Morning Meditation: “GATHER UP FIRST THE COCKLE, AND BIND IT INTO BUNDLES TO BURN” — (Gospel of Sunday. Matt. xiii., 24, 30)
Behold the final doom of sinners who abuse the Divine Mercy, – to burn in the fire of hell! God threatens hell, not that He may send us there, but in order that He may deliver us from that place of torments. Oh, how ardently would the damned desire a day or an hour of the time granted to me!
Meditation I:
In committing sin the sinner does two evils. He abandons God, the Sovereign Good, and turns to creatures. For my people have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns – broken cisterns – than can hold no water. — (Jer. ii., 13). Since, then, by turning to creatures the sinner offends God, he will be justly tortured in hell by the same creatures, 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 the pain arising from having lost God.
It is of Faith, that there is a hell – 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. — (Luke xvi., 28). A place of torments where all the senses and powers of the damned will have their own particular 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. — (Wis. xi., 17). As much as she hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies, so much torments and sorrow give ye to her. — (Apoc. xviii., 7). The sight will be tormented with darkness. A land, says Job, that is dark, and covered with the mist of death. — (Job, x., 21). How pitiable is the condition of a man shut up in a dark pit for forty or fifty years, or during his whole life! Hell is a dungeon closed up on every side, into which a ray of sun, or of any other light, shall never enter. He shall never see the light. — (Ps. xlviii., 20). The fire of this world sends forth light, but the fire of hell is utterly dark. The voice of the Lord divided the fire. — (Ps. xxviii., 7). 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. Albert the Great expounds them more briefly, and says that God “will divide the flame from the heat.” 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. — (Jude 13). St. Thomas teaches that the damned have only the light which serves to increase their torments. In that glimmering light they will see the deformity of their associates, and of the devils who will assume horrible forms in order to increase the terrors of the damned.
Ah, my Lord, behold at Thy feet one who has so much despised 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 Thy love? How can I 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 Thou 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.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: “BIND INTO BUNDLES TO BURN”: THE FIRES OF HELL
Evening Meditation: LET US LABOUR FOR ETERNITY
Meditation I:
Meditation II:
Morning Meditation: “SEEK YE THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND”
It is true that at whatsoever hour the sinner is converted, God promises pardon to him. But God has not promised that sinners will be converted at death. On the contrary, He has often protested that they who live in sin will die in sin. Therefore, seek ye the Lord while He may be found. — (Is. lv., 6).
Meditation I:
God unceasingly threatens sinners with an unhappy death. Then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear. — (Prov. i., 28). Will God hear his cry when distress shall come upon him? — (Job xxvii., 9). I also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock. — (Prov. i., 26). According to St. Gregory, God laughs when He is unwilling to show mercy. Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in due time. — (Deut. xxxii., 35). The Lord pronounces the same threats in many other places; and yet sinners live in peace as securely as if God had certainly promised to give them at death, pardon 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. — (Jo. viii., 21, 24). He has declared that they who shall seek Him at death, shall not find Him. You shall seek me, and shall not find me. — (Jo. vii., 34). We must, therefore, seek God while He may be found. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. — (Is. lv., 6). A time shall come when it will not be in your 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, “never learn to do good, except when the time for doing good is no more.” God wills the salvation of all, but He takes vengeance on obstinate sinners.
Should any man in the state of sin be seized with apoplexy and be deprived of his senses, what sentiments of compassion would be excited in all who see him die without the Sacraments and without signs of repentance! And how great would be their delight did he recover his senses, ask for absolution, and make 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 danger of dying suddenly, and of dying in sin. Weight and balance are the judgments of the Lord. — (Prov. xvi., 11). 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 to his sin, and takes him out of life in that unhappy state. Miserable the man who defers his conversion till death! “The repentance which is sought,” says St. Augustine, “from an infirm man is infirm.” St. Jerome teaches, that of a hundred thousand sinners who continue in sin till death, scarcely on shall be saved. St. Vincent Ferrer writes that it is a greater miracle to bring such sinners to salvation than to raise the dead to life.
Ah, my God, who would have borne with me so patiently as Thou hast? If Thy goodness were not infinite, I should despair of pardon. But I have to deal with a God Who has died for my salvation. Thou didst command 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. — (Ezech. xviii., 32). Thou hast promised to embrace him who is converted to Thee. Turn ye to me and I will turn to you. — (Zach. i., 3). Thou hast said that Thou knowest not how to despise a humble and contrite heart.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE FAITH: 9. – St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch. (February 1)
Evening Meditation: PASSING INTO ETERNITY
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Morning Meditation: IN DEATH THE SINNER SHALL SEEK FOR PEACE AND THERE SHALL BE NONE
What peace can the sinner enjoy when he sees that he must in a few moments appear before the Judgment seat of Jesus Christ Whose laws and friendship he has till then despised? When distress shall come upon them, they shall seek for peace and there shall be none. Trouble shall come upon trouble. — (Ezech. vii., 25). O Wounds of Jesus, you are my hope!
Meditation I:
At present sinners banish the remembrance and thought of death, and thus expect to find peace though they shall never find it in the sinful life they lead. But when they are in the straits of death and on the point of entering into eternity, they shall seek peace and 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 which sting her like so many vipers? What peace can the sinner enjoy when he sees that he must in a few moments appear before the Judgment seat of Jesus Christ, Whose law and friendship he has till then despised? Trouble shall come upon trouble. The news that he must now die, 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 now, the rigour of the Divine Judgment, the unhappy eternity which awaits sinners – all these things will form a horrible tempest which will confuse the mind and increase diffidence: 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. But sinners, with great guilt, hope foolishly and to their own ruin, because they hope not only against hope, but also contrary to the teachings of their Faith, for 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.
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 behold you, the Fountains of mercy and grace, through which a God has shed all His Blood, to wash my soul from the sins 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 you, I raise up my hopes, and turn my affections to you, O Wounds of Jesus.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE FAITH: 10. – St. Pionius, Priest. (February 1)
Evening Meditation: THE REFORMATION OF OUR LIVES
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Meditation II:
Morning Meditation: TARDY REGRETS OF A DYING MAN
O fool that I have been! –the poor sick man will say, –with the lights and opportunities that God gave me I could have become a Saint! And now I shall scarcely save my soul! The sick man will wish for time, but the assisting Priest will say: Go forth! Do you not know that death will wait for no one?
Meditation I:
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 his past amusements, rivalries overcome, and the former display of pomp; thorns in the friends who will visit him, and in whatever their presence shall bring before his mind; thorns in the confessors who may in turn assist him; thorns in the Sacraments of Penance, Eucharist, and Extreme Unction, which he must receive; thorns even in the Crucifix 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 gave me I could have become a Saint! I could have led a life of happiness in the grace of God, and after the many years He gave me, what do I find but torment, distrust, fears, remorse of conscience, and an account to render to God! I shall now scarcely save my soul! And when will he say this? When the oil in the lamp is just being consumed, and the scene of this world is about to close forever; when he finds himself face to face with two eternities, one happy, the other miserable; when he is near that last gasp on which depends his everlasting bliss or eternal despair. 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 of breathing under which he labours, 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 that threatens him, and which he feels himself unable to avert. He would wish for time; but the assisting priest shall say to him, Proficiscere! – Go forth! 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?
Ah, my God, Thou willest not my death, but that 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.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE FAITH: 11. – St. Blase, Bishop of Sebaste. (February 3)
Evening Meditation: THE MERCIFUL CHASTISEMENTS OF GOD
Meditation I:
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Morning Meditation: CONFIDENCE IN JESUS CHRIST
The Divine Mercy is like a vast fountain from which he who has brought the largest vessel of confidence carries away the richest abundance of graces. This is according to what the Psalmist says: Let thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, according as we have put our trust in thee. — (Ps. xxxii., 22). Let us go with confidence, then, to the feet of Jesus Christ, and there we shall find mercy and pardon.
Meditation I:
Wonderfully great is the mercy of Jesus Christ to us; but for our greater good He desires that we should put our trust in His mercy with a lively confidence, trusting in His merits and His promises. Therefore St. Paul recommends us to preserve this confidence, saying that it has a great reward from God. — (Heb. x., 35). When a fear, then, of the Divine Judgment seems to diminish this confidence in us, we ought to cast it away, and say to ourselves: “My heart, dost thou tremble? Knowest thou not how to hope? Banish thy fear, and tremble not. Why wilt thou trouble me? Hope in the Lord that we may one day sing His praise and His glory.”
The Lord revealed to St. Gertrude that our confidence so constrains Him that He cannot possibly refuse to hear us in whatever we seek of Him. The same was said by St. John Climachus: “prayer exerts a holy violence upon God.” Every prayer offered with confidence, as it were, forces God; but this force is acceptable and pleasing to Him. Therefore, St. Bernard writes that the Divine mercy is like a vast fountain from which he who brings a larger vessel of confidence carries away a richer abundance of graces. And this is according to what the Psalmist wrote, Let thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, according as we have put our trust in thee. — (Ps. xxxii., 22).
God has declared by the Royal Prophet that He protects and saves all who trust in him. — (Ps. xvii., 31; xvi., 7). And again: Let all them be glad that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shall dwell in them. — (Ps. v., 12). The same Prophet said: Mercy is round about all who trust in God. — (Ps. xxxi., 10). He that trusts in God shall ever be so guarded and encircled around that he is safe from all danger of perishing. Oh, what great promises the Holy Scriptures make to those who trust in God! Are we lost through our sins? Behold the remedy at hand! Let us go with confidence, says the Apostle, to the feet of Jesus Christ, the throne of grace, and there shall we find mercy and pardon. — (Heb. iv., 16). Let us not wait to go to Jesus Christ until He sits upon His throne of Judgment; let us hasten at once while He sits on His throne of grace.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE FAITH: 12. — Ss. Phileas, Bishop of Thmuis, and Philoromus, Tribune (February 4)
Evening Meditation: THE FOLLY OF LIVING AS ENEMIES OF GOD
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Morning Meditation: THE WOUNDS OF JESUS OUR HOPE
The Wounds of Jesus Christ are now the blessed Fountains from which we can draw forth all graces. What, then, art thou afraid of, O sinner? Be not distrustful, says Jesus; see how much thou didst cost Me! I keep thee engraven upon My hands in these Wounds. These are ever reminding Me to help thee, and to defend thee from thine enemies. Love Me and have confidence!
Meditation I:
Oh, how great is the hope of salvation which the death of Jesus Christ imparts to us! Who is he that shall condemn? Christ Jesus who died, who also maketh intercession for us. — (Rom. viii., 34). Who is it, asks the Apostle, that has to condemn us? It is that same Redeemer Who, in order not to condemn us to eternal death, condemned Himself to a cruel death upon a Cross. From this St. Thomas of Villanova encourages us, saying: What dost thou fear, sinner, if thou art willing to leave off thy sin? How should that Lord condemn thee, Who died in order not to condemn thee? How should He drive thee away when thou returnest to His feet, He Who came from Heaven to seek thee when thou wert fleeing from Him? “What art thou afraid of, sinner? How shall He condemn thee penitent, Who died that you may not be condemned? How shall He cast thee off returning, Who came from Heaven seeking thee?” But greater still is the encouragement given us by this same Saviour of ours, when, speaking by Isaias, He says: Behold, I have graven thee upon my hands; thy walls are always before my eyes. — (Is. xlix., 16). Be not distrustful, My sheep; see how much thou didst cost Me. I keep thee engraved upon My hands, in these Wounds which I have suffered for thee; these are ever reminding Me to help thee, and to defend thee from thine enemies: love Me, and have confidence.
Yes, my Jesus, I love Thee, and feel confidence in Thee. To rescue me, yea, this has cost Thee dear; but to save me will cost Thee nothing. It is Thy will that all should be saved, and that none should perish. If my sins cause me to dread, Thy goodness reassures me; more desirous as Thou art to do me good than I am to receive it. Ah, my beloved Redeemer, I will say to Thee with Job: Even though thou shouldst kill me, yet will I hope in thee, and thou wilt be my Saviour. — (Job xiii., 15). Wert Thou even to drive me away from Thy Presence, O my Love, yet would not I cease from hoping in Thee, Who art my Saviour. These Wounds of Thine and this Blood encourage me to hope for every good from Thy mercy. I love Thee, O dear Jesus, I love Thee and I hope in Thee.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE FAITH: 13. – St. Agatha, Virgin. (February 5)
Evening Meditation: WHEN JESUS APPEARS MOST LOVELY
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Morning Meditation: CONFIDENCE IN THE INTERCESSION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: HER POWER TO HELP US
Consider how great are the grounds of hope the soul has that trusts in the intercession of the great Mother of God. Behold the words applied by the Church to Mary on her Festivals: He that shall find me shall find life and shall have salvation from the Lord. — (Prov. viii., 35). It is impossible for a true and persevering client of Mary to be lost, for she can want neither the power nor the will to assist him.
Meditation I:
He that shall find me shall find life and shall have salvation from the Lord. He that shall find me, says Mary, shall find the life of grace here, and eternal glory hereafter. Addressing the Divine Mother, St. Anselm goes so far as to say that, as it is impossible for a person who is not devoted to Mary and protected by her, to be saved, so, on the other hand, it is impossible for him to be lost who recommends himself to Mary, and is regarded by her with love. St. Antoninus, says that all those that are defended by this great Queen are necessarily saved. St. Bonaventure writes that they that obtain the protection of Mary shall, even while they live on this earth, be acknowledged as companions by the Saints in glory, and that they that carry the badge of servant of Mary be written in the Book of Life. Thus to be devoted to Mary is a mark of predestination. The Angelic Doctor says that Mary is called the Star of the sea because, as navigators are directed to the port by means of the pole star, so Christians are guided to Paradise by Mary.
Should a person truly devoted to Mary be lost it would be because she is either unable or unwilling to assist him. “But no,” says St. Bernard, “she can neither lack the power nor the will.” It is impossible for a true and persevering client of Mary to be lost; because she can neither want the power nor the will to assist him. To inspire us with confidence, then, in this great advocate, the holy Church invokes her under the title of Powerful Virgin. Virgo potens, ora pro nobis! Yes, that God Who is omnipotent, has, as she herself has said, given her great power. He that is mighty hath done great things to me. — (Luke i., 49).
My Lady, if thou pray for me, I shall be saved; for thou dost obtain by thy prayers whatsoever thou wishest. Pray, then, for me, O great Mother of God: for thy Son hears thee, and grants whatever thou askest. It is true that I am unworthy of thy protection, but thou hast never abandoned a soul that had recourse to thee. O Mary, I consign my soul to thee; thou hast to save it. Obtain for me perseverance in the Divine grace, and the love of thy Son and of thee.
Meditation II:
Spiritual Reading: HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE FAITH: 14. – St. Leo of Patara. (February 18)
Evening Meditation: THE VANITY OF THE WORLD
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