Category: PREPARATION for DEATH

Posted in ACT of LOVE, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 18 November – The One Thing Necessary By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 18 November

The One Thing Necessary
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O my God,
help me to remember,
that time is short, eternity long.
What good is all the greatness of this world
at the hour of death?
To love Thee, my God
and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without Thee, there is no peace of mind or soul.
My God, I need fear only sin
and nothing else in this life,
for to lose Thee, my God, is to lose all.
O my God, help me to remember,
that I came into this world with nothing
and shall take nothing from it, when I die.
To gain Thee, I must leave all.
But in loving Thee,
I already have all good things –
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church in life,
Mary’s motherly protection and perpetual help
and the eternal dwelling place
Jesus has prepared for me.
Eternal Father, Jesus has promised
that whatever we ask
in His Name will be granted us.
In His Name, I pray,
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for Thee.
Grant me perseverance in doing Thine will
and never let me be separated from Thee.
My God and my All,
make me a Saint!
Amen

Posted in GOD ALONE!, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 5 November – CONSIDERATION XXXIV, The Final, Conformity to the Will of God

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Thought for the Day – 5 November – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXXIV
The Final

Conformity to the Will of God
“In His pleasure, is life.”
(Ps xxx: 5)

FIRST POINT:
ALL our salvation and all our perfection, consist in loving God. “He who loveth not . . . . abideth in death.” (i John iii: 14).

“Charity … is the bond of perfection.” (Col iii: 14).
But the perfection of love consists, then, in the uniformity of our will with the Divine Will. Since this is the chief effect of love, according to St Dionysius, to unite the wills of those who love, so that they have but one heart and one will.
So, therefore, our repentances, our communions, our alms-deeds, please God in proportion as they correspond with the Divine Will, since otherwise, they are not virtues but defects and worthy of correction.
It was principally to teach us this truth by His example, our Blessed Lord came down from Heaven. Mark what He said on coming into the world, as the Apostle writes: “Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldst not but a Body hast thou prepared Me. . . . Then said I, Lo, I come to do Thy Will, O God.” (Heb x:5- 7).
… And this He expressed frequently, saying: “I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine Own Will but the Will of Him Who sent Me.” (John vi: 38). And by this He desires that we should know His great Love for His Father, when we see that He died in obedience to His Father’s Will. “But that the world may know that I love the Father and, as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do.” ( John xiv: 31). He says later, He acknowledges for His own, those alone, who do the Divine Will. “Whosoever shall do the Will of My Father Who is in Heaven, the same is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matt xii: 50).

This, then, is the one scope and desire of all the Saints in all their works – the fulfilment of the Divine Will.
Henry Suso said: “I would much rather be the vilest worm on earth, according to the Will of God, than a Seraph according to my own.”
St Teresa wrote, “All that he ought to try to procure, who exercises himself in prayer, is to conform his own to the -Divine Will and he may be assured, in this conformity the highest perfection consists; he who most aims at such conformity,, will receive from God the choicest gift and will make most progress in the spiritual life.”
The blessed in Heaven, love God perfectly by their entire conformity to the Divine Will. Hence, it was that our Blessed Lord taught us to pray: “Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” (Mat vi: 10).

He who performs the Divine Will, becomes a man after the Lord’s “own heart,” just as the Lord called David: “I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after Mine Own Heart, who shall fulfil all My Will.” (Acts xiii: 22).
And why? Because David was always prepared to follow the Divine Will “O God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready.” (Ps cviii: i). And, He desired nothing further of the Lord. than that he might be taught to do His Will,
“Teach me to do the things which pleaseth Thee.” (Ps cxliii: 10.).

Oh, of what great value is the act of perfect resignation to the Will of God! It is sufficient in itself to make a Saint! Whilst St Paul was persecuting the Church, our Blessed Lord appeared to him, enlightened him and converted him; the Saint immediately desired to do the Divine Will: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?” (Acts ix: 6)
And then our Lord said- at once: “He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My Name before the Gentiles” (Acts ix: 15).
He who fasts, gives alms, mortifies himself for God, gives Him a part of himself but he, who gives God Conformity to His Will, gives Him his entire self and this, is that whole, which God demands of us – the heart, that is, the will!

To fulfil the Divine Will, in short, is the aim of all our desires, devotions, meditations, communions – it expresses the scope of all our prayers, the seeking for grace, so that we may follow all which God would have us do – the asking for light and strength, to conform ourselves in all things to His Wil, but especially, in the embracing of those things which are opposed to our self-love, as Venerable Avila said, a single
“Blessed be God,” for things contrary to ourselves, was of more avail than an infinity of thanksgiving, for such things which please us!

Affections andPrayers

Oh, my God! my entire ruin in time past has been through my being unwilling to conform myself to Thy holy Will.
I now hate and abjure many times, those days and moments in which, by doing my own will, I have opposed Thine!

O God of my soul.
Now I give it all to Thee ; receive it, O my Lord and bind it so closely to Thine Love that it may never be able again to rebel against Thee.
I love Thee, Infinite Goodness and for the love I bear Thee, I offer myself wholly to Thee. Dispose of me and of all I am, as it may please Thee, so that I,in all things, may resign myself to Thy holy Will. Free me from the disgrace of having done that which was contrary to Thine Will and then, do with me as Thou wilt.

Eternal Father, hear me, for the love of Jesus Christ.
My Jesus, hear me, through the merits of Thy Passion.

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, GOD is LOVE, HOLY COMMUNION, PREPARATION for DEATH

Thought for the Day – 4 November – CONSIDERATION XXXIII, The Holy Communion

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Thought for the Day – 4 November – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXXIII

The Holy Communion
“Take, eat; This is My Body.”
(Matt xxvi: 26)

FIRST POINT:
LET us observe how great a gift is this Holy Sacrament;  how great is the Love which Jesus has shown to us in this gift and, how great is His desire, of our reception of this, His GREAT GIFT.

Let us consider, in the first place, the great Gift, Jesus Christ procured for us, in giving Himself to be wholly Food in the Holy Communion.
St Augustine says that our Blessed Lord: “although He is omnipotent, was not able to give us more than this.”
St Bernardine of Sienna asks: “What greater treasure can the heart of man possess, than the most holy Body of Christ?”
… If our Redeemer had not given us this gift, whoever would have been able to ask for it, who would ever have dared to say to Him, Lord, if Thou desiredst to make us know Thy Love, conceal Thyself under the form of Bread and permit us to feed on Thee!? It would have been esteemed madness! even to think of this.
St Augustine asks: “Would it not seem madness to say, Eat My Flesh and drink My Blood!?”

When our Blessed Lord revealed to His disciples this gift of the Holy Sacrament which He wished to leave them, many of them could not attain to the belief of it and they parted from Him, saying: “How can this Man give us His Flesh to eat? …. This is a hard saying; who can hear it? (John vi: 52,60).
But what men were not able, at any time to conceive, the great Love of our Lord Jesus Christ, both intended and wrought.
St Bernardine says that our Blessed Lord left us “this Sacrament to be a memorial of His Love” and the record which St Luke has left of our Lord’s words, agrees with this statement: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke xxii: 19).
St Bernardine adds, the love of our Lord was not satisfied with sacrificing His Life for us: “In that excess of fervour, when He was ready to die for us, He was impelled, by this ocean of love, to do a greater work than ever had been wrought, to give to us His Body for food.”
Abbot Guerric says, in this Sacrament, Jesus “poured out upon His friends, the last strength of His Love” and the same sentiment is expressed more forcibly, when it was said of old that, in the Eucharist, our Blessed Lord, “as it were, poured out upon men, the riches of His Love.”

… Our Blessed Lord, in Holy Communion, gives us, for food, not only a part of His own table, not only a part of His own Body but His whole Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity!: “Take, eat; this is My Body” and, together with His Body, He gives us even His Soul and His Divinity. In short, says St John Chrysostom, in this Holy Communio, Jesus Christ “gave Himself to thee wholly and left nothing for Himself.”
St Thomas Aquinas adds: “God, in the Eucharist, has given to us, all He Is and all He has.”
St Bonaventure exclaims with wonder of our Blessed Lord’s Presence in the Eucharist: “Behold, He Whom the world cannot contain, is our prisoner!”

And, if the Lord in the Eucharist gives us His whole Self, how can we ear He will deny us any grace we ask of Him:  “How shall He not, freely give us all things!?” (Rom viii: 32).

Affections and Prayers

O my Jesus!
What has ever led Thee to give Thy whole Self for our food? And what remains, after Thou hast given us this gift, to compel us to love Thee?
Oh ! Lord, give usThine Light and make us to understand, how excessive is the love which caused Thee to reduce Thyself to food, to unite Thyself to ourselves, poor sinners!
But if Thou givest Thyself wholly to us, it is a reason why we also should give ourselves wholly to Thee.

O my Redeemer, how have I been able to offend Thee, Who hast so loved me and Who hast had nothing more Thou couldst do to gain my love? Thou hadst become Man for me; Thou didst die for m ; Thou hast made Thyself my food; tell me what more it remains for Thee to do?

I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness; I love Thee, O Infinite Love! Lord, come often into my soul: inflame me wholly with Thy holy Love and cause me to forget all else, that I may neither think of, nor love any other than Thee.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Thought for the Day – 3 November – CONSIDERATION XXXII, The Love of God

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Thought for the Day – 3 November – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXXII

The Love of God
“We love Him because He first loved us.”
(i John iv: 19)

FIRST POINT:
CONSIDER, in the first place, God deserves to be loved by you, since He loved you first, that you might love Him and He, has been the first of all to love you.
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” (Jer xxxi: 3).
The first to love you on earth, were your parents but they did not love you before they knew you but God, loved you before you had any being. When neither your father nor your mother were in the world, God loved you when the world was not even created, God loved you. And how long before the creation of the world did God love you? Perhaps a thousand years or ages. There is no need to reckon years and ages. Know, that God has loved you from eternity!
“ I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn Thee.” (Jer xxxi: 3)’

In short, God has loved you since He has been God; as long as He has loved Himself, He has loved you. Therefore, St Agnes had good reason to say: “I am prevented by another love.” When the world and the creature demanded her love, she answered: “No, O world, no, O creature, I cannot love you. My God has been the first to love me and it is, therefore, right that I should consecrate my love to God alone.”
Thus, my brother, from eternity has thy God loved you and from love alone, has selected you from the number of many men He could have created and has given you being and a position in the world. For your love even, He has made many other beautiful creatures to serve you and might remind you of the love which He has for you and which you owe to Him.
St Augustine writes: “Heaven, and earth and all things, tell me that I ought to love Thee.” Whence, the Saint observed, the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the rivers, they seemed as if they would all speak and say to him: “Augustine, love God, since He has created us for you, in order that you might love Him!”

The Abbot de Ranee, when he admired the hills, fountains and flowers, said they recalled the love which God had towards him.
St Teresa said, creation reproached her own ingratitude towards God.
St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, whenever she held in her hand any beautiful flower or fruit, felt as if wounded with a certain arrow in her heart, with the love towards God, saying within herself, “Thou, my God, hast planned, from eternity, to create a certain flower or fruit, in order that I .might love Thee!”

Consider further the especial love God had towards you in causing you to be born in … the bosom of the true Church. How many are born amongst idolaters, infidels, or heretics and are lost! How few have it their lot to be born amongst men, where the true Faith reigns and of the number of those few, the Lord has elected you.
How many millions are deprived of the Sacraments, of sermons, of the example of good companions and of all the other aids to salvation which are in the true Church! And God has willed to grant you all these great benefits and graces, without any merit on your part, even seeing beforehand, your demerits … He already foreknew the injuries which you would do to Him.

Affections and Prayers

O Sovereign Lord of Heaven and earth, Infinite Good, Infinite Majesty, Who hast so loved men, how is it then that Thou art so disregarded of men?
But amongst these men, Thou, my God, hast so particularly loved me and bestowed upon me such special grace which Thou hast not granted to others and I seem to have despised Thee more than other!

But I throw myself at Thy feet, O Jesus, my Saviour. I should deserve to be cast away, for the ingratitude which I have committed but Thou hast said that Thou Icnowest not how to cast away a penitent heart which returns to Thee.
“Him who cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.” (John vi: 37) .
My Jesus, I repent of having offended Thee.
In the time past I have been ungrateful to Thee, now I own
Thee for my Saviour and my Redeemer, Who died to save me,and to be loved by me. When shall I cease, my Jesus, to be ungrateful to Thee … This day I resolve to love Thee with all my heart and to love none other than Thee.
O Infinite Goodness, I adore Thee for all those, who adore Thee not and I love Thee, for all those, who love Thee not.
I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee, I offer Thee my all; aid me with Thy grace. …

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on WATCHING, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST

Thought for the Day – 2 November – CONSIDERATION XXXI, Of Perseverance

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Thought for the Day – 2 November – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXXI

Of Perseverance
“He who shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved.”
(Matt xxiv: 13)

FIRST POINT:
“IT is of the many to begin, of the few to persevere,” writes S.
St Jerome.
Saul, Judas, Tertullian, began well but they ended badly, since they did not persevere in good.
“In Christians, the beginnings are not sought for but the end,” continues the aint and St Bonaventure confirms this by saying: “Perseverance alone is crowned.”
Hence, St Laurence Justinian calls perseverance “the door of Heaven.”

So that he cannot enter into Heaven who cannot find the gate of entrance. My brother, you have at this present time abandoned sin and may justly hope that you have been pardoned, in this case, you are the friend of God but know that you are still, not saved. And when will you be saved? When you have persevered even to the end!
“He who shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Have you begun the good life? thank the Lord but St Bernard warns you: “The reward is promised to those beginning, it is given to those who persevere.” It is not enough to run for the prize but we must run until we obtain it, or, as the Apostle says: “So run that ye may obtain.” (i Cor ix: 24).
Now, truly, you have. put.your hand to the plough, you have
begun to live well but now, ever very much, fear and tremble: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil ii: 12). Wherefore? Since, if you turn and look back which God forbid and go back to your evil life, God will declare you to be excluded from Heaven: “No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke ix: 62.

Pray for the grace of the Lord, frequent Holy Communion, make a daily meditation. Blessed are you if you have progressed to do thus and if, so doing, Jesus Christ shall find you, when He comes to judge you.
“Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when He cometh, shall find so doing.” (Matt xxiv:46).

But do not believe, now you have set yourselves to serve God, temptations are either wanting or are, at an end. “My son, if thou come to serve the Lord …. prepare thy soul for temptation.” (Ecclus ii: I) Know that now, more than ever, you ought to prepare yourself for the battle, since your enemies, the devil, the world, the flesh, more than ever will arm themselves to fight against you, to make you lose that which you have already gained!
Denis the Carthusian says: “By how much, anyone the more
bravely endeavours to serve God, by so much, does the adversary rage against him.” This is stated in the Gospel according to St Luke, where it is said: “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out ,Then goeth he and taketh seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke xi: 24, 26)
… Consider, therefore, what arms you have which will avail to defend you from these enemies and to preserve you in the grace of God. Against being overcome by the devil, there is no defence save prayer, for St Paul says: “We wrestle, not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.” (Eph vi: 12).
He wishes by this statement to warn us, we have not strength to resist one so powerful, whence we need assistance from God, by which aid, we can do all things! “I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me.” (Phi. iv: 12). But this aid is not given unless it be sought for by prayer. “Ask and ye shall receive.” Let us not trust ourselves, then, or our resolutions; for if we put confidence in these, we shall be lost but when we are tempted by the devil, let us place it in the Hand of God, commending ourselves to Jesus Christ. This is especially needful when our chastity is tempted, since this temptation is the most terrible of all and it is that, by which the devil gams the most victories. We have not strength in this respect, save from God. We must, therefore, in such temptations, quickly fly to Jesus Christ and frequently invoke His holy Name. He who so acts, shall conquer and he who acts not thus, shall be overcome.

Affections andPrayers

“Cast me not away from Thy presence.” (Ps li: 11).
Ah, my God, do not cast me away from Thy Presence. 1 know
well that Thou wilt never abandon me if I do not first abandon Thee.
… But, Lord, do Thou give me the strength which I must have to resist hell which seeks to find me again its slave.
I ask it of Thee, for the love of Jesus Christ. Establish, O my Saviour, between Thee and me, a perpetual peace which will never be broken and, therefore, give me Thy holy love.
“He who loveth not, …. abideth in death.” (i John iii: 14).
But he who loves Thee, is not dead; Thou, O God of my soul,
must save me from this unhappy death. I was lost, truly Thou
knowest it. It was Thy goodness alone which led me back to
my present condition where I hope to continue in Thy Grace.

Ah! do not suffer me, my Jesus, … to turn away and lose myself.
I love Thee above all things and I trust ever to be bound by this holy love and so being bound, to die and so being bound, to live forever!

Posted in JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY NAME

Thought for the Day – 1 November – CONSIDERATION XXX, Of Prayer

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Thought for the Day – 1 November – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXX

Of Prayer
“Ask and it shall be given you; …
for everyone who asketh, receivath.”
(Luke xi: 9, 10)

FIRST POINT “”
NOT only in this but in many other places in the Old and New Testaments, God promises to hear those who pray to Him. “Then call thou and I shall answer.” (Job xiii: 22).
“He willll call upon Me and I shall answer him.” (Ps xci.:15).
Call upon Me and I shall deliver thee from danger.
“If ye will ask anything in My Name, I shall do it.” (John xiv: 14). Whatsoever shall be asked through My merits I shall grant. “Ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.” (John xv: 7) Seek what you will, it is enough that you seek and it shall be granted to you. And so in many other passages.

Therefore, Theodoret says, that “Prayer, although it is one thing, can obtain all things.” St Bernard says, when we pray, He “will give us either what we desire, or what He knows to be more profitable for us.”
The Prophet encourages us to pray, assuring us that God is all compassion towards those who call upon Him for aid. “For Thou, Lord, art good and gracious and of great mercy unto all those who call upon Thee.” (Ps Ixxxvi: 5). And still more does St James encourage us, by saying, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.” (James i: 5) Neither does He reprove us for the displeasure we have caused Him; for when we pray to Him, He seems to forget all the offences we have committed against Him.

St John Climacus says, prayer, in a certain way, forces God to grant us what we seek. “Prayer is a holy violence done to God.” But it is a violence which is dear to Him and desired by Him. “This violence is pleasing to God,” as Tertullian wrote.
Yes because, as St Augustine adds, God “desires more to bestow His benefits than we desire to receive them!” And the reason for this is that, God, of His own nature, is Infinite Goodness, as writes St Leo and, therefore, He desires most ardently to impart His blessings to us. Thence it is that St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi says, God is almost under an obligation to that soul which prays to Him, since, in this manner, the way is open to Him to gratify the desire which He has of bestowing His favours upon us.
And David says, this kindness of the Lord, in listening directly to those who pray to Him, proved to him that He was his true God. “Whensoever I call upon Thee, then shall my enemies be put to flight, this I know; for God is on my side.” (Ps Ivi: 9).

Some unjustly complain, observes St Bernard that, the Lord is failing them; much more justly might the Lord complain that, many are failing Him, ceasing to come and seek His grace!
And it seems to have been exactly of this that the Redeemer one day complained to His disciples: “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name; ask and ye shall receive.” (John xvi: 24).
Do not complain of Me. He seems to have said, if you have not been fully happy, complain of yourselves for not having asked Me for My favours; from henceforth ask Me for them and you shall be satisfied.
From this the Monks of old concluded, in their conferences that there was no exercise more profitable to the salvation of their souls than ever to be praying and saying: “Lord, help me!”

The venerable Father Paul Segneri said of himself that, in his meditations he at first cultivated emotion but afterwards,
knowing the great efficacy of prayer, he tried as much as he
could, to occupy himself in prayer.
May we ever do the same.
We have a God Who loves us so much and Who is so anxious
for our salvation and Who is, for this reason, ever ready to hear those who pray to Him.
The princes of the world, says St Chrysostom, give audience to few but God is pleased to grant audience to everyone who desires it!

Affections and Prayers

Eternal God, I adore Thee and thank Thee for the many
benefits which Thou has granted to me; for having created and redeemed me through Jesus Christ; for having made me a Christian; for having waited for me when I remained in sin and, for having so often forgiven me.

Ah, my God, I should never have offended Thee, if, in the time of temptation, I had prayed to Thee for Thy assistance and rescue.
I thank Thee for the Light by which Thou makest me now to understand, my salvation depends entirely upon my praying to Thee and, upon my asking for Thy aid. Behold, I now ask of Thee, in the Name of Jesus Christ, to make me very sorry for my sins; to give me strength to persevere in Thy grace; to give me a peaceful death and to make me a partaker of Paradise but, above all, I entreat Thee for the highest gift of Thine Love and for a most complete submission to Thy most holy Will.

I know, indeed, that I am unworthy of these Thy Mercies but Thou hast promised them to those who seek them through the merits of Jesus Christ and through the merits of Jesus Christ I entreat and I hope for these, Thy Mercies.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN

Thought for the Day – 31 October – CONSIDERATION XXIX, On Heaven

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Thought for the Day – 31 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXIX

On Heaven
“But your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”
(John xvi: 20)

FIRST POINT:
LET us now endeavour to endure patiently the afflictions of this life, offering them to God in union with the pains which Jesus Christ endured for our sakes and. let us encourage ourselves with the hope of Paradise.
All these afflictions, sorrows, persecutions and fears, will one day come to an end and when we are saved, they will become joys and pleasures for us in the Kingdom of the blessed.
Even thus does the Lord encourage us: “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”

Let us, therefore, reflect today somewhat upon Paradise. But what can we say of this Paradise, if the Saints who had more knowledge than we, were unable to make us understand the joys which God has in store for His faithful servants and David could only express his praise of it by saying, that Paradise is a rest which is very desirable: “Oh, how amiable are Thy dwellings, Thou Lord of Hosts.” (Ps Ixxxiv: I)
But thou, at least, our holy Paul, thou who hadst the happy chance of being ravished at the sight of heaven, “caught up into Paradise, tell us something of what thou hast seen. No, says the Apostle, it is not possible to explain that which I have seen. The delights of Paradise are “unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” (2 Cor xii: 4).
They are so great that they cannot be described unless they are enjoyed. I can tell you nothing more, says the Apostle, than “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for those who love Him.” (i Cor ii: 9).

We are unable to understand the joys of Paradise because we have no conception except of the joys of this earth. … Even thus do we form notions of the joys of Paradise. It is beautiful to see, on a summer’s night, the sky all glittering with stars and how delightful, in the time of spring, to stand on the sea-coast when the sea is calm, so that the rocks within can be seen all covered with seaweed, and the fishes which glide nimbly by and, it is very delightful to be in a garden full of fruit trees and flowers, surrounded by running fountains and with birds which fly about and sing as they fly. Some might say: “Oh, what a paradise!”
What a paradise? Do you say, What a paradise?
Very different are the joys of Paradise.

In order to understand something, although obscurely, of Paradise, let us remember that the Omnipotent God is there, Who is ever engaged in delighting the souls who love Hun.
St Bernard says: “Dost thou wish to know what there is in Paradise? There is nothing which thou wouldst not have but everything that thou wouldst have, there.”

O God, what will the soul say upon entering into that blessed Kingdom?
Let us imagine that some young girl and youth, who, having consecrated themselves to the love of Jesus Christ, are dying; the hour of death having arrived, the spirit quits this earth. The soul is presented before the Judgment Seat, the Judge embraces her and makes known to her that she is saved. Her Guardian Angel comes to meet her and rejoices with her; she thanks the Angel for the assistance given to her and the Angel then says: “Take courage, beautiful soul, rejoice, for thou art now saved. Come and see the Face of thy Lord.”
Behold, the soul now passes through the clouds, the heavens
and the stars. She enters Heaven. O God, what will she say when she enters for the first time that blessed country and when she looks for the first time upon that City of delights?
The Angels and the Saints will come to meet her and they will welcome her with shouts of joy. What consolation she will have in meeting again those relations or friends, who entered Paradise before her. The soul will then wish to kneel before them and to worship them but they will say to her: “See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant.” (Apoc xxii: 9). Then the soul will be led to Jesus, Who will receive her as His spouse and will say to her: “Come with Me from Lebanon, My spouse.” (Cant iv: 8). Rejoice greatly, My spouse, all thy tears, griefs and fears are now forever ended, receive the everlasting crown which I have obtained for thee by My Blood. Jesus Himself will then lead her to receive the
blessing of His Divine Father, Who, embracing her, will bless her, saying: “Enter thou into the joy of Thy Lord.” (Matt xxv: 21) and He will bless her with the same beatitude which He Himself enjoys.

Affections andPrayers

Behold, my God, at Thy Feet one ungrateful, who was created by Thee for Heaven but who, often for miserable pleasures, has renounced it to Thy Face and has chosen to be condemned to hell!
But I hope even now, Thou hast forgiven all the injuries I have committed, of which I repent endlessly and will continue to repent until death. I desire that Thou ever wouldst renew my pardon.

But, O my God, although Thou hast already pardoned me, it will yet be ever true that I had no disposition to embitter Thee, my Redeemer, Who, to bring me to Thy Kingdom, hadst given Thine Life. But may Thy compassion, O my Jesus, be ever praised and blessed, for with so great patience Thou hast borne with me and in place of chastisements, Thou
hast increased graces, lights and calls.
I see, my dear Saviour, that Thou didst will my special salvation and in Thy country to love Thee eternally but Thou desirest firsly that I should love Thee on earth. Yes, I will love Thee, and this, even were there no Heaven, while I live, with all my soul and with all my might.
It is enough for me to know that Thou, my God, desirest to be loved by me! My Jesus, assist me with Thy grace and do not abandon me.

… My Jesus, Thy merits are my hope. I place all my trust in Thy intercession. Thou didst deliver me from hell when I was in sin; now that I desire Thee, do Thou save me and make me
holy.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 30 October – CONSIDERATION XXVIII, The Remorse of the Lost

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Thought for the Day – 30 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXVIII

The Remorse of the Lost
“Where their worm dieth not
and the fire is not extinguished.”
(Mark ix: 46-47)

FIRST POINT:
BY the worm that does not die, St Thomas Aquinas thinks, is signified, that remorse of conscience, by which the lost will be eternally tormented in hell.
The remorse will be manifold, with which conscience will gnaw the heart of the reprobate but, three forms of it will be the most afflicting – firstly, the thought of the little for which they are lost, then, the little which was required for their salvation and lastly, the great good which they have lost!

The first wound, then, which the lost will experience, will be the thought of, for how little he is lost. After Esau had eaten of that pottage of lentils, for which he had sold his birthright, Holy Scripture says, that, through grief and remorse, “He cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry.” (Gen xxvii: 34) Oh, how the lost will howl and roar, when he thinks that for a few momentary and hurtful gratifications he has lost an eternal Kingdom of joy and has to see himself, eternally condemned to a perpetual death. Whence, he will weep much more bitterly than Jonathan did, when he found himself condemned to death by Saul, his own father, for having eaten a little honey, “I did but taste a little honey … and lo, I must die. (i Sam xiv: 43).

… And does the sinner by chance, who lives without God, ever delight in his sins? How long do the pleasures of sin last? They endure but moments and all the rest of the time in which the sinner lives, devoid of the Grace of God, is a time of pains and torments. Now, what indeed will these moments of pleasure appear to the poor condemned one, and what, in particular the last moment and last sin, through which he was lost? Then he will say, for a wretched animal pleasure which endured but for a moment and which, as soon as possessed, disappeared as the wind: “I shall have to continue to burn in this flame despised and abandoned by all, whilst God shall be God for all eternity.”

Affections and Prayers

Lord, enlighten me that I may know the wrong which I have committed in offending Thee and the eternal punishment which I have deserved on this account.
My God, I feel great sorrow for having offended Thee but this sorrow consoles me, for, if Thou hadst sent me to hell as I deserved, this remorsewould have been the hell
of my hell!
But now, this remorse consoles me, since it gives me the courage to hope for pardon from Thee, Thou Who hast promised, to pardon those who repent.
Yes, my Lord, I repent of having outraged Thee. I embrace this sweet grief, I even pray Thee to increase it and to preserve it within me, until death that so, I may ever weep
bitterly over the displeasure I have caused Thee.

My Jesus, pardon me. O my Redeemer, Who, although having pity upon me, hadst no pity for Thyself, condemning Thyself to die of grief to liberate me from hell, have pity upon me.
Grant, then, the remorse of having offended Thee may keep me ever sorrowful and, at the same time, may inflame me wholly with love of Thee, Who has so greatly loved me, and Who hast, with so much patience, borne with me.
… I thank Thee for these Graces, O my Jesus. I love Thee : I love Thee more than myself, I love Thee with my whole heart.
… “Cast me not away from Thy Presence.”

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HELL

Thought for the Day – 29 October – CONSIDERATION XXVII, The Eternity of Hell

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 29 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXVII

The Eternity of Hell
“And these shall go into everlasting punishment.”
(Matt xxv: 46)

FIRST POINT:
IF hell were not eternal it would not be hell ,for that pain which does not last long, is not very great. … When a pain lasts for a long time, even should it be a very light one, … it becomes unbearable. But why do I speak of pain? For a comedy or a concert which lasted very long, even for a day, would not be borne for weariness; how would it be if it lasted for a month or for a year?

What then will hell be? in which it is not the hearing of the same comedy or music, or the suffering the toothache, or the swelling; nor is it suffering the torture of … red-hot irons but there will be all torments, all pains and for how long? Through all eternity, “Shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever.” (Apoc xx: 10).

The belief in this eternity, is an Article of Faith it is not only a certain opinion but is a Truth witnessed to us by God in many places of Holy Scripture: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” (Matt xxv: 41) “And these shall go into everlasting punishment.” (Matt xxv: 45) “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction.” (2 Thess i: 9) “Everyone shall be salted with fire.” (Mark ix: 48) As salt preserves, so the fire of hell, in the very time in which it torments the lost, performs the office of salt, preserving life to them. St Bernard says: “There, the fire consumes, that it may always, preserve.”

Now, what madness would it be of anyone, who, to obtain one day of pleasure, should condemn himself to be shut up in a pit some twenty or thirty years. If hell were to last a hundred years .. if it should not last more than two or three years, still it would be great madness for a moment of vile pleasure, to condemn oneself to two or three years of burning. But it does not treat of thirty, of a hundred, of a thousand, or of a million years but of eternity; it is a question of suffering fo ever, the same torments which will never end, never be lightened even for a moment!

The Saints, therefore, had reason, whilst they were in this life and even in danger of being condemned, to weep and to tremble. The blessed Isaiah, although living in the desert in fasting and penitence, wept, saying, “Alas, unhappy me, for I am not yet delivered from the fire of hell.”

Affections andPrayers

O my God, hadst Thou sent me to hell, as truly many times I have deserved to be sent and Thou, through Thy pity, hadst afterwards delivered me from it, how greatly would I have remained indebted to Thee? and from thenceforth, what a holy life I should have begun to live?

Now, with still greater mercy. Thou hast preserved me from falling into it, what shall I do Shall I turn again and offend and provoke Thee to scorn, in order that Thou mayest properly send me to burn in that prison of Thy rebels, where so many indeed truly burn for lesser sins than mine?
Oh, my Redeemer, so have I acted in time past; instead of serving Thee in the time which Thou hast given me to weep over my sins, I have spent it in still further provoking Thee to anger.
I thank Thy Infinite Goodness which has borne with me so long; if it had not been Infinite, how could it ever have so borne with me? I thank Thee for having ,with so great patience, waited for me until now and I thank Thee especially for the light which Thou now givest me, by which Thou teachest me to know my madness and the wrong I have done … My Jesus, I detest them and I repent with my whole heart.

Pardon me by Thy Passion and so assist me by Thy Grace that I may never offend Thee more.
… Oh, my Lord, I pray Thee, place before my eyes this just fear of being abandoned by Thee, whenever the devil may tempt me to offend Thee gain.
My God, I love Thee, never will I lose Thee again. Assist mw by Thy Grace that I may never more sin against Thee.

Posted in DOCTRINE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 28 October – CONSIDERATION XXVI, Of the Pain of Hell

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXVI

Of the Pain of Hell
“And these shall go into everlasting punishment.”
(Matt xxv: 46)

FIRST POINT:
THE sinner, when he sins, commits two evils – he leaves God, the highest Good and, he turns to the creature. “For My people have committed two evils – they have forsaken Me. the Fountain of Living Waters and hewed cisterns, broken cisterns which can hold no water.” (Jer ii: 13). Since then, the sinner turns to the creature, with a loathing of God – by those very creatures –he shall be justly tormented in hell, by the fire and by demons, this forms the pain of the senses. But since his greatest guilt,in which the sin consists, lies in his turning away from God, so the chief punishment … will be the pain of loss, that is, the pain of having lost God.

Let us consider, in the first place, the pain of the senses.
It is an Article of Faith that there is a hell.
This prison is reserved in the middle of the earth, for the punishment of the rebels against God.
What is this hell? It is a place of torments.
“This place of torment,” (Luke xvi: 28), as the condemned glutton called hell. A place of torments, where all the senses and the powers of the condemned, will each have their especial torment and, in proportion, as one sense has especially offended God, so also will be its peculiar punishment.
“That wherewithal a man sinneth, by the same also,shall he be punished.” (Wisd xi: 16).
“As much as she hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her because, she saith in her heart, I sit a queen and am no widow and sorrow I shall not see.” (Apoc xviii: 7)

The sight will be tormented with darkness.
“The land of darkness and the shadow of death.” (Job x: 21). What compassion should we feel for a poor man who remained shut up in a dark pit for the remainder of his life, for forty or fifty years! Hell is a pit, shut in on every side, in which no ray of the sun or any other light will ever enter. “Man …. shall never see light.” (Ps xlix: 20).
The fire which enlightens on earth, in hell, will be altogether dark.
“The Voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.” (Ps xxix: 7) Which expression St Basil explains, of the Lord dividing the fire from the light, so that it will suffice to burn only and not to illuminate; or as Albert the Great expresses it: “He will divide the glowing from the heat.” The very smoke which leaves this fire, will form that “ blackness of darkness,” which St Jude says is reserved forever for the wicked. ( Jude 13).
St Thomas Aquinas says, there will be reserved for the wicked, light, “as much as suffices for men to see those things which torment them.” They will see in that glimmer of light, the ugliness of the other reprobates and of the demons, who, to frighten them the more, will assume horrible forms.

The sense of smell too, will be tormented.
What torment would it be, to be shut up in a room with a putrid corpse!?
“Their stench shall come out of their carcases.” (Isa xxxiv: 3).
The lost will have to remain in the midst of so many millions of lost nes, alive as to pain but corpses by the odour which they emit.

But some foolish one may say: “If I go to hell, I shall not be alone.” Wretched one! By how many more there are in hell, by so much more will they suffer!
As St Thomas Aquinas says: “There the society of the wretched, will not lessen but increase, the misery” they will suffer all the more, I say, from the smell, the cries, the confinement since in hell, they will be upon each other like sheep are penned together in the winter. “They live in hell like sheep.” (Ps xlix: 14).
Nay more, they will be as grapes, pressed under the press of the wrath of God. “He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath ofAlmighty God.” (Apoc xix: 5). They shall have from this also, the pain of permanence. “They shall be as still as a stone.” (Exod xv: 1 6). Thus the lost, as they fall into hell at the last day, so will they remain without ever changing their place and be unable to move, either foot or hand, whilst God shall be God.

The sense of hearing will be tormented with the ceaseless howling and wailing of those poor desperate ones. The demons will make continual dins. “A dreadful sound is in his ears.” (Job xv: 21). What pain this, when one wishes to sleep, to hear the continual moaning of the sick, the barking of a dog, or the crying of an infant? Unhappy lost ones! who are condemned to ever hear, for all eternity, the groans and cries of those who are tortured.

The appetite too, will be tormented by hunger; the lost ones will experience a rabid hunger, “grin like a dog …. and grudge if they be not satisfied.” (Ps lix: 14, 15).
But they shall not have a crumb of bread.
The thirst will be so great that all the water of the sea would not suffice for it, nevertheless, they shall not have one drop!
The rich man asked for one drop but this he has not yet had it and. will never have it never ever!

Affections andPrayers

Ah, my Lord, behold at Thy Feet one who has made small account, both of Thy grace and of Thy chastisements. Poor me, if Thou, my Jesus, hadst not had pity upon me, for how many years should I have been in that fearful furnace, where truly are now burning so many like myself.
Oh, my Redeemer, how is it, that whilst thinking upon this I do not burn with Thy love?
How shall I ever be able to think of offending Thee anew. Oh, may it never be, my Jesus Christ; grant me rather to die a thousand deaths. … Thou hast delivered me from the ruin of my many sins and with so great love, Thou hast called me to love Thee. Ah, grant now. that this time which Thou hast given me, I may spend wholly for Thee.

How would the lost desire one day, nay, one hour of the time which Thou hast granted to me and I, what shall I do? Shall I continue to spend it on things which displease Thee? No, my Jesus! do not allow this by the merits of that Blood which hitherto has delivered me from hell.
I love Thee, O Highest Good and because I love Thee, I repent of having offended Thee.
I desire to offend Thee no more but ever to love Thee. Grant that I may obtain the gift of perseverance and of Thy holy love.

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, The LAST THINGS, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 27 October – CONSIDERATION XXV, The General Judgement

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Thought for the Day – 27 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXV

The General Judgement
“The Lord is known to execute judgement.”
(Ps ix: 16)

FIRST POINT:
IF now we consider well, there is no person in the world more despised than Jesus Christ. We take more account of a peasant than we do of God because, we fear, if we have offended others, lest he being filled with wrath, should avenge himself but we commit offences against God over and over again as if God were not able to avenge Himself whenever it pleases Him!

… But, therefore, it is that the Redeemer has appointed a day which will be the day of General Judgement, called, even in Holy Scripture, “The day of the Lord,” in which Jesus Christ will be known to be that Sovereign Lord, Who indeed He is. “The Lord is known to execute judgement.” (Ps ix: 16). Hence, such a day is no longer called a day of mercy and pardon but “a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of waste and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess.” (Zeph i: 15). Yes, for then will the Lord, very justly, redeem to Himself the honour which sinners, during this life, have sought to deprive Him of.

Let us try to imagine, in what way, the judgement of that great day will come to pass.
Before the Judge shall come, “there shall go a fire before
Him.” (Ps xcvii: 3). Fire shall come from Heaven which will burn the earth and all the things of the earth, “The earth also and the works which are therein, shall be burned.” (2 Pet iii: 10). So that palaces, Churches, Towns, Cities, Kingdoms, all, will become a pile of ashes. This house, all polluted as it is with sin, will be purged with fire. Behold the end which all the riches, the pomps and the pleasures of this world, will have.
For those who are dead, the trumpet will sound and they will all arise. “For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised.” (i Cor xv: 52).

St Jerome observes: “As often as I reflect upon the Day of Judgement, I tremble – that trumpet seems ever to resound in my ears, Arise, ye dead and come to judgement.”
At the sound of that trumpet the beautiful souls of the Blessed, will descend, to be united to their bodies, with which they have served God in this life but the miserable souls of the lost,“ will ascend from hell, to be united to those accursed bodies with which they have offended God.
Oh, what a difference will there be, then, between the bodies of those who are Blessed and the bodies of those who are lost.
The Blessed will appear beautiful, lovely and more resplendent than the sun. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun.” (Matt xiii: 43). O happy he, who in this life knows how to mortify his flesh by refusing pleasures which are forbidden and who, in order to keep it more under control, refuses it even the lawful pleasures of the senses and ill-treats it as the Saints have done! Oh, what happiness will he derive from it on that day!

On the other hand, the bodies of the lost, will appear deformed, black and offensive. Oh, what anguish will the lost soul feel upon being united to its body! The soul will exclaim: “Accursed body, in order to please thee I am lost!” And the body will reply: “Accursed soul, when thou hadst reason in thy power, wherefore didst thou grant me those pleasures which have caused both thee and I to be lost for all eternity!?”

Affections andPrayers

Ah, my Jesus and my Redeemer, Thou Who one day will be my Judge, do Thou pardon me before that day shall arrive.
“Cast me not away from Thy presence.” (Ps li: 11) .
Now Thou art a Father to me and as that Father do Thou receive into Thy favour, a son, who returns repentant to Thy feet.
My Father, I ask pardon from Thee. I have offended Thee unjustly, I have left Thee wrongfully. Thou didst not deserve to be treated as I have treated Thee. I repent and I grieve with all my heart. Pardon me. Do not turn away Thy face from me, do not drive me from Thee as I deserve …
Remember the Blood which Thou hast shed for me and have mercy upon me. My Jesus, I desire no other Judge than Thee.

St Thomas of Villanova said: “I willingly submit to the Judgement of Him Who died for me and, that I might not be condemned, suffered Himself to be condemned to the Cross!”
And before him, St Paul said: “Who is he Who condemneth? It is Christ Who died …. for us.” (Rom viii: 34) .

My Father, I love Thee and for the time to come, I wish never more to leave Thy feet.
Do Thou forget the wrongs I have committed against Thee and give me a great love towards Thy goodness. …
Jesus, make me live a life ever grateful to Thy Love, so that in that day, I may be found “in the valley, amongst the number of Thy lovers.”

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 26 October –CONSIDERATION XXIV, The Particular Judgement

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Thought for the Day – 26 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXIV

The Particular Judgement
“For we must all appear
before the judgement-seat of Christ”
(2 Cor v: 10)

FIRST POINT:
LET us now consider the soul’s appearance before God – the accusation, the examination and, the sentence.

And, in the first place, speaking of the appearance of the soul before the Judge, it is the general opinion of theologians that, the Particular Judgment takes place at the very moment when man expires and, at the same place in which the soul is separated from the body, it is judged by Jesus Christ, Who will not send but, will come Himself to judge its cause, “for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” (Luke xii: 40).)
St Augustine observes, “He will come with love for us, with terror for the ungodly!”

Oh, what fear will that one feel, when he beholds the Redeemer for the first time and beholds Him in wrath!
“Who can stand before His indignation?” (Nah i: 6). To see the wrath of the Judge will be the forerunner of condemnation.
“The wrath of a king is as messengers of death.” (Prov xvi: 14).
St Bernard remarks, the soul will suffer more in seeing Jesus wrathful, than in being even in hell itself.

… What grief is it to a son to see his father really offended ; or, to a subject, to see his prince deeply annoyed! But what greater punishment can a soul experience to see Jesus Christ, Whom all his life long has been despised? “they shall look upon Me, Whom they ha e pierced.” (Zech xii: 10).
That Lamb, Who during life has shown so much patience, the souls will behold very wrathful, without the hope of ever again being able to appease Him.
… St Luke, speaking of the judgement, says: “And then shall they see the Son of Man.” (Luke xxi: 27).
Oh, what anguish will it bring to the sinner, when he beholds the Judge in the form of a man! Because the sight of Him, Who as Man once died for his salvation, will reproach him very deeply for his ingratitude.

When the Saviour ascended into Heaven, the Angels said to His disciples, “This same Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall come, in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.” (Acts i: 11).

Therefore, the Judge will come to judge, with those same wounds with which He departed …. Those wounds will console the just but they will affright the sinners. When Joseph said unto his brethren: “I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold,” (Gen xlv: 4), Holy Scripture tells us that they “could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.” (Gen xlv: 3).
But what will the sinner answer Jesus Christ? Perhaps he will take courage to entreat His mercy, when he will first of all have to render to Him, an account of the contempt which he has shown for the mercies granted to him? St Augustine inquires, What will the sinner do, whither will he fly, when he beholds the Judge, Who will be very wrathful, sitting above him – underneath him, hell already open on the one side, the sins which will accuse him; oh the other, the devils ready to execute the sentence and within, the conscience which will attack him

Affections andPrayers

O my Jesus, I wish ever to call Thee my Jesus.
Thy Name consoles me and gives me courage, reminding me that Thou art My my Saviour, Who didst die to save me. Behold me at Thy feet; I confess that I have been guilty of hell each time I have offended Thee by committing deadly sin. I do not deserve pardon but Thou hast died to pardon me. Therefore, my Jesus, do Thou quickly pardon me before Thou dost come to judge me. For then I could no longer beg for mercy but now, I can beg for i, and hope to receive it. Then will Thy wounds affright me but now, they give me confidence.

My dear Redeemer, I repent more than for any other evil, that of having offended Thy Infinite Goodness. I would wish to accept every chastisement, every loss, rather than lose Thy grace. I love Thee with all my heart. Have mercy upon me.
“Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness.”

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL

Thought for the Day – 25 October – CONSIDERATION XXIII, The Delusions infused by the Devil into the Mind of the Sinner

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXIII

The Delusions infused by the Devil
in the Mind of the Sinner
“That they mav recover themselves
out of the snare of the devil.”
(2 Tim ii: 26)

FIRST POINT:
LET us picture to ourselves some young person once fallen into grievous sin but who now, has confessed it and has regained the Divine grace. The devil again tempts such a one to fall, he resists but already he wavers because of the delusions which the enemy puts into his mind. I say to such: “Young man, tell me what thou dost wish to do?
Art thou willing to lose the grace of God which thou hast
regained and which is worth more than all the world, in order to obtain that miserable satisfaction? Dost thou wish to write the sentence of thy eternal death to condemn thyself to burn forever in hell?” Thou sayest, No, I do not wish to condemn myself, I wish to be saved; if I commit this sin I will confess it afterwards.

This is the first delusion which the devil presents to you. Thou sayest that afterwards thou wilt confess it? But, in the meanwhile, thou art losing thy soul. Tell me, whether, if thou hadst a jewel in thy hand which was worth a very large sum of money, wouldst thou throw it into the river saying: “Presently I will search carefully,and then I shall hope to find it again?” but thou hast in thy hand that most beautiful jewel – thy soul which Jesus Christ has bought with His Blood and thou art willingly throwing it into hell! for by sinning thou art already condemned according to the present justice and thus casting it away, thou art saying, I hope to regain it by confessing.

But if thou shouldst not regain it? For in order to regain it,
a true repentance is necessary which is the gift of God. And if God should not grant this repentance? And if death should come and deprive thee of the time for confession?
Thou sayest that thou wilt not allow a week to pass without
confession. But who promises thee this week? Thou sayest
that thou wilt confess to-morrow. But who promises thee tomorrow?

St Augustine writes thus – God has not promised to give thee to-morrow, perhaps He will give it to thee and perhaps He will refuse to give it to thee; even as He has denied it to so many, who at night have gone to bed alive and in the morning have been found dead. How many, indeed, in the act itself of sin, has the Lord struck dead and sent to everlasting punishment? And if He should do the same with thee, how couldst thou amend thy eternal ruin? Know, that because of this mistake, in saying: “Afterwards I will confess,” the devil has borne many thousands of Christian souls to hell. … All, when they sin, sin in the hope of confessing their sin and thus, have so many miserable ones been condemned and now they can no longer remedy their condemnation.

But thou sayest: “I am not strong enough to resist that temptation” this is the second delusion of the devil who tries to make thee feel that thou hast not strength to resist the present passion.
Firstly, we must understand that God, as the Apostle tells us, is faithful and will not suffer us to be tempted beyond that which we are able. (l Cor x: 13).
Moreover, I ask thee, if now thou art not strong enough to resist, how canst thou gain strength afterwards? Afterwards, the enemy will not cease to tempt thee to commit other sins and then, he will be much stronger against thee and thou wilt be much weaker. If, therefore, now thou art not strong enough to extinguish that flame, how wilt thou be able to do so, when the flame is much greater Thou sayest that God will give thee His help. But God already gives His assistance to thee; why, therefore, with His Grace canst thou not resist? Perhaps thou art hoping that God will increase His aid and His graces, after thou hast increased thy sins!? But if now thou requirest greater assistance and strength, why not ask God to grant them to thee? Perhaps thou art doubting God’s faithfulness, when He promised to give thee all that thou need: “Ask, and it shall be given thee.” (Matt vii: 7).
God cannot fail; fly to Him; He will give thee that strength which is necessary for thee to resist.

Ancient Fathers have declared that “God does not command things impossible to be performed but, by commanding, bids thee both do what thou can and to pray for what thou cannot do and He helps you to do it.”

Affections andPrayers

Therefore, my God, is it because Thou hast been so good to me that I have been so ungrateful to Thee?
We have, as it were, been battling each other – I, in flying from Thee and Thou, in seeking me; Thou in doing me good and I, in doing evil against Thee.
Ah, my Lord, if there were no other reason, the goodness alone which Thou hast shown me, ought to have inspired me with love for Thee; for after I have increased my sins, Thou hast increased Thy Graces. And, whenever have I deserved the Light which Thou art giving to me?
My Lord, I thank Thee with all my heart and I hope
to come to Heaven, there to thank Thee for that Light through all eternity. I hope, through Thy Blood, to be saved and I hope it with certainty because Thou hast shown so many mercies to me.

In the meantime I hope Thou wilt grant me strength. never more to betray Thee. … I have offended Thee often enough.
In the life that remains to me I wish to love Thee. And how can I help loving a God, Who, after having died for me, has borne with me with so much patience, notwithstanding the many insults I have offered to Him?
O God of my soul, I repent with all my heart; would that I could die of grief. But if during the past, I have turned from Thee, now do I love Thee beyond every thing, much more than I love myself.

Eternal Father, through the merits of Jesus Christ, succour a miserable sinner who wishes to love Thee.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 24 October – CONSIDERATION XXII, The Habit of Sin

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Thought for the Day – 24 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXII

The Habit of Sin
“When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt.”
(Prov xviiu: 3)

FIRST POINT:
ONE of the greatest evils which the sin of Adam caused us, is the wicked inclination to sin. This made the Apostle weep when he found himself impelled, by concupiscence, towards those same sins which he detested. “But I see another law in my members …. bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.” (Rom vii: 23).

And, therefore, it happens with us that being infected by this concupiscence and with so many enemies who urge us onto evil, we find it so difficult to reach the blessed country without sin. Now, such being our frailty, I ask, what would you say of a traveller who would have to cross the sea in a storm in a shattered boat and yet, should wish to load it with a weight which, even were the boat a strong one and there were no storm, would be enough to send it to the
bottom? What would you predict concerning the life of such an one?
Now, we say the same of the habitual sinner, who, having to pass over the sea of this life – a sea which is very tempestuous and, where many are lost in a weak and shattered boat, which is our flesh and to which we are united, is willing to weigh it down with habitual sins! For in this habitual sinner, it is very difficult to be saved because the evil habit darkens the mind and hardens the heart and by doing so, easily renders him obstinate, even to death.

In the first place, the evil habit produces blindness. And why is it that the Saints ever beg God to give them Light and why do they fear lest they should become the greatest sinners in the world? It is because they know that if, for one moment, they were to lose the Light, they might commit any wickedness. How is it that so many Christians have been willing to live in sin, until they have, at last, condemned themselves? “Their own malice blinded them.” (Wisd ii: 21).
Sin has deprived them of sight and so, they have become lost. Each sin produces blindness, so when the sin increases, so does the blindness increase. God is our Light; the more,, therefore, the soul withdraws itself from God, the more does its darkness increase. … As the light of the sun cannot enter in a vessel filled with earth, so the Divine Light cannot enter a heart filled with vices. And, therefore, it is that we see many relaxed sinners lose this Light,
and go on from sin to sin and never again think of amending their ways.

These miserable sinners have fallen into that dark pit, where they can do nothing but sin, speak only of sin, think only of sin and, at last, they scarcely recognise the evil in sin.
St Augustine observes, that “the habit itself of evil, does not suffer sinners to see the evil which they do.” So they live as if they no longer believed in a God, a paradise, a hell, or an eternity.
And, behold, for that sin which, at one time, caused them to feel great horror, through the evil habit, no longer causes them to feel it.
… “Observe,” says St Gregory, “with what ease a bit of straw is moved by the slightest puff of wind” even thus do we often see some, who, before they fell, once resisted, … and strove against the temptations but after the sin, became habitual, they yielded to every temptation and every occasion of sin presented to them. And, wherefore? Because the evil habit has deprived them of Light.

St Anselm tells us that the devil acts with many sinners, like anyone who holds a bird tied by a string, who allows it to fly but directly it flies he pulls it back again to earth. Even so, as the Saint observes, does it happen with habitual sinners: “Entangled by a bad habit, they are held by the enemy; flying, they are cast down into the same vice.” … As St Chrysostom observes: “Habit is a difficult thing which sometimes compels those,. who are unwilling, to do what is wrong.” Yes, because, according to St Augustine, the bad habit at last becomes a sure necessity! And St Bernardine also adds: “Habit is changed into nature” for, as it is necessary for man to breathe, even so to habitual sinners who are made the slaves of sin, it seems necessary to sin.
… These wretched ones will open their eyes in hell, when there will be no longer any good in opening them, except to weep more bitterly over their folly.

Affections andPrayers

My God, Thou hast indeed favoured me with Thy blessings in blessing me more than others and I have clearly, by my offences, displeased Thee more than any other.

Oh sorrowful Heart of my Redeemer, Who upon the Cross wast afflicted and tormented when beholding my sins, give me, through Thy merits, a living knowledge and grief for my sins.
Ah, my Jesus, I am full of wickedness but Thou art Omnipotent; truly canst Thou fill me with Thy holy Love. Therefore, in Thee do I trust Thou Who art good and of Infinite Mercy. I repent, O Sovereign Good, for having offended Thee.

Oh, would that I had died, rather than have given Thee this offence. I have been forgetful of Thee but Thou hast never been forgetful of me. I can see it through that Light which Thou dost now grant me. Since, therefore, Thou dost grant me that Light, grant me too, the strength to be faithful to Thee.
… In Thee, O my Jesus, do I hope never more to be confounded in sin and deprived of Thine Grace.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on PEACE

Thought for the Day – 23 October –CONSIDERATION XXI, The Unhappy Life of the Sinner and the Happy Life of the Saint

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Thought for the Day – 23 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XXI

The Unhappy Life of the Sinnder
and the Happy Life of the Saint
“There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.”
(Ps cxix: 165)

FIRST POINT:
ALL men in this life weary themselves to find peace – the
merchant, the soldier and he who has a lawsuit –;they all
try to find peace, thinking, by winning that gain, obtaining
that post, gaining that lawsuit, to make a fortune and thus, to find peace.

Poor worldly ones, who seek peace in this world which cannot give it to them! God alone can give us peace, as the Church prays, “Give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give.”
No! the world with all its riches cannot satisfy the heart of man because man was not created for these riches but for God alone, therefore, it is God alone Who can satisfy him.

Animals are created for the delights of sense only; these find their happiness in earthly things. Give a horse a bundle of grass; give a dog a bone; they are both content and desire nothing more. But the soul which is created to love and to be united to God alone, will never be able to find peace in all the pleasures which sense can give. God alone can render it truly happy.
That rich man whom St Luke records, whose ground brought forth plentifully, said within himself: “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.” (Luke xii: 19). But this unhappy one was called a fool and with reason, as St Bernard observes. “Hast thou the soul of a hog? Ah, wretched one,” exclaims the Saint, “perhaps thou art like a beast, so that thou canst be satisfied with eating, with drinking, with sensual pleasures?”
He observes, that a man may be filled with the good things of this world but not satisfied. “Ye eat but ye have not enough.” (Hag i: 6). And for this reason, the more the avaricious man acquires, the more does he seek to acquire. St Augustine observes, increased riches do not close but rather extend, the jaws of avarice!

When Alexander the Great had acquired many kingdoms, he wept because he could conquer no more.
If the riches of this world could satisfy a man, the rich and
those who govern, would be fully happy but experience teaches us the contrary. Solomon observes the same thing, even he asserts that he never denied his senses one thing.
“And whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them.” (Eccles ii: 10). But notwithstanding, what does he say? “Vanity of vanities; …. all is vanity.” (Eccles i: 2).
As if he had said, all which is in the world is mere vanity, deceit and folly!

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my God! what is there remaining to me of all the offences I have committed against Thee but trouble, bitterness and the horror that I deserve hell!? The bitterness which I feel does not displease me; nay, it rather consoles me, for it is the gift of Thy grace and causes me to hope, since Thou dost give it to me that Thou art willing to pardon me.

That which does displease me, is the bitterness I have caused Thee, my Redeemer, Thou Who hast loved me so much. My Lord, I deserved to be abandoned by Thee then but, instead of leaving me, Thou dost offer me pardon; nay, Thou art the first to ask for peace.

Yes, my Jesus, I would be at peace with Thee and I desire Thy grace more than any other good. I repent, O Thou Infinite Goodness, for having offended Thee. I would die of grief.
Ah, through that love which Thou didst bear for me when dying on the Cross, pardon me and take me to Thinr Heart and change my heart in such a way that I may please Thee in the time to come, as much as I have displeased Thee in the time that is past. …
Grant me Lord, Thine grace and help and then do with me what Thy wilt.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 22 October – CONSIDERATION XX, The Folly of the Sinner

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Thought for the Day – 22 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XX

The Folly of the Sinner
“The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.”
(i Cor iii: 19).

FIRST POINT:
THE Venerable John of Avila would divide the world into two prisons, one for those who do not believe, the other for those who believe and yet, live in sin, far from God, to whom belonged the prison of fools.

The great misery and disgrace of those unhappy ones is, that they deem themselves to be wise and prudent, whilst they are the most stupid and foolish and, what is worst of all, is that the number of these is innumerable. Some are mad for the honours, others for the pleasures and the defilements of this world. And these, then, dare to call the Saints fools, who despise the goods of this world in order that they may gain eternal salvation and the True Good, which is God. They call it foolishness to accept insults and to pardon injuries; foolishness to deprive themselves of the pleasures of the senses and to embrace mortifications; to renounce honours and riche, and to love solitude and a life both humble and hidden. But they do not observe, that their wisdom is called foolishness by the Apostle: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.”” (i Cor iii: 19) .

Ah, one day they will truly confess their folly but when? When there will be no further remedy and they will say in despair: “We fools esteemed their life madness and their end without honour.” (Wisd v: 4),
Wretched that we have been, we counted folly, the life of the Saints but now, we know that we have been the fools. “Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God and their lot is among the Saints.” (Wisd v: 5). Behold, they are now collected into the happy number of the children of God which will be an eternal one, which will make them blessed forever and we shall be placed amongst the slaves of the devil, condemned to burn in a pit of torment for all eternity.
The lost will continue their lamentation, “We have erred from the way of truth and the Light of justice hath not shione unto us.” (Wisd v: 6).

… What folly, then, for a worthless gain, for a little vapour, for a brief delight, to lose the favour of Go. What does not a subject do, to obtain the favour of his prince?
O God, for one miserable gratification to lose the Highest Good which is God! to lose Heaven, to lose even peace in this life by granting an entrance of sin into the soul, by which its remorse will ever torment it and condemn it voluntarily to eternal misery.

Would you catch at that forbidden pleasure if, by touching it, you were afterwards to have your hand burnt, or to be enclosed within a sepulchre for a year? Would you commit that sin, if it cost you the loss of a large sum of money? And after you know and believe,that by sinning, you forfeit Heaven and God and will be forever condemned to the fire, will you still sin!?

Affections and Prayers

O God of my soul, what should I have been at this moment if Thou had not shown to me so many mercies? I should have been in hell, in the place of fools; as I have been.

I thank Thee, O Lord and I pray Thee, not to abandon me in my blindness; I deserve to be deprived of Thy light but I see that Thy favour has not forsaken me. I feel that it calls me with tenderness, wishing me to ask for pardon of Thee and to hope for great things from Thee, notwithstanding the great offences I have committed against Thee. Yes, my Saviour, I hope to be accepted by Thee as a son. I am, indeed, not worthy thus to be called because so often I have insulted Thee to Thy Face.

“Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before Thee and am not worthy to be called Thy son.” But I know Thou searchest out the lost sheep and Thy consolation is to embrace Thy lost children.
My dear Father, I repent, I cast myself at and I embrace Thy Feet and I will not go if Thou dost not pardon and bless me. I love Thee, O my Father, I love Thee with all my heart. Do not allow me to be separated from Thee again; deprive me of all things, save of Thy love.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HELL

Thought for the Day – 21 October – CONSIDERATION XIX, The Gift of Grace is a Great Good and the Loss of Grace is a Great Evil

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Thought for the Day – 21 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XIX

The Gift of Grace is a Great Good
and the Loss of Grace is a Great Evil
“Man knoweth not the price thereof.”
(Job xxviii: 1)

FIRST POINT:
THE Lord say: “ If thou take the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as My mouth.” (Jer.xv: 19) He who knows how to separate things precious, from things vile, becomes like God; he rejects the evil and he chooses the good.
Let us note how blessed is the gift of the grace of God and how sad is the loss of it. Men do not consider the value of Divine Grace, they know not “the price thereof” and, therefore, they barter it away for nothing, for a passing vapour, for a little land, for an animal pleasure; yet it is an Infinite Treasure, one which renders us worthy of the friendship of God.
… So that a soul in grace, is a friend of God.

The heathens, who were deprived of the light of faith deemed it impossible that the creature should have any friendship with God and speaking according to natural light, they said justly, since friendship can only exist amongst equals; or, as St Jerome says: “Friendship, either finds or makes equals.”
But God has in many places of Holy Scripture declared that, by means of His Grace, we may become His friends, if we observe His laws: “Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you: henceforth I call you not servants but I have called you friends.” (St John xv: 14, 15).
Whence St Gregory exclaims: “Oh, marvellous condescension of Divine Goodness, we are not worthy to be called slaves and yet, we are called friends!”

How fortunate would he reckon himself to be, who had a King for his friend!
But it would be audacity in a subject to claim to have a friendship with his Prince but yet, it is not audacity for a soul, to claim to be the friend of its God.
St Augustine relates that two courtiers were once in a Monastery of Hermits and that one of them took up the life of St Anthony Abbot to read. “He read and his heart was drawn out from the world.”
Then turning to his companion he spake thus: “What do we seek? Have we any greater hope than that of being friends of the Emperor? And through how many dangers is thi, the greater danger, arrived at? And how long will this friendship last?
Friend,” he said, “fools, that we are; what do we seek? can we hope by serving the Emperor for more than his friendship? If we obtain it, we expose ourselves to the greater danger of losing our eternal salvation. But no, we shall not succeed in this, so difficult will it be to obtain Csesar for a friend. But if I will it, even now, I can become the friend of God!”
Whoever, then, is in the grace of God, becomes His friend, nay, rather, he becomes the child of God. “Ye are gods, ye are all the children of the Most Highest.” (Ps Ixxxii: 6).
This is the “high calling” the Divine Love has obtained for us through the mediation of Jesus Christ.
“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God.” (i St John iii: i). Moreover, the soul who is in grace, becomes the spouse of God. “I will even betroth thee unto Myself in faithfulness.” (Hos ii: 20). Therefore, the father of the prodigal son, when he restored him to his favour, ordered, in token of his espousal, to “put a ring on his hand.” (St Luke xv: 22).
The soul becomes also the temple of the Holy Ghost.
“Ye are the temple of God and tfye Spirit of God dwelleth in you.” (i Cor iii: 16).

Affections and Prayers

Therefore, O my God, my soul, whilst it remained in Thy Grace, was Thy friend, Thy child, Thy spouse, Thy temple but then, in sinning, it lost all and became Thy enemy and the slave of hell.
But I thank Thee, O my God, that Thou hast even given me time to recover Thy Grace. I grieve that I have offended Thee, more than for every other evil, O Infinite Goodness and I love Thee above all things.
Ah, receive me again into Thy friendship and in Thy pity, do not reject me. I know well, that I have deserved banishment from Thee but Jesus Christ merits that, being penitent, Thou shouldst receive me again, for the sake of the sacrifice of Himself which He made to Thee on Calvary.

“Thy Kingdom come.” My Father for so has Thy Son taught me to call Thee, come by Thy grace to reign in my heart. Grant that it may serve Thee only, live for Thee only, love Thee only.
“And lead us not into temptation.”
Do not suffer the enemies so to tempt me that they may conquer me.
“But deliver us from evil”
from hell but first, from that sin which alone can bring me to hell; from the great evil of falling into sin and so, of being
deprived of the grace of God.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 20 October – CONSIDERATION XVIII, Of the Number of Sins

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Thought for the Day – 20 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XVIII

Of the Number of Sins
“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore, the heart of the sons of men
is fully set in them to do evil.”
(Eccles viii: 11)

FIRST POINT:
IF God were to chastise offences, immediately, He would not be nsulted as He is now but because the Lord delays His punishment and waits, sinners take courage to further offend Him.

We must understand, that although God waits and endures, He will not wait and suffer forever. It is the opinion of many of the holy Fathers that, as God has determined for each man, the days of his life, the state of his health, the talents He wills to bestow upon him “Thou hast ordered all things in measure, number and weight” (Wisd xi: 21) so has He determined for each one, the number of sins which He will pardon which, being fulfilled, He pardons no more!
St Augustine says: “We should remember that, for a certain time, the long-suffering of God bears with each one of us but when this time is completed, no pardon is reserved for him.”
St Eusebius of Caesarea also says that “God waits up to a certain number and afterwards, leaves the sinner.”

This opinion of the Fathers is supported by Holy Scripture.
In one place it says that the Lord delayed the ruin of the Amorites. “For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” (Gen xv: 16). In another, “I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel.” (Hos i: 6). Again, “Because all those men …. have tempted Me now these ten times. … Surely
they shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers.”
(Num xiv: 22, 23). In another place Job says: “My transgression is sealed up in a bag.” (Job xiv: 17).

Sinners keep no account of their sins but God does, strictly, that He may punish when the harvest is ripe that is, when the number is completed. …
Sinner, you should fear, for the sins which have been forgiven you, for if you add another sin, it may be that the new sin with those already pardoned, will complete the number and then, there will remain no more mercy for you and this Holy Scripture plainly declares: “The Lord patiently expecteth that when the day of judgement shall arrive, He may punish them in the fulness of their sins.”
(2 Mace vi: 14) .
So that God waits until the day in which the measure of sins is full and then, He punishes.
Of this delayed punishment, there are many examples in Holy Scripture and especially in the case of Saul, who was forsaken by God for his last disobedience and who prayed that Samuel would intercede for him, saying: “I prav thee, pardon my sin and turn again with me that I may worship the Lord.” (i Sam xv: 25). But Samuel answered: “I will not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord hath rejected thee.” (Ib xv: 26). …

Oh, to how many miserable sinners does it not happen that they live for many years in their sins but when their number is fiull, they are seized by death and are sent to hell! “They spend their days in wealth and in a moment, go down to the grave.” (Job xxi: 13).

Affections andr.Prayers

Oh, my God, I thank Thee; how many, for fewer sins than mine are now in hell and for them there is no more pardon or hope! Whilst I am still living, … I have, if I desire it, the hope of pardon and of Heaven. Yes, my God, I desire pardon. I repent, above every other sin, that of having offended Thee because I have offended Thy Infinite Goodness.

Eternal Father, “Look upon the Face of Thine Anointed.” (Ps Ixxxiv: 9). Look upon that Son, Who died upon that Cross for me. By His merits, have pity upon me.
I promise to choose death rather than to offend Thee more. I may justly fear, thinking upon the sins that I have committed and the graces which Thou hast bestowed upon me, that should I add another sin, my measure would be full and I should be condemned.
Oh, help me by Thy grace – from Thee I look for light and strength to be faithful to Thee and if ever Thou seest that I should again offend Thee, let me die in this moment, in which I trust that I an in Thy grace.
I love Thee, my God, above all things and I fear more than death itself, to find myself agaiagain out of Thy grace ; in mercy gran, this may never be.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 19 October – CONSIDERATION XVII, Of the House of Divine Mercy

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Thought for the Day – 19 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XVII

Of the House of Divine Mercy
“Not knowing that the goodness of God
leadeth thee to repentance?”
(Rom ii: 4)

FIRST POINT:
WE read in the parable in St Matthew xiii that the tares, having grown in a field together with the corn, the servants wished to pluck them up.
“Wilt Thou then that we go and gather them up ?”
But the Master answered: “Nay; …. Let them both grow together until the harvest and at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them.”
From this parable we learn the patience which the Lord shows to sinners and also, the severity which He shows to those who are obstinate.

St Augustine observes, the devil deceives men in two ways,
“By despair and by hope!”
After the sinner has committed the sin, he tempts him to despair, through fear of the Divine Justice but before the sin is committed, he tempts the sinner to commit it, by telling him of the Divine Mercy.
Therefore, the Saint warns everyone, by saying: “After sin, hope for mercy; before sin, fear justice.”
Yes, because he who makes use of mercy to offend God, does not deserve mercy.
Mercy is shown to him who fears God, not to him who makes use of it so as not to fear God. He who offends justice, observes Abulensis, can fly to mercy but he who offends the same mercy, to whom can he fly?

It is but seldom a sinner is found so hopeless, as to wish to be condemned. Sinners are willing to sin but they are not willing
to give up the hope of being saved. They commit sin and
say to themselves, God is merciful; I will commit this sin and
afterwards confess it. Behold, says St Augustine, this is how
sinnersspeak: “God is good, I will do what pleaseth me” but
O God, how many, who are now in hell, have said the same!

… The mercy of God is Infinite but the acts of this mercy are finite. God is merciful but He is also just. … As St Augustine observes, God never fails in His promises, neither does He fail in His threats!
Take care, says St Chrysostom, when the devil but not God, promises thee Divine Mercy, that thou mayest commit sin.
Woe, add St Augustine, to him who hopes, so that he may sin: “ Woe to that perverse hope.” Oh ! exclaims the Saint, how many there are, whom this vain hope has deceived and caused to be lost!

… In short, although God endures, for some time, yet He will not endure forever. If God were to suffer sin forever, no-one would be lost but it is the general opinion, that the greater part, even of Christians are lost.
“For wide is the gate and broad is the way, which leadeth to destructio, and many there be, who go in thereat.” (Matt vii:13). …

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my God, I have been one of those who offended The,
notwithstanding Thou wast good to me. Lord, wait for me,
do not abandon me because I hope, Thy grace helping me,
never more to provoke Thee to abandon me.
I repent, O Thou
Infinite Goodness, for having offended Thee and for, having
thus abused Thy patience. I thank Thee that Thou hast
waited for me until now. From this day forward, I will never
more abuse Thee as I have done, in the time that .is past. Thou hast borne with me so long that Thou mightest one day see me made a lover of Thy Goodness.
That that day be already come, is my hope.

I love Thee more than anything and I prize Thy grace
more than all the kingdoms of the world; rather than lose it, I would lose my life, if it were possible to do so, many times over,
My God, for the love of Jesus Christ, give me holy perseverance until death, with Thy most holy love. Never allow me to betray Thee any more, neither to cease to love Thee.

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, PREPARATION for DEATH

Thought for the Day – 18 October – CONSIDERATION XVI, Of the Mercy of God

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Thought for the Day – 18 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XVI

Of the Mercy of God
“Mercy rejoiceth against judgement.”
( James ii: 13).

FIRST POINT:
GOODNESS is diffusive in its nature, that is to say, it inclines ever to communicate its goodness to others.
Now, God, Who by nature is Infinite Goodness, has a sovereign desire to communicate His happiness to us and, therefore, it is not His nature to punish but to show mercy to all. As Isaiah says, punishment is opposite to the inclination of Almighty God. “ He shall be wroth …. that He may do His work, His strange work.” (Isa xxviii: 21). And when the Lord
chastises in this life, He chastises so that He may show mercy in the next. “Thou hast also been displeased; O turn Thee unto us again.” (Ps Ix: I). He appears to be angry, so that we may repent and detest our sins.
“Thou hast shown Thy people heavy things; Thou hast given us a drink of deadly wine.” (Ps lx: 3).
And if He sends us any punishment, He sends it because He loves us and that we may be delivered from eternal punishment.
“Thou hast given a token for such as fear Thee that they may triumph because of the truth. Therefore, were Thy beloved delivered.” (Ps Ix: 4, 5).

And how can the mercy be ever admired and praised enough which God shows towards sinners in waiting for them, in calling them and in receiving them when they return?
And, in the first place, oh, how great is the patience which God exercises owards us in waiting for our repentance!
My brother, when thou wast offending God, He could have caused thee to die but He waited for thee and, instead of chastising thee, He conferred His benefits upon thee. He preserved thy life and provided for thee. He feigned not to see thy sins, so that thou might repent. “Thou overlookest the sins of men, for the sake of repentance.” (Wisd xi: 24).

But how is it, Lord, that Thou Who canst not endure the sight of a single sin, yet remainest quiet when Thou beholdest so many?
“Thou beholdest that dishonest one that revengeful one that blasphemer, whose offences increase daily but yet ,Thou punish them not and why so much patience?”
Therefore, will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you.” (Isa xxx: 18).
God waits for the sinner, so that he may amend his ways and thus, He may pardon and save him.

St Thomas observes, all creation – fire, earth, air, water – would punish the sinner by instinct, to avenge the wrongs done to the Creator, for “all creation, in its service to Thee, the Creator, turns against the impious.”

Yet God, in His mercy withholds them. But, Lord, Thou dost wait for these wicked ones that they may repent, yet dost Thou not see they are making use of Thy mercy to offend Thee more?
… And wherefore then so much patience?
Because God willeth not the death of the sinner but that he should be converted and live.
“As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” (Ezek xxxii: 11).
St Augustine goes so far as to say, that if God were not God, “He would be unjust on account of the long-suffering which He shows towards shiners.” To wait for that one who makes use of God’s patience only to become more sinful, would appear unjust to the Divine honour. “We sin,” the Saint goes onto say, “We sin and are attached to it, and some make their peace with sin ; they sleep in sin for months and for years . We rejoice in sin, some even boast of their wickedness and art Thou appeased ?”

It would seem as if we were fighting with God, we were provoking Him to punish us but He inviting us to pardon!

Affections,and Prayers

Ah, my Lord, full well do I know, at this very hour, my place ought to be in hell.
But because of Thy mercy, I am not there but in this place, even at Thy feet and I can hear Thee telling me, that Thou dost wish to be loved by me.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.”

And Thou dost assure me of Thy pardon if only I repent of the offences which I have committed against Thee. Yes, my God, since Thou desirest to be loved even by me, who am a miserable rebel against Thy Majesty, I will love Thee with all my heart and I will repent for having offended Thee, more than any other sin into which I may have fallen.

Ah, enlighten me, O Infinite Goodness and make me to know the wrong I have done Thee.
No, I will no longer resist Thy calls. I will no more displease
the God Who has loved me so much and Who has pardoned
me so many times and with so much love.
Ah, would that I had never offended Thee, O my Jesus ! Pardon me and grant that from this day forward, I may love none other than Thee that I may live for Thee alone, Thou who didst die for me.

Grant that I may suffer for Thy love, since Thou hast suffered so much for mine. Thou hast loved me from eternity; grant that I may burn with Thy love in eternity. I hope for all things because of Thy merits.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 17 October – CONSIDERATION XV, On the Evil of Deadly Sin

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Thought for the Day – 17 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XV

On the Evil of Deadly Sin
“I have nourished and brought up children
and they have rebelled against me.”
(Isa 1:2)

FIRST POINT: “”
WHAT does he do who commits a deadly sin?
He insults God, he dishonours God, he embitters God.

In the first place, by the deadly sin he commits, he insults God.
As St Thomas observes, the malice of an injury is measured
according to the person who does it and the person who receives it. It is very wicked to insult a peasant but it is worse to insult a nobleman and still much worse, to insult a king.
Who is God ? He is the King of kings: “Lord of lords and King of kings.” (Apoc xvii: 14).
God is of Infinite Majesty, with respect to Whom, all the princes of the earth, the Saints and the Angels in Heaven, are less than a grain of dust.
Nay, says Isaiah, compared with the greatness of God all creatures are as the smallest things, even as though they had never been: “All nations before Him are as nothing.” (Isa xl:17).

Even such is God and who is man? St. Bernard answers,
even a sack of worms and food for worms, who, in a short time, will be devoured by worms: “Miserable and poor and blind and naked.” (Apoc iii: 17).
Man is a miserable worm who can do nothing; he is blind and can see nothing and poor and naked and has nothing. And this miserable worm dares to insult God!

… The Angelic Doctor is right when he says: “the sin of man contains a malice almost infinite.
Sin has a certain infinity of malice from the infinity of the Divine Majesty.”
Nay, St Augustine calls sin absolutely an “infinite evil!”
Therefore it is, that if all men, and all Angels, were to offer themselves to die and to annihilation, they would not be able to make satisfaction for one single sin!

God punishes deadly sin with the great punishment of hell but, however much God punishes the sinner, all theologians agree that God punishes it “Citra condignnm” that is, with less punishment than deadly sin deserves.
And what punishment can be great enough for a worm who tries to set himself against his Lord? God is Lord of all, because He has created all things.
And in fact, all creatures obey God: “The winds and the sea obey Him” (Matt viii: 27).
“Fire and hail, snow and vapours, wind and storm, fulfilling His word.” (Ps cxlviii: 8).

But what does man do when he sins?
He says to God, Lord, I do not wish to serve Thee …
“Who is the Lord that I should obey His Voice ….. I know not the Lord.” (Exod v: 2).
Even thus does the sinner say: “Lord, I know Thee not ; I wish to do what pleases me.”
In short, he despises God and turns away from Him and, it is indeed committing a deadly sin, to turn away from God. “A turning away from the unchangeable good,” as St Thomas observes.

Of this does the Lord complain.
… Thou hast been ungrateful, says God, thou hast left Me, since I would never have left thee, thou hast turned away from Me.
God has declared that He hates sin, therefore, He cannot do otherwise than hate him who sins: “For the ungodly and his ungodliness, are both alike, hateful unto God.” (Wisd xiv: 9). When man sins, he is bold enough to declare himself the enemy of God. “He stretcheth out his hand against God and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.” (Job xv: 25).
… And when the sinner consents to sin, he stretches out his hand against God. He stretches out his neck, that is to say, pride and flies in the Face of God; he arms himself with a thick shield, with ignorance! and says: “What have I done ? what harm is there in the sin I have committed? God is merciful; He pardons sinners.”
O my God, keep me from such boldness and blindness!

Affections andPrayers

Behold, O my God, at Thy Feet the rebellious one; the bold
one, who has had the boldness to insult Thee so many times
and to turn away from Thee but now I seek for mercy from
Thee.
For Thou hast said: “Call unto Me and I will answer thee.” (Jer xxxiii: 3).
I know that hell is a fitting punishment for me but Thou knowest that I feel very sorry for having offended Thee, O Thou Infinite Goodness, more sorry than if I had lost everything I possess and my life even.
Ah, my
Lord, pardon me and never let me offend Thee more. Thou
hast waited for me, so that I may forever bless Thy mercy and
love Thee. Yes, I do bless and love Thee and hope because of.
the merits of Jesus Christ, never more to be separated from Thy Love. … Ah, take me entirely into Thy possession, my soul, my body,
my powers, my senses, my will and my liberty.
… Thou Who art my only good, my only adorable One, be also my only love. Give me zeal in loving Thee.
1 hope for it from Thee, O Thou, Who art Omnipotent.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL

Thought for the Day – 16 October –CONSIDERATION XIV, Life is a Journey to Eternity

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Thought for the Day – 16 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

CONSIDERATION XIV

Life is a Journey to Eternity
“Man goeth to his long home.”
(Eccles xii: 5)

FIRST POINT:
FROM beholding that, in this world, so many evil-livers live in prosperity and, so many righteous men, on the contrary, live in adversity, even the Gentiles recognised, by the light of nature alone, this truth – as there is a God and, as this God is just, so there must be another life, in which the wicked will be punished and the good rewarded! What these Gentiles saw by the light of reason alone, we, Christians, confess, by faith: “Here we have no abiding city but we seek
one to come.” (Heb xiii; 14). This world is not truly our country but, for us, it is a place of passage, through which we must pass quickly to our “long home.”
“Man goeth to his long home.”

Therefore, my reader, the house in which you dwell is not your house; it is an hostel from which, quickly and when you least expect it, you will have to depart.
Know, when the time of your death has arrived, those most dear, will be the first to thrust you out.
And what will be your real home? A grave will be the home of your body, until the day of judgement and your soul will have to go to its long home, either to Paradise or to Hell.
Wherefore, St Augustine addresses you: “Thou art a guest; thou beholdest and thou passest onwards.”
That traveller would be insan, who, passing through a country, would wish to lay out there all his inheritance in the purchase of a villa or a house in that place which, in a few days he must leave.
Reflect, yet, says the Saint, that in this world thou art a passenger, do not place thy affections on what thou seest, behold and pass on and procure a good home where you will have to dwell forever.

If thou art saved, happy art thou. Oh, what a beautiful home is Heaven! All the palaces of Monarchs, so exceedingly rich, are hovels when compared with the City of Heaven which alone can be called “the perfection of beauty.” (Lam ii: 15).
In that place, you will not have anything left to desire; remaining in the company of the Saints and of Jesus Christ, without further fear of harm. In short, you will live in an ocean of delights,and in perpetual joy which will never end:
“Everlasting joy upon their heads.” (Isa xxxv 10). This joy will be so great that, through all eternity, at every moment, it will appear to be ever new.

But, if thou art lost; unhappy thou! Thou wilt be confined in a lake of fire, abandoned by all and without God. And for what time? Perchance, when a hundred thousand years shall have passed by, your punishment will be ended? What end!
A hundred thousand million years and ages will pass by, and your hell will be ever at its beginning. For what are a thousand years in comparison with eternity? Less than a day that has passed,
“A thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday, seeing that it is past as a watch in the night.” (Ps xc: 4).

Do you wish to know what will be your home which will receive you in eternity? It will be exactly that which you deserved and which you chose by your own actions!

Affections and Prayers

Behold, then, O Lord, the home which I have deserved by my life; alas, Hell! where, from the first sin which I committed, I ought to remain, abandoned by Thee, deprived of the hope of being able to love Thee more.
Let Thy mercy forever be blessed which, having waited for me, also gives me time to atone for my sin! Let the Blood of Jesus Christ be blessed which has obtained this mercy for me.
No, my God, I do not desire further to abuse Thy patience. I repent, above every other sin, having grieved Thee, not so much on account of having deserved hell, as that I have abused Thy infinite goodiiess.
Never more, my God, never more; let me die rather than offend Thee more. If I were now in Hell, O my Sovereign Good, I could not love Thee any more, neither couldst Thou further love me. I love Thee and I desire to be loved by Thee.
I do not deserve this but Jesus Christ merits it, Who so sacrificed Himself upon the Cross that Thou mightst be able to pardon and love me.

Eternal Father, for the love, then, of Thy Son, give me grace to love Thee ever and to love Thee much, more and more.
I love Thee, O my Father, for having given Thy Son!

Posted in JESUIT SJ, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VANITY

Thought for the Day – 15 October – CONSIDERATION XIII, The Vanity of the World

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Thought for the Day – 15 October – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

As Advent is approaching quickly and I am desirous of posting specific “Advent Thoughts,” I am curtailing this Series and will only post the First Point in each “Consideration” – we will revisit the Second and Third Points in the future, should Our Lord allow us the time.
Please comment below if you have any ideas, either for or against this plan.
The last Post before my break was on 30 September: https://anastpaul.com/2024/09/30/thought-for-the-day-30-september-consideration-xii-the-importance-of-salvation/

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XIII

The Vanity of the World
“What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul. ”
(Matt xvi: 26)

FIRST POINT:
A CERTAIN ancient philosopher, named Aristippus, was shipwrecked on a voyage and lost all his goods but he reached the shore. Being much renowned for his knowledge, he was provided with all that he had lost by the inhabitants of the place; whence he wrote to his friends in his own country, who following his example that they should care to provide themselves with those things only which could not perish in shipwreck!

So precisely do our parents and friends who are in eternity speak to us, bidding us provide only in life, such good things as death cannot destroy. The day of death is called “the day of destruction” (Deut xxxii: 35). For in that day all earthly goods, honours, riches, pleasures – all will be destroyed. Hence, St Ambrose says: “They are not our own possessions which we are not able to take away with us; our virtue alone accompanies us!”
What serves it then, says Jesus Christ, to gain the whole world, if losing the soul in death, we lose all.
“What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

Ah, this mighty truth! how many young men has it bidden to seek the cloister; how many hermits to live in deserts; how many martyrs to give their lives for Jesus Christ!
St Ignatius de Loyola, by this truth, drew many souls to God, especially the beautiful soul of St Francis Xavier who, living in Paris, gave himself up to the world. St Ignatius said to him one day: “Remember, the world is a traitor, it promises but it does not fulfil: if it should perform what it promises, it is
not able to fill thy heart. But let us suppose that it could satisfy it, how long would this, thy happiness endure ? Can it last longer than thy life? and, in short, what canst thou carry into eternity?
Is there perchance any rich’ man who has carried thither either a piece of money or a servant for his convenience? Is there any king who has carried a thread of the purple through his love of it ?”
On hearing these words, t. Francis left the world; he followed St Ignatius and he became a great Saint.!

“Vanity of vanities,” so Solomon called all the goods of this world, although he had not denied himself one pleasure of all those which are in the world, as he himself acknowledges. “Whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy.” (Eccles ii: 10).
Sister Margaret of St Anne, of the Barefooted-Carmelites, daughter of the Emperor Rudolph II, said: “ Of what use are kingdoms at the hour of death.”

How wonderful! the Saints tremble when they think upon- their eternal salvation. Father Segneri trembled, in great terror, demanding of his confessor: “What say you, Father, shall I be saved?”
St Andrew Avellino trembled and wept, saying: “Who knows whether I shall be saved?”
St Louis Bertrand was so tormented by this thought even,so terrified in the night, he sprang out of bed, saying:
“And who knows but I shall be damned ?”
And sinners live condemned and sleep and jes, and laugh!

Affections andPrayers

O Jesus, my Redeemer, I thank Thee that Thou hast made me to know my folly and the sin which I have committed in turning away from Thee, Who hast shed Thy Blood and Thy life for me. No, Thou hast not deserved to be treated by me as I have treated Thee.
Behold, if death should come to me now, what should I find in myself, except sins and remorse of conscience which would cause me to die in great disquiet ?
I confess, my Saviour, I have sinned, I have erred in leaving Thee, my Highest Good, for the miserable pleasures of this world; I repent with my whole heart.
Alas ! by that grief which slew Thee on the Cross, give me such sorrow for my sins as may cause me to weep during all that remains of my life for the wrongs I have done Thee.
My Jesus, my Jesus, pardon me and I promise never more to offend Thee and ever to love Thee.

I am no longer worthy of Thy love since I have so despised it in
the past but Thou hast said: “I love them who love Me.”
(Prov viii: 17) I love Thee, do Thou also love me; I will no longer live in Thy disgrace. If Thou wilt love me, I renounce all the pomps and pleasures of the world. Hear me, my Lord, for the love of Jesus Christ. I pray that Thou wouldst not banish me from Thy heart.

I consecrate myself to Thee wholly; my life, my inclinations, my senses, my mind, my body, my will and my liberty. Receive me; do not reject me as I deserve, for having so often rejected Thy friendship.
“Cast me not away from Thy presence.” (Ps xxi:11).

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, Quotes on SALVATION, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 30 September – CONSIDERATION XII: The Importance of Salvation

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Thought for the Day – 30 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XII

The Importance of Salvation
“We beseech you, brethren, …. to do your own business.”
(i Thess iv: 10, 11).

FIRST POINT:
THE “business” of eternal salvation is assuredly an affair which is to us more important than any other and yet, it is the most neglected by Christians. They spare neither time nor diligence to attain that post, or to gain that lawsuit. To conclude that marriage, how many counsels, how many steps are taken? they neither eat nor sleep.

And yet, to secure eternal salvation, what do they do? how do they live? They do nothing, nay, they do all things to lose it! and the larger number of Christians so live, as if death, judgement, hell, Heaven and eternity could not be an article of faith but fables invented by the poets. If they lose a lawsuit or a harvest, what grief do they not feel? What pains do they not take to repair the loss? If they lose a horse or a dog, what diligence do they not exercise to find it?
They lose the grace of God; they sleep, they jest and they laugh.
Wonderful fact! All are ashamed to be called negligent in the affairs of the world and yet, how many are not ashamed to neglect the affairs of eternity which is all-important! They deem the Saints to be wise, since they have attended solely to their salvation and then, they attend to all other things of the world and not at all to the soul!

But, says St Paul, do you, my brethren, do you, attend only to that great concern which you have, of your eternal salvation; for this is the only affair which.is important to you.
“We beseech you, brethren, …. to do your own business.” Let us then be persuaded, eternal salvation is for us, the concern of the last importance, the one concern and, it is an irreparable concern if ever we make a mistake.
It is the most important concern : yes, since it is an affair of the greatest consequence; it concerns the soul which, if lost, all
is lost!
St Chrysostom tells us that the soul ought to be more precious to us than all the goods of the world. It is sufficient to know, in order to understand this, God Himself has given His Son to die to save our souls: “God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son.” (St John iii: 16).
And the Eternal Word did not refuse to purchase them with His own Blood. “Ye are bought with a price.” (i Cor vi: 20).
So that, as a holy Father observes: “The redemption of man was effected at so precious a price, man seemed to be of equal value to God.”

Hence our Blessed Lord said: “What shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?” (St Matt xviz: 26). If the soul, then, be of so great a value, for what worldly goods, shall a man exchange and so lose it?

St Philip Neri had reason to call him mad, who does not attend to the salvation of his soul. If on this earth there were men, mortal as well as immortal and the mortal men beheld those who were immortal, wholly concerned with the things of this world in acquiring honours, possessions and in worldly amusements, they would certainly exclaim: “Oh, madmen who ye are. You are able to gain eternal goods and do you strive after these alone which are miserable and transitory? And is it for these that you condemn yourselves to eternal pains in the next life? Leave us, unhappy, who can only think of these earthly things, for whom all will end in death.”

But no, since we are all immortal, how is it that so many endanger the soul for the miserable pleasures of this world? How is it, says Salvian, Christians believe there is a judgement, a hell, an eternity and yet live without fearing them?

Affections and Prayers

Ah, my God, how have 1 spent the many years which Thou
hast given me, to the end that I might attain eternal salvation!
Thou, my Redeemer, hast purchased my soul with Thy Blood
and Thou hast consigned it to me, to the intent that I might
attend to its salvation and I, have only attended to the losing
of it, by offending Thee, Who has so greatly loved me.

I thank Thee, for still Thou art giving me time to repair this great loss which I have made. I have lost my soul and Thy bountiful favour. Lord, I repent and grieve with my whole heart. Alas! pardon me, for I resolve from this day forth to sacrifice everything, even life, rather than Thy friendship. I love Thee above every good and I resolve to love Thee ever, O Highest Good, worthy of infinite love.
Help me, my Jesus, in order that this, my resolution, may not be like other past resolutions,which are all so many betrayals. Make me to die ratker than to turn again and offend Thee, and cease to love Thee.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on TIME

Thought for the Day – 29 September – CONSIDERATION XI, Third Point: The Value of Time – “Redeeming the time …”

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Thought for the Day – 29 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XI

The Value of Time
“Redeeming the time because the days are evil.”
(Eph v: 16)

THIRD POINT:
“Walk while ye have the light.” (St John xii: 35).
We must walk in. the way of the Lord during life, while we have the light, for this light will be lost in death. The time of death is not the time to prepare but to already find ourselves prepared.
“Be ye ready.”

When death comes, nothing can be done; what is then done is done. … And what are we doing? We know for certain that within a short time and, it may happen at any hour, the most important trial we can undergo, will take place which will be the trial of our eternal salvation and shall we now lose time.
Some will say ‘but I am young, after some years I will give myself to God.‘ But I answer, ‘You know the Lord cursed the fig-tree He found without any fruit, although it was not the time for fruit, as is noticed in the Gospel.‘
“For the time of figs was not yet.” (St Mark xi: 13). By this Jesus Christ wished to show us that man, at every time, even at the time of youth, ought to yield the fruits of good works, otherwise he will be cursed and, for the future, will yield no fruit.
“No man shall eat fruit of thee hereafter, forever.” Thus did the Redeemer speak to that tree and even thus does He curse that one whom He calls but who resists His call.

The devil considers the time of our life to be but short and, for that reason, he loses no time in tempting us.
“The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath because he knoweth, he hath but a short time.” (Rev xii: 12). The enemy loses no time in tempting us that we may be lost and shall we lose any time in seeking to be saved? Others will say: “But what harm can I be doing.“
O God, is it not doing harm, to waste time in play, or in useless conversations which can bring no profit to the soul Perhaps God grants this time to you, that you may waste it Holy Scripture tells us, no! for “defraud not thyself of the good day.” (Ecclus xiv: 14). Those labourers, of whom St Matthew writes, did not do evil but they wasted their time and for this they were reproved by the master of the vineyard. “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” (St Matt xx: 6).
At the day of judgment Jesus Christ will ask us for an account of every idle word spoken. Any time which is not employed for God is time wasted! Therefore, does the Lord exhort us, saying: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest.” (Eccles ix: 10).

A Teresian nun once observed that, in the life of the Saints there is no to-morrow; tomorrow is for sinners alone, who are ever saying, some day, some day. until death comes to overtake them.
“Behold, now is the accepted time.” (2 Cor vi: 2).
“To-day, if ye will hear His Voice, harden not your hearts.” (Ps xcv: 8). God now calls upon you to do good; do it at once because, when to-morrow comes, either there maybe no more time, or God may never call thee again!

And if, during the time which is past, you have unfortunately spent it in offending God, try to mourn over the sin during the life remains to you.
As King Hezekiah proposed to do, “I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” (Isa xxxviii: 15). God gives you your life hat you may now, in some measure, redeem the time lost.
“Redeeming the time because the days are evil.” (i Eph v: 16).
St Augustine comments upon this: “Thou redeemest the time, if the things thou hast neglected to do, thou doest now.”
St Jerome observes of St Paul, although he was the last of the Apostles, yet he was the first in merits because of all he did after he was called. Let us consider, that if there were nothing else, at each moment we could increase our store of eternal goods.
If it were granted to you to gain as much land as you could walk round or, as much money as you could count, in one day, would you not make haste to walk round or to count it? And you can gain eternal treasures in one moment and yet, are you willing rather, to waste the time?
What you can do to-day, do not say you can do it to-morrow because this day will be lost to you and it will never return. …

Affections and Prayers

No, my God, I will no longer waste this time which Thou, in
Thy Mercy, dost grant me. I deserve now to be weeping
fruitlessly in everlasting punishment. I thank Thee for having
preserved me in life. Therefore, for the days which may remain to me, I will live only to Thee. … I wish to weep over
the offences I have committed against Thee and whilst weeping, I feel certain that Thou wilt pardon me; for the prophet assures me: “Thou shalt weep no more; He will be very gracious unto thee. ” (Isa xxx: 19).

If I were now in hell I could never love Thee more but now I love Thee and hope ever to love Thee. If I were now in hell, I should never more be able to ask Thee for more grace but now, I can hear Thee saying: “Ask and it shall be given unto you.” Therefore, since I can still ask Grace of Thee, these two gifts will I ask, O God of my soul – give me perseverance in Thy Grace and give me Thy Love and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Grant that at every moment of life which may remain to me, I may ever commend myself to Thee, my Jesus, by saying:
“Lord, help me, Lord, have mercy upon me; let me never more offend Thee; let me ever love Thee.”

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on TIME

Thought for the Day – 28 September – CONSIDERATION XI, Second Point: The Value of Time – Oh, time forever lost!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XI

The Value of Time
“Redeeming the time because the days are evil.”
(Eph v: 16)

SECOND POINT:
There is nothing more precious than time but yet there is nothing less valued and more despised by men.
This is what St Bernard deplores, when he says: “The days of salvation pass away and few reflect that the day which has passed away from him, can never return.”
That gambler will be seen to waste both day and night in play; if he is asked what he is doing, he answers: “We are passing time away.” Another idler will be seen to loiter about the streets, for whole hours together, looking at those who pass by, either speaking of wicked, or else about useless things ; if he is asked what he is doing, he answers: “I am passing the time.”
Poor, blind ones! who are wasting so many days, days which will never return.

O despised time, thou wilt be the thing most desired by the
worldly at the time of death. They will desire one more year,
one more month, one more day but they will not have it, they
will then hear it declared, that “time shall be no longer.” What would not each one of those give for one more week, one more day, in order the better to clear his conscience. St Lawrence Justinian observes. each one of these will then be willing to give up everything to obtain only one hour more. But this hour will not be given them; the Priest who is with them will say, there is no more time for thee; “Depart, O Christian soul, from this world.”

Nevertheless, the prophet bids us remember God and obtain
His grace before the light shall fail: “Remember now
thy Creator … while the sun or the light … be not darkened. ” (Eccles xii: I, 2).
How it distresses a pilgrim when he finds out that he has wandered from the correct way and it is already night and there is no longer time to find the proper path. This will be the distress when death comes to him, who has lived for many years but who has not spent those years in loving God: “The night cometh, when no man can work.” (St John ix: 4). Death will be to him the time of night, when he will be able to do nothing.
“He hath called the time, against me.” (Lament i: 15, Vulg). His conscience will then remind him of the time he has had and how he has squandered it in the ruin of his soul; the many calls and graces he has received from God to become holy and yet, was not willing to profit by all this and then, he will behold the way closed against him! Then will he weep and say: “Oh, fool I have been! Oh, time forever lost! Oh, wasted life! Oh, years are lost in which I should have become holy but I did not and now, there is no longer time.” But what will these lamentations and sighs avail, when his life’s scene is forever closing, the lamp is well nigh spent and the dying man is drawing near to that last moment upon which his eternity depends?

Affections andPrayers

Ah, my Jesus, Thou hast given away Thy whole life to save
my soul, there has been no moment of it in which Thou hast
not offered Thyself to the Eternal Father, in order to obtain
pardon and eternal salvation for me and I have lived so
long in the world and until now, I have never spent any time in Thy service. Alas! for everything I have done fills
me with remorse of conscience. My sin has been very grievous.
The good that I have done has been too little and too full of imperfection, of lukewarmness, of self-love and of distraction.

Ah, my Redeemer, it has all been thus because I was forgetful of all Thou hast done for me. I have been forgetful of Thee but
Thou hast never been forgetful of me. Thou hast sought me
whilst I was flying from Thee and hast so often called me to
Thy love. Behold me, my Jesus, I will no longer resist Thee.
Shall I, indeed, wait until Thou dost give me up?
I repent, O my Sovereign Good, for having separated myself from Thee through my sin. I love Thee, O Thou Infinite Good, Thou Who art indeed worthy of infinite love.
Ah, do not allow me ever to waste the time which Thou hi Thy mercy dost grant me. Do Thou ever remember, my beloved Saviour, the love Thou hast borne for me and the pains Thou hast suffered for me. Make me remember all this, so that, during the life that may remain to me, I may only think of loving Thee and pleasing Thee. I love Thee, my Jesus, my love, my all. I promise Thee ever to perform acts of love when I can. Give me holy perseverance. I trust entirely in the merits of Thy Blood.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on TIME

Thought for the Day – 27 September – CONSIDERATION XI: The Value of Time

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 27 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION XI

The Value of Time
“Redeeming the time because the days are evil.”
(Eph v: 16)

FIRST POINT:
WE are told in Holy Scripture to be careful of time which is the most precious thing and the greatest gift, God bestows upon living man.
The Pagans even understood the value of time.
Seneca observed that “the value of time is priceless.”
But the Saints have much better understood it.
St Bernardine of Sienna says: “one single moment of time is of very great importance because, at any one moment, a man may, by one act of contrition or of love, gains the Divine grace and eternal glory.
Time is a treasure which can be found in this life alone; it is to be found neither in Heaven nor in hell. This is the lamentation of the lost in hell,”

Oh, that an hour were given.
They would give anything for one hour in which they might be able to remedy their ruin but this hour they will never have. In Heaven there are no tears but if the blessed could weep, this would be a cause for lamentation that they had lost any time during this life in which they might have acquired greater glory, for such time they now can never have.

And you, my brother, how are you spending the time? And for what reason do you put off until tomorrow that which you can do today?
Remember, that the time which is already past away, is no longer yours; the future is not in your power, the present time alone you have for doing good.
St Bernard warns us, saying: “Wherefore do you presume upon the future, o miserable one, as if the Father had put the times in thy power.”
And St Augustine asks: “Do you count upon a day, who cannot count upon an hour!? How can thou promise thyself the day of tomorrow, if thou knowest not whether one more hour of life will be thine?”
St Teresa thus concludes and says: “If thou art not ready to die today, thou ought to fear, lest thou should die an unhappy death!”

Affections and Prayers

O my God, I thank Thee for the time Thou art giving me to atone, as far as I am able, for .the sins of my past life.
If at this moment Thou shouldst cause me to die, one of my greatest
griefs would be to think of the time I have lost.
Ah, my Lord, Thou didst give me the time to spend in loving Thee and I have spent it by offending Thee.
I deserved to be sent to hell from the first moment I turned away from Thee but Thou hast called me to repentance and Thou hast pardoned me.
I promised never more to offend Thee but since then, how many times have I not again offended Thee and Thou hast again pardoned me? Forever blessed be Thy Mercy!
If it were not Infinite, how could it thus have borne with me? Who else would have shown such patience towards me as Thou hast?
How much I grieve for having offended a God so good!

My dear Saviour, the patience alone Thou hast shown towards me ought to have inspired me with love for Thee. Ah, nevermore allow me to be ungrateful to the love Thou hast borne for me.
Separate me from all things and draw me wholly to Thy Love.

No, my God, I will no longer waste that time which Thou hast
given me to atone for the evil I have done I would spend it all
in serving and loving Thee.
Give me strength, give me holy perseverance. I love Thee, O Thou Infinite Goodness and I hope to love Thee in eternity.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Thought for the Day – 26 September – CONSIDERATION X, Third Point – How We Must Prepare for Death – Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.

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Thought for the Day – 26 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION X

How We Must Prepare for Death
“Prepare to meet thy God.”
(Amos iv.:12)

THIRD POINT
It is, moreover, necessary to endeavour each hour we live, to be in such a frame of mind, as we should like to be when dying:
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” (Apoc xiv: 13).

St Ambrose observes, those persons die a happy death who, when the hour of death arrives, are found already dead to the world, even to those things from which death will come to sever them by force.
So that we must, from this hour, accept the spoiling of our inheritances, separations from our relatives and from all the things of this world. If we do not do this willingly in life, we shall have to do it of necessity, in death but then, with great grief and peril to our eternal salvation.
And for this cause, St Augustine warns us that, in order to die in peace, it is necessary to settle our worldly interests during life and now to dispose, in a proper way, of those earthly goods we shall have to leave, so that, in death, our time may be given to the uniting of ourselves to God. At that time, our thoughts should be of God and Paradise only. Those last moments are too precious to be wasted upon the things of earth. The crown of the elect is perfected in death, for perchance, it is then that we merit most, the crown, by embracing those pains and that death, with resignation and love.

But he will never have these holy feelings in death, who has not practiced them in life. Some devout persons make a practice
(and with great profit to themselves) of renewing every month,
a certain desire for death, imagining themselves to be on their
deathbed, placing themselves, as if in the presence of death.
That which is not done during life, is very difficult to be done
in death.
Sister Catherine of St Albert, who was a faithful servant of God, when dying, said: “I do not sigh because I fear death – for twenty five years I have been expecting it but, I sigh because, I see many deceive themselves by leading a life of sin and thus, delay making their peace with God until the hour of death is come, when, I feel as if I can hardly pronounce the Name of Jesus!”

Therefore, examine yourself, my brother and see whether your
heart is fond of anything which is of the earth – that person, that honour, that house, that money, that conversation, those amusements and reflect – you are not immortal! Some day you will have to leave all these things and perhaps, very soon. Why then are you so fond of them? and thus run the risk of dying a miserable death?
From this hour offer everything to God, being ready to give up all when it shall please Him.
If you wish to die submissive, you must resign yourself to all that may befall you and divest yourself of every earthly affection.
Reflect upon the moment of death and as you would then despise all things, do so now immediatley!
St Jerome observes: “He easily despises all things, who ever regards himself as one about to die.”

If you have not yet decided upon what life you shall lead, make choice of that which you will wish you had chosen at the moment of death and that which will make you die a happy death. If you have already chosen it, do what you will wish you had done in that particular life. Act as if each day were the last of your life, each action were the last, each prayer the last, each Confession the last and each Communion the last. Act as if each hour were your last and stretched upon a bed, you heard this intimated: “Depart out of this world.”
This thought, Oh! how greatly will it help you to walk through life and to separate yourself from this world.
“Blessed is that servant, whom when his Lord cometh, He shall find so doing.” (St Matt xxiv: 26).
He who expects death at every hour, even though he should die suddenly, will not fail to die well!

Affections and Prayers

Every Christian ought to be prepared to say, when death shall
be announced to him:
Since, therefore, my God but so few hours remain to me, I would love Thee as much as it is possible for me to do … so that I may love Thee more in the life to come.

But little remains for me to offer Thee, therefore, I will offer these my pains to Thee and the sacrifice of my life, together with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made for me upon the Cross. O Lord, the pains I am suffering are but few and very slight compared with what I deserve to suffer. Such as they are, I embrace in token of the love I have for Thee. I yield myself to every punishment it may please Thee to send me. If only I may love Thee in eternity, punish me as Thou wilt but do not deprive me of Thy Love. I know that I do not deserve to love Thee any longer because, I have so often despised Thy love but Thou wilt not spurn a repentant soul. I repent, O my Sovereign Good, for having offended Thee. I love Thee with all my heart, and entrust everything to Thee. Thy death, O my Redeemer, is my hope.

Into Thy wounded Hands I commend my soul.
“Into Thy Hands I commend my spirit, for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth.” (Ps xxxi: 6).
O my Jesus, Thou Who hast given Thy Blood to save me, do Thou never allow me to be separated from Thee.
I love Thee, O Eternal God and I hope to love Thee in eternity.

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on DEATH

Thought for the Day – 25 September – CONSIDERATION X, Second Point – How We Must Prepare for Death – ‘Examine what you have done …’

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Thought for the Day – 25 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION X

How We Must Prepare for Death
“Prepare to meet thy God.”
(Amos iv.:12)

SECOND POINT.
Therefore, my brother, as it is certain that you will have to die, lose no time in casting yourself at the feet of your Crucified Lord; thank Him for the time, He, in His Mercy, gives you, to make your conscience clear in His Sight and then take all the wickedness of your past life in review, especially the wickedness committed in youth!

Glance over the Divine commands; examine what you have done, the society you have been in the habit of visiting; make a note of all your failings and make a general confession of your whole life …
Oh, how much a good general confession assists a Christian in living a holy life!
Consider that these are examinations for eternity and, therefore, make them as if you were on the point of being examined by Jesus Christ, Who will be your Judge.

Drive away from your heart, every unholy affection, every spiteful feeling; remove now! every scruple concerning the property of others, characters taken away, scandals spread abroad and make up your mind to fly those occasions in which you may be in danger of losing God.
Consider that which seems difficult to you now, at the moment of death will seem to be impossible!

It is of the greatest importance that you should make a resolution to practise eveiy means to preserve yourself in the grace of God – namely, to attend daily Celebration [of the Mass], to meditate upon the eternal truths, to go to Confession and to Communicate at least every week, to examine your conscience every night and, above all, to commend yourself very often to God, calling upon the most Holy Name of Jesus, and this, particularly at the time of temptation.
By so doing we may at least hope to die a happy death and to obtain our eternal salvation.

And, as for the past, you must trust in the Blood of Jesus Christ, Who gives you these lights now because He wishes you to be saved. By living thus and trusting in Jesus, God gives us His assistance and our souls gain strength!
Therefore, make haste, dear reader and give yourself to God, Who thus calls you and you will begin to taste that peace, of which your sin until now has deprived you.
And what greater peace can anyone feel than being able to say, when lying down to rest at night: “If I should die this night, I hope to die in the grace of God,”
If we are awaiting death with resignation when it is God’s Will, it is even consoling to hear the thunders roaring and to feel the earth trembling.

Affections andPrayers

Ah, my Lord, how I thank Thee for the Light Thou givest
me. I have so often left Thee and turned away from Thee but
Thou hast never left me. If Thou hadst, I should have remained blind, as I was willing to be during the years past; I
should have remained obstinate in my sin; I should neither
have felt the wish to leave it, nor the desire to love Thee. Now
I feel very grieved for having offended Thee and a great desire
to remain in Thy grace.
I feel a great aversion to those wretched pleasures which caused me to lose Thy friendship.
All these feelings of sorrow for past sins are graces which come from Thee and make me hope that Thou art willing to pardon and to save me.

Since, therefore, with all my sins, Thou hast not abandoned me but hast wished to save me, behold, Lord, I give myself entirely to Thee. I repent beyond every other evil, of having offended Thee and I would give my life many times over, if it were possible, rather than lose Thy grace. I love Thee, my Highest Good; I love Thee, myJesus, Who died for me and I hope, through Thy Blood Thou wilt nevermore permit me to be separated from Thee. No, my Jesus, nevermore would I lose Thee. I would ever love Thee in life, I would love Thee in death and I would love Thee for all eternity.
Do Thou ever keep me and do Thou increase my love towards
Thee and this I ask through Thy merits.

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on SIN

Thought for the Day – 24 September – CONSIDERATION X – How We Must Prepare for Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 September – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

CONSIDERATION X

How We Must Prepare for Death
“Prepare to meet thy God.”
(Amos iv.:12)

FIRST POINT:
ALL confess that they must die and die but once and that there is nothing of greater consequence than this; for our eternal happiness, or our eternal unhappiness, depends upon the moment of death.
We all know a happy or an unhappy death depends upon the life we have led. And yet, how is it, nearly all Christians live as if they would never have to die and, as if dying a happy or an unhappy death, could be of little importance?

Truly we lead a wicked life because we think not upon death. “In all thy works remember thy last end and thou shalt never sin.” (Ecclus vii: 40).
We must be persuaded that the hour of death is not the proper time to set our accounts in order, nor to make the great concern of our eternal salvation secure. The wise ones of this world, in worldly matters, take every precaution at the proper time towards obtaining that gain, that post, that matrimonial alliance; when the health of their body is concerned, they lose no time before applying the needful remedies. What would you say of anyone who, having undertaken an academic contest, would defer preparing himself for it until the time had arrived?
Would not that general indeed be mad, who should wait until besieged, to lay in stores of provisions and arms?
Would not that pilot be mad, who should forget to provide himself with cable and anchors, until the time of the tempest?

That Christian is even in this state, to whom the hour of death arrives before his conscience is made clean in the sight of God.
“When your fear cometh as desolation … then shall they call upon Me but I will not answer, therefore, shall they eat of the fruit of their own way.” (Prov i: 27, 28, 31).
The time of death is a time of tempest and confusion; then will
sinners call upon God to help them but only for fear of hell, to
which they see themselves so near and without a sincere conversion and, therefore, God will not hear them.
Therefore, also, very justly, they shall then reap the fruits of their evil life! Alas for them, it will not be enough to take the Sacraments.
It is necessary to die hating sin and loving God beyond all things but how can he hate forbidden pleasures, who, until that time, has loved them, so much? and how can he love God beyond all things, who, until that time, has loved the creature more than God?
The Lord called those virgins foolish and, indeed, they were so, who wished to prepare their lamps when the bridegroom was nigh.

A sudden death is dreaded by all because there is then no time to settle our accounts. All confess that the Saints were indeed wise because they prepared for death before it came.
And what are we doing? Do we wish to find ourselves in danger of being obliged to prepare for death when death is already near? therefore, now is the time in which we must do that which we shall wish we had done, when death is nigh.
Oh, what anguish will the memory of the time we have lost, and even more, the time that has been badly spent, then cause us – a time given by God to make ourselves worthy,but a time that is past and will never return!
What anguish will it then give us to hear: “Thou canst be no longer steward.”
There will be no more time for repentance, to frequent the
Sacraments, to hear sermons and to pray. What will be done, will be done. We shall then require a sounder mind, a quieter time, to make our confession as it should be made, in order to resolve many points of grave scruple and thus to ease our conscience but, “time will be no longer.”

Affections andPrayers

Ah, my God, if I had died during one of those nights, of which Thou knowest, where now should I have been?
I thank Thee for having waited for me and I also thank Thee for all those moments which would have been spent in everlasting punishment from that time when I first offended Thee.

Ah, give me Thy Light and make me to understand the great wrong I have done Thee, by willingly losing Thy grace which Thou hast merited for me, in sacrificing Thyself upon the Cross for me.
Ah, my Jesus, pardon me, for I repent with my whole heart, above every other evil, of having despised Thy Infinite Goodness. I hope that Thou hast already pardoned me. Ah, help me, O my Saviour, so that I may never lose Thee more.

Ah, my Lord, if again I should offend Thee as I used to do, after having received so many lights and graces from Thee, should I not deserve a special place of torment? Ah, through the merits of that Blood which Thou hast shed through love of me, never permit this. Give me holy perseverance, give me Thy Love.
I love Thee, O my Sovereign Good and I wish never to cease to love Thee, even until my death.
My God, have mercy upon me for the love of Jesus Christ.