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.