Sermons for Easter

Throughout the Season of Easter, we will post various sermons by the Saints, the Blessed, the Venerable or just popes, bishops and priests. These will cover all the serious subjects that are related to the spirit of Easter and is meaning and consequences for us. May they bring you much inspiration and grace, while helping you spend the season in a truly profitable and fruitful manner.

CONTENTS

1. Pope St. Gregory the Great THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
2. St. John Chrysostom CONFIDENCE IN THE VICTORIOUS CHRIST
3. Pope St. Leo the Great NO EASTER WITH THE CROSS OF CHRIST
4. Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen BY HOOK AND BY CROOK
5. St. Francis de Sales EASTER VIRTUES
6. St. Augustine of Hippo PEACE BE TO YOU
7.  St. Augustine of Hippo DAY OF LIGHT, LIFE, MERCY & FORGIVENESS
8.  St. Augustine of Hippo PASSOVER OF SUFFERING NOT OVER
9. St. Augustine of Hippo CONSEQUENCES OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION
10. Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger MARY MAGDALEN & THE RESURRECTION
11.  Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger ST. JOHN & THE RESURRECTION
12.  Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Sermon 1)
13.  Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Sermon 2)
14. St. Francis de Sales THE HEART OF PRAYER
15. St. Alphonsus Liguori AVOIDING THE OCCASIONS OF SIN
16.  St. Alphonsus Liguori ON THE VALUE OF TIME
17. St. John Vianney THEY ARE OF THE WORLD
18.  St. Alphonsus Liguori ON THE MEANS OF OBTAINING SALVATION
19.  St. John Vianney DO YOU HAVE RELIGION IN YOUR HEART?
20.  St. Alphonsus Liguori ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION
21.  St. Alphonsus Liguori ON THE DEATH OF THE JUST

22.  St. Alphonsus Liguori ON HEAVEN
23.  St. Alphonsus Liguori CONFIDENCE IN RECOMMENDING ONESELF TO MARY
24.  St. Alphonsus Liguori ON THE VANITY OF THIS WORLD
25.  St. Alphonsus Liguori ON THE MEANS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION
26.  St. Alphonsus Liguori LOVING JESUS IN RETURN FOR HIS LOVE FOR US
27 St. John Vianney YOU CAN BECOME A GOOD TREE
28 St. John Vianney I AM NOT LIKE THE OTHERS
29.  St. John Vianney A PUBLIC PLAGUE
30.  St. John Vianney OH! EVERYONE SAYS SO!
31 St. John Vianney I COME ON THE BEHALF OF GOD
32.  St. John Vianney RENOUNCE SIN FOR GOOD AND ALL
33.  St. John Vianney THOUGHTS ON THE WAY TO CHURCH
34. St. John Vianney WE ARE KEEPING A FEAST
35. St. Francis de Sales ETERNAL HAPPINESS IN HEAVEN
36. St. Augustine of Hippo CHRIST'S ASCENSION
37.  St. John Chrysostom ON THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST INTO HEAVEN
38. St. Augustine of Hippo ON FEAR, DEATH AND LOVE
39. Dom Gueranger ON THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
40. Council of Trent EXPLANATINO OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
41. Father William Graham THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

SERMON 1
Pope St. Gregory the Great
ON THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Given to the People in the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Holy Day of the Resurrection

1. It has been my custom, beloved brethren, to speak to you on many of the Gospel readings, by means of a sermon I had already dictated for you. But since I have been unable, because of the weakness of my throat, to read to you myself what I had prepared, I notice that some among you listen somewhat indifferently. So, contrary to my usual practice, I shall for the future make the effort during the sacred solemnities of the Mass to explain the Gospel, not through a sermon I have dictated, but by speaking directly to you myself.

So for the future it shall be the rule for me to speak to you in this way. For the words which are spoken directly to sluggish souls awaken them more readily than a sermon that is read to them; moving them by that touch as it were of authority, so that they listen with more attention. I am not, as I well know, competent to fulfill this office: but let your charity make good what my ignorance denies me. For I have in mind Him Who has said: “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it” (Psalm 80:2).

We all have in mind a good work, and it will be perfected by His divine assistance (2 Timothy 3:17). And also, this great solemnity of the Sunday of the Resurrection gives us a fitting occasion for speaking to you: for it would indeed be unfitting that the tongue of our body should be silent in the praises that are clue this day; that day on which the Body of our Author rose again from the dead.

2. You have heard, Beloved, how the holy women who had followed the Lord came to His tomb, bringing with them sweet spices, so that with tender affection they might tend Him in death Whom they had loved in life. And this tells us something which we should observe in the life of our holy Church. And it is important we give attention to what here took place: to see what we mint do to imitate them. And we also, who believe in Him Who died, truly come with sweet spices to His tomb, when we come seeking the Lord, bringing with us the sweet odor of virtue, and the credit of good works.

But these women who came bringing sweet spices beheld angels. And this signifies that those souls who, because of their holy love, come seeking the Lord, bearing the sweet spices of virtue, shall also see the citizens of Heaven. And let us also take note of what it means that the angel is seen sitting on the right side. For what does the left side mean but this present life; and the right hand side, if not life eternal? Because of this it is written in the Canticle of Canticles: “His left hand is under my head, and His right hand shall embrace me” (Canticles 2:6).

And so, since Our Redeemer has now passed over beyond the mortality of this present life, tightly does the Angel, who had come to announce His entry into eternal life, sit at the right side. And he came clothed in white: for he was announcing the joy of this our present solemnity. For the whiteness of his garments signifies the glory of our great Feast. Should we say ours, not His? That we may speak truly let us say that it is both ours and His. For this day of our Redeemer’s Resurrection is also our day of great joy; for it has restored us to immortality. It is also a day of joy for the angels: for restoring us to Heaven, it has filled up again the number of its citizens. On this our festival day, and His, an angel appeared, clothed in white robes, because they are rejoicing that because we are restored to Heaven the losses their heavenly home had suffered are now made good.

3. But let us hear what is said to the women who came? Be not affrighted! As though he said to them: Let them fear who love not the coming of the heavenly citizens. Let them fear who, steeped in bodily desires, have no hope of belonging to them. But you, why should you fear, meeting your own? Matthew also, describing the appearance of the Angel, says of him: “And his countenance was as lightning, and His clothing white as snow” (Matthew 28:3).

Lightning awakens dread and fear, the white radiance of snow is soothing. For Almighty God is both terrifying to sinners, and comforting to those who are good. Rightly then is the Angel, the Witness of the Resurrection, revealed to us with countenance like the lightning, and his garments white as snow: so that even by his appearance he might awaken fear in the reprobate, and bring consolation to the just.

And rightly also, for the same reason, there went before the Lord’s People in the desert, “a column of fire by night, and a column of smoke by day” (Exodus 13:21-22). For in fire there is fear; but in the cloud of smoke the comforting assurance of what we can see: day also meaning the life of the just, and night the life of sinners. Because of this Paul, speaking to converted sinners, says: “For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8). So a pillar of cloud was set before them by day, and a pillar of fire by night: because Almighty God shall appear mild of countenance to the just, but fearful to the wicked. Coming to judge us, He shall comfort the one by the mildness of His countenance, and terrify the other with the severity of His justice.

4. Now let us hear what the angel says. You seek Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, in the Latin tongue, is saving ; that is, Savior. Then however many were called Jesus, by name, not because of the reality it means. So the place is added, to make clear of what Jesus he is speaking―of Nazareth. And to this he adds the reason they seek Him: Who was crucified. And then he goes on: He is risen, he is not here. That He was not there was said only of His Bodily Presence; for nowhere is He absent in the power of His divinity. But go, he continues, tell His disciples and Peter, that He goeth before you into Galilee .

Now we have to ask ourselves, why did he, speaking of the Disciples, single out Peter by name? But, had the Angel not referred to him in this way, Peter would never have dared to appear again among the Apostles. He is bidden then by name to come, so that he will not despair because of his denial of Christ. And here we must ask ourselves, why did Almighty God permit the one He had placed over the whole Church to be frightened by the voice of a maid servant, and even to deny Christ Himself? This we know was a great dispensation of the divine mercy, so that he who was to be the shepherd of the Church might learn, through his own fall, to have compassion on others. God therefore first shows him to himself, and then places him over others: to learn through his own weakness how to bear mercifully with the weakness of others.

5. And well did he say of Our Redeemer that: He goeth before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him, as He told you. For Galilee means, passing-over. And now our Redeemer has passed over from His suffering to His Resurrection, from death to life, from punishment to glory, from mortality to immortality. And, after His Resurrection, His Disciples first see Him in Galilee; as afterwards, filled with joy, we also shall see the glory of the Resurrection, if we now pass over from the ways of sin to the heights of holy living. He therefore Who is announced to us from the tomb is shown to us by crossing over: for He Whom we acknowledge in the denial of our flesh is seen in the passing over of our soul. Because of the solemnity of the day, we have gone briefly over these points in our explanation of the Gospel. Let us now speak in more detail of this same solemnity.

6. There are two lives; one of which we knew, the other we did not know of. The one is mortal, the other immortal; the one linked with human infirmity, the other to incorruption; one is marked for death, the other for resurrection. The Mediator between God and man, the Man Jesus Christ, came, and took upon Himself the one, and revealed to us the other. The one He endured by dying; the other He revealed when He rose from the dead. Had He then foretold to us, who knew His mortal life, the Resurrection of His Body, and had not visibly shown it to us, who would believe in His promises? So, becoming Man, He shows Himself in our flesh; of His own will He suffered death; by His own power He rose from the dead; and by this proof He showed us that which He promises as a reward.

But perhaps someone will say: Of course He rose: for being God He could not be held in death. So, to give light to our understanding, to strengthen our weakness, He willed to give us proof, and not of His Resurrection only. In that hour He died alone; but He did not rise alone from the dead. For it is written: “And many bodies of the saints that had slept arose” (Matthew 27:52). He has therefore taken away the argument of those who do not believe.

And let no one say: No man can hope that that will happen to him which the God-man proved to us in His Body; for here we learn that men did rise again with God, and we do not doubt that these were truly men. If then we are the members of our Redeemer, let us look forward to that which we know was fulfilled in our Head. Even if we should be diffident, we ought to hope that what we have heard of His worthier members will be fulfilled also in us His meanest members.

7. And here there comes to mind what the Jews, insulting the Crucified Son of God, cried out: “If He be the king of Israel, let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe Him!” Had He, yielding to their insults, then come down from the Cross, He would not have proved to us the power of patience. He waited for the little time left, He bore with their insults, He submitted to their mockery, He continued patient, and evoked our admiration; and He Who refused to descend from the Cross, rose again from the sepulcher. More did it matter so to rise from the sepulcher than to descend from the Cross. A far greater thing was it to overcome death by rising from the sepulcher, than to preserve life by descending from the Cross.

And when the Jews saw that despite their insults He would not descend from the Cross, and when they saw Him dying, they rejoiced; thinking they had overcome Him and caused His Name to be forgotten. But now through all the world His Name has grown in honor, because of the death whereby this faithless people thought they had caused Him to be forgotten. And He Whom they rejoiced over as slain, they grieved over when He was dead: for they know it was through death He had come to His glory.

The deeds of Samson, related in the Book of Judges, foreshadowed this Day (Judges 16:1-3). For when Samson went into Gaza, the city of the Philistines, they, learning he had come in, immediately surrounded the city and placed guards before the gates; and they rejoiced because they had Samuel in their power. What Samson did we know? At midnight he took the gates of the city, and carried them to the top of a hill outside. Whom does Samson symbolize, Beloved, in this, if not our Redeemer? What does Gaza symbolize, if not the gates of Hell? And what the Philistines, if not the perfidy of the Jews, who, seeing the Lord dead, and His Body in the sepulcher, placed guards before it; rejoicing that they had Him in their power, and that He, Whom the Author of life had glorified, was now enclosed by the gates of Hell: as they had rejoiced when they thought they had captured Samson in Gaza.

But in the middle of the night Samson, not only went forth from the city, but also carried off its gates, as our Redeemer, rising before day, not alone went forth free from Hell, but also destroyed the very gates of Hell. He took away the gates, and mounted with them to the top of a hill; for by His Resurrection He bore off the gates of Hell, and by His Ascension He mounted to the kingdom of Heaven.

Let us, Beloved, love with all our hearts this glorious Resurrection, which was first made known to us by a Figure, and then made known in deed; and for love of it let us be prepared to die. See how in the Resurrection of our Author we have come to know His ministering angels as our own fellow citizens. Let us hasten on to that great assembly of these fellow citizens. Let us, since we cannot see them face to face, join ourselves to them in heart and desire. Let us cross over from evildoing to virtue, that we may merit to see our Redeemer in Galilee. May Almighty God help us to that life which is our desire: He Who for us delivered His only Son to death, Jesus Christ our Lord, Who with Him reigns One with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.

SERMON 2
St. John Chrysostom
ON CONFIDENCE IN THE VICTORIOUS CHRIST

In this Easter season, in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, here is a sermon preached by St. John Chrysostom (347-407) in the fourth century. Before reading his sermon, it may help you to know something about Chrysostom the man―one of the early Church Fathers, which will give you some background as you read through the sermon from St. John Chrysostom, who became known as the golden mouthed preacher.

Chrysostom excelled in the disciplines of rhetoric and law. However, not finding satisfaction in these studies, he pursued Christian asceticism. While living an ascetic life, he pursued God and almost ruined his health. It was a means God used to refine and prepare him for another kind of ministry.

Leaving a more monastic life, he moved to the city and adopted a less physically rigorous lifestyle and engaged in a more public ministry. Being recognized for his God-given gifts, Chrysostom was ordained a deacon in 381 and a priest in 386. His primary role as a priest was preaching. God used his earlier training, especially in rhetoric, to expound the Word of God will clarity and with power. Eventually in 398, Chrysostom was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople―a role in which he served until his death in 407. He was committed to reform, both the moral leniency of pastors/clergy and the moral corruptness of the city. This commitment of ministry and message, led to trials and difficulties for the nine years he served in this role. Toward the end of his life, he was exiled because he defied an imperial order. While in exile he died.

God had gifted Chrysostom greatly as a preacher of the Word of God. God also gave him an inner resolve of courage and conviction. He spoke truth boldly. As is often true, when he exercised his God-given gift of preaching, he found strength, concluding: “Preaching improves me! When I begin to speak―weariness disappears! When I begin to teach―fatigue too disappears!” But, as is also often the case, when one exercises those gifts of preaching truth, particularly when it is a call to reform―it may lead to trouble and tribulation. This is true for one of the early Church’s most gifted preachers.

In this preaching role, his rhetorical skills, amplified by his scholarship and piety, earned him a reputation as a biblical expositor second to none. Based on his published sermons, treatises and letters (600 sermons and 200 letters survive), later generations concluded the same, with leaders in the sixth century church referring to Chrysostom as “Chrysostomos”―meaning, “golden mouthed,” i.e. Chrysostom is the “golden mouthed preacher.”

Chrysostom’s theology was expressed primarily in his sermons and was neither systematic, precise, nor original. His sermons drew spiritual and moral applications from a literal and grammatical exegesis of the Scriptures. Chrysostom was also given the title Doctor of the Church, as he is considered one of the great early Church Fathers of the East―along with a few other Church Fathers of the East, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Athanasius. After that very brief overview of the St. John Chrysostom, here now is one of his Easter sermons.

CONFIDENCE IN THE VICTORIOUS CHRIST

“Are there any who are devout lovers of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Are there any who are grateful servants? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord! Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward! If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast! And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt and be afraid of being too late―for he, too, shall sustain no loss. And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let him not hesitate; but let him come too. And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour―let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.

“For the Lord is gracious and He receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first. To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows. He rewards the one and is generous to the other. He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor. The deed He honors and the intention He commends. He repays the deed and praises the effort.

“Come―all of you! Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord! Enter into the joy of your Lord. You the first and you the last―will receive alike your reward. You rich and you poor―dance and rejoice together! You who are sober and you who are slothful―celebrate the day! You who have kept the fast and you who have not―rejoice today! The Table is richly loaded―enjoy its royal banquet! The calf is a fatted one―let no one go away hungry! All of you enjoy the banquet and partake of the cup of Faith! All of you receive the riches of His goodness!

“Let no one grieve over his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep over his sins and mourn that he has fallen again and again―for pardon and forgiveness have risen from the grave! Let no one fear death―for the death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it. He destroyed Hell when He descended into its kingdom. He has put it into an uproar and angered it―by allowing it to taste of His flesh.

“Isaias foresaw and foretold all this when he said: ‘You, O Hell, have been troubled and angered by encountering Him below!’ Hell was in an uproar and angered because it was frustrated and done away with. It was in an uproar and angered because it was mocked. It was in an uproar and angered, because its power was destroyed. It was in an uproar and angered, because it is annihilated and reduced to nothing. It was in an uproar, for it was made captive. Hell took a body, and discovered God. It took Earth, and encountered Heaven. It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see. It took what was visible, and was overcome by the invisible.

“O death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, death is annihilated! Christ is risen and life is freed! Christ is risen, and the evil ones are cast down! Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead! For Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who had fallen asleep in death. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.”

SERMON 3
Pope St. Leo the Great
THERE CAN BE NO EASTER WITHOUT THE CROSS OF CHRIST

I. The Cross is not only the mystery of salvation, but an example to follow
The whole of the Easter mystery, dearly-beloved, has been brought before us in the Gospel narrative, and the ears of the mind have been so reached through the ear of flesh that none of you can fail to have a picture of the events: for the text of the Divinely-inspired story has clearly shown the treachery of the Lord Jesus Christ’s betrayal, the judgment by which He was condemned, the barbarity of His crucifixion, and glory of His resurrection. But a sermon is still required of us, that the priests’ exhortation may be added to the solemn reading of Holy Scripture, as I am sure you are with pious expectation demanding of us as your accustomed due. Because therefore there is no place for ignorance in faithful ears, the seed of the Word which consists of the preaching of the Gospel, ought to grow in the soil of your heart, so that, when choking thorns and thistles have been removed, the plants of holy thoughts and the buds of right desires may spring up freely into fruit. For the cross of Christ, which was set up for the salvation of mortals, is both a mystery and an example: a sacrament where by the Divine power takes effect, an example whereby man’s devotion is excited: for to those who are rescued from the prisoner’s yoke Redemption further procures the power of following the way of the cross by imitation. For if the world’s wisdom so prides itself in its error that every one follows the opinions and habits and whole manner of life of him whom he has chosen as his leader, how shall we share in the name of Christ save by being inseparably united to Him, Who is, as He Himself asserted, the Way, the Truth, and the Life John 14:6? The Way that is of holy living, the Truth of Divine doctrine, and the Life of eternal happiness.

II. Christ took our nature upon Him for our salvation
For when the whole body of mankind had fallen in our first parents, the merciful God purposed so to succor, through His only-begotten Jesus Christ, His creatures made after His image, that the restoration of our nature should not be effected apart from it, and that our new estate should be an advance upon our original position. Happy, if we had not fallen from that which God made us; but happier, if we remain that which He has re-made us. It was much to have received form from Christ; it is more to have a substance in Christ. For we were taken up into its own proper self by that Nature (which condescended to those limitations which loving-kindness dictated and which yet incurred no sort of change. We were taken up by that Nature), which destroyed not what was His in what was ours, nor what was ours in what was His; which made the person of the Godhead and of the Manhood so one in Itself that by co-ordination of weakness and power, the flesh could not be rendered inviolable through the Godhead, nor the Godhead passible through the flesh. We were taken up by that Nature, which did not break off the Branch from the common stock of our race, and yet excluded all taint of the sin which has passed upon all men. That is to say, weakness and mortality, which were not sin, but the penalty of sin, were undergone by the Redeemer of the World in the way of punishment, that they might be reckoned as the price of redemption. What therefore in all of us is the heritage of condemnation, is in Christ the mystery of godliness. For being free from debt, He gave Himself up to that most cruel creditor, and suffered the hands of Jews to be the devil’s agents in torturing His spotless flesh. Which flesh He willed to be subject to death, even up to His (speedy) resurrection, to this end, that believers in Him might find neither persecution intolerable, nor death terrible, by the remembrance that there was no more doubt about their sharing His glory than there was about His sharing their nature.

III. The presence of the risen and ascended Lord is still with us
And so, dearly-beloved, if we unhesitatingly believe with the heart what we profess with the mouth, in Christ we are crucified, we are dead, we are buried; on the very third day, too, we are raised. Hence the Apostle says, If you have risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting on God’s right hand: set your affections on things above, not on things on the Earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. For when Christ, your life, shall have appeared, then shall you also appear with Him in glory Colossians 3:1-4. But that the hearts of the faithful may know that they have that whereby to spurn the lusts of the world and be lifted to the wisdom that is above, the Lord promises us His presence, saying, “Lo! I am with you all the days, even till the end of the age” Matthew 28:20. For not in vain had the Holy Ghost said by Isaias: Behold! A virgin shall conceive and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is, being interpreted, God with us. Jesus, therefore, fulfils the proper meaning of His name, and in ascending into the heavens does not forsake His adopted brethren, though He sits at the right hand of the Father, yet dwells in the whole body, and Himself from above strengthens them for patient waiting while He summons them upwards to His glory.

IV. We must have the same mind as was in Christ Jesus
We must not, therefore, indulge in folly amid vain pursuits, nor give way to fear in the midst of adversities. On the one side, no doubt, we are flattered by deceits, and on the other weighed down by troubles; but because the Earth is full of the mercy of the Lord , Christ’s victory is assuredly ours, that what He says may be fulfilled, Fear not, for I have overcome the world John 16:33. Whether, then, we fight against the ambition of the world, or against the lusts of the flesh, or against the darts of heresy, let us arm ourselves always with the Lord’s Cross.

For our Paschal feast will never end, if we abstain from the leaven of the old wickedness (in the sincerity of truth). For amid all the changes of this life which is full of various afflictions, we ought to remember the Apostle’s exhortation; whereby he instructs us, saying, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God counted it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men and found in fashion as a man.

Wherefore God also exalted Him, and gave Him a name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven, of things on Earth, and of things below, and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father Philippians 2:5-11. If, he says, you understand the mystery of great godliness, and remember what the Only-begotten Son of God did for the salvation of mankind, have that mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Whose humility is not to be scorned by any of the rich, not to be thought shame of by any of the high-born. For no human happiness whatever can reach so great a height as to reckon it a source of shame to himself that God, abiding in the form of God, thought it not unworthy of Himself to take the form of a slave.

V. Only he who holds the truth on the Incarnation can keep Easter properly
Imitate what He wrought: love what He loved, and finding in you the Grace of God, love in Him your nature in return, since as He was not dispossessed of riches in poverty, lessened not glory in humility, lost not eternity in death, so do ye, too, treading in His footsteps, despise earthly things that you may gain heavenly: for the taking up of the cross means the slaying of lusts, the killing of vices, the turning away from vanity, and the renunciation of all error. For, though the Lord’s Passover can be kept by no immodest, self-indulgent, proud, or miserly person, yet none are held so far aloof from this festival as heretics, and especially those who have wrong views on the Incarnation of the Word, either disparaging what belongs to the Godhead or treating what is of the flesh as unreal. For the Son of God is true God, having from the Father all that the Father is, with no beginning in time, subject to no sort of change, undivided from the One God, not different from the Almighty, the eternal Only-begotten of the eternal Father; so that the faithful intellect believing in the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost in the same essence of the one Godhead, neither divides the Unity by suggesting degrees of dignity, nor confounds the Trinity by merging the Persons in one. But it is not enough to know the Son of God in the Father’s nature only, unless we acknowledge Him in what is ours without withdrawal of what is His own. For that self-emptying, which He underwent for man’s restoration, was the dispensation of compassion, not the loss of power. For, though by the eternal purpose of God there was no other name under Heaven given to men whereby they must be saved Acts 4:12, the Invisible made His substance visible, the Intemporal temporal, the Impassible passible: not that power might sink into weakness, but that weakness might pass into indestructible power.

VI. A mystical application of the term Passover is given
For which reason the very feast which by us is named Pascha, among the Hebrews is called Phase, that is Pass-over, as the evangelist attests, saying, Before the feast of Pascha, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should pass out of this world unto the Father. But what was the nature in which He thus passed out unless it was ours, since the Father was in the Son and the Son in the Father inseparably? But because the Word and the Flesh is one Person, the Assumed is not separated from the Assuming nature, and the honor of being promoted is spoken of as accruing to Him that promotes, as the Apostle says in a passage we have already quoted, Wherefore also God exalted Him and gave Him a name which is above every name. Where the exaltation of His assumed Manhood is no doubt spoken of, so that He in Whose sufferings the Godhead remains indivisible is likewise coeternal in the glory of the Godhead. And to share in this unspeakable gift the Lord Himself was preparing a blessed passing over for His faithful ones, when on the very threshold of His Passion he interceded not only for His Apostles and disciples but also for the whole Church, saying, But not for these only I pray, but for those also who shall believe in Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You also, Father, art in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in us John 17:20-21.

VII. Only true believers can keep the Easter Festival
In this union they can have no share who deny that in the Son of God, Himself true God, man’s nature abides, assailing the health-giving mystery and shutting themselves out from the Easter festival. For, as they dissent from the Gospel and oppose or deny the creed, they cannot keep it with us, because although they dare to take to themselves the Christian name, yet they are repelled by every creature who has Christ for his Head: for you rightly exult and devoutly rejoice in this sacred season as those who, admitting no falsehood into the Truth, have no doubt about Christ’s Birth according to the flesh, His Passion and Death, and the Resurrection of His body: inasmuch as without any separation of the Godhead you acknowledge a Christ, Who was truly born of a Virgin’s womb, truly hung on the wood of the cross, truly laid in an earthly tomb, truly raised in glory, truly set on the right hand of the Father’s majesty; whence also, as the Apostle says, we look for a Savior our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall refashion the body of our humility to become conformed to the body of His glory Philippians 3:20-21. Who lives and reigns, etc.

SERMON 4
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
BY HOOK AND BY CROOK

Sunday morning came, and it was one of calm, like the sleep of innocents, and the clear, benign air seemed almost as if it had been stirred by angels’ wings. Mary walked in the garden and someone near her spoke a word, and pronounced it longingly, wistfully, in that touching and unforgettable voice which had called her so many times: “Mary!”

And to this one and only word, she made an answer, a word and only one: “Rabboni!” And as she fell at His knees in the grass and clasped in her hands those bare feet, she saw two scars, two red-lined marks of nails — for Christ was now walking in the glory of His new Easter morn.

That was the first Easter Day. Centuries have whirled-away since that time, and on this new Easter Day as I turn from that garden to the altar, I behold placed over the tabernacle, on this Resurrection Day, the image, not of a Risen Savior, but the image of a dying one, to teach me that Christ lives over again in His Church, and that the Church, like Christ, not only lives, not only dies, but always rises from the dead. She is in love with death as a condition of birth; and with her, as with Christ, unless there is a Good Friday in her life, there will never be an Easter Sunday; unless there is the crown of thorns there will never be the halo of light; and unless there is the Cross there will never be the empty tomb.

In other words, every now and then the Church must be crucified by an unbelieving world and buried as dead, only to rise again. She never does anything but die, and for that peculiar reason she never does anything but live. Every now and then the very life seems to have gone out of her; she is palled with death; her blood seems to have been sapped out of her; her enemies seal the tomb, roll a stone in front of her grave, and say: “The Church will never rise again!” But somehow or other she does rise again.

At least a dozen times in history, the world has buried the Church and each time she has come to life again. . . .

It is a strange but certain fact that the Church is never so weak as when she is powerful with the world; never so poor as when she is rich with the riches of the world; never so foolish as when she is wise with the fancies of the world. She is strongest with Divine Help when she is weakest with human power, for like Peter she is given the miraculous draught of fishes when she admits by her own power she has labored all the night and taken nothing.

When her discipline, her spirit of saintliness, her zeal for Christ, her vigils, and her mortifications, become a thing of less importance, the world makes the fatal mistake of believing that her soul is dead and her faith is departed. Not so! The faith, even in those days of lesser prayer, is solid ― for it is the faith of the centuries, the faith of Jesus Christ. What may be weak is her discipline, her prayerfulness, and her saintliness, for these are of men, whereas her faith is of God. A renewal of spirit, then, will come not by changing her way of thinking, for that is divine, but her way of acting, for that is human.

But the world, failing to make this distinction between the Divine and the human in her, as it failed to make it in Christ, takes her for dead. To the world, her very life seems spent, her heart pierced, her body drained; in its eyes she is just as dead as the Master when taken down from the cross, and there is nothing left to do, but to lay her in the sepulcher.

There emerges, then, from her history one great and wonderful lesson and it is this: Christ rose from the dead, not because He is man, but because He is God. The Church rises from the sepulcher in which violent hands or passing errors would inter her, not because she is human, but because she is Divine. Nothing can rise from the dead except Divinity. The world should profit by experience and give up expecting the Church to die. If a bell had been tolled on a thousand different occasions and the funeral never took place, men would soon begin to regard the funeral as a joke. So it is with the Church. The notice of her execution has been posted but the execution has never taken place. Science killed her and still she was there. History interred her, but still she was alive. Modernism slew her, but still she lived.

Even civilizations are born, rise to greatness, then decline, suffer, and die; but they never rise again. But the Church does rise again; in fact she is constantly finding her way out of the grave because she had a Captain who found His way out of the grave. The world may expect her to become tired; to be weak when she becomes powerful; to become poor when she is rich; but the world need never expect her to die. The world should give up looking for the extinction of that which so many times has been vainly extinguished.

Like a mighty oak tree which has stood for twenty centuries she bears fresh green foliage for each new age, that the age may come and enjoy the refreshing benediction of its shade. The flowers that open their chalices of perfume this spring are not old things, but new things on an old root. Such is the Church. She is reborn to each new age, and hence is the only new thing in the world. . . .

She will go on dying and living again and in each recurring cycle of a Good Friday and an Easter Sunday her one aim in life will be to preach Christ and Him Crucified ... To bring the peace of Christ to the souls of our countrymen. There will be no weapons to make that peace an armed peace, but there will be two insignificant instruments used, which have been used from the beginning, and they will be the instruments Our Lord taught His Apostles to use, namely those of fishermen and shepherds.

I might say, therefore, we will go on “by hook and by crook” and the hook will be the hook of the fisherman, and the crook will be the crook of the shepherd; and with the hook we will catch souls for Christ, and with the crook we will keep them, even to the end of time; for as fishers of men and shepherds of souls we are committed to the high destiny of making Christ the King of human hearts, and with only the sign of Jonas the prophet, the fulfillment of that destiny can never be doubted, for if truth wins, Christ wins; if truth loses … Ah! But truth can’t lose!

SERMON 5
St. Francis de Sales
EASTER VIRTUES

Immense must have been the joy in Noe’s Ark when the dove, which had set out but a little while before as though to discover in what state the world lay, came back at last with a twig of olive in its mouth ― a sure sign that the waters had subsided, that God had restored to the world the happiness of His peace.

But think of the joy, the jubilation, the gaiety that enraptured the band of Apostles as they beheld the blessed manhood of the Redeemer, when He re-appeared among them after His resurrection! He brought the olive-branch of a holy and welcome peace: “Peace be upon you!” were the words that fell from His lips. He showed His followers the unquestionable marks and signs of man’s reconciliation with God: And He showed them His hands and His feet. Surely a great happiness flooded in upon their souls! The disciples saw the Lord and were glad.

This joy, however, was not the most important fruit of that blessed vision. Their wavering Faith was made firm, their dismayed Hope reassured, their waning Charity fanned into flame.

This is the theme of the address which I have set myself; but I cannot develop it properly, nor can you listen with profit, unless the Holy Spirit comes to our aid. Let us invoke Him, then ― lending worth to our prayers by availing ourselves of the blessed Virgin’s intercession. Hail Mary…

Meanwhile, Faith, Hope and Charity persist, all three; but the greatest of them all is Charity. Each of the soul’s three powers has its virtue:

Faith for the understanding, Hope for the memory, Charity for the will. Faith gives honor to the Father, by leaning on His almighty power; Hope gives honor to the Son, since it is based on our redemption; Charity gives honor to the Holy Spirit, because it embraces goodness and loves it dearly.

Faith sets the bliss of Heaven before us, showing us God’s revelation; Hope leads us to expect it, reminding us of God’s promises; Charity puts us in possession of it, helping us to love God.

They are necessary, all these virtues, but only meanwhile. In Heaven Charity alone remains. Faith finds no entrance there, for all things are visible. There is even less need of Hope, for every longing is satisfied. Charity alone finds a place there, to love God always, everywhere, in everything. Elias, we are told, let fall his mantle as he was carried up to Heaven. The mantle of Faith and the veil of Hope have no place in that paradise on high; they remain on Earth where there is need of them.

Our Lord taught three chief lessons, no more, while He was on Earth: the way to believe, the way to Hope, the way to love. He taught them well; but He provided His Apostles with a refresher course throughout the forty days after His resurrection ― especially on the occasion of that appearance which is set before us today.

To begin with, the disciples were assembled in the upper room, where they locked the doors for fear of the Jews. The Savior entered, greeted them, showed them His hands and feet. Why did He do this?

Firstly, He wanted to uphold their Faith. How shaken it was! Poor Magdalene went looking for Him among the dead to embalm Him, and thought He had been carried away. As for the Apostles, when they heard of the women’s encounter with the angel, and his message, to their minds the story seemed madness, and they could not believe it.

The two pilgrims on the road to Emmaus said: We had hoped. The great Apostle Thomas exclaimed: You will never make me believe. So, to support this Faith ― which was on the point of breaking down ― Jesus came to say: Peace be upon you, and show them His body.

What place, though, could there be for Faith, when they saw and touched? Their senses were like billeting officers who provide lodgings for others, but do not stay themselves. They deposited Faith in the hearts of the Apostles ― just as they do in our own – but after that they no longer served any useful function. For once Faith is present, the work of the senses is finished ― just as a needle has served its purpose once it has drawn a thread through material.

Which articles of Faith are strengthened by this appearance of our blessed Lord? The material identity of our risen bodies: Once more my skin shall clothe me, and in my flesh I shall have sight of God, who is my Savior. Be assured that it is myself. A firm belief in this wonderful article will make good Christians of us. We should readily jump to the right conclusion: Never shall we defile these bodies of ours for we shall rise again, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds. Surely we can believe that these same bodies of ours will be restored to us at the first notes of the trumpet. Only if Christ has not risen is all our Faith a delusion.

The quality of our risen bodies. The body will follow the movements of the soul in much the same way as the clothes we wear follow the movements of our limbs. The soul is weighed down by a mortal body in this life; but after the general resurrection the soul will render the body lightsome. David could not stir when he was clad in Saul’s armor: it is the body’s weight in this life which hinders the soul’s activities. The Apostles thought that they were seeing an apparition. To Mary Magdalene, Christ was a gardener: to the two pilgrims, He was a pilgrim; to the fishermen, He was a fisherman. Sometimes He is seen, sometimes He enters through locked doors. What is sown a natural body, rises a spiritual body like the eagle which, according to the Rabbis, plunges into the sea when it has scorched its feathers to have its plumage restored; otherwise, it will fly no more.

Listen to St Paul: What can be the use of being baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise again? Why should anyone be baptized for them? Why do we, for that matter, face peril hour after hour? I swear to you, brethren, by all the pride I take in you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that death is daily at my side. When I fought against beasts at Ephesus with all my strength, of what use was it, if the dead do not rise again? Let us eat and drink, since we must die tomorrow.

Secondly, our Lord appeared to reassure their Hope. How weak it was! We had hoped. They were afraid; Hope is incompatible with fear. They mourned and wept, says St Mark. It is a terrible misfortune to lose sight of God. Away from Him, we become timid, lose our strength. The Apostles and Magdalene were in this plight. The poor canoe of the Apostles, without Hope, was like a ship in the throes of storm and tempest which, without helmsman or pilot, breaks in pieces wherever it is hurled by the wind ― never silly dove so lost her wits as this Ephraim. We should never on any account lose, Hope but we should most certainly weep if ever we have the misfortune to be cut off from God. “O God, my whole soul longs for thee, as a deer for running water; my whole soul thirsts for God, the strong, the living God; shall I never again make my pilgrimage into God’s presence?”

But our Lord came to bring relief to that room besieged by fear: Look at my hands and my feet. “If you are in need of strength,” He was saying to them, “here are my hands to lift you up. If you long to be of good heart, here is mine to give you courage. If you must hide like the dove, here is the crannied wall in which to find safety. If you are sick with fear, here is the remedy: And death is swallowed up in victory. If you are prisoners, here is your release ― my work of your redemption.” Indeed, why should we ever be afraid? See where He comes, we should say to ourselves, looking in through each window in turn, peering through every chink.

Thirdly, our Lord’s appearance revived their Charity. It was as if He were saying to them (and to us) in the words of Isaias: “What, can a woman forget her child that is still unweaned, pity no longer the son she bore in her womb? Let her forget; I will not be forgetful of thee. Why, I have cut thy image on the palms of my hands.”

He took our misfortunes upon himself, and ennobled them; He took our distress to His heart ― He showed them His side. So let us return Him love for love. If not, the gentle Savior who now shows us His wounds in proof of His love, will one day appear as a stern judge to show them in wrathful condemnation. Doesn’t this remind you of those pictures which portray a woman on the right and a corpse on the left, or on the right a lamb and on the left a lion? Aren’t you reminded of the bee? Though a honey-making insect, it can sting most painfully. “Then look, you scoffers,” He will say, “you who delight in banter, shameless and brazen-faced, look at my hands, etc.” They will look upon the man whom they have pierced … and He shall bring lamentation to all the tribes of the Earth.

Grant, good Jesus, that we may accept the peace which you offer, that we may look upon your wounds. While Faith, Hope and Charity persist, grant that rooted in Faith, buoyed up by Hope and aglow with love, we may look forward, blessed in our Hope, to the day when there will be a new dawn of glory.

Grant that in that day, as we stand on your right hand, we may behold in you a Lamb ― not the lion which you appear to those who stand upon your left. May clear vision then replace our Faith, possession our Hope, and may our imperfect love give place to that perfect love which will be our eternal joy. Amen.

SERMON 6
St. Augustine of Hippo
PEACE BE TO YOU!

Jesus stood in the midst of them, and saith to them: "Peace be to you!"

I. The Heresy of the Manicheans. The Lord, as you have heard, appeared to His Disciples after His Resurrection, and greeted them, saying: Peace be to you! This is indeed peace, and the salutation of Salvation; for salutation receives its name from salvation. And what better than that Salvation Itself should greet mankind?

For Christ is our Salvation. For He is our Salvation Who was wounded for us, and fastened with nails to the Wood, and taken down from the Wood, and laid in the sepulcher. But He rose from the sepulcher; and though His wounds were healed the scars remained. For this He judged expedient for His Disciples: that He should keep His scars to heal the wounds of their soul.

What wounds are these? The wounds of their unbelief. For He appeared before their eyes, showing them a true body; and they believed they saw a spirit. No light wound of the soul this. And they who continued in this wounded state have caused a malignant heresy. And do not let m think that because they were healed so quickly that the Disciples were not wounded.

Let your Charity consider how had they remained in this wounded state, thinking that His buried Body had not risen, and that a spirit in the likeness of a body deceived their human eyes, had they remained in this belief, rather, had they remained in this unbelief, we should be grieving, not for their wounds, but for their death!

The Hesitation of the Disciples. But what is the Lord Jesus saying? Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? If thoughts arise in your hearts the thoughts are from the Earth. It is good for man, not that thoughts should rise up in his heart, but that his heart should rise up: whither the Apostle would raise the hearts of the faithful to whom he said: If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God; mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the Earth. For you are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4).

In what glory? The glory of the Resurrection. In what glory? Listen to the Apostle speaking of this body: It is sown in dishonor, it shall rise in glory (1 Corinthians 15:43). The Apostles were unwilling to give this glory to their Master, their Christ, their Lord; they had not begun to believe He could raise His Body from the dead; they did not believe even their own eyes, and when they saw His Body they supposed it was a spirit they saw. Yet we believe those who preach Him to us, though they do not show Him. And they did not believe Christ, showing Himself to them.

A grievous wound: let the remedy of the scars appear! Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, where I was fastened by nails. Handle, and see. You see, and you do not see! Handle, and see! See what? That a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have! And when he had said this, so it is written, he showed them his hands and feet.

III. How they were persuaded to believe. And while they were yet hesitant and wondering for joy. They were now joyful, yet their hesitation remained. For something had taken place which was incredible; yet it had taken place. Is it incredible now that the body of Christ has risen from the tomb? The whole healed world believes it: and he who believes not remains unhealed. Then it was incredible: and they were brought to believe not alone through their eyes, but through their hands, so that Faith might enter their heart by way of their senses, so that the Faith thus entering their heart might be preached throughout the world, to those who would neither see nor touch Him, and yet without hesitation would believe in Him.

Have you here, He says, anything to eat? How much the Good Builder adds to the edifice of our Faith? He suffered no hunger, yet He asked for food. And He ate for the occasion, not because of need. And then the Apostles acknowledge that His Body is real; and the world acknowledges it from their preaching.

IV. Against the Manicheans. If by chance there are heretics who still believe in their hearts that Christ showed Himself to their eyes, but not the true Body of Christ, let them now put that belief aside, and let the Gospel persuade them. We reprove them for thinking this: He will condemn them if they continue to think it. Who are you who do not believe that a body laid in the tomb could not rise again? If you are a Manichean, you do not believe He was crucified, because you do not believe He was born; you then proclaim that all that He showed was false.

He showed what was false; you however say only what is true? You do not lie with your tongue; but He lied with His Body? Then you consider that He appeared to men’s eyes what He was not; that He was a spirit, not a body. Listen to Him: He loves you, do not have Him damn you. Listen to Him speaking. See! He is addressing you, you unhappy one, He is speaking to you! What has troubled you, and why do thoughts arise in your heart? See! He is saying, my hands and feet. Handle, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have. The Truth said this; and He was deceiving us? It was a body, it was flesh; what had been buried appeared. Let hesitation end; let it give way to becoming praise.

Christ awakens Faith. He shows Himself then to His Disciples. What is He, Himself? The Head of the Church. The Church that was to be throughout the world He foresaw; the Disciples did not yet see it. He showed them its Head; He promised them the Body. For He now adds what is to follow: These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you. What does this mean: While I was yet with you? Was He not with them while He was speaking to them?

What then does this mean: While I was yet with you? While I was with you as mortal man, which I am no longer. I was with you when I was about to die. What does with you mean? I Who was to die was with you who were to die. Now I am with you no longer; for I shall die no more, with those who are to die. It is this, then, which I spoke to you. What?

V. That all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the Law, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, concerning me. I said to you that all things must be fulfilled. Then He opened their minds. Come then, Lord! Use Thy keys, open that we may understand! Behold you tell us all things, and you are not believed! You are supposed to be a spirit; you are handled, you are touched, and they still hesitate who touch you! You instruct them from the Scriptures, and yet they do not understand. Their hearts are closed; open them and enter there. He does this: Then he opened their minds. Open, O Lord, open the heart that still doubts concerning Christ! Open his mind who believes that Christ was a spirit: Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures.

The Future Church is promised to all nations. Christ is distinguished from the Apostles: The Church from us.

And he said to them. What did He say? Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary. What was necessary? For Christ to suffer, and rise again from the dead, the third day. This they have seen. They have seen Him suffering; they have seen Him hanging on the Cross, they were seeing Him in their midst after His Resurrection from the dead, living. What therefore was it they did not see? His Body; that is, the Church. They saw Him; Her they did not see. They saw the Bridegroom; the Bride lay still concealed. Let Her also come forth. Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, the third day. This is the Bridegroom.

VI. What of the Bride? And that penance and remission of sin should be preached in his name, unto all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. The Disciples had not yet seen this: they did not yet see the Church among all the nations; beginning from Jerusalem. The Head they had seen: concerning the Body they believed the Head. Because of what they had seen they believed what they had not yet seen. And we are like them. We see something they saw not; and there is something they saw that we do not see. What do we see that they did not see? The Church throughout the nations. What do we not see which they saw? Christ in the Flesh. And as they saw Him, and believed in His Body, so we see His Body, and believe in Its Head.

May what we have both seen help each of us! Christ seen in the Flesh helps them: so that they believe in the Church to come. The Church Visible helps us: so that we believe Christ arose from the dead. Their Faith was made full; ours also is made full. Their Faith was made full seeing the Head; ours seeing the Body. The Whole Christ became known to them; and so has He become known to us. But He was not wholly seen by them; nor is He wholly seen by us. By them the Head was seen, the Body believed; by us the Body is seen, the Head believed. Yet to no one is Christ wanting. He is complete in all; though His Body is still incomplete.

They believed, and through them many believed in Jerusalem; Judea believed, Samaria believed. Let members be added; let the building be raised upon the foundations: For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11). Let the Jews rage! Let them be filled with jealousy. Let Stephen be stoned. Let Saul hold the garments of those who stone him: Saul the future Apostle Paul! Let Stephen be put to death; let the Church in Jerusalem suffer persecution. And from there let the burning brands go forth, and increase, and flame out! For in a manner the brands were kindled in the Church at Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit: where they had but one heart and one soul for God (Acts 4:32). And when Stephen was stoned the whole Body suffered persecution: the brands were scattered, and the world caught fire.

VII. Saul is changed into a Preacher of the Gospel. Then following after these happenings, the raging Saul receives letters from the Chief Priests, and, burning with fury, breathing slaughter, thirsting for blood, he begins his journey, to seize as many as he can and bring them bound to punishment, and sate himself with the blood he has shed. But where is God? Where is Christ? Where is He Who crowned Stephen? Where but in Heaven? May He now look down on Saul, and laugh at him as he rages, and call to him from the heavens: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? I am in Heaven: you are on Earth: yet you are persecuting Me! My Head you do not touch: but you are crushing My members. Why are you doing this? What do you gain? It is hard for thee to kick against the goad (Acts 9:5). Kick as you will: you but torment yourself. So put aside your rage; take hold of your sanity. Put aside your evil purpose: look for good counsel.

At the words he was thrown to the ground. Who was thrown to the ground? The persecutor. See! At a word he is laid low. Why are you on this journey? Whom do you rage against? Those you pursued you will now follow; for those you persecuted you will now suffer persecution. He rises up a preacher who was thrown down a persecutor. He has heard the voice of the Lord. He was blinded: but only in the body, that his soul might receive light. He was led to Ananias; he was instructed in many things. He was baptized; and came forth an Apostle. Speak now: preach, preach Christ, spread the Gospel, O good ram! So long a wolf! Behold him; take note of him who once raged cruelly! But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).

Spread the Gospel: spread with your tongue what you have conceived in your heart. Let the Gentiles hear you! Let the Gentiles believe! Let the Gentiles blossom forth! Let the Spouse be born to the Lord, empurpled with the blood of martyrs! And from her how many come? How many members adhere to the Head, and now hold fast to Him, and believe? They were baptized, and yet others shall be baptized, and after us yet others shall come!

Then, I say, at the end of the world the stones will adhere to the foundation, living stones, holy stones, so that the whole edifice may be built up from that Church, yes, from this very Church which now sings the new canticle, while the house is a-building; for so has it the psalm thus named: When the House was Built after the Captivity. And what does it say? Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle; sing to the Lord all the Earth (Psalm 95:1).

How great a House! And when will it sing the new canticle? While it is being built. And when will it be dedicated? At the end of the world. Its foundations have already been dedicated: because He ascending into Heaven dieth no more. When we also have risen, and shall die no more, then shall we be dedicated.

Turning then to the Lord our God, the Father Almighty, let us as best we can give thanks with all our hearts, beseeching Him that in His Goodness He will mercifully hear our prayers, and by His grace drive evil from our thoughts and actions, increase our Faith, guide our minds, grant m His holy inspirations, and bring us to joy without end, through His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

SERMON 7
St. Augustine of Hippo
A DAY OF LIGHT, LIFE, MERCY AND FORGIVENESS

Sermon 21:
First Sermon for Easter

§1. A dazzling light shines for us today because the Good Thief has entered into Heaven in the footsteps of the King of kings, the multitudes of the dead have risen from the grave, and the conscience of the living has triumphed.

Contemplate the Church; see the throngs of the elect, the legions of angels, and the armies of the faithful gathered around the precious altar of the Lord. The vast assembly brims with joy because the Lord of the angels has risen, the dead have left the netherworld and become alive again, people have emerged from the source of living water purified and wholly renewed.

In his goodness, God has taken care to raise the dead and renew the old man in us, as Scripture states: “The old order has passed, and the new has begun.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Hence, we all cry out, “This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice in it and thrill with gladness!” (Psalm 117:24).

How did the dead rejoice on stepping out from their graves? They sang the new hymn about their new life. How did the reborn throb with happiness on coming forth from the sacred waters? They sang Alleluia as they received that priceless grace.

Let us all say, “This is the day of light, the day of bread,” so that we may never again be subjected to hunger or to darkness. Instead, let us take our fill of the bread of grace rather than the murk of barbarous nations, for today the host of angels rejoices with us. Let no one ever again desire earthly bread, for, today, there is risen “the living bread which came down from Heaven.” (John 6:51). Today, the chains of hell have burst asunder. May the chains of each and every sin do likewise.

§2. May our holy mother the Church superabound with joy in the person of all her children. Come, O Lord, and say: “Peace be with you. No longer be afraid.” (Luke 24:36). Then we shall enjoy a profound sense of security, for, in celebrating your law, we shall possess eternal light in all matters, and declare: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me, Lord.” (Psalm 22:4).

Yes, be with us, O Lord, so that we need no longer fear the shadow of death but, instead, may rejoice eternally in Christ Jesus our Lord suffering, resurrecting and ascending into Heaven. Through him, may we bestir ourselves and convert to the Lord.

The Lord was born, and the world was renewed; he suffered, and mankind was saved; he rose from the tomb, and hell moaned and groaned; he ascended into Heaven, and his Father’s throne quivered for joy. While the Savior was suffering, the dead were rising and the living were exulting; when he resurrected, the captives felt their chains slip off, and the angels could not contain their bliss; when he ascended into Heaven, the celestial spirits were enraptured—and the Apostles were downcast, but “their grief was transmuted into happiness” (John 16:20), dispelling the clouds which had prevented them from seeing the truth.

And so it is with us. After our dark night of struggling, gladsome light radiates upon us from the splendor of God our Savior. As the psalmist sang, “You changed my mourning into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me in gladness.” (Psalm 29:12).

§3. Jesus’ death tore the Temple veil in two, from top to bottom; it broke open the hardest of hearts, shrouded nature in darkness, and suffused our faces with spiritual light so that “we might contemplate the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). A mystical veil had wrapped the Old Law, but was torn as “the night ended and day was dawning.” (Romans 13:12). For, behold, “this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice in it and be glad.” (Psalm 117:24).

Every single day is of God’s making, but this one was stamped with his blood. If the dead who rose from their graves exulted, how much more should this happy day make us vibrant with joy. They walked about the holy city of Jerusalem, but we shall go to our holy mother the Church; they gathered at the banquet of the saints, but we shall partake of the table of God’s mysteries.

May the throngs of angels share in our joy and our banquet as we offer our gifts, lift up our hearts, and strike up this hymn of bliss on our lyres: “I will go to the altar of God—to God, my joy and my delight.” (Psalm 43:4). Our sins are forgiven, and our chains shattered because it is God himself who delights our soul. Let us, then, say anew, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice in it and glow with happiness!”

§4. May no one be saddened if he feels pressured to celebrate life rather than maintain his “dignity.” However plain his clothing, all that matters is that he should shine forth due to his qualities of mind and heart. That way, he will possess the loveliest glory: the glory of finding joy, not in some garment, but in the sacredness of this great day. Indeed, we are bidden to rejoice “in this day,” not in our outfits.

This day brings no black clouds, because it first has dispelled them. It comprises no darkness, because it has driven all darkness away. It has nothing to do with calumny or innuendo, because on the cross it canceled our liability to punishment. Because of our Redeemer’s innocence, he merited salvation for us, the calumniator fled, the “accuser,” the “father of lies” lost his case.

So this is a day of mercy, a day of forgiveness and deliverance. The living throb with joy, and the dead experience ineffable relief. Boundless, free, rapturous and radiant, this day is like “a thousand years in the presence of God” (Psalm 84:4)., for it is truly “the day God has made.”

Whoever perseveres in loving God his whole life long will merit the grace of delighting eternally in this day—this day on which the saints will sing songs of bliss, be flooded with every sort of splendor, and share in their Savior’s joy as they proclaim and re-echo in chorus: “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us exult and thrill with joy!”

SERMON 8
St. Augustine of Hippo
THE "PASSOVER" OF SUFFERING IS NEVER REALLY OVER

Sermon 30:
Tenth Sermon for Easter

§1. My brothers, some maintain that the word Pasch derives from the Greek and signifies “suffering.” That is wrong. * Pasch means “Passover,” for Scripture assigns it no other meaning, and this definition is retained in Latin also. Now, the word Pasch, or Passover, refers to God’s passing through Egypt and, in a single night, slaying every first-born in the entire country (Exodus 11:4–6).

But our Pasch — or Passover —commemorates the Savior’s passing from death over to life, and from the netherworld into Heaven by His resurrection. And what a great, awe-inspiring Passover that was, since He thereby destroyed the very death to which He had voluntarily subjected Himself, and since He had also predicted His victory, saying: “No one takes My life from Me, but I lay it down of My own choosing. I have the power to lay it down, and the power to take it up again!” (John 10:18).

Let us adore this fathomless decree of God’s providence and mercy, for, in submitting Jesus’ body to a death which He did not deserve, the Father willed to rescue us from the death which our sins had all too justly earned.

§2. Unbelievers often ask why Our Lord had to die for mankind―since a mere word, a mere command from Him, could have saved us. To them it is certainly a crucial question―but, with God’s grace, I hope to answer it in a few words.

In the beginning, man sinned by violating God’s precept; and, in accordance with the law of sin, he was condemned to death—as was only just, since, by freely consenting to temptation, he had willingly made himself a slave to his enemy. By itself, the inevitability of death sufficed to remind him of his total servitude. As is written, “Death reigned from Adam on” (Romans 5:14).

Now, our God, though almighty, is also supreme truth. Therefore, while freeing us from Satan’s empire through sheer mercy, He nevertheless willed to satisfy all the requirements of justice. Accordingly, He listened not only to His omnipotence, but also to truth; and, unwilling to extort anything by force, He rejected violence. Though He had already regained His sovereignty over mankind, and it thus belonged to Him, He lowered Himself to the point of paying a ransom for the captives.

Something, my brothers, seemed to keep God from seizing, with no compensation whatsoever, the victim who had willingly placed himself under Satan’s yoke. Could not God have liberated man by a simple dictate? No. That would have satisfied His omnipotence, but not His justice. Man had to be rescued from Satan’s yoke, but all the requirements of justice had to be met. To accomplish that, God saved man―not by issuing a decree―but by buying him back.

Through an unfathomable mystery of justice and love, Our Lord really and truly became man, in order that man might redeem man, by making flesh suffer for flesh. He therefore came down in the likeness of sinful flesh, so that, by paying the wages of sin on the cross, He would have the right to destroy the sin of our flesh.

In the courts of this world, if a creditor demands more than his due, he thereby forfeits any right to repayment. In a way, this principle can be applied to Satan. He had a claim on man, but he exacted a God and thus lost his case. By asking too much, he risked getting nothing. Therefore, my brothers, was it not perfectly just that, having pounced on the Innocent One, he lost the guilty one? That, having prosecuted the Just One, he saw the criminal go free? For claiming what he had no right to, he lost what belonged to him in strict justice. The sin fell back on its author.

By raging against the One whom he could not subjugate, he lost the one whom he already possessed, and so failed to obtain what he was seeking. Having acquired the slave, he was now trying to lay his hands on the Lord. It was only right that, pursuing this double prey, he experienced a double loss. Indeed, the slave, realizing that he had been redeemed, escaped from him; and the Lord, by rising from the tomb, achieved the most glorious of triumphs.

§3. It is a true passing-over (Passover) that we celebrate today, because Christ Jesus puts death to flight and reappears in the fullness of life. Let us in turn strive to rise with Him. He came down to us precisely so that we might climb up to Him. By taking our humanity upon Himself, He raised it up to Heaven so that, through Faith and Hope, we might put aside our earthly pursuits and raise our minds to heavenly matters.

Just as our Savior descended into Limbo, in order to redeem us, so also He rose up to Heaven to draw us in His wake. As Scripture teaches, “Christ is the head of everyone” (1 Corinthians 11:3). Therefore, He is our head, too, and we are His body. Now, since our Head is in Heaven, let us strive to reunite the body to its Head.

That is why it is such a glorious thing for human beings to offer their sons and daughters to God―since He offered us His only Son. The father of numerous children may think he is doing a great deal by offering one of them to the Lord. Still, as I just said, God delivered up His only Son for us. We hesitate to consecrate our children to God―though, for our sake, He did not spare His only Son.

“How can we repay the Lord for all the good things He has showered upon us?” (Psalm 115:12). Even if we offered Him all of our children, would that be adequate thanks? For our sake, God delivered His Son up to death; but we give Him our children so that they may live.

Our Lord obeyed the will and the command of God His Father.

SERMON 9
St. Augustine of Hippo
THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION

Sermon 38: Sermon for the Easter Season

§1. The numerous and profound mysteries solemnly celebrated in this Easter season were contained in the books of Scripture kept in all the ancient dwellings and oldest archives of Israel. The wondrous economy of these mysteries, and the basis they furnished for authentic Faith and for religion pure and sincere—all this remained hidden, so to speak, beneath the veils of time, their sacredness shrouded in shadow.

Yet, despite those veils, the august and sublime image of the truth managed to shine through. Christ Jesus painted it on our minds, not with a palette of diverse earthly colors, but with distinct heavenly virtues protected under the shield of devotion and gleaming with all the splendor of gold. Those virtues are concentrated in the temple of his body as in their source. Radiating from his heart into ours, love becomes the fragrance which preserves our senses, and the principle which guides them.

There may be a resplendent angel presiding over sun and stars, rotating the Earth, sowing fertility, tempering spring and autumn, and dividing time into hours and days and months, but it is God who commands us to celebrate this great day with due solemnity.

§2. What new blessings our Savior’s passion has purchased for us, what lost treasures it has restored, no human tongue could ever tell nor memory compute.

In the Gospel he says: “No one puts a lamp under a basket, but up on a lampstand so it can give light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:15). Well, at its first appearance on Earth, and then in the passion, the light was placed on the lampstand of the cross. But at the second coming, it will arrive in all its splendor, and reign for ever from that sacred lampstand. Christ shines before the eyes of Gentile and Jew in order to form his Church from the reunion of them both.

He is our light; and although we wait for him to come again, we nonetheless believe he has already come. Though he came in lowliness to serve, he will return in majesty to rule. Though he came full of kindness, he will return to judge. Though he came amid suffering and pain, he will return to wield power. And though he came to heal our infirmities, he will come to uproot all vice.

Let no one imagine that in his second coming he will allow us to deny that he came once before. No, he will then be a fearsome judge for all who refused to recognize him as their savior. We know and we believe that Jesus Christ will come to judge each and every one of us. But, having come once as a doctor in order to save us, he will then come in order to reign as King of kings, as supreme, eternal Lord and Master.

§3. His crown, his sash and his shoes are enhanced with precious gems designating the patriarchs, the prophets and the apostles. The patriarchs compose the crown on his forehead, not to adorn it, but to be adorned by the Lord. It was of the patriarchs that St. Paul wrote: “… from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah, God, who is over all the blessed for ever” (Romans 9:5). His sash is formed by the prophets, whose teachings constitute the undoable knot of discipline. And his shoes represent the apostles, of whom Scripture says: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” (Romans 10:15).

In this kingdom we also see the martyrs gleaming like priceless gems, the confessors like emeralds, the virgins like pearls, and the faithful like amethysts. Robed in the royal purple of his passion, Jesus, the eternal King, carries the scepter of empire, the seat of justice, the august throne of sovereign power.

Having suffered for those who believe, he will reign for his saints, and judge everyone who has rebelled against him. Just as nobody who wants to be healthy would turn against his doctor, so Faith makes us friends of our King, whereas disbelief would make us guilty and therefore subject to his justice.

§4. He whose origin is wholly celestial came down from Heaven and descended all the way to the netherworld in order to liberate mankind. And so it is that, after abasing himself unto death—and death on a cross—our risen Christ entered as victor into the splendors of Heaven. It is a mystery, but it is also a fact: a fact firmly believed and faithfully preached.

During the Savior’s passion, the sun refused to shine, day fled, the darkness grew deeper and deeper, night unfurled its hideous inky curtain over the entire face of the Earth, the stars bewailed this atrocious parricide, the moon joined the sun in mourning, and all of nature was appalled at the cruelty of the Jews.

In this combat of Christ against Satan, of an unarmed man against a fully armed foe, in this duel of David against Goliath, Jesus won the victory over his mighty and brutal adversary. Stripped of his garments, with his body nailed to the cross, this merely thirty-three year old Savior triumphed over the devil, not by the sword, but by the radiance of his cross.

He then descended to the netherworld and forced it to release his chosen ones. After his resurrection, he instructed his disciples. Notice that when teaching, he is reason itself; when judging, he is the law; delivering souls, he is grace; suffering, he is the Lamb; laid in the tomb, he is man; rising from it, he is God.

To us also he has promised resurrection and an eternal reward. To earthly men he gives heavenly things, and to mortals immortality; to corpses he gives living souls; to frail bodies, resurrection; to the dead, life; and to those he has regenerated, salvation.

My brothers, let us hold fast to this belief, so that we may merit to live eternally with our God and our Savior.

SERMON 10
Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger (1805-188)
MARY MAGDALEN AND THE RESURRECTION

“And on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen came early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher.” (John 20:1).

Alleluia! Once more we greet the joyous Easter-day, the glorious festival, the feast of feasts! Alleluia! The lofty note of triumph resounds throughout high Heaven to salute the Lamb of God, the mighty Conqueror, while Earth takes up the glad refrain, and Alleluia wakes happy, holy thoughts in Christian souls, absorbed in fervent homage in many a temple wherein is celebrated this great festival with all the splendor of our Holy Church. And yet, alas, to how many it brings no real heartfelt joy!

How many, who call themselves Christians, unite in a merely external manner in the celebration of today! To outward appearances they seem to rejoice―but theirs is only a superficial joy. To them the spiritual delight, the real happiness―in a word, the Alleluia of the Paschal time―brings no deep meaning; while to those who have, from spiritual death, risen to the life of grace, and then, with zealous earnestness, continue their efforts to attain perfection, this feast will prove a happy day indeed. The joy of Easter will penetrate the very marrow of the soul.

So it was with Mary Magdalen, and so, too, it will be with every Christian who, like that great saint, and also like Mary, the Immaculate Mother of Christ, is sincerely disposed for a proper participation in the joy of Easter. And today, my brethren, I will explain to you in what this special preparation for it consists; so that to each and every one of you it may be given to feel the delight of Mary Magdalen, when she beheld her risen Lord.

O Mary, thrice happy Mother of Jesus, may we participate in the joy felt by Magdalen on that Easter morning! May a faint reflex of your sentiments, as you embraced your beloved Son and Lord, arisen from the dead, fall upon our hearts today! I speak in the name of the newly-risen Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

Dear brethren, let us dwell for a few moments upon the scene! The Redeemer, Master of life and death, had scarcely burst the bonds of His prison-house, when countless souls, ransomed by His infinite mercy from Limbo, hovered over His sepulcher. Myriads of angels too were there, bowing in homage before their King. The rosy dawn dispelled the lingering shades of night which had hung like a pall over Jerusalem, and revealed the uncertain steps of one whose attitude of deep dejection betrayed her grief. It was Mary Magdalen.

She approaches the tomb. It is empty, and now a new anxiety weighs upon her; when suddenly Christ stands before her, not as she had known Him in life, but in the dress of a gardener. Not recognizing Him she asks: “If thou hast taken Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him and I will take Him away.” Now the Lord calls her by name: “Mary,” and she feels that it is the voice of Jesus, the voice which uttered the consoling words: “Thy sins are forgiven thee.” It was a voice she could not fail-to know. She looks up at Him; she recognizes Him; she falls prostrate at His feet. “Jesus, Master, you live! Alleluia!” Heavenly joy thrills her heart as she hastens to the disciples with the glad tidings that Jesus lived, and had appeared to her.

Each child of the Church should share the joy of Magdalen, the penitent and forgiven. And if in it he has no part, where can be found the cause? I answer: Something is wanting in the preparation of the heart. Look at Mary Magdalen, and learn from her. She rejoiced, because hers was a soul purified by sorrow and tears of repentance. In her we behold the Magdalen, who, sinking beneath the burden of her contrition, gave vent to her feelings at the feet of Jesus.

Christian! If you feel not the joyous influence of the Paschal time, is it not that you are, as yet, unreconciled with your risen Lord? Is it that your soul is marred with the disfiguring stain of mortal sin? For others the Easter jubilee; for you the mournful memories of Good Friday! For, alas! You have crucified your Savior in your heart. Let me beg that you will not refuse to unite with those fervent souls whose Alleluia resounds throughout the Earth, but that, by fervent prayer, you will obtain the grace of contrition, and, having “arisen with Christ,” by a worthy confession you may rejoice with His faithful followers.

And you, lukewarm and indifferent Christian, what sentiments does this glorious day awaken within your heart? Alas! It is cold! The Alleluia finds no responsive echo there. And what wonder? You may not indeed have crucified your Savior by mortal sin; but the many venial faults which sully the purity of your soul, drive Him from you, and sorrowfully He stands afar off.

Mary Magdalen knelt at His feet. It was her dearest joy to be near her Lord, but that privilege was never hers, until by tears of sorrow she had cleansed her soul from the slightest stain of sin. She was a penitent soul. Imitate her example, purify your soul from its sins and faults, and then, with the illustrious penitent, can you truly welcome your risen Lord.

Secondly. Mary Magdalen had disposed her heart for the celebration of Easter by meditation. She was a contemplative soul. Absorbed in adoration at the feet of Jesus, she listened to the words of divine wisdom which issued from His lips, and, according to Christ Himself, she “chose the better part.”

But how many Christians, celebrating Easter exteriorly, do not meditate, and hence a cold and lifeless Faith is theirs, causing them to listen with indifference when the most sublime truths of religion are presented for their instruction. Nay, even the good and pious are not free from censure in this regard. They believe, they pray, but they do not meditate; and even by them the solemn mysteries of our redemption are not celebrated according to the spirit of our Holy Mother Church. Her wish and desire is that we may endeavor to bring the truths of holy Faith before our mental vision, in as vivid a manner as though we had lived at the time those wonderful scenes in the great work of our redemption took place, and had witnessed them in the very order in which they transpired. Then we will begin to realize the reward which in an eternity of bliss awaits the purified soul and feel the sweetness of its Alleluia on Earth.

Thirdly. Mary Magdalen’s heart was prepared by works of self-denial. She was a mortified soul, and how could it have been otherwise with her? Was she not the same to whom was given the grace to behold, with her own eyes, the dreadful spectacle of a lacerated, scourged, nay, even of a crucified and dying Savior? Was she not the same devoted lover of Jesus upon whom, as she knelt beneath the cross, His tears and blood fell down? And her entire subsequent life, when she dwelt in solitude in the little hermitage in Gaul, was spent in acts of penance, although, from the Redeemer Himself, she had heard the blessed words: “Thy sins are forgiven thee!”

And you, Christians, if your hearts are not intoning the Alleluia today with her exultation, why is it? Because you do not love the cross, and strive to escape from the observance of the holy season, which this day terminates. Immediately preceding the festivity of Easter, the Church, during the days set apart for penance, strives to instill into the hearts of her children that penitential spirit, which will impel them to take up the cross and follow their suffering Redeemer to Calvary. Have you spent the holy season according to that spirit? Then, indeed, you may rejoice with Mary Magdalen today. But, if not, although the grandeur of the ceremonies which are displayed before you cannot fail to produce an impression and excite some joy, it will be but a transitory impression and a superficial joy, in which the Alleluia has no part.

Fourthly. Mary Magdalen, in her longing after the divine word gave up everything, and followed her Savior in His apostolic missions. Trampling underfoot the opinion of the world, and casting aside the promptings of human respect, in the presence of Him she found her greatest happiness. Such sentiments animated her, when, at the banquet given by the haughty Pharisee, she knelt publicly at the feet of Jesus. With such feelings she sought Him on Good Friday, prostrating herself before Him; and so also on the Easter-morn did she seek for, and find her risen Lord.

Child of the one true Church, do you wish to rejoice with Mary Magdalen? Then with her resolve to follow your Lord, and for this end seek Him with never flagging earnestness; and, having found Him, contemplate in Him the adorable model, by imitating which you will one day behold Him face to face. Souls who are satisfied to lead an ordinary Christian life, who do not hunger and thirst after perfection, who lead not an interior life, do not participate in the joy of this great penitent, and alas! they will never understand it.

In conclusion, the soul of Mary Magdalen was a grateful and loving soul towards Jesus. She recognized Him on that Easter-morn by His voice; and as He spoke her name, “Mary!” the thought of the countless favors she had received at His sacred hands rushed swiftly over her. Her heart overflowed with its burden of gratitude; and oh! she felt how sweet it would be to cancel that debt by the perfect love with which she would regard her Savior during an eternity of purest bliss. Then, indeed, could she worthily celebrate the feast of feasts!―the glorious Easter jubilee in Heaven!

Mary’s love was sincere, magnanimous, self-sacrificing, and constant. Of this Christ Himself has given testimony: “She has loved much.” This mighty love not only gained for her an unconditional pardon of her former sins, but it became the source of numberless graces for her future life. And the same is promised to every member of the one true Church, whose love for Jesus is sincere, magnanimous, self-sacrificing, and constant, like that of Mary Magdalen.

The recurrence of Easter, my brethren, should increase every year our confidence in divine Providence, and remind us of the unwearied solicitude with which God has, from our very infancy up to the present moment, watched over us, guided our footsteps through the dangers which encompass us, and through His Holy Spirit is ever whispering to us to renounce our sins, to “love much,” that He may “forgive us much.” If we listen to that whisper we will indeed “arise with Christ; “we will participate to the utmost in the true spiritual jubilee of this blessed day.

Thus, my brethren, let your preparation for Easter be according to the disposition of St. Magdalen; and you will celebrate with Magdalen, in the spirit of the Church, Easter on Earth, and soon, with Magdalen also, Easter in Heaven forever. Amen!

SERMON 11
Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger (1805-188)
ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE AND THE RESURRECTION

“And the disciple whom Jesus loved, came to the sepulcher.” (John 20:1-10).

As often as the Church, in commemoration of the glorious Resurrection, celebrates the yearly recurrence of the Paschal time, and intones the joyous Alleluia with her children, so often do we recall to mind those privileged souls who, the Gospel tells us, had the happiness of hearing the glad tidings: “Jesus, lives; He has arisen,” of listening to, of beholding the risen Jesus. This privilege was not limited to one or two; but was enjoyed by a number of the disciples, who believed and hoped in the Lord. Often, too, we go in spirit to the sepulcher with the holy women who went thither bearing ointments, and think of that bliss which filled their hearts when, from the angel of the Lord, they heard the welcome words: “He is arisen.” We think of Mary Magdalen, whose joy found utterance in the single word, as she knelt before her Lord, “Rabboni.”

We behold the wondering Apostles, when, on the evening of the same day, as they were assembled together “with closed doors,” their Master stood before them and pronounced the blessed words: “Pax vobis”―”Peace be unto you.”

But there is one Apostle, St. John, upon whom our attention should be particularly centered, that we may attain a better understanding of the state in which the Christian must be before the real joy of Easter can illumine his soul. We have seen him at the Last Supper; we have beheld him at the foot of the cross, and let us hope that we may have shared, to some extent, in the love which filled his heart at those solemn times. Let me, brethren, today present, for your contemplation, St. John, the disciple of love. Let us glance at him as he stands by the sepulcher of the Risen One, and endeavor to picture the joy which overflowed his heart as he beheld the Lord.

O Mary, Mother most joyful, infuse into our hearts that bliss which filled your own upon that first happy Easter-morn, that we, like St. John, may experience its most wonderful effects for the salvation of our souls! I speak in the name of the newly-risen Jesus, for the greater honor and glory of God!

“He is risen; we have heard it even from the angels!” said the holy women, as they returned from the sepulcher. And as the Apostles heard the wondrous tale, two of their number immediately arose and hastened away; but the “dearly beloved Apostle,” St. John, in the fervor of his love, left St. Peter far behind, and, arriving first at the sepulcher, found the stone rolled away. St. Peter, however, was the first to enter the empty tomb. In him, therefore, is illustrated the Apostle of Faith, while St. John typifies the disciple of love.

In the divine economy, everything is full of a deep, mysterious meaning, and herein we learn that Faith must first penetrate the soul before the flame of divine love is enkindled in the heart. John followed Peter, and, as he placed his hand upon the winding-sheet, which, but the evening before he had wrapped about the sacred body of his Lord, a flood of joy rushed over his soul, and filled his heart with happiness, as he felt that Jesus had indeed arisen, that Jesus lived.

We will today consider the character of his holy Easter joy, and endeavor to understand how mighty and sanctifying it was rendered by the excessive ardor of his love for Christ. To clearly realize the intense joy of this saintly disciple, we must recall the feelings which agitated his heart while, for love of the crucified One, he stood beneath the cross, and think of those words of Holy Scripture: “According to the greatness of my sorrows your consolations gladdened my soul.”

St. John stood at the foot of the cross wholly absorbed in compassion, adoration, gratitude, and resolution, according to the will of God, to follow Jesus unto death, through love; and, therefore, the Alleluia of the Easter joy, in which his heart rejoiced at the tomb of the arisen Jesus, was a participation in the sentiments of adoration, thanksgiving, and determination to be faithful to his calling as Apostle in proportion to his love for Christ.

The one who loves, so rejoices at the happiness of the beloved object that it would seem as if he were happier to see the joy of his friend than to feel his own. For example, what joy is experienced by a mother whose child has met with some great good or benefit, or has been unexpectedly saved from some impending danger! But of true friendship Holy Writ testifies that it is stronger than all other love―witness that of David and Jonathan.

But incomparably more tender was the friendship of St. John for his Savior, and in the same measure his heart rejoiced at the certainty that He had burst the bonds of the grave and lived once more. This joy must have stirred his heart to its very depths, and moved him, in a much greater degree, than it affected St. Peter and the other Apostles, because he had beheld his Savior in agony upon the cross, in suffering and in death. His loving heart was more sensitive than theirs.

The Alleluia of his Easter joy was the outburst of his overflowing friendship. It was, at the same time, one of adoration and thanksgiving for the consummation of the Redemption. Until that time the life and labors of the Lord had been, as it were, veiled in the obscurity of a mystical darkness; but by the Alleluia which came forth from the heart of Jesus as He rose from the tomb, all radiant with celestial light, this veil was rent, and that Easter morn forever dispersed the gloom.

St. John, as he stood by the grave of the risen Jesus, realized more clearly than ever the whole order of salvation; and what an “Exultet” arose in his heart as he intoned it, in the same sense in which it is sung by the Church on Holy Saturday, to announce the joyful truth that Christ had risen. As often as we hear it, our souls are filled with the joy of this holy Easter day. St. John intoned it at the sepulcher, in the name of the whole human family. Even as the Church sends forth her most joyful chants, so sang his heart, overflowing with the joy of that Easter day: “O Ineffable Miracle of Grace! to forgive Thy servant his sins, Thou hast delivered up Thy Son!”

“Of what avail had it been for us to be born into the world had we not received the grace of redemption? O happy fault which gave us such a Deliverer!”

St. John also thanked God, as he had never done before, for the grace of the election which, in the kingdom of Christ, became his portion, recognizing more clearly than ever the privileges which he enjoyed before all men, even the Apostles, especially that one which gave him the care of Mary, the Immaculate Virgin, the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of his Lord. How he rejoiced that he would have her example and her prayers! for it would be her duty to care for her adopted son as became a tender and loving mother. Well may St. Paul exclaim: “I chastise my body that I may not become a castaway.”

No marvel was it that St. Peter trembled when he thought upon the judgment which would come after death; but St. John, the adopted son of Mary, was, through her, assured of his eternal salvation. And in relation to the duties of his apostleship in general, as he stood by the Savior’s tomb, how greatly encouraged he felt!―how firmly he resolved to be a fruitful branch in the vineyard of the Lord!

What invigorates the soul in its apostolic calling is the strengthening power of Faith, Hope, and Charity, united with an earnest love of our neighbor. These were precisely the sentiments which prevailed in the heart of St. John as he burst forth in that glorious Alleluia by the grave of Christ.

The certainty of the Resurrection, as St. Paul affirms, is a pledge of the whole treasure of Faith, “If Christ had not risen again, as He said,” writes the Apostle of the nations, “we would have been miserably deceived and disappointed and left without a name.” But He did arise, and we possess our holy Faith with its promises for time and eternity.

We also shall arise and live with Him forever. But St. Paul was not at the sepulcher; he did not touch the sacred body of Christ, but the beloved disciple did. With what strong testimony for the truth of the Resurrection, therefore, could John announce the Gospel with the assertion that he had lived with the Redeemer on the most intimate terms of holy union; that he beheld Him when He breathed forth His last sigh upon the cross; and looked upon Him after He had risen from the dead. The sentiments of his heart were that of triumphant Faith.

What invigorates a soul in the exercise of its apostolic calling is victorious hope. “The Lord, who calls me to this office, is also my strength, and will, at some future day, be my reward.” Who experienced this in a higher degree than St. John? To whom was more fully and more bountifully given the vivifying power of Christian hope than to him who was permitted, while still on Earth, to pierce the golden vista of the celestial vault, and gaze upon the mysteries of Heaven?

Finally, what urges the true Apostle on in his holy mission more than any other thing is love―the love of God and man. In these respects, St. John was, as you know, eminently called the disciple of love. His very Epistles, contained in Holy Writ, stand, and will remain forever, undying testimonials of this his apostolic love. This, dearly beloved in Christ, is the character of the Easter-day of St. John and of his Easter Alleluia; and these the conditions, to feel it re-echoed in our own hearts. Amen!

SERMON 12
Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger (1805-188)
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Sermon 1)

“I am the Good Shepherd.” (John 10:11).

In today’s Gospel Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, and well does the title become Him. Many other names are given to Our Lord in Holy Scripture. He is called “God” and “Lord,” the “Father of the Family,” the “Promised Messias,” the “Savior and Redeemer of His People.” That He deserves them all, every well-instructed Christian readily understands; for He is, indeed, both God and Lord the Father of the family, which, as Messias, He has redeemed and saved.

One name, however, is especially applicable to Him, that of the “Good Shepherd.” Christ calls Himself, emphatically, the Good Shepherd; and it is profitable for us to consider what this title of Christ means, as the elect are frequently typified by Our Lord and His Prophets as sheep. The more clearly, then, we realize what the shepherd is to the sheep, the more ready and willing shall we be to follow Christ, our Good Shepherd, as His faithful sheep. Let us, therefore, today consider Christ as the Good Shepherd, and reflect on the qualities that entitle Him to this appellation.

Mary, you who are next to Christ, the Good Shepherdess of His flock, you who were a zealous and first follower of the Lord, pray for us, that your divine Son may acknowledge us as His sheep, and may be to us a Good Shepherd our Redeemer, our Lord! I speak in the most Holy Name of Jesus, for the greater glory of God!

Christ calls Himself the Good Shepherd, and such indeed He is. To prove this, we need only think of the attributes which Christ mentions as belonging to a good shepherd. The first of these is: “To know his sheep.” Every good shepherd, of course, knows his sheep; but none know their flock so well as Christ knows His. Even the most careful shepherd is not always able to recognize a sheep that has strayed from the flock, so that he may lead it back to the fold. Christ, however, as Good Shepherd, knows every human soul which He redeemed, and knows it better than the soul knows itself He knows everyone. He knows the thoughts, the words, the wishes, and the actions of each all his good and all his evil inclinations. He has a thorough and complete knowledge of each and every man.

A good shepherd calls his sheep, that they may remain near him, and not stray away from the flock and the good pasture; and the sheep know His voice. How perfectly Christ possesses all the qualifications of a Good Shepherd! An inner and an outer voice is continually calling us. He admonishes, instructs and guides us by His voice. We hear it in the depth of our heart, through the inspirations of His grace, and we hear it, too, in the admonitions and warnings of those whom He has installed as His vicars upon Earth.

Happy are we it we listen to this voice, if we follow it, and avoid the dangers which threaten our salvation! Happy are we if, when tempted, we make use of all those means of evading the persecutions of Satan which Christ points out to us! The good shepherd loves his sheep, and goes before them. How admirably our Lord fulfills this duty to us! “I am the way,” He cries to us, “follow Me.” “I am the Truth and the Life.”

The path of virtue and perfection lies before us, glorious in the light of our Lord’s example an example of the perfect fulfillment of the great commandment of loving God above all things and one’s neighbor as one’s self. If we but follow the voice of Christ, it will guide us in the way of salvation, into the best, the most nourishing of meadows, which is His Holy Word--the instructions and the graces which He imparts to us through His Church. How refreshing, strengthening and delicious is this pasture! Nor is this all; but He does for us what no other shepherd does for his sheep, He sacrifices Himself for us, and nourishes its, soul and body, with His sacramental Flesh and Blood.

What a Good Shepherd! And, to accomplish this, what does He do for each one of us? He not only leads us by His almighty power and goodness towards Heaven, but He also offers Himself up daily for us all in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. “A good shepherd,” says our Lord, “protects his sheep.” And Christ promised His powerful protection to His Church, which is the flock of the Good Shepherd, when He said: “The gates of Hell shall not prevail against her;” nor shall they prevail against any of His children who make use of those weapons and means of salvation which He entrusted to them.

Yes, the most Holy Name of Jesus alone protects us triumphantly in every danger that threatens our salvation, for no one shall be conquered or lost who pronounces with confidence this Holy Name, and with it calls for help. For, to protect and save us, Jesus gave His life, and the last drop of His Blood. This Christ did for us His children, His sheep. Never has an earthly shepherd done a work like this; never could it have been done. Where was there ever found a shepherd who was wounded and slain for his sheep? Yet Christ was wounded and slain for us! “He has delivered Himself for me,” can every soul exclaim gratefully and lovingly with St. Paul? For me, He was born one cold winter’s night; for me, He fled into Egypt; for me, He remained working in Nazareth; for me, He bore all the toils of His apostolic life; for me, He was scorned, scourged and crucified! What a Good Shepherd!

A good shepherd guards his sheep; but still, at the last, every sheep becomes the prey of death. Christ, the Good Shepherd, calls to us: “He that believes in Me, although he be dead, shall live.” Death, since Christ has redeemed us, is no longer to us what death is to a sheep, namely, destruction. No; through Christ, the Lamb of God, sacrificed for us, we have a right to exclaim: “O death! Where is thy sting?”

Oh, the goodness our Shepherd shows to us, especially if we consider the relationship in which this Good Shepherd stands to us! As Shepherd, He is at the same time our Father, who has made us children of God. He is our Brother, and a Brother who has taken to Himself our nature, and elevated it above the choirs of angels. He is our Friend, and what a Friend! He gave His life for us! He is our King, and how generous, how wise, how grand a Monarch, who will place us all on thrones! He is our Bridegroom, and what a union awaits us with Him in the joys of Heaven!

Let us follow Him like good sheep, that He may lead us into the fields and meadows of Paradise! Amen!

SERMON 13
Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger (1805-188)
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Sermon 2)

Christ calls Himself the Good Shepherd, and such indeed He is. To prove this, we need only think of the attributes which Christ mentions as belonging to a good shepherd. The first of these is: “To know his sheep.”

Every good shepherd, of course, knows his sheep; but none know their flock so well as Christ knows His. Even the most careful shepherd is not always able to recognize a sheep that has strayed from the flock, so that he may lead it back to the fold. Christ, however, as Good Shepherd, knows every human soul which He redeemed, and knows it better than the soul knows itself He knows everyone. He knows the thoughts, the words, the wishes, and the actions of each all his good and all his evil inclinations. He has a thorough and complete knowledge of each and every man.

A good shepherd calls his sheep, that they may remain near him, and not stray away from the flock and the good pasture; and the sheep know His voice. How perfectly Christ possesses all the qualifications of a Good Shepherd! An inner and an outer voice is continually calling us. He admonishes, instructs and guides us by His voice. We hear it in the depth of our heart, through the inspirations of His grace, and we hear it, too, in the admonitions and warnings of those whom He has installed as His vicars upon Earth.

Happy are we it we listen to this voice, if we follow it, and avoid the dangers which threaten our salvation! Happy are we if, when tempted, we make use of all those means of evading the persecutions of Satan which Christ points out to us! The good shepherd loves his sheep, and goes before them. How admirably our Lord fulfills this duty to us! “I am the way,” He cries to us, “follow Me.” “I am the Truth and the Life.”

SERMON 14
St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
THE HEART OF PRAYER

I still have to point out the distinction that exists in prayer, whether mental or vocal prayer. In prayer we go to God in two ways, both of which have been recommended to – namely, sometimes we pray directly to God, and at other times indirectly, as when we say the anthems of our lady, the Salve Regina and others. When we pray directly we exercise the filial confidence which is founded upon faith, hope, and charity; when we pray indirectly and through the intercession of another, we practice the holy humility which springs from self-knowledge. When we go directly to God we proclaim his goodness and mercy, in which we place all our confidence; but when we pray indirectly, that is, when we implore the assistance of our lady, of the saints, and of the blessed, it is so that we might better be received by the Divine Majesty, and then we proclaim his greatness and omnipotence, and the reverence which we owe him.

I should like to add another word to the remarks I made the other day on the exterior reverence which we ought to have when we pray. Our church indicates all the postures she wishes us to assume in reciting the office: sometimes she will have us standing, sometimes sitting, then kneeling; sometimes with the head covered, sometimes uncovered; but all these positions and postures are nothing other than prayers. All the ceremonies of the church are full of very great mysteries, and humble, simple, devout people find the greatest consolation in assisting at them. What do you think that the palms which we carry in our hands today signify? Nothing other than our asking God that he render us victorious by the merits of the victory which our Lord won for us on the tree of the cross.

When we are at the office we must be careful to observe the postures prescribed for us by the rubrics; but in our private prayers, what reverence ought we to have? In private prayer, we are before God as in public prayer, although in public prayer we ought to be particularly attentive on account of the edification of our neighbor; exterior reverence is a great aid to the interior. We have many examples which witness to the great exterior reverence which we ought to have when praying, even though it be private prayer. Listen to Saint Paul: “I kneel,” he says, “before the father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, for you all.” (Ephesians 3:14) And don’t you see that the savior himself, while praying to his father, is prostrate to the ground? (Matthew 26:39 and Mark 14:35)

Here is one more example. I think you know that the great hermit, Saint Paul, lived for many years in the desert. Saint Antony of the Desert, having gone to see him, found him in prayer. After speaking with him, Saint Antony left him. But having come a second time to visit him, he found Saint Paul in the same position as before, his head raised and his eyes fixed on Heaven, kneeling upright, with hands joined. Saint Antony, having already waited for him a long time, began to wonder, because he did not hear him sigh as usual; he then raised his eyes and looked into his face and found that he was dead. It seems that Saint Paul’s body, which had prayed so much during life, continued to pray after his death. In short, it is necessary that the whole person pray.

David says that his whole face prayed, (Psalm 27:8), that his eyes were so attentive in looking upon God that they failed, (Psalm 69:4 and 88:10; Isaiah 38:14), and that his mouth was open like a little bird who waits for its mother to come to fill it. But in any case, the posture which affords the best attention is the most suitable. Yes, even the posture of lying down is good, and seems to be a prayer in itself. For do you not see that the holy man Job, lying on his dunghill, made a prayer so excellent that it merited to be heard by God? (Job 42:9-10) But this is sufficient.

Let us now speak of mental prayer; and if it pleases you, I shall show you, through a comparison with the Temple of Solomon, how there are four levels in the soul. In that temple, there was first a court which was set aside for Gentiles, so that no one might be able to excuse himself from divine worship. It was because there was no nation which could not come to render praise in that place that this temple was so pleasing to the Divine Majesty.

The second court was destined for the Jews, both men and women, though later a separation was made in order to avoid the scandals which might arise in such a mixed assembly. Then, mounting higher, there was another place for the priests, and finally there was a court destined for the cherubim and their master, where the Ark of the Covenant rested and where God manifested his will, and this place was called the Sancta Sanctorum, that is, the Holy of Holies.

In our souls there is the first level, which is a certain knowledge that we have through our senses, as by our eyes we know that such an object is green, red, or yellow. But after this there is a degree or level which is still a little higher, namely, a knowledge that we have by means of consideration. For example, a man who has been ill-treated in a certain place will consider what he will be able to do in order not to return there. The third level is the knowledge we have through faith. The fourth, the Sancta Sanctorum, is the highest point of our soul, which we call spirit, and so long as this highest point is always fixed on God, we need not be troubled in the least.

Ships at sea all have a mariner’s needle, which always points to the north star, and though the boat may be heading southward, the needle nevertheless does not fail to point always north. Thus it sometimes seems that the soul is going straight for the south, so greatly is it agitated by distractions; nevertheless, the highest point of the spirit always looks toward its God, who is its north. Sometimes people who are the most advanced have such great temptations, even against faith, that it seems to them that their whole soul consents, so greatly is it disturbed. They have only this highest point which resists, and it is this part of ourselves which makes mental prayer, for although all our other faculties and powers may be filled with distractions, the spirit, its fine point, is praying.

Now in mental prayer there are four parts, the first of which is meditation; the second, contemplation; the third, ejaculations; and the fourth, a simple attention to the presence of God. The first is made by way of meditation, in this manner: we take a mystery, for instance our Lord crucified. Then having pictured him to ourselves thus, we consider his virtues: the love which he bore to his father, which made him suffer death, even death on a cross, (Philippians 2:8), rather than displease him, or to speak better, in order to please him; the great gentleness, humility, and patience with which he suffered so many injuries; and finally, his immense charity toward those who put him to death, praying for them amidst his most excruciating sufferings. (Luke 23:24)

Having considered all these points, our affections will be moved with an ardent desire to imitate him in his virtues; we will then implore the Eternal Father to render us true images of his son. (Romans 8:29)

Meditation is made as the bees make and gather honey: they go out gathering the honey which falls from Heaven upon the flowers, and extract a little of the juice from the same flower, and then carry it into their hives. Thus, we go along picking out the virtues of our Lord one after the other in order to draw from them the desire of imitation. (Afterward, we consider them collectively at a single glance by contemplation.) At the creation, God mediated, for do you not see that after he had created Heaven he said that it was good? And he did the same after he had created the Earth, the animals, and then, finally, man. He found everything good, considering it one at a time, but seeing all together that which he had made, he said that it was very good. (Genesis 1:10-25, 31)

The spouse in the Song of Songs, having praised her divine beloved for the beauty of his eyes, his lips, in short, of all his members one after another, (5:9-16), concluded in this way: “O, how beautiful is my beloved; oh, how I love him, He is my very dear one!” This is contemplation, for by dint of considering in mystery after mystery how good God is, we become like the ropes of our barges. When we row very hard these ropes so heat up that if we were not to wet them they would catch fire; but our soul, growing warm from loving him whom it has found so lovable, continues to gaze upon him because it delights more and more in beholding him, so beautiful and so good.

The divine spouse in the Song of Songs says: “Come, my beloved, for I have gathered my myrrh, I have eaten my bread and my honeycomb with its honey, I have drunk my wine and my milk. Come, my beloved ones, and eat; be inebriated, my dearest ones.” These words represent for us the mysteries we are about to celebrate in these following weeks. “I have gathered my myrrh, I have eaten my bread”: this was in the passion and death of the savior. “I have eaten my honey with my honeycomb”: this was when he returned his soul with his body. Finally the spouse adds, “My wine with my milk.”

The wine represents the joy of his resurrection, and the milk, the sweetness of his conversation. He drank them together, for he dwelt on Earth for 40 days after his resurrection, (Acts 1:3), visiting his disciples, making them touch his wounds, and eating with them. Now when he says, “Eat, my beloved ones,” he means, “meditate”; for do you not know that in order to render meat fit to be swallowed, it is necessary first to chew it and make it smaller, and to toss it from side-to-side in the mouth? So we must do with the mysteries of our Lord: we must chew them and turn them over several times in our mind, first to warm our will and then to pass on to contemplation.

The spouse concludes with the following: “Be inebriated, my dearest ones.” And what does he mean? You know well that we are not wont to chew wine, but only to swallow it; this represents to us contemplation in which we no longer chew, but only swallow. “You have meditated enough upon the fact that I am good,” the divine spouse seems to say to his beloved; “behold me, and take delight in seeing that I am so.”

Saint Francis of Assisi passed an entire night repeating: “You are ‘my all.’” Being in contemplation, he pronounced these words, as if wishing to say: “I have considered you piece by piece, O my Lord, and I found that you are very lovable; now I behold you and see that you are ‘my all.’” Saint Bruno was content to say, “O goodness!” And Saint Augustine: “O beauty ever ancient and ever new! You are ancient because you are eternal, but you are new because you bring a new sweetness to my heart.” These are words of contemplation.

Let us proceed to the third part of mental prayer, which is made by way of ejaculations. No one can be excused from making this because it can be made while coming and going about one’s business. You tell me that you do not have the time to give two or three house to prayer; who asks you to do so? Recommend yourself to God the first thing in the morning, protest that you do not wish to offend him, and then go about your affairs, resolved, nevertheless, to raise your spirit to God, even amidst company. Who can prevent you from speaking to him in the depth of your heart, since it makes no difference whether you speak to him mentally or vocally?

Make short but fervent aspirations. The one which Saint Francis repeated is excellent, although this was an aspiration of contemplation, because it continues like a river which is ever flowing. It is true that to say to God: “You are ‘my all,’” and to desire something else other than him, would not be right, because our words should conform to the sentiments of our heart. But we ought not to hesitate to say to God, “I love you,” even if we do not have a strong feeling of love, since we wish to love him and to have an ardent desire of doing so.

A good way to accustom ourselves to making these ejaculations is to take the petitions of the Our Father one after another, choosing a sentence for each day. For example, today you have taken, “Our father, who art in Heaven”; and a quarter of an hour afterward you will say, “If you are my father, when shall I be wholly your daughter?” Thus you will go on continually after each quarter of an hour to another part of your prayer.

The holy fathers who lived in the desert, those old and true religious, were so assiduous in making these prayers and ejaculations that Saint Jerome relates that when someone went to visit them they heard one of the fathers saying, “You, O my God, are all that I desire”; and another father: “When shall I be all yours, O my God”; and another repeating, “Deign, O God, to rescue me.” (Psalm 70:2) In short, they heard a most agreeable harmony in the variety of their voices. But you will say to me: “If we say these words vocally, why do you call it mental prayer?” Because it is made mentally also, and because it comes first from the heart.

The divine spouse says in the Song of Songs that his beloved has ravished his heart with one glance of her eyes and by one of her hairs which falls upon her neck. These words are a quiver full of most agreeable and most delightful interpretations. Here is one which is very pleasing: When a husband and wife have affairs in their household which compel them to be separated, if it happens by chance that they meet, they glance at one another as they pass – but it is only, as it were, with one eye, because in meeting sideways, they cannot well do so with both. In like manner this spouse wishes to say: “Although my beloved may be very much occupied, nevertheless she does not fail to look at me with one eye, assuring me by this glance that she is all mine. She has ravished my heart with one of her hairs which falls upon her neck, that is to say, with one thought which comes from her heart.”

We shall not speak now of our fourth part of mental prayer. Oh, how happy we shall be if we ever reach Heaven; for there we shall meditate, looking at and considering all the works of God in detail, and we shall see that each of them is good; we shall contemplate, and shall see that all together they are very good, and we shall dart forth eternally in him.

It is there that I wish you to be.

Amen.

SERMON 15
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
AVOIDING THE OCCASIONS OF SIN

“When the doors were shut, where His disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst.” (John 20:19).

We find in this day’s Gospel that after his resurrection Jesus Christ entered, though the doors were closed, into the house in which the Apostles were assembled, and stood in the midst of them. St. Thomas says, that the mystic meaning of this miracle is, that the Lord does not enter into our souls unless we keep the door of the senses shut. If, then, we wish Jesus Christ to dwell within us, we must keep the doors of our senses closed against dangerous occasions, otherwise the devil will make us his slaves. I will show today the great danger of perdition to which they who do not avoid the occasions of sin expose themselves.

We read in the Scriptures that Christ and Lazarus arose from the dead. Christ rose to die no more “Christ rising from the dead, dies no more” (Romans 6:9); but Lazarus arose and died again. The Abbot Guerric remarks that Christ arose free and unbound; “but Lazarus came forth bound feet and hands.” (John 11:44). Miserable the man, adds this author, who rises from sin bound by any dangerous occasion: he will die again by losing the divine grace. He, then, who wishes to save his soul, must not only abandon sin, but also the occasions of sin: that is, he must renounce such an intimacy, such a house; he must renounce those wicked companions, and all similar occasions that incite him to sin.

In consequence of Original Sin, we all have an inclination to do what is forbidden. Hence St. Paul complained that he experienced in himself a law opposed to reason: “But I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin.” (Romans 8:23). Now, when a dangerous occasion is present, it violently excites our corrupt desires, so that it is then very difficult to resist them: because God withholds efficacious helps from those who voluntarily expose themselves to the occasion of sin. “He that loveth danger shall perish in it.” (Ecclesiasticus 3:27).”When,” says St. Thomas, in his comment on this passage, “we expose ourselves to danger, God abandons us in it.” St. Bernardine of Sienna teaches that the counsel of avoiding the occasions of sin is the best of all counsel, and as it were the foundation of religion.

St. Peter says that ”the devil goes about seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). He is constantly going about our souls, endeavoring to enter and take possession of them. Hence, he seeks to place before us the occasions of sin, by which he enters the soul. When the soul yields to the suggestions of the devil, and exposes herself to the occasions of sin, he easily enters and devours her.

The ruin of our first parents arose from their not fleeing from the occasions of sin. God had prohibited them not only to eat, but even to touch the forbidden apple. In answer to the serpent tempting her, Eve said: “God hath commanded us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it.” (Genesis 3:3). But “she saw, took, and eat” the forbidden fruit: she first looked at it, she then took it into her hands, and afterwards eat it. This is what ordinarily happens to all who expose themselves to the occasions of sin.

Hence, being once compelled by exorcisms to tell the sermon which displeased him most, the devil confessed that it was the sermon on avoiding the occasions of sin. As long as we expose ourselves to the occasions of sin, the devil laughs at all our good purposes and promises made to God. The greatest care of the enemy is to induce us not to avoid evil occasions; for these occasions, like a veil placed before the eyes, prevent us from seeing either the lights received from God, or the eternal truths, or the resolutions we have made: in a word, they make us forget all, and as it were force us into sin.

“Know it to be a communication with death; for you are going in the midst of snares.” (Ecclesiasticus 9:20). Everyone born in this world enters into the midst of snares. Hence, the Wise Man advises those who wish to be secure to guard themselves against the snares of the world, and to withdraw from them. “He that is aware of the snares shall be secure.” (Proverbs 11:15).

But if, instead of withdrawing from them, a Christian approaches to them, how can he avoid being caught by them? Hence, after having with so much loss learned the danger of exposing himself to the danger of sin, David said that, to continue faithful to God, he kept at a distance from every occasion which could lead him to relapse. “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Thy words.” (Psalm 118:101). He does not say from every sin, but from every evil way which conducts to sin. The devil is careful to find pretexts to make us believe that certain occasions to which we expose ourselves are not voluntary, but necessary.

When the occasion in which we are placed is really necessary, the Lord always helps us to avoid sin; but we sometimes imagine certain necessities which are not sufficient to excuse us. “A treasure is never safe” says St. Cyprian, “as long as a robber is harbored within; nor is a lamb secure while it dwells in the same den with a wolf.” (Lib. de Sing. Cler). The saint speaks against those who do not wish to remove the occasions of sin, and still say: “I am not afraid that I shall fall.” As no one can be secure of his treasure if he keeps a thief in his house, and as a lamb cannot be sure of its life if it remain in the den of a wolf, so likewise no one can be secure of the treasure of divine grace if he is resolved to continue in the occasion of sin.

St. James teaches that every man has within himself a powerful enemy, that is, his own evil inclinations, which tempt him to sin. “Every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, drawn away, and allured.” (James 1:14). If, then, we do not fly from the external occasions, how can we resist temptation and avoid sin? Let us, therefore, place before our eyes the general remedy which Jesus has prescribed for conquering temptations and saving our souls. “If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee.” (Matthew 5:29). If you find that your right eye is to you a cause of damnation, you must pull it out and cast it far from you; that is, when there is danger of losing your soul, you must fly from all evil occasions.

St. Francis of Assisi used to say, as I have stated in another sermon, that the devil does not seek, in the beginning, to bind timorous souls with the chain of mortal sin; because they would be alarmed at the thought of committing mortal sin, and would fly from it with horror: he endeavors to bind them by a single hair, which does not excite much fear; because by this means he will succeed more easily in strengthening their bonds, till he makes them his slaves. Hence he who wishes to be free from the danger of being the slave of Hell must break all the hairs by which the enemy attempts to bind him; that is, he must avoid all occasions of sin, such as certain salutations, billets, little presents, and words of affection. With regard to those who have had a habit of impurity, it will not be sufficient to avoid proximate occasions; if they do not fly from remote occasions, they will very easily relapse into their former sins.

Impurity, says St. Augustine, is a vice which makes war on all, and which few conquer. “The fight is common, but the victory rare.” How many miserable souls have entered the contest with this vice, and have been defeated! But to induce you to expose yourselves to occasions of this sin, the devil will tell you not to be afraid of being overcome by the temptation. “I do not wish,” says St. Jerome, “to fight with the hope of victory, lest I should sometimes lose the victory.” I will not expose myself to the combat with the hope of conquering; because, by voluntarily engaging in the fight, I shall lose my soul and my God.

To escape defeat in this struggle, a great grace of God is necessary; and to render ourselves worthy of this grace, we must, on our part, avoid the occasions of sin. To practice the virtue of chastity, it is necessary to recommend ourselves continually to God: we have not strength to preserve it; that strength must be the gift of God. “And as I knew,” says the Wise Man, “that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, ... I went to the Lord, and besought him.” (Wisdom 8:21). But if we expose ourselves to the occasions of sin, we ourselves shall provide our rebellious flesh with arms to make war against the soul. “Neither,” says the Apostle, “yield ye your members as instruments of sin unto iniquity.” (Romans 6:13).

In explaining this passage, St. Cyril of Alexandria says: “You stimulate the flesh; you arm it, and make it powerful against the spirit.” St. Philip Neri used to say, that in the war against the vice of impurity, the victory is gained by cowards that is, by those who fly from the occasions of this sin. But the man who exposes himself to it, arms his flesh, and renders it so powerful, that it will be morally impossible for him to resist its attacks.

“Cry,” says the Lord to Isaias, “all flesh is grass.” (Isaias 40:6). Now, says St. John Chrysostom, if all flesh is grass, it is as foolish for a man who exposes himself to the occasion of sin to hope to preserve the virtue of purity, as to expect that hay, into which a torch has been thrown, will not take fire. “Put a torch into hay, and then dare to deny that the hay will burn.” No, says St. Cyprian; it is impossible to stand in the midst of flames, and not to burn.”Can a man,” says the Holy Ghost, “hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn? or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt?” (Proverbs 6:27-28). Not to be burnt in such circumstances would be a miracle. St. Bernard teaches, that to preserve chastity, and, at the same time, to expose oneself to the proximate occasion of sin, “is a greater miracle than to raise a dead man to life.”

7. In explaining the fifth Psalm, St. Augustine says, that “he who is unwilling to fly from danger, wishes to perish in it.” Hence, in another place, he exhorts those who wish to conquer, and not to perish, to avoid dangerous occasions. “In the occasion of falling into sin, take flight, if you desire to gain the victory.” (Serm. ecl. de temp). Some foolishly trust in their own strength, and do not see that their strength is like that of tow placed in the fire. “And your strength shall be as the ashes of tow.” (Isaias 1:31). Others, trusting in the change which has taken place in their life, in their confessions, and in the promises they have made to God, say: Through the grace of the Lord, I have now no bad motive in seeking the company of such a person; her presence is not even an occasion of temptations: Listen, all you who speak in this manner.

The Holy Ghost tells us, that we must fly from sin as from a serpent. “Flee from sin as from, the face of a serpent.” (Ecclesiasticus 21:2). Hence, as we not only avoid the bite of a serpent, but are careful neither to touch nor approach it, so we must fly not only from sin, but also from the occasion of sin that is, from the house, the conversation, the person that would lead us to sin. St. Isidore says, that he who wishes to remain near a serpent, will not remain long unhurt. Hence, if any person is likely to prove an occasion of your ruin, the admonition of the Wise Man is, “Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the doors of her house.” (Proverbs 5:8). He not only tells you not to enter the house which has been to you a road to Hell. “Her house is the way to Hell.” Proverbs 7:27); but he also cautions you not to approach it, and even to keep at a distance from it. “Remove thy way far from her.”

But, you will say, if I abandon that house, my temporal affairs shall suffer. It is better that you should suffer a temporal loss, than that you should lose your soul and your God. You must be persuaded that, in whatever regards chastity, there cannot be too great caution. If we wish to save our souls from sin and Hell, we must always fear and tremble. “With fear and trembling work out your salvation.” (Philippians 2:12). He who is not fearful, but exposes himself to occasions of sin, shall scarcely be saved. Hence, in our prayers we ought to say every day, and several times in the day, that petition of the Our Father “and lead us not into temptation.” Lord, do not permit me to be attacked by those temptations which would deprive me of your grace. We cannot merit the grace of perseverance; but, according to St. Augustine, God grants it to everyone that asks it, because he has promised to hear all who pray to him. Hence, the holy doctor says, that the Lord, “by his promises has made himself a debtor.”

SERMON 16
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE VALUE OF TIME

“A little while, and now you shall not see Me” (John 16:16).

There is nothing shorter than time, but there is nothing more valuable. There is nothing shorter than time―because the past is no more, the future is uncertain, and the present is but a moment. This is what Jesus Christ meant when He said: “A little while, and now you shall not see Me!” We may say the same of our life, which, according to St. James, is but a vapor, which is soon scattered forever. “For what is your life? It is a vapor which appears for a little while!” (James 4:14). But the time of this life is as precious as it is short; for, in every moment, if we spend it well, we can acquire treasures of merits for Heaven; but, if we employ time badly, we may in each moment commit sin, and merit Hell. I intend, this day, to show you how precious is every moment of the time which God gives us―so as not to lose it, and much less to commit sin, but to perform good works and to save our souls.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in the day of salvation I have helped thee!’” (Isaias 49:8). St. Paul explains this passage, and says, that the “acceptable time” is the time in which God has determined to confer his favors upon us. He then adds: “Behold, now is the acceptable time! Behold, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2). The Apostle exhorts us not to spend the present time unprofitably―which he calls the day of salvation―because, perhaps, after this day of salvation, there shall be no salvation for us. “The time,” says the same Apostle, “is short; it remains that, they that weep, be as though they wept not; that they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as if they used it not” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31). Since, then, the time which we have to remain on this Earth is short, the Apostle tells those who weep, that they ought not to weep, because their sorrows shall soon pass away; and those who rejoice, not to fix their affections on their enjoyments, because they shall soon have an end. Hence he concludes, that we should use this world, not to enjoy its transitory goods, but to merit eternal life.

“Son,” says the Holy Ghost, “observe the time” (Ecclesiasticus 4:2-3). Son, learn to preserve time, which is the most precious and the greatest gift that God can bestow upon you. St. Bernardine of Sienna teaches that time is of as much value as God; because in every moment of time well spent the possession of God is merited. He adds that in every instant of this life a man may obtain the pardon of his sins, the grace of God, and the glory of Paradise. Hence St. Bonaventure says that “no loss is of greater moment than the loss of time” (Sermon xxxvii. in Septuagesima).

But, in another place, St. Bernardine says that, “though there is nothing more precious than time, there is nothing less valuable in the estimation of men.” (Ser. ii. ad Schol). You will see some persons spending four or five hours in play. If you ask them why they lose so much time, they answer: “To amuse ourselves!” Others remain half the day standing in the street, or looking out from a window. If you ask them what they are doing, they shall say in reply, that they are passing the time. And why says the same saint, do you lose this time? Why should you lose even a single hour, which the mercy of God gives you to weep for your sins, and to acquire the divine grace?

O time, despised by men during life, how much shall you be desired at the hour of death, and particularly in the other world! Time is a blessing which we enjoy only in this life; it is not enjoyed in the next; it is not found in Heaven, nor in Hell. In Hell, the damned exclaim with tears: “Oh if only another hour would be given to us!” They would pay any price for an hour, or for a minute, in which they might repair their eternal ruin. But this hour, or minute, they never shall have. In Heaven there is no weeping; but, if the saints were capable of sorrow, all their wailing should arise from the thought of having lost, in this life, the time in which they could have acquired greater glory, and from the conviction that this time shall never more be given to them.

A deceased Benedictine nun appeared in glory to a certain person, and said that she was in Heaven, and in the enjoyment of perfect happiness; but that, if she could desire anything, it would be to return to life, and to suffer affliction, in order to merit an increase of glory. And she added that, to acquire the glory which corresponded to a single Ave Maria, she would be content to suffer till the Day of Judgment the long and painful sickness which brought on her death. Hence, St. Francis Borgia was careful to employ every moment time for God. When others spoke of useless things; he conversed with God by holy affections; and so recollected was he that, when asked his opinion on the subject of conversation, he knew not what answer to make. Being corrected for this, he said: “I am content to be considered stupid, rather than lose my time in vanities.”

Some of you will say: “What evil am I doing?” Is it not, I ask, an evil to spend your time in plays, in conversations, and useless occupations, which are unprofitable to the soul? Does God give you this time to lose it? “Let not,” says the Holy Ghost, “the part of a good gift overpass thee” (Ecclesiasticus 14:14). The work men of whom St. Matthew speaks did no evil; they only lost time by remaining idle in the streets. But they were rebuked by the father of the family, saying: “Why stand you here all the day idle?” (Matthew 20:6). On the Day of Judgment, Jesus Christ shall demand an account, not only of every month and day that has been lost, but even of every idle word. “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it on the Day of Judgment” (Matthew 12:36). He shall likewise demand an account of every moment of the time which you shall lose.

According to St. Bernard, all time which is not spent for God is lost time. Hence the Holy Ghost says: “Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither work nor reason ... shall be in Hell, whither thou art hastening!” (Ecclesiasticus 9:10). What you can do today defer not till tomorrow; for on tomorrow you may be dead, and may be gone into another world, where you shall have no more time to do good, and where you shall only enjoy the reward of your virtues, or suffer the punishment due to your sins. “Today if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts!” (Psalm 94:8). God calls you to confess your sins, to restore ill-gotten goods, to be reconciled with your enemies. Obey His call today; for it may happen that on tomorrow time may be no more for you, or that God will call you no more. All our salvation depends on corresponding with the divine calls, and at the time that God calls us.

But some of you will perhaps say: “I am young―after some time then I will give myself to God!” But, remember that the Gospel tells us, that Jesus Christ cursed the fig tree which he found without fruit, although the season for figs had not yet arrived. “It was not the time for figs” (Mark 11:13). By this the Savior wished to signify, that man at all times, even in youth, should produce fruits of good works; and that otherwise, like the fig tree, he shall be cursed, and shall produce no fruit for the future. “May no man here after eat any more fruit of thee forever!” (Mark 11:14). “Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day; for His wrath shall come on a sudden” (Ecclesiasticus 5:8-9).

If you find your soul in the state of sin, delay not your repentance nor your confession; do not put them off even till tomorrow; for, if you do not obey the voice of God calling you today to confess your sins, death may this day overtake you in sin, and tomorrow there may be no hope of salvation for you. The devil regards the whole of our life as very short, and therefore he loses not a moment of time, but tempts us day and night. “The devil is come down unto you having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time!” (Apocalypse 12:12). The enemy, then, never loses time in seeking to bring us to Hell: and shall we squander the time which God has given us to save our souls?

You say: “I will hereafter give myself to God.” But “why” answers St. Bernard, “do you, a miserable, sinner, presume on the future, as if the Father placed time in your power?” (Sermon xxxviii., de Part., etc). Why do you presume that you will hereafter give yourself to God, as if he had given to you the time and opportunity of returning to him whenever you wish? Job said with trembling, that he knew not whether another moment of his life remained: “For I know not how long I shall continue, and whether after a while my Maker may take me away!” (32:22). And you say: “I will not go to confession today―I will think about it tomorrow.” How can you promise yourself another day, when you know not whether you shall live another hour? “If,” says St. Teresa, “you are not prepared to die today, tremble, lest you die an unhappy death!”

St. Bernardine weeps over the blindness of those negligent Christians who squander the days of salvation, and never consider that a day once lost shall never return. At the hour of death they shall wish for another year, or for another day; but they shall not have it: they shall then be told that “Time shall be no more!” What price would they not then give for another week, for a day, or even for an hour, to prepare the account which they must then render to God? St. Lawrence Justinian says, that for a single hour they would give all their property, all their honors, and all their delights. But this hour shall not be granted to them. The priest, who attends them, shall say: “Depart, depart immediately from this Earth―for your time is no more! Go forth, Christian soul, from this world!”

What will it profit the sinner who has led an irregular life, to exclaim at death: “Oh if I had only led a life of sanctity! Oh, if I had only spent my years in loving God!” How great is the anguish of a traveler, who, when the night has fallen, perceives that he has missed the way, and that there is no more time to correct his mistake! Such shall be the anguish at death of those who have lived many years in the world, but have not spent them for God. “The night cometh when no man can work!” (John 9:4). Hence the Redeemer says to all: “Walk whilst you have light, that the darkness overtake you not!” (John 12:35). Walk in the way of salvation, now that you have the light, before you are surprised by the darkness of death, in which you can do nothing. You can then only weep over the time which you have lost.

“He hath called against me the time” (Lamentations 1:15). At the hour of death, conscience will remind us of all the time which we have had to become saints, and which we have employed in multiplying our debts to God. It will remind us of all the calls and of all the graces which he has given us to make us love him, and which we have abused. At that awful moment we shall also see that the way of salvation is closed forever. In the midst of these remorses, and of the torturing darkness of death, the dying sinner shall say: “O fool that I have been! Life misspent! Lost years, in which I could have gained treasures of merits, and have become a saint! But I have neglected both, and now the time of saving my soul is gone forever!” But of what use shall these wailings and lamentations be, when the scene of this world is about to close, the lamp is on the point of being extinguished, and when the dying Christian has arrived at that great moment on which eternity depends?

“Be you then also ready; for, at what hour you think not, the Son of Man will come” (Luke 12:40). The Lord says: “Be prepared.” He does not tell us to prepare ourselves when death approaches, but to be ready for His coming; because when we think least of death, the Son of Man shall come and demand an account of our whole life. In the confusion of death, it will be most difficult to adjust our accounts, so as to appear guiltless before the tribunal of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps death may not come upon us for twenty or thirty years; but it may also come very soon, perhaps in a year or in a month. If anyone had reason to fear that a trial should take place, on which his life depended, he certainly would not wait for the day of the trial, but would as soon as possible employ an advocate to plead his cause. And what do we do? We know for certain that we must one day be judged, and that on the result of that judgment our eternal, not our temporal, life depends. We also know that that day may be very near at hand; and still we lose our time, and, instead of adjusting our accounts, we go on daily multiplying the crimes which will merit for us the sentence of eternal death.

If, then, we have hitherto employed our time in offending God, let us henceforth endeavor to bewail our misfortune for the remainder of our life, and say continually with the penitent King Ezechias: “I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul” (Isaias 38:15). The Lord gives us the remaining days of life, so that we may compensate the time that has been badly spent. “Whilst we have time, let us work good” (Galatians 6:10).

Let us not provoke the Lord to punish us by an unhappy death; and if, during the years that are passed, we have been foolish, and have offended him, let us now attend to the Apostle exhorting us to be wise for the future, and to redeem the time we have lost. “See, therefore, brethren, now you walk circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil ... understanding what is the will of God” (Ephesians 5:15-17). “The days are evil.”

According to St. Anselm, the meaning of these words is, that the days of this life are evil, because in them we are exposed to a thousand temptations and dangers of eternal misery; and therefore, to escape perdition, all possible care is necessary. “What,” says St. Augustine, “is meant by redeeming the time, unless, when necessary, to submit to temporal loss in order to gain eternal goods?” (de Hom. 50, Hom, i).

We should live only to fulfill with all diligence the divine will; and, should it be necessary, it is better to suffer in temporal things, than to neglect our eternal interests. Oh, how well did St. Paul redeem the time which he had lost! St. Jerome says, that though the last of the Apostles, he was, on account of his great labors, the first in merits. “Paul, the last in order, but the first in merits, because he labored more than all.”

Let us consider that, in each moment, we may lay up greater treasures of eternal goods. If the possession of all the land round which you could walk, or of all the money which you could count in a day, were promised you, would you lose time? Or would you not instantly begin to walk over the ground, or to reckon the money? You now have it in your power to acquire, in each moment, eternal treasures; and will you, notwithstanding, misspend your time? Do not say, that what you can do today, you can also do tomorrow; because this day shall be then lost to you, and shall never return. You have this day; but perhaps tomorrow will not be given you.

SERMON 17
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
THEY ARE OF THE WORLD

One section, and perhaps it is the largest section, of people everywhere are wholly wrapped up in the things of this world. And of this large number there are those who are content to have suppressed all feeling of religion, all thought of another life, who have done everything in their power to efface the terrible thought of the judgment which one day they will have to undergo.

They employ all their wiles, and often their wealth, during the course of their lives to attract to their way of life as many people as they can. They no longer believe in anything. They even take a pride in making themselves out to be more impious and incredulous than they really are in order to convince others and to make them believe, not in the verities, but in the falsehoods which they wish to take root in the hearts of those under their influence.

Voltaire, in the course of a dinner given one day for his friends ― that is, for the impious ― rejoiced that of all those present, there was not one who believed in religion. And yet he himself did believe, as he was to show at the hour of his death.

Then he demanded with great earnestness that a priest should be brought to him that he might make his peace with God.

But it was too late. God, against whom he had fought and spoken with such fury all his life, dealt with him as He had with Antiochus: He abandoned him to the fury of the devils. At that dread moment, Voltaire had only despair and the thought of eternal damnation as his lot. The Holy Ghost tells us: “The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.” But it is only the corruption of his heart which could carry man to such an excess; he does not believe it in the depths of his soul. The words “There is a God” will never entirely disappear. The greatest sinner will often utter them without even thinking of what he is saying. But let us leave these blasphemous people aside. Happily, though you may not be as good Christians as you ought to be, thanks be to God you are not of that company.

But, you will say to me, who are these people who are partly on God’s side and partly on the side of the world? Well, my dear children, let me describe them. I will compare them (if I may dare to make use of the term) to dogs who will run to the first person who calls them. You may follow them from the morning to the evening, from the beginning of the year to the end.

These people look upon Sunday as merely a day for rest and amusement. They stay in bed longer than on weekdays, and instead of giving themselves to God with all their hearts, they do not even think of Him. Some of them will be thinking of their amusements, others of people they expect to meet, still others of the sales they are about to make or the money they will be spending or receiving. With great difficulty they will manage the Sign of the Cross in some fashion or another.

Because they will be going to church later, they will omit their prayers altogether, saying: “Oh, I’ll have plenty of time to say them before Mass.” They always have something to do before setting out for Mass, and although they have been planning to say their prayers before setting out, they are barely in time for the beginning of the Mass itself. If they meet a friend along the road, it is no trouble to them to bring him back home and put off the Mass until a later hour.

But since they still want to appear Christian, they will go to Mass sometime later, though it will be with infinite boredom and reluctance. The thought in their minds will be: “Oh, Lord, will this ever be over!” You will see them in church, especially during the instruction, looking around from one side to the other, asking the person next to them for the time, and so on.

More of them yawn and stretch and turn the pages of their prayer book as if they were examining it in order to see whether the printer had made any mistakes. There are others, and you can see them sleeping as soundly as if they were in a comfortable bed. The first thought that comes to them when they awake is not that they have been profaning so holy a place but: “Oh, Lord, this will never be over! I’m not coming back any more.” And finally there are those to whom the word of God (which has converted so many sinners) is actually nauseating.

They are obliged to go out, they say, to get a breath of air or else they would die. You will see them, distressed and miserable, during the services. But no sooner is the service over (and often even before the priest has actually left the altar) than they will be pressing around the door from which the first of the congregation are streaming out, and you will notice that all the joy which they had lost during the service has come back again.

They are so tired that often they have not the “strength” to come back to the evening service. If you were to ask them why they were not coming to this, they would tell you: “Ah, we would have to be all the day in the church. We have other things to do.”

For such people there is no question of instruction, nor of the Rosary, nor of evening prayers. They look upon all these things as of no consequence. If you asked them what had been said during the instruction, they would say: “He did too much shouting! He bored us to death! I can’t remember anything else about it! If it hadn’t been so long, it might have been easier to remember some of it!. That is just what keeps the world away from religious services ― they are too long.”

It is quite right to say “the world” because these people belong to the camp of “the worldly,” although they do not know it.

But now we shall try to make them understand things a little better (at least if they want to). But, being deaf and blind (as they are), it is very difficult to make them understand the words of life or to comprehend their own unhappy state. To begin with, they never make the Sign of the Cross before a meal or say Grace afterwards, nor do they recite the Angelus. If, as a result of some old habit or training, they still observe these practices and you should happen to see the manner in which they carry them out, you would feel sick: the women will simultaneously be getting on with their work or calling to their children or members of the household; the men will be turning a hat or a cap around in their hands as if searching for holes.

They think as much about God as if they really believed that He did not exist at all and that they were doing all this for a joke. They have no scruples about buying or selling on the holy day of Sunday, even though they know, or at least they should know, that dealing on a reasonably big scale on a Sunday, when there is no necessity for it, is a mortal sin. Such people regard all such facts as trifles. They will go into a parish on a holy day to hire laborers, and if you told them they were doing wrong, they would reply: “We must go when we can find them there.” They have no problem, either, about paying their taxes on a Sunday because during the week they might have to go a little further and take a few moments longer to complete the job.

“Ah,” you will say to me, “we wouldn’t think much of all that.” You would not think much of all that, my dear people, and I am not at all surprised, because you are worldly. You would like to be followers of God and at the same time to satisfy the standards of the world. Do you realize, my children, who these people are? They are the people who have not entirely lost the faith and to whom there still remains some attachment to the service of God, the people who do not want to give up all religious practices, for indeed, they themselves find fault with those who do not go often to the services, but they have not enough courage to break with the world and to turn to God’s side.

They do not wish to be damned, but neither do they wish to inconvenience themselves too much. They hope that they will be saved without having to do too much violence to themselves. They have the idea that God, being so good, did not create them for perdition and that He will pardon them in spite of everything; that the time will come when they will turn over to God; that they will correct their faults and abandon all their bad habits. If, in moments of reflection, they pass their petty lives before their eyes, they will lament for their faults, and sometimes they will even weep for them.

What a very tragic life such people lead, my children, who want to follow the ways of the world without ceasing to be the children of God. Let us go on a little further and you will be able to understand this a little more clearly and to see for yourselves how stupid indeed such a life can be. At one moment you will hear the people who lead it praying or making an act of contrition, and the next moment you will hear them, if something is not going the way they want it, swearing or maybe even using the holy name of God.

This morning you may have seen them at Mass, singing or listening to the praises of God, and on the very same day you will hear them giving vent to the most scandalous utterances. They will dip their hands in holy water and ask God to purify them from their sins; a little later they will be using those very hands in an impure way upon themselves or upon others. The same eyes which this morning had the great happiness of contemplating Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament will in the course of the day voluntarily rest with pleasure upon the most immodest objects.

Yesterday you saw a certain man doing an act of charity or a service for a neighbor; today he will be doing his best to cheat that neighbor if he can profit thereby. A moment ago this mother desired all sorts of blessings for her children, and now, because they are annoying her, she will shower all sorts of curses upon them: she wishes she might never see them again, that she was miles away from them, and ends up by consigning them to the Devil to rid herself of them!

At one moment she sends her children to Mass or Confession; at another, she will be sending them to the dance or, at least, she will pretend not to know that they are there or forbid them to go with a laugh which is tantamount to permission to go. At one time she will be telling her daughter to be reserved and not to mix with bad companions, and at another she will allow her to pass whole hours with young men without saying a word. It’s no use, my poor mother, you are on the side of the world! You think yourself to be on God’s side by reason of some exterior show of religion which you make.

You are mistaken; you belong to that number of whom Jesus Christ has said: “Woe to the world!”

You see these people who think they are following God but who are really living up to the maxims of the world. They have no scruples about taking from their neighbor wood or fruit or a thousand and one other things. Whenever they are flattered for what they do for religion, they derive quite a lot of pleasure from their actions. They will be quite keen then and will be delighted to give good advice to others. But let them be subjected to any contempt or calumny and you will see them become discouraged and distressed because they have been treated in this way. Yesterday they wanted only to do good to anyone who did them harm, but today they can hardly tolerate such people, and often they cannot even endure to see them or to speak to them.

Poor worldlings! How unhappy you are! Go on with your daily round; you have nothing to hope for but Hell! Some would like to go to the Sacraments at least once a year, but for that, it is necessary to find an easygoing confessor. They would like .... if only … ― and there is the whole problem.

If they find a confessor who sees that their dispositions are not good and he refuses them Absolution, you will then find them thundering against him, justifying themselves for all they are worth for having tried and failed to obtain the Sacrament. They will speak evil about him. They know very well why they have been refused and left in their sinful state, but, as they know, too, the confessor can do nothing to grant them what they want, so they get satisfaction by saying anything they wish.

Carry on, children of this world, carry on with your daily round; you will see a day you never wished to see! It would seem then that we must divide our hearts in two! But no, my friends, that is not the case; all for God or all for the world.

You would like to frequent the Sacraments? Very well, then, give up the dances and the cabarets and the unseemly amusements. Today you have sufficient grace to come here and present yourselves at the tribunal of Penance, to kneel before the Holy Table, to partake of the Bread of the Angels.

In three or four weeks, maybe less, you will be seen passing your night among drunken men, and what is more, you will be seen indulging in the most horrible acts of impurity. Carry on, children of this world; you will soon be in Hell! They will teach you there what you should have done to get to Heaven, which you have lost entirely through your own fault.

Woe betide you, children of this world! Carry on; follow your master as you have done up to the present! Very soon you will see clearly that you have been mistaken in following his ways. But will that make you any wiser? No, my children, it will not. If someone cheats us once, we say: “We will not trust him any more ― and with good reason.”

The world cheats us continually and yet we love it. “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world,” St. John warns us. Ah, my dear children, if we gave some thought to what the world really is, we should pass all our lives in bidding it farewell. When one reaches the age of fifteen years, one has said farewell to the pastimes of childhood; one has come to look upon them as trifling and ephemeral, as one would the actions of children building houses of cards or sand castles. At thirty, one has begun to put behind one the consuming pleasures of passionate youth. What gave such intense pleasure in younger days is already beginning to weary. Let us go further, my dear children, and say that every day we are bidding farewell to the world.

We are like travelers who enjoy the beauty of the countryside through which they are passing. No sooner do they see it than it is time for them to leave it behind. It is exactly the same with the pleasures and the good things to which we become so attached. Then we arrive at the edge of eternity, which engulfs all these things in its abyss.

It is then, my dear brethren, that the world will disappear forever from our eyes and that we shall recognize our folly in having been so attached to it. And all that has been said to us about sin! Then we shall say: It was all true. Alas, I lived only for the world, I sought nothing but the world in all I did, and now the pleasures and the joys of the world are not for me any longer! They are all slipping away from me ― this world which I have loved so well, these joys, these pleasures which have so fully occupied my heart and my soul!

Now I must return to my God! .... How consoling this thought is, my dear children, for him who has sought only God throughout his life! But what a despairing thought for him who has lost sight of God and of the salvation of his soul!

SERMON 18
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE MEANS OF OBTAINING SALVATION

All would wish to be saved and to enjoy the glory of Paradise; but to gain Heaven, it is necessary to walk in the straight road that leads to eternal bliss. This road is the observance of the divine commands.

Hence, in his preaching, the Baptist exclaimed: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” In order to be able to walk always in the way of the Lord, without turning to the right or to the left, it is necessary to adopt the proper means. These means are, first, diffidence in ourselves; secondly, confidence in God; thirdly, resistance to temptations.

1. “With fear and trembling,” says the Apostle, “work out your salvation.” (Philippians 2:12). To secure eternal life, we must be always penetrated with fear, we must be always afraid of ourselves (with fear and trembling), and distrust altogether our own strength; for, without the divine grace we can do nothing. “Without Me,” says Jesus Christ, “you can do nothing.” We can do nothing for the salvation of our own souls. St. Paul tells us, that of ourselves we are not capable of even a good thought. “Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5). Without the aid of the Holy Ghost, we cannot even pronounce the Name of Jesus so as to deserve a reward. “And no one can say the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:8).

2. Miserable the man who trusts to himself in the way of God. St. Peter experienced the sad effects of self-confidence. Jesus Christ said to him: “In this night, before cock-crow, thou wilt deny Me thrice!” (Matthew 26:31). Trusting in his own strength and his goodwill, the Apostle replied: “Yea, though I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee!” (Matthew 26:35). What was the result? On the night on which Jesus Christ had been taken, Peter was reproached in the court of Caiphas with being one of the disciples of the Savior. The reproach filled him with fear: he thrice denied his Master, and swore that he had never known Him. Humility and diffidence in ourselves are so necessary for us, that God permits us sometimes to fall into sin, that, by our fall, we may acquire humility arid a knowledge of our own weakness. Through lack of humility David also fell: hence, after his sin, he said: “Before I was humbled, I offended.” (Psalm 118:67).

3. Hence the Holy Ghost pronounces blessed the man who is always in fear: “Blessed is the man who is always fearful.” (Proverbs 28:14). He who is afraid of falling distrusts his own strength, avoids as much as possible all dangerous occasions, and recommends himself often to God, and thus preserves his soul from sin. But the man who is not fearful, but full of self-confidence, easily exposes himself to the danger of sin: he seldom recommends himself to God, and thus he falls. Let us imagine a person suspended over a great precipice by a cord held by another. Surely he would constantly cry out to the person who supports him: “Hold fast! Hold fast! For God’s sake, do not let go!” We are all in danger of falling into the abyss of all crime, if God does not support us. Hence we should constantly beseech Him to keep His hands over us, and to help us in all dangers.

4. In rising from bed, St. Philip Neri used to say every morning: “Lord, keep Thy hand this day over Philip! If Thou do not, Philip will betray Thee!” And one day, as he walked through the city, reflecting on his own misery, he frequently said, “I despair! I despair!” A Certain religious who heard him, believing that the saint was really tempted to despair, corrected him, and encouraged him to hope in the Divine Mercy. But the saint replied: “I despair of myself, but I trust in God.” Hence, during this life, in which we are exposed to so many dangers of losing God, it is necessary for us to live always in great diffidence of ourselves, and full of confidence in God.

5. St. Francis de Sales says, that the mere attention to self-diffidence on account of our own weakness, would only render us pusillanimous, and expose us to great danger of abandoning ourselves to a tepid life, or even to despair. The more we distrust our own strength, the more we should confide in the divine mercy. This is a balance, says the same saint, in which the more the scale of confidence in God is raised, the more the scale of diffidence in ourselves descends.

6. Listen to me, O sinners who have had the misfortune of having hitherto offended God, and of being condemned to Hell: if the Devil tells you that but little hope remains of your eternal salvation, answer him in the words of the Scripture: “No one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded!” (Ecclesiasticus 2:11). No sinner has ever trusted in God, and has been lost. Make, then, a firm purpose to sin no more; abandon yourselves into the arms of the divine goodness; and rest assured that God will have mercy on you, and save you from Hell. “Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee!” (Psalm 54:23). The Lord, as we read in Blosius, one day said to St. Gertrude: “He who confides in Me, does Me such violence that I cannot but hear all his petitions!”

7. “But,” says the Prophet Isaias, “they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall take wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint!” (Isaias 40:31). They who place their confidence in God shall renew their strength; they shall lay aside their own weakness, and shall acquire the strength of God; they shall fly like eagles in the way of the Lord, without fatigue and without ever failing. David says, that “mercy shall encompass him that hopes in the Lord!” (Psalm 31:10). He that hopes in the Lord shall be encompassed by His mercy, so that he shall never be abandoned by it.

8. St. Cyprian says, that the Divine Mercy is an inexhaustible fountain. They who bring vessels of the greatest confidence, draw from it the greatest graces Hence the Royal Prophet has said: “Let thy mercy Lord be upon us, as we have hoped in Thee!” (Psalm 32:22). Whenever the Devil terrifies us by placing before our eyes the great difficulty of persevering in the grace of God, in spite of all the dangers and sinful occasions of this life, let us, without answering him, raise our eyes to God, and hope that, in His goodness, He will certainly send us help to resist every attack. “I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me!” (Psalm 120:1). And when the enemy represents to us our weakness, let us say with the Apostle “I can do all in Him Who strengthens me!” (Philippians 4:13) Of myself I can do nothing; but I trust in God, that by His grace I shall be able to do all things.

9. Hence, in the midst of the greatest dangers of perdition to which we are exposed, we should continually turn to Jesus Christ, and, throwing ourselves into the hands of Him, Who redeemed us by His death, should say: “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth!” (Psalm 30:6). This prayer should be said with great confidence of obtaining eternal life, and to it we should add: “In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped; let me not be confounded forever!” (Psalm 30:1).

10. It is true that when we have recourse to God with confidence in dangerous temptations, He assists us; but, in certain very urgent occasions, the Lord sometimes wishes that we cooperate, and do violence to ourselves, to resist temptations. On such occasions, it will not be enough to have recourse to God once or twice; it will be necessary to multiply prayers, and frequently to prostrate ourselves and send up our sighs before the image of the Blessed Virgin and the crucifix, crying out with tears: “Mary, my mother, assist me! Jesus, my Savior, save me! For thy mercy’s sake do not abandon me, do not permit me to lose Thee!”

11. Let us keep in mind the words of the Gospel: “How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leads to life: and few there are that find it.” (Matthew 7:14). The way to Heaven is strait and narrow: they who wish to arrive at that place of bliss by walking in the paths of pleasure, shall be disappointed: and therefore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence to themselves in resisting temptations: “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away!” (Matthew 11:12). In explaining this passage, a certain writer says:

“Vi queritur, invaditur, occupatur.” It must be sought and obtained by violence: he who wishes to obtain it without inconvenience, or by leading a soft and irregular life, shall not acquire it he shall be excluded from it.

12. To save their souls, some of the saints have retired into the cloister; some have confined themselves in a cave; others have embraced torments and death. “The violent bear it away.” Some complain of their lack of confidence in God; but they do not perceive that their diffidence arises from the weakness of their resolution to serve God. St. Teresa used to say: “Of irresolute souls the Devil has no fear.” And the Wise Man has declared, that “desires kill the slothful.” (Proverbs 21:25). Some would wish to be saved and to become saints, but never resolve to adopt the means of salvation, such as meditation, the frequentation of the sacraments, detachment from creatures; or, if they adopt these means, they soon give them up. In a word, they are satisfied with fruitless desires, and thus continue to live in enmity with God, or at least in tepidity, which in the end leads them to the loss of God. Thus in them are verified the words of the Holy Ghost, “desires kill the slothful.”

13. If, then, we wish to save our souls, and to become saints, we must make a strong resolution not only in general to give ourselves to God, but also in particular to adopt the proper means, and never to abandon them after having once taken them up. Hence we must never cease to pray to Jesus Christ, and to His holy Mother for holy perseverance.

SERMON 19
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
DO YOU HAVE RELIGION IN YOUR HEART?

Alas, my dear brethren, what have we become even since our conversion? Instead of going always forward and increasing in holiness, what laziness and what indifference we display! God cannot endure this perpetual inconstancy with which we pass from virtue to vice and from vice to virtue. Tell me, my children, is not this the very pattern of the way you live? Are your poor lives anything other than a succession of good deeds and bad deeds? Is it not true that you go to Confession and the very next day you fall again ― or perhaps the very same day? How can this be, unless the religion you have is unreal, a religion of habit, a religion of long-standing custom, and not a religion rooted in the heart? Carry on, my friend; you are only a waverer! Carry on, my poor man; in everything you do, you are just a hypocrite and nothing else! God has not the first place in your heart; that is reserved for the world and the devil.

How many people there are, my dear children, who seem to love God in real earnest for a little while and then abandon Him! What do you find, then, so hard and so unpleasant in the service of God that it has repelled you so strangely and caused you to change over to the side of the world? Yet at the time when God showed you the state of your soul, you actually wept for it and realized how much you had been mistaken in your lives. If you have persevered so little, the reason for this misfortune is that the devil must have been greatly grieved to have lost you because he has done so much to get you back. He hopes now to keep you altogether. How many apostates there are, indeed, who have renounced their religion and who are Christians in name only!

But, you will say to me, how can we know that we have religion in our hearts, this religion which is consistent?

My dear brethren, this is how: listen well and you will understand if you have religion as God wants you to have it in order to lead you to Heaven. If a person has true virtue, nothing whatever can change him; he is like a rock in the midst of a tempestuous sea. If anyone scorns you, or calumniates you, if someone mocks at you or calls you a hypocrite or a sanctimonious fraud, none of this will have the least effect upon your peace of soul. You will love him just as much as you loved him when he was saying good things about you. You will not fail to do him a good turn and to help him, even if he speaks badly of your assistance. You will say your prayers, go to Confession, to Holy Communion, you will go to Mass, all according to your general custom.

To help you to understand this better, I will give you an example. It is related that in a certain parish there was a young man who was a model of virtue. He went to Mass almost every day and to Holy Communion often. It happened that another was jealous of the esteem in which this young man was held, and one day, when they were both in the company of a neighbor, who possessed a lovely gold snuffbox, the jealous one took it from its owner’s pocket and placed it, unobserved, in the pocket of the young man. After he had done this, without pretending anything, he asked to see the snuffbox. The owner expected to find it in his pocket and was astonished when he discovered that it was missing. No one was allowed to leave the room until everyone had been searched, and the snuffbox was found, of course, on the young man who was a model of goodness.

Naturally, everyone immediately called him a thief and attacked his religious professions, denouncing him as a hypocrite and a sanctimonious fraud. He could not defend himself, since the box had been found in his pocket. He said nothing. He suffered it all as something which had come from the hand of God. When he was walking along the street, when he was coming from the church, or from Mass or Holy Communion, everyone who saw him jeered at him and called him a hypocrite, a fraud, a thief.

This went on for quite a long time, but in spite of it, he continued with all of his religious exercises, his Confessions, his Communions, and all of his prayers, just as if everyone were treating him with the utmost respect. After some years, the man who had been the cause of it all fell ill. To those who were with him he confessed that he had been the origin of all the evil things which had been said about this young man, who was a saint, and that through jealousy of him, so that he might destroy his good name, he himself had put the snuffbox in the young man’s pocket.

There, my brethren, is a religion which is true, which has taken root in the soul. Tell me, if all of those poor Christians who make profession of religion were subjected to such trials, would they imitate this young man? Ah, my dear brethren, what murmurings there would be, what bitternesses, what thoughts of revenge, of slander, of calumny, even perhaps of going to law. They would storm against religion; they would scorn and jeer at it and say nothing but ill of it; they would not be able to say their prayers anymore; they would not be able to go to Mass; they would not know what more to do or to say to justify themselves; they would collect every item of harm that this or that person had done, tell it to others, repeat it to everyone who knew them in order to make them out as liars and calumniators.

What is the reason for this conduct, my dear brethren? Surely it is that our religion is only one of whim, of long-standing habit and routine, and, if we were to put it more forcefully, because we are hypocrites who serve God just as long as everything is going according to our wishes. Alas, my dear brethren, all of these virtues which we observe in a great many apparent Christians are but like the flowers of spring, which one gust of hot wind can wither.

SERMON 20
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION

“He sent them into his vineyard” (Matthew 20:2).

The vines of the Lord are our souls, which he has given us to cultivate by good works, that we may be one day admitted into eternal glory. “How,” says Salvian, “does it happen that a Christian believes, and still does not fear the future?”

Christians believe death, judgment, Hell, and Paradise: but they live as if they believed them not as if these truths of Faith were fables or the inventions of human genius. Many live as it they were never to die, or as if they had not to give God an account of their life as if there were neither Hell nor a Heaven. Perhaps they do not believe in them? They believe, but do not reflect on them; and thus they are lost. They take all possible care of worldly affairs, but attend not to the salvation of their souls. I shall show you, this day, that the salvation of your souls is the most important of all affairs.

First Point. Because, if the soul is lost, all is lost;
Second Point. Because, if the soul is lost once, it is lost forever.

First Point. If the soul is lost, all is lost.

1. “But,” says St. Paul, “we entreat you .... that you do your own business.” (1 Thessalonians 4:10-11). The greater part of worldlings are most attentive to the business of this world. What diligence do they not employ to gain a law-suit or a post of emolument! How many means are adopted how many measures taken? They neither eat nor sleep. And what efforts do they make to save their souls? All blush at being told that they neglect the affairs of their families; and how few are ashamed to neglect the salvation of their souls. “Brethren,” says St. Paul, I entreat you that you do your own business ;” that is, the business of your eternal salvation.

2. St. Bernardsays that he trifles of children are called trifles, but the trifles of men are called business; and for these many lose their souls. If in one worldly transaction you suffer a loss, you may repair it in another; but if you die in enmity with God, and lose your soul, how can you repair the loss? “What exchange can a man give for his soul:” (Matthew 16:26). To those who neglect the care of salvation, St. Euterius says if, from being created by God to His own image, you do not comprehend the value of your soul, learn it from Jesus Christ, Who has redeemed you with His own Blood. “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, as gold or silver, but with the Precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

3. God, then, sets so high a value on your soul; such is its value in the estimation of Satan, that, to become master of it, he does not sleep night or day, but is continually going about to make it his own. Hence St. Augustine exclaims: “The enemy sleeps not, and you are asleep!” The enemy is always awake to injure you, and you slumber. Pope Benedict XII, being asked by a prince for a favor which he could not conscientiously grant, said to the ambassador: “Tell the prince, that, if I had two souls, I might be able to lose one of them in order to please him; but, since I have but one, I cannot consent to lose it.” Thus he refused the favor which the prince sought from him.

4. Brethren, remember that, if you save your souls, your failure in every worldly transaction will be but of little importance: for, if you are saved, you shall enjoy complete happiness for all eternity. But, if you lose your souls, what will it profit you to have enjoyed all the riches, honors, and amusements of this world? If you lose your souls, all is lost. “What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and suffers the loss of his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). By this maxim St. Ignatius of Loyola drew many souls to God, and among them the soul of St. Francis Xavier, who was then at Paris, and devoted his attention to the acquirement of worldly goods.

One day St, Ignatius said to him: “Francis, whom do you serve? You serve the world, which is a traitor, that promises, but does not perform. And if it should fulfil all its promises, how long do its goods last? Can they last longer than this life? And, after death, what will they profit you, if you shall not have saved your soul?” He then reminded Francis of the maxims of the Gospel: “What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and suffers the loss of his own soul?” … “But one thing is necessary?” (Luke 10:42).

It is not necessary to become rich on this Earth to acquire honors and dignities; but it is necessary to save our souls; because, unless we gain Heaven we shall be condemned to Hell: there is no middle place: we must be either saved or damned. God has not created us for this Earth; neither does he preserve our lives that we may become rich and enjoy amusements. “And the end life everlasting.” (Hom. vi. 22). He has created us, and preserved us, that we may acquire eternal glory.

5. St. Philip Neri used to say, that he who does not seek, above all things, the salvation of his soul, is a fool. If on this Earth there were two classes of men, one mortal, and the other immortal, and if the former saw the latter entirely devoted to the acquisition of earthly goods, would they not exclaim: O fools that you are! You have it in your power to secure the immense and eternal goods of Paradise, and you lose your time in procuring the miserable goods of this Earth, which shall end at death. And for these you expose yourselves to the danger of the eternal torments of Hell. Leave to us, for whom all shall end at death, the care of these earthly things. But, brethren, we are all immortal, and each of us shall be eternally happy or eternally miserable in the other life.

But the misfortune of the greater part of mankind is, that they are solicitous about the present, and never think of the, future. “Oh that they would be wise, and would understand, and would provide for their last end!” (Deuteronomy 32:29). Oh! that they knew how to detach themselves from present goods, which last but a short time, and to provide for what must happen after death an eternal reign in Heaven, or everlasting slavery in Hell.

St. Philip Neri, conversing one day with Francis Zazzera, a young man of talent who expected to make a fortune in the world, said to him: “You shall realize a great fortune; you shall be a prelate, afterwards a cardinal, and in the end, perhaps, pope. But what must follow? What must follow? Go, my son, think on these words!” The young man departed, and, after meditating on the words, “What must follow? What must follow?” he renounced his worldly prospects, and gave himself entirely to God; and, retiring from the world, he entered into the congregation of St. Philip, and died a holy death.

6. “The fashion of this world passes away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31). On this passage, Cornelius à Lapide, says, that “the world is as it were a stage.” The present life is a comedy, which passes away. Happy the man who acts his part well in this comedy by saving his soul. But if he shall have spent his life in the acquisition of riches and worldly honors, he shall justly be called a fool; and at the hour of death he shall receive the reproach addressed to the rich man in the Gospel: “Fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee; and whose shall these things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20). In explaining the words”they require”, Toletus says, that the Lord has given us our souls to guard them against the assaults of our enemies; and that at death the angel shall come to require them of us, and shall present them at the tribunal of Jesus Christ. But if we shall have lost our souls by attending only to the acquisition of earthly possessions, these shall belong to us no longer they shall pass to other hands: and what shall then become of our souls?

7. Poor worldlings! of all the riches which they acquired, of all the pomps which they displayed in this life, what shall they find at death? “They have slept their sleep: and all the men of riches have found nothing in their hands.” (Psalm 75:6). The dream of this present life shall be over at death, and they shall have acquired nothing for eternity. Ask of so many great men of this Earth of the princes and emperors, who, during life, have abounded in riches, honors, and pleasures, and are at this moment in Hell what now remains of all the riches which they possessed in this world? They answer with tears: “Nothing! Nothing!” And of so many honors enjoyed of so many past pleasures of so many pomps and triumphs, what now remains? They answer with howling: “Nothing! Nothing!”

8. Justly, then, has St. Francis Xavier said, that in the world there is but one good and one evil. The former consists in saving our souls; the latter in losing them. Hence, David said: “One thing I have asked of the Lord; this I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 26:4). One thing only have I sought, and will forever seek, from God that he may grant me the grace to save my soul; for, if I save my soul, all is safe; if I lose it, all is lost. And, what is more important, if my soul be once lost, it is lost forever. Let us pass to the second point.

Second Point. If the soul be once lost, it is lost forever.

9. Men die but once. If a Christian died twice, he might lose his soul the first, and save it the second time. But we can die only once: if the soul be lost the first time, it is lost forever. This truth St. Teresa frequently inculcated to her nuns: “One soul,” she would say, “one eternity.” As if she said: We have but one soul: if this be lost, all is lost. There is but “one eternity;” if the soul be once lost, it is lost forever.

10. St. Eucherius says that there is no error so great as the neglect of eternal salvation. It is an error which surpasses all errors, because it is irremediable. Other mistakes may be repaired: if a person loses property in one way, he may acquire it in another; if he loses a situation, a dignity, he may afterwards recover them; if he even loses his life, provided his soul be saved, all is safe. But he who loses his soul has no means of repairing the loss. The wailing of the damned arises from the thought, that for them the time of salvation is over, and that there is no hope of remedy for their eternal ruin. “The summer is ended, and we are not saved!” (Jeremias 8:20). Hence they weep, and shall inconsolably weep forever, saying: “Therefore we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of justice hath not shined unto us!” (Wisdom 5:6). But what will it profit them to know the error they have committed, when it will be too late to repair it?

11. The greatest torment of the damned arises from the thought of having lost their souls, and of having lost them through their own fault. “Destruction is thy own, O Israel; thy help is only from Me!” (Osee 13:9). O miserable being! God says to each of the damned―thy perdition is thine own; that is from thyself; by sin thou hast been the cause of thy damnation; for I was ready to save thee if thou hadst wished to attend to thy salvation. St. Teresa used to say, that when a person loses a trifle through negligence, his peace is disturbed by the thought of having lost it through his own fault. O God! What shall be the pain which each of the damned shall feel on entering into Hell, at the thought of having lost his soul his all and of having lost them through his own fault!

12. We must, then, from this day forward, devote all our attention to the salvation of our souls. There is no question, says St. John Chrysostom, of losing some earthly good which we must one day relinquish. But there is question of losing Paradise, and of going to suffer forever in Hell. We must fear and tremble; it is thus we shall be able to secure eternal happiness. “With fear and trembling work out your salvation.” (Philippians 2:12). Hence, if we wish to save our souls, we must labor strenuously to avoid dangerous occasions, to resist temptations, and to frequent the Sacraments. Without labor we cannot obtain Heaven. “The violent bear it away!” The saints tremble at the thought of eternity. St. Andrew Avellino exclaimed with tears: “Who knows whether I shall be saved or damned?” St. Louis Bertrand said with trembling: “What shall be my lot in the other world?” And shall we not tremble? Let us pray to Jesus Christ and his most holy mother to help us to save our souls. This is for us the most important of all affairs: if we succeed in it, we shall be eternally happy; if we fail, we must be forever miserable.

SERMON 21
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE DEATH OF THE JUST

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened” (Matthew 13:33).

In this day’s Gospel we find that a woman, after putting leaven in the dough, waits till the entire is fermented. Here the Lord gives us to understand that the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, the attainment of eternal beatitude, is like the leaven. By the leaven is understood the divine grace, which makes the soul acquire merits for eternal life. But this eternal life is obtained only when “the whole is leavened”; that is, when the soul has arrived at the end of the present life and the completion of her merits. We shall, then, speak today of the death of the just, which we should not fear, but should desire with our whole souls. For, says St. Bonaventure, “Triplex in morte congratulatio, hominem ab omni labore, peccato, et periculo liberari.” Man should rejoice at death, for three reasons:

First, because death delivers him from labor that is, from suffering the miseries of this life and the assault of his enemies.
Secondly, because it delivers him from actual sins.
Thirdly, because it delivers him from the danger of falling into Hell, and opens Paradise to him.

First Point. Death delivers us from the miseries of this life, and from the assaults of our enemies.

1. What is death? St. Eucherius answers, that “death is the end of miseries.” Job said that our life, however short it may be, is full of miseries, of infirmities, of crosses, of persecutions, and fears. “Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.” (Job 14:1). “What”, says St. Augustine, “do men who wish for a prolongation of life on this Earth desire but a prolongation of suffering?” “Quid est diu vivere nisi diu tor queri.” (Serm. xviL de Serb. Dom). Yes; for, as St. Ambrose remarks, the present life was given to us not for repose or enjoyment, but for labor and suffering, that by toils and pains we may merit Paradise. “Hæc vita homini non ad quitem data est, sed ad laborem.” (Serm. xliii). Hence the same holy doctor says, that, though death is the punishment of sin, still the miseries of this life are so great, that death appears to be a relief rather than a chastisement: “Ut mors remediuni videatur esse, non poena. “

2. To those who love God, the severest of all the crosses of this life, are the assaults of Hell to rob them of the divine grace. Hence St. Denis the Areopagite says, that they joyfully meet death, as the end of their combats, and embrace it with gladness, because they hope to die a good death, and to be thus freed from all fear of ever again falling into sin. “Divino gaudio et mortis terminum tanquam ad finem certaminum tendunt, non amplius metuentus pervertii.” (De Hier. Ecclesiasticus, cap. vii). The greatest consolation which a soul that loves God experiences at the approach of death, arises from the thought of being delivered from so many temptations, from so many remorses of conscience, and from so many dangers of offending God.

“Ah!” says St. Ambrose, as long as we live, “we walk among snares.” We walk continually in the midst of the snares of our enemies, who lie in wait to deprive us of the life of grace. It was the fear of falling into sin that made St. Peter of Alcantara, in his last moments, say to a lay brother who, in attending the saint, accidently touched him: “Brother, remove, remove from me, for I am still alive and in danger of being lost.” The thought of being freed from the danger of sin by death consoled St. Teresa, and made her rejoice as often as she heard the clock strike, that an hour of the combat was past. Hence she used to say: “In each moment of life we may sin and lose God.” Hence the news of approaching death filled the saints, not with sorrow or regret, but with sentiments of joy; because they knew that their struggles and the dangers of losing the divine grace were soon to have an end.

3. “But the just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be in rest.” (Wisdom 4:7). He who is prepared to die, regards death as a relief. If, says St. Cyprian, you lived in a house whose roof and walls were tottering and threatening destruction, would you not fly from, it as soon as possible? In this life everything menaces ruin to the poor soul the world, the devils, the flesh, the passions, all draw her to sin and to eternal death. It was this that made St. Paul exclaim: “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). Who shall deliver me from this body of mine, which lives continually in a dying state, on account of the assaults of my enemies? Hence he esteemed death as a great gain, because it brought to him the possession of Jesus Christ, his true life.

Happy, then, are they who die in the Lord―because they escape from pains and toils, and go to rest. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labours.” (Apocalypse 14:13). It is related in the lives of the ancient fathers, that one of them, who was very old, when dying, smiled, while the others wept. Being asked why he smiled, he said: “Why do you weep at seeing me go to rest?” “Ex labore ad requiem vado, et vos ploratis?” At the hour of death, St. Catherine of Sienna said to her sisters in religion: “Rejoice with me: for I leave this land of suffering, and am going to the kingdom of peace.” The death of the saints is called a sleep that is, the repose which God gives to his servants as the reward of their toil, “When He shall give sleep to His beloved, behold the inheritance of the Lord.” (Psalm 126:2). Hence the soul, that loves God, neither weeps, nor is troubled at the approach of death, but, embracing the crucifix and burning with love, she says: “In peace in the self same I will sleep and I will rest.” (Psalm 4:9).

4. That “Proficiscere de hoc mundo” ―“Depart, Christian soul, from this world”―which is so appalling to sinners at the hour of death, does not alarm the saints. “But the souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.” (Wisdom 3:1). The saint is not afflicted, like worldlings, at the thought of being obliged to leave the goods of this Earth, because he has kept the soul detached from them. During life, he always regarded God as the Lord of his heart and as the sole riches which he desired: “What have I in Heaven? And, besides Thee, what do I desire upon Earth? Thou art the God of my heart and the God that is my portion forever!” (Psalm 82:25-26). He is not afflicted at leaving honors, because the only honor which he sought was, to love and to be loved by God. All the honors of this world he has justly esteemed as smoke and vanity. He is not afflicted at leaving his relatives, because he loved them only in God. In his last moments he recommends them to his heavenly Father, Who loves them more than he does. And having a secure confidence of salvation, he hopes to be better able to assist his relatives from Paradise, than on this Earth. In a word, what he frequently said during life, he continues to repeat with greater fervour at the hour of death: “My God and my all.”

5. Besides, his peace is not disturbed by the pains of death; but, seeing that he is now at the end of his life, and that he has no more time to suffer for God, or to offer Him other proofs of love, he accepts those pains with joy, and offers them to God as the last remains of life; and uniting his death with the death of Jesus Christ, he offers it to the Divine Majesty.

6. And although the remembrance of the sins which he has committed will afflict, it will not disturb him; for, since he is convinced that the Lord will forget the sins of all true penitents, the very sorrow which he feels for his sins, gives him an assurance of pardon. “If the wicked do penance. ... I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done.” (Ezechiel 18:21-22). “How,” asks St. Basil, “can anyone be certain that God has pardoned his sins? He may be certain of pardon if he say: ‘I have hated and abhorred iniquity.’” (In Reg. inter. 12). He who detests his sins, and offers to God his death in atonement for them, may rest secure that God has pardoned them. “Mors,” says St. Augustine, “quæ in lege naturæ erat poona peccati in lege gratiæ est hostia pro peccato.” (Lib. iv. de Trin. c. xxii). Death, which was a chastisement of sin under the law of nature, has become, in the law of grace, a victim of penance, by which the pardon of sin is obtained.

7. The very love which a soul bears to God, assures her of his grace, and delivers her from the fear of being lost. “Charity casteth out fear.” (1 John 4:18). If, at the hour of death, you are unwilling to pardon an enemy, or to restore what is not your own, or if you wish to keep up an improper friendship, then tremble for your eternal salvation; for you have great reason to be afraid of death; but if you seek to avoid sin, and to preserve in your heart a testimony that you love God, be assured that He is with you: and if the Lord is with you, what do you fear? And if you wish to be assured that you have within you the divine love, embrace death with peace, and offer it from your heart to God. He that offers to God his death, makes an act of love the most perfect that is possible for him to perform; because, by cheerfully embracing death to please God, at the time and in the manner which God ordains, he becomes like the martyrs, the entire merit of whose martyrdom consisted in suffering and dying to please God.

Second Point. Death frees us from actual sins.

8. It is impossible to live in this world without committing at least some slight faults. “A just man shall fall seven times:” (Proverbs 24:16). He who ceases to live, ceases to offend God. Hence St. Ambrose called death the burial of vices: by death they are buried, and never appear again. “Quid est mors nisi sepultura vitorum?” (De Bono Mort. cap. iv). The Venerable Vincent Caraffa consoled himself, at the hour of death, by saying: “Now that I cease to live, I cease forever to offend my God!” He who dies in the grace of God, goes into that happy state, in which he shall love God forever, and shall never more offend Him. “Mortuus,” says the same holy doctor, “nescit peccare. Quid tanto pere vita mistam desideramus, in qua quanto diutius quis fuerit, tanto majori oneratur sarcina peccatorum.” How can we desire this life, in which the longer we live, the greater shall be the load of our sins?

9. Hence the Lord praises the dead more than any man living: “I praised the dead rather than the living.” (Ecclesiasticus 4:2). Because no man on this Earth, however holy he may be, is exempt from sins. A spiritual soul gave directions that the person who should bring to her the news of death, should say: “Console yourself, for the time has arrived when you shall no longer offend God.”

10. St. Ambrose adds, that God permitted death to enter into the world, that, by dying, men should cease to sin: “Passus est Dominus subintrare mortem ut culpa cessaret.” (Loco cit). It is, then, a great error to imagine that death is a chastisement for those who love God. It is a mark of the love which God bears to them, because He shortens their life to put an end to sin, from which they cannot be exempt as long as they remain on this Earth. “For his soul pleased God: therefore He hastened to bring him out of the midst of iniquities.” (Wisdom 4:14).

Third Point. Death delivers us from the danger of falling into Hell, and opens Paradise to us.

11. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the saints.” (Psalm 115:16). Considered according to the senses, death excites fear and terror; but, viewed with the eye of Faith, it is consoling and desirable. To the saints it is as amiable and as precious, as it appears terrible to sinners. “It is precious,” says St. Bernard, “as the end of labours, the consummation of victory, the gate of life.” The joy of the cup-bearer of Pharaoh, at hearing from Joseph that he should soon be released from prison, bears no comparison to that which a soul that loves God feels on hearing that she is to be liberated from the exile of this Earth, and to be transported to the enjoyment of God in her true country. The Apostle says, that, as long as we remain in the body, we wander at a distance from our country in a strange land, and far removed from the life of God: “While we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:6). Hence, St. Bruno teaches, that “our death should not be called death, but the beginning of life.” “Mors dicenda non est, sed vitæ principium.” And St. Athanasius says: “Non est justis mors sed translatio.” To the just, death is but a passage from the miseries of this Earth to the eternal delights of Paradise. “O desirable death!” exclaimed St. Augustine; “who is there that does not desire thee? For thou art the term of evils, the end of toils, and the beginning of everlasting repose!” “O mors desirabilis, malorum finis, laboris clausula, quietis principium.”

12. No one can enter into Heaven to see God without passing through the gate of death. “This is the gate of the Lord the just shall enter into it.” (Psalm 117:20). Hence, addressing death, St. Jerome said: “Aperi mini soror mea.” “Death, my sister, if you do not open the gate to me, I cannot enter to enjoy my God.”  And St. Charles Borromeo, seeing in his house a picture of death with a knife in the hand, sent for a painter to cancel the knife, and substitute for it a key of gold; because, said the saint, it is death that opens Paradise. Were a queen confined in a dark prison, how great would be her joy at hearing that the gates of the prison are open, and that she is to return from the dungeon to her palace! It was to be liberated by death from the prison of this life, that David asked, when he said: “Bring my soul out of prison.” (Psalm 141:8). This, too, was the favor which the Venerable Simeon asked of the Infant Jesus, when he held Him in his arms: “Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant.” (Luke 2:29).”As if detained by force,” says St. Ambrose, “he asked to be dismissed.” Simeon sought to be delivered by death, as if he had been compelled by force to live on this Earth.

13. St. Cyprian says, that the sinner, who shall pass from temporal to eternal death, has just reason to be afraid of death. “Mori timeat, qui ad secundum mortem de hac morte transibit.” But he who is in the state of grace, and hopes to pass from death to eternal life, which is the true life, fears not death. It is related that a certain rich man gave, to St. John the Almoner, a large sum of money to be dispensed in alms, for the purpose of obtaining from God a long life for his only son. The son died in a short time. The father complained of the death of his son; but, to console him, the Lord sent an angel to say to him: “You have sought a long life for your son, and the Lord has heard your prayer; for your son is in Heaven, where he enjoys eternal life.”

This is the grace which, according to the promise of the prophet Osee, the Redeemer obtained for us. “Death, I will be thy death.” (Osee 13:14). By His redemption, Jesus Christ destroyed death, and changed it into a source of life to us. When St. Pionius, martyr, was asked how he could go to death with so much joy, he answered: “You err; I do not go to death but to life.” “Erratis non ad mortem, sed ad vitam contendo.” (Apud Eusub., lib. iv. cap. xiv ). Thus also St. Symphorosa exhorted her son, St. Symphorian, to martyrdom: “My son,” said she, “life is not taken away from you; it is only changed for a better one.”

14. St. Augustine says, that they who love God desire to see Him speedily, and that, therefore, to them life is a cause of suffering, and death an occasion of joy. “Patienter vivit, delectabiliter moritur.” (Trac. ix. in Ep. Joan). St. Teresa used to say, that to her life was death. Hence she composed the celebrated hymn, “I die because I do not die.”  To that great servant of God, Donna Sancia Carriglio, a penitent of Father M. Avila, it was one day revealed, that she had but a year to live; she answered: “Alas! must I remain another year at a distance from God? O sorrowful year, which will appear to me longer than an age!”  Such is the language of souls who love God from their heart. It is a mark of little love of God not to desire to see Him speedily.

15. Some of you will say: “I desire to go to God, but I fear death! I am afraid of the assaults which I shall then experience from Hell. I find that the saints have trembled at the hour of death; how much more ought I to tremble!” I answer: “It is true that Hell does not cease to assail even the saints at death, but it is also true that God does not cease to assist his servants at that moment; and when the dangers are increased, he multiplies his helps.”  “Ibi plus auxilii,” says St. Ambrose, “ubi plus periculi.” (ad Jos. cap. v).

The servant of Eliseus was struck with terror, when he saw the city surrounded by enemies; but the saint inspired him with courage, by showing to him a multitude of angels, sent by God to defend it. Hence the prophet afterwards said: “Fear not, for there are more with us than with them.” (4 Kings 6:16). The powers of Hell will assail the dying Christian; but his angel guardian will come to console him. His patrons, and St. Michael, who has been appointed by God to defend His faithful servants, in their last combat with the devils, will come to his aid. The Mother of God will come to assist those who have been devoted to her. Jesus Christ shall come to defend from the assaults of Hell the souls for which He died on a cross―He will give them confidence and strength to resist every attack.

Hence, filled with courage, they will say: “The Lord is my light and my salvation! Whom shall I fear?” (Isaias 26:1). Truly has Origen said, that the Lord is more desirous of our salvation than the devil is of our perdition, because God’s love for us far surpasses the devil’s hatred of our souls. “Major ilia cura est, ut nos ad veram pertrahat salutem, quam diabolo, ut nos ad æternam damnationem impellat.” (Hom, xx).

16. God is faithful, He will never permit us to be tempted above our strength: “Fidelis Deus non patietur vos tentari supra id quod potestis.” (1 Corinthians 10:13). It is true that some saints have suffered great fear at the hour of death; but they have been few. The Lord, as Belluacensis says, has permitted this fear to cleanse them at death from some defect. “Justi quandoque dure moriendo purgantur in hoc mundo.”

But we know that, generally speaking, the saints have died with a joyful countenance. Father Joseph Scamacca, a man of a holy life, being asked if, in dying, he felt confidence in God, answered: “Have I served Mahomet, that I should now doubt of the goodness of my God, or of his wish to save me?” Ah, the Lord knows well how to console His servants in their last moments! Even in the midst of the agony of death, He infuses into their souls a certain sweetness and a certain foretaste of that happiness which He will soon bestow upon them. As they who die in sin begin to experience, from the bed of death, a certain foretaste of Hell―certain extraordinary terrors, remorse, and fits of despair―so, on the other hand, the saints, by the fervent acts of divine love which they then make, and by the confidence and the desire which they feel of soon seeing God, taste, before death, that peace which they shall afterwards fully enjoy in Heaven.

17. Father Suarez died with so much peace, that, in his last moments, he said: “I could not have imagined that death was so sweet!” Being advised by his physician not to fix his thoughts so constantly on death, Cardinal Baronius said: “Is it lest the fear of death should shorten my life? I fear not; on the contrary, I love and desire death!”  Of the Cardinal Bishop of Rochester, Saunders relates, that, in preparing to die for the Faith, he put on his best clothes, saying that ho was going to a nuptial feast. When he came within view of the place of execution, he threw away his staff, and said: “O my feet, walk fast; for we are not far from Paradise.” “Ite pedes, parum a paradiso distamus.”

Before death, he wished to recite the Te Deum, in thanksgiving to God for permitting him to die for the holy Faith; and, full of joy, he laid his head on the block. St. Francis of Assisi began to sing at the hour of death. Brother Elias said to him: “Father, at the hour of death, we ought rather to weep than to sing!” But, replied the saint, “I cannot abstain from singing at the thought of soon going to enjoy God!”  A nun of the order of St. Teresa, in her last moments, said to her sisters in religion, who were in tears: “O God! Why do you weep? I am going to possess my Jesus! if you love me, weep not, but rejoice with me!” (Dis. Parol. i. 6).

18. Father Granada relates, that a certain sportsman, found in a wood a hermit singing in his last agony. “How”, said the sportsman, “can you sing in such a state?” The hermit replied: “Brother, between me and God there is nothing but the wall of this body. I now see that since my flesh is falling in pieces, the prison shall be destroyed, and I shall soon go to see God. It is for this reason I rejoice and sing!” Through the desire of seeing God, St. Ignatius, martyr, said, that if the wild beasts should spare him, he would provoke them to devour him. “Ego vim faciam, ut devorer.” St. Catherine of Genoa was astonished that some persons regarded death as a misfortune, and said: “O beloved death, in what a mistaken light do men view you! Why do you not come to me? I call on you day and night” (Vita, c. 7).

19. Oh! how peculiarly happy is the death of the servants of Mary! Father Binetti relates, that a person, whom he assisted in his last moments and who was devoted to the Blessed Virgin, said to him: “Father, you cannot conceive the consolation which arises at death from the remembrance of having served Mary. Ah! my father, if you knew what happiness I feel on account of having served this good mother! I cannot express it.” What joy shall the lovers of Jesus Christ experience at His coming to them in the most Holy Viaticum! Happy the soul that can then address her Savior in the words, which St. Philip Neri used when the viaticum was brought to him: “Behold my Love! Behold my Love! Give me my Love!” But, to entertain these sentiments at death, we must have ardently loved Jesus Christ during life.

SERMON 22
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON HEAVEN

“Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Matthew 17:4).

In this days Gospel we read, that wishing to give His disciples a glimpse of the glory of Paradise, in order to animate them to labor for the divine honor, the Redeemer was transfigured, and allowed them to behold the splendour of His countenance. Ravished with joy and delight, St. Peter exclaimed: “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” Lord, let us remain here; let us never more depart from this place; for, the sight of Thy beauty consoles us more than all the delights of the Earth.

Brethren, let us labor during the remainder of our lives to gain Heaven. Heaven is so great a good, that, to purchase it for us, Jesus Christ has sacrificed His life on the cross. Be assured, that the greatest of all the torments of the damned in Hell, arise from the thought of having lost Heaven through their own fault. The blessings, the delights, the joys, the sweetness of Paradise may be acquired; but they can be described and understood only by those blessed souls that enjoy them. But let us, with the aid of the Holy Scripture, explain the little that can be said of them here below.

1. According to the Apostle, no man on this Earth, can comprehend the infinite blessings which God has prepared for the souls that love him. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9). In this life we cannot have an idea of any other pleasures than those which we enjoy by means of the senses. Perhaps we imagine that the beauty of Heaven resembles that of a wide extended plain covered with the verdure of spring, interspersed with trees in full bloom, and abounding in birds fluttering about and singing on every side; or, that it is like the beauty of a garden full of fruits and flowers, and surrounded by fountains in continual play. O what a Paradise, to behold such a plain, or such a garden! But, oh! how much greater are the beauties of Heaven!

Speaking of Paradise, St. Bernard says: “O man, if you wish to understand the blessings of Heaven, know that in that happy country there is nothing which can be disagreeable, and everything that you can desire. “Nihil est quod nolis, totum est quod velis.” Although there are some things here below which are agreeable to the senses, how many more are there which only torment us? If the light of day is pleasant, the darkness of night is disagreeable: if the spring and the autumn are cheering, the cold of winter and the heat of summer are painful. In addition, we have to endure the pains of sickness, the persecution of men, and the inconveniences of poverty; we must submit to interior troubles, to fears, to temptations of the devil, doubts of conscience, and to the uncertainty of eternal salvation.

2. But, after entering into Paradise, the Blessed shall have no more sorrows. “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” The Lord shall dry up the tears which they have shed in this life. “And death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow, shall be any more, for the former things are passed away. And He that sat on the throne, said: “Behold, I make all things new” (Apocalypse 21:4-5). In Paradise, death and the fear of death are no more: in that place of bliss there are no sorrows, no infirmities, no poverty, no inconveniences, no vicissitudes of day or night, of cold or of heat. In that kingdom there is a continual day, always serene, a continual spring, always blooming. In Paradise there are no persecutions, no envy; for all love each other with tenderness, and each rejoices at the happiness of the others, as if it were his own. There is no more fear of eternal perdition; for the soul, confirmed in grace, can neither sin nor lose God.

3. “Totum est quod velis.” In Heaven you have all you can desire. “Behold, I make all things new.” There everything is new; new beauties, new delights, new joys. There all our desires shall be satisfied. The sight shall be satiated with beholding the beauty of that city. How delightful to behold a city in which the streets should be of crystal, the houses of silver, the windows of gold, and all adorned with the most beautiful flowers. But, oh! How much more beautiful shall be the city of Paradise! The beauty of the place shall be heightened by the beauty of the inhabitants, who are all clothed in royal robes; for, according to St. Augustine, “they are all kings”. “Quot cives, tot reges.” How delighted to behold Mary, the Queen of Heaven, who shall appear more beautiful than all the other citizens of Paradise!

But, what it must be to behold the beauty of Jesus Christ! St. Teresa once saw one of the hands of Jesus Christ, and was struck with astonishment at the sight of such beauty. The smell shall be satiated with odours, but with the odours of Paradise. The hearing shall be satiated with the harmony of the celestial choirs. St. Francis once heard, for a moment, an angel playing on a violin, and he almost died through joy. How delightful must it be to hear the saints and angels singing the divine praises! “They shall praise thee forever and ever” (Psalm 83:5). What must it be to hear Mary praising God! St. Francis de Sales says, that, as the singing of the nightingale in the wood surpasses that of all other birds, so the voice of Mary is far superior to that of all the other saints. In a word, there are, in Paradise, all the delights which man can desire.

4. But the delights of which we have spoken are the least of the blessings of Paradise. The glory of Heaven consists in seeing and loving God face to face. “Totum quod expectamus,” says St. Augustine, “duæ syllabæ sunt, Deus.” The reward, which God promises to us, does not consist altogether in the beauty, the harmony, and other advantages of the city of Paradise. God Himself, Whom the saints are allowed to behold, is, according to the promises made to Abraham, the principal reward of the just in Heaven. “I am thy reward exceeding great” (Genesis 15:1). St. Augustine asserts, that, were God to show His face to the damned, “Hell would be instantly changed into a Paradise of delights” (Lib. de trip, habit., tom. 9). And, he adds that, were a departed soul allowed the choice of seeing God and suffering the pains of Hell, or of being freed from these pains and deprived of the sight of God, “she would prefer to see God, and to endure these torments.”

5. The delights of the soul infinitely surpass all the pleasures of the senses. Even in this life divine love infuses such sweetness into the soul, when God communicates himself to her, that the body is raised from the Earth. St. Peter of Alcantara once fell into such an ecstasy of love, that, taking hold of a tree, he drew it up from the roots, and raised it with him on high. So great is the sweetness of divine love, that the holy martyrs, in the midst of their torments, felt no pain, but were on the contrary filled with joy. Hence, St. Augustine says that, when St. Lawrence was laid on a red-hot gridiron, the fervour of divine love made him insensible to the burning heat of the fire. “Hoc igne incensus non sentit incendium.” Even on sinners who weep for their sins, God bestows consolations which exceed all earthly pleasures. Hence St. Bernard says: “If it be so sweet to weep for thee, what must it be to rejoice in thee!”

6. How great is the sweetness which a soul experiences, when, in the time of prayer, God, by a ray of his own light, shows to her His goodness and His mercies towards her, and particularly the love which Jesus Christ has borne to her in His Passion! She feels her heart melting, and as it were dissolved through love. But in this life we do not see God as He really is: we see him as it were in. the dark. “We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Here below God is hidden from, our view; we can see Him only with the eyes of Faith: how great shall be our happiness when the veil shall be raised, and we shall be permitted to behold God face to face! We shall then see His beauty, His greatness, His perfection, His amiableness, and His immense love for our souls.

7. “Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred” (Ecclesiastes 9:1). The fear of not loving God, and of not being loved by Him, is the greatest affliction which souls that love God endure on the Earth; but, in Heaven, the soul is certain that she loves God, and that He loves her; she sees that the Lord embraces her with infinite love, and that this love shall not be dissolved for all eternity. The knowledge of the love, which Jesus Christ has shown her, in offering Himself in sacrifice for her on the cross, and in making Himself her food in the Sacrament of the Altar, shall increase the ardour of her love. She shall also see clearly all the graces which God has bestowed upon her, all the helps which He has given her, to preserve her from falling into sin, and to draw her to His love. She shall see that all the tribulations, the poverty, infirmities, and persecutions which she regards as misfortunes, have all proceeded from love, and have been the means employed by Divine Providence to bring her to glory. She shall see all the lights, loving calls, and mercies, which God had granted to her, after she had insulted Him by her sins. From the blessed mountain of Paradise, she shall see so many souls damned for fewer sins than she had committed, and shall see that she herself is saved and secured against the possibility of ever losing God.

8. The goods of this Earth do not satisfy our desires: at first they gratify the senses; but when we become accustomed to them they cease to delight. But the joys of Paradise constantly satiate and content the heart. “I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear” (Psalm 16:15). And though they satiate, they always appear to be as new as the first time when they were experienced; they are always enjoyed and always desired, always desired and always possessed. “Satiety,” says St. Gregory, “accompanies desire” (Lib. 13, Mor., ch. xviii).

Thus, the desires of the saints in Paradise do not beget pain, because they are always satisfied; and satiety does not produce disgust, because it is always accompanied with desire. Hence the soul shall be always satiated and always thirsty: she shall be forever thirsty, and always satiated with delights. The damned are, according to the Apostle, vessels full of wrath and of torments, “vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction” (Romans 9:22).

But the just are vessels full of mercy and of joy, so that they have nothing to desire. “They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house” (Psalm 35:9). In beholding the beauty of God, the soul shall be so inflamed and so inebriated with divine love, that she shall remain happily lost in God; for she shall entirely forget herself, and, for all eternity, shall think only of loving and praising the immense good, which she shall possess forever, without the fear of having it in her power ever to lose it. In this life, holy souls love God; but they cannot love Him with all their strength, nor can they always actually love Him. St. Thomas teaches, that this perfect love is only given to the citizens of Heaven, who love God with their whole heart, and never cease to love Him actually. “Ut totum cor hominis semper actualiter in Deum feratur ista est perfectio patriæ” (Summa Theologica, 2a 2ae, q. 44, art. 4, ad. 2).

9. Justly, then, has St. Augustine said, that to gain the eternal glory of Paradise, we should cheerfully embrace eternal labor. “Pro æterna requie æternus labor subeundus esset.” “For nothing” says David, “shalt thou save them” (Psalm 55:8). The saints have done but little to acquire Heaven. So many kings, who have abdicated their thrones and shut themselves up in a cloister; so many holy anchorets, who have confined themselves in a cave; so many martyrs, who have cheerfully submitted to torments to the rack, and to red-hot plates, have done but little. “The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come” (Romans 8:18). To gain Heaven, it would be but little to endure all the pains of this life.

10. Let us, then, brethren, courageously resolve to bear patiently with all the sufferings, which shall come upon us, during the remaining days of our lives: to secure Heaven they are all little and nothing. Rejoice then; for all these pains, sorrows, and persecutions shall, if we are saved, be to us a source of never-ending joys and delights. “Your sorrows shall be turned into joy” (John 16:20). When, then, the crosses of this life afflict us, let us raise our eyes to Heaven, and console ourselves with the hope of Paradise. At the end of her life, St. Mary of Egypt was asked, by the Abbot St. Zozimus, how she had been able to live for forty-seven years in the desert, where he found her dying. She answered: “With the hope of Paradise” If we be animated with the same hope, we shall not feel the tribulations of this life. Have courage! Let us love God and labor for Heaven. There the saint expects us, Mary expects us, Jesus Christ expects us; He holds in His hand a crown to make each of us a king in that eternal kingdom.

SERMON 23
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE CONFIDENCE WITH WHICH OUGHT TO RECOMMEND OURSELVES TO THE MOTHER OF GOD

In a notice to the reader, prefixed to the Glories of Mary, St. Alphonsus explains the sense in which he wished his doctrine regarding the privileges of the Blessed Virgin to be understood. He concludes this explanation in the following words: “Then, to say all in a few words, the God of all holiness, in order to glorify the Mother of the Redeemer, has decreed and ordained, that her great charity should pray for all those for whom her Divine Son has paid and offered the most superabundant price of his precious blood, in which alone is our salvation, life, and resurrection? And on the foundation of this doctrine, and inasmuch as they accord with it, I have intended to lay down my propositions, which the saints, in their affectionate colloquies with Mary, and in their fervent discourses upon her, have not hesitated to assert.” Glories of Mary. Monza Edition, vol. i., pp. 11, 12.

In the third chapter of the first volume (pp. 123, 124), St. Alphonsus compares the hope which we place in the Blessed Virgin to the confidence which a person has in a minister of state whom he asks to procure a favor from his sovereign. “Whatsoever Mary obtains for us, she obtains it through the merits of Jesus Christ, and because she prays in the name of Jesus Christ.” Glories of Mary, vol. i., p. 188. “Mary, then, is said to be omnipotent in the manner in which omnipotence can be understood of a creature; for a creature is incapable of a divine attribute. Thus she is omnipotent, inasmuch as she obtains by her prayers whatever she asks. “Ibid., p. 223. To obtain favors through the intercession of Mary, by practicing devout exercises in her honor, “the first condition is, that we perform our devotions with a soul free from sin, or, at least, with a desire to give up sin.” “If a person wishes to commit sin with the hope of being saved by the Blessed Virgin, he shall thus render himself unworthy and incapable of her protection.” Glories of Mary, vol. ii., pp. 325, 326.

“And the wine failing, the Mother of Jesus saith to him: ‘They have no wine!’” (John 2:3).

In the Gospel of this day we read that Jesus Christ, having been invited, went with his holy mother to a marriage of Cana of Galilee. “The wine failing, Mary said to her divine Son: “They have no wine.” By these words she intended to ask her Son to console the spouses, who were afflicted because the wine had failed. Jesus answered: “Woman, what is it to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come.” (John 2:4). He meant that the time destined for the performance of miracles was that of his preaching through Judea.

But, though his answer appeared to be a refusal of the request of Mary, the Son, says St. John Chrysostom, resolved to yield to the desire of the mother. “Although he said, my hour is not yet come, he granted the petition of his mother.” (Hom, in ii. Joan). Mary said to the waiters: “Whatever he shall say to you, do ye.” Jesus bid them fill the water-pots with water the water was changed into the most excellent wine. Thus the bride groom and the entire family were filled with gladness. From the fact related in this day’s Gospel, let us consider, in the first point, the greatness of Mary’s power to obtain from God the graces which we stand in need of; and in the second, the tenderness of Mary’s compassion, and her readiness to assist us all in our wants.

First Point. The greatness of Mary’s power to obtain from God for us all the graces we stand in need of.

1. So great is Mary’s merit in the eyes of God, that, according to St. Bonaventure, her prayers are infallibly heard. “The merit of Mary is so great before God, that her petition cannot be rejected.” (De Virg., c. iii). But why are the prayers of Mary so powerful in the sight of God? It is, says St. Antonine, because she is his mother. “The petition of the mother of God partakes of the nature of a command, and therefore it is impossible that she should not be heard.” (On Paralipomenon 4, tit. 13, c. xvii., 4). The prayers of the saints are the prayers of servants; but the prayers of Mary are the prayers of a mother, and therefore, according to the holy doctor, they are regarded in a certain manner as commands by her Son, who loves her so tenderly. It is then impossible that the prayers of Mary should be rejected.

2. Hence, according to Cosmas of Jerusalem, the intercession of Mary is all-powerful. It is right, as Richard of St. Lawrence teaches, that the son should impart his power to the mother. Jesus Christ, who is all-powerful, has made Mary omnipotent, as far as a creature is capable of omnipotence; that is, omnipotent in obtaining from him, her divine Son, whatever she asks (Lib. 4, de Laud. Virg).

3. St. Bridget heard our Savior one day addressing the Virgin in the following words: “Ask from me whatever you wish, for your petition cannot be fruitless.” (Rev. 1. 1, cap. iv). My mother, ask of me what you please; I cannot reject any prayer which you present to me;”because since you refused me nothing on Earth, I will refuse you nothing in Heaven.” (Ibid). St. George, Archbishop of Nicomedia, says that Jesus Christ hears all the prayers of his mother, as if he wished thereby to discharge the obligation which he owes to her for having given to him his human nature, by consenting to accept him for her Son (Orat. de Exitu Mar). Hence, St. Methodius, martyr, used to say to Mary: “Rejoice, rejoice, holy virgin; for thou hast for thy debtor that Son to whom we are all debtors; to thee he owes the human nature which he received from thee.” (Orat, Hyp. Dom).

4. St. Gregory of Nicomedia encourages sinners by the assurance that, if they have recourse to the Virgin with a determination to amend their lives, she will save them by her intercession. Hence, turning to Mary, he exclaimed: “Thou hast insuperable strength, lest the multitude of our sins should overcome thy clemency.” O mother of God, the sins of a Christian, however great they may be, cannot overcome thy mercy. “Nothing,” adds the same saint, “resists thy power; for the Creator regards thy glory as his own.” “Nothing is impossible to thee,” says St. Peter Damian: “thou canst raise even those who are in despair to hopes of salvation.” (Ser. i. de Nat. B.V).

5. Richard of St. Lawrence remarks that, in announcing to the Virgin that God has chosen her for the mother of his Son, the Archangel Gabriel said to her: “Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace with God.” (Luke 1:30). From which words the same author concludes: “f we wish to recover lost grace, let us seek Mary, by whom this grace has been found.” She never lost the divine grace; she always possessed it. If the angel declared that she had found grace, he meant that she had found it not for herself, but for us miserable sinners, who have lost it.

Hence Cardinal Hugo exhorts us to go to Mary, and say to her: “O blessed lady, property should be restored to those who lost it: the grace which thou hast found is not thine for thou hast never lost the grace of God but it is ours; we have lost it through our own fault: to us, then, thou oughtest to restore it. “Sinners, who by your sins have forfeited the divine grace, run to the Virgin, and say to her with confidence: Restore us to our property, which thou hast found.”

6. It was revealed to St. Gertrude, that all the graces which we ask of God through the intercession of Mary, shall be given to us. She heard Jesus saying to His divine Mother: “Through thee all who ask mercy with a purpose of amending their lives, shall obtain grace.” If all Paradise asked a favor of God, and Mary asked the opposite grace, the Lord would hear Mary, and would reject the petition of the rest of the celestial host. Because, says Father Suarez, “God loved the Virgin alone more than all the other saints.” Let us, then, conclude this first point in the words of St. Bernard: “Let us seek grace, and let us seek it through Mary; for she is a mother, and her petition cannot be rejected.” (Serm. de Aquæd). Let us seek through Mary all the graces we desire to receive from God, and we shall obtain them; for she is a mother, and her son cannot refuse to hear her prayers, or to grant the graces which she asks from him.

Second Point. On the tender compassion of Mary, and her readiness to assist us in all our wants.

7. The tenderness of Mary’s mercy may be inferred from the fact related in this day’s Gospel. The wine fails the spouses are troubled no one speaks to Mary to ask her Son to console them in their necessity. But the tenderness of Mary’s heart, which, according to St. Bernardine of Sienna, cannot but pity the afflicted, moved her to take the office of advocate, and, without being asked, to entreat her Son to work a miracle. “Unasked, she assumed the office of an advocate and a compassionate helper.” (Tom. 3, ser. ix). Hence, adds the same saint, “If, unasked, this good lady has done so much, what will she not do for those who invoke her intercession?”

8. From the fact already related, St. Bonaventure draws another argument to show the great graces which we may hope to obtain through Mary, now that she reigns in Heaven. If she was so compassionate on Earth, how much greater must be her mercy now that she is in Paradise?”Great was the mercy of Mary while in exile on Earth; but it is much greater now that she is a queen in Heaven; because she now sees the misery of men.” (St. Bona. in Spec. Virg., cap. viii). Mary in Heaven enjoys the vision of God; and therefore she sees our wants far more clearly than when she was on Earth; hence, as her pity for us is increased, so also is her desire to assist us more ardent. How truly has Richard of St. Victor said to the Virgin: “So tender is thy heart that thou canst not see misery and not afford succour.” It is impossible for this loving mother to behold a human being in distress without extending to him pity and relief.

9. St. Peter Damian says that the Virgin ”loves us with an invincible love.” (Ser. i. de Nat. Virg). How ardently soever the saints may have loved this amiable queen, their affection fell far short of the love which Mary bore to them. It is this love that makes her so solicitous for our welfare. The saints in Heaven, says St. Augustine, have great power to obtain grace from God for those who recommend themselves to their prayers; but as Mary is of all the saints the most powerful, so she is of all the most desirous to procure for us the divine mercy.

10. And, as this our great advocate once said to St. Bridget, she regards not the iniquities of the sinner who has recourse to her, but the disposition with which he invokes her aid. If he comes to her with a firm purpose of amendment she receives him, and by her intercession heals his wounds, and brings him to salvation. “However great a man’s sins may be, if he shall return to me, I am ready instantly to receive him. Nor do I regard the number or the enormity of his sins, but the will with which he comes to me; for I do not disdain to anoint and heal his wounds, because I am called, and truly am, the Mother of Mercy.”

11. The Blessed Virgin is called a “fair olive tree in the plains” (Ecclesiasticus 24:19). From the olive, oil only comes forth; and from the hands of Mary only graces and mercies flow. According to Cardinal Hugo, it is said that she remains in the plains, to show that she is ready to assist all those who have recourse to her. In the Old Law there were five cities of refuge, in which not all, but only those who had committed certain crimes, could find an asylum; but in Mary, says St. John Damascene, all criminals, whatever may be their offences, may take refuge. Hence he calls her “the city of refuge for all who have recourse to her.” Why, then, says St. Bernard, should we be afraid to approach Mary? She is all sweetness and clemency; in her there is nothing austere or terrible.

12. St. Bonaventure used to say that, in turning to Mary, he saw mercy itself receiving him. “When I behold thee, O my lady, I see nothing but mercy. “ The Virgin said one day to St. Bridget: “Miserable and miserable for eternity shall be the sinner who, though he has it in his power during life to come to me, who am able and willing to assist him, neglects to invoke my aid, and is lost!”

“The devil” says St. Peter, “as a roaring lion goeth about seeing whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). But, according to Bernardine a Bustis, this mother of mercy is constantly going about in search of sinners to save them. “She continually goes about seeking whom she may save.” (Maril. par. 3, ser. iii). This queen of clemency, says Richard of St. Victor, presents our petitions, and begins to assist us before we ask the assistance of her prayers (In Can., c. xxiii). Because, as the same author says, Mary’s heart is so full of tenderness towards us, that she cannot behold our miseries without affording relief.

13. Let us, then, in all our wants, be most careful to have recourse to this mother of mercy, who is always ready to assist those who invoke her aid, says Richard of St. Lawrence. She is always prepared to come to our help, and frequently prevents our supplications: but, ordinarily, she requires that we should pray to her, and is offended when we neglect to ask her assistance, says St. Bonaventure (In Spec. Virg). “Thou, blessed lady, art displeased not only with those who commit an injury against thee, but also with those who do not ask favors from thee.” Hence, as the same holy doctor teaches, it is not possible that Mary should neglect to succour any soul that flies to her for protection; for she cannot but pity and console the afflicted who have recourse to her.

14. But, to obtain special favors from this good lady, we must perform in her honor certain devotions practiced by her servants; such as, first, to recite every day at least five decades of the Rosary; secondly, to fast every Saturday in her honor. Many persons fast every Saturday on bread and water: you should fast in this manner at least on the vigils of her seven principal festivals. Thirdly, to say the three Aves when the bell rings for the Angelus Domini; and to salute her frequently during the day with an Ave Maria, particularly when you hear a clock strike, or when you see an image of the Virgin, and also when you leave or return to your house. Fourthly, to say every evening the Litany of the Blessed Virgin before you go to rest; and for this purpose procure an image of Mary, and keep it near your bed. Fifthly, to wear the scapular of Mary in sorrow, and of Mount Carmel.

There are many other devotions practiced by the servants of Mary; but the most useful of all is, to recommend yourself frequently to her prayers. Never omit to say three Aves in the morning, to beg of her to preserve you from sin during the day. In all temptations have immediate recourse to her, saying: “Mary, assist me.” To resist every temptation, it is sufficient to pronounce the names of Jesus and Mary; and if the temptation continues, let us continue to invoke Jesus and Mary, and the devil shall never be able to conquer us.

15. St. Bonaventure calls Mary the salvation of those who invoke her. And if a true servant of Mary were lost (I mean one truly devoted to her, who wishes to amend his life, and invoke with confidence this advocate of sinners), this should happen either because Mary would be unable or unwilling to assist him. But, says St. Bernard, this is impossible: being the mother of omnipotence and of mercy, Mary cannot want the power or the will to save her servants.

Justly then is she called the salvation of all who invoke her aid. Of this truth there are numberless examples: that of St. Mary of Egypt will be sufficient. After leading for many years a sinful and dissolute life, she wished to enter the church of Jerusalem in which the festival of the holy cross was celebrated. To make her feel her miseries, God closed against her the door which was open to all others: as often as she endeavored to enter, an invisible force drove her back. She instantly perceived her miserable condition, and remained in sorrow outside the church. Fortunately for her there was an image of most holy Mary over the porch of the church. As a poor sinner she recommended herself to the divine mother, and promised to change her life. After her prayer, she felt encouraged to go into the church, and—behold!—the door which was before closed against her she now finds open: she enters, and confesses her sins. She leaves the church, and, under the influence of divine inspiration, goes into the desert, where she lived for forty-seven years, and became a saint.

SERMON 24
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE VANITY OF THIS WORLD

“And have nothing to eat.” (Mark 8:2).

1. Such were the attractions of our Divine Savior, and such the sweetness with which he received all, that he drew after him thousands of the people. Ho one day saw himself surrounded by a great multitude of men, who followed him and remained with him three days, without eating anything. Touched with pity for them, Jesus Christ said to his disciples: “I have compassion on the multitude; for behold they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat.” (Mark 8:2).

He, on this occasion, wrought the miracle of the multiplication of the seven loaves and a few fishes, so as to satisfy the whole multitude. This is the literal sense; but the mystic sense is, that in this world there is no food which can fill the desire of our souls. All the goods of this Earth riches, honors, and pleasures delight the sense of the body, but cannot satiate the soul, which has been created “for God, and which God alone can content.” I will, therefore speak today on the vanity of the world, and will show how great is the illusion of the lovers of the world, who lead an unhappy life on this Earth, and expose themselves to the imminent danger of a still more unhappy life in eternity.

2. “O ye sons of men,” exclaims the Royal Prophet, against worldlings, “how long will you be dull at heart? Why do you love vanity and seek after lying?” (Psalm 4:3). O men, fools, how long will you fix the affections of your hearts on this Earth? why do you love the goods of this world, which are all vanity and lies? Do you imagine that you shall find peace by the acquisition of these goods? But how can you expect to find peace, while you walk in the ways of affliction, and misery?

Behold how David describes the condition of worldlings. “Destruction and unhappiness in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known.” (Psalm xiii. 3). You hope to obtain peace from the world; but how can the world give you that peace which you seek, when St. John says, “that the whole world is seated in wickedness?” (1 John 5:19). The world is full of iniquities; hence worldlings live under the despotism of the wicked one that is, the Devil. The Lord has declared that there is no peace for the wicked who live without his grace. “There is no peace to the wicked.” (Isaias 48:22).

3. The goods of the world are but apparent goods, which cannot satisfy the heart of man. “You have eaten,” says the Prophet Aggeus, “and have not had enough.” (Aggeus 1:6) Instead of satisfying our hunger they increase it. “These,” says St. Bernard, “provoke rather than extinguish hunger.” If the goods of this work! made men content, the rich and powerful should enjoy complete happiness; but experience shows the contrary. We see every day that they are the most unhappy of men; they appear always oppressed by fears, by jealousies and sadness.

Listen to King Solomon, who abounded in these goods: “And behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). He tells us, that all things in this world are vanity, lies, and illusion. They are not only vanity, but also affliction of spirit. They torture the poor soul, which finds in them a continual source, not of happiness, but of affliction and bitterness. This is a just punishment on those who instead of serving their God with joy, wish to serve their enemy the world which makes them endure the want of every good. “Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness of heart thou shaft serve thy enemy in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and in want of all things.” (Deuteronomy 28:47-48).

Man expects to content his heart with the goods of this Earth; but, howsoever abundantly he may possess them, he is never satisfied. Hence, he always seeks after more of them, and is always unhappy. Oh! happy he who wishes for nothing but God; for God will satisfy all the desires of his heart. “Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.” (Psalm 36:4).

Hence St. Augustine asks: “What, miserable man, dost thou seek in seeking after goods? Seek one good, in which are all goods.” And, having dearly learned that the goods of this world do not content, but rather afflict the heart of man, the saint, turning to the Lord, said: “All things are hard, and thou alone repose.” Hence in saying, “My God and my all,” the seraphic St. Francis, though divested of all worldly goods, enjoyed greater riches and happiness than an the worldlings on this Earth. Yes; for the peace which fills the soul that desires nothing but God, surpasses all the delights which creatures can give. They can only delight the senses, but cannot content the heart of man. “The peace of God which surpasseth all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7).

According to St. Thomas, the difference between God, the sovereign good, and the goods of the Earth, consists in this, that he more perfectly we possess God, the more ardently we love him, because the more perfectly we possess him, the better we comprehend his infinite greatness, and therefore the more we despise other things; but, when we possess temporal goods, we despise them, because we see their emptiness, and desire other things, which may make us content. (St. Thomas, Summa Theologica, !-IIae, q. 2, art. 1, ad 3).

4. The Prophet Osee tells us that the world holds in its hand a deceitful balance. “He is like Chanaan” (that is the world); “there is a deceitful balance in his hand.” (Osee 12:7). We must, then, weigh things in the balance of God, and not in that of the world, which makes them appear different i rom what they are. What are the goods of this life?”My days, “said Job, “have been swifter than a post: they have passed by as ships carrying fruits.” (Job 9:25-26). The ships signify the lives of men, which soon pass away, and run speedily to death; and if men have laboured only to provide themselves with earthly goods, these fruits decay at the hour of death: we can bring none of them with us to the other world.

We, says St. Ambrose, falsely call these things our property, which we cannot bring witli us to eternity, where we must live forever, and where virtue alone will accompany us. You, says St. Augustine, attend only to what a rich man possessed; but tell me, which of his possessions shall he, now that he is on the point of death, be able to take with him? (Serm. xiii. de Adv. Dom). The rich bring with them a miserable garment, which shall rot with them in the grave. And should they, during life, have acquired a great name, they shall be soon forgotten. “Their memory hath perished with a noise.” (Psalm 9:7).

5. O that men would keep before their eyes that great maxim of Jesus Christ ”What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and suffers the loss of his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). If they did, they should certainly cease to love the world. What shall it profit them at the hour of death to have acquired all the goods of this world, if their souls must go into Hell to be in torments for all eternity? How many has this maxim, sent into the cloister and into the desert? How many martyrs has it encouraged to embrace torments and death! In the history of England, we read of thirty kings and queens, who left the world and became religious, in order to secure a happy death.

The consideration of the vanity of earthly goods made St. Francis Borgia retire from the world. At the sight of the Empress Isabella, who had died in the flower of youth, he came to the resolution of serving God alone. “Is such, then,” he said, “the end of all the grandeur and crowns of this world? Henceforth I will serve a master who can never die.” The day of death is called ”the day of destruction” ― “The day of destruction is at hand” (Deuteronomy 32:35), because on that day we shall lose and give up all the goods of the world all its riches, honors, and pleasures. The shade of death obscures all the treasures and grandeurs of this Earth; it obscures even the purple and the crown. Sister Margaret of St. Anne, a Discalced Carmelite, and daughter of the Emperor Rodolph the Second, used to say: “What do kingdoms profit us at the hour of death?” “The affliction of an hour maketh one forget great delights.” (Ecclesiasticus 11:29).

The melancholy hour of death puts an end to all the delights and pomps of this life. St. Gregory says, that all goods which cannot remain with us, or which are incapable of taking away our miseries, are deceitful. “Fallaces sunt que nobiscum permanere non possunt: fallaces sunt que mentis nostræ inopiam non expellunt.” (Hom. xv. in Luc). Behold a sinner whom the riches and honors which he had acquired made an object of envy to others. Death came upon him when he was at the summit of his glory, and he is no longer what he was. “I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Libanus; and I passed by, and lo! he was not; and I sought him, and his place was not found.” (Psalm 36:35, 38).

6. These truths the unhappy damned fruitlessly confess in Hell, where they exclaim with tears: “What has pride profited us? Or what advantage hath the boasting of riches brought us? All those things are passed away like a shadow.” (Wisdom 5:8-9). What, they say, have our pomps and riches profited us, now that they are all passed away like a shadow, and for us nothing remains but eternal torments and despair? Dearly beloved Christians, let us open our eyes, and now that we have it in our power, let us attend to the salvation of our souls; for, if we lose them, we shall not be able to save them in the next life.

Aristippus, the philosopher, was once shipwrecked, and lost all his goods; but such was the esteem which the people entertained for him on account of his learning, that, as soon as he reached the shore, they presented him with an equivalent for all that he had lost. He then wrote to his friends, and exhorted them to attend to the acquisition of goods which cannot be lost by shipwreck. Our relatives and friends who have passed into eternity exhort us, from the other world, to labour in this life for the attainment of goods which are not lost at death.

If at that awful moment we shall be found to have attended only to the accumulation of earthly goods, we shall be called fools, and shall receive the reproach addressed to the rich man in the Gospel, who, after having reaped an abundant crop from his fields, said to himself: “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer. But, God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:9-20). He said, “they require thy soul of thee,” because to everyman his soul is given, not with full power to dispose of it as he pleases, but it is given to him in trust, that he may preserve and return it to God in a state of innocence, when it shall be presented at the tribunal of the Sovereign Judge. The Redeemer concludes this parable by saying: “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God” (5:21).

This is what happens to those who seek to enrich themselves with the goods of this life, and not with the love of God. Hence St. Augustine asks: “What has the rich man if he has not charity? If the poor man has charity, what is there that he has not?” He that possesses all the treasures of this world, and has not charity, is the poorest of men; but the poor who have God possess all things, though they should be bereft of all earthly goods.

7. “The children of this world,” says Jesus Christ, “are wiser in their generation than the children of light.” (Luke 16:8). how wise in earthly affairs are worldlings, who live in the midst of the darkness of the world! “Behold,” says St. Augustine, “how much men suffer for things for which they entertain a vicious love.” “What fatigue do they endure for the acquisition of property, or of a situation of emolument! With what care do they endeavour to preserve their bodily health! They consult the best physician, and procure the best medicine. And Christians, who are the children of light, will take no pains, will suffer nothing, to secure the salvation of their souls! God! at the light of the candle which lights them to death, at that hour, at that time, which is called the time of truth, worldlings shall see and confess their folly. Then each of them shall exclaim: that I had led the life of a saint!

At the hour of death, Philip the Second, King of Spain, called in his son, and having shown him his breast devoured with worms, said to him: Son, behold how we die; behold the end of all worldly greatness. He then ordered a wooden cross to be fastened to his neck; and, having made arrangements for his death, he turned again to his son, and said: My son, I wished you to be present at this scene, that you might understand how the world in the end treats even monarchs. He died saying: Oh, that I had been a lay brother in some religious order, and that I had not been a king! Such is the language at the hour of death, even of the princes of the Earth, whom worldlings regard as the most fortunate of men. But these desires and sights of regret serve only to increase the anguish and remorse of the lovers of the world at the hour of death, when the scene is about to close.

8. And what is the present life but a scene, which soon passes away forever? It may end when we least expect it. Cassimir, King of Poland, while he sat at table with his grandees, died in the act of raising a cup to take a draught; thus the scene ended for him. The Emperor Celsus was put to death in seven days after his election; and the scene closed for him. Ladislaus, King of Bohemia, in his eighteenth year, while he was preparing for the reception of his spouse, the daughter of the King of France, was suddenly seized with a violent pain, which took away his life. Couriers were instantly despatched to announce to her that the scene was over for Ladislaus, that she might return to France. “The world,” says Cornelius à Lapide, in his comment upon this passage, “is like a stage. One generation passes away, and a new generation comes. The king does not take wiih him the purple. Tell me, villa, O house, how many masters had you?”

In every age the inhabitants of this Earth are changed. Cities and kingdoms are filled with new people. The first generation passes to the other world, a second comes on, and this is followed by another. He who, in the scene of this world, has acted the part of a king is no longer a king. The master of such a villa or palace is no longer its master. Hence the Apostle gives us the following advice: “The time is short; it remaineth that... they that use this world be as if they used it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away.” (1 Corinthians 7:29-30).

Since the time of our dwelling on this Earth is short, and since all must end with our death, let us make use of this world to despise it, as if it did not exist for us; and let us labour to acquire the eternal treasures of Paradise, where, as the Gospel says, there are no moths to consume, nor thieves to steal them. “But lay up to yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither the rust nor the moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (Matthew 6:20). St. Teresa used to say: “We should not set value on what ends with life; the true life consists in living in such a manner as not to be afraid of death.” Death shall have no terror for him who, during life, is detached from the vanities of this world, and is careful to provide himself only with goods which shall accompany him to eternity, and make him happy forever.

SERMON 25
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE MEANS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION

“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord!’” (John 1:23).

All would wish to be saved and to enjoy the glory of Paradise; but to gain Heaven, it is necessary to walk in the straight road that leads to eternal bliss. This road is the observance of the divine commands. Hence, in his preaching, the Baptist exclaimed: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” In order to be able to walk always in the way of the Lord, without turning to the right or to the left, it is necessary to adopt the proper means. These means are, first, diffidence in ourselves; secondly, confidence in God; thirdly, resistance to temptations.

First Means. Diffidence in ourselves.

1. “With fear and trembling,” says the Apostle, “work out your salvation.” (Philippians 2:12). To secure eternal life, we must be always penetrated with fear, we must be always afraid of ourselves (with fear and trembling), and distrust altogether our own strength; for, without the divine grace we can do nothing. “Without Me,” says Jesus Christ, “you can do nothing.” We can do nothing for the salvation of our own souls. St. Paul tells us, that of ourselves we are not capable of even a good thought. “Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5). Without the aid of the Holy Ghost, we cannot even pronounce the Name of Jesus so as to deserve a reward. “And no one can say the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:8).

2. Miserable the man who trusts to himself in the way of God. St. Peter experienced the sad effects of self-confidence. Jesus Christ said to him: “In this night, before cock-crow, you will deny Me three times!” (Matthew 26:31). Trusting in his own strength and his goodwill, the Apostle replied: “Even though I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee!” (Matthew 26:35). What was the result? On the night on which Jesus Christ had been taken, Peter was reproached in the court of Caiphas with being one of the disciples of the Savior. The reproach filled him with fear: he thrice denied his Master, and swore that he had never known Him. Humility and diffidence in ourselves are so necessary for us, that God permits us sometimes to fall into sin, that, by our fall, we may acquire humility arid a knowledge of our own weakness. Through lack of humility David also fell: hence, after his sin, he said: “Before I was humbled, I offended.” (Psalm 118:67).

3. Hence the Holy Ghost pronounces blessed the man who is always in fear: “Blessed is the man who is always fearful.” (Proverbs 28:14). He who is afraid of falling distrusts his own strength, avoids as much as possible all dangerous occasions, and recommends himself often to God, and thus preserves his soul from sin. But the man who is not fearful, but full of self-confidence, easily exposes himself to the danger of sin: he seldom recommends himself to God, and thus he falls. Let us imagine a person suspended over a great precipice by a cord held by another. Surely he would constantly cry out to the person who supports him: “Hold fast! Hold fast! For God’s sake, do not let go!” We are all in danger of falling into the abyss of all crime, if God does not support us. Hence we should constantly beseech Him to keep His hands over us, and to help us in all dangers.

4. In rising from bed, St. Philip Neri used to say every morning: “Lord, keep Thy hand this day over Philip! If Thou do not, Philip will betray Thee!” And one day, as he walked through the city, reflecting on his own misery, he frequently said, “I despair! I despair!” A Certain religious who heard him, believing that the saint was really tempted to despair, corrected him, and encouraged him to hope in the Divine Mercy. But the saint replied: “I despair of myself, but I trust in God.” Hence, during this life, in which we are exposed to so many dangers of losing God, it is necessary for us to live always in great diffidence of ourselves, and full of confidence in God.

Second Means. Confidence in God.

5. St. Francis de Sales says, that the mere attention to self-diffidence on account of our own weakness, would only render us pusillanimous, and expose us to great danger of abandoning ourselves to a tepid life, or even to despair. The more we distrust our own strength, the more we should confide in the divine mercy. This is a balance, says the same saint, in which the more the scale of confidence in God is raised, the more the scale of diffidence in ourselves descends.

6. Listen to me, O sinners who have had the misfortune of having hitherto offended God, and of being condemned to Hell: if the Devil tells you that but little hope remains of your eternal salvation, answer him in the words of the Scripture: “No one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded!” (Ecclesiasticus 2:11). No sinner has ever trusted in God, and has been lost.

Make, then, a firm purpose to sin no more; abandon yourselves into the arms of the divine goodness; and rest assured that God will have mercy on you, and save you from Hell. “Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee!” (Psalm 54:23). The Lord, as we read in Blosius, one day said to St. Gertrude: “He who confides in Me, does Me such violence that I cannot but hear all his petitions!”

7. “But,” says the Prophet Isaias, “they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall take wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint!” (Isaias 40:31). They who place their confidence in God shall renew their strength; they shall lay aside their own weakness, and shall acquire the strength of God; they shall fly like eagles in the way of the Lord, without fatigue and without ever failing. David says, that “mercy shall encompass him that hopes in the Lord!” (Psalm 31:10). He that hopes in the Lord shall be encompassed by His mercy, so that he shall never be abandoned by it.

8. St. Cyprian says, that the Divine Mercy is an inexhaustible fountain. They who bring vessels of the greatest confidence, draw from it the greatest graces Hence the Royal Prophet has said: “Let thy mercy Lord be upon us, as we have hoped in Thee!” (Psalm 32:22). Whenever the Devil terrifies us by placing before our eyes the great difficulty of persevering in the grace of God, in spite of all the dangers and sinful occasions of this life, let us, without answering him, raise our eyes to God, and hope that, in His goodness, He will certainly send us help to resist every attack. “I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me!” (Psalm 120:1). And when the enemy represents to us our weakness, let us say with the Apostle “I can do all in Him Who strengthens me!” (Philippians 4:13) Of myself I can do nothing; but I trust in God, that by His grace I shall be able to do all things.

9. Hence, in the midst of the greatest dangers of perdition to which we are exposed, we should continually turn to Jesus Christ, and, throwing ourselves into the hands of Him, Who redeemed us by His death, should say: “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth!” (Psalm 30:6). This prayer should be said with great confidence of obtaining eternal life, and to it we should add: “In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped; let me not be confounded forever!” (Psalm 30:1).

Third Means. Resistance to temptations.

10. It is true that when we have recourse to God with confidence in dangerous temptations, He assists us; but, in certain very urgent occasions, the Lord sometimes wishes that we cooperate, and do violence to ourselves, to resist temptations. On such occasions, it will not be enough to have recourse to God once or twice; it will be necessary to multiply prayers, and frequently to prostrate ourselves and send up our sighs before the image of the Blessed Virgin and the crucifix, crying out with tears: “Mary, my mother, assist me! Jesus, my Savior, save me! For thy mercy’s sake do not abandon me, do not permit me to lose Thee!”

11. Let us keep in mind the words of the Gospel: “How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leads to life: and few there are that find it.” (Matthew 7:14). The way to Heaven is strait and narrow: they who wish to arrive at that place of bliss by walking in the paths of pleasure, shall be disappointed: and therefore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence to themselves in resisting temptations: “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away!” (Matthew 11:12). In explaining this passage, a certain writer says it must be sought and obtained by violence―he who wishes to obtain it without inconvenience, or by leading a soft and irregular life, shall not acquire it he shall be excluded from it.

12. To save their souls, some of the saints have retired into the cloister; some have confined themselves in a cave; others have embraced torments and death. “The violent bear it away.” Some complain of their lack of confidence in God; but they do not perceive that their diffidence arises from the weakness of their resolution to serve God. St. Teresa used to say: “Of irresolute souls the Devil has no fear.” And the Wise Man has declared, that “desires kill the slothful.” (Proverbs 21:25). Some would wish to be saved and to become saints, but never resolve to adopt the means of salvation, such as meditation, the frequentation of the sacraments, detachment from creatures; or, if they adopt these means, they soon give them up. In a word, they are satisfied with fruitless desires, and thus continue to live in enmity with God, or at least in tepidity, which in the end leads them to the loss of God. Thus in them are verified the words of the Holy Ghost, “desires kill the slothful.”

13. If, then, we wish to save our souls, and to become saints, we must make a strong resolution not only in general to give ourselves to God, but also in particular to adopt the proper means, and never to abandon them after having once taken them up. Hence we must never cease to pray to Jesus Christ, and to His holy Mother for holy perseverance.

SERMON 26
St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
ON THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR US, AND OUR OBLIGATION TO LOVE HIM

“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6).

The Savior of the world, whom, according to the prediction of the prophet Isaias, men were one day to see on this Earth “and all flesh shall see the salvation of God,” has already come. We have not only seen Him conversing among men, but we have also seen Him suffering and dying for the love of us. Let us, then, consider the love which we owe to Jesus Christ at least through gratitude for the love which He bears to us. In the first point we shall consider the greatness of the love which Jesus Christ has shown to us; and in the second we shall see the greatness of our obligations to love Him.

First Point. On the great love which Jesus Christ has shown to us.

1 . “Christ,” says St. Augustine, “came on Earth that men might know how much God loves them.” He has come, and to show the immense love which this God bears us, He has given Himself entirely to us, by abandoning Himself to all the pains of this life, and afterwards to the scourges, to the thorns, and to all the sorrows and insults which He suffered in His Passion, and by offering himself to die, abandoned by all, on the infamous tree of the cross. “Who loved me, and delivered Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

2. Jesus Christ could save us without dying on the cross, and without suffering. One drop of His Blood would be sufficient for our redemption. Even a prayer offered to His Eternal Father would be sufficient; because, on account of His divinity, His prayer would be of infinite value, and would therefore be sufficient for the salvation of the world, and of a thousand worlds. “But” says St. John Chrysostom, or another ancient author, “what was sufficient for redemption was not sufficient for love.”

To show how much He loved us, He wished to shed not only a part of His Blood, but the entire amount of it, by way of torments. This may be inferred from the words which He used on the night before His death: “This is My Blood of the New Testament, which shall be shed for many.” (Matthew 26:28). The words “shall be shed” show that, in His Passion, the Blood of Jesus Christ was poured forth even to the last drop. Hence, when after death His side was opened with a spear, blood and water came forth, as if what then flowed was all that remained of His Blood. Jesus Christ, then, though He could save us without suffering, wished to embrace a life of continual pain, and to suffer the cruel and ignominious death of the cross. “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8).

3. “Greater love than this no man has, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13). To show His love for us, what more could the Son of God do than die for us? What more can one man do for another than give his life for him? “Greater love than this no man has.” Tell me, my brother, if one of your servants, if the vilest man on this Earth had done for you what Jesus Christ has done in dying through pain on a cross, could you remember his love for you, and not love him?

4. St. Francis of Assisi appeared to be unable to think of anything but the Passion of Jesus Christ; and, in thinking of it, he continually shed tears, so that by his constant weeping he became nearly blind. Being found one day weeping and groaning at the foot of the crucifix, he was asked the cause of his tears and lamentations. He replied: “I weep over the sorrows and ignominies of my Lord. And what makes me weep still more is, that the men for whom He has suffered so much live in forgetfulness of Him.”

5. O Christian, should a doubt ever enter your mind that Jesus Christ loves you, raise your eyes and look at Him hanging on the cross. “Ah!” says St. Thomas of Villanova, “the cross to which He is nailed, the internal and external sorrows which he endures, and the cruel death which He suffers for you, are convincing proofs of the love which He bears you!” (Conc. 3). Do you not, says St. Bernard, hear the voice of that cross, and of those wounds, crying out to make you feel that He truly loves you?

6. St. Paul says that the love which Jesus Christ has shown in condescending to suffer so much for our salvation, should excite us to His love more powerfully than the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the painful journey to Calvary, the agony of three hours on the cross, the buffets, the spitting in His face, and all the other injuries which the Savior endured. According to the Apostle, the love which Jesus has shown us not only obliges, but in a certain manner forces and constrains us, to love a God Who has loved us so much. “For the charity of Christ presses us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

On this text St. Francis de Sales says: “We know that Jesus the true God has loved us so as to suffer death, and even the death of the cross, for our salvation. Does not such love put our hearts as it were under a press, to force from them love by a violence which is stronger in proportion as it is more amiable?”

7. So great was the love which inflamed the enamored Heart of Jesus, that He not only wished to die for our redemption, but during His whole life He sighed ardently for the day on which He should suffer death for the love of us. Hence, during His life, Jesus used to say: “I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized; and how am I straitened until it be accomplished.” (Luke 12:50). In My Passion I am to be baptized with the baptism of My own Blood, to wash away the sins of men. “And how am I straitened!” How, says St. Ambrose, explaining this passage, am I straitened by the desire of the speedy arrival of the day of My death? Hence, on the night before His Passion He said: “With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15).

8. “We have,” says St. Lawrence Justinian, “seen wisdom become foolish through an excess of love.” We have, he says, seen the Son of God become, as it were, a fool through the excessive love which He bore to men. Such, too, was the language of the Gentiles when they heard the Apostles preaching that Jesus Christ suffered death for the love of men. “But we,” says St. Paul, “preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, unto the Gentiles foolishness.” (1 Corinthians 1:23).

Who, they exclaimed, can believe that a God, most happy in Himself, and Who stands in need of no one, should take human flesh and die for the love of men, who are His creatures? This would be to believe that a God became foolish for the love of men. “It appears folly,” says St. Gregory, “that the author of Life should die for men.” (Hom vi). But, whatever infidels may say or think, it is of Faith that the Son of God has shed all His Blood for the love of us, to wash away the sins of our souls. “Who has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” (Apocalypse 1:5). Hence, the saints were struck dumb with astonishment at the consideration of the love of Jesus Christ. At the sight of the crucifix, St. Francis of Paul could do nothing but exclaim, “Love! Love! Love!”

9. “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end.” (John 13:1). This loving Lord was not content with showing us His love by dying on the cross for our salvation; but, at the end of His life, He wished to leave us His own very flesh for the food of our souls, that thus He might unite Himself entirely to us. “Take ye and eat, this is My Body.” (Matthew 26:26). But of this gift and this excess of love we shall speak at another time, in treating of the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Let us pass to the second point.

Second Point. On the greatness of our obligations to love Jesus Christ.

10. He who loves wishes to be loved. “When,” says St. Bernard, “God loves, He desires nothing else than to be loved.” (Ser. Ixxxiii., in Cant). The Redeemer said: “I am come to cast fire upon the Earth, and what will I but that it is kindled” (Luke 12:49). “I,” says Jesus Christ, “came on Earth to light up the fire of divine love in the hearts of men and what will I but that it be kindled?” God wishes nothing else from us than to be loved. Hence the holy Church prays in the following words: “We beseech Thee, Lord, that Thy Spirit may inflame us with that fire which Jesus Christ cast upon the Earth, and which He vehemently wished to be kindled.”

Ah! What have not the saints, inflamed with this fire, accomplished! They have abandoned all things delights, honors, the purple and the scepter that they might burn with this holy fire. But you will ask what are you to do, that you too may be inflamed with the love of Jesus Christ. Imitate David: “In my meditation a fire shall flame out.” (Psalm 38). Meditation is the blessed furnace in which the holy fire of divine love is kindled. Make mental prayer every day, meditate on the passion of Jesus Christ, and doubt not but you too shall burn with this blessed flame.

11. St. Paul says, that Jesus Christ died for us to make Himself the Master of the hearts of all. “To this end Christ died and rose again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” (Romans 14:9). He wished, says the Apostle, to give His life for all men, without a single exception, that not even one should live any longer to himself, but that all might live only to that God Who condescended to die for them. “And Christ died for all, that they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto Him who died for them.” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

12. Ah! To correspond to the love of this God, it would be necessary that another God should die for Him, as Jesus Christ died for us. Ingratitude of men! A God has condescended to give His life for their salvation, and they will not even think on what He has even done for them! Ah! If each of you thought frequently on the sufferings of the Redeemer, and on the love which He has shown to us in His Passion, how could you but love Him with your whole hearts? To him who sees with a lively Faith the Son of God suspended by three nails on an infamous gibbet, every wound of Jesus speaks and says: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.” Love, man, thy Lord and thy God, who has loved thee so intensely. “Who can resist such tender expressions?” “The wounds of Jesus Christ,” says St. Bonaventure, “wound the hardest hearts, and inflame frozen souls.”

13. “Oh, if you knew the mystery of the cross!” said St. Andrew the Apostle to the tyrant by whom he was tempted to deny Jesus Christ. Tyrant, if you knew the love which your Savior has shown you by dying on the cross for your salvation, instead of tempting me, you would abandon all the goods of this Earth to give yourself to the love of Jesus Christ.

14. I conclude, my most beloved brethren, by recommending you henceforth to meditate every day on the passion of Jesus Christ. I shall be content, if you daily devote to this meditation a quarter of an hour. Let each at least procure a crucifix, let him keep it in his room, and from time to time give a glance at it, saying: “Ah! My Jesus, Thou hast died for me, and I do not love Thee!” Had a person suffered for a friend injuries, buffets, and prisons, he would be greatly pleased to find that they were remembered and spoken of with gratitude. But he should be greatly displeased if the friend for whom they had been borne, were unwilling to think or hear of his sufferings. Thus frequent meditation on His Passion is very pleasing to our Redeemer; but the neglect of it greatly provokes His displeasure.

O how great will be the consolation which we shall receive in our last moments from the sorrows and death of Jesus Christ, if, during life, we shall have frequently meditated on them with love! Let us not wait till others, at the hour of death, place in our hands the crucifix; let us not wait till they remind us of all that Jesus Christ suffered for us. Let us, during life, embrace Jesus Christ crucified; let us keep ourselves always united to Him, that we may live and die with Him. He who practices devotion to the passion of Our Lord, cannot but be devoted to the dolors of Mary, the remembrance of which will be to us a source of great consolation at the hour of death, how profitable and sweet the meditation of Jesus on the cross! Oh! How happy the death of him who dies in the embraces of Jesus crucified, accepting death with cheerfulness for the love of that God Who has died for the love of us!

SERMON 27
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
YOU CAN BECOME A GOOD TREE

Consider now my dear brethren, the good works you have done. Have you done them for God alone, so that there was nothing worldly in them and so that you had no regrets when people sometimes proved ungrateful? Have you ever congratulated yourselves inwardly on the good you have done your neighbor? Because if you have done that, either you have done nothing or you may as well count it as nothing, since you have already lost your reward for it. Do you know, my dear brethren, the decision you have to make? If you have done nothing, or if what you have done has been fruitless because it was done for a human motive, begin immediately to do good works so that at death you will be able to find something to offer to Jesus Christ in order that He may give you eternal life.

Perhaps you will say to me: “I have done nothing but evil all my whole life. I am just a bad tree which cannot bring forth good fruit.”

My dear brethren, that can very well be, as I am going to show you. Change this tree, moisten it with different water, treat it with some other fertilizer, and you will see that it will bear good fruit, even though it has been bearing bad fruit up to the present. If this tree, which is yourself, has been fruitful in pride, in avarice, in impurity, you can, with the grace of God, see to it that these fruits become abundant in humility, in charity, and in purity. Do yourself as did the Earth, which, before the Deluge, drew from its own bosom the water to moisten itself, without having recourse to the clouds of Heaven to give it fertility. In the same way, my dear brethren, draw from your own hearts that salutary water which will change your dispositions.

You have watered this tree with the foul water of your passions.

Well, then, from now on, water it with the tears of repentance, of sorrow, and of love, and you will see that you will cease to be a bad tree and will become one which will bear fruit for life eternal.

To show you, my dear brethren, that this can happen, consider the admirable example furnished in the person of St. Mary Magdalen. Remember how, according to Jesus Christ Himself, she was a bad tree, and then how grace made her into a good tree which brought forth good fruit in abundance. St. Luke tells us that she was a sinner and that she was well known as such in the whole city of Jerusalem. I recommend that you consider what significance those words, which came from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself, have for us. Here was a young girl born with the strongest passions, extraordinary beauty, great wealth ― that is to say, with that which not merely kindles the passions but which nourishes and feeds them continually.

She was greatly attracted by the pleasures of the world, she had a very strong taste for fashion and a great desire to look beautiful, so that her thoughts and all her cares were employed towards that end. A far from modest air proclaimed openly that her innocence would suffer a speedy shipwreck. Vain and frivolous, the object of admiration by worldlings, she sought all the more to please them, either with provocative glances fired by an impure heart or with her seductive ways and the self-indulgent air which she displayed so brazenly. All of this told a tale of a tree that could only bear plenty of bad fruit.

She received with incredible complaisance the gross glances of the worldlings. She accepted with much self-gratification the silly homage of men. She loved, with more than ordinary enjoyment, to move in the well-to-do social circles of her day.

Since she was of great beauty and possessed very considerable wealth, was young and graceful to behold, everyone had, it seemed, eyes and thought for her alone. Dances, spectacles, and the desire to attract and please everyone were all she cared about. If she appeared among the faithful, in the places chosen for prayer, she did so quite eagerly, not to weep for her sins, as she should have been doing, but, rather, to take her place there as the center of attraction that she usually was, to see and ― even more ― to be seen, and to be admired. Acting thus, it seemed as if she would like to contest with God Himself for men’s hearts and the honor which was due Him alone.

She went so far that she finished by becoming a subject of scandal throughout the whole city of Jerusalem. The assignations with the young men, the embraces, the far from modest conversations, the depravities to which she surrendered herself, ended by making her come to be looked upon as a young woman of very evil life. She finished by being avoided and despised by all those of any standing. She was called a sinful and scandalous woman by everyone in the city.

You will admit that here, indeed, was a bad tree. If you have gone as far as she did, there are few who have passed her up.

Alas, my friends, what a crop of pride was not borne by that head dressed and ornamented with so much care! What fruits of depravity were not produced in that corrupt heart consumed by an impure fire! And so equally with all the other passions which dominated her. I think, my dear brethren, that it would be difficult to find a more evil tree.

Yet, my dear brethren, you shall see that, if we are willing to avail ourselves of the grace which is never lacking to us, any more than it was to Mary Magdalen, miserable though we may be, we can change our tree, which up to now has been bearing only bad fruit. We can make it bear good fruit if we will but make use of the grace which comes to our help. From being bad Christians, we can become good and bear fruit worthy of eternal life, as we shall see by the conversion of Mary Magdalen.

St. Jerome tells us that while Mary Magdalen was thus abandoned to all her passionate and undisciplined ways of living, the stories of so many miracles worked by our Savior in curing the sick and raising the dead to life were filling all Judea with astonishment. Everyone was eager to see so extraordinary a man.

Mary Magdalen, happily for herself, was one of this number.

The first words which she heard falling from the ‘lips of our Savior were those of the Parables of the Prodigal Son and of the Good Shepherd. She recognized herself exactly in this young man and she also recognized our Savior as the Good Shepherd.

The shafts of grace were so lively and so penetrating that she could not help but feel their effects. As the words continued, she felt herself moved to tears. The many miracles that she herself had seen and heard filled her with astonishment, and grace completed the work of changing her, of converting her from a really bad tree into a wonderfully good tree which would bring forth excellent fruit. But what completed the work of detaching her from herself and from sin, the work of breaking through all that held her to these, was the great generosity of God towards sinners. Ah, my dear brethren, how powerful grace is when it finds a heart well disposed! Look at her who began by neither thinking nor acting, but grace pursued her, remorse of conscience tormented her, she felt her heart break with sorrow for her sins. Her eyes, which previously had been so bright with the fire of impurity, which she knew so well how to kindle in the hearts of others, began to shed bitter tears.

Since her heart had first tasted the pleasures of the world, she wished it to be the first to feel all the regret for having done evil. From that time, the world of society, which hitherto had held all her pleasure and happiness, could now only weary and disgust her more and more. She discovered that her only happiness lay in being separated from the world and in retirement where she could reflect and shed tears freely.

The more she thought upon the kind of life she had been leading up to then, the outrages she had committed against God, and the number of souls she had lost by her bad life, the more acutely was her heart pierced by sorrow. Such self-love, such proud self-gratification as she had taken in her great beauty, all that worldly homage which had so flattered her-all that now was nothing more to her than a senseless vanity and a kind of idolatry. That vulgar luxury, the worldly amusements which she had always looked upon as the privileges of her age and of her sex, were now in her eyes only a pagan way of living and a real apostasy of her religion. Those passionate sentiments, those indecent liberties, those tender attachments, previously so dear to her heart, and all those mysteries of iniquity, now seemed but crimes and abominations. She realized, as she wept freely and abundantly, that if God had graced her with so many gifts, He had done so but to make her more pleasing to Him. She was therefore the more intensely ashamed of her ingratitude and rebellion.

During these struggles with herself, she learned that a distinguished Pharisee was enjoying the good fortune of entertaining our Savior at his house. She recalled all that she had heard our Lord saying. Yes, she said to herself, I can no longer doubt but that this is the good and charitable Shepherd and that I am but the lost sheep. Ah, she cried, it was I that He meant when He spoke of that prodigal son. So I will rise up and I will go to find Him! Indeed, unable to contain herself, she started up at once, spurning all her finery and her vanities. She ran, or, rather, the grace with which her heart was already on fire hurried her along. Casting aside all human respect, she entered into the banqueting hall with a downcast air, her hair, previously so beautifully dressed and curled, now quite disheveled, her eyes lowered and bathed in tears, her face blushing and ashamed.

She threw herself at the feet of the Savior, Who was at the table.” Ah, Magdalen, Magdalen!” cries a Father of the Church, “What are you doing and what have you become? Where are all those pleasures, that vanity and that worldly love?” No, no, my dear brethren, here no longer is Magdalen the sinner, but Magdalen the penitent and the faithful lover of our Lord.

Yes, my dear brethren, it was at this moment that everything changed within her. If she had lost so many souls by a life which had been so scandalous, she is now, by her penitent life, going to win even more than those she has lost. She has nothing of human respect left, she accuses herself publicly of her sins before a large assembly, she embraces the feet of our Savior, bathes them with her tears, dries them with her hair. No, no, my dear brethren, Magdalen is no longer Magdalen but a holy lover of God! “No, no, my brethren,” St. Augustine says to us, “in Magdalen there is no more vanity, no more pleasure loving, no more worldly love, all is holy and pure in her.”

“Yes, my dear brethren,” this great saint tells us, “those exquisite perfumes which she had given entirely to luxury, that magnificent head of hair so carefully dressed and ornamented, those beautiful eyes animated with such a dangerous fire, all that is now purified in her tears.”

“Ah! my dear brethren,” he says to us, “who could tell us what passes in her heart? Everyone of those who were witnesses of this generous gesture turns it into ridicule, treats her as deranged, blames and condemns her, except Jesus Christ Himself, Who knows so well that it is His grace which has done all for her.”

He is so touched by it that He says nothing to her of her sins.

But He takes a particular pleasure in praising her for the kindness she has done to Him, and that in front of all the assembled guests: “Go in peace,” He said to her tenderly, “thy sins are forgiven thee.”

Since your soul is as precious in God’s eyes as that of Mary Magdalen’s, you can be quite sure, my dear brethren, that grace will never be wanting to you to convert you and to help you to persevere.

SERMON 28
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
I AM NOT LIKE THE OTHERS

She was greatly attracted by the pleasures of the world, she had a very strong taste for fashion and a great desire to look beautiful, so that her thoughts and all her cares were employed towards that end. A far from modest air proclaimed openly that her innocence would suffer a speedy shipwreck. Vain and frivolous, the object of admiration by worldlings, she sought all the more to please them, either with provocative glances fired by an impure heart or with her seductive ways and the self-indulgent air which she displayed so brazenly. All of this told a tale of a tree that could only bear plenty of bad fruit.

She received with incredible complaisance the gross glances of the worldlings. She accepted with much self-gratification the silly homage of men. She loved, with more than ordinary enjoyment, to move in the well-to-do social circles of her day.

Since she was of great beauty and possessed very considerable wealth, was young and graceful to behold, everyone had, it seemed, eyes and thought for her alone. Dances, spectacles, and the desire to attract and please everyone were all she cared about. If she appeared among the faithful, in the places chosen for prayer, she did so quite eagerly, not to weep for her sins, as she should have been doing, but, rather, to take her place there as the center of attraction that she usually was, to see and ― even more ― to be seen, and to be admired. Acting thus, it seemed as if she would like to contest with God Himself for men’s hearts and the honor which was due Him alone.

She went so far that she finished by becoming a subject of scandal throughout the whole city of Jerusalem. The assignations with the young men, the embraces, the far from modest conversations, the depravities to which she surrendered herself, ended by making her come to be looked upon as a young woman of very evil life. She finished by being avoided and despised by all those of any standing. She was called a sinful and scandalous woman by everyone in the city.

You will admit that here, indeed, was a bad tree. If you have gone as far as she did, there are few who have passed her up.

Alas, my friends, what a crop of pride was not borne by that head dressed and ornamented with so much care! What fruits of depravity were not produced in that corrupt heart consumed by an impure fire! And so equally with all the other passions which dominated her. I think, my dear brethren, that it would be difficult to find a more evil tree.

Yet, my dear brethren, you shall see that, if we are willing to avail ourselves of the grace which is never lacking to us, any more than it was to Mary Magdalen, miserable though we may be, we can change our tree, which up to now has been bearing only bad fruit. We can make it bear good fruit if we will but make use of the grace which comes to our help. From being bad Christians, we can become good and bear fruit worthy of eternal life, as we shall see by the conversion of Mary Magdalen.

SERMON 29
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
A PUBLIC PLAGUE

As you know my dear brethren, we are bound as fellow creatures to have human sympathy and feelings for one another. Yet one envious person would like, if he possibly could, to destroy everything good and profitable belonging to his neighbor. You know, too, that as Christians we must have boundless charity for our fellow men. But the envious person is far removed indeed from such virtues. He would be happy to see his fellow man ruin himself. Every mark of God’s generosity towards his neighbor is like a knife thrust that pierces his heart and causes him to die in secret. Since we are all members of the same Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head, we should so strive that unity, charity, love, and zeal can be seen in one and all. To make us all happy, we should rejoice, as St. Paul tells, in the happiness of our fellow men and mourn with those who have cares or troubles. But, very far from experiencing such feelings, the envious are forever uttering scandals and calumnies against their neighbors. It appears to them that in this way they can do something to assuage and sweeten their vexation.

But, unfortunately, we have not said all that can be said about envy. This is the deadly vice which hurls kings and emperors from their thrones. Why do you think, my dear brethren, that among these kings, these emperors, these men who occupy the first places in the world of men, some are driven out of their places of privilege, some are poisoned, others are stabbed? It is simply because someone wants to rule in their place. It is not the food, nor the drink, nor the habitations that the authors of such crimes want. Not at all. They are consumed with envy.

Take another example. Here is a merchant who wants to have all the business for himself and to leave nothing at all for anyone else. If someone leaves his store to go elsewhere, he will do his best to say all the evil he can, either about the rival businessman himself or else about the quality of what he sells. He will take all possible means to ruin his rival’s reputation, saying that the other’s goods are not of the same quality as his own or that the other man gives short weight. You will notice, too, than an envious man like this has a diabolical trick to add to all this: “It would not do,” he will tell you, “for you to say this to anyone else; it might do harm and that would upset me very much. I am only telling you because I would not like to see you being cheated.”

A workman may discover that someone else is now going to work in a house where previously he was always employed. This angers him greatly, and he will do everything in his power to run down this “interloper” so that he will not be employed there after all.

Look at the father of a family and see how angry he becomes if his next-door neighbor prospers more than he or if the neighbor’s land produces more. Look at a mother: she would like it if people spoke well of no children except hers. If anyone praises the children of some other family to her and does not say something good of hers, she will reply, “They are not perfect,” and she will become quite upset. How foolish you are, poor mother! The praise given to others will take nothing from your children.

Just look at the jealousy of a husband in respect of his wife or of a wife in respect of her husband. Notice how they inquire into everything the other does and says, how they observe everyone to whom the other speaks, every house into which the other enters. If one notices the other speaking to someone, there will be accusations of all sorts of wrongdoing, even though the whole episode may have been completely innocent.

This is surely a cursed sin which puts a barrier between brothers and sisters, too. The very moment that a father or a mother gives more to one member of the family than the others, you will see the birth of this jealous hatred against the parent or against the favored brother or sister ― a hatred which may last for years, and sometimes even for a lifetime. There are children who keep a watchful eye upon their parents just to insure that they will not give any sort of gift or privilege to one member of the family. If this should occur in spite of them, there is nothing bad enough that they will not say.

We can see that this sin makes its first appearance among children. You will notice the petty jealousies they will feel against one another if they observe any preferences on the part of the parents. A young man would like to be the only one considered to have intelligence, or learning, or a good character. A girl would like to be the only one who is loved, the only one well dressed, the only one sought after; if others are more popular than she, you will see her fretting and upsetting herself, even weeping, perhaps, instead of thanking God for being neglected by creatures so that she may be attached to Him alone. What a blind passion envy is, my dear brethren! Who could hope to understand it?

Unfortunately, this vice can be noted even among those in whom it should never be encountered ― that is to say, among those who profess to practice their religion. They will take note of how many times such a person remains to go to Confession or of how So-and-So kneels or sits when she is saying her prayers. They will talk of these things and criticize the people concerned, for they think that such prayers or good works are done only so that they may be seen, or in other words, that they are purely an affectation. You may tire yourself out telling them that their neighbor’s actions concern him alone. They are irritated and offended if the conduct of others is thought to be superior to their own.

You will see this even among the poor. If some kindly person gives a little bit extra to one of them, they will make sure to speak ill of him to their benefactor in the hope of preventing him from benefiting on any further occasion. Dear Lord, what a detestable vice this is! It attacks all that is good, spiritual as well as temporal.

We have already said that this vice indicates a mean and petty spirit. That is so true that no one will admit to feeling envy, or at least no one wants to believe that he has been attacked by it. People will employ a hundred and one devices to conceal their envy from others. If someone speaks well of another in our presence, we keep silence: we are upset and annoyed. If we must say something, we do so in the coldest and most unenthusiastic fashion. No, my dear children, there is not a particle of charity in the envious heart. St. Paul has told us that we must rejoice in the good which befalls our neighbor.

Joy, my dear brethren, is what Christian charity should inspire in us for one another. But the sentiments of the envious are vastly different. I do not believe that there is a more ugly and dangerous sin than envy because it is hidden and is often covered by the attractive mantle of virtue or of friendship. Let us go further and compare it to a lion which we thought was muzzled, to a serpent covered by a handful of leaves which will bite us without our noticing it. Envy is a public plague which spares no one. We are leading ourselves to Hell without realizing it.

But how are we then to cure ourselves of this vice if we do not think we are guilty of it? I am quite certain that of the thousands of envious souls honestly examining their consciences, there would not be one ready to believe himself belonging to that company. It is the least recognized of sins.

Some people are so profoundly ignorant that they do not recognize a quarter of their ordinary sins. And since the sin of envy is more difficult to know, it is not surprising that so few confess it and correct it. Because they are not guilty of the big public sins committed by coarse and brutalized people, they think that the sins of envy are only little defects in charity, when, in fact, for the most part, these are serious and deadly sins which they are harboring and tending in their hearts, often without fully recognizing them.

“But,” you may be thinking in your own minds, “if I really recognized them, I would do my best to correct them.”

If you want to be able to recognize them, my dear brethren, you must ask the Holy Ghost for His light. He alone will give you this grace. No one could, with impunity, point out these sins to you; you would not wish to agree nor to accept them; you would always find something which would convince you that you had made no mistake in thinking and acting in the way you did. Do you know yet what will help to make you know the state of your soul and to uncover this evil sin hidden in the secret recesses of your heart? It is humility. Just as pride will hide it from you, so will humility reveal it to you.

SERMON 30
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
OH! EVERYONE SAYS SO!

Have you ever listened to someone speaking well of a young woman and recounting her good qualities? Someone else will certainly tell you that if this young woman has good qualities, she has plenty of bad ones, too. She is frequenting the company of So-and-

So, who does not have a good reputation. I am very full sure they are not seeing each other for any good purpose. And what about this other woman, who is always so well dressed and who keeps her children dressed up, too? She would do much better to pay her debts.

And then there is this other one: she always seems good and pleasant to everyone, but if you knew her as well as I do, you would have a different opinion. She only puts on all these smiles as a blind. Such and such a man is going to ask her to marry him, but if he asked my advice, I could tell him a few things he doesn’t know.

“Who is that person going past?” asks someone else.

“Ah, well, if you don’t know her, it’s no great loss. I won’t say any more about her. Keep out of her company ― it’s a cause of scandal. Everyone thinks so. Listen, the very worst people are ones like her who put up to be good and holy. Anyway, it’s always the way that the people who want to pass for virtuous or pious are the most wicked and spiteful.”

“She must have done you some grave harm. Has she?”

“Oh, no! But you know well that they are all the same. I happened to be with one of my oldest acquaintances one day, and I discovered that he was quite a heavy drinker and a real blackguard.”

“Maybe he did something which angered you?” the other will say.

“Ah, no, he never said anything to me which shouldn’t have been said, but everyone thinks that of him.”

“If it weren’t you who told me, I would never have believed”

“When he’s with people who do not know him, he knows very well how to act the hypocrite in order to make people believe that he is a very decent fellow. It’s like one day I happened to be with So-and-So, whom you know very well ― he is another virtuous man. If he doesn’t do anyone any harm, he doesn’t deserve any credit for that. It is just that he is not in a position to do so. I assure you that I would not like to find myself alone with him.”

“He did you some harm sometime perhaps?”

“He did not indeed, because I have never had anything to do with him.”

“And how do you know, then, that he is so bad?”

“Oh, it’s not hard to find that out. Everyone says he is. He is just like that one who was with you one day ― to hear him talk you would say that he is the most charitable man in the world and that he would never refuse anything to anyone who asked him for help. And all the time he would travel ten miles to gain two pennies. I assure you that nowadays you can’t know people at all; you can’t trust anyone. It is just the same with that fellow you were talking to just now. He looks after his affairs very well; he keeps up a good appearance always, and all his family look well turned out, too. It’s not so very difficult, really-he works at night, you know.”

“Have you seen him taking anything, then?”

“Oh, no, I have never seen him taking anything. But I was told that one fine night he went back into his house well loaded with stuff. In any case, he has none too good a reputation.”

And the speaker concludes: “I’m not saying that I have no faults myself, but I would be eternally sorry to be as worthless as some of these people.”

In all of this you can see the notorious Pharisee, who fasts twice a week, who pays tithes of all he possesses, and who thanks God that he is not as the rest of men ― extortioners, unjust, adulterers! Here you can see this pride, this hatred, this jealousy!

SERMON 31
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
I COME ON THE BEHALF OF GOD

Why am I up in the pulpit today, my dear brethren? What am I going to say to you? Ah! I come on behalf of God Himself. I come on behalf of your poor parents, to awaken in you that love and gratitude which you owe them.

I come to bring before your minds again all those kindnesses and all the love which they gave you while they were on Earth. I come to tell you that they suffer in Purgatory, that they weep, and that they demand with urgent cries the help of your prayers and your good works. I seem to hear them crying from the depths of those fires which devour them: “Tell our loved ones, tell our children, tell all our relatives how great the evils are which they are making us suffer. We throw ourselves at their feet to implore the help of their prayers. Ah! Tell them that since we have been separated from them, we have been here burning in the flames! Oh! Who would be so indifferent to such sufferings as we are enduring?”

Do you see, my dear brethren, do you hear that tender mother, that devoted father, and all those relatives who helped and tended you? “My friends,” they cry, “free us from these pains; you can do it.” Consider then, my dear brethren: (1) the magnitude of these sufferings which the souls in Purgatory endure; and (2) the means which we have of mitigating them: our prayers, our good works, and, above all, the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

I do not wish to stop at this stage to prove to you the existence of Purgatory. That would be a waste of time. No one among you has the slightest doubt on that score. The Church, to which Jesus Christ promised the guidance of the Holy Ghost and which, consequently, can neither be mistaken herself nor mislead us, teaches us about Purgatory in a very clear and positive manner. It is certain, very certain, that there is a place where the souls of the just complete the expiation of their sins before being admitted to the glory of Paradise, which is assured them.

Yes, my dear brethren, and it is an article of faith: if we have not done penance proportionate to the greatness and enormity of our sins, even though forgiven in the holy tribunal of Penance, we shall be compelled to expiate them. In Holy Scripture there are many texts which show clearly that although our sins may be forgiven, God still imposes on us the obligation to suffer in this world by temporal hardships or in the next by the flames of Purgatory.

Look at what happened to Adam. Because he was repentant after committing his sin, God assured him that He had pardoned him, and yet He condemned him to do penance for nine hundred years, penance which surpasses anything that we can imagine. See again: David ordered, contrary to the wish of God, the census of his subjects, but, stricken with remorse of conscience, he recognized his sin and, throwing himself upon the ground, begged the Lord to pardon him. God, touched by his repentance, forgave him indeed. But despite that, He sent Gad to tell David that he would have to choose between three scourges which He had prepared for him as punishment for his iniquity: the plague, war, or famine.

David said: “It is better that I should fall into the hands of the Lord (for his mercies are many) than into the hands of men.” He chose the pestilence, which lasted three days and killed seventy thousand of his subjects. If the Lord had not stayed the hand of the Angel, which was stretched out over the city, all Jerusalem would have been depopulated! David, seeing so many evils caused by his sin, begged the grace of God to punish him alone and to spare his people, who were innocent.

Alas, my dear brethren, what, then, will be the number of years which we shall have to suffer in Purgatory, we who have so many sins, we who, under the pretext that we have confessed them, do no penance and shed no tears? How many years of suffering shall we have to expect in the next life?

But how, when the holy Fathers tell us that the torments they suffer in this place seem to equal the sufferings which our Lord Jesus Christ endured during His sorrowful Passion, shall I paint for you a heart-rending picture of the sufferings which these poor souls endure?

However, it is certain that if the slightest torment that our Lord suffered had been shared by all mankind, they would all be dead through the violence of such suffering. The fire of Purgatory is the same as the fire of Hell; the difference between them is that the fire of Purgatory is not everlasting. Oh! Should God in His great mercy permit one of these poor souls, who burn in these flames, to appear here in my place, all surrounded by the fires which consume him, and should he give you himself a recital of the sufferings he is enduring, this church, my dear brethren, would reverberate with his cries and his sobs, and perhaps that might finally soften your hearts.

Oh! How we suffer! They cry to us. “Oh! You, our brethren, deliver us from these torments! You can do it! Ah, if you only experienced the sorrow of being separated from God! Cruel separation! To burn in the fire kindled by the justice of God! To suffer sorrows incomprehensible to mortal man! To be devoured by regret, knowing that we could so easily have avoided such sorrows!”

“Oh! My children!” cry the fathers and the mothers, “Can you thus so readily abandon us, we who loved you so much? Can you then sleep in comfort and leave us stretched upon a bed of fire. Will you have the courage to give yourselves up to pleasure and joy while we are here suffering and weeping night and day? You have our wealth, our homes, you are enjoying the fruit of our labors, and you abandon us here in this place of torments, where we are suffering such frightful evils for so many years! And not a single almsgiving, not a single Mass which would help to deliver us! You can relieve our sufferings, you can open our prison, and you abandon us. Oh! How cruel these sufferings are!”

Yes, my dear brethren, people judge very differently, when in the flames of Purgatory, of all those light faults, if indeed it is possible to call anything light which makes us endure such rigorous sorrows. What woe would there be to man, the Royal Prophet cries, even the most just of men, if God were to judge him without mercy. If God has found spots in the sun and malice in the angels, what, then, is this sinful man? And for us, who have committed so many mortal sins and who have done practically nothing to satisfy the justice of God, how many years of Purgatory!

“My God,” said St. Teresa, “what soul will be pure enough to enter into Heaven without passing through the vengeful flames?” In her last illness, she cried suddenly: “O justice and power of my God, how terrible you are!” During her agony, God allowed her to see His holiness as the angels and the saints see Him in Heaven, which caused her so much dread that her sisters, seeing her trembling and extraordinarily agitated, spoke to her, weeping: “Ah! Mother, what has happened to you; surely you do not fear death after so many penances and such abundant and bitter tears?”

“No, my children,” St. Teresa replied, “I do not fear death; on the contrary, I desire it so that I may be united forever with my God.”

“Is it your sins, then, which terrify you, after so much mortification?”

“Yes, my children,” she told them. “I do fear my sins, but I fear still another thing even more.”

“Is it the judgment then?”

“Yes, I tremble at the formidable account that it will be necessary to render to God, Who, in that moment, will be without mercy, but there is still something else of which the very thought alone makes me die with terror.”

The poor sisters were deeply distressed.

“Alas! Can it be Hell then?”

“No,” she told them. “Hell, thank God, is not for me. Oh! My sisters, it is the holiness of God. My God, have pity upon me! My life must be brought face to face with that of Jesus Christ Himself! Woe to me if I have the least blemish or stain! Woe to me if I am even in the very shadow of sin!”

“Alas!” cried these poor sisters. “What will our deaths be like!”

What will ours be like, then, my dear brethren, we who, perhaps in all our penances and our good works, have never yet satisfied for one single sin forgiven in the tribunal of Penance?

Ah! What years and centuries of torment to punish us! How dearly we shall pay for all those faults that we look upon as nothing at all, like those little lies that we tell to amuse ourselves, those little scandals, the despising of the graces which God gives us at every moment, those little murmurings in the difficulties that He sends us!

No, my dear brethren, we would never have the courage to commit the least sin if we could understand how much it outrages God and how greatly it deserves to be rigorously punished, even in this world.

God is just, my dear brethren, in all that He does. When He recompenses us for the smallest good action, He does so over and above all that we could desire. A good thought, a good desire, that is to say, the desire to do some good work even when we are not able to do it, He never leaves without a reward.

But also, when it is a matter of punishing us, it is done with rigor, and though we should have only a light fault, we shall be sent into Purgatory. This is true, for we see it in the lives of the saints that many of them did not go to Heaven without having first passed through the flames of Purgatory. St. Peter Damien tells that his sister remained several years in Purgatory because she had listened to an evil song with some little pleasure.

It is told that two religious promised each other that the first to die would come to tell the survivor in what state he was. God permitted the one who died first to appear to his friend. He told him that he was remaining fifteen years in Purgatory for having liked to have his own way too much.

And as his friend was complimenting him on remaining there for so short a time, the dead man replied: “I would have much preferred to be flayed alive for ten thousand years continuously, for that suffering could not even be compared with what I am suffering in the flames.”

A priest told one of his friends that God had condemned him to remain in Purgatory for several months for having held back the execution of a will designed for the doing of good works.

Alas, my dear brethren, how many among those who hear me have a similar fault with which to reproach themselves? How many are there, perhaps, who during the course of eight or ten years have received from their parents or their friends the work of having Masses said and alms given and have allowed the whole thing to slide!

How many are there who, for fear of finding that certain good works should be done, have not wanted to go to the trouble of looking at the will that their parents or their friends have made in their favor? Alas, these poor souls are still detained in the flames because no one has desired to fulfill their last wishes! Poor fathers and mothers, you are being sacrificed for the happiness of your children and your heirs! You perhaps have neglected your own salvation to augment their fortune.

You are being cheated of the good works which you left behind in your wills! Poor parents! How blind you were to forget yourselves!

You will tell me, perhaps: “Our parents lived good lives; they were very good people.” Ah! They needed little to go into these flames! See what Albert the Great, a man whose virtues shone in such an extraordinary way, said on this matter. He revealed one day to one of his friends that God had taken him into Purgatory for having entertained a slightly self-satisfied thought about his own knowledge.

The most astonishing thing was that there were actually saints there, even ones who were canonized, who were passing through Purgatory. St. Severinus, Archbishop of Cologne, appeared to one of his friends a long time after his death and told him that he had been in Purgatory for having deferred to the evening the prayers he should have said in the morning. Oh! What years of Purgatory will there be for those Christians who have no difficulty at all in deferring their prayers to another time on the excuse of having to do some pressing work! If we really desired the happiness of possessing God, we should avoid the little faults as well as the big ones, since separation from God is so frightful a torment to all these poor souls!

SERMON 32
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
RENOUNCE SIN FOR GOOD AND ALL

"We that are dead to sin, how shall we live any longer therein. Know you not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in His death? For we are buried together with Him by baptism into death; that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:2-4).

All that is very true, you will tell me, but what will people say about me after seeing me go to Confession several times and then not make my Easter duty? People are going to believe that I am leading a bad life; besides, I know plenty of others who are worse sinners than I who have been given absolution; you have received So-and-So well, and he has broken the law of abstinence with me; and So-and-So, who has been out on Sundays, as well as I have, immersed in amusements!

The conscience of another person is not yours. If he does wrong, it is not for you to listen to accounts of it. Or do you want, just in order to keep up appearances, to damn your soul by committing sacrilege? Would not that be the greatest of all evils? You think that people will notice you because they have seen you going to Confession several times and yet you have not been to Holy Communion.

Ah, my poor friend, fear rather the eyes of God, before which you have done the wrong, and pay no attention to all the others. You say that you know of some, more guilty than you, who have been given Absolution.

What do you know of them? Did an angel come to you to tell you that God had not changed or converted them? And even if they should not have been converted, should you therefore do wrong because they do wrong? Would you want to be damned because others are damning themselves? Dear God, what frightful talk!

But, these penitents still protest, these penitents who not only have not been converted, but who indeed do not want to be converted at all but only to save their faces in public. When will it be the right time then to come for Holy Communion?

When will it be time to come for Holy Communion? Listen to St. John Chrysostom. He himself is going to tell us when it will be time for Holy Communion. Is it at Easter, at Pentecost, at Christmas? No, he tells us. Is it at the point of death? No, he tells us again. When is it then? It is, he says to us, when we have renounced sin for good and all, and are fully resolved, with the help of God’s grace, not to fall into it again. When you have paid back that which is not yours, when you have become reconciled with your enemy ― that is when you are genuinely converted.

Other sinners will tell us: “If you are going to be so difficult, we will go to those who will allow us to go to Holy Communion. Look at how many times I have come. I have other things to do than to be walking the roads. I am not coming back for a long time, for I can see quite plainly that you are angry with me. What great harm have I done, then?”

You will go to find another, my friend? You are entirely free to go to anyone who seems good to you. But do you think that another would wish, any more than I would, to damn himself?

No, I am sure you do not. If he receives you, it is because he does not know you well enough. Do you want to know what sort of a person talks like that, and who goes in search of Absolution elsewhere? Listen, and tremble. He leaves his guide, who can lead him surely, to look for a passport to go straight to Hell.

But, you will say to me, look at how many times I keep coming.

Very well, my friend! Change your ways and you will be allowed Absolution the very first time you return.

I am not coming back, you say, for a very long time.

So much the worse for you alone, my poor friend. In not coming back you are taking a big step in the direction of Hell.

There are some who are so blind that they will go so far as to believe that the confessor is angry with them because he does not give them Absolution. Undoubtedly, my friends, he is vexed with you, but it is because he desires the salvation of your poor souls. It is for that reason that he does not want to give you an Absolution which, very far from saving you, would damn you for all eternity.

But, you say, what have I done that is so bad? I have not killed, or stolen.

You say not killed, not stolen, you say? But, my friend, Hell is full of other people who have not killed or stolen. There are more than two sins which drag souls into Hell. But if we were so lax as to give you Absolution when you do not merit it, we would be playing the part of executioner of your poor soul, which caused so much suffering to Jesus Christ.

SERMON 33
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
THOUGHTS ON THE WAY TO CHURCH

When our duty calls us to a holy place, might not anyone say that we resemble criminals being led before their judges to be condemned to the worst possible tortures, rather than Christians whom love alone should lead to God? How very blind we are, my dear brethren, to have so little heart for the things of Heaven, while at the same time we are so taken up with the things of the world! Indeed, when it is a question of temporal matters or even of pleasures, everyone will be preoccupied with them. They will think about them in advance. They will meditate upon them.

But, unfortunately, when the question is one of the service of our God and the salvation of our poor souls the whole thing becomes a matter of routine and inconceivable indifference.

Suppose someone wants to speak to a very important or influential person and to ask him some favor. He will dwell upon the matter for a long time in advance. He will consult others whom he thinks better educated or more experienced than himself in order to find out in what way he should approach this person. He will appear before him with that modest and respectful bearing which, generally speaking, the presence of such a personage inspires. But when he comes into the house of God, ah, there is no more of that sort of thing. No one thinks then of what he is about to do or of what he is about to ask of God.

Tell me, my dear brethren, who is there who, as he is going along to the church, is saying to himself: Where am I going?

Is it to the house of a man or to the palace of a king? Oh, no, it is into the house of my God, into the dwelling place of Him Who loves me more than Himself, since He died for me, Whose compassionate eyes are aware of my actions, Whose ears are attentive to my prayers, always ready to hear my prayers and to forgive. Filled with these blessed thoughts, why would we not exclaim with the holy King David: “O my soul, rejoice that you are about to enter the house of the Lord,” to give Him your homage, to show Him your needs, to listen to His divine words, to ask Him for His graces.

Oh what things I have to say to Him, what graces I have to ask of Him, what gratitude I have to pay Him! I will speak to Him of all my worries, and I know that He will console me. I will admit my faults to Him, and He will forgive me. I am going to talk to Him of my family, and He will bless it with all sorts of mercies. Yes, my God, I shall adore You in Your holy temple, and I shall return from there filled with all sorts of benedictions.

Tell me, my dear brethren, is that the sort of thought which occupies you when your religious duties call you to church?

Are those indeed the thoughts you have, after having wasted the entire morning in discussing your sales and your purchases, or at the least, some other entirely useless matters? You come along in a hurry to hear a Mass which often is half-finished.

Alas! If I dare to put into words how many go to visit the god of drunkenness before their Creator; and, coming to church full of wine, they will talk and concern themselves with temporal matters right up to the very door! Oh! Dear God! Are these Christians, who ought to be living like angels upon Earth?

What of you, my good woman, are your thoughts any better now that you have occupied your mind and part of your time in thinking how you were going to dress, so that you might please the people you know; and then you come to a place where you should come only to lament for your sins?

Indeed, too often the priest is ascending the altar while you are still turning around and around, looking at yourself in front of a mirror. Ah, dear God! Are these really Christians who have taken You for their Model, You, Whose whole life was spent amidst scorn and tears? Listen, my dear young lady, to what St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, has to teach you. As he was in the doorway of the church one day and saw a young person approaching dressed with the greatest of care, he spoke to her. “Where are you going, young woman?” he asked. She told him that she was going to church. “You are going to the church,” the holy Bishop said to her, “but one might rather think that you are going to the dance or to a play or a spectacle. Go away, sinful woman, and weep for your sins in secret, and do not come to the church to insult with your frivolous adornments a crucified God.”

Dear Lord! How our century has provided us with vanity! How many people when they are coming to the church think of nothing else except themselves and their clothes and styles.

They enter the temple of the Lord saying from the depths of their hearts: “Have a good look at me.” When we see such wrong dispositions, how can we help but shed tears?

And you, fathers and mothers, what are your dispositions when you come to church, to the Mass? Alas! We must admit it with sorrow that most frequently the fathers and mothers that we see are coming into the church when the priest is already on the altar, or even in the pulpit! Ah, you will tell me, we came as soon as we could. We have other things to do.

Undoubtedly you have other things to do. But I know very well, too, that if you did not leave until Sunday the one hundred and one things in your homes which you should have done on Saturday, and if you had got up a little earlier in the morning, you would have done them all before holy Mass, and you would have arrived at the church before the priest had ascended the altar. It can be the same thing, too, with your children and your servants: if you had not been giving them orders until the very last stroke of the Mass bell, they would have arrived at the church at the beginning. I do not know whether God will receive all these excuses easily; I hardly think so.

But why, my dear brethren, should I speak of particular cases? Surely it is the majority of you who behave in this way.

Yes, when you are called to church so that the graces of God may be administered to you, anyone may see this lack of enthusiasm in you, this indifference, this boredom which consumes you, this practically general inattention. Tell me, where will you see the majority of the general congregation when the services are beginning? Are the Vespers not half said by the time you arrive?

We have work to do, you tell me.

Well, my friends, if you were to tell me that you have neither faith, nor love of God, nor the desire to save your poor souls, I would believe you much better. Alas! What can anyone think of all that? There is a great deal to lament in what is to be seen of the dispositions of the majority of Christians! A great many seem to come to church only in spite of themselves or, if I dare to put it that way, as if someone were dragging them there. From the house to the church, temporal matters only are discussed.

A group of young girls together will talk about nothing except style, beauty, and all the rest of it; the young men only of games and amusements or of other matters which are more evil. The fathers or the masters of households will chat about their property or business, about buying and selling. The mothers are preoccupied only with their households and their children. No one will go so far as to deny that. Alas! Not a single thought will be given to the happiness they are about to have, not a single reflection on the needs of their poor souls or those of their children or their servants! They enter the holy temple without respect, without attention, and a great many of them as late as is possible.

How many others do not even go to the trouble of coming in at all, but stay outside, in order to find better ways of distracting themselves? The word of God does not trouble their consciences: they look around at those who are coming and going. Dear God! Are these really the Christians for whom You suffered so much in order to make them happy? And this is all they think of it?

With dispositions like that, how many sins must be committed during the services? How many people must commit more sins on Sunday than during all the rest of the week!

Listen to what St. Martin has to tell us. While he was singing the Mass with St. Brice, his disciple, he noticed the latter smiling. After it was all over, he asked him what had made him smile. St. Brice replied: “Father, I saw something extraordinary while we were singing the holy Mass. Behind the altar I saw a devil and he was writing on a huge sheet of parchment the sins which were being committed in the church, and his sheet was rather full before the Mass was finished. So the devil took the sheet of parchment between his teeth and tugged it so hard that he tore it into shreds. That was what made me smile.”

What sins, and even mortal sins, we commit during the services by our lack of devotion and recollection! Alas! What has become of those happy times when Christians passed not only the day but even the greater part of the nights in the church, mourning for their sins and singing the praises of God? See, even in the Old Testament, see holy Anna the prophetess, who withdrew into a tribune in order to leave the service of God no more. Look at the holy old man Simeon.

See again Zachary and so many others who passed the greater portion of their lives in the service of the Lord. And note, too, how marvelous and how precious were the graces which God bestowed upon them. To reward Anna, God willed that she should be the very; first to recognize our Lord.

The holy old man Simeon was also the first, after St. Joseph, to have the happiness, the very great happiness, of holding the Savior of the world in his arms. The holy Zachary was chosen to be the father of a child destined to be the ambassador of the Eternal Father in announcing the coming of His Son into the world. What wonderful graces does God not grant to those who make it their duty to come to visit Him in His holy temple as much as they possibly can.

SERMON 34
St. John Vianney (1786-1859)
WE ARE KEEPING A FEAST

In the early days of the church, the faithful of one province, or district, used to come together publicly on the feast day of a saint in order to have the happiness of participating in all the graces which God bestows on such days.

The office of the vigil was started. The evening and night were spent in prayer at the tomb of the saint. The faithful heard the word of God. They sang hymns and canticles in honor of the saint. After passing the night so devoutly, they heard Mass, at which all those assisting had the happiness of going to Holy Communion. Then they all withdrew, praising God for the triumphs He had accorded the saint and the graces He had bestowed in response to the latter’s intercession. After that, my dear brethren, who could doubt but that God pours out His graces with abundance upon such a reunion of the faithful and that the saints themselves are happy to be the patrons of such people. That was the way in which the feast days of patron saints were celebrated in olden times.

What do you think of that? Is it thus that we celebrate such feasts today? Alas! If the first Christians were to come back upon this Earth, would they not tell us that our feasts are no different from those that the pagans kept? Is it not the general rule that God is most seriously offended on these holy days?

Does it not seem, rather, that we combine our money and our energies together to multiply sin almost to infinity?

What are we concerned with on the vigil of such feasts, and even for several days beforehand? Is it not with spending foolish and unnecessary money? And all this time poor people are dying of hunger and our sins are calling down upon us the anger of God to the point where eternity would not be sufficient to satisfy for them.

You should pass the night in repentance and remorse, in considering how very little you have followed the example of your patron saint. And yet you consecrate that time to preparing everything that will flatter your gluttony!

Might it not be said that this day is one for pure self-indulgence and debauchery? Do parents and friends come, as in former times, to enjoy the happiness of participating in the graces which God bestows at the intercession of a patron saint? They come, but only to pass this feast day almost wholly at the table. In former times, the religious services were much longer than they are today, and still they seemed always too short.

Nowadays you will see even fathers of families who, during the performance of the offices, are at table filling themselves with food and wine. The first Christians invited each other in order to multiply their good works and their prayers. Today it seems rather as if people invite each other so that they can multiply the sins and the orgies and the excesses in which they indulge in eating and drinking. Does anyone think God will not demand an account of even a penny wrongly spent? Does it not seem that we celebrate the feast only to insult our holy Patron and to increase our ingratitude?

Let us look a little closer, my dear brethren, and we shall realize that we are far from imitating Him whom God has given us for a model. He passed His life in penance and in sorrow. He died in torments. What is more, I am sure that there are parishes where more sins are committed on those days than during all the rest of the year. The Lord told the Jews that their feasts were an abomination and that He would take the filth of their feasts and throw it in their faces. He wished to make us understand by this how greatly He is offended on those days which should be passed in weeping for our sins and in prayer.

We read in the Gospel that Jesus Christ came on Earth to enlighten souls with the fire of divine love. But we can believe that the Devil also roams around on Earth to light an impure fire in the hearts of Christians and that w hat he promotes with the greatest frenzy are balls and dances. I have debated for a long time whether I should speak to you about a matter so difficult to get you to understand and so little thought upon by the Christians of our days, who are blinded by their passions.

If your faith were not so weak that it might be extinguished in your hearts in the blink of an eye, you would understand the enormity of the abyss towards which you precipitate yourselves in giving yourselves over with such abandon to these wretched amusements. But you will tell me. For you to talk to us about dances and about the evil that takes place at them is just a waste of time. We will indulge neither more nor less in them. I firmly believe that, since Tertullian assures us that very many refused to become Christians rather than deprive themselves of such pleasures.

SERMON 35
St. Francis de Sales
ETERNAL HAPPINESS IN HEAVEN

When the great Apostle St. Paul was snatched up and raised even to the third heaven, he did not know whether he was in or outside his body, and he affirmed that no man may or could tell what he saw there or what wonders he learned when they were shown him in his rapture.

Now, if he who saw them cannot speak of them – if even after having been snatched up even to the third heaven, he dares not say a word of what he witnessed – much less should we presume to do so, we who have never been raised even to the first, or the second, let alone the third heaven.

The discourse of the Gospel [Matt. 17:1-9] which I am to give you today treats of eternal happiness. I must begin by giving you a parable. In treating of the marvellous things of the next world in his Dialogues, St. Gregory the Great affirms the following:
“Picture a pregnant woman who is put into prison, where she remains until the time of her delivery. She even gives birth there and is then condemned to pass the remainder of her life in the dungeon and to bring up her child there. As he grows older, the mother desires to give him some idea of things in the outside world, for having lived only in that continual darkness he has no idea of the light of the sun, the beauty of the stars, or the loveliness of nature.

Since the mother wants to teach him all these things, they lower a lamp or a lighted candle to her. With this she attempts to make him conceive, as best she can, the beauty of a bright day. She tells him: ‘The sun and the stars are made like this and spread out a great light.’ It is all in vain, for the child, having had no experience of the light of which his mother speaks, cannot understand. Then the poor woman tries to give him an idea of the beauty of hills covered with trees and various fruits: oranges, lemons, pears, apples, and the like.

But the child knows nothing of all that, nor of how it can be. And although his mother, holding in her hand some leaves of those trees, may tell him: ‘My child, they are covered with leaves like these and, showing him an apple or an orange, ‘They are also laden with fruits such as these; are they not beautiful?’ The child remains in ignorance. His mind simply cannot comprehend what his mother wants to teach him, for all that she uses is nothing compared to the reality itself.’”
The limitations are the same, my dear souls, with all that we can say of the grandeur of eternal happiness and of the pleasure and beauties with which Heaven is filled. Indeed, there is greater proportion between the light of a lamp and the splendor of those great luminaries that shine upon us; between the beauty of the leaf or fruit of a tree and the tree itself laden with both flowers and fruit; between all that this child comprehends of what his mother tells him and the reality itself of the things spoken of, than there is between the light of the sun ands the splendor which the blessed enjoy in glory; between the beauty of a meadow sprinkled with flowers in the springtime and the beauty of these heavenly gardens; between the loveliness of our hills covered with fruits and the loveliness of the eternal hills. But be that as it may, and we may be certain that we can say nothing in comparison to the reality; still we ought to say something about it.

I have already preached here many times on today’s Gospel and on this topic. Therefore I want to speak on a point which I have never yet treated. But before beginning it, I must clarify some difficulties which might prevent you from really understanding what I want to say. I do this eagerly because I want this point well thought over, considered, and understood by you.

The first difficulty seen in the question is: Can the souls of the blessed, separated from their bodies, see, hear, consider, and understand? Can they, in short, exercise the functions of the mind as freely as when they were united to their bodies? I answer that not only can they act as before, but much more perfectly.

And to support this theory I shall give you a story from St. Augustine, an author in whom one can place complete trust. He relates that he was acquainted with a physician from Carthage who was famous in Rome as in that city, both because he excelled in the art of medicine and because he was a very good man, one who did many charitable works and served the poor gratis. His charity towards his neighbor moved God to lift him out of an error into which he had fallen as a young man. God always greatly favors those who practice charity toward their neighbor; indeed, there is nothing that draws down His mercy upon us more abundantly.

Our Lord has declared it His own special commandment [Jn. 15:12], the one He loves and cherishes most. For after that of the love of God, there is none greater. (Matthew 22:37-40).

St. Augustine recounts how this physician told him that when young he began to doubt whether the soul, separated from the body, can see, hear, or understand anything. One day, while in this error, he fell asleep.

Suddenly, a handsome young man appeared to him in his sleep and said: ‘Follow me.’ The physician did so, and his guide led him into a large and spacious field where on one side he showed him incomparable beauties, and on the other allowed him to hear a concert of delightful music. Then the physician awoke.

Some time after, the same young man again appeared to him in sleep and asked: “Do you recognize me?”
The physician answered that he did indeed recognize him distinctly, that it was he who had conducted him to the beautiful field where he had heard such pleasing music.
“But how can you see and recognize me?” asked the youth.
“Where are your eyes?”
“My eyes,” he replied, “are in my body.”
“And where is your body?”
“My body is lying in my bed.”
“And are your eyes open or closed?”
“They are closed.”
“If they are closed, they can see nothing. Admit, then, since you see me even with your eyes closed, recognize me distinctly, and have heard the music even though yours senses slept, that the functions of the mind do not depend on the corporal senses, and that the soul, even when separated from the body, can nevertheless see, hear, consider and understand.”

Then the sacred dream ended and the youth left the physician, who never after doubted this truth.
This is how St. Augustine tells it. He further mentions that the physician told him that he heard that divine music sung on his right in the field mentioned. But he firmly added: “I do not remember what he saw to his left.”

I mention this to point out how precise that glorious saint was, saying only what he knew to be the truth in this story. After this we must never again allow this “difficulty” entrance into our minds, namely, whether our souls, when separated from our bodies, will have full and absolute liberty to perform their functions and activities. For then our understanding will see, consider and understand not only one thing at a time, but several together; we shall be able to give our attention to several things at one time without one of them displacing any other.
Here, we cannot do that, for whoever wants to think of more than one thing at a time always gives less attention to each and his attention is less perfect in all of them. It is the same with the memory; it will furnish us with many recollections, and one will not interfere with the others. Our will will also have the facility of willing many different things without being weakened or loving any one less ardently than the other.

That can never be done in this life while the soul inhabits the body. Here our memory does not have complete liberty in its operation. It cannot have many recollections, at least at the same time, without one interfering with the other. Likewise, our will loves with less ardor when it loves many things together. Its desires and willing are less passionate and ardent when there are many of them.

SERMON 36
St. Augustine of Hippo
CHRIST'S ASCENSION

How great is His glory, as He ascends into Heaven, as He takes His seat at the right hand of the Father!

But we cannot see this with our eyes, just as we did not see Him hanging on the cross, nor observed Him rising from the tomb.

We hold on to all of this by Faith, we behold it with the eyes of the heart. We have received praise, because we have not seen, and yet we have believed. After all, even the Jews saw Christ. It is not a particularly great thing to see Christ with the eyes of the body, but it is a great thing to believe about Christ with the eyes of the soul, mind and heart.

On Ascension Thursday, Our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven; let our hearts ascend with Him. Listen to the words of the Apostle St. Paul: “If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above―where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God! Seek the things that are above, not the things that are on Earth!”

For just as He remained with us even after His ascension, so we too are already in Heaven with Him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.

Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but He still suffers on Earth all the pain that we, the members of His Mystical Body, have to bear. He showed this when He cried out from above: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” ― and when He said: “I was hungry and you gave Me food to eat.” Why do we on Earth not strive to find rest with Him in Heaven even now, through the Faith, Hope and Charity that unite us to Him?

While in Heaven He is also with us; and we while on Earth are with Him. He is here with us by His divinity, His power and His love. We cannot be in Heaven, as He is on Earth, by divinity, but in Him, we can be there by love.

He did not leave Heaven when He came down to us; nor did He withdraw from us when He went up again into Heaven. The fact that He was in Heaven even while He was on earth is borne out bHhis own statement: “No one has ever ascended into Heaven except the one Who descended from Heaven, the Son of Man, Who is in Heaven.”

These words are explained by our oneness with Christ, for He is ourHhead and we are His Bbody. No one ascended into Heaven except Christ―because we also are Christ: He is the Son of Man by His union with us, and we by our union with Him are sons of God.

So the Apostle says: “Just as the human body, which has many members, is a unity, because all the different members make one body, so is it also with Christ. He too has many members, but one body.”

Out of compassion for us He descended from Heaven, and although He ascended alone, we also ascend, because we are in Him by sanctifying grace.

Thus, no one but Christ descended and no one but Christ ascended; not because there is no distinction between the Head and the Body, but because the Body as a unity cannot be separated from the Head.

SERMON 37
St. John Chrysostom
ON THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST INTO HEAVEN

When we were celebrating the commemoration of the cross, we celebrated the feast outside the city, and now as we commemorate the ascension of the Crucified One on this bright and brilliant day, we again celebrate the feast outside the city.

We do so, not wishing to deprive the city of its honor, but in an eager pursuit to honor the martyrs, lest these saints reproach us and say, ‘Were we not worthy to see a single day of our Lord celebrated in the midst of our tabernacles?’ – or lest they reproach us and say, ‘Did we not shed our blood for His sake, and were we not worthy to have our heads cut off, and yet you did not count us worthy of seeing his day celebrated at our resting places?’ It is for these reasons that, having left the city, we have hastened to the feet of these saints on the present day so that we may make it up to them for the time that has elapsed.

For if it was necessary to run to these noble athletes of piety even before now, while they were still lying underground, how much more should we do this now that the pearls are lying out on display, when the sheep have been delivered from the wolves, and when the living have parted from the dead.

Still, even before this, no harm of defilement came to them by sharing in burial, for with their spirits abiding in the Heavens their bodies were not violated by the place of entombment; with their soul in the hand of God, their relics suffered nothing from their interment. Even before now, no harm had come to them.

However, our people suffered no small difficulty regarding the places themselves, given that, while they were resorting to the relics of the martyrs, they were conducting their prayers with uncertainty and hesitation because they did not know the whereabouts of the saints’ sepulchers or where the true treasures lay. And just as would happen to a flock of sheep that comes hastening toward fresh springs to enjoy pure streams, if a foul and stale odor from somewhere nearby were to befall it, they would turn back, so that is what happened to this flock.

The people were approaching the pure springs of the martyrs, but having smelled the nearby stench of heresy, they turned away. So then, when he had grown aware of this problem, this wise shepherd and teacher to all, who arranges everything toward the edification of the Church, could no longer bear to ignore this source of trouble, being himself an ardent lover and zealot for the martyrs. But what was he to do?

Behold his wisdom: he buried the muddy and fetid streams and dammed them up, whereas the pure springs of the martyrs he transferred to a pure place. And consider how he showed such humanity in his treatment of the departed, such great honor toward the martyrs, and so much care for the people! To the departed he showed the respect due to their humanity by not removing their bones but letting them rest in the same place, to the martyrs he showed honor by transferring them from a wicked neighborhood, and to the people he showed care by refusing to let them conduct their prayers with any doubt in mind.

That is why we have brought you here, so that the assembly would become more radiant and the spectacle more brilliant, since not only are the people here assembled, but also the martyrs; and not only martyrs, but also angels. Yes, indeed, angels too are present. And if you wish to see both martyrs and angels, open up the eyes of faith and you will behold this sight; for if the whole air is filled with angels, so is the Church even more so; and if this is true of the Church, all the more so on this present day when their Master is ascended.

That you may know that all the air is filled with angels, listen to what Paul says when urging the women to have a covering for their heads, how women must have a veil on their heads because of the angels (1 Corinthians 11:10). And again Jacob: The angel, he says, who has delivered me from my youth (Genesis 48:15). And those who were in the house with the apostles said to Rhoda about Peter, It is his angel (Acts 12:15). And once again Jacob: I have seen the host of angels (Genesis 32:2). So what was the reason he saw the host and army of angels over the Earth?

Just as when a king orders garrisons to settle in each city to keep barbarian invasions from breaking out and overrunning the cities, so also, since in the midst of this air there are also demons, barbaric and savage, constantly stirring up wars and hostile to peace, God has set against them the hosts of angels, so that by their mere appearance they might subdue them to vouchsafe peace for us. And that you may learn that they are angels of peace, listen to the words that the deacons always repeat in their prayers: “Implore the angel of peace.” Do you see then how the angels are present, as well as the martyrs?

What then could be more wretched than being among those who are absent today? What could be more blessed than being among those of us gathered here for the enjoyment of this feast? Nevertheless, let us save the speeches in honor of the martyrs for other occasions, and let us bring our homily back to the subject of the present feast.

2. What then is the present feast? It is venerable and great, O beloved, surpassing the human mind and worthy of the largesse of God who made it. For on this day has taken place the reconciliation between God and the human race; today, the ancient enmity and the lengthy war have been abolished; today, a wondrous peace has returned, one that was inconceivable before. For who could have hoped that God would reconcile himself with man? Not because the Master was ill-disposed toward man, but because the servant was negligent; not because the Lord was cruel, but because the slave was heedless.

Do you want to know how we provoked this lover of mankind, our gracious Master? And indeed it is right for you to learn about the cause of our former enmity with him, so that when you see us, the enemies and adversaries, restored to a state of honor, you may admire the benefactor’s love for man; and so that you do not think that the change that came about was a result of our own achievements, but rather, by learning of the abundance of his grace, you should never cease to thank him for the greatness of his gifts.

Do you wish to learn, then, how we provoked the Master, who is a friend to man, who is gracious and good, and who arranges all things for the sake of our salvation? Once, he decided to completely destroy the human race and his anger at us was so great that he would have destroyed us along with our wives and children and the wild beasts and livestock and the whole Earth. If you like, I will also let you hear the very decree, For, he says, I will blot out man whom I made from the face of the Earth, as well as the wild animals and the cattle, for I am grieved that I made man (Genesis 6:7).

Now, that you may understand that it was not our nature that he came to hate, but rather he was repulsed by our wickedness: after first saying, I will blot out man whom I have made from the face of the Earth, he says to man, A time for all men is come before me (Genesis 6:13). Certainly, if he had hated man, he would not have spoken with him. But now you see him not only unwilling to do what he threatened, but even giving a defense, as Lord, to the servant, and conversing with him as if with a friend of equal standing; and he gives the reasons for the impending doom, not just for man to learn them, but so that by telling them to others he would make them more prudent. At any rate, as I was saying, the human race was acting so perversely beforehand that we were at risk of falling from the very face of the Earth.

Nevertheless, we who proved ourselves unworthy of the Earth have today been raised up to Heaven; we who were not even worthy of authority below have ascended to the kingdom on high, surpassed the Heavens, and assumed the royal throne; and that nature which the Cherubim were assigned to keep out of Paradise is today seated upon the Cherubim. But how did this great and wondrous event take place? How were we, who gave such offense, who proved ourselves unworthy of the Earth, and who were stripped of the authority here below, raised to such great heights? How was the war brought to an end? How was the anger annulled? How?

Indeed, this is the amazing thing, that peace was brought about not by those who were unjustly angry at God, but that the same one who was justly angry with us is the one who advocated for us. For as it is said, We are ambassadors for Christ, God making consolation through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). What could this mean? That he who is insulted is the same one who advocates? Yes, for he is God and thus advocates for us like a loving father.

See then what happens: the mediator is the Son of him who makes consolation, not a human, nor an angel, nor an archangel, nor any servant. And what does the mediator do? The work of the mediator. Just as when two people turn their backs on each other and do not wish to be reconciled, someone else must come to intervene and break down the enmity between them, so this is what Christ did. God was angry with us, we had turned away from God, the Master who loves mankind, and by putting himself in between, Christ reconciled both natures.

And how did he come between them? He took on himself the punishment that we deserved from the Father and endured the disgrace and insults that we inflicted on God. Do you desire to learn how he assumed both that punishment from on high and these insults here below? It is said, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). See then how he received the punishment inflicted from above? Consider how he also endured the insults inflicted here below. The insults of those who insult you, he says, have fallen on me (Psalm 68:10). See how he dissolved the enmity, how he did not cease to do, suffer, and painstakingly perform all things until he had brought the adversary and enemy back to God himself and made him a friend?

So this present day is the source of these blessings. For by assuming our nature just as if it were first-fruits, he offered it up to the Master. And just as is done in the case of plains bearing grain, where a few grains are taken, gathered into a small sheaf, and presented to God, who blesses the whole field for the sake of this small portion – this is precisely what Christ did. Through this one flesh and offering of first-fruits he caused the entire human race to be blessed.

But why did he not offer the entirety of human nature? Because it is not the first-fruit when someone offers everything. Rather, by offering a small portion one procures a blessing for the whole by means of the part. ‘If he really were the first-fruits,’ one might say, ‘then he would have to have been the first man in order to offer himself; for the first-fruits are the first shoots, the first sprouts.’ But it is not the first-fruits, beloved, when we offer a first fruit that is blemished and of poor quality, but rather when we bring forth an acceptable offering. Therefore, because that first fruit was responsible for sin it was not offered, even though it was born first, while this one, because it was free of sin, was offered for this reason, even though it was produced later. For this is what it means to be the first-fruits.

3. And that you may learn that the first-fruits are not simply the first fruit to sprout, but the acceptable and noble fruit that has reached suitable ripeness, I will provide you with evidence from the Scriptures. If you enter the land that the Lord your God gives you, Moses says to the people, and plant any tree that produces edible fruit, for three years you shall not purge its fruit; but in the fourth year its fruit will be holy to the Lord (Leviticus 19:23-24).

Of course, if the first-fruits were simply the first produce, the fruit itself should have been offered in the first year. But now it says, ‘For three years you will not purge its fruit, instead you will leave it, because the tree is imperfect, its produce is frail and unripe. But in the fourth year, he says, it will be holy to the Lord.’ Consider then the wisdom of the lawgiver. He neither allowed anyone to eat of the fruit, lest he take it before God, nor did he permit it to be offered, lest it be presented to the Lord while still unripe. But he says, ‘Leave it,’ on the one hand, for it is the first, and, ‘Do not offer it,’ on the other, for it would be unworthy of the honor of the one receiving it.

Do you see how the first-fruits are not from the first fruit to spring up, but from that which is first acceptable? And we are told these things on account of the flesh which Christ offered. He thus presented the first-fruits of our nature to the Father, and the Father so marveled at the gift, both because of the dignity of the offerer and the blamelessness of the offering, that he received the gift with his own hands, placed it at his side and said, Sit at my right hand (Psalm 109:1).

To what sort of nature did God say, Sit at my right hand? To the very same one which had heard, Dust you are and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19). Was it not enough for it to surpass the Heavens? Was it not enough for it to stand amidst angels? Was this honor not indescribable as it was? But it surpassed the angels, exceeded the archangels, outstripped the Cherubim, ascended higher than the Seraphim, overtook the principalities, and did not cease until it assumed the Master’s throne.

Do you not see how great is the interval between Heaven and Earth? But let us begin from what is below. Do you not perceive the distance between Hades and the Earth, and how increasingly greater are the intervals separating Earth from Heaven, and Heaven from the upper Heaven, and the upper Heaven from the angels, and the angels from the archangels, and the archangels from the powers on high, and those powers from the royal throne itself? Christ led up our nature across all this distance and height. Look where it lay below and to what height it mounted! It was impossible for man to go any further down than the depths to which he descended, and impossible to go any higher than the heights to which Christ had lifted him.

And this Paul indicated when he said, He who descended is the one who also ascended (Ephesians 4:10). And again, he descended to the nether regions of the Earth and ascended far above all the Heavens (Ephesians 4:9-10). Come to know just who it was that ascended, or rather what kind of nature, or in what state it was before this. For I will dwell on the baseness of our kind with pleasure so that I might come to a superior knowledge of the honor bestowed by the Master’s love for us.

We were dust and ash (Genesis 18:27), and even this was not yet a reproach to us, for the weakness was of our nature. But then we turned to a state more mindless than that of the irrational brutes: For man was made comparable to the mindless cattle, and became like them (Psalm 48:21).

Now, becoming like the irrational beasts in fact means becoming worse than them, since it is part of their nature to be naturally irrational and to persist in their irrational state. But when we who have been honored with a rational capacity fall into that irrational state, it is a reproach to our free will. So when you hear that they became like irrational brutes, do not think that this shows men out to be equal to them. Rather this was said to show how they became even worse than the brute beasts.

Furthermore, we became worse and more insensible than the irrational beasts not just because as humans we fell down to their level, but in that we plunged toward even greater ignorance. And Isaiah indicates this when he says, The ox has known his owner and the donkey the manger of his lord, but Israel has not known me (Is 1:3). But let us not be ashamed to dwell on this former perverseness. For where sin increased grace abounded all the more (Romans 5:20).

Have you seen how we became more senseless than cattle? The ox has known his owner and the donkey the manger of his lord. Do you care to see, then, how we have become more irrational than the birds too? The turtle-dove and swallow, the wild sparrows observe the times of their coming in; but my people do not know the judgments of the Lord (Jeremias 8:7). Behold how we became more mindless than donkeys and oxen, than the birds, than the turtle-dove and the swallow!

Do you desire to learn of any other senselessness of ours? We were made the disciples of ants, to such a degree had we lost our natural wit: Follow the ant, it is said, and emulate his ways (Proverbs 6:6). We, who were created according to the image of God (Genesis 1:26) were schooled by ants. However, it is by no means the Creator who was the cause of this, but it was we, who did not abide in the image. And why do I mention ants? We became more senseless than stones. Do you request that I produce a testimony of this as well? Hearken, you precipices and foundations of the Earth, for the Lord is coming in judgment before his people (Micheas 6:2). In judging humans do you summon the foundations of the Earth also? ‘Yes,’ he says, ‘for humans are more senseless than the foundations of the Earth.’

What further extreme of wickedness could you look for, when we have already proved to be more senseless than donkeys, more irrational than oxen, more ignorant than the swallow and turtle-dove, more witless than ants, duller than rocks, and equal to snakes. For their fury, it says, resembles that of the snake; the venom of the viper is under their lips (Psalm 57:5; 13:3). And what need is there to mention the senselessness of irrational beasts when we appear to be called children of the devil himself? For you, says Christ, are children of the devil (John 8:44).

4. And yet we who are irrational, senseless, mindless, duller than stones, inferior to all else, without honor, utterly worthless – how might I say this? How shall I proceed? How might I utter this thing? This worthless nature, more senseless than anything, has today become exalted above all else.

Today, the angels have received what they had long yearned for; today, the archangels have seen what they long desired: our nature gleaming from the royal throne, resplendent in immortal glory and beauty. For it is this that the angels long yearned for; it is this that the archangels long desired. And even though the honor exceeded their own, they still rejoiced in our blessings. For, indeed, when we were punished, they were grieved; and even as the Cherubim were guarding Paradise they nevertheless felt sorrow. And just as a servant who has taken a fellow slave into custody watches over him due to the master’s command but is still distraught by the fact due to his compassion for his fellow slave, so likewise the Cherubim assumed the guardianship of Paradise but grieved at having to do so.

Now, that you may learn that they were grieving, I will make this clear from a human example. Whenever you see humans feeling such compassion for their fellow servants, no longer have any doubt regarding the Cherubim, for these angelic powers are far more compassionate than human beings.

Moreover, what typical just man grieves at the sight of men being justly punished for their countless transgressions? But this is what is wondrous, that they were grieved even after having witnessed the sins of humans and beheld how they transgressed against the Lord. It is for this reason that Moses too, after the Israelites worshiped idols, said to God, If you forgive them their sin, forgive; but if not, blot me out also from the book which you have written (Exodus 32:32).

What does this mean? While recognizing impiety you may also grieve for those being punished. It is as if he were saying, ‘This is why I grieve, since they are being punished, and since they themselves incurred the blame for their just punishment.’ Ezekiel too, when he beheld an angel cutting off the people, cried aloud and lamented, saying, Woe is me, Lord, for you are blotting out the remnant of Israel! (Ezechiel 9:8). And Jeremiah says, Chasten us, Lord, but in judgment and not in anger, lest you diminish us (Jeremias 10:24). If then Moses, Ezechiel, and Jeremiah were all grieved, how could those powers not have suffered any grief over our misfortunes? How would this make any sense?

Now, in order to learn that they share an interest in our affairs, think of what joy they showed when they saw the Master reconciled with us. If they had not been grieving before this, then they would not have had any pleasure afterwards, either. It is clear that they rejoiced from the words that Christ says, that there shall be joy in Heaven and on Earth over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). If, then, the angels rejoice at seeing one sinner repent, how could they not receive the greatest pleasure today, upon seeing our whole nature offered up into Heaven as first-fruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)?

So then, hearken also to the jubilation of the inhabitants on high in another place over our reconciliation. For when our Lord Jesus Christ was born in the flesh and they saw that he was finally reconciled with men (for he would not have made such a descent if it were not a reconciliation) – when they saw this, then, they formed a chorus over the Earth, proclaiming and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good favor among men (Luke 2:14). And that you may understand that this is why they glorified God (because the Earth was receiving such blessings), they furnish the reason also, saying, Peace on Earth, good favor among men: to those who were at enmity, to the enemies, the estranged, the senseless.

Do you see how they glorify God for the blessings of others, or rather for their own blessings? For they perceive our blessings to be their own. Do you wish to learn how they were already rejoicing and leaping for joy even as they anticipated to see him ascend? Listen to how Christ says that they were ascending and descending continually. This is the wondrous sight that they longed to see. And where do we get the proof that they were ascending and descending? Hear how he says, You will see the Heavens open from now on and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51).

For such is the habit of those who love passionately. They cannot even wait for the opportune moment but anticipate the appointed time with delight. Hence they descend, eager to behold that new and extraordinary spectacle: a human being appearing in Heaven! Hence, angels appear everywhere: at the time of his birth, at the time of his resurrection, and today, at the time of his ascent. For it is said, Behold there were two men in bright garments, revealing their delight by their manner of dress. And they said to the disciples: Men of Galilee, this Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into Heaven (Acts 1:10-11).

5. Give me your close attention here. Why do they say this? For did the disciples not possess eyes? Had they not seen what had taken place? Did not the evangelist say, As they were looking on, he was lifted up (Acts 1:9)? Why did the angels stand in their midst to tell them that he ascended to Heaven?

For these two reasons: first, that they were continually grieving at the prospect of Christ’s departure. For, to understand that they were sorrowful, hear what Christ has to say to them: None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things, sorrow has filled your heart. If we, having friends and relatives, cannot bear to part with them, how could the disciples not have grieved to see the Savior, the teacher, the guardian, the lover of mankind, the gentle and good one, parting from them? How could they not have felt pain? This is why the angel stood there, in order to assuage the sorrow that came to them at Christ’s ascent with the hope of his return.

For he says, This Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way (Acts 1:11). ‘Are you grieved,’ he says, ‘because he was taken up? Yet grieve no more, for he will return again.’ This is so that they would not do as Elisha had done, who upon seeing his master taken up tore apart his garment (4 Kings 2:12), since he had no one at his side to tell him that Elias would return. To keep the disciples from doing so, the angels stood at their side to raise their spirits.

This is one reason for the presence of the angels. The second reason, in no way inferior to the first, is also why the angel added the words ‘who was taken up’. What then is the reason? It was into Heaven that he was taken up. Now the distance was great, and the power of our human sight was incapable of seeing a body taken up to the Heavens.

As in the case of a bird flying to the heights, which, the higher it goes the more it is hidden from our sight, so also was it the case with that body. For the further it ascended, the more hidden it became, since the weakness of our eyes were unable to follow its course due to the immense distance. Hence the angels stood by them, informing them of his ascent to Heaven so that they would not think that it was in the same manner that Elias ascended that Jesus ascended into Heaven.

This is why he says, ‘who was taken up from you to Heaven.’ For he did not add this without reason. Now Elias was taken up to Heaven because he was a servant, but Jesus was taken up to Heaven because he was the Master. Hence the former went up in a chariot of fire, the latter on a cloud. For when the servant had to be summoned, he was sent a chariot. But when it was the Son, it was a royal throne, and not just any royal throne, but that of the Father himself. For indeed, Isaiah says of the Father: Behold the Lord sits upon a swift cloud (Isaias 19:1).

And since the Father is enthroned upon a cloud, he sent the cloud to the Son also. Moreover, whereas Elias left his sheepskin to Elisha when he ascended, when Jesus ascended he left gifts of grace to the disciples, not making one prophet only, but thousands of Eliseus’, or rather, making prophets far greater and more radiant than him.

So let us arise, beloved, and look forward to his return. For Paul also says, The Lord himself will descend from Heaven at the given signal, at the voice of an archangel; and we, the living who have been left, will be seized up on clouds to meet the Lord in the air, but not all (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). In order to understand that not all of us will be seized up, but that some will remain, while others will be seized up, listen to what Christ says: At that time there will be two women grinding in the mill, one will be taken and one left (Matthew 24:41), and, There will be two men in bed, one will be taken and one will be left (Luke 17:34-35). What is the meaning of this parable? What does this ineffable mystery signify? By the mill it refers to those who live in poverty and hardship, and by the bed and its repose it alludes to those who live in wealth and honor.

So then, wishing to show that even among the poor some are saved and others perish, Christ said, of those in the mill, one is taken and one is left, and of those in bed, one is taken and one is left behind, revealing that the sinners will be left here to await their punishment, whereas the righteous will be seized up into the clouds.

For just as when a king marches triumphantly into a city, those of high rank and office who have great boldness before him go outside the city to meet him, while those who are sentenced and condemned are kept inside to await the king’s judgment, so in the same way, when the Lord comes, those who have boldness will go up to meet him in the midst of air, while the guilty, with many sins on their conscience, await the judge here below. Then we also will be seized up. However I have not said ‘we’ to put myself among the ranks of those who will be seized up. I am not so senseless and ignorant as to fail to recognize my own sins. Indeed, if I did not fear to disturb the pleasure of the present feast, I would have wept bitterly at the recollection of those words, since I am reminded of my own sins also.

But since I have no desire to confound the joy of the present feast, I will end my discourse here, leaving you with the memory of this day at its summit, so that neither the rich man will rejoice in his wealth nor the poor man despair at his poverty, but that each of them will know in his heart whether he has been acting one way or the other. For neither is the rich man blessed nor the poor man pitiful. But whoever is deemed worthy of that rapture into the clouds is blessed and thrice blessed, even if he is the poorest of all, just as he who falls short of it is pitiful and thrice wretched, even if he is the wealthiest of all. Thus, I say this so that those of us who remain in sins may lament over ourselves, while those who are living in virtuous deeds may be emboldened, or rather, not only that the virtuous may be emboldened, but that they may make their place secure; and not only that the sinners may lament, but that they may be changed.

For it is even possible for the one who has been living in vice, by turning from wickedness to virtue, to return and even become equal to those who have led a righteous life from the beginning. Let us too strive for this end, and let those who are conscious of their virtue remain in reverence, constantly increasing this noble possession and adding to the boldness they already possess. But as for us who do not have such boldness and are aware of our many sins, let us change, so that by attaining their boldness we may all together receive in unison the King of angels with all the glory due unto him and enjoy the blessing of that blissful merriment. May we all attain this by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, honor, and power, together with the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

SERMON 38
St. Augustine of Hippo
ON FEAR, DEATH & LOVE

“Herein is love made perfect in us, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. Let us love Him, because He first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he sees not? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loves God love his brother also.” (1 John 4:17-21).

1. You remember, beloved, that of the Epistles of John the Apostle, the last past remains to be handled by us and expounded to you, as the Lord vouchsafes. Of this debt then we are mindful: and you ought to be mindful of your claim. For indeed this same charity, which in this Epistle is chiefly and almost alone commended, at once makes us most faithful in paying our debts, and you most sweet in exacting your rights. I have said, most sweet in exacting, because where charity is not, he that exacts is bitter: but where charity is, both he that exacts is sweet, and he of whom it is exacted, although he undertakes some labor, yet charity makes the very labor to be almost no labor, and light.

Do we not see how, even in dumb and irrational animals, where the love is not spiritual but carnal and natural, with great affection the mother yields herself to her young ones when they will have the milk which is their right: and however impetuously the suckling rushes at the teats, yet that is better for the mother than that it should not suck nor exact that which of love is due? Often we see great calves driving their heads at the cow's udders with a force that almost lifts up the mother's body, yet does she not kick them off; nay, if the young one be not there to suck, the lowing of the dam calls for it to come to the teats. If then there be in us that spiritual charity of which the Apostle says, I became small in the midst of you even as a nurse cherishing her young ones; 1 Thessalonians 2:7 we love you the more when you are exacting.

We like not the sluggish, because for the languid ones we are afraid. We have been obliged, however, to intermit the continuous reading of this epistle, because of certain stated lessons coming between, which must needs be read on their holy days, and the same preached upon. Let us now come back to the order which was interrupted; and what remains, holy brethren, receive ye with all attention. I know not whether charity could be more magnificently commended to us, than that it should be said, Charity is God. 1 John 4:16 Brief praise, yet mighty praise: brief in utterance, mighty in meaning! How soon is it said, Love is God! This also is short: if you count it, it is one: if you weigh it, how great is it! Love is God, and he that dwells, says he, in love, dwells in God, and God dwells in him. Let God be your house, and be a house of God; dwell in God, and let God dwell in you. God dwells in you, that He may hold you: you dwell in God, that you may not fall; for thus says the Apostle of this same charity, Charity never falls. How should He fall whom God holds?

2. Herein is our love made perfect in us that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17 He tells how each may prove himself, what progress charity has made in him or rather what progress he has made in charity. For if charity is God, God is capable neither of proficiency nor of deficiency: that charity is said to be making proficiency in you, means only that you make proficiency in it. Ask therefore what proficiency you have made in charity, and what your heart will answer you, that you may know the measure of your profiting. For he has promised to show us in what we may know Him, and has said, In this is love made perfect in us.

Ask, in what? That we have boldness in the Day of Judgment. Whoever has boldness in the Day of Judgment, in that man is charity made perfect. What is it to have boldness in the Day of Judgment? Not to fear lest the Day of Judgment should come. There are men who do not believe in a Day of Judgment; these cannot have boldness in a day which they do not believe will come. Let us pass these: may God awaken them, that they may live; why speak we of the dead? They do not believe that there will be a Day of Judgment; they neither fear nor desire what they do not believe. Some man has begun to believe in a Day of Judgment: if he has begun to believe, he has also begun to fear. But because he fears as yet, because he has not yet boldness in the Day of Judgment, not yet is charity in that man made perfect.

But for all that, is one to despair? In whom you see the beginning, why do you despair of the end? What beginning do I see? (do you say) That very fear. Hear the Scripture: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Well then, he has begun to fear the Day of Judgment: by fearing let him correct himself, let him watch against his enemies, i.e. his sins; let him begin to come to life again inwardly, and to mortify his members which are upon the Earth, as the Apostle says, Mortify your members which are upon the Earth. Colossians 3:5 By the members upon Earth he means spiritual wickedness: for he goes on to expound it, Covetousness, uncleanness, Ephesians 6:12 and the rest which he there follows out.

Now in proportion as this man who has begun to fear the Day of Judgment, mortifies his members which are upon the Earth, in that proportion the heavenly members rise up and are strengthened. But the heavenly members are all good works. As the heavenly members rise up, he begins to desire that which once he feared. Once he feared lest Christ should come and find in him the impious whom He must condemn; now he longs for Him to come, because He shall find the pious man whom He may crown. Having now begun to desire Christ's coming, the chaste soul which desires the embrace of the Bridegroom renounces the adulterer, becomes a virgin within by Faith, hope, and charity.

Now has the man boldness in the Day of Judgment: he fights not against himself when he prays, Your kingdom come. Matthew 6:10 For he that fears lest the kingdom of God should come, fears lest his prayer be heard. How can he be said to pray, who fears lest his prayer be heard? But he that prays with boldness of charity, wishes now that He may come. Of this same desire said one in the Psalm, And you, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver my soul. He groaned at being so put off. For there are men who with patience submit to die; but there are some perfect who with patience endure to live. What do I mean?

When a person still desires this life, that person, when the day of death comes, patiently endures death: he struggles against himself that he may follow the will of God, and in his mind desires that which God chooses, not what man's will chooses: from desire of the present life there comes a reluctance against death, but yet he takes to him patience and fortitude, that he may with an even mind meet death; he dies patiently. But when a man desires, as the Apostle says, to be dissolved and to be with Christ, Philippians 1:23-24 that person, not patiently dies, but patiently lives, delightedly dies.

See the Apostle patiently living, i.e. how with patience he here, not loves life, but endures it. To be dissolved, says he, and to be with Christ, is far better: but to continue in the flesh is necessary for your sakes. Therefore, brethren, do your endeavor, settle it inwardly with yourselves to make this your concern, that you may desire the Day of Judgment. No otherwise is charity proved to be perfect, but only when one has begun to desire that day. But that man desires it, who has boldness in it, whose conscience feels no alarm in perfect and sincere charity.

3. In this is His love perfected in us, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment. Why shall we have boldness? Because as He is are we also in this world. You have heard the ground of your boldness: Because as He is, says the Apostle, are we also in this world. Does he not seem to have said something impossible? For is it possible for man to be as God? I have already expounded to you that as is not always said of equality, but is said of a certain resemblance. For how do you say, “As I have ears, so has my image?” Is it quite so? And yet you say so, as. If then we were made after God's image, why are we not so as God? Not unto equality, but relatively to our measure. Whence then are we given boldness in the Day of Judgment? Because as He is, are we also in this world.

We must refer this to the same charity, and understand what is meant. The Lord in the Gospel says, If you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not the publicans this? Matthew 5:44-46 Then what would He have us do? But I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you. If then He bids us love our enemies, whence brings He an example to set before us? From God Himself: for He says, That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven. How does God this? He loves His enemies, Who makes His sun to rise upon the good and the bad, and rains upon the just and the unjust. If this then be the perfection unto which God invites us, that we love our enemies as He loved His; this is our boldness in the Day of Judgment, that as He is, so are we also in this world: because, as He loves His enemies in making His sun to rise upon good and bad, and in sending rain upon the just and unjust, so we, since we cannot bestow upon them sun and rain, bestow upon them our tears when we pray for them.

4. Now therefore concerning this same boldness, let us see what he says. Whence do we understand that charity is perfect? There is no fear in charity. 1 John 4:18 Then what say we of him that has begun to fear the Day of Judgment? If charity in him were perfect, he would not fear. For perfect charity would make perfect righteousness, and he would have nothing to fear: nay rather he would have something to desire; that iniquity may pass away, and God's kingdom come. So then, there is no fear in charity. But in what charity? Not in charity begun: in what then? But perfect charity, says he, casts out fear.

Then let fear make the beginning, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fear, so to say, prepares a place for charity. But when once charity has begun to inhabit, the fear which prepared the place for it is cast out. For in proportion as this increases, that decreases: and the more this comes to be within, is the fear cast out. Greater charity, less fear; less charity, greater fear. But if no fear, there is no way for charity to come in. As we see in sewing, the thread is introduced by means of the bristle; the bristle first enters, but except it come out the thread does not come into its place: so fear first occupies the mind, but the fear does not remain there, because it enters only in order to introduce charity. When once there is the sense of security in the mind, what joy have we both in this world and in the world to come! Even in this world, who shall hurt us, being full of charity?

See how the Apostle exults concerning this very charity: Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35 And Peter says: And who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good?— There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. 1 Peter 3:13 The consciousness of sins torments the heart: justification has not yet taken place. There is that in it which itches, which pricks.

Accordingly in the Psalm what says he concerning this same perfection of righteousness? You have turned for me my mourning into joy: You have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing to you, and that I be not pricked. What is this, That I be not pricked? That there be not that which shall goad my conscience. Fear does goad: but fear not: charity enters in, and she heals the wound that fear inflicts. The fear of God so wounds as does the leech's knife; it takes away the rottenness, and seems to make the wound greater. Behold, when the rottenness was in the body, the wound was less, but perilous: then comes the knife; the wound smarted less than it smarts now while the leech is cutting it. It smarts more while he is operating upon it than it would if it were not operated upon; it smarts more under the healing operation, but only that it may never smart when the healing is effected.

Then let fear occupy your heart, that it may bring in charity; let the cicatrice succeed to the leech's knife. He is such an Healer, that the cicatrices do not even appear: only put yourself under His hand. For if you be without fear, you can not be justified. It is a sentence pronounced by the Scriptures; For he that is without fear, cannot be justified. Ecclesiasticus 1:28 Needs then must fear first enter in, that by it charity may come. Fear is the healing operation: charity, the sound condition. But he that fears is not made perfect in love. Why? Because fear has torment; just as the cutting of the surgeon's knife has torment.

5. But there is another sentence, which seems contrary to this if it have not one that understands. Namely, it is said in a certain place of the Psalms, The fear of the Lord is chaste, enduring forever. He shows us an eternal fear, but a chaste. But if he there shows us an eternal fear, does this epistle perchance contradict him, when it says, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear? Let us interrogate both utterances of God. One is the Spirit, though the books two, though the mouths two, though the tongues two. For this is said by the mouth of John, that by the mouth of David: but think not that the Spirit is more than one.

If one breath fills two pipes [of the double-flute], cannot one Spirit fill two hearts, move two tongues? But if two pipes filled by one breathing sound in unison, can two tongues filled with the Spirit or Breathing of God make a dissonance? There is then an unison there, there is a harmony, only it requires one that can hear. Behold, this Spirit of God has breathed into and filled two hearts, has moved two tongues: and we have heard from the one tongue, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; we have heard from the other, The fear of the Lord is chaste, enduring forever. How is this? T

he notes seem to jar. Not so: rouse your ears: mark the melody. It is not without cause that in the one place there is added that word, chaste, in the other it is not added: but because there is one fear which is called chaste, and there is another fear which is not called chaste. Let us mark the difference between these two fears, and so understand the harmony of the flutes. How are we to understand, or how to distinguish? Mark, my beloved. There are men who fear God, lest they be cast into Hell, lest haply they burn with the devil in everlasting fire.

This is the fear which introduces charity: but it comes that it may depart. For if you as yet fear God because of punishments, not yet do you love Him whom you in such sort fear. You do not desire the good things, but are afraid of the evil things. Yet because you are afraid of the evil things, you correct yourself and beginnest to desire the good things. When once you have begun to desire the good, there shall be in you the chaste fear. What is the chaste fear? The fear lest you lose the good things themselves. Mark! It is one thing to fear God lest He cast you into Hell with the devil, and another thing to fear God lest He forsake you. The fear by which you fear lest you be cast into Hell with the devil, is not yet chaste; for it comes not from the love of God, but from the fear of punishment: but when you fear God lest His presence forsake you, you embrace Him, you long to enjoy God Himself.

6. One cannot better explain the difference between these two fears, the one which charity casts out, the other chaste, which endures for ever, than by putting the case of two married women, one of whom, you may suppose, is willing to commit adultery, delights in wickedness, only fears lest she be condemned by her husband. She fears her husband: but because she yet loves wickedness, that is the reason why she fears her husband. To this woman, the presence of her husband is not grateful but burdensome; and if it chance she live wickedly, she fears her husband, lest he should come. Such are they that fear the coming of the Day of Judgment.

Put the case that the other loves her husband, that she feels that she owes him chaste embraces, that she stains herself with no uncleanness of adultery; she wishes for the presence of her husband. And how are these two fears distinguished? The one woman fears, the other also fears. Question them: they seem to make one answer: question the one, Do you fear your husband? She answers, I do. Question the other, whether she fears her husband; she answers, I do fear him. The voice is one, the mind diverse. Now then let them be questioned, Why? The one says, I fear my husband, lest he should come: the other says, I fear my husband, lest he depart from me. The one says, I fear to be condemned: the other, I fear to be forsaken. Let the like have place in the mind of Christians, and you find a fear which love casts out, and another fear, chaste, enduring forever.

7. Let us speak then first to these who fear God, just in the manner of that woman who delights in wickedness; namely, she fears her husband lest he condemn her; to such let us first speak. O soul, which fearest God lest He condemn you, just as the woman fears, who delights in wickedness: fears her husband, lest she be condemned by her husband: as you are displeased at this woman, so be displeased at yourself. If perchance you have a wife, would you have your wife fear you thus, that she be not condemned by you? That delighting in wickedness, she should be repressed only by the weight of the fear of you, not by the condemnation of her iniquity? You would have her chaste, that she may love you, not that she may fear you.

Show yourself such to God, as you would have your wife be to you. And if you have not yet a wife, and wishest to have one, you would have her such. And yet what are we saying, brethren? That woman, whose fear of her husband is to be condemned by her husband, perhaps does not commit adultery, lest by some means or other it come to her husband's knowledge, and he deprive her of this temporal light of life: now the husband can be deceived and kept in ignorance; for he is but human, as she is who can deceive him. She fears him, from whose eyes she can be hid: and do you not fear the face ever upon you of your Husband?

The countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil. She catches at her husband's absence, and haply is incited by the delight of adultery; and yet she says to herself, I will not do it: he indeed is absent, but it is hard to keep it from coming in some way to his knowledge. She restrains herself, lest it come to the knowledge of a mortal man, one who, it is also possible, may never know it, who, it is also possible, may be deceived, so that he shall esteem a bad woman to be good, esteem her to be chaste who is an adulteress: and do you not fear the eyes of Him whom no man can deceive? Do you not fear the presence of Him who cannot be turned away from you? Pray God to look upon you, and to turn His face away from your sins; Turn away Your face from my sins. But whereby do you merit that He should turn away His face from your sins, if you turn not away your own face from your sins? For the same voice says in the Psalm: For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Acknowledge, and He forgives.

8. We have addressed that soul which has as yet the fear which endures not for ever, but which love shuts out and casts forth: let us address that also which has now the fear which is chaste, enduring forever. Shall we find that soul, think you, that we may address it? Think you, is it here in this congregation? Is it, think you, here in this chancel? Think you, is it here on Earth? It cannot but be, only it is hidden. Now is the winter: within is the greenness in the root. Haply we may get at the ears of that soul. But wherever that soul is, oh that I could find it, and instead of its giving ear to me, might myself give ear to it! It should teach me something, rather than learn of me!

A holy soul, a soul of fire, and longing for the kingdom of God: that soul, not I address, but God Himself does address, and thus consoles while patiently it endures to live here on Earth: You would that I should even now come, and I know that you wish I should even now come: I know what you are, such that without fear you may wait for my advent; I know that is a trouble to you: but do you even longer wait, endure; I come, and come quickly. But to the loving soul the time moves slowly. Hear her singing, like a lily as she is from amid the thorns; hear her sighing and saying, I will sing, and will understand in a faultless way: when will you come unto me? But in a faultless way well may she not fear; because perfect love casts out fear.

And when He has come to her embrace, still she fears, but in the manner of one that feels secure. What does she fear? She will beware and take heed to herself against her own iniquity, that she sin not again: not lest she be cast into the fire, but lest she be forsaken by Him. And there shall be in in her — what? The chaste fear, enduring forever. We have heard the two flutes sounding in unison. That speaks of fear, and this speaks of fear: but that, of the fear with which the soul fears lest she be condemned; this, of the fear with which the soul fears lest she be forsaken. That is the fear which charity casts out: this, the fear that endures forever.

9. Let us love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 For how should we love, except He had first loved us? By loving we became friends: but He loved us as enemies, that we might be made friends. He first loved us, and gave us the gift of loving Him. We did not yet love Him: by loving we are made beautiful. If a man deformed and ill-featured love a beautiful woman, what shall he do? Or what shall a woman do, if, being deformed and ill-featured and black-complexioned, she love a beautiful man? By loving can she become beautiful? Can he by loving become handsome? He loves a beautiful woman, and when he sees himself in a mirror, he is ashamed to lift up his face to her his lovely one of whom he is enamored. What shall he do that he may be beautiful? Does he wait for good looks to come? Nay rather, by waiting old age is added to him, and makes him uglier.

There is nothing then to do, there is no way to advise him, but only that he should restrain himself, and not presume to love unequally: or if perchance he does love her, and wishes to take her to wife, in her let him love chastity, not the face of flesh. But our soul, my brethren, is unlovely by reason of iniquity: by loving God it becomes lovely. What a love must that be that makes the lover beautiful! But God is always lovely, never unlovely, never changeable. Who is always lovely first loved us; and what were we when He loved us but foul and unlovely? But not to leave us foul; no, but to change us, and of unlovely make us lovely.

How shall we become lovely? By loving Him who is always lovely. As the love increases in you, so the loveliness increases: for love is itself the beauty of the soul. Let us love, because He first loved us. Hear the Apostle Paul: But God showed His love in us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us: Romans 5:8-9 the just for the unjust, the beautiful for the foul. How find we Jesus beautiful? You are beauteous in loveliness surpassing the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips. Why so? Again see why it is that He is fair; Beauteous in loveliness surpassing the sons of men: because In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 But in that He took flesh, He took upon Him, as it were, your foulness, i.e. your mortality, that He might adapt Himself to you, and become suited to you, and stir you up to the love of the beauteousness within.

Where then in Scripture do we find Jesus uncomely and deformed, as we have found Him comely and beauteous in loveliness surpassing the sons of men? Where find we Him also deformed? Ask Isaias: And we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness. IsaiaS 53:2 There now are two flutes which seem to make discordant sounds: howbeit one Spirit breathes into both. By this it is said, Beauteous in loveliness surpassing the sons of men: by that it is said in Isaias, We saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness. By one Spirit are both flutes filled, they make no dissonance. Turn not away your ears, apply the understanding.

Let us ask the Apostle Paul, and let him expound to us the unison of the two flutes. Let him sound to us the note, Beauteous in loveliness surpassing the sons of men. — Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Philippians 2:6-7 Let him sound to us also the note, We saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness.— He made Himself of no reputation, taking upon Him the form of a servant, made in the likeness of men, and in fashion found as man. He had no form nor comeliness, that He might give you form and comeliness. What form? What comeliness? The love which is in charity: that loving, you may run; Song of Songs 1:4 running, may love. You are fair now: but stay not your regard upon yourself, lest you lose what you have received; let your regards terminate in Him by whom you were made fair. Be fair only to the end He may love you. But do you direct your whole aim to Him, run to Him, seek His embraces, fear to depart from Him; that there may be in you the chaste fear, which endures forever. Let us love, because He first loved us.

10. If any man say, I love God. 1 John 4:20 What God? Wherefore love we? Because He first loved us, and gave us to love. He loved us ungodly, to make us godly; loved us unrighteous, to make us righteous; loved us sick, to make us whole. Ask each several man; let him tell you if he love God. He cries out, he confesses: I love, God knows.

There is another question to be asked. If any man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. By what do you prove that he is a liar? Hear. For he that loves not his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he sees not? What then? Does he that loves a brother, love God also? He must of necessity love God, must of necessity love Him that is Love itself. Can one love his brother, and not love Love? Of necessity he must love Love. What then? Because he loves Love, does it follow that he loves God? Certainly it does follow. In loving Love, he loves God. Or have you forgotten what you said a little while ago, Love is God? 1 John 4:8, 16

If Love is God, whoever loves Love, loves God. Love then your brother, and feel yourself assured. You can not say, I love my brother, but I do not love God. As you lie, if you say, I love God, when you love not your brother, so you are deceived when you say, I love my brother, if you think that you love not God. Of necessity must you who lovest your brother, love Love itself: but Love is God: therefore of necessity must he love God, whoever loves his brother. But if you love not the brother whom you see, how can you love God whom you see not? Why does he not see God? Because he has not Love itself. That he does not see God, is, because he has not love: that he has not love, is, because he loves not his brother.

The reason then why he does not see God, is, that he has not Love. For if he have Love, he sees God, for Love is God: and that eye is becoming more and more purged by love, to see that Unchangeable Substance, in the presence of which he shall always rejoice, which he shall enjoy to everlasting, when he is joined with the angels. Only, let him run now, that he may at last have gladness in his own country. Let him not love his pilgrimage, not love the way: let all be bitter save Him that calls us, until we hold Him fast, and say what is said in the Psalm: You have destroyed all that go a-whoring from You — and who are they that go a-whoring? They that go away and love the world: but what shall you do? He goes on and says:— but for me it is good to cleave to God. All my good is, to cling unto God, freely. For if you question him and say, For what do you cling to Him? And he should say, That He may give me — Give you what? It is He that made the Heaven, He that made the Earth: what shall He give you? Already you are cleaving to Him: find something better, and He shall give it you.

11. For he that loves not his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he sees not? And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loves God love his brother also. 1 John 4:20-21 Marvelous fine talk it was, that you said, I love God, and hate your brother! O murderer, how do you love God? Have you not heard above in this very epistle, He that hates his brother is a murderer? 1 John 3:15 Yea, but I do verily love God, however I hate my brother. You verily do not love God, if you hate your brother. And now I make it good by another proof.

This same Apostle has said, He gave us commandment that we should love one another. How can you be said to love Him whose commandment you hate? Who shall say, I love the emperor, but I hate his laws? In this the emperor understands whether you love him, that his laws be observed throughout the provinces. Our Emperor's law, what is it? A new commandment give I unto you, that you love one another. John 13:34 You say then, that you love Christ: keep His commandment, and love your brother. But if you love not your brother, how can you be said to love Him whose commandment you despise?

Brethren, I am never satiated in speaking of charity in the name of the Lord. In what proportion you have an insatiable desire of this thing, in that proportion we hope the thing itself is growing in you, and casting out fear, that so there may remain that chaste fear which is for ever permanent. Let us endure the world, endure tribulations, endure the stumbling-blocks of temptations. Let us not depart from the way; let us hold the unity of the Church, hold Christ, hold charity. Let us not be plucked away from the members of His Spouse, not be plucked away from Faith, that we may glory in His coming: and we shall securely abide in Him, now by Faith, then by sight, of whom we have so great earnest, even the gift of the Holy Spirit.

SERMON 39
Dom Gueranger
ON THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

The sun of the fortieth day has risen in all his splendor. The Earth, which shook with gladness at the Birth of our Emmanuel (Psalms 95, 96 & 97), now thrills with a strange emotion. The divine series of the mysteries of the Man-God is about to close. Heaven has caught up the joy of Earth.

The Angelic Choirs are preparing to receive their promised King, and their Princes stand at the Gates, that they may open them when the signal is given of the mighty Conqueror’s approach (Psalms 23:7). The holy souls, that were liberated from Limbo on the morning of the Resurrection, are hovering round Jerusalem, waiting for the happy moment when Heaven’s gate, closed by Adam’s sin, shall be thrown open, and they shall enter in company with their Redeemer: a few hours more, and then to Heaven! Meanwhile, our Risen Jesus has to visit His Disciples and bid them farewell, for they are to be left, for some years longer, in this vale of tears.

They are in the Cenacle, impatiently awaiting His coming. Suddenly He appears in their midst. Of the Mother’s joy, who would dare to speak? As to the Disciples and the holy Women, they fall down and affectionately adore the Master, Who has come to take His leave of them. He deigns to sit down to table with them; He even condescends to eat with them, not, indeed, to give them proof of His Resurrection, for He knows that they have no further doubts of the mystery, but now that He is about to sit at the right hand of the Father, He would give them this endearing mark of familiarity. O admirable repast, in which Mary, for the last time in this world, is seated side by side with her Jesus, and in which the Church, (represented by the Disciples and the holy Women,) is honored by the visible presidency of her Head and Spouse!

What tongue could describe the respect, the recollected mien, the attention of the guests? With what love must they not have riveted their eyes on the dear Master? They long to hear him speak; his parting words will be so treasured! He does not keep them long in suspense; He speaks, but his language is not what they perhaps expected it to be, all affection. He begins by reminding them of the incredulity wherewith they heard of His Resurrection (Mark 16:14). He is going to entrust His Apostles with the most sublime mission ever given to man; He would, therefore, prepare them for it by humbling them. A few days hence, and they are to be lights of the world; the world must believe what they preach, believe it on their word, believe it without having seen, believe what the Apostles alone have seen. It is by Faith that man approaches His God: they themselves were once without it, and Jesus would have them now express their sorrow for their former incredulity, and thus base their Apostolate on humility.

Then assuming a tone of authority, such as none but a God could take, He says to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not, shall be condemned (Mark 16:15-16). And how shall they accomplish this mission of preaching the Gospel to the whole world? how shall they persuade men to believe their word? By Miracles. “And these signs,” continues Jesus, “shall follow them that believe in My name―they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark, 16:17-18). He would have Miracles to be the foundation of His Church, just as He had made them the argument of His own divine mission. The suspension of the laws of nature proves to us that it is God Who speaks; we must receive the word, and humbly believe it.

Here, then, we have men unknown to the world and devoid of every human means, and yet commissioned to conquer the Earth and make it acknowledge Jesus as its King! The world ignores their very existence. Tiberius, who sits on the imperial throne, trembling at every shadow of conspiracy, little suspects that there is being prepared an expedition which is to conquer the Roman Empire. But these warriors must have their armor, and the armor must be of Heaven’s own tempering. Jesus tells them that they are to receive it a few days hence. Stay, says He, in the city, till ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). But what is this armor? Jesus explains it to them. He reminds them of the Father’s promise, that promise, says He, “which ye have heard by My mouth: for John, indeed, baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” (Acts 1:4-5).

But the hour of separation is come. Jesus rises: His blessed Mother, and the hundred and twenty persons assembled there, prepare to follow Him. The Cenacle is situated on Mount Sion, which is one of the two hills within the walls of Jerusalem. The holy group traverses the city, making for the eastern Gate, which opens on the Valley of Josaphat. It is the last time that Jesus walks through the faithless City. He is invisible to the eyes of the people who denied Him, but visible to His Disciples, and goes before them, as, heretofore, the pillar of fire led on the Israelites. How beautiful and imposing a sight! Mary, the Disciples, and the holy Women, accompanying Jesus in His Heaven-ward journey, which is to lead Him to the right hand of His Eternal Father! It was commemorated in the Middle-Ages by a solemn Procession before the Mass of Ascension Day. What happy times were those, when Christians took delight in honoring every action of our Redeemer! They could not be satisfied, as we are, with a few vague notions, which can produce nothing but an equally vague devotion.

They reflected on the thoughts which Mary must have had during these last moments of her Son’s presence. They used to ask themselves, which of the two sentiments were uppermost in her maternal heart, sadness, that she was to see her Jesus no more? Or joy, that He was now going to enter into the glory He so infinitely deserved? The answer was soon found: had not Jesus said to His Disciples: If ye loved me, ye would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father (John 14:28)? Now, who loved Jesus as Mary did? The Mother’s heart, then, was full of joy at parting with Him. How was she to think of herself, when there was question of the triumph of her Son and her God? Could she that had witnessed the scene of Calvary do less than desire to see Him glorified, Whom she knew to be the Sovereign Lord of all things, Him Whom, but a short time ago, she had seen rejected by His people, blasphemed, and dying the most ignominious and cruel of deaths?

The holy group has traversed the Valley of Josaphat; it has crossed the brook Cedron, and is moving onwards to Mount Olivet. What recollections would crowd on the mind! This torrent, of which Jesus had drunk on the day of His humiliation, is now the path He takes to triumph and glory. The Royal Prophet had foretold it (Psalm 109:7). On their left, are the Garden and Cave, where He suffered His Agony and accepted the bitter Chalice of His Passion. After having come as far as what St. Luke calls the distance of the journey allowed to the Jews on a Sabbath-Day (Acts 1:12), they are close to Bethania, that favored village, where Jesus used to accept hospitality at the hands of Lazarus and his two Sisters.

This part of Mount Olivet commands a view of Jerusalem. The sight of its Temple and Palaces makes the Disciples proud of their earthly city: they have forgotten the curse uttered against her; they seem to have forgotten, too, that Jesus has just made them citizens and conquerors of the whole world. They begin to dream of the earthly grandeur of Jerusalem, and, turning to their Divine Master, they venture to ask him this question: Lord, wilt thou, at this time, restore again the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6)?

Jesus answers them with a tone of severity: It is not for you to know the times or moments which the Father hath put in His own power (Acts 1:7). These words do not destroy the hope that Jerusalem is to be restored by the Christian Israel; but, as this is not to happen till the world is drawing towards its end, there is nothing that requires our Savior’s revealing the secret. What ought to be uppermost in the mind of the Disciples, is the conversion of the pagan world, the establishing the Church. Jesus reminds them of the mission He has just given to them: Ye shall receive, says He, the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the Earth (Acts 1:8).

According to a tradition, which has been handed down from the earliest ages of Christianity (Constit. Apost., lib. v. cap. xix), it is mid-day, the same hour that He had been raised up, when nailed to His Cross. Giving His Blessed Mother a look of filial affection, and another of fond farewell to the rest of the group that stand around him, Jesus raises up His hands and blesses them all. Whilst thus blessing them, He is raised up from the ground whereon He stands, and ascends into Heaven (Luke 24:51). Their eyes follow Him, until a cloud comes and receives Him out of their sight (Acts 1:9).

Yes, Jesus is gone! The Earth has lost her Emmanuel! For four thousand years had He been expected: the Patriarchs and Prophets had desired His coming with all the fervor of their souls: He came: His love made Him our captive in the chaste womb of the Virgin of Nazareth. It was there He first received our adorations. Nine months after, the Blessed Mother offered Him to our joyous love in the Stable at Bethlehem. We followed Him into Egypt; we returned with Him; we dwelt with Him at Nazareth.

When He began the three years of His public Life, we kept close to His steps; We delighted in being near Him, we listened to His preaching and parables, we saw His miracles. The malice of His enemies reached its height, and the time came wherein He was to give us the last and grandest proof of the love that had brought Him from Heaven, His dying for us on a Cross; we kept near Him as He died, and our souls were purified by the Blood that flowed from His Wounds.

On the third day, He rose again from His Grave, and we stood by exulting in His triumph over Death, for that triumph won for us a like Resurrection. During the Forty days He has deigned to spend with us since His Resurrection, our Faith has made us cling to Him: we would fain have kept Him with us forever, but the hour is come; He has left us; yes, our dearest Jesus is gone! O happy the souls that He had taken from Limbo! They have gone with Him, and, for all eternity, are to enjoy the Heaven of His visible presence.

The Disciples are still steadfastly looking up towards Heaven, when lo! two angels, clad in white robes, appear to them, saying: “Ye men of Galilee! Why stand ye looking up to Heaven? This Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come as ye have seen Him going into Heaven” (Acts 1:10-11)! He has ascended, a Savior; He is to return, as Judge; between these two events is comprised the whole life of the Church on Earth. We are therefore living under the reign of Jesus as our Savior, for He has said: God sent not His Son into the world to Judge the world, but that the world might be Saved by Him (John 3:17): and to carry out this merciful design He has just been giving to His Disciples the mission to go throughout the whole world, and invite men, whilst yet there is time, to accept the mystery of Salvation.

What a task is this He imposes on the Apostles! And now that they are to begin their work, He leaves them! They return from Mount Olivet, and Jesus is not with them! And yet, they are not sad; they have Mary to console them; her unselfish generosity is their model, and well do they learn the lesson.

They love Jesus; they rejoice at the thought of His having entered into His rest. They went back into Jerusalem with great joy (Luke 24:52). These few simple words of the Gospel indicate the spirit of this admirable Feast of the Ascension: it is a Festival, which, notwithstanding its soft tinge of sadness, is, more than any other, expressive of joy and triumph. During its Octave, we will endeavor to describe its mystery and magnificence: we would only observe, for the present, that this Solemnity is the completion of the Mysteries of our Redemption; that it is one of those which were instituted by the Apostles (St. Augustine, Ep. ad Januar.); and finally, that it has impressed a character of sacredness on the Thursday of each week, the day already so highly honored by the institution of the Eucharist.

We have alluded to the Procession, whereby our Catholic forefathers used, on this Feast, to celebrate the journey of Jesus and His Disciples to Mount Olivet. Another custom observed on the Ascension, was the solemn blessing given to bread and to the new fruits: it was commemorative of the farewell repast taken by Jesus in the Cenacle. Let us imitate the piety of the Ages of Faith, when Christians loved to honor the very least of our Savior’s actions, and, so to speak, make them their own, by thus interweaving the minutest details of His Life into their own. What earnest reality of love and adoration was given to our Jesus in those olden times, when His being Sovereign Lord and Redeemer was the ruling principle of both individual and social life!

Now-a-days, we may follow the principle, as fervently as we please, in the privacy of our own consciences, or, at most, in our own homes; but publicly, and when we are before the World, no! To say nothing of the evil results of this modern limitation of Jesus’ rights as our King, what could be more sacrilegiously unjust to Him Who deserves our whole service, everywhere and at all times? The Angels said to the Apostles: This Jesus shall come, as ye have seen Him going into Heaven: happy we, if, during His absence, we shall have so unreservedly loved and served Him, as to be able to meet Him with confidence when He comes to judge us!

SERMON 40
The Council of Trent
AN EXPLANATION OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

ASCENSION OF OUR LORD (
Catechism of the Council of Trent, Part I
ARTICLE VI OF THE CREED

He ascended into Heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

TRIUMPH OF THE ASCENSION, HOW TO BE CELEBRATED BY CHRISTIANS

He ascended into Heaven. Filled with the Spirit of God, and contemplating the blessed and glorious ascension of our Lord into Heaven, the prophet David exhorts all to celebrate that splendid triumph with the greatest joy and gladness. “Clap your hands,” said he, “all ye nations: shout unto God with the voice of joy. . . . God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet.” The pastor will hence learn the obligation imposed on him of explaining this mystery with unremitting assiduity, and of taking especial care that the faithful not only see it with the light of Faith, and of the understanding, but still more, that, as far as it is in his power to accomplish, they make it their study, with the divine assistance, to reflect its image in their lives and actions.

FIRST PART OF THE ARTICLE; WHAT IT TEACHES US TO BELIEVE

With regard, then, to the exposition of this sixth Article, which has reference principally to the divine mystery of the ascension, we shall begin with its first part, and point out its force and; meaning. That Jesus Christ, having fully accomplished the work of redemption, ascended as man, body and soul, into Heaven, the faithful are unhesitatingly to believe; for as God He never forsook Heaven, filling as He does all places with His divinity.

The pastor is also to teach that He ascended by His own power, not by the power of another, as did Elias, who was taken up into Heaven in a fiery chariot; or, as the prophet Habacuc; or Philip, the deacon, who were borne through the air by the divine power, and traversed the distant regions of the Earth. Neither; did He ascend into Heaven solely by the exercise of His supreme power as God, but also by virtue of the power which He possessed as man; although human power alone was insufficient to raise Him from the dead, yet the virtue with which the blessed soul of Christ was endowed was capable of moving the body as it pleased, and His body, now glorified, readily obeyed its impulsive dominion. Hence, we believe that Christ ascended into Heaven as God and man by His own power. We now come to the second part of the Article.

SECOND PART OF THE ARTICLE--A TROPE

Sits at the right hand of Gad the Father Almighty. In these words we observe a trope, that is, the changing of a word from its literal to a figurative meaning--a thing not unfrequent in Scripture when, accommodating its language to human ideas, it attributes human affections and human members to God, who, spirit as He is, admits of nothing corporeal. But as among men he who sits at the right hand is considered to occupy the most honorable place, so, transferring the idea to celestial things, to express the glory which Christ as man enjoys above all others, we confess that He sits at the right hand of His Eternal Father.

WHAT THE WORD “SITS” MEANS HERE

This, however, does not imply position and figure of body, but declares the firm and permanent possession of royal and supreme power and glory which He received from the Father; as the Apostle says: “raising Him up from the dead, and setting Him on His right hand in the heavenly places, above all principality, and power, and virtue, and domination, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and He hath subjected all things under His feet.” These words manifestly imply that this glory belongs to our Lord in so special a manner that it cannot apply to the nature of any other created being; and hence in another place the Apostle asks: “To which of the angels said He at any time: Sit on My right hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool?”

HISTORY OF THE ASCENSION

But the pastor will explain the sense of the Article more at large by detailing the history of the ascension, of which the Evangelist St. Luke has left us an admirable description in the Acts of the Apostles. In his exposition he will observe, in the first place, that all other mysteries refer to the ascension as to their end and completion. As all the mysteries of religion commence with the Incarnation of our Lord, so His sojourn on Earth terminates with His ascension into Heaven. Moreover, the other Articles of the Creed which regard Christ the Lord show His great humility and lowliness. Nothing-can be conceived more humble, nothing more lowly, than that the Son of God assumed the frailty of our flesh, suffered and died for us; but nothing more magnificently, nothing more admirably, proclaims His sovereign glory and divine majesty than what is contained in the present and preceding Articles, in which we declare that He rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and now sits at the right hand of His Eternal Father.

REASONS OF THE ASCENSION

When the pastor has accurately explained these truths he will next inform the faithful why our Lord ascended into Heaven. He ascended because the glorious kingdom of the highest heavens, not the obscure abode of this Earth, presented a suitable dwelling place to Him whose glorified body, rising from the tomb, was clothed with immortality. He ascended, not only to possess the throne of glory and the kingdom which He purchased at the price of His blood, but also to attend to whatever regards the salvation of His people.

He ascended to prove thereby that His; “kingdom is not of this world,” for the kingdoms of this world are earthly and transient, and are based upon wealth and the power of the flesh; but the kingdom of Christ is not, as the Jews expected, an earthly, but a spiritual and eternal kingdom. Its riches, too, are spiritual, as He shows by placing His throne in the heavens, where they who seek most earnestly the things that are of God abound most in riches and in abundance of all good things, according to these words of St. James: “Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in Faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love Him?”

He also ascended into Heaven in order to teach us to follow Him thither in mind and heart, for as by His death and resurrection He bequeathed to us an example of dying and rising again in spirit, so by His ascension He teaches us, though dwelling on Earth, to raise ourselves in thought and desire to Heaven, confessing that we are “pilgrims and strangers on the Earth,” seeking a country, “fellow citizens with the saints, and the domestics of God,” for, says the same Apostle, “our conversation is in Heaven.”

The extent and unspeakable greatness of the blessings which the bounty of God has bestowed on us with a lavish hand were long before, as the Apostle interprets the Psalmist, sung by David: “Ascending on high, He led captivity captive: He gave gifts to men.” On the tenth day after His ascension He sent down the Holy Ghost, with whose power and plenitude He filled the multitude of the faithful then present, and fulfilled His splendid promise: “It is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

He also ascended into Heaven, according to the Apostle, “that He may appear ... in the presence of God for us,” and discharge for us the office of advocate with the Father. “My little children,” says St. John, “these things I write to you, that you may not sin. But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Just: and He is the propitiation for our sins.” There is nothing from which the faithful should derive greater joy than from the reflection that Jesus Christ is constituted our advocate and intercessor with the Father, with whom His influence and authority are supreme.

Finally, by His ascension He has prepared for us a place, as He had promised, and has entered, as our head, in the name of us all, into the possession of the glory of Heaven. Ascending into Heaven, He threw open its gates, which had been closed by the sin of Adam; and, as He foretold His disciples at His last supper, secured to us a way by which we may arrive at eternal happiness. In order to demonstrate this by the event. He introduced with Himself into the mansions of eternal bliss the souls of the just whom He had liberated from prison.

ITS OTHER ADVANTAGES

A series of important advantages followed in the train of this admirable profusion of celestial gifts. In the first place, the merit of our Faith was considerably augmented, because Faith has for its object those things which fall not under the senses, but are far raised above the reach of human reason and intelligence. If, therefore, the Lord had not departed from us, the merit of our Faith would not be the same, for Jesus Christ has said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.” In the next place, it contributes much to confirm our hope. Believing that Christ, as man, ascended into Heaven, and placed our nature at , the right hand of God the Father, we are animated with a strong hope that we, as members, shall also ascend thither, to be there united to our head, according to these words of our Lord Himself: “Father, I will that where I am, they also whom Thou hast given Me may be with Me.”

Another most important advantage flowing from the ascension, is, that it elevates our affections to Heaven and inflames them with the Spirit of God; for most truly has it been said that where our treasure is, there also is our heart. And indeed were Christ the Lord still dwelling on Earth, the contemplation of His person and the enjoyment of His presence would absorb all our thoughts, and we should view the author of such blessings only as man, and cherish towards Him a sort of earthly affection; but by His ascension into Heaven He has spiritualized our affection for Him, and has made us venerate and love as God Him who, now absent, is the object of our thoughts, not of our senses. This we learn in part from the example of the Apostles, who, while our Lord was personally present with them, seemed to judge of Him in some measure humanly, and in part from these words of our Lord Himself: “It is expedient to you that I go.” The affection with which they loved Him when present was to be perfected by divine love, and that by the coming of the Holy Ghost; and therefore He immediately subjoins: “If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you.”

Besides, He thus enlarged His dwelling-place on Earth, that is His Church, which was to be governed by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and left Peter, the prince of the Apostles, as chief pastor, and supreme head upon Earth of the universal Church. “And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors”; and thus seated at the right hand of the Father He continually bestows different gifts on different men. According to the words of St. Paul, “To every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ.”

Finally, what was already said of His death and resurrection the faithful will deem not less true of His ascension; for although we owe our redemption and salvation to the passion of Christ, whose merits opened Heaven to the just, yet His ascension is not only proposed to us as a model, which teaches us to look on high and ascend in spirit into Heaven, but also imparts to us a divine virtue which enables us to accomplish what it teaches.

SERMON 41
Father William Graham, D.D. (c. 1800-1890)
THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

Taken from the Catholic Harbor of Faith and Morals

In the beautiful panorama of hill country that unrolls to the eye of a pilgrim looking eastward from Jerusalem there is no point of view so picturesque or at the same time so rich in sacred memories, as Mount Olivet. Rough and narrow is the stony path winding to its summit, but its many associations more than repay the cost of ascent. On its lower slopes lies the Garden of Olives, lovingly tended by the Franciscan Fathers, who point out the spots in and around where Christ’s agony and prayer began and ended. The brook Cedron that He crossed with His disciples on the sad night of His betrayal He must also have passed in His risen body on His way to the hill, whence while they looked on He was raised up. Alas! A Mohammedan mosque now crowns the spot, and the followers of the prophet point out by favor a stone bearing the imprint of a foot, which, piety suggests, was left by the ascending Christ. Even they, however, reverence the spot consecrated by the last steps on Earth of the great prophet Isaias.

Since the day when St. Helena built a splendid church on the Holy Hill, whence the “new ark of alliance” was carried to the “royal city that is above,” the Church has, every year, on the feast we keep today, solemnly expressed her belief in this final manifestation of Him who “showed Himself alive after His passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them, and speaking of the Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). “Forty hours,” says St. Thomas, “He lay a corpse in the tomb, and forty days He walked and talked among His friends.”

We all are “glad and rejoice” today in the glory of our crucified and risen Savior, and our thoughts mount to the rising, cloud-encircling form of the conquering and triumphant Christ as, clothed in His human nature, He moves towards “light inaccessible.” In the joy we feel in His victory over sin and death, we realize the force of His parting words: “If you loved Me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father” (John 14:28). Heaven, not Earth, was His true goal and resting-place, once He had risen from the grave. It was only out of condescension to the needs of the infant Church that He tarried forty days on Earth.

So when His task was over, the Creator and Builder of the, “new Israel of God” ascended from Olivet in all the glory and splendor of His risen manhood. He rose to Heaven, not like Enoch or Elias or Habacuc, by virtue of a power not theirs, but by His own. He rose to Heaven, not paradise, which, in the perpetual “vision of God,” He had never left. In Heaven above, we are told, He “sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,” to indicate the eternal rest or peace of the blessed; and His position as man, of superiority over all created beings-- a human way at best of expressing superhuman thoughts. To us, brethren, all this is hard, objective fact, not merely subjective and evanescent fancy. Earnestly do we say with the psalmist: “Therefore my heart has been glad, and my tongue has rejoiced! Moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope. Because Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell; nor wilt Thou give Thy holy one to see corruption!” (Psalm 15:9-10).

As we follow in imagination the track of our glorified Savior mounting to the skies, two lines of thought occur to the mind, one suggesting feelings of joy and gladness in the triumph of the conquering Christ, the other of gratitude in that He made His departure the condition of priceless benefits to ourselves. “But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go!” (John 16:7). There is therefore (1) the impersonal note of joy in His glory, and (2) the personal one of gladness, that He has not left us orphans, but in mind and spirit and sacramental form is with us still, and that He has gone to prepare a place for us; and, as the Lamb slain before the throne of God, lives to make perpetual intercession for us.

The thought that takes rank before all others in the truly Christian heart is one of intense joy at the proclaimed glory, the vindicated honor, the crowned sufferings of Jesus Christ. With the holy enthusiasm of the Psalmist we seem to say: “Lift up your gates, O ye princes, ... and the King of Glory shall enter in” (Psalm 23:7). Three and forty days before. He was as a sheep thrown over to the wolves. In the anguish of the passion He was mocked, scourged, and buffeted. He had “trodden the winepress alone,” and of the nations--aye, even of His own friends―”there was not a man” with him (Isaias 63:3). “Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosra, this beautiful one in His robe” (Isaias 63:1). Alas! He became as “a leper,” “a worm, and no man,” “a man of sorrows.” Why then was His clothing red, and His “garments like theirs that tread in the winepress?” Who looked about, “and there was none to help.” Who sought, “and there was none to give aid” (Isaias 63:2, 5). But we are glad, “for winter is now past, the rain” [of sorrows] is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land, “the voice of God’s loved one is sweet, and His face comely” (Canticles 2:11-14). “Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in His holy place?” Surely “the innocent in hands, and clean of heart ... He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Savior” (Psalm 23:3-5).

We all glory today in that Christ’s life of humiliation is over, the bitter cup of woe has been drained to the dregs. The “man of sorrows” has given place to the form “beautiful amongst the sons of men”; the new David, clad in the vesture of glorified humanity, victorious over the Goliath of sin and death, mounts through trackless space thronged by an escort of ministering angels; and we worship God in heartfelt gladness, who has thus changed deepest sorrow into highest joy, and has so honored “the lowness of our common human nature.” “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death .... For which cause God also has exalted Him” (Philippians 2:8-9).

There is no higher object of thought than God; no worthier nor more interesting subject of reflection than the life of the Incarnate God, and the phases of His divine unveiling, from the earliest prophecy to His ascension into Heaven. It is study and prayer and the highest form of worship combined. It is a frame of mind that, pondering on the glory of the ascending Christ, finds expression in that great outburst of song and knowledge and adoration--the Gloria in excelsis―We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we thank Thee, not for what Thou hast done for us, but for what Thou art in Thyself, apart from and independent of creatures, and what Thou wouldst have been, even if created intelligence had never learned to know or love. Then Propter magnam gloriam Tuam. We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory. It is in this spirit of reverent and impersonal worship that we should consider the mystery honored in today’s feast. We rejoice, not for what God does to us, but for what He is in Himself. In this way do we lose sight of our own individuality, and mingle our praises with the great stream of melody that flows fast by “the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

Our first tribute of love and duty, therefore, to the ascending Christ is one of unselfish and impersonal triumph in His glory; our next, a personal outpouring of gratitude for the blessings accruing to us from His departure. Time and experience have verified His own authoritative words, “It is expedient to you that I go!” (John 16:7). And yet these words must have sounded strange when first heard on the eve of His Passion, and echoed much more strangely on Olivet as they raised their tear-dimmed eyes towards the cloud enwrapping their Master as He soared aloft. He had been all in all to them. He had instilled into them unlimited and unquestioning confidence in His person, so that He was the very centre and pivot of their lowly lives

No eastern king was more absolute in his kingdom. He had exacted unreasoning Faith in His office and mission; all the more so, as they were dimly conscious of what His mission and office were. His demands on their credulity, as we should say nowadays, were startling in their boldness. Light and leading, hope and saving for body and soul, they were to seek trustfully in Him. They built upon His presence and guardianship all the more as He had detached them from relatives, business, and human friendship; and indeed, though not appearing to know fully who He was, yet they felt in the words of their spokesman Peter, that He had “the words of eternal life,” and to whom else, then, could they go? Yet now, He tells them, it is expedient He should leave them―His weak, sorrowing, inconsolable followers.

It is like a captain or pilot telling an inexperienced crew just putting out to sea that his departure is desirable; a father leaving a young, helpless family on the threshold of life; a trusted teacher quitting his pupils just as their minds are opening to his lessons; a shepherd leaving his sheep in the midst of wolves, and saying that the flock will fare better in his absence. But “My thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways My ways, says the Lord.” Our Lord’s short life―representing the Godhead visibly―closing with the Ascension, was as a seed dropped into the Earth, and springing up and bearing fruit more than a hundredfold. In our shortsightedness, perhaps, we are inclined to think that in the visible presence and companionship of the Incarnate Word on Earth religion would irresistibly sweep through men’s souls.

But, like the disciples, we know Him whom we have believed, and are convinced that the gifts He left behind and sent on His departure far transcend in value the hearing and seeing with carnal eyes and ears, and handling with bodily contact the word of life. Is He not clearer and surer to the eye of Faith today than to the fallible impression of sense were He still among us in the flesh? Has not the Church gained rather than lost by His departure? Is not her membership increased by twice as many millions as were the individuals composing the timid band that awaited the coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost? Is there a jot or tittle lost of the recorded sayings and doings of the Master? And do they not come home to us after nineteen centuries with greater force and unction and insight than to those who saw and heard them?

Is He not better known and loved and served in the new “Israel of God” than in the old? Are not our Marthas and Marys as earnest and fervent in work and prayer as were the sisters of Lazarus, whom He called forth from the grave? Are the dauntless missionaries of the cross, who witness to Christ either at home, to a scoffing and scorning generation of unbelievers who have heard, or abroad, to those who have not heard, less zealous or laborious than those who were told out of Christ’s own lips to go and preach the gospel to all nations? But we could see Him and hear Him and even touch “the hem of his garment,” you will say. “Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.” Faith is a safe avenue to Christ. The mother of the Zebedees―James and John―saw and heard Jesus in the flesh, yet how low and earthly her views of His kingdom put side by side with those of a Catherine of Sienna or St. Theresa?

In these and many other ways impalpable and unseen we realize the expediency of our Lord’s departure. The loss of His visible presence was the Church’s gain. It was God’s will He should be known, felt, understood, and valued when gone. How truly did He say of Himself, “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter” (John 13:7). To each age, as the gaze of Christendom is riveted on His life and character, and mind and heart strain forward to comprehend what Jesus said and did, the words of St. John are verified, “These things His disciples did not know at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him” (John 12:16). He did not leave us orphans. He ascended on high to obtain gifts for men, and foremost among them all, the gift of the Holy Ghost. Pentecost is the completion and revelation of the hidden meaning of the ascension. We need not dive into reasons why the departure of Christ should be a fountain of blessing to men or why there should be any connection at all between the coming down of the Holy Ghost and the going away of our Lord.

One thing we are sure of, and it is that this connection is a necessary one, inasmuch as our Lord says, “If I go not away, the comforter will not come.” The advent of the Holy Spirit was the first fruits of Our Lord’s ascension. His special function or officer is to be the Church’s soul or vital principle, manifesting Himself! in speech and action till the end of time. Not that our Lord ceased to be with His Church. His departure in His human form intensified His real though unseen presence. He withdrew in the flesh to return in the spirit. He is among us “all days, even to the end of the world,” not only as an influence by the example of the holy life He led and the far-reaching grace and unction of His moral teaching, but, personally, in the fullness of His humanity, in this Blessed Sacrament; and as God, in the Third Person of the adorable Trinity, in the plenitude of the Holy Ghost poured out at Pentecost, and still brooding over and quickening with life the Church as a body and her members singly.

The work of sanctification and enlightenment still goes on. The Spirit that Christ sent to be the soul of His mystical body is ever bringing back to consciousness the words and mind of Jesus, and applying them to the needs and wants of passing time. Teachers and Doctors and Popes and Councils make known to fresh generations of men the thoughts and meaning of the Lord, ever drawing from the treasure of Him Who was the way, the truth, and the light, things new and old, ever speaking as those “having authority”: in the words of the first council at Jerusalem, as “seems good to the Holy Ghost and to us.”

In the Ascension, it is true, Jesus was removed from sight but revealed in Faith; and Faith brings the invisible God nearer to us than bodily eye or ear. If, then, we rejoice and are glad today in our Christian inheritance, if we trust our spiritual guides as men “taught of God,” if we are sure with the highest form of certainty that Christ’s words “shall not pass away,” if we live on the new “Mount Zion,” the city of the living God, are dwellers in His holy house, shaken by fire and wind, and filled by the inrush of the descending Spirit, if the Lord is truly our Shepherd and feeds us in green pastures, we owe it to the solemn uprising and departure of our beloved Lord from Olivet.
Furthermore, by His solemn entry into Heaven Christ opened the gates of Heaven closed against the race by sin. We are immortal spirits in perishable bodies, and our place since redemption, and by virtue of it, is Heaven. The Head of the great body we belong to is there, and to be members of this body, the Church triumphant, we are destined. Man, it is true, is part of nature, its head and chief; but he is more. By the grace of God, he can transcend it. Nature, too, and man’s nature particularly, is beautiful, as all the handiwork of God is; but grace is distinct from and superior to it. Man thereby is raised to a state or condition above nature, its capacities and its possibilities. Now, the natural term, or goal, so to say, of this new or higher state, “this new creation,” this “new creature,” as St. Paul describes it, is Heaven. Lost and closed by sin, it has been regained and reopened in the Ascension of Christ “who led captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8). “I go,” said He to His disciples, “to prepare a place for you, … that where I am, you also may be” (John 14:3).

Nor is His presence in Heaven inactive in our regard. His presence there is an intense, perpetual act of intercessory prayer for us. He pleads unceasingly for us, and His intercession gives worth and value to our own. The wounds in hand and foot and side, the pierced heart, cry for pity to the throne of God: “For Jesus is not entered into the holies made with hands, ... but into Heaven itself, that he may appear now in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). “Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: . . . let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:14, 16).

We have been dealing today with facts and inferences which, in view of the aims and pursuits that occupy the world of our times, may seem strange and unmeaning, the echoes almost of an unknown and unintelligible tongue. It is like going up into cloudland. The words of the angel to the disciples are often said to us in reproach: “Men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to Heaven?” This Jesus is taken away from you as any other. Look down to Earth. It is the only Heaven we are sure of. Seek not the things that are above as empty gazers of the sky. Look only to the visible and the present. This is the gospel we often hear preached today, and which finds, alas! a ready echo in many a heart. Faith and hope and love based on heavenly motion are the transcendent gifts of the Holy Ghost seen spurned or neglected. The natural man does not understand the things that are of God. A holy life, a supernatural life, is deemed visionary, idle, superstitious. If there is to be any virtue at all, it is to be only within the sphere of sense and nature to round and perfect both, such as the manly virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, provided they strike not deeper nor rise higher than the life that “now is.”

It is idle to speak of the expediency of the Ascension or, indeed, of the supernatural at all to such as these; nor do I, except by way of warning. We live in an age of no belief, or half belief, or make belief. But the truth, “The word of the Lord endures forever,” and our attitude towards it, can make no difference. God is still in the world, behind its forces, and guiding and controlling them, even though men neither see nor believe in Him. Men and women are still His creatures, the works of His hands―adorned with grace and destined for glory. We are on Earth, it is true, but our eyes and heads, aye, and hearts too, point to the skies. No sophist, nor school of sophists, with all their arts of style and argument, have ever yet persuaded mankind at large that life ends at the grave, and that the happiness we crave and strive for and can never reach on Earth is an empty dream, never to be realized. No! God made nothing in vain. We are made and destined for a higher, larger, and nobler life than the present, of which the Ascension forcibly reminds us. It reminds us, too, of the life of grace, the life of true, pure holiness over and above mere natural rectitude, a necessary precedent to the life of glory; and which our Lord, by withdrawing Himself visibly, enables us, if we will, to live.

Let us therefore lift up our hearts to Heaven where Christ has gone “to prepare a place for us.” We have not seen Him ascend; but we know by Faith He is there. He is the head of the mystic body of which we are members, and limbs should join the head. “Ubi caput praecessit ibi spes vocatur et corporis.” Be faithful, then, to grace, lead a life not of pleasure, but of duty. Peace is only found where God placed it--in a dutiful, self-denying life. “Therefore,” in the words of St. Paul, “if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God! Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the Earth! ... When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1,2,4).

Pope Leo the Great (Leo I)