It is indeed very surprising that man, a worm of the earth, should dare to offend his Creator and turn his back upon him, by despising his graces after God has so favored and loved him as to lay down his life to save him. But it is still more surprising that God, after having been thus despised by man, should seek after him, invite him to repentance and offer him his pardon, as though God stood in need of us and not we of him.
O Jesus! Thou seekest me, and I seek after Thee. Thou desirest me, and I desire only Thee.
For Christ, saith the Apostle, we beseech you, be recon died to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20) "And does God," exclaims St. Chrysostom, "call thus upon sinners? And what does he ask of them? to be reconciled, and be in peace with him."
My Redeemer, Jesus Christ, how couldst Thou have had so much love for me, who have so often offended Thee? I detest all my offences against Thee; give me Still greater grief, still greater love, that I may deplore my sins, not so much on account of the punishments I have deserved by them, as for the injury I have offered to Thee, my God, who art infinitely good and amiable.
What is man, exclaims holy Job, that thou shouldst magnify him for why dost thou set the heart upon him? (Job 7:17)
What good, O Lord! hast Thou ever derived from me? and what canst Thou expect from me, that Thou lovest me so much, and comest so near to me? Hast Thou then forgotten all the injuries and treasons which I have committed against Thee? But since Thou hast so much loved me, I, a miserable worm, must also love Thee, my Creator and my Redeemer. Yes, I do love Thee, my God ; I love Thee with my whole heart, I love Thee more than myself, and because I love Thee I will do everything to please Thee. — Thou knowest that nothing is so grievous to me as the remembrance of my having so often despised Thy love. I hope for the future to be able to compensate by my love for the frequent displeasure which I have given Thee. Help me for the sake of that precious blood which Thou hast shed for me. Help me also, O holy Mary ! for the love of thy Son who died for me.
Wednesday
Tuesday
The Moment of Death
"O moment, on which depends eternity!" — Oh! how much depends on the last moment of our lives, on our last breath! Either an eternity of delights, or an eternity of torments, a life of happiness, or a life of misery. What folly therefore must it be, for the sake of a wretched momentary pleasure in this life, to run the risk of making an evil end, and beginning a life of misery which will never terminate!
O God! what will become of me in the last moment of my life? O Jesus, who didst die for my salvation! suffer me not to be lost forever; suffer me not to lose Thee, my only good.
O God! how do those miserable criminals who are condemned to cast lots for their lives tremble when they throw the dice, upon the cast of which depends their life or death! Tell me, Christian, if you were in such a situation, how much you would give to be liberated from it? But faith teaches you that you will one day arrive at that last moment, on which will depend your eternal life or death. You will then say, "Alas! I must now be either happy forever with God, or in despair forever without him."
No, my God, I will not lose Thee; if I have hitherto forfeited Thy friendship, I am sorry for it, and sincerely repent of it; I will never lose Thee more.
Either we believe, or we do not believe. — And if we believe that there is an eternity, that we can die only once, and that if we die ill, the consequences will be eternal, without the least hope of remedy; why do we not resolve to separate ourselves from all danger of being lost, and to use all the means in our power to secure for ourselves a happy death? No security can be too great when eternity is at slake. The days of our lives are so many favors from God, by which he allows us time to prepare our accounts against the arrival of death. Delay not, for you have no lime to lose.
Behold me, O God! tell me what I must do to be saved, for I will do all that Thou requirest of me. I have turned my back upon Thee; and for this I am exceedingly sorry, and for having done so would willingly die of grief. Pardon me, O Lord! and suffer me not to forsake Thee any more. I love Thee above all things, and will never more cease to love Thee. Holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, obtain for me the grace of perseverance in virtue.
O God! what will become of me in the last moment of my life? O Jesus, who didst die for my salvation! suffer me not to be lost forever; suffer me not to lose Thee, my only good.
O God! how do those miserable criminals who are condemned to cast lots for their lives tremble when they throw the dice, upon the cast of which depends their life or death! Tell me, Christian, if you were in such a situation, how much you would give to be liberated from it? But faith teaches you that you will one day arrive at that last moment, on which will depend your eternal life or death. You will then say, "Alas! I must now be either happy forever with God, or in despair forever without him."
No, my God, I will not lose Thee; if I have hitherto forfeited Thy friendship, I am sorry for it, and sincerely repent of it; I will never lose Thee more.
Either we believe, or we do not believe. — And if we believe that there is an eternity, that we can die only once, and that if we die ill, the consequences will be eternal, without the least hope of remedy; why do we not resolve to separate ourselves from all danger of being lost, and to use all the means in our power to secure for ourselves a happy death? No security can be too great when eternity is at slake. The days of our lives are so many favors from God, by which he allows us time to prepare our accounts against the arrival of death. Delay not, for you have no lime to lose.
Behold me, O God! tell me what I must do to be saved, for I will do all that Thou requirest of me. I have turned my back upon Thee; and for this I am exceedingly sorry, and for having done so would willingly die of grief. Pardon me, O Lord! and suffer me not to forsake Thee any more. I love Thee above all things, and will never more cease to love Thee. Holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, obtain for me the grace of perseverance in virtue.
Monday
The Folly of Neglecting Salvation
What doth it profit a man, saith our Lord, if he gain the world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? How many rich men, how many nobles, how many monarchs, are now in hell! What now remains to them of their riches and honors but remorse and rage, which prev upon their souls, and will continue to prey upon them for all eternity?
O my God ! enlighten me and assist me. I hope nevermore to he deprived of Thy grace. Have pity on a sinner who desires to love Thee.
How comes it, writes Salvian, that men believe in death, judgment, hell, and eternity, and yet live without fearing them? Hell is believed, and yet how many go down thither! But, 0 God ! while these truths are believed, they are not dwelt upon, and hence are so many souls lost.
Alas! I also have been of the number of those who have been guilty of such folly. Although I knew that by offending Thee I was forfeiting Thy friendship, and writing my own condemnation; yet I was not restrained from committing sin! "Cast me not away from Thy face." I am sensible of the evil I have done in despising Thee, my God, and am grieved for it with my whole soul. Oh, "cast me not away from Thy face."
And then? and then? Oh, what force had these two words with F. P. Francis Zazzera when repeated to him by St. Philip Neri, in order to induce him to renounce the world and give himself wholly to God!* Oh that they would be wise, and would understand, and would provide for their latter end. (Deuteronomy 32:29) Oh! if all persons would but think of death, in which everything must be relinquished; of judgment, in which an account must be given of our whole lives ; of a happy or miserable eternity, which must be the lot of each one : if all did but provide for these last things of their lives, no one would be lost. The present only is thought of, and hence is eternal salvation lost.
I give Thee thanks, O God, for the patience with which Thou hast hitherto borne with me, and for the light which Thou now bestowest upon me. I see that although I forgot Thee, Thou didst not forget me. I am sorry, my sovereign good, for having turned my back upon Thee, and I am now resolved to give myself entirely to Thee. And why should I delay ? That Thou mayest abandon me, and that death may find me as miserable and ungrateful as I have been even until now? No, my God, I will no more offend Thee, but will love Thee. I love Thee, O infinite goodness! Give me perseverance and Thy holy love; I ask for nothing more. Mary, refuge of sinners, intercede for me.
* The circumstance to which St. Alphonsus here refers is thus related by him in his sermon for Septuagesima Sunday: "St. Philip Neri, speaking, one day, to a young man named Francis Zazzera, who expected to make his fortune in the world by his talents, said : 'Be of good heart, my son; you may make a great fortune, you may become an eminent lawyer, you may then be made a prelate, then perhaps a cardinal, and then, who knows, perhaps even Pope. And then? and then?' Go,' continued the Saint, 'and reflect upon these two words.' The young man went his way, and after having meditated on the two words and then? and then? abandoned all his worldly prospects, and gave himself entirely to God. Leaving the world, he entered into the same congregation that St. Philip had founded, and then he died in the odor of sanctity."
O my God ! enlighten me and assist me. I hope nevermore to he deprived of Thy grace. Have pity on a sinner who desires to love Thee.
How comes it, writes Salvian, that men believe in death, judgment, hell, and eternity, and yet live without fearing them? Hell is believed, and yet how many go down thither! But, 0 God ! while these truths are believed, they are not dwelt upon, and hence are so many souls lost.
Alas! I also have been of the number of those who have been guilty of such folly. Although I knew that by offending Thee I was forfeiting Thy friendship, and writing my own condemnation; yet I was not restrained from committing sin! "Cast me not away from Thy face." I am sensible of the evil I have done in despising Thee, my God, and am grieved for it with my whole soul. Oh, "cast me not away from Thy face."
And then? and then? Oh, what force had these two words with F. P. Francis Zazzera when repeated to him by St. Philip Neri, in order to induce him to renounce the world and give himself wholly to God!* Oh that they would be wise, and would understand, and would provide for their latter end. (Deuteronomy 32:29) Oh! if all persons would but think of death, in which everything must be relinquished; of judgment, in which an account must be given of our whole lives ; of a happy or miserable eternity, which must be the lot of each one : if all did but provide for these last things of their lives, no one would be lost. The present only is thought of, and hence is eternal salvation lost.
I give Thee thanks, O God, for the patience with which Thou hast hitherto borne with me, and for the light which Thou now bestowest upon me. I see that although I forgot Thee, Thou didst not forget me. I am sorry, my sovereign good, for having turned my back upon Thee, and I am now resolved to give myself entirely to Thee. And why should I delay ? That Thou mayest abandon me, and that death may find me as miserable and ungrateful as I have been even until now? No, my God, I will no more offend Thee, but will love Thee. I love Thee, O infinite goodness! Give me perseverance and Thy holy love; I ask for nothing more. Mary, refuge of sinners, intercede for me.
* The circumstance to which St. Alphonsus here refers is thus related by him in his sermon for Septuagesima Sunday: "St. Philip Neri, speaking, one day, to a young man named Francis Zazzera, who expected to make his fortune in the world by his talents, said : 'Be of good heart, my son; you may make a great fortune, you may become an eminent lawyer, you may then be made a prelate, then perhaps a cardinal, and then, who knows, perhaps even Pope. And then? and then?' Go,' continued the Saint, 'and reflect upon these two words.' The young man went his way, and after having meditated on the two words and then? and then? abandoned all his worldly prospects, and gave himself entirely to God. Leaving the world, he entered into the same congregation that St. Philip had founded, and then he died in the odor of sanctity."
Sunday
Jesus, the Man of Sorrows
The prophet Isaias calls our Blessed Redeemer a man of sorrows; (Isaiah 53:3) and such he was, for his whole life was a life of sorrows. He took upon his own shoulders all our debts. It is true that as he was man and God, a single prayer from him would have been sufficient to make satisfaction for the sins of the whole world; but our Saviour would rigorously satisfy divine justice, and hence he chose for himself a life of contempt and suffering, being content for the love of man to be treated as the last and the vilest of men, as the prophet Isaias had foreseen him: We have seen Him... despised and the most abject of men (Isaiah 53:2)
O my despised Jesus! by the contempt which Thou didst endure Thou hast made satisfaction for the contempt with which I have treated Thee. Oh that I had died and had never offended Thee!
Who, my God, amongst the sons of men, was ever so afflicted and oppressed as our most loving Redeemer? Man, however much he may be afflicted in this world, enjoys from time to time relief and consolation. Thus does our compassionate God treat his ungrateful and rebellious creatures. But he would not thus treat his beloved Son; for the life of Jesus Christ in this world was not only a life of afflictions, but of continual afflictions from its commencement until death. Our Blessed Saviour was deprived of all consolation and of every kind of relief. In a word, he was born but to suffer and to be the man of sorrows.
O Jesus! how unhappy is he who does not love Thee, or who loves Thee but little, after Thou hast so loved us miserable worms who have offended Thee! Enable me from this day forward to love no other but Thee, who alone art worthy of being loved.
Again, men suffer afflictions, but it is only while they are suffering them, because they do not know those which are yet to come. But Jesus Christ, having, as God, a knowledge of all future things, suffered in every moment of his life, not only the pains which actually afflicted him, but all those also which were to come upon him, and especially the outrages of his most sorrowful Passion, having always before his eyes his scourging at the pillar, his crowning with thorns, his crucifixion and bitter death, with all the sorrows and desolation which accompanied it.
And why, O Jesus! didst Thou suffer so much for me who have so grievously offended Thee? Accept of me now that I may love Thee, and that henceforward I may love no other but Thee. My love and my only good, accept of me and strengthen me. I am resolved to become holy, that I may please Thee alone. Thou desirest me to be all Thine, and such do I desire to be. Holy Mary, thou art my hope.
O my despised Jesus! by the contempt which Thou didst endure Thou hast made satisfaction for the contempt with which I have treated Thee. Oh that I had died and had never offended Thee!
Who, my God, amongst the sons of men, was ever so afflicted and oppressed as our most loving Redeemer? Man, however much he may be afflicted in this world, enjoys from time to time relief and consolation. Thus does our compassionate God treat his ungrateful and rebellious creatures. But he would not thus treat his beloved Son; for the life of Jesus Christ in this world was not only a life of afflictions, but of continual afflictions from its commencement until death. Our Blessed Saviour was deprived of all consolation and of every kind of relief. In a word, he was born but to suffer and to be the man of sorrows.
O Jesus! how unhappy is he who does not love Thee, or who loves Thee but little, after Thou hast so loved us miserable worms who have offended Thee! Enable me from this day forward to love no other but Thee, who alone art worthy of being loved.
Again, men suffer afflictions, but it is only while they are suffering them, because they do not know those which are yet to come. But Jesus Christ, having, as God, a knowledge of all future things, suffered in every moment of his life, not only the pains which actually afflicted him, but all those also which were to come upon him, and especially the outrages of his most sorrowful Passion, having always before his eyes his scourging at the pillar, his crowning with thorns, his crucifixion and bitter death, with all the sorrows and desolation which accompanied it.
And why, O Jesus! didst Thou suffer so much for me who have so grievously offended Thee? Accept of me now that I may love Thee, and that henceforward I may love no other but Thee. My love and my only good, accept of me and strengthen me. I am resolved to become holy, that I may please Thee alone. Thou desirest me to be all Thine, and such do I desire to be. Holy Mary, thou art my hope.
Friday
The Journey to Eternity
Man shall go into the house of his eternity. (Ecclesiastes 8:5) This earth is not our true country; we are only passing through it on our way to eternity. The land in which I dwell, the house which I inhabit, are no; mine. In a short time, and when I least expect it, I must leave them. The house which will contain my body until the day of general judgment will be the grave, and the house of my soul will be eternity, in heaven if I be saved, in hell if I be lost. Foolish indeed, then, should I be were I to place my affections on things which I must soon leave. I will endeavor to procure for myself a happy mansion in which I may dwell forever.
Man shall go into the house of his eternity. It is said "he shall go," to give us to understand that each one shall go, in another life, into that house which he himself has chosen: " he shall go," he shall not be conducted, but shall go thither of his own free will. — Faith teaches us that, in the next life, there are two habitations: one is a palace of delights, where all are happy forever, and this is paradise; the other is a prison of excruciating torments, where all are forever miserable, and this is hell. Choose, my soul, to which of the two thou wilt go. If thou desirest heaven, thou must walk in the way which leads to heaven ; if thou shouldst walk in the way which leads to hell, thou wilt one day unhappily find thyself there.
Jesus, enlighten me; Jesus, strengthen me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
Man shall go into the house of his eternity. If then I be saved and enter into the house of bliss, I shall there be happy forever; but if I be lost and enter into the house of woe, I shall be miserable forever. If, therefore, I would be saved, I must keep eternity always before my eyes. He who frequently meditates upon eternity does not become attached to the goods of this world, and thus secures his salvation. I will endeavor, therefore, so to regulate all my actions that they may be so many steps towards a happy eternity.
O God! I believe in life eternal. Henceforth I will live only for Thee; hitherto I have lived for myself and have lost Thee, my sovereign good. I will never more lose Thee; but will forever serve and love Thee. Assist me, O Jesus! and do not abandon me. Mary, my Mother, protect me.
Man shall go into the house of his eternity. It is said "he shall go," to give us to understand that each one shall go, in another life, into that house which he himself has chosen: " he shall go," he shall not be conducted, but shall go thither of his own free will. — Faith teaches us that, in the next life, there are two habitations: one is a palace of delights, where all are happy forever, and this is paradise; the other is a prison of excruciating torments, where all are forever miserable, and this is hell. Choose, my soul, to which of the two thou wilt go. If thou desirest heaven, thou must walk in the way which leads to heaven ; if thou shouldst walk in the way which leads to hell, thou wilt one day unhappily find thyself there.
Jesus, enlighten me; Jesus, strengthen me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
Man shall go into the house of his eternity. If then I be saved and enter into the house of bliss, I shall there be happy forever; but if I be lost and enter into the house of woe, I shall be miserable forever. If, therefore, I would be saved, I must keep eternity always before my eyes. He who frequently meditates upon eternity does not become attached to the goods of this world, and thus secures his salvation. I will endeavor, therefore, so to regulate all my actions that they may be so many steps towards a happy eternity.
O God! I believe in life eternal. Henceforth I will live only for Thee; hitherto I have lived for myself and have lost Thee, my sovereign good. I will never more lose Thee; but will forever serve and love Thee. Assist me, O Jesus! and do not abandon me. Mary, my Mother, protect me.
Wednesday
The Examination at the Particular Judgment
In the same moment and in the same place in which the soul departs from the body, the divine tribunal is erected, the indictment read, and the sentence pronounced by the sovereign judge. Whom he foreknew, says St. Paul, he also predestinated to be made conformable to his Son... them he also justified. (Romans 8:29) In order, therefore, to be made worthy of glory, our lives must be made conformable to the life of Jesus Christ. Hence it is that St. Peter says that, in the day of judgment, the just man shall scarcely be saved. (1Peter 4:18)
O Jesus, my Saviour and my judge! what will become of me, since my whole life has hitherto been the reverse of Thine? But Thy Passion is my hope. I am a sinner, but Thou canst make me a saint, and this I hope for from Thy bounty.
The Venerable Father Louis da Ponte, reflecting on the account which he should have to give of his whole life at the time of his death, trembled to such a degree as to make the whole room shake. And how ought we to tremble at the thought of this account! and how diligent ought we to be in seeking the Lord whilst we may find him! At the time of death it will be difficult to find him, if we are overtaken in our sins; but now we may easily find him by repentance and love. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6)
Yes, my God, I am sorry above every evil for having despised Thee; and I now esteem and love Thee above every good.
What shall I do, said holy Job, when God shall rise to judge? and when He shall examine, what shall I answer Him? (Job 31:14) And what shall I answer him, if, after so many mercies, so many calls, still I resist him?
No, Lord, I will no longer resist Thee, I will no longer be ungrateful to Thee. I have committed many offences and disloyalties against Thee, but Thou hast shed Thy blood to save me from my sins. "Help Thy servant whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood." (Ecclesiastes 12:5) I am sorry, my sovereign good, for having offended Thee, and I love Thee with my whole heart ; have pity on me. And O Mary, my Mother, do not abandon me!
O Jesus, my Saviour and my judge! what will become of me, since my whole life has hitherto been the reverse of Thine? But Thy Passion is my hope. I am a sinner, but Thou canst make me a saint, and this I hope for from Thy bounty.
The Venerable Father Louis da Ponte, reflecting on the account which he should have to give of his whole life at the time of his death, trembled to such a degree as to make the whole room shake. And how ought we to tremble at the thought of this account! and how diligent ought we to be in seeking the Lord whilst we may find him! At the time of death it will be difficult to find him, if we are overtaken in our sins; but now we may easily find him by repentance and love. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6)
Yes, my God, I am sorry above every evil for having despised Thee; and I now esteem and love Thee above every good.
What shall I do, said holy Job, when God shall rise to judge? and when He shall examine, what shall I answer Him? (Job 31:14) And what shall I answer him, if, after so many mercies, so many calls, still I resist him?
No, Lord, I will no longer resist Thee, I will no longer be ungrateful to Thee. I have committed many offences and disloyalties against Thee, but Thou hast shed Thy blood to save me from my sins. "Help Thy servant whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood." (Ecclesiastes 12:5) I am sorry, my sovereign good, for having offended Thee, and I love Thee with my whole heart ; have pity on me. And O Mary, my Mother, do not abandon me!
Monday
God Abandons the Sinner in his Sins
It is a grievous chastisement of God, when he cuts the sinner off in his sins; but still worse is that whereby he abandons him and suffers him to add sin upon sin. "No punishment is so great," says Bellarmin, "as when sin is made the punishment of sin."
I give Thee thanks, therefore, O Jesus! for not having suffered me to die in my sins; and I give Thee still greater thanks for not having abandoned me in my sins. And oh! into how much deeper an abyss of sin should I have fallen if Thou hadst not supported me. Continue, O Lord! to keep me from sin and do not forsake me.
I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted. (Isaiah 5:5) When the master cuts down the fence of his vineyard, and leaves it open for any one to enter therein, it is a sign that he considers it not worth cultivating, and abandons it. In like manner does God proceed when he forsakes a sinful soul: he takes away from it the hedge of his holy fear, of his light, and of his voice; and hence the soul being blinded and enslaved by its vices, which overpower it, despises everything, the grace of God, heaven, admonitions, and censures; it thinks lightly even of its own damnation, and thus enveloped in darkness is certain to be lost forever. The wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sins, contemneth* (Proverbs 18:3)
This have I deserved, O God! for having so often despised Thy light and Thy calls. But I see that Thou hast not yet abandoned me. I love Thee, O my God! and in Thee do I place all my hopes.
We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed; let us forsake her. (Jeremiah 51:9) The physician visits the sick man, prescribes remedies for him, and makes him sensible of his maladies; but when he sees that his patient does not obey him, and on this account grows worse and worse, he takes leave of him and forsakes him. It is thus that God deals with obstinate sinners: after a certain time he speaks but little to them; and only assists them with grace just sufficient to enable them to save their souls; but they will not save them. The darkness of their minds, the hardness of their hearts, and the inveteracy of their wicked habits, render it morally impossible for them to gain salvation.
But, O God! since Thou still callest me to repentance, Thou hast not yet abandoned me; I desire never more to forsake Thee. I love Thee, O infinite goodness! and because I love Thee I am exceedingly sorry for having offended Thee. I love Thee, and I hope through Thy blood to love Thee forever. Suffer me not to be any more separated from Thee. Holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, become my advocate.
*treat or regard with contempt.
I give Thee thanks, therefore, O Jesus! for not having suffered me to die in my sins; and I give Thee still greater thanks for not having abandoned me in my sins. And oh! into how much deeper an abyss of sin should I have fallen if Thou hadst not supported me. Continue, O Lord! to keep me from sin and do not forsake me.
I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted. (Isaiah 5:5) When the master cuts down the fence of his vineyard, and leaves it open for any one to enter therein, it is a sign that he considers it not worth cultivating, and abandons it. In like manner does God proceed when he forsakes a sinful soul: he takes away from it the hedge of his holy fear, of his light, and of his voice; and hence the soul being blinded and enslaved by its vices, which overpower it, despises everything, the grace of God, heaven, admonitions, and censures; it thinks lightly even of its own damnation, and thus enveloped in darkness is certain to be lost forever. The wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sins, contemneth* (Proverbs 18:3)
This have I deserved, O God! for having so often despised Thy light and Thy calls. But I see that Thou hast not yet abandoned me. I love Thee, O my God! and in Thee do I place all my hopes.
We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed; let us forsake her. (Jeremiah 51:9) The physician visits the sick man, prescribes remedies for him, and makes him sensible of his maladies; but when he sees that his patient does not obey him, and on this account grows worse and worse, he takes leave of him and forsakes him. It is thus that God deals with obstinate sinners: after a certain time he speaks but little to them; and only assists them with grace just sufficient to enable them to save their souls; but they will not save them. The darkness of their minds, the hardness of their hearts, and the inveteracy of their wicked habits, render it morally impossible for them to gain salvation.
But, O God! since Thou still callest me to repentance, Thou hast not yet abandoned me; I desire never more to forsake Thee. I love Thee, O infinite goodness! and because I love Thee I am exceedingly sorry for having offended Thee. I love Thee, and I hope through Thy blood to love Thee forever. Suffer me not to be any more separated from Thee. Holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, become my advocate.
*treat or regard with contempt.
Saturday
The Near Approach of Death
Every one knows that he must certainly die; yet many delude themselves by imagining that death is at so immense a distance from them that it will scarcely ever reach them. No; our life is indeed short, and death is very near us. The days of our sojourning here are few, and perhaps much fewer than we imagine. What else is our life but a light vapor, which is driven away and disappears with the wind? a blade of grass which is dried up in the heat of the sun?
O God ! Thou wouldst not suffer death to overtake me when I was under Thy displeasure, because Thou didst love me and didst desire my salvation; wherefore I will also love Thee.
My days, said holy Job, have been swifter than a post. (Job 9:25) Death is hasting towards us more rapidly than a post, and we at every step, and every breath and moment, are drawing nearer and nearer to death. At the time of our death how shall we wish for one day or one hour of the many we now squander away to no purpose !
Ah! Lord, if death were now announced to me, what should I find that I have done for Thee? Alas! come to my assistance; let me not die ungrateful to Thee as I hitherto have been. Grant me true sorrow for my sins, the gift of Thy love, and holy perseverance.
Death hastens towards us; wherefore we must also hasten to do that which is good, and to put our accounts in order against the day of its arrival. When death comes it precludes all remedies for what has been done amiss. How many are now in hell who thought of amending their lives at some future period, but were prevented by death and consigned to eternal torments!
My dear Redeemer, I will no longer resist Thy calls. Thou offerest me pardon, and I am desirous of obtaining it; I pray for it, and hope for it, through that death which Thou, my Jesus, hast suffered that Thou mayest be able to impart it to me. I am sorry, O infinite goodness, for having offended Thee. Thou, my Jesus, hast died for me, and I have postponed Thy friendship to my own wretched inclinations. For the future I hope with Thy assistance always to love Thee. I love Thee, O God ! I love Thee. Thou art now and shalt be forever my only good, my only love. Mary, mother of God, watch over me and take pity on me.
O God ! Thou wouldst not suffer death to overtake me when I was under Thy displeasure, because Thou didst love me and didst desire my salvation; wherefore I will also love Thee.
My days, said holy Job, have been swifter than a post. (Job 9:25) Death is hasting towards us more rapidly than a post, and we at every step, and every breath and moment, are drawing nearer and nearer to death. At the time of our death how shall we wish for one day or one hour of the many we now squander away to no purpose !
Ah! Lord, if death were now announced to me, what should I find that I have done for Thee? Alas! come to my assistance; let me not die ungrateful to Thee as I hitherto have been. Grant me true sorrow for my sins, the gift of Thy love, and holy perseverance.
Death hastens towards us; wherefore we must also hasten to do that which is good, and to put our accounts in order against the day of its arrival. When death comes it precludes all remedies for what has been done amiss. How many are now in hell who thought of amending their lives at some future period, but were prevented by death and consigned to eternal torments!
My dear Redeemer, I will no longer resist Thy calls. Thou offerest me pardon, and I am desirous of obtaining it; I pray for it, and hope for it, through that death which Thou, my Jesus, hast suffered that Thou mayest be able to impart it to me. I am sorry, O infinite goodness, for having offended Thee. Thou, my Jesus, hast died for me, and I have postponed Thy friendship to my own wretched inclinations. For the future I hope with Thy assistance always to love Thee. I love Thee, O God ! I love Thee. Thou art now and shalt be forever my only good, my only love. Mary, mother of God, watch over me and take pity on me.
Thursday
The Will of God to Save All
The Apostle St. Paul teaches us that God willeth the salvation of all: He will have all men to be saved; (Timothy 2:4) and St. Peter saith: the Lord dealeth patiently for your sake, not milling that any should perish, but that all should return to penance. (Peter 3:9) For this end the Son of God came down from heaven, and was made man, and spent thirty-three years in labors and sufferings, and finally shed his blood and laid down his life for our salvation; and shall we forfeit our salvation?
Thou, my Saviour, didst spend Thy whole life in securing my salvation, and in what have I spent so many years of my life ? What fruit hast Thou hitherto reaped from me? I have deserved to be cut off and cast into hell. But Thou desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live." Yes, O God! I leave all and turn myself to Thee. I love Thee, and because I love Thee I am sorry for having offended Thee. Accept of me, and suffer me not to forsake Thee any more.
How much did the saints do to secure their eternal salvation! How many nobles and kings have forsaken their kingdoms and estates, and shut themselves up in cloisters ! How many young persons have forsaken their country and friends, and have dwelt in caves and deserts ! And how many martyrs have laid down their lives under the most cruel tortures! And why? — to save their souls. And what have we done?
Woe to me, who, although I know that death is near at hand, yet think not of it ! No, my God, I will no longer live at a distance from Thee. Why do I delay? Is it that death may overtake me in the miserable state in which I now am? No, my God, do Thou assist me to prepare for death.
O God, how many graces has my Saviour bestowed on me to enable me to save my soul ! He has caused me to be born in the bosom of the true Church; he has many times pardoned me my transgressions; he has favored me with many lights in sermons, in prayers, in meditations, in Communions, and spiritual exercises; and often has he called me to his love. In a word, how many means of salvation has he granted me which he has not granted others!
And yet, O God! when shall I detach myself from the world and give myself entirely to Thee ? Behold me, O Jesus! I will no longer resist. Thou hast obliged me to love Thee. I desire to be wholly Thine: do Thou accept of me, and disdain not the love of a sinner who has hitherto so much despised Thee. I love Thee, my God, my love, and my all; have pity on me, O Mary! —thou art my hope.
Thou, my Saviour, didst spend Thy whole life in securing my salvation, and in what have I spent so many years of my life ? What fruit hast Thou hitherto reaped from me? I have deserved to be cut off and cast into hell. But Thou desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live." Yes, O God! I leave all and turn myself to Thee. I love Thee, and because I love Thee I am sorry for having offended Thee. Accept of me, and suffer me not to forsake Thee any more.
How much did the saints do to secure their eternal salvation! How many nobles and kings have forsaken their kingdoms and estates, and shut themselves up in cloisters ! How many young persons have forsaken their country and friends, and have dwelt in caves and deserts ! And how many martyrs have laid down their lives under the most cruel tortures! And why? — to save their souls. And what have we done?
Woe to me, who, although I know that death is near at hand, yet think not of it ! No, my God, I will no longer live at a distance from Thee. Why do I delay? Is it that death may overtake me in the miserable state in which I now am? No, my God, do Thou assist me to prepare for death.
O God, how many graces has my Saviour bestowed on me to enable me to save my soul ! He has caused me to be born in the bosom of the true Church; he has many times pardoned me my transgressions; he has favored me with many lights in sermons, in prayers, in meditations, in Communions, and spiritual exercises; and often has he called me to his love. In a word, how many means of salvation has he granted me which he has not granted others!
And yet, O God! when shall I detach myself from the world and give myself entirely to Thee ? Behold me, O Jesus! I will no longer resist. Thou hast obliged me to love Thee. I desire to be wholly Thine: do Thou accept of me, and disdain not the love of a sinner who has hitherto so much despised Thee. I love Thee, my God, my love, and my all; have pity on me, O Mary! —thou art my hope.
Wednesday
The Love of Jesus Crucified
Well might our loving Redeemer declare that he came upon the earth to enkindle divine love, and that he desired nothing else but to see this sacred fire burning in our hearts: I am come to cast fire upon the earth: and what will I but that it be kindled? (Luke 12:49) And, in fact, how many happy souls have been so inflamed with the thoughts of a crucified God as to forsake all things else to give themselves entirely to his holy love! What more could Jesus Christ have done to induce us to love him than to die in torments upon a cross to prove how much he loved us ? With good reason did St. Francis of Paula, when he contemplated with admiration Jesus crucified, exclaim in an ecstasy of love, " O charity! charity! charity!"
But alas, how generally do men live forgetful of so loving a God ! If the vilest of men—if a slave had done for me what Jesus Christ has done and suffered for me, how should I be able to live without loving him ? 0 God ! who is he that hangs upon the cross?—the same that created me and that now dies for me. That cross, those thorns, those nails, exclaim, and with a still louder voice those wounds cry out and demand our love.
"May I die," said St. Francis of Assisi, "for the love of Thy love, O Jesus! who hast died for the love of my love." To make an adequate return for the love of God in dying for us would require another God to die for him. It would be but little, it would be nothing, were each of us to give a thousand lives in return for the love of Jesus Christ. But Jesus is satisfied with our giving him our hearts; nevertheless he is not satisfied unless we give them entirely to him. For this end, says the Apostle, did he die, that he might have the entire dominion of our hearts: That He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living? (Romans 14:9)
My beloved Redeemer, how can I ever more forget Thee? how can I love anything else, after having seen Thee die in torments on an infamous gibbet to satisfy for my sins? and how can I reflect that my sins have reduced Thee to this, and not die with grief at the remembrance of the offences I have committed against Thee? Jesus, help me; I desire nothing but Thee; help me and love me. O Mary, my hope! assist me by thy prayers.
But alas, how generally do men live forgetful of so loving a God ! If the vilest of men—if a slave had done for me what Jesus Christ has done and suffered for me, how should I be able to live without loving him ? 0 God ! who is he that hangs upon the cross?—the same that created me and that now dies for me. That cross, those thorns, those nails, exclaim, and with a still louder voice those wounds cry out and demand our love.
"May I die," said St. Francis of Assisi, "for the love of Thy love, O Jesus! who hast died for the love of my love." To make an adequate return for the love of God in dying for us would require another God to die for him. It would be but little, it would be nothing, were each of us to give a thousand lives in return for the love of Jesus Christ. But Jesus is satisfied with our giving him our hearts; nevertheless he is not satisfied unless we give them entirely to him. For this end, says the Apostle, did he die, that he might have the entire dominion of our hearts: That He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living? (Romans 14:9)
My beloved Redeemer, how can I ever more forget Thee? how can I love anything else, after having seen Thee die in torments on an infamous gibbet to satisfy for my sins? and how can I reflect that my sins have reduced Thee to this, and not die with grief at the remembrance of the offences I have committed against Thee? Jesus, help me; I desire nothing but Thee; help me and love me. O Mary, my hope! assist me by thy prayers.
Tuesday
The Unhappy Life of the Sinner
There is no peace for the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22) The devil deceives poor sinners by making them believe that if they gratify their sensual desires, revenge themselves, or take what belongs to another, they will gain satisfaction and obtain peace: but no, for the reverse will always be their portion; the soul after sin becomes more than ever disquieted and afflicted. The brutes alone, who are created for the earth, can gain contentment from the enjoyments of the earth; but man, who is created to enjoy God, cannot derive satisfaction from any or all of God's creatures; his only source of happiness is God.
O my God ! what, of all the delights by which I have offended Thee, now remains but bitterness and sorrow to torment me? I do not regret the bitterness which they now cause me; but only the displeasure which they have given Thee, who hast so much loved me.
The wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest. (Isaiah 57:20) What is a soul in disgrace with God but a tempestuous sea, always in agitation? — one wave rises and another succeeds, and all are waves of pain and anguish. No one in the world can have all things according to his will. He who loves God, when adversity comes resigns himself to God's blessed will, and thus secures peace to his soul; but how can the sinner, if he is an enemy of God, pacify himself by resignation to God's holy appointments ? Besides, sin always brings with it the dread of divine vengeance. The wicked man fleeth, when no man pursueth. (Proverbs 28:1) Yes, for his own sin followeth after him, and by the remorse with which it preys upon his soul, makes him suffer an anticipated hell.
O my Lord and my God ! I am exceedingly sorry for having forsaken Thee; do Thou forgive me, and suffer me not to lose Thee any more.
Delight in the Lord, and He will give thee the requests of thy heart. (Psalm 36:4) Man, whither goest thou in search of content? Seek after God, and he will satisfy all the desires of thy soul. " Seek," says St. Augustine, "the one only good, in whom are all other goods." Behold a St. Francis, who when stripped of all worldly goods, being still united with God, found in this a heaven even here upon earth, and could not often enough exclaim, "My God ! my God and my all!"' Happy the soul that leaves all for God, for in him it finds all.
O Jesus! instead of abandoning me, as I have deserved, Thou offerest me pardon, and callest me to Thy love. Behold, I return to Thee overwhelmed with sorrow for the evil which I have done, and deeply affected at seeing that even still Thou lovest me after the many offences I have committed against Thee. Thou lovest me, and I also love Thee and love Thee more than myself. Receive me into Thy favor, and do with me whaf Thou pleasest; only do not deprive me of Thy love Mary, Mother, have pity on me.
O my God ! what, of all the delights by which I have offended Thee, now remains but bitterness and sorrow to torment me? I do not regret the bitterness which they now cause me; but only the displeasure which they have given Thee, who hast so much loved me.
The wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest. (Isaiah 57:20) What is a soul in disgrace with God but a tempestuous sea, always in agitation? — one wave rises and another succeeds, and all are waves of pain and anguish. No one in the world can have all things according to his will. He who loves God, when adversity comes resigns himself to God's blessed will, and thus secures peace to his soul; but how can the sinner, if he is an enemy of God, pacify himself by resignation to God's holy appointments ? Besides, sin always brings with it the dread of divine vengeance. The wicked man fleeth, when no man pursueth. (Proverbs 28:1) Yes, for his own sin followeth after him, and by the remorse with which it preys upon his soul, makes him suffer an anticipated hell.
O my Lord and my God ! I am exceedingly sorry for having forsaken Thee; do Thou forgive me, and suffer me not to lose Thee any more.
Delight in the Lord, and He will give thee the requests of thy heart. (Psalm 36:4) Man, whither goest thou in search of content? Seek after God, and he will satisfy all the desires of thy soul. " Seek," says St. Augustine, "the one only good, in whom are all other goods." Behold a St. Francis, who when stripped of all worldly goods, being still united with God, found in this a heaven even here upon earth, and could not often enough exclaim, "My God ! my God and my all!"' Happy the soul that leaves all for God, for in him it finds all.
O Jesus! instead of abandoning me, as I have deserved, Thou offerest me pardon, and callest me to Thy love. Behold, I return to Thee overwhelmed with sorrow for the evil which I have done, and deeply affected at seeing that even still Thou lovest me after the many offences I have committed against Thee. Thou lovest me, and I also love Thee and love Thee more than myself. Receive me into Thy favor, and do with me whaf Thou pleasest; only do not deprive me of Thy love Mary, Mother, have pity on me.
Monday
The Soul's Appearance at the Tribunal of God
When criminals are presented before their judges, though they fear and tremble, yet flatter themselves that either their crimes will not be proved against them, or that their judges will remit in part the punishments which they have deserved. O God! how great will be the horror of a guilty soul when presented before Jesus Christ, from whom nothing will be hidden, and who will judge it with the utmost severity! I am the Judge and the Witness, (Jeremiah 29:23) will he then say: "I am thy Judge, and I am witness of all the offences thou hast committed against me."
O my Jesus ! I deserved to hear this from Thy mouth, had the hour of my judgment arrived. But now Thou art pleased to assure me, that if I will repent of my sins, Thou wilt no longer remember them: I will not remember all his iniquities? (Ezekiel 18:22)
It is the opinion of divines, that in the same place in which the soul is separated from the body it will be judged, and its lot decided either for eternal life or eternal death. But should the soul unhappily depart from the body in sin, what will it be able to say when Jesus Christ reminds it of his abused mercies, of the years he granted it, of the calls by which he invited it, and of the many other means which he afforded it of securing its salvation ?
Jesus, my Redeemer! Thou who condemnest obstinate sinners, dost not condemn those who love Thee and who are sorry for having offended Thee. I am a sinner, but I love Thee more than myself, and I am sorry above every evil for having displeased Thee; oh, do Thou pardon me before the time comes when Thou wilt judge me!
At what hour you think not, the Son of man will come. (Luke 12:40)
When, therefore, O my Jesus and my Judge! Thou shalt judge me, after my death, Thy wounds will be a terror to me, reproaching me with my ingratitude for the love which Thou hast shown me in suffering and dying for me, but now they encourage me and give me confidence to hope for pardon from Thee, my Redeemer who for the love of me, and that Thou mayest not have to condemn me, didst suffer Thyself to be tormented and crucified. We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. O my Jesus ! have pity on me, who am one of those sheep for whom Thou didst shed Thy sacred blood. If hitherto I have despised Thee, I now esteem and love Thee above all things. Make known to me the means by which I may be saved, and strengthen me to fulfil Thy holy will. I will no longer abuse Thy goodness. Thou hast placed me under too many obligations to Thee; I will no longer suffer myself to live at a distance from Thee and deprived of Thy love. Mary, Mother of mercy, have compassion on me.
O my Jesus ! I deserved to hear this from Thy mouth, had the hour of my judgment arrived. But now Thou art pleased to assure me, that if I will repent of my sins, Thou wilt no longer remember them: I will not remember all his iniquities? (Ezekiel 18:22)
It is the opinion of divines, that in the same place in which the soul is separated from the body it will be judged, and its lot decided either for eternal life or eternal death. But should the soul unhappily depart from the body in sin, what will it be able to say when Jesus Christ reminds it of his abused mercies, of the years he granted it, of the calls by which he invited it, and of the many other means which he afforded it of securing its salvation ?
Jesus, my Redeemer! Thou who condemnest obstinate sinners, dost not condemn those who love Thee and who are sorry for having offended Thee. I am a sinner, but I love Thee more than myself, and I am sorry above every evil for having displeased Thee; oh, do Thou pardon me before the time comes when Thou wilt judge me!
At what hour you think not, the Son of man will come. (Luke 12:40)
When, therefore, O my Jesus and my Judge! Thou shalt judge me, after my death, Thy wounds will be a terror to me, reproaching me with my ingratitude for the love which Thou hast shown me in suffering and dying for me, but now they encourage me and give me confidence to hope for pardon from Thee, my Redeemer who for the love of me, and that Thou mayest not have to condemn me, didst suffer Thyself to be tormented and crucified. We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. O my Jesus ! have pity on me, who am one of those sheep for whom Thou didst shed Thy sacred blood. If hitherto I have despised Thee, I now esteem and love Thee above all things. Make known to me the means by which I may be saved, and strengthen me to fulfil Thy holy will. I will no longer abuse Thy goodness. Thou hast placed me under too many obligations to Thee; I will no longer suffer myself to live at a distance from Thee and deprived of Thy love. Mary, Mother of mercy, have compassion on me.
Thursday
The Mercy of God in Calling Sinners to Repentance
The Lord called to Adam, and said to him. Where art thou! (Genesis 3:9) These are the words of a father, says a pious author, going in quest of his lost son. Oh the immense compassion of our God ! Adam sins, he turns his back upon God; and yet God does not abandon him, but follows him and calls after him, " Adam, where art thou ?" Thus, my soul, has God frequently done towards thee; thou hadst forsaken him by sin; but he did not hesitate to approach thee, and to call upon thee by many interior lights, by remorse of conscience, and by his holy inspirations; all of which were the effects of his compassion and love.
O God of mercy, O God of love! how could I have so grievously offended Thee, how could I have been so ungrateful to Thee!
As a father when he beholds his son hastening to cast himself down from the brink of a precipice, presses forward towards him, and with tears endeavors M withhold him from destruction; so, my God, hast Thou done towards me. I was already hastening by my sins to precipitate myself into hell, and Thou didst hold me back. I am now sensible, O Lord! of the love which Thou hast shown me, and I hope to sing forever in heaven the praises of Thy mercy: The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever. (Psalm 88:2) I know, O Jesus! that Thou desirest my salvation; but I do not know whether Thou hast yet pardoned me. Oh ! give me intense sorrow for my sins, give me an ardent love for Thee, as signs of Thy merciful forgiveness.
O my Saviour! how can I doubt of receiving Thy pardon, when Thou Thyself dost offer it to me, and art ready to receive me with open arms on my return to Thee? Wherefore I do return to Thee, sorrowing and overpowered at the consideration that after all my offences against Thee, Thou indeed still lovest me. Oh that I had never displeased Thee, my sovereign good ! how much am I grieved for having done so ! Pardon me O Jesus ! I will never more offend Thee. But I shall not be able to rest satisfied with Thy forgiveness only: give me also a great love for Thee. Having so often deserved to burn in the fire of hell, I now desire to burn in the fire of Thy holy love. I love Thee, who art my only love, my life, my treasure, my all. O Mary, my protectress! pray for me, that I may continue faithful to God until the end of my life.
O God of mercy, O God of love! how could I have so grievously offended Thee, how could I have been so ungrateful to Thee!
As a father when he beholds his son hastening to cast himself down from the brink of a precipice, presses forward towards him, and with tears endeavors M withhold him from destruction; so, my God, hast Thou done towards me. I was already hastening by my sins to precipitate myself into hell, and Thou didst hold me back. I am now sensible, O Lord! of the love which Thou hast shown me, and I hope to sing forever in heaven the praises of Thy mercy: The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever. (Psalm 88:2) I know, O Jesus! that Thou desirest my salvation; but I do not know whether Thou hast yet pardoned me. Oh ! give me intense sorrow for my sins, give me an ardent love for Thee, as signs of Thy merciful forgiveness.
O my Saviour! how can I doubt of receiving Thy pardon, when Thou Thyself dost offer it to me, and art ready to receive me with open arms on my return to Thee? Wherefore I do return to Thee, sorrowing and overpowered at the consideration that after all my offences against Thee, Thou indeed still lovest me. Oh that I had never displeased Thee, my sovereign good ! how much am I grieved for having done so ! Pardon me O Jesus ! I will never more offend Thee. But I shall not be able to rest satisfied with Thy forgiveness only: give me also a great love for Thee. Having so often deserved to burn in the fire of hell, I now desire to burn in the fire of Thy holy love. I love Thee, who art my only love, my life, my treasure, my all. O Mary, my protectress! pray for me, that I may continue faithful to God until the end of my life.
Tuesday
The Turning away from God by Sin
St. Augustine and St. Thomas define mortal sin to be a turning away from God: that is, the turning of one's back upon God, leaving the Creator for the sake of the creature. What punishment would that subject deserve who, while his king was giving him a command, contemptuously turned his back upon him to go and transgress his orders? This is what the sinner does; and this is punished in hell with the pain of loss, that is, the loss of God, a punishment richly deserved by him who in this life turns his back upon his sovereign good.
Alas! my God, I have frequently turned my back upon Thee; but I see that Thou hast not yet abandoned me; I see that Thou approachest me, and inviting me to repentance, dost offer me Thy pardon. I am sorry above every evil for having offended Thee, do Thou have pity on me.
Thou hast forsaken Me, saith the Lord, thou hast gom backward. (Jeremiah 15:6) God complains and says, Ungrateful soul, thou hast forsaken me! I should never have forsaken thee hadst thou not first turned thy back upon me: thou hast gone backward. O God, with what consternation will these words fill the soul of the sinner when he stands to be judged before Thy divine tribunal!
Thou makest me hear them now, O my Saviour! not to condemn me, but to bring me to sorrow for the offences I have committed against Thee. Yes, O Jesus! I sincerely repent of all the displeasure which I have given Thee. For my own miserable gratifications I have forsaken Thee, my God, my sovereign, infinite good! But behold me a penitent returned to Thee; and reject me not.
Why will you die, O house of Israel? return ye and live. (Ezekial 18:31) I have died, says Jesus Christ, for the salvation of your souls, and why will you condemn them by your sins to eternal death? Return to me, and you will recover the life of my grace.
O Jesus! I should not dare to crave Thy pardon, did I not know that Thou hast died to obtain my forgiveness. Alas! how often have I despised Thy grace and Thy love! O that I had died rather than ever offered Thee so great an injury ! But Thou, who didst come near to me even when I offended Thee, wilt not now reject me, when I love Thee and seek no other but Thee. My God and my all, suffer me not any more to be ungrateful to Thee. Mary, Queen and Mother, obtain for me the grace of holy perseverance.
Alas! my God, I have frequently turned my back upon Thee; but I see that Thou hast not yet abandoned me; I see that Thou approachest me, and inviting me to repentance, dost offer me Thy pardon. I am sorry above every evil for having offended Thee, do Thou have pity on me.
Thou hast forsaken Me, saith the Lord, thou hast gom backward. (Jeremiah 15:6) God complains and says, Ungrateful soul, thou hast forsaken me! I should never have forsaken thee hadst thou not first turned thy back upon me: thou hast gone backward. O God, with what consternation will these words fill the soul of the sinner when he stands to be judged before Thy divine tribunal!
Thou makest me hear them now, O my Saviour! not to condemn me, but to bring me to sorrow for the offences I have committed against Thee. Yes, O Jesus! I sincerely repent of all the displeasure which I have given Thee. For my own miserable gratifications I have forsaken Thee, my God, my sovereign, infinite good! But behold me a penitent returned to Thee; and reject me not.
Why will you die, O house of Israel? return ye and live. (Ezekial 18:31) I have died, says Jesus Christ, for the salvation of your souls, and why will you condemn them by your sins to eternal death? Return to me, and you will recover the life of my grace.
O Jesus! I should not dare to crave Thy pardon, did I not know that Thou hast died to obtain my forgiveness. Alas! how often have I despised Thy grace and Thy love! O that I had died rather than ever offered Thee so great an injury ! But Thou, who didst come near to me even when I offended Thee, wilt not now reject me, when I love Thee and seek no other but Thee. My God and my all, suffer me not any more to be ungrateful to Thee. Mary, Queen and Mother, obtain for me the grace of holy perseverance.
Monday
The Frequent Thought of Death
Men who are attached to this world endeavor to banish the thoughts of death from their minds, as though, by avoiding the remembrance of death, they could avoid death itself. But no; by banishing the thoughts of death from their minds, they expose themselves to greater danger of making an evil end. There is no alternative: sooner or later we must die; and what is still more, we can die but once; and if once we be lost, we shall be lost forever.
My God, I give Thee thanks for having enlightened me. I have already lost too many years in offending Thee; but I will now spend the remainder of my life entirely in Thy service. Command me what Thou wiliest, for I desire to please Thee in all things.
Holy anchorets, who formerly fled from the world into deserts in order to secure for themselves a happy death, took nothing with them but some spiritual book and a skull, by the sight of which they might continually keep up in their minds the remembrance of their last end. They meditated upon it, saying: "As the bones of him to whom this skull belonged, so will the bones of my body one day be: and my soul—who knows where that shall dwell?" And thus they endeavored to gain not the goods of this life, but of that life which will never end.
I give Thee thanks, O Lord! for not having suffered me to die when I was in the state of sin. I am sorry for having offended Thee, and hope, through Thy precious blood, for mercy and pardon. I desire, O Jesus! to renounce all things, and to do my utmost to please Thee.
A certain hermit, being at the point of death, was observed to smile, and being asked why he was so cheerful, answered: "I have always kept death before my eyes, and hence, now that it is come, it does not alarm me." The approach of death, therefore, is terrible to those only who have thought of nothing but of gratifying themselves during their lifetime, and have never thought of their last end; but it is not terrible to those who, by frequently thinking upon it, have learned to despise all earthly goods, and to love nothing but God.
O my Savior! I perceive that death is already drawing near to me, and as yet I have done nothing for Thee, who didst die for me. No, before death, I will, O God! love Thee, who art worthy of infinite love. I have hitherto dishonored Thee by the offences which I have committed against Thee; but I am sorry for them with mv whole heart. For the future I will honor Thee, by loving Thee to the utmost of my power. Give me light and strength to do so. Thou wouldst have me be wholly Thine, and such do I desire to be. Help me by Thy grace; in Thee do I confide. And in thee also do I confide, 0 Mary, my Mother, and my hope!
My God, I give Thee thanks for having enlightened me. I have already lost too many years in offending Thee; but I will now spend the remainder of my life entirely in Thy service. Command me what Thou wiliest, for I desire to please Thee in all things.
Holy anchorets, who formerly fled from the world into deserts in order to secure for themselves a happy death, took nothing with them but some spiritual book and a skull, by the sight of which they might continually keep up in their minds the remembrance of their last end. They meditated upon it, saying: "As the bones of him to whom this skull belonged, so will the bones of my body one day be: and my soul—who knows where that shall dwell?" And thus they endeavored to gain not the goods of this life, but of that life which will never end.
I give Thee thanks, O Lord! for not having suffered me to die when I was in the state of sin. I am sorry for having offended Thee, and hope, through Thy precious blood, for mercy and pardon. I desire, O Jesus! to renounce all things, and to do my utmost to please Thee.
A certain hermit, being at the point of death, was observed to smile, and being asked why he was so cheerful, answered: "I have always kept death before my eyes, and hence, now that it is come, it does not alarm me." The approach of death, therefore, is terrible to those only who have thought of nothing but of gratifying themselves during their lifetime, and have never thought of their last end; but it is not terrible to those who, by frequently thinking upon it, have learned to despise all earthly goods, and to love nothing but God.
O my Savior! I perceive that death is already drawing near to me, and as yet I have done nothing for Thee, who didst die for me. No, before death, I will, O God! love Thee, who art worthy of infinite love. I have hitherto dishonored Thee by the offences which I have committed against Thee; but I am sorry for them with mv whole heart. For the future I will honor Thee, by loving Thee to the utmost of my power. Give me light and strength to do so. Thou wouldst have me be wholly Thine, and such do I desire to be. Help me by Thy grace; in Thee do I confide. And in thee also do I confide, 0 Mary, my Mother, and my hope!
Sunday
The Great Affair of Salvation
The affair of our eternal salvation is of all affairs the most important. But how comes it that men use all diligence to succeed in the affairs of this world, leave no means untried to obtain a desirable situation, to gain a lawsuit, or to bring about a marriage, reject no counsels, neglect no measures by which to secure their object, neither eat nor sleep, and yet do nothing to gain eternal salvation, — nothing to gain it, but everything to forfeit it, as though hell, heaven, and eternity were not articles of faith, but only fables and lies?
O God! assist me by Thy divine light; suffer me not to be any longer blinded, as I hitherto have been.
If an accident happen to a house, what is not immediately done to repair it? If a jewel be lost, what is not done to recover it? The soul is lost, the grace of God is lost, and men sleep and smile1 We attend most carefully to our temporal welfare, and almost entirely neglect our eternal salvation ! We call those happy who have renounced all things for God; why then are we so much attached to earthly things?
O Jesus ! Thou hast so much desired my salvation as to shed Thy blood and lay down Thy life to secure it; and I have been so indifferent to the preservation of Thy grace as to renounce and forfeit it for mere nothing ! I am sorry, O Lord ! for having thus dishonored Thee. I will renounce all tilings to attend only to Thy love, my God, who art most worthy of all love.
The Son of God gives his life to save our souls; the devil is most diligent in his endeavors to bring them to eternal ruin: and do we take no care of them? St. Philip Neri convicts that man of the height of folly who is inattentive to the salvation of his soul. Let us arouse our faith: it is certain that, after this short life, another life awaits us, which will be either eternally happy 0r eternally miserable. God has given us to choose which we will. Before man is life and death . . . that which he shall choose shall be given him. (Ecclesiastes 15:18) Ah ! let us make such a choice now as we shall not have to repent of all eternity.
O God! make me sensible of the great wrong I have done Thee in offending Thee and renouncing Thee for the love of creatures. I am sorry with my whole heart for having despised Thee, my sovereign good; do not reject me now that I return to Thee. I love Thee above all tilings, and for the future I will lose all things rather than forfeit Thy grace. Through the love which Thou hast shown me in dying for me, succor me with Thy help, and do not abandon me. O Mary, Mother of God! be thou my advocate.
O God! assist me by Thy divine light; suffer me not to be any longer blinded, as I hitherto have been.
If an accident happen to a house, what is not immediately done to repair it? If a jewel be lost, what is not done to recover it? The soul is lost, the grace of God is lost, and men sleep and smile1 We attend most carefully to our temporal welfare, and almost entirely neglect our eternal salvation ! We call those happy who have renounced all things for God; why then are we so much attached to earthly things?
O Jesus ! Thou hast so much desired my salvation as to shed Thy blood and lay down Thy life to secure it; and I have been so indifferent to the preservation of Thy grace as to renounce and forfeit it for mere nothing ! I am sorry, O Lord ! for having thus dishonored Thee. I will renounce all tilings to attend only to Thy love, my God, who art most worthy of all love.
The Son of God gives his life to save our souls; the devil is most diligent in his endeavors to bring them to eternal ruin: and do we take no care of them? St. Philip Neri convicts that man of the height of folly who is inattentive to the salvation of his soul. Let us arouse our faith: it is certain that, after this short life, another life awaits us, which will be either eternally happy 0r eternally miserable. God has given us to choose which we will. Before man is life and death . . . that which he shall choose shall be given him. (Ecclesiastes 15:18) Ah ! let us make such a choice now as we shall not have to repent of all eternity.
O God! make me sensible of the great wrong I have done Thee in offending Thee and renouncing Thee for the love of creatures. I am sorry with my whole heart for having despised Thee, my sovereign good; do not reject me now that I return to Thee. I love Thee above all tilings, and for the future I will lose all things rather than forfeit Thy grace. Through the love which Thou hast shown me in dying for me, succor me with Thy help, and do not abandon me. O Mary, Mother of God! be thou my advocate.
Saturday
The Sacred Wounds of Jesus
St. Bonaventure says that the wounds of Jesus wound the hardest hearts and inflame the coldest souls. And in truth, how can we believe that God permitted himself to be buffeted, scourged, crowned with thorns, and finally put to death for the love of us, and yet not love him? St. Francis of Assisi frequently bewailed the ingratitude of men as he passed along the country, saying, "Love is not loved, love is not loved."
Behold, O my Jesus! I am one of those who are thus ungrateful, who have been so many years in the world and have not loved Thee. And shall I, my Redeemer, remain forever such? No, I will love Thee until death, and will give myself wholly to Thee; mercifully accept of me and help me.
The Church, when she shows us Jesus Christ crucified, exclaims: "His whole figure breathes forth love; his head bowed down, his arms extended, his side opened." She cries out: Behold, O man! behold thy God, who has died for thy love; see how his arms are extended to embrace thee, his head bowed down to give thee the kiss of peace, his side opened to give thee access to his heart, if thou wilt but love him.
Assuredly I will love Thee, my treasure, my love, and my all. And whom shall I love, if I love not God who has died for me?
The charity of Christ, saith the Apostle, presseth us. (2 Corinthians 5:14) Ah! my Redeemer, Thou hast died for the love of men; yet men do not love Thee, because they live unmindful of the death which Thou hast suffered for them. Did they bear it in mind, how could they live witliout loving Thee? "Knowing," says St. Francis de Sales, "that Jesus being really God, has so loved us as to suffer the death of the cross for us, do we not on this account feel our hearts, as it were, in a press, in which they are forcibly held, and love expressed from them by a kind of violence, which is the more powerful as it is the more amiable?" And this is what St. Paul says in these words: The charity of Christ presseth us, the love of Jesus Christ forces us to love him.
Ah! my beloved Saviour, heretofore I have despised Thee, but now I esteem and love Thee more than my own life; nothing afflicts me so much as the remembrance of the many offences I have committed against Thee. Pardon me, O Jesus ! and draw my whole heart to Thyself, that so I may not desire, nor seek, nor sigh after any other beside Thee. O Mary, my mother! help me to love Jesus.
Behold, O my Jesus! I am one of those who are thus ungrateful, who have been so many years in the world and have not loved Thee. And shall I, my Redeemer, remain forever such? No, I will love Thee until death, and will give myself wholly to Thee; mercifully accept of me and help me.
The Church, when she shows us Jesus Christ crucified, exclaims: "His whole figure breathes forth love; his head bowed down, his arms extended, his side opened." She cries out: Behold, O man! behold thy God, who has died for thy love; see how his arms are extended to embrace thee, his head bowed down to give thee the kiss of peace, his side opened to give thee access to his heart, if thou wilt but love him.
Assuredly I will love Thee, my treasure, my love, and my all. And whom shall I love, if I love not God who has died for me?
The charity of Christ, saith the Apostle, presseth us. (2 Corinthians 5:14) Ah! my Redeemer, Thou hast died for the love of men; yet men do not love Thee, because they live unmindful of the death which Thou hast suffered for them. Did they bear it in mind, how could they live witliout loving Thee? "Knowing," says St. Francis de Sales, "that Jesus being really God, has so loved us as to suffer the death of the cross for us, do we not on this account feel our hearts, as it were, in a press, in which they are forcibly held, and love expressed from them by a kind of violence, which is the more powerful as it is the more amiable?" And this is what St. Paul says in these words: The charity of Christ presseth us, the love of Jesus Christ forces us to love him.
Ah! my beloved Saviour, heretofore I have despised Thee, but now I esteem and love Thee more than my own life; nothing afflicts me so much as the remembrance of the many offences I have committed against Thee. Pardon me, O Jesus ! and draw my whole heart to Thyself, that so I may not desire, nor seek, nor sigh after any other beside Thee. O Mary, my mother! help me to love Jesus.
Thursday
The Folly of Living as Enemies of God
Sinners call the saints who, in this life, fly from honors, riches, and the pleasures of sense, and embrace poverty, contempt, and mortification, fools. But at the day of final retribution they will confess that they themselves have been fools in judging the lives of the saints to be folly: We fools esteemed their life madness? (Wisdom 5:4) And what greater folly can there be than to live without God?— which is to live a miserable life in this world, to be succeeded by a still more miserable one in hell.
No, I will not wait till the last day to confess my folly; I now confess it: how great has it been in offending Thee, my sovereign good! Father, I am not worthy to be called Thy son. (Luke 15:19) Father, I am not worthy to receive Thy forgiveness, but I hope for it through the blood which Thou hast shed for my sake. My Jesus, I am sorry for having despised Thee, I love Thee above all things.
Unhappy sinners! blinded by their sins, they lose all judgment. What would be said of a man who should sell a kingdom for the smallest coin? And what should be said of him who, for a momentary pleasure, a vapor, a caprice, sells heaven and the grace of God ? They think only of this life, which will shortly end, and in the mean time deserve hell for that life which will never end. O my God! permit me not to become any more so blind as to prefer, as I have hitherto done, my own unlawful gratifications before Thee, and for the sake of them to despise Thee, my sovereign good! I now detest them, and love Thee above all things.
Miserable worldlings! the time will come when they will bewail their folly; but when? — when there will be no longer anything to prevent their eternal ruin. Then will they 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. (Wisdom 5:8) Behold, they will exclaim, how all our delights have passed away like a shadow, and nothing remains to us now but suffering and eternal lamentation!
Dear Jesus! have pity on me. I had forgotten Thee, but Thou didst not forget me. I love Thee with my whole soul, and I detest above all evil whatever sins I have committed against Thee. Pardon me, O God! and remember not my offences against Thee. And since Thou knowest my weakness, do not abandon me; give me strength to overcome all things to please Thee. O Mary, Mother of God ! in thee do I place my hopes.
No, I will not wait till the last day to confess my folly; I now confess it: how great has it been in offending Thee, my sovereign good! Father, I am not worthy to be called Thy son. (Luke 15:19) Father, I am not worthy to receive Thy forgiveness, but I hope for it through the blood which Thou hast shed for my sake. My Jesus, I am sorry for having despised Thee, I love Thee above all things.
Unhappy sinners! blinded by their sins, they lose all judgment. What would be said of a man who should sell a kingdom for the smallest coin? And what should be said of him who, for a momentary pleasure, a vapor, a caprice, sells heaven and the grace of God ? They think only of this life, which will shortly end, and in the mean time deserve hell for that life which will never end. O my God! permit me not to become any more so blind as to prefer, as I have hitherto done, my own unlawful gratifications before Thee, and for the sake of them to despise Thee, my sovereign good! I now detest them, and love Thee above all things.
Miserable worldlings! the time will come when they will bewail their folly; but when? — when there will be no longer anything to prevent their eternal ruin. Then will they 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. (Wisdom 5:8) Behold, they will exclaim, how all our delights have passed away like a shadow, and nothing remains to us now but suffering and eternal lamentation!
Dear Jesus! have pity on me. I had forgotten Thee, but Thou didst not forget me. I love Thee with my whole soul, and I detest above all evil whatever sins I have committed against Thee. Pardon me, O God! and remember not my offences against Thee. And since Thou knowest my weakness, do not abandon me; give me strength to overcome all things to please Thee. O Mary, Mother of God ! in thee do I place my hopes.
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