—i Par. xvi. io.
a “Nolo mortem impii, sed ut convertatur . .
et vivat."—Ezek.
xxxiii. ii.
3 “ Velut somnium surgentium.”—Ps. Ixxii. 20.
4 Somnium, quia sopitis sensibus res magnæ apparent; et non
sunt, et cito avolant.

With Death alt Ends.

41

so intolerable that all ran away. But St. Francis re­
mained to contemplate in the dead body of his sovereign
the vanity of the world; and looking at it, he exclaimed:
“Are you then my empress ? Are you the queen before
whom so many bent their knee in reverential awe? O
Isabella, where is your majesty, your beauty gone ? Thus
then,” he said within himself, “ end the greatness and
the crowns of this world. I will, therefore, henceforth
serve a master who can never die.” From that moment
he consecrated himself to the love of Jesus crucified;
and he made a vow to become a religious, should his
wife die before him. This vow he afterward fulfilled by
entering into the Society of Jesus.
Justly then has a person who was undeceived written
on a skull these words: “ Cogitanti vilescunt omnia.” To
him who reflects on death, everything in this world ap­
pears contemptible; he cannot love the earth. And why
are there so many unhappy lovers of this world ? It is
because they do not think of death. O ye sons of men, how
long will you be dull of heart ? Why do you love vanity, and
seek after lying ? 1 Miserable children of Adam, says the
Holy Ghost, why do you not chase away from your heart
so many earthly affections, which make you love vanity
and lies ? What has happened to your forefathers must
befall you. They have dwelt in the same palace which
you inhabit, and have slept in your very bed; but now
they are no more. Such, too, will be your lot.
My brother, give yourself then to God before death
comes upon you. Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it
earnestly? What you can do to-day, defer not till to­
morrow; for a day once passed never returns, and to­
morrow death may come, and prevent you from ever
1 “ Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde? ut quid diligitis vanitatem
et quæritis mendacium ?”—Ps. iv. 3.
2 “ Quodcunquc facere potest manus tua instanter operare.”—
Eccles, ix. 10.

42

Preparation for Death.

[con. ii.

more ‘being able to do good. Detach yourself instantly
from everything which removes, or can remove, you from
God. Let us instantly renounce in affection the goods
of this earth, before death strips us of them by force.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.' Happy they who
at death are already dead to all attachment to this world.
They fear not, but desire death, and embrace it with joy;
for, instead of separating them from the good which they
love, it unites them to the Supreme Good, who is the
sole object of their affections, and who will render them
happy for eternity.

Affections and Prayers.
My dear Redeemer, I thank Thee for having waited for me.
What should have become of me had I died when I was at a
distance from Thee? May Thy mercy and patience, which I
have experienced for so many years, be forever blessed ! I thank
Thee for the light and grace with which Thou dost now assist
me. I did not then love Thee, and I cared but little to be
loved by Thee. I now love Thee with my whole heart, and
nothing grieves me so much as the thought of having displeased
so good a God. This sorrow tortures my soul ; but it is a sweet
torment, because it gives me confidence that Thou hast already
pardoned me. O my sweet Saviour, would that I had died a
thousand times before I sinned against Thee ! I tremble
lest I should hereafter offend Thee again. Ah ! make me die
the most painful of all deaths, rather than permit me evermore
to lose Thy grace. I have been once the slave of hell ; but now
I am Thy servant, O God of my soul. Thou hast said that Thou
lovest those who love Thee.3 I love Thee : then I am Thine,
and Thou art mine. I may lose Thee at some future time ; but
the grace which I ask of Thee is, to take me out of life rather
than suffer me ever to lose Thee again. Unasked, Thou hast
bestowed upon me so many graces; I cannot now fear that Thou
wilt not hear my prayer for the grace which I now implore. Do
not permit me ever to lose Thee. Give me Thy love, and I
desire nothing more. Mary, my hope! intercede for me.
1 “ Beati mortui, qui in Domino moriuntur.”—A/>oc. xiv. 13.
s “ Ego diligentes me diligo.”—Prov. viii. 17.

Shortness oj Life.

43

CONSIDERATION III.

Shortness of £ife.
‘What is your life ?

It is a vapor, which appeareth for a little while.’
—James, iv. 15.
FIRST POINT.

Death Comes Quickly.

i

!

1'
J

I

What is your life? It is like a vapor, which is dissi­
pated by a blast of wind, and is seen no more. All know
that they must die; but the delusion of many is, that
they imagine death as far off as if it were never to ar­
rive. But Job tells us that the life of man is short. Man
born of a woman, living for a short time, . . . who cometh
forth like a flower, and is destroyed? This truth the Lord
commanded Isaias to preach to the people. Cry. . . . All
flesh is grass. . . . Indeed, the people is grass. The grass is
withered, and the flower is fallen? The life of man is like
the life of a blade of grass ; death comes, the grass is
dried up: behold, life ends, and the flower of all great­
ness and of all worldly goods falls off.
My days, says Job, have been swifter than a post? Death
runs to meet us more swiftly than a post, and we at every
moment run towards death. Every step, every breath
brings us nearer to our end. “What I write,” says
1 “ Homo brevi vivens tempore ... ; quasi flos egreditur et conteritur.”— Job. xiv. 1.
2 “Clama, . . . Omnis caro fenum. . . , Vere fenum est populus*
exsiccatum est fenum et cecidit flos.”—Isa. xl. 6.
3 “ Dies mei velociores fuerunt cursore.”—Job, ix. 25.

Iil·
A.

j

1*1

44

Preparation for Death.

[con.

in.

Jerome, “is so much taken away from life.” 1 “During
the time I write, I draw near to death.” We all die, and,
like Ike waters that return no more, we fall into the earth.
Behold how the stream flows to the sea, and the passing
waters never return! Thus, my brother, your days pass
by, and you approach death. Pleasures, amusements,
pomps, praises, and acclamations pass away; and what
remains? And only the grave remaineth for me.3 We
shall be thrown into a grave, and there we shall remain
to rot, stripped of all things. At the hour of death the
remembrance of the delights enjoyed, and of all the
honors acquired in this life, will serve only to increase
our pain and our diffidence of obtaining eternal salva­
tion. Then the miserable worldling will say : “ My
house, my gardens, my fashionable furniture,, my pic­
tures, my garments, will in a little time be no
longer mine, ‘and only the grave remaineth for me.’”
Ah ! at that hour all earthly goods are viewed only
with pain by those who have had an attachment for them.
And this pain will serve only to increase the danger of
their eternal salvation; for we see by experience, that
persons attached to the world wish at death to speak
only of their sickness, of the physicians to be called to
attend them, and of the remedies which may restore
their health. When any one speaks of the state of the
soul, they soon grow weary, and beg to be allowed
repose. They complain of headache, and say that it
pains them to hear any one speak. And if they some­
times answer, they are confused, and know not what to
say. It often happens that the confessor gives them ab­
solution, not because he knows that they are disposed
for the sacrament, but because it is dangerous to defer
1 “ Quod scribo, de mea vita tollitur.”—Ad Hel. de morte Nep.
2 “ Omnes morimur, et quasi aquæ dilabimurin terram, quæ non re­
vertuntur.”—2 Kings, xiv. 14.
3 “ Et solum mihi superest sepulchium.”—fub, xvii. 1.

Shortness of Life.

45

it. Such is the death of those who think but little of
death.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God and Lord of infinite majesty I am ashamed to
appear before Thee. How often have I dishonored Thee by
preferring to Thy grace a sordid pleasure, a little dust, the indul­
gence of anger, caprice, or vanity ! I adore and kiss, O my
Redeemer, Thy holy wounds, which I have inflicted by my sins;
but through these wounds I hope for pardon and salvation.
Make me, O my Jesus ! understand the great injury I have done
Thee in leaving Thee, the fountain of every good, to drink
putrid and poisoned waters. Of all the offences I have given
Thee nothing now remains but pain, remorse of conscience, and
fruits for hell. Father, I am not worthy to be called Thy child.1
My Father! do not cast me off. It is true that I no longer
merit the grace which would make me Thy child ; but Thou hast
died to pardon me. Thou hast said : Turn ye to me, . . . and
1 will turn to you? I give up all that gratifies me, I renounce
all the pleasures that the world can give me, and I turn to Thee.
Pardon me for the sake of the blood which has been shed for
me; I repent with my whole heart of all the insults I have
offered to Thee. I repent, and I love Thee above all things. I
am not worthy to love Thee; but Thou dost not refuse the love
of a heart that has once despised Thee. Thou didst purposely
abstain from taking me out of life when I was in sin. that I might
love Thee. I wish to love Thee during the remainder of my
life, and I wish to love nothing but Thee. Assist me; give me
holy perseverance, and Thy holy love. Mary, my refuge ! recom­
mend me to Jesus Christ.
SECOND POINT.

The Lighted Candle at Death.

King Ezechias said with tears: My life is cut off as bv a
weaver; while I was yet beginning, he cut me off? Qh how
1 “ Pater, non sum dignus vocari filius tuus.—Luke, χν. 21.
’ “Convertimini ad me ... et convertar ad vos.”—Zach. i 3
3 “ Præcisa est velut a texente vita mea: dum adhuc ordirer sue.
cidit me.”—/sa. xxxviii. 12.

46

Preparation for Death.

[CON. 111.

many have been overtaken and cut off by death, while
they were executing and arranging worldly projects
devised with so much labor! By the light of the last
candle, all things in this world, applause, diversions,
pomps, and greatness vanish. Great secret of death!
It makes us see what the lovers of this world do not see.
The most princely fortunes, the most exalted dignities,
and the most superb triumphs lose all their splendor
when viewed from the bed of death. The ideas that we
have formed of certain false happiness are then changed
into indignation against our own folly. The black and
gloomy shade of death then covers and obscures every
dignity, even that of kings and princes.
At present, our passions make the goods of this earth
appear different from what they are in reality. Death
takes off the veil, and makes them appear what they
really are—smoke, dirt, vanity, and wretchedness. 0
God ! of what use are riches, possessions, or kingdoms
at death,z wheno nothing remains but a wooden
' coffin, and
a simple garment barely sufficient to cover the body?
Of what use are the honors, when they all end in a funeral
procession and pompous obsequies, which will be un­
profitable to the soul if it be in hell? Of what use is
beauty, when after death nothing remains but worms,
stench, and horror, and in the end a little fetid dust?
He hath made me, says Job, as it were a byword of the peo­
ple, and an example before them) The rich man, the captain,
the minister of state, dies: his death is the general topic
of conversation; but if he has led a bad life he will be­
come “a byword of the people, and an example before
them.”2 As an instance of the vanity of the world, and
even of the divine justice, he will serve for the admoni­
tion of others. After burial his body will be mingled
1 “ Posuit me quasi in proverbium vulgi, et exemplum sum coram
eis.”—yob, xvii. 6.
2 Proverbium vulgi, et exemplum.

47
with the bodies of the poor. The small and great are there.1
What profit has he derived from the beautiful structure
of his body, which is now but a heap of worms? Of
what use are the power and authority which he wielded,
when his body is now left to rot in a grave, and his soul
has, perhaps, been sent to burn in hell ? Oh, what misery!
to be the occasion of such reflections to others, and not
to have made them for his own profit! Let us then per­
suade ourselves that the proper time for repairing the
disorders of the soul is not the hour of death, but the
time of health. Let us hasten to do now what we shall
not be able to do at that hour. The time is short."1 Every­
thing soon passes away and comes to an end: let us
therefore labor to employ all things for the attainment
of eternal life.
Affections and Prayers.

0 God of my soul ! O infinite goodness! have mercy on me.
who have so grievously offended Thee. I knew that in yielding
to sin 1 should lose Thy grace, and I have voluntarily lost it.
Tell me what I must do in order to recover it. If Thou wishest
me to repent of my sins, behold I repent of them with my whole
heart : I wish to die of sorrow for them. If Thou wishest me to
hope for Thy pardon, I hope for it through the merits of Thy
blood. If Thou wishest me to love Thee above all things, I
give up all, I renounce all the pleasures and goods which the
world can give me : I love Thee above every good, O my most
amiable Saviour ! If Thou wishest me to ask Thy graces, I beg
two graces from Thee—do not permit me ever more to offend
Thee, and make me love Thee : treat me then as Thou
pleasest. Mary, my hope, obtain for me these two graces:
through thy intercession I hope to obtain them.
1 “ Parvus ct magnus ibi sunt.”—Job, iii. 19.
8 Tempus breve est.

4S

Preparation for Death.

[CON. III.

THIRD POINT.

Importance of the Last Moment.

How great, then, the folly of those who, for the mis­
erable and transitory delights of this short life, expose
themselves to the danger of an unhappy death, and after­
ward of an unhappy eternity. Oh! how important is
that last moment, that last gasp, the last closing of the
scene ! On it depends an eternity either of all delights
or of all torments—a life of eternal happiness or of ever­
lasting woe. Let us consider that Jesus Christ submit­
ted to a cruel and ignominious death in order to obtain
for us the grace of a good death. That we may at that
last moment die in the grace of God, is the reason why
he gives us so many calls, so many lights, and ad­
monishes us by so many threats.
Antisthenes, though a pagan, being asked what was
the greatest blessing which man could receive in this
world, answered, A good death. And what will a Christian
say, who knows by faith, that at the moment of death
eternity begins, and that at that moment he lays hold of
one of two wheels, which draws with it either eternal
joy or everlasting torments? If there were two tickets
in a lottery, on one of which miodit be written Æl·// and
on the other Heaven, what care would you not take to
draw that which would give you a right to Paradise, and
to avoid the other, by which you would win a place in
Hell ! O God ! how the hands of those unhappy men
tremble who are condemned to throw the die on which
their life or death depends ! How great will be your
terror at the approach of that last hour, when you will
say: On this moment depends my life or death for
eternity; on this depends whether I shall be forever
happy or forever in despair! St. Bernardine of Sienna
relates, that at death a certain prince exclaimed, with

Shortn<
trembling and dismay: Behold, I have so many king­
doms and palaces in this world; but if I die this night
1 know not what apartment shall be assigned to me.
Brother, if you believe that you must die, that there
is an eternity, that you can die only once, and that if
vou then err your error will be forever irreparable, why
do you not resolve to begin at this moment to do all in
your power to secure a good death ? St. Andrew Avellino said with trembling: “Who knows what will be my
lot in the next life? Shall I be saved or damned ?" The
thought of the uncertainty of being damned or saved
filled St. Louis Bertrand with so much terror, that he
could not sleep during the night, because of this thought
which would suggest itself to him: “Who knows whether
thou wilt be lost ?" And will not vou. who have committed so many sins, tremble? Oh ! hasten to apply a
remedy in time; resolve to give yourself sincerely to
God,/ ando begin from this moment a life which,
at the
z
hour of death, will be to you a source, not of affliction,
but of consolation. Give yourself up to prayer, frequent
the sacraments, avoid all dangerous occasions, and, if
necessary, leave the world, secure to yourself eternal
salvation, and be persuaded that to secure eternal life
no precaution can be too great.
*

<

Affections and Prayers.
0 my dear Saviour! how great are my obligations to Thee !
How hast Thou been able to bestow so many graces on so un­
grateful a traitor as I have been ? Thou hast created me ; and in
creating me Thou didst see the injuries which I would commit
against Thee. Thou didst redeem me by dying for me: and
then, too, Thou didst see die ingratitude which I would be
guilty of toward Thee. Being placed in the world I turned my
back upon Thee by my sins. My soul was dead and rotten, and
Thou didst restore me to life. I was blind, and Thou hast en­
lightened me. I had lost Thee, and Thou didst enable me to
find Thee. I was Thy enemy, and Thou hast made me Thy

50

Preparation for Death.

[coNk in.

friend. 0 God of mercy, make me feel the obligations which I
owe Thee, and make me weep over the offences which I have
committed against Thee. Ah ! take vengeance on me by giving
me a great sorrow for my sins. Do not chastise me by the
privation of Thy grace and love. O eternal Father, I abhor
and detest, above all evils, the injuries I have done Thee. Have
mercy on me for the sake of Jesus Christ. Look at Thy Son
dead on the cross. “ Sanguis ejus super me.” May his blood
flow upon me, and wash my soul ! O King of my heart ! Thy
kingdom come. I am resolved to banish every affection which is
not for Thee. I love Thee above all things ; come and reign in
my soul with undivided sway. Grant that I may love Thee, and
love nothing but Thee. I desire to please Thee to the utmost
of my ability, and to do Thy will in all things, during the re­
mainder of my life. Bless, O my Father, this my desire, and
grant me the grace to keep myself always united to Thee. All
my affections I consecrate to Thee, and from this day forward I
wish to belong to Thee alone, my treasure, my peace, my hope,
my love, my all. I hope for all graces through the merits of Thy
Son. Mary, my queen and mother, assist me by thy intercession,
Mother of God ! pray for me.

The Certainty of Death.

51

CONSIDERATION IV

QRrtaintn of Ocatl).
“ It is appointed unto men once to die.”—Hebr. ix. 27.
FIRST POINT.

All Must Die.

The sentence of death has been written against all
men: you are a man; you must die. “Our other goods
and evils,” says St. Augustine, “are uncertain; death
alone is certain.” 1 It is uncertain whether the infant
that is just born will be poor or rich, whether he will
have good or bad health, whether he will die in youth or
in old age. But it is certain that he will die. The
stroke of death will fall on all the nobles and monarchs
of the earth. When death comes there is no earthly
power able to resist it. St. Augustine says, “ Fire, water,
the sword, and the power of princes may be resisted ;
but death cannot be resisted.”’ Belluacensis relates
that at the end of his life a certain king of France said:
“Behold, with all my power, I cannot induce death to
wait one more hour for me.” When the term of life
arrives, it is not deferred a single moment. Thou hast
appointed his bounds, which cannot be passed.2
1 “ Cætera nostra, et bona et mala, incerta sunt ; sola mors certa
est.”—Serm. 97, E. B.
i “ Resistitur ignibus, undis, ferro, resistitur regibus ; venit mors:
quis ei resistit ?”—In Ps. cxxi.
3 “ Constituisti terminos ejus, qui præteriri non poterunt.”—Job,
xiv. 5.

52

Preparation for Death,

[con. iv.

Dearly beloved reader, though you should live as
many years as you expect, a day will come, and on that
day an hour, which will be the last for you. For me,
who am now writing, and for you, who read this little
book, has been decreed the day and the moment when I
will no longer write, and you will no longer read.
Who is the man that shall live and not see death ?' The
sentence has been already passed. There never has
been a man so foolish as to flatter himself that he will
not have to die. What has happened to your forefathers,
will also happen to you. Of the immense numbers that
lived in this country in the beginningof the lastcentury
there is not one now living. Even the princesand mon­
archs of the earth have changed their country: of them
nothing now remains but a marble mausoleum with a
grand inscription, which only serves to teach us, that of
t»he great ones of this world nothing is left but a little
dust inclosed in the tomb. “Tell me,” says Bernard,
“ where are the lovers of the world ? Of them nothing
remains save ashes and worms.”2
Since our souls will be eternal, we ought to procure,
not a fortune which soon ends, but one that will be everlasting. What would it profit you to be happy here (if
it were possible for a soul to be happy without God), if
hereafter you must be miserable for all eternity ? You
have built that house to your entire satisfaction; but re­
member that you must soon leave it to rot in a grave.
You have obtained that dignity which raises you above
others; but death will come and reduce you to the level
of the poorest peasant.
1 “ Quis est homo, qui vivet, et non videbit mortem?”—^
Ixxxviii. 49.
2 “ Dic mihi, ubi sunt amatores mundi? Nihil ex eis remansit,
nisi cineres et vermes.”—Medit. c. 3.

The Certainty of Death.

53

Affections and Prayers.
Ah ! unhappy me, who have spent so many years only in
offending Thee, O God of my soul. Behold these years are
already past : death is perhaps at hand ; and what do I find but
pains and remorse of conscience? Oh, that I had always served
Thee, O my Lord ! Fool that I have been ! I have lived so
many years on this earth, and instead of acquiring merits for
heaven, I have laden my soul with debts to the divine justice.
Ah, my dear Redeemer, give me light and strength now to ad­
just my accounts. Death is perhaps not far off. I wish to pre­
pare for that great moment, which will decide my eternal
happiness or misery. I thank Thee for having waited for me till
now; and since Thou hast given me time to repair the past,
behold me, O my God ! tell me what I am to do for Thee. Dost
Thou wish me to weep over the offences I have offered to Thee ?
I am sorry for them, and detest them with my whole soul. Dost
Thou wish me to spend the remaining years and days of my life
in loving Thee ? I desire to do so, O God ; I have even hitherto
frequently resolved to do so; but I have violated my promises.
0 my Jesus, I will be no longer ungrateful for the great graces
Thou hast bestowed upon me. If I do not now change my life,
how shall I be able at death to hope for pardon and for Para­
dise? Behold, I now firmly resolve to begin to serve Thee in
earnest. But give me strength; do not abandon me. Thou
didst not abandon me when I offended Thee ; I therefore hope
more confidently for Thy aid, now that I purpose to renounce all
things to please Thee. Accept me, then, as one of Thy lovers,
0 God worthy of infinite love ! Receive the traitor that now
casts himself with sorrow at Thy feet—that loves Thee, and asks
Thy mercy. 1 love Thee, O my Jesus ; I love Thee with my
whole heart; I love Thee more than myself. Behold, I am
Thine ; dispose of me, and of all that 1 possess, as Thou pleasest.
Give me perseverance in obeying Thy commands ; give me Thy
love; and then do with me whatsoever Thou wishest. Mary,
my mother, my hope, my refuge, to thee 1 recommend myself,
to thee I consign my soul : pray to Jesus for me.

54

Preparation for Death,

[CON. IV

SECOND POINT.

Every Moment we Approach Death.

It is appointed. It is certain, then, that we are all
condemned to death. We are born, says St. Cyprian,
with the halter round our neck ; every step we take
brings us nearer to death. My brother, as your name
has been one day entered in the register of baptisms, so
it will be one day entered in the register of deaths. As
in speaking of your ancestors you say: God be merciful
to my father, to my uncle, to my brother, so others shall
say the same of you. As you have heard the death-bell
toll for many, so others shall hear it toll for you.
But what would you say if you saw a man on his way
to the place of execution jesting, laughing, looking about
in every direction, and thinking only of comedies, fes­
tivities, and amusements? And are not you now on
your way to death ? What is the object of your thoughts ?
Behold in that grave your friends and relatives, on whom
justice has already been executed. How great is the
terror and dismay of a man condemned to die, when he
beholds his companions suspended on the gallows !
Look then at these dead bodies. Each of them says to
you: Yesterday for me; to-day for thee' The same is said
to you by the portraits of your deceased relatives, by the
memoranda-books, the houses, the beds, the garments,
which thev
J have left.
To know that you must die, that after death you will
enjoy eternal glory or suffer eternal torments, that on
death depends your eternal happiness or eternal misery,
and, with all this before your eves, not to think of
settling your accounts, and of adopting every means of
J

1

*

J

'

1 “ Mihi heri, et tibi hodie.”—Ecclus. xxxviii. 23.

The Certainty of Death,
seeming a happy death, is surely the extreme of folly.
We pity those who meet with a sudden and unprovided
death ; why then do we not endeavor to be always pre­
pared ? We too may die suddenly and without prepara­
tion. But, sooner or later, with or without warning,
whether we think or do not think of it, we shall die ; and
every hour, every moment, brings us nearer to our end,
which shall be the last illness that will send us out of
the world.
At every age, the houses, the streets, and the cities are
filled with new people ; the former inhabitants are borne
to the grave, their last resting-place. As the days of
life have ended for them, so a time will come when
neither I nor you, nor any one alive, will live any longer
on this earth. Days shall be formed and no one in them)
We shall all then be in eternity,
* 7 which shall be for us
either an eternal day of delights, or an eternal night of
torments. There is no middle way ; it is certain and
an article of faith, that either one lot or the other will
be ours.

Affections and Prayers.

My beloved Redeemer! I would not dare to appear before
Thee, did I not see Thee hanging on the cross, lacerated, de­
spised, and lifeless, for the love of me. My ingratitude has been
great; but Thy mercy is still greater. My sins have been very
grievous ; but Thy merits exceed their enormity. Thy wounds,
Thy blood, and Thy death are my hope. I deserved hell by
my first sin : to that sin I have added so many other offences.
And Thou hast not only preserved my life, but Thou hast also
invited me to pardon, and hast offered me peace with so much
mercy and so much love. How can 1 fear that Thou wilt drive
me awav,
* now that 1 love Thee and desire nothing but Thy
grace? Yes, my dear Lord, I love Thee with my whole heart,
and I desire only to love Thee. I love Thee, and I am sorry
for having despised Thee, not so much because I have deserved
1 “ Dies formabuntur, et nemo in cis.”—Ps. cxxxviii. ιό.

Preparation for Death.

[con.

iv.

hell, as because I have offended Thee, my God, who hast loved
me so tenderly. O my Jesus, open to me the bosom of Thy
goodness; add mercies to mercies. Grant that I may be n&
longer ungrateful to Thee : change my whole heart. Grant that
my heart, which has once despised Thy love, and has exchanged
it for the miserable delights of this earth, may now be entirely
Thine, and may burn with continual liâmes for Thee. I hope to
gain Paradise, that I may always love Thee. I cannot enjoy in
that kingdom a place among the innocent—I must remain
among the penitents ; but though among these, I wish to love
Thee more than the innocent. For the glory of Thy mercy,
make all heaven behold so great a sinner inflamed with an ardent
love. I resolve henceforth to be all Thine, and to think only of
loving Thee. Assist me with Thy light and with Thy grace to
execute this desire, which Thou in Thy goodness hast inspired,
O Mary ! thou who art the mother of perseverance, obtain icr
nie the grace to be faithful to this my promise.
THIRD POINT.

We should Think Continually of Death.

Death is certain. But, O God ! this truth Christian!·
know, this they believe and see: and how can they’ sti’/
live so forgetful of death as if they would never have tJ
die ? If after this life there were neither hell nor heaven,
could they think less of it than they do at present? It is
this forgetfulness that makes them lead so wicked a life.
My brother, if you wish to live well, spend the remain­
ing days of life with death before your eyes. O death,
thy sentence is welcome.' Oh ! how correct the judgments,
how well directed the actions, of the man whose judg­
ments are formed, and whose conduct is regulated
in
o
view of death ! “ Consider the end of life,” says St. Laur­
ence Justinian, “and you will love nothing in this world.”2
1 “ O mors ! bonum est judicium tuum.”—Ecclus. xli. 3.
2 “ Consideretur vitæ terminus, et non erit in hoc mundo quod
ametur.”—Lign. Vit. de Hum. c. 4.

7 he Certainty of Death.

57

All that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, of the
eyes and the pride of life.' All the goods of this earth are
reduced to the pleasures of sense, to riches and to honors.
But all these are easily despised by the man who consid­
ers that he will be soon reduced to ashes, and that he
will be soon buried in the earth to be the food of worms.
And in reality it was at the sight of death that the
saints despised all the goods of this earth. St. Charles
Borromeo kept on his table a skull, in order that he
might continually contemplate it. Cardinal Baronins
had inscribed on his ring the words, Memento mori.
(Remember death.) The Venerable P. Juvenal Ancina,
Bishop of Saluzzo, had this motto written on a skull,
“What you are, I was; and what I am, you shall be.”
A holy hermit being asked when dying how he could
be so cheerful, said: “I have always kept death before
my eyes; and therefore, now’ that it has arrived, I see
nothing new in it.”
What follv would it not be for a traveller, who would
think only of acquiring dignities and possessions in the
countries through which he had to pass, and should
reduce himself to the necessity of living miserably in his
native land, where he must remain during his whole life.'
And is not he a fool who seeks after happiness in this
world, where he will remain only a few days, and exposes
himself
to the risk of being unhappy in the
next, where
•
Λ
he must live for eternity? We do not fix our affections
on borrowed goods, because we know that they must
soon be returned to the owner. All the goods of this
earth are lent to us: it is folly to set our heart on what
we must soon quit. Death shall strip us of them all.
The acquisitions and fortunes of this world all terminate
in a dying gasp, in a funeral, in a descent into the grave.
The house which you have built for yourself you must
1 Omne quod est in mundo, concupiscentia carnis est, concupiscentia
oculorum, et superbiq vitæ.”—i John, ii. ιό.

»

58

Preparation for Death.

[con. iv.

Uncertainty of the Hour of Death.

59

soon give up to others. The grave will be the dwelling
of your body till the day of judgment; thence it will go
to heaven or to hell, whither the soul will have gone
before.

CONSIDERATION V.

Affections and Prayers.

Then, at death, all shall be at an end for me. I shall then
find only the little I have done for Thee, O my God ! and what
do I wait for! Do I wait till death come and find me as miser­
able and defiled with sin as I am at present? Were I now
called to eternity I should die with great disquietude on account
of my past sins. No, my Jesus ; I will not die so discontented.
I thank Thee for having given me time to weep over my iniqui­
ties, and to love Thee. I wish to begin from this moment. I
am sorry from the bottom of my heart for having offended
Thee, O Sovereign Good ! and I love Thee above all things—I
love Thee more than my life. My Jesus ! I give myself entirely
to Thee. From this moment I embrace and unite Thee to my
heart. I now consign my soul to Thee. Into Thy hands I
commend my spirit. I will not wait to give it to Thee when
that proficiscere, “ Depart, O soul,” will announce my departure
from this world. I will not wait till then to ask Thee to save
me. “Jesu sis mihi Jesus.” My Saviour, save me now by
granting me pardon and the grace of Thy holy love. Who
knows but this consideration which I have read may be the last
call which Thou wilt give me, and the last mercy which Thou
wilt show me? Extend Thy hand, O my love, and deliver me
from the mire of my tepidity. Give me fervor, and make me do
with great love all that Thou dost demand of me. Eternal
Father, for the love of Jesus Christ, give me holy perseverance,
and the grace to love Thee, and to love Thee ardently, during
the remainder of my life. O Mary! through the love which
thou bearest to thy Jesus, obtain for me these two graces—
perseverance and love.
*

Hnccrtnintn of tljc ^our of Death"Be you then also ready; for at what hour you think not, the Son of
man will come.”—Luke xii. 40.

FIRST POINT.

The Moment is Fixed, but it is Unknown.

It is certain that we shall die; but the time of death
is uncertain. “ Nothing,” says the author who styles
himself Idiota, “ is more certain than death; but nothing
is more uncertain than the hour of death.”1 My brother.
God has already fixed the year, the month, the day, the
hour, and the moment when I and you are to leave this
earth and go into eternity; but the time is unknown to
us. To exhort us to be always prepared, Jesus Christ
tells us that death will come unawares, and like a thief
in the night. The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief
in the night."1 He now tells us to be always vigilant;
because, when we least expect him, he will come to judge
us. At what hour you think not, the Son of man will come3
St. Gregory says that, for our good, God conceals from
us the hour of death, that we may always be prepared to
die.4 “Since, then,” savs St. Bernard, “death may take
away life at all times and in all places, we ought, if we
7

7

7

*

1 “ Nihil certius est morte, hora autem mortis nihil incertius.”—De
Cont. Mort. c. 3.
4 “Sicut fur in nocte ita veniet.”—1 Thess. v. 2.
3 “ Qua hora non putatis, Filius hominis veniet.”—Luke xii. 40.
4 “ De morte incerti sumus, ut ad mortem semper parati inveniamur
—Mort. 1. 12 c. 20.

1
II

Ij
I
I
|

F.

I
|
I

I
4
4
I
11
i
K' :

6o

Preparation for Death,

[CON. V

wish to die well and save our souls, to live always in ex­
pectation of death.”1
All know that they must die: but the misfortune is,
that many view death at such a distance, that they lose
sight of it. Even the old, the most decrepit, and the
most sickly, flatter themselves that they will live three or
four years longer. But how many, I ask, have we known,
even in our own times, to die suddenly—some sitting,
some walking, some sleeping? It is certain that not one
of these imagined that he should die so suddenly, and on
that day on which he died. I say, moreover, that of
all who have gone to the other world during the present
year, no one imagined that he should die and end his
days this year. Few are the deaths which do not hap­
pen unexpectedly.
When, therefore, Christian soul, the devil tempts you
to sin by saying, To-morrow you will go to confession,
let your answer be, How do I know but this will be the
last day of my life ? If this hour, this moment, in which
I would turn my back on God, were the last of my life,
so that I would have no time for repentance, what would
become of me for all eternity? To how many poor sin­
ners has it happened, that in the act of feasting on the
poison of sin they were struck dead and sent to hell?
As fishes are taken with the hook, says Ecclesiastes, so
men are taken in the evil time." 3 The evil time is that in
which the sinner actually offends God. The devil tells
you that this misfortune will not happen to you; but
you should say to him, in answer: If it should happen
to me, what will become of me for all eternity?
1 “Mors ubique te expectat : tu ubique eam expectabis.”—Médit.
c. 3* “Sicut pisces capiuntur hamo . . . sic capiuntur homines in tempore maio.”—Eccles, ix. 12.

Uncertainty of the Hour of Death.

61

Affections and Prayers.

Lord ! the place in which I ought to be at this moment is
not that in which I find myself, but in hell, which I have so
often merited by my sins. " Infernus domus mea est.” {Hell is
my house) St. Peter says : The Lord waiteth patiently for your
sake, not willing that any one should perish, but that all should
return to penanced Then Thou hast had so much patience with
me, and hast waited for me, because Thou wishest me not to be
lost, but return to Thee by repentance. My God, I return to
Thee; least myself at Thy feet, and supplicate mercy. Have
mercy on nie^ 0 God, according to Thy great mercy d Lord, to
pardon me requires a great and extraordinary act of mercy,
because I offended Thee after I had been favored with a special
light. Other sinners also have offended Thee, but they have
not received the light which Thou gavest to me. But, in spite
of all my sinfulness and ingratitude, Thou commandest me to
repent of my sins, and to hope for pardon. Yes, my Redeemer,
1 am sorry with my whole heart for having offended Thee, and
I hope for pardon through the merits of Thy Passion. Thou,
my Jesus, though innocent, wished to die like a criminal on the
cross, and to shed all Thy blood in order to wash away my sins.
"0 sanguis innocentis lava, culpas pœnitentis.” O blood of
the innocent, wash away the sins of the penitent. O eternal
Father! .pardon me for the sake of Jesus Christ. Hear his
prayers, now that He intercedes for me and makes himself my
advocate. But it is not enough to receive pardon ; I desire also,
0 God ! worthy of infinite love, the grace to love Thee : I love
Thee, 0 Sovereign Good ! and I offer Thee henceforth my body,
my soul, my liberty, and my will. I wish henceforth to avoid
not only grievous, but also venial offences. I will fly from all
evil occasions. Lead us not into temptation? For the love of
Jesus Christ, preserve me from the occasions in which I would
offend Thee. But deliver us from evil: Deliver me from sin,
and then chastise me as Thou pleasest. I accept all infirmities,
1 "(Deus) patienter agit propter vos, nolens aliquos perire sed om­
nes ad poenitentiam reverti.”—2 Peter iii. 9.
2 Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
3 Ne nos inducas in tentationem.

62

Preparation for Dcat/i.

icon. v.

pains, and losses which Thou may est be pleased to send me: it
is enough for me not to lose Thy grace and Thy love. Ask, and
you shall received Thou promises! to grant whatsoever we ask ;
I ask these two graces—holy perseverance and the gift of Thy
love. O Mary, mother of mercy ! thou dost pray for me : in thee
do I put my trust.
SECOND POINT.

We Should Make up Our Accounts.

The Lord does not wish us to be lost; and tnerefore,
by the threat of chastisement, he unceasingly exhorts us
to a change of life. Except you will be converted, Pie will
brandish His sword? Behold, he says in another place,
how many, because they would not cease to offend
me, have met with a sudden death, when they were least
expecting it, and were living in peace, secure of a life of
many years. For when they shall say : Peace and security:
then shall sudden destruction come tip on them? Again he
says: Unless you shall do penance,you shall all likewise per­
ish? Why so many threats of chastisement before the
execution of vengeance? It is because he wishes that
we amend our lives, and thus avoid an unhappy death.
“ He,” says St. Augustine, “ who tells you to beware, does
not wish to take a wav your life.”5 It is necessary, then,
to prepare our accounts before the day of account ar­
rives. Dearly beloved Christians, were vou to die, and
were your lot for eternity to be decided before night
would your accounts be ready? Oh! how much would
you give to obtain from God another year or month, or
*

J

z

1 “ Petite, et accipietis.”—John, xvi. 24.
9 “ Nisi conversi fueritis, gladium suum vibrabit.”—Ps. vii. 13.
3“ Cum dixerint pax, et securitas, tunc repentinus eis superveniet
interitus.”—1 Thcss. v. 3.
4 “Nisi poenitentiam habueritis, omnes similiter peribitis.”—Luke,
•··

Xlll. 3.

5 “ Nemo, volens ferire, dicit: observa !”—Serin. 22 E.B.

Uncertainty of the Hoar of Death,

63

even another day, to prepare for judgment ? Why then
do you not now, that God gives you this time, settle
the accounts of your conscience? Perhaps it cannot
happen that this shall be the last day for you ? Delay
not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to
day; for ^Hs wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of
vengeance He will destroy thee? My brother, to save your
soul you must give up sin. “ If then you must renounce
it at some time, why do you not abandon it at this mo­
ment ?” says St. Augustine. Perhaps you are waiting
till death arrives? But, for obstinate sinners, the hour
of death is the time, not of pardon, but of vengeance.
In the time of vengeance He will destroy thee.
When any one borrows from you a large sum of money
you take care to get a written security for it. Who
knows, you say, what may happen ? Why are you not
equally careful about the salvation of your soul, which
is of far greater importance to you than all the riches of
the earth ? When eternity is at stake, why do you not
say: Who knows what may happen? If you were to
lose a sum of money, all would not be lost; and though in
losing it your entire property would be lost, you would
have the hope of recovering it. But if at death you lose
your soul, then you will truly have lost all. and can never
hope to regain it. You are careful to keep an exact ac­
count of all the goods you possess, lest, by dying sud­
denly, any of them might be lost; and if you meet with
a sudden death, and find yourself at enmity with God,
what will become of your
soul for all eternity?
*
*
1 “ Non tardes converti ad Dominum, et non differas de die in diem;
subito enim veniet ira illius, et in tempore vindictæ disperdet te.”—
Eccles, v. S.

Preparation for Death.

Uncertainty of the Hour of Death.

[CON. V.

Affections and Prayers.
Ah! my Redeemer! Thou hast spent all Thy blood, and hast
given Thy life in order to save my soul ; and I have often lost
it by confidence in Thy mercy. I have, then, so often abused
Thy goodness to offend Thee. By doing so. I have deserved tn
be suddenly struck dead, and to be cast into hell. In a word, 1
have been engaged in a contest with Thee. Thou didst treat
me with mercy, and I offended Thee; Thou didst seek after
me, and I fled away from Thee ; Thou gavest me time to repair
the evil I had done, and I employed that time in adding insults
to insults. Lord, make me understand the injustice I have done
Thee, and the obligation by which I am bound to love Thee.
Ah! my Jesus! how could I be so dear to Thee, who sought
after me so often when I chased Thee away ? How hast Thou
been able to bestow so many graces on one who has given Thee
so much displeasure? From this I see the ardor of 1 hy desire
to save me from perdition. I am sorry with my whole heart for
having offended Thee, O infinite goodness! Ah, receive this
ungrateful sheep, that casts itself sorrowful at Thy feet; receive
it and bind it on Thy shoulders, that I may never more fly
away from Thee. I will never again abandon Thee. I wish to
love Thee; I wish to be Thine; and provided I belong to Thee,
I am content to suffer every pain. And what greater punish­
ment can fall upon me than to live without I hy grace, to be
separated from Thee, who art my God, who hast created me
and died for me? O accursed sins! what have you done?
You have made me displease my Saviour, who has loved me so
tenderly. Ah. my Jesus, as Thou hast died for me, so I ought
to die for Thee. Thou hast died through love for me—I should
die through sorrow for having despised I bee. I accept death
in whatever manner and at whatever time I hou pleasest to send
it. Hitherto I have not loved Thee, or I have loved Thee too
little. I do not wish to die in this state. Ah, grant me a little
more time, that I may' love Thee before I die. Change my
heart ; wound it ; inflame it with Thy holy love. Through that
affection of charity which made Thee die for me. grant me this
favor. I love Thee with my whole heart. My soul is enamored
of Thee. Do not permit me to lose Thee. Give me holy per­

1

65

severance ; give me Thy holy love. Most holy Mary, my
refuge and my mother! perform the office of advocate in my
behalf.
THIRD POINT.

We Must Always be Ready.

Be ye ready. The Lord does not tell us to prepare our­
selves, but to be prepared, when death arrives. When
death comes, it will be almost impossible, in that tempest
and confusion, to give ease to a troubled conscience.
This, reason tells us: this, God threatens, saying that
then he will come, not to pardon, but to avenge, the con­
tempt of his graces. Revenge is mine, I will repay.' It is,
says St. Augustine, a just punishment, that he who was
unwilling, when he was able to save his soul, will not be
able when he is willing.3 But you will say: Perhaps I
may* still be converted and saved. Would *vou throw
yourself into a deep well, saying, Perhaps I may not be
drowned? O God! how sin blinds the understanding,
and deprives the soul of reason. When there is question
of the body, men speak rationally; but when the soul is
concerned, they speak like fools.
My brother, who knows but this point which you read
is the last warning that God mav send vou ? Let us immediately prepare for death, that it may not come upon
us without giving us time to prepare for judgment. St.
Augustine says that God conceals from us the last day of
life, that we may be always prepared to die.3 St. Paul
tells us that we must work out our salvation, not only
with fear, but also with trembling.4 St. Antonine relates that a certain king of Sicily, to make one of his
1 “ Mihi vindicta; ego retribuam, dicit Dominus.”—Rom. xii. tg.
’ “Justa poena est ut qui recte facere, cum posset, noluit, amittat
posse cum velit·”—De Lib. Arb. 1. 3, c. 13.
3 “ Latet ultimus dies, ut observentur omnes dies.”—Seim. 39 E. B
4 “ Cum metu et tremore vestram salutem operamini."—Phil. ii. 12,

66

Preparation for Death.

[CON. V.

subjects understand the fear with which he sat on the
throne, commanded him to sit at table with a sword
suspended over him by a slender thread. The ap­
prehension that the thread might give way filled him
with so much terror that he could scarcely taste food.
We are all in like danger; for the sword of death, on
which our eternal salvation depends, may at each mo­
ment fall upon us.
It is indeed a question of eternity. If the tree fall iù
the south or to the north, in which place soever it shall fall,
there shall it lie) If, when death comes, we are found in
the grace of God, oh! with what joy shall we say: I have
secured all; I can never again lose God; I shall be happy
forever. But, if death finds the soul in sin, with what
despair will it exclaim, “ Ergo erravimus !”—therefore
have I erred; and for my error there will be no remedy
for all eternity. The fear of an unhappy eternity made
the venerable Father Avila, apostle of Spain, say, when
the news of death was brought to him: Oh! that I had a
little more time to prepare for death ! This fear made
the Abbot Agatho, who spent so many years in penance,
say at death: What will become of me ? Who can know
the judgments of God ? St. Arsenins, too, trembled at
the hour of death; and being asked by his disciples, why
he was so much alarmed, he said: “My children this
fear is not new to me; I have had it always during my
whole life.” Above all, holy Job trembled when he said:
Wha't shall I do when the Lord shall rise to judge I and when
he shall examine, what shall I answer him ? 3

Affections and Prayers.
Ah my God! who has ever loved me more than Thou hast?
and whom have I despised and insulted more than 1 have insulted
1 “ Si ceciderit lignum ad austrum, aut ad aquilonem, in quocumque
loco ceciderit, ibi erit.”—Eccles, xi 3.
2 “Quid enim faciam, cum surrexerit ad judicandum Deus; et cum
quæsierit, quid respondebo illi l—fob, xxxi. 14.

Uncertainty of the Hour of Death.

67

Thee? O blood! O wounds of Jesus, you are my hope.
Eternal Father, look not upon my sins, but look at the wounds
of Jesus ; behold Thy Son dying through pain for my sake, and
asking Thee to pardon me. I repent, O my Creator! of having
offended Thee. I am sorry for it above all things. Thou didst
create me that I might love Thee; and I have lived as if Thou
didst create me to offend Thee. For the love of Jesus Christ,
pardon me and give me grace to love Thee. I have hitherto re­
sisted Thy will, but I will resist no longer, and will do whatsoever
Thou commandest. Thou commandest me to detest the out­
rages I have offered Thee ; behold, I detest them, with my whole
heart. Thou commandest me to resolve to offend Thee no
more; behold, I resolve to lose my life a thousand times, rather
than forfeit Thy grace. Thou commandest me to love Thee
with my whole heart ; yes, with my whole heart I love Thee,
and I wish to love nothing else but Thee. Thou wilt hence­
forth be my only beloved, my only love. From Thee I ask, and
from Thee I hope for holy perseverance. For the love of Jesus
Christ, grant that I may be always faithful to Thee, and that I
may always say to Thee, with St. Bonaventure: “ Unus est
dilectus meus, unus est amor meus.” My beloved is one. my
love is one. I do not wish that my life be employed any longer
in giving Thee displeasure ; I wish to spend it only in weeping
over the offences I have committed against Thee, and in loving
Thee. Mary, my Mother ! pray for all who recommend them­
selves to thee,—pray to Jesus also for me.

68

Preparation for Death.

[CON VI.

CONSIDERATION VI.
Dciitl) of lljc Sinner.
“ When distress cometh upon them, they will seek for peace, and there
shall be none. Trouble shall come upon trouble.”—Ezek. vii. 25.

FIRST POINT.

The Sinner will Seek God at Death, but He will not Find
Him.

At present sinners banish the remembrance and
thought of death ; and thus they seek after peace,
though they never find it, in the sinful life which the}
lead. But when they are found in the straits of death,
on the point of entering into eternity, they shall seek
Peace, ami there shall be none' Then they will not be
able to fly from the torture of their sinful conscience.
They will seek peace; but what peace can be found by
a soul loaded with sins that sting it like so many vipers?
What peace can the sinner enjoy when he sees that he
must in a few momentsappear before the judgment-scat
of Jesus Christ, whose law and friendship he has till
then despised? Trouble shall come upon trouble.’ The
news of death, which has been already announced, the
thought of being obliged to take leave of everything in
this world, the remorse of conscience, the time lost, the
want of time at present, the rigor of the divine judg­
ment, the unhappy eternity which awaits sinners—all
1 Angustia supervenienfe, pacem requirent, et non erit.
‘ Conturbatio super conturbationem veniet.

The Death of the Sinner.

69

these things will form a horrible tempest, which will
confuse the mind, will increase his apprehensions; and
thus, full of confusion and distrust, the dying sinner will
pass to the other world.
Trusting in the divine promise, Abraham, with great
merit, hoped in God, against human hope.1 But sinners,
with great demerit, hope falsely and to their own per­
dition, not only against hope but also against faith; be­
cause they despise the menaces of God against all who
are obstinate in sin. They are afraid of a bad death,
but they fear not to lead a wicked life. But who has
assured them that they will not suddenly be deprived
of life by a thunderbolt, by apoplexy, or by the bursting
of a blood-vessel ? And were they at death even al­
lowed time for repentance, who assures them that they
will sincerely return to God ? To conquer bad habits,
St. Augustine had to fight against them for twelve years.
How will the dying man, who has always lived in sin,
be able, in the midst of the pains, the stupefaction, and
the confusion of death, to repent sincerely of all his
past iniquities ? I say sincerely^ because it is not enough
to say and to promise with the tongue : it is necessary
to promise with the heart ? O God ! what terror and
confusion will seize the unhappy Christian who has led
a careless life, when he finds himself overwhelmed with
sins, with the fears of judgment, of hell, and of eternity !
Oh ! what confusion will these thoughts produce when
the dying sinner will find his reason gone, his mind
darkened, and his whole frame assailed by the pains of
approaching death. He will make his confession; he
will promise, weep, and seek mercy from God, but with­
out understanding what he does; and in this tempest
of agitation, of remorse, of pains and terrors, he will
pass to the other life. The people shall be troubled^ and they
1 “ Contra spem in spem credidit.”—Rom. iv. 18.

/O

Preparation for Death.

[con.

vi.

shall pass.' A certain author says that the prayers, the
wailings, and promises of dying sinners are like the
tears and promises of a man assailed by an enemy who
points a dagger to his throat to take away his life.
Miserable the man who takes to his bed at enmity with
God, and passes from the bed of sickness to eternity.

Affections and Prayers.
O wounds of Jesus! you are my hope. I should despair of
the pardon of my sins, and of my eternal salvation, did I not be­
hold you, the fountains of mercy and grace, through which a
God has shed all his blood, towash my soul from the sins which
I have committed. I adore you, then, O holy wounds! and
trust in you. I detest a thousand times, and curse those vile
pleasures by which I have displeased my Redeemer, and have
miserably lost his friendship. Looking then at Thee, I raise
up my hopes, and turn my affections to Thee. My dear Jesus,
Thou deservest to be loved by all men, and to be loved with
their whole heart. I have so grievously offended Thee, I have
despised Thy love; but, notwithstanding my sinfulness, Thou
hast borne with me so long, and invited me to pardon with so
much mercy. Ah, my Saviour, do not permit me evermore to
offend Thee, and to merit my own damnation. O God ! what
torture should I feel in hell at the sight of Thy blood and of
the great mercies Thou hast shown me. I love Thee, and will
always love Thee. Give me holy perseverance. Detach my
heart from all love which is not for Thee, and confirm in me a
true desire, a true resolution henceforth, to love only Thee, my
sovereign good. O Mary, my Mother ! draw me to God, and
obtain for me the grace to belong entirely to him before I die.
SECOND POINT.

Anguish of the Dying Sinner.

The poor dying sinner will be assailed, not by one, but
by many causes of distress and anguish. On the one
hand, the devils will torment him. At death these hor­
rid enemies exert all their strength to secure the perdi·
1 “ Turbabuntur populi et pertransibunt.”—Job, xxxiv. 20.

The DealJl of the Sinner.
ion of the soul that is about to leave this world. They
know that they have but little time to gain it, and that if
they lose it at death, they shall lose it forever. The
Devil is conic down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that
he hath but a short time) The dying man will be tempted,
not by one, but by innumerable devils, who will labor
for his damnation. Their houses shall be filled with ser­
pents) One will say: Fear not; you will recover. An­
other: You have been deaf to the inspirations of God for
so many years, and do you now expect that he will have
mercy on you ? Another will ask: How can you make
satisfaction for all the injuries you have done to the
property and character of your neighbors ? Another:
Do you not see that your confessions have been null,
that they have been made without sorrow or a purpose
of amendment ? How will you now be able to repair
them ?
On the other hand, the dvinsf man will see himself
surrounded by his sins. Evils, says David, shall catch the
unjust man unto destruction) These sins, says St. Bernard,
like so many satellites, shall keep him in chains, and
shall say unto him: “We are your works; we shall not
desert you.”4 We are your offspring; we will not leave
you; we will accompany you to the other world,
and will present ourselves with vou to the Eternal
Judge. The dying man will then wish to shake off such
enemies; but, to get rid of them, he must detest them,
he must return sincerely to God. His mind is darkened,
and his heart hardened. A hard heart shall fare evil at the
last; and he that lovcth danger shall perish in it) St. Ber1 “ Descendit diabolus ad vos habens iram magnam, sciens quod
modicum tempus est.”—d/oc. xii. 12.
1 “ Replebuntur domus eorum draconibus.”—/sa. xiii. 21.
3 ‘‘Virum injustum mala capient in interitu.”—Ps. cxxxix. 12.
4 "Opera tua sumus, non tc deseremus.”—Afedit. c. 2.
5‘‘Cor durum habebit male in novissimo; et qui amat periculum,
in illo peribit.”—Êcclus. iii. 27.

Preparation for Death.

[CON. VI.

nard says that the man who has been obstinate in sin
during life, will make efforts, but without success, to get
out of the state of damnation; and that, overwhelmed
by his own malice, he will end his life in the same un­
happy state. Having loved sin till death, he has also
loved the danger of damnation. Hence the Lord will
justly permit him to perish in that danger in which he
has voluntarily lived till the end of his life. St. Augus­
tine says that he who is abandoned by sin before he
abandons it, will scarcely detest it as he ought; be­
cause what he will then do will be done through neces­
sity.
9 1
Miserable the sinner that hardens his heart and resists
the divine calls: His heart shall be as hard as a stone and
as firm as a smith's anvil? Instead of yielding to the
graces and inspirations of God, and being softened by
them, the unhappy man becomes more obdurate, as the
anvil is hardened by repeated strokes of Lhe hammer.
In punishment of his resistance to the divine calls, he
will find his heart in the same miserable state at the
very hour of death, at the moment of passing into eter­
nity. A hard heart shall fare evil at the last? Sin­
ners, says the Lord, you have, for the love of creatures,
turned your back upon me. They h ive turned their back
upon me, and not their face; and in the time of their affliction
they will say: Arise, and deliver us. Where are the gods
thou hast made thee I Let them arise and deliver thee?
They will have recourse to God at death; but he will
say to them: Why do you invoke me now ? Call on
1 “Qui prius a peccato relinquitur quam ipse relinquat, non libere
sed quasi ex necessitate condemnat ”—De vera poenit. c. 17.
Cor ejus indurabitur quasi lapis, et stringetur quasi malleatoris
incus.”—Job, xli. 15.
3 Cor durum habebit male in novissimo.
4 “Verterunt ad me tergum, et non faciem, et tempore afflictionis
sure dicent: Surge, et libera nos. Ubi sunt dii tui, quos fecisti tibi ?
Surgant, et liberent te.”—Jer. ii. 27.

The Death of the Sinner.
creatures to assist you; for they have been your gods.
The Lord will address them in this manner, because, in
seeking him, they do not sincerely wish to be converted.
St. Jerome says that be holds, and that he has learned
from experience, that they who have to the end led a bad
life, will never die a good death.1

Affections and Prayers.
My dear Saviour ! assist me ; do not abandon me. I see my
whole soul covered with the wounds of sin, my passions attack me
violently, my bad habits weigh me down. I cast myself at Thy
feet; have pity on me and deliver me from so many evils. In
Thee, 0 Lord ! I have hoped ; may I not be confounded forever.*
Do not suffer a soul that trusts in Thee, to be lost. ' Deliver not
up to beasts the souls that confess to TheeI I am sorry for having
offended Thee, O infinite Goodness. I have done evil, I confess
my guilt. I wish to amend my life, whatsoever it may cost me.
But if Thou dost not help me by Thy grace, I am lost. Receive,
0 my Jesus ! the rebel who has so grievously outraged Thy
majesty. Remember that I have been purchased by Thy blood
and Thy life. Through the merits then of Thy Passion and
death, receive me into Thy arms, and give me holy persever­
ance. I was lost, Thou hast called me back : I will resist
no longer: to Thee I consecrate myself; bind me to Thy love,
and do not permit me evermore to lose Thee by losing Thy
grace again. My Jesus! do not permit it. Mary, my queen !
do not permit it : obtain for me death, and a thousand deaths,
rather than that I should again forfeit the grace of thy Son.
THIRD POINT.

We Must Seek God when we can Find Him.

It is a marvellous thing that God unceasingly
threatens sinners with an unhappy death.
Then· they
1 “Hoc teneo, hoc multiplici experientia didici, quod ei non bonus
finis, cui mala semper vita fuit.”—In Epis. Euseb. ad Dam.
2 “ In te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum.”—Ps. xxx. 6.
3 “ Ne tradas bestiis animas confitentium tibi.”—Ps. Ixxiii. 19.

Preparation for Death.

[CON. vi

shall call upon me, and 1 will not hear.1 Will God hear his
cry when distress shall come upon him 13 I also will laugh
in your destruction, and will mock? According to St.
Gregory, God laughs when he is unwilling to show
mercy.4 Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in due time.1
The Lord pronounces the same threats in so man\
other places: and sinners live in peace as securely as if
God had certainly promised to give them, at death, par­
don and paradise. It is true that at whatsoever hour
the sinner is converted God promises to pardon him.
But he has not promised that sinners will be converted
at death: on the contrary, he has often protested that
they who live in sin shall die in sin.
You shall die in
your sins? He has declared that they who seek him at
death shall not find him.7 You shall seek me, and shall
not find me.6 We must, therefore, seek God while he
may be found.9 A time shall come when it will not be
in our power to find him. Poor blind sinners ! they put
off their conversion till death, when there will be no more
time for repentance. “The wicked,” says Oleaster,
“have never learned to do good unless when the time
for doing good is no more.” 10 God wills the salvation
of all: but he takes vengeance on obstinate sinners.
Should any man in a state of sin be seized with apo­
plexy and be deprived of his senses, what sentiments of
1 "Tunc invocabunt me, et non exaudiam.”—Prov. i. 28.
• "Numquid Deus audiet clamorem ejus, cum venerit super eum
angustia?”—Job, xxvii. 9.
3 "In interitu vestro ridebo et subsannabo.”—Prov. i. 26.
4 " Ridere Dei est nolle misereri.”—Mor. 1. 9. c. 20.
6 " Mea est ultio, et ego retribuam in tempore, ut labatur pes
eorum.”—Dent. xxii. 35.
6 " In peccato vestro moriemini.”—John, viii, 21, 24.
1 " Moriemini in peccatis vestris.”—Ibid. 24.
6 " Quæretis me, et non invenietis.”—John, vii. 34.
9 " Quærite Dominum dum inveniri potest.”—Isa. Iv. 6.
10 Impii nusquam didicerunt bene facere, nisi cum non est tempus
bene faciendi.

The Death of the Sinner.

75

compassion would be excited in all who should see him
die without the sacraments and without signs of repent­
ance .’ And how great should be their delight, if he
recovered the use of his senses, asked for absolution, and
made acts of sorrow for his sins ! But is not he a fool
who has time to repent and prefers to continue in sin?
or who returns to sin, and exposes himself to the danger
of being cut off by death without the sacraments, and
without repentance? A sudden death excites terror in
all; and still how many expose themselves to the dan­
ger of dying suddenly, and of dying in sin ?
Weight and balance are the Judgments of the Lord.' We
keep no account of the graces which God bestows upon
us; but he keeps an account of them, he measures them;
and when he sees them despised to a certain degree, he
then abandons the sinner in his sin, and takes him out
of life in that unhappy state. Miserable the man who
defers his conversion till death. St. Augustine says:
“The repentance which is sought from a sick man is in­
firm.”3 St. Jerome teaches, that of a hundred thousand
sinners who continue in sin till death, seareelv
* one will
be saved.3 St. Vincent Ferrer writes that it is a greater
miracle to bring such sinners to salvation, than to raise
the dead to life.4
What sorrow, what repentance, can be expected at
death from the man who has loved sin till that moment?
Bellarmine relates that when he exhorted to contrition
a certain person whom he assisted at death, the dying
man said that he did not know what was meant bv con4
1 “ Pondus ct statera judicia Domini sunt.—Prov. xvi. it.
2 “ Poenitentia quæ ab infirmo petitur infirma est.”—Semi. 255,
E. B. App.
3 “ Vix de centum millibus quorum mala vita fuit, meretur in
morte a Deo habere indulgentiam unus.”—In Ep. Eus. ad Dani.
4 "Majus miraculum est quod male viventes facient bonum finem,
quam suscitare mortuos.”—De Nat. V. S. 1.

Preparation for Death.

[con. vi.

trition. The holy Bishop endeavored to explain it to
him; but he said: Father, I do not understand you; these
things are too high for me. He died in that state, leaving,
as the venerable Cardinal has written, sufficiently evident
signs of his damnation. St. Augustine says that by a just
chastisement the sinner who has forgotten God during
life shall forget himself at death.1
Be not deceived, says the Apostle, God is not mocked.
For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For
he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall he reap cor­
ruption? It would be a mockery of God to live in con­
tempt of his laws, and afterward to reap remuneration
and eternal glory. But God is not mocked. What we sow
in this life, we reap in the next. For him who sows the
forbidden pleasures of the flesh, nothing remains but
corruption, misery, and eternal death.
Beloved Christian, what is said for others is also ap­
plicable to you. Tell me: if you were at the point of
death, given over by the physicians, deprived of your
senses, and in your last agony, with what fervor would
you ask of God another month or week to settle the
accounts of your conscience ! God at present gives you
this time: thank him for it, and apply an immediate
remedy to the evil you have done; adopt all the means
of finding yourself in the grace of God when death
comes; for then there will be no more time to acquire
his friendship.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God .' who would have borne with nie so patiently as
Thou hast? If Thy goodness were not infinite, I would despair
of pardon. But I have to deal with a God who has died for my
1 “/Equissime percutitur peccator ut moriens obliviscatur sui qui
vivens oblitus est Dei.”—5. 257 E. B. App.
i “ Nolite errare, Deus non irridetur; quæ enim seminaverit homo,
hæc et metet: qui seminat in carne sua, de carne et metet corrup
tionem.”—Gut. vi. 7.

The Death of the Sinner.

77

salvation. Thou commandest me to hope, and I will hope. If
my sins terrify and condemn me, Thy merits and Thy promises
encourage me. Thou hast promised the life of Thy grace to all
who return to Thee. Return ye and live) Thou hast promised
to embrace him who is converted to Thee. Turn ye to me, and
I will turn to you) Thou hast said that Thou knowest not how
to despise a contrite and humble heart.’ Behold me, O Lord;
I return to Thee ; I acknowledge that I deserve a thousand
hells; I am sorry for having offended Thee. I firmly promise
never again to offend Thee voluntarily, and to love Thee for­
ever. Ah ! do not suffer me any longer to be ungrateful to such
unbounded goodness. O eternal Father, through the merits of
the obedience of Jesus Christ, who died to obey Thee, grant
that I may till death be obedient to all Thy wishes. I love Thee,
0 Sovereign Good ! and through the love which I bear Thee, I
desire to obey Thee. Give me holy perseverance, give me Thy
love; I ask nothing more. Mary, my Mother! intercede for
me.
1 " Revertimini et vivite.”—Ezek. xviiî. 32.
* “Convertimini ad me et ego convertar ad vos.”—Zach. i. 3.
3 “Cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.”—Ps. 1. 19*

78

i; 4

-

Preparation for Death.

[CON. VII.

CONSIDERATION VII.
Sentiments of a ulning Christian, wljo Ijas been (fare­
less about tl)c Duties of Ucligion anb Ijas tl)ongl)t bin
little of Deatl).
“ Take order with thy house; for thou shall die, and shalt not live."
—Isa. xxxviii. i.

FIRST POINT.

Sad State of the Worldling at Death.

Imagine yourself at the bedside of a negligent Chris­
tian, who is overpowered by sickness, and has buta few
hours to live. Behold him oppressed by pains, byr swoons,
by suffocation, by want of breath, by cold perspirations, his
reason so impaired, that he feels but little, understands
little, and can speak but little. The greatest of all his
miseries is, that though at the point of death, instead of
thinking of his soul and of preparing accounts for eter­
nity, be fixes all his thoughts on physicians, on the
remedies by which he may be rescued from sickness, and
from the pains which will soon put an end to life. “ They
are unable to have any other thought of themselves,’”
says St. Laurence Justinian, speaking of the condition of
negligent Christians at the hour of death. They can
think only of themselves. Surely his relatives and
friends will admonish the dying Christian of his danger?
No; there is not one among all his relatives and friends
who has the courage to announce to him the news of
1 “Nihil aliud quam de se cogitare sufficiunt.”—Cout. MundiK
c. 15.

Sentiments of a Dying Christian.

79

death, and to advise him to receive the last sacraments.
Through fear of offending him, they all refuse to inform
him of his danger.—O my God ! from this moment I
thank Thee, that at death I shall, through Thy grace, be
assisted by my beloved brothers of my Congregation, who
will then have no other interest than that of mv* eternal
salvation, and will all help me to die well.
But though he is not admonished of bis approaching
death, the poor sick man, seeing the family in disorder,
the medical consultations repeated, the remedies multi­
plied, frequent, and violent, is filled with confusion and
terror. Assaulted bv fears, remorse, and distrust, he
says within himself: Perhaps the end of my days has
arrived. But what will be his feelings when he is told
that death is at hand ? “ Take order with thy house;
for thou shalt die, and shalt not live.” 1 What pain will
he feel in hearing these words : Your illness is mortal :
it is necessary to receive the last sacraments, to unite
yourself to God, and to prepare to bid farewell to the
world.
What ! exclaims the sick man; must I take
leave of all—of mv house, mv villa, mv relatives, friends,
conversations, games, and amusements ? Yes, you must
take leave of all.
The lawyer is already come, and
writes this last farewell: I bequeath. sneh-a-thing andsuch-athing, etc. And what does he take away with him ? Noth­
ing but a miserable rag, which will soon rot with him in
the grave.
Oh ! with what melancholy and agitation will the dy­
ing man be seized at the sight of the tears of the servants,
at the silence of his friends, who have not courage to
speak in his presence. But his greatest anguish will
arise from the remorse of his conscience, which in that
tempest will be rendered more sensible by the remem­
brance of the disorderly life he has until then led, in
1 Dispone domui tuæ, quia morieris tu, et non vives.

80

Preparation for Death.

[CON. VII.

spite of so many calls and lights from God, of so many
admonitions from spiritual Fathers, and of so many resolutions made, but never executed, or afterward neglected.
He will then say: O unhappy me ! I have had so many
lights from God, so much time to tranquillize my con­
science, and have not done so. Behold, I am now ar­
rived at the gate of death. What would it have cost me
to have avoided such an occasion of sin, to have broken
off such a friendship, to have frequented the tribunal of
penance? Ah, very little; but, though they had cost me
much pain and labor, I ought to have subm itted to every
inconvenience in order to save my soul, which is of more
importance to me than all the goods of this world. Oh ’.
if I had put into execution the good resolutions which I
made on such an occasion; if I had continued the good
works which I began at such a time, how happy should
I now feel ! But these things I have not done, and now
there is no more time to do them. The sentiments of
dying sinners who have neglected the care of their souls
during life, are like those of the damned who mourn in
hell over their sins as the cause of their sufferings, but
mourn without fruit and without remedy.
Affections and Prayers.
Lord ! if it were at this moment announced to me that my
death was at hand, such would be the painful sentiments that
would torture my soul. I thank Thee for giving me this light,
and forgiving me time to enter into myself. O my God! I will
no longer fly from Thee. Thou hast sought after me long
enough. I have just reason to fear that Thou wilt abandon me,
if I now refuse to give myself to Thee, and continue to resist
Thy calls. Thou hast given me a heart to love Thee, and I
have made so bad use of it. I have loved creatures and have
not loved Thee, my Creator and Redeemer! who hast given
Thy life for the love of me. Instead of loving Thee, how often
have I offended, how often have I despised Thee, and turned
mV back upon Thee? I knew that by such a sin I insulted

Sentiments of a Dying Christian.

81

Thee, and still I have committed it. My Jesus! I am sorry for
all my sins ; they displease me above all things. I wish to
change my life. I renounce all the pleasures of the world in
order to love and please Thee, O God of my soul ! Thou hast
given me strong proofs of Thy love. I too would wish before
death to give Thee some proof of my love. From this moment I
accept all the infirmities, crosses, insults, and offences that I receivefrom men; give me strength to submit to them with peace.
I wish to bear them all for the love of Thee. I love Thee, O in­
finite goodness! I love Thee above every good. Increase my
love, give me holy perseverance. Mary, my hope ! pray to Jesus
for me.
SECOND POINT.

Desire of the Worldling at Death.

Oh, how clearly are the truths of faith seen at the hour
of death ! But then they only serve to increase the an­
guish of the dying Christian who has led a bad life, par­
ticularly'· if he has been consecrated to God, and has had
greater facilities for serving him, more time for exercises
of piety, more good examples and more inspirations. O
God ! what torture will he feel in thinking and saying:
1 have admonished others, and my life has been worse
than theirs. I have left the world, and have cherished
attachment to worldly pleasures and vanities. What re­
morse will he feel in thinking that with the lights which
he had received from God a pagan would become a
saint ! With what pain will his soul be racked when he
remembers that he ridiculed in others certain practices
of piety, as if they were weaknesses of mind; and that
he praised certain worldly maxims of self-esteem, or of
self-love, such as: It is necessary to seek our own ad­
vancement ; We ought to avoid suffering, and indulge
in everv amusement within our reach.
The desire of the wicked shatI perish. 1 How ardently
1 “ Desiderium peccatorum peribit.”—Fs cxi. ίο.

82

Preparation for Death.

[con.

vn

shall we desire at death the time which we now squan­
der away ? In his dialogues, St. Gregory relates that a
certain rich man, called Crisorius, who had led a wicked
life, seeing at death the devils who came to carry him
off, exclaimed: Give me time, give me time until to-mor­
row. They replied: O fool! do you now seek for time?
You have had so much time, but have wasted it and
have spent it in committing sin ; and now you seek for
time. Time is now no more. The unhappy man con­
tinued to cry out and call for assistance. To his son
Maximus, a monk, who was present, he said: O my son,
assist me ! 0 Maximus, come to my aid ! With his face
on fire, he flung himself furiously from one side of the
bed to the other; and in that state of agitation, scream­
ing aloud, like one in despair, he breathed forth his un­
happy soul.
Alas ! during this life, these fools love their folly; but
at death they open their eyes, and confess that they have
been fools. But this only serves to increase their fear
of repairing past evils ; ?,nd dying in this state, they
leave their salvation very uncertain. My brother, now
that you are reading this point, I imagine that you too say:
This is indeed true. But if this is true, your folly and
misfortune will be still greater, if after knowing these
truths during life, you neglect to apply a remedy in
time. This very point which you have read will be a
sword of sorrow for you at death.
Since, then, you now have time to avoid a death so full
of terror, begin instantly to repair the past; do not wait
for that time in which you can make but little prepara­
tion for judgment. Do not wait for another month, nor
for another week. Perhaps this light which God in his
mercy gives you now may be the last light and the last
call for you. It is folly to be unwilling to think of death,
which is certain, and on which eternity depends; but it
would be still greater folly to reflect on it, and not pre­

Sentiments of a Dying Christian.

83

pare for judgment.
Make now the reflections and
resolutions which you would then make; they may be
made now with profit—then without fruit ; now, with
confidence of saving your soul—then, with diffidence as
to your salvation. Λ gentleman who was about to take
leave of the court of Charles the Fifth, to live only to
God, was asked by the Emperor why he thought of quit­
ting the court. The gentleman answered: To secure
salvation, it is necessary that some time spent in peniten­
tial works should intervene between a disorderly life
and death.
Affections and Prayers.
0 my God ! I will no longer abuse Thy mercy. I thank
Thee for the light Thou nowgivest me,and I promise to change
my life. I see that Thou canst not bear with me any longer.
I will not wait until Thou either dost send me to hell, or dost
abandon me to a wicked life, which would be a greater punish­
ment than death itself. Behold, I cast myself at Thy feet ; re­
ceive me into favor. Ido not deserve Thy grace ; but Thou
hast said : The wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him in
whatsoever day he shall turn from his wickedness 1 If then, O
my Jesus! I have hitherto offended Thy infinite'goodness, I
now repent with my whole heart, and hope for pardon. I will
say with St. Anselm : “Ah ! since Thou hast redeemed me by
Thy blood, do not permit me to be lost on account of my sins.
Look not on my ingratitude; but have regard to the love which
made Thee die for me. If I have lost Thy grace. Thou hast not
lost the power of restoring it to me. Havemercyon me then. O my
dear Redeemer! Pardon me, and give me grace to love 1 hee ;
for I purpose henceforth to love nothing but 1 hee. Among so
many possible creatures. Thou hast chosen me to love Thee.
I make choice of Thee, O Sovereign Good ! to love Thee above
every good. Thou goest before me with Thy cross ; I am w fil­
ing to follow Thee with the cross which Thou wilt give me to
carry. I embrace every mortification and every pain that comes
1 “ Impietas impii non nocebit ei, in quacumque die conversus
fuerit.”—Ezek. xxxiii. 12.

84

Preparation for Death.

[con

vii

from Thee. Do not deprive me of Thy grace, and I am con­
tent. Mary, my hope ! obtain for me from God perseverance
and the grace to love him ; and 1 ask nothing more.

THIRD POINT.

Tardy Regrets of a Dying Person.

The dying man who has neglected the salvation of
his soul, will find thorns in everything that is presented
to him—thorns in the remembrance of past amusements,
rivalries overcome and pomps displayed; thorns in the
friends who will visit him, and in whatever their presence
shall bring before his mind; thorns in the spiritual
Fathers who assist him in turn ; thorns in the Sacra­
ments of Penance, Eucharist, and Extreme Unction,
which be must receive ; thorns even in the crucifix
which is placed before him. In that sacred image he
will read his want of correspondence to the love of a
God who died for his salvation.
O fool that I have been ! the poor sick man will say,
with the lights and opportunities that God has given me,
I could have become a saint. I could have led a life of
happiness in the grace of God; and after so many years
that he gave me, what do I find but torments, distrust,
fears, remorse of conscience, and accounts to render to
God ? I shall scarcelv save mv soul. And when will
he say this? When the oil in the lamp is on the point
of being consumed, and the scene of this world is about
to close forever; when he finds himself in view of two
eternities, one happy, the other miserable; when he is
near that last gasp on which depends his everlasting bliss
or eternal despair, as long as God shall be God. What
would he then give for another year, month, or even
another week, with the perfect use of his faculties ? In
the stupefaction, oppression of the chest, and difficulty
*

J

Sentiments of a Dying Christian.

35

of breathing, under which he then labors, he can do
nothing; he is incapable of reflection, or of applying his
mind to the performance of any good act: he is, as it
were, shut up in a dark pit of confusion, where he can
see nothing but the ruin which threatens him, and which
he feels himself unable to avert. He would wish for
time; but the assisting priest shall say to him, Proficiscere;
adjust your accounts as well as you can in the few
moments that remain, and depart. Do you not know that
death waits for no one, respects no one ?
Oh ! with what dismay will he then think and say: This
morning I am alive; this evening I shall probably be
dead ! To-day I am in this room; to-morrow I shall be
in the grave ! and where will my soul be found? With
what terror will he be seized when he sees the death
candle prepared ? When he hears his relatives ordered
to withdraw from his apartment, and to return to it no
more? When his sight begins to grow dim? Finally,
how ogreat will be his alarm and confusion when he sees
diat, because death is at hand, the candle is lighted ? O
candle, O candle, how many truths will you then unfold !
How different will you make things appear then from
what they appear at present! O how clearly will you
show the dying sinner that all the goods of this world
are vanities, folly, and lies? But of what use is it to
understand these truths when the time is past of profit­
ing by them ?

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! Thou wilt not my death, butthat I be converted
and live. I thank Thee for having waited for me till now,
and I thank Thee for the light which Thou givest me at this
moment. I know the error I have committed in preferring to
Thy friendship the vile and miserable goods for which I have
despised Thee. I repent, and am sorry with my whole heart
for having done Thee so great an injury. Ah ! do not cease,
during the remainder of my life, to assist me by Thy light and

S6

Preparation for Death..

[CON. VII.

grace to know and to do all that I ought to do in order to
amend my life. What shall it profit me to know these truths
when I shall be deprived of the time in which they may be re­
duced to practice ? Deliver not up to beasts the souls that confess
to Thee) When the devil tempts me to offend Thee again,
ah ! I entreat Thee, my Jesus, through the merits of Thy Passion,
to stretch forth Thy hand and to preserve me from falling into
sin, and from becoming again the slave of my enemies. Grant
that in all temptations I may have recourse to Thee, and that
I may not cease to recommend myself to Thee as long as the
temptations continue. Thy blood is my hope, and Thy good­
ness is my love. I love Thee, my God, worthy of infinite love;
grant that I may always love Thee. Make known to me the
things from which I ought to detach my heart, that I may be en­
tirely Thine : I wish to detach my heart from them : but give me
strength to execute this desire. O Queen of heaven ! O Mother
of God! pray for me, a sinner. Obtain for me the grace that in
all temptations I may never omit to have recourse to Jesus and
to thee, who, by thy intercession, preserves from falling into
sin all who invoke thee.
* “Ne tradas bestiis animas confitentes tibi.”—Ps. Ixxiii. 19.

The Death, of the Just,

87

CONSIDERATION VIII.
£l)c Ocntl) of tl)c Just.
*' Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints,’’—
Ps. cxv. 15.

FIRST POINT.

The Death of the Just is a Rest.

Viewed according to the senses, death excites fear and
terror; but viewed with the eyes of faith, it is consoling
and desirable. To sinners it appears full of terror; but
to the saints it is amiable and precious. “ It is precious,”
says St. Bernard, “as the end of labors, the consumma­
tion of victory, the gate of life.”' It is the end of toils
and labor. Man, says Job, born of a woman, living for a
short time, is filled with many miseries.1 Behold a picture of
our life: it is short and all full of miseries, of infirmities,
of fears, and of passions. What, says Seneca, do world­
lings, who desire a long life, seek, but a continuation of
torments?’ What, says St. Augustine, is a prolongation
of life, but a prolongation of suffering ?4 Yes; for, as St.
Ambrose tells us, the present life is given us, not for
repose, but that we may labor, and by our toils merit
eternal glory? Hence Tertullian has justly said, that
1 “ Pretiosa mors, tanquam finis laborurn, victoriæ consummatio,
vitæ janua.”—In Trans. Mal. s. I.
2 “ Homo natus de muliere, brevi vivens tempore, repletur multis
miseriis ”—Job, xîv. i.
J “Tanquam vita petitur supplicii mora ”—Ep. ci.
4 “Quid est diu vivere, nisi diu torqueri.”—Semi. 84. E. B.
5 << Hæc vita homini non ad quietem data est sed ad laboicm. ”—
Serin 42.

Preparation for Dcat h.

icon.

vin.

when God abridges life he abridges pain.1 Hence,
though man has been condemned to death in punishment
of sin, still the miseries of this life are so great, that,
according to St. Ambrose, death appears to be a remedy
and relief, rather than a chastisement.2 God pronounces
happy all who die in his grace, because they terminate
their labors and go to repose. Blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord. From henceforth now saith the spirit, that
they may rest from their labors.3
1 he torments which afflict sinners at death do not dis­
turb the peace of the saints. The souls of the just are in
the hands of God, and the torment of death shall not touch
them! Ί hat proficiscere which is so full of terror to world­
lings does not alarm the saints. The just man is not
afflicted at the thought of being obliged to take leave of
the goods of the earth, for he has always kept his heart
detached from them. During life he has constantly said
to the Lord: Thou art the God of my heart, and the God
that is my portion forever? Happy you, said the Apostle
to his disciples, who have been robbed of your goods
for the sake of Jesus Christ. You took with joy the being
stripped of your goods, knowing that you had a better and a
lasting substance! The saint is not afflicted at bidding an
eternal farewell to honors,7 for he always
* hated them, and
considered them to be what they really are—smoke and
vanity. He is not afflicted in leaving relatives, for he
loved them only in God, and at death he recommends
1 Longum Deus adimit tormentum, cum vitam concedit brevem.
'l '* Ut mors remedium videatur esse, non poena.”—De Cain et Ab.
1. 2, C. IO

3 “ Beati mortui, qui in Domino moriuntur Amodo jam dicit
spiritus, ut requiescant a laboribus suis.”—Apoc. xiv. 13.
4 “Justorum animæ in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormen
tum mortis.”—IVis. ill. 1.
5 “ Deus cordis mei, et pars mea, Deus, in æternum.’'—Ps. Ixxii. 26
• “ Rapinam bonorum vestrorum cum gaudio suscepistis, cognos­
centes vos habere meliorem et manentem substantiam."—IDb. x. 34.

1 he Death of the Just.
them to his heavenly Father, who loves them more than
he does; and having a secure confidence of salvation, he
expects to be better able to assist them from heaven
than on this earth. In a word, he who has constantly
said during life, My God and my all, continues to repeat
it with greater consolation and greater tenderness at the
hour of death.
He who dies loving God, is not disturbed by the pains
of death; but, seeing that he is now at the end of life, and
that he has no more time to suffer for God, or to offer him
other proofs of his love, he accepts these pains with joy.
With affection and peace he offers to God these last mo­
ments of life, and feels consoled in uniting the sacrifice
of his death to the sacrifice which Jesus Christ offered
for him on the Cross to his eternal Father. Thus he dies
happily, saying: In peace in the self-same I will sleep
and I will rest.1 Oh ! how great the peace of the Chris­
tian who dies abandoned and reposing in the arms of
Jesus Christ, who has loved us to death, and has conde­
scended to suffer so cruel a death in order to obtain for
us a death full of sweetness and consolation.
Affections and Prayers.

0 my beloved Jesus ! who, to obtain for me a happy death,
hast freely submitted to so painful a death on Calvary, when
shall I see Thee ? The first time I shall behold Thee, I shall
see Thee as my judge in the very place in which I shall expire.
What shall I then say? What wilt Thou sav to me? I will
not wait till that moment to think of what I shall say; I will
meditate on it now. I will say to Thee : My Redeemer ! Thou
art the God who hast died for me. I have hitherto offended
Thee; I have been ungrateful to Thee; I did not deserve pardon,
but afterward, assisted by Thy grace, I have entered into my­
self, and, during the remainder of my life, I have bewailed
my sins, and Thou hast pardoned me. Pardon me again, now
that I am at Thy feet, and give me a general absolution of all
> “ In pace in idipsum dormiam et requiescam.”—Ps. iv. 9.

90

Preparation for Death.

icon. viii.

my sins. I did not deserve ever again to love Thee, because I
have despised Thy love; but Thou in Thy mercy hast drawn my
heart to Thee, so that if I have not loved Thee as Thou deservest, I have at least loved Thee above all things, and have
left all to please Thee. I see that Paradise and the possession
of Thy divinity in Thy kingdom is too much for me ; but I cannot
live at a distance from Thee, now, especially, after Thou hast shown
me Thy amiable and beautiful countenance. I therefore ask for
Paradise, not to enjoy greater delights, but to love Thee more
perfectly. Send me to Purgatory as long as Thou pleasest.
Defiled as I am at present, I do not wish to enter into the land
of purity, and to see myself among those pure souls. Send me
to be purified ; but do not banish me forever from Thy presence.
I shall be content to be one day, whenever Thou pleasest, called
to Paradise to sing Thy mercies for all eternity. Ah. my be­
loved Judge! raise Thy hand and bless me; tell me that I am
Thine, and that Thou art and shalt be forever mine. I will al­
ways love Thee, and Thou wilt forever love me. Behold, I go
to a distance from Thee ; I go into fire : but I go in peace, because
1 go to love Thee, my Redeemer, my God, my all ! I am con­
tent to go; but during my absence from Thee, I go, O Lord ! to
count the moments that will elapse before Thou callest me.
Have mercy on a soul that loves Thee with all its power, and
that sighs to see Thee, that it may love Thee better.
This I hope, O my Jesus ! to say to Thee at death. I entreat
Thee to give me the grace to live in such a manner that I may
then say to Thee what I have now thought. Give me holy per­
severance, give me Thy love. Assist me, O Mary! Mother of
God, pray to Jesus for me.
SECOND POINT.

The Death of the Just is a Victory.

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death
shall be no more) Then, at death the Lord will wipe away
from the eyes of his servants all the tears that they have
shed in this world, where they live in the midst of pains,
1 “Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam ab oculis eorum, et mors
ultra non erit. ”—Aùoc. xxi. 4.

The Death of the Just.

91

of fears, of dangers, and of combats with hell. The
greatest consolation which a soul that has loved God
will experience in hearing the news of death, will arise
from the thought that it will soon be delivered from the
many dangers of offending God, to which it is exposed
in this life, from so many troubles of conscience, and
from so many temptations of the devil. The present life
is an unceasing warfare with hell, in which we are in
continual danger of losing our souls and God. St. Am­
brose says that in this life we walk among snares : we walk
continually amid the snares of enemies, who lie in wait
to deprive us of the life of grace. It was this danger
that made St. Peter of Alcantara say at death to a relig­
ious who, in attending the saint, accidentally touched
him: “Brother, remove, remove from me; for I am still
alive, and am still in danger of being lost.” The thought
of being freed by death from the danger of sin consoled
St. Teresa, and made her rejoice as often as she heard the
clock strike, that another hour of the combat was passed.
Hence she would say: “In each moment of life I may
sin and lose God.” Hence, the news of approaching
death filled the saints with consolation; because they
knew that their strugglesand dangers were soon to have
an end, and that they would soon be in secure possession
of that happy lot in which they could never more lose
God.
It is related in the lives of the Fathers, that one of
them who was very old, when dying, smiled while the
others wept.
Being asked why he smiled, he said:
‘Why do you weep at seeing me go to rest?”1 Like­
wise St. Catharine of Sienna in her last moments said:
“Rejoice with me; for I quit this land of pains, and go
to a place of peace.” If, says St. Cyprian, you lived in a
house whose walls, and roof, and floors were tottering,
1 “ Ex labore ad requiem vado, et vos ploratis?”—Lib. 5, 1. 11, n. 52.

92

Preparation for Death,

[CON. VIII

and threatened destruction, how ardently would you
desire to fly from it ! In this life everything menaces
the ruin of the soul; the world, hell, the passions, the
rebellious senses, all draw us to sin and eternal death.
Who, exclaimed the Apostle, shall deliver me from the
body of this death I ' Oh ! how great will be the joy of
the soul in hearing these words: “ Come, my spouse,
depart from that land of tears, from the dens of lions
who seek to devour you, and to rob you of the divine
grace.”’ Hence, St. Paul, sighing for death said that
Jesus Christ was his only life; and therefore he esteemed
death his greatest gain, because by death he acquired
that life which never ends. To me, to live is Christ, and
to die is gain.1*34
In taking a soul while it is in the state of grace out of
this world, where it may change its will and lose his
friendship, God bestows on it a great favor, die was
taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding.''
Happy in this life is the man that lives in union with
God; but, as the sailor is not secure until he has arrived
at the port and escaped the tempest, so the soul cannot
enjoy complete happiness until it has left this world in
the grace of God. “Praise,” says St. Maximus, “the
felicity* of the sailor: but not until he has reached the
port.”5 Now, if at his approach to the port the sailor
rejoices, how much greater ought to be the'joy and glad­
ness of a Christian who is at the point of securing eternal
salvation ?
Moreover, it is impossible in this life to avoid all venial
1 “ Quis me liberabit de corpore mortis hujus?”—Rom vii. 24.
* “ Veni de Libano sponsa mea, veni de cubilibus leonum.”—Cant.
iv. 8.
’ “ Mihi vivere Christus est et mori lucrum.”—Rhii. 1. 21.
4 “Raptus est ne malitia mutaret intellectum ejus.”—IVis iv. 11.
8 “Lauda navigantis, felicitatem sed cum pervenit ad portum.”—lu
Nativ. D. Eus. hom. a.

The Death of the Jlist.
sins. For, says the Holy Ghost, a just man shall fall
seven times.1 He who quits this life ceases to offend
God “ For,” says St. Ambrose, “ what is death but the
burial of vices?” 1 This consideration makes the souls
that love God long for death. The Venerable Vincent
Caraffa consoled himself at death, saying: “ By ceasing
to live, I cease forever to offend God.” And St. Ambrose
said: “Why do we desire this life, in which, the longer
we live, the more we are loaded with sins’”3 He who
dies In the grace of God can never more offend him,
says the same holy doctor.4 Hence, the Lord praises
the dead more than any man living, though he be a
saint." A certain spiritual man gave directions that the
person who should bring him the news of death, should
say: “Console yourself; for the time has arrived when
you will no longer offend God.”

Affections and Prayers.

Into Thy hands. I commend my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me,
0Lord, the God of truth.* Ah, my sweet Redeemer ! what should
become of me if Thou hadst deprived me of life when I was far
from Thee? I should no'w be in hell, where I could never love
Thee. I thank Thee for not having abandoned me, and
for having bestowed on me so many great graces in order to
gain my heart. 1 am sorry for having offended Thee. I love
Thee above all things. Ah ! I entreat Thee to make me always
sensible of the evil I have done in despising Thee, and of the
love which Thy infinite goodness merits. I love Thee; and I
desire to die soon, if such be Thy will, that I may be freed from
the danger of ever again losing Thy grace, and that 1 may be
1 “Septies enim cadet justus.”—Prov. xxiv. i6.
i “Quid est mors, nisi sepultura vitiorum ?”—De bon. nioit. c. 4.
3 “Quid vitam istam desideramus, in qua quatito diutius quis fue­
rit, tanto majori oneratur sarcina peccatorum ?”—Ibid. c. 2.
4 “Mortuus descivit peccare.”—In Ps. cxviii. s. 18.
• “Laudavi magis mortuos quam viventes.”—Eccles, iv. 2.
•“In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum; redemisti me, Do­
mine Deus veritatis.”—Ps. xxx. 6.

94

Preparation for Death.

icon,

vin

secure of lovingThee forever. Ah, my beloved Jesus! during
these remaining years of my life, give me strength to do some­
thing for Thee before I die. Give me strength against all temp­
tations, and against my passions, but particularly against the
passion which has hitherto most violently drawn me to sin.
Give me patience in all infirmities, and under all the injuries
which I may receive from men. I now, for the love of Thee,
pardon all who have shown me any contempt, and I beg of
Thee to bestow upon them the graces which they stand in need
of. Give me strength to be more diligent in avoiding even
venial faults, about which I have been hitherto negligent. My
Saviour! assist me. I hope for all graces through Thy merits.
0 Mary, my Mother, and my hope! I place unbounded confi­
dence in thee.
THIRD POINT.

The Death of the Just is the Entrance to Life.

Death is not only the end of labors, but it is also the
gate of life,.says St. Bernard.1 He who wishes to see
God must necessarily pass through this gate.
This is
the gate of the Lord; the just shall enter into it.2 St.
Jerome entreated death to open its gates to him. “ Death,
my sister, if you do not open the door to me, I cannot
enter to enjoy my Lord.” 3 Seeing in his house a picture
which represented a skeleton with a scythe in the hand, St.
Charles Borromco sent for a painter, and ordered him
to erase the scythe, and to paint a golden key, in order
that he might be more and more inHamed with a desire
of death, which opens Paradise, and admits us to the
vision of God.
If, says St. John Chrysostom, a king had prepared for
one of his subjects apartments in his own palace, but
for the present obliged him to live in a tent, how ardently
1 Finis laborum, vitæ janua.
3 “ Hæc porta Domini, justi intrabunt in eam.”—Ps. cxvii. 20.
3 “Aperi mihi, dulcis soror.”—In Ep. Eus. ad Dani.

The Death of the Just.

95

would the vassal sigh for the day on which he should
leave the tent to enter into the palace ! In this life the
soul, being in the body, is as it were confined in a prison,
which it must leave in order to enter the celestial palace.
Hence, David prayed to the Lord to bring his soul out
of prison.1 When the hol}r Simeon held the infant Jesus
in his arms, he asked no other grace than
to be delivered
*
from the prison of the present life. “ Now thou dost
dismiss thy servant, O Lord.”1
2* “As if detained by neecessity, he,” says St. Ambrose, “begs to be dismissed.”
The Apostle desired the same grace when he said : I
am straitened, having a desire to be dissolved, and to be with
Christ. ’
How great was the joy of the cup-bearer of Pharaoh
when he heard from Joseph that he should soon be res­
cued from the prison and restored to his situation !
And will not a soul that loves God exult with gladness
at hearing that it will soon be released from the prison
of this earth, and go to enjoy God? “ While we are in
the body, we are absent from the Lord." 4* While the soul is
united to the body, it is at a distance from the vision of
God, as if in a strange land, and excluded from its true
country. Hence, according to St. Bruno, the departure
of the soul from the body should not be called death, but
the beginning of life.6
Hence, the death of the saints is called their birth­
day; because at death they are born to that life of bliss
which will never end. St. Athanasius says: “To the
just, death is only a passage to eternal life.”9 “ O amia­
ble death,” says St. Augustins, “ who will not desire
1 “ Educ de custodia animam meam.”—Ps. cxli. 8.
’ ·' Nunc dimittis servum tuum .Domine.”—Luke ii. 29.
J “Desiderium habens dissolvi, et esse cum Christo.”—Phil. i. 23.
4 “ Dum sumus in corpore, peregrinamur a Domino.”—2 Cor. v. ά
“ Mors dicenda non est, sed vitæ principium.”—De Pirginit.
1 Non est justis mors, sed translatio.

96

Preparation for Death

[CON. VIIL

thee, who art the end of evils, the close of toils, the be­
ginning of everlasting repose ?”1 Hence the holy Doc­
tor frequently prayed for death, that he might see
God.3
The sinner, as St. Cyprian says, has just reason to fear
death ; because he will pass from temporal to eternal
death.’ But he who is in the state of grace, and hopes
to pass from death to life, fears not death. In the
life of St. John the Almoner, we read that a certain
rich man recommended to the prayers of the saint an
only son, and gave the saint a large sum of money to
be distributed in alms, for the purpose of obtaining from
God a long life for his son. The son died soon after;
but when the father complained of his death, God sent
an angel to say to him: “You sought for your son a
long life: he now enjoys eternal life in heaven.” This
is, as was promised by the Prophet Osee, the grace
which Jesus Christ merited for us. O death, 1 shall be
thy death.4 By dying for us, Jesus has changed death
into life. When Pionius, the Martyr, was brought to the
stake, he was asked by those who conducted him, how
he could go to death with so much joy. “You err,” re­
plied the saint : “ I go not to death, but to life.” 6 Thus,
also, the mother of the youthful St. Symphorian ex­
horted him to martyrdom.
J*
' “/ Mv son,” said she, “life
is not taken away from you; it is only exchanged fora
better one.”
11‘O mors desiderabilis malorum finis, laboris clausula, quietis
principium.”—De Vis. inf., 1. i, c 6.
3 “ Eja moriar Domine ut te videam.”—Sol. an. an. D. c. i.
’ “ Mori timeat qui ad secundam mortem, de hac morte transibit.'
—De Mortal.
4 “ Ero mors tua, o mors!”—Osee, xiii. 41.
5 “Erratis, non ad mortem, sed ad vitam contendo.”—Ap Ens
I. iv. c. 14.

The Death of the Just.

97

Affections and Prayers.

0 God of my soul ! I have hitherto dishonored Thee by turn­
ing my back upon Thee; but Thy Son has honored Thee by
offering to Thee the sacrifice of his life on the cross. Through
the honor which Thy beloved Son has given Thee, pardon the
dishonor which I have done Thee. I am sorry, O Sovereign
Good! for having offended Thee ; and I promise henceforth to
love nothing but Thee. From Thee I hope for salvation : what­
ever good is in me at present is the fruit of Thy grace; to Thee
I ascribe it all. By the grace of God, I am what I ami If I have
hitherto dishonored Thee, I hope to honor Thee for eternity by
blessing and praising Thy mercy forever. I feel a great desire
to love Thee. This Thou hast given me: I thank Thee for it. O
my love ! Continue, continue the aid which Thou hast begun
to give me. I hope to be henceforth Thine, and entirely Thine.
And what greater pleasure can I enjoy than that of pleasing
Thee, my Lord ! who art so amiable, and who hast loved me so
tenderly! O my God! I ask only love, love, love; and hope
always to ask of Thee, love, love, until, dying in Thy love, I
reach the kingdom of love, where, without evermore asking it,
I shall be full of love, and never for a single moment cease to
love Thee for all eternity, and with all my strength. Mary, my
mother! who lovest thy God so intensely, and who desirest so
vehemently to see him loved, obtain for me the grace to love
him ardently in this life, that I may love him ardently forever
in the next.
1 “ Gratia Dei sum id quod sum.”—i Cor. xv. io.

Preparation for Death.

ICON. IX.

CONSIDERATION IX.
Peace of tlje Just at tlje §onr of Ekatlj.
“ The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of
death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed
to die ; but they are in peace.”—IPis. iii. i, etc.
FIRST POINT.

The Just have nothing to fear at the Hour of Death,

The souls of ihe just are in the hands of God. If God
holds fast in his hands the souls of the just, who can
snatch them from him ? It is true that hell does not
cease to tempt and attack even the saints at the hour of
death; but it also true that God does not cease to assist,
and to multiply helps to his faithful servants, whenever
their danger is increased. There, says St. Ambrose,
There is greater aid, where there is greater peril, because Goa
is a helper in due time.' David also assures us in the
Psalms: A helper in time of h ibulationj The servant of
Eliseus was struck with terror when he saw the city
✓ encompassed with enemies; but the saint inspired him with
courage, saying: Fear not : for there are more with us than
with them.* He then showed him an army of angels sent
by God to defend the city. The devil will come to tempt
the dying Christian; but his angel-guardian will come
to strengthen him: his holy advocates will come—St.
1 * Ibi plus auxilii, ubi plus periculi.”—De Jos. patr. c. 5.
9 “Dominus . . . adjutor in opportunitatibus."—Ps. ix. 10.
3 “Noli timere, plures enim nobisemn sunt, quam cum illis.”—4
Kings, vi. 16.

Peace of the Just at the Hour of Death. 99
Michael, whom God has appointed to defend his faith­
ful servants in their last combat with hell, will come; the
divine Mother will come to chase away the devils, and to
protect her servant; above all, Jesus Christ will come to
guard against every temptation of hell, the innocent or
penitent sheep for whose salvation he has given his life.
He will give that confidence and strength of which the
soul shall stand in need in that last struggle with its
enemies. Hence, full of courage, it will say: The Loi ά
became my helper) The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear T1 God, says Origen, is more solicitous
for our salvation than the devil is for our perdition; for
the Lord loves our souls far more than the devil hates
them.3
God is faithful, says the Apostle; he does not permit
us to be tempted above our strength.4 But you will
say: Many saints have died with great fear of being
lost. I answer: We have but few examples of persons
who, after leading a holy life, died with fears for their
eternal salvation. Belluacensis says that, to purify them
at the hour of death from some defect, God sometimes
permits holy souls to be disturbed by such fears.6 But
generali}'- the servants of God have died with a joyful
countenance. At death the judgment of God excites
fear in all; but if sinners pass from terror to despair, the
saints rise from fear to confidence. St. Antonine relates
that in a severe illness, St. Bernard trembled through
fear of judgment, and was tempted to despair.
But
1 “ Dominus factus est adjutor meus.”— Ps. xxix. n.
’“Dominus illuminatio mea et salus mea; quem timebo?’—Ps.
xxvi. i.
3 “ Major illi cura est, ut nos ad salutem pertrahat quam diabolo ut
nos ad damnationem impellat.”—In λ uni. Hom. 20.
4 “Fidelis Deus non patietur vos lentari supra id quod potestis.”—
i Cor. x. 13.
4 “ Justi quandoque dure moriendo purgantur in hoc mundo.”—Spec,
mor. 1. 2. p. i. d. 3.

4*00

Preparation foi' Death.

(CON. IX.

thinking of the merits of Jesus Christ, he drove away all
fear, saying to his Saviour: Thy wounds are my
merits.' St. Hilarion also was seized with fear; but he
said: “ Go forth, my soul; what do you fear ? Fornear
seventy years you have served Christ; and are you now
afraid of death?”’ As if he said- My soul, what do
you fear? have you not served a God who is faithful,
and knows not how to abandon at death the Chris­
tian who has been faithful to him during life ? Father
Joseph Scamacca, of the Society’ of Jesus, being asked
if in dying he felt confidence in God, said: “Have I
served Mahomet, that I should now doubt of the good­
ness of my God, or of his desire to save me ?'
Should the thought of having offended God at some
time of our life molest us at death, let us remember that
he has protested that he forgets the iniquities of all
penitent sinners. If the wicked do penance,— I will not re­
member all his iniquities" But you may ask: How can 1
be secure of having received pardon from God? St.
Basil asks the same question; “ How can any one be cer­
tain that God has forgiven his sins?”4 "He can be
certain of pardon.” answers the saint, “if he say: I have
hated and abhorred iniquity.”5 He who detests sin,
can rest secure of having obtained pardon from God
The heart of man cannot exist without loving some ob
ject; it must love creatures or God If it loves not crea­
tures, it loves God. And who are they that love God '
All who observe his commands. He that hath my com1 “Vulnera tua, merita mea.”
s “ Egredere, anima mea; quid times? Septuaginta prope annis
servisti Christo, et mortem limes?”
3 “ Si impius egerit poenitendam, .. . omnium iniquitatum ejus , . .
non recordabor.’’—Ezek. xviii 21.
4 “Quomodo certo persuasus esse quis potest quod Deus ei peccata
■dimiserit ?”
6 “Nimirum si dicat; Iniquitatem odio habui et abominatus sum.”
—Reg brev. interr 12

Peace oJ the Just at the Hour of Death, ιοί
mandmcnts, and keepeth them, he it is that laveth med He
then who dies in the observance of the commandments,
dies in the love of God; and he that loves fears not.
Charity casteth out Jcard

Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my Jesus ! when will the day arrive on which I can say : My
God ! I can never lose Thee ? When shall I see Thee face to face,
and be sure of loving Thee with all my strength for eternity ? Ah,
my Sovereign Good, my only love ! as long as I have life, I shall
be in danger of offending Thee and of losing Thy grace. There
has been an unhappy time when I did not love Thee, but, on the
contrary, despised Thy love. I am sorry for it with my whole
soul, and hope that Thou hast already pardoned me. I now love
Thee with my whole heart, and desire to do all in my power to
love and please Thee. But I am still in danger of refusing Thee
my love, and of again turning my back, upon Thee. Ah, my
Jesus, my life and my treasure ! do not permit it. Should this
misfortune ever happen to me, take me this moment out of life
by the most cruel of deaths ; I am content to suffer such a death,
and I entreat Thee to send me such a death, sooner than per­
mit me ever to cease to love Thee. Eternal Father ! for the love
of Jesus Christ, do not abandon me to so great an evil. Chastise
me as Thou wishest, I deserve and accept any chastisement Thou
pleasest to inflict upon me: but preserve me from the punish­
ment of seeing myself deprived of Thy grace and of Thy love.
My Jesus! recommend me to Thy Father. Mary, my Mother!
recommend me to thy Son ; obtain for me perseverance in his
friendship, and the grace to love him ; and then do with me
what thou pleasest.
SECOND POINT.
The Just Die in a Sweet Peace.

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the tor­
ment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the un1 “Qui habet mandata mea et servat ea, ille est qui diligit me.”—
John, xiv. 2i.
* “Charitas foras mittit timorem.”—i John, iv. 18.

102

Preparation for Death.

[CON. IX

wise they seemed to die; . . . but they are in peace.1 In the
eyes of the unwise the servants of God appear to die, as
worldlings do, in sorrow and with reluctance. But God
knows well how to console his children in their last
moments; and even in the midst of the pains of death he
infuses into their souls certain sweetnesses, as foretastes
of Paradise, which he will soon bestow upon them. As
they who die in sin begin to experience on the bed of
death certain foretastes of hell, certain remorse, terrors,
and fits of despair; so, on the other hand, the saints, by
the frequent acts of divine love which they then make, by
their ardent desire and firm hope of soon possessing
God, begin to feel that peace which they will afterwards
fully enjoy in heaven. To the saints death is not a pun­
ishment, but a reward. When He shall give sleep to His be­
loved, behold the inheritance of the Lordi The death of the
Christian that loves God is called, not death, but sleep,
thus he shall be able to say less, In peace in the self­
same I will sleep and I will rest.1*3
Father Suarez died with so much peace, that in his last
moments he exclaimed: “I could never imagine that
death would be so sweet.” 4 When Cardinal Baronins was
advised by his physician not to fix his thoughts so much
on death, he said: “Perhaps you think I am afraid of
death. I fear it not; but, on the contrary, I love it.”
In going to death for the faith, the Cardinal of Roches­
ter, as Saunders relates, put on his best clothes, saying
that he was going to a nuptial feast. Hence at the
sight of the scaffold he threw away his staff, and said:
1 “ Justorum animæ in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormen­
tum mortis ; visi sunt oculis insipientium mori . . illi autem sunt
in pace.”—Wis. iii. i.
s “Cum dederit dilectissuis somnum, ccce hereditas Domini."—Ps.
cxxvi. 2.
3 “ In pace in idipsum dormiam et requiescam."—Ps. iv. 9.
4 Non putabam tam dulce esse mori.

Peace of the Just at the 1lotir of Death. 103
“0 my feet! walk fast; we are not far from Paradise.”1
Before death he intoned the “Te Deum,” to thank God
for giving him the grace to die a martyr for the holy
faith ; and, full of joy, he laid his head on the block. St.
Francis of Assisi began to sing at the hour of death, and
invited the brethren to join him. Brother Elias said to
him : “Father, at death we ought rather to weep than to
sing.” “But,” replied the saint, “I cannot abstain from
singing ; for I see that I shall soon go to enjoy my God.”
A young nun of the order of St. Teresa, in her last ill­
ness said to her sisters in religion who stood round her
bed bathed in tears : “ O God ! why do you weep ? I go
to enjoy my Jesus. If you love me, rejoice with me.”
Father Granada relates that a certain sportsman found
a solitary infected with leprosy, singing in his last agony.
“How,” said the sportsman, “can you sing in such a
state?” “Brother,” replied the hermit, “between me
and God there is nothing but the wall of this body. I
now see that my flesh is falling off—that the prison will
soon be destroyed, and that I shall go to see my God.
It is for this reason that I rejoice and sing.” The desire
of seeing God made St. Ignatius the Martyr say that if
the wild beasts should not take away his life he would
provoke them to devour him.2 St. Catharine of Genoa
could not bear to hear death called a misfortune. Hence
she would say : “ Oh ! beloved death, in what a mistaken
light are you viewed ! Why do you not come to me?
I call on you night and day.” St. Teresa desired death
so vehemently that she regarded the continuation of life
as death : hence she composed the celebrated hymn,
I die because I do not die. Such is death to the saints.
1 he, pedes , parum a paradiso distamus.
2 Ego vim faciam ut devorer.

104

Preparation for Death.

[CON. IX

Affections and Prayers.
Ah. my supreme good, my God ! if for the past I have not
loved Thee, I now turn to Thee with my whole soul. I take
leave of all creatures, and choose Thee, my most amiable Lord!
for the sole object of my love. Tell me what Thou wishest
from me: I will do all Thou desirest. I have offended Thee
enough : I wish to spend all the remaining moments of life
in pleasing Thee. Give me grace to compensate by my love my
past ingratitude, which has continued to this moment. I deserve
to burn in the fire of hell for so many years ; Thou hast sought
after me, and hast drawn me to Thyself. Make me now burn
with the fire of Thy holy love. I love Thee, O Infinite Good­
ness! Thou justly claimest all the affections of my heart; for
Thou hast loved me more than all others have loved me. Thou
alone deservest my love; Thou only do I wish to love. I de­
sire to do everything in my power to please Thee. Do with me
whatsoever Thou wishest. For me it is enough to love Thee
and to be loved by Thee. Mary, my Mother? assist me; pray
to Jesus for me.
THIRD POINT.

The Just in Dying have a Foretaste of Celestial Joy.

And how can he fear death, says St. Cyprian, who
hopes to receive a kingly crown in Paradise ! “ Let us
not be afraid to be put to death when we are certain that
we shall be crowned after death.” 1 ■ How can he fear
death when he knows that by dying in the state of grace
his body will become immortal ? This mortal must put on
immortality? He that loves God and desires to see him.
regards life as a punishment and death as a source of
joy, says St. Augustine.1 And St. Thomas of Villanova
says that death, if it finds a man sleeping, comes like a
1 " Non vereamur occidi, quos constet qtiando occidimur, coronari ?"
—Epis, ad Thibar.
ί “ Oportet . . . mortale hoc induere immortalitatem.”—i Cor.
xv. 55·
.
.
I
3 “ Patienter vivit, delectu. . i
>ri:u: ”— 'n i Joh. tr. g.

Peace oj the Jas I at the Hour of Death. 105
thief, robs him, kills him, and casts him into the pit of
hell. But if it finds him watching, it comes as an am­
bassador from God, and salutes him, saying : “ The Lord
expects you to the nuptial feast : come ; I will conduct
you to the happy kingdom for which you sigh.” 1
Oh ! with joy does he expect death who finds himself
in the grace of God, and hopes soon to see Jesus Christ,
and to hear from him these consoling words: Well done,
good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful
tvtr a few things, I will place thee over many? Oh, what
consolation will he then receive from bis works of pen­
ance, his prayers, his detachment from earthly goods,
and from all he has done for God ! Say to the just man,
that it is well; for he shall eat the fruit of his doings?
Then he who has loved God will taste the fruit of all his
holy works. Hence, in hearing that a religious, his
friend, died in sentiments of fervent piety, Father Hyp·
politus Durazzo, of the Society of Jesus, wept not, but
exulted with joy and gladness. But, says St. John Chry­
sostom, would it not be most unreasonable to believe
that heaven is eternal, and to pity those who go to that
kingdom of delights?4 What special consolation will
the just man receive at the hour of death from the devo­
tions performed in honor of the Mother of God, from
the Rosaries he has recited, from his visits to her image,
from his fasts on Saturdays, from his frequent attendance
at her Confraternities ! Mary is called the faithful Virgin.
Oh, how great is her fidelity in consoling her faithful ser­
vants at the hour of death! A certain person devoted to
1 “ Te Dominus ad nuptias vocat ; veni, ducam te quo desideras.”—
De S. Ildeph. cone. 2.
2 “ Euge, serve bone et fidelis: quia super pauca fuisti fidelis, super
multa te constituam; intra in gaudium Domini tui.”—Matt. xxv. 21.
3 “ Dicite justo quoniam bene: quoniam fructum adinventionum
suarum comedet.”—Isa. iii. 10.
4 “ Fateri coelum et eos, qui hinc eo commearunt luctu prosequi.”—
Ad Vid.jun. tr. 1.

i ο6

Preparation for Death.

[con. ix.

the Most Holy Virgin said in his last moments to Father
Binetti: “ Father, you cannot conceive the consolation
which the thought of having served Mary infuses at the
hour of death. O my Father! if you knew the happiness
I feel on account of having served this Mother. I am
not able to express it.” How great will be the joy of
him who has loved Jesus Christ—who has often visited
him in the Most Adorable Sacrament, and has often re­
ceived him in the Holy Communion, when he sees his
Lord entering his room in the Most Holy Viaticum, and
coming to accompany him in his passage to eternity!
Happy he who will then be able, with St. Philip Neri, to
say to his Saviour: “ Behold my love! Behold my love!
Give me mv* love.”
But you will,'perhaps, say: Who knows what shall be
my lot? Who knows but I shall die an unhappy death?
Of you who speak in this manner, I ask what is it that
causes a bad death ? Nothing but sin. We should then
fear sin only, and not death. “It is clear,” says St. Am­
brose, “ that it is not death that is bitter, but sin; ourfears
ought not to be of death, but of life.” 1 If, then, you de­
sire not to fear death,1 lead a holy
With him that
J life.
feareth the Lord, it shall go well in the latter en di
Father Colombière held it to be morally impossible
that the man who has been faithful to God during life
should die a bad death. And before him, St. Augustine
said: “ He who has lived well cannot die badlv.
He who
*
is prepared to die fears no death, however sudden.”’
The just man, if he be prevented with deaths shall be in resit
Since we cannot go to enjoy God without passing through
1 “ Liquet acerbitatem non mortis esse, sed culpæ: non ad mortem
metus referendus, sed ad vitam.”—De bon. mort. c. 8.
2 “ Timenti Dominum bene erit in extremis.”—Ecclus. i. 13.
3 “ Non potest male mori, qui bene vixerit.”—De Disc, chr., c. 12.
4 “ Justus autem, si morte præoccupatus fuerit, in refrigerio erit.”
■—IVis. iv. 7.

Peace of the fust at the Hour of Death. 107
death, St. John Chrysostom exhorts us to offer to God
what we are obliged to give him? And let us be per­
suaded that they who offer their death to God, make the
most perfect act of divine love which it is in their power
to perform; because, by cheerfully embracing that kind
of death which God is pleased to send, and at the time
and in the manner in which God sends it, thev render
themselves like the holy martyrs. He who loves God
should desire and sigh after death; because it unites
him forever to God, and delivers him from the danger of
losing God. He who does not desire to see God speed­
ily, and to be secure against the possibility of ever los­
ing God, shows that he has but little love for God. Let
us, during life, love him to the utmost of our power.
We should make use of life only to advance in divine
love: the measure of our love of God at death will be the
measure of our love for him in a happy eternity.
Affections and Prayers.
My Jesus! bind me to Thyself so that I may never more be
separated from Thee. Make me entirely Thine before I die,
that I may see Thee appeased, O my Redeemer! the first time
I behold Thee. Thou didst seek after me when I fled away
from Thee : ah ! do not cast me off, now that I seek after Thee.
Pardon me all the offences I have given Thee. From this day
I will think only of serving and loving Thee. Thou hast laid
me under too many obligations; Thou hast not refused to give
Thy blood and Thy life for the love of me. I would wish to be
entirely consumed for the love of Thee. O God of my soul ! I
wish to love Thee ardently in this life, that I may love Thee
ardently in the next. Eternal Father! draw my whole heart to
Thee: detach it from earthly affections: wound and inflame
my whole soul with Thy holy love. Through the merits of
Jesus Christ, hear my prayers. Give me holy perseverance, and
grant me the grace always to ask it of Thee. Mary, my Mother!
assist me, and obtain for me the grace to ask unceasingly of thy
Son the gift of holy perseverance.
1 "Offeramus Deo quod tenemur reddere.”—Op. imp. in Matth.
hem. 25.

10.8

Preparation for Death*

[CON. x

CONSIDERATION X.
a

Akans of preparing for Ekatlj.
“ Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin."—Eccl, vii. 40.
FIRST POINT.

Not to Wait till the Last Moment.

All confess that they must die, and die only once, and
that nothing is of greater importance than to die well ;
because on death depends whether we shall be forever in
bliss or forever in despair. All know that our eternal
happiness or our eternal unhappiness depends on leading
a good or a bad life. How then does it happen that the
greater part of Christians live as if they were never to
die, or as if to die well or ill were of little moment ! They
live in sin because they do not think of death. Remem­
ber thy last end, and thou shalt never sind We must be per­
suaded that the hour of death is not fit for settling the
accounts of the soul, and securing the great affair of
eternal salvation. In worldly matters prudent men take
measures in due time to secure temporal gain—to obtain
a situation of emolument. To preserve or restore bodily
health the necessary remedies are not deferred a single
moment. What would you
say* of the man who should
*
put off his preparation for a trial on which his life de­
pended till the day of trial arrived? Would you not
stigmatize as a fool the general who should not begin to
lay in a supply of provisions and arms till the city is
1 “ In omnibus operibus tuis memorare novissima tua, et in aeter­
num non peccabis.”—Ecclus. vii. 40.

Means of Preparing for Death.

109

besieged ? Would it not be folly in a pilot to neglect till
the time of the tempest, to provide the vessel with an
anchor and a helm ? Such precisely is the folly of the
Christian who neglects to tranquillize his conscience till
death arrives.
IVhen sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction, as
a tempest, then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear.
. . . Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way."'
The time of death is a time of storm and confusion. At
that awful hour sinners call on God for assistance ; but
they invoke his aid through the fear of hell, which they
see at hand, and not with true contrition of heart. It is
for this reason that God is deaf to their cry
* ; it is for this
reason also that they will then taste the fruit of their
wicked life. What they have sown they shall reap.’
Ah ! it will not then be enough to receive the sacra­
ments ; it is necessary at death to hate sin, and to love
God above all things. But how can he, then, hate for­
bidden pleasures, who has loved them till that moment?
How can he love God above all things, who has till then
loved creatures more than lie has loved God ?
The Lord called the virgins foolish who wished to
prepare their lamps when the bridegroom was nigh. All
have a horror of a sudden death, because there is no
time to settle the accounts of conscience. All confess
that the saints have been truly wise, because they pre­
pared for death during life. And what are we doing?
Shall we expose ourselves to the danger of preparing for
death when it arrives? We ought to do at present what
we shall then wish to have done. Oh ! what pain will
then arise from the remembrance of time lost, and still
more from the remembrance of time spent in sin : time
1 “Cum . . . interitus quasi tempestas ingruerit . . ., tunc invoca­
bunt me, et non exaudiam ... ; comedent fructus vite suæ.”—
Prcv. i. 27.
5 “Ç)uæ seminaverit homo, hæc et metet."—Gat. vi. S.

I io

Preparation for Death.

icon. x.

given by God to merit eternal Ere ; but now past, and
never to return ! What anguish will the sinner feel
when he shall be told : You can be steward no longer!’
There is no more time for doing penance, for frequent­
ing the sacraments, for hearing sermons, for visiting
Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrament, or for prayer. What
is done is done. To make a good confession, to remove
several grievous scruples, and thus tranquillize the con­
science, would require a better state of mind and time
more free from confusion and agitation. But time will
be no more.3

Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my God ! had I died on one of the nights known to Thee,
where should I be at present? I thank Thee for having waited
for me; I thank Thee for all those moments which I should
have spent in hell from the first moment that I offended Thee.
Ah! give me light, and make me sensible of the great evil 1
have done Thee in voluntarily losing Thy grace, which Thou
didst merit for me by the sacrifice of Thy life on the cross. Ah!
my Jesus, pardon me: I am sorry from the bottom of my heart,
and above all things, for having despised Thee, who art infinite
goodness. Ah ! assist me, O my Saviour! that I may never lose
Thee again. Alas, my Lord! if I return again to sin, after so
many lights and graces which Thou hast bestowed upon me. 1
should deserve a hell to be made on purpose for myself.
Through the merits of that blood which Thou hast shed for my
sake, do not permit me ever more to offend Thee. Give me
holy perseverance, give me Thy love. I love Thee, and I will
never cease to love Thee till death. My God, have mercy on
me for the love of Jesus Christ. O Mary, my hope ! do thou too
have pity on me; recommend me to God: thy recommenda­
tions are never rejected by that God who loves thee so tenderly.
1 “Jam non poteris amplius villicare.”—Luke, xvi. 2.
2 “ Tempus non erit amplius.”—Apoc. x. 6.

Means of Preparing for Death.

I r I

SECOND POINT.

Put Our Conscience in a Good State, and Regulate Our Lives.

Brother, since it is certain that you will die, go as
soon as possible to the foot of the crucifix; thank your
crucified Redeemer for the time which in his mercy
J he
gives you to settle the affairs of your conscience; and
then review all the irregularities of your past life, par­
ticularly of your youth. Cast a glance at the command­
ments of God: examine yourself on the duties of the
State of life in which you. have lived, and on the society
you have frequented: mark down in writing the sins
Tou have committed; make a general confession of your
Λ-hole life, if you have not as yet made one. Oh ! how
much does a general confession contribute to regularity
j)f life in a Christian ! Consider that vou
have to settle
accounts for eternity; and take care to adjust them as if
you were on the point of rendering these accounts to
Jesus Chris: at judgment. Banish from your heart
every sinful affection, and every sentiment of rancor ;
remove every ground of scruple on account of the injury
done to the property or character of others, or of scan­
dal to your neighbor; and resolve to fly from all those
occasions in which you should be in danger of losing
God. Remember that what now seems difficult will
appear impossible at the hour of death.
It is still more important for you to resolveto practise
the means of preserving your soul in the grace of God.
These means are,—hearing Mass every day, the medita­
tion on the eternal truths, the fréquentation of the sacra­
ments of penance and Eucharist at least every eight days,
the visit every day to the Most Holy Sacrament, and to
an image of the divine Mother, attendance at her con­
fraternity, spiritual reading, examination of conscience
every evening, some special devotion to the Blessed

I I2

Preparation for Death.

(CON. x

Virgin, along with fasting every Saturday in her honor
Above all, resolve to recommend yourself frequently to
God and to the Blessed Virgin, and frequently to in­
voke, in the time of temptations, the sacred names of
Jesus and Mary. These are the names by which you
will be able to secure a happy death, and to obtain eter,
nal life.
The practice of these means will be for you a great
sign of your predestination. And as to the past, trust in
the blood of Jesus Christ, who now gives you these lights,
because he desires your salvation; and trust in the in­
tercession of Mary, who obtains these lights for you.
Oh ! if you adopt this mode of life, and place great con­
fidence in Jesus and Mary, what aid will you receive from
God, and what strength will your soul acquire
Dearly
beloved reader, give yourself then instantly to God, who
invites you, and begin to enjoy that peace of which you
have been hitherto deprived through your own fault.
And what greater peace can a soul enjoy than to be able
to say, in going to rest at night. Should death come this
night, I hope to die in the grace of God ! How happy
the man who, amid the terrors of thunder or of earth­
quakes, is prepared to accept death with resignation,
should God be pleased to send it !
Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my Lord ! with what fervor do I thank Thee for the light
which Thou gavest me! I have so often abandoned Thee and
turned my back upon Thee; but Thou hast not abandoned me.
Hadst Thou abandoned me I should now be blind, as I have
hitherto wished to be; 1 should be obstinate in my sins, and
should not have the desire either to renounce sin or to love
Thee. I now feel a great sorrow lor having offended Thee, a
great desire to be in the state of grace. I feel a hatred.of these
accursed delights which have made me lose Thy friendship.
These sentiments are all graces which come from Thee, and
make me hope that Thou wilt pardon and save me. Since, then,

Means oj Preparing for Death.

113

after all my sins, Thou hast not abandoned me—since Thou
now wishest to save me, behold, O Lord ! I give myself entirely
to Thee. I am sorry, above all things, for having offended
Thee; and I propose to lose life a thousand times rather than
forfeit Thy grace. I love Thee, O my sovereign Good ! I love
Thee, 0 my Jesus'who hast died forme; and I hope in Thy
blood, that Thou wilt not permit me to be ever again separated
from Thee. O my Jesus ! I will never more lose Thee. I wish
to love Thee always during life. 1 wish to love Thee at death.
I wish to love Thee for all eternity. Preserve me then, O Lord !
at all times, and increase my love for Thee. This favor I ask
through Thy merits. Mary, my hope ! pray to Jesus for me.
THIRD POINT.

We must Detach Ourselves from the World.

It is also necessary to endeavor to be at all times in
the state in which we desire to be at death. Blessed are
he dead who die in the Lord) St. Ambrose says that they
die well who, at the hour of death, are found dead to the
world; that is, detached from the goods from which
death will separate us by force. We ought then, from
this moment, to accept the spoliation of our goods, and
the separation from relatives and from everything in
this world. Unless we do it voluntarily during life, we
shall have to do it through necessity at death, but with
extreme pain and great danger of eternal perdition.
Hence St. Augustine says, that to settle during life all
temporal matters, and dispose by will of all the goods
we shall have to bequeath, contribute greatly to a tran­
quil death; because when all worldly affairs are already
adjusted, the soul may be entirely occupied in uniting
itself to God. At that hour, we should think and speak
onlv of God and of Paradise. These last moments
are too precious to be squandered in earthly thoughts.
At death is completed the crown of the elect; for it is
1 " Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur.”—A/oc. xiv. 13.

Preparation for Death.

[CON. X.

then, perhaps, that they reap the greatest harvest oi
merits, by embracing, with resignation and love, death
and all its pains.
But the Christian who has not been in the habit of ex­
citing these sentiments during life, will not have them at
the hour of death. Hence some devout souls, with great
spiritual profit to themselves, are accustomed to renew
ever}' month, after being at confession and Communion,
the Protestation of death along with the Christian acts*
imagining themselves at the point of death, and to be
near their departure from this world.1 Unless you do
this during life you will find it very difficult to do it at
death. In her last illness, that great servant of God,
Sister Catharine of St. Alberts, of the order of St. Teresa,
sent forth a sigh, and said, “ Sisters, I do not sigh through
fear of death, for I have lived for twenty-five years in ex­
pectation of it; but I sigh at the sight of so many de­
luded Christians, who spend their life in sin, and reduce
themselves to the necessity of making peace with God
at death, when I can scarcely pronounce the name of
Jesus.”
Examine then, O my brother, if you are now attached
to anything on this earth, to any person, to any honor, to
your house, to your money, to conversations or amuse­
ments; and reflect that you are not immortal. You
must one day, and perhaps very soon, take leave of them
all. Why then do you cherish any attachment to them,
and thus expose yourself to the risk of an unhappy
death? Offer from this moment all to God: tell him
you are ready to give up all things whenever he pleases
to deprive you of them. If you wish to die with resigna­
tion you must from this moment resign yourself to all
the contradictions and adversities which n ay happen to
you, and must divest yourself of all affections to earthly
1 The formula of this Protestation is to be found at the end of
the volume.

Means of Preparing for Death.

IJ5

things. Imagine yourself on the bed of death, and you
will despise all things in this world.
“He,” savs
Jerome, “who always thinks that he is to die, easily de­
spises all things.” 1
If you have not yet chosen a state of life, make choice
of that state of life which at death you will wish to have
selected, and which will make you die with greater
peace. If you have already made choice of a state of
life, do now what at death you will wish to have do-ne in
that state. Spend every' day as if it were the last of
your life; and perform every action, every exercise of
prayer, make every confession and Communion, as if
they were the last of your life. Imagine yourself every
hour at the point of death, stretched on a bed, artd that
you hear that P roficiscere de hoc inundo which announces
your departure from this world. Oh ! how powerfully
will this thought assist you to walk in the way of God,
and to detach your heart from this earth ! Blessed is
that servant whom, when his Lord shall come, he shall find
him so doing."1 He who expects death every hour will die
well, though death should come suddenly upon him.

Affections and Prayers.
Every Christian ought to be prepared to say at the moment
the news of death is announced to him : Then, my God, only a
few hours remain ; during the short remainder of the present
life, I wish to love Thee to the utmost of my power, that I may
love Thee more perfectly in heaven. But little remains for me
to offer to Thee. I offer Thee these pains, and the sacrifice of
my life in union with the sacrifice which Jesus Christ offered
for me on the Cross. Lord ! the pains which I suffer are few and
light compared with what 1 have deserved ; such as they are, I
embrace them as a mark of the love which I bear Thee. Pro1 “ Facile contemnit omnia, qui se semper cogitat esse moriturum.”
—Ερ. ad Paulin.
’ “ Beams ille servus, quem, cum venerit Dominus ejus, invenerit
sic facientem.”—Matt. xxiv. 46.

Preparation for Death.
vided I am to love Thee for eternity, I resign myself to all the
punishments which Thou wishest to send me in this or the next
life. Chastise me as much as Thou pleasest, but do not deprive
me of Thy love. 1 know that, on account of having so often
despised Thy love, I deserved never more to love Thee ; but
Thou canst not reject a penitent soul. I am sorry, O Sovereign
Good! for having offended Thee. I love Thee with my whole
heart, and place all my trust in Thee. Thy death, O my Re­
deemer ! is my hope. To Thy wounded hands I recommend
my soul. Into Thy hands I commend my spirit: Thou hast re­
deemed me, 0 Lord, the God of Truth! O my Jesus, Thou hast
given Thy blood for my salvation : do not suffer me to be
separated from Thee. I love Thee, O eternal God, and hope to
love Thee for eternity. Mary, my Mother, assist me at the awful
moment of death. To thee I now consign my spirit ; to thee I
recommend mvself. Deliver me from hell.
J

1 “ In manus tuas commendo, spiritum meum ;
Domine Deus veritatis. ”—Ps. xxx. ά

redemisti me,

Value oJ Time.

^7

CONSIDERATION XI.

balue of Œime.
“Son, observe the lime.”—Ecclus. iv. 23.
FIRST POINT.

Time is a Treasure of the Earth.

Son, says the Holy Ghost, be careful to preserve time,
which is the greatest and the most precious gift which
God can bestow upon you in this life. The very pagans
knew the value of time. Seneca said that no price is an
equivalent for it.” 1 But the saints have understood its
value still better. According to St. Bernardine of
Sienna, a moment of time is of as much value as God;
because in each moment a man can, by acts of contrition
or of love, acquire the grace of God and eternal glory.5
Time is a treasure which is found only in this life; it
is not found in the next, either in hell or in heaven.
In hell the damned exclaim with tears: Oh ! that an
hour was given to us ! 1*3 They would pay any price
for an hour of time, in which they might repair
their ruin: but this hour thev will never have.
In
heaven there is no weeping; but, were the saints capable
of weeping, all their tears would arise from the thought
1 “Nullum temporis pretium.”—De Brev. vit. c. 8.
4 “ Modico lempore potest homo lucrari gratiam et gloriam. Tem­
pus tantum valet, quantum Deus, quippe tempore bene consumpto
comparatur Deus.”
3 “ O. si daretur hora!”

iiS

Préparaiion for Death.

[con. xi.

of having lost the time in which they could have ac­
quired greater glory, and from the conviction that this
time will never again be given to them. Λ deceased
Benedictine nun appeared in glory to a certain person,
and said that she was perfectly happy, but that if she
could desire anything, it would be to return to life, and
# ·
to suffer pains and privations in order to merit an in­
crease of glory. She added, that, for the glory which
corresponds to a single Ave Maria, she would be content
to endure till the day of judgment the painful illness
which caused her death.
My brother, how do you spend your time? Why do
you always defer till to-morrow what you can do to-day?
Remember that the time which is past is no longer yours :
the future is not under your control: y u have only the
present for the performance of good works. “Why, 0
miserable man,” says St. Bernard, “do you presume on
the future, as if the Father had placed time in your
power?”1 St. Augustine asks: “ How can you, who are
not sure of an hour, promise yourself to-morrow?”2 If
then, says St. Teresa, you are not prepared for death to­
day, tremble lest you die an unhappy death.

Affections and Prayers.
O my God ! I thank Thee for the time which Thou givest me
to repair the disorders of my past life. Were I to die at this
moment, the remembrance of the time I have lost should be one
of my greatest torments. Ah, my Lord ! Thou hast given me
time to love Thee, and I have spent it in offending Thee. 1 de­
serve to be sent to hell from the first moment in which I turned
my back upon Thee; but Thou hast called me to repentance,
and hast pardoned me. I promised to offend Thee no more;
but how often have I returned to sin ? how often hast Thou
pardoned my ungrateful relapses? Blessed forever be Thy
’ '· Quid de futuro, miser, præsumis, tamquam Pater tempora in tua
posuerit potestate ?”—De Cont. Mund. c. 16.
- Diem tenes, qui horam non tenes ?

Valite of Time.

119

mercy! If it were not infinite, how couldst Thou have had
so much patience with me ? Who could have borne with me
so long? Oh ! how sorry do I feel for having offended so good
a God ! My Saviour ! the patience alone with which Thou didst
wait for me ought to enamour me of Thee. Ah ! do not suffer
me to live any longer ungrateful to the love Thou hast had for
me. Detach me from every creature, and draw me entirely to
Thyself. O my God ! I will no longer dissipate the time Thou
givest me to repair the evil that I have done ; I will spend it all
in serving and loving Thee. Give me holy perseverance. I
love Thee, O infinite Goodness, and hope to love Thee for eter­
nity. I thank thee, O Mary ! by thy advocacy thou hast ob­
tained for me this time which is given to me. Assist me now,
and obtain for me the grace to spend it all in loving thy Son,
my Redeemer, and in loving thee, my queen and my mother.
SECOND POINT.

Neglect of Time.

There is nothing more precious than time; but there is
nothing less esteemed and more despised by men of the
world. This is what St. Bernard deplores when he says:
Nothing is more precious than time, but nothing is re­
garded more cheaply.”1 The same saint adds: “The days
of salvation pass away, and no one reflects that the day
which has passed away from him can never return.”2
You will see a gambler spend nights and days in play.
If you ask him what he is doing, his answer is: I am
passing the time. You will see others standing several
hours in the street, looking at those who pass by, and
speaking on obscene or on useless subjects. If you ask
them what they are doing, thejr will say: We are
passing the time. Poor blind sinners ! who lose so
many days; but days which never return.
O time despised during life ! you will be ardently de1 Nihil pretiosius tempore sed nihil vilius æstimatur.
* Transeunt dies salutis, et nemo recogitat: nemo sibi non redi­
tura momenta periisse causatur.”—De Coni, mundi, c. 16.

I 20

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XI

sired by worldlings at the hour of death. They will
then wish for another year, another month, another dav;
but they will not obtain it: they will then be told that
time shall be no longer. How much would they then
pay for another week, or another day, to settle the ac­
counts of their conscience? To obtain a single hour,
they would, says St. Laurence Justinian, give all their
wealth and worldly possessions? But this hour shall
not be given. The assisting priest shall say to the dying
sinner: Hasten, hasten your departure from this world;
for your time is no more.
The prophet exhorts us to remember God, and to pro­
cure his friendship, before the light fails. Remember Thy
Creator . . . before the sun and the light be darkened! How
great the distress and misery of a traveller who, when
the night has come, perceives that he has missed the
way, and that there is no time to correct the mistake.
Such at death will be the anguish of the sinner who has
lived many years in the world, and has not spent them
for God. The night
o cometh.■ when no man can work? For
him, death shall be the night in which he will be able to
do nothing. He hath called against me the time! Con­
science will then remind the worldling of all the time
that God gave him, and that he has spent in the de­
struction of his soul; of all the calls and graces that he
has received from God for his sanctification, and that he
has voluntarily* abused. The sinner will then see that
the way of salvation is closed forever. Hence he will
weep and say: O fool that 1 have been .' O time lost !
O life misspent ! O lost years, in which I could have, but
1 “Mundi substantiam, honorem, voluptates, pro unius horæ spatio,
commutarent.”— De Vit. sol. c. ίο.
* “ Memento Creatoris tui . . . antequam tenebrescat sol et lu­
men.”—Eccles, xii. i.
3 “Venit nox quando nemo potest operari.”—John, ix. 4.
4 “Vocavit adversum me tempus.”—Lanient, i. 15.

Value of Time.

121

have not, become a saint ! And now the time of salva­
tion is gone forever. But, of what use are these sighs
and lamentations, when the scene is about to close,—the
lamp on the point of being extinguished,—and when the
dying sinner has reached that awful moment on which
eternity depends ?

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Jesus! Thou hast spent Thy whole life for the salva­
tion of my soul. There has not been a single moment of Thy
life in which Thou hast not offered Thyself to the eternal
Father to obtain for me pardon and eternal glory, I have been
so many years in the world, and how many of them have I hith­
erto spent for Thee? Ah ! all that I remember to have done
produces remorse of conscience. The evil has been great, the
good very little, and all full of imperfections and tepidity, of
self-love and distractions. Ah, my Redeemer! all this has
arisen from my forgetfulness of what Thou hast done for me. I
have forgotten Thee, but Thou hast not forgotten me ; when I
(led from Thee, Thou didst follow me, and call me so often to
Thy love. Behold me, O Jesus! I will resist no longer. Shall
I wait till Thou abandon me? I am sorrv, O Sovereign Good !
for having separated myself from Thee by sin. I love Thee, O
infinite Goodness ! worthy of infinite love. Ah ! do not permit
me ever again to lose this time, which Thou in Thy mercy
givest me. Ah ! remind me always, O my beloved Saviour! of
the love Thou hast borne me. and of the pains Thou hast en­
dured for me. Make me forget all things, that, during the re­
mainder of my life, I may think only of loving and pleasing
Thee I love Thee, my Jesus, my love, my all ! I promise,
whenever Thou remindest me, to make acts of love. Give me
holy perseverance. I place all my confidence in the merits of
Thy blood. I also trust in thy intercession, O my dear Mother,
Mary!

122

Preparation for Dcat'h.

[CON. XL

THIRD POINT.

We must Profit by the Time.

Walk whilst you have light.' We must walk in the way
of the Lord during life, now that we have light; for, at
the hour of death this light is taken away. Death is not
the time for preparing, but for finding ourselves pre­
pared. Be ye ready. At the hour of death we can do
nothing: what is then done is done. O God ! were-a
person told that in a short time a trial should take place,
on which would depend his life and his entire property,
with what haste would he seek an able counsel to plead
his cause! how little time would he lose in adopting
every means of securing a favorable result ! And what
are we doing? We know for certain that the most im­
portant of all causes—the affair of eternal salvation—
will soon be decided; the decision may take place every
hour, and still we lose time.
Some may say: I am young ; I will hereafter give my­
self to God. But remember that, as the Gospel remarks,
the Lord cursed the fig-tree the first time he found it
without fruit, although the season for figs had not ar­
rived. By this Jesus Christ wished to signify that men
should at all times, even in youth, bring forth fruits of
good works; otherwise they will be accursed, and will
never more bring forth fruit. May no man hereafter eai
fruit of thee any more forever.’ Such the malediction of
the Redeemer on the fruitless fig-tree; such is his male­
diction against all who resist his calls. Satan regards
the whole time of our life as short, and, therefore, in
tempting us he loses not a moment. The devil is come
1 “ Ambulate dum lucem habetis.”—John> xii. 35.
2 "Jam non amplius in æternum ex te fructum quisquam man­
ducet.”—Mark, xi. 14·

123

Value of Time.

down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but
a short time) Then the devil loses no time in seeking
our perdition; and shall we lose the time given to us to
secure our salvation ?
Some will say, What evil am I doing? O God, is it
not an evil to lose time in gaming, in useless conversa­
tions, which are unprofitable to the soul? Does God
give you time, that you may squander it ? No: the Holy
Ghost says, Defraud not thyself of the good day. and let not
the part of a good gift overpass theeP The workmen men­
tioned by St. Matthew, though they did no evil, but only
lost time, were rebuked bv the master of the vineyard.
Why stand ye here all the day idleD On the day of judg­
ment Jesus Christ will demand an account of every idle
word. All the time that is not spent for God is lost
time. “Believe,” says St. Bernard, “that you have lost
all the time in which you have not thought of God.”*
Hence the Holy Ghost says, Whatsoever thy hand is able
to do, do it earnestlyj for neither work nor reason shall be in
hell, whither thou art hastening 6 The Venerable Sister
Jane of the Most Holy Trinity, of the Order of St.
Teresa, used to say that, in the lives of the saints, there
is no to-morrow. To-morrow is found in the lives of
sinners, who always say, Hereafter, hereafter; and in
this state they continue till death. Behold, now is the ac­
ceptable time) To-day, if you shall hear his voice, harden not
9

J

J

’"Descendit diabolus ad vos habens iram magnam, sciens quod
modicum tempus habet.”—Apoc. xii. 12.
4 " Particula boni doni non te prætereat.”—Ecclus. xiv. 14.
3 '' Quid hic statis tota die otiosi ?”—Matt. xx. 6.
‘Omne tempus in quo de Deo non cogitas, hoc te computes per­
didisse.”— Medit., c. 6.
5‘‘Quodcunque facere potest manus tua, instanter operare; quia
nec opus, nec ratio . . . erunt apud inferos quo tu properas.”—
Ecrits, ix. 10.
8 "Ecce nunc tempus acceptable.”—2 Cor. vi. 2.

I 24

Preparation for Death,

[CON. xi

you? heatts, If God call you to-day to do good, do itj
for to-morrow it may happen that for you time will be
no more, or that God will call you no more.
If you have hitherto spent the time in offending God,
endeavor, like King Ezechias, to weep, during the re­
mainder of your life, over your misspent years. I will
recount to Thee all my years in the bitterness of my souli God
spares your life, that you may repair the time you have
lost.3 In explaining this passage, St. Anselm says:
“You will redeem the time if you do what you have neg­
lected to do.” 4 Of St. Paul, St. Jerome says that, though
the last of the apostles, he was, on account of his great
labors after he was called, the first in merits. Let us re­
flect that at each moment of time we may acquire new
treasuresof eternal riches. Were all the land round which
you could walk, or all the money which you could count
in a day, promised to you, would you not hasten to walk
over the ground, or to count the money? At each moment you can acquire eternal treasures: will you, notwithstanding, squander your time? Say not what you
can do to-day
will be able to do< to-morrow; for
J you
J
this day will then be lost, and never return. When his
companions spoke of the world, St. Francis Borgia
conversed with God by holy affections; and so recol­
lected was he, that when his opinion was asked on the
subject of conversation, he knew not what to answer.
Being corrected for this, he said: “I would rather be
regarded stupid and unlearned, than lose time.”
1 “ Hodie si vocem ejus audieritis, nolite obdurare corda vestra.”—·
Ps. xciv. 8.
* “ Recogitabo tibi omnes annos meos in amaritudine animæ meæ.’
—Isa. xxxviii. 15,
3 “ Redimentes tempus quoniam dies mali sunt.”—Ef>h. v. 16.
4 Tempus redimes, si, quæ facere neglexisti, facis.

Value of Time.

125

Affections and Prayers.

No, my God, I will no longer lose the time which Thou in
Thy mercy givest me. I should at this hour be in hell weeping
without fruit. I thank Thee for having preserved my life: I
wish during the remainder of my days to live only for Thee.
Were I now in hell I should weep in despair, and without profit:
I will now bewail the offences I have offered to Thee: and if I
weep over them. I know for certain that Thou wilt pardon me.
Of this the prophet assures me: Weeping, thou shalt not
weep; He will surely have pity on thee) Were I in hell, I
could never more love Thee; and now I love Thee, and hope
always to love Thee. Were I in hell, I could ask no more
graces; but now I hear Thee say: Ask, and ye shall receive
Since, then, I still have time to ask Thy graces, O God of my
soul ! I ask two graces : give me perseverance in Thy grace ;
give me Thy love ; and then do with mewhat Thou pleasest;
grant that in all the remaining moments of my life I may always
recommend myself to Thee, saying: Lord! assist me; have
merev on me ; grant that I may never more offend Thee ; make
me love Thee. Most Holy Mary, my Mother ! obtain for me
the grace always to recommend myself to God, and to ask him
for perseverance and for his holy love.
1 “Plorans nequaquam plorabis, miserans miserebitur tui.”—Isa.
xxx. 19.

I 26

Preparation for Death,

[CON. XII.

CONSIDERATION XII.
®ljc Importance of Salvation.
“ But we entreat ye, brethren, . . . that you attend to your own busi­
ness.”—I 7'hess. iv. 10, 11.
FIRST POINT.

Salvation is our own most important Affair.

The business of eternal salvation is to us the most
important of all affairs; but it is also the most neglected
by Christians. They are diligent, and lose no time in
seeking to gain a lawsuit, or a situation of emolument.
How many measures taken to attain these objects ? How
many means adopted ? They neither eat nor sleep. And
what efforts do they make to secure their eternal salva­
tion ? How do they live ? To save their souls, the greater
number of Christians do nothing; on the contrary, they
do everything to bring their souls to perdition; they live
as if death, judgment, hell, heaven, and eternity were not
truths of faith, but fables invented by the poets. If a
person lose a lawsuit, or a harvest crop, how great is his
pain and distress of mind ? With what zeal does he
labor to repair the loss? If worldlings lose a horse, ora
dog, with what diligence do they seek after it ? But if
they lose the grace of God, they sleep, and jest, and
laugh. All blush at being told that they neglect their
worldly affairs, but how few are ashamed to neglect the
business of eternity, which is the most important of all.
The worldling says that the saints were truly wise, be­
cause they sought only the salvation of their souls; and

The Importance of Salvation.

127

still he attends to all worldly business, but utterly neg­
lects the concerns of the soul. Brethren, says St. Paul,
lit the great business of your eternal salvation be the sole object
of all your card This is to you the most important of
all affairs. Let us then be persuaded that eternal salva­
tion is for us the most important affair,—the only affair,—
and that if once neglected it is an irreparable affair if we
ever make a mistake.
It is the most important affair, because if the soul be
lost, all is lost. We ought to set a higher value on the
soul than on all the goods of the earth. “ The soul,”
says St. Chrysostom, “is more precious than the whole
world!”3 To be convinced of this truth, it is enough 10
know that God himself has condemned his Son to death
inorder to save our souls. The Eternal Word has not
refused to purchase them with his own blood.3 Hence
a holy Father says that man appears to be of as much
value as God.4 Hence Jesus Christ has asked: What
exchange shall a man give for his soul I6 For God so loved
the world as to give JIis only begotten Son.6 If then such is
the value of the soul, for what earthly good shall a man
exchange and lose it?
St. Philip Neri with reason could say that he who does
not attend to the salvation of his soul is a fool. \Xrere
there on this earth two classes of men, one mortal and
the other immortal, and were the former to see the latter
seeking after the things of this world, its honors, goods,
and amusements, they should certainly exclaim: O fools
1 Rogamus vos ... ut vestrum negotium agatis.
3 "Anima est toto mundo pretiosior. ’—//;. i Cor. hoin. 3.
3 "Empti enim estis pretio magno."—1 Cor. vi. 20.
4 "Tam copioso munere humana redemptio agitur, ut homo Deum
valere videatur."—De dilig. D. c. 6.
4 "Quam dabit homo commutationem pro anima sua?"—Afatt.
xvi. 26.
6 "Sic Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret.”
— John, iii. 16.

128

Preparation for Death.

[con. xh

that you are ! you have it in your power to acquire eternal riches, and do you fix your thoughts on those miserable and transitory things? Will you, for these, con­
demn yourselves, to an eternity of torments in’thenext
life ? Leave us, for whom all shall end at death, to seek
after these earthly goods. But no; we are all immortal.
How then does it happen that so many lose their souls
for the miserable pleasures of this life? How does it
come to pass, says Salvian, that Christians believe in
judgment, hell, and eternity, and still live as if they
feared them not?

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God! how have I spent so many years, which Thou
hast given me in order to secure my eternal salvation ? Thou,
my Redeemer, hast purchased my soul with Thy blood, and hast
consigned it to me that I might attend to its salvation ; and I
have labored only for its perdition by offending Thee who hast
loved me so tenderly. I thank Thee for giving me time to be
able to repair the great loss which I have suffered. I have lost
my soul and Thy grace. Lord ! I am sorry with my whole heart
for my past offences, and I resolve, henceforth, to lose every­
thing. even my life, rather than forfeit Thy friendship. I love
Thee above all things, and I resolve al wavs to love Thee, mv
Sovereign Good ! who art worthy of infinite love. Assist me,
my Jesus, that this purpose may not be like my past resolutions,
to which I have been always unfaithful. Take me out of life
rather than suffer me ever again to offend Thee, or ever to cease
to love Thee. O Mary, my hope, after Jesus ! save me by ob­
taining for me holy perseverance.
SECOND POINT.

Salvation is our only Affair.

The affair of eternal salvation is not onlv the most important, but it is the only affair to which we have to at­
tend in this life. One thing is necessary.1 St. Bernard
’ “ Porro unum est necessarium.”—Luke, x. 42.

7 he

Importance of Salvation.

i 29

weeps over the blindness of Christians, who call the oc­
cupations of children trifles, and their own employments
business. If the amusements of children be trifles, the
employments of men are still greater follies. What,
says the Redeemer, will it profit us to gain the whole
world if we lose our souls 11 My brother, if you save
your soul, it will do you no harm to have lived here
in poverty, afflictions, and contempt; for then you
will have no more sorrows, and you will be happy for
all eternity. But if you lose your soul, what will it
profit you, in hell, to have indulged in all the amuse­
ments of the world, and to have enjoyed its riches and
honors ? If the soul be lost, amusements, riches, and
honors, are lost—all is lost.
What answer will you give on the day of account ?
Were a king to send an ambassador to a city to transact
some important business, and were the legale, instead
of attending to the charge intrusted to him, to spend all
his time in banquets, comedies, and festivities, and thus
injure the rights of his master, what account would the
sovereign demand of him at his return ? But, O God !
how strict must be the account which the Lord will ex­
act of him who, after being placed in this world, not to
indulge in amusements, nor to acquire wealth and
dignity, but to save his soul, has attended to every­
thing except to his own salvation ? Worldlings think of
the present, but not of the future. St. Philip Neri con­
versing one day in Rome with Francis Zazzera, a young
man of talent, who was attached to the world, said
to him: “You will realize a great fortune; you will be a
prelate, afterward, perhaps, a cardinal, and perhaps even
Pope. But what must follow? what must follow? Go,”
said the saint, “and meditate on these last words.”
Francis went home, and after reflecting on the words
1 "Quid prodest homini, si mundum universum lucretur, animae
vero suæ detrimentum patiatur ?”—Malt. xvi. 26.

Ï

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XII

what must follow? what must follow? he abandoned his
secular pursuits, left the world, entered into the Con­
gregation of St. Philip, and began to attend only to
God.
It is our only affair, because we have but one soul. A
prince asked, through his ambassador, a favor of Bene­
dict XII., which could not be granted without sin. In
answer, the Pope said—“Tell the prince that if I had
two souls, I might, perhaps, lose one of them for him, and
reserve the other for myself; but since I have but one, I
cannot and will not lose it.” St. Francis Xavier used to
say that there is but one good and one evil in the world:
the former consists in the salvation of the soul, the latter
in its damnation. St. Teresa used frequently to say to
her nuns—“ One soul, one eternity.” Asif she said—One
soul; if this be lost, all is lost; one eternity—the soul, if
lost once, is lost forever. Hence David said—One thing
have I asked of the Lord: this I will seek after, that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord} Lord, I ask but one fa­
vor—save my soul, and I ask nothing else.
With fear and trembling work out your salvation} He
that does not fear and tremble for his salvation will not
be saved: to save the soul, it is necessary to labor, and
to do violence to nature. The kingdom of heaven suffercth
violence, and the violent bear it away} To obtain eternal
glory, our life must be found at death conformable to
the life of Jesus Christ. Hence we must be careful, on
the one hand, to avoid the occasions of sin; and, on the
other, to adopt the means necessary for the attainment
of eternal life. All would wish to be saved without
trouble. “ The devil,” says St. Augustine, “ sleeps not,
1 “Unam petii a Domino, hanc requiram, ut inhabitem in domo
Domini.”—Ps. xxvi. 4.
2 “ Cum metu et tremore vestram salutem operamini.”—Phil. ii. 12.
5 “ Regnum coelorum vim patitur et violenti rapiunt illud.”—Matt
xi. 12.

The Importance of Salvation.

i 31

but labors strenuously for your perdition: and will you
slumber when your eternal happiness is at stake ?” 1

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! I thank Thee, for making me now remain at
Thy feet and not in hell, which I have so often deserved. But
of what use would thedife which Thou hast preserved be to
me, should I continue to live without Thy grace. Ah ! may
this never be! I have turned my back upon Thee ; I have lost
Thee, 0 my Sovereign Good ! I am sorry for it with my whole
heart. Oh, that I had died a thousand times, rather than have
offended Thee ! I have lost Thee ; but the prophet tells me that
Thou art all goodness, and that Thou art easily found by the
soul that seeks Thee. If I have hitherto fled away from Thee, I
now seek Thee, and seek nothing but Thee. I love Thee with
all the affections of my heart. Accept me. Do not disdain to
give Thy love to a soul that has at one time despised Thee,
Teach me what I must do in order to please Thee ; I am ready
and willing to doit. Ah, my Jesus ! save this soul, for which
Thou hast given Thy blood and Thy life; and, in order to save
me, give me the grace always to love Thee in this and in the
next life. This grace I hope for through Thy merits. For this
I also hope, O Mary ! through thy intercession.
THIRD POINT.

A Failure in Saving One’s Soul is an Irremediable Evil.

Important a ffa i r ! only a ff a i r.’ irreparable a ffa i r ! Noe r ro r,
says St. Eucherius, can be compared with the error of
neglecting eternal salvation. For all other errors there
is a remedy: if you lose property in one way, you may
recover it in another; if you lose a situation, there may
be some means of afterwards regaining it; if you soon
lose your life, provided your soul be saved, all is safe.
But if you lose your soul the loss is irreparable. Death
happens but once; the soul, if once lost, is lost forever.
Nothing remains but to weep for eternity with the other
1 “Vigilat hostis, dormis tu ?"—In Ps. 65.

132

Preparation for Death.

[con.xh.

miserable wretches in hell, where their greatest torment
consists in the conviction, that the time of repairing
their ruin is gone forever. The summer is over, and we
are not saved. 1 Ask the worldly wise who are now in
the pit of fire, what are their present sentiments; ask them
if, now that they are condemned to that eternal prison,
they feel happy at having made a fortune in this life.
Listen to their wailing and lamentation: We have erred)
But of what use is it to know their error, now that there
is no remedv for their eternal damnation ? Should a man
who could have preserved his palace at a small expense
find it in ruins, how great would be his pain in reflecting
on his own negligence, and on the impossibility of repair­
ing the evil!
The greatest torment of the damned consists in the
thought of having lost their soul, and of being damned
through their own fault. Destruction is thy own, O Israel ;
thy help is only in me) St. Teresa says that if a person
loses through his own fault a ring or even a trifle, his
peace is disturbed; he neither eats nor sleeps. O God .'
how great will be the torture of the damned Christian
when, on entering hell and finding himself shut up in
that dungeon of torments, he reflects on his misfortune,
and sees that for all eternity there will be no relief, no
mitigation of pain ! He will say, “I have lost my soul,
paradise, and God; I have lost all forever ! And why?
Through my own fault.”
But you will say—If I commit this sin, why should I
not expect to escape damnation? I may still be saved.
Yes; but you may also be damned: and it is more likely
that you will be lost, for the Scriptures menace eternal
woes to all obstinate traitors, such as you are in your
1 “ Finita est æstas. et nos salvati non sumus."—Jer. viii, 20.
8 “ Ergo erravimus.”—Wis. v. 6.
3 “Perditio tua, Israel; tantummodo in me auxilium tuum.”—Oste,
xiii. 9.

The Importance of Salvation.
i

133

present dispositions. Woe to you, apostate children, saith
the Lord)
Woe to them, for they have departed from me)
• By committing this sin, you at least expose your eternal
salvation to great danger. And is this an affair to be ex­
posed to risk ? There is not question of a house, of a
villa, or of a situation: there is question, says St. John
Chrysostom, of being sent into an eternity of torments,
and of losing an eternity of glory. And will you risk on
a perhaps this business of sovereign importance ?
You say: Perhaps I shall not be lost: I hope that God
will hereafter pardon me. But what happens in the mean
time? You condemn yourself to hell.
Tell me, would
you cast yourself into a deep pool of water, saying, per­
haps I shall not be drowned ? Surely you would not:
why then should you trust your eternal salvation to such
a groundless hope, to a perhapst Oh ! how many has
this accursed hope sent to hell ! Do you not know that
the hope of those who are obstinately determined to com­
mit sin is not hope, but an illusion and presumption
which move God not to mercy but to greater wrath ? If
you say that you are now unable to resist the temptation
and passion to whose domination you submit, how will
you resist them hereafter, when, by yielding to sin, your
strength will not be increased, but greatly diminished ?
For, on the one hand, your own malice will render you
more blind and obdurate; and, on the other, the divine
helps will be withheld. Do you expect that the more
you multiply sins and insults against God, the more
abundantly he will pour upon you his lights and graces?
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Jesus ! remind me always of the death Thou hast suf­
fered for me, and give me confidence. 1 tremble lest the devil
should make me despair at death by bringing before my view
1 “ Væ, filii desertores, dicit Dominus.”—Isa. xxx. I.
3 “ Væ eis, quoniam recesserunt.”—Osee, vii. 13.

134

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XII.

the many acts of treason I have committed against Thee. How
many promises have I made never more to offend Thee after
the light Thou hast given me .' and, after all my promises, I
have, with the hope of pardon, again turned my back upon
Thee. Then, have I insulted Thee because Thou didst not
chastise me? My Redeemer! give me a great sorrow for
my sins before I leave this world. I am sorry, O Sovereign
Good ! for having offended Thee. I promised to die a thousand
times rather than abandon Thee. But make me in the mean
time feel that Thou hast said to me what Thou didst say to Mag­
dalene— Thy sins areforgiven thee—by giving me, before death, a
great sorrow for all my iniquities, otherwise I fear my death will
be troubled and unhappy. Be not Thou a terror to me; Thou art
my hope in the day of affliction.' 0 my crucified Jesus ! be not
a terror to me in my last moments. If I die before I have wept
over my sins and have loved Thee, Thy wounds and Thy blood
will inspire me with fear rather than with confidence. I do not
ask of Thee consolations and earthly goods during the re­
mainder of my life; I ask of Thee sorrow and love. O my dear
Saviour! hear my prayer for the sake of that love which made
Thee offer Thy life in sacrifice for me on Calvary. Mary, my
Mother! obtain for me these graces, along with holy persever­
ance till death.
1 “ Non sis tu mihi formidini, spes mea tu in die afflictionis.”—fer.
xvii. 17.

The Vanity of the World.

135

CONSIDERATION XIII.

Ihnitn of tlje lUorlb.
“What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer
the loss of his own soul ?’ —Matt. xvi. 26.
FIRST POINT.

The Goods of this World are Useless.

An ancient philosopher called Aristippus was once
shipwrecked, and lost all his goods. When he reached
the shore, the people, through respect for his great
learning, presented him with an equivalent of all he had
lost. He wrote to his friends, exhorting them to imitate
his example, and to seek only the goods which cannot
be wrested from them by shipwreck. Now, our relatives
and friends who are in eternity exhort us from the other
world to attend only to the acquisition of goods-which
even death cannot take from us. Death is called the
<ijy of destruction' It is the day of destruction, because
on that dav we shall lose all the goods of this earth—its
honors, riches, and pleasures. Hence, according to St.
Ambrose, we cannot call the things of this life our goods,
because we cannot take them with us to eternity. Our
virtues alone accompany us to the next life?
What then, says Jesus Christ, does it profit us to gain
the whole world, if, at death, by losing the soul, we lose
all ? Ah ! how many young men has this great maxim
J

*

* “ Dies perditionis.”—Deut. xxxii. 35.
9 “Non nostra sunt, quæ non possumus auferre nobiscum; sola
virtus comes est defunctorum.”—In Luc. 1. 7.

Preparation for Death.

icon. xm.

sent into the cloister ! how many anchorets has it sent
to the desert ! and how many martyrs has it encouraged
to give their life for Jesus Christ ! By this maxim St.
Ignatius of Loyola drew many souls to God, particu­
larly the soul of St. Francis Xavier, who was then in
Paris, attached to the things of the world. “Francis,”
said the saint one day, “ reflect that the world is a traitor,
which promises but does not perform. And though it
should fulfil all its promises, it can never content your
heart. But let us grant that it did make you happy,
how long will this happiness last ? Can it last longer
than your life; and after death what will you take with
you to eternity? Where is the rich man that has ever
brought with him a piece of money, ora servant to attend
him ? What king has ever carried with him a shred of
the purple as a badge of royalty ?” At these words St.
Francis abandoned the world, followed St. Ignatius, and
became a saint.
Solomon confessed that whatsoever his eyes desired he
refused them notp but, after having indulged in all the
pleasures of this earth, he called all the goods of the
world vanity of vanities—“ vanitas vanitatum.” Sister Margaret of St. Anne, a Discalced Carmelite, and daughter
of the Emperor Rudolph the Second, used to say: “Of
what use are kingdoms at the hour of death ?” The
saints tremble at the thought of the uncertainty of their
eternal salvation. Father Paul Segneri trembled, and,
full of terror, said to his confessor: “Father, what do
you think—shall I be saved ?” St. Andrew Avellino
trembled, and, with a torrent of tears, said: “Who
knows whether I shall be saved or lost ?” St. Louis
Bertrand was so much terrified by this thought, that,
during the night, in a fit of terror, he sprang out of bed,
saying: “ Perhaps I shall be lost ! And sinners, while
1 “Omnia quæ desideraverunt oculi mei, non negavi eis.”—£ccles.
ii. io.

The Vanity of the World.

137

they live in a state of damnation, sleep, and jest, and
laugh !”

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, Jesus, my Redeemer ! I thank Thee for making me see
my folly and the evil I have done in turning my back on Thee
who hast given Thy blood and Thy life for me. Thou didst not
deserve to be treated by me as I have treated Thee. Behold !
if death now came upon me, what should I find but sins and re­
morse of conscience, which would make me die with great dis­
quietude ! My Saviour! I confess that I have done evil, and
committed a great error in leaving Thee, my Sovereign Good !
for the miserable pleasures of this world. I am sorry from the
bottom of my heart. Ah ! through the sorrow which killed
Thee on the Cross, give me a sorrow for my sins, which will
make me weep during the remainder of my life over the in­
juries 1 have done Thee. My Jesus ! pardon me ; I promise to
displease Thee no more, and to love Thee forever. I am not
worthy of Thy love, which I have hitherto so much despised. But
Thou hast said that
r Thou lovest him who loves Thee. I love
Thee; love me, then, O Lord ! I do not wish to be any longer
in enmity with Thee. I renounce all the grandeurs and pleas­
ures of the world, provided Thou lovest me. Hear me, O my
God! for the love of Jesus Christ. He entreats Thee not to
banish me from Thy heart. To Thee I consecrate my whole
being; to Thee I consecrate my life, my pleasures, my senses,
my soul, my body, my will, and my liberty. Accept me; reject
not my offering, as I have deserved for having so often refused
Thy friendship ; cast me not away from Thy face. Most holy
Virgin, my Mother, Mary! pray to Jesus for me. In thy inter­
cession I place unbounded confidence.
SECOND POINT.

The Goods of this World are Contemptible.

There is a deceitful balance in his hand.' We must weigh
things in the balance of God, and not in the deceitful
balance of the world. The goods of this life are miser1 “In manu ejus statera dolosa.”—Oste, xii. 7.

13S

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XIII.

able goods; they do not content the heart; they soon
end. My days have been swifter than a post : they kart
passed by as ships carrying fruits? 'Die days of our life
pass and fly away; and of all the pleasures of this earth,
what remains? They have passed like a ship, which
leaves no trace behind. As a ship that passeth through the
waters, whereof, when it is gone by, the trace cannot be found?
Ask so many of the rich and learned of the world, so
many princes and emperors who are now in eternity,
what they possess of all the pomps, and delights, and
grandeur which they enjoyed in this life? They all
answer, Nothing, nothing. “O man,” says St. Augus­
tine, “you attend to what he had here; but attend to
what he brings with him.”3 “You,” says the saint, “re­
gard only the goods which the rich man possessed ; but
observe what he takes with him at death—a fetid body
and a rag of a garment to rot with him.”
After death the great ones of the world are spoken of
for a little while ; but they are soon forgotten. Their
memory hath perished with a noise? And if they have gone
to hell, what do they do and say in that place of woe?
They weep and say, What hath pride profited us? or what
advantage hath the boasting of riches brought us ? all those
things are passed away like a shadow? What have our
pomps and riches profited us, now that they are passed
away like a shadow, and for us nothing remains but
eternal torments, wailing and despair?
The children of this world are wiser in their generation
1 “ Dies mei velociores fuerunt cursore; pertransierunt quasi naves
poma portantes.”—Job, ix. 25.
2“Tanquam navis quæ pertransit fluctuantem aquam, cujus, cum
præterierit, non est vestigium invenire.”—Wïs. v. 10.
3 “Quid hic habebat, attendis; quid secum fert, attende.”—Serm. 13.
4 “ Periit memoria eorum cum sonitu.”—Ps. ix. 7.
5 “Quid nobis profuit superbia? aut divitiarum jactantia quid con­
tulit nobis? transierunt omnia illa tanquam umbra.”—Wts. v. 8.

The Vanity of the World,

J39

than the children of light.1 How prudent are worldlings
in earthly affairs ! What toil do they endure in order to
obtain a situation, or to acquire an estate? With what
care do they attend to the preservation of bodily health !
They adopt the safest means; they select the best
physicians, the best remedies, and the purest air. But
how careless are they about the concerns of the soul!
And it is certain that health, situations, and possessions
will one day end; but the soul and eternity are everlast­
ing. What do not the unjust, the vindictive, and volup­
tuous endure in order to attain their wicked objects?
And will they refuse to suffer anything for the soul ? O
God ! by the light of the death-candle, at that time of
truth, worldlings know and confess their folly. Then
they say, Oh, that I had left the world and led a life of
sanctity ! Pope Leo XI. said at the hour of death, “ It
were better for me to have been porter in my convent
than to be Pope.” Honorius III. also said in his last
illness, “It would have been better for me to have re­
mained in the kitchen of my monastery· to wash the
plates than to be chosen head of the Church.” In his
dying moments, Philip II., King of Spain, sent for his
son, and throwing off his royal robes, showed him his
breast eaten away by worms, and said to him, “Prince,
behold how we die, and how the grandeurs of this world
end. Oh,” he exclaimed, “that I had been a lay-brother
in some religious
communitv,7 and bad not been king
!”
O
o
He then ordered a cross to be fastened to his neck by
means of a cord, and, having made all his arrangement?
for death, he said to his son: “I wished you to be pres
ent at this scene, that you may see how the world treats
monarchs in the end. Their death is like that of the
poorest peasant. In short, he who leads the most holy
life is in the greatest favor with God.” This same son,
who was afterward Philip III., dying at the age of forty·
1 “ Filii hujus sæculi prudentiorcs filiis lucis sunt."—Luke, χνί. S.

140

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XIII.

three years, said: “My subjects, in the sermon to be de­
livered at my funeral, preach nothing but this spectacle
which you behold: say that to have been king serves at
death but to excite regret and pain.” He then ex­
claimed, “ Oh, that I had never been a king! Oh, that
I had lived in a desert to serve God ! I should now go
with greater confidence to present myself at his tribunal,
and should not now find myself in so much danger of
being damned forever.” But these desires at the hour
of death serve only to increase the anguish and despair
of those who have not loved God. Then, says St. Teresa,
“we should make no account of what ends with life;
the true life consists in living in such a manner as not to
have any* reason to fear death.” If then we wish to see
the true value of earthly things, let us look at them from
the bed of death and say, These honors, these amuse­
ments, these revenues will one day have an end; we
ought then to labor to become saints, and rich in goods
which will accompany us to the other world, and which
will make us content and happy for all eternity.

Affections and Prayers.
Ah. my Redeemer! Thou hast suffered so many pains and
ignominies for my sake ; and I have loved the pleasures and
vanities of this earth to such an excess, that, for the sake of
them. I have often trampled on Thy grace. But, since Thou
didst not cease to seek after me when I despised Thee, I cannot,
O my Jesus ! fear that Thou wilt now cast me away, when I seek
and love Thee with my whole heart, and am more sorry for
having offended Thee than I should be for having suffered every
other misfortune. O God of my soul! from this day forward I
wish never to offend Thee, even by a venial fault. Make known
20 me what is displeasing to Thee. 1 will not, for any earthly
good, do what I know to be offensive to Thee. Make known to
me what I must do in order to please Thee. I am ready to do
it. I wish to love Thee with a true love. I embrace, O Lord !
all the painsand crosses which may come to me from Thy hands
give me the resignation I stand in need of : here burn.

The Vanity of the World.

141

here cut. Chastise me in this life, that in the next I mav be
able to love Thee for eternity. Mary, my Mother! to thee I
recommend my soul ! do not ever cease to pray to Jesus for me.
THIRD POINT.

We must Work for Heaven.

The time is short : it remaineth that . . . they that use this
world, be as if they used it not; for the fashion of this world
passeth away.1 What is our life on this earth but a
scene, which passes away and ends very soon ? The
fashion of this world passeth away.3 “The world,” says
Cornelius à Lapide,“ is like a stage; one generation passes
away, another comes.” He who acts the part of a king,
takes not the purple with him. Tell me, O villa, O house,
how many masters have you had ? When the comedy is
over, the king is no longer king ; the master ceases to be
master. You at present are in possession of such a villa
and palace; but death will come, and they will pass to
other masters.
The affliction of an hour maketh one forget great delights?
The gloomy hour of death brings to an end and makes us
forget all the grandeur, nobility, and pomp of the world.
Casimir, king of Poland, while he sat at a table with the
nobles of his kingdom, died in the act of raising a cup
to take a draught; and the scene ended for him. In
seven days after his election, the Emperor Celsus was
killed, and the scene closed for Celsus. Ladislaus, king
of Poland, in his eighteenth year, while he was prepar­
ing for the reception of his bride, the daughter of the
king of France, was suddenly seized with a violent pain,
which soon deprived him of life. Couriers were instantly
1 "Tempus breve est: qui utuntur hoc mundo, tanquam non utan­
tur; præterit enim figura hujus mundi."—i Cor. vii. 29.
* Est mundus instar scenæ: “ Generatio præterit, et generatio ad·. ’>
venit.
3 “ Malitia horæ oblivionem facit luxuriæ magnae.”—Ecclus. xi/29.

142

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XIII.

despatched to announce to her that the scene was over
for Ladislaus, and that she might return to France. By
meditating on the vanity of the world, Francis Borgia
became a saint. At the sight of the Empress Isabella,
who had died in the midst of worldly grandeur and in
the flower of youth, he, as has been already said, resolved
to give himself entirely to God. “Thus, then,” he said,
“end the grandeurs and crowns of this world: I will
henceforth serve a master who can never die.”
Let us endeavor to live in such a.mannerthat what was
said to the fool in the Gospel may not be said to us al
the hour of death: Thou fool, this night do they require
thy soul of thee : and whose shall those things be which thou
hast provided Ix Hence, the Redeemer adds: So is he
that layeth up treasure for himselfand is not rich towaid
God} Again he tells you to acquire the riches, not of
the world, but of God;—of virtues and merits, which are
goods which shall remain with you for eternity in
heaven. Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither the rust nor the moth doth consume} Let us then
labor to acquire the great treasure of divine love.
“ What,” says St. Augustine, “has the rich man, if he
has not charity? What does the poor man want, if he
has charity?”4 If a man had all the riches in the world,
and has not God, he is the poorest of men. But the
poor man who possesses God, possesses all things. And
who are they that possess God? Z/l·, says St. John,
that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him}
1 “ Stulte, hac nocte animam tuam repetunt a te; quæ autem parasti,
cujus erum?”—Ltike, xii. 20.
2 ’* Sic est, qui sibi thesaurizat et non est in Deum dives.”—Ibid. 21.
3 “ Thesaurizate vobis thesauros in coelo, ubi neque ærugo neque
tinea demolitur.”—Matt. vi. 20.
4 “ Dives, si charitatem non habet, quid habet? Pauper, si charitatem habet, quid non habet?”—Senn. 112, E. B. app.
5 “ Qui manet in charitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo.”—1 John.
iv 16.

The Vanity of the World.

HS

Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my God ! I do not wish that the devil should have any
longer dominion over my soul: I wish that Thou alone be the
lord and master of it. I will renounce all things in order to ac­
quire Thy grace. I esteem it more than a thousand thrones
and a thousand kingdoms. And whom shall I love but Thee,
who art infinitely amiable, who art an infinite good, infinite
beauty, bounty, and love? Hitherto I have abandoned Thee
for the sake of creatures ; this is, and always will be, to me a
source of sorrow, which will pierce my heart with grief for
having offended Thee, who hast loved me with so much tender­
ness. But since Thou hast favored me with so many graces, I
can no longer bear to see myself without Thy love. O, my
Lord ! take possession of my whole will, and of all that I
possess, and do with me what Thou pleasest. If I have hitherto
been impatient under adversity, I ask pardon. O, my Lord ! I
will never complain of Thy arrangements ; I know that they
are all holy, all for my welfare. Treat me, O my God ! as Thou
wishest ; I promise to be always content, always to thank Thee.
Make me love Thee, and I ask no more. What goods, what
honors, what world can I love? O God ! O God ! I wish only
for God. Happy thou, O Mary ! who didst love nothing in
the world but God. Obtain for me the grace to imitate thee, at
least during the remainder of my life. In thee 1 trust.

144

Préparation for Death,

[CON. XIV.

CONSIDERATION XIV.
£ife is a lonrncg to etcrnitn.
“Man shall go into the house of his eternity.”—Eccl. xii. 5.
FIRST POINT.

Man is a Traveller on Earth.

Seeing that on this earth so many miscreants live in
prosperity, and that so many saints live in tribulations,
the very Gentiles, by the sole aid of the light of nature,
have known this truth,—that, since there is a just God,
there must be another life, in which the wicked are pun­
ished and the good rewarded. But what the Gentiles
learned by the light of reason, we Christians know by
faith. We have not here a lasting city, hut we seek one that
is to come) This earth is not our country; it is for us a
place of passage, from which we shall soon go to the
house of eternity. “Man shall go into the house of his
eternity.” The house, then, dear reader, which you in­
habit, is not your house; it is a hospital, from which you
will soon, and when you least expect, be dislodged. Re­
member that when the time of death has arrived, your
dearest relatives will be the first to banish you from it;
and what will be your true house ? The house of your
body will be a grave, in which it will remain till the day
of judgment; but your soul will go to the house of eter­
nity—either to heaven or to hell. St. Augustine tells
1 “ Non habemus hic manentem civitatem, sed futuram inquirimus."
—Heb. xiii. 14.

Life is a Journey to Eternity.

N5

you that you are a stranger, a traveller, a spectator. *
It would be foolishness in a traveller to spend all his
patrimony in purchasing a villa or a house in a country
through which he merely passes, and which he must
leave in a few days. Reflect, says the saint, that in this
world you are only on a journey; fix not your affections
on what you see; look and pass on, and labor to procure
a good house, in which you will have to dwell forever.
Happy you, if you save your soul ! Oh ! how delight­
ful is heaven ! All the princely palaces of this world are
but stables compared with the city of paradise, which
alone can be called the city of perfect beauty. There you
will have nothing to desire; for you will be in the society
of the saints, of the divine Mother, and of Jesus Christ,
and will be free from all fear of evil; in a word, you will
live in a sea of delights, and in unceasing joy, which will
last forever. Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads}
This joy shall be so great, that at every moment for all
eternity it will appear new. But unhappy you, if you
are lost ! You will be confined in a sea of fire and of
torments, in despair, abandoned by all, and without God.
And for how long ? Perhaps, after the lapse of a hundred
thousand years, your pains will have an end? A hun­
dred and a thousand millions of years and ages will pass
by, and your hell will always be at its commencement.
What are a thousand years compared with eternity?
Less than a day which is gone by. A thousand years in
thy sight are as yesterday, which is past} Would you wish
to know the house which will be your dwelling for
eternity? it will be that which you merit, and which you
choose for yourself by your works.
1 Hospes es, transis et vides.
2 “ Lætitia sempiterna super caput eorum.”—Isa. xxxv. 10.
3 "Mille anni ante oculos tuos, tamquam dies hesterna quæ præteriit.”— Ps. Ixxxix. 4.

146

Preparation for Death,

[CON. XIV.

Affections and Prayers,

Then, O Lord ! behold the house which I have deserved by
the life which 1 led. Alas! it is hell, in which, from the first
sin I have committed, I ought to dwell, abandoned by Thee,
and without having it ever in my power to love Thee. Blessed
forever be Thy mercy, which has waited for me, and which now
gives me time to repair the evil I have done. O my God ! I
will no longer abuse Thy patience. I am sorry* above all things
for having offended Thee, not so much because I have merited
hell, as because I have outraged Tlw infinite goodness. Never
more, my God ! never more will I rebel against Thee; I desire
death rather than offend Thee. O my Sovereign Good ! were I
now in hell, I could never love Thee, nor couldst Thon love me.
I love Thee, and wish to be loved by Thee ; this I do not deserve,
but Jesus merits it, because he has offered himself to Thee in
sacrifice on the cross, that Thou mightest be able to pardon and
love me. Eternal Father! give me, then, for the sake of Thy
Son, the grace to love Thee, and to love Thee intensely. I love
Thee, O my Father! who hast given me Thy Son. I love
Thee, O Son of God ! who didst die for me. I love thee, 0
Mother of Jesus! who, by' thy intercession, hast obtained for
me time for repentance. O Mary ! obtain for me sorrow for my
sins, the love of God, and holy perseverance.
SECOND POINT.

Man can Secure Eternal Happiness.
If the tree fall to the south or to the north, in what place
soever it shall fall there it shall bed Wheresoever the tree
of your soul will fall at death, there will it remain for­
ever. There is no medium; you will be forever a king
in heaven, or a slave in hell; forever in bliss, in an ocean
of delights, or forever in despair in a pit of torments.
In contemplating the fate of the rich glutton, who was
esteemed happy in this world because he was rich, bin
1 “Si ceciderit lignum ad austrum aut ad aquilonem, in quocum
que loco ceciderit, ibi erit.”—Eccles, xi. 3.

Life is a Journey to Eternity.

H7

was afterward confined in hell; and the condition oi
Lazarus, who was regarded to be miserable because be
was poor, but was afterward raised to the glory of
heaven, St. John Chrysostom exclaimed: a O unhappy
felicity, which dragged the rich man to eternal misery !
0 happy infelicity, which brought the poor Lazarus to
the happiness of eternity !” 1
Of what use is it to torture yourself, as some do, say­
ing: Who knows whether I am among the predestined
or not ? When the tree is cut down, where does it fall ?
It falls on the side to which it inclines. Brother, to
what side do you incline? What sort of life do you
lead? Labor always to incline to the south; preserve
your soul in the grace of God; fly from sin; and thus
you will save your soul, and will be predestined. And
in order to avoid sin, keep always before your eyes the
thought of eternity, which St. Augustine calls “ the great
thought.” 2 This thought has led so many young men to
abandon the world, and to live in deserts, in order to at­
tend only to the care of the soul; and they have secured
eternal life. And, now that they are saved, they will re­
joice for all eternity at having sought during life noth­
ing but the salvation of their souls.
Father M. Avila converted a certain lady, who lived
at a distance from God, by saying to her: “ Madam, re­
flect on these two words—always and never.” In conse­
quence of a thought which he had one day of eternity,
Father Paul Segneri could not sleep for several nights;
and from that day forward gave himself up to a more
rigorous life. Drexelius relates that a certain bishop
was encouraged to lead a holy life by the thought of
eternity, and by repeating within himself, “I stand
1 O infelix felicitas, quæ divitem ad aeternam infelicitatem traxit !
0 felix infelicitas, quæ pauperem ad æternitatis felicitatem perduxit.
1 Magna cogitatio.

148

Preparation for Death,

[con.

xiv.

every moment at the gate of eternity.” 1 A certain monk
shut himself up in a cave, and did nothing else but·ex­
claim, O eternity! O eternity! “He who believes in
eternity,” said Father Avila, “and does not become a
saint, should be confined in a madhouse.”

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! have mercy on me. I know that in committing
sin I condemned myself to an eternity of torments; and I have
been content to resist Thy will, and to incur this punishment.
Ah, my Lord! pardon me; I am sorry for my sins from the
bottom of my heart. I do not wish ever more to oppose Thy
holy will. How miserable should I be, hadst Thou taken me out
of life during my career of sin ! I should at this moment be con­
demned to remain forever in hell, to hate Thy will. But now I
love it, and wish forever to love it. Teach me and give me
strength henceforth to do Thy will. I will no longer resist Thee,
O infinite Goodness! This grace only do I ask; Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Enable me to do Thy will
perfectly ; and I ask nothing more. And what, O my God ! dost
Thou desire, but my welfare and my salvation ? Ah, eternal
Father! hear my prayer, for the love of Jesus Christ, who has
taught me to pray continually to Thee. In his name I ask this
grace—thy will be done ; thy will be done. Happy me if I spend
the remainder of my life and if I end my days doing Thy will.
O Mary ! happy thou, who hast always done the will of God per­
fectly ! obtain for me, through thy intercession, the grace to do
his will during the remainder of my life.
THIRD POINT.

Man shall go into the House of his Eternity.

“ Man shall go into the house of his eternity."3 The pro­
phet says man shall go. to show that each shall go to the
house to which he wishes to go: he shall not be carried
1 “Omni momento ad ostium æternitatis sto.”—De Damn. Rog. c.
10. § 3·
s ” Ibit homo in domum æternitatis suæ.”

Life is a Journey to Eternity.

149

to it, but will go of his own accord. It is certain that
God wills the salvation of all men, but he will not save
us by force. He has placed before each of us life and
death; whichsoever we choose, will be given us.* That
which he shall 'choose, shall be given him? Jeremias like­
wise says, that the Lord has given us two ways in which
to walk; one the way of heaven, the other the way
of hell. Behold, I set before you the way of life and the
way of death." 3 The choice rests with us. But how will
he who wishes to walk in the way of hell, be able to
reach heaven ? All sinners wish for salvation, and in
the mean time they, by their own choice, condemn them­
selves to hell, with the hope of being afterward saved.
But who, says St. Augustine, can be found so foolish as
to take poison with the hope of escaping death ? * And
still so many Christians, so many fools, kill their souls
by sin, saying: I will hereafter think of a remedy. O
delusion, which has sent so many souls to hell!
Let us not be so foolish; let us reflect that eternity is
at stake. In erecting a house in which he expects to live
for the remainder of his life, a man spares no trouble in
seeking a healthful site, and submits to great toil and
fatigue in endeavoring to make the house commodious
and airy. And why are men so careless when there is
question of the house in which they must dwell for
eternity ? The business for which we labor, says St.
Eucherius, is eternity; there is not question of a house
more• or less commodious, more or % less airy; but there
is question of being in a place full of delights, among
the friends of God, or in a pit of all torments, in the
midst of an infamous crowd of abandoned miscreants.
And for how long ? N«ot for twenty nor forty years, but
*

1
s
3
i

1

J

Ante hominem vita et mors.
"Quod placuerit ei, dabitur illi.”—Ecclus. xv. 18.
" Ecce ego do coram vobis viam vitæ et viam mortis.”—fer. xxi. S.
“ Nemo vult sub spe salutis ægrotare.”—Ad Petr. De fd. c. 3.

150

Preparation for Death,.

ICON. XIV.

for all eternity. This is a great point; it is not a busi­
ness of little moment; it is an affair of infinite impor­
tance. When Thomas More was condemned to die bv
Henry VIII., his wife Louisa went to him for the puipose of prevailing on him to yield to the wishes of the
king. He said to her: “Tell me, Louisa, how many
years could I, who am now so old, expect to live?”
“You might,” answered Louisa, “live for twenty yean
more.” “O foolish woman,” rejoined the holy man, “do
you want me, for twenty years of life on this earth, to
forfeit an eternity of happiness, and to condemn myself
to an eternity of torments?” (Sander, Schism, angl.)
O God ! give me light. If eternity were a doubtful
matter, or only resting on a probable opinion, we ought
to make every effort in our power to lead a good life,
lest, should the doctrine of eternity
z be true,/ we should
expose ourselves to the danger of being eternally miser­
able; but it is not doubtful, but infallibly certain; not a
mere opinion, but a truth of faith. “ Man shall go into
the house of his eternitv.” “Alas!”savs St. Teresa,
“ the want of faith is the cause of so many
z sins,' and of
the damnation of so many Christians.” Let us then al­
ways enliven our faith, saying: “ Credo in vitam aeter­
nam.” I believe that after this life there is another which
never ends. And with this thought always before our
eyes, let us adopt the means of securing eternal salva­
tion. Let us frequent the sacraments; let us make
meditation every day; and let us reflect on eternal life;
let us fly from dangerous occasions. And, if necessary,
let us leave the world; for, to make ourselves sure of
eternal life, no security can be too great.
J

*

Affections and Prayers.

There is, then, my God! no medium; I must be -forever
happy, or forever miserable ; either in a sea of joys, or in a sea
of torments; cither forever with Thee in heaven, or forever

Life is a Journey to Eternity.

15,

separated at a distance from Thee in hell. And this hell I know
for certain I have so often deserved ; but I also know for certain
that Thou dost pardon all who repent, and that Thou rescuest
from hell all who hope in Thee. Of this Thou assurest me. He
shall cry to me ... I will deliver him, and will glorify him.1 Par­
don me, then, O Lord ! pardon me immediately, and deliver me
from hell. O Sovereign Good ! I am sorry above all things for
having offended Thee. Restore to me Thy grace as soon as possi­
ble, and give me Thy holy love. Were I now in hell, I could
never more love Thee ; I should have to hate Thee forever. Ah,
my God ! what evil hast Thou done to me that I should hate
Thee? Thou hast loved me unto death. Thou art worthv* of
infinite love. O Lord ! do not permit me to be ever separated
from Thee. I love Thee, and will always love Thee. Who shall
separate me from the charity of Christ
Ah, my Jesus! sin
alone can separate me from Thee. Ah ! through the blood
which Thou didst shed for me, do not permit me to be ever
separated from Thee. Strike me dead, rather than suffer me to
lose Thy love. “ Ne permittas me separari a te.” Mary, my
queen and my Mother! assist me by thy prayers; obtain for me
death and a thousand deaths, rather than that I should be
separated from the love of thy Son.
1 "Clamabit ad me... eripiam eum et glorificabo eum.”—Ps. xc. 15.
* “Quis ergo nos separabit a charitate Christi ?”—Rom. viii. 3?.

152

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XV

CONSIDERATION XV.
£!)c lUalicc of iHortol Sin.
“ I have brought up children and exalted them; but they have despised
me.”—Isaias, i. 2.

FIRST POINT.

The Sinner Insults God.

What does the sinner do when he commits mortal sin ?
He insults God, he dishonors him, he afflicts him. In the
first place, mortal sin is an insult offered to God. The
malice of an insult is, as St. Thomas says, estimated from
the condition of the person who receives, and of the per­
son who offers, the insult. It is sinful to offend a peasant;
it is more criminal to insult a nobleman; but to treat a
monarch with contempt and insolence, is a still greater
crime. Who is God ? He is Lord of lords, and King
of kings) He is a being of infinite majesty, before whom
all the princes of the earth and all the saints and angels
are less than an atom of sand. As a drop of a bucket . . .
as a little dust.'1 The Prophet Osee adds, that compared
with the greatness of God, all creatures are as insignifi­
cant as if they did not exist. All nations, he says, are
before Him as if they had no being at all} Such is God; and
what is man? He is, according to St. Bernard, a heap
of worms, the food of worms, by which he shall be soon
devoured. He is miserable, and poor, and blind, and
’ “ Dominus dominorum est, et Rex regum.”—Apoc. xvii. 14.
* “ Quasi stilla situlæ . . . pulvis exiguus.”—Isa. xl. 15.
Omnes gentes, quasi non sint, sic sunt coram eo.”—Isa. xl. 17

The Malice of Mortal Sin.

153

naked.1 Man is a miserable worm, that can do nothing:
he is so blind that he knows nothing, and so poor and
naked that he possesses nothing. And this miserable
worm voluntarily insults a God ! “Vile dust,” says the
same St. Bernard, “ dares to provoke such tremendous
majesty.” ’ The angelic Doctor, then, had just reason to
say that the sin of man contains, as it were, an infinite
malice. And St. Augustine calls sin “an infinite evil.” 123
Hence, were all men and angels to offer themselves to
death and annihilation, such an offering would not satisfy
for a single sin. God punishes sin with the pains of hell;
but all theologians teach that this chastisement is less
than sin deserves.4*
6
And what punishment can be sufficient for a worm
who assails his Lord ? God is the Lord of all, because
he has created all. All things are in Thy power . . .
Thou hast made heaven and earth and all things.4 All crea­
tures obey God.
The winds, says St. Matthew, . and
the sea obey Him.
Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds,
which fulfil His will.* But when man sins, what does he
do? He says to God, Lord, I will not serve Thee. Thou
hast broken My yoke ; thou hast burst My bonds ; thou sa idst :
I will not serve.’' The Lord says to him: Seek not re­
venge; take not that property which belongs to another;
abstain from that unchaste gratification. But man an­
1 “Miser, et pauper, et cæcus, et nudus.”—Apoc. iii. 17.
2 “Tam tremendam majestatem audet irritare pulvisculus.”—In
Cant. s. 16.
3 “ Peccatum quamdam infinitatem habet ex infinitate divinæ majes­
tatis.”—P. 3. q. 1, a. 2.
4 Citra condignum.
6 “In ditione tua cuncta sunt posita.. » .Tu fecisti cœîum et terram.”
—Esth. xiii. 9.
6 “ Venti et mare obediunt ei.”—Matt. viii. 27. “Ignis, grando,
nix, glacies . . . faciunt verbum ejus ”—Ps. cxlviii. 8. ·
’ “Confregisti jugum meum ... et dixisti: non serviam.”—y?r. ii.
20.

*54

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XV.

swers: I will have revenge; I will take possession of that
property; I will indulge in that forbidden pleasure.
Like Pharaoh, when Moses, on the part of God, com­
manded him to allow the people to go into the desert, the
sinner answers: Who is the Lord, that I should hear His
voice, and let Israel go?1 The sinner says the same—
Lord, I know Thee not, I will do what I please; in a
word, he insults the Lord to his face, and turns his
back upon him. Mortal sin is precisely a turning away
from God. Of this the Lord himself complains. Thou
hast forsaken me, saith the Lord ; thou art gone backward)
You have, says God, been ungrateful to me; you have
turned back upon me; you are gone backward. God has
declared that he hates sin. Hence, he cannot but hate
the sinner who commits it. But to God the wicked and
his wickedness are hateful alike! In committing sin, man
dares to declare himself the enemy of God, and to
contend single-handed with the Lord. He hath, says
Job, strengthened himself against the Almighty) What
would you say if you saw an insect attack an armed
soldier? God is the Omnipotent Being, who, by a nod,
has created heaven and earth out of nothing. And if he
wishes, he can, by another act of his will, destroy all
creatures. The Almighty Lord, who, at a beck, can utterly
destroy . . . the whole world) In consenting to sin, the
sinner stretches out his arms against the Lord. He
hath, says Job, stretched out his hand against God. He
hath run against Him with his neck raised up, and is armed
1 “ Quis est Dominus, ut audiam vocem ejus ? . . . Nescio Domi­
num.”—Exod. v. 2.
2 “Tu dereliquisti me, dicit Dominus; retrorsum abiisti.”—fer.
xv. 6.
3 “Similiter autem odio sunt Deo impius et impietas ejus.”—IVis.
xiv. 9.
4 “Contra Omnipotentem roboratus est.”—gob, xv, 05.
5 “Ex nihilo fecit illa Deus.”—2 Mach. vii. 28. “Potest . . . ct
universum mundum uno nutu delere.”—Ibid. viii. iS,

The Malice of Mortal Sin,

155

with a fat neck) He raises his neck, that is, he swells
with pride, and runs to insult God; he arms himself with
a fat neck, that is, with ignorance; for a fat neck is the
symbol of ignorance—of that ignorance which makes the
sinner say, What harm have I donet What great evil is
that sin which I have committed ? God is merciful—he par­
dons sinners. AVhat an insult ! What temerity ! What
blindness !

Affections and Prayers.
Behold, O my God ! at Thy feet the rash and daring rebel who
has had the temerity and the audacity to insult Thee so often to
Thy very face, and to turn his back upon Thee. Thou hast
said : Cry to me, and I will heard Hell is too little for me; this
I already know. But, remember, O Lord ! that I am more sorry
for having offended Thee, who art infinite goodness, than 1
would be for the loss of all my property and of my life. Ah,
Lord! pardon me, and do not permit me ever to offend Thee
more. Thou hast waited for me that I may forever bless Thy
mercy and love Thee. Yes, I bless Thee, I love Thee, and Î
hope, through the merits of Jesus Christ, that I shall never
again be separated from Thy love; Thy love has rescued me
from hell. it is by Thy love that I am to be preserved from sin
for the future. I thank Thee, my Lord! for the light and the
desire Thou givest me to love Thee forever. Ah ! take posses­
sion of my whole being—of my soul and body—of my powers
and senses—of my will and liberty. I am Thine—save me.
Thou art my only good ; Thou art alone amiable : may Thou
also be my only love. Give me fervor in loving Thee. I have
offended Thee grievously. Hence, it is not enough for me to
love Thee. I wish to love Thee ardently, in order to compensate
for the injuries I have done Thee. From Thee, who art omnip­
otent. I hope for this love. I also hope for it through thy
prayers, O Mary ! which are powerful before God.
1 "Tetendit adversus Deum manum suam. . . . Cucurrit adversus
eum erecto collo et pingui cervice armatus est.”—fob, xv. 25.
* “ Clama ad me, et exaudiam te.”—Jcr. xxxiii, 3.

}5υ

Preparation for Death,

[CON. XV.

SECOND POINT.

The Sinner Dishonors God.

The sinner not only insults, but he also dishonors
God. By the transgression of the law thou dishonorest God)
Yes; for he renounces God’s grace, and for a miserable
pleasure he tramples on the friendship of God. Were
man to forfeit the divine friendship in order to gain a
kingdom, or even the entire world, he should do a great
evil; for the friendship of God is more valuable than the
world and even a thousand worlds. But for what does
the sinner insult the Lord ?
Wherefore hath the wicked
provoked God?' Fora little earth, for the gratification
of revenge, fora beastly pleasure, for the indulgence of
van i ty or caprice. They violated Me among My people for a
handful of barley and a piece of b readd When the sin­
ner deliberates whether he will give or refuse his con­
sent to sin, he, as it were, takes in his hand a balance
and examines whether the grace of God has more or less
weight than the indulgence of his passion, vanity, or
pleasure; and when he consents to sin, he declares that
his passion, vanity, or pleasure is of greater value than
the friendship of God. Behold the Lord covered with
shame by the sinner !
Contemplating the greatness and majesty of God,
David said, Lord, who is like to Thee?K But seeing sin­
ners compare and prefer a miserable gratification to his
friendship, the Lord exclaimed, To whom have you likened
Me, or made Me equal 1* Then, he says, was that vile
pleasure of greater value than my grace ?—Thou hast cast
1 “ Per prævaricationem legis Deum inhonoras.”—Rom. ii. 23.
3 “ Propter quid irritavit impius Deum ?”—Ps. x. 13.
3 “Violabant me . . . propter pugillum hordei et fragmen panis.”—
E~ek. xiii. 19.
4 “Domine, quis similis tibi?”—Ps. xxxiv. 10.
* “Cui assimilastis me, et adæquastis ? dicit Sanctus.”—/sa. xl. 25.

The Malice of Mortal Sin.
Me off behind thy back! Were you to forfeit a hand, or
ten dollars, or even a much smaller sum, you would not
have committed that sin. Then, says Salvian, is God
alone so contemptible in your eyes, that he deserves to
be despised for the indulgence of a passion, or for a mis­
erable gratification ?
Moreover, by offending God for the sake of his pleas­
ure, the sinner makes that pleasure his god, by making
it his last end. St. Jerome says: “What a person de­
sires, if he worships it, is to him a god. A vice in the
heart is an idol on the altar.’’3 Hence St. Thomas says·
“If you love delights, delights are your god.”’ And
according to St. Cyprian, “Whatever man prefers to
God, that he makes a god to himself.”4 When Jero­
boam rebelled against the Lord, he endeavored to draw
the people with him into idolatry. Hence, he placed
before them his idols, saying: Behold thy gods, O
LraeT It is thus the devil acts; he represents a cer­
tain pleasure to the sinner, and says : “ Make this your
god: behold this pleasure, this revenge is your god:
adhere to them and forsake the Lord.” And in consent­
ing to sin, the sinner obeys the devil, and in his heart
adores as his god the pleasure in which he indulges.’
If the sinner dishonors God he surely does not dishonor
him in his presence ! Oh ! he insults and dishonors
God to his very face; for God is present in all places.
Do I not fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord ? ' This, sin1 “ Projecisti me post corpus tuum.”—Ezek. xxiii. 35.
* “Unusquisque quod cupit et veneratur, hoc illi deus est.”—In Ps.
Ixxx.
3 Si amas delicias, deliciæ dicuntur deus tuus.
4 “Quidquid homo Deo anteponit, sibi deum facit.”—DeDup. Mart.
5 “ Ecce dii tui, Israel.”—3 Kings, xii. 28.
‘ Vitium in corde, est idolum in altari.
1 “Coelum et terram ego impico.”—Jer. xxiii. 24.

>58

Preparation for Death.

[CON XV

ners know, and still they dare to provoke God before
his eyes. They provoke Me to anger before My facet

Affections and Prayers.

Thou, then, my God ! art an infinite good, and I have
frequently exchanged Thee for a miserable pleasure, which 1
had scarcely indulged when it vanished. But Thou, though de­
spised by me, now offerest me pardon if I wish for it, and Thou
promisest to give me Thy grace, if I repent of having offended
Thee. Yes, my Lord ! I repent with my whole heart of having
outraged Thee so grievously : I detest my sins above all things.
Behold ! I already return to Thee, as I hope, and Thou already
receivest me, and embracest me as Thy child. 1 thank Thee,
O infinite Goodness ! but assist me now, and do not permit me
ever again to banish Thee from my heart. Hell will not cease
to tempt me; but Thou art more powerful than hell. I know
that I shall never more abandon Thee, if I always recommend
myself to Thee. The grace, then, which I ask is, that 1 may
always recommend myself to Thee, and that I may always say
to Thee, as I now do, Lord, assist me; give me light, give me
strength, give me perseverance, give me paradise ; but above
all, give me Thy love, which is the true paradise of souls. I
love Thee, O infinite Goodness ! and I wish always to love
Thee. Hear me for the love of Jesus Christ. Mary, thou art
the refuge of sinners: assist, by thy prayers, a sinner who
wishes to love thy God.
THIRD POINT.

The Sinner Afflicts God.

The sinner insults God, he dishonors God, and fills
the heart of God with grief qnd bitterness.' There is
nothing more galling than to be treated with ingratitude
by a person tenderly loved and highly favored. Whom
does the sinner assail ? He insults a God who has
created him, and has loved him so as to give his blood
2 "Ad iracundiam provocat me ante faciem meam semper.”—Isa.
Ixv. 3.

The Malice of Mortal Sin.

159

and his life for his salvation; and by committing mor­
tal sin he banishes God from his heart. God comes to
dwell in the soul that loves him. If any one love Me
. . . My Father will love him, and We will come to him,
and will make Our abode with him.” 1 Mark the words
— We will make Our abode with him. God comes to dwell
forever in the soul; he never departs from it, unless he
is driven away. According to the Council of Trent, “ He
deserts not the soul, unless he is deserted.”3 But, O
Lord ! Thou knowest that the ungrateful sinner will, in
a few moments, banish Thee: why dost Thou not in­
stantly depart from him ? Wilt Thou wait until he ex­
pels Thee? Abandon him; depart from him before he
offers Thee this great insult. “No,” says the Lord, “ I
will not depart until he himself chases Me away.”
Then, in consenting to sin, the soul says to God:
Lord, depart from me.
The wicked, says Job, have
said to God, Depart from usd The sinner, according to
St. Gregory, says the same, not in words, but by acts.
The sinner knows that God cannot dwell with sin; in
yielding to sin, he sees that God must depart ; hence,
by his conduct he says to God: Since Thou canst not
remain in me along with my sin, depart—farewell. And
through the very door by which God leaves the soul,
the devil enters.
Then he goeth and taketh with him
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in
and dwell there! In baptizing an infant, the priest com­
mands the devil to depart. “ Go out from him, un­
clean spirit, and make room for the Holy Ghost.” 5 Yes;
for the soul, by receiving the grace of God, becomes his
1 “ Si quis diligit me . . . Pater meus diliget eum, et ad eum
veniemus, et mansionem apud eum faciemus.”—John, xiv. 23.
° “Non deserit, nisi deseratur.”—Sess. 6, cap. 11.
» “ Dixerunt Deo : Recede a nobis.”—Job, xxi. 14.
4 “Tunc vadit, et assumit septem alios spiritus secum nequiores se.
et intrantes habitant ibi.”—Matt. xii. 45.
* Exi ab eo, immunde spiritus, et da locum Spiritui Sancto.

ι6ο

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XV.

temple. Know you not, says St. Paul, that you are the
temple of Godl' But, in consenting to sin, man does the
very contrary: he says to God, who is in his soul: “Go
out from me, O Lord, make room for the devil.”2 Of
this the Lord complained to St. Bridget, saying, that he
is treated by the sinner as a king expelled from his
throne. “lam like a monarch banished from his own
dominions: and in my place the worst of plunderers is
chosen.”3
What pain should you feel if you received a grievous
insult from a person on whom you had lavished favors?
This is the pain which you have given to your God who
laid down his life for your salvation. The Lord calls
heaven and earth to pity him on account of the ingrati­
tude of sinners. Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth.
... I have brought up children and exalted them, but they
have despised Mei In a word, by their iniquities sinners
afflict the heart of God. But they provoked to wrath ami
afflicted the Spirit of the Holy One.* God is not susceptible
of pain ; but were he capable of sorrow, a single mortal
sin should, as Father Medina teaches, be sufficient to
make him die through pure grief. “Mortal sin would,
were it possible, destroy God himself, because it would
be the cause of infinite sadness in God.”0 Thus, as St.
Bernard says, “Sin, as far as in it lies, destroys God.”’
1 “Nescitis quia templum Dei estis?”—i Cor. iii. 16.
5 Exi a me, Domine, da locum diabolo.
3 “Sum tamquam rex a proprio regno expulsus, in cujus loco latro
pessimus electus est”—Rev. 1. I. c. I.
4 “ Audite, coeli ; auribus percipe, terra : Filios enutrivi, et exaltavi ;
ipsi autem spreverunt me.”—Isa. i. 2.
5 “ Ipsi autem ad iracundiam provocaverunt, et afflixerunt spiritum
Sancti ejus.”—Isa. Ixiii. io.
6 “Peccatum mortale, si possibile esset, destrueret ipsum Deum,
eo quod causa esset tristitiæ in Deo infinitae.”—De Satisf. q. i.
1 “Peccatum, quantum in se est Deum perimit.”—In temp. Rasch.
s. 3.

The Malice of Mortal Sin.

161

In committing mortal sin, the sinner, as it were, gives
poison to God, and does all in his power to deprive him
of life. The sinner, says David, hath provoked the Lord}
And according to St. Paul, he tramples on the Son of
God. For he despises all that Jesus Christ has done
and suffered in order to take away the sins of the world.
Affections and Prayers.

Then, my Redeemer, as often as I have sinned, I have ban­
ished Thee from my soul, and have done what would, were it
possible for Thee to aie, have taken away Thy life. I now hear
Thee ask : What evil have I done Thee ? Tell Me. What dis­
pleasure have I given Thee that thou shouldst offer Me so many
insults? Lord, Thou hast given me existence, and hast died
for me. Behold the evil Thou hast done me. What answer
then can I make? 1 say that I have deserved a thousand hells;
Thou hast just ground for sending me to everlasting torments.
But remember the love which made Thee die on the cross for
my salvation : remember the blood which Thou hast shed for
my sake, and have mercy.on me. But I know that Thou dost
not wish that I despair ; on the contrary Thou makcst me feel
that Thou standest at the door of my heart, and that by Thine
inspirations Thou knockest for admission. I stand at the gate,
and knock. Thou tellest me to open—Open to Me, my sister.
Yes, my Jesus: I banish sin from my soul; I am sorry for it
with my whole heart, and I love Thee above all things. Enter,
0 my love ! the gate is open ; enter, and never more depart
from me. Bind me to Thyself by Thy love, and do not permit
me to be ever separated from Thee. No, my God ! we will
never again be disunited; I embrace Thee and unite Thee to
my heart ; give me holy perseverance. “ Ne permittas me sepa­
rari a Te.” Mary, my Mother, assist me always; pray to Jesus
for me; obtain for me this favor, that I may never more lose
his grace.
1 "Exacerbavit Dominum peccator.”—Ps. x. 4.
conculcaverit.”—J/eb. x. 29.

“Qui Filium Dei

102

Preparation for Death.

icon. xvi.

CONSIDERATION XVI.
Œljc AUrcn of (gob.
“ Mercy exalteth itself above judgment.”— St. James, ii. 13.
FIRST POINT.

God Waits for the Sinner.

Good is naturally diffusive—that is, inclined to com­
municate its good even to others. But God, who is by
nature infinite goodness, as St. Leo expresses himself,1
has an infinite desire to impart his own felicity to us;
and therefore his inclination is, not to chastise, but to
show mercy to all. To punish is, according to Isaias, a
work opposed to the inclination of God. He shall be
angry . . . that he may do His work, His strange work: His
work is strange to Him? And when the Lord chastises
in this life, he does it in order to show mercy in the
next. O God ! . . . Thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy
on us? He appears angry that we may enter into our­
selves and detest our sins. Thou hast shown Thy people
hard things ; Thou hast made us drink the wine of sorrow?
And when he sends us any chastisement, he does it
because he loves us, and wishes to deliver us from eter1 Deus cujus natura bonitas.
2 “ Irascetur, ut faciat opus suum, alienum opus ejus . . . pere­
grinum est opus ejus ab eo.”—Isa. xxviii. 21.
3 “ Deus, iratus es, et misertus es nobis.”—Ps. lix. 3.
4 “ Ostendisti populo tuo dura ; potasti nos vino compunctionis.*
—Ps. lix. 5.

The Mercy of God.
nal punishment. Thou hast given a warning to them that
fear Thee, that they may flee from before the bow, that Thy
beloved may be delive redd And who can sufficiently ad­
mire and praise the mercy of God toward sinners in
waiting for them, in calling them, and in receiving them
when they return ? Oh ! how great is the mercy of God
in waiting for our repentance ! My brother, when you
offended God, he could have struck you dead ; but he
waited for you, and instead of chastising you, he con­
ferred favors upon you, he preserved your life, and pro­
vided for you. He pretended not to see your sins, that
you might repent. Thou overlookest the sins of men for the
sake of penanced But, O Lord, how does it happen that
Thou canst not bear to behoid a single sin, and beholdest so many* of them in silence? Thou canst not look on
iniquity ; why lookest Thou upon them that do unjust things,
and boldest Thy peaceT Thou beholdest the blasphemer,
the unchaste, the vindictive man, multiplying iniquities
from day to day ; and Thou dost not chastise him : and
why so much patience. Therefore the Lord waiteth that
lie may have mercy on theed God waits for sinners, that
they may amend, and that thus he may pardon and save
them.
St. Thomas says, that all creatures, fire, the earth, air,
water, by a natural instinct, would wish to punish and
to take vengeance on the injuries done to their Creator?
But God in his mercy restrains them. But, O Lord!
1 Dedisti metuentibus te significationem, ut fugiant a facie arcus,
ut liberentur dilecti tui."—Ps. lix. 6.
J “ Dissimulas peccata hominum propter poenitentiam.”—Ills. xi.

24·
3 “ Respicere ad iniquitatem non poteris; quare respicis super iniqua
agentes, et taces?”—Habac. i. 13.
4 “Propterea expectat Dominus, ut misereatur vestri.”—Isa. xxx,

18.
5 ‘Creatura enim tibi Factori deserviens, exardescit in tormentum
adver-u* injustos.”—JPisd. xvi. 24.

Preparation for Death,

[CON. XVI.

Thou waitest for these impious wretches, that they may
see their wickedness: but dost not Thou see that they
ungratefully take advantage of Thy mercy to offend Thee
still more? Thou hast been favorable to the nation: Thou
hast been favorable to the nation: art Thou glorified ? ' And
w h y so m u c h patience? Teea use God wills not the death
of the sinner, but that he be converted and live.11 O patience
of God I St. Augustine goes so far as to say that God,
were he not God, would be unjust on account of his ex­
cessive patience toward sinners.’ To wait for those who
abuse patience to become more insolent, appears to be
an injustice to the divine honor. “We sin,” continues
the holy Doctor,V we adhere to sin.” 4 Some make peace
with sin, and sleep in sin for months and years. “Gau­
demus de peccato”—We rejoice at sin; others go so far
as to boast of their wickedness ; and Thou art appeased?
We provoke Thee to anger—Thou invitest us to mercy.®
We appear to be engaged with God in a contest in
which we labor to provoke him to chastise our guilt;
and he invites us to pardon.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Lord ! I know that I deserve to be at this moment in
hell. Hell is my house.7 But. through Thy mercy, I am not
now in that place of woe, but I am here at Thy feet, and feel
that Thou wishest and commandest me to love Thee. Thou
1 “ Indulsisti genti, Domine, indulsisti genti ; numquid glorificatus
îs ?”—isa. xxvi. 15.
,J “Nolo mortem impii, sed ut convertatur et vivat.”—Ezek. xxxiii.

3 “ Deus meus, pace tua dicam : nisi quia Deus es, injustus esses "
—De Vis. inf. 1. 1. c. 5.
4 Nos peccavimus, inhaeremus peccato.
5 Et tu placatus es ?
e Nos te provocamus ad iram, tu autem conducis nos ad misericor­
diam.
11nfernus domus mea est.—Job, xvii. 13.

The Mercy of God.
shalt love the Lord thy God.' I hear Thee tell me that Thou
wilt pardon me if I repent of the injuries I have done Thee.
Yes, my God : since Thou wishest me, a miserable rebel against
Thy majesty, to love Thee, I love Thee with my whole heart,
and I feel more regret for the outrages I have offered to Thee,
than for any evil that could have befallen me. Ah ! enlighten
me, 0 infinite Goodness ; make me sensible of the wrongs I have
doncThee. 1 will no longer resist Thy calls. I will give no more
displeasure to a God who has loved me so tenderly, who has par­
doned me so often and with so much love. Ah ! that I had
never offended Thee, my Jesus; pardon me, and grant that,
from this day forward, I may love nothing but Thee : that I may
live only for Thee, who didst die for me; that I may suffer for
Thy love, since Thou hast suffered so much for the love of me.
Thou hast loved me from eternity; Grant that for eternity I
may burn with Thy love. I hope for all things, O my Saviour,
through Thy merits; I trust also in thee, O Mary; save me by
thy intercession.

SECOND POINT.

God Calls the Sinner.

Consider, moreover, the mercy of God in calling the
sinner to repentance. When Adam rebelled against the
Lord, and hid himself from his face, behold, God, having
lost Adam, goes in search of him. and calls him as it
were with tears. Adam, where art thouT “These,” says
Father Pereira in his commentary on this passage, “are
the words of a father seeking a lost son.” 3 Mv brother,
God has often done the same to yon. You fled from
God, and he sought after you, calling you at one time
by his inspiration, at another by remorse of conscience,
now by sermons, again by tribulations, and by the death
of your friends. Speaking of you, Jesus appears to say :
1 “ Diliges Dominum Deum tuum.”—Dent. vi. 5.
* “ Adam, ubi es?”—Gen. iii. q.
’Sunt verba patris quærentis filium suum perditum.

166

Preparation for Death.

[con. xvi.

I have labored with crying: my jaws are become hoarse)
My son, I have almost lost my voice in calling you to re­
pentance. Remember, O sinners, says St. Teresa, that
that Lord who will one day be your judge, is now calling
you to return to him.
Dearly beloved Christian, how often have you been
deaf to the calls of God ? You deserved that he should
call you no more; but your God has not ceased to call
you, because he wishes to make peace with you, and to
save you. Who was it that called you ? A God of in­
finite majesty. And what were you but a miserable fetid
worm! Why did he call you ? For no other purpose than
to restore to you the life of grace which you had lost?
Return ye and lived To acquire the divine grace, it would
be but little to live in a desert during your entire life.
God offered to give you his grace at each moment, if
you wished to obtain it by making an act of contrition,
and you refused. And after all this, God has not
abandoned you, he has gone in search of you, as it were
weeping, and saying: Son, why will you bring yourself
to perdition ? And why will you die, O house of Israeli1
When man commits a mortal sin, he banishes God
from his soul. The wicked have said to God, Depart
from us.* But what does God do ? He places himself at
the door of that ungrateful heart. Behold, I stand at the
gate and knock! He even appears to entreat the soul to
allow him to enter. Open to Me, my sister! He grows
weary praying for admission. I am weary of entreating
thee! Yes, says St. Denis, the Areopagite, God follows
sinners like a despised lover, entreating them not to
1
2
5
4
5
6
1

“ Laboravi damans, raucæ factæ sunt fauces meæ”_ Ps. Ixviii. 4.
“ Revertimini, et vivite.”—Ezek. xviii. 32.
“ Et quare moriemini, domus Israel?”—Ezek xviii. 31
“ Dixerunt Deo: Recede a nobis.”—Job, χχί.
“ Ecce sto ad ostium, et pulso.”—stpoc. Hi. 20.
“Aperi mihi, soror mea.”—Cant. v. 2.
“ Laboravi rogans.”—Jer. xv. 6.

The Mercy of God.

167

destroy their souls.1 And this precisely the Apostle
meant when he wrote to his disciples. For Christ, 1
beseech you to be reconciled to God? In explaining this
passage, St. John Chrysostom makes a beautiful reflec­
tion “Christ himself entreats you; but what does he en­
treat you to do ? To be reconciled to God; for it is not
God that acts like an enemy, but you.”1*34 The saint’s
meaning is, that the sinner has not to labor in order to
move God to make peace with him; for he, and not God,
refuses peace.
Ah! this good Lord goes’every day in search of so
many sinners, continually saying to them: Ungrateful
souls, do not fly away any longer; tell me why you fly
away from me? I love your welfare, and desire nothing
else than to make you happy. Why will you destroy
yourselves? But, O Lord, what is it Thou dost? Why
so much patience and so much love toward these rebels?
What good dost Thou expect from them? It redounds
but little to Thy honor to show such an excess of love
for the miserable worms that fly away from Thee. I That
is a man, that Thou shouldst magnify him ? or why dost Thou
set Thy heart upon him?
Affections and Prayers.

Behold, O Lord ! at Thy feet an ungrateful soul, imploring
mercy. Father, forgive me. I call Thee Father, because Thou
wishest me thus to call Thee. My Father, pardon me. I do
not deserve pity, for I have treated Thee with ingratitude be­
cause Thou bast been bountiful to me. Ah, my God ! through
that goodness which did not allow Thee to abandon me when
1 “Deus etiam a se aversos amatorie sequitur, et deprecatur ne
pereant.”—Ad Demoph.
3 “Obsecramus pro Christo, reconciliamini Deo.”—2 Cor. v. 20.
3 Ipse Christus vos obsecrat. Quid autem obsecrat? Recon­
ciliamini Deo. Non enim ipse inimicitias gerit, sed vos.
4 “Quid est homo, quia magnificas eum? aut quid apponis erga
eum cor tuum T—Job, vii. 17.

i6S

Preparation for Death.

[CON. xvi.

I fled from Thee, receive me, now that I return to Thee.
Give me, O my Jesus! a great sorrow for the offences I have
offered to Thee, and give me the kiss of peace. I am sorry
above all things for the injuries I have done Thee; I detest and
abhor them, and I unite this hatred and abhorrence to that
which Thou, O my Redeemer! didst feel forthem in the garden
of Gethsemane. Ah! pardon me through the merits of that
blood which Thou hast shed for me in the garden. I promise
firmly never more to depart from Thee, and to banish from my
heart every affection which is not for Thee. My Jesus, my
love! I love Thee above all things : I wish always to love Thee,
and love Thee alone: give me strength to execute this good
will, make me all Thine. O Mary, my hope after Jesus!
thou art the Mother of mercy : pray to God. for me, and have
pity on me.
THIRD POINT.

God Receives the Sinner with Kindness.

The princes of the earth disdain even to look at the
rebel who comes to ask pardon; but God acts not in this
manner with ns: He will not turn away His face from you, ij
you return to Him) God cannot turn away his face from
those who return and cast themselves at his feet: no; for
he himself invites them, and promises to receive them as
soon as they come. Return to Me, saith the Lord, and 1
will receive thee) Turn to Me . . . and I will turn to you,
saith the Lord of Hosts.3 Oh ! with what love and tender­
ness does God embrace the sinner that returns to him.
This love and tenderness Jesus Christ wished to give us
to understand by the parable of the sheep, which the
shepherd, when he found it, placed on his shoulders.
1 “ Non avertet faciem suam a vobis, si reversi fueritis ad eum.”—
2 Par. xxx. 9.
5 “ Revertere ad me, dicit Dominus, et ego suscipiam te.”—Jer.
•··
·
ni. i.
3 “ Convertimini ad me, . . . et convertar ad vos, dicit Dominus’
Zac. i. 3.

The Mercy of God.

169

Doth he not lay it upon his shoulders, rejoicing; and coming
home, call together his friends and neighbors, saying to them :
Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost?
The Redeemer adds: There shall be joy in heaven upon one
sinner that doth penance? This tenderness the Saviour
declared more fully in the parable of the prodigal son;
in which he tells us that he is the father who, when he
saw his lost son returning, runs to meet him, and before
his son utters a word, embraces and kisses him, and in em­
bracing him, almost swoons away through tenderness of
consolation. And running to him he fell upon his neck and
kissed him?
The Lord promises that, if sinners repent, he will even
forget their sins, as if they had never offended him. If
the wicked do penance . . . living he shall live. ... I will
not remember all his iniquities that he hath done? He even
goes so far as. to say, Come and accuse Me, saith the Lord ;
if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow?
As if he said : Sinners, come and accuse Me; if I do not
pardon you, reprove me, upbraid me with having been
unfaithful to my promises. But no; God knows not
how to despise an humble and contrite heart.
The Lord glories in showing mercy and granting par­
don to sinners. And therefore shall He be exalted sparing
you? And how long does he defer pardon ? Not an in­
stant: he grants it immediately. Weeping, says the Prophet

\

1
I
I

j

«

1 “ Imponit in humeros suos gaudens. Congratulamini mihi,
quia inveni ovem meam quæ perierat.”—Luke, xv. 5.
* Gaudium erit in coelo super uno peccatore poenitentiam agente.
1 “ Accurrens cecidit super collum ejus et osculatus est eum.”— Luke,
XV. 20.

4 “Si impius egerit poenitentiam . . . vita vivet . . . omnium ini­
quitatum ejus . . . non recordabor.”—Ezek. xviii. 21.
*“ Venite et arguite me, dicit Dominus: si fuerint peccata vestra
ut coccinum, quasi nix dealbabuntur.”—Isa. i. 18.
6 “ Exaltabitur parcens vobis.”—Isa. xxx. iS.

ΠΚ

9

1 /O

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xvi.

Isaias, thou shalt not weep; He will surely have pity on thee)
Sinners, exclaims the prophet, you have not long to
weep ; at the first tear the Lord will be moved to pity:
At the voice of thy cry, as soon as He shall hear, He will answer
thee? God does not treat us as we treat him: we are
deaf to the calls of God : but as soon as he shall hear, he
will answer thee ; the very instant you repent and ask
forgiveness, God answers and grants your pardon.
Affections and Prayers.

O my God .’against whom have I rebelled ? Against Thee,
who art so good, against Thee that hast created me, and died
for me. After so many acts of treason. Thee hast borne with
me. Ah ! the thought of the patience Thou hast had with me
ought to make me live always on fire with Thy love. And who
would have borne so long as Thou hast the injuries which I
have done Thee? Miserable shall I be, should I ever again
©fiend Thee, and condemn myself to hell ! I already see that
Thy mercy can bear with me no longer. I am sorry, O Sover­
eign Good ! for having offended Thee. I love Thee with my
whole heart: I am resolved to give Thee all the remainder of
my life. Hear me, O Eternal Father! through the merits of
Jesus Christ: give me holy perseverance and Thy love: hear
me, O my Jesus! for the sake of the blood which Thou hast
shed for me. We therefore beseech Thee, assist Thy servants
whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.’ O Mary,
my Mother ! look upon me, “ turn thy eyes of mercy to us,"
and draw me entirely to God.
1 “ Plorans nequaquam plorabis; miserans miserebitur tui.”—Isa.
xxx. 19.
2 “Ad vocem clamoris tui, statim ut audierit, respondebit tibi.”—
Ibid.
2 Te ergo quæsumus, tuis famulis subveni, quos pretioso sanguine
redemisti.

Abttse oJ Divine Mercy,

171

CONSIDERATION XVII.

&bnsc of EDimne illcrcjr
“Knowest thou not that the benignity of God leadeth thee to pen­
ance ?”—Roni. ii. 4.

FIRST POINT.

t

God is Merciful, but He is also Just.

We read in the parable of the cockle, that the servants
of the good man of the house, seeing that it had grown
up in the field along with the wheat, wished to pluck it
up. Wilt thou, said they, that we go and gather it up ? 1
No, replied the master; suffer it to grow up, and then it
shall be gathered and cast into the fire, In the time of
the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the
cockle, and bind it in bundles to burn? In this parable
we see, on the one hand, the patience with which the
Lord treats sinners; and on the other, the rigor with
which he chastises the obstinate. St. Augustine says
that the devil deludes men in two ways, by despair and
hope? After the sinner has offended God, the enemy,
by placing before his eyes the terror of divine justice,
tempts him to despair; but before he sins, the devil en­
courages him to sin with the hope of divine mercy.
Hence the saint gives to all the following advice: “After
1 “Vis, imus et colligimus ea?"—Matt xiii. 24.
’“In tempore messis dicam messoribus: colligite primum ziza­
nia. et alligate ea in fasciculos ad comburendum.”—Ibid. 30.
3 “ Desperando et sperando.”—In fi>. tr. 33.

1/2

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xvn.

sin, hope for mercy; before sin, fear justice.”1 He who
abuses God’s mercy to offend him, is undeserving of
mercy. God shows mercy to those who fear him, but
not to those who avail themselves of his mercy to banish
the fear of God from their hearts. Abulensis says
* that
he who offends justice may have recourse to mercy; but
to whom can he have recourse, who offends mercy it­
self?
It is hard to find a sinner so sunk in despair as to wish
for his own damnation. Sinners wish to sin, without
losing the hope of salvation. They sin and say: God is
merciful, I will commit this sin, and will afterward con­
fess it. They say, observes St. Augustine, “ God is good,
I will do what I please.” 3 Behold, the language of sin
ners: but, O God, such too was the language of so many
who are now in hell.
Say not, says the Lord, that the mercies of God are
great; that however enormous your sins may be, you
will obtain pardon by an act of contrition. And say not:
The mercy of the Lord is great : He will have mercy on the
multitude of my sins.3 Say it not, says the Lord; and
why ? Tor mercy and wrath quickly come from Him, and His
wrath looketh upon sinnerst The mercy of God is infinite;
but the acts of his mercy, or his mercies are finite.
God is merciful, but he is also just. “ I am just and
merciful,” said our Lord to St. Bridget; “ but sinners re­
gard me only as merciful.” b St. Basil writes that sinners
wish to consider God only as good and merciful. To bear
Post peccatum, spera misericordiam ; ante peccatum, pertimesce
justitiam.
2 “Bonus est Deus, faciam quod mihi placet."—In fo. tr. 33.
3 “ Ne dicas; Miseratio Domini magna est, multitudinis peccatorum
meorum miserebitur.”—Ecclus. v. 6.
4 “ Misericordia enim et ira ab illo cito proximant, et in peccatores
respicit ira illius.”—Ibid.
5 “Ego sum justus et misericors; peccatores tantum misericordem
me existimant.”—Rev. 1. 1, c. 5.

Abuse of Divine Mercy.

*73

with those who avail themselves of the mercy of God to of­
fend him, would not, says Father M. Avila, be mercy, but
a want of justice. Mercy is promised, not to those who
abuse it, but those who fear God. And His mercy, said
the divine mother, to those that fear Him.' Against the
obstinate, threats of just retribution have been pro­
nounced; and, says St. Augustine, as God is not un­
faithful to his promises, so he is not a liar in his threats.*
Beware, says St. John Chrysostom, when the devil, not
God, promises you divine mercy, that he may induce
you to commit sin. “ Never attend to that dog that pro­
mises to you the mercy of God.” 3 “ Woe,” says St. Au­
gustine, “to him who hopes in order to sin.”4 Oh!
how many, says the saint, has this vain hope deluded
and brought to perdition! “They who have been de­
ceived by this shadow of vain hope cannot be num­
bered.” 5 Miserable the man who abuses the mercy*
of God to offer new insults to his majesty! St. Ber­
nard says that Lucifer's chastisement was accelerated,
because he rebelled against God with the hope of escap­
ing punishment. King Manasses sinned; he afterward
repented, and obtained pardon. His son Ammon, see­
ing that his father's sins were so easily forgiven, aban­
doned himself to a wicked life with the hope of pardon:
but for Ammon there was no mercy. Hence, St. John
Chrysostom asserts that Judas was lost because he sinned
through confidence in the benignity of Jesus Christ.6
In fine, God bears, but he does not bear forever. Were
1 " Misericordia ejus . . . timentibus eum.”—Luke, i. 50
2 “ Qui verus est in promittendo, verus est in minando.”—De vera
Pœnit. c. 7.
3 “Cave ne unquam canem illum suscipias, qui misericordiam Dei
pollicetur.”—Scat, sfiir. gr. 6.
4 “Sperat ut peccet, væ a perversa spe.”—In Bs. 144.
1 “ Dinumerari non possunt, quantos hæc inanis spei umbra decepe­
rit.”— Servi. 154, E. B app.
6 “ Fidit in lenitate magistri.”—In Mat. hovi. 83.

I

V4

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xvn.

God to bear forever with sinners, no one would be
damned: but the most common opinion is that the greater
part of adults, even among Christians, are lost. Wide
is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and
many there are that go in thereat. ‘
According to St. Augustine, he who offends God with
the hope of pardon “is a scoffer, not a penitent.’” But
St. Paul tells us that God does not allow himself to be
mocked.3 To continue to offend God as often and as
long as the sinner pleases, and afterward to gain heaven,
would be to mock God. For what things a man shall sow,
those also shall he reap* He that sows sin, has no reason
to hope for anything else than chastisement and hell. The
net with which the devil drags to hell almost all Chris­
tians who are damned, is the delusion by which he leads
them into sin with the hope of pardon. Sin freely, he
says to them; for, after all your iniquities, you will be
saved. But God curses the man that sins with the hope
of mercy. The hope of sinners after sin is pleasing to
God, when it is accompanied with repentance; but the
hope of the obstinate is an abomination to the Lord?
As the conduct of a servant who insults his master he­
cause he is good and mercifid, irritates the rn as ter, so
such hope provokes God to inflict vengeance.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! I have been one of those who have offended
Thee because Thou wert bountiful to me. Ah, Lord ! wait for
me, do not abandon me. I am sorry, O infinite Goodness! for
having offended Thee, and for having so much abused Thy
patience.· I thank Thee for having waited for me till now.
1 “ Lata porta, et spatiosa via est, quæ ducit ad perditionem, et
multi sunt qui intrant per eam.”—Matt. vii. 13.
* “ Irrisor est, non poenitens.”—Ad Frat. in er. s. 11.
3 “ Deus non irridetur.”—Gat. vi. 7.
4 “ Quæ seminaverit homo, hæc et metet.”—Mid. 8.
6 Et spes illorum, abominatio.—χί, 20.

1

A Imse of Divine Mercy.

175

Henceforth I will never more betray Thee, as I have hitherto
done. Thou hast borne with me so long, that Thou mightest one
day see me a lover of Thy goodness. Behold, this day has, I
hope, arrived : I love Thee above all things, and esteem Thy
grace more than all the kingdoms of the world: rather than lose
ir, I am ready to forfeit life a thousand times. My God ! for the
love of Jesus Christ, give me holy perseverance till death, along
with Thy holy love. Do not permit me ever again to betray
Thee, or to cease to love Thee. Mary ! thou art my hope: ob­
tain for me this gift of perseverance, and I ask nothing more.
SECOND POINT.

The Sinner Abandoned by God.

Some will say: God has hitherto shown me so many
mercies, I hope he will treat me with the same mercy
for the future. But I answer: And will you insult God
again, because he has been so merciful to you ? Then, says
St. Paul, do you thus despise the mercy and patience of
God ? Do you not know that the Lord has borne with
you to this moment, not that you may continue to offend
him, but that you may weep over the evil you have
done ? JDespisest thou the riches of his goodness and patience
and long-suffering ? Knowest thou not that the benignity of
God leadcth thee to penance V If through confidence in
the divine mercy you continue to sin, the Lord will
cease to show mercy. Except you be converted, says David,
he will brandish his sword.7 Revenge is mine, and I will re­
pay thee in due timed God waits; but when the time of
chastisement arrives, he waits no longer, but executes
vengeance.
Therefore the Lord waiteth, that he may have mercy on you P
1 “ An divitias bonitatis ejus et patientiæ contemnis? Ignoras
quoniam benignitas Dei ad poenitentiam te adducit?"—Rom. ii. 4.
1 “Nisi conversi fueritis, gladium suum vibrabit.”—Ps. vii. 13.
3 “ Mea est ultio, et ego retribuam in tempore.”—Deut. xxxii. 35.
4 “ Propterea expectat Dominus, ut misereatur vestri.”—Isa. xxx. iS.

170

Preparation for Death.
I

[con.

xvn.

God waits for sinners, that they may amend: but when
he sees that the time given to bewail their sins is employed in multiplying crimes, he then calls the very time
to judge them. He hath called against me the timed “The
very time,” says Gregory, “comes to judge.”’ Thus the
very time given, and the very mercies shown to sinners,
will serve to make God chastise them with greater rigor,
and abandon them sooner. We would have cured Babylon,
but she is not healed: let us forsake herd And how does God
abandon sinners? He either sends them a sudden death,
and makes them die in sin, or he deprives them of his
abundant graces, and leaves them with the sufficient
grace, with which they can, but will not, save their souls.
The blindness of their understanding, the hardness of
their heart,/ the evil habits which thev
* have contracted,
will render their salvation morally impossible; and thus
they will be, if not absolutely, at least morally abandoned.
I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be wasted?
Oh! what a chastisement! When the master of the vine­
yard takes away its hedges, and leaves it open to men
and to beasts, does he not show that he abandons it ? It
is thus that God acts when he abandons the soul: he
takes away the hedge of holy fear, and of remorse of
conscience, and leaves it in darkness. /Xnd then all the
monsters of crime will enter the soul. Thou hast ap­
pointed darkness, and it is night: in it shall all the beasts of the
wood go aboutd And the sinner, abandoned in that ob­
scurity, will despise the grace of God, heaven, admoni­
tions, and excommunications; and will make a jest of his
1 “Vocavit adversum me tempus.”—Lam. 1. 15.
’ Ipsum tempus ad judicandum venit.
3 “Curavimus Babylonem, et non est sanata; derelinquamus eam.”
'—fer. Ii. 9.
4 “Auferam sepem ejus, et erit in direptionem.”—Lsa. v. 5.
5 “ Posuisti tenebras, et facta est nox; in ipsa pertransibunt omnes
bestiæ silvæ.”—Ps. ciii. 20.

Abuse oJ Divine Mercy.
own damnation. The wicked, man, when he is come into the
depth of sins, contcmneth.'
God will not chastise the sinner in this life; but, not
to be punished in this world will be the greatest chas­
tisement of the wicked. Let us have pity on the wicked,
but he will not learn justice* On this passage St. Bernard
says, “This mercy I do not wish for: it is above all
wrath.” * Ob ! what a chastisement is • it when
God
/
abandons the sinner into the hands of his sins, and ap­
pears not to demand any further account of them ! Ac­
cording to the multitude of his wrath he will not seek him.1*34*
God appears not to be enraged against sinners. My
jealousy shall depart from you, and I will cease and be angry
no moreA—He appears to allow them all that they desire
in this life. I let them O?o according
O to the desires of
J their
heart.6*8 Miserable the sinner that prospers in this life !
His prosperity is a sign that God waits to make him a
victim of his justice for eternity. Why, said Jeremias,
doth the way of the wicked prosperi He answers: Gather
them together as sheep for a sacrifice.1 There is no punish­
ment greater than that which God inflicts, when he per­
mits a sinner to add sin to sin. Add thou iniquity upon
their iniquity . . . let them be blotted out of the book of the liv­
ing." In explaining these words, Beilarmine says that
1 “ Impius, cum in profundum venerit peccatorum, contemnit.’’
—Prov. xviii. 3.
’ “Misereamur impio, et non discet justitiam ”—Isa. xxvi. 10.
3 “ Misericordiam hanc ego nolo; super omnem iram miseratio
ista,”—In Cant. s. 42.
4 “Secundum multitudinem iræ suæ non quæret.”—Ps. ix. 4.
4 “Auferetur zelus meus a te, et quiescam, nec irascar amplius.”—
Ezek. xvi. 42.
s “Et dimisi cos secundum desideria cordis eorum.”—Ps. Ixxx. 13.
1 “ Quare via impiorum prosperatur ?... congrega eos quasi gregem
ad victimam.”—fer. xii. 1.
8 “Appone iniquitatem super iniquitatem .... Deleantur de libro
viventium.”—Ps. Ixviii. 28.

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XVII

“ there is no punishment greater than when sin is the
punishment of sin.” 1 It would be a smaller punishment
to be struck dead by the Lord after their first sin; for, by
dying afterward they will suffer as many hells as they
have committed sins.
Affections and Prayers.
I

My God ! I know that in my miserable state I have deserved
to be deprived of Thy grace and light : but seeing the light which
Thou now givest me, and feeling that Thou now callest me to
repentance, I have just reason to hope that Thou hast not as yet
abandoned me. And since, O Lord ! Thou hast not abandoned
me, multiply Thy mercies on my soul, increase Thy light, increase
my desire to serve and love Thee. Change me, O omnipotent
God ! and from being a traitor and rebel, make me a great lover
of Thy goodness, that I may one day enter heaven to praise Thy
mercies for all eternity. Thou dost then wish to pardon me,
and I desire nothing but the pardon of my sins and the gift of
Thy love. I am sorry, O infinite Goodness! for having so often
offended Thee. I love Thee, O Sovereign Good ! because Thou
commandest me to love Thee; I love Thee, because Thou well
deservest my love. Ah, my Redeemer, through the merits of
Thy blood, give Thy love to a sinner whom Thou hast loved so
ardently, and whom Thou hast borne with so patiently for so
many years : I hope for every grace from Thy mercy. I hope
to love Thee always till death, and for eternity. The mercies
of the Lord I will sing forever? I will praise Thy mercy, 0
my Jesus. I will forever praise thy mercy, O Mary! who hast
obtained for me so many graces ; I acknowledge that I have re­
ceived them all through thy intercession. Continue, O my
Mother! to assist me by thy prayers, and to obtain for me holy
perseverance.
THIRD POINT.

Unfortunate is he who allows the Time of Mercy to pass by.

It is related in the life of Father Louis La Nusa, that
in Palermo there were two friends, who went one day to
1 Nulla poena major, quam cum peccatum est poena peccati.
’ “Misericordias Domini in a*·™-----*nrabo.”—Ps. Ixxxviii 2.

Abuse of Divine Mercy.

'19

take a walk. One of them, called Cæsar, who was a co­
median, seeing the other oppiessed with melancholy,
said: How long is it since you were at confession ? Is
it on account of your long absence from the sacraments
that you are so much troubled ? Listen to me: “ Father
La Nusa told me one day that God gave me twelve years
to live, and that if, within that period, I did not amend,
I should die an unhappy death. I have since travelled
through so many parts of lhe world; I have had many
attacks of sickness, one of which brought me to the brink
of death; but, in this month the twelve years will be
completed, and I now feel better than in any part of my
past life.” He then invited his friend to hear, on Satur­
day, a new comedy, which he had composed. But what
happened? On Saturday, the 24th of November, 1688,
as he was going on the stage, he was seized with apo­
plexy, and died suddenly. He expired in the arms of a
female comedian, and thus the comedy ended. But let
us make the application to ourselves. Brother, when the
devil tempts you again to sin, if you wish to be lost, you
have it in your power to commit sin: but do not then
say that you wish to be saved. As long as you wish to
•
e
e
·
sin, regard yourself as damned, and imagine that God
writes the sentence of your damnation, and that he says
to you: What is there that I ought to do more for my vine­
yard, that I have not done to itV Ungrateful soul, what
more ought I to do for you, that I have not done ? But,
since you wish to be lost, go into eternal fire; the fault
is vour own.
But you will say, Where then is the mercy of God ?
Ah, unhappy soul? do you not feel that God has shown
you mercy in bearing with you for so many years, after
so many sins? You should remain forever prostrate on
the earth, thanking him for his mercy, and saying: The
*

1 " Quid est quod debui ultra facere vineæ meæ, et non feci ei ?”—ha. v. 4.

ι8ο

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xvh.

mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed.' By commit­
ting a single mortal sin, you have been guilty of a greater
crime than if you had trampled under foot the first
monarch in the world. You have been guilty of so many
mortal sins, that if you had committed against your
brother the injuries which you have offered to God, he
would not have borne with you. God has not only
waited for you, but he has so often called you and invited
you to pardon. What is there that I ought to have done
morel·1 If God had stood in need of you, or if you had
conferred a great favor upon him, could he show you
greater mercy ? If, then, you offend him again, you will
change his mercy’ into wrath and vengeance.
If, after the master had given it another year to pro­
duce fruit, the fruitless fig-tree still remained barren,
who could expect that the Lord would have allowed it
more time, or would not have cut it down ? Listen, then,
to the admonition of St. Augustine: “O fruitless tree!
the axe is deferred ; be not secure: you will be cut down.” '
Your punishment, says the saint, has been delayed, but
not taken away; if you abuse anyr longer the divine
mercy, You shall be cut down: in the end vengeance will
fall upon you. What do you wait for? Will you wait
till God sends you to hell ? But should he send you
there, you already know that your ruin is irreparable!
The Lord is silent, but he is not silent forever: when the
time of vengeance arrives he no longer holds his peace.
These things hast thou done, and I was silent. Thou thotightest
unjustly that I should be like to thee. Twill refrove thee, and
set before thy face.' I will place before your eyes the
1 “ Misericordiæ Domini, quia non sumus consumpti.”—Lam. iii. 22.
2 Quid est quod debui ultra facere ?
3 '* Eia, arbor infructuosa, dilata est securis; noli esse secura, ampu­
taberis.”—Serm. ι το, E. B.
4 “ Hæc fecisti, et tacui; existimasti, inique, quod ero tui similis;
arguam te, et statuam contra faciem tuam.”—Ps. xlix. 21.

Abuse of Divine Mercy.

181

mercies I have shown you, and will make these very
mercies judge and condemn you.

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! unhappy me, should I henceforth be unfaithful
to Thee, and betray Thee again after the light Thou now givest
me. This light is a sign that Thou wishest to pardon me. I
repent, O Sovereign Good! of all the injuries I have done Thee
because they have offended Thee, who art infinite goodness.
In Thy blood I hope for pardon, and I hope for it with certainty;
but should 1 again turn my back upon Thee, I would deserve a
hell created on purpose for myself. And what makes me
tremble, O God of my soul ! is, that I may again lose Thy grace.
I have so often promised to be faithful to Thee, and have after­
ward rebelled against Thee. Ah, Lord! do not permit it ; do
not ever abandon me to the great misfortune of seeing myself
again Thy enemy. Send me any chastisement, but not thisDo not permit me to be separatedfrom Thee. Shouldst Thou see
that I shall again offend Thee, strike me dead, rather than
permit so great an evil. I am content to suffer the most cruel
death, sooner than have to weep over the misery of being again
deprived of Thy grace. Do not permit me to be separated from
Thee. I repeat this prayer, O my God : grant that I may repeat
it always. Do not permit me to be separated from Thee.' I love
Thee, my dear Redeemer! I do not wish to be separated from
Thee. Through the merits of Thy death, give me an ardent
love, which will bind me so closely to Thee, that I may never
more be able to dissolve the union. O Mary, my mother! I
fear that if I again offend God, thou too wilt abandon me.
Assist me, then, by thy prayers ; obtain for me holy persever­
ance and the love of Jesus Christ.
1 Ne permittas me separari a te.

I&2

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XVIII

CONSIDERATION
XVIII.
I

Xinnbcr of Sins.
“ Because sentence is not speedily pronounced against the evil, the
children of men commit evil without fear.”—Eccles, viii. n.
FIRST POINT.

The Measure is Determined for Each One.

If God instantly chastises the man who insults him,
we certainly should not see him so much outraged as we
<lo at present. But because the Lord does not instantly
punish sinners, but waits for them, they are encouraged
to offend him the more. It is necessary to understand
that, though God waits and bears, he does not wait and
bear forever. It is the opinion of many holy Fathers—
of St. Basil, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Cyril of Alex­
andria, St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, and others
—that as God (according to the words of Scripture,
Wts. xi. 2i, Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and
number and weight^ has fixed for each the number of his
days, the degrees of health and talent which he will give
to him, so he has also determined the number of sins
that he will pardon; and when this number is completed,
he w’ill pardon no more. Eusebius of Cæsarea says the
same thing: “God waits up to a certain number, and
afterwards abandons;” and so speak also the above-men­
tioned Fathers.
And these Fathers have not spoken at random, but
’“Omnia in mensura, et numero, et pondere, disposuisti.”—
Wis. xi. 21.

The Nlimber of Sins.

183

according to the sacred Scriptures. In one place the
Lord says that he restrained his vengeance against the
Amorrithes, because the number of their sins was not as
yet filled up : For as yet the iniquities of the Amorrithes are
not at the full) In another place he says : I will not add
any more to have mercy on the house of Israel) Again he
says: All the men who have tempted Me ten times shall not
see the land) Thou hast, says Job, sealed up my offences as
it were in a bag) Sinners keep no account of their sins;
but God keeps an account of them, that when the har­
vest is ripe, that is, when the number of sins is com­
pleted, he may take vengeance on them. Put ye in the
sickles; for the harvest is ripe) In another place he says:
Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin to sin)
As if he said: O sinner! you must tremble even on
account of the sins which I have forgiven you; for if
you add another, it may happen that this new sin, along
with those which have been pardoned, may complete the
number, and then there will be no more mercy for you.
The Lord waiteth patiently, that when the day ofjudgment shall
come, he may punish them in the fulness of their sins.1 God
waits till the measure of iniquities is filled up, and then
he chastises the sinner.
Of such chastisements there are many examples in the
Scriptures. Saul disobeyed God a second time, and was
1 “ Necdum enim complet® sunt iniquitates Amorrfiæorum.”—Gen.
xv. 16.
2 “Non addam ultra misereri domui Israel.”—Os. i. 6.
3 “ Tentaverunt me jam per decem vices . .
non videbunt
terram.”—Num. xiv. 22.
1 “ Gressus meos dinumerasti. . . . Signasti quasi in sacculo delicta
mea.”—Job, xiv. i6.
s “Mittite falces, quoniam maturavit messis.”—Joel, iii. 13.
8 “De propitiato peccato noli esse sine metu; neque adjicias pecca­
tum super peccatum.”—Ecclus. v. 5.
1 “ Dominus patienter expectat. ut eas (nationes), cum judicii dies
advenerit in plenitudine peccatorum puniat.”—2 Mac. vi. 14.

184

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xviii.

abandoned. When he entreated Samuel to intercede for
him, saying: Bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with
me that I may adore the Lord.1 Samuel answered: I will
not return with thee, because thou hast rejected the word of the
Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee.’ We have also the
example of Balthasar, who, after having profaned the
vessels of the temple at table, saw a handwriting on the
wall—Mene, Thecel, Phares. Daniel came, and in explaining these words, among other things, said: Thoii
art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting. By these
words he gave the king to understand that in the balance
of divine justice the weight of his sins had made the
scale descend. The same night Balthasar, the Chaldean king,
was killed.* Oh ! how many miserable sinners meet with
a similar fate ! They live many years, multiplying sins;
but when the number is filled up, they are struck dead,
and cast into hell ! They spend their days in wealth, and ina
moment they go down to hell* There are some who spend
their time in investigating the number of the stars,the num­
ber of the angels, or the number of years which each one
will live. But who can discover the number of sins which
God will pardon each individual ? We should, therefore,
tremble. My brother, it may be that God will pardon
you no more after the first criminal pleasure which you
indulge, after the first thought to which you consent, or
after the first sin which you commit.
1 Porta, quæso, peccatum meum, et revertere mecum, ut adorem
Dominum.
* “ Non revertar tecum, quia projecisti sermonem Domini, et pro­
jecit te Dominus.”—1 Kings, xv. 25.
3 “Appensus es in statera, et inventus es minus habens.”—Dan.
4 Eadem nocte interfectus est Baltassar, rex chaldæus.
5 “ Ducunt in bonis dies suos, et in puncto ad inferna descendunt."
fob, xxi. 13.

The Number of Sins.

185

Affections and Prayers.

Ah ! my God ! I thank Thee. How many for fewer sins than 1
have committed are now in hell ! Forthem there is no pardon —
no hope. And I am still living : I am not in heli : but, if I wish, I
can hope for pardon and for Paradise. I am sorry above all things
for all my sins, because by them 1 have offended Thee, who art
infinite goodness. Eternal Father, look on the face of Thy Christ;*
behold Thy Son dead on the cross for my sake; and through his
merits have mercy on me. 1 wish to die rather than offend Thee
any more. When I consider the sins I have committed, and the
graces Thou hast bestowed upon me, I have just reason to fear
that, if I commit another sin, the measure will be completed,
and I shall be damned. Ah ! assist me by Thy grace ; from Thee
I hope for light and strength to be faithful to Thee. And if
Thou seest that I should again offend Thee, take me out of my
life, now that I hope to be in a state of grace. My God ! I love
Thee above all things, and I feel a greater fear of incurring Thy
enmity than of death. For Thy mercy’s sake do not permit me
any more to become Thy enemy. Mary, my Mother ! have pity
on me; assist me ; obtain for me holy perseverance.
SECOND POINT.

The Measure is not the Same for All.

Some sinners say: But God is merciful. Who, I ask,
denies it? The mercy of God is infinite; but though his
mercy is infinite, how many are cast into hell every day ?
The Lord hath sent Me to heal the contrite of heart? God
heals those who have a good will. He pardons sins, but
he cannot pardon the determination to commit sin.
These sinnerswill also say: I am young. You are young;
but God counts not years, but sins. The number of sins
which God pardons is not the same for all: some he par­
dons a hundred; others a thousand sins; others he sends
to hell after the second sin. How many has the Lord con*

1

1 “ Respice in faciem Christi tui.”—Ps. Ixxxiii. 10.
’ “ Misit me, ut mederer contritis corde.”—7sa. Ixi. I.

186

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XVIII,

demned to eternal misery after the first sin ? St. Gregory*
relates that a child of five years, for utteringa blasphemy
was condemned to hell. The Most Holy Virgin revealed
to that great servant of God, Benedicta of Florence, that
a girl twelve years old was damned after her first sin. A
boy of eight years died after his first sin, and was lost.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew we find that the Lord in­
stantly cursed the fig-tree the first time he saw it with­
out fruit. May no fruit grow on thee forever. And immedi­
ately the fig-tree withered away? Another time God said:
For three crimes of Damascus, and for four, I will not con­
vert it.1
*3* Perhaps some daring sinner may have the temer­
ity to demand an account of God why he pardons some
three sins, but not four. In this we must adore the judg­
ments of God, and say with the apostle: O the depth oj
the riches, of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God ! how in­
comprehensible are Phis judgments and unsearchable His ways A
“ The Lord,” says St. Augustine, “ knows whom he spares
and whom he does not spare. To those who receive
mercy he gives it gratuitously; from those who do not
receive mercy, it is justly withheld.” 6
The obstinate sinner may say : But I have so often
offended God, and he has pardoned me; I also hope he
will pardon me the sin which I intend to commit. But,
I ask, must God spare you forever, because he has not
hitherto chastised you? The measure shall be filled up,
and vengeance shall come. Samson continued to allow
himself to be deluded by Dalila, hoping that, as on
1 Dial. 1. 4, c. i8.
s “Nunquam ex te fructus nascatur."—Matt. xxi. 19.
3 “ Super tribus sceleribus Damasci, et super quatuor non convertam
eum.”—Amos, i. 3.
4 “ O altitudo divitiarum sapientiæ et scientiæ Dei ! Quam incompre­
hensibilia sunt judicia ejus, et investigabiles viæ ejus!”—Rom. xi. 33.
5 “ Quibus datur misericordia, gratuita datur; quibus non datur, justo
Dei judicio non datur.
Ep. 217, c. 5» E>. β.

\

The Ntcmber of Sins.

187

former occasions, he would escape from the Philistines.
I will go out as I did before, and shake myselfd But at
last he was taken, and lost his life. Say not, I have
mined, and what harm hath befallen me I Say not, says the
Lord, I have committed so many sins, and God has not chas­
tised me; for the Most High is a patient rewarder? that is,
he will one day come and punish all; and the greater the
mercy which he will have shown, the more severe shah
be the chastisement which he will inflict. St. Chrysos­
tom says, that God should be dreaded more when he
bears with the obstinate sinner, than when he punishes
him suddenly.’ Because, according to St. Gregory, if
they remain ungrateful, God punishes with the greatest
rigor those whom he waits for with the greatest patience.4
And it often happens, adds the saint, that they whom
God has borne with for a long time, die unexpectedly,
and without time for repentance.4 And the greater the
light which God will have given, : the greater will be
your blindness and obstinacy in sin. For it had been
better for them not to have known the way of justice, than,
after they have known it, to turn back* And St. Paul says,
that it is morally impossible for a soul that sins after
being enlightened, to be again converted. For it is im­
possible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted
of the heavenly gifts, . . . and are fallen away, to be renewed
to penanced
1 "Egrediar sicut ante feci, et me excutiam.”—fudges, xvi. 20.
s " Ne dicas: Peccavi, et quid accidit mihi triste ? Altissimus enim
est patiens redditor.”—Ecclus. v. 4.
3 Plus timendum est cum tolerat, quam cum festinanter punit.
4 "Quos diu tolerat, durius damnat.”—In Evang. hotn. 13.
5 "Sæpe, qui diu tolerati sunt, subita morte rapiuntur, ut nec flere
ante mortem liceat.”—Mor. 1. 15, c. 19.
6 "Melius enim erat illis non cognoscere viam justitiae, quam post
agnitionem retrorsum converti.”—2 Pet. ii. 21.
1 " Impossibile est enim eos, qui semel sunt illuminati, gustaverunt
etiam donum coeleste ... et prolapsi sunt, rursus renovari ad poeniten­
tiam.”—Ileb. vi. 4.

iS8

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XVIII

The threats of the Lord against those who are deaf to
his calls, are truly alarming, Because I have called, and
you have refused, ... I also will laugh at your destruction,
and will mock when that shall come to you which you fearedl
Mark the words—I also: they mean that as the sinner lias
mocked God by his confessions, by promising fidelity,
and afterward betraying him; so the Lord will mock him
at the hour of death. The wise man says: As a dog that
returned to the vomit, so is the fool that refeateth his follyI
In explaining this text, Denis the Carthusian says, that
as a dog that eats what he has just vomited is an object
of disgust and abomination, so the sinner who relapses
into sins which he has detested in the tribunal of pen­
ance, renders himself hateful in the sight of God.

Affections and Prayers.
Behold me, O my God ! at Thy feet. I am that disgusting
dog that has so often eaten the forbidden apples, which I before
detested. I do not deserve mercy: but, O my Redeemer! the
blood which Thou hast shed for me encourages and obliges me
to hope for it. How often have I offended Thee and Thou hast
pardoned me ! I promised never more to offend Thee, and 1
have afterward returned to the vomit : and Thou hast again
pardoned me ! What do I wait for? Is it that Thou mayest send
me to hell, or that Thou mayest abandon me into the hand of my
sins, which would be a greater punishment than hell ? No, my
God ! I wish to amend . and m order to be faithful to Thee, 1
will put all my confidence in Thee. I will, whenever I am
tempted, always and instantly have recourse to Thee. Hitherto
I have trusted in my promises and resolutions, and have neg­
lected to recommend myself to Thee in my temptations : this
has been the cause of my rum. Henceforth Thou shalt be my
hope and my strength, and thus I shall be able to do all things.
1 “Quia vocavi, et renuistis . . . ego quoque, in interitu vestro,
ridebo et subsannabo.”—Prcv. i. 24.
5 “Sicut canis qui revertitur ad vomitum suum, sic imprudens qui
iterat stultitiam suam."—Prov. xxvi. 11.

1
The Number of Sins.

189

I can do all things in Him that strengthened med Give me
grace then, O my Jesus, through Thy merits, to recommend
myself to Thee, and to ask Thy aid in my wants. I love 1 hee, O
Sovereign Good, amiable above every good : I wish to love
Thee alone ; but it is from Thee I must receive aid to love Thee.
0 Mary, my Mother ! do thou also assist me by thy intercession ;
keep me under thy protection, and make me always invoke
thee when I am tempted. Thy name shall be my defence.
THIRD POINT.

We Must Always Fear.

My son, hast thou sinned I do so no more; but, for thy for­
mer sins, pray that they may be forgiven thee? Behold, dear
Christian, the advice which your good Lord gives you
because he desires your salvation. Son, offend, me no
more: but from this day forward be careful to ask par­
don for your past transgressions. My brother, the more
you have offended God, the more you should tremble at
the thought of offending him again; for the next sin
which you commit will make the balance of divine jus­
tice descend, and you will be lost. I do not say abso­
lutely that after another sin there will be no more for­
giveness for you; for. this I do not know: but I say that
it may happen.
Hence, when you are tempted, say
within yourself: Perhaps God will pardon me no more,
and I shall be lost. Tell me; were it probable that cer­
tain food contained poison, would you eat it? If you
had reason to think that on a certain road your enemies
lay in wait to take away your life, would you pass that
way as long as you could find another more free from
danger ? And what security, or even what probability,
have you that if you relapse into sin, you will afterward
repent sincerely of it; and that you will not return again
1 “Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat.”—Phil. iv. 13.
5 “ Fili, peccasti ? non adjicias iterum ; sed et de pristinis deprecare,
ut libi dimittantur.”—Ecclus. xxi. 1.

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xvm

to the vomit? What just reason have you to believe
that God will not strike you dead in the very act of sin,
or that, after your sin, he will not abandon you ?
If you purchase a house, you spare no pains to obtain
all the securities necessary to guard against the loss of
your money; if you take medicine, you are careful to as­
sure yourself that it cannot injure you; if you pass over
a torrent, you cautiously avoid all danger of falling into
it; and for a miserable gratification, for a beastly plea­
sure, you will risk your eternal salvation, saying: I ex­
pect to go to confession after this sin. But when, I ask,
will you go to confession ? Perhaps on Sunday. And
who has promised that you will live till Sunday ? Per­
haps you intend to go to confession to-morrow? But
who promised you to-morrow? ‘‘Do you cling,” says
St. Augustine, “ to a day, who are not sure of an hour?”*
How can you promise yourself that you will go to con­
fession to-morrow, when you know not whether you will
be among the living in another hour ? “ He,” continues
the saint, “ who has promised pardon to penitents, has
not promised to-morrow to sinners; perhaps he will
give it, and perhaps he will not.” 3 If you now commit
sin, God, perhaps, will give you time for repentance, and
perhaps he will not; and should he not give it, what
will become of you for all eternity ? In the mean time,
by consenting to sin, you lose your soul for the sake of
a miserable pleasure, and expose yourself to the risk of
being lost forever. Would you, for that vile gratifica­
tion, risk a sum of one thousand ducats ? Would you,
for that momentary pleasure, expose to danger your all
—your money, your houses, your possessions, your liberty
and life? Surely you would not. Will you then, for
that wretched delight, lose all—your soul, heaven, and
1 Diem tenes, qui horam non tenes ?
- Qui pœnitenti veniam spopondit, peccanti diem crastinum noo
promisit; fortasse dabit, fortasse non dabit.

The Nlimber of Sins.

191

God ? Do you believe that heaven, hell, and eternity
are truths of faith, or that they are fables? Do you be­
lieve that if death overtake you in sin, you will be lost
forever? Oh, what temerity! what folly! to condemn
yourself by your own free act to an eternity of torments
with the hope of afterward reversing the sentence of
your condemnation. No one is so foolish as to take
poison with the hope of being preserved from death;
and will you condemn yourself to eternal death, saying,
I will, perhaps, be hereafter delivered from it ? O folly,
which has brought, and brings, so many souls to hell !
Thou hast, says the Lord, trusted in thy wickedness. . . .
Evil shall conic upon thee, and thou shalt not know the rising
thereof.1 You have sinned through a rash confidence in
the divine mercy: vengeance will unexpectedly fall upon
you, and you will not know whence it comes.
Affections and Prayers.

Behold, O Lord ! one of those fools who have so often lost
their soul and Thy grace with the hope of afterward recovering
them. And hadst Thou struck me dead in those nights in which
I was in sin, what would have become of me? I thank Thy
mercy, which has waited for me, and which now makes me
sensible of my folly. I see that Thou desirest my salvation ; and
I too wish to save my soul. I am sorry, O infinite Goodness '
for having so often turned my back upon Thee. I love Thee
with my whole heart. And I hope in the merits of Thy Passion.
0 my Jesus ! that I will never again be one of those fools. Pardon
me-at this moment, and give me the gift of Thy grace. I will
never leave Thee again. In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped : let me
never be confounded! Ah no ; I hope, O my Redeemer ! never
more to suffer the misfortune and confusion of seeing myself
deprived of Thy grace and love. Grant me holy perseverance,
1 " Fiduciam habuisti in malitia tua . . .; veniet super te malum, et
nescies ortum ejus.”—Isa. xlvii. 10, 11.
5 “ In te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum.”—Ps xxx. 2

I92

Preparation for Death.

(con.

xvm.

and give me the grace always to ask it of Thee by invoking Thy
holy name and the name of Thy Mother, and by saying: Jesus
assist me; most holy Mary ! pray for me. Yes. my Queen, if I
have recourse to thee, I shall never be conquered. And when
the temptation continues, obtain for me the grace not to cease
to invoke thy aid.

Tile State oj Grace and of Disgrace.

193

CONSIDERATION XIX.

Œlje Sinte of (Grace anb of Disgrace will) (Gob
“ Man knoweth not the price thereof.”—Job, xxviii. 13.

FIRST POINT.

Dignity to which the Grace of God raises us.

If, says the Lord, thou wilt separate the precious from
the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth) They who know
how io distinguish what is precious from what is vile,
are like God, “ who knows how to refuse the evil and
to choose the good.” Let us examine how great a good
it is to be in the grace of God, and how great an evil
to be in enmity with God. Men do not understand the
value of divine grace. Man knoweth not the price thereof)
Hence, they exchange it for vanity, for a little earth, or
for a beastly pleasure; but it is an infinite treasure,
which makes us worthy of the friendship of God. For,
says the Wise Man, she is an infinite treasure to men, which
they that use become the friends of God) Hence, a soul in
grace is the friend of God. The Gentiles, who were de­
prived of the light of faith, deemed it impossible for a
creature to attain to the friendship of God; and they,
who were guided only by the light of nature, could
scarcely think otherwise; for, as St. Jerome says,
“ Friendship either finds or makes equals.” 4 But God
1 “Si separaveris pretiosum avili quasi os meum eris.”—fer. xv. 19.
3 “ Nescit homo pretium ejus.”—Job, xxviii. 13.
3 “ Infinitus enim thesaurus est hominibus: quo qui usi sunt, par­
ticipes facti sunt amicitiæ Dei.”— W/jd. vii. 14.
4 “Amicitia pares aut accipit, aut facit.”—In Mich. η.

194

Preparation for Death.

[con. xix.

has declared in several places in the holy Scriptures, that
by means of this grace we become his friends if we ob­
serve his law. You are my friends ifyou do the tilings which
I command. I will not now call you servants, . . but I haw
called you friends.' Hence, St. Gregory exclaims: “0
goodness of God ! We do not deserve to be‘called even
servants, and he condescends to call us friends.”’
How fortunate would the man esteem himself, who
should have the king for his friend ! In a vassal, it would
be temerity to presume to seek the friendship of his sov­
ereign; but it is not temerity in a soul to aspire to the
friendship of its God. St. Augustine’ relatesthat two
courtiers entered into a monastery of hermits, and that
one of them began to read the life of St. Antony the Ab­
bot. He read, and in reading his heart became gradually
divested of worldly affections. Turning to his com­
panion, he said : “What do we seek? We can hope for
nothing more than the friendship of the emperor. And
through how nîany perils do we reach this greater danger?
And how long will this last ?” Friend, fools that we are,
what do we seek ? The most we can expect to gain in
the service of the emperor is, to become his friends : and
should we succeed in gaining his friendship, we shall ex­
pose our eternal salvation to greater risk. It is with diffi­
culty we can ever become the friends of Cæsar : “but, if
I wish, I am this moment the friend of God.”
Whosoever, then, is in the state of grace is the friend
of God. He also becomes the son of God: You are gods,
and the sons of the Most High) This is the great gift
which we have received from the divine love through
1 “Vos amici mei estis, si feceritis quæ ego præcipio vobis. Jam
non dicam vos servos . . . vos autem dixi amicos.”—fohn, xv. 14.
2 “ O mira divinæ bonitatis dignatio ! Servi non sumus digni no­
minari, et amici vocamur.”—In Evang. hom. 27.
3 Conf. 1. g, c. 6.
4 “ Ecce dii estis, et filii Excelsi omnes.”—P$. Ιχχχΐ. 6,

The Stale of Grace and of Disgrace.

195

Jesus Christ. Behold, says St. John, what manner of
charity the Father hath bestowed upon us—that we should be
called, and should be, the sons of God) Moreover, the soul
in the state of grace is the spouse of God. I will
espouse thee to me in faith) Hence the father of the prodi­
gal, when his son returned, ordered a ring to be put on
his finger, in token of his espousal. Lastly, the soul
becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost. Sister Mary
d’Oignies saw a devil go out from an infant who was re­
ceiving baptism, and the Holy Ghost enter with a mul­
titude of angels.

Affections and Prayers.
Therefore my God ! when my soul had the happiness of being
in Thy grace, it was Thy friend, Thy child, Thy spouse, and Thy
temple; but, by committing sin, it lost all, and became Thy
enemy and the slave of hell. But I thank Thee, O my God, for
giving me time to recover Thy grace. I am sorry above all
things for having offended Thee, O infinite Goodness! and I love
Thee above all things. Ah ! receive me again into Thy friend­
ship. For Thy mercy’s sake do not reject me. I know that I
deserve to be banished from Thy face ; but, by the sacrifice which
He offered on Calvary, Jesus Christ has merited for me mercy
and pardon. Thy kingdom come. My Father (it is thus Thy
Son has taught me to call Thee),—My Father, come with Thy
grace to reign in my heart; grant that I may serve Thee alone,
that I may live for Thee alone, and that I may love Thee alone.
And lead us not into temptation. Ah ! do not permit my enemies
to tempt me so that I may be conquered. Put deliver us from
evil. Deliver me from hell ; but deliver me first from sin, which
alone can lead me to hell. O Mary ! pray for me. and preserve
me from the great misfortune of ever seeing myself in sin and
deprived of the grace of thy and my God.
-I
1 “Videte qualem charitatem dedit nobis Pater, ut filii Dei nomine­
mur, et simus.”—I John, iii. I.
2 “Sponsabo te mihi in fide.”—Osee, ii. 20.

Preparation for Death,

[con.xii

SECOND POINT.

Advantages that the Grace of God Procures for us.

St. Thomas of Aquino says that the gift of grace surpasses every gitt that a creature can receive, since it is a
participation of the divine nature.1 And before him, St.
Pete i said the same: “ that by theseye may be made partaken
of the divine nature? So great things Jesus Christ has
merited for us bv his Passion: he has communicated to
us the same splendor that he received from the Father.
A nd the glory which Thou hast given to Me, Ï have given to
them? In fine, a soul in the state of grace is one thing
with God. He, says St. Paul, that is joined to the Lord is
one spirit? The Redeemer has said that in a soul that
loves God, the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity
dwell. If any one love Me, my Father will love him, and
we will come to him, and we will make our abode with him?
So great is the beauty of a soul in the state of grace,
that God himself extols it. How beautiful art thou! how
beautiful art thou !* The Lord appears never to take his
eyes off the soul that loves him, nor to close his ears to
its pet i tions. The eyes of the Lord are upon the just : and His
ears unto their prayers? St. Bridget used to say that a
man could not behold the beauty of a soul in the grace
of God, without dying through joy. And St. Catharine
of Sienna, seeing a soul in the state of grace, said that
1 “ Donum gratiæ excedit omnem facultatem naturæ creatæ, cum si!
participatio divinæ naturæ.”—I. 2, q 112, a 1
5 “ Ut per hæc efficiamini divinæ consortes naturæ.”—2 Pet. i. 4.
8 “Et ego claritatem, quam dedisti mihi, dedi eis.”—John, xvii. 22,
4 “ Qui adhæret Domino, unus spiritus est. — j Cor. vi. 17.
5 “Si quis diligit me. . . . Pater meus diliget eum. et ad eum veni­
emus, et mansionem apud eum faciemus.”—John, xiv, 23.
6 “Quam pulchra es, amica mea. quam pulchra es!”—Cant. iv. 1.
’ “Oculi Domini super justos, et aures ejus ad preces eorum."—
Ps. xxxiii. 16.

The State of Grace and of Disgrace.
she would willingly have given her life to prevent that
soul from losing such beauty. Hence she kissed the
ground on which priests walked, because through them
souls recover the grace of God.
How many treasures of merits can a soul in the state
·
of grace acquire ? Each moment it can merit an eternity
of glory. St. Thomas teaches that every act of love
merits for the soul eternal life.1 Why then should we
envy the great ones of the earth ? If we are in the grace
of God, we can constantly acquire far more greatness in
heaven. A certain lay-brother of the Society of Jesus,
as Father Patrignani relates in his Menologies, appeared
after death, and said that he and Philip the Second,
King of Spain, were in the enjoyment of glory; but that
his glory in heaven was as far superior to that of Philip,
as that monarch was
raised
above
him
on
this
earth.
*
Moreover, he alone who has experienced it, can conceive
the peace which a soul in the grace of God enjoys in this
life. O taste ami see that the Lord is sweet."1 The words of
the Lord cannot fail. Much peace have they that love thy
laud The peace of a soul that is united with God, sur­
passes all the pleasures that the senses and the world
can give. The peace of God which surpasseth all under­
standing
o

Affections and Prayers.
Omy Jesus! Thou art the good pastor, who allowed Thy­
self to be slaughtered in order to give life to Thy sheep. When
I fled away from Thee, Thou didst not cease to follow and seek
after me ; Thou rcceivcst me now that I seek Thee, and cast
myself with a penitent heart at Thy feet. Give me again Thy
grace, which I have miserably lost through my own fault. I1*34
1 “Quilibet actus charitatis meretur vitam æternam.”—i, 2. q. U4>
a. 7.
3 “Gustate, et videte quoniam suavis est Dominus.”—Ps. xxxiii. 9.
3 “ Pax multa diligentibus legem tuam.’·—Ps. cxviii. 165.
4 “ Pax Dei, quæ exsuperat omnem sensum.”—Phil. iv. 7.

198

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xix.

am sorry for it with my whole heart ; I would wish to die of
sorrow at the thought of having so often turned my back on
Thee. Pardon me through the merits of the painful death
which Thou didst suffer for me on the cross. Bind me with the
sweet chains of Thy love, and do not permit me ever more to
fly away from Thee. Since I have merited the eternal torments
of hell, give me strength to bear with patience all the crosses
which Thou sendest me. Since I have deserved to be for eternity
under the feet of the devils, make me embrace with love all the
contempt and insults which 1 shall receive from men. Finally,
make me obedient to all Thy holy inspirations, and give me
grace to conquer all human respect for the love of Thee. I
am resolved henceforward to serve Thee only: let others say
what they please, I will serve Thee alone, O my most amiable
God ! Thee only do I wish to please. But give me Thy aid,
without which I can do nothing. I love Thee, O my Jesus!
with my whole heart, and I trust in Thy blood. Mary, my
hope! assist me by thy'· prayers. I glory in being thy servant,
and thou dost glory in saving sinners who have recourse to
thee. Come to my relief and save me.

THIRD POINT.

Enmity with God.

Let us now see the misery of a soul that is in enmity
with God. It is separated from God, his sovereign good.
Your iniquities, says the prophet Isaias, have divided be­
tween you and your God} Hence the soul is no longer his,
and he is no longer its God. You are not my people and
I will not be yours} The soul not only belongs no longer
to God, but God even hates it and condemns it to hell.
God does not hate any of his creatures; he does not hate
the wild beast, the viper, or thé toad. Thou lovest all
things that are, and hatest none of the things which Thou hast

The Stale of Grace and of Disgrace.

199

J

made} But he cannot refrain from hating sinners.
Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity} Yes; God cannot
but hate sin, which is diametrically opposed to his will;
and in hating sin he must necessarily hate the sinner
who is united to his sin. But to God the wicked and his
wickedness are hateful alike}
0 God ! if a man has for his enemy’· a monarch of the
earth, he cannot sleep, he is every moment in dread of
death. And bow can be who is the enemy of God enjoy
peace? He may escape the vengeance of his sovereign
by concealing himself in a wood, or by taking refuge in
a distant country. But who can fly from the hands of
God? Lord, says David, if I shall ascend into heaven,
if I shall hide myself in hell, wheresoever I go, Thy hand can
reach me. If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there; if I descend
into hell, Thou art present. . . . Even there also shall Thy hand
lead me}
Poor sinners ! they are cursed by God, cursed by the
angels, cursed by the saints, cursed also every day on
earth byr all priests and religious, who, in reciting the
divine office, proclaim them accursed. They are cursed
who decline from thy commandments} Moreover, the soul
that is at enmity with God has lost all its merits. Should
a man be ecpial in merit to St. Paul the Hermit, who
lived forty-eight years in a cave; to St. Francis Xavier,
who gained ten millions of souls to God; or to St. Paul
the Apostle, who, according to St. Jerome, surpassed in
merit all the other apostles—that man, if he commit a
1 “ Diligis omnia quæ sunt, et nihil odisti eorum quæ fecisti."— Wis.
xi. 25.
5 "Odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem."—Ps. v. 7.
s “ Similiter autem odio sunt Deo impius et impietas ejus."—·
Wis. xiv. 9.
4 "Si ascendero in coelum, tu illic es; si descendero in infernum,
ades ... ; etenim illuc manus tua deducet me."—Ps. cxxxviii. S, 10,
s "Maledicti, qui declinant a mandatis tuis."—Ps. cxviii. 21.

I
|
j
I

I
|

1

I
I

’

B
!|
I

200

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XIX

single mortal sin, loses all. All his justices which he hath
done shall not be remembered.' Behold the ruin which the
enmity of God produces; it transforms the child of God
into the slave of Lucifer; his beloved friend into an
enemy whom he sovereignly hates; and the heir of
heaven into one condemned to hell. St. Francis de Sales
used to say that, were the angels capable of weeping
they should shed tears of pity at the sight of a soul that
commits mortal sin and loses the divine grace.
But the greatest misery is that the angels would, if it
were in their power, weep; and the sinner weeps not. “A
Christian,’’ says St. Augustine, “ if he loses a sheep or any
other valuable animal, weeps over the loss, and neither
eats nor sleeps; but when he loses the grace of God, he
eats and sleeps, and sheds not a single tear.

Affections and Prayers.
Behold, O my Redeemer! the miserable state to which I have
brought myself. To make me worthy of Thy grace, Thou didst
spend thirty-three years in toil and pains ; and I, for the poisoned
pleasure of a moment, have despised and lost it. I thank Thy
mercy, which still gives me time to recover it if I wish. Yes, I
wish to do everything in my power to regain it. Tell mewhat I
must do in order to obtain Thy pardon. Dost Thou wish me to
repent ? O my Jesus ! I am sorry with my whole heart for having
offended Thy infinite Goodness. Dost Thou wish me to love
Thee? I love Thee above all things. Hitherto I have unfor­
tunately employed my heart in loving creatures and vanities.
From this dayy forward I * will live onlv for Thee; 1 will love
only Thee my God, my treasure, my hope, my strength.. /
will love Thee, 0 Lord, my strength.'1 Thy merits, Thy wounds.
O my Jesus! shall be my hope and my strength; from Thee
I hope for strength to be faithful to Thee. Give me then,12
1 “ Omnes justitiæ ejus, quas fecerat, non recordabuntur.”—Ezek
xviii. 24.
2 “ Diligam te. Deus, fortitudo mea.”—Ps. xvii. 2.

The Slate of Grace and of Disgrace.

201

0 my Redeemer! the gift of Thy grace, and do not permit me
ever again to depart from Thee. Divest my soul of all worldly
affections, and inflame my heart with Thy holy love. Kindle
in k the fire of Thy love. Mary, my Mother! who wert always
on fire with divine love, make me burn like thee with the love
of God.

2C2

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xï.

CONSIDERATION XX.

£l)c Tolln of tl)c Sinner.
' For the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God.”—i Cor. iii. 19.

FIRST POINT.

The Large Number of Fools.

The Venerable John Avila would have divided the
world into two prisons, one for the incredulous, the other
for Christians who live in sin at a distance from God. The
prison of the latter he would have called the prison of
fools. But the greatest misery and misfortune is, that
these miserable men esteem themselves wise and prudent,
though they are the most foolish and imprudent of mor­
tals. And unfortunately they are exceedingly numerous.
The number of fools is infinite? Some are foolish through
love of honors; some for the sake of pleasures; and others
from attachment to the miserable goods of this earth.
And great as their folly is, they have the temerity to call
the saints fools, because they despise the goods of this
life in order to gain eternal salvation and the possession
of God, who is the true and supreme good. They deem
it folly to embrace contempt, and to pardon injuries;
folly to abstain from sensual pleasures, and to practise
mortification; folly to renounce honors and riches, to love
solitude and an humble and hidden life. But the}’ never
reflect that the Lord has called their wisdom folly. For,
says the apostle, the wisdom of the world is foolishness with
God?
1 “Et stultorum infinitus est numerus.”—Eccles, i. 15.
4 “ Sapierrtia enim hujus mundi stultitia est apud Deum.”—1 Cor.
iii. 19.

The Folly of the Sinner.

203

Ah! they will one clay confess their folly; but when?
When there will be no remedy for it. They will then say
in despair : We fools esteemed their life madness and
their end without honor} Ah ! fools that we have been !
we regarded the lives of the saints as folly; but now we
know that we have been miserably foolish. Behold how
they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is
among the saints} Behold how they have obtained a place
among the happy number of the children of God, and
have secured their lot among the saints—an eternal lot,
which will make them happy for eternity; and we are
among the number of the slaves of the devil, condemned
to burn in this pit of torments for all eternity. There­
fore we have erred, thus they shall conclude their lamen­
tation, from the way of truth, and the light ofjustice hath not
shined unto us} Then we have erred by shutting our eyes
to God’s light; and what renders our condition still more
forlorn is, that for our error there is no remedy, and there
will be none as longas God will be God.
How great then the folly of sinners, who, for a worth­
less gain, for a little smoke, for a transient delight, lose
the grace of God ! What would not a vassal do in order
to gain the favor of his sovereign ? O God ! for a miser­
able gratification, to lose God, the supreme Good ! to lose
paradise ! to forfeit peace in this life, by bringing into
the soul the monster sin, which, by its remorse, will tor­
ture it unceasingly ! and to condemn yourself voluntarily
to everlasting woe ! Would you indulge in that forbid­
den pleasure if, in punishment, your hand was to be
burned ? or if you were to be shut up for a year in a grave ?
’“Nos insensati vitam illorum æstimabamus insaniam, et finem
illorum sine honore.”—Wis v. 4.
2 “ Ecce quomodo computati sunt inter filios Dei, et inter sanctos
sors illorum est.”—IVis. v. 5.
3 “ Ergo erravimus a via veritatis, et justitiæ lumen non luxit nobis.”
—
v. 6.

204

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xx.

Would you commit that sin, if after consenting to it, you
should forfeit a hundred crowns ? And still you believe
and know that in yielding to sin, you lose heaven and
God, and that you are condemned to eternal fire: and
after all you transgress the divine law.
Affections and Prayers.
O God of my soul ! what should be my lot at this moment, if
Thou hadst not shown me so many mercies ? I should be in hell
among the number of the foolish to which I have belonged. I
thank Thee, O my Lord ! and I entreat Thee not to abandon me
in my blindness, I feel that Thou tenderly callest and invitest
me to ask pardon, and to hope for great graces from Thee, after
the insults I have offered to Thee. Yes, my Saviour! I hope
Thou wilt admit me among Thy children : 1 am not worthy to
be called Thy child, after having so often insulted Thee to Thy
face. Father, I am not worthy to be called Thy child : I have
sinned against heaven and before Thee.1 But I know that Thou
goest in search of the strayed sheep, and that Thou feelcst con­
solation in embracing Thy lost children. My dear Father! I am
sorry for having offended Thee. I cast myself at Thy feet, and
embrace them; I will not depart till Thou pardon and bless me.
I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless met Bless me, 0 my
Father! and let the fruit of Thy benediction be, a great sorrow
for my sins, and a great love for Thee. I love Thee, 0 my
Father! I love Thee with my whole heart. Do not permit me
ever more to depart from Thee. Deprive me of all ; but do not
strip me of Thy love. O Mary! if God is my Father, thou art
my Mother. Do thou also bless me. I do not deserve to be
thy son: accept me for thy servant; but make me a servant
who will always love thee tenderly and always confide in thy
protection.
SECOND POINT.

Great Folly.
Poor sinners ! they labor and toil for the attainment
of worldly sciences, or the art of gaining the goods of
1 “ Pater, peccavi in coelum et coram te: jam non sum dignus vo­
cari filius tuus.”—Luke, xv. i8.
* “Non dimittam te, nisi benedixeris mihi.”—Gen. xxxii. 26.

The Potty of the Sinner.

205

this life, which will soon end, and neglect the goods of the
next life, which is everlasting! 'They lose their reason
to such a degree, that they become not only fools, but
senseless beasts; for, living like brute animals, they at­
tend not to what is lawful or unlawful, but only follow
the beastly instincts of the senses, and embrace what is
pleasing to the flesh, without ever reflecting on what
they lose, or on the eternal ruin which they bring upon
themselves. To live in this manner is, to act not like a
man, but like a senseless beast. St. John Chrysostom
says: “We call him a man who preserves intact the
image of man; but what is this image of man: To be ra­
tional.” 1 To be a man is, to be rational—that is, to act
according to reason, and not according to the sensual
appetite. Were beasts to receive from God the use of
reason, and to act according to its dictates, we should
say that they acted like men; and, on the other hand,
when a man follows the impulse of the senses in oppo­
sition to reason, it must be said he acts like a beast.
0 that they would be wise, and would understand, and
would provide for their last endt He who acts according
to the rules of prudence, looks to the future—that is, to
what must happen at the end of life—to death and
judgment, and after judgment, hell or heaven. Oh ! how
much wiser is the peasant who saves his soul, than the
monarch who brings himself to hell. Better is a child
who is poor and wise, than a king that is old and foolish, who
knoweth not to foresee hereafter.' O God ! would not all
pronounce the man to be a fool, who, in order to gain a
shilling, would risk his entire property? And will he
1 “ Hominem illum dicimus, qui imaginem hominis salvam retinet:
quæ autem est imago hominis? Rationalem esse.”—In Gen. hom. 23.
1 “ Utinam saperont, et intelligerent, et novissima providerent !”—
De ut. xxxii. 29.
3 “ Melior est puer pauper et sapiens, rege sene et stulto, qui nescit
prævidere in posterum.”—Eccles, iv. 13.

200

Preparation for Death.

[CON. xx.

not be considered foolish, who, for a momentary gratifi­
cation, forfeits the grace of God, and exposes his soul
to the danger of eternal perdition ? The care of present,
and the total neglect of eternal goods and evils, is the
ruin of the immense multitude of the damned.
God has certainly not placed us in this world to be­
come rich, or acquire honors, or to indulge our Senses,
bu t to gai n eternal 1 i fe. But the end life everlasting.1 And
nothing but the attainment of this end is of importance
to us. One thing is necessary.7 But there is nothing that
sinners despise more than this end: they think only of
the present; they each day walk toward death, and ap­
proach the gate of eternity, but know not whither they
are going. “What would you think,” says St. Augus­
tine, “of a pilot, who, when asked where he is going
should answer, that he did not know? Would not all
exclaim, that he is bringing the ship to ruin? Such,”
adds the saint, “is the man who runs out of the way.’”
Such are the wise of the world, who know how to ac­
quire wealth, to indulge in amusements, to gain posts of
honor and emolument, but know not how to save their
souls. The rich glutton knew how to lay up wealth; but
he died, and was buried in hell.' Alexander the Great knew
how to acquire many kingdoms; but in a few years he
died, and was lost forever. Henry VIII. knew how to
preserve his throne by rebelling against the Church; but
seeing at death that he lost his soul, he exclaimed: We
have lost all. How many miserable sinners now weep
and cry out in hell: What hath pride profited us? or what
advantage hath the boasting of riches brought us ? all those1234
1 '‘Finem vero vitam æternam.”—Rom. vi. 22.
2 *· Porro unum est necessarium.”—Luke, x. 42.
3 *‘Fac hominem perdidisse quo tendit, et dicatur ei: Quo is?—Et
dicat: Nescio.—Nonne iste navem ad naufragium perducit? Talis est
qui currit præter viam.”—In Ps. 31, enarr. 2.
4 “ Mortuus est. ... et sepultus est in inferno.”—Luke, xvi. 22.

The Folly of Ihe Sinner.

207

things are passed away like a shadow.' Behold, they ex­
claim, for us all the goods of the world have passed
away like a shadow, and nothing remains but eternal
wailing and everlasting torments.
Before man is life and death, that which he shall choose
shall be given him? Beloved Christian, God places before
you in this world, life and death—that is, the voluntary
privation of forbidden pleasures, by which you will gain
eternal life; or the indulgence of them, by which you
merit everlasting death. What do you say? What choice
do you make ? In making the choice, act like a man, and
not like a senseless beast. Act like a Christian who be­
lieves in the Gospel and says: What doth it profit a man
if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own
soul t3
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! Thou hast given me reason, Thou hast given
me the light of faith, and I have acted like a senseless beast, by
losing Thy grace for the miserable pleasure of the senses, which
have passed away like air; and now I find nothing but remorse
of conscience, and debts to Thy divine justice. Enter not into
judgment with Thy servant.' Ah, Lord ! judge me not accord­
ing to my merits, but treat me according to Thy mercy. Give me
light, give me sorrow for the offences that I have committed
against Thee, and pardon me. “ I have gone astray like a sheep
that is lost : seek thy servant.” I am a lost sheep : and unless
Thou seek after me, I shall be lost forever. Have pity on me for
the sake of that blood which Thou hast shed for me. I am
sorry, O Sovereign Good ! for having left Thee, and for having
voluntarily renounced Thy grace. I would wish to die of sor­
row, but give me an increase of sorrow. Bring me to heaven
1 “Quid nobis profuit superbia, aut divitiarum jactantia? Transi­
erunt omnia illa tamquam umbra.”—Wis. v. S.
* “Ante hominem vita et mors ... ; quod placuerit ei, dabitur
illi.”—Ecclus. xv. 18.
’ “ Quid prodest homini, si mundum universum lucretur animæ vero
suæ detrimentum patiatur?"—Matt. xvi. 26.
4 “ Non intres in judicium cum servo tuo.”—Ps. cxlii. 2.

2o8

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XX.

that there I may sing Thy mercies. Mary, my Mother! thou
art my refuge; pray to Jesus for me: beg of him to grant me
pardon and holy perseverance.
THIRD POINT.

True Wisdom.

Let us be persuaded that the truly wise are they who
know how to acquire the divine grace, and the kingdom
of heaven; and let us incessantly implore the Lord to
give us the science of the saints, which he gives to all
who ask it from him.1 Oh ! what a precious science to
know how to love God, and to save our souls ! This science
consists in knowing how to walk in the way of salvation,
and to adopt the means of attaining eternal life. The
affair of salvation is of all affairs the most necessary. If
we know all things, and know not how to save our souls,
our knowledge will be unprofitable tous, and we shall be
forever miserable: but on the other hand, though we
should be ignorant of all things, we shall be happy for
eternity, if we know how to love God. “ Blessed is the
man,” says St. Augustine, “who knows Thee though he
be ignorant of other things.”5 One day, Brother Giles
said to St. Bonaventure: Happy you, Father Bonavent­
ure, who are so learned. I am a poor, ignorant man, who
knows nothing. You can become more holy than I can.
“Listen, ” replied the saint: “If an ignorant old woman
love God more than I do, she shall be more holy
* than 1
am.” On hearing this, Brother Giles began to exclaim:
O poor old woman ! poor old woman ! listen, listen: if
you love God, you can become more holy than Father
Bonaventure.
“The unlearned rise up,” says St. Augustine: “and
bear away the kingdom of heaven.” 3 How many rude
1 “ Dedit illi scientiam sanctorum.”—Wis. x. io.
2 “ Beatus, qui te scit, etiam si alia nesciat.”—Conf. 1. 5, c. 4.
’ “Surgunt indocti, et coelum rapiunt.”— Conf. 1. 8, c. 8.

The Tolly of the Sinner.

209

and illiterate Christians, who, though unable to read,
know how to love God and are saved ! And how many
oi the learned of this world are damned! But the former,
not the latter, are truly wise. Oh! how truly wise were
St. Paschal, St. Felix the Capuchin, St. John of God,
though unacquainted with human sciences! Oh! how
truly wise were so many holy men, who, abandoning the
world, shut themselves up in the cloister, or spent their
lives in the desert! How truly wise were St. Benedict, St.
Francis of Assisi, and St. Louis of Toulouse, who re­
nounced the throne ! Oh ! how truly wise were so many
martyrs, so many tender virgins, who refused the hand of
princes, and suffered death for the sake of Jesus Christ!
That true wisdom consists in despising the goods of this
life, and in securing a happy eternity, even worldlings
know and believe : hence of persons who give themselves
to God, they say : Happy they, who are truly wise, and
save their souls ! In fine, they who renounce the goods of
the world to give themselves to God, are said to be unde­
ceived. What then should we call those who abandon God
for worldly goods? We should call them deluded men.
Brother, to what class do you wish to belong? In
Older to make a good choice, St. Chrysostom tells you
to visit the sepulchres of the dead.1 The grave is the
school in which we may see the vanity of earthly goods,
and in which we may learn the science of the saints.
“Tell me,” says St. Chrysostom, “are you able there to
discover who has been a prince, a noble, or a man of
learning? For my part,” adds the saint, “I see nothing
but rottenness, worms, and bones. All is but a dream,
a shadow.” 3 Everything in this world will soon have
an end, and will vanish like a dream or a shadow. But,
dearly beloved Christians, if you wish to be truly wise,
it is not enough to know your end, it is necessary to
1 Proficiscamur ad scpulchra.
2 “Nihil video, nisi putredinem, ossa, et vermes.
somnium, umbra.”—In Matth. horn. ηη.

Omnia fabula,

2 10

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xx.

adopt the means of attaining it. All would wish to be
saved and to be saints; but because they do not employ
the means, they never acquire sanctity, and are lost. It
is necessary to fly from the occasions of sin, to frequent
the sacraments, to practise mental prayer, and above all,
to impress on the heart the following maxims of the
Gospel: What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole
world I1 Pie that loveth his life shall lose it? That is, we
must even forfeit our life in order to save the soul. If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself? To follow
Jesus Christ it is necessary to refuse to self-love the plea­
sures which it seeks. Life is Plis good will? Our salva­
tion consists in doing the will of God. These, and other
similar maxims, should be deeply impressed on the soul.

Affections and Prayers.
O Father of mercies! behold my miseries, and have pity on
me ; give me light, make me sensible of my past folly, that I
may bewail it, and make known to me Thy infinite goodness,
that I may love it. My Jesus! do not deliver up to beasts the
souls that confess to Thee.* Thou hast expended Thy blood for
my salvation: do not permit me ever more to be, as I have
hitherto been, the slave of the devils. I am sorry, O my
Sovereign Good! for having abandoned Thee. I curse all the
moments in which I voluntarily consented to sin ; and I embrace
Thy holy will, which desires nothing but my welfare. Eternal
Father! through the merits of Jesus Christ, give me strength to
do all that is pleasing to Thee. Strike me dead rather than
permit me to oppose Thy holy will. Assist me by Ί hy grace
to banish from my heart every affection which does not tend to
Thee. I love Thee, O God of my soul ! I love Thee above all
things: and from Thee I hope for every good, for pardon, for
perseverance in Thv love, and for paradise, that there I may
love Thee for eternity. O Mary ! ask these graces for me.
Thy Son refuses thee nothing. My hope ! I trust in thee.
1 “Quid prodest homini, si mundum universum lucretur?”—Matt,
xvi. 26.
2 “ Qui amat animam suam, perdet eam.”—John, xii. 25.
3 “ Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semetipsum.”—Matt. xvi. 24.
4 “Vita in voluntate ejus.”—Pi. xxix. 6.
t ·* Ne tradas bestiis animas confitentes tibi.”—Ps. Ixxiii. iq.

Unhappy Life of the Sinner.

2I I

CONSIDERATION XXI.
Unljnppn £ifc of tljc Sinner: anb ^appn £ife of 1pm
wl)o lores (Sob.
II

1«

There is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord.”—ha. xlviii. 22.
“Much peace have they that love Thy law.”—Ps. cxviii. 165.

FIRST POINT.

The World cannot make us Happy.

In this life all men seek after peace. The merchant,
the soldier, the man who goes to law, labor with the
hope of making a fortune, and of thus finding peace, by
worldly fortune, by a more exalted post, by gaining a
lawsuit. But poor worldlings seek from the world that
peace which the world cannot give. God alone can give
us peace. The holy Church prays in the following
words: “Give to Thy servants that peace which the
world cannot give.”1 No; the world with all its goods
cannot content the heart of man: for he was created not
for them, but for God alone: hence God alone can make
him happy and content. Brute animals, that have been
made for sensual delights, find peace in earthly goods.
Give to an ox a bundle of hay, and to a dog a piece of
flesh, and they are content, they desire nothing more.
But the soul that has been created for no other end than
to love God, and to live in union with him, will never
be able to find peace or happiness in sensual enjoyments:
God alone can make it perfectly content.
1 Da servis tuis illam, quam mundus dare non potest, pacem.

Λ

2I2

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXI.

The Son of God gave the appellation of fool to the
rich man who, after having reaped a rich harvest from
his fields, said to himself: Sont thou hast much goods laid
up for many years; take thy rest, eat, drink, and make good
cheerd “Miserable fool!” says St. Basil, have you the
soul of a swine, of a brute, that you expect to make it
happy by eating, drinking, or by sensual delights?”’ A
man ma}’ be puffed up, but he cannot be satisfied, by the
goods of this world. On the words of the Gospel, behold
•me have left all things.' St. Bernard writes, that he saw
different classes of fools laboring under different species
of folly. All had a great thirst for happiness: some
were satiated with the goods of the earth, which is a
figure of the avaricious; others with wind, the figure of
the ambitious, who seek after empty honors: others
seated round a furnace, swallowing the sparks that were
thrown from it; these were the passionate and vindictive:
others, in fine, drank putrid waters from a fetid lake:
and these were the voluptuous and unchaste. Hence,
turning to them, the saint exclaims: O fools! do you
not see that these things increase, rather than diminish
your thirst ! The goods of the world are but apparent
goods, and therefore they cannot satisfy the heart of man.
You have eaten, says the Prophet Aggeus, but have not had
enought Hence, the more the avaricious man possesses,
the more he seeks to acquire. “The possession of great
wealth,” says St. Augustine, “does not close, but rather
extends, the jaws of avarice.”5 The more the unchaste
man wallows in the mire of impurity, the greater is his
disgust, and, at the same time, his desire for such beastly
1 “Anima, habes multa bona posita in annos plurimos; requiesce,
comede, bibe.”—Luke, xii. 19.
5 Numquid animam porcinam habes?
3 “ Ecce nos reliquimus omnia.”—Matt. xix. 27.
4 “Comedistis, et non estis satiati.”—Agg. i. 6.
* “ Major pecunia avaritiæ fauces non claudit sed extendit.”—Semi.
50, E. B.

Unhappy Life oj the Sinner.

213

pleasures; and how can dung and carnal filthiness con­
tent the heart? The same happens to the ambitious
man, who wishes to satisfy his desires by smoke; for he
always attends more to what he wants than to what he
possesses. After having acquired many kingdoms, Alex­
ander the Great wept, because he had not dominion over
other countries. If worldly goods could content the
human heart, the rich and the monarchs of the earth
would enjoy complete happiness; but experience shows
the contrary. Solomon tells us that he refused no in­
dulgence to his senses. Whatsoever my eyes desired, I re­
fused them not.' But after all his sensual enjoyments
what did he say ? Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity?
That is, everything iii this world is mere vanity, a pure
lie, pure folly.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! what now remains of all the offences I have
offered to Thee, but pain, bitterness, and merits for hell? I am
not sorry for the pain and remorse which I now feel ; on the
contrary, they console me, because they are the gift of Thy grace,
and make me hope that, since Thou inspirest these sentiments,
Thou wishest to pardon me. What displeases me is the pain 1
have given Thee, my Redeemer, who loved me so tenderly. I
deserved, O my Lord ! to be abandoned by Thee ; but, instead
of abandoning me, 1 see that Thou offerest me pardon, and that
Thou art the first to ask for a reconciliation. O my Jesus* I
wish to make peace with Thee, and desire Thy grace more than
every earthly good. I am sorry, O infinite Goodness! for hav­
ing offended Thee : I would wish to die of sorrow for my of­
fences. Ah ! through the love which Thou didst entertain for me
when Thou didst expire on the cross, pardon me, receive me
into Thy heart, and change my heart, so that henceforth I may
please Thee as much as I have hitherto offended Thee. I now
renounce, for Thy sake, all the pleasures that the world can
1 “ Et omnia quæ desideraverunt oculi mei, non negavi eis.”—■
Eccles, ii. io.
s “ Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas.”—Ibid. i. 2.

2 14

Preparation for Death.

[von.

xxi.

give me, and I resolve to forfeit my life rather than lose Thy
grace. Tell me what I must do in order to please Thee; I wish
to do it. What pleasures, what honors, what riches can I seek?
I wish only for Thee, my God, my joy, my glory, my treasure,
my life, my love, my all. Give me, O Lord ! strength to be faith­
ful to Thee. Give me the grace to love Thee, and then do with
me what Thou plcasest. Mary, my Mother and my hope ! take
me under Thy protection, and obtain forme the grace to belong
entirely to God.
SECOND POINT.

Interior Torments of the Sinner.

But, according to Solomon, the goods of this world not
only do not content the heart, but.they are even a source
of pain and affliction of spirit. And behold all is vanity anil
affliction of spirit? Poor sinners 1 they seek for happiness
in their sins, but they find nothing but bitterness and
remorse. Destruction and happinness in their ways, and the
way of peace they have not known.'1 What peace ? What
peace ? There is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord? I n t he
first place, sin brings with it a dread of divine vengeance.
The man that is beset with powerful enemies neither eats
nor sleeps in peace. And can he who has God for his en­
emy enjoy repose ? Fear to them that work evil? When the
man who is in the state of sin hears the roaring of thunder,
oh ! how does he tremble ! Every7 leaf that moves excites
terror. The sound of dread is always in his ears? He is
always flying away though no one pursues him. The
wicked man fleeth when no man pursueth? He is pursued by7
his own sin. After having killed his brother Abel, Cain
1 “ Ecce universa vanitas, et afflictio spiritus.”—Eccles, i. 14.
2 “Contritio et infelicitas in viis eorum, et viam pacis non cogno­
verunt.”—Ps. xiii. 3.
3 “Non est pax impiis.”—Isa. xlviii. 22.
4 “Pavor iis qui operantur malum.”—P vv. x. 29.
6 “Sonitus terroris semper in auribus illius.”—Job, xv. 21,
6 “ Fugit impius, nemine persequente.”—Prov. xxviii. 1.

Unhappy Life of the Sinner.

215

said: Every one therefore that finde th me, shall kill me.1 God
assured him that no one should injure him. And the Lord
said to him: No; it shall not be sod But, notwithstanding
this assurance, Scripture tells us that Cain dwelt a fugitive
on the earth.' He was always flying from one place to
another. And who, but his own sin, was the persecutor
of Cain ?
Sin also brings with it remorse of conscience, that cruel
worm which unceasingly gnaws the soul. If the misera­
ble sinner go to a festivity, to a comedv, to a place of
amusement, his conscience will say to him, you are the
enemy of God: should you die in your sin, where will
you go ? The torture of remorse of conscience is so great
even in this life, that to free themselves from it, some
have committed suicide. It is related of a certain man,
who had killed an infant, that, in order to get rid of the
stings of remorse, he entered into a monastery; but find­
ing no peace even there, he went before a judge, confessed his crime, and was condemned to death.
What is a soul without God ? The Holy
y Ghost compares it to a sea agitated by the tempest. The wicked
are like the raging sea, which cannot restd Were a person
brought to a musical exhibition, or to a ball, and obliged
to remain suspended by a cord, with his head downward,
could he enjoy the entertainment ? Such is the state of
a man who lives in the enjoyment of worldly goods, but
without God: his soul is as it were turned upside down.
He may eat and drink and dance, he may wear costly
apparel, and may acquire honors, dignities, and posses­
sions; but he never will have peace. There is no peace to
·*

7

^7

X

1 “Omnis igitur qui invenerit me, occidet me.”—Gen. iv. 14.
2 “ Dixitque ei Dominus: Nequaquam ita fiet.”—Ibid. ver. 15.
3 “ Habitavit profugus in terra.”—Ibid.
4 “Impii autem quasi mare fervens, quod quiescere non potest.”—
Isa i. Ivii. 20

2I6

Préparaiion for Death.

[CON. XXI.

the wicked) God alone imparts peace; but he gives it to
his friends, not to his enemies.
“The goods of this earth,” says St. Vincent Ferrer, “do
not enter the soul. They are waters which do not pene­
trate where there is thirst.”*1' The sinner may wear em­
broidered robes and the richest jewels; he may indulge
the palate as much as he pleases; but his poor soul will
be full of thorns and gall; and therefore with all his
riches, pleasures, and amusements, you will see him al­
ways unhappy and ready to fly into a rage and fury
at every contradiction. He who loves God resigns him­
self to the divine will in adversity, and enjoys peace; but
he who lives in opposition to the divine will, cannot con­
form to it, and therefore he has no means of tranquillizing
the soul. The miserable man serves the devil, he serves
a tyrant who repays him with gall and bitterness. Ah!
the word of God can never fail. Because thou didst not
serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness, thou shall
serve the enemy in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and in
want of all things.* What do not the vindictive suffer
after they have gratified their resentment ? the unchaste,
after they have attained their wicked object? What do
not the ambitious, the avaricious, endure? Oh, how
many are there, who, if they suffer for God as much
as they suffer to bring themselves to their own damna­
tion, would become great saints ?

Affections and Prayers.
O my lost life! O my God! if to serve Thee I had suffered
the pains which I have endured in order to offend Thee, how
many merits should I now find treasured up for Paradise ! Ah,
my Lord ! for what have I abandoned Thee, and lost Thy grace?
1 Non est pax impiis.
2 Sunt aquæ, quæ non intrant illuc, ubi est sitis.
3 “Eo quod non servieris Domino Deo tuo in gaudio . . · servies
inimico tuo ... in fame, et sili, et nuditate, et omni penuria.”—
Deut. xxviii. 47, 4S.

Unhappy Life of the Sinner.

21 7

For poisoned and momentary pleasures, which, as soon as they
were indulged, disappeared, and left my soul full of thorns and
bitterness. Ah, my sins, I detest you, I curse you a thousand
times. I bless Thy mercy, O my God ! which has borne with
me so patiently. I love Thee, O my Creator and Redeemer!
who hast given Thy life for me ; and because I love Thee, I am
sorry with my whole heart for having offended Thee. My Goa,
my God ! why have I lost Thee ? for what have I exchanged
Thee? I now know the evil I have done ; and I resolve to lose
everything, even life, rather than lose Thy love. Give me light,
0 Eternal Father ! for the sake of Jesus Christ: make known to
me Thy greatness, and the nothingness of the goods which the
devils present to me in order to make me lose Thy grace. I
love Thee but I desire to love Thee with greater ardor. Grant
that Thou alone may be my only thought, my only desire, my
only love. I hope for all from Thy goodness, through the
merits of Thy Son. Mary, my Mother ! through the love which
thou bcarest to Jesus Christ, I entreat thee to obtain for me
light and strength to serve him and to love him till death.
THIRD POINT.

Happiness of the Just on Earth.

Then all the goods and delights of this world cannot
content Lhe human heart. Who can satisfy
* all its desires ? God alone. Delight in the Lord and He will give
thee the requests of thy heart) The heart of man is always
in search of goods that will make him happy. He en­
joys riches, pleasures, honors, and he is not content; for
these are finite goods, and he was created for an infinite
good. But, let him seek God, let him unite himself to
God, and behold he is content, all his desires are sati­
ated. Delight in the Lord and He will give thee the requests
of thy heart) During all the time which St Augustine
spent in sensual delights, he never found peace. This
he afterward confessed when he gave himself to God.
1 "Delectare in Domino, ei dabit tibi petitiones cordis tui.”—/’j-.
xxxvi. 4,
1

218

Preparation for Death.

icon. xxi.

“Oui* heart is restless till it rests in thee.’” My God
ί know that all is vanity and affliction, and that Thou
alone art the true peace of the soul. “ All things are
hard, and thou alone repose.”1*3 Hence he afterward
wrote: “What do you seek, O miserable man? seek one
good, in which are all goods.” 3 While he was in sin,
David went to his gardens, and indulged in the pleasures
of the table and all other royal entertainments; but the
table, the gardens, and the creatures in which he took
delight, said to him: David, do you expect that we shall
make you happy? It is not in our power to content your
heart. Where is your God? Go and find your God; he
alone can satisfy the cravings of your soul. Hence, in
the midst of all his enjoyments, David wept continually.
My tears have been my bread day and night, while it is said to
me daily: Where is thy God ?4
But, oh ! how content and happy does God make the
faithful souls that love him ! After having left all for
God, without shoes, almost naked, and dead from cold
and hunger, St. Francis of Assisi enjoyed a paradise
in saying “My God and my all.” After he had become
a religious. St. Francis Borgia was obliged, in travelling,
often to lie on a bed of straw; but so abundant were the
consolations which he experienced, that he could not
sleep. When St. Philip Neri left all things, he used,
after going to rest, to receive so much consolation from
God, that he would say: O my Jesus, allow me to sleep.
Father Charles of Lorraine, who was descended from the
princes of Lorraine, and entered the Society of Jesus,
1 “ Inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in te.”—Conf, 1. i
c. i.
I m3
’ “ Dura sunt omnia, et tu solus requies.”—Conf. 1. 6. c. i6.
3 “ Cur per multa vagaris, homuncio, quærendo bona ? Ama unum
bonum, in quo sunt omnia bona ”—Manual, c. 34.
4 “ Fuerunt mihi lacrymæ meæ panes die ac nocte, duin dicitur mihi
quotidie· Ubi est Deus tuus?"—Ps. xli. 4.

Unhappy Life of the Sinner,
began sometimes to dance through joy in his poor cell.
In the plains of India, St. Francis Xavier would uncover
his’i?east and exclaim: “ Enough, O Lord.” No more
consolation: my heart can bear no more. St, Teresa
used to say that a single drop of heavenly consolation
gives more content than all the pleasures and amuse­
ments of the world can give. Ah ! God cannot but ful­
fil his promises to give peace and happiness to all who
renounce worldly goods for his sake. And every one that
hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or
wife, or children, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundred
fold, and shall possess life everlasting.x
What then do we seek after? Let us go to Jesus
Christ, who calls us, saying: Come to Me, allyou that labor
and are burdened, and I will refresh you? Ah ! the soul
that loves God enjoys that peace which surpasses all the
pleasures and gratifications which the world and the
senses can give. It is true that in this life, even the
saints have to submit to pains and crosses: for this earth
is a place of merit, and it is impossible to merit without
suffering. But, according to St. Bonaventure, divine
love, like honey, renders things the most bitter, sweet
and amiable. He that loves God, loves the will of God,
and therefore he rejoices in sorrows, because in embracing
them he knows that he gives delight and pleasure to his
God. “ We see the cross,” says St. Bernard, “ but not the
unction.”3 We behold only the mortifications which the
lovers of God endure, and the pleasures from which they
abstain; but we do not see the spiritual delights with
which the Lord consoles them. Oh ! if sinners tasted the
peace enjoyed by a soul that wishes for nothing but God ’
1 “ Qui reliquerit domum, vel fratres . . . propter nomen meum
centuplum accipiet, et vitam aeternam possidebit.”—Matt. xix. 29.
* “Venite ad mc omnes, qu: laboratis et onerati estis, et ego refi
ciam vos.”—Matt. xi. 28.
3 “ Crucem videntes, sed non etiam unctionem.”—In Dedic. Ecci.
8. I.

220

*

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxi.

(9, taste and see, sa vs David, that the Lord is sweet.1 Mv
brother, begin to make meditation every day, I to communicate frequently, to converse with God; and you will
find that during the short time which you spend with
him, he will give you greater consolation than the world,
with all its amusements, has ever given you. O, taste and
see! He who has not tasted, cannot understand how
God contents the soul that loves him.
Affections and Prayers.
My dear Redeemer! how have I been hitherto so blind as to
abandon Thee, who art an infinite good, and the fountain of all
consolation, for the miserable and momentary gratification of
the senses? I am astonished at my blindness, but I am still
more astonished at Thy mercy, which has so bountifully borne
with me. I thank Thee for making me now sensible of my
folly, and of my obligation to love Thee. I love Thee, O my
Jesus! with my whole soul, but I desire to love Thee with
greater fervor. Increase my desire and my love. Enamor my
soul of Thee, who art infinitely amiable—of Thee, who hast left
nothing undone to gain my love; of Thee, who so ardently de·
sirest my love. If Thon wilt, Thou canst make me clean? Ah, my
dear Redeemer, purify my heart from all impure affections,
which hinder me to love Thee as I would wish ! It is not in
my power to inflame my whole heart with the love of Thee,
and to make it love nothing but Thee. This requires the power
of Thy grace, which can do all things. Detach me from every
creature, banish from my soul every affection that is not for Thee,
make me all Thine. I am sorry above all things for all the
displeasure I have given Thee. I resolve to consecrate all the
days of my life to Thy holy love ; but it is only Thy grace that
can make me fulfil this resolution. Grant me, O Lord, this
grace for the sake of the blood which Thou didst shed for me with
so much pain, and so much love. Let it be the glory of Thy
power to make my heart, which was once ftdl of earthly affec­
tions. now become all flames of love for Thee, O infinite Good!
O mother of fair love, O Mary ! by thy prayers make my whole
soul burn, as thine did, with the charity of God.
1 “Gustate, et videte quoniam suavis es' Dominus.'’—Ps. xxxiii. q.
2 “Si vis, potes me mundare.”—Mali, viii 2

The Habit of Sin.

22 r

CONSIDERATION XXII.
<EI)C flnbit of Sin.
‘The wicked man, when he is come into the depth of sins, con.
temneth.”—Prov. xviii. 3.

FIRST POINT.

The Habit of Sin Blinds the Soul.

The evil inclination to sin is one of the greatest in­
juries that we have received from the sin of Adam.
This made the Apostle weep when he saw himself im­
pelled by concupiscence to the very evil which he ab­
horred. I see another law in my members . . . captivating me
in the law of sin.1 Hence it is so difficult for us, who are
drawn to evil by this concupiscence and by so many
enemies, to reach, without sin, the land of bliss. What
would you say of a traveller who, being obliged to cross
an agitated sea in a shattered vessel, would load the ship
with a burden which, even in a calm sea, would be suf­
ficient to sink the vessel? What hopes could you enter­
tain of the safety of such a man ? Now, we may say the
same of the man who has contracted an evil habit: he
must pass the sea of this life (a sea always tempestuous,
in which so many perish) in the weak and shattered
vessel of the flesh, to which we are united: and he over­
loads this vessel with sins of habit. It is very difficult
for such a man to save his soul; because a bad habit
1 “Video aliam legem in membris meis . . . captivantem me in
lege peccati.’’—Pom. vii. 23.

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxn.

blinds the understanding, hardens the heart, and thus
makes the"sinner obstinate till death.
First, a bad habit blinds the understanding. Why do
the saints always implore light from God, and tremble
lest they should become the greatest sinners in the world ?
Because they know that if they lose God’s light they
may commit the greatest crimes. How does it happen
that so many Christians live obstinately in sin until they
are lost in the end ? Their own malice blinded them)
Sin blinds them, and thus they are lost. Every sin
produces blindness; the more sins are multiplied, the
greater the blindness they produce. God is our light;
and therefore, the farther the soul is removed from
God, the more blind it becomes. His bones, says Job,
shall be filled with the vires of his youth? As the light
of the sun cannot enter a vessel filled with clav: so a
heart replete with vices cannot admit the light of God.
Hence we see certain sinners lose the divine light, so
that they go on from sin to sin without ever thinking of
le pen ta nee. The wicked walk round about? Fallen into
the dark pit of sin, they do nothing but commit sins,
they speak only of sins, they think only of sinning, and
scarcely feel any longer that sin is an evil. The very
habit of sin, says St. Augustine, does not allow them
to see the evil which they do.4 Hence they live as if
they no longer believed in the existence of God, of
heaven, hell, or eternity.
And behold ! after an evil habit is contracted, the sins
which before excited horror are now viewed with indif­
ference. Make them, says David, like a wheel, and as stubble
1 “ Excæcavit illos malitia eorum.”—Wis. ii. 21.
2 “Ossa ejus implebuntur vitiis.”—Job, xx. II.
3 “In circuitu impii ambulant.”—Ps. xi. 9.
4'* Ita ut ipsa consuetudo mali non eos sinat videre quia malum
est.”—Serm. 98, E. B.

The Habit of Sin.

223

before the wind.' See, says Gregory, how a straw is
blown about by every breath of air. In like manner
a person, before he falls into sin, resists and combats
temptations, at least for some time; but, after having
contracted a bad habit, he yields instantly to every
temptation, and falls in every occasion of sin: and why ?
Because the habit of sin has deprived him of light. St.
Anselm says that the devil acts toward certain sinners
like a person who fastens a cord to a bird: he allows it
to fly away; but, whenever he pleases, draws it back to
the earth. These are, according to the saint, habitual
sinners. St. Bernardine says (tom. iv. serm. xv.) that
some continue to commit sin without being exposed to
any dangerous occasion. He compares habitual sinners to
the wings of a windmill, which are driven round by every
wind, and turn the mill even when there is no corn to be
ground, and against the will of the master. You will
find habitual sinners who indulge in bad thoughts even
without any occasion to excite them, without pleasure,
and drawn into them as it were involuntarily and forcibly
by the effects of evil habits. As St. Augustine says a
bad habit brings on a certain necessity.1
2 And according
to St. Bernardine, evil habits are changed into our nature.3 Hence, as it is necessary for a man to breathe,
so it appears that habitual sinners become the slaves
of sin, and bring themselves into a necessity of falling
into sin. I have said that they become slaves of sin.
There are servants, who serve for wages, and slaves, who
serve by force and without remuneration. With these
we may compare certain miserable men, who sin even
without pleasure.
✓

7

O

1

1

1 " Pone illos ut rotam, et sicut stipulam ante faciem venti.”—Ps.
Ixxxii. 14·
2 “Dum consuetudini non resistitur, facta est necessitas.”—Conf
1 S, c. 5.
3 “ Usus vertitur in naturam.”—T. iii, s i£.

Preparation for Deat/i.

[con. xxii

The wicked man, when he is come into the depth of sins contemnethi This passage St. Chrysostom explains of habit­
ual sinners, who, sunk in an abyss of darkness, despise
corrections, sermons, censures, hell, and God: they de­
spise everything, and resemble the vulture, that waits to
be killed by the fowler, rather than abandon the dead
body on which it feeds. Father Recupito relates that a
man condemned to death, even when going to the place
of execution, raised his eyes, saw a young female, and
consented to a bad thought. Father Gisolfo relates that
a blasphemer, who had been likewise condemned to
death, when thrown off the scaffold, broke out into a
blasphemy. St. Bernard goes so far as to say that it is
almost useless to pray for habitual sinners,—that we
must weep over them as lost forever. If they no longer
see their danger, how can they escape the precipice? To
preserve them from it, a miracle of grace is necessary.
The miserable wretches will open their eyes in hell, when
the sight of their misery will serve only to make them
weep more bitterly over their folly.
Affections and Prayers.
My God ! Thou hast bestowed more favors on me than on
others, and I have done greater injuries to Thee than any per­
son whom I know. O sorrowful heart of my Redeemer, so much
afflicted and tortured on the cross at the sight of my sins; give
me through Thy merits a lively sense of my faults, and a lively
sorrow forthem. Ah, my Jesus! 1 am full of vices, but Thou
art omnipotent: Thou canst easily fill my soul with Thy holy
love. I therefore hope in Thee, who art infinite Goodness and
infinite mercy. I repent, O Sovereign Good ! of having offended
Thee. O that I had died rather than have ever offended Thee!
I have forgotten Thee; but Thou hast not forgotten me; this I
see with the light which Thou now givest me. Since, then,
Thou givest me this light, give me also strength to be faithful
1 “Impius, cum in profundum venerit peccatorum, contemnit."—
Prov. xviii. 3.

The Habit of Sin.

225

to Thee. I promise to die a thousand times rather than ever turn
mv back upon Thee. But in Thy aid I place my hopes. In
Thee! 0 Lord, I have hoped; let me never ’be confounded. I
hope, O my Jesus! in Thee, that I shall never more see myself
confounded in sin, and deprived of Thy grace. To thee also, O
Mary, my mistress ! I turn. In thee, O Lady ! 1 have hoped ; let
me not be confounded forever. O my hope, I trust in thy inter­
cession, that I shall never again see myself the enemy of thy
Son. Ah ! beg of him to strike me dead rather than abandon
me to this sovereign misfortune.
SECOND POINT.

The Habit of Sin Hardens the Heart.

A bad habit hardens the heart. And this hardness of
heart God justly permits in punishment of resisting his
calls. The Lord, says the Apostle, hath mercy on whom Lie
will: and whom He will He hardcnethL According to St.
Augustine, God hardens the sinner by not showing
mercy.3 It is not that God directly hardens habitual
sinners, but he subtracts his graces in punishment of their
ingratitude for past favors, and thus their heart becomes
hard like a stone. His heart shall be as hard as a stone,
and as firm as a smith's anvil? Hence, it is that, while
others are softened, and shed tears in hearing sermons
on the rigor of divine justice, on the pains of the damned,
or on the Passion of Jesus Christ, the habitual sinner re­
mains unmoved, bespeaks and listens to others speaking
on these subjects with as much indifference as if they
did not concern him; and thus these sermons will serve
to render him more obdurate. His heart shall be as firm
as a smith's anvil.
Even sudden deaths, earthquakes, thunder and light­
ning will no longer strike terror into the heart of the
1 “Cujus vult miseretur, et quem vult indurat.”—Horn. ix. iS.
8 “ Obduratio Dei est nolle misereri.”—DeDiv. Quast. adSinifl. n. 15.
3 “Cor ejus indurabitur tamquam lapis, et stringetur quasi mallea­
toris incus.”—Job, xli. 15.

2 20

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxii.

habitual sinner: instead of awaking, and making him
enter into himself, they will rather encourage him in the
deadly sleep of death and perdition in which he slumbers:
y// Thy rebuke, 0 God ofJacob, they have all slumbered) An
evil habit gradually takes away all remorse of conscience:
to the habitual sinner crimes the most enormous appear
triHing. The commission of sin is naturally accompanied
with shame; but, according to St. Jerome, they who con­
tract evil habits lose even the shame of committing sin.’
St. Peter compares the habitual sinner to the swine that
wallows in the mire.’ As the swine wallowing in the
mire feels not its stench, so the habitual sinner perceives
not the stench of his crimes, which disgusts all others.
“ And,” says St. Bernardine, “what wonder is it that,
after the mire of sin has blinded him, he should not see
his miserable condition, even when God scourges him
for his iniquities?4 Hence, it happens that, instead of
regretting his sins, he rejoices at them, he laughs at them,
and boasts of them. They are glad when they have done
evil) A fool worketh mischief as it were for sport) Are
not these clear signs of diabolical obduracy ? They are,
says St. Thomas of Villanova, all signs of damnation.’
My brother, tremble lest this may happen to you. If
you have contracted any evil habit, endeavor to abandon
it now that God calls you. Rejoice and be glad as long
as conscience reproves you; for it is a sign that God has
not as yet abandoned you; but amend, and instantly
1 "Ab increpatione tua, Deus Jacob, dormitaverunt.”—Ps. Ixxv. 7.
5 Qui ne pudorem quidem habent in delictis.
3 "Sus lota in volutabro luti.”—2 Peter, ii. 22.
4 " Cum populus immergit se in peccatis, sicut sus in volutabro luti,
quid mirum, si Dei flagellantis futura judicia non cognoscit ?”—T. II.,
s. 20, a. 2, c. 4.
6 " Lætantur, cum malefecerint.”—Prov ii. 14.
6 " Quasi per risum stultus operatur scelus.”—Ib. x. 23
’ “ Induratio, damnationis indicium.”—Per. 6 p. Dom. 1 Quadr.

The Habit of Sin.

227

shake off the bad habit; if you do not, the wound will
become gangrenous, and you will be lost.

Affections and Prayers.
0 Lord, how shall I be able to thank Thee as I ought for so
many graces which Thou hast bestowed upon me ! How often
hast Thou called, and I have resisted! Instead of being grate­
ful to Thee, and loving Thee, for having delivered me from hell,
and for having called me with so much love. I have continued
to provoke Thy wrath, by offering repeated insults to Thee. O
my God ! I will no longer outrage Thy patience : I have offended
Thee enough. Thou alone, who art infinite Goodness, couldst
have borne with me till the present moment. But I now see that
Thou canst bear no longer with me. Pardon me then, O my
Lord and my Sovereign Good ! pardon me all the injuries I have
offered to Thee. I am sorry for them with my whole heart, and
purpose never more to offend Thee. Shall I forever continue
to provoke Thee ? Ah, be appeased with me, O God of my soul !
not through my merits, for which nothing else is reserved but
vengeance and hell, but through the merits of Thy Son and my
Redeemer, in which I place all my hopes. For the love of Jesus
Christ, receive me into favor, and give me perseverance in Thy
love. Banish from me all impure affections, and draw me en­
tirely to Thyself. I love Thee, 0 supreme God ! I love Thee, O
sovereign lover of souls ! who art worth v of infinite love. Oh !
that I had always loved Thee. O Mary, my Mother! obtain for
me the grace to spend the remainder of my life not in offending,
but in loving thy Son, and in bewailing the displeasure I have
given him.
THIRD POINT.
The Habit of Sin Leads to Final Impenitence.

When the understanding is deprived of light, and the
Heart hardened, the sinner ordinarily makes a bad end,
and dies obstinate in his sin. A hard heart shall fare ill at
the end.' The just continue to walk in the straight path.
The path of the just is right to walk in? But habitual sin1 “ Cor durum habebit male in novissimo.”—Ecclus. iii. 27.
2“ Rectus callis justi ad ambulandum.”—Isa. xxvi. 7.

2 28

Preparation for Death.

[con.xxii.

Tiers always walk round about.1 They give up sin for a
little, and afterward return to it. Their damnation St.
Bernard regards as certain. “ Woe to the man who fol­
lows this circle.”’ Some of them say: I will amend be­
fore death; but it is very difficult for an habitual sinner,
even in his old age, to change his life. A young man,
says the Holy Ghost, according to his way, even when he is
old, he will not depart from it.3 We are very weak. Your
strength, says the Prophet Isaias, shall be as the ashes of
low.3 Hence, as St. Thomas of Villanova says, the soul
deprived of grace cannot abstain from committing new
sins.5 But would it not be the extreme of folly to play
for, and voluntarily to lose, all your property, with the
hope of winning it back in the last game? Such is the
folly of the man who continues to live in the midst of
sins, and hopes at the last moment of life to repair all
the evil he has done. Can the Ethiopian or’the leopard
change the color of his skin ? And how can he who has
long indulged in the habit of sin, lead a good life ? If,
says the Prophet Jeremias, the Ethiopian can change his
skin, or the leopard his spots, you also may do well when you
have learned evil.3 Hence the habitual sinner, in the end,
abandons himself to despair. Such is the manner in
which his life terminates. But he that is hardened in mind
shall fall into evil.1
On the words of Job, He hath torn me with wound upon
1 “ In circuitu impii ambulant.”—Ps. xi. 9.
2 “ Væ homini qui sequitur hunc circuitum.”—In Ps. xc. s. 12.
3 “ /kdolescens juxta viam suam, etiam cum senuerit, non recedet
ab ea.”—Prov. xxii. 6.
4 “ Et erit fortitudo vestra, ut favilla stupæ.”—Isa. i. 31.
5 “ Quo fit, ut anima, a gratia destituta, diu evadere ulteriora peccata
non possit.”—Dom. 4 Quadr.
6 “ Si mutare potest Æthiops pellem suam, aut pardus varietates
suas; et vos poteritis benefacere, cum didiceritis malum.”—fer. xiii.
23.
’ “Qui vero mentis est duræ, corruet in malum.”—Prov. xxviii. 14.

The Habit of Sin,

229

wound, he hath rushed in upon me like a giant? St. Gregory
says that a person may, perhaps, be able to defend him­
self after the first wound; but after every additional one,
he loses strength, till in the end he loses his life. So it
is with sin. After the first and second transgressions,
the sinner will have some strength (that is, through the
aid of God’s grace); but, if he continue in the habit of
sin, it will rush on him like a giant. How is it possible
for the sinner to escape death after his strength has been
diminished, and his wounds multiplied ? Sin, as the
Prophet Jeremias says, like a huge stone, oppresses the
sinner.123 St. Bernard compares the habitual sinner with
a man who has fallen under a large stone, which he has
not strength to remove. It is as difficult for the former
to shake off his bad habits, as it is for the latter to get
rid of the load that presses upon him. “ The man on
whom the weight of a bad habit presses, rises with diffi­
culty.”3
The habitual sinner may say: Is my salvation then
.lopeless ? No, you are not beyond hope: if you wish to
apply it, there is still a remedy for the past. But a cer­
tain author says, that in grievous maladies very severe
remedies are necessary. If to a sick man in danger of
death, and unwilling to take medicine, because he is not
aware of the malignity of his disease, the physician said:
Friend, *von will J certainly die * unless vou take such a
medicine: what would be the answer of the invalid ? He
would say, “ As my life is in danger, I am ready to obey
all your directions.” Dearly beloved Christian, if you
are an habitual sinner. I say the same to you. You are
very ill; you are one of khose invalids who, as St.
1 “ Concidit me vulnere super vulnus, irruit in me quasi gigas.”—
Job. xvi. 15.
2 “ Et posuerunt lapidem super me.”—Lament, iii. 53.
3‘‘Difficile surgit, quern moles mulæ consuetudinis premit.”—In
Joan. tr. 49.

23°

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXII,

Thomas of Villanova says, are seldom curedf you are on
the brink of perdition. But if you wish to recover from
your illness, there is a remedy for you; however, you
must not expect a miracle of grace. You must on your
part labor hard to take away the occasions of sin, to
avoid bad «company, to resist temptations by recommend­
ing yourself to God as soon as you perceive them:
you must adopt the means of salvation, by going fre­
quently to confession, by reading a spiritual book every
day, by practising devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and continually imploring her to obtain for you strength
not to relapse into sin. You must do violence to your­
self: otherwise the threat of the Lord against obstinate
sinners will fall upon you. You shall die in your sin.
And if you do not adopt these means now that the Lord
gives you light, you will scarcely adopt them hereafter.
Listen to God calling you to repentance. Lazarus, come
forth. Poor sinner! you are long dead: go forth from
the dark grave of your sinful life. Respond at once to
the call, and give yourself instantly to God. Tremble
lest this should be the last call for you.
Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my God ! what do I wait for? Shall I wait till Thou dost
abandon me and send me to hell ? Ah. Lord ! bear with me ; I wish
to change my life, and to give myself to Thee. Tell me what I
must do, and 1 will do it. O blood of Jesus ! assist me. O Mary,
advocate of sinners, come to my relief. O eternal Father!
have mercy on me through the merits of Jesus and Mary. I
am sorry. O God of infinite Goodness ! for having offended Thee,
and I love Thee above all things. Pardon me for the sake of
Jesus Christ, and give inc Thy love. Give me also a great fear
of being lost, should I again offend Thee. Light, O my God !
light and strength. I hope for everything from Thy mercy.
1 “ Raro sanantur.”—Fer. 6 p. Doni. I Quadr.

The Habil of

231

Thou didst bestow so many graces on me when I wandered
at a distance from I hee ; I hope for far greater graces, now
that I return to Thee, resolved to love nothing but Thee. I
love Thee, my God, my life, my all. I love thee also, O my
Mother, Mary! to thee I consign my soul; preserve it by thv
intercession from ever returning to a state of enmity with God.

i

Preparation for Death.

[CON. xxni.

CONSIDERATION XXIII.

Delusions wljiclj tljc Deuil Puts into tlje jflinbs of
Sinners.
II

(Although the preceding considerations contain many of the senti­
ments contained in this, it will be useful to collect them all together,
in order to dissipate the usual illusions by which the devil succeeds
in inducing sinners to relapse.)

FIRST POINT.

I will Go to Confession.—I cannot Resist.

Let ns imagine a young man who has fallen into
grievous sins, which he has already confessed, and who
is restored to the friendship of God. The devil again
tempts him to relapse: the young man resists fora while;
but, in consequence of the delusions suggested by the
enemy, he begins to vacillate. Tell me, young man, I
say to him, What will you do? Will you now, for this
miserable pleasure, forfeit the grace of God, which vou
have just acquired, and which is more valuable than the
whole world? Will you, yourself, write the sentence of
eternal death, and condemn yourself to burn forever in
hell ? No, you answer, I do not wish to damn myself, I wish
to be saved: If I commit this sin, I will afterward confess it.
Behold the first delusion of the devil ! Then *vou say*
that you will afterward confess it; but in the mean time
you lose your soul. Tell me, if you had a jewel worth a
thousand crowns, would **vou throw it into a river,/ saying
- OJ
I will make a diligent search for it, and hope to find it ?

The Delusions of the Devil.

233

You hold in your hand the precious jewel of your soul,
which Jesus Christ has purchased with his blood, and
you voluntarily cast it into hell (for in punishment of
every mortal sin, you are condemned to eternal fire), and
say: I hope to recover it by a good confession. But
should you not recover it, what will be the consequence?
To recover the divine grace, true repentance, which is
the gift of God, is necessary. Should God not give you
the grace of repentance; should death overtake you, and
notallow you time to go to confession, what will become
of yvou ?
You say that you will go to confession before the lapse
of a week. And who promises you that you will live
fora week ? You then say that you will go to confession
to-morrow. And who promises you to-morrow? St.
Augustine says: “God has not promised to-morrow: per­
haps he will give it, and perhaps he will not.” Perhaps
he will deny it to you, as he has denied it to so many
others who have gone to bed in good health, and have
been found dead in the morning. How many have been
struck dead in the act of sin, and sent to hell ? And
should the same happen to you, how will you be able to
repair your eternal ruin? Be assured that by this delu­
sion—I will afterward go to confession—the devil has
brought thousands and thousands of Christians to hell.
It is difficult to find a sinner so abandoned to despair as
to wish for his own damnation. In committing sin, all
sinners hope to repent and go to confession; it is thus
that so many miserable souls are lost: and now there is
no remedy for their damnation.
But you say: At present I cannot resist tin's temptation.
Behold the second delusion of the devil, who makes it
appear to you that at present you have not strength to
resist your passions. First, it is necessary to know that,
as the Apostle says, God is faithful, and never permits us to

234

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxm.

be tempted above our strength) Moreover, I ask, if you are
unable to resist your passions, how will you be able to
resist them hereafter? After you have yielded to one
temptation, the devil will tempt you to other sins, and
by your consent to sin he will have gained an increase of
strength against you, and you will have become weaker.
If, then, you are now unable to extinguish the flame of
passion, how can you expect to extinguish it when it has
grown stronger? You say: God will give me his aid.
But this aid he gives you at present. Why, then, do
you not correspond with his grace and conquer your pas­
sion ? Perhaps you expect that God will give you more
abundant helps and graces after you have multiplied
sins. If at present you wish for greater help and strength,
why do you not ask them from God ? Ask, and it shall
be given you) God cannot violate his promise. Have
recourse to him, and he will give you the strength which
you require in order to resist every temptation. God
does not command impossibilities; but by his commands
he admonishes us to do what we can with the actual aid
which he gives us; and when this aid is not sufficient
to enable us to resist temptations, he exhorts us to ask
additional help, which he gives whenever we pray for
it.
Affections and Prayers.

Then, my God ! why hast Thou been so bountiful to me, and
I so ungrateful to Thee? We have been engaged in a mutual
contest. I fled away from Thee, and Thou didst seek after me.
Thou didst confer benefits on me, and I offered insults to Thee.
Ah, Lord ! the goodness alone which Thou hast shown me ought
to enamor me of Thee ; for, when I multiplied sins, Thou didst
multiply Thy graces. And when have I merited the light
which Thou now givest me ? My Lord ! I thank Thee for it
1 “ Fidelis autem Deus est, qui non patietur vos tentari supra ‘d
quod potestis.”—I Cor, χ. 13.
8 “ Petite, et accipietis.”—John, xvi. 24.

The Delusions of the Devil.

235

with my whole heart, and I hope to thank Thee for it eternally
in heaven. I hope in Thy blood for eternal salvation, and I hope
for it with certainty, since Thou hast treated me with so much
mercy. I hope that Thou wilt give me grace never more to be­
tray Thee. I purpose, with Thy grace, to die a thousand t mes
rather than ever again offend Thee. 1 have offended Thee suffi­
ciently. During the remainder of my life I wish to love Thee.
And how can I but love a God who, after having died for me, has
waited for me with so much patience, in spite of the numberless
injuries I have done him. O God of my soul ! I repent of all my
sins with my whole heart ; I would wish to die of sorrow for
them. But if I have hitherto turned my back upon Thee, I now
love Thee above all things; I love Thee more than myself.
Eternal Father! through the merits of Jesus Christ, assist a
miserable sinner, who wishes to love Thee. Mary, my hope !
assist me; obtain for me the grace always to have recourse to
thy Son and to thee, as often as the devil tempts me to
offend God again.
SECOND POINT.

God is Merciful.

God is merciful. Behold the third delusion of sinners
by which an immense number are lost! A learned author
says, that the mercy of God sends more souls to hell than
his justice; for sinners are induced, by a rash confidence
in the divine mercy, to continue in sin, and thus are lost.
God is merciful. Who denies it? But great as is his
mercy, how many does he send to hell every day ? God
is merciful: but he is also just; and therefore he is
obliged to punish those who offend him. He shows
mercy; but to whom? To them who fear him. He
hath strengthened His mercy toward them that fear Him. As
a father hath comp assion on his children, so hath the Lord
compassion on them that fear Him} But he executes justice
on those who despise him, and abuse his mercy to insult
%
1 “ Corroboravit misericordiam suam super timentes se. . . . Mi­
sertus est Dominus timentibus se.”—Ps. cii. 11, 13.

236

Preparation for Death.

[con.xxiil

him the more. God pardons sin; but he cannot pardon
the will or the determination to sin. St. Augustine says,
that he who sins with the intention of afterward repent­
ing, is not a penitent, but a mocker of God’s majesty.
But the Apostle tells us that God does not allow himself
to be mocked. Be not deceived. God is not mocked.' It
would be a mockery of God to insult him as often and
as much as you please, and afterward to expect heaven.
But as God has shown me so many mercies hitherto, so I
hope he will treat me with mercy hereafter. Behold the
fourth delusion ! Then, must the Lord, because he has
had compassion on you, show mercy forever, and never
chastise you? No: the greater have been his mercies
to you, the more you have reason to fear that, if you
offend him again, he will pardon you no more, but will
take vengeance on your sins. Say not: I have sinned, and
what harm hath befallen me ? for the Most High is a patient
rewarder? Say not: I have sinned, and have not been
punished; for though God endures, he will not do so
forever. When the number of mercies which he has
resolved to show to the sinner is exhausted, he then pun­
ishes all his sins together. And the longer God has
waited for his repentance, the more severe will be his
punishment, says St. Gregory?
If then, O my brother, you see that you have often
offended God, and that he has not sent you to hell, you
should sav: The mercies of the Lord that we are nol consumed? Lord ! I thank Thee, for not having sent me to
hell, as I deserved. Consider how many have been
damned for fewer sins than you have committed, and
labor to atone, by penance and other good works, for
1 “ Nolite errare, Deus non irridetur.”—Gal. vi. 7.
9 “Ne dixeris: Peccavi, et quid mihi accidit triste? Altissimus
enim est patiens redditor.”—Ecclus. v. 4.
3 “ Quos diu tolerat, durius damnat.”—In Evang. hom. 13,
4 “ Miscricordiæ Domini, quia non sumus consumpti.”—Lam. iii. 22.

The Delusions of the Devil.

237

the offences you have offered to God. The patience
which he has had with you, and the great mercies which
he has shown to you, and not to others, ought to animate
you not to offend him again, but to serve and love him.
Affections and Prayers.

My crucified Jesus, my Redeemer and my God! behold a
traitor at Thy feet. I am ashamed to appear before Thee.
How often have I mocked Thee ! How often have I promised
to offend Thee no more ! But my promises have been so many
treasons; for when the occasion of sin was presented to me I
have forgotten Thee, and have again turned my back upon Thee.
I thank Thee that I am not now in hell, but at Thy feet, where
Thou enlightenest me, andcallest me to Thy love. Yes; I wish
to love Thee, my Saviour and my God! and 1 wish never more
to despise Thee. Thou hast borne with me long enough. I see
that Thou canst bear with me no longer. Unhappy me, if after
so many graces, I offend Thee again! Lord, I sincerely wish
and resolve to change my life: I wish to love Thee as much as
I have offended Thee. It consoles me to have to deal with
Thee, who art infinite goodness : but I am sorry above all things
for having so much despised Thee, and I promise Thee all my
love for the future. Pardon me through the merits of Thy Pas­
sion ; forget the injuries I have done Thee, and give me strength
to be faithful to Thee during the remainder of my life. I love
Thee, O my Sovereign Good ! and I hope to love Thee forever.
My dear God ! I will never more abandon Thee. O Mary,
Mother of God ! bind me to Jesus Christ, and obtain for me the
grace never again to depart from his feet. In Thee I trust.
THIRD POINT.

I am Young—Perhaps.

But I am young. God compassionates youth. I will here­
after give myself to God. We are now at the fifth delusion.
But do you not know that God counts, not the years,
but the sins of each individual? You are young! But
how many sins have you committed ? There are many

Preparation for Death,

[con. xxm

persons of very advanced age who have not been guilty
of the tenth part of the sins which you have committed.
And do you not know that God has fixed the number
and measure of sins which he will pardon each? The
Lord waiteth patiently, says Holy Scripture, that when the
day of judgment shall come, Ide may punish them in the ful­
ness of their sins? That is, God has patience, and waits
for a certain time; but when the measure of the sins
which he has resolved to pardon is filled up, he pardons
no more, but chastises the sinner by sending him a sud­
den death while in the state of damnation, or he aban­
dons him in his sin—a chastisement worse than death.
I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted? If
you had encompassed a field with a hedge, and cultivated
it many years, and found that after all your labor and
expense it produced no fruit, what would you do with
it? Would you not take away’the hedge and abandon
it? Tremble, lest God should treat you in a similar
manner. If you continue to offend him, you will gradu­
ally lose remorse of conscience—you will cease to think
of eternity, or of the salvation of your soul—you will
lose all light and fear: behold the hedge taken away:
behold your soul already abandoned by God.
Let us come to the last delusion. You say: It is true
that if I commit this sin, I shall lose the grace of God, and
shall be condemned to hell; it may be that in punishment of it
I shall be damned; but it may also happen that I shall after­
ward make a good confession, and save my soul. Yes, it may,
I admit, happen that you will be saved; for I am not a
prophet, and therefore I cannot say for certain, that, if
you commit this sin, God will show you no more mercy.
But you cannot deny that, if, after the great graces
God has bestowed upon you, you offend him again, you
1 “ Dominus patienter cxpectat, ut eas (nationes), cum judicii dies
advenerit in plenitudine peccatorum puniat.”—2 i\Iach. vi. 14.
2 “Auferam sepem ejus, et erit in direptionem.”—Isa. v. 5.

The Delusions of the Devil.

239

will expose yourself to very great danger of being lost
forever. Attend to the language of Scripture. A hard
heart shall fare evil at the la stI Evil-doers shall be cut off?
The wicked will in the end be cut off by divine justice.
I filial things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap? Ue
that sows sins, will reap nothing but pains and torments.
I called andyou refused. ... I will laugh in your destruction,
and will mock when that shall come to you which you feared?
I have called you, says the Lord, and you have mocked
me; but I will mock you at the hour of death. Revenge
is mine, and I will repay them in due time? To me belongs
the punishment due to sins: I will inflict it when the
time of vengeance arrives. Such are the threats of the
Scriptures against obstinate sinners; such is the chas­
tisement which reason and justice demand. You say:
It may happen, after all, that I shall be saved. I again ad­
mit that this may happen; but is it not the height of
folly to trust the eternal salvation of your soul to a per­
haps!—to a possibility of escaping hell when your salva­
tion is so very improbable? Is eternal life an affair to
be exposed to such imminent danger.
Affections and Prayers.
My dear Redeemer ! prostrate at Thy feet, I thank Thee for
not having abandoned me after I had committed so many sins.
How many who have offended Thee less than I have will never
receive the light which Thou now givest me ! I see that Thou
earnestly desirest my salvation, and I wish to be saved, princi­
pally for the sake of pleasing Thee. I wish for heaven that
there I may eternally sing the mercies which Thou hast shown
me. I hope that Thou hast already pardoned me. But should
1 “Cor durum habebit male in novissimo.”—Ecclus. iii. 27.
2 “Qui malignantur, exterminabuntur.”—Ps. xxxvi. 9.
3 “ Quæ seminaverit homo, hæc et metet.”—Gal. vi. S.
4 ” V<»cavi. et renuistis; . . . ego quoque, in interitu vestro, ridebo
et subsannabo. ’—Prov. i. 24.
5 ** Mea est ultio, et ego retribuam in tempore.”—Dent, xxxii. 35.

2do

Preparation for Death.

(con.

xxiii,

1 still be Thy enemy in consequence of not repenting as I ought
of the offences I have offered to Thee. I am now sorry for them
with my whole soul; they displease me above all things. Par­
don me for Thy mercy's sake, and increase continually my sorrow
for having offended Thee, who art so good a God. Give me
sorrow—give me love. I love Thee above all things, but I love
Thee too little. I wish to love Thee ardently. This love I ask
and hope for from Thee. Hear me, O my Jesus! Thou hast
promised to hear all who pra}' to Thee. O Mary, Mother of
God ! all tell me that thou never allowest a soul that recom­
mends itself to thee to go away disconsolate. I trust in thee;
recommend me to thy Son, and obtain for me eternal life.

The Particular Judgment.

241

CONSIDERATION XXIV.

Œl)c particular Judgment.
“We must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ.”—
2 Cor. v. 10.

FIRST POINT.

The Guilty Soul before its Judge.

Consider the appearance, the accusation, the examina­
tion, and the sentence. With regard to the appearance
of the soul before its Judge, it is the common opinion of
theologians, that the particular judgment takes place at
the very moment of death; and that on the very spot
where the soul is separated from the body, it is judged by
Jesus Christ, who will not send, but will come himself to
judge it according to its works. At what hour you think
not the Son of man will come.' “He will,” says St.
Augustine, “come in love to the good, in terror to the
wicked.”2 Oh ! how great will be the terror of the soul
the first time it sees the Redeemer, and sees his counte­
nance full of wrath ! Who, says the prophet Nahum, shall
stand before the face of His indignation ?3 This thought made
Father Louis da Ponte tremble so as to shake the cell in
which he lay. Hearing the Dies tree sung, and reflecting
on the terror of the soul when it is presented before the
tribunal of Jesus Christ, the venerable P. Juvenal Ancina
1 “Qua hora non putatis, Filius hominis veniet.”—Luke. xii. 40.
2 “Veniet vobis in amore, impiis in tremore.”—Serm. 1S1. E. B.
Λρρ.
■· Ante faciem indignationis ejus, quis stabit?”—Nahum, i. 6

242

Preparation foi' Death.

(CON. XXIV.

took, and afterward executed, the resolution of forsaking
the world. The sight of the wrath of the Judge will
announce the sentence. The wrath of the King is as mes­
sengers of death} St. Bernard says that the soul will
suffer more in seeing the indignation of Jesus Christ,
than in hell itself.’ When presented before an earthly
judge, criminals have been known to perspire with a
cold perspiration. Such was the confusion which Piso
felt at the thought of appearing as a criminal before the
senate, that he killed himself. How great is the pain of
a child, or of a vassal, in appearing before an angry
parent or an enraged sovereign ! Oh, how much greater
will be the pain and confusion of the soul when it beholds
Jesus Christ enraged against it for the insults which it
offered to him during life ! They shall look upon me whom
they have pierced} The soul will see in wrath the Lamb
that bore with it so patiently during life, and that there
is no hope of appeasing his anger. This shall make the
soul call upon the mountains to fall upon it and to hide
it from the fury of the wrathful Lamb.4 Speaking of
judgment, St. Luke says: Then they shall see the Son oj
Man} Oh ! what pain will the sight of the judge in the
form of man excite in the soul of the sinner! The sight
of a Man-God who died for his salvation will upbraid
him with his ingratitude. When the Saviour ascended
into heaven, the angels said to the disciples: This fesus,
who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come asyou have
seen Him going into heaven}
1 “ Indignatio regis, nuntii mortis.”—Prov. xvi. 14.
2 Mallet esse in inferno.
3 “Videbunt in quem transfixerunt.”—John, xix. 37.
4 “(Montes), cadite super nos, et abscondite nos ab ira Agni.”—
Λfloc. vi. 16.
5 “Tunc videbunt Filium hominis.”— Luke, xxi. 27.
6 “ Hic Jesus, qui assumptus est a vobis in coelum, sic veniet, quem
admodum vidistis eum euntem in coelum.”—deis, i. 11.

The Particular Judgment.

243

With the same wounds with which he ascended into
heaven, Jesus Christ will come to judge the soul. “ Great
joy of the beholders,” says the Abbot Rupert, “great
terror of those who are in expectation.”1 The wounds
of the Redeemer will console the just and terrify the
wicked. When Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph,
whom you sold, the Scripture tells us that, through fear,
they were silent and unable to utter a word.’ His breth­
ren could not answer him, being struck with exceeding great
fear. Now what answer will the sinner make to Jesus
Christ ? Will he dare to ask mercy when he must first
render an account of his abuse of the mercy which he
has received? “With what face,” says Eusebius Emissenus, “ will you, who are to be first judged for contempt
of mercy, ask for mercy ? ” 3 What, then, will become of
him? Where, says St. Augustine, will he fly? He will
behold an angry judge above; hell open below; on one
side his own sins accusing him; on the other, the devils
ready to inflict chastisement; and within, the remorse
of his conscience. “Above shall be an enraged Judge;
below, a frightful chaos; on the right, sins accusing him ;
on the left, the devils dragging him to punishment;
within, a burning conscience: beset in this manner,
whither will the sinner fly !4
Affections and Prayers.
O my Jesus! I will always call Thee Jesus. Thy name con­
soles and encourages me, because it reminds me that Thou art
1 "Grande gaudium intuendum, grandis limor expectantium.”—De
0/>. Sj>. S. 1. 9, c. 8.
8 " Ego sum Joseph, quem vendidistis. . . . Non poterant respon­
dere fratres, nimio terrore perterriti.”—Gen. xlv, 3.
3 Qua fronte misericordiam petes, primum de misericordiæ con­
temptu judicandus ?
4 ‘Superius erit Judex iratus, inferius horrendum chaos, a dextris
peccata accusantia, a sinistris dæmonia ad supplicium trahentia, intus
conscientia urens; quo fugiet peccator sic comprehensus.—5.
Bjnav. Diat. sal. t. 9.

244

Preparation for Death.

[CON. xxiv.

my Saviour, who didst die for my salvation. Behold me at Thy
feet. I acknowledge that I have deserved hell as often as I have
offended Thee by mortal sin. I am unworthy of pardon, but
Thou hast died to merit pardon for me. Pardon me, then, im­
mediately, O my Jesus! before Thou comcst to judge me. I
shall not then be able to ask pardon : I can now ask it from
Thee, and I hope for it. Thy wounds will then fill me with
terror, but now they give me confidence. My dear Redeemer!
I am sorry above all things for having offended Thy infinite
goodness. I purpose to submit to every pain, every loss, rather
than forfeit Thy grace. I love Thee with my whole heart.
Have pity on me. “ Have mercy on me, O God, according to
Thy great mercy.” O Mary, Mother of mercy! obtain for me a
great sorrow for my sins, pardon, and perseverance in thy divine
love. I love thee, O my queen, and trust in thee.
SECOND POINT.

Nothing will Remain Hidden.

Consider the accusation and scrutiny: The judgment sat
and the books were opened.' There will be two books, the
Gospel and conscience. In the Gospel will be read what
the accused should have done, and in his conscience what
he has done. “Each individual,” says St. Jerome, will
see what he has done.” 3 In the balance of divine justice,
not riches nor dignities, nor nobility, but works only, will
have weight. Thou art weighed in the balance, said
Daniel to Balthasar, and art found wanting.9 “Neither
his gold,” says Father Alvarez, “nor his wealth, but the
king alone, is weighed.”4 The accusers will then come
forward; and first of all the devil. “The devil,” savs
St. Augustine, “ will be at hand, and will recite the
words of your profession. He will charge us before our
1 “ Indicium sedit et libri aperti sunt.”—Dan. vii. io.
s Videbit unusquisque quod fecit.
“ Appensus es in statera, et inventus es minus habens.”—Dan. v.

27*
est.

?Λ··· i

Non aurum, non opes, in stateram veniunt; solus rex appensus

The Particular Judgment.

245

face with what we have done, he will state the day and
the hour in which we have sinned.” 1 He will re­
cite the words of your profession—that is, he will bring
forward the promises we have made and afterward
violated: he will recount all our sins, pointing to the day
and hour in which they were committed. According to
St. Cyprian, he will then say to the Judge, “I have suf­
fered neither stripes nor scourges for these men.”1*345 I have
suffered nothing for this ungrateful sinner; and, to be­
come my slave, he has forsaken you, who have died for
his salvation: he therefore belongs to me. Their angel
guardians will also, as Origen says, accuse sinners; each
of them will say: I have labored so many years for the
salvation of that man, but he has despised my admoni­
tions. Thus “his very friends will then despise him."’
The very walls within which he sinned shall bear witness
against the sinner. The stone shall cry out of the wallI
His own conscience will accuse him. Their conscience,
says St. Paul, bearing witness to them . . . in the day when
God shall judge the secrets of men I Their very sins, says
St. Bernard, will speak and say, “You have made us; we
are your works; we shall not desert you.”—Lib. Med.
cap. ii. Finally, according to St. Chrysostom, the wounds
of Jesus Christ will accuse the sinner: “the nails shall
complain of thee, the wounds and the cross of Christ
shall speak against thee.” The examination will now
begin.
1 “ Præsto erit diabolus ante tribunal Christi, et recitabuntur verba
professionis nostræ: objiciet nobis in faciem quidquid fecimus, in qua
die peccavimus, in quo loco."—De Sal. Dac. c. 62.
3 “ Ego pro istis, nec alapas accepi, nec flagella sustinui."—De. Op.
d Eleem.
5 “ Omnes amici ejus spreverunt eam —Latn. i. 2.
4 “Lapis de pariete clamabit ’’—Hab. ii. 11.
5 •‘Testimonium reddente illis conscientia ipsorum ... in die, cum
judicabit Deus.”—Rorn. ii. 15·

246

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXIV

Z, says the Lord, will search Jerusalem with lamps!
Ί he lamp, says Mendozza, penetrates every corner of the
house. In explaining the words with lamps, Cornelius a
Lapide says, that God shall then place before the sinner
the examples of the saints, all the lights and inspirations
bestowed upon him during his life, and all the years that
had been given him that he might do good. He hath
called against me the time? The sinner shall have to
render an account of every glance of the eye. Accord­
ing to the prophet Malachi, the Lord shall purify the sons
of Levi, and shall refine them as gold? As gold is refined
by removing the dross, so our good works confessions
and communions will be subjected to a severe examina­
tion. When I shall take a time, I will judge justices? In
fine, St. Peter tells that at judgment, the just will scarcely
be saved. If the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall
the ungodly and the sinner appear ?h If the sinner must
answer for every idle word, what account will he have
to give for consenting to so many bad thoughts, for
uttering so many obscene words? Speaking of the
authors of scandal, who have robbed him of so many
souls, the Lord says: I will meet them as a bear that is
robbed of her whelps? With regard to works, the Judge
will say: Give her of the fruit of her hands? Reward him
according to the works which he has performed.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Jesus! wert Thou now to reward me according to my
works, hell would be my lot. O God ! how often have I my-1
*34
1 ” In illo tempore, scrutabor Jerusalem in lucernis.”—Soph. i. 12.
4 "Vocavit adversum me tempus.”—Lam. i. 15.
3 “ Purgabit filios Levi, et colabit eos quasi aurum.’’—Mal. iii. 3.
4 " Cum accepero tempus, ego justitias judicabo.”—Ps. Ixxiv. 3
6 "Si justus vix salvabitur, impius et peccator ubi parebunt?”—!
Peter, iv. iS.
* " Occurram eis quasi ursa, raptis catulis.”—Os. xiii. 8.
' " Date ei de fructu manuum suarum.”—Prov. xxxi. 31.

The Particular Judgment.

247

self written the sentence of my condemnation to that place of
torments! I thank Thee for the patience with which Thou hast
borne me so long. O God ! were I now obliged to appear be­
fore Thy judgment-seat, what account should I have to render
of my past life ! Enter not into judgment with Thy servant. Ah
Lord! wait for me a little longer, do not judge me yet. Wert
Thou now to judge me, what should become of me ? Wait for me,
sinceThou hast treated me with so many mercies hitherto, grant
me this new favor, infuse into my heart a great sorrow for my
sins. I am sorry, O infinite Good ! for having so often despised
Thee. I love Thee above all things. Eternal Father! pardon
me for the love of Jesus Christ; and through his merits, grant
me holy perseverance. My Jesus ! I hope for all things from Thy
blood. Most holy Mary, in thee I trust. “Turn, then, O most
gracious advocate, thy eyes of mercy toward us.” Behold my
miseries, and have pity on me.
THIRD POINT.

The Sentence.

In fine, to obtain eternal life, the soul must be found,
at judgment, to have led a life conformable to the life of
Jesus Christ. Whom he foreknew, he predestinated to be
made conformable to the image of his Son? It was this that
made Job tremble. What shall I do when God shall rise to
judge me ? and when he shall examine, what shall I answer
him!'1 Philip II. rebuking a domestic for having told
him a lie, said to him: Is it thus you deceive me I The do­
mestic went home, and died of grief. What will the
sinner do? what answer will he make to Jesus Christ, his
Judge? He will, like the man in the Gospel, who came
to the feast without the nuptial garment, remain silent,
because he will not know what to answer. His very sins
will close the sinner’s mouth. All iniquity shall stop her
1 " Quos præscivit, et prædestinavit conformes fieri imaginis Filii
sui.”—Rom. viii. 29.
1 " Quid faciam, cum surrexerit ad judicandum Deus? Et cum
quæsicrit, quid respondebo illi?”—faâ, xxxi. 14.

248

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXIV.

mouth.' St. Basil says that the sinner will then suffer
more from shame than from the very fire of hell.123
Finally, the Judge will pass sentence. Depart from
Me ye cursed into everlasting fired Oh! what an awful
thunder-clap will that sentence be to the sinner! “Oh!
how frightfully,’' says Denis, the Carthusian, “will that
thunder resound !” 456 “ He,” says St. Anselm, “ that does
not tremble at such thunder, sleeps not, but is dead.”*
Eusebius writes, that the terror of sinners at hearing the
sentence of their condemnation, will be so great, that, if
they could, they would die again.* “The wicked shall
be seized with such dismay at the sight of the Judge
pronouncing sentence, that, were they not immortal, they
should die a second time.” There is then no more time
for prayer, no more intercessors whom the sinner can
invoke. “There,” says St. Thomas of Villanova, “there
is no opportunity of praying; there no intercessor, no
friend, no father, shall assist.” 7 To whom will the sin­
ner then have recourse? Is it to God, whom he has so
much despised? “ Who,” says St. Basil, “shall deliver
have insulted?”8 Per•vou? Is it that God whom von
*
haps he may have recourse to the saints, or to Mary?
No: for then the stars—that is, his holy' advocates—shall
fall from heaven, and the moon, which represents Mary,
1 “Omnis iniquitas oppilabit os suum.”—Ps. evi 42.
2 “ Horridior quam ignis erit pudor.”—Orat, de fut. jud.
3 “Discedite a me. maledicti, in ignem æternum.”—Matt xxv. 41.
4 “ Oh ! quam horribiliter personabit tonitruum illud."—De Quat.
Nov. a. 26.
5 “Qui non tremit ad tantum tonitruum, non dormit, sed mortuus
est.”—Medit. 2.
6 Tantus terror invadet malos, cum viderint Judicem sententiam
proferentem, ut, nisi essent immortales, iterum morerentur.
* “Non ibi precandi locus; nullus intercessor assistet, non amicus,
non pater.”—Dom. 1 Adv. eonc. 2.
h “Quis te eripiet? Deus ne ille quem contempsisti?”—Oratiode
Panit.

The Particular Judgment.

249

i//j/Z not give her I ght.' “Mary,” says St. Augustine,
“will fly from the gate of heaven.”’
“0 God! with what indifference,” exclaims St. Thoma
of Villanova, “do we listen to persons speaking on judg­
ment ! We appear to feel as little as if the sentence of
condemnation could not fall upon ourselves, or as if we
were not to be judged.1*3 And is it not,” says the same
saint, “great folly to entertain security in so perilous an
affair.”456 My brother, St. Augustine admonishes you
not to say: Will God really send me to hell?* Say it
not, says the holy Doctor; for even the Jews did not per­
suade themselves that theyr should be exterminated. So
many of the damned did not believe that they would be
cast into hell, but afterward the final vengeance came
upon them. An end is come, the end is come. . . . Now I
will accomplish My anger in thee, and will judge thee* And
thus, as St. Augustine says, the same will also happen to
you. “ The day of judgment will come, and you shall find
the threats of God verified.” 78 At present it depends on us
to choose whatever sentence we please. It is in our power,
says St. Eligius, to determine the character of the sentence
which we shall receive. What then must we do? We
must adjust our accounts before judgment. Before judg­
ment prepare thee justice.* St. Bonaventure says that, to
1 “ Luna non dabit lumen suum.” — Matt. xxiv. 29.
9 “ Fugiet a janua paradisi Maria.”—Ad Fratres in er. ser. 10. *
3” Heu ! quam securi hæc dicimus et audimus, quasi nos non
tangeret hæc sententia, aut quasi dies ille nunquam esset venturus !”
—Dom. i Adv. conc. 1.
4 “ Quænam est stulta securitas in discrimine tanto.”—De S. Mart.
conc. i.
5 Numquid Deus vere damnaturus est?
6 *· Finis venit, venit finis . . . nunc complebo furorem meum in
te. et judicabo te.”—Ezek. vii. 6.
• ·· Veniet judicii dies, et invenies verum quod minatus est Deus.”
—In Ps. Ixxiii.
8 “ Ante judicium, para justitiam tibi.”—Ecclus. xviii. 19.

250

Preparation for Death.

icon. xxiv.

escape the danger of failing in business, prudent mer­
chants frequently review and settle their accounts. The
Judge may be appeased before judgment, but not dur­
ing judgment,” says St. Augustine.* Let us then say
with St. Bernard: “ I desire to present myself before Thee
already judged, and not to be judged.”* O my Judge,
I wish to be judged and punished during life, which is a
time of mercy and pardon; for after death will be the
time of justice.
Affections and Prayers.
My God ! if I do not appease Thee now, there will then he no
more time for turning away Thy anger. But how shall I, who
have so often despised Thy friendship for miserable beastly
pleasures, be able to appease Thy wrath ? I have repaid with
ingratitude Thy immense love. ' How can a creature ever make
sufficient satisfaction for having offended the Creator? All my
Lord ! I thank Thee, for giving me in Thÿ mercy a means of ap­
peasing Thy anger and satisfying Thy justice. I offer Thee the
blood and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, and behold ! I see a
superabundant atonement and satisfaction made to Thee. To
appease Thy anger, my repentance is also necessary. Yes. my
God ! I repent with my whole heart of all the injuries I have
done Thee. Judge me now, O my Redeemer ! I detest above
all things all the offences I have offered to Thee. I love Thee
with my whole heart and above all things, and I purpose to love
Thee always, and to die rather than ever offend Thee again.
Thou hast promised to pardon all who repent. Ah ! judge me
now. and absolve me from my sins. I accept the punishment
which 1 deserve, but reinstate me in Thy grace, and preserve
me in it till death. Such is my hope, O Mary, my Mothei ! 1
thank thee for all the mercies which thou hast obtained for me.
Ah ! continue to protect me to the end.
1 Judex, ante judicium placari potest, in judicio non potest.
2 “ Volo judicatus præsentari, non judicandus.”—In Cant. s. 55.

The General Judgment.

251

CONSIDERATION XXV.

Œlje (general 3nbigmcnt.
•'The Lord shall be known when He executeth judgments.”—
Ps. ix. 17.

FIRST POINT.

The General Resurrection.

At present there is no one in this world more despised
than Jesus Christ. There is more respect shown to a
peasant than to the Lord; for we are afraid to insult a
peasant, or provoke him to anger, lest he should seek
revenge. But insults are offered to God, and are re­
peated as wantonly as if he could not avenge them when­
ever he pleases. The wicked, says Job, looked upon the
Almighty as if He could do nothing? Therefore the Re­
deemer has appointed a day of general judgment, and
which is called in the Scripture, the day of the Lord; on
which Jesus Christ will make known the greatness of his
majesty. The Lord shall he known when He executeth judg­
ments? Hence that day is called, not a day of mercy
and pardon, but a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and
distress, a day of calamity and misery? Yes, for then the
Lord will come to repair the honor which sinners have
1 “Et quasi nihil posset facere Omnipotens, aestimabant eum.”—
JA xxii. 17.
' “Cognoscetur Dominus judicia faciens.”—Ps. ix. 17.
3 “Dies irae, dies tribulationis et angustiae, dies calamitatis et mi
seriae.”—Soph. 1. 15.

252

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxv.

sought to take from him on this earth. Let us examine
how the judgment of this great day will take place.
The coming of the Judge will be preceded by fire. A
fire shall go before Him.' Fire will
descend from heaven
•
. · *r
and shall burn the earth and all things upon the earth.
The earth, and the works which are in it, shall be burnt up:
Thus palaces, churches, villas, cities, kingdoms, all must
be reduced to one heap of ashes. This house, defiled by
sins, must be purified by fire. Behold the end of all the
riches, pomps, and pleasures of this earth ' After the
death of all men, the trumpet will sound, and all will
rise again.3 “ As often,” says Jerome, “as 1 consider the
day of judgment, I tremble; that trumpet appears always
to sound in my ears, Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment.''
At the sound of this trumpet, the souls of the just will
descend to be united to the bodies with which they
served God in this life; and the unhappy souls of the
damned will come up from hell to take possession of the
accursed bodies with which they offended God.
Oh .' how great will be the difference between the
bodies of the just and the bodies of the damned ! The
just will appear whiter, more beautiful, and more re­
splendent than the sun. Then the just shall shine as the
suni Happy he who knows how to mortify his flesh in
Lis life by refusing it forbidden pleasures; and who, to
keep it under greater check, imitates the saints, by deify­
ing it even lawful gratifications, and by treating it with
severity and contempt. Oh.' how great will then be the
happiness of those who will have practised mortification
of the flesh ! We may estimate it from the words which
1 ‘‘Ignis ante ipsum præcedet.”—Ps. xcvi. 3.
2 “Terra et quæ in ipsa sunt opera exurentur.”—2 Peter, iii. 10.
3 "Canet enim tuba, et mortui resurgent.”—I Cor. xv. 52.
4 Quoties diem judicii considero, contremisco; semper videtur illa,
tuba insonare auribus meis: Surgite mortui, venite ad judicium.
5 “ Tunc justi fulgebunt sicut sol.”—Matt. xiii. 43.

The General Judgment.
St. Peter of Alcantara addressed after death to St.
Teresa: “O happy penance, which merited for me so
great glory.” * But, on the other hand, the bodies of the
reprobate will appear black and hideous, and will send
forth an intolerable stench. Oh! how great the pain of
the damned in taking possession of their bodies ! Ac
cursed body, the soul will say, to indulge you, I have
brought myself to perdition. And the body will say:
Accursed soul! why have you, who had the use of reason,
allowed me the pleasures which have merited for you and
me the eternal torments of hell?

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Jesus and my Redeemer, who will be one day my
judge, pardon me before that day arrives. Turn not away Thy
face from me." Thou art now a Father to me ; and, like a father,
receive into Thy friendship a son who casts himself with sor­
row at Thy feet. My Father, I ask pardon. I have offended
Thee ; I have unjustly forsaken Thee. Thou didst not deserve
such treatment from me. I repent of it ; I am sorry for it with
my whole heart. Turn not away Thy face from me ; do not
cast me off as I deserved. Remember the blood which Thou
hast shed for me, and have pity on me. My Jesus, I wish for
no other judge than Thee. “ I willingly," said St. Thomas of
Villanova, “ submit to the judgment of him who died for me,
and who, that he might not condemn me, has condemned him­
self to the cross." St. Paul has said the same. ITho is he that
shall condemn? Christ Jesus, that died.1
23 My Father. 1 love
Thee, and, for the future, I will never more depart from Thy
feet. Forget the injuries I have done Thee, and give me a great
love for Thy goodness. 1 desire to love Thee more than I have
offended Thee; but if Thou dost not assist me. I shall not be
able to love Thee. Assist me, O my Jesus! make mealways
1 “ O felix poenitentia, quæ tantam mihi promeruit gloriam.’—In
ejus off. lect. 6.
3 “ Non avertas faciem tuam a me."—Pj.xxvi. 9.
3 “ Quis est qui condemnet ? Christus Jesus, qui mortuus est . . .
pro nobis.”—Pom. viii. 34.

254

Preparation foi' Death.

icon. xxv

grateful to Thy love, that on the day of judgment 1 may be
found in the valley of Josaphat, among the number of Thy
lovers. O Mary, my Queen and my advocate 1 assist me now;
for if I am lost, thou wilt not be able to help me on that day.
Thou prayest for all ; pray also for one who glories in being thy
devoted servant, and who places so much confidence in thee.
SECOND POINT.

The Valley of Josaphat.

After their resurrection, all men will be told by the
angels to go to the valley of Josaphat, that there they
may be judged, Nations, nations, in the valley of destruction;
for the day of the Lord is near.' When the whole human
race will be assembled, the angels will come and sepa­
rate the reprobate from the elect. The angels shall go out,
and shall separate the wicked from among thejusti1 The just
will stand on the right, and the wicked will be driven to
the left. How great would be the pain that you would feel
at being driven away from a party of pleasure, or at being
expelled from the church ! But how much greater will be
the pain of those who are banished from the society of
the saints ! “What think you,” says the author of the
Imperfect Work, “must be the confusion of the wicked,
when, after being separated from the just, they will be
abandoned ? ”3 This confusion alone would, according to
St. Chrysostom, be sufficient to constitute a hell for the
reprobate. The son will be separated from the fa.her,
the husband from the wife, and the master from the ser­
vant. One shall be taken and one shall be left.' Tell n.e,
1 “ Populi, populi, in valle concisionis; quia juxta est dies Domini,"
—Joel, iii. 14.
2 “ Exibunt angeli, et separabunt malos de medio justorum ”—Matt.
xiii. 49.
3 “ Quomodo putas impios confundendos, quando, segregatis justis,
fuerint derelicti —In Matth. hom. 54.
4 “Unus assumetur, et unus relinquetur."—Matt. xxiv. 40.

The General Judgment.

255

my brother, what place do you think will fall to you ?
Would you wish to be found at the right hand ? If you
do, abandon the life which leads to the left.
In this life the princes of the earth and the worldly
rich are deemed fortunate, but the saints, who live in
poverty and humiliations, are despised. O faithful souls
who love God, be not troubled at seeing yourselves in
contempt and tribulations on this earth: Your sorrow
shall be turned into joyI On the day of judgment you will
be called truly fortunate, and will have the honor of
being declared as belonging to the court of Jesus Christ.
Oh! how beautiful will then be the appearance of St.
Peter of Alcantara, who was despised as an apostate ! of
St. John of God, who was treated as a fool ! of St. Peter
Celestine, who, after having renounced the papal throne,
. died in a prison ! Oh ! how great will then be the honors
of so many martyrs who have been torn to pieces by
their executioners ! Then shall every man have praise from
God? But on the other hand, how horrible will be the
appearance of Herod, of Pilate, of Nero, and so many
other great men of this earth, who are now damned ! O
lovers of the world, in the valley, in the valley I expect
you. There, without doubt you will change your senti­
ments, there you will weep over your folly. Miserable
beings, who for the sake of making a figure for a short
time on the theatre of this world, will afterward have
to
act
the
part
of
reprobate
in
the
tragedy
of
judgment.
_
·
e
The elect will then be placed on the right; according to
the apostle, they will, for their greater glory, be raised
in the air above the clouds, and will go with the angels
to meet Jesus Christ descending from heaven. JVe shall
be taken up together with them to meet Christ into the air?
1
2
3
iv.

“ Tristitia vestra vertetur in gaudium.”—John, xvi. 20.
“Tunc laus erit unicuique a Deo.”—1 Cor. iv. 5.
“ Rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Christo in aera.”—1 Thess.
16.

2 $6

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxv.

But the damned, like so many goats destined for the
slaughter, will be compelled to remain at the left, wait­
ing for the Judge, who will publicly pronounce sentence
of condemnation against all his enemies.
But behold the heavens are already opened, the angels
come to assist at the Judgment, carrying the symbols of
the Passion of Jesus Christ. “ When,” says St. Thomas,
“ the Lord comes to judge, the sign of the cross and the
other emblems of his passion shall be exhibited.” 1 The
cross especially will appear. And then, says the Re­
deemer, shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven,
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mournj Oh ! says
Cornelius a Lapide, how great, at the sight of the cross,
will be the wailing of sinners who, during life, disre­
garded their own salvation, which the Son of God
purchased at so dear a price ! Then, says St. Chrysos­
tom, “shall the nails complain of thee; the wounds, the
cross of Christ shall speak against thee.”1*345 The holy
apostles and all their imitators will act as assessors at
the general judgment, and shall, together with Jesus
Christ, judge the nations. The just shall shine. . . . They
shalljudge nations? Mary, the Queen of angels and saints,
will also come to assist at the judgment. Lastly, the
eternal Judge will come seated on a throne of majesty
and light. And they shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with much power and majesty:b At their
presence, says the prophet Joel, the people shall be in grievous
1 “ Veniente Domino ad judicium, signum Crucis et alia Passionis
indicia demonstrabuntur.”—Comp, theol. p. I, c. 244.
- “ Tunc parebit signum Filii hominis; et tunc plangent omnes tri­
bus terræ.”—Matt. xxiv. 30.
3 Clavi de te conquerentur, cicatrices contra te loquentur, crux
Christi contra te perorabit.
4 “ Fulgebunt justi. . . . Judicabunt nationes.”—Wis. iii. 7. 8.
5 “Et videbunt Filium hominis venientem in nubibus coeli, cum
virtute multa et majestate.”—Matt. xxiv. 30.

The General Judgment.

257

painsl The sight of Jesus Christ will console the elect;
but in the reprobate it will excite more pain than hell
itself. “It would,” says St. Jerome, “be easies to bear
the pains of hell than the presence of the Lord.”3 St.
Teresa used to say: “ My Jesus, afflict me with every pain,
but do not allow me to see Thy countenance enraged
against me on that day.” And St. Basil says, “ This
confusion surpasses all torture.”3 Then will be verified
the prediction of St. John, that the damned will call upon
the mountains to fall upon them, and to hide them from
the sight of an angry judge. And they shall say to the
mountains and rocks: Fail upon us, and hide us from the
face of Him that sittcth on the throne, and from the wrath of
the Lamb}

Affections and Prayers.
0 my dear Redeemer! O Lamb of God, who hast come into
the world, not to punish, but to pardon sins; ah! pardon me
immediately : pardon me before the arrival of that day on which
Thou wilt judge me. Then the sight of Thee. O divine Lamb!
who hast borne with me so long and with so much patience,
should, if I were lost, be the hell of hells. Ah ! I say again, par­
don me soon ; draw me by Thy merciful hand from the abyss
into which my sins have cast me. I repent, O sovereign Good !
of having offended Thee, and of having offended Thee so
grievously. I love Thee, my judge, who hast loved me so
tenderly. Ah ! through the merits of Thy death, grant me a
great grace, which will transform me from a sinner into a saint·
Thou hast promised to hear all who pray to Thee. Cry to me and
I will hear thecP I do not ask earthly goods: I ask Thy grace,
Thy love, and nothing else. Hear me, O my Jesus! through
1 '‘A facie ejus cruciabuntur populi."—Joel. ii. 6.
s Damnatis melius esset inferni poenas, quam Domini præsentiam,
(erre.
3 Superat omnem poenam confusio ista.
4 “ Dicunt montibus et petris: Cadite super nos, et abscondite nos a
facie sedentis super thronum, et ab ira Agni."—vi. 16.
5 Clama ad me, et exaudiam te."—Jer. xxxiii. 3.

258

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxv.

the love which Thou didst bear to me when Thou didst die on the
cross for my salvation. My beloved Judge, I am a criminal, but
a criminal who loves Thee more than he does himself. Have
pity on me. Mary, my Mother! come to my aid, and come
immediately ; now is the time that thou canst assist me. Thou
didst not abandon me when I lived in forgetfulness of thee and
of God ; come to my relief now that I am resolved to serve thee
always, and never more to offend my Lord. O Mary ! after
Jesus, thou art my hope.
THIRD POINT.

The Eternal Sentence.

But, behold ! the judgment already begins. The
books, which shall be the consciences of each individual,
are opened. The judgment sat, and the books were opened)
The witnesses against the reprobate will be—first, the
devils, who, according to St. Augustine, will say: “Most
just God, declare him to be mine who was unwilling to
be yours.”3 Secondly, they will be their own consciences:
Their own conscience bearing witness to them.' The ver}
walls of the house in which they have offended God will
bear testimony, and will cry for vengeance against them.
The stone shall cry out of the wall.' Finally, the Judge
himself, who has been present at all the insults offered
to him, will give evidence against the sinner. I am the
Judge and the witness, saith the Lord.' St. Paul says, that
then the Lord will bring to light the hidden things of dark­
ness) He will make known to all men the most secret
and shameful sins of the reprobate, which they con1
2
De
3
4
5
6

“Judicium sedit, et libri aperti sunt.”—Dan. vii. io.
“ /Equissime Judex, judica esse meum, qui tuus esse noluit.”—
Sal. Doc. c. 62.
“Testimonium reddente illis conscientia ipsorum.”—Rotn. ii. 15.
“Lapis de pariete clamabit.”—Hab. ii. 11.
“ Ego sum Judex et testis, dicit Dominus.”—fer. xxix, 23.
“ Illuminabit abscondita tenebrarum.”—1 Cor. iv. 5.

The General Judgment.

259

cealed even in the tribunal of confession. I will discover thy
shame to thy face? The Master of the Sentences, along
with other authors, is of opinion that the sins of the
elect will not be manifested; but will, according to the
words of David, be covered: Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered? But St.
Basil teaches that with a single glance all will see, as in
a picture, the sins of the damned. If, says St. Thomas
{De Hum. chr. a. 25), in the garden of Gethsemane, at the
words of Christ, “Z am Hef the soldiers who came to
take him prisoner fell prostrate on the ground, what
will be the condition of the damned when, sitting in
judgment, he will say to them: Behold, I am He whom
you have so much despised?
But now comes lhe sentence. Jesus Christ will first
turn to the elect, and address them in these consoling
words: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world? So great
was the consolation which St. Francis of Assisi felt when
he learned by revelation that he was predestined, that he
could not contain himself. How great will be the joy of
the elect in hearing
O the JJudge
o sav* to him: Come, blessed
children, come to a kingdom; foi you there are no more
pains, no more fears; you are and shall be saved forever.
I bless the blood which I have shed for you, and I bless
the tears which you have shed for your
sins. Let us asy
cend into Paradise, where we shall remain together for
all eternity ! The most holy Mary will also bless her
servants, and will invite them with her to heaven. And
thus, singing Allelujas, lhe elect will enter heaven in tri­
umph, to possess, to praise, and to love God forever.
1 “ Revelabo pudenda tua in facie tua.”—Nah. iii. 5.
8 “ Beati, quorum remissæ sunt iniquitates, et quorum tecta sunt
peccata.”—Ps. xxxi. I.
3 “Venite, benedicti Patris mei, possidete paratum vobis regnum a
constitutione mundi.”—Matt. xxv. 34.

200

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXV

But on the other hand, the reprobate, turning to Jesus
Christ, will say to him: What will become of us? Since,
the Judge will say, you have renounced and despised my
grace, departfrom Me, you cursed, into everlasting fired De­
partj begone from Me; I wish neither to see nor to hear
you ever more. You cursed, go, and since you have de­
spised my blessing, go accursed. And where, 0 Lord,
will they go ? Into fire, into hell, to burn both in soul
and in body. And for how many years, or for how many
ages? Into everlasting fire; for all eternity; as longas
God shall be God. After this sentence, says St. Ephrem,
the reprobate will take leave of the angels, of the saints,
of relatives, and of the divine Mother. “ Farewell, ye
just ! farewell, O cross ! farewell, O paradise ! farewell,
fathers and children, for we shall never see any of you
again! farewell, O Mary, Mother of God!”3 Then, in
the middle of that valley, a pit will be opened, into which
the devils and the damned will fall. O God ! they will
see those gates closed, never to be opened, never, never
for all eternity. O accursed sin, to what a melancholy
end will you one day lead so many poor souls ! O un­
happy souls, to whom this unhappy end is reserved !
Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my Saviour and my God ! what sentence shall I receive
on that day? If, O mv Jesus! Thou now demandest an account
of my life, what could I say to Thee but that I deserve a thou­
sand hells? Yes, it is true, O mv divine Redeemer! I deserve
a thousand hells ; but remember that I love Thee, and that I
love Thee more than myself : and for the insults I have commit­
ted against Thee, I feel so great a sorrow, that I would be con­
tent to have suffered every evil rather than have offended Thee.
Thou, O my Jesus! condemnest obstinate sinners, but not those
1 “Discedite a me, maledicti, in ignem æternum.”—Matt. xxv. 41.
8 “Valete, Justi ! vale. Crux ! vale. Paradise ! valete, patres ac
filii ! nullum si quidem vestrum visuri sumus ultra. Vale, tu quoque,
Dei Genitrix, Maria !”—De Yarns Tunn. inj.

The Generat Judgment,

261

who repent and wish to love Thee. Behold me penitent at Thy
feet ; make me feel that Thou pardonest me. But this Thou
hast declared by the mouth of Thy prophet. “Turn ye to me,
saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will turn to you.·”—Zac. i. 3. I
give up all things; I renounce ail the pleasures and goods of
this world; I turn to Thee, and embrace Thee, O my beloved
Redeemer! Ah ! receive me into Thy heart, and there inflame
me with Thy holy love ; but inflame me in such a manner, that
I shall never again think of separating from Thee. O my Jesus !
save me, and let my salvation consist in loving Thee always, and
in singing Thy mercies forever. The mercies of the Lord I mill
sing forever.* Mary, my hope, my refuge, and my Mother, assist
me, and obtain for me holy perseverance. No one has been lost
who has had recourse to thee. To thee I recommend myself;
have pity on me.
1 “Misericordias Domini in æternum cantabo.”—Ps. Ixxxviii. 2.

202

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXVI

CONSIDERATION XXVI.
W Piuns of fjcll.
“And these shall go into everlasting punishment.”—Matt. xxv. 46.

FIRST POINT.

The Pain of Sense.

In committing sin, the sinner does two evils. He
abandons God, the Sovereign Good, and turns to crea­
tures. For My people have done two evils. They have for­
saken Λ/e, the fountain of living water, and have digged to
themselves cisterns—broken cisterns—that can hold no wateri
Since, then, by turning to creatures the sinner offends
God, he will be justly tortured in hell by the same crea­
tures by fire, and by devils: in this punishment consists
the pain of sense. But because his greatest guilt and the
malice of his sin consists in turning his back on God, his
principal torment, his hell, will be the pain of loss, or
that pain arising from having lost God.
Let us first consider the pain of sense. It is of faith,
that there is a hell. In the middle of the earth there is
a prison reserved for the chastisement of rebels against
God. What is this hell? It is what the glutton who
was damned called a place of torments." A jïlace of
torments, where all the senses and powers of the damned
1 “ Duo enim mala fecit populus meus : me dereliquerunt, fontem
*quæ vivæ ; et foderunt sibi cisternas, cisternas dissipatas, quæ con­
cinere non valent aquas.”—Jer. ii. 13.
3 “ In hunc locum tormentorum.”—Luke, xvi. 28.

The Pains of Hell.

263

will have their proper torment, and where, the more a
person has offended God by any sense, the more he
will be tortured in that sense. By what things a man
sinneth, by the same also he is tormented' As much as she
hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies, so much torments
and sorrow give ye to her.—Apoc.w\\\. 7. The sight will be
tormented with darkness. A land, says Job, that is dark,
and covered with the mist of death."1 How pitiable the condi­
tion of a man who is shut up in a dark cave for forty or
fifty years, or during his whole life ! Hell is a dungeon
closed up on every side, into which a ray of the sun, or of
any other light, shall never enter. He shall never see the
light.2 The fire of this world sends forth light ; but the fire
of hell is utterly dark.
The voice of the Lord divided the
fire.1 In explaining these words, St. Basil says, that the
Lord will separate the light from the fire, so that this
fire will burn, but will not illuminate. Albertus Magnus
expounds them more briefly, and says that God “ will
divide the flame from the heat.” 5 The very smoke that
issues from that fire shall form a storm of darkness
which, according to St. Jude, will blind the damned. To
whom the storm of darkness is reserved forever* St. Thomas
teaches that the damned have only the light which serves
to increase their torments.7 In that glimmering light
they will see the deformity of their associates, and of
the devils, who will assume horrible forms in order to in­
crease the terrors of the damned.
The sense of smell will also be tormented. How pain­
ful to be confined in a close room along with a putrid
1 “ Per quæ peccat quis, per hæc et torquetur.”—IFïs. xi. 17.
* “ Terrain tenebrosam, et opertam mortis caligine.—frf, x. 21.
3 “ Usque in æternum non videbit lumen.”—Ps. xlviii. 20.
4 “ Vox Domini intercedentis flammam ignis.”— Ps. xxviii. 7.
5 Dividet a calore splendorem.
6 “ Quibus procella tenebrarum servata est in æternum.”—-Jud. T3.
1 “ Quantum sufficit ad videndum illa quæ torquere possunt.”—
Suppi. q. 97» a. 4.

264

Preparation for Death.

icon. xxvi.

corpse! Out of their carcasses, says the Prophet Isaias,
shall rise a stink.1 The damned must remain in the midst
ol so many millions of the reprobate, who, though for­
ever alive to pain, are called carcasses on account of the
stench which they send forth. St. Bonaventure says,
that if the body of one of the damned were placed on
this earth, it would, by its stench, be sufficient to cause
the death of all men. Miserable fools ! the greater the
number of the damned in hell, the more insufferable will
be their torments. “There,” says St. Thomas, “the
society of the reprobate will cause, not a diminution, but
an increase of misery.” * Their sufferings are more in­
tolerable on account of the stench, on account of the
shrieks of the damned, and on account of the narrow­
ness of the place. In hell, they will be one over the
other, like sheep gathered together in the winter. They
are, said David, laid in hell like sheep? They will be even
like grapes pressed under the wine-press of God’s wrath.
And he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath
of God the Almighty? From this will arise the pain of
immobility. Let them become immovable as a stone? Thus,
in whatsoever position the damned will fall into hell after
the last day, in that they must remain, without ever
changing their posture, and without ever being able to
move hand or foot, as long as God will be God.
The sense of hearing will be tormented by the unceas­
ing howling and wailing of those miserable beings, who
are sunk in an abyss of despair. The devils will torment
the damned by continual noises. The sound of dread is
always in his ears? How painful to a person longing for123456
1
2
3
4
5
6

·* De cadaveribus eorum ascendet fœtor.”—Isa. xxxiv. 3.
Ibi miserorum societas, miseriam non minuet, sed augebit.
“ Sicut oves in inferno positi sunt.”—Ps. xlviii. 15.
“ Et ipse calcat torcular vini furoris iræ Dei. — sljoc. xix. 15.
“ Fiant immobiles quasi lapis.”—ExoL xv. 16.
“ Sonitus terroris semper in auribus illius.”—Job, xv. 21.

7he Pains of Helt.

265

sleep to hear the groans of a sick man, the barking of a
dog, or the screams of an infant ! But, oh ! how mise­
rable the condition of the damned, who must listen
incessantly for all eternity to the clamor and cries of the
companions of their torments ! The damned will be
tormented by a ravenous hunger. They shall suffer hunger
like dogs? But they never will have a morsel of bread.
Their thirst will be so great that all the waters of the
ocean will not be able to quench it ; but they will never
be allowed a single drop. The rich glutton asked for a
drop of water ; but he has not as yet had it, and he
never, never will have it.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Lord ! behold at Thy feet one who has so much de­
spised Thy grace and Thy chastisements! Miserable should I
be, O my Jesus ! if Thou hadst not taken pity on me. How
many years should I be in that fetid furnace, in which so many
of my companions are now burning! Ah, my Redeemer! why
does not this thought make me burn with 1 hy love ? How can 1
ever again think of offending Thee ? Ah, my Jesus ! may I never
more displease Thee. Strike me dead a thousand times rather
than permit me ever again to insult Thee. Since I hou hast begun,
complete the work. Thou hast taken me out of the abyss of so
many sins, and hast so lovingly called me to love Thee. Ah !
grant that 1 may spend for Thee all the time which 1 hou now
givest me. How ardently should the damned desire a day or
an hour of the time granted to me ! And shall 1 continue to
spend it in offending Thee ? No, my Jesus ! through the merits
of that blood, which has hitherto delivered me from hell, do
not permit it. I love Thee, O Sovereign Good ! and because I
love Thee I am sorry for having offended Thee. I wish never
more to offend Thee, but to love Thee forever. Mary, my
Queen and my Mother ! pray to Jesus for me, and obtain for
me the gift of perseverance and of his holy love.
Famem patientur ut canes.

j. Iviii. 15.

266

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXVI,

SECOND POINT.

The Fire of Hell.

The pain which most severely torments the senses of
the damned arises trom the fire of hell, which tortures
the sense of touch. The vengeance on the flesh of the un­
godly is fire and worms.1 Hence, in passing sentence, the
Lord makes special mention of it. Depart from Me, you
cursed, into everlasting fire? Even in this life, the pain of
fire is the greatest of all torments; but according to St.
Augustine, our fire, compared with the fire of hell, is but
painted fire.3 St. Vincent Ferrer says, that in compari­
son with the fire of hell our fire is cold. The reason is,
that the fire of this earth has been created for our use;
but God has made the fire of hell purposely to torment
the damned. As Tertullian remarks: “Fire which is
made for the use of man in this world, is very different
from that which is used for the justice of God.”4 The
wrath of God lights up this avenging fire. A fire is
kindled in my rage? Hence, the Prophet Isaias calls the
fire of hell the spirit of heat. If the Lord shall wash away
the filth of the daughters of Sion ... by the spirit of burning?
The damned will be sent, not to the fire, but into the
fire. “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting
fire.” Thus, like a piece of wood in the furnace, they
will be surrounded by fire. They will have an abyss of
fire below, an abyss of fire above, and an abyss of fire on
every side. If they touch, or see, or breathe, they touch,
1 “ Vindicta carnis impii, ignis et vermis.”—Ecclus. vii. 19.
2 “ Discedite a me, maledicti, in ignem æternum.”—Matt. xxv. 41.
3 In cujus comparatione, noster hic ignis depictus est.
4 “ Longe alius est ignis qui usui humano, alius qui Dei justitiæ
deservit.”—Apolog. c. 48.
H
6 “ Ignis succensus est in furore meo.”—Jer. xv. 14.
e “Si abluerit Dominus sordes ... in spiritu ardoris.”—Isa. iv. 4.

The Pa itie of Hell.
and see, and breathe nothing but fire. They will live
in fire, like a fish in water. But this fire will not only
surround the damned, but will also enter into their very
bowels to torment them. Their bodies will become all
fire. Thus, this fire will burn the bowels, the heart, the
brain, the blood within the veins, and even the marrow
within the bones. Each of the damned will be in him­
self a furnace of fire. Thou shalt make them as a furnace
of fire?
Some cannot bear to walk under a strong sun, or to
remain in a close room before a large fire ; they cannot
endure a spark that flies from a candle ; and still they
fear not the devouring flames of hell. Which of you,
says the Prophet Isaias, can dwell with devouring fire I3
As a wild beast devours a lamb, so the fire of hell de­
vours the damned ; but it devours them without ever
causing death. “ Fools,” says St. Peter Damian, address­
ing the unchaste, “ continue, continue to indulge your
flesh; a day will come when your impurities, like pitch,
will nourish and increase within your bowels the flame
which will torment you in hell.” 3 St. Jerome says that
this fire will bring with it all the pains and torments to
which men are subject on this earth—pains in the sides,
in the head, in the bowels,· in the nerves. In this fire
the damned will suffer even the pain of cold.4 Let him,
says Job, fass from the snow waters to excessive heat* But
we must always keep in mind, that all the torments of
this earth are, as St. Chrysostom says, but the shadow
of the pains of hell.
1 “ Pones eos ut clibanum ignis.”—Ps. xx. io.
2 “ Quis poterit habitarede vobis cum igne devorante?”—Isa. xxxiii.
14.
3 'Veniet dies, imo nox, quando libido tua vertetur in picem, qua
se perpetuus ignis in tuis visceribus nutriat.”—De Cœtib. sac. c. 3.
4 In uno igne omnia supplicia sentiunt in inferno peccatores.
5 “ Ad nimium calorem transeat ab aquis nivium.”—-Job, xxiv. 19.

268

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXVI

The powers of the soul will also have their proper tor­
ment. The damned will be tormented in the memory
by the remembrance of the time which was given to
them in this life, that they might save their souls, and
which they spent in procuring their own damnation; by
the remembrance of the graces which they have received
from God, and of which they have not profited. They
will be tormented in the understanding by thinking of
the great good which they have lost in losing heaven
and God, and that this loss is forever irreparable. In
the will, by seeing that they will be refused whatsoever
they ask. The desire of the wicked shall perish.' The
miserable beings will never have anything which they
desire, and will be forever afflicted with the eternal tor­
ments which they abhor. They would wish to be rid of
these torments, and to enjoy peace; but in these torments
they will forever remain, and peace they will never find.
Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my Jesus ! Thy blood and Thy death arc my hope. Thou
hast died to deliver me from eternal death. Ah, Lord ! who
hast partaken more of Thy merits than I, who have so often de­
served hell ? Ah ! do not allow me to live any longer ungrate­
ful to the great graces Thou hast bestowed upon me. Thou
hast delivered me from the fire of hell, because Thou wishest me
to burn, not in that tormenting fire, but with the sweet flames
of Thy love. Assist me, then, that I maÿ satisfy Thy desire.
Were I now in heli, I could never more love Thee. But since I
am able to love Thee, I wish to love Thee. I love Thee, O infi­
nite Goodness ! I love Thee, O my Redeemer ! who hast loved me
so tenderly. How have I been able to live so long in forget­
fulness of Thee? I thank Thee for not having been forgetful
of me. Hadst Thou forgotten me, 1 should now cither be in hell
or without sorrow for my sins. This sorrow which I feel in my
heart for having offended Thee, and mv desire to love Thee
ardently, are gifts of Thy grace, which still assist me. I thank
1 “Desiderium peccatorum peribit.”—Ps. cxi. io.

The Pains of Hell.
Thee for them, O my Jesus! I hope for the future to give Thee
the remainder of my life. I wish to think only of serving ana
pleasing Thee. Remind me always of the hell I have deserved,
and of the graces Thou hast bestowed upon me, and do not
permit me ever again to turn my back upon Thee, and to con­
demn myself to that pit of torments. O Mother of God ! pray
for me a sinner. Thy intercession has delivered me from hell.
Deliver me also, O my Mother, by thy prayers, from sin, which
alone can again condemn me to hell.
THIRD POINT.

The Pain of Loss.

But all these torments are nothing, compared with the
pain of loss. Hell does not consist in the darkness,
stench, shrieks, and fire; the pain which constitutes hell
is, the pain of having lost God. “Let torments,” says
St. Bruno, “be added to torments, and let them not be
deprived of God.” 1 And St. John Chrysostom says that
a thousand hells are not equal to this pain.1
2 According
to St. Augustine, if the damned enjoyed the vision of
God, “they should feel no pain, and hell should be con­
verted into a paradise.” 3 To conceive some notion of
this pain, consider that, should a person lose a jewel
worth a hundred crowns, the loss would occasion great
pain, but were the jewel worth two hundred crowns, his
pain is doubled; and if it were worth four hundred
crowns, the pain is still greater. In a word, the· pain
which he suffers increases in proportion to the value of
what he has lost. What have the damned lost? They
have lost God, who is an infinite good. Hence St.
1 “ Addantur tormenta tormentis, ac Deo non priventur.”—Serm.
de jud. fin.
5 “Si mille dixeris gehennas, nihil par dies illius doloris.’’—z/J
J/;/, hom. 48.
3 “ Nullam poenam sentirent, continuo infernus converteretur in
paradisum.”—De Tripi. Hab. c. 4.

270

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxvi.

Thomas says that the pain of the damned is, in a certain
manner, infinite.1
This pain is dreaded only by the saints. St. Ignatius
of Loyola used to say: Lord, I am willing to bear every
pain, but not the pain of being deprived of Thee. But,
because they live in the midst of darkness, sinners who
are content to live for months and years without God
do not understand this pain. However, they will know
at death the great good which they lose. At its depar­
ture from this world, the soul, as St. Antonine says, in­
stantly sees that it has been created for God.12 Hence
it will suddenly rush forward to embrace its Sovereign
Good: but, if it be in sin, God will cast it off. If a dog
sees a hare, what efforts does he not make to break his
chains and seize his prey. At its separation from the
body, the soul is naturally drawn to God, but sin drags
it away and sends it to hell, at a distance from him.
Your iniquities, says the Prophet Isaias, have divided be­
tween you and your God.3 The entire, then, of the hell of
the damned consists in that first word of the sentence
of their condemnation—Depart from Me, you cursed. Go,
Jesus Christ shall say; I do not wish you ever again to
see my face. When Absalom heard that David con­
demned him never more to appear before him, he said:
Tell my father cither to permit me to see his face, or to
put me to death.—2 Kings, xiv. 24. To one of his gran­
dees, whom he saw guilty of irreverence in the church,
Philip II. said: “Do not dare ever again to appear
in my presence.” So great was the pain which the
nobleman felt, that, after having returned home, he died
1 “ Poena damnati est infinita, quia est amissio boni infiniti.”—1. 2.
q. 87, a. 4.
2 "Separata autem anima a corporis gravamine, intelligit Deum
summum bonum et quia ad illum est creata.”—P. 4, t. 14, c. 5, § 10.
3 '* Iniquitates vestræ diviserunt inter vos et Deum vestrum.”—ha.
lix. 2.

The Pains of Heil.

271

of grief. What will be the anguish of the reprobate at
the hour of death, when God will say to him: Begone; I
will never see you again ! I will hide my face from thee;
. . . all evils and afflictions shall find them.' On the day
of judgment Jesus Christ will say to the reprobate: You
are no longer mine; I am no longer yours. Call his name
not, my people; for you are not my people, and I will not be
yours."1
With what pain does a son at the death of a father, or
a wife at the death of a husband, say : My father, my
wife, I shall never see you again ! Ah ! if we now heard
the wailing of one of the damned, and asked him why he
weeps so bitterly, his answer would be : I weep because
I have lost God, and shall never see him more. Perhaps
the miserable man can love God in hell, and can resign
himself to his will? No, if he could do this, hell would
not be hell. The unhappy being can never resign him­
self to the divine will? Neither can he love his God; he
hates and will hate him forever; and his hell will consist
in the conviction that God is an infinite good, and that
he is compelled to hate him, while he sees that he is
worthy of infinite love. When St. Catharine asked a
devil who he was, he said: “I am that wicked wretch
that is deprived of the love of God.”3 The damned will
hate and curse God; and in cursing God, they will also
curse the benefits he has conferred upon them; they will
curse the benefits of creation, of redemption, of the sac­
raments, particularly the sacraments of baptism and
penance, and, above all, the most holy sacrament of the
altar. They will hate all the angels and saints, but
especially their angel-guardians and their holy advo­
cates, and above all the divine Mother. But they will
1 “Abscondam faciem meam ab eo, et invenient eum omnia mala.”
Dent. xxxi. 17.
2 “Quia vos non populus meus, et ego non ero vester.”—Os. i. 9.
3 Ego sum ille nequam privatus amore Dei.

272

Preparation for Death.

[con.xxvi

The Eternity of Hell.

principally hate the Three Divine Persons, and among
them they will hate in a special manner the Son of God,
who once died for their salvation; they will curse his
wounds, his blood, his pains, and his death.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! Thou then art my supreme and infinite Good;
and I have so often voluntarily lost Thee! I knew that in
committing sin I gave Thee great displeasure, and that I lost
Thy grace; and with this knowledge I have consented to sin!
Ah ! if I did not see Thee, O Son of God, nailed to the cross in
order to die for me, I should not have courage to ask or hope
for pardon from Thee. Eternal Father! look not on me, but
behold Thy beloved Son, who asks mercy for me; hear him,
and pardon me. I ought at this moment to be in hell, without
any hope of being ever more able to love Thee, or to recover
Thy lost grace. My God ! I am sorry above all things for the
injury I have done Thee in renouncing Thy friendship, and
despising Thy love for the miserable pleasures of this world,
Oh ! that I had died a thousand times, rather than have offered
Thee so great an insult! How could I have been so blind and
foolish ! I thank Thee, O my Lord ! for giving me time to repair
the evil I have done. Since, through Thy mercy, I am not in
hell, and can love Thee. O my God ! I wish to love Thee. I
will wait no longer to convert myself entirely to Thee. I love
Thee, O infinite goodness! I love Thee, my life, my treasure,
mv love, my all. Remind me always, O Lord ! of the love
which Thou hast borne to me, and of the hell which I have
deserved, that this thought may continually excite me to make
acts of love, and to say always, I love Thee, I love Thee, I love
Thee. O Mary, my Queen, my hope and my Mother, if I were
in hell, I could never more love thee. I love thee, 0 my
Mother! and in thee, after Jesus, I trust that I shall never
again cease to love my God and thee. Assist me ; pray to Jesus
for me.

CONSIDERATION XXVII.
ftlje Qstcrnitn of ijcll.
‘‘And these shall go into everlasting punishment.”—Matt. xxv. 46.

FIRST POINT.

Hell is Eternal.

Were hell not eternal, it would not be hell. Torments
which continue but a short time, are not a severe pun­
ishment. The man who is afflicted with an abscess or
cancer submits to the knife or the cautery. The pain is
very sharp; but, because it is soon over, the torture is
not very great. But, should the incision or cauteriza­
tion last for a week, or for an entire month, how fright­
ful should be his agony7 ! A slight pain in the eye, or in
the teeth, when it lasts for a long time, becomes insup­
portable.
Even a comedy, a musical entertainment,
would it continue for an entire day, produces intolerable
tediousness. And would it last for a month, or for a
year, who could · bear it ? AVhat then must hell be,
where the damned are compelled, not to listen to the
same comedy or the same music, nor to submit merely
to pains in the eyes, or in the teeth, or to the torture of
the knife, or of the red-hot iron, but to suffer all pains
and all torments ? And for how long ? For all eternity.
They shall be tortured forever and ever.1
This belief in eternity is an article of faith; it is not
an opinion, but a truth attested by God in so many
: “ Cruciabuntur die ac nocte in sæcula sæculorum.”—Afoc. xx. 10.

2 74

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxvil

places in Holy Scripture. Depart from Me, you accursed,
into everlasting fire. A nd these shall go into everlasting pun­
ishment) Who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruc­
tion) Every one shall be salted with fire) As salt prevents
putrefaction, so the fire of hell, while it tortures the
damned, performs the office of salt by preserving their
life.
Now, how great would be the folly of the man who,
for the sake of a day’s amusement, would voluntarily
condemn himself to be shut up in a dungeon for twenty
or thirty years ! If hell lasted but a hundred, or even
but two or three years, it would be the extreme of folly
in a Christian to condemn himself to fire for two or
three years for the vile pleasure of a moment. But
there is not the question of thirty, of a hundred, or of a
hundred thousand years; but there is question of eter­
nity; there is question of suffering forever the same tor­
ments—torments which will never end, and will never be
mitigated in the slightest degree. The saints then had
reason, as long as they were on this earth, and in danger
of being lost, to weep and tremble. Blessed Isaias, even
while he lived in the desert in fasting and penitential
rigors wept and said: Ah! unhappy me, who am not as
yet free from the danger of losing my soul.

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! if Thou hadst sent me to hell, as I have often
deserved, and hadst afterward drawn me from it, how deeply
should I feel my obligations to Thee ! What a holy life would I
have begun ! And now that Thou hast shown me greater mercy
by preserving me from falling into that place of woe, what shall
1 do ? Shall I again offend Thee and provoke Thy wrath, that
1 “ Discedite a me, maledicti, in ignem æternum. . . Et ibunt hi in
supplicium æternum.”—Matt. xxv. 41, 46.
8 “ Pœnas dabunt in interitu æternas.”—2 7'hess. i. 9.
3 “Omnis igne salietur.”—Mark, ix. 48.

The Eternity of Hell.

275

Thou mayest send me to burn in that prison of rebels against
Thy majesty, where so many are buried in fire for fewer sins
than I have committed? Ah, my Redeemer! I have hitherto
done so; and instead of availing myself of the time which Thou
gavest me to weep over my sins, I have spent it in provoking
Thee still more. I thank Thy infinite goodness for having
borne with me so long. If Thy goodness were not infinite, how
couldst Thou have borne with me? I thank Thee for having
waited for me till now with so much patience. I thank Thee
in a most special manner for the light which Thou now givest
me, by which Thou makest me see my folly, and the injury I
have done Thee in insulting Thee so often by my sins. My
Jesus! I detest them, and am sorry for them with my whole
heart. Through the merits of Thy Passion, pardon me, and
assist me with Thy grace, that I may never more offend Thee.
I now have just reason to fear that, if I commit another mortal
sin, Thou wilt abandon me. My Lord ! I entreat Thee to place
this just fear before my eyes whenever the devil will tempt me
to offend Thee again. My God ! I love Thee; I do not wish
ever more to lose Thee ; assist me by Thy grace. O most holy
Virgin ! do thou also assist me. Obtain for me the grace
always to have recourse to thee in my temptations, that I may
never again lose my God. Mary, after Jesus, thou art my hope.
SECOND POINT.

The Weight of Eternity.

He that enters hell, will not depart from it for all
eternity. This thought made David tremble and say;
Let not the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her
mouth upon me) As soon as the damned fall into that
pit of torments, its mouth is closed never to be opened.
In hell there is a gate for admission, but none for egress.
“There will be a descent,” says Eusebius, “but there
will be no ascent.”3 In explaining the words of the
1 '* Neque absorbeat me profundum, neque urgeat super me puteus
os suum.”—Ps. Ixviii. 16.
2 Descensus erit, reditus non erit.

2/6

Preparation for Death.

con. xxvh

Psalmist, this author says, and let not the pit shut her
mouth; because when it shall have received them, it will
be closed above and opened downward ! 1 As long as
the sinner remains on this earth, he may hope to reverse
the sentence of his damnation; but as soon as death
overtakes him in sin, all his hopes are at an end forever.
When the wicked man is dead, there shall be no hope any
more? Perhaps the damned may flatter themselves with
a false hope, and thus find some relief in their despair.
The man who is mortally wounded, confined to his bed,
and given over by his physicians, may console himself
with the hope of finding a physician or a remedy to heal
his wounds. The man who is condemned to the galleys
for life may also find comfort in the expectation of being
one day delivered from his chains. And may not the
damned at least say: Who knows but I shall one day
escape from this prison ? and thus delude himself with
this false hope. No: in hell there is no hope, whether
true or false; there is no perhaps. I will set before thy
faced The unhappy damned will always see the sen­
tence of their reprobation written before their eyes. In
it they' will read, that theyr will weep forever in that pit
of torments. And many shall awake: some unto life ever­
lasting, and others unto reproach, to see it alwaysd Hence
the damned not only suffer the torments of each moment,
but in each moment they endure the pain of eternity,
saying, What I now suffer, I must suffer forever. “They
bear,” says Tertullian, “the weight of eternity.”®
Let us then pray to the Lord in the words of St. Au-1
*34
1 “Quia, cum susceperit reos, claudetur sursum, et aperietur deor
sum.”—De Epiph. et Inf. hom. 3.
‘ “ Mortuo homine impio, non erit ultra spes.”—Prov. xi. 7,
3 “Statuam contra faciem tuam.”—Ps. xlix. 21.
4 “Alii in vitam aeternam, et alii in opprobrium, ut videant semper.''
—Dan. xii. 2.
yuR
* Pondus aeternitatis sustinent.

The Eternity of Heli,
gustine: “Here burn, here cut, here spare not, that you
may spare for eternity.” 1 The chastisements of this life
pass away: Thy arrows pass; but the pains of the next
life last forever, the voice of Thy thunder in a wheel? Let
us dread these punishments. Let us dread that thunder
of eternal damnation which will issue from the mouth
of the Judge in passing sentence against the wicked.
“Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire.”
The Psalmist says: “The voice of thy thunder in a
wheel.” A wheel is a figure of eternity, which has no
end. I have drawn my sword out of its sheath, not to be
turned back? The punishment of hell will be great; but
what ought to terrify us more is, that it will be irrevo­
cable.
But the unbeliever vzill say: Can it be just to punish
a sin which lasts but a moment, with eternal torments?
But how, I ask, can a sinner, for a momentary pleasure,
dare to insult a God of infinite majesty? St. Thomas
says that, even in human judgments, the punishment of
crime is measured, not from its duration, but from its
malice.'* Hell is but a small punishment for mortal sin;
an offence against infinite majesty deserves infinite chas­
tisement. “ In every mortal sin,” says St. Bernardine of
Sienna, “an infinite insult is offered to God; but an in­
finite injury merits infinite punishment.” 6 But, because,
says St. Thomas, a creature is not capable of suffering
pain infinite in point of intensity, God inflicts punish­
ment infinite in extension or duration/’
Besides, since the damned are incapable of making
1 Hic ure, hic seca; hie non parcas, ut in aeternum parcas.
2 “ Sagittæ tuæ transeunt, vox tonitrui tui in rota.’’—Ps. Ixxvi. 19.
3 “ Eduxi gladium meum de vagina sua irrevocabilem.”—Ezek. xxi. 5.
4 “ Non, quia homicidium in momento committitur, momentanea
pœna punitur.”—1. 2. q. 87, a. 3.
5 “In omni peccato mortali infinita Deo contumelia irrogatur; infinitæ autem injuriæ infinita debetur pœna.”—T. ii. s. 12, a. 2, c. 2.
6 Comp. Theoi. p. 1, c. 183.

2 78

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxvu

satisfaction for their sins, their punishment should be
necessarily eternal. In this life penitent sinners can
atone for their iniquities only in as much as the merits
of Jesus Christ are applied to them. But, from the ap­
plication of these merits the reprobate are excluded.
Hence, since they cannot appease the anger of God, and
since their sin is eternal, their punishment also must be
eternal. He shall not give to God his ransom. . . . And he
shall labor forever.1 Hence Belluacensis says: “There
sin can be forever punished, and can never be expiated;’”
for, according to St. Augustine, “there the sinner can­
not repent.” 1*3456 Therefore the wrath of the Lord shall be
always provoked against him. The people with whom the
Lord is angry forever* Moreover, the damned, though
God should wish to pardon them, are unwilling to be
pardoned; for their will is obstinate and confirmed in
hatred against God. And St. Jerome says that the re­
probate “are insatiable in the desire of sinning.”1
Hence, because the damned refuse to be healed, their
wounds are incurable. Why is my wound desperate, so as
to refuse to be healed I "

Affections and Prayers.
Then, my Redeemer! if at this hour I were damned, as I have
deserved, I should be obstinate in hatred against Thee, my
God ! who hast died for me. O God ! what a hell should it be
to hate Thee, who hast loved me so tenderly, who art infinite
beauty, infinite goodness, and worthy of infinite love ! Then if
1 “ Non dabit Deo placationem suam; . . . laborabit in æternum.”
—Ps. xlviii. S, 9.
I
a “ Culpa semper poterit ibi puniri, et nunquam poterit expiari."—
Spec. Mor. 1. 2, p. 3, d. 3.
3 Ibi peccator poenitere non potest.
4 “ Cui iratus est Dominus in æternum.”—Mal. i. 4.
5 Insatiabiles sunt in desiderio peccandi.
6 *· Factus est dolor perpetuus, et plaga desperabilis renuit curari.”
— Jer. xv. 18.
,‘πβ

The Eternity of Hell.

2 79

i were now in hell, I should be in such an unhappy state, that
I would not even wish for the pardon which Thou now offerest
to me. My Jesus, I thank Thee for the mercy Thou hast shown
me; and since I now can obtain pardon, I wish to love Thee.
Thou oilcrest me pardon, and I ask it from Thee, and hope for
it through thy merits. I am sorry for all the offences I have
committed against Thee, O infinite Goodness ! Pardon me,
then. I love Thee with my whole soul. Ah, Lord ! what evil
hast Thou done me, that I should have to hate Thee forever as
my enemy? And what friend have I ever had who has done
and suffered so much for me as Thou, O my Jesus! hast done
and suffered for me? Ah, do not permit me ever more to fall
into enmity with Thee, and to lose Thy love. Take me out of
life, sooner than permit this sovereign evil to bcfp.ll me. O
Mary ! take me under thy protection, and do not permit me
ever more to rebel against God and against thee.
THIRD POINT.

Eternity is Unchangeable.

In this life death is greatly feared by sinners; but in
hell it will be most ardently desired. Men shall seek
death, and shall not find it; and they shall desire to die, and
death shall fly from them} Hence St. Jerome has written:
“ O death, how sweet should you be to those to whom
you have been so full of bitterness. ’2 David says, that
death will feast on the damned. Death shall feed upon
them} In explaining this passage, St. Bernardine
observes that as, in feeding, sheep eat the blades of grass,
and leave the roots untouched; so death feeds on the
damned: it kills them every moment, but leaves them
life in order to continue to kill them by pains for al)
eternity. Thus, according to St. Gregory, the damned
1 “Quærent mortem, et non invenient eam; et desiderabunt mori(
et fugiet mors ab eis.”—A/oc. ix. 6.
2 “ O mors, quam dulcis esses, quibus tam amara fuisti !”—Apud. S.
Bonav. Sol. c. 3.
3 “ Mors depascet eos.”—Ps. xlviii. 15.

2So

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxvii.

die every moment without ever dying. Delivered up to
avenging flames, they will die always. A man who dies
through pain is an object of pity to all who behold him.
Perhaps the damned, too, experience commiseration from
others? None; they die every moment, and have not,
and never will have, any one to take compassion on them.
The Emperor Zeno, being one day shut up in a pit, con­
tinually cried out: For pity s sake, open this grave and
release me. But no one heard him, and he was found
dead, after having eaten the flesh off his arms. The
damned cry out from the pit of hell, says St. Cyril of
Alexandria, but no one comes to deliver them—no one
feels compassion for them.1
And for how long will this their misery last ? Forever,
forever. In the spiritual exercises of Father Paul
Segneri, written by Muratori, it is related that in Rome,
a devil in the body of a man possessed, being asked how
long he would remain in hell, began to beat his hand
against a chair, and answered in a rage: Forever, forever !
At hearing this great sermon of two words, forever, for­
ever, many students of the Roman seminary, who were
present, made a general confession, and changed their
lives. Poor Judas ! he has spent more than eighteen
hundred years in hell, and his hell is still at its com­
mencement. Poor Cain, he is in fire for more than five
thousand eight hundred years, and his hell is at its be­
ginning. Another devil was asked how long it was since
he had been sent to hell. He answered, Yesterday.
“ How,” said the person who asked him, “could it be
yesterday, when you are damned for more than five
thousand years ? He replied: Oh ! if you knew what is
meant by eternity, you would easily conceive how a
thousand years, compared with it, are but a moment. If
an angel said to one of the damned: You will leave hell,
1 “ Lamentantur, et nullus eripit; plangunt, et nemo compatitur."—
Orat, de exitu anui.

The Eternity of Helt.
but only after the lapse of as many ages as there are
drops of water in the ocean, leaves on the trees, or
grains of sand in the sea; he would feel greater joy than
a beggar would at hearing of his elevation to a throne.
Yes; all these ages will pass away, they will be multi­
plied an infinite number of times, and hell will be at its
commencement. Each of the damned would make this
compact with God: Lord, increase my pain as much as
Thou wishest, let it last as long as Thou pleasest; but put
an end to it, and I am content. But this end will never
take place. In hell, the trumpet of divine justice will
sound nothing else but these words—forever, forever,
never, never.
The damned will ask the devils what is the hour of the
night. Watchman, what of the night?1 When will it end ?
When will these trumpets, these shrieks, this stench,
these flames, these torments cease ? Their answer is
never, never. And how long will they last ? Forever, for­
ever. Ah Lord ! give light to so many blind Christians,
who, when entreated not to damn themselves, say: If I
go to hell, I must have patience. O God ! they have not
patience to bear the least cold, to remain in an over­
heated room, or to submit to a buffet on the cheek. And
how can they have patience to remain in a sea of fire,
trampled by the devils, and abandoned by God and by
all, for all eternity
J !

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, Father of mercies ! Thou dost not abandon him who seeks
Thee. Thou hast not forsaken them that seek Thee, O Lord.'
I have hitherto turned my back upon Thee so often, and Thou
hast not abandoned me : do not abandon me now that I seek
Thee. I repent, O Sovereign Good! of having made so little
account of Thy grace, which J have exchanged for nothing.
1 “Custos, quid de nocte?’’—Isa. xxi. it.
,J “ Non dereliquisti quærentes te, Domine.”—Ps. ix. n.

I

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxvil

Look at the wounds of Thy Son. Listen to his cries, which im>
plore Thee to pardon me ; and grant me pardon. O my Redeem,
er! remind me always of the pains Thou hast suffered for me,
of the love Thou hast borne me, and of my ingratitude, by which
I have so often deserved hell, that I may always bewail the in­
jury I have done Thee, and that I may live always burningwith
Thy love. Ah, my Jesus! how can I but burn with Thy love,
when I reflect that for so many years I ought to burn in hell,
and continue to burn in it for all eternity; when I remeniber
that Thou hast died in order to deliver me from it, and that
Thou hast with so much mercy rescued me from that land of
misery! Were I in hell, I should now hate Thee there, and
should have to hate Thee forever: but now I love Thee, and
will love Thee forever. Thou lovest me, and I also love Thee.
Thou wilt love me forever unless I forsake Thee. Ah, my
Saviour! save me from the misfortune of ever leaving Thee,
and then do with me whatsoever Thou pleasest. I merit every
punishment, and I accept every chastisement, that Thou mayest
deliver me from the punishment of being deprived of Thy love.
O Mary, my refuge ! how often have I condemned myself to hell,
and thou hast preserved me from it. Ah, deliver me now from
sin, which alone can deprive me of the grace of God, and bring
me to hell.

The Remorse of the Damned.

281

CONSIDERATION XXVIII.
®lje Remorse of tlje Qtamneb.
“Their worm dieth not.”—Mark, ix. 47.
FIRST POINT.

The Little for which the Damned are Lost.

According to St. Thomas, this worm which dieth not
is to be understood of remorse of conscience, which will
eternally torment the damned in hell. The remorse
which will gnaw the hearts of the reprobate will be many;
but the most excruciating will be, first, the thought of
the trifles for which they are damned; secondly, the
thought of the little which they required to do in order
to save their souls; and thirdly, the thought of the great
good which they have lost. After Esau had eaten the
pottage of lentils for which he had sold his birthright,
the Scripture says that, through sorrow and remorse for
the loss, he began to roar aloud) Oh ! how will the damned
howl and roar at the thought of having, for a few mo­
mentary poisoned pleasures, lost an eternal kingdom of
delights, and of having condemned themselves forever to
a continual death ! Hence they will weep far more bit­
terly than Jonathan did when he saw himself condemned
to death by his father for having eaten a little honey.
I did but taste a little honey, and behold I must die) O God .’
1 “ Irrugiit clamore magno ”—Gen. xxvii. 34.
’ “Gustans gustavi paululum mellis, et ecce morior.”—1 A'z/zÿT,
xiv. 43.

284

Préparaiion for Death.

[con.

xxviii.

what toitme will each of the damned feel in thinking
that he was the cause ot his own damnation ! At present
oui past life appears to us but a dream, a moment. But
what wid he who is in hell think of the fifty or sixty
years which he spent on this earth, when he will be
in the abyss of eternity, and, after the lapse of a hun­
dred and a thousand millions of years, will see tha this
hell only begins? But were these fifty or sixty years
all years of pleasure ? Perhaps a sinner living without
God, always teels happy in his sins ! How long do the
pleasures of sin last ? Only for a few moments. All the
remaining hours ot the man who lives at enmity with
God are full of pain and bitterness. But what will these
moments of pleasure appear to the unhappy damned ?
How will he view that last sin in particular, by which he
brought himself to perdition ? Then he will say: For a
miserable brutal pleasure, which lasted but a moment,
and which was scarcely indulged when it vanished like
air, I must burn in this fire, in despair, and abandoned
by all, as long as God will be God—for all eternity.
W*

7

Affections and Prayers.

Lord ! enlighten me, that I may feel the injustice which I have
done Thee, and the eternal chastisements I have deserved, by
offending Thee. My God ! I feel a great remorse for having
offended Thee ; but this pain consoles me. Hadst Thou sent me
to hell, as I deserved, the thought of the trifle for which I was
damned should be the hell of my hell. But now this remorse,!
say, consoles me; because it encourages me to hope for pardon
from Thee, who hast promised to pardon all who repent. Acs,
my Lord '. I repent of having outraged Thee. I embrace this
sweet pain of remorse. 1 even entreat Thee to increase it, and
to preserve it in my heart till death, that I may always weep bit­
terly over the offences 1 have offered to Thee. My Jesus ! par­
don me. O my Redeemer ! who, to procure mercy for me, hadst
not mercy on Thyself, but condemnedst Thyself to die through
pain in order to deliver me from hell, have mercy on me. Grant

The Remorse of the Damned.

285

that my remorse for having offended Thee may keep me always
sorrowful, and, at the same time, inflame my whole soul with
love for Thee, who hast loved me so tenderly, who hast borne
with me so patiently, and who now, instead of chastising me,
enrichest me with Thy lights and graces. I thank Thee, O my
Jesus! and I love Thee. I love Thee more than myself. I love
Thee with my whole heart. Thou knowest not how to despise
a soul that loves Thee. I love Thee. Do not banish me from
Thy face. Receive me, then, into Thy friendship, and do not
permit me ever more to lose Thee. Mary, my Mother! accept
me for thy servant, and bind me to Jesus, thy Son. Ask him to
pardon me, to give me his love and the grace of perseverance
till death.
SECOND POINT.

The Little that was Required for their Salvation.

St. Thomas says that the principal pain of the repro­
bate will consist in seeing that they are damned for noth­
ing, and that, if they wished, they could with so much
facility acquire for themselves the glory of Paradise.1
The second remorse of conscience, then, will arise from
the thought of the little that was necessary to be done
for the attainment of salvation. A person who was
damned appeared to St. Humbert, and said to him that
the most excruciating pain which he suffered in hell was
caused by the thought of the trifles for which he was lost,
and of the little which be required to do in order to save
his soul. The unhappy soul will then say: Had I mor­
tified myself by not looking at such an object; had I
overcome human respect at such a time; had I avoided
such an occasion of sin, such a companion, such a con­
versation, I should not now be damned. If I had gone
to confession every week; if I had frequented the con­
fraternity; if I had read every day a spiritual book; if I
had recommended myself to Jesus Christ and to Mary, À
1 Principaliter dolebunt quod pro nihilo damnati sunt, et facillime
vitam poterant consequi sempiternam.

286

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxvm.

should not have relapsed into sin. I have so often pur­
posed to do these things, but have either neglected my
resolutions, or after having begun to practise these exer­
cises, I gave them up, and therefore I am lost.
1 he torture of this remorse will be increased bvJ the
good examples of virtuous friends and companions, which
the reprobate has witnessed; and still more by the gifts
which God has given him for the salvation of his soul;
gifts of nature, such as good health; gifts of fortune,
which were so many talents which the Lord had given
him, that he might make a good use of them, and become
a saint; gifts of grace; so many lights, inspirations, calls,
and so many years given to him that he might repair the
evil which he had done. But he will see that, in the
miserable state to which he is reduced, there is no remedy.
He will hear the angel of the Lord proclaiming and pro­
testing that time shall be no more, Amt the angel whom
I saw standing . . . swore by Him that liveth forever and ever
. . that time shall be no longer) Oh! what cruel swords
will all these gifts and graces be to the heart of the un.happy reprobate, when he sees that the time in which he
could repair his eternal ruin is already past! With tears
and despair he and his companions will say: The harvest
is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved) He will
say: if the fatigues to which I had submitted for my
damnation had been borne for God, I should have become
a great saint; and now what advantage do I derive from
them but pain and remorse, which will torment me for
eternity? Ah ! the thought that it was in his power to
be forever happy, and that he must be forever miserable,
will torture the damned more than the fire and all the
other torments of hell.
1 “Et angelus quem vidi stantem . . . juravit per viventem in
sæcula saeculorum . . . quia tempus non erit amplius.”—df>oc. x. 5.
* “Transiit messis, finita est æstas, et nos salvati non sumus.”—
Jer. viii. 20.

The Remorse of the Damned.

287

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Jesus! how hast Thou been able to bear with me ? I
have so often turned my back upon Thee, and Thou hast not
ceased to seek after me. I have so often offended Thee, and
Thou hast pardoned me. Ah ! impart to me a portion of that
sorrow which Thou didst feel in the Garden of G thsemane for
my sins, and which made Thee there sweat blood. I am sorry,
0 my Redeemer! for having so badly repaid Thy love. O ac­
cursed pleasures! I detest and curse you. You have made me
lose the grace of my Lord. My Beloved Jesus ! I now love Thee
above all things, and I renounce all unlawful gratifications, and
purpose to die a thousand times, rather than ever more offend
Thee. /\h ! through that affection with which Thou dost love
me on the cross, and offered for me Thy divine life, give me
light and strength to resist temptations, and to have recourse
to Thy aid whenever I shall be tempted. O Mary, my hope!
thou art all-powerful with God ; obtain for me holy persever­
ance, obtain for me the grace never more to be separated from
his holy love.
THIRD POINT.

The Great Good that the Damned have Lost,

The third remorse of the damned shall arise from see­
ing the great good which they have lost. St. John
Chrysostom says that the reprobate will be tormented
more by the loss of paradise than by the pains of hell !1
A certain princess once said: If God gives me a reign of
forty years, I will renounce paradise. The unhappy princess
reigned for forty years; but now that her soul has de­
parted from this world, what does she say? Certainly
she has changed her sentiments. Oh ! how great at
present must be her affliction and despair at the thought
of having, for the enjoyment of an earthly reign of forty
years, lost for eternity the kingdom of heaven !
But the torment which will most grievously torture
1 Plus coelo torquentur, quam gehenna.

288

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxviii.

the damned for eternity will arise from the conviction
that they have lost heaven and God, their sovereign
good, not by any unlucky accident, nor by the malevo­
lence of others, but by their own fault. They will see
that they have been created for paradise, and that God
placed in their hands the choice of procuring for them­
selves eternal life or eternal death. Before man is life
and death; . . . that which he shall choose shall be given him.'
Thus they will see that they had it in their power, if they
wished, to be eternally happy, and that they have volun­
tarily precipitated themselves into that pit of torments,
from which they can never escape, and from which no
one will ever deliver them. They will see among the
elect many of their companions, who were placed in the
same, or perhaps in greater, danger of sinning, and who
saved their souls because they restrained their passions
by recommending themselves to God, or, if they fell into
sin, soon repented and gave themselves to God. But
because they would not give up sin, they have in the end
unhappily gone to hell—they have fallen into that sea of
torments without any hope of remedy for all eternity.
Brother, if you too have been so foolish as, by your
own free acts, to lose paradise and God for a miserable
pleasure, endeavor as soon as possible to apply a remedy,
now that you have time. Do not voluntarily continue
in your foolishness. Tremble lest you should have to
weep over your folly for all eternity. Who knows but
this consideration which vou
now read is the last call
*
which God will give you ? Perhaps, if you do not
now change your life, if you commit another mortal sin,
the Lord will abandon you, and, in punishment of that
sin, send you to suffer forever among that crowd of fools
who are now in hell, and confess their error {therefore we
have erred'}, but confess it with despair, because they see
’ “Ante hominem vita et mors, bonum et malum; quod placuerit ei,
dabitur illi.”—Ecclus. xv. iS.

The Remorse of the Damned.

2 89

that it is forever irreparable. When the devil tempts you
again to sin, remember hell, have recourse to God and to
the Most Holy Virgin. The thought of hell will preserve
you from
* hell, because it will make you have recourse to
God. Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.'
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my Sovereign Good ! how often have I lost Thee for noth­
ing! how often have I deserved to lose Thee forever! But I am
consoled by the words of Thy prophet : Let the heart of them
rejoice that seek the Lord?- I must not, then, despair of finding
Thee again, O my God ! if I sincerely seek Thee. Yes, my God!
I now sigh for Thy grace more than for any other good. I am
content to be deprived of all things, even of life, rather than see
myself deprived of Thy love. 1 love Thee, O my Creator ! above
all things; and, because I love Thee, I am sorry for having·
offended Thee. O my God ! whom I have lost and despised,
pardon me immediately, and enable me to find Thee again; for I
wish never more to lose Thee. If Thou dost admit me again to
Thy friendship, I will leave all things, and will seek to love Thee
alone. I hope to do so through Thy mercy, Eternal Father!
Hear me for {.he love of Jesus Christ : pardon me, and give me
the grace never more to be separated from Thee. If I volun­
tarily lose Thee again, I ought to fear that Thou wilt abandon
me. O Mary, O advocate of sinners ! obtain for me the grace
to make peace with God, and afterward keep me under thy
protection, that I may never more lose him.
1 “ Memorare novissima tua, et in æternum non peccabis.”—Ecclus.
vit. 40.

2 “ Lætetur cor quærentium Dominum.”—Ps. civ. 3.

2ÇO

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxix

CONSIDERATION XXIX.

fjetwen.
“Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”—John, xvi. 20.

FIRST POINT.

Entrance of a Soul into Paradise.

Let us at present animate ourselves with the hope of
heaven, to bear patiently the afflictions of this life, and
to offer them to God in return for the sufferings which
Jesus Christ endured for the love of us. All these afflic­
tions, sorrows, persecutions, and tears, will one day have
an end, and will, if we save our souls, become to us
sources of joy and happiness in the kingdom of bliss.
This is the ground of courage and hope which the
Saviour holds out to us. Your sorrow shall be turned into
joy' Let us then this day make some reflections on the
joys of heaven. But what shall we be able to say on these
joys, when the most enlightened of the saints knew not
how to give us an idea of that happiness which God has
prepared for his faithful servants ? David could onlyJ
say that paradise is a good exceedingly to be desired.
How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hostsd But. my
beloved St. Paul, do you, at least, who had the happiness
of being rapt up into heaven, declare to us some of the
things you have seen. No, exclaims the Apostle, what I
have seen it is impossible to describe. The delights of
heaven arc secret words, which it is not granted to man to
1 “Tristitia vestra vertetur in gaudium.”—John, xvi. 20.
s “ Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine virtutum!”—Ps. Ixxxiii. 2.

Heaven.

291

utter) They are so great that they only who enjoy them
are able to comprehend them. All that I can say of
them, says the Apostle, is, that eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things
God hath prepared for them that love Him) No man living
has ever seen, or heard, or conceived the beauty, the
harmony, the delights which God has prepared for those
who love him.
Al present it is impossible for us to comprehend the
happiness of heaven, because we have no idea but of
earthly enjoyments. Were a horse capable of reasoning,
he would, if he expected a rich feast from his master,
imagine it to consist in excellent hay and oats; for these
are the only species of food of which he has any idea.
It is thus we form our notions of the happiness of heaven.
It is beautiful in the summer to behold at night
the
o
starry heaven; it is delightful in the spring to stand on
the shore when the sea is unruffled, and to see in its
bosom the rocks covered with seaweed, and the fishes
gliding through the waters; it is also delightful to be in
a garden full of fruits and flowers, ornamented with
flowing fountains, and enlivened by the flutter and sing­
ing of birds: in such a scene one is tempted to exclaim:
Oh ! what a paradise ! what a paradise ! But far differ­
ent are the delights of heaven. To form some imperfect
idea of them, let us reflect that in heaven is an all-pow­
erful God, who has pledged himself to make the soul
that loves him happy. Do you wish, says St. Bernard,
to know what is in heaven? “There is nothing there
that gives displeasure; there is everything that delights.” 5
O God ! what will be the sentiments of the soul on its
entrance into that happy kingdom? Let us represent to
1 “ Arcana verba, quæ non licet homini loqui.”—2 Cor. xiii. 4.
* “ Oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit,
quæ præparavit Deus iis qui dilidunt illum.”—I Cor. ii. 9.
3 “ Nihil quod nolis sit, totum sit quod velis.”—De Divers, s. 16.

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXIX.

our minds a young maiden, who, after consecrating
herself to the love of Jesus Christ, dies and quits this
world. 1 he soul of the young maiden is presented
for judgment: the Judge embraces her and pronounces
the sentence of her salvation.
Her angel-guardian
meets and congratulates her; she thanks him for
his assistante, and the angel then says: “Rejoice, 0
happy soul ! thy salvation is now secure; come and be­
hold the face of thy Lord.” Behold, the soul now passes
beyond the clouds, the spheres, the stars, and enters into
heaven. O God ! what will be her feelings on first set­
ting her foot in this happy country, and beholding, for
the first time, this city of delights ! The angels and the
saints will come to meet her, and will receive her with a
joyous welcome. What shall be her consolation in re­
joining there her relatives or friends, who have been
already admitted into heaven, and in meeting her holy
advocates !
The soul will wish to bend her knees to venerate
these saints, but they will say: See thou do it not, for
I am thy fellow-servant.* She will thence be carried to
kiss the feet of Mary, the Queen of heaven. What
tenderness will not the soul experience in first beholding
this divine Mother, who gave her so much assistance in
the work of her salvation; for then the soul will see all
the graces she obtained through the intercession of Mary,
who will embrace her with love and tenderness. This
Queen
of heaven will then conduct the soul to *Jesu s,who
ew
will receive her as his spouse, and will say: Come from
Libanus, my spouse . . . thou shalt be crowned? My spouse,
rejoice: there is now an end to tears, to sufferings, and
to fears: receive the eternal crown I have purchased for
you by my blood. Jesus himself will then present her to
receive the benediction of his divine Father, who shall
1 “Vide ne feceris; conservus enim tuus sum.”—Apoc. xxii 9.
2 “Veni de Libano, sponsa mea, veni; coronaberis.”—Cant. iv. S.

Heaven.

293

embrace and bless her, saying: Enter thou into the joy of
thy Lordj and shall bestow upon her the same happiness
which he himself enjoys.
Affections and Prayers.

Behold, O my God ! at Thy feet an ungrateful sinner, whom
Thou hast created for heaven, but who has so often, for the sake
of a wretched pleasure, renounced Thee to Thy face, and has
consented to be condemned to hell. But I hope Thou hast al­
ready pardoned me all the injuries I have done Thee, for which
I am always sorry, and will be sorry as long as I live. Of these
injuries I desire to receive from Thee new pardon. But, O God !
although my sins have been already forgiven, it will still be al­
ways true that I have dared to afflict Thee, my Redeemer, who
hast given Thy life to bring me to Thy kingdom. But may Thy
mercy be forever praised and blessed, O my Jesus! for having
borne me with so much patience, and for having bestowed upon
me multiplied graces, instead of chastising me as I deserved. I
see, my dear Saviour ! that Thou ardently desirest my salvation,
and that Thou wishest to bring me to Thy kingdom, that I may
love Thee forever; but it is Thy wish that I should first love
Thee here on earth. Yes; I wish to love Thee. Though there
were no heaven, I would wish to love Thee while I live, with my
whole soul and with all my strength. It is enough for me to
know that Thou, my God, desirest to be loved by me. My Jesus !
assist me by Thy grace; do not abandon me. Mv soul is immortal : I must then either love Thee or hate Thee for all eter­
nity. Ah ! it is my wish to love Thee for eternity, and I wish
to love Thee without reserve here, that I may love Thee with­
out reserve hereafter. Dispose of me as Thou pleascst, chas­
tise me as Thou wishest; do not deprive me of Thy love, and
then do with me what Thou wishest. My Jesus ! Thy merits
are my hope. O Mary ! I place great confidence in thy inter­
cession. Thou didst deliver me from hell when I was in sin ;
now that I wish to give myself to God, obtain for me the grace
to save my soul, and to become a saint.
1 “ Intra in gaudium Domini tui.”—Matt. xxv. 2T.

294

Preparation for Death.

icon. xxix.

SECOND POINT.

Happiness of Heaven.

When the soul has once entered into the happy king­
dom of God, there will be nothing to molest it.' God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death shall be no
more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more;
for the former things are passed away. And He that sat on
the throne said: Behold I make all things new.2 In heaven
there is no infirmity, no poverty, no distress; there are
no longer the vicissitudes of days and nights, nor of cold
and heat; but a perpetual day always serene, an eternal
spring always delightful. There are no persecutions; no
envy. In that kingdom of love, all love one another ten­
derly; and each rejoices in the good of the other as if it
were his own. Ί here are no fears; because the soul, be­
ing confirmed in grace, can no longer sin nor lose her
God. Behold I make all things new. Everything is new;
everything gives consolation and content.2 The sight will
be filled with delight in beholding this city of perfect
beauty. How delightful the view of a city in which
the streets are of crystal, the palaces of silver, the ceil­
ings of gold, and all adorned with festoons of flowers!
Oh! how much more beautiful the city of paradise ! how
splendid the appearance of these citizens, who are all
clothed in royal robes; for, as St. Augustine says, they
are all kings. How delightful must it be to behold Mary,
who will appear more beautiful than all paradise! But
what must it be to see the Lamb of God, the Heavenly
1 Nihil est quod nolit !
2 Absterget Deus omnem lacrymam ab oculis eorum; et mors ultra
non erit; neque luctus, neque clamor, neque dolor erit ultra; quia
prima abierunt. Et dixit, qui sedebat in throno; Ecce, nova facio
omnia.—Apoc. xxi. 4.
3 Totum est quod velit.

Heaven.

295

Spouse, Jesus ! St. Teresa had one transient glimpse of
one of the hands of Jesus Christ, and was struck sense­
less by its beauty. The smell will be regaled with odors,
but with the odors of paradise. The ear will be delighted
with celestial harmony. St. Francis once heard from an
angel a single stroke on a violin, and almost died through
joy. What then must it be to hear the whole choir of
saints and angels chanting the glories of God! They
shall praise Thee forever and ever.1 What must it be to
hear Mary praising God! St. Francis de Sales says that,
as the singing of the nightingale surpasses that of all
other birds, so the voice of Mary is far superior to that
of all the other saints. In a word, in heaven are found
all the delights which can be desired.
But the joys we have been hitherto considering are the
least of the blessings of heaven. The good which con­
stitutes heaven is God himself, the Sovereign Good. The
reward which God promises us, is not merely the beauty,
the harmony, and the other joys of this blessed city; the
chief reward is God himself,—that is, to see and love
God face to face.. I am thy reward exceeding great? St.
Augustine says that, if God showed his face to the
damned, “hell would be instantly turned into a paradise
of delights.” 3 And he adds that, were a departed soul
allowed the choice of seeing God and enduring the tor­
ments of hell, or of being delivered from them and de­
prived of the sight of God, “it would prefer to see the
Lord, and to suffer these torments.”
During the present life, we cannot comprehend the de­
light of seeing and loving God face to face: but we may
form some notion of it by considering that divine love is
so enchanting, that, even in this life, it has sometimes
1 “ Tn sæcula saeculorum laudabunt te.”—Ps. Ixxxiii. 5.
* “ Ego sum merces tua magna nimis.”—Gen. xv. 1.
3 “ Continuo infernus in amænum converteretur paradisum.”—De
Tripi. Habit, c. 4.

296

Preparation for Death,

.(con. xxix.

raised up from the earth, not only the souls, but even the
bodies of the saints. St. Philip Neri was once lifted up
into the air along with a bench which he had grasped.
St. Peter Alcantara was also elevated from the earth, and
a tree which he held was torn up from the roots. St.
Vincent, while he was tormented, spoke, says St. Augus­
tine, in such a manner, that one person appeared to suf­
fer and another to speak.' St. Lawrence, while he was
on the red-hot gridiron, upbraided the tyrant, saying:
“Turn and eat.”J “ Yes,” says St. Augustine; “for St.
Lawrence, inflamed with the fire of divine love, was in­
sensible to the burning heat of the fire.”1 Besides, how
great the sweetness which a sinner experiences on this
earth even in weepingover his sins ! Hence, St. Bernard
used to say: “If it is so sweet to weep for Thee, O my
God! what must it be to rejoice in Thee?”4 What
sweetness does not a soul experience when, by a ray of
light, God unfolds to it in prayer his goodness, the mer­
cies he has shown it, and the love which Jesus Christ has
borne, and still bears, to it! In such moments, the soul
melts and faints away through love. Yet in this life we
do not see God as he is; we see him only in the dark.
We now see through a glass in a dark manner : but then face
to face.'" At present there is a veil before our eyes, and
God is seen onlv* with the eves
of faith; but what will
*
be our joy when the veil is removed, and we see God
face to face? We shall then see the infinite beau tv* of
God; his infinite greatness, his justice, his perfection, his
amiableness, and his infinite love for us.
1 " Tamquam alius torqueretur, alius loqueretur.”—Serm. 275, E. B.
2 Versa, et manduca.
3 “ Hoc igne accensus, flammarum non sentit incendia.”—Semi,
206, E. B.
4 “ Si adeo dulce est flere pro te, quam dulce erit gaudere de te?”—
Seal, claustr. c. 6.
5 “ Videmus nunc per speculum in ænigmate: tunc autem facie ad
faciem."—I Cor. xiii. 12.
I I

Heaven.
Affections and Prayers,

Ah, my Sovereign Good ! I am that wretch who has turned
his back upon Thee, and renounced Thy love. I therefore am
undeserving of seeing or of loving Thee. But, to show mercy
to me, Thou bast not shown mercy to Thyself, but hast con­
demned Thyself to a painful and ignominious death, on an in­
famous gibbet. Thy death, therefore, makes me hope that I
shall one day see and enjoy Thee face to face, and that 1 shall
then love Thee with all my strength. But, now that I am in
danger of losing Thee forever, now that I am conscious of hav­
ing lost Thee by my sins, what shall I do during the remainder
of my life? Shall I continue to offend Thee? No, my Jesus!
I detest with a sovereign hatred the offences I have offered Thee.
I feel a sovereign sorrow for having insulted Thee, and I love
Thee with my whole heart. Wilt Thou cast off a soul that re­
pents and loves Thee? No: I know, O my Redeemer! that
Thou hast said that Thou wilt not reject any one that comes to
Thee with a penitent heart. Him that cometh to hie, I will not
cast out.1 My Jesus! I renounce all things, and turn to Thee.
I embrace Thee, and unite Thee to my heart : do Thou also em­
brace me, and unite me to Thy heart. I dare to speak in this
manner, because 1 speak and converse with infinite Goodness.
I speak with a God who was content to die for the love of me.
My dear Saviour ! grant me perseverance in Thy love. My dear
Mother Mary ! through the love which thou didst bear to Jesus
Christ, obtain for me this perseverance. Such is my hope, such
is my desire.
THIRD POINT.

Heaven is Eternal.

In this life, the greatest pain which afflicts souls that
are in desolation and love God, arises from the fear of
not loving him, and of not being loved by him. Man
knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred? But in
1 “Eurn qui venit ad me, non ejiciam foras.”—John, vi. 37.
2 “ Vescit homo, utrum amore an odio dignus sit.”—Eccles, ix. 1

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxix.

heaven (he soul is certain that it loves God, and that he
loves it. It sees that it is happily lost in the love of its
Lord, and that he embraces it as a beloved child, and
that this love will not be dissolved for all eternity.
These blessed flames will be augmented by the increased
knowledge which the soul will then have of the great­
ness of the love of God, in becoming man and dying for
us; of his love in instituting the Most Holy Sacrament,
in which a God becomes the food of a worm. Then also
will the soul clearly see all the graces which God has
bestowed upon it in delivering it from so many tempta­
tions and so many dangers of perdition; it will then
understand that the tribulations, infirmities, persecu­
tions, and losses, which it called misfortunes and divine
chastisements, were all love, all means intended by divine
Providence to conduct it to heaven. It will see par­
ticularly the patience of God in bearing with it after so
many sins, and the mercies he had shown it in giving it
so many lights and invitations to his love. From that
blessed mountain it will behold so many souls in hell,
condemned for fewer sins than it had committed, and
will see that it is saved, that it is in the possession of God,
and secure against all danger of ever losing that Sovereign
Good for all eternity.
The blessed then will forever enjoy that felicity which,
during each moment of eternity, will be always as new
as at the first moment of its enjoyment. The soul will
always desire and always possess that joy. It shall be
always satisfied, and always thirsty: forever thirsty, and
always satiated with delights: because the desire of
heaven begets no pain, and its possession produces no
tediousness. In a word, as the damned are vessels full
of wrath, so the blessed are vessels filled with happiness,
so that they have nothing more to desire. St. Teresa
savs that even in this life, when God introduces a soul
into the cellar of wine—that is, of his love, it becomes
*

1

Heaven.

299

happily inebriated, so that it loses all affections for
earthly things. But in entering into paradise, how much
more perfectly, as David says, will the elect be inebriated
with the plenty of God s house} In seeing God face to face,
and in embracing its Sovereign Good, the soul will be
so inebriated with love that it will happily lose itself in
God—that is, it will entirely forget itself, and will think
only of loving, of praising, and of blessing the infinite
Good which it possesses.
When, therefore, the crosses of this life afflict us, let us
animate ourselves with the hope of heaven to bear them
patiently. St. Mary of Egypt, being asked at the end of
her life by the Abbot Zozimus, how she had been able
to live for so many years in such a desert, replied: With
the hope of heaven. When the dignity of Cardinal was
offered to St. Philip Neri, he threw up the cap in the
air, exclaiming, Paradise! Paradise! At the mention of
paradise, Brother Giles, of the Order of St. Francis, was
raised up from the ground through joy. Let us likewise,
when we are afflicted by the miseries of this life, raise
up our eyes to heaven, and console ourselves, saying
with a sigh, Heaven ! Heaven ! Let us reflect that if we
be faithful to God, all these sorrows, miseries, and fears
will one day have an end, and we shall be admitted into
that blessed country, where we shall enjoy complete
happiness as long as God will be God. Behold, the
saints are expecting us, Mary is expecting us, and Jesus
stands with a crown in his hand, to make us kings in that
eternal kingdom.

Affections and Prayers.
My dear Jesus! Thou hast taught me this prayer—Thy king­
dom come. 1 therefore now pray that Thy kingdom may come
into my heart, so that Thou mayest possess it entirely, and that
my soul may possess Thee, its Sovereign Good. O my Jesus!
1 “Inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tu®.”—Ps. xxxv. 9.

300

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxix.

Thou hast spared nothing in order to save me and to acquire
my love; save me then, and let my salvation consist in loving
Thee always in this life and in the next. I have so often turned
my back upon Thee, and yet Thou assurest me that Thou wilt not
disdain to embrace me for all eternity in heaven, with as much
love as if I had never offended Thee. And knowing this, can
I ever love anything else but Thee, who wishest to bestow heaven
upon me after I had so often deserved hell? Ah, my Lord!
would that I had never offended Thee ! Oh ! were I born again I
would alwavs love Thee. But what is done is donc. I can now
do no more than give Thee the remainder of my life. Yes, I
give it entirely to Thee. I consecrate myself entirely to Thy
love. Depart from my heart, all earthly affections; give place
to my God, who wishes to possess it entirely. Yes; take pos­
session of my whole being, my Redeemer, my Love, and my
God ! From this day forward I will think only of pleasing Thee.
Assist me by Thy grace. I hope in Thy merits. Augment in
me continually Thy love, and the desire of pleasing Thee.
Heaven ! Heaven ! When, O Lord ! shall the day come when
I shall see Thee face to face, and embrace Thee, without fear of
evermore losing Thee? Ah, my God! keep Thy hand upon
me, that I may never more offend Thee. O Mary ! when shall
I see myself at thy feet in heaven ? Assist me. my Mother : do
not permit me to be lost, and to go forever to a distance from
thee and thy Son.

Prayer.

301

CONSIDERATION XXX.
Praner.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; for every one thatasketh, receiveth.”
—Luke, xi 9, 10.
FIRST POINT.

Efficacy of Prayer.

Not only in tins, but in a thousand places in the Old
and the New Testament, God promises to hear all who
pray to him. Cry to me, and I will hear thee} “Call
upon me, and I will deliver you from all dangers.” 3 If
you ask anything in Aly name, that I will do? Whatsoever
you shall ask through my merits, I will grant. You shall
ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you? Ask as
much as you wish: all that you ask will be given you.
There are many other similar passages. Hence Theodoret has said that prayer is one, but can obtain all
things. St. Bernard says that when we pray, the Lord
will give either the grace we ask, or one that is more
useful to us? The prophet animates us to pray by as­
suring us that God is all mercy to those who invoke his
aid. Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous in
1 “ Clama ad me, et exaudiam te.”—Jer. xxxiii. 3.
’ “ Invoca me. . . . eruam te.”—Ps. xlix. 15.
’ “ Si quid petieritis me in nomine meo, hoc faciam.”—John, xiv.
Ï4
4 “ Quodcumque volueritis, petetis, et fiet vobis.”—John, xv. 7.
6 “ Aut dabit quod petimus, aut quod nobis noverit esse utilius.”—
In Quadr. s. 5.

Preparation for Death,

[cox.xxx

mercy to all that call upon Thee: The words of St. James
are still more encouraging. If any of you want wisdom,
let him ask of God, who giveth abundantly to all men, and upbraideth not: This apostle tells us that when we pray to the
Lord, he opens his hands, and gives us more than we
ask. He giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not
He does not reproach us with the offences that we have
offered to him; but, when we pray to him, he appears to
forget all the injuries that we have done him.
St. John Climacus used to say that prayer in a certain
manner forces God to grant us whatsoever we ask of
him. “ Prayer piously offers violence to God.” ’ But it
is, as St. Tertullian says, a violence which is dear to him,
and which he desires from us? Yes; for, as St. Au Οgustine says, God has a greater desire to give us his graces,
than we have to receive them.6 The reason is, because
God is of his own nature infinite goodness, Hence he
feels an infinite desire to impart his goods to us. Hence
St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say, that God feels
as it were under an obligation to the soul that prays to
him; because by prayer it opens to him the way by
which he can satisfy his desire of dispensing his graces
to us. David says that the goodness of God, in instantly
hearing all who pray to him, showed him that he was his
true God. In what day soever I shall call upon Thee, behold,
I know Thou art my God: Some, observes St. Bernard,
complain that God is wanting to them; but the Lord far
more justly complains that many are wanting to him by
1 “Tu, Domine, suavis et rnitis et multæ misericordiæ omnibus in­
vocantibus te.”—Ps. Ixxxv. 5.
2 '· Si quis vestrum indiget sapientia, postulet a Deo, qui dat omnibus
affluentur, et non improperat.”—fames, i. 5.
3 “ Oratio pie Deo vim infert.”—Scala spin. gr. 28.
“ Hæc vis Deo grata est.”—Apolog. c. 39.
5 “ Plus vult ille dare, quam nos accipere.”—Serm. 105, E. B.
6 “ In quacumque die invocavero te; eccc cognovi quoniam Deus
meus es.”—Ps. Iv. io.

Prayer.

303

neglecting to ask his graces. Of this precisely the Re­
deemer appears to have complained one day to his disci pies.
Hitherto you have not asked anything in My name: ask, and
you shall receive, that your joy may be full: As if he said:
Do not complain of me if you do not enjoy complete
happiness; complain of yourselves for not having asked
my graces: ask me for them henceforth, and you shall
be satisfied.
Hence, in their conferences, the ancient monks came
to the conclusion, that there is no exercise more condu­
cive to salvation than to pray always, and say: “ Lord,
assist me; incline unto my aid, O God.”3 The Venera­
ble Paul Segneri used to say of himself, that in his medi­
tations he was at first accustomed to spend his time in
pious affections; but, having afterward learned the great
efficacy of prayer, he endeavored generally to employ
himself in petitions to God. Let us always do the same.
We have a God who loves us to excess, and who is soli­
citous for our salvation, and therefore he is always ready
to hear all who ask his graces. The princes of the earth,
says St. Chrysostom, give audience only to a few; but
God gives audience to all who wish for it.’

Affections and Prayers.
Eternal God ! I adore Thee, and I thank Thee for all the
benefits Thou hast bestowed upon me,—for having created me,
for having redeemed me through Jesus Christ, for having made
me a Christian, for having waited for me when I was in sin, and
for having so often pardoned me. Ah, my God! I should never
have offended Thee, if in my temptations I had recourse to Thee,
I thank Thee for the light by which Thou now makest me un­
derstand that my salvation consists in praying to Thee, and in
asking graces of Thee. Behold, I entreat Thee, in the name of
1 “ Usque modo non petistis quidquam in nomine meo; petite, et
accipietis, ut gaudium vestrum sit plenum.”—fohtt, xvi. 24.
2 “ Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.”—Ps. Ixix. 2.
1 Aures principis paucis patent, Dei vero omnibus volentibus.

304

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxx

Jesus Christ, to give me a great sorrow for my sins, holy perse­
verance in Thy grace, a good death, heaven, but above all, the
great gift of Thy love, and perfect resignation to Thy most holy
will. I well know that I do not deserve these graces, but Thou
hast promised them to all who ask them of Thee through the
merits of Jesus Christ; through these merits I hope and ask for
them. O Mary! thy prayers are always heard ; pray for me.
SECOND POINT.

Necessity of Prayer.

Let us also reflect on the necessity of prayer. St.
Chrysostom says that, as the body without the soul is
dead, so the soul is dead without prayer. He also teaches
that, as water is necessary to prevent the decay of plants,
so prayer is necessary to preserve us from perdition.1
God wills that all men be saved?—and is unwilling that any
be lost. The Lord . . . dealeth patiently for your sake, not
willing that any one should perish, but that all should return to
penance? But he also wishes that we ask him for the
graces necessary for salvation. For, on the one hand, it
is impossible for us to observe the divine commands, and
save our souls, without the actual assistance of God; and
on the other, ordinarily speaking, God will not give us
his graces unless we ask them from him. Hence, the
holy Council of Trent has declared that God has not
commanded impossibilities; because he either gives us
the proximate and actual grace to fulfil his precepts, or
he gives us the grace to ask him for this actual aid.1
2*4 St.
Augustine teaches, that God gives without prayer the
1 “ Non minus quam arbores aquis, precibus indigemus.”—De or,
Deo, 1. i.
J
5 “Omnes homines vult salvos fieri.”—1 Tim. ii. 4.
3 “Nolens aliquos perire, sed omnes ad poenitentiam reverti.”—
2 Peter, ii i. 9.
4 “ Deus impossibilia non jubet ; sed jubendo monet, et facere quod
possis, et petere quod non possis.”—Sess. vi. c. xi.

Prayer.

3°5

first graces, such as vocation to the faith and to repent­
ance; but all other graces, and particularly the gift of
perseverance, he gives only to those who ask them.1
Hence, theologians, after St. Basil, St. Augustine, St.
John Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria, and others,
teach, that for adults prayer is necessary as a means of
salvation; so that, without it, it is impossible to be saved.
And the most learned Lessius says that this doctrine
must be held as of faith.’
The Scriptures are clear on this point. We ought al­
ways to pray? Pray, lest ye enter into temptation? Ask,
and you shall receive? Pray without ceasing? The words,
we ought, pray, ask, according to St. Thomas (3 part, qu.
39, art. 5) and the generality of theologians, imply a strict
precept, which binds under grievous sin particularly in
three cases. First, when a person is in the state of sin;
secondly, when he is in danger of death; and thirdly,
when he is in great danger of falling into sin. Theolo­
gians teach that, ordinarily, he who neglects prayer for
a month, or at most, for two months, is guilty of a mortal
sin (Less., loco citato). The reason is, because prayer is a
means without which we cannot obtain the helps neces­
sary for salvation.
Ask, and you shall receive. He who asks, receives; then,
says St. Teresa, he who does not ask, does not receive.
And before her, St. James said the same thing. You have
not, because you ask not? Prayer is particularly necessary
1 “ Constat alia Deuni dare etiam non orantibus, sicut initium fidei;
alia nonnisi orantibus præparasse, sicut usque in finem perseveran­
tiam.”—De dono pers. c. 16.
'2 “ Fide tenendum est, orationem adultis ad salutem esse necessari­
am, ut colligitur ex Scripturis.”—De Just. 1. 2, c. 37, d. 3.
3 “Oportet semper orare.”—Luke, xviii. 1.
4 “ Vigilate et orate, ut non intretis in tentationem.”—Luke, xxii. 40.
5 “ Petite, et dabitur vobis.”—Matt. vii. 7.
« “Sine intermissione orate.”— 1 Thess. v. 17.
1 “ Non habetis, propter quod non postulatis.”—James, iv. 2.

3°6

Preparation for Death,

icon. xxx,

to obtain the virtue of continence. And, said the wise
man, as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except
God gave it, ... I went to the Lord, and besought Him) Let
us conclude this point. lie who prays, is certainly saved;
he who does not pray, is certainly lost. All the elect arc
saved by prayer; all the damned are lost by neglect of
prayer, and their greatest despair is, and will be forever,
caused by the conviction, that they had it in their power
to save their souls so easily by prayer, and that now the
time of salvation is no more.
Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my Redeemer! how have I been able hitherto to live
in such forgetfulness of Thee ? Thou wort prepared to grant
me all the graces that I should ask of Thee; Thou only didst
wait for me to ask them. But I have thought only of indulging
my senses, and have been indifferent about the privation and loss
of Thy love and of Thy graces. Lord ! forget all my ingratitude,
and have mercy on me. Pardon me all the displeasure I have
given Thee, and grant me perseverance. O God of my soul!
give me the grace always to ask Thy aid not to offend Thee. Do
not permit me to be, as I have hitherto been, negligent in the
performance of this duty. Grant me light and strength always
to recommend myself to Thee, and particularly when my ene­
mies tempt me to offend Thee again. Grant, O my God ! this
grace through the merits of Jesus Christ, and through the love
which Thou bearest to him. O Lord! I have offended Thee
enough. I wish to love Thee during the remainder of my life.
Give me Thy love ; and may this love remind me to ask Thy
aid whenever I am in danger of losing Thee by sin. Mary, my
hope after Jesus! through thy intercession I hope for the grace
to recommend myself in all my temptations to thee and to thy
on. Hear me, O my Queen! through the love which thou
bearest to Jesus Christ.
1 “ Et ut scivi, quoniam aliter non possem esse continens, nisi
Deus det . . . adii Dominum, et deprecatus sum.”—Wis. viii. 21.

Prayer.

THIRD POINT.

Conditions of Prayer.

Lastly, let us consider the conditions of prayer. Many
pray, and do not obtain the object of their prayers, be­
cause they do not pray as they ought. You ask, says
St. James, and receive not, because you ask amiss' To pray
well, it is necessary, in the first place, to pray with hu­
mility. God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the hum­
ble' God rejects the petitions of the proud, but does
not allow the humble to depart without hearing all their
prayers. The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall
pierce the clouds, . . . and he will not depart till the Most
High behold.1
2* This holds, even though they have been
hitherto sinners. A contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou
wilt not despise.45* Secondly, it is necessary to pray with
confidence. No one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been
confounded.2 Jesus Christ has taught us to call God, in
our petitions for his graces, by no other name than that
of Father, in order to make us pray with the same confi­
dence with which a child has recourse to a parent. He,
then, who prays with confidence, obtains every grace.
All things whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you
shall receive, and they shall come unto you.2 And who, says
St. Augustine, can fear that the promises of God, who is
truth itself, will be violated?7 God, says the Scripture,
1 “ Petitis, et non accipitis, co quod male petatis.”—Janies, iv. 3.
2 “ Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam.”—Ibid. iv. 6.
s " Oratio humiliantis se nubes penetrabit ; ... et non discedet,
donec Altissimus aspiciat.”—Ecclus. xxxv. 21.
4 “ Cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.”—Ps. 1. 19.
5 “ Nullus speravit in Domino, et confusus est.”—Ecclus. ii. 11.
‘“Omnia quæcumque orantes petitis, credite quia accipietis, et
evenient vobis.”—Mark, xi. 24.
1 “Quis falli timeat, cum promittit Veritas T—Conf. 1. 12, c. I.

3o8

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXX.

is not like men, who promise, but do not perform, either
because they intend to deceive, or because they change
their purpose. God is not as a man, that he should lie, nor
as the son of man, that He should be changed. Hath He told
then, and will He not do I ' And why, adds the same St.
Augustine, should the Lord so earnestly exhort us to ask
his graces, if he did not wish to bestow them upon us?
By his promises he has bound himself to grant us the
graces we ask from him. “ By promising,” says St. Au­
gustine, “ he has made himself a debtor.” ’
But some will say: I am a sinner, and therefore I do
not deserve to be heard. In answer, St. Thomas says
that the efficacy of prayer to obtain graces depends, not
on our merits, but on the divine mercy.1
*3 Every one, says
Jesus Christ, that asketh receiveth;4* that is, says the author
of the Imperfect Work, “every one, whether he be a just
man ora sinner.” * But the Redeemer himself takes away
all fear, saying: Amen, amen, I say to you: If you ask the
Father anything in My name, He will give it to you.6 As if he
said: Sinners, if you are without merits, I have merits
before my Father. Ask, then, in my name, and I promise
that you will receive whatsoever you ask. But it is
necessary to know that this promise does not extend to
temporal favors, such as health, goods of fortune, and
the like; for God often justly refuses these graces, be­
cause he sees that they would be injurious to our salva­
tion. “ The physician,” says St. Augustine, “ knows bet­
1 “ Non est Deus quasi homo, ut mentiatur, nec ut filius hominis,
ut mutetur. Dixit ergo, et non faciet?”—Hum. x.xiii. 19,
3 “ Promittendo, debitorem se Deus fecit.”—Serm. no, E. B.
3 “Oratio in impetrando non innititur merito, sed divinae miseri­
cordiae.”—2. 2. q. 17S, a. 2.
4 “Omnis qui petit, accipit.”—Matt. vii. 8.
1 “Omnis, sive justus, sive peccator sit.”—Hom. 18.
• Amen, amen, dico vobis : si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo,
dabit vobis.”—John, xvi. 23.

Prayer.

SOO

ter than the patient what is useful to him.”1 The holy
Doctor adds, that God refuses to some through mercy,
what he gives to others through wrath.* Hence we
should ask temporal blessings only on condition that they
will be profitable to the soul. But spiritual graces, such
as pardon of sins, perseverance, divine love, and the like,
should be asked absolutely, and with a firm confidence
of obtaining them. If, says Jesus Christ, you being evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, haw much more
will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them
that ask Him ! 123
Above all, perseverance in prayer is necessary. In his
commentary on the eleventh chapter of St. Luke, Cor­
nelius a Lapide says, that the Lord “wishes us to per­
severe in prayer even to importunity.”4*6 This maybe
inferred from the following passages of Scripture: III·
ought always to pray! Watch ye, therefore, praying at all
times. Pray without ceasing.* It may be also inferred
from our Lord’s repeated exhortations to prayer. Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find ; knock,
2nd it shall be opened to you.1 It might be sufficient to
have said, ask; but no; the Lord wishes us to under­
stand that we ought to imitate beggars, who do not
cease to ask, to entreat, and to knock at the gate, un­
til they receive an alms. But final perseverance, in
1 "Quid infirmo sit utile, magis novit medicus quam ægrotus ”—
dp. S. Prosp. sent. 212.
2 " Deus negat propitius quæ concedit iratus.”—Senn. 354, E. B.
3 " Si vos, cum sitis mali, nostis bona data dare filiis vestris ; quanto
magis Pater vester de coelo dabit spiritum bonum petentibus se !”—
Luke, xi. 13.
4 " Vult nos esse perseverantes in oratione, usque ad importunita­
tem.”—In Luc. xi
s " Oportet semper orare, et non deficere.”—Luke, xviii. r.
6 "Sine intermissione orate.”—1 These. v. 17.
1 " Petite, et dabitur vobis; quærite, et invenietis; pulsate, et aperi­
etur vobis.”—Luke, xi. 9.

I

31 o

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxx.

particular, is a grace which is not obtained without con­
tinual prayer. We cannot merit this grace of persever­
ance; but, according to St. Augustine, it may be merited
in a certain manner. “This gift,” says the holy Doctor,
“ can be suppliantly merited; that is, it may be obtained
by supplication.” 1 Let us, then, if we wish to be saved,
pray always, and never cease to pray. And let all con­
fessors and preachers, if they desire the salvation of
souls, never cease to exhort their penitents or hearers to
prayer. And, in conformity with the advice of St. Ber­
nard, let us always have recourse to the intercession of
Mary. Let us ask grace, and ask it through Mary: for
what she asks, she obtains, and her prayer cannot be
fruitless.” 3

Affections and Prayers.
My God ! I hope that Thou hast already pardoned me ; but my
enemies will not cease to fight against me till death. Unless
Thou dost assist me, I shall lose Thee again. Ah ! through the
merits of Jesus Christ, I ask holy perseverance. Do not permit
me to be separated from Thee. And I ask the same grace for
all who are at present in the state of grace. I hope, with cer­
tainty in Thy promise, that Thou wilt give me perseverance if I
will continue to ask it from Thee. But I fear that in my temp­
tations I shall neglect to have recourse to Thee, and that thus I
shall relapse into sin. I therefore ask of Thee the grace never
more to neglect prayer. Grant that in the occasions in which I
shall be in danger of relapsing, Î may recommend myself to Thee,
and may invoke the aid of the most holy names of Jesus and Mary.
My God ! this I purpose and hope to do with the assistance of
Thy grace. Hear me for the sake of Jesus Christ. O Mary, my
Mother! obtain for me the grace that in all dangers of losing
God, I may have recourse to thee and to thy Son.
1 “ Hoc Dei donum suppliciter emereri potest.”—De dono persev.
c. 6.
2 '· Quæramus gratiam, et per Mariam quæramus; quia, quod quærit,
invenit, et frustrari non potest.”—Senn, de Aqueed.

Perseverance.

311

CONSIDERATION XXXI.
Pcrscticriincc.
“ He that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.”—Matt.
xxiv. 13.
FIRST POINT.

Necessity of Perseverance.—Means of Defence against the
Devil.

St. Jerome says that many begin well but few perse­
vere.1 Saul, Judas, Tertullian, began well, but ended
badly, because they did not persevere in grace. The
Lord, says St. Jerome, requires not only the beginning of
a good life, but also the end:2 it is the end that will be re­
warded. St. Bonaventure says that the crown is given
only to perseverance.3 Hence St. Laurence Justinian calls
perseverance the “gate of heaven.” 4 No one can enter
paradise unless he finds the gate of heaven. My brother,
at present you have renounced sin, and justly hope that
you have been pardoned. You are then the friend of God:
hut remember that you are not yet saved. And when will
you be saved ? When you will have persevered to the
end. lie that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.'

I

'

1 “Incipere multorum est, perseverare paucorum.”—Cont. Jovin.
1. i.

2 “ Non quæruntur in Christianis initia, sed finis.”—Ep. ad Fur.
3 “Sola perseverantia coronatur.”—Diat. Sal. 1. 8, c. 2.
• “ Paradisi janua.”—Et· Obed. c. 26.
5 “Qui perseveraverit usque in finem, bic salvus erit.”—
xxiv. 13.
*

312

Preparation for Death.

[CON. XXXI.

Have you begun a good life? Thank the Lord for it:
but St. Bernard warns you that to him who begins, a
reward is only promised, and is given only to him who
perseveres.’ It is not enough to run for the prize, you
must run till you win it. So run, says St. Paul, that you
may obtain'
You have already put your hand to the plough, and
you have begun to live well; but now you must tremble
and fear more than ever. With fear and trembling work
out your salvationi And why? Because if—which God
forbid—you look back and return to a life of sin, God will
declare you unfit for paradise. No man putting his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'
At present, through the grace of God, you avoid evil
occasions, you frequent the sacraments, and make medi­
tation every day. Happy you if you continue to do so,
and if, when he comes to judge you, Jesus Christ will
find you doing these things. Blessed is that servant whom,
when his lord shall come, he shall find so doing? But do not
imagine that, now that you have begun to serve God,
there is as it were an end, or a lack of temptations: listen
to the advice of the Holv* Ghost. Son, when thou contest
to the service of God . . . prepare thy soul for temptationi
Remember that now more than ever you must prepare
yourself for conflicts, because your enemies, the world, the
devil, and the flesh, will arm themselves now more than
ever to fight against you in order to deprive you of all
1 “Inchoantibus praemium promittitur, sed perseverantibus datur."
—De modo bene viv. s 6.
8 “Sic currite ut comprehendatis.”—i Cor. ix, 24.
3 “Cum nictu et tremore vestram salutem operamini.”—Phil. ii. 12.
4 “ Nemo mittens manum suam ad aratrum, et respiciens retro,
aptus est regno Dei.”—Luke, ix. 62.
4 “ Beatus ille servus, quem, cum venerit Dominus ejus, invenerit
sic facientem.”—Matt. xxiv. 46.
* “ Fili, accedens ad servitutem Dei, sta In justitia et timore, et
præpara animam tuam ad tentationem ” —Ecclus ii, f.

Perseverance.
that you have acquired. Denis the Carthusian says, that
the more a soul gives itself to God, the more strenuously
hell labors to destroy it.1 And this is sufficiently ex­
pressed in the Gospel of St. Luke, where Jesus Christ
says: When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, seeking rest, and not finding
it, he saith: I will return into my house whence I came out.
And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then
he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked
than himself, and entering in, they dwell there. And the last
state of that man is worse than the first? When banished
from a soul, the devil finds no repose, and does every­
thing in his power to return: he even calls companions
to his aid; and if he succeeds in re-entering, the second
fall of that soul will be far more ruinous than the first.
Consider, then, what arms you must use in order to
defend yourselves against these enemies, and to preserve
your soul in the grace of God. To escape defeat, and to
conquer the devil, there is no other defence than prayer.
St. Paul says that we have to contend, not with men of
flesh and blood like ourselves, but with the princes of
hell. Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities and powers.' By these words the Apostle
wished to admonish us that we have not strength to
resist such powerful enemies, and that we stand in need
of aid from God. With his aid we shall be able to do
all things. I can do all things in Him that strengtheneth me I
1 Quanto quis fortius nititur Deo servire, tanto acrius contra eum
saevit adversarius.
8 “ Cum immundus spiritus exierit de homine, ambulat per loca in­
aquosa, quærens requiem; et non inveniens, dicit: Revertar in domum
meam, unde exivi. . . . Tunc vadit et assumit septem alios spiritus
secum, nequiores se; et ingressi, habitant ibi. Et fiunt novissima
hominis illius pejora prioribus.”—Luke, xi. 24.
3 “ Non est nobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, sed
adversus principes et potestates,”—Eph. vi. 12.
4 “Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat.”—Phil. iv. 13.

314

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxi

Such is the language of St. Paul; such, too, should be
our language. But this divine aid is given only to those
who pray for it. Ask and you shall receive. Let us, then
not trust in our purposes; if we trust in them, we shall
be lost. Whenever the devil tempts us, let us place our
entire confidence in the divine assistance, and let us re­
commend ourselves to Jesus Christ, and to the Most Holy
Mary. We ought to do this particularly as often as we
are tempted against chastity; for this is the most ter­
rible of all temptations, and is the one by which the
devil gains most victories. We have not strength to
preserve chastity; this strength must come from God.
And, said Solomon, as I knew that I could not otherwise be
continent except God gave it, ... I went to the Lord, and be­
sought him.1 in such temptations, then, we must instantly
have recourse to Jesus Christ, and to his holy Mother,
frequently invoking the most holy names of Jesus and
Mary. He who does this, will conquer; he who neg­
lects it, will be lost.
Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my God! “cast me not away from Thy face.” I know
that Thou wilt never abandon me, unless I first abandon Thee.
Experience of my own weakness makes me tremble lest I should
again forsake Thee. Lord ! it is from Thee I must receive the
strength necessary to conquer hell, which labors to make me
again its slave. This strength I ask of Thee for the sake of
Jesus Christ. O my Saviour! establish between Thee and me
a perpetual peace, which will never be broken for all eternity.
For this purpose I ask Thy love. “ He who loves not is dead."
O God of my soul, it is by Thee I must be saved from this
unhappy death. I was lost; Thou knowest it. It is Thy good­
ness alone that has brought me into the state in which I am at
present, in which I hope I am Thy friend. Ah, my Jesus!
through the painful death which Thou didst suffer for my salva1 “ Et ut scivi quoniam aliter non possem esse continens, nisi Deus
det, . . . adii Dominum, et deprecatus sum illum."—Wis. viii. 21.

Perseverance.

315

lion, do not permit me ever more to lose Thee voluntarily. I
love Thee above all things, I hope to see myself always bound
with this holy love, and to die in the bonds of love, and to live
for eternity in the chains of Thy love. O Mary! thou art
called the mother of perseverance; through thee this great gift
is dispensed. Through thy intercession I ask and hope to
obtain it.
SECOND POINT.

We must Conquer the World.

Let us now see how we must conquer the world. The
devil is a great enemy of our salvation, but the world is
worse. If the devil did not make use of the world and
of wicked men, by whom we mean the world, he would
not obtain the victories which he gains. But says Jesus
Christ, beware of men} Men are often worse than the
devils ; for these are put to flight when we pray and
invoke the most holy names of Jesus and Mary. But
when a person gives a becoming answer to wicked com­
panions, who tempt him to sin, they redouble their efforts,
they treat him with ridicule, upbraiding him with vul­
garity and want of education; and when they can say
nothing else, they call him a hypocrite, who only pretends
to sanctity. To escape such derision and reproach,
certain weak souls miserably associate with these minis­
ters of Lucifer, and return to the vomit. My brother,
be persuaded that, if you wish to lead a holy life, you
must expect the ridicule and contempt of the wicked.
The wicked, says the Holy Ghost, loathe them that are in
the right way} Lie who lives in sin cannot bear the sight
of those who live according to the Gospel. And why?
Because their life is a continual reproach to him; and
therefore to avoid the pain of remorse caused by the
good example of others, he would wish that all should
1 “Cavete autem ab hominibus.”—Matt. x. 17.
9 “Abominantur impii eos qui in recta sunt via.”—Prov. xxix. 27.

3 ιό

Preparation for Death.

[con. χχχι

imitate his own wickedness. There is no remedy. The
Apostle tells us that he who serves God must be per­
secuted by the world. AIL that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution} All the saints have been
persecuted. Who was more holy than Jesus Christ?
The world persecuted him so as to cause him to bleed
to death on a cross.
There is no help for this; for the maxims of the world
are diametrically opposed to the maxims of Jesus Christ.
What the world esteems, Jesus Christ has called folly.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God} And
the world regards as folly what Jesus Christ has strongly
recommended,—such as crosses, pains, and contempts
For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is
foolishness} But if the wicked revile and reproach us, let
us console ourselves with the reflection that God blesses
and praises us. They will curse, and Thou wilt bless} Is
it not enough for us to be praised by God, by Mary, by
the angels, the saints, and all good men ? Let us, then,
leave sinners to say what they please, and let us continue
to please God, who is grateful and faithful to all who
serve him. The greater the opposition and difficulty
we meet in doing good, the more we shall please God
and treasure up merits for ourselves. Let us imagine
that we are alone with God in this world. When the
wicked treat us with derision, let us recommend them to
the Lord, let us thank him forgiving us light, which he
does not give to these miserable men, and let us continue
our journey. Let us not be ashamed to appear like
1 “Omnes qui pie volunt vivere in Christo Jesu, persecutionem
patientur ”—2 Tim. iii. 12.
* *· Sapientia enirn hujus mundi stultitia est apud Deum.”—i Cor.
•··

111. 19.

3 “Verbum enim crucis pereuntibus quidem stultitia est.”—r Cor.
i. 18.
4 “Maledicent illi, et tu benedices.”—Ps. cviii. 28.

Perseverance.

3'7

Christians; for, if we are ashamed of Jesus Christ, he
protests that he will be ashamed of us on the day of
judgment. For he that shall be ashamed of Me and of My
words, of him the Son of man shall be ashamed, when He shall
come in His majesty}
If we wish to save our souls, we must resolve to suffer,
and to do violence to ourselves. How narrow is the gate
and strait is the way that leadeth to life. The kingdom of
heaven suffere th violence, and the violent bear it away} He
who does not violence to himself, will not be saved,
There is no remedy. If we wish to do good, we must
act in opposition to our rebellious nature. In the be­
ginning, it is particularly necessary to do violence to
ourselves in order to root out bad habits, and to acquire
habits of virtue. When good habits are once acquired,
the observance of the divine law becomes easy, and even
sweet. Our Lord said to St. Bridget, that when in the
practice of virtue a person suffers the first punctures of
the thorns with patience and courage, these thorns after­
wards become roses. Be attentive, then, dearly beloved
Christian. Jesus Christ now says to you, what he said
to the paralytic: Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more,
lest some worse thing happen to thee} Remember, says St.
Bernard, that if you have the misfortune of relapsing
into sin, your relapse will be more disastrous than all
your falls.4 Woe, says the Lord, to them who begin
to walk in the. way of God, and afterward forsake it.
Woe to you, apostate children} Such sinners are punished
as rebels against God’s light. They have been rebellious to
1 “Nam, qui me erubuerit et meos sermones, hunc Filius hominis
erubescet, cum venerit in majestate sua.”—Luke, ix. 26.
2 “Arcta via est, quæ ducit ad vitam.”—Matt. vii. 14. “ Regnum
coelorum vim patitur, et violenti rapiunt illud.”—Matt. xi. 12.
3 “ Ecce sanus factus cs; jam noli peccare, ne deterius tibi aliquid
contingat."—John, v. 14.
4 “Audis recidere, quam incidere, esse deterius.”—In Cant. s. 54.
6 “ Væ filii desertores.”—Isa. xxx. 1.

3i8

Preparation for Death.

[con.xxxi

the light.1 The chastisement of these rebels, who have
been favored by God with a great light, and have been
afterward unfaithful to him, is, to remain in blindness,
and thus die in their sins. But if the fust man turn him­
self away from his justice . . . shall he live? All his justices
which he hath done shall not be remembered; in theprevarica­
tion by which he hath prevaricated, and in his sin which he
hath committed, in them he shall die.3
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my God ! such a chastisement I have often deserved, be­
cause 1 have, through the light which Thou gavest me, re­
nounced sin, and have miserably returned to it. I infinitely
thank Thy mercy for not having abandoned me in my blindness
by leaving me entirely destitute of light, as I deserved. Great
then, O my Jesus ! are my obligations to Thee, and great should
be my ingratitude, were I again to turn my back upon Thee. No,
my Redeemer, the mercies of the Lord I will sing forever. 1
hope that during the remainder of my life, and for all eternity,
I will always sing and praise Thy mercies by loving Thee always,
and never more seeing myself bereft of Thy graces. The great
ingratitude with which I have hitherto treated Thee, and which
I now hate and curse above every evil, will serve to make me
weep bitterly over the injuries I have done Thee, and to inflame
me stili more with the love of Thee, who, after I had given Thee
so many grievous offences, have bestowed upon me so many
great graces. Yes, I love Thee, O my God ! worthy of infinite
love. Henceforth Thou shalt be my only love, my only good.
O eternal Father! through the merits of Jesus Christ I ask of
Thee final perseverance in Thy grace and in Thy love. I know
that Thou wilt grant it to me whenever I ask it. But who
assures me that I shall be careful to ask this perseverance from
Thee ? Hence, O my God, I ask perseverance, and the grace
always to ask it of Thee. O Mary, my advocate, my refuge, and
1 “ Ipsi fuerunt rebelles lumini.”—Job, xxiv. 13.
s “Si autem averterit se justus a justitia sua, .... numquid vivet?
Omnes justitiæ ejus, quas fecerat, non recordabuntur; ... in peccato
suo morietur."—Ezek. xviii. 24.

Perseverance.

319

my hope! obtain for me by thy intercession the gift of con­
stancy in always asking of God the grace of final perseverance.
Through the love which thou bearest Jesus Christ, I ask thee
to obtain for me this gift.
THIRD POINT.
I

We must Struggle against the Flesh.—Recapitulation.

Let us come to the third enemy—that is, the flesh,
which is the worst of all: and let us see how we must
defend ourselves against its attacks. The first means
is prayer: but this we have already considered. The
second is, to avoid the occasion of sin; and let us now
ponder well upon this means of overcoming the flesh.
St. Bernardine says that the greatest of all counsels, and
the one which is, as it were, the foundation of religion,
is to fly from sinful occasions.* Being compelled by exor­
cisms, the devil once confessed that of all sermons, that
which displeased him most was the sermon on avoiding
the occasions of sin: and justly; for the devil laughs at
all the resolutions and promises of penitent sinners who
remain in the occasion of $in. The occasion of sins of the
flesh, in particular, is like a veil placed before the eyes,
which prevents the soul from seeing either its resolutions,
or the lights received from God, or the truths of eternity.’
in a word, it makes it forget everything, and almost
blinds it. The neglect of avoiding the occasions of sin
was the cause of the fall of our first parents. God had
forbidden them even to touch the forbidden fruit. God
commanded us, said Eve, that we should not eat, and that we
should not touch it.2 But through want of caution she saw,
took, and ate it. She first began to look at the apple, she
afterward took it in her hand, and then ate it. He who
1 “ Inter consilia Christi, unum celeberrimum quasi religionis fun­
damentum est, fugere peccatorum occasiones.’ — 1. i. s. 21, a. 3.
» “ prærenît nobis Deus, ne comederemus, et ne tangeremus illud.'1

—Gen. i i i. ?

j 20

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxxi

voluntarily exposes himself to danger, will perish in it.'
St. Peter tells us that the devil zocth about seeking whom
he may devour.’1 And what, says St. Cyprian, does lie do
in order to enter again into the soul from which he lias
been expelled?3 He seeks an occasion of sin. If the
soul permit him to bring it again into the occasion of
sin, he will enter again, and shall devour it. The Abbot
Guerric says that Lazarus came forth from the grave
bound hand and foot,4 and after rising in this state, lie
died again.
Miserable,
this author means z to sav, is the
O
Z
man who rises from sin bound by the occasion of sin;
though he should rise, he surely will die again. He,
then, who wishes to be saved must forsake not only all
sin, but the occasions of sin—that is, the companions,
the house, the connections which lead to sin.
But you will say: I have changed my life, and now I
have no bad motive, nor even a temptation, in the society
of such a person. I answer: it is related that in Mauri­
tania there are bears that go in search of the apes. As
soon as they see a bear, the apes save themselves by
climbing up the trees: but what does the bear do? He
stretches himself, as if dead, under the tree; and when
the apes descend, he springs up, seizes, and devours
them. It is thus the devil acts: he makes the tempta­
tions appear dead; and when the soul exposes itself to
the occasions of sin, he excites the temptation, which de­
vours it. Oh ! how many miserable souls, that practised
mental prayer, frequented Communion, and might be
called saints, ha\re, by putting themselves into dangerous
occasions, become the prey of hell ? It is related in
ecclesiastical history, that a holy matron, who devoted
herself to the pious work of burying the martyrs, found
ο

1
2
3
4

Perseverance.

O

“ Oui amat periculum in illo peribit.”—Ecclus. Hi. 27.
“ Circuit quærens quem devoret.”—1 Peter, v. 8.
“ Explorat an sit pars, cujus aditu penetretur.”—De zelo et liv.
Prodiit ligatus manibus et pedibus.

3 21

one of them not dead. She brought him to her house:
he recovered. What happened ? By the proximate oc­
casion, these two saints, as they might be called, first
lost the grace of God, and afterward lost the faith.
The Lord commanded Isaias to proclaim that allflesh is
grassi Is it possible, says St. John Chrysostom, for hay
not to burn when it is thrown into the fire?’* And St,
Cyprian says that it is impossible to stand in the midst
of flames, and not be burned.3 According to the prophet
Isaias, our strength is like that of tow cast into the fire.
And your strength shall be as the ashes of towi And Solo­
mon says that it would be folly to expect to walk on
red-hot coals, without being burned. Can a man walk
upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnedV Thus it is
likewise folly’ to expose ourselves to the occasion of sin,
and to expect not to fall. It is necessary then to fly
from sin as from the face of a serpent. Flee from
sins as from the face of a serpenti We ought, says Gualfrido, not only’· to avoid the bite or contact of a serpent,
but should also abstain from approaching it.7 But you
will say: My interest requires that I should frequent such
a house, or that I should keep up a certain friendship.
But if you see that such a house is for you a way to hell,
there is no remedy; you must forsake it if you wish to
save your soul. Iler house is the way to hell.* The Lord
tells you that if your right eye is a cause of damnation to
1 “ Clama: Omnis caro fenum.”—Isa. xl. 6.
2 “ Lucernam in fenum pone, ac tum aude negare quod fenum exu­
ratur.”—In Ps. 1. horn. i.
3 “ Impossibile est flammis circumdari, et non ardere.”—De Singul.
cler.
4 “ Et erit fortitudo vestra ut favilla stupæ.”—Isa. i. 31.
5 “ Numquid potest homo . . . ambulare super prunas, ut non com­
burantur plantæ ejus?”—Prov. vi. 27.
6 “Quasi a facie colubri, fuge peccata.”—Ecclus. xxi. 2.
1 Fuge etiam tactus, etiam accessum.
8 “ Viæ inferi, domus ejus.”—Prov. vii. 27.

I?

322

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxv

you, you must pluck it out and cast it from you.1 Mark
the words; you must cast it, not beside you, but to a
distance from you—that is, you must take away every oc­
casion of sin. St. Francis of Assisi says, that the devil
tempts spiritual souls, who have given themselves to God,
in a way different from that in which he tempts the wicked.
In the beginning he does not seek to bind them with a
chain; he is content to hold them bjr a single hair: he
then binds them with a slender thread; afterward with
a cord; then with a chain; and thus drags them to sin.
And therefore he who wishes to be free from the danger
of perdition must, in the beginning, break all these hairs,
he must avoid all occasions of sins, he must give up these
salutations, presents, notes, and the like. And for those
who have contracted a habit of committing sins against
purity, it will not be enough to avoid proximate occasions:
unless they fly even from remote occasions, they will
relapse.
He who sincerely wishes to be saved, must, by often
repeating with the saints, Let all be lost, provided God
is not lost, labor continually to strengthen and renew his
resolution of never again renouncing the friendship of
God. But it is not enough to resolve never more to lose
God; it is moreover necessary to adopt the means by
which you may be preserved from the danger of losing
him. The first means is, to avoid the occasions of sin;
of this we have already spoken. The second is, to fre­
quent the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist. In
the house which is often swept there is no uncleanness.
By the sacrament of penance the soul is purified; by it
it obtains not only the remission of sins, but also help to
resist temptations. The Communion is called the bread
of heaven; because as the body cannot live without
earthly food, so the soul cannot live without this celestial
1 “Si oculus tuus dexter scandalizat te, erue eum, et projice abs
te.”—Matt. v. 29.

Perseverance.

323

bread. Except you cat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink
his blood, you shall not have life in you) But on the other
hand, to those who frequently eat this bread, is promised
eternal life. If any man eat of this bread he shall live for­
ever) Hence the Council of Trent calls the Communion
a medicine which delivers us from venial, and preserves
us from mortal sins.3 The third means is meditation,
or mental prayer. Remember thy last end, and thou shalt
never sin) He who keeps before his eyes the eternal
truths—death, judgment, eternity—will not fall into sin.
God enlightens us in meditation. Come ye to Him, and be
enlightened) In meditation God speaks to us, and makes
known to us what we are to avoid, and what we are to
do. I will lead her into the wilderness, and I will speak
to her heart) Meditation is the blessed furnace in
which divine love is lighted up. In my meditation a fire
shall flame out) To preserve the soul in the grace of God,
it is, as has been already said, absolutely necessary al­
ways to prav, and to ask for the graces we stand in need
of. They who do not make mental prayer, will scarcely
pray for God's graces; and by neglecting to pray for
them, they will certainly be lost.
It is necessary then to adopt the means of salvation,
and to lead a life of order and regularity. It is neces­
sary, after rising in the morning, to make the Christian
acts of thanksgiving, love, oblation, and a purpose of
1 “ Nisi manducaveritis carnem Filii hominis, et biberitis ejus san­
guinem, non habebitis vitam in vobis.”—John. vi. 54.
2 “Si quis manducaverit ex hoc pane, vivet in æternum.”—John,
vi. 52.
’“Antidotum quo liberemur a culpis quotidianis, et a peccatis
mortalibus præservemur.”—Sess. 13. cap. 2.
4 “Memorare novissima tua, et in æternum non peccabis.”—Ecclus.
vii. 40.
5 “ Accedite ad eam, et illuminamini.”—Ps. xxxiii. 6.
6 “ Ducam eam in solitudinem, et loquar ad cor ejus.”—Oste, ii. 14.
1 “ In meditatione mea exardescet ignis.”—Ps. xxxviii. 4.

324

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxi

avoiding sin, along with a prayer to Jesus and Mary that
they may preserve you from sin during the day: you
should afterward make your meditation, and hear Mass.
During the day you ought to make a spiritual reading,
visit the Blessed Sacrament and an image of the divine
Mother. In the evening, say the rosary, and make an
examination of conscience. Go to Communion several
times in the week, according as your director may
advise: you should ordinarily go to confession to the
same confessor. It would also be very profitable to
make the spiritual exercises in some religious house. It
is likewise necessary’ to honor the Most Holy Mary by
some special devotion—such as by fasting on Saturdays.
She is called the Mother of perseverance, and she
promises to obtain it for all who serve her. They that
work by me shall not sin.1 Above all, it is necessary to
ask of God holy perseverance, and especially7 in the time
of temptation, invoking then more frequently the names
of Jesus and Mary as long as the temptation continues.
If you act in this manner, you will certainly be saved; if
not, you will certainly be lost.*

Affections and Prayers.

My dear Redeemer! I thank Thee for the lights which Thou
now givest me, and for the means of salvation which Thou make^t
known to me. I promise to endeavor to persevere in the prac­
tice of them. I see that Thou wishest for my salvation ; and I
wish to be saved principally to please Thy heart, which so ar­
dently desires my’ salvation. O my God ! I will no longer resist
the love which Thou entertainest for me. This love has made
Thee bear me with so much patience when I offended Thee.
Thou callest me to Thy love, and I desire only to love Thee. I
1 “ Qui operantur in me non peccabunt.”—Ecclus. xxiv. 30.
* We must here remark that the means of perseverance so much
recommended by St. Alphonsus are nothing else than a good Rule of
Life, which is given in the last part of this volume.—Ed.

Perseverance.

325

love Thee, O infinite Goodness! I love Thee, O infinite Good !
Ah ! I entreat Thee, through the merits of Jesus Christ, not to
permit me to be ever again ungrateful to Thee; either make me
cease to be ungrateful to Thee, or make me cease to live. Lord !
Thou hast already begun the work ; bring it to perfection,
Confirm, O God! that which Thou hast wrought in mei Give
me light, give me strength, give me love. O Mary! who art the
treasurer of graces, assist me, accept me for thy servant, and pray
to Jesus for me. Through the merits of Jesus Christ first, and
then through thy prayers, I hope for salvation.
1 “ Confirma hoc, Deus, quod operatus es in nobis.”—Ps. Ixvii. 29.

320

Preparation for Dea ih.

[con.xxxv

CONSIDERATION XXXII.

Qlonfibcnce in tl)c patronage of iHarn.
He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from
the Lord.”—Prov. viii. 35.

FIRST POINT.

Power of Mary.

Oh ! how great will be our thankfulness to the mercy
of God, for having given us for our advocate, Mary, who,
by her prayers, can obtain for us all the graces we stand
in need of. “ Truly wonderful,” exclaims St. Bonaven­
ture, “is the bounty of our God, who has given thee, 0
Lady, to his guilty subjects as their advocate, so that
thou art able to obtain for them by thy assistance what­
ever thou wilt.” 1 Sinners, brethren, if we find ourselves
debtors to the divine justice, and condemned to hell by
our sins, let us not despair; let us have recourse to this
divine mother; let us put ourselves under her protection,
and she will save us. But we must have a sincere pur­
pose of amending our lives. If we have such a purpose,
and place confidence in Mary, we shall be saved. And
why ? Because Mary is a powerful advocate, a merciful
advocate, an advocate that desires to save all.
In the first place, let us consider that Mary is a power­
ful advocate, who can obtain from the Judge all graces
1 “O certe Dei nostri mira benignitas, oui suis reis te, Dominam,
tribuit Advocatum, ut, quod volueris, pro nobis valeas impetrare —
Slim. am. p. 3, c. 19.

Confidence in the Patronage of Mary.

327

for her servants. This is a singular privilege, given to
her by the Judge himself, who is her Son. “It is a great
privilege, that Mary is most powerful with her Son.” ‘
John Gerson says that the Blessed Virgin asks nothing
from God with an absolute will, which she does not ob­
tain; and that, like a queen, she sends the angels to en­
lighten, to purify, and to perfect her servants. Hence,
to inspire confidence in this great advocate, the Church
makes us invoke her under the title of Powerful Virgin.
Powerful Virgin, pray for us.2 And why is the patronage
of Mary so powerful ? Because she is the Mother of God.
“ The prayer of the divine Mother,” says St. Antoninus,
“partakes of the nature of a command, and therefore it
is impossible for her not to be heard.” 3 The prayers of
Mary are the prayers of a mother, and are therefore re­
garded by Jesus Christ, in a certain manner, as com­
mands; hence it is impossible that her petitions should
be rejected. St. George, Archbishop of Nicomedia, says
that the Redeemer, as if to discharge the obligation
which he owes to his mother for having given to him his
human nature, hears all her prayers. Hence, St. Theo­
philus, Bishop of Alexandria, has written, “ The Son is
pleased that his Mother should pray to him, because he
wishes to grant her whatsoever she asks, in order to repay
her for the favor received from her in giving him flesh.”4
Hence the martyr St. Methodius exclaimed: “Rejoice,
rejoice, O Mary ! thou hast for a debtor thy Son. We
are all debtors to him; but he is a debtor to thee alone.” 4
1 “ Grande privilegium, quod Maria apud Filium sit potentissima.”
— 57. Bonav. in Spec. lect. vi.
2 Virgo potens, ora pro nobis.
3 “Oratio Deiparæ habet rationem imperii ; unde impossibile est
eam non exaudiri.”—P. 4, t. 15, c. 17, §4.
4 “ Filius, quasi exsolvens debitum, petitiones tuas implet.”—Or. de
dngr. B. V.
5 “ Euge, euge, quæ debitorem habes Filium ! Deo enim universi
debemus, tibi autem ille debitor est.”—Or. de Sim. et Ann.

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxxii.

Hence Cosmas of Jerusalem says that the intercession
of Mary is omnipotent.1 Yes, her prayers are omnipo­
tent, because, as Richard of St. Laurence says, it is but
just that the Mother should partake of the power of the
Son. The Son, then, who is omnipotent, has made the
Mother omnipotent.1
2 The Son is omnipotent by nature;
the Mother is omnipotent by grace—that is, she obtains
by her prayers whatsoever she asks, as is happily ex­
pressed in the celebrated verse: “What God doeth by
right, thou, O Virgin, dost by prayer.” 3 This was re­
vealed to St. Bridget, who one day heard Jesus Christ
addressing his mother in the following words: “Ask from
me what you wish; for your petition cannot be fruitless.” 4
My mother, ask as much as you please; for I shall hear
all your prayers. He then subjoins the reason. “Because
you refused me nothing on earth, I will refuse nothing
to you in heaven.”6 You refused me nothing when 1
lived on earth; it is just that I should refuse nothing to
you now that you are with me in heaven.
In fine, there is no sinner, however abandoned, whom
Mary cannot save by her intercession. “ You have,”says
St. George of Nicomedia, “insuperable strength, lest the
multitude of our sins should overcome your clemency.
Nothing resists your power; for the Creator regards your
glory as his own.”—Orat, de Exit. B. V. O Mother of God,
nothing can resist thy power, since thy Creator regards
1 “Omnipotens auxilium tuum, O Maria.”—Hymn 6 in depr. ad
Deip.
• Cum autem eadem sit potestas Matris et Filii, ab omnipotente
Filio omnipotens Mater effecta est.
3 Quod Deus imperio, tu prece, Virgo, potes
4 “Pete quod vis; non enim inanis potest esse petitio tua.”—Rev.
5 ·· Quia tu mihi nihil negasti in terra ego tibi nihil negabo in coelo.”
—Rev. 1. I, c. 24.

Confidence in the Patronage of Mary.

329

thy glory as his own.” 1 “ Nothing, then,” says St. Peter
Damian, “is impossible to thee, who can raise even those
who are in despair to a hope of salvation.”3
Affections and Prayers.

My dear Queen and Mother, Mary, I will address thee in the
words of St. Germanus: “Thou art omnipotent in saving sin­
ners; thy prayers are all-powerful with God, because thou art
the mother of true life.”—Servi, iii. in Dorn. B. V. Then, O my
mistress, if I have recourse to thee, all my sins cannot make, me
despair of salvation. Thou obtainest by thy prayers whatever
thou wishest. If thou prayest for me I shall certainly be saved.
I will then say to thee with St. Bernard : Pray for me, who am
so miserable, O great Mother of God, for thy Son hears thee,
and grants whatsoever thou askest.3 I am indeed a sinner; but
I wish to amend my life, and I glory in being specially devoted
to thee. I am, it is true, unworthy of thy protection ; but I
know that thou hast never abandoned any one who has placed
his trust in thee. Thou art able and willing to save me, and I
trust in thee. When I was in the state of perdition, and forget­
ful of thee, thou didst think of me, and didst obtain for me the
grace to enter into myself. How much more ought I to trust in
thy mercy now th u I am dedicated to thy service, and that I
recommend myself with confidence to thy prayers ! O Mary !
pray for me, and obtain for me the grace to be a saint. Obtain
for me holy perseverance ; obtain for me a great love of thy Son,
and of thee, O my amiable mother! I love thee, O my Queen !
and hope to love thee always. Do thou also love me, and obtain
for me the grace that I may be transformed from a sinner into
a saint.
1 “Habes vires insuperabiles, ne clementiam tuam superet multi­
tudo peccatorum. Nihil tuæ resistit potentiae ; tuam enim gloriam
Creator existimat esse propriam.”—Or. de ingr. B. V.
4 “ Nil tibi impossibile, cui possibile est desperatos in spem beatitudinis relevare.”—De Nat. B. P. s. 1.
3 “ Loquere, Domina, quia audit Filius tuus: et quacumque peti­
eris, impetrabis.”—De£r. ad glor. V.

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxxii

SECOND POINT.

Mercy of Mary.

Let us consider, in the second place, that Mary is an
advocate as merciful as she is powerful, and that she
knows not how to refuse her protection to any soul that
has recourse to her. The eyes of the Lord, says David,
are upon the just; and this mother of mercy, says Richard
of St. Laurence, keeps her eyes upon the just and upon
sinners, that she may preserve them from falling into sin,
or that, should they fall, she may raise them up.1 St.
Bonaventure used to say that, in looking at Mary, he
seemed to behold mercy itself? Hence St. Bernard ex­
horts us to recommend ourselves with great confidence
in all our necessities to this powerful advocate, who is
all sw'eetness and benignity to those who invoke her in­
tercession.2
3 Hence Mary is called an olive-tree. Asa fair
olive-tree in the plains' As from the olive-tree nothing
comes forth but oil, the symbol of mercy; so from the
hands of Mary nothing flows but the graces and mercies
which she dispenses to all who take shelter under her
protection. Hence Denis the Carthusian has justly
called her the “ advocate of all sinners who have recourse
to her.”4 O God ! how great will be the remorse of the
damned Christian in thinking that, during life, he could
have saved his soul with so much facility by invoking the
intercession of this mother of mercy; that he had not
1 “ Sed oculi Dominæ super justos et peccatores, sicut oculi matris
ad puerum, ne cadat, vel, si ceciderit, ut sublevet.”—De laud. B. M.

2 “Certe, Domina, cum te aspicio, nihil nisi misericordiam cerno.”
— Siini. am. p. 3. c. 19.
3 “ Quid ad Mariam accedere trepidet humana fragilitas ? Nihil aus­
terum in ea. nihil terribile ; tota suavis est.”—Ln sign. magn.
4 ••Quasi oliva speciosa in campis.”—Eecltts. xxiv. 19.
4 “Advocata omnium iniquorum ad se confugientium. ”—De Laud.
B. JC. 1. 2, a. 23.

Confidence in the Patronage of Mary.
done so; and that there will be no more time to do it !
The Blessed Virgin said one day to St. Bridget: I am
called, and I really am, the Mother of mercy; for such
God has made me.1 “ I am called by all the Mother of
mercy, and truly his mercy has made me merciful.”—
Rev. lib. i. cap. vi. And who, but God in his mercy, be­
cause he desires our salvation, has given us this advocate
to defend us ? “ Therefore,” adds Mary, ‘‘miserable will
he be, who, while it is in his power, has not recourse to
me, who am merciful.” 3 Miserable is the man, and mis­
erable for eternity, who, though he could, during life,
have recommended himself to me, who am so benign and
merciful to all, has neglected to have recourse to me,
and is lost.
Perhaps, says St. Bonaventure, we are afraid that in
asking Mary’s intercession she will refuse it tous? Xo,
says the saint: “Mary does not refuse, and never has
refused pity and aid to any sinner who has invoked her
intercession.” 3 She has not done so, and she cannot do
so; because God has made her the queen and the mother
of mercy; and as queen of mercy she is bound to attend
to the care of the miserable. “Thou,” says St. Bernard,
“art the queen of mercy; and who but the miserable are
the subjects of mercy ?” 4 Hence the saint through humil­
ity adds: Since then, O Mother of God .’ thou art the
queen of mercy, thou must have a special care or m<,
who am the most miserable of sinners.4 As mother of
1 “Ego vocor ab omnibus Mater misericordiæ, et vere misericordia
Filii mei fecit me misericordem.’'—Rev. 1. 2, c. 23.
2 Ideo miser erit, qui ad misericordiam, cum possit, non accedit.
5 ‘‘ Ipsa enim non misereri ignorat, et miseris non satisfacere nun­
quam scivit.”—Slim am. p. 3, c. 13.
1 Tu es Regina misericordiae; et qui misericordiæ subditi, nisi
miseri ?
5 “ Tu Regina misericordiæ, et ego miserrimus peccator, subditorum
maximus ; rege nos ergo, O Regina misericordise."—Paciucch. In
Salve Reg. exc. 2.

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxii.

mercy it is her duty to deliver from death her sick chil­
dren, to whom her mercy makes her a mother. Hence,
St. Basil calls her a public hospital.1 Public hospitals are
erected for the poor; and they who are in the greatest
poverty have the best claims to be admitted into them.
Hence, according to St. Basil, Mary ought to receive
with the greatest tenderness and care the greatest sin­
ners who have recourse to her.
But let us not doubt of the mercy of Mary. One day
St. Bridget heard the Saviour saying to his mother:
“ Thou wouldst show compassion to the devil, should he
ask it with humility.” ' The haughty Lucifer will never
humble himself to ask her prayers; but if he humbled
himself to this divine mother, and invoked her help, she,
by her intercession, would deliver him from hell. By
those words, Jesus Christ wished to give us to under­
stand what Mary herself afterward said to the same St.
Bridget—that when a sinner has recourse to her, however
enormous his guilt may be, she regards not the sins with
which he is charged, but the intention with which he
comes. If he come with a sincere desire to amend, she
receives him and heals all his wounds.J Hence St. Bona­
venture says: “ Poor sinners ! do not despair; raise your
eyes to Mary, and trust in the mercy of this good
mother.” 4 Let us then, says St. Bernard, ask the grace
we have lost, and let us ask it through Mary/ The
y

c

1 Publicum Valetudinarium.
3 “ Etiam diabolo exhiberes misericordiam, si humiliter peteret.”—
Rev. extr. c. 50.
3 “ Quantumcumque homo peccet, si ex vera emendatione ad me
reversus fuerit, statim parata sum recipere revertentem; nec attendo
quantum peccaverit, sed cum quali voluntate venit; nam non dedignor
ejus plagas ungere et sanare, quia vocor (et vere sum) Mater miseri­
cordiae.”—Rev. 1. 2. c. 23; 1. 6. c. 117.
4 “ Respirate ad illam perditi peccatores, et perducet vos ad por­
tum.”—Psalt. B. V. ps. 18.
* Quæramus gratiam, et per Mariam quæramus.”—De Aquccd.

Confidence in the Patronage of Mary.

333

{rrace which we have lost, she has found, says Richard of
Si. Laurence; * we therefore ought to go to her in order
to recover it. When the Archangel Gabriel announced
to the Most Holy Virgin the divine maternity, he said
to her: Fear not, Mary, thou hast found grace? But,
since Mary was never deprived of grace, but was, on
the contrary, always full of grace, how could he say
that she had found it ! In answer to this question, Car­
dinal Hugo says, that Mary found grace, not for herself,
because she had always possessed it, but for us, who have
lost it. Hence the same author says, that we ought to
go to her and say: O Lady, property ought to be restored
to him who has lost it;9 the o<rrace which thou hast found
is not thine, for thou hast always possessed it; it is ours,
we have lost it through our own fault; thou shouldst
then restore it to us.1
*3 “Let sinners, then, who have lost
grace by their sins, run—let them run to the Virgin, and
say with confidence: Restore to us our property, which
thou hast found.” 4
Affections and Prayers.

Behold, O great Mother of God ! at thy feet a miserable sin.
ner, who has not once, but several times, voluntarily lost the
divine grace, which thy Son had purchased for him by his death.
0 mother of mercy ! I come to thee with a soul covered with
wounds and sores; be not angry with me on that account, but
have the greater pity on me, and assist me. I do not ask of
thee earthly goods ; I ask thee to obtain for me the grace of
God and the love of thy Son. My mother, pray for me, and
never cease to pray for me. It is through the merits of Jesus
1 ‘‘Cupientes invenire gratiam, quæramus Inventricem gratiæ.”—
De Laud. B. M. 1. 2, p. 5.
* “ Ne timeas, Maria; invenisti enim gratiam.”—Luke, i. 30.
3 “Currant igitur peccatores ad Virginem, qui gratiam amiserunt
peccando; secure dicant: Redde nobis rem nostram, quam invenisti.”
—In Luc. i.
4 “ Advocata nostra, officium tuum imple.”—In Nat. B. J\ conc. 3.

334

Preparation for Death,

icon.

xxxn.

Christ and thy intercession that I am to be saved. Thy office is
to intercede for sinners : I will then say, with St. Thomas of
Villanova: “ O our advocate, fulfil thy office !” recommend me
to God and defend me. No cause, however desperate, is lost,
when defended by thee. Thou, after Jesus, art the hope of sin­
ners ; thou art my hope. O Mary! I will not cease to sene
thee, to love thee, and to have recourse to thee always. Do not
then ever cease to pray for me, particularly when thou seest me
in danger of again losing the grace of God. O Mary, 0 great
mother of God, have pity on me.
THIRD POINT.

Charity of Mary.

Let us consider, in the third place, that Mary is so
merciful an advocate, that she not only assists all who
have recourse to her, but also goes in search of the mis­
erable, in order to defend and save them. Behold how
she invites us all, and encourages us to hope for every
good, if we have recourse to her. In me is all hope of life
and virtue. Come over io me all' In explaining this pas­
sage, the devout Pelbart says: “She invites all, the just
and sinners.”123 The devil, according to St. Peter, goes
about continually seeking whom he may devour.’ But
this divine mother, says Bernard da Bustis, goes about
seeking whom she may save.4 Mary is called the mother
of mercy; because, like a mother, she cannot see her
children in danger of being lost without giving them as­
sistance. Mary pities all our miseries, and constantly
seeks our salvation. And, says St. Germanus, who, after
Jesus, has greater care of our salvation, than thou, 0
1 "In me omnis spes vitæ et virtutis; transite ad me omnes.”—
Ecclus. xxiv. 25.
* Omnes, justos et peccatores, invitat.
3 "Circuit, quærens quem devoret.”—i Peter, n. 8.
4 " Ipsa semper circuit, quærens quem salvet.”—Marial, p. 3, s. 1.

Confidence in the Patronage of Mary.

335

mother of mercy?1 St. Bonaventure says that Mary is
so solicitous about the relief of the miserable, that she
appears to desire nothing with greater ardor than to com­
fort them.’
She certainly assists us as often as we have recourse to
her; no one has ever been rejected by her, says the Idiot.’
But this, adds Richard of St. Victor, is not enough for
her; she anticipates our supplications, and obtains aid
for us before we ask her prayers.4 Moreover, the same
author says, that Mary is so full of mercy, that, as soon
as she sees misery, she instantly obtains relief, and can­
not behold any one in distress without coming to his
assistance.6 It was thus she acted when she lived on
this earth, as we learn from what happened at the mar­
riage of Cana in Galilee; where, when the wine failed,
she did not wait to be asked, but taking pity on the
affliction and shame of the spouses, asked her Son to con­
sole them, saying: They have no vrine* Thus she in­
duced him to change, by miracle, water into wine.
But, says St. Bonaventure, if Mary’s compassion for the
afflicted was so great while she was in this world, her
pity for us is certainly much greater now that she is in
heaven, where she has a better knowledge of our miser­
ies, and greater compassion for us.T Novarino adds: If
1 “ Quis post tuum Filium ita generis humani curam gerit sicut tu ?”
—De zona Deip.
2 “ Undique sollicita de miseris. Solum misereri tu videris appe­
tere.”—Slim. ani. p. 3, c. 19.
3 “ Tanta est ejus benignitas, ut nemo ab ea repellatur.”—De cont.
B. Γ. prol.
4 “Velocius occurrit ejus pietas, quam invocetur, et causas misero­
rum anticipat.”—In Cant. c. 23.
4 A Deo pietate replentur ubera tua, ut alicujus miseriae notitia tac­
ta, lac fundant misericordiae, nec possis miserias scire et non sub­
venire.
6 Vinum non habent.
1 Magna erga miseros fuit misericordia Mariæ adhuc exsultantis in
mundo, sed multo major est regnantis in coelo.

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxii.

Mary, unasked, shows such readiness to afford relief, how
much more careful will she be to console those who ask
her prayers !1
Ah ! let us never cease to have recourse in all our ne­
cessities to the divine mother, who is always ready to
obtain
relief
for
all
who
pray
to
her.
“
You
will
find
her
•
_
ever ready to assist,”1
*3 says Richard of St. Laurence.
And Bernardine da Bustis adds, that she desires more
ardently to obtain graces for us, than we do to receive
them.3 Hence he says that, whenever we have recourse
to her, we shall always find her hands full of graces and
mercies.45 According to St. Bonaventure, Mary's desire
for our welfare and salvation is so great, that she feels
offended not only with those who do her a positive in­
jury, but also with those who neglect to ask favors from
her.6 And, on the other hand, the saint affirms that they
who invoke Mary’s intercession (that is, with a deter­
mination to amend their lives) are saved. Hence he calls
her the salvation of those who invoke her.8 Let us, then,
always have recourse to the divine mother, and always
say to her with the holy Doctor: “ In thee, O Lady, have I
hoped; may I not be confounded forever.” 7 No, O Lady,
O mother of God, O Mary ! I shall not be lost after
having placed my hopes in thee after Jesus.
1 “Si tam prompta ad auxilium currit non quæsita, quid requisita
præstitura est !”—Umbra virg. exc. 72.
3 “ Invenies semper paratam auxiliari.”—De Laud. B. M. 1. 2, p. 1.
3 Plus desiderat ipsa facere tibi bonum et largiri gratiam, quam tu
accipere concupiscas.
4 “ Invenies eam in manibus plenam misericordia et largitate.”—
Marial, p. 2, s. 5.
5 In te, Domina, peccant, non solum qui tibi injuriam irrogant, sed
etiam qui te non rogant.
8 O salus te invocantium !
' In te, Domina, speravi; non confundar in aeternum.

Confidence in the Patronacre of Mary.

337

Affections and Prayers.

0 Mary! behold at thy feet a miserable slave of hell, who im­
plores thy mercy. I, indeed, deserve no good ; but thou art the
mother of mercy, and mercy is exercised in favor of those who
are unworthy of it. The whole world calls thee the refuge and
the hope of sinners ; then thou art my refuge and my hope. I
am a lost sheep ; but to save the lost sheep, the Eternal Word
came down from heaven, and became thy Son ; he wishes that
I have recourse to thee, and that thou assist me by thy prayers.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners. O great Mother
of God ! thou prayest for all ; pray to thy Son also for me: tell
him that I am thy client, and that thou art my protectress: tell
him that in thee, after him, I have placed all my hopes; tell
him to pardon me, that I repent of all the insults I have offered
to him; tell him to grant me in his mercy holy perseverance :
tell him to grant me the grace to love him with my whole
heart. In fine, tell him to save me. He does whatsoever thou
askest. O Mary, my hope! in thee I trust ; have pity on me.

22

33 8

Preparation for Death,

[con. xxxm.

CONSIDERATION XXXIII.

ŒJjc £oüc of (gob.
“ Let us therefore love God. because God hath first loved us.”—
I John, iv. 19.
FIRST POINT.

Love and Goodness shown by God to Man,

Consider, in the first place, that God deserves your
love, because he has loved you before you loved him, and
because he has been the first of all to love you. I have
loved thee with an everlasting love' Your parents have been
the first to love you on this earth; but they have loved
you only after they have known you. Before your father
or your mother came into this world, God loved you:
even before the world was created, he loved you. And
how long before the creation of the world did God love
you ? Perhaps a thousand years, or a thousand ages ? It
is useless to count years or ages; God has loved you from
eternity. I have loved thee with an everlasting love; there­
fore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee.3 Ina word, as
long as he has been God, he has loved you; as longas
he has loved himself, he has loved you. Hence the holy
virgin St. Agnes had reason to say: “I am prevented by
another lover.”3 When the world and creatures sought
her love, she answered: No, I cannot love you. My God
1 “In charitate perpetua dilexi te.”—Jer. xxxi. 3.
2 “ In charitate perpetua dilexi te ; ideo attraxi te, miserans.”—Jtr.
xxxi. 3.
*3
3 Ab alio amatore præventa sum.
9

The Love of God.

339

has been the first to love me; it is but just, then, that I
should consecrate all my love to him alone.
Thus, my brother, God has loved you from eternity
and through pure love has taken you from among so
many men whom he could create; he has given you ex­
istence, and has placed you in the world. For the love
of you, God has created so many other beautiful crea­
tures, that they might serve you, and remind you of the
love which he has borne to you, and of the love which
you owe to him. “Heaven and earth,” says St. Augus­
tine, “ tell me to love Thee.” 1 When the saint looked at
the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the rivers,
they appeared to him to speak, and say: “Augustine,
love your God; for he has created us for you, that you
might love him.” Tl\e Abbot de Rance, founder of La
Trappe, when he saw a hill, a fountain, or a flower, would
say that all these creatures upbraided him with ingrati­
tude to God. In holding a flower or a fruit in her hand,
St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi felt her heart wounded as
it were by a dart of divine love, and would say within
herself: “Then, my God has from eternity thought of
creating this flower or fruit, that I might love him.”
Consider, moreover, the special love God has shown to
you in allowing you to be born in a Christian country,
and in the bosom of the true Church. How many are
born among idolaters, Jews, Mohammedans, or heretics,
and are all lost ! The number of those who have the
happiness of being born in a country where the true faith
prevails, is small, compared with the rest of mankind;
and he has chosen you to be one of that small number.
Oh, what an infinite gift is the gift of faith ! How many
millions are deprived of the sacraments, of sermons, of
the examples of good companions, and of all the other
helps to salvation which are found in the true Church !
1 “Cœlum et terra et omnia mihi dicunt ut te amem.”__Conf. 1.
io, c. 6.

340

Preparation for Death,

[con.

xxxin.

And God is iesolved to give all these great helps to you
without any merit on your part, and even with a fore­
knowledge of your demerits; for when he thought of
creating you, and bestowing these graces upon you, he
ioresaw the insults which you would offer to him.

Affections and Prayers.

O sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, infinite good, infinite
majesty! who hast loved men so tenderly, how does it happen
that Thou art so much despised by them ? But among these
men, Thou, O my God ! hast loved me in a particular manner,
and hast bestowed on me special graces, which Thou hast not
given to so many others. And I have despised Thee more than
others. I prostrate myself at Thy feet ; O Jesus, my Saviour!
“ cast me not away from Thy face.” 1 I would deserve to be cast
off on account of my frequent ingratitude to Thee. But Thou
hast said that Thou wilt not reject a penitent soul that returns
to Thee. Him that cometk to Me, I will not cast out} My Jesus,
I am sorry for having offended Thee. Hitherto I have not
known Thee. I now acknowledge Thee for my Lord and Re­
deemer, who hast died in order to save me and to be loved by me.
When, O my Jesus! shall I cease to be ungrateful to Thee?
AVhen shall I begin truly to love Thee with a true love? Be­
hold, I this day resolve to love Thee with my whole heart, and
to love nothing but Thee. O infinite Goodness! I adore Thee
for all those who do not adore Thee, and I love Ί hee for all
who do not love Thee. I believe in Thee, I hope in I hee, I
love Thee, and offer my whole being to Thee. Assist me by
Thy grace ; Thou knowest my weakness. But if Thou didst be­
stow so many graces upon me when I neither loved nor desired
to love Thee, how much greater graces should I hope for from
Thy mercy now that I love Thee and desire only to love Thee!
My Lord, give me Thy love, but a fervent love which will make
me forget all creatures ; a strong love, which will make me con­
quer all difficulties in order to please Thee; a perpetual love,
which will never be dissolved between me and Thee. I hope
1 “Ne projicias me a facie tua.”—Ps. 1. 13·
4 "Eum qui venit ad me, non ejiciam foras.”—John, vi. 37.

The Love of God.

341

for all graces through Thy merits, O my Jesus! and I hope for
them through thy intercession, O my mother, Mary,
SECOND POINT.

God has given Himself to us.

But God has not only given us so many beautiful crea­
tures— he was not content until he even gave us himself.
He loved us, and delivered himself up for us.’ Accursed
sin had robbed us of the divine grace, and made us the
slaves of hell; but, to the astonishment of heaven and of
all nature, the Son of God came on earth to become man
in o' der to redeem us from eternal death, and to purchase
for us the grace and the eternal glory which we had lost.
How great would be our wonder if we saw a monarch
become a worm for the love of worms ! But our astonish­
ment would be infinitely greater at the sight of a God
made man for the love of men. He emptied Himself, tak­
ing the form of a servant, . . . and in habit found as man?
A God clothed in flesh! And the word was made flesh.3
But the astonishment increases when we see all that this
Son of God has done and suffered for the love of us. To
redeem us it would have been sufficient for him to shed
a single drop of his blood, or a single tear, or to offer a
single prayer; for a prayer offered by a divine person
would be of infinite value, and therefore sufficient forthe
salvation of the whole world, and of an infinite number
of worlds. But, says St. Chrysostom, what was sufficient
for redemption was not sufficient for the immense love
which this God bore to us.4 He not onlv* wished to save
us, but, because he loved us ardently, he wished to be
loved ardently by us; and therefore he resolved to lead
1 “ Dilexit nos, et tradidit senietipsum pro nobis.”—Eph. v. 2.
2 “ Senietipsum exinanivit, formam servi accipiens ... et habitu
inventus ut homo.”—Phil. ii. 7.
3 “ Et verbum caro factum est.”—John, i. 14.
4 Quod sufficiebat redemptioni, non sufficiebat amori.

342

Preparation for Death,

[con.xxxiii

a life full of sorrows and humiliations, and to suffer a
death the most painful of all deaths, in order to make us
understand the infinite love which he entertained for us.
die humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the
death of the cross.1 O excess of divine love, which all men
and all angels will never be able to comprehend ! I say.
excess; for Moses and Elias, speaking of the Passion of
Jesus Christ, called it an excess.2 St. Bonaventure called
the Passion of Christ an “ excess of sorrow and of love.'”
If our Redeemer had not been God, but a friend or a
relative, what greater proof of love could he have given,
than to die for us? Greater love than this no man hath,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.* If Jesus Christ
had to save his own Father, he could not have done more
for the love of him ! If, my brother, you had been God
and the creator of Jesus Christ, what more could he have
done for you than sacrifice his life in the midst of a sea
of tormentsand sorrows, for the love of you ? If the most
contemptible man on earth had done for you what Jesus
Christ has done for you, could you live without loving
him ?
But what do you say ? Do you believe in the incarna­
tion and death of Jesus Christ? You believe these mys­
teries; and do you not love him ? or, can you think of
loving anything but Jesus Christ ! He, says St. Augus­
tine, has come on earth to suffer and to die for you in
order to make known to you the immense love which be
bears you.5 Before the Incarnation, man might doubt
1 “ Humiliavit semetipsum factus est obediens usque ad mortem,
mortem autem crucis.”—Phil. ii. 8.
2 “ Dicebant excessum ejus, quem completurus erat in Jerusalem.”
—Luke, ix. 31.
3 Excessus doloris, excessus amoris.
4 “ Majorem hac dilectionem nemo habet, ut animam suam ponat
quis pro amicis suis.”—John, xv. 13.
5 “ Propterea Christus advenit, ut cognosceret homo quantum eum
diligat Deus.”—De catech. rud. c. 4.

The Love of God.

343

whether God loved him tenderly; but how, after the In­
carnation and death of Jesus Christ, can he any longer
doubt that God loves him with the most tender love ?
And what greater tenderness of affection could he show
vou, than to sacrifice his divine life for the love of Jvou ?
*
Our ears are accustomed to hear of creation, of redemp­
tion, of a God in a manger, of a God on a cross. O holy
faith, enlighten us !

Affections and Prayers.
O my Jesus! I see that Thou couldst have done nothing more
in order to compel me to love Thee; and I also see that by my
ingratitude I have labored to force Thee to abandon me. Bless­
ed forever be Thy patience, which has borne with me so long.
I would deserve a hell made on purpose for myself; but Thy
death gives me confidence. Ah ! make me understand well the
claims which Thou, O infinite Good ! hast to my love, and the
obligations by which I am bound to love Thee. I knew, O my
Jesus! that Thou didst die for me; how then, O God! have I
been able to live for so fnany years in forgetfulness of Thee?
Oh that the past years of my life commenced again! I would
wish, O my Lord ! to give them all to Thee. But years do not
return. Ah ! grant that I may at least spend all the remaining
days of my life in loving and pleasing Thee. My dear Redeemer !
I love Thee with my whole heart; but increase this love within
me. Remind me always of all that Thou hast done for me ; and
do not permit me to be any longer ungrateful to Thee. No; 1
will no longer resist the lights Thou hast given me. Thou didst
wish to be loved by me, and I desire to love Thee. And whom
will I love, if I do not love a God of infinite beauty and infinite
goodness? a God who has died for me? a God who has borne
with me with so much patience, and who, instead of chastising
me as I deserved, has changed chastisements into graces and
favors ? Yes ; 1 love Thee. O God ! worthy of infinite love, and
I sigh and seek to live wholly employed in loving Thee, and
forgetful of everything but Thee. O infinite charity of my
Lord ! assist a soul that ardently desires to be entirely Thine
O great mother of God, Mary, do thou too assist me by thy
intercession ; beg of Jesus to make me belong entirely to him.

344

Preparation for Death,

[con. xxxii;.

THIRD POINT,

Love that Jesus Christ has shown in His Passion.

Our astonishment increases when we consider the
ardor with which Jesus Christ desired to suffer and die
for the love of us. I have a baptism, says Jesus Christ,
wherewith I am to be baptized; and how am I straitened until
it be accomplished.' I am to be baptized with the baptism
of my own blood: and I feel myself dying through a
desire that my Passion and death may soon come, that
thus man may soon know the love which I bear to him.
It was this desire that made him say on the night before
his Passion: With desire have I desired to eat this pasch with
you before I supper} Then, says St. Basil of Seleucia, it
appears that our God cannot be satiated with loving
men.3
Ah, my Jesus ! men do not love'Thee because they do
not think of the love which Thou hast had for them. 0
God ! how is it possible for a soul to live without loving
God, if it considers that he died for its sake, and that he
died with so great a desire of showing his love for it ? The
charity of Christ presseth usd St. Paul says that it is not
so much what Jesus Christ has done and suffered for our
salvation, as the love which he has displayed in suffering
for us, that obliges, and, as it were, forces us to love
him. Contemplating the love which Jesus Christ ex­
hibits in his Passion, St. Laurence Justinian exclaimed:
“We behold the All-wise infatuated through excess of
' “ Baptismo autem habeo baptizari; et quomodo coarctor usquedum perficiatur!”—Luke, xii. 50.
* “ Desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum.”—Luke,
xxii. 15.
M
3 Hominum amore nequit expleri Deus.
4 “ Charitas enim Christi urget nos.”—2 Cor. v. 14.

The Love of God.

345

love.”' We have seen a God as it were foolish, through
the excess of his love for us. And who could ever be­
lieve, had not faith assured us of it, that the Creator
would die for his own creatures ? In an ecstasy, St. Mary
Magdalene de Pazzi, carrying a crucifix in her hands, ex­
claimed: “Yes, my Jesus, Thou art foolish through love.”
This the Gentiles also said when they heard the apostles
preaching the death of Jesus Christ; they, as St. Paul
attests, regarded it asa folly which could not be believed.
II epreach Christ crucified, unto the fews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness} And how, said
they, could a God that is most happy in himself, and
stands not in need of any one, descend on earth, to be­
come man, and die for the love of men, who are his
creatures ? This would be the same as to believe that a
God had become foolish for the sake of men. But, it is
of faith that Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, has de­
livered himself to death for the love of us. Christ hath
loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us}
And why has he done so? He has done so that we
might no longer live to the world, but only to that Lord
who has died for us. Chi 1st died for all, that they also who
live may not live to themselves, but unto Him who died for them}
He has done it that, by the love which he has shown us,
he might win all the affections of our hearts. For to this
end Christ died and rose again, that Pie might be the Lord both
of the dead and of the living} Hence the saints, contem­
plating the death of Jesus Christ, thought it very little
'“Vidimus sapientiam amoris nimietate infatuatam.”—Semi. de
Fativ.
2 “ Prædicamus Christum crucifixum, Judæis quidem scandalum,
Gentibus aniem stultitiam.”—1 Cor. i. 23.
3 “ Dilexit nos, et tradidit semetipsum pro nobis.”—Eph. v. 2.
4 “ Pro omnibus mortuus est Christus, ut et qui vivunt, jam nor.
sibi vivant, sed ei qui pro ipsis rftortuus est.”—2 Cor. v. 15.
5 “ In hoc enim Christus mortuus est et resurrexit, ut et mortuorum
et vivorum dominetur.”—Rom. xiv. g.

34-6

Preparation for Death,

[con

xxxm

to give their life and all things for the love of so loving
a God. How many noblemen, how many princes, have
left relatives, riches, country, and even kingdoms, to shut
themselves up in a cloister, in order to live only to the
love of Jesus Christ ! How many martyrs have sacrificed
their life ! how many tender virgins, renouncing the
nuptials of the great, have gone with joy to death, in
order thiis to make some return for the affection of a
God who had died for their sake ! And, mv- brother,
what have you hitherto done for the sake of Jesus Christ?
As he has died for the saints—for St. Laurence, for St.
Lucy, for St. Agnes, so he has also died for you. What
do you intend to do during the remaining days of life,
which God gives you that you may love him? From
this day forward, look frequently at the crucifix, and, in
looking at it, call to mind the love which Jesus Christ
has borne you, and say within yourself : Thou hast then,
my God, died for me? Do this at least, I say, and do it
often; if you do, you cannot but feel yourself sweetly
constrained to love a God who has loved you so tenderly.
Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my dear Redeemer ! it is true that I have not loved Thee
because I have not reflected on the love which Thou hast borne
me! Ah, my Jesus! I have been very ungrateful to Thee!
Thou hast given Thy life for me by submitting to the most
painful of all deaths; and have I been so ungrateful as not even
to think of Thy sufferings? Pardon me ; I promise, O my cru­
cified Love ! that from this day forward Thou shalt be the only
object of my thoughts and of all my affections! Ah ! when the
devil or the world presents me a forbidden apple, remind me, 0
mv beloved Saviour! of the pains which Thou bast endured for
my sake, that I may love Thee, and may never more offend
Thee ! Ah ! if one of my servants had done for me what Thou
hast done, I could not bring myself to displease him. And I
have dared to turn my back so often on Thee, who hast died for
me. O beautiful flames, which have obliged a God to give his

The Love of God.

347

life for me, come, inflame, fill my whole heart, and destroy all
affections to created things. Ah, my beloved Redeemer! how
is it possible for me to contemplate Thee, either in the manger
in Bethlehem, on the cross on Calvary, or in the sacrament on
our altars, and not be enamored of Thee? My Jesus' I love
Thee with my whole soul. During the remaining years of my
life Thou shalt be my only good, my only love. I have unhap­
pily lived long enough forgetful of Thy Passion and of Thy love.
I give Thee all things, and If I do not give myself to Thee as I
ought, take me, and reign in my whole heart. Thy kingdom
come. May my heart be the servant only of Thy love. May I
speak of nothing else, may I treat of nothing else, may I think
of nothing else, may I sigh and desire only to love and
please Thee. Assist me always by Thy grace, that I may be
faithful to Thee. In Thy merits I trust, O my Jesus! O
mother of fair love ! make me ardently love thy Son, w’ho is so
amiable, and who has loved me so tenderly.
I

34^

Preparation for Death.

con. xxxiv

CONSIDERATION XXXIV.

Ijoln (Communion.
“Take ye, and eat: this is my body.”—Matt. xxvi. 26.

FIRST POINT.

The Eucharist is a Precious Gift.

Let 11s consider the great gift which Jesus Christ has
bestowed on us in the institution of the Most Holy
Sacrament; the great love he has shown to us in this
gift ; and his great desire that we should receive this
gift. Let us, in the first place, consider the great gift
which Jesus Christ has bestowed upon us in giving us
himself entirely for our food in the Holy Communion.
St. Augustine says that Jesus Christ, though an omni­
potent God, has nothing more to give us.1 And what
greater treasure, adds St. Bernardine of Sienna, can a
soul receive or desire, than the sacred body of Jesus
Christ?2 The prophet Isaias exclaims: Ma ke His works
known among the people? O men ! proclaim aloud the
loving inventions of our good God. And if our Re­
deemer had not bestowed this gift upon us, who among
us could have asked it? Who could have dared to say
to him: Lord, if Thou wishest to make us understand Thv
love, remain under the species of bread, and permit us
1 “ Cum esset omnipotens, plus dare non potuit.”—Lohner Bibli.
lit. 52. §. 32 “ Quis melior thesaurus in corde hominis esse potest, quam cor­
pus Christi?”—T. iv. s. 12, a. 1. c. 4.
’ “Notas facite adinventiones ejus.”—Isa. xii. 4.

Holy Communion.

349

to make Thee our food ? Even to think of it would be
considered folly. “Does it not,” sayS St. Augustine,
"appear foolishness to say, eat my flesh—drink my
blood ?” 1 When Jesus Christ made known to his disciples
this great gift of the Most Holy Sacrament which he
wished to leave us, they could not bring themselves to
believe it; and, therefore, they departed from him, say­
ing : How can this man give its his flesh to eat I . . . This
saying is hard) and who can hear >tl 2 But, what men could
never imagine, the great love of Jesus Christ has invented
and executed.
St. Bernardine says that the Lord has left us this sacra­
ment as a memorial of the love he has shown us in his
Passion.3 And this accords with what Jesus Christ him­
self has said: Do this fora commemoration of Me? The
love of our Saviour, adds St. Bernardine, was not content
with sacrificing his life for our salvation: before his
death this love constrained him to bequeath to us the
greatest gift which he had ever bestowed upon us, by
giving us himself for our food.5 The Abbot Guerric
says that, in this sacrament, Jesus made the last effort
of love.6 This was better expressed by the Council of
Trent, which declared that, in the Eucharist, Jesus
poured out all the riches of his love for men.7
How great, says St. Francis de Sales, the tenderness
of love which a prince would show to a beggar by send1 “ Nonne videtur insania: Manducate meam carnem, bibite meum
sanguinem ?”—In Ps. xxxiii. en. 1.
2 “Durus est hic sermo, et quis potest eum audire?”—John. vi. 6r.
3 Hoc sacramentum est memoriale suæ dilectionis.
4 “ Hoc facile in meam commemorationem.”—Luke. xxii. 19.
6 “ In illo fervoris excessu, quando paratus erat pro nobis m. ri, ab
excessu amoris majus opus agere coactus est, quam unquam operatus
fuit: dare nobis corpus in cibun^.”—T. II. s. 54, a. 1, c. 1.
6 “Omnem vim amoris effudit amicis.”—Semi. de Ascen. Dom.
7 “ Divitias divini sui erga homines amoris velut effudit.”—Sess. 13,
c. 2.

35°

Préparaiioil for Death,

[con.

xxxiv.

ing him a part of what he had on his own plate ! How
much greater would it be if he sent him the entire of
his own dinner! But what would it be, if he sent him,
for his food, a part of his own arm! In Holy Communion,
Jesus gives us not only a portion of his own dinner, not
only a part, but the entire of his body. Take ye, and eat:
this is My body.' And with his body he gives us his soul
and his divinity. In a word, St. Chrysostom says that,
in giving you himself in Holy Communion, he gives you
all that he has, and reserves nothing for himself.2 And
the angelic Doctor says that, “in the Eucharist, God has
given us all that he is and has.”3 Behold ! exclaims St.
Bonaventure, that God whom the world cannot contain
makes himself our prisoner in the Most Holy Sacrament.4
And since the Lord gives himself entirely to us in the
Eucharist, how can we fear that he will refuse us any
grace which we ask of him? How, says St. Paul, hath He
not also, with Him, given us all things. ‘
Affections and Prayers.

O my Jesus! what has induced Thee to give Thyself entirely
to us for our food ? After this gift, what more remains for Thee
to give us in order to oblige us to love Thee ? Ah, Lord ! give
us light, make us understand the excess of Thy love in becom­
ing food in order to unite Thyself to poor sinners ! But, if Thou
givest Thyself entirely to us, it is just that we too give our
whole being to Thee. O my Redeemer ! how have I been able
to offend Thee, who hast loved me so tenderly, and who hast
done so much to gain my love? Thou hast become man for my
sake, Thou hast died for me, Thou hast become my food; tell
1 “Accipite et comedite; hoc est corpus meum.”—Matt. xxvi. 26.
9 Totum tibi dedit, nihil sibi reliquit.
3 “ Deus in Eucharistia totum quod ipse est et habet in summo
dedit.”—De Beat. c. 3.
4 “ Ecce, quem mundus capere non potest, captivus noster est.”—
Exp. Miss. c. 4,
5 “Quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit?”—Rom.
viii. 32.

Holy Coininunion.

1

me, what more couldst Thou have done ? I love Ί hee, O infinite
Goodness ! I love Thee, O infinite Love ! Lord, come often to
my soul; inflame my whole heart with Thy holy love; grant
that 1 may forget all things in order to think only of Thee, and
to love nothing but Thee. Most Holy Mary, pray for me, and,
by thy intercession, make . me worthy to receive thy Son
frequently in the Holy Sacrament.
SECOND POINT.

The Eucharist is a Gift of Love.

Let us consider, in the second place, the great love
which Jesus Christ has shown us in giving us himself in
the Holy Eucharist. The Most Holy Sacrament is a
gift which has proceeded from pure love. For our sal­
vation it was necessary, according to the decree of God,
that the Redeemer should die, and, by the sacrifice of
his life, satisfy the divine justice for our sins; but what
necessity was there that Jesus Christ, after having died
for our redemption, should leave himself to us for our
food ? But this his love wished to do. He, says St.
Laurence Justinian, instituted the Eucharist for no other
purpose than to show his great charity, for no other pur­
pose than to make us understand the immense love which
he bears us.1 This is precisely what St. John has written:
Jesus, knowing that Elis hour was come that He shouldpass out
of this world, to the Father: having loved His own, He laved
them to the end? Knowing that the time of his departure
from this earth had arrived, he wished to give us the
greatest proof of his love, by bequeathing to us this gift
of the Most Holy Sacrament. This is the precise mean­
ing of the words, He loved them to the end; that is, according to Theophilactus and St. Chrysostom, “he loved
them with an extreme love.” 3
1 “ Hoc ardentissimæ charitatis indicium.”—De Tr. Chr. Ag. c. 2.
9 “ Sciens jesus quia venit hora ejus, ut transeat ex hoc mundo ad
Patrem, cum dilexisset suos, ... in finem dilexit eos.”—John, xiii. 1.
3 Extremo amore, summe dilexit eos.

I
j
Î
'

352

Preparation for Death,

[con.

xxxiv.

And mark what the apostle has observed—that the time
at which Jesus Christ wished to bequeath this gift was
the time of his death. The Lord Jesus, the same night on
which He was betrayed, took bread, and, giving thanks, broke,
and said, “ lake ye, and eat : this is My body." 1 At the very
time that men prepared for him scourges, thorns, and a
cross to crucify him, the loving Saviour wished to leave
us this the last proof of his love. And why at death, and
not before that time, did he institute this sacrament?
Because, says St. Bernardine, the marks of love given by
friends at death make a greater impression on the mem­
ory, and are preserved with greater affection.1
2 Jesus
Christ, says the saint, had already given himself to us in
many ways: he had given himself to us for a companion,
a master, a father; for our light and our victim. The last
degree of love remained; and this was, to give himself
to us for our food in order to unite himself entirely to
us, as food is united with him who eats it.3* This he has
done by giving himself to us in the Most Holy Sacra­
ment. Thus, our Redeemer was not content with unit­
ing himself only to our human nature: he wished by this
sacrament to find a means of also uniting himself to
each of us in particular.
St. Francis de Sales says “ that in no other action can
the Saviour be considered more tender or more loving
than in the institution of the Holy Eucharist; in which
he, as it were, annihilates himself, and becomes food, in
order to penetrate our souls, and to unite himself to the
hearts of his faithful servants.” Thus, says St. Chrysos­
1 “ In qua nocte tradebatur, accepit panem, et gratias agens fregit,
et dixit: Accipite et manducate; hoc est corpus meum.”—i Cor. xi. 23.
2 Quæ in fine in signum amicitiæ celebrantur, firmius memoriæ im­
primuntur et chariora tenentur.
3 “Ultimus gradus amoris est, cum se dedit nobis in cibum; quia
dedit se nobis ad omnimodam unionem, sicut cibus et cibans invicem
uniuntur.”—T. II. s. 54, a. 1, c. 1 ; a. 4, c. 1.

Il oly Com ni u n ion.

353

tom, with that Lord on whom the angels dare not fix
their eyes, we are united, and are made one body and
one flesh.1 What shepherd, adds the saint, has ever fed
his sheep with his own blood ? Even mothers intrust
their children to the care of nurses. But Jesus, in the
sacrament, nourishes us with his own blood, and unites
us to himself.2 And why become our food? Because,
says the saint, he loved us ardently, and by making him­
self our food, he wished to unite himself entirely to us,
and to make himself one thing with us.3 Then Jesus
Christ wished to perform the greatest of his miracles
(He hath made a remembrance of His wonderful works; He
hath given food to them that fear Hind) in order to satisfy
his desire of remaining with us, and of uniting in one,
our heart and his own most holy heart. “ O wonderful
is Thy love, O Lord Jesus !” exclaims St. Laurence Jus­
tinian, “ who wished to incorporate us in such a manner
with Thyself, that we should have one heart and one soul
inseparably united with Thee.'*6
That great servant of God, Father De la Colombière,
used to say: If anything could shake
my* faith in the
o
mystery of the Eucharist, I would not doubt of the power,
but rather of the love, which God displays in this sacra­
ment. If you ask me how bread becomes the body of
Jesus—how Jesus is found in many places, I answer that
God can do all things. But if you ask me how it is that
*

J

1 Huic nos unimur, et facti sumus unum corpus et una caro.
2 “ Quis pastor oves proprio pascit cruore? Et quid dico, pastor?
Matres multæ sunt, quæ filios aliis tradunt nutricibus; hoc autem ipse
non est passus, sed nos proprio sanguine pascit.”—Adpop. Ant. hom.bo.
3 “ Semetipsum nobis immiscuit, ut unum quid simus; ardenter
enim amantium hoc est.”—Ad pop. Ant. hom. 61.
4 “ Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum misericors et miserator Do­
minus , escam dedit timentibus se.”—Ps. px. 4.
5 “O quam mirabilis est dilectio tua, Domine Jesu, qui tuo corpori
taliter nos incorporari voluisti, ut tecum unum cor et animam habere­
mus inseparabiliter colligatam.”—De Inc. div. ani. c. 5.

354

Preparation for Death.

icon. xxxiv

God loves men so as to make himself their food, I can
only say that I do not understand it, and that the loveof
Jesus cannot be comprehended. But, O Lord ! to reduce
Thyself to the condition of food, appears to be an excess
of love not suited to Thy majesty. But St. Bernard's
answer is, that love makes lovers forget their own dig­
nity.1 St. Chrysostom also answers that love seeks not
what is convenient when there is question of making
itself known to the beloved; it goes not where it ought,
but where it is carried by the ardor of its desire.12 Justly,
then, has the angelic Doctor called this sacrament “a
sacrament of love—a pledge of love.”3 And St. Bernard
calls i t love of loves. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used
to call Holy Thursday, the day on which this sacrament
was instituted, the day of love.
Affections and Prayers.

O infinite love of Jesus, worthy of infinite love! Ah! my
Jesus, when shall I love Thee as Thou hast loved me? Thou
couldst do nothing more to make me love Thee; and I have
forsaken Thee, O infinite Good ! for the sake of vile and miser­
able goods! Ah ! enlighten me, O my God ! discover to me al­
ways more and more the greatness of Thy goodness, that my whole
soul may be enamoured of Thee, and that I may labor to please
Thee. I love Thee. O my Jesus ! my love, myall ; and I wish to
unite myself frequently to Thee in this sacrament, in order to
detach myself from all things, and to love Thee alone, who art
my life. Through the merits of Thy Passion, assist me, O my
Redeemer! O Mother of Jesus, and my Mother! do thou, too,
assist me; beg of him to inflame my whole heart with his holy
love.
1 “ Amor dignitatis nescius.”— In Cant. s. 64.
9 “Amor ratione caret, et vadit quo ducitur, non quo debeat.”—
Sont 147.
3 Sacramentum charitatis/charitatis pignus.

Ho ly Com m u n ion.
THIRD POINT.

How much Jesus Christ desires to Unite Himself to us.

Let us, in the third place, consider the great ardor
with which Jesus Christ desires that we should receive
him in Holy Communion, fesus knowing that His hour
was conic} But how could Jesus call the night on which
his bitter Passion should commence, His hour I He calls
it His hour because on that night he was to institute this
divine sacrament in order to unite himself entire!)’ to his
beloved souls. This desire made him say: With desire 1
have desired to eat this pasch with you} Words by which
the Redeemer wished to show us the ogreat ardor with
which he desired to unite himself to each of us in this
sacrament. With desire I have desired. Words which,
according to St. Laurence Justinian, proceeded from his
immense love for us. This is the language of the most
burning love.3 The Redeemer wished to give himself to
under the appearance of bread, that all might be able
to receive him. Had he given himself to us under the
appearance of costly food, the poor would not be able to
receive him, and had he instituted the Holy Sacrament
under the appearance of any other cheap food, this per­
haps would not be found in all parts of the world. Jesus
wished to leave himself under the species of bread, be­
cause it costs but little, and is found in every country;
sc that all persons in all places may find him and receive
him.
Through his great desire that we should receive him,
the Redeemer not only presses us to receive him by so
many invitations: Come, eat My bread, and drink the wine
1 ‘ Sciens Jesus quia venit hora ejus.”— John, xiii. 1.
9 “ Desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum.”_ Luke,
xxii. 15.
3 “ Flagranüssimæ charitatis est vox hæc.”—De Tr. Chr.
c. 2.

350

Preparat ion for Death.

[con. xxxiv

which I have mingled for you} Eat, O friends, and drink
and be inebriated, My dearly beloved} but he also com­
mands us to receive him. Take ye, and eat: this is My
body} Moreover, he endeavors to allure us to lhe holy
table by promises of eternal life. Me that eateth My flesh
and drinketh My blood, hath life everlasting, die that eateth
this bread shall live forever.' He also threatens to exclude
from paradise all who neglect to receive him in the holy
sacrament. Except you cat the flesh of the Son of man,
and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you! These
invitations, promises, and threats all proceed from the
ardent desire of Jesus Christ to unite himself, to ns in
this sacrament. And this desire springs from the great
love which he bears us: for, as St. Francis de Sales says,
the end of love is nothing else than to be united with the
object of love. And because in this sacrament Jesus
uniteshimself entirely to the soul—Hethat eateth My flesh
and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me and I in him.* There­
fore he desires so ardent 1 *v that we should receive him.
Our Lord said one dav to St. Mechtilde: “ The bee does
not cast itself on the flower from which it sucks the
honey, with as much ardor as I come to the soul that
desires to receive me.”
Oh ! If the faithful understood the great blessing
which Holy Communion brings to the soul ! Jesus is
1 “ Venite, comedite panem meum, et bibite vinum quod miscui
vobis.”—Prov. ix. 5.
- “ Comedite, amici, et bibite, et inebriamini, charissimi.”—Cant.
v. i.
3 “ Accipite et comedite; hoc est corpus meum.”—Matt. xxvi. 26.
4 ‘‘Qui manducat meam carnem, et bibit meum sanguinem, habet
vitam æternam. . . . Qui manducat hunc panem, vivet in æternum."
—John. vi. 55.
5 “ Nisi manducaveritis carnem Filii hominis, et biberitis ejus san­
guinem, non habebitis vitam in vobis.”—John, vi. 54.
6 “Qui manducat meam carnem, et bibit meum sanguinem, in me
manet et ego in illo.”—John, vi. 57.

Holy Communion,

357

the Lord of all riches; for his Father has made him
master of all things. Knowing that the Father had given
Him all things into JIis hands} Hence, when Jesus Christ
comes to a soul in Holy Communion, he brings with
him immense treasures of graces. Now all good things,
says Solomon, speaking of the eternal wisdom, came to
me together with herd
St. Denis says that the Most Holy Sacrament has the
greatest efficacy in sanctifying the soul.’ And St. Vin­
cent Ferrer asserts that the soul derives greater profit
from one Communion, than from fasting for a week on
bread and water. The Communion, as the Council of
Trent teaches, is that great remedy which delivers us
from venial, and preserves us from mortal sins.* Hence
St. Ignatius, martyr, has called the Most. Holy Sacra­
ment the medicine of immortality.6 Innocent III. has
said that, by his Passion, Jesus Christ has delivered us
from the punishment of sin; but, by Che Eucharist, he
preserves us from the commission of sin.*
Moreover, this sacrament kindles the fire of divine love.
He brought me into the cellar of wine; he set in order charity
in me. Slay me up with flowers, compass me about with
apples; because I languish with love.' St. Gregory of Nyssa
says that Holy Communion is this cellar of wine, in
1 “ Omnia dedit ei Pater in manus.”—John. xiii. 3.
9 “ Venerunt autem mihi omnia bona pariter cum ilia.”— JKis. vii.
II.

3 Eucharistia maximam vim habet perficiendæ sanctitatis.
4 “ Antidotum, quo liberemur a culpis quotidianis, et a peccatis
mortalibus praeservemur.”—Sess. 13, cap. 2.
5 “ Pharmacum immortalitatis.”—Ep. ad Eph. c. 20.
6 “ Per crucis mysterium, eripuit nos a potestate peccati; per Eucharistiæ sacramentum, liberat nos a voluntate peccandi.”—De .-lit.
Myst. 1. 4, c. 44.
1 “ Introduxit me in cellam vinariam, ordinavit in me charitatem.
Fulcite me floribus, stipate me malis; quia amore langueo.”—Cant.
•·
11. 4.

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxxiv

which the soul is so inebriated with divine love, that she
forgets the earth and all creatures: it is thus the soul
languishes with holy charity. The Venerable Father
1' rancis Olimpio, of the Order of Theatines, used to say
that there is nothing that so powerfully inflames the
soul with divine love, as Holy Communion. God is love
and a fire of love. God is charity.' My God is a consuming
fire? And this fire of love the Eternal Word came to
light u pon the eart h. I am come to cast fire on the earth; and
what will J but that it be kindled P Oh ! what burningflames
of holy love does Jesus kindle in the souls who receive him
in this sacrament with a desire of being inflamed with his
love. St. Catharine of Sienna saw, one dav, in the hands
of a priest, Jesus, in the Holy Sacrament, like a furnace
of love; and wondered that the hearts of all men were
not set on fire and reduced to ashes by the flames which
issued from the Holy Eucharist. St. Rose of Lima
used to say that, in receiving Jesus Christ, she felt as if
she received the sun. Hence she sent forth from her
countenance rays which dazzled the sight, and the heat
emitted from her mouth after Communion was so in­
tense, that the person who reached her a drink felt her
hand scorched as if she approached a furnace. In visit­
ing the Most Holy Sacrament,.St. Wenceslaus, king and
martyr, was inflamed, even externally, with such a de­
gree of heat that the servant who accompanied him,
when obliged to walk on the snow, trod in the footsteps
of the saint, and thus felt no cold. “The Eucharist,”
says St. John Chrysostom, “is a fire which inflames us,
that, like lions breathing fire, we may retire from the
1 “ Deus charitas est.”—I John, iv. 8.
“ Ignis consumens est.”—
De ut. iv. 24.
- “ Ignem veni mittere in terram; et quid volo, nisi ut accendatur?
—Luke, xii. 49.

Holy Communion.

359

altar being made terrible to the devil.”1 The Holy Sac­
rament is a fire which inflames the soul to such a degree,
that we ought to depart from the altar breathing such
flames of love that the devil will no longer dare to
tempt us.
But some will say: I do not communicate often because
I am cold in divine love. But, says Gerson, he who acts
in this manner is like the man who refuses to approach
the fire because he feels cold. The greater, then, our
tepidity, the more frequently we ought to receive the
Most Holy Sacrament, provided we have a desire to love
God. “ If,” says St. Francis de Sales (in his Devout Life,
chap, xxi.), “you are asked why you communicate so
frequently, say that two sorts of persons ought to com­
municate often—the perfect and the imperfect: the per­
fect to preserve perfection, and the imperfect to acquire
perfection.” St. Bonaventure says: “Though you feel
tepid, approach, trusting in the mercy of God. The
more a person feels sick, the more he stands in need of a
physician.”12 And Jesus Christ says to St. Mechtilde:
“When you are to communicate, desire to have all the
love which any soul has ever had for me, and I will
accept your love in proportion to the ardor with which
you wish for it.3

Affections and Prayers.
O enamoured of souls, O my Jesus ! it is not in Thy power to
give us greater proofs of love in order to show us that Thou
lovest us. And what more couldst Thou invent to induce us to
love Thee? Ah! grant, O infinite Goodness ! that I may love
1 “ Carbo est Eucharistia, quæ nos inflammat, ut tamquam leones
ignem spirantes ab illa mensa recedamus, facti diabolo terribiles.’’—
Ad pop. Ant. horn. 6i.
9 “ Licet tepide, tamen confidens de misericordia Dei accedat ; tan­
to magis æger necesse habet requirere medicum, quanto magis sen­
serit se ægrotum.”—De Prof. rei. 1. 2, c. 77.
3 Spir. giat. 1. 3 c. 22.

360

Preparation for Dea t/ι.

[con.

xxxiv.

Thee tenderly and with all my strength ! And who is there that
has greater claims on the affections of my heart, than Thou, my
Redeemer, who, after having given Thy life for my salvation, hast
given me Thyself entirely in this sacrament ? Ah ! Lord, that I
always remembered Thy love in order to forget all things, and
to love Thee alone without interruption and without reserve?
I love Thee, O my Jesus* above all things, and I wish to love
Thee alone. Banish from my heart, I entreat Thee, all affec­
tions which are not for Thee. I thank Thee for giving me time to
love Thee and to weep over the offences I have offered to Thee.
My Jesus, I desire that Thou mayst be the only object of my affec­
tions. Assist me, save me, and let my salvation consist in lov­
ing Thee with my whole heart, and in loving Thee always in
this life and in the next. Mary, my Mother, obtain for me the
grace to love Jesus Christ ; pray to him for me.

Dwelling ofJesics on our Altars.

361

CONSIDERATION XXXV
Swelling of Jesus on our Utars.
“ Come to me all ye that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh
you.”—Matt. xi. 28.
FIRST POINT.

Jesus makes Himself Accessible to Every One.

Having to depart from this world after he had com­
pleted the work of redemption, our loving Saviour did
not wish to leavé us alone in this vallev of tears. “No
tongue,” says St. Peter of Alcantara, “can express the
greatness of the love which Jesus Christ bears to our
souls. Hence, that his absence from us might not be an
occasion of forgetting him, this spouse, before his depar­
ture from this world, left, as a memorial of his love, this
Most Holy Sacrament, in which he himself has remained.
He did not wish that between him and his servants there
should be any other pledge than himself, to keep alive
the remembrance of him.” This effort of love on the
part of Jesus Christ merits great love from us; and, ac­
cording to the revelation said to have been made to his
servant, Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque, he wished that
in these latter times a festival should be instituted in
honor of his Most Sacred Heart, in order that, by our
devotions and affections, we might make some return for
his loving dwelling on our altars, and thus compensate
the insults which he has received in this sacrament of
love, and which he receives every day from heretics and
bad Catholics.

362

Preparation for Death.

(con. xxxv.

Jesus lias left himself in the Most Holy Sacrament,
first, that all may be able to find him; secondly, to give
audience to all; thirdly, to give his graces to all. He, in
the first place, remains on so many altars, that all who
wish may be able to find him. On the night on which
the Redeemer took leave of his disciples to go to his
death, they shed tears of sorrow at the thought of being
separated from their dear Master; but Jesus consoled
them, saying (and the same he then said also to us):
My children, I am going to die for you, in order to show
you the love which I bear you. But at my death I
will not leave you alone: as long as you are on earth, I
will remain with you in the Most Holy Sacrament. I
leave you my body, my soul, mj' divinity: Ϊ leave myself
entirely to you. As long as you remain on earth, I will
not depart from you. Behold J am with you all days, even to
the consummation of the world? The Saviour, says St. Peter
of Alcantara, did not wish to leave his spouse alone at
such a distance, and therefore he has left this sacrament,
in which he himself, the best of all companions, has re­
mained with her. The Gentiles have invented so manyJ
gods; but they could never imagine a god more loving than
our God, who remains nigh to us, and assists us with so
much love. A either is there any other nation so great, that
hath God so nigh them, as our God is present to all our peti­
tions? The holy Church applies this passage of Deuter­
onomy to the festival of the Most Holy Sacrament.—
Besp. ii. Noct. iii.
Behold, then, Jesus Christ remains in our tabernacles,
as if confined in so many prisons of love. His priests
remove him from the tabernacle to expose him on the
altar, or to give Communion, and afterward put him
1 “Ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus, usque ad consumma­
tionem sæculi.”—Matt, xxviii. 20.
gSH
2 ·· Non est alia natio tam grandis, quæ habeat deos appropinquantes
sibi, sicut Deus noster adest nobis.”—Deui. iv. 7.

Dwelling of Jesus on our Altars.

363

back to be again shut up: and Jesus is content to remain
there day and night. But why, my Redeemer, dost
thou remain in so many churches, even during the
night, when the faithful lock the doors, and leave Thee
alone ? It would be enough for Thee to remain during
the day. No; he wished to remain also during the
night, though left alone, that, in the morning, all who
seek may instantly find him. The sacred spouse went
in search of her beloved, saying to every one she met:
1lave you seen him whom my soul loveth ?' And, not finding
him, she raised her voice and exclaimed: My spouse,
tell me where thou art. Show me . . . where thou /cedest,
where thou liest in the mid-day? The spouse did not find
him, because then the Most Holv* Sacrament was not instituted; but, at present, if a soul wishes to find Jesus
.Christ, it has only to go to a church in which the Holy
Eucharist is preserved, and there it will find its beloved
expecting it. There is not a town nor a convent in
which the Holy Sacrament is not kept; and in all these
places the King of Heaven is content to remain shut up
in a case of wood or of stone, often almost without a
lamp burning before him, and without any one to keep
him company. But, “O Lord 1” says St. Bernard, “ this
is not suited to Thy Majesty.” “No matter,” Jesus re­
plies; “if it becomes not my Majesty, it well becomes
my love.”
What tender devotion do pilgrims feel in visiting the
holv house of Loretto—the Holv Land—the stable at
Bethlehem—the hill of Calvary—or the holy sepulchre,
in which Jesus Christ was born, or lived, or died, or
was buried ! But how much greater tenderness should
we feel in a chinch, in presence of Jesus himself in
the Blessed Sacrament? The venerable Father John
D’Avila used to say that he knew no sanctuary capable of
*

J

1 “Num, quem diligit anima mea, vidistis?”—Cant. iii. 3.
2 “ Indica mihi ... ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie.”—Cant. i. 6.

364

Preparation for Death,

[con.

xxxv.

inspiring greater devotion or consolation than a church
in which Jesus remains in the Holy Eucharist. Father
Balthazar Alvarez would weep in seeing the palaces of
princes filled with courtiers, and the churches, in which
Jesus Christ dwells, solitary and abandoned. O God!
if the Lord remained only in one church—for example, in
St. Peter’s in Rome—and only’ on one day in the year,
oh ! how many pilgrims, how many
nobles, how manyJ
*
princes would endeavor to have the happiness of being
there on that day, to pay court and homage to the King
of Heaven descended again upon the earth ! Oh, what
a splendid tabernacle of gold, adorned with gems, would
be prepared for the occasion ! Oh, with what an abun­
dance of lights would the dwelling of Jesus Christ on
the earth be celebrated on that day ! But, says the Re­
deemer, I do not wish to remain only in a single church,
or but for a single day: nor require either such riches,
or such a profusion of lights. I wish to remain con­
tinually every day, and in all places in which my ser­
vants are found; that all may easily find me at all times,
and at any hour they wish.
Ah ! if Jesus Christ had not invented this excess of
love, who could have ever thought of it ? Should a
Christian, after the ascension of the Redeemer into
heaven, say to him, Lord, if Thou wishest to show us
Thy affection, remain with us on our altars under the
appearance of bread, that we may be able to find Thee
whenever we wish: would not such a demand be regarded
as the extreme of temerity ? But, what no man could
ever even imagine, our Saviour has invented and accom­
plished. But, alas ! where is our gratitude for so great
a favor? If a prince came from a distance to a village
for the purpose of being visited by a peasant, how great
would be the ingratitude of the peasant if he refused to
visit his sovereign, or if he paid him only a passing visit!

Dwelling of fesus on our Altars.

365

Affections and Prayers.
O Jesus, my Redeemer, O love of my soul ! how much has it
cost Thee to remain with us in the sacrament? To be able to
remain on our altars, Thou hadst first to suffer death ; afterward,
in order to aid us by Thy presence, Thou hadst to submit to so
many grievous insults in this sacrament. And, after all this, we
are so slothful and negligent in visiting Thee, though we know
that Thou so ardently desirest our visits for the purpose of en­
riching us with Thy graces when Thou seest us in Thy presence.
Lord, pardon me; for I too have been one of these ungrateful
souls. From this day forward, O my Jesus ! I wish to visit Thee
often, and to remain as long as I can in Thy presence, to thank
Thee, to love Thee, and to ask Thy graces: for it is for this
purpose that Thou remainest on earth shut up in our taber­
nacles, and made our prisoner of love. I love Thee, O infinite
Goodness ! I love Thee, O God of love ! I love Thee, O sove­
reign Good ! amiable above every good. Grant that I may for­
get myself and all things, in order to remember only Thy love
and to spend the remainder of my life wholly occupied in pleas­
ing Thee. Grant that from this day forward I may relish no
pleasure more than that of remaining at Thy feet. Inflame my
whole soul with Thy holy’ love. Mary, my mother, obtain for
me a great love for the Most Holy Sacrament ; and whenever
Thou seest that I am negligent, remind me of the promise I
now make of going every day to visit the Holy Sacrament.
SECOND POINT.

Jesus Gives Audience to All at all Times.

In the second place, Jesus Christ, in the Blessed Sacra­
ment, gives audience to all. St. Teresa used to say that
all cannot speak with the sovereign. The poor can
scarcely hope to address him, and make known to him
their necessities, even through a third person. But to
speak to the King of Heaven, the intervention of a third
person is not necessary: all, the poor as well as the nobles
of the earth, may speak to him face to face in the Holy

Wςόό

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxxv.

Sacrament. Hence Jesus is called the flower of the
fields. / am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys.'
1 lie flowers of gardens are inclosed and reserved; but
the flowers of the fields are exposed to all. “I am the
flower of the field,” says Cardinal Hugo, in his comment
on this passage, “ because I exhibit myself to be found
by all.” With Jesus, then, in the Holy Sacrament, all
may speak every hour in the day. Speaking of the birth
ot the Redeemer in the stable of Bethlehem, St. Peter
Chrysologus says that princes do not always give audi­
ence; that when a person goes to address the king, the
guards send him away, saying that the hour or day for
giving audience is not yet arrived, and telling him to
come at another time. But the Redeemer wished to be
born in an open cave, without a door and without guards,
in order to give audience to all, at all hours: there is no
attendant to say, “It is not the hour.”1
23 The same hap*
pens in the Holy Sacrament. The churches are always
open: all can go to converse with the King of Heaven
whenever they wish. Jesus desires that we speak to
him with unbounded confidence: it is for this purpose
that he remains under the species of bread. If Jesus
appeared on our altars, as he will on the day of judgment,
on a throne of glory, who among us would dare to ap­
proach him? But, says St. Teresa, because the Lord
desires that we speak to him; and ask his graces with
confidence and without fear, he has therefore clothed his
majesty with the appearance of bread. He desires, as
Thomas à Kempis says, that we converse with him as
one friend does with another?
When a soul remains at the foot of the altar, Jesus ap­
pears to address it in the words of the Canticles: Arise,
1 “ Ego flos campi, et lilium convallium.”—Cant. ii. i.
2 “ Non est satelles qui dicat: Non est hora.”—In Ps. iv.
3 Sicut solet dilectus ad dilectum. —1. 4, c. 13.

Dwelling of Jesus on our Altars.

367

make haste, my love, my beautiful one, and come) Arise>
arise, O my soul, and fear not. Make haste, approach to
me. My love, you are no longer my enemy; for you love
me, and you repent of having offended me. My beautiful
one, you are no longer deformed in my eyes: my grace
has made you beautiful. And come, tell me what you
want; I remain here on purpose to hear your prayers.
What joy should you feel, dear reader, if a king called
you into his cabinet and said to you: What do you wish
for i what do you stand in need of 11 love you, and I desire to
promote your welfare. This, Jesus Christ, the King of
Heaven, says to all who visit him: Come to me, all you
that labor and are burthened, and I will refreshyou? Come,
all you that are poor, infirm, or afflicted; I am able and
willing to enrich you, to heal you, to console you. For
this purpose I remain on your altars. Thou shalt call,
and he shall say: Here I am)
Affections and Prayers.
Since then, my beloved Jesus, Thou remaineston our altars to
hear the supplications of the miserable who have recourse to
Thee, hear the prayer which I, a miserable sinner, present to
Thee. O Lamb of God! sacrificed and lifeless on the cross, I
am a soul redeemed by Thy blood ; pardon me all lhe offences
I have offered to Thee, and assist me by Thy grace, that I may
never lose Thee again. Impart to me, O my Jesus ! a portion
of the sorrow which Thou didst feel in the garden of Gethsemane
for my sins. O my God ! that I had never offended Thee! My
dear Lord, had I died in sin, I could never more love Thee;
but Thou hast waited for me that I might love Thee. I thank
Thee for the time which Thou givest me: and since I can now
love Thee, I wish to love Thee. Give me the grace of Thy holy
love, but of a love which will make me forget all things, to
1 “Surge, propera, amica mea, columba mea, formosa mea, et
veni.”—Cani. ii. 10.
2 “ Venite ad me, omnes qui laboratis et onerati estis, et ego re­
ficiam vos.”—Matt, xi 28.
3 “ Ego ipse qui loquebar. Ecce adsum ’ —Isa. lii. 6.

368

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxv

think only of pleasing Thy most loving heart. Ah, my Jesus!
Thou hast spent Thy whole life for me: grant that I may spend
at least the remainder of my life for Thee. Draw me entirely
to Thy love; make me all Thine before I die. I hope for all
graces through the merits of Thy Passion. I also hope in thy
intercession, O Mary ! Thou knowest that I love thee : have
pity on me.
♦
THIRD POINT.

Jesus only Wishes to bestow his Graces.

Jesus, in the Holy Sacrament, gives audience to all in
order to bestow his graces on all. St. Augustine says
that the Lord has a greater desire of communicating his
graces to us than we have of receiving them.1 The
reason is, that God is infinite goodness, and goodness is
naturally diffusive; therefore, it desires to impart its
goods to all. God complains when souls do not come
to ask his graces. Am Z, he says, become a wilderness to
Israel, or a lateward springing land ? Why, then, have my
people said, We are revolted; we will come to thee no more 19
Why, says the Lord, will you come to me no more?
Have you, when you asked my graces, found me like a
barren or lateward springing land ? St. John saw the
Lord with his breast full of milk—that is, of mercy—
and girded with a band of gold—that is, with the love
with which he desires to dispense his graces to us. I saw
one like the Son of man . . . girt about the paps with a golden
girdle.3 Jesus Christ is always ready to bestow his favors
upon us; but the disciple says that, in the Holy Sacra­
ment, he dispenses his graces in greater abundance.
And, according to Blessed Henry Suso, it is in the Holy
Eucharist that Jesus most willingly hears our prayers.
1 “ Plus vultille dare, quam nos accipere.”— Senn. 105, E. B.
Numquid solitudo factus sum Israeli, aut terra serotina ? Quare
ergo dixit populus meus: Recessimus, non veniemus ultra ad te?”—
Jer. ii. 31.
* “ Vidi præcinctum ad mamillas zona aurea.”—Af>oc. i. 13·

Dwelling of Jesics on ozcr Altars.

369

As a mother whose breasts are full of milk goes in
search of infants to give them suck in order to be relieved
of the burden, so our Lord from this sacrament of love
cries out, and says to us all: You shall be carried at the
breasts. ... As one whom the mother caresses, so will I com­
fort you} Father Balthassar saw Jesus in the Most Holy
Sacrament, having his hands full of graces, to dispense
them to men; but found no one to ask them.
Oh! happy the soul that remains at the foot of the al­
tar to ask graces of Jesus Christ ! The Countess of
Feria, afterward a religious of the Order of St. Clare, re­
mained as long as she could before the Blessed Sacra­
ment, and was therefore called the spouse of the sacra­
ment. She continually received treasures of graces at
the foot of the altar. Being asked one day how she was
employed during so many hours before the tabernacle,
she answered: “I would remain there for all eternity.
I am asked what I do before the Blessed Sacrament.
And what do I not do? What does a beggar do in the
presence of a rich man ? What does a sick man do be­
fore his physician ? What do I do ? I thank my Saviour,
I love him, I ask his graces.” Oh ! how precious these
last words are to make us draw fruit from our visits to
the Holy Sacrament !
Jesus Christ complained to the servant of God, Sister
Margaret Mary Alacoque, of the ingratitude of men to
him in this sacrament of love. To make her understand
the love with which he dwells on our altars, he showed
her his heart in a throne of flames, surrounded with
thorns and surmounted by a cross, and said to her: “Be­
hold that heart, which has loved men so tenderly, which
has reserved nothing, and which has been even consumed
to show its love for them. But, in return, the greater
part of them treat me with ingratitude by their irrever1 “Ad ubera portabimini. . . . Quomodo si cui mater blandiatur,
ita ego consolabor vos.”—Isa. Ixvi. 12.

24

370

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxv.

ence and by their contempt of my love in this sacrament.
And what is most painful to me is, that they are hearts
consecrated to me.” Christians _do not visit* Jesus Christ
because they do not love him. They spend entire hours
in the society of friends; and they feel tediousness in
conversing half an hour with Jesus Christ. Some will
say: Why does not Jesus Christ give me his love? I
answer: If you do not banish the world from your heart,
how can divine love enter it ? Ah ! if you could say
with sincerity, what St. Philip Neri said at the sight of
the Holy Sacrament—Behold my love ! behold my love !—you
should not feel tediousness in spending hours and entire
days before the Blessed Sacrament.
To souls enamoured of God, hours spent before Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament appear moments. St. Francis
Xavier labored the whole day for the salvation of souls;
and what was his repose at night? It consisted in re­
maining before the Holy Sacrament. St. John Francis
Regis, that great missionary of France, after having
spent the entire day in preaching and hearing confes­
sions, went at night to the church. And having some­
times found it shut, he remained outside the door, ex­
posed to the cold and wind, to pay homage, at least ata
distance, to his beloved Lord. St. Aloysius Gonzaga
wished to remain always before the Holy Sacrament;
but was forbidden to do so by his Superiors. In passing
by the altar, he felt himself drawn by Jesus to remain,
but was compelled by obedience to depart. Hence he
would lovingly say to his Saviour: “ Withdraw from me,
O Lord '. withdraw.” 1 Lord, do not draw me; allow me
to depart; obedience obliges me to go away. If, my
brother, you do not feel this love for Jesus, endeavor at
least to visit him every day: he will certainly inflame
your heart. Do you feel cold ? Approach the fire, says
1 Recede a me, Domine, recede.

Dwelling of Jesus on our Altars.

371

St. Catharine of Sienna. Ah ! happy you, if Jesus, by
his grace, inflames you with his love. Then you will
certainly no longer love; on the contrary, you will despise
all the goods of this world. “When,” says St. Francis
de Sales, “ a house is on fire, all that is within is thrown
out through the window’s.”

Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my Jesus! make Thyself known, make Thyself loved.
Thou art so amiable, Thou canst do nothing more to induce men
to love Thee ; how then does it happen that so few among them
love Thee ? Alas ! I have been among these ungrateful wretches.
I have been sufficiently grateful to creatures, who have bestowed
no gilt or favor upon me : to Thee only, who hast given me
Thyself, have I been ungrateful, so as often to offend Thee
grievously, and insult Thee by my sins. But I see that, instead
of abandoning me, Thou continuest to seek after me, and to ask
my love. I feel that Thou continuest to propose to me this loving
precept—“ Thou shiilt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart. ''
Since, then, Thou didst wish to be loved even by me after my
ingratitude, I desire to love Thee. Thou wishest for my love,
and at present through Thy grace, I desire only to love Thee.
I love Thee, my love, my all. Through that blood which Thou
hast shed for me, help me to love Thee. My beloved Redeemer !
I place all my hopes in this blood, and also in the intercession
of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou wishest to assist me by
her prayers in the work of my salvation. O Mary, my Mother!
pray to Jesus for me. Thou inflamest all thy lovers with the
divine love ; I love thee tenderly ; procure it also for me.

Preparation for Death.

372

icon, xxxvi.

CONSIDERATION XXXVI.
(ionformitn to tljc tüill of (£5ob.
“And life in his good will.”—Ps. xxix. 6.

FIRST POINT.
Excellence of this Virtue.

All our salvation and perfection consists in loving
God. He that loveth not, abideth in death. Charity, which is
the bond of perfection) But the perfection of love consists
in conformity to the divine will; for, as St. Denis the
Areopagite says, the principal effect of love is, to unite
the will of lovers, so that they may have but one heart
and one will. Hence our actions, our works of penance
our Communions and alms-deeds, please God only inas­
much as they are conformable to the divine will; for, if
they are not conformable to the will of God, they are
not good works, but are defective, and deserving of
chastisement.
Our Saviour came down from heaven principally to
teach us by example to conform ourselves to the will of
God. Behold what he said, as the apostle writes, at his
entrance into this world. Sacrifice and oblation Thou
wouldst not: but a body Thou hast fitted to me. . . . Then, said
I, behold I come, . . . that I should do Thy will, O my God)
✓

£

9

1

1 “Qui non diligit, manet in morte.’’—I John, iii. 14. “ Charitatem habete, quod est vinculum perfectionis.”—Col. iii. 14.
2 “ Hostiam et oblationem noluisti ; corpus autem aptasti mihi. . .
Tunc dixi : Ecce venio, ... ut faciam, Deus, voluntatem tuam.”—
Heb. x. 5.

The Conformity to the Will of God.

373

Thou, O my Father! hast refused the victims offered by
men; Thou wishest that, by my death, I should sacrifice
this body which Thou hast given me; behold me ready
to do Thy will. This he frequently declared, saying, that
he came on earth only to do the will of his Father. I came
down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him that
sent Mel And by going to die through obedience to the
will of his Father, he wished to make known to us his
great love for his Father. That the world may know that
I love the Father; and as the Father hath given Me command­
ment, so do I. Arise; let us go hence? Hence he has said
that he acknowledges for his disciples only those who
fulfil the divine will. Whosoever shall do the will of My
Father that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and
mother? The accomplishment of the divine will has been
the only object and desire of the saints in all their works.
Blessed Henry Suso used to say: “ I would rather be the
vilest worm on earth in conformity to the will of God,
than be a seraph with my own will.” St. Teresa says:
“All that he who practises prayer should seek is, to con­
form his will to the divine will; and let him be assured,”
adds the saint, “that in this consists the highest perfec­
tion. He who practises it best, will receive the greatest
gifts from God, and will make the greatest progress in
spiritual life.” The blessed in heaven love God perfectly,
because they are in all things conformed to the divine
will. Hence Jesus Christ has taught us to do the will of
God on earth as the saints do it in heaven. Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven? He who does the will of
1 “ Descendi de cœlo, non ut faciam voluntatem meam, sed volun­
tatem ejus qui misit me.”—John, vi. 38.
2 “ Ut cognoscat mundus quia diligo Patrem, et sicut mandatum
dedit mihi Pater, sic facio : Surgite, eamus.”—John. xiv. 31.
3 “Quicumque enim fecerit voluntatem Patris mei qui in coelis est,
ipse meus frater, et soror, et mater est.”—Matt. xii. 50.
4 Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in coelo, et in terra.

374

Preparation for Death.

[con.xxxvi.

God, will, as David says, become a man according to
God’s own heart. I have found a man according to My own
heart, who shall do all My wills.1 And why ? Because
David was always prepared to do whatever God wished.
My heart is ready, 0 my God, my heart is readyd He asked
nothing else from the Lord, than to teach him to do his
will.
Oh ! how great is the value of an act of perfect resig­
nation to the will of God : it is sufficient to make a saint !
While St. Paul was persecuting the Church, Jesus ap­
peared to him, enlightened, and converted him. The
saint only offered himself to do the divine will. Lord,
what wilt Thou have me to dot1234 And behold, Jesus Christ
instantly declared him a vessel of election, and apostle
of the Gentiles. This man is to Me a vessel of election to
carry My name before the Gentiles.' He who fasts, gives
alms, or mortifies himself for God’s sake, gives a part of
himself to God; but the man who gives his will to God,
gives himself entirely to him. All that God asks of us
is, our heart—that is, our will. My son, give Me thy heart.
In a word, the accomplishment of the divine will must
be the object of all our desires, of our devotions, medi­
tations, Communions, etc. The object of all our prayers
must be to obtain from God the grace to do his will.
And for this purpose we must implore the interces­
sion of our holy advocates, and particularly of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, that they may procure for us light
and strength to conform ourselves to the will of God in
1 “Inveni David, filium Jesse, virum secundum cor meum. qui
faciet omnes voluntates meas."—Acts, xiii. 22.
3 “ Paratum cor meum. Deus, paratum cor meum.”—Ps. Ivi. 8;
evii. 2.
I
3 “ Domine, quid me vis facere ?’’—Acts, ix. 6.
4 “Vas electionis est mihi iste, ut portet nomen meum coram gen­
tibus.”—Acts, ix. 15.
8 “ Præbe, fili mi, cor tuum mihi.”—Prov. xxiii. 26.

The Conformity to the Witt of God.
all things, but particularly in embracing what is opposed
to self-love. The venerable John Avila used to say: “A
single ‘Blessed be God ’ in adversity is better than six
thousand acts of thanksgiving in prosperity.”
Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my God ! all my past ruin has arisen from a want of con­
formity to Thy will. O God of my soul ! I detest and curse a
thousand times the days and moments in which I have, in order to
do rny-own will, contradicted Thy holy will. I now give my whole
will to Thee. Accept it, O my Lord ! and bind it so firmly to
Thy love, that it may never more be able to rebel against Thee.
I love Thee, O infinite Goodness! and through the love which
I bear Thee, I offer myself entirely to Thee. Dispose of me and
of all I possess, as Thou pleasest : I resign myself entirely to Thy
holy will. Preserve me from the misfortune of doing anything
against Thy holy will, and then treat me as Thou wishest.
Eternal Father, hear me for the love of Jesus Christ. My Jesus,
hear me through the merits of Thy Passion. Most Holy Mary,
assist me; obtain for metho grace to fulfil the divine will, in
he accomplishment of which my salvation entirely consists:
obtain this grace for me, and I ask nothing more.
SECOND POINT.

In what we should Conform to God’s Will.

It is necessary to conform ourselves to the will of God,
not only in crosses and adversity which come directly
from God, such as infirmities, desolation of spirit, loss of
property or relatives; but also in those which come indi­
rectly from him,—that is, through men,—such as defama­
tion, contempt, injuries, and all other persecutions. And
let us remember that when others injure us in our prop­
erty or honor, God does not will their sin, but he wills our
poverty and our humiliation. It is certain that whatso­
ever happens takes place by the divine will. I am the
Lord: I form the tight, and create darkness; I make feac.e.

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxvi.

and create eill? And Ecclesiasticus says: Good things and
evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are from God? In a
word, all things, blessings as well as misfortunes, come
from God.
The crosses that happen to us are called evils, because
we call them so, and because we make them evils; if we
accepted them as we ought, with resignation, from
the hands of God, they should prove to us, not evils, but
blessings. The jewels which give the greatest splendor
to the crown of the saints are the tribulations which
they have borne for God, as coming from his hands.
What did holy Job say when he was told that the Sabeans
had taken away his property ? The Lordgave, and the Lord
hath taken away? He did not say: The Lord gave me
these goods, and the Sabeans have taken them away; but
the Lord has given them, and the Lord has taken them
away. And therefore he blessed the Lord, knowing that
all had happened by his will. And as it hath pleased
the Lord, so it is done; blessed be the name of the Lord?
When the holy martyrs Epictetus and Athone were
tormented with iron hooks and burning torches, they
only said: “ Lord, Thy will be done in us.” And their
dying words were: “ O eternal God, be blessed forgiving
us the grace to accomplish in ourselves Thy holy will.”
Cesarius relates (lib. x., cap. vi.) that a certain monk
wrought many miracles, though his life was not more
austere than that of the other monks. Being astonished
at his miracles, the abbot asked him one day what devo­
tions he practised. In answer he said that he was more
1 " Ego Dominus, et non est alter, formans lucem et creans tene,
bras, faciens pacem et creans malum.”—Isa. xlv. 6.
1 “ Bona et mala, vita et mors, paupertas et honestas, a Deo sunt.”
—Ecclus. xi. 14.
3 “ Dominus dedit, Dominus abstulit.”—Job, i. 21.
4 "Sicut Domino placuit, ita factum est; sit nomen Domini bene­
dictum!”—Job, i. 21.

The Conformity to the Will of God.

^ΊΊ

imperfect than his companions, but that he was always
careful to conform himself in all things to the divin*
will. “And,” said the Superior, “did you feel n<
displeasure at the injury which an enemy did to our
farm some days ago?” ‘No,” Father, “replied the
monk; I, on the contrary, thanked the Lord, because I
know' that he does and permits all things for our welfare.”
From this, the abbot perceived Lhe sanctity of this good
religious.
We ought to do the same when any cross or adversity
happens to us. Let us accept them all from the divine
hands, not only with patience, but also with joy, in imi­
tation of the apostles, who rejoiced when they w’ere mal­
treated for the sake of Jesus Christ. They went from the
presence of the council rejoicing that they were accounted
worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus ? And what
greater happiness than to bear crosses, and to know that,
in embracing them, we please God? If w’e wish to
enjoy continual peace, let us endeavor, from this day
forward, to embrace the divine will, always saying in all
that happens to us : Yea, Father, for so hath it seemed
good in Thy sight? Lord, this has pleased Thee, let it be
done. To this end we ought to direct all our medita­
tions, Communions, visits, and prayers, always imploring
the Lord to make us conform to his will. And let us
always offer ourselves to him, saying: “ Behold me, O my
God ! do with me what thou pleasest.” St. Teresa
offered herself to God at least fifty times in the day, that
he might dispose of her as he wished.

Affections and Prayers.
Ah, my divine King, my beloved Redeemer! come and reign
henceforth in my soul with undivided sway. Take my whole
’ “ Ibant gaudentes a conspectu concilii, quoniam digni habiti sunt
pro nomine Jesu contumeliam pati.”—Acts, v 41.
5 “ Ita, Pater! quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te.”—Afatt. xi. 26.

3 78

Preparation foi' Death.

icon, xxxvi.

will, that it may desire and wish nothing but what Thou wishest.
My Jesus, I have hitherto offended Thee so grievously by re­
sisting Thy holy will. This gives me greater pain than if I had
suffered every other evil. I repent of it, and am sorry for it
with my whole heart. I deserve chastisement; I do not refuse
it ; I accept it. Preserve me only from the chastisement of
being deprived of Thy love, and then do with me whatever
Thou pleasest. 1 love Thee, my dear Redeemer , 1 love Thee, my
God : and, because I love Thee, I wish to do whatever Thou
wishest. O will of God ! Thou art my love. O blood of my
Jesus, Thou art my hope. Jn Thee I hope to be, from this day
forward, always united to the divine will. It shall be my guide,
my desire, my love, and my peace. In it I wish always to live
and repose. In peace in the self-same I will sleep and I will rest. '
I shall always say, in whatever shall befall me: My God, thus
Thou hast willed, thus I will ; my God, I wish only what Thou
wishest, may Thy will be always accomplished in me. Thy will
be done. My Jesus, through Thy merits, grant me the grace
always to repeat this beautiful dictate of love : Thy will be done!
Thy will be done ! O Mary, happy thou, who didst always fulfil,
in all things, the divine will. Obtain for me the grace that hence­
forth I, too, may always fulfil it. My queen, through thy great
love for Jesus Christ, obtain for me this grace. Through thy
prayers I hope for it.
THIRD POINT.

Happiness Derived from Conformity to God’s Will.

He who is united with the divine will, enjoys, even in
this life, a perpetual peace. Whatsoever shall befall the
just man, it shall not make him sad? Yes, for a man cannot
enjoy greater happiness than that which arises from the
accomplishment of all his wishes. He who wills only
what God wills, possesses all that he desires; for what­
ever happens to him, happens by the will of God. If,
says Salvian, the soul that is resigned be humbled, it
1 “ In pace, in idipsum, dormiam et requiescam.”—Ps. iv. 9.
8 “ Non contristabit justum, quidquid ei acciderit.—Prov. xii. 21.

The Conformity to the Wilt of God.

379

desires humiliations; if it is poor, it delights in poverty;
in a word, it wishes whatever happens, and thus leads a
happy life.1 Let cold, heat, wind, or rain come, and he
that is united with the will of God says: I wish for this
cold, this heat, this wind, and this rain, because God
wills them. If loss of property, persecution, or sickness
befall him, he says: I wish to be miserable, to be perse­
cuted, to be sick, because such is the will of God. He
who reposes in the divine will, and is resigned to what­
ever the Lord does, is like a man who stands above the
clouds, and, without injury or perturbation, beholds the
tempest raging below. This is the peace which, accord­
ing to the Apostle, surpasseth alt understanding* which
exceeds all the delights of the world; a perpetual peace,
subject to no vicissitudes. A fool is changed like the moon.
... A holy man continueth in wisdom like the sun.1
*34 Fools—
that is, sinners—are changed like the moon, which in­
creases to-day, grows less on to-morrow. To-day they
are seen to laugh, and to-morrow to weep; to-day all joy
and meekness, to-morrow, all sadness and fury, in a
word, they change with prosperity and adversity. But
the just man is like the sun, always the same, and uni­
formly tranquil in whatever happens; for his peace con
sists in conforming himself to the divine will. And on
earth peace to men of good will.* At the bare mention of
the will of God, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to
feel much consolation that she would fall into an ecstasy
of love. When the will is united with the will of God,
crosses may produce some pain in the inferior part, but
in the superior part peace shall always reign. Your joy
1 “ Humiles sunt, hoc volunt: pauperes sunt, pauperie delectantur;
itaque beati dicendi sunt.”—De Gub. D. 1. i, n. 2.
9 “ Exsuperat omnem sensum.”—Phil. iv. 7.
3 “ Homo sanctus in sapientia manet sicut sol: nam stultus sicut
luna mutatur.”—Ecclus. xxvii. 12.
4 ° Et in terra pax hominibus.”—Luke, ii. 14.

38°

Preparation for Death.

[con.

xxxvi,

no man shall take from you.1 But how great the folly of
those who oppose the will of God ! What God wills will
certainly happen; for who resisteth his will Γ They,
therefore, must bear the cross, but without fruit and
wi thou t peace. IT ho hath resisted him, and hath had peace 112345
And what else but our welfare does God will ? This is
Tie will of your God, your sanctificationi He wishes to see
us saints, that we may be content in this life, and happy
in the next. Let us remember that the crosses which
come to us from God work together unto good? Even
chastisements are inflicted on us in this life, not for ruin,
but that we may amend, and gain eternal beatitude.
Let us believe that these scourges of the Lord . . . have hap­
pened for our amendment, and not for our destructioni God
loves us so ardently, that he not only desires, but is soli­
citous for, the salvation of each of us. The Lord is care­
ful for mei And what will he deny us after having
given us his Son ? He that spared not even LTis own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how hath He not also with Him
given us all things.6 Let us then always abandon our­
selves into the hands of that God who is always solicit­
ous for our welfare as long as we remain in this world.
Casting all your care upon Him, for He hath care of youi
Think of me, said our Lord to St. Catharine of Sienna,
1 “Gaudium vestrum nemo tollet a vobis.”—John, xvi. 22.
2 “Voluntati enim ejus quis resistit?”—Rom. ix. 19.
3 “ Quis restitit ei, et pacem habuit?”—Job, ix. 4.
4 “ Hæc est enim voluntas Dei, sanctificatio vestra.”—1 Thess. iv. 3.
5 “Omnia cooperantur in bonum.”—Rom. viii. 2S.
c “Ad emendationem, non ad perditionem nostram, evenisse creda­
mus.”—Judith, viii. 27.
1 “Dominus sollicitus est mei.”—Ps. xxxix. iS.
■ “Qui etiam proprio Filio suo non pepercit, sed pro nobis omnibus
tradidit illum, quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit?"—
Rom. viii. 32.
'J “Omnem sollicitudinem vestram projicientes in eum, quoniam
ipsi cura est de vobis.”—1 Peter, v. 7.

The Conformity to the Wilt of God.

381

and I will always think of you. Let us often say with
the spouse of the Canticles: My beloved to me, and I to
him/ My beloved thinks of my welfare, and I will think
only of pleasing him, and of uniting myself to his holy
will. We ought, says the holy Abbot Nilus, to pray, not
that God would do what we wish, but that we may do
what he wills.
He who always acts in this manner will lead a happy
life, and will die a happy death. He who dies with en­
tire resignation to the divine will, gives to others a moral
certainty of his salvation. But he who is not united with
the divine will during life, will not be united with it at
death, and will not be saved. Let us, then, endeavor to
make ourselves familiar with some sayings of the Scrip­
ture, by which we shall always keep ourselves united
with the will of God. Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do I
Lord, tell me what Thou wishest me to do; I am ready and
willing to do it. Behold the handmaid of the Lord? Be­
hold ! my soul is Thy servant; command, and Thou shalt
be obeyed. I am Thine; save met Save me, O Lord ’. and
then do what Thou pleasest with me; save Thine, I am no
longer mine. When any serious cross or adversity hap­
pens to us, let us say: Yea, Father, for so it hath seemed
good in Thy sight/ My God, this has pleased Thee; let it
be done. Above all, let the third petition of the Lord’s
prayer be dear to us: Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven.
Let us say it often, with fervor, and let us
repeat it several times. Happy we, if we live and die
saying: Thy will be done ! Thy will be done!
1
2
3
4
5

“ Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi.”—Cant. ii. 16.
“ Domine, quid me vis facere?”—deis, ix.’6.
“ Ecce ancilla Domini.”—Luke, i. 38.
“ Tuus sum ego, salvum me fac.”—Ps. cxviii. 94.
“ Ita, Pater, quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te.”—Matt. xi. 26.

382

Preparation for Death.

[con. xxxvi.

Affections and Prayers.

O Jesus, my Redeemer! Thou hast sacrificed Thy life on the
cross in order to become the cause of my salvation : have mercy
on me, then, and save me ; do not permit a soul that Thou hast
redeemed by so many pains, and with so much love, to hate
Thee for eternity in hell. Thou canst do nothing moretooblige
me to love Thee. This Thou gavest me to understand, when,
before Thou didst expire on Calvary, Thou didst utter these
loving words: It is consummated. But how have I repaid Thy
love? For the past, I can truly say that I have done all I could
to displease Thee, and to oblige Thee to hate me. I thank Thee
for having borne me with so much patience, and for now giving
me time to repair my ingratitude, and to love Thee before I die.
Yes, I wish to love Thee, and I wish to love Thee ardently, my
Saviour, my God, my love, and my all ; I wish to do whatever is
pleasing to Thee; I give Thee my whole will, my whole liberty,
and all that I possess. From this hour I sacrifice my life to
Thee, accepting the death which Thou wilt send me, along with
all the pains and circumstances that will accompany it. From
this moment I unite this sacrifice of mine to the great sacrifice
of Thy life, which Thou, my Jesus, didst offer for me on the
cross. I wish to die in order to do Thy will. Ah ! through the
merits of Thy Passion, give me grace to be, during life, resigned
to the arrangements of Thy Providence. And when death
comes, grant that I may embrace, with an entire conformity,
Thy holy will. I wish to die, O my Jesus! in order to please
Thee. I wish to die saying : Thy ouill be done. Mary, my
mother, it was thus thou didst die ; ah ! obtain for me the grace
that I too may die in this manner.
Live, Jesus, our love, and Mary, our hope

PLAN FOR Λ RETREAT OF EIGHT DAYS.
Introductory Meditation.
The present life is a journey to eternity......................... Consid.

XIV.

First Day.
Med.

I. Importance of salvation..................................
II. Value of time.....................................................
III. Vanity of the world..........................................

XII.
XI.
XIII.

Second Day.
I. Malice of mortal sin.........................................
II. Number of sins.................................................
III. Abuse of divine grace................

XV.
XVIII.
XV II.

Third Day.
I. Certainty of death.............................................
II. Portrait of a man who has recently gone into
eternity........................................................
III. Death of the sinner....................

IV.
I.
III.

Fourth Day.
I. Delusions which the devil puts into the mind
of sinners.....................................
XXIII.
II. Particular judgment........................................
XXIV.
III. Pains of hell........................................................
XXVI.
I.
II.
III.

Fifth Day.
Eternity of hell..................................................
Remorse of the damned...................................
Mercy of God....................................................

XXVII.
XXVIII.
XVI.

Sixth Day.

I. Great advantages of the grace of God............
II. The love of God..................................................
III. Death of the just...............................................

XIX.
XXXIII.
VIII.

Seventh Day.
I. Prayer................................................................
II. Conformity to thedivine will............................
III. Heaven..................................................................

XXX.
XXXVI.
XXIX.

Eighth Day.
I. Holy Communion..............................................
II. Confidence in Mary............................................
III. Perseverance.......................................................

XXXIV.
XXXII.
XXXI.

384

Preparation for Death.

HYMN.

The Soul Enamoured of the Beauty of God.
Let those who will for other beauties pine,
God, God alone mv love shall ever be ;
My God, my life ! O loveliness divine !
Whom can I wish to love, and love not Thee?
Where could I find a nobler, lovelier heart,
A heart more worthy object of my love ?
Such loveliness, that but to see a part
Can ravish with delight the saints above.
Ah ! foolish souls, that throw away your hearts
On love of beauties earthly, false, and vain !
Ah ! see you not that all true peace departs,
And leaves within but emptiness and pain?

Love God, love him, the beauty infinite,—
Love God alone, who loveth you so much;
Ah, happy you, if loving him aright
You know the secret ways his heart to touch.

Ye who love God ! souls beautiful and chaste!
Do I not speak the truth ? Bear witness, say
What peace, what joy he gives your hearts to taste
While yet poor exiles here on earth you stay.
Thrice happy now ! Ah ! then what will you say
AVhen once you reach in heaven the home of bliss?
What, when you see unveiled in cloudless day
Your God, the God of beauty, as he is?
Alas ! could I but live my life again,
In loving him should be my sole content :
At least, whate’er of life may yet remain
Shall all in loving God alone be spent.

Hymn.
Shall it not be, 0 loveliness divine?
Then if Thou will it so, give me Thy love ;
I seek in vain to give Thee love of mine,
Unless Thy hand first help me from above.
But more Thou lovest me than I love Thee,
I seek Thy love, but more Thou seekest mine ;
Then Thou belongest even now to me,
And I shall all and evermore be Thine.

385

MAXIMS OF ETERNITY;
/

OK,

MEDITATIONS
FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK.1

MEDITATION FOR SUNDAY.

The End of Man.
I.

Consider, O my soul ! that the being which you en­
joy was given to you by God: he created you to his
own image, without any merit on your part; he adopted
you for his child by baptism; he loved you more than
the most affectionate parent could have loved you; he
has made you all you are, that you might know him·
love him, and serve him in this life, and thereby arrive
at the eternal possession of him in heaven. Hence you
1 These meditations are an excellent summary of the foregoing Con­
siderations on the Last Things of man. As they contain nothing ex­
clusively proper to the days of the week to which they have been
assigned, they may also be used at other times.
They are substantially the same as those that are found in the
works of Father Sarnelli (ZZ Cristiano santijicatd) and in those of
St. Leonard of Port Maurice ( Fia del paradiso), and perhaps else­
where, since neither appears to be the author of them. St. Alphonsus arranged them according to his own method, and inserted them
in the first work that he published, about the year 1747. under the
title of “Smaller Spiritual Works” {Operetta spirituali).—Ed.

388

Maxims of Eternity.

did not come into this world for the sake of enjoyment
to grow rich and powerful, to eat, drink, and sleep like
irrational animals, but solely to love your God and to
work out your eternal salvation. And is this the object
that I have hitherto had in view ? Oh ! how unfortunate
have I been, in having thought of everything else rather
than of my last end. O God ! I beg of Thee, in the
name and for the love of Jesus, to grant that I may begin
a new life of perfect holiness and conformity to Thy
divine will.
II.

Consider what deep remorse and bitter regret you will
feel at the hour of death, if, during life, you have not
devoted yourself to the service of God. How great will
be your disappointment when, at the close of your days,
you will perceive that nothing remains at that sorrowful
moment of all your goods, of all your pleasures, and of
all your earthly glory, buta shadow that flies before you,
and a bitter remembrance which pursues you ! What
will be your consternation when you will discover that,
for the sake of miserable vanities, you have lost your
God, your soul, and your salvation, without the possibil­
ity of being able to repair your misfortune ? O despair!
O cruel torment ! you will then see the value of the time
that you are losing; but it will be too late. Gladly
would you then purchase time at the price of all you
have; but you will not be able to do so. Oh ! how full
of bitterness and sorrow will that day be for every soul
that has not loved and served the Lord !

in.
Consider the general disregard of men for their last
end. The\r ordinary thoughts are upon the accumula­
tion of wealth, the gratification of their senses, parties
of pleasure, amusement, and festivity.
They think
nothing of God or of his service; they do nothing for the

Meditation for Monday.

389

salvation of their souls: they regard the affair of salva­
tion as a trifle not worthy of notice. Thus, O deplor­
able misfortune ! the greater part of Christians, by in­
dulging in foolish pleasures and criminal gratifications,
precipitate themselves into hell. Oman! you take much
pains to damn yourself, and will you do nothing for your
salvation ? Listen to the dying sentiments of a Secre­
tary of State of one of the kings of England: “How
great,” said he, “ is my misfortune: I have used many
sheets of paper in writing letters for my sovereign, and,
alas ! I have not used one to help me in the recollection of
my sins, that I might make a good confession !” Listen
to the death-bed sentiments of a king of Spain: “Oh that
I had spent my life in a desert, occupied in serving God,
and had never been a king!” But to what do these
sighs and lamentations then serve, but to augment the
horrors of despair ? Learn, then, this day, at the expense
of others, to devote yourself to the salvation of your
soul: remember well that all your actions, all your
words, and all your thoughts, that are not directed to
God, are entirely lost. Oh ! it is time then to amend
your life. Do not wait, therefore, to be convinced of
this till you arrive at the gates of eternity, and the jaws
of hell: it will be then too late. O my God ! pardon me
all the errors of my life: I love Thee above all things. I
am sorry, from the bottom of my heart, for all my sins.
O Mary ! my hope, intercede with Jesus in my behalf.
MEDITATION FOR MONDAY.

The Importance of our Last End.
I.

Consider, O man ! how important it
your soul. Your dearest interests are
because, if vou attain salvation,
vou
·*■
happy in the enjoyment of every good

is to you to save
there concerned,
will be eternally
J
both of soul and

39°

Maxims of Eternity.

body; but, in losing it, you lose your soul and body;
heaven and God: you will be eternally miserable, eter­
nally damned. Your only important, your only necessary
affair, therefore, is to serve your God and to save your
soul. Do not, then, O Christian ! think of serving your
passions now, and of giving yourself to God hereafter.
Oh, how many has this false and deceitful hope precipi­
tated into hell ! Thousands of sinners have flattered
themselves with the hope of future repentance; but the
day in which they hoped never arrived, and they are now
suffering without resource the torments of the damned.
And who amongst them all ever thought of falling into
that place of woe? Which of them had not the intention
of saving his soul ? But God curses him that sins in the
hope of pardon.1 You say perhaps, within yourself, I
will commit this sin and then repent: but are you sure
that time will be allowed you for repentance ? You may
die the moment you have sinned. By sinning you lose
the grace of God ; and what if you never more recover
it ? God shows mercy to those who fear him, but not
to those who contemn and despise him.3 Think not,
therefore, that it will cost you no more to repent of and
confess three sins than to repent of and confess one sin.
No: in this thought you are deceived; God might par­
don you a first or a second sin, but not a third. He
has patience with the sinner for a time, but not forever.3
When the measure of iniquity is filled up, his mercy
ceases, and he punishes the impenitent sinner either by
death, or by abandoning him to a reprobate sense, in which
state he goes on from sin to sin without remorse, and at
length is precipitated into hell. O Christian ! attend
seriously to this. It is time you should put an end to
your disorders and return to God; you should fear lest
1 Maledictus homo qui peccat in spe.
’ “Et misericordia ejus . . . timentibus eum.”—Luke, i. 50
8 “ In plenitudine peccatorum puniat.”—2 Mach. vi. 14.

Meditation for Monday,

391

this will be the last warning that he will ever send you.
You have offended him long enough, and he has borne
with you long enough in your sins: tremble, then, lest he
should forsake you after the next mortal sin. Oh ! how
many souls has this striking thought of eternity caused
to retire from the disorders and dangers of the world, to
live in cloisters, solitudes, and deserts ! Unfortunate
sinner that I have been ! what is the fruit of all my
crimes ?—a conscience gnawed with despair, a troubled
heart, a soul overwhelmed with grief, hell deserved, and
God lost! Ah! my God, my heavenly Father! bind
me to Thy love.
II.

Consider, O man ! that this affair of eternity is above all
others the most neglected. Mankind have time to think
of everything but God and salvation. If a man of the
woild is advised to frequent the sacraments, or to spend
a quarter of an hour daily in meditation, he will imme­
diately say: I have a family to provide for, I have my
business to attend to, I have sufficient to keep me
employed. Good God ! and have you not a soul to
save ? Will your riches and your family be able to assist
you at the hour of your death, or deliver you from hell
if you are condemned ? No, no: flatter not yourself that
you are able to reconcile God and the world, heaven and
sin together. Salvation is not to be attained by a life of
indolence and ease. It is necessary* to use violence and
to make great efforts in order to obtain the crown of
immortality. How many Christians have flattered them­
selves with the idea of serving God and saving their souls
hereafter, who are at this moment, and will forever be,
in the flames of hell ! How great is the folly of men in
attending to what will so shortly terminate, and think­
ing so little of that state which will never end ! Ah.
Christian ! put your affairs in order; reflect that your all
Ο

o

392

Maxims of Eternity,

is at stake: remember that, in a very short time, your
body will be deposited in the earth, and your soul will
go to dwell in the house of eternity. How dreadful,
then, will be your misfortune if you are condemned to
an eternity of woe ! Reflect well on this; for then you
can have no remedy.
in.

Consider and say within yourself: I have a soul, and
if I lose it all is lost; I have a soul, and if in losing it I
were to gain the whole world, what would it profit me?
I have a soul, but if I lose it, although I were to arrive
at the highest pinnacle of glory, of what advantage will
it be to me? If I hoard up riches, if I get forward in
the world, but in the end lose my soul, what will be my
consolation ? Where are now the dignities, pleasures,
and vanities of those great ones of the world whose
bodies are mouldering in the dust and whose souls are
a prey to the flames of hell? Since, then, I have a
soul, and only one, to save, and if I lose it once it is lost
forever, I ought to endeavor to save it. This is an affair
of the highest importance to me. Eternal happiness and
eternal misery are at stake. O my God ! I am forced to
acknowledge with shame and confusion that I have
hitherto blindly wandered astray from Thee: I have
scarcely ever thought seriously of saving my soul. 0
my Father ! save me, through Jesus Christ. I am will­
ing to part with everything here, provided I do not lose
Thee. O Mary, my surest hope ! save me by thy power­
ful intercession.
MEDITATION FOR TUESDAY.

Mortal Sin.
i.

d·

Consider, O my soul ! that having been created to
love God, you have rebelled against him, and thereby

Meditation for Tuesday.

393

been guilty of the basest ingratitude. You have treated
him like an enemy; you have despised his grace and
friendship. You were aware how much sin offends him,
and still you have committed it. Yes, you have turned
your back on God; you have insulted him; you have in a
manner raised your hand to strike him ; you have saddened
his Holy Spirit. The man who sins says to God, if not
in words, at least in effect: Begone from me: I will not
serve Thee, I will not acknowledge Thee for my God:
the God whom I adore is this pleasure, this interest, this
revenge. Such has been the language of your heart
every time that you have preferred any creature to God.
St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi could not conceive how a
Christian could knowingly commit a mortal sin. O you
who are reading these lines, what are your sentiments ?
how many mortal sins have you committed ? O my God !
pardon me, have mercy on me: I detest all my sins; I
love Thee, and grieve sincerely for the insults that I have
offered to Thee, who are deserving of infinite love.
II.

Consider that God thus spoke to your heart at the
moment vou wereo offending* him:* My son,
J I am vour
God, who created you and redeemed you with the price
of my blood. I forbid you, then, to commit that sin
under pain of incurring my eternal displeasure. But in
yielding to the temptation you have replied: Lord, I will
not obey Thee; I am resolved to gratify my passions; I
value not Thy friendship.
Thou hast said, I will not
serve.' Ah ! my God: and this I have done many, per­
haps thousands of times. How couldst Thou bear with
my insults ? Why did I not die rather than live to offend
Thee ? But, O infinite goodness ! I will do so no more;
henceforth I will love Thee with all my heart. Give me
perseverance; give me Thy holy love.
J

1 “ Dixisti; Non serviam.”—Jer. ii. 20.

394

Maxims of Eternity.
in.

Consider, O my soul I that, when sins reach a certain
number, they cause God to abandon the sinner. The
Lord patiently expecteth that when the day of judgment
shall come, he may punish them in the fulness of sins.'
If, therefore, you are again tempted to return to your
sins, say no more within yourself, I will commit this one,
and will then repent. For what if the Lord should in­
stantly strike you dead ? or what if he should forsake
you forever? What has been the fate of thousands who
have thus lost the grace of God? They flattered them­
selves with the hope of pardon; but death surprised
them, and hell enveloped them in its flames. Tremble,
then, lest your fate be the same. Those who abuse the
goodness of God in order to offend him are undeserving
of his mercy. After the multitude of crimes that he has
pardoned you, you have too much reason to fear that, if
you relapse into mortal sin, he will pardon you no more.
Thank him, then, a thousand times for having borne
patiently with you until now, and form the resolution
rather to die than to offend him any more. Say fre­
quently to him: My God ! I have already offended Thee
enough: the remainder of my life shall be spent in loving
Thee and in bewailing my past ingratitude. O my Jesus !
I wish to love Thee; grant me the grace to do so. 0
Blessed Virgin, my Mother ! assist me by thy prayers.
Amen.
MEDITATION FOR WEDNESDAY.

Death.
I.

Consider that this life must soon terminate. The
sentence is already passed: You must die. Death is cer­
tain, but the moment of it is uncertain: we know not when
1 “ Dominus patienter exspectat, ut, cum judicii dies advenerit, in
plenitudine peccatorum puniat.”—2 Mach. vi. 14.

Meditation for Wednesday.

395

it will come. But to how many casualties and accidents
is human life constantly exposed? The bleeding of an
artery, a stroke of apoplexy, the bite of a venomous
animal, an inundation, an earthquake, a thunderbolt,
and numberless other causes that we can neither foresee
nor prevent, may deprive you instantly of life. Death may
surprise you when you least expect it. How many have
gone to bed at night-in apparent good health, and in the
morning have been found dead ? And may notthesame
happen to you ? Numberless others, who have been
visited by sudden death, never expected to die in that
manner; and, if they were then found in mortal sin, what
is now their fate, and what will it be through all eter­
nity ? But, at all events, it is certain that either the night
will come, when you will no more see the day, or the
day will come, when you will no more see the night. “I
shall come,” says Jesus Christ, “likea thief in the night,
when I am the least expected.”—Matt. xxiv. 44. Your
good master warns you of this beforehand, because he
wishes your salvation. O sinner ! correspond, then, with
this mercy, profit by this admonition, hold yourself al ways
in readiness for death. When that moment comes there
will be no time for preparation. Consider well that you
must certainlv* die. The scene of this world must soon
terminate for you, though you know not when. AVho
can tell whether it will be within a vear, within a month,
within a week, or even whether you will be alive to-mor­
row ? O my Jesus ! give me light, and pardon me.
π.

Consider that, at the hour of your death, you will be
extended on a bed, with your relativesand friends weep­
ing over you, a priest to assist you, a lighted taper by
your side, within one step of the terrible passage into
eternity. Your head will be oppressed with pain, your
eyes will become dim, your tongue parched with heat,

396

Maxims of Eternity.

your blood cooling in your veins, and your heart in
agony: you will see the world passing from before you.
No sooner will your soul become separated from your
body than you will be stripped of all things, and cast
into the earth to rot. There you will become the food
of worms, which will gnaw and devour your flesh, and
in a short time nothing will remain of your body but a
few withered bones and a little dust. Open a grave,
and take a view of the state of that rich and avaricious
man ! of that vain woman ! Ah ! such is the termination
of human life; such is the end of mortal man, and such
will soon be yours. But penetrate with the eyes of faith
into the other world, and see the condition in which your
soul will be placed. It will instantly be surrounded by
the monsters of hell, representing before you all the
sins that you have committed from your very childhood.
At present the devil hides from you the malice of your
crimes: he persuades you that there is little evil in this
act of vanity, this indulgence, this resentment, this dan­
gerous company; but in death he will display before
your eyes the enormity of your sins, to make you despair
Then you will discover in the light of God himself the
evil which you have committed in offending his infinite
goodness. Ah ! hasten then, whilst time remains, to
make reparation for what is past: at the hour of death
it will be too late.
in.

Consider that death is a moment on which eternity
depends. Take a view of a man who is on the point of
expiring, and reflect that he is just going to enter into
one or other of the two eternities; his fate is pending
but for a moment: when that is expired, he is cither
saved or condemned forever. O this last breath ! O
this moment on which depends an eternity !—an eternity
either of torment or of glory; an eternity either always

Meditation for Thursday.

397

happy or always miserable; an eternity either of all that
is good or of all that is evil; an eternity either of
heaven or of hell. If yon are then saved, you will be
secure from all evils, and at the summit of happiness
and content; if you are condemned, you will live in
punishment and despair as long as God will be God. In
death you will understand the meaning of heaven, hell,
sin, an offended God, the contempt of divine laws, sins
concealed in confession, ill-gotten goods unrestored, in­
juries not pardoned. “Unhappy me!” will the dying
man say, “ in a few moments I must appear in the pres­
ence of God. What will mv sentence be ? Whither
shall I go ? To heaven or to hell ? Shall I be happy
with the saints or burn with the damned? Shall I be
a child of God or a slave of the devil ? Alas ! but a min­
ute more and I shall know; and the destiny which I shall
then receive will last for all eternity.” Then will yon
detest a thousand times the day on which you had -the
misfortune to sin. But it will be too late; your sorrow
will be fruitless, because it will proceed from the fear
and not from the love of God. Ah, my God ! from this
hour I will turn to Thee: I will not delay my repentance
until death. I now love Thee, I embrace Thee, and I
wish to die in Thy embraces. O Mary ! my true Mother,
let medie under thy protection: help me at that critical
and decisive moment.
MEDITATION FOR THURSDAY.

Judgment.
I.

Consider that the soul will no sooner have departed
from the body than it will appear before the tribunal of
God to be judged. This judge is the Almighty, whose
wrath is provoked by your sins. Your accuser will be your
mortal enemy, the devil; the matter of your trial will be
4

398

Maxims of Eternity.

your sins; your sentence will be without appeal; and if
found guilty, your punishment will be hell. You will
not have the power of calling your parents, friends, and
companions to your aid: all must be concluded between
God and your soul. You will then see the deformity of
your crimes, and will not be able, as at present, to excuse
them. You will be examined upon all your sins of
thought, of words, of actions, of omissions, of scandal;
you will be weighed in the terrible scales of divine jus­
tice, and, if found wanting in a single point, you are lost.
My Jesus and my Judge, pardon me before Thou dost
judge me.

Consider that, at the end of the world, our bodies will
rise again to participate in the reward or punishment of
the soul according to our works, when all the nations of
the* earth will be assembled in the valley of Josaphat to
be judged. If you are condemned, you will resume your
body as an eternal prison for your unfortunate soul. At
this sorrowful reunion the soul will curse the body and
the body the soul, so that, although at present they
mutually consent to pursue unlawful pleasures, after
death, the)r will become each other’s tormentor. On the
other hand, if you are saved, your body will arise beau­
tiful, impassible, and glorious, and thus, both in body
and soul, you will be judged worthy of eternal happiness.
Thus will close the scene of this world: thus will termi­
nate all thegreatness, all the pleasures, and all the pomps
of the earth. Yes, all will beat an end; nothing will
remain but two eternities, one of glory, the other of pain;
one of joy, the other of torments: the just will dwell in
heaven, the wicked in hell. AVoe, then, to him that has
loved the world ! woe to him that for the vain and fleet­
ing pleasures of the earth has lost his soul, his body,
heaven, and God !

Meditation for Friday,
I

399

in.

Consider the eternal sentence which Jesus Christ will
pass upon the reprobate and the elect. This sovereign
Judge, turning towards the reprobate, will say: “Behold,
ye ungrateful wretches, the event of your crimes ! My
hour is come—the hour of truth, of justice, of vengeance,
and of wrath. Criminal souls, you have chosen my curse;
let it fall upon you: be ye cursed for all eternity. De­
part from me, despoiled of every good and laden withall
evil, into eternal fire.” 1 Then turning towards the elect
Jesus will thus address them : “ Come, ye blessed children
of my heavenly Father, come and take possession of the
kingdom of heaven which is prepared for you. Come,
no longer to carry your cross after me, but to wear a
crown. Come to inherit my riches, and to be the com­
panions of my glory. Come from the land of exile to
your true country; come from sufferings to glory, from
tears to joy.” O my Jesus ! I hope to be one of those
whom Thou wilt then bless. I love Thee above all
things. Bless me at this moment. O my Mother Mary,
do thou also bless me.
MEDITATION FOR FRIDAY.

Hell.

Consider that hell is a dreadful prison filled with
fire. In this fire the reprobate are enveloped, having an
abyss of fire above
them, and around them and below
f
them, in their eyes, their mouths, and throughout every
part of their frame. There each sense suffers a tor­
ment peculiar to itself. The eyes are tormented with
darkness and smoke, and at the same time by the
sight of devils and damned souls; the ears hear nothing
1 “ Discedite a me, maledicti, in ignem æternum.”—Malt. xxv. 41.

4°°

Maxims of Eternity.

but continual howlings, lamentations and blasphemies;
the smell is tormented by the stench of half-putrefied
bodies; the taste by a burning- thirst and cruel hunger,
without the possibility of being alleviated by a drop of
water or a morsel of bread. Hence proceed from those
miserable captives, tears, groans, lamentations, howlings
and despair; but all in vain: they will never obtain the
smallest consolation under their torments, or the least
mitigation of their pains. O hell, hell ! shall we wait
until we are buried in your flames to believe you and to
fear you? And yet this is the conduct of thoughtless and
unrepenting sinners. O you who are reading this, what
is your state? were you to die this moment, whither
would you go? Ah ! you could not endure the pain of
a spark of fire falling upon your hand, and have you the
assurance to expose yourself to the hazard of burning
in a pool of fire, in desolation and despair for all eternity?
II.

Consider the punishments that will be inflicted in hell
on all the powers of the soul. The memory will befor­
ever tormented with the recollection of sin, and with re­
morse of conscience; this gnawing worm will continually
remind you that you have damned yourself for some
miserable pleasure or interest. O God ! what will the
soul think of past pleasures, after hundreds, thousands,
and millions of years spent in hell? This gnawing worm
will call to its recollection the time which God had given
it for repentance, the means of salvation wherewith he
had furnished it, the good example which he had set be­
fore it, and the resolutions which it had formed, but
would never execute. The soul will, moreover, see that
its present state is irremediable. O God, O God! how
terrible is hell. The will, also, will be eternally con­
tradicted; it will never obtain what it wishes, and will
always meet with what it would gladly avoid. The un,

Meditation for Sa hirday.

401

derstanding will discover the greatness of the good which
it has lost in losing heaven and God. O God! O God!
pardon me, for the love of Jesus Christ.

in.
Sinner, you, who at present make small account o
losing God, will discover your misfortune, when you
will see the elect triumph and exult with joy on their
entrance into heaven, and yourself banished, like an un­
clean animal, from that blessed country, deprived forever
of seeing the face of an infinitely amiable God, and
separated from the company of Mary, of the angels and
saints. Then, in fury and despair, you will exclaim: “O
paradise of delights: O God of infinite goodness! thou
art not and never will be mine.” Repent, then; change
your life; do not wait till the time of repentance is at an
end. Give yourself to God ; begin truly to love him.
Beg of Jesus and Mary to have pity on you.
MEDITATION FOR SATURDAY.

The Eternity of the Pains of Hell.
I.

Consider that the torments of hell will never termi­
nate. The damned suffer in every way, and they suffer
eternally. Λ hundred years of suffering will pass away,
a thousand will pass away, and hell will still be only at
its beginning. A hundred thousand and a thousand
million of years and ages will pass, and hell will still begin
anew. Were an angel to be sent to one of the damned,
informing him that, after as many million of ages have
expired as there are drops of water in the sea, leaves
upon the trees, and grains of sand on the seashore or
upon the earth, he should be delivered from hell, this
news would fill him with inconceivable joy. For al­
though he would be compelled to suffer for an innumer26

402

Maxims of Eternity.

able multitude of ages, still he would be able to say: The
time will come when my sufferings will end. But alas!
as many ages will really expire, and hell will be only at
its beginning. Nay, this number of ages may be multi­
plied as many times as there are grains of sand on the
earth, drops of water in the ocean, and leaves on the
trees, and, at the close of this immense period, hell will
begin again. There is nota wretch in that abode of tor­
ments, that would not willingly make this proposition to
the Almighty. “Increase, O Lord, as much as Thou
pleasest, my torments, prolong the duration of them to
any extent Thou pleasest, provided they may terminate.’’
But no: this termination will never be granted. It would
be an alleviation, if the unfortunate sufferer could flattei
himself with the hope that perhaps the Lord would οικ
day have compassion on him and deliver him from hell.
But alas ! he will always keep the sentence of his eternal
reprobation before his eyes, and will see that all these
pains, this fire, this despair, these lamentations, will
never cease, will never end. O hell ! O eternity ! how
can men believe in you and yet continue in sin?
II.

Christian soul ! pay attention to these truths: remem­
ber that hell is for you, if you live in sin. This horrible
furnace is already enkindled under your feet, and num­
bers throughout the world are falling into it, whilst you
are reading this. Reflect, that if the same misfortune
ever befalls you, it will be irreparable; if ever, then, you
did deserve hell, thank God with all your heart for his
mercy in having spared you. Weep over your sins; em­
ploy every possible means of securing your salvation;
frequently approach the sacraments; read daily some
pious book, entertain a sincere devotion to the Blessed
Virgin, recite everyday the Rosary, and fast every Satur­
day in her honor; be firm and resolute in resisting the

Méditation for Saturday.

403

beginning of tempation, invoking frequently the Holy
Names of Jesus and Mary; flee from all occasions of
sin; in short, use your utmost endeavors to avoid eternal
misery, remembering that there cannot be too great se­
curity where eternity is at stake. Consider what num­
bers of men have hidden themselves in deserts, and shut
themselves up in caverns, in order the more effectually to
secure their eternal welfare. /\nd what are you doing?
Oh ! give yourself sincerely to God, and say to him from
your heart: Lord, behold I am now Thy servant: ready
and willing to do whatever Thou commandest me. Mary,
assist me.

404

Maxims of Eternity.

HYMN.
The Soul Sighing for Heaven.
Oh ! I am dying of desire,
Sweet Lord, to see Thy face ;
To linger here on earth I tire,
O God of loveliness!
A pang so bitter rends my heart,
I can no more endure the smart ;
Ah ! do not, Lord, my grief despise.
I live indeed apart from Thee,
But hope and cry unceasingly,
O Paradise ! O Paradise !
An empty joy, which ends in pain,
Is all this world bestows ;
Deceitful pomp and pageant vain,
Which death anon will close.
He to whom all save God is nought
Best knows the anguish of the thought—
I yet might lose my prize ;
On Thee I fix my longing gaze,
To Thee alone my sighs I raise,
O Paradise ! O Paradise !

In vain Thou wouldst ensnare my heart
With wealth and empty joys ;
Go, world, thy gifts to those impart
Who madly love such toys.
λ ain pomps, or pleasures stained with sin :
Ah ! do not hope my hopes to win,
For other goods my spirit sighs :—
To reign in heaven I aspire ;
This is my hope, this my desire,
O Paradise ! O Paradise !

Hymn.
O beauteous home ! where love’s reward
Love will itself bestow ;
Where my so sweet and loving Lord
Himself unveiled will show.
When shall I see that blest abode,
And there behold and love my God?
When will that wished-for dawn arise?
W one now I cry, ’twixt smiles and tears,
Ah, when, ah, when shall end my fears?
O Paradise ! O Paradise !

405

A CHRISTIAN’S RULE OF LIFE.
In this Rule the first chapter treats of the means we must make use
of to keep ourselves in the grace of God. In the second, the acts
of those devout exercises which should be practised are set forth
at length. In the third is shown the exercise of the principal
virtues which a Christian ought to practise.

CHAPTER I.
THE MEANS OF PRESERVING THE GRACE OF GOD.

must be fully persuaded, that in order to obtain
eternal salvation, it is not sufficient to wish to be saved;
but we must further use the means which have been left
us by Jesus Christ. Otherwise, if we commit sins, it will
not avail us in the day of judgment to excuse ourselves
by saying that the temptations were great, and we were
weak; because God has given us the means, through his
grace, to conquer all the assaults of our enemies: if, then
we do not take advantage of them, and are overcome,
the fault will be our own. All men desire to be saved;
We

* “The Rule of Life” was published about the year 1767, in the
volume entitled “The Way of Salvation,” of which it formed the third
part with the treatise called “ Darts of Fire.” In the general order of
the works of Saint Alphonsus it naturally found its place under the title
of the present volume that contains the foundation of the spiritual life ;
it is the complement, the practical conclusion of the Considerations
on the eternal truths, as the Author himself so very frequently inti­
mates.—Ed.

4o8

A Christian s Rule of Life.

but because they omit to employ the means of salvation
they sin and are lost.
I. To Flee from the Occasions of Sin.

The first means is, to avoid all occasions of sin. It is
impossible for any one who does not endeavor to flee
from the occasions of sin, especially in the matter of sen­
sual pleasures, to avoid falling into sin. St. Philip Neri
said: “In the war of the senses, the conquerors are the
cowards who fly.” The occasion is like a veil put before
our eyes, so that we can see nothing else—neither God,
nor hell, nor the resolutions we had made. The Scrip­
ture says, it is impossible to walk on burning coals with­
out being burnt: Or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feci
not be burnt 11 So it is morally impossible for any one to
put himself voluntarily into the occasion of sin and not
to fall, although he may have made a thousand resolu­
tions and a thousand promises to God. This is clearly
shown every day by the misery of so many poor souls
who are plunged into vice for not avoiding the occasions.
Any one who has had the evil habit of sins of impurity
must know that, in order to restrain himself, it is not
enough merely to avoid those occasions which are abso­
lutely proximate; for if he does not also flee from those
which are not altogether proximate, he will easily fall
again. Nor must we allow ourselves to be deceived by the
devil into thinking that the person towards whom we are
tempted is a saint; it often happens that the more devout
a person is, the stronger is the temptation. St. Thomas
Aquinas says, that the holiest persons attract the most.
The temptation will begin in a spiritual way, and will
terminate carnally. The great servant of God F. Ser­
torio Caputo, of the Society of Jesus, said that the devil
first induces one to love a person’s virtue, then the per1 “ Numquid potest homo . . . ambulare super prunas, ut non
comburantur plantæ ejus?”—Prov. vi. 27.

Means of Perseverance.

409

son, and then blinds one and brings one to ruin. We .
must also flee from evil companions: we are too weak;
the devil is continually tempting us, and the senses are
drawing us to evil; the slightest suggestion of a bad
companion is only wanting to make us fall. Therefore
the first thing that we have to do to save ourselves is to
avoid evil occasions and bad companions. And we must
in this matter do violence to ourselves, resolutely over­
coming all human respect. Those who do not use
violence to themselves \v ill not be saved. It is true, that
we must not put confidence in our own strength, but
only in the divine assistance; but God wills that we
should do our part in doing violence to ourselves, when
it is necessary,to do so, in order to gain Paradise: The
violent bear it away}
2. Mental Prayer.

The second means is mental prayer. Without this, the
soul will find it almost impossible to remain a long time
in the grace of God. The Holy Spirit says: In all thy
works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.3 11 e w h o
often meditates on the Four Last Things, namely, death,
judgment, and the eternity of hell and paradise, will not
fall into sin. These truths are not to be seen with the
[natural] eyes, but only with the eyes of the mind: if
they are not meditated on, they vanish from the mind,
and then the pleasures of the senses present themselves,
and those who do not keep before themselves the eternal
truths are easily taken up by them; and this is the rea­
son why so many abandon themselves to vice, and are
damned. All Christians know and believe that all must
die, and that we shall all be judged; but because they
do not think about this, they live far from God. With1 “Violenti rapiunt illud.”—Matt. xi. 12.
5 “ Memorare novissima tua, et in æternum non peccabis.”—Ecclus.
vii. 40.

41 ο

A Christians Rule of Life,

. out mental prayer there is no light; we walk in the dark;
and walking in the dark, we do not see the danger which
we are in, we do not make use of the means we ought,
nor pray to God to help us, and so we are lost. With­
out prayer we have neither light nor strength to advance
in the ways of God; because without prayer we do not
ask God to give us his grace, and without so praying
we shall certainly fall.
It was for this reason that
Cardinal Bellarmine declared it to be morally impos­
sible fora Christian who does not meditate to persevere
in the grace of God. Whereas he who makes his medi­
tation every day can scarcely fall into sin; and if unhap­
pily he should fall on some occasion, by continuing his
prayer he will return immediately to God, It was said
by a servant of God, that “ mental prayer and mortal sin
cannot exist together.” Resolve, then, to make every
day, either in the morning or in the evening,—but it is
best in the morning,—half an hour’s meditation. In
the following chapter you will see briefly explained an
easy method for making this prayer. For the rest, it is
sufficient that during that time you should recollect your­
self by reading some book of meditation—either this one
or one of the many others; and from time to time
excite some good affection or some aspiration, as you
will find pointed out in the following chapter. Above
all, I beg you never to leave off this prayer, which you
should practise at least once a day, although you maybe
in great aridity, and should feel great weariness in per­
forming it. If you do not discontinue it, you will cer­
tainly be saved.
Together with prayer, it is of great use to make a
spiritual reading, in private, out of some book which
treats of the life of a saint or of the Christian virtues,
during half, or at least a quarter of an hour. How many
by reading a pious book have changed their way of liv­
ing and become saints ! Like St. John Colombino, St,

Means of Perseverance.

41 1

Ignatius Loyola, and so many others. It would also be
a most useful thing if you were every year to make a
retreat in some religious house. But at least do not
omit your daily meditation.
3. The Fréquentation of the Sacraments.

,

The third means is the frequenting of the sacraments of
confession and of Communion. By confession the soul
keeps itself purified; and by it it not only obtains remis­
sion of sins, but also greater strength to resist tempta­
tions. For this purpose you should choose a director,
and always confess to the same, consulting him on all
more important matters, even temporal ones; and obey
him in everything, especially if you are distressed by
scruples. He who obeys his confessor need not fear to
go astray: He that heareth you, heareth Me) The voice
of the confessor is the voice of God.
Holy Communion is called heavenly bread, because as
common bread preserves the life of the body, so Com­
munion preserves the life of the soul: Except you eat the
flesh of the Son of Man . . . you shall not have life in you)
On the other hand, to those whooften eat this bread eternal
life is prom ised : If any man eat of this bread, he shall livefor­
ever) Therefore the Council of Trent calls Holy Com­
munion “the medicine which delivers us from venial sins
and preserves us from mortal ones.” You should, then,
resolve to go to Communion at least once a week, being
determined not to give it up for anything in the world;
as there is no affair of greater importance than that of
your eternal salvation. Indeed, the longer you remain
in the world, the greater need you have of assistance,
1 “ Qui vos audit, me audit.”—Luke, x. 16.
2 “ Nisi manducaveritis carnem Filii hominis, et biberitis ejus san.
guinem, non habebitis vitam in vobis.”—John, vi. 54.
3 “ Si quis manducaverit ex hoc pane, vivet in aeternum.John, xj
52.

412

A Christian s Ride of Life.

because your temptations are greater.* To make a good
confession, as also a good Communion, see the follow­
ing chapter, where you will also find the acts which may
be made before and after confession and Communion by
way of preparation and thanksgiving.
4. To hear Mass.

The fourth means is to hear Mass every day. When
we attend Mass we give more honor to God than all the
angels and saints in heaven can give him, because theirs
is the honor of creatures; but in the Mass we offer to
God Jesus Christ, who gives him an infinite honor. Read
the following chapter, where you will also find a way of
hearing Mass with much profit.
5. The Visit to the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Blessed
Virgin.

The fifth means is to make a visit every day to the
Most Holy Sacrament in some church, and to the Divine
Mother before some devout image. Jesus Christ dwells
on the altars of so many churches in order to dispense
graces to all who come to visit him; and thus the souls
of those who practise this beautiful devotion receive in­
numerable benefits from it. At the end of the next
chapter you will find the prayer which may be said when
visiting the Most Holy Sacrament, and the Divine
Mother. The graces you ought especially to ask for,
both from Jesus and Mary, are, the love of God, and holy
perseverance till death.
* A certain learned priest wrote three books against the opinion
which I had maintained, namely, that a person who desires to keep
himself in the grace of God may be allowed to communicate every
week, although he may not be purified from the affection to venial
sins. On this matter, 1 beg the reader to read the last answer in my
“Moral Instruction,” lately printed. (See opuscule entitled “Fre­
quent Communion.”)

Means of Perseverance.

413

6. Prayer.

The sixth means which I recommend you above all to
put in practice is holy prayer. It is certain that without
the divine assistance we can do nothing good for our
souls. God alsoI has declared that graces are granted to
those only who ask for them: Ask, and it shall be given
you) Seek, and it shall be given you; therefore, as says
St. Teresa, he who seeks not does not receive. Hence
it is a common opinion of the holy Fathers, with St.
Thomas, that without prayer it is impossible to per­
severe in the grace of God, and to save one’s self. But
he who prays is sure of the help of God; we have his
word for it, which cannot fail, repeated so often in the
sacred Gospels: All things whatsoever you ask when ye pray,
believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you)
Every one that asketh receiveth) Amen, amen, I say unto
you, ij you ask the Father anything in My name, He will
give it you) God grants everything that we ask him for
in the name of Jesus Christ. If, then, we wish to be
saved, we must pray, and pray with humility and confi­
dence, and above all with perseverance. And this is the
reason why mental prayer is so useful, because then we
are reminded to pray; otherwise we forget to do so, and
so are lost. St. Teresa says, that out of her desire of
seeing every one saved, she would have wished to go to
the top of a mountain and then to cry out, so as to be
heard by all men, nothing but these words, “ Pray ! pray!”
The ancient Fathers of the desert in their conferences
decided that there was no better means of saving our1 “ Petite, et dabitur vobis.”—Matt. vii. 7.
2 “ Omnia quæcumque orantes petitis, credite quia accipietis, et
evenient vobis.”—Mark, xi. 24.
3 “Omnis enim qui petit, accipit.”—Luke, xi. 10.
4 “ Amen, amen, dico vobis: si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine
meo, dabit vobis.”—John, xvi. 23.

414

A Christian s R tile of Life.

selves than by continually repeating the prayer of David:
Incline unto my aid, 0 God! O Lord, make haste to
help me ! 1 So let us also try to say. Or else let us make
use of the beautiful ejaculation of the Blessed F. Leo­
nard of Porto-Maurice: “ My Jesus, mercy !” And the
two principal graces which we must always ask for (as I
have said before), are the love of God and holy perse­
verance. We must always ask the same graces from the
Most Holy Mary, who is called the dispenser of all the
divine graces; and when we pray to her, she will certainly
obtain them for us from God. Therefore St. Bernard
thus exhorts us: “Let us seek grace, and let us seek it
through Mary; for what she seeks she finds, and she
cannot be disappointed.3

CHAPTER II.
ACTS AND PRACTICES OF PIETY.

§ I. Acts and Different Prayers on rising in the Morning, and
during the Day.

On rising make the sign of the cross, and then say:
My God, I adore Thee and love Thee with all my
heart.
I thank Thee for all Thy benefits, and especially for
having preserved me this night.
I offer Tnee whatever I may do or suffer this day, in
union with the actions and sufferings of Jesus and of
Mary, with the intention of gaining all the indulgences
I can gain.
1 “ Deus, in adjutorium meum intende; Domine, ad adjuvandum me
festina.”—Ps. Ixix. 2.
- Quæramus gratiam, ct per Mariam quæramus; quia, quod quærit,
invenit, et frustrari non potest.

Ads and Practices of Piety.

4!5

I resolve to avoid all sin this day, and especially such
a one (z7 is good to make a resolution, particularly about the
fault into which we fall the oftenest)\ and I beg of Thee
to give me perseverance for the love of Jesus Christ.
I resolve to conform myself to Thy holy will, and par­
ticularly in those things that are contrary to my inclina­
tion, saying always: Lord, Thy will be done.
My Jesus! keep Thy hand over me this day. Most Holy
Mary ! take me beneath thy mantle. And do Thoti,
Eternal Father, help me, for the love of Jesus and Mary !
0 my angel guardian and my patron saints, assist me.
An Our Father and a Hail Mary and the Creed, with
three Hail Marys in honor of the purity of Mary.
When you begin any work or study, say: Lord ! I offer
Thee this work. When you eat: My God, bless this food
and me, that I may commit no fault about it ; and may
all be for Thy glory. After having eaten: I thank Thee,
Lord ! for having done good to one who was Thy enemy.
When the clock strikes: My Jesus ! I love Thee: never
permit me to offend Thee again, and let me never be
separated from Thee. In adverse circumstances: Lord,
since Thou hast so willed it, I will it also. In time of
temptation often repeat: Jesus and Mary ! When you know
or doubt of some fault or sin you have committed, say immedi­
ately: My God ! I repent of having offended Thee, 0 In­
finite Goodness ! I will do so no more. And if it was a
grievous sin, confess it at once.
It would be a good thing for parents and masters and mistresses to
make the children and those under them learn these acts by heart,
that they may use them afterwards throughout life.

§ 2. Method of making Mental Prayer.

Mental prayer consists of three parts; the preparation.
the meditation, and the conclusion. The preparation con­
sists of three acts: one of faith in the presence of God;
of humility, with a short act of contrition; and of prayer

416

A Christian s Ride of Life.

to be enlightened: saying as follows, for the first: My God,
I believe that Thou art present with me, and I adore Thei
with all the affection of my soul. For the second: O Lord,
by my sins I deserve to be now in hell; I repent, O Infiniti
Goodness ! with my whole heart, of having offended Thee.
For the third: My God, for the love of Jesus and Mary,
give me light in this prayer, that I may profit by it. Then
say a Hail Mary to the Most Blessed Virgin, that she
may obtain light for us; and a Glory be to the Father, to
St. Joseph, to your guardian angel, and to your patron
saint, for the same end. These acts should be made with
attention, but briefly; and then you go on directly to
the meditation.
In the meditation you can always make use of some
book,* at least at the beginning, and stop where you find
* Here it may be well to mention what the Author himself wrote to
his religious, in a circular dated February 26, 1771: “ I recommend
that for the most part the meditation should be made from my books:
The Preparation for Death, Meditation on the Passion, Darts of Fire,
which are in the Way of Salvation; and Meditations for Advent, up
to the Octave of Epiphany. I say this, not in order to put forward my
own poor books, but because these meditations are made up of devout
affections, and what is of more importance, are full of holy prayer, of
which I do not find many in other books. And hence I beg that the
second part of the Meditation, consisting of affections and prayers, be
alwavs read.”
We must observe that Saint Alphonsus makes the practice of men­
tal prayer simple, clear, easy, and not less fruitful. Owing to the
method which he teaches, this exercise, indispensable to him who
wishes to sanctify himself, is really put within the reach of all. He
wishes that every one should learn how to meditate. He earnestly
recommends that for this purpose special instructions should be given
to the people.
Pope Benedict XIV. grants to those who in a church or else­
where, either in public or private, shall teach the manner of making
mental prayer, as well as to those who attend such instruction, a
plenary indulgence once a month, on the day on which they confess
and communicate and pray to the intention of the Church; like­
wise an indulgence of seven years and seven times forty days, each

Acts and Practices of Piety.

417

yourself mostly touched. St. Francis de Sales says that
in this we should do as the bees, which settle on a flower
as long they find any honey in it, and then pass on to
another. It should also be observed, that the fruits to be
gained by meditation are three in number: to make affec­
tions, topray, and to make resolutions; and in these consists
the profit to b*e derived from mental prayer. After you
have meditated on some eternal truth, and God has
spoken to your heart, you must also speak to God; and
first, by forming affections, be they acts of faith, of thanks­
giving, of humility, or of hope; but above all, repeat the
acts of love and contrition. St. Thomas says, that every
act of love merits for us the grace of God and paradise:
“ Every act of love merits eternal life.” * Each act of con­
trition obtains the same thing. Acts of love are such as
these: My God, I love Thee above all things! I love Thee
with all my heart ! I desire to do Thy will in all things. I
rejoice that Thou art infinitely happy ! and the like. For an
act of contrition it is enough to say: 0 Infinite Goodness,
I repent of having offended Thee !
In the second place, you must pray; ask God to en­
lighten you, to give you humility or other virtues, to'
grant you a good death and eternal salvation; but
above all, his love and holy perseverance. And when
the soul is in great aridity, it is sufficient to repeat:
My God, help me ! Lord, have mercy on me! My Jesus, have
mercy ! and if you do nothing but this, your prayer will
succeed exceedingly well.
In the third place, before finishing your prayer, you
must form a particular resolution; as, for instance, to
time when, having been truly contrite, and having communicated,
they teach mental prayer or attend an explanation that is given to
learn how to make it. These indulgences are applicable to the souls
in purgatory.—Ed.
1 ‘'Quilibet actus charitatis meretur vitam æternam.”—i, 2, q. H4·
a. 7. ad 3.
27

418

A Christian s Rule of Life,

avoid some occasion of sin, to bear with an annoyance
from some person, to correct some fault, and the like.
l·inally, in the conclusion, three acts are to be made: in
the ist, we must thank God for the inspirations we have
received; in the 2d, we must make a determination to
observe the resolutions we have made; in the 3d, we
must ask God, for the love of Jesus and Mary, to help
us to keep our resolution. The prayer concludes by the
recommendation of the souls in purgatory, the prelates
of the Church, sinners, and all our relatives and friends,
for which we may say an Our Father and a Hail Mary.
St. Francis of Sales exhorts us to choose some thought
which may have struck us more especially in our prayer,
that we may remember it during the rest of the day.
Benedict XIV. granted seven years’ indulgence to those who make
half or at least a quarter of an hour’s mental prayer during the day,
and a plenary indulgence if it is made every day for a month, on
the condition of confession and Communion.

§ 3. Acts to be made by Way of Preparation and Thanksgiving
both for Confession and Communion.
•Before confessing, the penitent should beg for light from God to
enable him to know what sins he has committed, and to obtain the
grace of a true sorrow and purpose of amendment. He should
also particularly recommend himself to Our Lady of Sorrows, that
she may obtain contrition for him. Then he may make the fol·
lowing acts :

Act before Confession.

O God of infinite majesty, behold at Thy feet a traitor,
who has offended Thee over and over again, but who
now humbly seeks forgiveness. O Lord, reject me not;
Thou dost not despise a heart that humbles itself: A con­
trite and humbled heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise·.' I
thank Thee that Thou hast waited for me till now, and
hast not let me die in sin, casting me into hell, as I de1 “Cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.”—P$. 1. 19.

Acts and Practices of Piety.

419

served. Since Thou hast waited for me, my God, I hope
that, by the merits of Jesus Christ, Thou wilt pardon me
in this confession for all the offences I have committed
against Thee; I repent, and am sorry for them, because
by them I have merited hell and lost paradise. But
above all, it is not so much on account of hell which I
have merited, but because I have offended Thee, 0 In­
finite Goodness ! that I am sorry from the bottom of my
heart. I love Thee, O Sovereign Good ! and because I
love Thee, I repent of all the insults I have offered Thee.
I have turned my back upon Thee; I have not respected
Thee; I have despised Thy grace and Thy friendship.
O Lord ! I have lost Thee by my own free-will; forgive
me all my sins for the love of Jesus Christ, now that I
repent with all my heart; I hate, detest, and abomi­
nate them above every evil. And I repent not only of
mortal sins, but also of venial sins, because these are
also displeasing to. Thee. I resolve for the future, by
Thy grace, never more wilfully to offend Thee. Yes,
my God, I will rather die than ever sin again.
And if a person confesses a sin into which he has often relapsed, it is
a good thing to resolve particularly not to fall into it again, by
promising to avoid the occasion of it, and to take the means
pointed out by the confessor, or such as he may himself judge to
be most efficacious for correcting himself of it.

Act after Confession.

My dear Jesus ! how much do I not owe Thee. By
the merits of Thy blood I hope that I have this day been
pardoned. I thank Thee above all things. I hope to
reach heaven, where I shall praise Thy mercies forever.
My God, if I have hitherto lost Thee so often, I now
desire to lose Thee no more. From this day forward I
will change my life in earnest. Thou dost merit all my
love; I will love Thee truly; I will no longer see myself
separated from Thee. I have promised Thee this

420

A Christian s Rule of Life.

already; now I repeat my promise of being ready to die
rather than offend Thee again. I promise also to avoid
all occasions of sin, and to use such means as will pre­
vent me from falling again. My Jesus, Thou knowest
my weakness: give me grace to be faithful to Thee till
death, and to have recourse to Thee when I am tempted.
Most holy Mary, help me ! Thou art the mother of per­
severance; I place my hope in thee.
Preparation for Communion.
There is no means more efficacious in freeing us from our sins, and in
enabling us to advance in the love bf God, than Holy Communion.
Why is it. then, that some souls find themselves always in the
same tepidity, and committing the same faults, notwithstanding
the many Communions they make? This happens through the
want of a proper disposition and preparation. Two things are re­
quisite for this preparation. The first is to disengage our heart
from all affections which are an impediment to the divine love.
The second is to have a great desire to love God. And this, says
St. Francis de Sales, should be our chief intention when we com­
municate, namely, to increase in divine love. Out of love alone,
says the saint, ought our God to be received, who out of love
alone gives himself to us. For this end let us make the following
acts.

Acts before Communion.

My beloved Jesus, true Son of God, who didst die for
me on the cross in a sea of sorrow and ignominy, I firmly
believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy Sacra­
ment; and for this faith I am ready to give my life.
My dear Redeemer, I hope by Thy goodness, and
through the merits of Thy blood, that when Thou dost
come to me this morning, Thou wilt inflame me with
Thy holy love, and wilt give me all those graces which I
need to keep me obedient and faithful to Thee till death.
Ah, my God ! true and only lover of my soul, what
couldst Thou do more to oblige me to love Thee ? Thou
wert not satisfied, my love, with dying for me, but Thou

Acls and Practices of Piety.

421

wouldst also institute the Most Holy Sacrament, making
Thyself my food, and giving Thyself all to me; thus
uniting Thyself most closely to such a miserable and
ungrateful creature. Thou dost Thyself invite me to
receive Thee, and dost greatly desire that I should
receive Thee. O infinite Love! A God gives himself
all to me ! O my God, O infinite love, worthy of infinite
love, I love Thee above all things; I love Thee with all
my heart; I love Thee more than myself, more than my
life; I love Thee because Thou art worthy of being
loved; and I love Thee also to please Thee, since Thou
dost desire my love ! Depart from my soul, all ye
earthly affections; to Thee alone, my Jesus, my treasure,
my all, will I give all my love. This morning Thou dost
give Thyself all to me, and I give myself all to Thee.
Permit me to love Thee; fori desire none but Thee, and
nothing but what is pleasing to Thee. I love Thee, O
my Saviour, and I unite my poor love to the love of all
the angels and saints, and of Thv Mother Mary, and the
love of Thy Eternal Father ! Oh, that I could see Thee
loved by all ! Oh, that I could make Thee loved by all
men, and loved as much as Thou dost deserve !
Behold, O my Jesus, I am now about to draw near to
feed on Thy most sacred Flesh ! Ah, my God, who am
I? and who art Thou? Thou art a Lord of infinite
goodness, and I am a loathsome worm, defiled by so
many sins, and who have driven Thee out of my soul so
often.
Domine, non sum dignus. Lord, I am not worthy to re­
main in Thy presence; I ought to be in hell forever, far
away, and abandoned by Thee. But out of 1 hy good­
ness Thou callest me to receive Thee: behold, I come, I
come humbled and in confusion for the great displeasure I
have given Thee, but trusting entirely to Thy mercy and
to the love Thou hast for me. I am exceedingly sorry,
O my loving Redeemer, for having so often offended

422

A Christian s Rule of Life.

Thee in time past ! Thou didst even give Thy life for
me; and I have so often despised Thy grace and Thy
love, and have exchanged Thee for nothing. I repent,
and am sorry with all my heart for every offence which
I have offered Thee, whether grievous or light, because
it was an offence against Thee, who art infinite goodness.
I hope Thou hast already pardoned me; but if Thou
hast not yet forgiven me, pardon me, my Jesus, before I
receive Thee. Ah, receive me quickly into Thy grace,
since it is Thy will soon to come and dwell within me.
Come, then, my Jesus, come into my soul, that sighs
after Thee. My only and infinite good, my life, my love,
my all, I would desire to receive Thee this morning with
the same love with which those souls who love Thee
most have received Thee, and with the same fervor with
which Thy Most Holy Mother received Thee; to her
Communions I wish to unite this oneof mine. O Blessed
Virgin, and my Mother Mary, give me Thy Son; I in­
tend to receive him from thy hands ! Tell him that I
am thy servant, and thus will he press me more lovingly
to his heart now that he is coming to me.
Acts after Communion.
The time after Communion is a precious time for gaining treasures of
grace, because the acts and prayers made whilst the soul is thus
united with Jesus Christ have more merit, and are of more value,
than when they are made at any other time. St. Teresa says that
our Lord then dwells in the soul enthroned as on a mercy-seat, and
speaks to it in these words: My child, ask of me what you will;
for this end am I come to you to do you good. Oh, what great
favors do those receive who converse with Jesus Christ after Com­
munion! The Ven. F. Avila never omitted to remain two hours in
prayer after Communion; and St. Aloysius Gonzaga continued his
thanksgiving for three days. Let the communicant, then, make
the following acts, and try during the rest of the day to go on mak­
ing acts of love and prayer, in order to keep himself united with
Jesus Christ, whom he has received in the morning.

Acls and Practices of Piety.

423

Behold, my Jesus, Thou art come, Thou art now within
me, and hast made Thyself all mine. Be Thou welcome,
my Beloved Redeemer. I adore Thee, and cast myself
at Thy feet; I embrace Thee, I press Thee to my heart,
and thank Thee for that Thou hast deigned to enter into
my breast. O Mary, O my patron saints, O my guardian
angel, do you all thank him for me ! Since then, O my
Divine King! Thou art come to visit me with so much
love, I give Thee my will, my liberty, and my whole self.
Thou hast given Thyself all to me, I will give myself all
to Thee; I will no longer belong to myself; from this day
forward I will be Thine, and altogether Thine. I desire
that my soul, my body, my faculties, my senses, should
be all Thine, that they may be employed in serving and
pleasing Thee. To Thee I consecrate all my thoughts,
my desires, my affections, and all my life. I have offend­
ed Thee enough, my Jesus; I desire to spend the re­
mainder of my life in loving Thee, who hast loved me so
much.
Accept, O God of my soul, the sacrifice which I, a
miserable sinner, make to Thee, and who desires only to
love and please Thee. Work Thou in me, and dispose
of me, and of all things belonging to me, as Thou
pleasest. May Thy love destroy in me all those affec­
tions which are displeasing to Thee, that I may be all
Thine, and may live only to please Thee !
I ask Thee not for goods of this world, for pleasures,
for honors; give me, I pray Thee, by the merits of Thy
Passion. O my Jesus, a constant sorrow for my sins!
Enlighten me, and make me know the vanity of worldly
goods, and how much Thou dost deserve to be loved.
Separate me from all attachment to the world, and bind
me entirely to Thy love, that from henceforth my will
may neither seek nor desire anything but what Thou
wiliest. Give me patience and resignation in infirmities,
in poverty, and in all those things which are contrary to

424

A Christian s Rule of Life.

my self-love. Make me gentle towards those who de­
spise me. Give me a holy death. Give me Thy holy
love. And, above all, I pray Thee to give me persever­
ance in Thy grace till death; never permit me to separate
myself from Thee again: Jesu dulcissime, ne permittas me
separari a Te. And I also ask of Thee the grace always
to have recourse to Thee, and to invoke Thy aid, 0 my
Jesus, in all my temptations; and the grace to ask Thee
always for holy perseverance.
0 Eternal Father, Thy Son Jesus Christ has prom­
ised me that Thou wilt grant me everything that I shall
ask Thee in his name: If you ask the Father anything in
My name, He will give it you.1 In the name, therefore,
and by the merits of this Son, I ask for Thy love and
holy perseverance, that I may one day love Thee in
heaven with all my strength, and sing Thy mercies for­
ever, secure of never more being separated from Thee.
O most holy Mary, my mother and my hope, obtain
for me these graces which I so desire; as also a great
love for thee, my Queen: may I always recommend my­
self to thee in all my necessities!
§ 4. Method of hearing Mass.
The same action is performed in the Mass as was accomplished on
Calvary, except that there the blood of Jesus Christ was really
shed, while on the altar it is shed mystically; but in the Mass the
merits of the Passion of Jesus are applied to each one in par­
ticular. To hear Mass, therefore, with great fruit, we must pay
attention to the ends for which it was instituted, namely: 1. To
honor God. 2. To thank him for his benefits. 3 To satisfy for
oursins. 4. To obtain graces. For this reason you may use the
following prayer during Mass.*

’“Si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo,
xvi. 23.
* Saint Alphonsus speaks here only of the two
points. “ To satisfy the obligation of hearing
says, “two things are necessary—an intention

dabit vobis.”—John,
essential or principal
Mass,” he elsewhere
and attention. It is

A cis and Practices of Piety.

425

Eternal Father, in this Sacrifice I offer to Thee Thy
Son Jesus, with all the merits of his Passion: 1. In honor
of Thy majesty. 2. In thanksgiving for all the favors
Thou hast hitherto shown me, and for all those which I
hope to receive for all eternity. 3. In satisfaction for
my sins, and for those of all the living and dead. 4. To
obtain eternal salvation, and all the graces that are
necessary for me to gain it.
At the elevation of the Host: My God, for the love of this
Thy Son, pardon me and give me holy perseverance.
At the elevation of the Chalice: By the Blood of Jesus, give
me Thy love and a holy death. At the Communion of the
priest make a spiritual Communion saying: My Jesus, I love
Thee, and desire to possess Thee. I embrace Thee, and
I will never more separate myself from Thee.
§ 5. Acts to be made in Visiting the Most Holy Sacrament and
the Divine Mother.

My Lord Jesus Christ, who, for the love Thou bearest
to mankind, dost remain night and day in this Sacrament,
full of pity and love, awaiting, calling, and receiving all
who come to visit Thee; I believe that Thou art present
in the Sacrament of the Altar; I adore Thee from the
depths of my own nothingness; I thank Thee for the
many graces Thou hast given me, and especially for
having given me Thyself in this Saracment; for having
given me Mary Thy Mother as my advocate, and for
having called me to visit Thee in this church. I salute
Thy most amiable and most loving heart; and I do so,
certain that those attending Mass offer the Holy Sacrifice with the
priest.
Think, therefore, of the great action which you perform.
Meditate on the Passion of Jesus Christ, the Last Things, etc. If you
prefer, read some spiritual book, or recite either the Office of the
Blessed Virgin, or the Rosary, or other prayers. But at least pay
attention to what the priest does.” (Instr, on the Commandments,
chap. 3.—En.)

426

A Christians Rule of Life.

first, in thanksgiving for this great gift; secondly, to
atone for all the insults Thou hast received in this Sacra­
ment from all infidels, heretics, and bad Catholics; thirdly,
I intend in this visit to adore Thee in all those places
where Thou, thus veiled in the Most Holy Sacrament,
art least reverenced and most abandoned. My Jesus, I
love Thee with my whole heart. I am sorry that I have
hitherto so often offended Thy infinite goodness. With
the help of Thy grace, I resolve to displease Thee no
more; and, unworthy as I am, I now consecrate myself
wholly to Thee; I renounce and give to Thee my will, my
affections, my desires, and all that is mine. Henceforward
do with me, and all that belongs to me, whatsoever Thou
pleasest. I ask for nothing but Thee and Thy holy love,
final perseverance, and a perfect fulfilment of Thy will.
I recommend to Thee the souls in purgatory, especially
those who were most devout to this Most Holy Sacra­
ment, and to Most Holy Mary. I also recommend to
Thee all poor sinners. And lastly, my beloved Saviour,
I unite all my affections to those of Thy most loving
heart; and thus united, I offer them to Thy Eternal
Father; and in Thy name I beseech him to accept and
grant them.
While Visiting any Image of the Ever-Blessed Virgin.

Most holy immaculate Virgin Mary, my Mother, I, the
most miserable of sinners, have this day recourse to thee,
the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the universe, the
advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners ! I worship thee,
O great Queen, and I thank thee for the many favors
thou hast hitherto obtained forme; especially for having
delivered me from Hell, which I have so often deserved.
I love thee, O most amiable Lady, worthy of all love ! and
for the love I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always,
and to do everything in my power to make others serve
thee also. In thee do I hope; I place my salvation in thy

Acts and Practices of Piety.

427

hands. Accept me for thy servant, receive me under thy
mantle, 0 Mother of Mercy! Thou art all-powerful with
God; free me, then, from all temptations, or at least ob­
tain for me strength to conquer them as long as I live.
From thee I beg a true love of Jesus Christ; and by thy
help I hope for a good death. I beseech thee, Mother,
by the love thou bearest to God, that thou wilt always
help me, but especially at the last moment of my life.
Leave me not till thou shalt see me safe in heaven, bless­
ing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen.
This is my hope. So may it be !
§ 6. Christian Acts, to be made in the Evening before going
to Bed.
z
Before going to rest, make your examination of conscience in the fol­
lowing manner: First thank God for all the favors you have re­
ceived; then cast a glance over all the actions you have done and
the words you have spoken during the day, repenting of all the
faults you have committed. Afterwards make the Christian acts
in the following manner ;

Act of Faith.

O my God, who art infallible truth, because Thou hast
revealed it to Th)7 Church, I believe all that she proposes
to my belief ! I believe that Thou art my God, the Crea­
tor of all things; that Thou dost reward the just with an
eternal paradise, and dost punish the wicked in hell for
all eternity. I believe that Thou art one in essence, and
three in persons, namely, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
1 believe in the Incarnation and death of Jesus Christ. I
believe, in fine, all thatjthe Holy Church believes. I
thank Thee for having made me a Christian; and I pro­
test that I will live and die in this holy faith.
Act of Hope.

O my God. confiding in Thy promises, because Thou
art powerful, faithful, and merciful, I hope through the

428

A Christian s Rule of Life,

merits of Jesus Christ to obtain pardon of my sins, final
perseverance, and the glory of paradise.
Act of Love and Contrition.

O my God, because Thou art infinite goodness, worthy
of infinite love, I love Thee with all my heart above all
things; and for the love of 1 hee I love my neighbor also.
I repent with all my heart, and am sorry above all things
for all my sins, because by them I have offended Thy
infinite goodness. I resolve, by the help of Thy grace,
which I beseech Thee to grant me now and always,
rather to die than ever to offend Thee again. I purpose,
also, to receive the holy Sacraments during my life, and
at the hour of my death.
It is well to know, that to those who make these Christian acts with
the desire of receiving the holy Sacraments during their life and al
their death Benedict XIII. granted seven years’ indulgence; and
a plenary indulgence, applicable to the souls in purgatory, when
they are said regularly for a month; as also a plenary indulgence
in articulo mortis—at the hour of death. Besides, by a concession of
Benedict XIV., the indulgence may be gained several times a day
by any one who recites the above acts, provided he does so with
the intention of gaining the indulgence.
Conclude the whole by saying the Rosary and the litany of the
Blessed Virgin.

£ 7. Devout Prayers to Jesus and Mary to obtain the Graces
necessary for Salvation.

Prayer to Jesus Christ, to obtain His Holy Love.

My crucified Jesus, I confess Thee to be the true Son
of God and my Saviour. I adore and thank Thee for the
death Thou didst suffer for me. My dear Redeemer, if
I have hitherto done nothing but offend Thee, I am now
sorry for it above all things, and I desire nothing but to
love Thee. Thou hast promised to hear those who pray
to Thee; by the merits of Thy Passion, I ask Thee to
give me Thy holy love. Ah, draw my heart entirely to

Acis and Practices of Piety.

429

Thyself, that from this day forward I may love Thee with
all my strength, and may love none other but Thee; and
so may I one day come to love Thee for all eternity in
paradise.
Prayer to obtain Final Perseverance.

O sovereign and eternal God, I thank Thee for having
created me; for having redeemed me by means of Jesus
Christ; for having made me a Christian by calling me to
the true faith, and giving me time to repent after the
many sins I have committed. O Infinite Goodness, I
love Thee above all things; and I repent with all my
heart of all my offences against Thee. I hope Thou hast
already pardoned me; but I am continually in danger of
again offending Thee. For the love of Jesus Christ, I
beg of Thee holy perseverance till death. Thou knowest my weakness; help me, then, and permit me never
again to separate myself from Thee. Rather let me die
a thousand times, than ever again to lose Thy grace. O
Mary, my Mother, obtain for me holy perseverance !
Prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary for every Day in the Week.
SUNDAY.

To obtain the Pardon of Sins.

Behold at thy feet, O mother of God ! a miserable
sinner, who has recourse to thee, and places his confi­
dence in thee. O Mother of mercy, have pity on me.
Thou art the refuge, the hope of sinners; thou art, there­
fore, my refuge and my hope. Thou hast it in thy power
to save me by thy holy intercession; succor me for the
love of Jesus Christ, stretch forth thy hand to a fallen
sinner who commends himself to thee. I know that thou
delightest to assist a poor sinner; assist me therefore now
that thou hast it in thy power to assist me. I have for­
feited divine grace and lost my soul by my sins; I now

430

A Cbristian s Rule of Life.
%

put myself into thy hands; tell me what I must do to re­
gain the grace of my Lord, for I am willing to do all
that thou shalt direct me. To thee then do I have re­
course. Thou prayest for many others, pray also to Jesus
for me; ask him to pardon me, and he will pardon me;
tell him that thou desirest my salvation and he will save
me. Manifest the good which thou art able to accomplish
in behalf of those who confide in thee. This is my hope.
Amen.
MONDAY.
To obtain Holy Perseverance.

O Queen of heaven, I dedicate myself to thee to be thy
perpetual servant, and I offer myself to serve thee during
my whole life; accept of me, and do not reject me as I
have deserved. O mother, in thee do I place all my hopes.
I bless and thank God, that, in his mercy, he has given
me this confidence in thee, which I hold as a great earnest
of my salvation. Ah, how have I hitherto miserably
fallen, because I have not had recourse to thee ! I now
hope, through the merits of Jesus and thy prayers, that
I have been pardoned; but I may again fall and forfeit
divine grace. Most blessed Lady, protect me, and suffer
me not to become any more the slave of the devil; always
assist me; I know that thou wilt assist me, and I shall
conquer with thy assistance, if I recommend myself to
thee; but of this I am not afraid: I am afraid that when
in danger of falling I may not call upon thee, and may
perish. Ί his favor I ask of thee, that in all the assaults
of the devil I may always have recourse to thee, saying,
Mary, help me; help me, Mary, most holy mother; do
not suffer me to lose God.

Ads and Practices of Piety.

431

TUESDAY.

To obtain a Happy Death.

O Mary! what will my death be? Considering my
sins, and reflecting on that awful moment, when I must
breathe my last and be judged, I tremble and am con­
founded. Most holy Mother, in the blood of Jesus and
in thy prayers are placed my hopes. O consolation of
the afflicted, do not abandon me then; fail not to console
me in that great affliction. If thou assist me not I shall
be lost. Ah, blessed Lady! before my death be at hand,
obtain for me a great sorrow for my sins, a real amend­
ment of life and fidelity to God, during the remainder of
my days. And when I shall arrive at the end of my life,
O Mary, my hope, assist me in that distressing moment,
and so comfort me that I may not fall into despair at the
sight of my sins, which the devil will place before me.
Grant that I may invoke thee then more frequently, and
that I may expire with thy name on my tongue and the
name of thy most holy and divine Son.
O blessed
Lady, pardon my assurance; but before I die, do thou
in person come to console me with thy presence. I am
a sinner, it is true, and do not deserve such a favor; but
I am devoted to thee, I love thee, and have great con­
fidence in thee. O Mary, I look for thee; let me not
remain disconsolate. At least, if I be not then worthy
of so great a favor, assist me from heaven, that I may
depart from this life loving God and thee, to come to
love thee eternally in heaven.
WEDNESDAY.

To escape Hell.

Most dear and blessed Lady5 I thank thee for having
so often preserved me from falling into hell, which I have
deserved by my repeated sins. Alas' there was a time

I

432

A Christian s Rule of Life,

when I must have stood condemned to that dreadful
prison; and it may be that on my first committing sin
the sentence would have been executed upon me had not
thou in thy pity assisted me. Although I did not pray
to thee, yet, through thy goodness alone, thou didst
restrain divine justice; and conquering the hardness of
my heart, induce me to place my confidence in thee.
And oh ! into how many more sins should I have fallen,
to the dangers of which 1 was exposed, hadst not thou,
my most affectionate Mother, preserved me from them
by the graces which thou didst obtain for me! O holy
Queen, continue, I beseech Thee, to preserve me from
hell. If at one time I did not love thee, now, next to
God, I love thee above all things. Never suffer me to
turn my back upon thee, and upon God, who through
thy means hast bestowed so many mercies upon me.
Most amiable Lady, suffer me not to have to curse thee
for all eternity in hell. Couldst thou endure to see one
lost who is thy servant and loves thee? Most Blessed
Virgin, since thou hast done so much to save me, ac­
complish thy work, and continue to assist me. But if
thou, when I lived forgetful of thee, didst so favor me,
what may I not expect from thee now that I love thee
and recommend myself to thee ! No, no one can be lost
who recommends himself to thee. O my Mother, leave
me not to myself, that I may be lost; grant that I may
always have recourse to thee. Save me, my hope, by
thy powerful intercession; save me from hell; and first
save me from sin, which alone can condemn me to hell.
THURSDAY.
To obtain Heaven.

O Queen of heaven, who sittest above all the choirs of
angelic spirits nearest to the throne of God, from this
valley of tears I salute thee, miserable sinner as I am,

Ads and Practices of Piety.

433

and beseech thee to turn towards me those eyes of mercjr
which distribute favors whithersoever thou directest
them. Behold, O Mary! to how many dangers I am now
exposed, and must remain exposed so long as I continue
in this world, of losing my soul, heaven, and God. In
thee, O blessed Lady! next tn God, are placed all my
hopes. I love thee, and long to approach and behold and
praise thee in heaven. O Mary! when will the day come
when I shall see myself saved at thy feet, and shall behold
thee the mother of my Lord, and my mother also, who
hast taken such pains to save me ! O blessed Lady! I
have been very ungrateful to thee during my life; but
if I gain heaven, I shall not be any more ungrateful to
thee: then shall I love thee as much as I am able for all
eternity, and shall make amends for my past neglect
by blessing thee and thanking thee forever. I give
sovereign thanks to God for having given me so great
confidence in the blood of Jesus, and in thee, as to hope
that thou wilt deliver me from my sins, and obtain for
me light and strength to accomplish the divine will, and
finally conduct me to the gates of paradise. Thy ser­
vants have very much hoped in thee, and none have been
deceived; nor shall I be deceived. O Mary! thou desirest
nothing else in my regard; thou wilt save me. Pray to
thy Son Jesus (as I now beseech him through the merits
of his bitter Passion) to preserve and to increase in me
more and more this my confidence in thee, and I shall
be saved.
FRIDAY.
To obtain Love for Jesus Christ and for Mary.

O Mary ! I know that thou art the most noble, the most
holv, and the most amiable of all creatures. O blessed
Ladv ! would that all knew thee and loved thee as thou
deservest ! I am consoled that so many holy souls both
in heaven and on earth love thy goodness and beauty.
*

'

434

A Christian's Rule of Life,

Above all, I rejoice that God himself loves thee more
than all men and angels. Most amiable Queen, I, a mis­
erable sinner, also love thee, but I love thee too little; I
desire to obtain a greater and more tender love for thee;
obtain this for me: for to love thee is a great sign of
predestination, and a grace which God does not grant
but to those whom he especially wills to be saved.
I am sensible,J O holy
* Mother ! that I am under immense obligations to thy Son, and he is deserving of in­
finite love. Thou desirest nothing else but to see him
loved: to do this is the grace which above all others I
beseech thee to obtain for me: obtain for me a great
love for Jesus Christ. Thou obtainest from God what­
ever thou pleasest; oh, then, obtain for me the grace of
being so united with the divine will that I may never be
separated from it. I ask thee not for the goods of this
world, nor for honors, nor riches; I ask thee for what
thy heart most desires, that I may love my God. Is it
possible that thou shouldst not assist me in obtaining this,
which is so pleasing to thee? No; thou wilt assuredly
help me, and pray for me. Pray, and cease not to pray,
until thou seest me in paradise, safe from all danger of
again losing my Lord, and secure of ever loving him, to­
gether with thee, my most dear mother.
SATURDAY.

• To obtain the Patronage of Mary.

O Most Holy Mother ! I am sensible of the graces
which thou hast obtained for me, and of the ingratitude
with which I have employed them; but notwithstanding
this, I will not cease to confide in thy mercy, which is
much greater than my ingratitude. O my powerful
advocate, have pity on me. Thou art the dispenser of
all the graces which God grants to us miserable sinners.
For this end has he made thee so powerful, so rich, and

Practice of Christian Virtues.

435

so benign, that thou mayest succor us in our miseries.
0 Mother of mercy, leave me not in my poverty. Thou
art the advocate of the most miserable and abandoned
sinners when they have recourse to thee; defend me,
therefore, who recommend myself to thee. Say not that
my cause is difficult to be gained; whilst the most des­
perate causes, when entrusted to thee, are always suc­
cessful. In thy hands, therefore, do I place my eternal
salvation, and to thee do I consign my soul, which was
lost, but which thou wilt save by thy holy intercession.
This is my hope. Amen.

CHAPTER III.
THE PRACTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES.

§ I. The Practice of Humility.

No one can please God without being humble, for be
cannot bear the proud. He has promised to hear those
who pray to him; but if a proud man prays to him, the
Lord hears him not; to the humble, on the contrary, he
dispenses his graces: God resisteth the proud, and giveth
grace to the humble' Humility is of two kinds; humil­
ity of affection, and humility of the will. The former
consists in the conviction we have of our own wretched­
ness, so that we can neither know nor do anything but
what is evil. All that we have and do that is good
comes from God. Let us come now to the practice of
humility. With regard, then, to the humility of the af­
fections, first, we must put no confidence in our own
strength, nor in our own resolutions; but we must be
always diffident and fearful of ourselves: ITith fear and
1 “ Deus superbis resistit; humilibus autem dat gratiam.”—fames,
iv. 6.

436

Christian s Rule of Life.

trembling work out your salvationi St. Philip Neri said:
‘‘He who fears not is sure to fall.” Secondly, we must
not glory in things that belong to us, as in our natural
abilities, in our actions, in our birth, in our relatives, and
the like. It is therefore well never to speak of our
actions, except to point out where we have been wrong.
And it is better not to speak of ourselves at all, either
for good or bad; because, even when we blame our­
selves, it is often an occasion of vain-glory, by making
us think that we shall be praised, or at least be consid­
ered humble, and thus humility becomes pride. Thirdly,
let us not be angry with ourselves after we have com­
mitted a fault. That would not be humility, but pride;
and it is even a device of the devil to take away all our
confidence, and make us leave off following a good life.
When we see that we have fallen, we should say with St.
Catharine of Genoa: “ Lord, these are the fruits of my
own garden.” Then let us humble ourselves, and rise
up immediately from the fault we have committed by an
act of love and contrition, resolving not to fall into the
same fault again, and trusting in the help of God. And
if we unhappily do fall again, we must always do the
same. Fourthly, when we see others fall, we are not to
wonder; rather let us compassionate them; and let us
thank God, praying him to keep his hand over us; other­
wise the Lord will punish us by permitting us to fall into
the same sins, and perhaps worse. Fifthly, we must
always consider ourselves as the greatest sinners in the
world; even when we know that others have sinned more
than we; because our sins having been committed after
we had received so many favors, and had been enlight­
ened by so many graces, will be more displeasing to God
than the faults of others, though they may be more
numerous. St. Teresa writes that we must not think
1 “Cum metuet tremore vestram salutem operamini.”—Phil. ii.
12

Praclice of CJiristian Virtues.

437

we have made any progress in the way of perfection if
we do not esteem ourselves worse than everv* one else.'
and desire to be considered the last of all.
The humility of the luill consists in being pleased when
we are despised by others. Any one who has deserved
hell, deserves to be trodden under foot by the devils for­
ever. Jesus Christ desires that we should learn of him
to be meek and humble of heart: Learn of Me, because I
am meek and humble of heartJ Many are humble in word,
but not in heart. They
* say: “ I am worse than all: I
deserve a thousand hells.” But when any one reproves
them, or says a word that displeases them, they immedi­
ately take umbrage. They are like hedgehogs, which
put out their bristles as soon as they are touched. But
how is it—you say you are worse than all, and yet you
cannot bear a word? “He whois truly humble,” says
St. Bernard, “ esteems himself good for nothing, and
desires to be considered good for nothing by others as
Well.”
In the first place, then, if you wish to be truly humble,
when you receive an admonition, receive it in good part,
and thank the person who admonishes you. St. Chrys­
ostom says, “ When the just man is corrected, he is sorry
for the error he has committed; but the proud man is
sorry that the error should be known.” The saints,
when they are accused, even wrongfully, do not justify
themselves, except when to defend themselves is neces­
sary to avoid giving scandal: otherwise they are silent,
and offer all to God.
In the second place, when you receive any affront, suffer
it patiently, and increase in love towards the person who
has ill-treated you. This is the touchstone by which
you may know whether a person is humble and holy.
If he resents an injury, even though he may work mira* “ Discite a me, quia mitis sum et humilis corde.”—Matt. xi. 29.

—•b

438

A Christians Rule of Life.

des, you may say that he is an empty reed. Father
Balthazar Alvarez said that the time of humiliation is
the time to gain treasures of merits. You will gain more
by peaceably suffering contempt, than you could do by
fasting ten days on bread and water. Humiliations
which we inflict on ourselves are good; but those which
we accept from the hands of others are worth much
more, because in these last there is less of self and more
of God; therefore, when we know how to bear them the
merit is greater. But what can a-Christian pretend to
do if he cannot bear to be despised for the sake of God?
How much contempt did not Jesus Christ suffer for us!
Buffetings, derisions, scourging, and spitting in his face!
Ah! if we loved Jesus Christ, nol only should we not
show resentment for injuries, but we should rejoice at
seeing ourselves despised as Jesus Christ was despised.
£ 2. The Practice of Mortification.

If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me.1 This is all that any
one who wishes to be a follower of Jesus Christ has to
do. The denying of one’s self is the mortification of
self-love. Do we wish to be saved ? We must then conquer all to make sure of all. How miserable is the soul
that allows itself to be guided by self-love ! Mortification
is of two kinds—intcrnal and external: by interior mortifi­
cation we have to study to conquer our passions, and es­
pecially our most predominant one. A person who does
not overcome his predominant passion is in great danger
of being lost; whereas he who has overcome that will easily
conquer all the others. Some, however, allow one vice
to predominate in themselves, and think that they are
good, because they do not see in themselves vices which
1 “Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semetipsum, et tollat cru­
cem suam, et sequatur me.”—Matt. xvi. 24.

Practice of Christian Virlices.

439

others have. “ But what does it matter?” says St. Cyril:
“one leak is sufficient to sink the ship.” Nor will it
suffice to say, “I cannot abstain from this vice;” a reso­
lute will conquers all; that is, of course, with the assist­
ance of God, who will never fail us.
External mortification has to do with conquering the
sensual appetites. Worldly people call the saints cruel
when they deny their bodies all satisfaction of the senses
and chastise them with hair-shirts, disciplines, and other
penances. “ But,” says St. Bernard, “ they are in reality
much more cruel to themselves, who condemn them­
selves to burn forever in hell-fire for the sake of the short
and miserable pleasures of this life.” Others say that all
forbidden pleasures should be denied to the body; but
they despise external mortifications, saving, that interior
mortification is what is required; that is, the mortifica­
tion of the will. Yes, it is principally necessary to mor­
tify the will, but the mortification of the flesh is also
necessary; because, when the flesh is not mortified, it
will be hard to be obedient to God. St. John of the
Cross said, that any one who taught that external morti­
fication was not necessary, ought not to be believed,
even though he worked miracles. But let us come to
the practice of it.
In the first place, the eyes must be mortified. The
first arrows which wound the soul, and often kill it, en­
ter through the eyes. The eyes are, as it were, grap­
pling-irons of hell, which drag souls, as if by main force,
into sin. A certain Pagan philosopher voluntarily put
out his eyes to free himself from impurity. It is not
lawful for us to pluck out our eyes, but we ought to
make them blind by means of mortification; otherwise
we shall find it difficult to keep ourselves chaste. St.
Francis de Sales said: “You must close the gates, if you
do not wish the enemy to enter into the citadel.” We
must then abstain from looking at any object that may

440

A Christian s Ride of Life.

give occasion to temptation. St. Aloysius Gonzaga did
not dare to raise his eyes to look even at his own mother;
and when by chance our eyes light on some dangerous
object, let us take care not to fix them on it. “ It is not
so much the mere seeing,” says St. Francis de Sales, “ but
the inspecting and continuing to look, that is the cause
of ruin.” Let us then be very careful in mortifying our
eyes; because many are now in hell on account of sins
committed with the eyes.
In the second place, we must mortify our tongue, by
abstaining from words of detraction, or of abuse, or of
obscenity. An impure word spoken in conversation,
even in jest, may prove a scandal to others, and be the
cause of a thousand sins arising from it. And it should
be observed, that sometimes a word of double meaning,
said in a witty way, does more harm than a word openly
impure.
In the third place, we must mortify the taste. St.
Andrew Avellini said that, in order to begin to live a
good Christian life, a man must begin by the mortifica­
tion of his palate. And St. Francis de Sales said: “We
must eat to live, not live to eat.” Many seem to live only
to eat, and thus they destroy the health both of their
soul and body. For the most part costiveness, diarrhoea,
and other illnesses are caused by the vice of gluttony.
But the worst is, that intemperance in eating and drink­
ing is often the cause of incontinence. Cassian writes
that it is impossible that a man who is satiated with
food and heating drinks—as wine, brandy, and the like
—should not feel many impure temptations. “But how
is this?” says such a one; “must I eat no more?” Yes,
my good friend, we must eat to preserve our life, but
like rational beings, not as brutes. Especially if you
desire to be free from impure temptations, abstain from
eating overmuch meat, and from overmuch wine. The

Practice of Christian Virtues,

441

Scripture says: Give not wine to kings,' By a king is
meant one who brings his flesh under the dominion of
reason. Much wine makes us lose our reason, and in­
volves not only the vice of drunkenness, which is cer­
tainly a mortal sin, but also that of impurity. Regret
not having sometimes to fast or to abstain, especially on
a Saturday, in honor of the Most Holy Mary. Many do
so on bread and water; this you can at least do on the
vigils of the seven principal feasts of Our Lady. I pray
you to observe at least the fasts of obligation. Some go
beyond fifteen or twenty ounces at collation, and say:
“It is sufficient if I am not satisfied.” No, it is not
enough; the most that can be taken on the evenings of
fast days of obligation is eight ounces; and even that
has grown up by custom; for in olden times food could
be taken only once a day.
In the fourth place, we must mortify our hearing and
our touch: the hearing, by avoiding listening to im­
modest and scandalous conversations; the touch, by
using all possible caution, as well in regard to others as
in regard to ourselves. Some say it is nothing, that they
only do it in jest; but who, I ask, would play with fire?
§ 3. The Practice of Charity towards our Neighbor.

He who loves God, loves his neighbor also; but he
who loves not his neighbor, neither does he love God;
for the divine precept says, That he who loveth God, loves
also his brother}
We must also love our neighbor in
heart as well as in deed. And how much are we to love
him? Here is the rule: Love the Lord thy God with thy
whole soul, . . . and thy neighbor as thyself} We must,
then. Jove God above alJ things. and more than our1 “Noli regibus dare vinum.”—Prov. xxxi. 4.
2 “Qui diligit Deum, diligat et fratrem suum.”—John, iv. 2»
3 “ Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo: . . · ct pro»
mum tuum sicut teipsum.”—Luke, x. 27.

442

A Christian s Rule of Life.

selves; and our neighbor as ourselves. So that, as we
desire our own good, and take delight in it when we
have it, and, on the contrary, are sorry for any evil that
may happen to us, so also we must desire our neighbor's
good, and rejoice when he obtains it; and, on the other
hand, we must be sorry for his misfortunes. So, again,
we must neither judge nor suspect evil of our neighbor,
without good grounds. And this is what constitutes in­
terior charity.
External charity consists in our words and actions
towards our neighbor. As to words, first we must ab­
stain f’Om the least shadow of detraction. A detractor
is hateful to God and man. On the contrary, he who
speaks well of every one is beloved by God and men;
and when the fault cannot be excused, we must at least
excuse the intention. Secondly, let us be careful not to
repeat to any one the evil that has been said of him by
another; because sometimes long enmities and revenge
arise from such things. The Scripture says, he who sows
discord is hated by God. Thirdly, we must take care
not to wound our neighbor, by saying anything that
may hurt him; even were it only in jest. Would you
like to be laughed at in the same way as you laugh at
your neighbor? Fourthly, let us avoid disputes: some­
times on account of a mere trifle quarrels are begun,
which end in abuse and rancor. We have also to guard
against the spirit of contradiction, which some indulge
when they gratuitously set themselves to contradict
everything. On such occasions give your opinion, and
then be quiet. Fifthly, let us speak gently to all, even
to our inferiors; therefore let us not make use of impre­
cations or abuse. And when our neighbor is angry with
us, and is somewhat abusive, let us answer meekly, and
the quarrel will be at an end: A mild answer breakeih
wrath.' And when we are annoyed by our neighbor.
J

-

1 “ Responsio mollis frangit iram ”—Prov. xv. r.

Practice of Christian Virtues.

443

we must be careful not to say anything; because our
passion will then make us go too far: it will make us ex­
aggerate; but afterwards we shall certainly be sorry for
it. St. Francis de Sales says, “I was never angry in my
life, that I did not repent of it shortly afterwards.” The
rule is to be silent as longas we feel ourselves disturbed.
And when our neighbor continues to be irritated, let us
reserve the correction till another time, even though it
should be necessary; because for the moment our words
would not convince, and would do no good.
With regard also to the charity of our actions towards
our neighbor: first, it is practised by aiding him as we
best may. Let us remember what the Scripture says:
For alms deliver from all sin and from death, and will not
suffer the soul to go into darkness.' Almsgiving, then,
saves us from sin and from hell. By alms is understood
any assistance which it is in our power to render to our
neighbor. The kind of almsgiving which is the most
meritorious is to help the soul of our neighbor, by cor­
recting him gently and opportunely, whenever we can.
And let not us say with some, “What doth it signify to
me?” It does signify to one who is a Christian. He
who loves God, wishes to see him loved by all.
Secondly, we must show charity towards the sick, who
are in greater need of help. Let us make them some
little present, if they are poor. At least let us go and
wait on them and comfort them, even though they should
not thank us for doing so; the Lord will reward us.
Thirdly, we must above all show charity to our ene­
mies. Some are all kindness with their friends; but
Jesus Christ says, Do good to those that hate you.2 By this
you may know that a man is a true Christian, if he seeks
to do good to those who wish him evil. And if we can
1 “ Eleemosyna ab omni peccato et a morte liberat, et non patietur
%nimam ire in tenebras.”—'Fob. iv. il.
v Benefacite his qui oderunt vos.”—Matt. v. 44.

444

Ά Christian s Rule of Life,

*
do nothing else for those who persecute us, let us at
least pray that God will prosper them, according as Jesus
commands us: Pray for them that persecute you? This is
the way the saints revenged themselves. He who pardons
anyone who has offended him, is sure of being pardoned
by God· since God has given us the promise: Forgive,
and you shall be forgiven? Our Lord said one day to the
Blessed Angela of Foligno, that the surest sign of a soul
being loved by God, is when it loves a person who has
offended it.
Fourthly, let us also be charitable to our neighbors
who are dead, that is, to the holy souls in purgatory. St.
Thomas says, that if we are bound to help our neighbors
who are alive, we are also bound to remember them
when dead. Those hoi}’’ prisoners are suffering pains
which exceed all the sufferings of this life; and never­
theless are in the greatest necessity, since they cannot
possibly help themselves. A Cistercian monk once said
to the sacristan of his monastery: “Help me, brother, by
your prayers, when I can no longer help myself.” Let us
then endeavor to succor these holy souls, either by hav­
ing Masses said for them, or by hearing Masses forthem,
by giving alms, or at least by praying, and applying in­
dulgences in their behalf; they will show themselves
grateful by obtaining great graces for us, not only when
they reach heaven, if they arrive there sooner through
our prayers, but also in purgatory.
§ 4. The Practice of Patience.

St. James says, that patience is the perfect work of a
soul: And patience hath a perfect work? It is by patience
that we gain heaven. This earth is a place where we
1 “ Orate pro persequentibus et calumniantibus vos.”—Matt. Ί. ^4·
9 “ Dimittite, et dimittemini.”—Luke, vi. 37.
* “ Patientia autem opus perfectum habet.”—fames, i. 4.

Practice of Christian Virtues,

445

can gain merit; therefore it is not a place of rest, but of
labors and sufferings; and it is for this end that God
makes us live here, that by patience we may obtain the
glory of paradise. Every one has to suffer in this world;
but he who suffers with patience suffers less and saves
himself, while he who suffers with impatience suffers
more and is damned. Our Lord does not send us crosses
that he may see us lost, as some impatient people say,
but that we may be thereby saved, and inherit more glory
in heaven. Sorrows, contradictions, and all other tribib
lations, when accepted with patience, become the bright*
est jewels in our heavenly crown. Whenever, then, we
are in affliction, let us console ourselves and thank God
for it, since it is a sign that God wishes us to be saved,
by chastising us in this life, where the chastisements are
but slight and short, so as not to punish us in the next,
where the chastisements are cruel and eternal. W oe to
the sinner who is prosperous in this life ! it is a sign that
God has reserved for him eternal punishment.
St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi said: “All sufferings,
however great, become sweet when we look at Jesus on
the cross.” And St. Joseph Calasanctius: “ He who can­
not suffer for Jesus Christ, does not know how to gain
Jesus Christ for his own.” He, then, who loves Jesus
Christ bears patiently all external crosses—sickness,
pains, dishonor, loss of parents and friends; and all in­
terior crosses—afflictions, weariness, temptations, and
desolation of spirit, and he bears them all in peace. On
the other hand, he who is impatient and angry when he
is in tribulation, what does he do ? He does but increase
his suffering, and adds to his punishments in the next
life. St. Teresa says in her writings: “ The cross is felt
by those who drag it after them by force; but he who
embraces it with a good will does not feel it.” Hence
St. Philip Neri also said: “In this world there is no
purgatory; it is either heaven or hell: he who bears tribu-

446

A Christian's Rule of Life.

lation with patience is in heaven, but he who does not,
is in hell.” Let us proceed to the practice.
First, patience must be practised in sickness. The
time of sickness is a time for testing the devotion of
people, whether it is of lead or of gold. Some are pious
and cheerful when they are in good health; but when
they are visited by any illness, they lose their patience,
complain of everything, and give themselves up to mel­
ancholy, and commita thousand other faults. Theirgold
turns out to be lead. St. Joseph Calasanctius said: “If
sick people were patient, we should hear no more com­
plaints.” Some complain and say : “ But as long as I am
in this state, I cannot go to church, nor to Communion,
nor to Mass; in short, I can do nothing.” You say you
can do nothing. You do everything when you do the will
of God. Tell me, why do you want to do those things
you have named ? Is it to please God ? This is the good
pleasure of God, that you should embrace with patience
all you have to endure, and should leave everything else
that you wish to do alone. “ God is served,” writes St.
Francis de Sales, “more by suffering than by any other
works we can do.”
If our sickness be dangerous, then especially must we
accept it with all patience, being willing to die should
the end of our life be realIv at hand. Nor should wesav:
u But I am not now prepared; I should like to live a little
longer to do penance for my sins.” And how do you
know that if you were to live on you would do penance,
and would not fall into greater sins? How many there
are who, after recovering from some mortal illness, have
become worse than they were before, and have been lost;
while, perhaps, if they had died then, they would have
been saved ! If it is the will of God that you should
leave this world, unite yourself to his holy will, and
thank him for allowing you the help of the holy Sacra­
ments, and accept death with tranquillity, abandoning

Practice of Christian Virtues.

447

yourself into the arms of his mercy. This compliance
with the divine will, by accepting death, will be sufficient
to insure your eternal salvation.
In the second place, we must accept also with patience
the death of our relatives and friends. Some on the
death of a relative are so inconsolable, that they leave
off saying their prayers, frequenting the sacraments, and
all their devotions. Such a one goes so far as even to be
angry with God, and to say: “ Lord, why hast Thou done
this?’’ What rashness is this! Tell me, what does all
your grief profit you ? Do you perhaps think to do
pleasure to the dead person? No; what you are doing
is displeasing to him as well as to God. He desires that,
with regard to his death, you should become more united
with God, and should pray for him if he is in purgatorv.
In the third place, let us accept the poverty which God
sends us. When you are in want even of the necessaries
of life, say: “My God, Thou alone art sufficient for me.”
One such act will gain treasures for us in paradise. He
who possesses God has every good. In the same way let
us embrace with patience the lossof property, the failure
of our expectations, or even the loss of those who were
helping us. Let us be resigned at such times to the will
of God, and God will help us; and if he should not then
help us as we should wish, let us be content with what­
ever he may do, because he will do it to try our patience,
that he may enrich us with greater meritsand the goods
of heaven.
In the fourth place, we must accept patiently con­
tempt and persecutions. You will say: “But what evil
have I done, that I should be so persecuted ? Why have
I had to suffer such an affront?” My brother, go and
say this to Jesus Christ on the cross, and he will answer:
“ And I, what have I done, that I should have to suffer
such sorrow and ignominy, and this death of the cross?”

448

A Christian's Rule of Life.

If, then, Jesus Christ lias suffered so much for the love of
you, it is no great thing that you should suffer this little
for the love of Jesus Christ. Particularly if you have
ever during your life committed some grievous sin, think
that you deserve to be in hell, where you would have to
suffer much greater contempt and persecution from the
devils. If also you should be persecuted for havingdone
good, rejoice exceedingly. Hear what Jesus Christ says:
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sahe.' Let
us be convinced of the truth of what the Apostle says,
that he who would live united with Jesus Christ in this
world must be persecuted.
In the fifth place, we must practise patience also in
spiritual desolations, which are the heaviest afflictions
for a soul that loves God. But God in this way proves
the love of his beloved ones. At such times let us hum­
ble ourselves and be resigned to the will of God, putting ourselves entirely into his hands. Let us be most
careful also not to leave off any of our devotions, our
prayers, frequenting of the sacraments, our visits to the
Blessed Sacrament, or our spiritual reading. As we do
everthing then with weariness and trouble, it seems to
us to be all lost, but it is not so: while we persevere in
all these things, we work without any satisfaction to
ourselves; but it is very pleasing to God.
In the sixth and last place, we must practise patience
in temptations. Some cowardly souls, when a temptation lasts a long time, are disheartened, and will sometimes even say: God, then, desires my damnation. No;
God permits us to be tempted, not for our damnation,
but for our advantage, that we may then humble our­
selves the more, and unite ourselves more closely to him,
by forcing ourselves to resist, redoubling our prayers,
and thereby acquiring greater merits for heaven. And
1 “ Beati, qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam.”—Mati,
v. io.

I

I
I

I

I

Practice of Christian Virtues.

449

because thou 7C>ast acceptable to God, it was necessary that
temptation should prove thee.' Thus was it said to Tobias.
Every temptation which we overcome gains for us fresh
degrees of glory, and greater strength to resist future,
temptations. Nor does God ever permit us to be tempted
beyond our strength: And God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above what you are able; but will
make also ivith temptation issue, that you may be able to bear
it."
We should, however, beg our Lord to deliver us from
temptations; notwithstanding, when they come, let us re­
sign ourselves to his holy will, beseeching him to give us
strength to resist. St. Paul was troubled with carnal
temptations, and he prayed to God to deliver him from
them; but the Lord said to him: My grace is sufficient for
thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity.1 In sensual
temptations especially the first precaution to be taken is
to remove ourselves as far as possible from all occasions,
and then immediately to have recourse to Jesus Christ
for help, not trusting in our own strength. And when
the temptation continues, let us not cease to pray, say­
ing: “Jesus, help me! Mary, ever Virgin, assist me!”
The mere invocation of these all-powerful names of
Jesus and Mary will suffice to defeat the most violent
assaults of hell. It is also of great use to make the sign
of the cross on our forehead, or over our heart. By the
sign of the cross, St. Anthony Abbot overcame similar
attacks of the devil. It is also a very good thing to ac­
quaint your spiritual father with your temptations. St.1
*3
1 “ Quia acceptus eras Deo, necesse fuit ut tentatio probaret te.”—
Tob. xii. 13.
9 “ Fidelis autem Deus est, qui non patietur vos tentari supra id
quod potestis: sed faciet etiam cum tentatione proventum.”—1 Cor.
x. 13·
3 “Sufficit tibi, Paule, gratia mea; nam virtus in infirmitate perfici­
tur.”—2 Cor. xii. 9.

45°

A Christian s Rule of Life.

Practice of Christian Virtues.

Philip Neri used to say: “A temptation which is mani­
fested is half overcome.”
§ 5 The Practice of Conformity to the Will of God.

All sanctity consists in loving God; and the love of
God consists in fulfilling his holy will. In this is our
life: And life in His good will} And he who is always
united with the wil.l of God is always in peace; for the
divine will takes away the bitterness of every cross. By
saying, God wills it so, God has so willed, holy souls
find peace in all their labors: Whatsoever shall befall the
just man. it shall not make him sa di You say: Everything
goes wrong with me; God sends me all kinds of mis­
fortunes. Things go wrong with you, my friend, because
you make them go wrong; if you were to be resigned to
the will of God, all would go well, and for your good.
The crosses which God sends you are misfortunes, be­
cause you make them misfortunes; if you would take
them with resignation, they would no longer be misfor­
tunes, but riches for paradise. Ven. Balthazar Alvarez
says: “He who in his troubles resigns himself with
peacefulness to the divine will, runs to God post-haste.”
Let us now come to the practice.
And first, let us resign ourselves in the sicknesses
which befall us. Worldly people call illnesses mis­
fortunes, but the saints call them visitations of God and
favors. When we are ill we ought certainly to take
remedies in order to be cured, but we should always be
resigned towhatever God disposes. And if we pray for ;
restoration to health, let it always be done with resig­
nation, otherwise we shall not obtain the favor. But
how much do we not gain when we are ill by offering to
God all we suffer ! He who loves God from his heart
1 Et vita in voluntate ejus.”—Ps. χχίχ. 6.
4 “ Non contristabat justum, quidquid ei acciderit.”—Prov. xii. 21.

I

451

does not desire to be cured of his illness in order not to
suffer, but he desires to please God by suffering. It was
this love which made the scouige, the rack, and the burn­
ing pitch sweet to the holy martyrs. We must also be
especially resigned in mortal sickness. To accept death
at such a time, in order that the will of God may be
fulfilled, merits for us a reward similar to that of the
martyrs, because they accepted death to please God.
He who dies in union with the will of God makes a holy*
death; and the more closely he is united to it, the more
holy death does he die. The Venerable Blosius declares
that an act of perfect conformity to the will of God at
the hour of death not only delivers us from hell, but also
from purgatory.
Secondly, we must also unite ourselves to the will of
God with regard to our natural defects, as want of talents,
being of low birth, weak health, bad sight, want of ability
for affairs, and the like. All that we have is the free
gift of God. Might he not have made us a fly or a blade
of grass ? A hundred years ago were we anything but
nothingness? And what more do we want? Let it
suffice that God has given us the power of becoming
saints. Although we may have little talent, poorhealth,
and may be poor and abject, we may very well become
saints through his grace if we have the will. Oh, how
many unfortunate beings have been damned on account
of their talents, their health, high birth, riches or beautv !
Let us then be content with what God has done for us;
and let us thank him always for the good things he has
given us, and particularly for having called us to the holy
faith; this is a great gift, and one for which few are
found to thank God.
Thirdly, we must resign ourselves in all adversities
that may happen to us, as the loss of property, of our
expectations, of our relatives; and in the attacks and per­
secutions we may meet with from men. You will say:

A Christian s Rule oj Life.
But God does not will sin; how is it that I must resign
myself when some one calumniates me, wrongs me,
attacksand defrauds me? That cannot happen by the
will of God. What a deception is this ! God does not
will the sin of such a one; he permits it: but, on the
other hand, he does will the adversity which you suffer
by means of this person. So that it is our Lord himself
who sends you that cross, though it comes to you by
means of your neighbor; therefore even in these cases
you must embrace the cross as coming from God. Nor
let us seek to find out a reason for such treatment. St.
Teresa says: “ If you are willing to bear only those
crosses for which you see a reason, perfection is not for
yvou.”
Fourthly, we must be resigned in aridity of soul; if,
when we say our prayers, make our Communions, visit
the Blessed Sacrament, etc., all seems to weary and give
us no comfort, let us be satisfied in knowing that we
please God, and that the less satisfaction we feel our­
selves in our devotions the more pleasure do we give
him. At no time can we know better our own insuffi­
ciency and misery than in the time of aridity; and there­
fore let us humble ourselves in our prayers, and put
Ourselves with resignation into God’s hands, and say:
“Lord, I do not deserve consolations; I desire nothing
but that Thou have pity on me; keep me in Thy grace,
and do with me what Thou wilt.” And so doing, we
shall gain more in one day of desolation than in a month
of tearsand sensible devotion. And generally speaking,
this should be the continual tenor of our prayers, offer­
ing ourselves to God, that he may do with us as he
pleases; saying to him in our prayers, our Communions,
and in the visit: “My God, make me do Thy will.” In
doing the will cf God we shall do everything. For this
end let us accustom ourselves to have always on our lips
the ejaculation: Fiat voluntas tua ! “Thy will be done,”

Practice of Christian Virtues.

453

even in the least things we do; for instance, if we snuff
out a candle, break a glass, or stumble over something,
let us always repeat; “ May the will of God be done !”
When we lose any of our possessions, or when one of our
relatives dies, or anything else of the same sort happens
to us, let us say: “ O Lord, it is Thy will, it is my will
also.” And when we fear any temporal ill, let us say:
“ O Lord, I will whatever Thou wiliest.” Thus we shall
be very pleasing in the sight of God, and shall be always
in peace.
§ 6. The Practice of Purity of Intention.

Purity of intention consists in doing everything with
the sole view of pleasing God. The good or bad inten­
tion with which an action is performed renders it good
or bad before God. St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi says:
“ God rewards actions according to the amount of purity
of intention with which they are done.” Let us examine
the practice of it.
In the first place, in all our exercises (of devotion), let
us seek God and not ourselves: if we seek our own satis­
faction we cannot expect to receive any reward from God.
And this holds good for all spiritual works. How many
labor and exhaust themselves in preaching, hearing con­
fessions, serving at the altar, and in doing other pious
works; and because in these they seek themselves and not
God, they lose all ! When we seek neither approbation nor
thanks from others for what we do, it is a sign that we
work for God’s sake: as also when we are not vexed at
the good we undertake not succeeding; or when we re­
joice as much at any good that is done by others, as if it
had been done by ourselves. Further, whenever we have
done some good in order to please God, let us not tor­
ment ourselves in endeavoring to drive away vain-glory ;
if we are praised for it; it is enough to say: “ To God be
the honor and glory.” And let us never omit doing any

454

A Christians Rule of Life.

Practice of Christian Virtues,

good action which may be edifying to our neighbor,
through fear of vain-glory. Our Lord wishes us to do
good even before others, that it may be profitable to
them: So let your light shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven}
Therefore when you do good, have first the intention of
pleasing God; and secondly, that also of giving a good
example to your neighbor.
In the second place, in our bodily actions; whether we
work, eat, drink, or amuse ourselves with propriety, let
us do all in order to please God. Purity of intention may
be called the heavenly àlchemy, which changes iron into
gold; by which is meant, that the most trivial and ordinary actions when done to please God become acts of
divine love. St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi used to say:
“A person who performs all his actions with apure inten­
tion will go straight to paradise.” A holy hermit, before
putting his hand to any work, used to raise his eyes to
heaven, and keep them fixed there for a short time; and
when he was asked what he was doing, he answered: “I
am taking my aim, so that I may not miss the mark.”
Let us also do in like manner: before beginning any
action, let us make sure of our aim, and say: “ Lord, I
do this to please Thee.”

|
i

'
;
I

j

§ 7. Rules for avoiding Tepidity.

Souls that make no account of venial sins, and give
themselves up to tepidity, without a thought of freeing
themselves from it, live in great danger. We do not here
speak of those venial sins that are committed by mere frail­
ty, such as useless or idle words, interior disquietudes, and
negligence in small matters; but we speak of venial sins
committed with full deliberation, above all when they are
1 “Sic luceat lux vestra coram hominibus, ut videant opera vestra
bona, et glorificent Patrem vestrum.”—Matt. v. 16.

!

|

j

455

habitual. St. Teresa writes thus: “From all deliberate
sin, howsoever small it may be, O Lord, deliver us !”
Ven. Alvarez used to say: “Those little backbitings, dis­
likes, culpable curiosity, acts of impatience and intem­
perance, do not indeed kill the soul, but they so weaken
it, that when any great temptation takes it unexpectedly,
it will not have strength enough to resist, and will con­
sequently fall.” So that as on the one hand deliberate
venial sins weaken the soul, so on the other do they de­
prive us of the divine assistance; for it is but just that
God should be sparing with those who are sparing to­
wards him: He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap spar­
ingly} And that is what a soul that has received special
graces from God has the most reason to fear. Still more
ought it to fear lest such faults should be caused by some
passionate attachment, as of ambition, or avarice, or of
aversion, or inordinate affection towards any person. It
happens not unfrequently to souls that are in bondage to
some passion, as it does to gamblers, who, after losing
many times, at the last throw say, “ Let us risk every­
thing;” and so finish by losing all they have. In what a
miserable state is that soul which is the slave of some
passion; for passion blinds us, and lets us no longer see
what we are doing. Let us now come to the practice of
what we have to do, in order to be able to deliver our­
selves from the wretched state of tepidity.
It is necessary in the first place to have a firm desire
to get out of this state. The good desire lightens our
labor, and gives us strength to go forward. And let us
rest assured that he who makes no progress in the way
of God will always be going back; and he will go back
so far that at last he will fall over some precipice. Sec­
ondly, let us try to find out our predominant faults to
which we are most attached, whether it be anger, ambi1 “ Qui parce seminat, parce et metet.”—2 Cor. ix. 6,

456

A Christian's Rule of Life.

tion, or inordinate affection to persons or things: a
resolute will overcomes all with the help of God. Thirdly,
we must avoid the occasion, otherwise all our resolutions
will fall to the ground. And lastly, we must above all
be diffident of our own strength, and pray continually
with all confidence to God, begging him to help us in
the danger in which we are, and to deliver us from those
temptations by which we shall fall into sin; which is the
meaning of the petition, 2V? nos inducas in tentationein—
“ Lead us not into temptation.” He who prays obtains:
Ask, and you shall receive. 1 This is a promise of God,
and can never fail; therefore we must always pray, al­
ways pray; and let us never leave off repeating, “We
must pray always, we must pray always; my God help
me, and that soon !”
§ 8. The Practice of Devotion towards the Great Mother of God.

As regards this devotion, I hope that the reader is
fully persuaded that, in order to insure eternal salvation,
it is most important to be devout to the Most Holy Mary.
And if he should wish to be still more convinced of it, I
would beg him to read the book I have written, called
The Glories of Mary. We shall here speak only of the
practices you may observe, that you may obtain the pro­
tection of this sovereign Lady. First, every morning and :
evening, when you rise and before you go to bed, say
three Hail Marys, adding this short prayer: “ By thy
pure and immaculate conception, O Mary, make me pure
in body and holy in soul !” And put yourself beneath
her mantle, that she may keep you that day or that night
from sin. And every time you hear the clock strike, say
a Hail Mary; do the same whenever you go in or out of
the house, and when you pass by any picture or statue of
the Blessed Virgin. So also when you begin and finish
1 “ Petite, et accipietis.”—John, xvi. 24.

Practice of Christian Virtues.

457

any of your occupations, such as your study, work, eat­
ing, or sleeping, never omit to say a Hail Mary. Second­
ly, say the Rosary, meditating on the mysteries, every
day, at least five decades. Many devout people also say
the Office of Our Lady; it would be well to say at least
the Little Office of the Name of Mary,
J · which is very
J
short, and composed of five short psalms. Thirdly, say
an Our Father and Hail Mary every day to the everblessed Trinity in thanksgiving for the graces that have
been bestowed upon Mary. The Blessed Virgin herself
revealed to a person that this devotion was very pleasing
to her. Fourthly, fast on bread and water every Satur­
day in honor of Mary, or at least on the vigils of her
seven feasts; or at least fast in the ordinary way, or eat
only of one dish, or abstain from something you like.
In short, make use of some kind of mortification on
Saturdays, and on the above-named vigils, for the sake
of this Queen, who, as St. Andrew of Crete says, repays
these little things with great graces. Fifthly, paya visit
every day to some image of your patroness, and ask her
to give you holy perseverance and the love of Jesus
Christ. Sixthly, let no day pass without reading a little
about Our Lady, or else say some prayer to this Blessed
Virgin. For this purpose we have here put seven prayers
to Mary, for the seven days of the week (see Chap. II.
§ 7). Seventhly, make the novenas for the seven prin­
cipal feasts of Mary, and ask your confessor to tell you
what devotions and mortifications you should practise
during those nine days: say at least nine Hail Marys
and Glory be to the Father, and beg her each day of the
novena to give you some special grace that you need.
Lastly, often recommend yourself to this divine Mother
during the day, and particularly in time of temptation,
saying at such times, and often repeating with great
affection, “Mary, help me ! help me, my Mother!” And
if you love Mary, try to promote devotion to this great

45

Christian s Rule of Rife.

Mother of God among your relatives, friends, and ser­
vants.
§ 9. On the Practice of Certain Means by which we may ac­
quire the Love of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ ought to be our whole love. He is wor­
thy of it, both because he is a God of infinite goodness,
and because he has loved us to such an excess, that lie
died tor us. Oh, how great are our obligations to Jesus
Christ ! All the good we enjoy, all our inspirations, calls,
pardons, helps, hopes, consolations, sweetnesses, and
loving affections, come to us through Jesus Christ. Let
us see by what means we are to acquire this love of
Jesus Christ.
In the first place, we must desire to have this love of
Jesus Christ, and we must, therefore, often ask him to
give it us, especially in our prayers, in our Communions,
and in the visit to the Blessed Sacrament. And this grace
must also be sought for at the hands of the ever-blessed
Mary, from our guardian angel and our holy patrons, that
they may enable us to love Jesus Christ. St. Francis de
Sales says that the grace of loving Jesus Christ contains
all other graces in itself ; because he who truly loves
Jesus Christ cannot be wanting in any virtue.
In the second place, if we wish to acquire the love of
Jesus Christ, we must detach our hearts from all earthly
affections ; divine love will find no place in a heart that is
full of this world. St. Philip Neri used to say: “The
love we give to creatures is all so much taken from God.”
In the third place, we must often exercise ourselves,
especially when we pray, in making acts of love to Jesus
Christ. Acts of love are the fuel with which we keep
alive the fire of holy charity. Let us make acts of love
and complacency, saying: “My Jesus, I rejoice that
Thou art infinitely happy, and that Thy eternal Father
loves Thee as much as himself!” Of benevolence: “I

Practice of Christian Virtues.

459

wish, my Jesus, that all could know and love Thee !” Of
predilection, as: “ My Jesus, I love Thee more than all
things ! I love Thee more than myself !” Let us also
often make acts of contrition, which are called acts of
sorrowful love.
In the fourth place, if any one wishes to make sure of
being inflamed with love towards Jesus Christ, let him
often try to meditate on his Passion. It was revealed to
a holy solitary, that no exercise was more efficacious in
enkindling love, than the consideration of the sufferings
and ignominy which Jesus Christ endured for love of us.
I say, it is impossible that a soul, meditating often on the
Passion of Christ, should be able to resist his love. It
was for this that, although he could have saved us by one
drop of his blood, nay even by a single prayer, he chose
to suffer so much, and to shed all his blood, that he might
attract all hearts to love him; therefore he who meditates
on his Passion does what is very agreeable to him. Do
you, then, often make your meditation on the Passion of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Do so at least every Friday, the
day on which he died for the love of us. For this pur­
pose I have written many meditations on the Passion of
our Lord Jesus Christ, especially the Datis of Fire*
which speak of the love which Jesus Christ has borne us
in the great work of our redemption.
* These will be found in Volume IV. of the ascetical works.—Ed.

ADMONITIONS
. Addressed

to

of all States who
to be Saved.*

Persons

Desire

God wishes us all to be saved: Who will have all men
saved.1 “And he is ready to give to all the help neces­
sary for salvation; but he grants it only to those that
ask him, as St. Augustine says: “ He gives only to those
who ask.”3 Hence, it is a common opinion of theologi­
ans and of the holy Fathers, that prayer is necessary for
adults as a means of salvation; that is to say, that a per­
son who does not pray, and neglects to ask of God the
help requisite for overcoming temptations, and for pre­
serving grace already received, cannot be saved.
On the other hand, our Lord cannot refuse to give
graces to those who ask for them, because he has prom­
ised to do so: Cry to Me, and I will hear thee} Have
recourse to me, and I will not fail to hear you. Ask of
me all you desire, and you shall attain it: Ask, and it
shall be given to you} These promises, however, are not
to be understood with reference to temporal goods, be­
cause God only gives these when they are for the good
1 “Omnes homines vult salvos fieri.”—i Tim. ii. 4.
2 Non dat, nisi petenti.—In Ps. cii.
3 “Clama ad me, et exaudiam te.”—Jer. xxxiii. 3.
4 “ Quodcumque volueritis, petetis, et fiet vobis.”—John, xv. 7.
* These admonitions on the necessity of prayer and on the devotion
to the Blessed Virgin were written or dictated by Saint Alphonsus
when he was nearly eighty years of age. See Tannoia, Book 4,
ch. 18.—Ed.

A dmonitions.

461

of the soul; but he has promised absolutely to give
spiritual graces to any one who asks him; and having
promised it, he is obliged to give them to us: “By his
promise, he has made himself our debtor,” says St.
Augustine.
It should also be observed, that on God’s part prayer
is a promise, and on our part a binding precept: Ask,
and it shall be given you' We ought always to pray* These
words, “ ask, we ought,” convey, as St. Thomas teaches,
a grave precept, which is binding for our whole life; but
especially when a man is in danger of death, of falling
into sin; because if he does not then have recourse to
God, he will certainly be overcome. And he who has
already fallen under God’s displeasure commits a fresh
sin when he does not turn to God for help to rise out
of his miserable state. But will God then hear him
while he is yet his enemy? Yes, he does hear, if the
sinner humbles himself, and prays for pardon from his
heart; since it is written in the Gospel: For every one that
asketh, rccciveth? It says that God has promised to hear
all that pray to him, whether they are just or sinners.
In another place God says, Call upon Me . . . and I will
deliver Thee' Gall upon Me, and I will deliver thee from
hell, to which thou dost stand condemned.
No, there will be no excuse in the day of judgment
for any one who dies in mortal sin. It will be of no use
for him to say that he had not the strength to resist the
temptation which troubled him; because Jesus Christ
will answer: If you had not the strength, why did you
not ask it of me, and I should certainly have given it
you ? If you fell into sin, why did you not have re­
course to me, that I might have delivered you from it ?
1
*
3
4

“ Petite, et dabitur vobis.”— Matt. vii. 7.
“Oportet semper orare.”—Luke, xviii. 1.
“Omnis enim qui petit, accipit.”—Luke, xi. 10.
“ Invoca me; . . . eruam te.”—Ps. xlix. 15.

402

Admonitions.

Admonitions.

You see, then, that if you desire to be saved, and would
keep yourself in the grace of God, you must often pray
to him, that he would keep his hand over you. The
Council of Trent declares that for a man to persevere in
the grace of God, it is not enough that he should have
only that general aid which he gives to all; but he must
also have that special assistance which can only be
obtained by prayer. For this reason all the Doctors of
the Church say, that each one is bound, under grievous
sin, to recommend himself often to God, and to ask for
the grace of holy perseverance at least once a month.
And any one who finds himself in the midst of many
dangerous occasions is under the obligation of asking
more frequently for the grace of perseverance.
It is besides most useful to keep up some particular
devotion to the Mother of God, who is called the Mother
of perseverance, in order to obtain this grace; and a
person who has not this special devotion to the Blessed
Virgin will find it very difficult to persevere; for as St.
Bernard says, all divine graces, and especially this one
of perseverance, which is the greatest of all, come to us
by means of Mary.
Would to God that preachers were more mindful in
putting before their hearers this great means of prayer !
Some even in the whole course of their Lenten sermons
scarcely mention it more than once or twice in passing:
while they ought often to make it their chief subject,
besides speaking of it in every discourse; if they omit to
do so, they will have to render a severe account for it to
God. Thus also many confessors are particular merely
about the resolution their penitents make not to offend
God again, and few take the trouble to inculcate that they
must pray when they are tempted again to fall; but we
must be well persuaded, that when a temptation is
violent, if the penitent does not beg for God’s assistance,
all his resolutions will avail him little; prayer alone can

4ό3

save him. It is certain that he who prays is saved; he
who prays not is damned.
Therefore, I repeat, if you wish to be saved, pray con­
tinually to the Lord that he would give you light and
strength not to fall into sin. Thus we must be impor
tunate with God, in asking him for his grace. “This
importunity with God is our opportunity,” says St.
Jerome. Every morning we must beseech him to keep
us from sin during that day. And when any bad
thought or occasion of sin presents itself to your mind
or you are tempted by some dangerous occasion, imme­
diately have recourse to Jesus Christ and the Blessed
Virgin, and say, “My Jesus, help me! Most Blessed
Virgin, come to my aid.” It is enough at such a time to
pronounce the names of Jesus and Mary, and the temp­
tation will vanish; but should the temptation continue,
persevere in invoking the assistance of Jesus and Mary,
and you will be victorious.

1

PROTESTATION FOR A HAPPY
DEATH.
My God, prostrate in Thy presence, I adore Thee;

and I intend to make the following protestations, as if I
were on the point of passing from this life to eternity:
My Lord, because Thou art infallible truth, and hast
revealed it to the holy Church, I believe in the mystery of
the Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
three Persons, but only one God, who eternally rewards
the just with heaven, and punishes sinners with hell. I
believe that the second Person—that is, the Son of God
—became man and died for the salvation of men; and I
believe all that the holy Church believes. I thank Thee
for having made me a Christian; and I protest that in
this holy faith I wish to live and die.
My God, my hope, trusting in Thy promises, I hope
from Thy mercy, not through my merits, but through
the merits of Jesus Christ, for the pardon of my sins,
perseverance in Thy grace, and, after this miserable life,
for the glory of heaven. And should the devil, at death,
tempt me to despair at the sight of my sins, I protest
that I wish always to hope in Thee, my Lord, and that I
wish to die in the loving arms of Thy goodness.
O God, worthy of infinite love! I love Thee with my
whole heart, and more than I love myself; and I protest
that I wish to die making an act of love, that thus I may
continue to love Thee for eternity in heaven; which, for
this purpose, I ask and desire from Thee. And if, O
Lord! instead of loving Thee, I have hitherto despised
Thy infinite Goodness, I am sorry for it with my whole

Protestation for a Happy Death,

465

heart, and I protest that I wish to die bewailing and de­
testing forever the offences I have offered to Thee. I
purpose, for the future, to die rather than commit an­
other sin. And, for the love of Thee, I pardon all who
have offended me.
O my God! I accept death, and all the pains that will
accompany my death. I unite them to the sorrows and
to the death of Jesus Christ, and offer them in honor of
Thy supreme dominion, and in satisfaction for my sins.
O Lord ! for the sake of the great sacrifice of himself
which Thy divine Son offered on the altar of the cross,
accept this sacrifice of my life, which I offer to Thee. I
now, for the moment of my death, resign myself entirely
to Thy divine will, protesting that I wish to die, saying:
O Lord ! Thy will be always done.
Most holy Virgin Mary, my advocate and my mother,
thou, after God, art and shalt be my hope and consolation
at the hour of death. I now invoke thee, and pray thee
to assist me in that great passage. My dear queen, do
not abandon me at that last moment. Come, then, aad
take my soul, and present it to thy Son. From this mo­
ment I expect thee, and hope to die under thy protection
and prostrate at thy feet. My protector, St. Joseph, St.
Michael the archangel, my angel-guardian, my holy ad­
vocates, come all, and assist me in that last battle with
hell.
And Thou, my crucified Love—Thou, my Jesus, who,
to obtain for me a good death, hast voluntarily chosen so
painful a death, remember at that hour that I am one of
the sheep which Thou hast purchased with Thy blood. O
my Saviour, who alone can console me and save me at that
hour when every one on this earth will have abandoned
me, and when no friend will be able to assist me! make
me then worthy to receive Thee for my Viaticum. Do
not permit me to lose Thee forever, and to go forever to
remain at a distance from Thee. No, my beloved Sa-

466

Protestation for a Happy Death.

viour; since I now embrace Thee, receive me then into
Thy holy wounds. At my last breath I intend to breathe
forth my soul into the loving wound in Thy side, saying
now, for that moment: Jesus and Mary, I give Thee my
heart and my soul: Jesus and Mary, I give Thee my
heart and my soul.
Happy suffering, to suffer for God ! Happy death, to
die in the Lord !
I embrace Thee, my good Redeemer, that I may die in
Thy embraces. If, O my soul .' at your departure from
this world, Mary assists you, and Jesus receives you,
death will be for you not death, but sweet repose.

’Tis blessed to suffer, Creator most kind ;
’Tis blessed to die, and to suffer for Thee.
I embrace Thee, O Crucified ! hoping to find
Thine arms everlasting in death circling me.
So it will not be death, but ineffable rest,
That shall close at the last on these earth-wearied eyes,
When my forehead by Mary is soothingly prest,
And Jesus receives my last penitent sighs.

A Short Prayer to be said every day to Jesus crucified, and to
our Lady of Sorrows, to obtain the grace of a happy death.
My Lord Jesus Christ, by that bitterness which Thou didst
endure on the cross, when Thy blessed soul was separated from
Thy most sacred body, have pity on my sinful soul, when it
leaves my miserable body to enter into eternity.
O Mary ! by that grief which thou didst experience on Calvary
in seeing Jesus expire on the cross before thine eyes, obtain for
me a good death, that loving Jesus and thee, my Mother, in
this life, I may attain heaven, where I shall love thee for all
eternity.
Latin Prayer for the Same Object.

Domine Jesu Christe, per illam amaritudinem quam sustinuit
nobilissima anima tua, quando egressa est de benedicto corpore
tuo, miserere animæ meæ peccatricis, quando egredietur de cor­
pore meo. Arnen.

HYMN.

I

Mary our Hope.

I

Mary, thou art hope the brightest,
Love most pure and sweet ;
Life and peace I find reposing
At thy blessed feet !

When I call on thee, O Mary !
When I think on thee,
Joy and pleasure all entrancing
Fill my heart with glee.
If anon the clouds of sadness
Rise within my heart,
When they’ hear thy name, O Mary?
Straightway they depart.

Like a star on life’s dark ocean,
Shining o’er the wave,
Thou canst guide my bark to harbor^
Thou my soul canst save.
Under thy protecting mantle,
Queen belov’d, I fly;
There I wish to live securely,
There I hope to die.

If I chance my life to finish
Mary, loving thee,
Then I also know, dear Lady,
Heaven is for me.
J

Cast thy gentle bonds around me,
And my heart enchain ;
Prisoner of love forever,
Safe will I remain.
Thus my heart, O sweetest Maryi
Is not mine, but thine :
Take it ; give it all to Jesus ;
Ne’er shall it be mine.

I

|
I

I

I

.

I
I

'

1

INDEX.

A
Acts, Christian, or theological virtues, page 427. Various acts, 414.
Afflictions; the good that results from them; behavior during these
trials, 219, 290, 375, 3S0, 444, 450.
Alms, material and spiritual, 443.
Aridity, spiritual desolation; it should not keep us from Holy Com­
munion, 359, nor from prayer, 410, 417; we should bear it
patiently, 44S, 452.

B
Body, on the death-bed, 27; in the grave, 30.

C
Charity towards our neighbor; practice, 441.
Collation, fasting days, 440.
Communion; see Sacrament.
Confessor, or spiritual director; behavior towards him, 411. We
ought to recommend prayer, 462.
Confession, advantages of frequent confession, 322, 411. Acts for
confession, 418.
Conformity to the will of God; excellence of this virtue and its prac­
tice, 372, 450.
Contempt, how we should bear with it, 375, 447, 451.
Conversion, difficult at the moment of death, 39, 46, 69, 78, 227.
Other dangers in delaying conversion, 171, 182, 221, 232.
Crosses; see Afflictions.
D

ft
Damned, the, at the particular judgment, 241 ; at the resurrection,
251; at the general judgment, 254. Pain of the senses, 262.
Pain of loss, 262. Eternity, 273, 401, Remorse, 2S3. Despair,
275.

4 70

Index.

Death: it is inevitable, 68, 394; with it all ends, 35, 136; it makes
us all equal, 36, 46. Man after death, 27. See Worldling, Sinner,
Just. Death comes quickly, 43; uncertainty of the hour, 59, 395;
unforeseen death, 60. Importance of the last moment, 48, 396;
i-c is wise never to lose sight of it, 32, 56; we must always be pre­
pared for it, 62, 65; howto prepare for it, 108. Prayer to obtain
a good death, 431, 466. Protestation for a good death, 114, 464.
He who loves God as he ought to love him, desires death, 39,
107, 404.
Defects, natural, to be borne with resignation, 451.
Devil, an enemy against whom we must struggle, his artifices, 70,
171, 232, 322; apparitions and avowals of, 81, 270, 280, 319.
E

Enemies of our salvation, 313. Means of conquering the devil, 313;
the world, 315; the flesh, 319, 408; charity towards ou< enemies,
443·
Eternity of hell, 273, 401; of paradise, 297. The present life is a
journey to eternity, 144; happy or unhappy, it depends on our
choice, 149; the thought and fear of eternity, 65, 147.
Eucharist; see Sacrament.
Exercises, spiritual, of every year, recommended, 411.
F
Fast, of counsel or of obligation, 441.
Flesh, an enemy to be warred against; means to conquer it, 319.

G

God, his greatness. 152: his beauty, 295. 384; his justice, 172, 182,
199, 233, 246, 262, 277; his goodness and his love towards man,
158, 102, 165, 193. 301, 33S; his mercy and his patience, 162, 171.
God only can satisfy the heart of man, 217. The sight of God
forms the principal happiness in paradise, 295; this sight would
render happy even the damned in hell, 269, 295. See Love.
Goods, temporal, vanity thereof, 35, 43, 136, 211, 283; necessity of
being detached from them, 113. God has not promised to hear
our prayers for them, 308. See Resignation.
Grace, what a great good the grace of God is, 193; means of obtain­
ing and preserving it, 301, and seqq., 407, 460. God wishes us to
ask for graces, 305. 368.
Grave, excellent school, 30, 209.

Index.

4/1

H

Habit, bad, its evil consequences, 221.
Happiness, true; see Just.
Heart of Jesus, institution of the feast of the Sacred Heart, 361.
Hell, pains that are endured there; see Damned. Prayer to Mary to
be preserved from hell, 431.
Honors; see Goods, Worldling.
Humility, necessity and practice of this virtue, 307, 435.
I
Illusions which the devil suggests to sinners, 232.
Intention: practice of purity of intention, 453.

J
Jesus Christ: his love for his Father, 372; his love for us, 341, 344,
34S, 361. Prayer to Jesus Christ to obtain his holy love, 42S.
Means of acquiring it, 45S. See Sacrament.
Judgment, particular, 241. Judgment, general, 251, 397.
Just, the; his dignity and his happiness, even in this life, 193, 216,
37S; at death, 38, 42, 87, 98; at the particular judgment, 292;
at the resurrection. 252; at the general judgment, 255, 259; in
eternity, 145, 290, 404. The just desires death, 42, 107, 404;
examples, 102.
L
Life, present; its shortness, 43; its miseries, 88, 90. It is a vapor,
35; a blade of grass, 43; a dream, 40; a scene, 29; a great risk,
48. 59, 65, 73; a dangerous passage, 221; a voyage to eternity,
57. 144.
Love that we owe to God, 338. Excellence of this virtue. 23. 196, 208,
217, 384; its marvellous effects even on earth. 296. What will
be its measure in eternity. 107. See Jesus Christ, Just.

M
Mary, Mother of God; importance of her protection, 326, 456; her
power, 326; her mercy, 330; her charity, 334. Practice of devo­
tion towards her, 456; visits to her, 412, 426; prayers for every
day of the week, 42g. Hymn, 467.
Meditation: utility and necessity of this exercise. 323, 409; manner
of making it well, 415; what we must seek in it, 373.
Man: his baseness, 153: his dignity, see Soul ; his end, 126, 387.

4-7 2

Index.

MASS, importance of, 412; the method of hearing it, 424.
Mercy οι- Gon, 162; we must take care not to abuse it, 171, 186,
235.
Mortification, practice of this virtue, 438.

Occasions

Index.

O
of sin; necessity of avoiding them, 319, 408.
P

Paradise, happy abode, 145, 290, 404; prayer in order to secure it,
432.
Patience, practice of this virtue, 375, 444.
Pain; see Afflictions, Sinner, Damned.
·
Perfection, spiritual, in what it consists, 372, 450.
Persecutions, how we should bear with them, 375, 447, 451.
Perseverance, final; necessity of persevering and means to adopt,
24. 3°4. 311» 4°7· 462. Prayers to obtain this grace, 429, 430.
Pleasures; see Goods, Worldling.
Prayer: its efficacy, 301, 460; its necessity, 304, 413, 461; its condi­
tions, 307. Obligation under grave sin to pray, 305. 462. It is
the great means of perseverance, 24, 311, 462. Counsel to con­
fessors and preachers, 310, 462.
Morning and other prayers,
414. Evening prayers, 427, Prayers to Jesus and Mary to ob­
tain the graces necessary to salvation, 428.
Purgatory, charity towards the souls that suffer there, 444.

473

393; children damned after their first sin, 186. Venial sins, 454
Habitual sins, 221. The sins of the reprobate and the sins of
the elect at the judgment, 258. Prayer to obtain pardon for sins,
429.
Sinner: his boldness, 152, 393; his obstinacy, 175; his ingratitude,
158; his folly, 202, 283; his blindness, 221; his presumption, 74,
133, I7G 232; his prosperity, 177; his unhappy life, 211. Sin­
ners can and ought to pray, 309, 461. The hardened’sinner,
225; abandoned by God, 238. Death of the sinner, 38, 68, 81,
84, 109, 388. See Conversion, Damned, Sin.
Sacrament of the Altar; greatness of this gift, 348; love that Jesus
Christ shows us therein, 351, 361. Visits to the Blessed Sacra
ment, 412, 425. Desire that the Lord has to unite himself to us
in Holy Communion, 355. Effects of Holy Communion, 356.
Frequent Communion, 322, 359,411. Acts for Holy Commu­
nion, 422.
Saint: prudence and wisdom of the saints, 33, 38, 205, 208. See
y^st.
Salvation, its importance, 126. Means; see Perseverance.
Sufferings; see Afflictions.
Soul. Value of the soul, 127; happiness of the soul in the state of
grace, 193, 217, 378; its entrance into paradise, 290. The soul
enamoured of the beauty of God, hymn, 384. The soul sighing
for Heaven, hymn, 404. Unhappiness of a soul in the state of
sin, 198. See yust, Sinner. Charity towards the souls in pur­
gatory, 444.

R

T

Reading, spiritual, recommended, 410; example, 194,
Remorse, in this life, 214; in hell, 283.
Resignation to the divine will in every disagreeable thing that
happens, 375. 444. 450.
Respect, human; we must conquer it, 315.
Resurrection, general, 251.
Retreat, spiritual, every year, recommended, 411.
Riches; see Goods, Worldling.

Time, its value, 117; we must profit by it, 119, 122.
Temptations; why God permits them; behavior while they last, 448.
See Perseverance.
Tepidity: dangerous state; remedies, 454.

S
Sickness: we should endure it with patience and resignation, 446,

450·
Sick, the practice of charity towards them, 443.
Sin: malice of mortal sin, 152, 393; it blinds the understanding, 221;
number of sins after which God pardons no more, 1S2, 237,

V
Virtues: principal virtues to be practised, 435.
Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin, 412, 425.
W
Worldling on
worldlings,
World, enemy
Words, charity

his death-bed, 28, 35, 78, 388. Vanity and folly of
46, 202, 211, 388, 389.
of our soul, 315. See Goods, Worldling.
with which we should use them, 441.