Category: MEDITATIONS – ANTONIO CARD BACCI

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 2 February – The Purification of Our Lady

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Thought for the Day – 2 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Purification of Our Lady

“When we meditate on the subject of this Feast, we find two outstanding examples to be imitated.
The first is given by Mary.
She was perfectly pure and holy, conceived without original sin and full of grace.
She knew well that she had conceived her Divine Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So, she was not obliged to observe this humiliating law of purification.
Nevertheless, she fulfilled it and gave God the offering of the poor as a lesson for us, in humility and poverty.
It is so easy for us to excuse ourselves from obeying the law and to make a display of our special privileges before others.
Let us learn from Mary, to love silent submission and detachment from worldly wealth and honours.

The other example is given us by Jesus.
Being God, there was no need for Him to be bought back, in the same way as the first-born sons of the Israelites.
He was the Saviour who had come to redeem the human race from sin and make them heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.
But He said of Himself, “I have not come to destroy but to fulfil” (Mt 5:17).
A few days earlier He had submitted to the painful and humiliating rite of circumcision.
Now He allows Himself to be offered in the temple as a victim of expiation for all mankind.
These are glorious examples, before which, our pride should bow in shame.
We should be moved to offer ourselves to God, lovingly and without reserve”!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on VIRTUE

Thought for the Day – 1 February – True Peace

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Thought for the Day – 1 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

True Peace

true peace flourishes in an atmosphere of good - bacci 1 fe 2020

Everybody desires peace but very few people possess it.
A good many profound and beautiful definitions have been attempted.
Cicero called it “tranquilla libertas,” which one might translate as “undisturbed freedom.”
His general idea was that there can be no peace without liberty.
St Augustine defined it as “Hominum ordinata concordia” (De Civitate Dei, XLX, 13) or “Ordered agreement among men.”
St Thomas Aquinas followed on the same lines when he said, that peace was “tranquillitas ordinis” (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q.29, a1 ad 1) or “tranquillity of order.”
There are three necessary elements in peace.
They are order, harmony and liberty.
Right order is the most important.
Everything in us must be in it’s proper place.
As we have shown in the preceding meditation, our lower faculties must be entirely subordinate to right reason and, this must be completely subject to the law of God.

Every act of rebellion against this proper order, creates confusion in our nature and makes peace impossible.
Furthermore, there must be harmony and agreement.
This means that our minds must voluntarily accept and embrace this just order and not merely endure it with reluctance.
As St Thomas Aquinas says, peace is an act of charity, it comes indirectly from justice and directly from charity.   (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q 29, a1, ad 3).
We have perfect peace when this just order holds sway within us provided that we are not enduring it, as if it were a yoke but lovingly accepting it, under the inspiration of divine charity.
This is that genuine peace which gives us the liberty of the sons of God, that freedom from evil, with which Christ has set us free (Cf Gal 4:31, 2 Cor 3:17).
True peace flourishes in an atmosphere of goodness and perishes when it encounters evil.
Whether it is in the field of social relations or in the spiritual life, peace without liberty is not peace at all but slavery and death!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PEACE, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 31 January – Blessed are Those who Love Peace

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Thought for the Day – 31 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are Those who Love Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers,” Our Lord says, “for they shall be called children of God” (Mt 5:9).

All those who are in the state of grace and, therefore, living on the supernatural plane, are the adopted sons of God and shares in His divine nature (Cf 2 Peter 1:4), which they will enjoy one day in the Beatific Vision.
Our Saviour, however, refers to those who love peace, as being in a special way, the sons of God.
Why is this?
St Augustine offers the real explanation (Cf De Serm Domini, lib 1, Cap 2).   God is perfect peace and harmony.   In Him, there is no conflict.   His being and His activity, are identical.   He is perfect unity and simplicity, eternal and unaffected by the limitations of space and time.
Now, the son, should be a living image of the father.
Those who reflect, although necessarily in a limited way, this peace, harmony and serene activity in their own personality, deserve to be called, in a special way, the sons of God. They are the true lovers of peace.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PURITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN, To JESUS through MARY, Uncategorized

Thought for the Day – 30 January – How to Guard Holy Purity

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Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

How to Guard Holy Purity

st augustine warns us also in his confessions - on purity - bacci - 30 jan 2020

“Purity of heart is a quality which attracts everybody, even those who are evil themselves.   It makes a man seem like an angel in human form, for it shines from his countenance.
Unfortunately, the virtue of purity, is as difficult as it is beautiful.
It is fatal for anyone to cast himself into the mire.
The first sin of impurity is a disaster, because it is often the first link in a tragic chain, which makes him the salve of his lower impulses and of the tyrannical enemy of souls, the devil.

We must resist the earliest suggestions of the flesh, by every means in our power, both natural and supernatural.

St Thomas Aquinas tells us that none of the passions dethrones reason so much as sensuality (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q.53, a.6).
St Augustine warns us also in his Confessions, that lust has it’s cause in a perverse will and if anybody surrenders to it, he acquires the evil habit.
If this habit is not resisted, the sin becomes a frightening necessity.
Resist from the beginning, if you wish to avoid ruin and the slavery of the devil, who cunningly uses this passion, to capture souls.
If a man is overcome by violent temptation and falls into sin, however, he should not lose courage.
God is infinitely good and merciful.
He knows our weakness.
When anyone falls, let him rise immediately.
Let him return to God by repenting and making a good confession.
Let him resolve to make any sacrifice, rather than fall again!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in HOLY ORDERS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on PURITY, The BEATITUDES

Thought for the Day – 29 January – Blessed are the Clean of Heart

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Thought for the Day – 29 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are the Clean of Heart

it is a sublime dignity to belong body and soul to god - bacci 29 jan 2020

“Understood in it’s entirety, as embracing it’s higher grade, that is, perpetual virginity consecrated to God, purity of heart is a gift which only Christianity can give (Encyclical, Sacra Virginitas, Pope Pius XII, 1954).
If we have been called to receive this wonderful gift, let us humbly thank God.
It is a sublime dignity to belong, body and soul, to God.

Sacred Scripture says of men:  “What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man, that you should care for him?   You have made him a little less than the angels and crowned him with glory and honour.   You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet” (Ps 8:5, Heb 2:7).
But, under a certain aspect, those who are living in virginity, can be said to be superior to the angels.
Since an angel has no body, he offers God only the homage of his spirit.
A virgin, on the other hand, must bear the burden of an earthly body.
He must offer continually, on the altar of his heart (and often, after a heroic battle), not only his soul with it’s appetites and will but also, all the impulses and lower faculties “which wage war against the soul” (1 Pter 2:11).

This is a double sacrifice, which St Ambrose calls, a continual martyrdom of body and soul.
But the reward lies in the joy and peace which flow from this perpetual offering of soul and body to the Immaculate Lamb.
This happiness is a compensation, for any conflict, which must be endured and is, a foretaste of the joys of Heaven.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on MERCY, The BEATITUDES, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 28 January – Blessed are the Merciful

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Thought for the Day – 28 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are the Merciful

If we want God to show mercy to us, we must be merciful to those who are in material or spiritual distress.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7)

Let us recall the Gospel parable about the king who was making out the accounts of all his servants.
One man was brought before him who owed him the enormous sum of ten thousand talents.
He had no means of paying the debt.
In order to obtain at least some compensation, the king ordered that this servant should be sold, together with his wife and children.
But the servant wept and implored, so that the king was moved with pity and pardoned him completely.
When the servant had left the king’s presence, he met a fellow servant who owed him a small sum, namely, one hundred pieces of silver.
He threw himself angrily upon him immediately.
The unfortunate fellow began begging for mercy with tears in his eyes but, it was no use.
He was flung into prison and condemned to forced labour until such time as the debt would be paid.
Soon afterwards, the king came to hear of this incident.
He was furious with the cruel servant and ordered him to be put in prison and severely punished (Mt 18:23-25).

This parable refers to all of us.
What debts we have contracted before God!
Nevertheless, He is prepared to forgive us everything, provided that we are also merciful towards our fellowmen.
This should be a comforting assurance.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on MERCY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 27 January – The Rich

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Thought for the Day – 27 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Rich 

Sacred Scripture has some very severe and terrible things to say to the rich.
“Woe to you rich! for you are now having your comfort” (Lk 6:24).
“Amen, I say to you, with difficulty will a rich man enter the kingdom of heaven.   And further, I say to you, it is easier for a camel top pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:23-24, CF Mk 10:24-25, Lk 18:24-25).
St James adds:  “Come now, you rich, weep and howl over your miseries which will come upon you.   Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.   Your gold and silver are rusted and their rust will be a witness against you and will devour your flesh as fire does.   You have laid up treasure in the last days.   Behold, the wages of the labourers who reaped your fields, which have been kept back by you unjustly, cry out and their cry has entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts.   You have feasted upon earth and you have nourished your hearts on dissipation in the days of slaughter” (Js 5:1-5).

These passages are not concerned with the rich as such, for men like Abraham, Job and St Louis, the King of France, were wealthy.   They are directed against those who have become absorbed in their wealth (Mk 10:24) and have grown deaf to the rightful promptings of justice and charity.

Nevertheless, it is not only the wealthy and unjust who should reflect seriously on these stern words but also, those who have more than they need in life and are never moved by compassion for their less fortunate fellowmen.
Can we be counted amongst these?

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on WEALTH/RICHES, The BEATITUDES, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 26 January – Blessed are the Poor

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Thought for the Day – 26 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Blessed are the Poor 

“Blessed are the rich.”
This, is the judgement of the world.
But Jesus says: “Blessed are you poor” (Lk 6:20).
Whom are we to believe?
Naturally, we must believe Jesus.
A certain amount of confusion could arise, however, in our understanding of this maxim.
It becomes clear from the context of St Luke and still clearer in the words of St Matthew, who writes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Mt 5:3).
It is necessary, therefore, as St Jerome and others have commented, to be poor in our detachment from our possessions.

If a poor man longs for riches and envies and hates the wealthy because of their possessions, he is NOT poor in spirit.
Therefore, he cannot receive the blessing of which Our Lord spoke.
In the same way, a rich man may be attached to his great wealth.
Perhaps, he aims at nothing else but to increase it and, because he is thinking of it all the time, neglects his duty to God and to his neighbour.
Above all, love of riches may causes him to be lacking in justice and charity.
The behaviour of such a man is contrary to the law of God.
Meditate carefully on this point and do not neglect to make, whatever resolutions, seem necessary.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MEDIOCRITY, QUOTES on SANCTITY

Thought for the Day – 25 January – Mediocrity

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Thought for the Day – 25 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul

Mediocrity

we cannot be content with half-hearted efforsts - bacci 25 jan 2020

“A Christian cannot be satisfied with mediocrity.
He must strive for perfection.
This is the command of Jesus.
“You, therefore, are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
The same counsel is given in the Old Testament:  “You shall make and keep yourselves holy, because I am holy” (Lev 11:44).
The Apostles had the habit of referring to all the Christians of their time, as holy.
For instance, St Paul addresses the faithful of the church of Ephesus, in this way, (Eph 1:1), while, St Peter describes the Christian community as “a holy nation, a purchased people” (1 Peter 2:9).

We cannot be content with half-hearted efforts but, must work hard to become holy.
“I come,” says Jesus, “that they may have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10).
Some day we shall either be saints in Heaven, or among the damned in Hell.
Whoever is satisfied with MEDIOCRITY, BETRAYS the mission of Christ.
He returns ingratitude for His infinite goodness and SQUANDERS His divine grace.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUTH, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 24 January – Following Jesus

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Thought for the Day – 24 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Friday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Following Jesus

John 14 6 i am the way - there is only one reform necessary - bacci 24 jan 2020

“When we have renounced ourselves and have embraced our cross with resignation and love, we must follow Jesus.
We must follow Him in a special way as the infallible Teacher of truth.
The teachings of men cannot satisfy our intellects.
Still less, can they satisfy our hearts.
What they teach is either incomplete or false.
This is proved by the fact that the doctrines of mean have succeeded and replaced one another, down through the centuries while “the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

The teaching of Christ produces an extraordinary renovation in the individual, in the family and in society.
It is this renewal which we call Christianity and Christian civilisation.
There is a wide chasm between paganism and Christianity.
This gulf would be even wider, only for the fact that Christianity has not yet been fully put into practice throughout the universe.
There is only one reform necessary.
This is to realise the Christian ideal everywhere.
We must begin by carrying it out ourselves.
Let us follow Jesus, Who is saying to us:  “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). “He who follows Me does not walk in darkness” (Jn 8:12).

Let us follow our divine Master and we shall be sure that we are travelling towards Heaven!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST

Thought for the Day – 23 January – Carrying our Cross

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Thought for the Day – 23 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Thursday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Carrying our Cross

“When we have renounced ourselves in order to do the will of God in every detail, we must embrace our cross everyday.
We must carry it with resignation and love, in the footsteps of Jesus.
Each of us has his cross.
It might be, ill health or financial distress.
It might be, some person whom we feel to be intolerable and with whom we hve to live.
It might be, humiliation or calumny.
It might be, some temptation, which we find hard to fight and which is continually causing us to fall.
It might be, all of these things together.
Whatever it is, it is our cross.

To rebel, would be to make things far worse.
Our cross would only become heavier and more unbearable.
Jesus tells us to embrace it, as He did.
He tells us to bow beneath it’s weight and follow Him.
If we accept His invitation, at once our cross will seem lighter.
A man who is in love, does not feel fatigue.
We must carry our cross out of love of God and in the hope of a heavenly reward.
Then we can say with St Francis de Sales – “Suffering passes but the experience of having suffered for the love God remains.”
We shall understand how true were Our Lord’s words – “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).

The cross, which we accept, from the hands of Jesus and out of love for Him, is a sweet burden.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL

Thought for the Day – 22 January – Self-Denial

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Thought for the Day – 22 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Wednesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Self-Denial  

“Even though it may not have been put into practice very much, contempt for riches had been taught by some of the ancient pagan philosophers.
Nobody, before Christ, however, even thought of demanding self-renunciation, as well.
Self-denial might seem to be a degradation and almost an annihilation of human nature.
It might appear quite impossible.
Nevertheless, Jesus has said:  “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt 16:24)

Would God have commanded us to do something impossible?   Certainly not!
As St Augustine says, our divine Redeemer did not order us to do anything impossible but, to do whatever is perfect.
Perfection is, admittedly, difficult but it is not impossible.
Should we answer Jesus Christ’s command in the same way as the the disciples did on one occasion:  “This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?” (Jn 6:61)
No, our reply must be that which St Peter gave when Our Lord asked reproachfully, “Do you also wish to go away?” (Jn6:68)
We must repeat with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go?   Thou has the words of everlasting life and we have come to believe and to know, that Thou are the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn 6:69).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 21 January – Humility

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Thought for the Day – 21 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Humility

“Humility is the most difficult of all the virtues, because it requires us to deny ourselves.
Jesus warns us, that anyone who wishes to follow Him, must deny himself. “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself” (Mt 16:24).

Humility is necessary if we wish to go straight to Jesus, Who was the first to humble Himself by becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the Cross (Phil 2:8).
The Imitation of Christ contains some profound remarks upon this subject. “Seldom do we find anyone so spiritual as to be stripped of all things… If a man gives his whole substance, still it is nothing.   And if he do great penance, it is but little. And if he attain to all knowledge, he is far off still.    And if he have great virtue and very fervent devotions, there is still much wanting to him, namely, the one thing which is supremely necessary for him.   What is that?   That having left all things else, he leave also himself and wholly go out of himself and retain nothing of self-love.” (Bk II c 2:4).

When he has done all this, remember, he has only given God all that he received from Him.
He has given nothing which was really his.
He has only fulfilled an obligation of restitution.
When he has arrived at this stage of humility, therefore, he should repeat the words of Jesus.   “When you have done everything that was commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants, we have done what it was our duty to do'” (Lk 17:10).

This is genuine humility, as preached in the Gospel.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the POPE, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 20 January – The Pope

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Thought for the Day – 20 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

The Pope

there is, however, in the world one man - bacci 20 jan 2020

The words with which a great Bishop and orator, Bossuet, began the funeral oration of a great king, are well remembered in history:  “God alone is great.”
This is true in the absolute sense of the word.
We are all insignificant, because any greatness which we can possess, is not ours but comes from God.

There is, in the world, however, one man in whom the greatness of God is reflected, in the most outstanding way of all.
He participates in the authority and, in a certain sense, in the personality of Christ.
This man is the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Pope.

It is necessary, to think deeply about certain words of our Redeemer, which the protestants and schismatics of every age seem to be anxious to forget.
These words were addressed to Peter and through him, to all his successors in the Church, which was destined to last till the end of time (Mt 29:20).   “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.   And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and, whatever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven and whatever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.” (Mt 16:19-19).   And again: “Feed my lambs … Feed my lambs … Feed my sheep” (Jn 21:15-17).

These words need to be thought about rather than explained.
The Church is compared to a building which must rest upon one foundation stone – the Pope.
The Church is compared to a flock, which has only one shepherd – the Pope.
To him, is entrusted the divine power of binding and loosing upon earth.
This power, is granted to him personally.
It is given to the other Apostles, only as a group, united to him.

Antonio Cardinal Baccithe church is compared to a building - bacci - 20 jan 2020

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH

Thought for the Day – 19 January – The Church – Jesus’ Masterpiece

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Thought for the Day – 19 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

The Church

“Jesus Christ did not found the Church only as the Mystical Body, of which He is the Head and we are the members.
He also made it a visible and hierarchical society, the supreme authority in doctrine and morals, the distributor of His grace and of the means of Redemption.
If He had not done this, it would be impossible to understand how men could have carried on the saving work of the Redeemer, throughout the centuries.

The Church is Jesus’ Masterpiece.
It is empowered by His grace and authority, to enlighten men and guide them safely along the path of sanctity.
Jesus said to His Apostles and through them to their successors: “He who hears you, hears me and he who rejects you, rejects me” (Lk 10:16).
He also said: “I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world” (Mt 28:20).

This is why obedience is our first duty to the successors of the Apostles, in other words, to the hierarchical Church.
We must obey the Church, as we would obey Christ.
Anybody who makes exceptions or compromises in this matter, is not a true Christian!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE

Thought for the Day – 18 January – The Veneration and Imitation of the Saints

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Thought for the Day – 18 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Saturday of the First week in Ordinary Time, Year A

The Veneration and Imitation of the Saintswhat a wonder a saint is - bacci 18 jan 2020

“If anyone has the good fortune during his lifetime to meet a Saint, he should be very grateful to God.
What a wonder a Saint is!
He is a man, in whom God lives in the fullness of His grace, in such a way, that St Paul could say:  “It is now no longer I that live but Christ, lives in me.” (Gal 2:20).

He is a man of great spiritual tranquillity, who, by being master of things outside himself, as well as of the inner powers of his own being, can pay the full homage of love and obedience to God.
He is a man from whose glance, there flashes, the living image of God.
He can be found on a bed of pain, in the rags of a beggar, beneath the purple of a Cardinal, in the solitude of a hermitage, or in the hurly-burly of modern life.
It is all the same, because he is no longer involved with himself, nor with the world.
He seeks God alone, Who is his love and his glory.
Such is a Saint.
If we are not lucky enough to meet him in reality, we can and should, read and meditate about his life.
The literature of the Saints, is a practical complement to the Gospel, because, it shows us, how the Gospel should be lived.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The HOLY GHOST

Thought for the Day – 17 January – “The Vicissitudes of Life”

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Thought for the Day – 17 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Friday of the First week in Ordinary Time, Year A

“The Vicissitudes of Life”

life is a battle we must be armed - bacci 17 jan 2020

“There are times, when life is like a stream which flows peacefully between two flower-strewn grassbanks.
The sun shines brightly overhead and the whole world seems to smile.
The days pass pleasantly and the future is full of fair promise.
Virtue itself, seems to flower effortlessly, in our hearts.
But God grants these intervals of rest during our earthly voyage, so that we may renew our energy.

Life is a battle.
Therefore, we have to be armed and ready and always on the alert (Job 7:1)
“Wait here and watch” (Mt 26:38).
We must resolve to be prepared, from the earliest hour of the morning, to face the difficulties and temptations which can arise at any moment.
We must be armed with the weapons of the spirit, which we can easily obtain, if we live all the time, in the presence of God.
If we fail to acquire this habit of spiritual watchfulness, the trials and temptations of the day, will catch us off our guard and there is a danger that we may yield.’

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 16 January – Heaven 1

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Thought for the Day – 16 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Thursday of the First week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Heaven 1

in comparison with the poor pleasures of this world bacci 16 jan 2020 heaven 1

“Faith teaches us, that the soul which is in the state of grace and has expiated all the temporal punishments due to it’s sins, goes immediately to Heaven when it is separated from the body.
There, the soul enjoys eternal happiness.   It sees God, face-to-face.   It sees Him without any intervention of created things but, as He is, in Himself, in the Unity and Trinity of His infinte perfections.

In this beatific vision, the intellect remains completely satisfied, because, in God, there is every truth, beauty and goodness.
The will abandons itself entirely to the will of God, desiring nothing else and loving nothing else but God alone.
There springs from this abandonment, a love which satisfies every desire, an inexpressible joy and a boundless peace.
The happy soul will see the Blessed Virgin, too and she will smile upon it with maternal tenderness.
It will see the Angels and Saints gathered around the King of Kings and the Queen of Heaven, singing their praises.
St Paul, who was taken up to the third Heaven, tells us, that it is impossible to imagine or to describe, the unknown joys which are experienced there.
In comparison with the eternal happiness of Heaven, the poor pleasures of this world are empty shadows.
We cannot imagine the happiness of those, who have gained Heaven, by their good lives upon earth.
The concept of Heaven is so beautiful and immense, that it caused the Saints to desire death as a means of going there.
They welcomed suffering, too, because it brought them nearer to their goal.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on HELL, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 15 January – HELL 3

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Thought for the Day – 15 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

HELL 3

it is not god who is relentless - bacci 15 jan 2020 hell 3.jpg

“The greatest punishment, however, will be that of LOSS.
This is the knowledge that we have lost forever, our one, true and highest good.
God Himself!
The soul will now understand, fully, what it means to have lost God forever.
It will feel irresistibly, the need to be united with Him and to see, enjoy and love Him.
But, at the same time, it will KNOW that God has cast it away from Himself for all eternity, “Go, accursed soul, into everlasting fire!”
Then, the irresistible need for God, will turn to hate and eternal malediction.

The terrifying reality of hell, should not leave us amazed, as if it were an act of implacable severity.
Rather, it should be a warning to us.
God should not seem to us to be a pitiless judge but a judge who is infinitely just and infinitely good.
Rather than send us to hell, God gave us His only-begotten Son, Who died on the Cross for our sins.
Just as the Redemption is a work of infinite love and goodness, so hell is a work of infinite justice.

If we reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation, on the Redemption and on the death of the Son of God, it will appear that, omnipotent though He is, He could not have done more to save us.
The divine work of the Redemption explains the mystery of the eternity of hell.
It is not God Who is relentless.
It is the damned soul which was relentlessly ungrateful towards the infinitely good and merciful God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HELL, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 14 January – HELL 2

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Thought for the Day – 14 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Tuesday of the First week in Ordinary Time, Year A

HELL 2

they are flames which will never be extinguished bacci - snip no 2 -14 jan 2020.jpg

 

“In that place of never-ending suffering, there will be three punishments to torture us.
There will be the worm of conscience which does not die – “Their worm dies not” (Mk 9:43).
This is the awful realisation that we could have saved ourselves but are lost for all eternity, that God gave us so many graces and we damned ourselves, by abusing them.
Now there is no longer any remedy, because the mercy of God has been succeeded once and for all, by His justice.

In the second place, there is fire!
This is a real fire but altogether different from the material fire we know in this world, which was created by God for our benefit and service.
The fire of hell, on the other hand, was created by Divine Justice, purely to punish us.
It is a special kind of fire which tortures body and soul and the rebel angels, as well as damned human beings.
It could be called discerning, insofar, as it torments, more or less mercilessly, according to the gravity of the sin.
These flames embrace every evil and exclude every good.
They are flames which will never be extinguished, flames which burn but do not consume, flames without light – dark and accompanied by the shrieking of eternal despair.
The very thought of this horrible dungeon of torments should spur us onto begin immediately, a life of virtue and Christian perfection.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 13 January – HELL 1

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Thought for the Day – 13 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Monday of the First week in Ordinary Time, Year A

HELL 1

remember that a singel mortal sin - bacci - hell 1 13 jan 2020

“In whatever you do, remember your last days and you will never sin.” (Eccl 7:36)

“The meditation considered, by the masters of the spiritual life, to be the most useful for rousing the soul from sin, or from a state of torpor, is that on the last things, in other words, on what will happen to us at the end of life.
Amongst these last things, hell is the most terrifying.
Yet, if the mercy of God did not sustain us, we could fall into hell at any moment.
St John Chrysostom meditated on hell everyday.
All the Saints have found in this meditation, the first steps on the way to perfection.
Remember, that a single mortal sin, would merit hell for us.
In that moment, the sinner could have been already hurled into the abyss of torments.
Let us imagine, that we are there …. and, that the goodness and mercy of God has released us from those everlasting, all-devouring flames.   If this should happen, all the sacrifices, which virtue demands, would seem so easy and pleasant.
How ready we should be to do anything, sooner than return to that chasm of eternal sorrow!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DEATH

Thought for the Day – 12 January – The Death of the Just

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Thought for the Day – 12 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The Death of the Just

“Consider now the death of the just man.
Through his dying tears, he also will see the world slipping away from him.   But, one thing will remain to comfort him, namely, the memory of his good actions, of the virtues he acquired, of his fervent prayers and of his voluntary mortifications.
Above all, there will remain his great love of God, for Whom he has lived, worked and drawn breath.
In that moment, this love will even increase the flaming desire consuming his poor, frail body, to be united to God.
He will be able to say, as some of the Saints have said – “I never thought it would be so sweet to die.”
With St Louis, he will be able to say: “I am going joyfully to meet my God.”
He will be able to exclaim with St Charles: “I long for my body to be dissolved, so that I may be with Christ!” (Phil 1:23)

In the sight of God, the death of the good man is a very precious thing.   “Precious in the eyes of the Lord, is the death of His faithful ones” (Ps 115:6).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on DESPAIR, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SIN, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 11 January – The Death of the Sinner

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Thought for the Day – 11 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Saturday after Epiphany

The Death of the Sinnerit is the height of stupidity - bacci - 11 jan 2020.jpg

“The Sinner must also die.
For him death is really terrible.
Imagine him lying on his deathbed, instinctively aware, that his life is over.
The past will rise up to reproach him, a past full of sin and of ingratitude towards his Creator and Redeemer.
The plans which he has centred around profit, ambition and honour, will have vanished like smoke.
His friends, will have either deserted him, or will be at hand, to utter useless words, which will have no power to comfort him.
Now he must stand alone, alone before God!

What will happen, at that moment?
Perhaps, despair will overcome his soul, as it overcame the soul of Judas?
Perhaps, the innumerable graces which he has despised, will tip the balance of Divine Justice towards the abyss of damnation?
Or, will a final ray of mercy pierce his tired mind, burning with remorse, so that, with it’s last throb, his poor heart will torn towards God and implore His pardon?
Who can say?
It is certain, however, that of the two thieves dying beside the Cross of our Redeemer, only one heard Him say:
“This day, you will be with me in Paradise!”
The other, remained obdurate in his sin.
It is the height of stupidity, to wait to be converted, at the hour of death!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 10 January – The Apostolate of Suffering

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Thought for the Day – 10 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Fifth Day after Epiphany

The Apostolate of Suffering

In God’s plan, suffering has a special mission.
One might even call it a kind of apostolate.
Suffering reminds us continually, that we have not been made for this world but are on a journey towards eternity.
“Here we have no permanent city but we seek for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14)

Suffering is a spur which lifts our gaze towards Heaven, our real home, in which we shall find a happiness, which will have no end.
It would be disastrous if there were no suffering in this world!
It is the salt which preserves from corruption, our poor, fallen nature, tainted by sin.

When everything is going well and the passing pleasures of this life hold us fascinated, it is too easy to set our hearts on things below and to forget God.
But, when our bodies are racked with pain and our minds are troubled and lonely, then an inward turmoil seems to detach us from this earth and causes us to raise our tear-filled eyes, towards Heaven.   Purified and almost renovated, our hearts turn towards God, our one, true and supreme good.

This is why the Saints loved suffering.   Not only did they accept it with complete resignation but, they desired and requested it from God.
“Either to suffer or to die,” was the please of St Therese of the Child Jesus.
St Mary Magdalene del Pazzi, even added:  “To suffer and not to die.”

How well the Saints understood the mission which God has entrusted to suffering!
If it is accepted with faith, resignation and love, it can make us living images of Jesus, Who suffered beneath the weight of the Cross and died upon it, His Hands and Feet pierced with nails, His Head crowned with thorns, while He prayed for us and for all those who had crucified Him.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES for the NEW YEAR, QUOTES on PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 9 January – Good wishes and resolutions?

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Thought for the Day – 9 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Fourth Day after Epiphany

Good wishes and resolutions?

“During these days, it is customary to exchange, verbally or in writing, good wishes for the New Year.
But these poor greetings are often nothing more than conventional phrases.
Men lack the power to transmute such good wishes into reality.
God alone is the source of every material and spiritual good, therefore, He alone can ensure that these benevolent expressions are translated into deeds of Christian renovation.
Since we are at the beginning of a new year, it is especially important for us to ask God more fervently and insistently, to bless the resolutions which are making for ourselves and the good wishes, which we are showering on our friends.

These wishes have no meaning and these resolutions have no force, if they are not accompanied by fervent and persevering prayer!”

Antonio Cardinal Baccigood wishes and resolutions -these wishes have no meaning - prayer - bacci 9 jan 2020.jpg

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on DEATH, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 8 January – Death

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Thought for the Day – 8 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Third Day after Epiphany

Death

death - we must always be ready - bacci - 8 jan 2020.jpg

In theory, everybody believes in death.
In practice, many live as if they did not believe in it.
So, it is necessary and helpful, for us to meditate on death.
We begin to die on the day when we were born.
People say:  “I have lived twenty, thirty or forty years.” But, if they said, “I have used up twenty or thirty or forty years of my life,” how many would then be left?   We do not know, we only know that death will come at the very moment when we least expect it.
Let us always be prepared.
“You also must be ready, because at an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man is coming.” (Lk 12:40)

We must always be ready.
Let our faith be lively and active and our minds turned towards God, Who is waiting for us.
There is no need to be afraid.
He is good and merciful.
He desires our salvation.
This is a wonderfully consoling thought.   God desires my salvation!
Let us surrender ourselves to Him, therefore, as if we had to die this very moment!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 7 January – The Problem of Suffering

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Thought for the Day – 7 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Second Day after Epiphany

The Problem of Suffering

“Christianity, alone, offers an adequate explanation of the mystery of suffering.   Why is there such a thing as suffering?
The problem is a profound one and the explanations suggested by various schools of philosophy, fail to satisfy the human heart and leave the mind in doubt.
Christian doctrine tells us, that God is infinitely good but also infinitely just.
Being infinitely good, He created man without suffering.
He also gave man the wonderful gift of liberty, which man abused by committing sin.
Once the sin had been committed, God, in His infinite justice, demanded expiation.
Hence, suffering and death … “and through sin, death and thus death has passed unto all men because all have sinned” (Rom 5:12).
Together with death, came the never-ending series of misfortunes, of physical and moral sufferings, which beset humanity.

Suffering then, does not come directly from God. It is a consequence of and, a punishment for, sin.
But, there is also the aspect of expiation and redemption.
God, in His infinite justice, demands from man a penalty for his sin … but, He does not cease to be infinitely good.   Hence, to the mystery of suffering, there is added, the mystery of Redemption.   The Son of God Himself, is made man and takes upon Himself, all our sins.   For the full expiation of our sins, He, the “Man of Sorrows,” offers to the Eternal Father, His own sufferings of infinite value.

It would not be right, however, if we were to remain inactive in this work of redemption. Like Jesus, we must bow our heads before our Cross and embrace it, with resignation and love.   We must unite our sufferings with those of our Redeemer, for the expiation of our sins.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Thought for the Day – 6 January – Giving Ourselves, Our Prayer, Our Mortification

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Thought for the Day – 6 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – First Day after Epiphany

Giving Ourselves, Our Prayer, Our Mortificationthere can be no sanctity without prayer - bacci 6 jan 2020

The Magi gave Jesus material gifts also, as symbols of their complete dedication to Him.
They gave Him gold, because He was a king,
incense, because He was God
and myrrh, because He was man.
We often say that we love God and wish to serve and obey Him in all things.
But when we see that this entails sacrifice, we forget our promises!

We must ask ourselves if we are prepared to offer Jesus gold, that is, to offer Him everything we possess for the promotion of His glory, for the spread of His Kingdom and for the relief of His poor, in whom we ought, always, to see and love Christ Himself.
We must examine ourselves thoroughly on this.
It is easy to find excuses for not giving to God and to His poor in accordance with our means.

We should offer also, the incense of our adoration and unceasing prayer.
There can be no sanctity without prayer.
There can be no real Christians without sanctity.

Finally, we must offer the myrrh of our mortification.
Mortification, as St Vincent de Paul has said, is the ABC of Christian perfection.
St Paul exhorts us, to carry always in ourselves the mortification of Jesus.
If we are not mortified, we can never be holy and can never share the joy which the Magi experienced as they lay prostrate before the cradle of our Divine Redeemer.

Definition of Mortification:
Mortification is the feeling of being completely humiliated.
The word mortification has its roots in the Latin word for “death,” mors.

The original meaning of mortification is religious, in Christianity the meaning is “putting your sin to death”.
In Christian practice, this has varied from denying oneself pleasurable things, like certain foods, to inflicting physical pain on oneself.
The religious reason for this kind of mortification is to cause the “death” of sins — or desires — of the body.

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on LOVE

Thought for the Day – 5 January – Epiphany of the Lord – It was Love

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Thought for the Day – 5 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

The Epiphany

it was love which inspired the magi - antonio bacci 5 jan 2020.jpg

“Let us consider the faith of the Magi, a faith which was willing, lively and active.
They saw in the sky, the star which heralded the Infant Jesus and experienced the divine inspiration in their hearts.
Immediately, they went in search of Him.
They were not even deterred by the long and hazardous journey, which lay before them.

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they found Herod, who did not know what they were talking about.   The star disappeared and the priests replied coldly to the questions they asked.
But all the time, their trust in the divine call continued to grow.
Eventually, they reached a poor barn, where they found, not an earthly King but a little child, who was crying on the straw bed of a manger.
As a reward for their trouble and perseverance, a voice in their hearts told them, that this was Jesus, the King of Kings and Saviour of the world.

Unfortunately, when we hear the divine call, no matter how clear and simple it is, we find a thousand excuses for delaying and perhaps for not responding to it at all.

Let us humbly promise to be more generous in listening for it and more energetic in complying with it, regardless of the cost!

It was love which inspired the Magi.
Love sustained them on their journey and made them fall prostrate in adoration before the Infant Jesus.
Even before they offered Him material gifts, they offered Him, their hearts!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SIN

Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – Sin

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Thought for the Day – 4 January – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Sin

for the sinner hell begins on this earth - bacci 4 jan 2020

In that we prefer our own wayward whims to the law of God, sin is an abuse of liberty.
It is a revolt against right reason, the dictates of which, we refuse to obey.
It is an offence against our Creator and Redeemer, whose commandments we despise and whose redeeming grace, we reject by our actions.
It is moreover, an act of supreme folly, for it extinguishes, not only the supernatural splendour of grace but, also, the natural light of reason.
Through sin, man is brutalised and experiences in himself, as his first punishment, the confusion of his whole being.

In practice, the sinner denies God, Who has created and redeemed him.
He upsets the natural order of things and is violently separated from the source of all truth, beauty and goodness.   As a result, he experiences, in himself, the hell which he has constructed with his own hands – a hell of emptiness, disgust and remorse.
Unless the helping hand of God reaches out to rescue him from the abyss, all this is simply a bitter foretaste of eternal despair.
God, as St Augustine has written, has ordained from all eternity, that every dissolute soul will be it’s own punishment.
For the sinner, hell begins on this earth!   There can be no peace for the wicked.

When we realise, the gravity, stupidity and dire consequences of sin, it seems impossible, that a rational being, enlightened and enriched by divine grace, should continue to sin.
Nevertheless, sad experience teaches us that the lives of individuals, families and human society in general, are often distorted by this evil, which is the root of all other evils.

Antonio Cardinal Bacci