Tag: examine what you have done

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.