The Hour of Trial

1. Everybody, even a Saint, has his hour of trial. God wants it this way, so that if we are victorious with the help of His grace, we can receive our reward. One who enters a contest is not crowned unless he has competed according to the rules. (Cf. 2 Tim. 2:5) Even the Angels were put on trial, and those haughty spirits who rebelled against God were damned for ever.

Our first parents were placed on trial and because they disobeyed God's command were deprived of their supernatural gifts and exiled from their earthly paradise. Even Jesus willed to endure His hour of trial in the Garden of Gethsemane, before the Sanhedrin, before the judgment seat of Pilate, and on Mount Calvary. He desired to be tried in this way in order to teach us how to be victorious.

Our trials are of various kinds, some of which recur frequently during our lives. They may be physical, such as suffering, disease, disgrace or poverty. They may be moral trials which affect mainly the heart-the neglect of those whom we love, calumny, misunderstanding, or malice. There are also spiritual trials such as discouraging lapses into sin, or aridity of soul when it seems that the Heavenly Father has abandoned us as He abandoned Jesus in His last agony on the Cross.

How should we behave when we are tried? Jesus showed us the way when He took upon Himself the sins of all mankind and His passion began in the Garden of Gethsemane. Even before He ascended Mount Calvary and was nailed to the Cross, He experienced here all the agony and terror of His redemptive mission. Prostrate with suffering, He prayed three times: Father, if it is possible let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will, but as thou willest. (Cf. Mt. 26:39-42) When we are tried, we should fervently repeat this prayer of complete resignation to the will of God.

2. Whether they are physical, moral or spiritual, these severe trials affect us greatly. We feel crushed and abandoned, lacking in the power to resist, and tend to yield to-temptation or to despair. At these times we should take the Crucifix in our hands and remember the sufferings of Jesus. Let us recall His terrible physical sufferings as He was dying upon the Cross. Let us remember the sufferings of His Heart when He was betrayed be Judas, deserted by the Apostles, and rejected by His own people. Finally, let us recall His spiritual sufferings, for He who was innocence itself willed to carry the weight of all our sins and to experience in a mysterious manner the sense of abandonment by His heavenly Father.

No matter what our trial may be, let us ask Jesus for the grace of resignation and of Christian hope.

3. We should meditate on the following passage from the Imitation of Christ:

"O just Father, holy, and ever to be praised, the hour is cone for Thy servant to be tried. 0 Father worthy of all love, it is fitting that Thy servant should at this hour suffer something for Thee. O Father always to be honoured, the hour is conic which from all eternity Thou didst foresee would arrive; that Thy servant for a short time should be oppressed exteriorly, but interiorly should ever live unto Thee; that he should he for a little slighted and humbled, and should fail in the sight of men; that he should be severely afflicted with sufferings and languors, that so he may rise again with Thee in the dawning of a new light and be glorified in heaven.

"O holy Father, Thou hast so appointed and such is Thy will; and that has come to pass which Thou bast ordained. For this is a favour to Thy friend, that he should suffer and be afflicted in this world for the love of Thee ... it is good for me, O Lord, that Thou hast humbled me ...
"Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know; to love what I ought to love; to praise that which is most pleasing to Thee; to esteem that which appeareth to Thee valuable; to abhor that which is filthy in Thy sight." (Bk. III. c. 50)

In the light of these reflections every trial will be bearable and, by the grace of God, even welcome.

Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

1. Anyone who loves Jesus sincerely in the Sacrament of the Eucharist must experience a pang of regret whenever he enters a church and sees that the spaces surrounding the tabernacle are empty. Here and there a few people may be praying before statues of Our Lady and of the Saints, but too often there is nobody to worship Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Only the dim light of the tabernacle lamp seems to be attempting to compensate in some small way for the ingratitude of men. Yet here is no mere image, but the real living Jesus Who loves us and longs to shower His gifts upon us.

We are poor, and He is rich; we are weak, and He is strong. We are sinners and He wishes us to kneel repentant at His feet so that He may forgive us. We are bent beneath the weight of our cross which seems too heavy for us to bear, and He desires to lighten it by His grace. We are weary and worried and unable to find a friend who will fully understand and comfort us. But if we go to Jesus we shall find a Friend and Comforter. Come to me, He says to us, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from nie, for I ani meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Mt. 11:28-30) Let us kneel before Jesus in the tabernacle and confide to Him our worries, sorrows and desires. He will understand and enlighten us; He will strengthen our -wavering resolution and inspire in our hearts the divine love which makes it easy to sacrifice ourselves for His sake.

2. In many dioceses and parishes there exist associations of devout people who take it in turns to pray before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There ought to be some such association everywhere, because everyone who has a sincere love for the Holy Eucharist should feel the need of spending some time in adoration and in conversation with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

The Saints often spent days and nights in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. What about you? Even if you are not members of an Eucharistic association, you should put aside some time every day for a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find the strength to put your good resolutions into effect. You will find consolation in your troubles and rest for your soul.

3. Life to-day is fast and mechanical, a mad race for profit and pleasure. Cars speed along the roads; the footpaths are paced by people with anxious faces; theatres, cinemas and sports grounds are crowded with people searching for the illusion of happiness. But what of the churches? Apart from a few hours on Sundays, they are usually almost completely deserted.

Nevertheless, the churches are the only places where peace is to be found, for in each is the home of Jesus, really present and on fire with love for men.

Let us go and kneel before the tabernacle. Let us pray for ourselves, for our forgetful and ungrateful brothers who are plunged in sin, who have lost the light of faith and the purifying flame of love. Let us offer ourselves as living lamps of sacrifice for the salvation of our fellow-men and for the triumph of the Church.

Purification

1. We must recognise that we are all poor sinners in the sight of God.

Sacred Scripture warns us that the just man falls seven times. (Prov. 24:16) If we say that we have no sin, says St. John, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8) Sin is the greatest evil because it offends God, our highest good and happiness. It only needs our own malice for us to commit sin, but in order to make reparation for it and to redeem us from slavery it was necessary for God to become man and to offer Himself as a victim of expiation for our sins. Only a God-Man could have fully satisfied our debt by offering Himself as a victim of reparation for His adopted brothers.

Jesus desires us to be associated with Him in His Passion, however. (Cf. Col. 1:24) Our justification cannot be something extrinsic to ourselves, but should transform us and make us holy. Our cooperation with divine grace is necessary for this purpose. (1 Cor. 15:10) If we are in sin we should not only repent, but should purify ourselves by acts of penance. Jesus Himself commands this. Unless you repent, you will all perish. (Luke 13:5) Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. (Mt. 3:2; 4:17)

We must make satisfaction for our sins, therefore, by voluntary co-operation with the grace of God. Although God is infinitely good and merciful, He will not purify us without this cooperation on our part. We can be purified by accepting the unavoidable tribulations of life with perfect resignation and by offering to God our own voluntary mortifications and sacrifices.

Are we prepared to follow the example of the Saints in this matter?

2. God has given us two supernatural means of purifying ourselves after we have sinned-the Sacrament of Penance and Indulgences. The Sacrament of Penance is the plank of salvation to which we can cling when we have been shipwrecked by sin, and by means of Indulgences we can draw on the infinite treasury of the merits of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Marv, and the Saints in order to make partial or total satisfaction for the temporal punishment due to our sins. In this way we can shorten our purgatory in this life and escape it in the next.

We should make good use of the Sacrament of Penance. If we fall into mortal sin, let us have recourse at once to this fount of grace. Even when we are not in mortal sin, let us be faithful to the practice of weekly or at least fortnightly Confession.

We should not abuse this great gift simply because it seems such a simple method of obtaining pardon. God is infinitely just, we must remember, and He expects us to co-operate with His graces.

3. We should also value Indulgences as a means of spiritual purification. They ought not to be treated lightly. Jesus gave His Church the power of loosing and binding every bond of sin. As long as we have the necessary dispositions, therefore, it can draw on the merits of Christ and of the Saints to release us from the temporal punishment due to the sins which have already been forgiven us. It achieves this by the concession of Indulgences. These require on our part the fulfilment of certain conditions, a sincere sorrow for sin, and a strong resolution never to offend God again.

Progress in the Love of God

1. The entire Christian system is based on the love of God. This is the greatest and first commandment (Mt. 22:38) of Jesus, from which the second commandment to love our neighbour naturally flows. A man who does not observe this first commandment is not a Christian, whereas a man who endeavours to increase every day his love foi God is a saint. There are many grades of ascent in this love, but the basic step is indicated in the words of our Divine Master: He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. (John 14:15, 21)

The love of God should not consist of an empty and uneffective sentimentality, but should comprise a sincere determination to please God by carrying out His will without reserve and by becoming more closely united to Him by the help of His holy grace. Progress in the love of God is divided by the masters of the spiritual life into three stages:-(1) the period of purification; (2) the period of illumination; and (3) the period of union with God. We may have advanced no farther than the first stage because there is still so much to be purified in our souls. Nevertheless, let us ask God's grace to help us to begin this work immediately.

2. They are in the first grade of perfection in the love of God who desire to love Him but still feel an attachment to sin. How is it possible to love God and at the same time to offend Him by yielding to unlawful desires and to the attractions of the world? This is a mystery of the human heart, which can experience simultaneously the desire to love God and the disturbances of the flesh.

People like this must humbly persevere in praying for the grace which they need. They must eradicate their major vices one by one so that they may be free to love God. Since their course will be difficult and full of obstacles, they will need the courage of mountaineers, but, far above, the white and sun-kissed summit awaits them. Only toil and sacrifice can bring them there, but when they arrive they will know real happiness, for they will see God. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8)

3. The second stage is one of illumination and increase in perfection. When the soul has been set free from sin, it must be enriched by all the virtues.

The love of God demands that we should never stand still. If we sincerely love God, we must please Him in every way. Under the influence of His grace, therefore, we must ascend step by step towards the perfection which Jesus requires of us, (Mt. 5:48) until we reach the third stage, which is union with God. We shall be blessed with happiness if we can reach this peak, for we shall look upon the joys and sorrows of this world with a tranquil gaze. Our whole being will go out to God in an act of complete surrender. Like St. Paul, we shall no longer be ourselves, but shall belong wholly to God. Let us be fervent and energetic in striving to reach this summit of perfection, which is a foretaste of Heaven itself.

Knowledge and Sanctity (July 23)

1. If there had been equal progress throughout the ages in sanctity and in science, men would now be very wise and very holy.

It is a well-known fact that science has made great strides, but it must be admitted, unfortunately, that it has often forgotten its beginning and final end, which is God alone. The object of knowledge is truth, and all truth comes from God, but it dwells in created things like a reflection of divine light. We must trace this reflected light back to its original source. If students had always done this, they could have become wise as well as learned. They would have gained from their studies and research a deeper knowledge of God, the author of all the marvels in the universe, and they would have discovered how to worship and obey Him.

When science goes astray or becomes an end in itself, it ceases to be of real service and can become an instrument of evil. When the history of philosophy was described as the history of human aberrations, this was not altogether an exaggeration. Moreover, the technical and practical sciences which are flourishing in this era have often become the means of human destruction. This is what happens when science turns away from God, who is its origin.

There is a great deal of learning in the modern world, but very little holiness. As a result of their absorption in intellectual labour and scientific research, men have forgotten the most important thing in life, which is goodness.

It would seem that the intellect has stifled the impulses of the heart and the dictates of conscience. Do not let this happen in your own case. By all means, have and promote learning, but more than anything else cultivate in your soul that sanctity which will be your greatest treasure in life.

2. We have no right to speak evil of human learning and industry, which are always a gift from God. But we must recognise that goodness is more important than knowledge. The devil's intellect is superior to ours, but he has lost God and in losing God has lost everything which is good.

Knowledge puffs up, (1 Cor. 8:1) writes St. Paul. Pride and presumption can easily spring from a little learning, whereas the fruits of holiness are always beneficial to ourselves and to others.

Let us be humble in our scientific studies and use the results which we obtain for our own progress in sanctity.

3. Padre Cordovans has described the proper progress of the intellect in the following way.

(1) First of all, it studies the things which it knows and mysteriously enriches itself.

(2) It rises from this abundance of knowledge to a keener sense of responsibility in life, until it achieves a Christian harmony. At this stage we have faith, meditation and Christian formation.

(3) Meditation cannot afford to become enclosed within itself, but goes on to become inflamed with love until it develops into contemplation. Now we have the contemplative, who can be a monk, a scientist, or a politician.

(4) If everything goes well, the contemplative abandons his state of solitude and goes in search of souls in the manner of the Saints and of our Divine Master. Otherwise, the contemplative can become a quietist. (Breviario Spirituale, p. 129)

We should try and follow this course in our studies, whether they are sacred or profane. If we do so, we shall achieve personal sanctity and shall engage ourselves in apostolic work for others.

Holiness/The Royal Road of the Cross

Holiness (July 22)

1. In a radio message which he broadcast on the occasion of the Beatification of Pope Innocent XI, the Supreme Pontiff, Pius XII, defined holiness as "the intimate awareness of loyal subjection to God, Who is adored and loved as the beginning, end, and norm. of every thought, affection, word, and action."

Let us meditate on this definition, which helps to shed sonic light on the true nature of sanctity.A holy man must always have a keen awareness of his own dependence upon God, his Creator, Redeemer and Sanctificr, and his hoped for reward and happiness in the next life. This awareness intist be vivid, for it should not be possible for it to be obscured by worldly distractions or obliterated by sensual allurements. It should be active, so that it may not be a merely theoretical acknowledgment of our dependence which leads to nothing more than lip-worship ; on the contrary, it must be capable of transforming our lives into an act of obedience and of love. Finally, it should be a faithful awareness, a complete and voluntary subjection to God which is the driving force behind all our words and actions, and which inspires us alike in joy and in sorrow, in victory and in defeat. If we wish to be perfect Christians, we must cultivate this kind of consciousness of our dependence upon God.

2. It is not true to say that holiness can be attained only by a few select souls, so that ordinary goodness is sufficient for people like ourselves who have so many other things to think about and to do. Such an attitude leads to tepidity, from which it is a short and easy step to sin itself. Anyway, there is no such thing as mediocre virtue, for if virtue is not aiming at perfection it is not genuine. A sincere Christian cannot be satisfied with mediocrity, for he is obliged to be holy, or at least to fight hard with the help of God's grace to become holy.

Even in the Old Testament we read: I, the Lord, am your God; and you shall make and keep yourselves holy, because I am holy. (Lev. 11:19; 19:2) This exhortation is repeated by St. Peter in his first Epistle, (1 Peter 1:15-16) and in the Gospel Jesus Himself commands us to be perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect. (Mt. 5:48) Holiness, then, is a goal towards which all sincere Christians must strive.

3. We need Saints to recall our wayward and corrupt society to the paths of truth, justice and charity. We should pray to God to send us Saints who will reform the world by living the Gospel and making it live for others. Above all, we should endeavour to become holy ourselves. To achieve this we do not have to put on sack-cloth, go into the desert, or shut ourselves up in a monastery. Each of us can become a saint in his own home and in whatever position God has allotted him. All we have to do is obey God's Will in everything, love Him above everything, love our neighbour as ourselves, avoid sin and aim at what is good. We can and should do all this with the help of God.

The Royal Road of the Cross (July 21)

1. The way of the Cross is the only road which leads to Heaven. Consequently, a man who refuses to take this road cannot reach Heaven. If there were another way, Jesus would have told us about it. Instead, He insisted that if anyone wished to go after Him, he would have to deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23)

Our Lord did more than preach this way to us, for He gave us an example of the manner in which to follow it. Jesus could have redeemed us by a single act of His human-divine will, simply by offering Himself to the Eternal Father in expiation of our sins. But He chose to carry the weight of the Cross, to climb the Hill of Calvary, and to die in agony.

We must ascend our own Calvary if we wish to imitate and follow Jesus. Our divine Redeemer fulfilled perfectly in His Passion all the works of perfection which He had preached in the Gospel. Let the Passion of Christ be our rule of life. Let us be glad when we seem to be more like Him and sorrowful whenever we seem to be departing from the example which He set us.

Suffering should be a source of consolation for us, for it makes us more like Jesus as long as we endure it with resignation and with love.

2. We all have our own cross. When we reject it, we fashion one for ourselves by our defects and sins, which leave us dis­contented and restless, and draw God's punishment upon us.

It is useless to flee from the Cross, for it follows us everywhere. If we refuse to accept the cross which God has given us, we take upon ourselves one which is heavier than the first. Worldlings can bask for a moment in their pleasure; but it soon passes and is replaced by bitterness and sorrow. Their suffering is deeper than that of a good Christian who places his trust in God. There is only one way of making our cross easier to bear and that is to embrace it as Jesus did. We should love the Cross because it is suffering which shows us how to become like Jesus, to make reparation for our sins, and to co-operate by our own passion with the Passion of Christ. (Cf. 1 Col. 1:24)

3. A penitent once asked a holy priest for a hair-shirt. "I can't give you that," the priest replied, "but the best thing you can do is to offer to God the trials of your daily life." The penitent's reaction was to protest that he would find this too difficult.

As a matter of fact, it is very difficult. But it is useless for a man to wear a hair-shirt and to scourge himself if he is not prepared to put up with ordinary everyday hardships and to deny himself by carrying his cross with resignation and love. God has imposed certain penances on us all and these are necessary for us. To accept them is to set out on the royal road of the Cross which leads to Heaven.

It is true, however, that there are times when we meet with temptations which are exceptionally strong. It can be necessary on these occasions to impose extra penances on ourselves, for it is better to enter life maimed or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. (Cf. Mt. 18:8) Nevertheless, the first and most necessary penance is to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus.

Nature and Grace

1. "Observe diligently the motions of nature and grace," says the Imitation of Christ, "for they move with great contrariety and subtlety, and can hardly be distinguished but by a spiritual man, and one that is inwardly enlightened." (Imit. of Christ, Bk. III, c. 54.)

The struggle between fallen nature and grace is due to original sin, which extinguished in us the supernatural life and gave rise to the disharmony which exists between our lower faculties and reason, and between reason and God. Even the Saints experienced this fearful internal battle between good and evil. I see another law in my members, says St. Paul, warring against the law of my mind. (Rom. 7:23) Elsewhere he complains that the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh,(Gal. 5:17) and that the temptations of the flesh assailed him so strongly that he pleaded with God to save him. But God's reply to his entreaties was: My grace is sufficient for thee, for strength is made perfect in weakness. (Cf. 2 Cor. 12:7-9)

This does not mean that human nature is substantially corrupt and incapable of doing good as a result of sin. The inclination towards goodness and towards God remains and is very strong in our better moments. Nevertheless, we need the helping hand of God so that this inclination may express itself in good actions worthy of an everlasting reward. For this reason we should pray humbly and constantly for the precious gift of divine grace.

2. Two extremes must be avoided in the relationship between nature and grace. The first is that of the rigorists who see in human nature nothing but confusion and the propensity towards evil, and therefore advocate an iron domination completely lacking in any understanding of human frailty. They believe that perfection must be achieved swiftly by means of the most ferocious privations and penances. This excessively severe approach to the spiritual. life can lead to discouragement and eventual collapse. The way of perfection is an ascending ladder which must be climbed step by step. Falls must be expected, but it is necessary to rise again at once with renewed courage, knowing that when we reach the top we shall find rest and peace.

The other extreme is an attitude of superficial ease. There is no emphasis on the necessity of grace, nor on the need for prayer and faithful co-operation with God's grace in order to perform good works. Instead there is a kind of natural decency and luke­warm virtue which ignores the necessity for mortification and the spirit of sacrifice. Anyone who sets out on this path can never be a fervent and active Christian.

3. Even though there is a contrast between grace and nature there is also a certain harmony, because God made us for Himself, as St. Augustine says, and our hearts will never be at rest until they rest in Him. Grace is a supernatural graft which elevates our nature and makes it capable of attaining everlasting life. It is necessary to take away all the shoots of the old tree-stump and to care for the new branches. Only then shall we begin toapproach Christian perfection.

"Therefore, O Lord, let thy grace always go before and follow me, and make me ever intent upon good works, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, Amen." (Imit. of Christ, Bk. III, c. 55)

Our Dominant Passions

1. Among the passions which disturb us, there is one pre­dominant tendency which is our particular weakness. Perhaps we are not aware what it is, but those who have to live with us know it well. It is essential for us to know it also in order to make it a special objective in our spiritual combat.

This information may be obtained by praying earnestly to the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to know ourselves, by making a daily examination of conscience, and by seeking the advice of our confessor, of our spiritual director, and of any sincere friend. It is our predominant passion which most often leads us into sin. It recurs in all our confessions and we have great difficulty in overcoming it. The predominant passion of Cain was envy, which he failed to combat in time, so that eventually it caused him to commit fratricide. Lust was the predominant passion of Mary Magdalen and of St. Augustine and until they managed to control it, it led them into many grave errors. It was because the Apostle Judas neglected to struggle against his own avarice that he became a traitor. There are others who are inordinately proud and ambitious, and still others who are governed by a craving for pleasure.

What is your predominant passion? You must know what it is in order to combat it determinedly, for otherwise it will lead you into one sin after another until you are eternally ruined.

2. Holy and God-fearing people know their own particular weakness. They accept it as a cross and will not rest until they have conquered it with God's help. The battle cannot be won in a day, but in most cases takes a great many years. Often the ultimate victory is not gained until the hour of death.

It has been said that self-love dies three days after ourselves. We are enormously attached to our own ego, and humility is a very difficult virtue to acquire. Sometimes we have struggled for years to gain it and, quite suddenly, we meet with another disastrous fall. It would be easy to be overcome by discourage­ment at this stage, but this should not be allowed to happen. When we fall we should say to God in our repentance: "It is good for me to be humbled." To ourselves we should say immediately: "Let us begin all over again!"

St. Francis de Sales was endowed by nature with a sharp and hasty temperament, against which he fought for many years with great determination and reliance on God's help. Finally, he conquered and came to be regarded as an angel of peace. Nevertheless, even in the later years of his life, he still experienced inward tendencies towards anger, so that his exterior gentleness was really a supreme act of virtue.

3. We can conquer our predominant passion by the following means

(a) Fervent prayer.

(b) A daily examination of conscience, in the course of which we shall discover whether we have made any progress in the way of perfection, and shall renew our good resolutions.

(c) Weekly or at least fortnightly confession.

(d) Daily or at least frequent communion.

(e) Avoidance of the occasions of sin and employment of the necessary means to overcome sin.

(f) The performance of good actions which are opposed to our predominant passion.

(g) Determination to fight and to conquer, because we are

convinced that it is absolutely necessary to do so.

There can be no half-measures, for the only alternative to victory is defeat. If we are conquered, we shall be slaves of passion in this life and shall be everlastingly unhappy in the next.

Our Passions

1. Our passions are not essentially sinful. They can open the way to evil, but they can also lead us towards perfection. Every­thing depends on how we control and direct them. They are impulses which are at the same time valuable and dangerous.

Human nature was wounded as a result of original sin. The soul was disobedient to God, and the lower faculties rebelled against right reason. Hence the disturbance of our passions. What should our attitude be in regard to this problem? Should we suppress or obliterate our passions, as some of the Stoics would have done a It is, in fact, impossible to do this, for our passions are innate natural forces which cannot be destroyed. What we should do is guide and control them. If the dykes are burst, a strongly flowing river can cause havoc, but if its course is wisely directed it irrigates the soil and makes it fertile. It is the same with our natural inclinations, which "can be used to form a saint, but can also make a brigand." (Cordovani, Breviario Spirituale, p. 66)

A man with a fiery and aggressive temperament can use his natural impulses under God's guidance to combat vice in himself and in others. One who is haughty and ambitious by nature can convert his ambition into a quest for the true and lasting glory of Heaven. Finally, a passionate man who feels the need to love and to be loved can find a partial remedy in Christian friendship. Most of all, however, he can find repose in the love of God.

2. It is a hard thing to control and to direct our natural inclinations. It requires perseverance, sacrifice, and the grace of God, for which we should always pray.

Often this struggle will last a lifetime, and we can still fall even after many years of combat. It is important, however, never to give up. If a man accepts defeat and quietly submits to the tyranny of sinful passion, he is lost for ever. It is a poor outlook also for a Christian who ends up by being satisfied with a life of worthless mediocrity. We must fight hard, pray fervently, and value nothing higher than the love of Christ. When we are finally victorious, our joy will be greater than any happiness which the world can give.

3. Let us be vigilant in the control of our passions. As soon as they tempt us to do anything contrary to right reason and the divine law, let us renew our resolutions and implore the help of God. "O God," let us pray, "I wish to love You above all things. I wish neither to contemplate nor intend nor do any­thing which could offend You in any way." This is the only way in which we shall find peace and an easy conscience for, as The Imitation of Christ says, "whenever a man desireth any thing inordinately, straightaway he is disquieted within himself." (Imit. of Christ, Bk. 1, c. 6) "It is by resisting the passions," it continues, "and not by serving them, that true peace of heart is to be found." (Ibid.)

The Voice of God

1. God speaks to us in many ways by means of created things. We see his glory in the stars of the firmament, (Cf. Ps. 13:2) in the seas, mountains and valleys, and in the trees and flowers. St. Therese was once examining the petals of a flower when she exclaimed: "How good thou art,O God!"

God also speaks within us. Sometimes He sees how absorbed we are in worldly affairs and He stirs up in us a restlessness and a longing for Heaven. When we fall into sin, He pricks us with remorse and appeals to us to rise again, making us realise that everything else is empty and futile if we have lost Him. He speaks to us still more clearly by means of Revelation, which is contained in Sacred Scripture as officially interpreted by the Church.

The revealed Word of God has always been with us to answer the searchings of the human heart and to allay its anxieties. The Gospel is as new and as illuminating today as yesterday. It is a book which we should study reverently and diligently in order to solve our personal problems and the problems of mankind.

Let us listen to God when He speaks to us in these diverse ways. Let us respond to His appeals and carry out whatever He requires of us in our daily lives.

2. God also speaks to us through His Saints.

The Saints are men in whom God dwells in such a special way that their entire personalities reflect Him. They live the Gospel perfectly. They have renounced themselves in order to belong completely to God. Not only have they overcome their evil inclinations, but they have conquered themselves in the process of that Christian annihilation which sublimates human nature rather than destroys it. They have enthroned God in the place of their own will and of their own ego, so that like St. Paul they can claim: "It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me."

God still speaks to us through His Saints, for even in this troubled and mechanical age there are pure and humble souls dedicated to God and the service of their fellow-men. Whenever we encounter one of these privileged beings, whether in the pages of a book or in our actual surroundings, let us pay attention to him and do our best to imitate his virtues.

3. It will go hard with the man who refuses to listen to God. He has reason to be afraid when he lets God's inspirations and graces pass him by. Anyone who is deaf to God's appeals cannot be saved.

God spoke many times in the heart of His apostle Judas, but he did not listen. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas betrayed his Master with a kiss, Jesus spoke to him and called him His friend, giving him the kiss of peace and forgive­ness. But the traitor spurned this last appeal and went his way. May this never be our fate. Be not silent, let us plead. Lord, be not far from me! (Ps. 34:22) Above all, let us listen obediently to His voice from whatever source it comes, and let us do what He advises us.

Entrusting Ourselves to God

1. If a boat is running with the stream, it has little need of the pull of the oars nor of the guidance of the helm. Its passage is smooth and peaceful.

The same applies to those who place absolute confidence in God in their journey through life. God knows that I love Him, they reason; He knows the dangers to which I am exposed and knows how weak I am. He will not allow me to be tempted beyond my strength. God is faithful and will not permit you to be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also give you a way out that you may be able to bear it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

Why should I worry when I know that whatever God has in store for me is for my own good? Do I suffer from poor health: Let the will of God be done, for this is for my spiritual welfare. Am I strong and able to work for His glory a Let me thank God for making me the instrument of His goodness.

Am I calumniated or misunderstood? This humiliation is good for me. Am I esteemed and honoured a Let me accept this also from God's hands and make the best possible use of the gifts which He has given me, for my responsibility is all the greater because of them. It would be a sad loss if these gifts were to make me vain and proud, for they do not belong to me but to God. There is no need to be disturbed. Everything must be accomplished for God, with God and in God, and with complete abandonment to His will.

2. Sometimes the cross seems too heavy. Physical or moral sufferings may give rise to a feeling of rebellion, or temptations may grow so strong that I feel overwhelmed and unable to experience the supernatural influence of God's grace.

At such times I should remember the words of Jesus: Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon You, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Mt. 11:28)

If I leave myself entirely in God's hands, my cross will become lighter. My worries and woes will be easier to bear, and I shall not be excessively elated by worldly pleasure.

3. All the Saints had this perfect trust in God. Therefore they were always content. St. Joseph is only one example. He had the joy of seeing the Son of God born of his immaculate spouse, but he also saw Him being born on a cold, dark night in the most squalid conditions. He heard the choir of Angels praising God above the lowly manger and saw the shepherds and the Magi adoring the Divine Child. But soon afterwards he heard from a heavenly messenger that Herod was seeking to put Jesus to death and that it would be necessary to flee into exile in Egypt.

The holy Patriarch was as resigned to the poverty of the manger and the discomforts of exile as he was grateful to God for the wonderful gifts and joys which he had been granted. He knew that God could have solved by a single act of His divine will all the problems which he encountered throughout life. But he never asked for such a favour. His only desire was to do God's Will perfectly. Let this be our desire also, and let us never cease to ask God for this grace.

A Life of Fervour

1. " To pray is to love," wrote St. Augustine. The man who loves God prays continually and with fervour, whereas the man who has little love for his Creator prays rarely and apathetically. Prayer does not consist primarily in verbal expression, but in the elevation of the mind to God in adoration, thanksgiving, propitiation, and supplication. Love should be the inspiration of our communication with God, for where there is no love there can be no prayer.

Jesus tells us that we must always pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1) We may be working, walking, talking, eating or sleeping, but whatever we are doing, the love of God can transform it into a prayer. This is so if we are engaged in our work, but have offered it to God in advance. If we are in trouble, our sufferings will be pleasing to God. If we are walking about, everything will speak to us of God and cause us to make acts of gratitude and of love. We shall have dealings with men of the world, but they will perceive and appreciate that we are spiritually united to God. We shall sleep because sleep is necessary, but what appear to be hours of fruitless inactivity will be dedicated to our Creator. Fervour in prayer and in action should be the constant ideal of the good Christian, because it makes his entire life pleasing to God.

2. God is our Creator and absolute Master, Whom the Angels adore and irrational creatures obey. His greatness demands that we should offer all our activity to Him in a spirit of fervent and loving dedication. Since we have received everything from Him, we have many reasons for loving Him. By the work of redemption God became our friend and brother, and the victim of expiation for our sins. How could we remain indifferent and ungrateful when we remember the favours which we have received? Love desires love in return, and God loved us so much that He became man and shed His blood for us. Moreover, He immolates Himself continually on our behalf in the Sacrifice of the Eucharist. Finally, our fervour should be increased by the reflection that God has reserved for us as an everlasting reward His own Beatific Vision.

All these considerations should help to increase the fervour of our love. Then our actions will form a ladder of ascent to God by means of which we shall become intimately united to Him.

3. The fervent Christian will never miss an opportunity of advancing in perfection. When he feels that he is growing negligent, he combats the signs of spiritual retrogression and makes a new beginning by telling God that he wishes to belong entirely to Him. It is his motto that no day must ever pass without a further step towards perfection. To decide to stand still is fatal, for it leads inevitably to a decline. It is true that the constant effort to advance costs great sacrifices, but sanctity cannot be achieved without sacrifice and everlasting happiness cannot be gained without perseverance in virtue. Moreover, difficult though the ascent towards perfection may be, it eases the heaviness of our hearts and brings us that fundamental peace which God alone can give.

Everlasting Salvation

1. Let us consider again the man on the endless, and apparently aimless, journey into land after land. He walked for a long time through valleys and over mountains, in the heat of the summer and in the sharp cold of the winter months. It made no difference to him whether the sun gave him encouragement or the rain and snow impeded him, he forged ahead just the same. He crossed rivers, floods, mountains and hillocks, and came down into the valleys again. But at last, when he had travelled for years, he felt himself tiring.

He turned around and saw another man looking at him with compassion in his eyes. He approached the stranger, who said to him: "My friend, you look tired. Have you been walking for a long time?" "For a very long time," he replied, "and I am very tired." "But where are you going?" the other man asked. "What is your destination?" The traveller sighed as if he had just awakened from a deep sleep and murmured: "Where am I going? I don't know! I have been walking for a long time, but I have no idea where I am going." At this his new friend stared even more pityingly at the traveller, eyeing him as if he were an unfortunate simpleton.

When we reflect a little, do we not feel that we are rather like this poor traveller? Our journey has lasted a good many hard and weary years. Have we seriously thought about where we are going? Have we solved the fundamental problem of our earthly journey-the goal and purpose of our lives? What does it profit a man, Jesus has said to us, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul? (Mt. 16:26) Our eternal welfare is the great question which we should ponder continually.

2. More than anything else, it is necessary to look after our eternal salvation. In comparison with this, all other business is unimportant. Our personal salvation is the only thing which is absolutely essential in our lives. Let us meditate on this momentous fact, which has converted so many sinners and filled Heaven with Saints.

If I lose my soul, what use will money or success be to me? What good will be human learning or worldly pleasure? All this will pass away, whereas only my good actions will weigh the balance of divine justice in my favour.

Let us think of our sins, which are unfortunately so numerous, and of our good actions, which are probably far fewer in number. It will be tragic for us if the weight of our sins should carry us towards damnation. It is still in our power to guard against this by leading lives of penance and sanctity. Strive ... by good works to make your calling and election sure. (2 Peter 1:10)

3. We should not be discouraged because our salvation requires so many sacrifices on our part. Jesus warned us that it would have to be so. How narrow the gate and close the way that leads to life. (Mt. 7:14) The kingdom of heaven has been enduring violent assault, and the violent have been seizing it by force. (Mt. 11:12) If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23) All this is required for salvation, and anyone who is not prepared to meet these demands cannot gain everlasting happiness. Nevertheless, there is no need for despondency. What is difficult for man is easy for God. If we ask God for His grace and co-operate generously with it, we shall be saved. Let us resolve to play our part well.

Accepting the Will of God

1. Why are we so often dissatisfied and so easily unsettled by ordinary events? Why does a small measure of success, pleasure, or human praise go to our heads and disturb our peace of soul? Why does suffering failure, or humiliation, make us sad and dispirited? It is because we forget that everything comes to us from God.

The inscrutable designs of Divine Providence have ordained that our mortal lives should be interwoven with joyful and sorrowful events. There is joy so that we may realise that God is infinitely good and may experience on earth the reflection of His beauty. There is sorrow so that we may remember that here we have do permanent city, but we seek for the city that is to come. (Heb. 13:14) We should not be too elated by worldly pleasure and success, but should be grateful to God for giving them to us. On the other hand, we should not lose heart nor rebel when we experience suffering or humiliation. These also come from God and He has a reason for sending them to us. Even if we do not know the reason, we should retain our confidence that the Providence of God arranges everything for our true welfare.

2. The Saints were always calm and peaceful, because they accepted everything from God and offered everything to Him. They thanked God for pleasure and for success; they thanked Him with equal sincerity for suffering and for injuries.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21) Since we are in God's hands, we are in good hands. If it pleases God to send troubles to us this is a sign that they are good for us. If it pleases Him to humiliate us, it is a sign that we need to be humbled. If He causes us to suffer, it is a sign that we need to be purified from our sins and made more worthy of Him. In suffering and in joy may His holy will will be done.

3. Let us pray fervently to God for spiritual peace. Let us surrender ourselves to His will and accept everything from His hands, remembering that everything, joy and sorrow, sickness and health, temptation and spiritual consolation, should form a mystical ladder which will gradually bring us nearer to Heaven and finally unite us to God for evermore. Everything passes, but God is unchangeable.

Sufferings have to end, but the merit we gain remains if we have offered our afflictions to God. Let us surrender ourselves completely into the hands of God, Who in His goodness gives us some happiness on earth for our consolation and causes us to suffer so that we may be purified and made holy.

The Grace of God

1. God has endowed us with wonderful corporal and spiritual gifts, creating us after His own image with powers of intellect and of will. More than this, He has raised us to the supernatural order by communicating to us His grace, which enables us to live His own life and to share in His divine nature as His adopted sons.

Grace is the greatest gift which God has given us. It enlightens our minds and moves our will to obey His commands and to perform actions which merit an everlasting reward. It is an entirely supernatural and gratuitous gift. For this reason we cannot merit it, but we should continually pray for it because it is absolutely necessary if we are to do good and to merit Heaven. Our first ancestor, Adam, was endowed with this gift by our Creator. Unfortunately, by original sin he lost it for himself and for his descendants.

We cannot complain to God about this loss, since grace is an entirely supernatural gift which is in no way due to our human nature. For the same reason we cannot merit it on our own. But God, being infinitely good as well as infinitely just, sent His only begotten Son to redeem us from sin and to grant us His friendship once more.

We should be very grateful to God for this extraordinary favour and should unite our efforts to the divine action of grace in the performance of good works which will enable us to merit everlasting life.

2. It is astonishing to consider how much St. Paul accomplished when he had been transformed by the grace of God. Formerly a persecutor of Christians, he became the Apostle of the Gentiles. Enlightened by faith and inspired by charity, he travelled the globe spreading everywhere the religion of Jesus Christ.

He feared neither the anger of the hostile Jews nor the tribunals of the Roman judges, neither long and difficult journeys nor scourging, shipwreck and imprisonment. The love of Christ impels us, (2 Cor. 5:14) he said. It was the love of God which drove him on and on until he met his martyrdom. But what about ourselves? We also have received grace from God. Often we hear His voice appealing to us to abandon our sinful ways, to practise virtue, to love Him more ardently and to prove our love by deeds. If we co-operate, we shall be able to say with St. Paul:by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me has not been fruitless, (1 Cor. 15:10) and I have labored . . . yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (Ibid.)

It is wise to recall, however, that Judas also received special graces from God. He did not correspond with them and was probably damned for eternity. If we fail to correspond with God's graces, the result will be tragic for ourselves.

3. Be not silent; Lord, be not far from me. (Ps. 34:22)

It is never really God Who is silent. He is forever appealing to us to lead good lives. He is never really far from us, but is always ready to bestow His gifts on us. Even when we have sinned, we hear His voice prompting us to thoughts of remorse. Even when we stray away from Him, He follows and asks us to return to Him. It is we who must ensure that the noise of the world will not prevent us from hearing His fatherly appeal, and that sinful temptations will not destroy His influence over us.

Let us continually implore His graces because we are always in need of them. Let us use them well so that they will enable us to gain everlasting life.

The Enemies of the Soul

1. It is Christian teaching that we have three enemies which are a constant threat to our salvation. The first is the devil, an invisible but very powerful foe.

The devil was once an angel of beauty. He had gifts superior to those of men and.was in a state of happiness. But God required from him a proof of his fidelity before he could merit the everlasting reward for which he had been destined.

Lucifer was proud of his beauty-and power. Believing that he was equal to the Most High God, he rebelled against his Creator and drew with him into eternal ruin innumerable bands of disloyal angels. Their sin was greater than ours because they had been endowed with a superior intellect and their will was not subject to the pull of the sensitive appetites of a material body. This is why God did not give them time to repent but condemned them immediately to the everlasting torments of Hell. It is false to imagine, however, that they are confined as it were, in one place. Being pure spirits, they can with God's permission wander throughout the world, carrying their hell within themselves. Moreover, they can endanger in a thousand ways our eternal salvation. The Gospel often speaks of diabolical temptations and obsessions, and St. Peter warns us to be continually on our guard against the onslaughts of the enemy. Be sober, he says, be watchful! For your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering befalls your brethren all over the world. (I Peter 5:8)

It is the same now as it was in the time of Jesus and His Apostles.

We do not see this infernal spirit, but we feel his presence. Let us remember what St. Augustine wrote about him. "The devil," he said, "is a mastiff in chains. He can bark, but he cannot bite unless we yield to his evil suggestions and approach him. Watch and pray."

2. The second enemy is the world. There are so many beautiful things around us, reflecting the power and the goodness of God. These should be an invitation to us to love their Creator, and a spiritual ladder which leads us towards Him. Unfortunately, we often go astray in the midst of the passing beauty of this world. Often we set our hearts upon this beauty, our hearts which should belong wholly to God and which can find peace and happiness in Him alone. Sometimes worldly objects deceive the senses and ensnare the will. Riches, pleasures, and honours attract us and we fail to remember that everything on earth passes like a shadow and that when we shall stand before the judgment seat of God, only our good works will accompany us.

3. Our most terrible enemy, however, is in ourselves-our body, which by sinning can rebel against the soul and against God. The flesh lusts against the spirit, says St. Paul, and the spirit against the flesh. (Gal. 5:17) Although he had reached the highest peak of sanctity, Paul still complained of the temptations of the flesh, which continued to buffet his soul like messengers of Satan. (2 Cor. 12:7)

We experience carnal urges far more strongly than he did. We should resist them by faith and by prayer, keeping close to Almighty God. It is fatal to lay down our arms, for the flesh with its evil designs will seize its advantage and become the relentless tyrant of the soul. Then, under the guise of satisfying our desires, it will make us unhappy in this life and will condemn us for ever in the next.

The Good Odour of Christ

1. Everyone has an attractive side to his personality which can draw others towards good or towards evil, for a man's behaviour, countenance, and conversation reflect his inner spirit. Charm is very often a mysterious and undefinable quality. Sometimes you may meet a man of the world who has forgotten that he has an immortal soul and lives purely for pleasure. Even before he speaks to you, you can read on his lips and in his eyes the kind of man he is. If you fail to resist and to do your best to remain on a higher plane, you will be overwhelmed by the charm of his personality.

You can also encounter charm, however, in a privileged soul who is in constant contact with God. You can find it in the monk who has left the world in order to meditate on God and to pray for his own salvation and for the salvation of his brothers in Christ. You can meet it in a Saint, one of those rare men who lives in the world but thinks all the time of God. When you encounter this supernatural charm, you experience a longing to be good and holy also.

You can see a reflection of Heaven in the eyes of a Saint. When he speaks to you, words which if uttered by somebody else would have no force, stir you and urge you towards all that is good. What exactly is this quality of attractiveness? It is "the sweet odour of Christ," the spiritual fragrance of virtue. Anyone who met St. Aloysius Gonzaga felt a yearning to be pure. Anyone who heard the unadorned sermons of the Cure d'Ars wept for his sins and was set on fire with the love of God and the desire of everlasting happiness. It was the same with all the Saints. Do we influence others in this way?

2. What quality of attraction do I possess? My behaviour is the mirror of my spiritual life. If I love God and am detached from the world, especially from sin, and if I practise mortification and strive to advance in the way of Christian perfection, my personality will influence others to do good. My good example rather than my words will have a spiritual appeal for others, so that I shall be a living sermon.

Words are heard, but example attracts. It is a great misfortune for me if my sins, tepidity or vices are the true reflection of my spiritual state and lead others into evil also.

3. 1 ought to examine the way in which I behave in the church, in my family, and in society. When I am in the church, my whole being should be absorbed in prayer. My mind should be occupied with God, my heart should love Him, and my lips should praise and thank Him. Anyone who sees me praying should wish to do the same.

When I am in my own home, I should promote peace and harmony by my good example. The family is like a miniature church in which everyone should exercise some priestly function in keeping with his position.

Finally, I should carry about in society `the good odour of Christ,' the fragrance of my interior holiness. I can do this if I am not ashamed of my Christian faith and if I act constantly in perfect accordance with the evangelical precepts.

When I have examined myself on these points, I should form resolutions which will help me to improve my behaviour.

Vanity

1. God was perfectly happy in Himself from all eternity and did not need any creature to add to His glory. Nevertheless, in order to diffuse His Power and goodness He created our world in' which is reflected the harmony of His Divine Essence. Even as all things have their origin in Him, they have Him as their final end. He is the eternal harbour towards which all created things flow, even as the rivers roll continually onwards until they reach the peace of the sea. In this vast world of solar systems rotating in the firmament, of mineral and vegetable wealth and of animal creation, you are only a very tiny being who has received everything from God. Nevertheless, you are often convinced that you are important. You glory in your talents as if they belonged to you and were not a gift which God has given to you.

Vanity is a form of theft. God has given us everything, including life itself, and we act as if His gifts were our rightful possession. We boast about them, show them off in the company of others, and are delighted when we receive praise or respect. Let us imagine that we are dying and shall soon be alone in the presence of God. At that supreme moment what will earthly glory matter to us? Of what account will be human flattery and transitory success? When we are alone before God, nothing will matter except humility and the merits which we have gained. These will make us worthy of God's friendship and of a heavenly reward.

2. Vanity destroys whatever is good in our actions and makes them useless in the sight of God. It robs our good actions of all merit because they should be done only for the glory of God, whereas we are performing them for our own glory. We want them to be seen by others so that we shall be honoured by men as noble and holy.

If our actions have been motivated by self-interest rather than by the desire for the glory of God, we shall hear at the judgment seat of God the terrible condemnation: You have received your reward. (Cf. Mt. 6:2) If we have sought our own satisfaction instead of God's glory during our lifetime, we shall not receive an everlasting reward.

3. What hast thou, asks St. Paul, that thou bast not received? And i f thou hast received it, why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not received it? (1 Cor. 4:7) Whenever we are tempted to be proud or boastful, let us reflect on these words of the Apostle of the Gentiles. In spite of the miracles which he had worked and the sacrifices which he had endured for the love of Jesus, he said: I am nothing. (2 Cor. 12:11)

If we model our lives on this outstanding example we shall have peace on earth and an everlasting reward in Heaven.

Falling Into Sin

1. The just man falls seven times, (Prov. 24:16) says the Book of Proverbs. Unfortunately, we have all experienced how true this is. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. (Cf. 1 John 1:8)

We fall often in many ways-in thought, in speech, in action, and by omission. Sometimes we fall in a moment of weakness or of impatience; at other times we sin by an act of premeditated malice. Watch and pray, Our Lord warns us, that you may not enter into temptation .(Mt. 26:41)

Our Lord also said that we must always pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1) In other words, we should have a spirit of prayer which is based on the love of God and keeps us close to Him. It is only when we are united to God that temptations cannot hurt us and we are protected by His grace from falling into deliberate sin.

It is idle to protest that this would require the virtue of an anchorite, and that we are entangled in all kinds of other business. Virtue is necessary for everybody, not only for anchorites. The kingdom of heaven has been enduring violent assault, and the violent have been seizing it by force. (Mt. 11:12) In order to attain to the kingdom of God, therefore, we have to do violence to our corrupted nature. A life of solitude is not essential for prayer, however. One can be busy from morning till night and pray continuously, so that his work is offered to God and done for the love of God. In this way work becomes prayer and will save us from falling into sin.

2. When we realise that we have fallen, what should we do about it? We must avoid two extreme and opposing kinds of reaction-hardness of heart, and an excessive anxiety which might lead to discouragement and loss of confidence in God's infinite mercy. Above all, we must avoid hardness of heart, and that accompanying state of indifference which causes us to become immersed in sin. Let us hope that we shall never foolishly boast: I have sinned, yet what has befallen me? for the Lord bides his time. Of forgiveness be not over-confident, adding sin upon sin. (Ecclus. 5:4-5) When we see that we have fallen into sin, let us cry out at once like the prodigal son: I will get up and go to my Father. (Luke 15:18) How unfortunate I am if I have lost the friendship of God! But God is an infinitely merciful father and I must throw myself into His arms and implore His forgiveness. When we have sinned, a good confession will give us God's forgiveness and peace of soul.

3. The second extreme to be avoided is discouragement, which can lead us to despair as Judas did. We know that God is entirely good and merciful. We know that Jesus died on the Cross for our salvation. How can we doubt that He will welcome us if we repent and return to Him?

No matter how grave and how numerous our sins may be, let us remember that the mercy of God is infinite. Let us remember that He is waiting for us, as his father waited for the prodigal son, and that He is following us like a shepherd who is searching for his lost sheep. He allowed us to fall in order to humble us and help us to realise that we are incapable of doing anything good by ourselves. Let us go to Him humbly and penitently, trusting He will give us the kiss of peace and forgiveness.

Uncharitableness

1. It is easy, unfortunately, to abuse the gift of speech which God has given us. If anyone does not offend in word, says St. James, he is a perfect man. (James 3:2) "As often as I have been amongst men," says the Imitation o f Christ, "I have returned less a man." (Bk. I, c. 20:2) Why is this so? It is because it is easy when we are in the company of men to enter into useless and even harmful discussions. As a result we lose the purity of intention which we ought to observe in all our thoughts, words and actions. We lose the spirit of recollection which keeps us in contact with God, and when we return home we are less perfect Christians because we are dissipated in mind and in heart.

It is true that if we were really holy and were accustomed to speak with people holier than ourselves, our conversations would be spiritually beneficial to us. We should go away more perfect men and closer to God than we were before. But what kind of conversations do we normally have with others? What kind of relations have we with our friends, with our superiors and inferiors, and with everyone whom we meet a Are our conversations inspired by a love for truth and charity and by a desire for the spiritual welfare of ourselves and of our neighbour?

Let us examine ourselves in this important matter and resolve that our conversations will be a means of sanctification for ourselves and others.

2. The tendency to complain about others is a most insidious cancer which can corrode all that is good in our conversation, making it harmful and even gravely sinful. Grumbling is always more or less sinful according to the circumstances. It may be a sin against charity, which demands that we love our neighbour as ourselves and help him as much as possible by word and by deed. It may be a sin of scandal, because the person to whom we are complaining may be provoked to throw stones in his turn at the subject of our detraction. It may be a sin of theft because it takes away the reputation of the person whom we are criticising. This could carry with it the obligation to make restitution by withdrawing what we have said if it is false or doubtful or by speaking charitably of the person whom we have wronged in order to restore his good name. Uncharitableness in speech is also a sin of injustice when it involves calumny, in which case there is an obligation to repair the damage done in the best way possible.

Since criticism of others can be such an evil thing, we should take care not to form the habit of employing it as a means of making our conversations more lively and acceptable. The life of a Christian should be governed by charity, and grumbling about others is always an offence against charity.

3. It is no excuse to claim that we only speak of matters which are true and known to all. They may be true, but God alone can judge the human conscience. They may be known to all, but by our maliciousness we are spreading evil about our neighbour, whereas we ought to try and spread only what is good. Besides being opposed to Christian charity, unkind conversation ruins whatever opportunities we may have of practising the apostolate, in which everyone is obliged to play his part. If we are apostolic, we promote our neighbour's spiritual welfare, whereas uncharitable criticism spreads evil about him and gives bad example to others.