Table of Contents

CONSIDERATION
I. DESCRIPTION OF ONE WHO HAS DEPARTED THIS LIFE . . . 14
II. ALL ENDS WITH DEATH . . . 24
III. THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE . . . 34
IV. THE CERTAINTY OF DEATH . . . 44
V. THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE HOUR OF DEATH . . . 55
VI THE DEATH OF THE SINNER . . . 67
VII. SENTIMENTS OF ONE WHO HAS REFLECTED LITTLE UPON DEATH . . . 79
VIII. THE DEATH OF THE JUST . . . 91
IX. THE PEACE THAT A JUST MAN FEELS WHEN DYING . . . 104
X. HOW WE MUST PREPARE FOR DEATH . . . 115
XI. THE VALUE OF TIME . . . 125
XII. THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION . . .135
XIII. THE VANITY OF THE WORLD . . .147
XIV. LIFE IS A JOURNEY TO ETERNITY . . . 158
XV. OF THE EVIL OF DEADLY SIN . . . 166
XVI OF THE MERCY OF GOD . . . 177
XVII OF THE ABUSE OF DIVINE MERCY . . . 188
XVIII. OF THE NUMBER OF SINS . . . 199
XIX. THE GIFT OF GRACE IS A GREAT GOOD, AND THE LOSS OF GRACE IS A GREAT EVIL . . . 211
XX. THE FOLLY OF THE SINNER . . . 220
XXI. THE UNHAPPY LIFE OF THE SINNER, AND THE HAPPY LIFE OF THE SAINT . . . 230
XXII THE HABIT OF SIN . . . 242
XXIII. THE DELUSIONS WHICH THE DEVIL PUTS IN THE MIND OF SINNERS . . . 254
XXIV. THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT . . . 266
XXV. THE GENERAL JUDGMENT . . . 276
XXVI OF THE PAINS OF HELL . . . 289
XXVII OF THE ETERNITY OF HELL . . . 303
XXVIII THE REMORSE OF THE LOST . . . 315
XXIX. OF HEAVEN . . . 323
XXX. OF PRAYER . . . 336
XXXI OF PERSEVERANCE . . .348
XXXII THE LOVE OF GOD . . . 363
XXXIII THE HOLY COMMUNION . . . 375
XXXIV. CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD . . . 388

PREPARATION FOR DEATH

CONSIDERATION I

Description of one who has Departed this Life
“Dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.” Gen. 3:19

First Point.

CONSIDER that You are dust, and unto dust you must return. The day will come when you must die, and be placed in a grave where “the worms shall cover you.”(Isaiah 14:2) The same fate awaits all, both nobles and plebeians, both princes and vassals. Directly the soul shall leave the body, with the last gasp, it will go into eternity, and the body will return to its dust. “When You take away their breath they die, and are turned again to their dust.”(Psalms 104:29)

Imagine to yourself a person, whose soul has just departed. Behold that pale corpse, which is still upon the bed, the head fallen upon the breast; the hair disheveled and bathed in the sweat of death; the eyes sunken; the cheeks hollow; the face of ashy paleness; the tongue and the lips of a leaden hue; the body cold and heavy. Those who see it grow pale and tremble. How many there are who, upon seeing a relation or friend in this condition, have changed their life, and have left the world.

But still more dreadful is it when the body begins to decay. A few hours or days will hardly have passed ere it will become offensive. The windows will have to be opened; incense will have to be burned — no, it must be sent in haste to the church to be buried, that the whole house be not infected. Behold to what that proud, that voluptuous man is reduced? In life he was the favorite, the one who was sought after in society; now he makes all those who look upon him shudder. His relations hasten to have him removed from the house, and men are hired to bear him, shut up in a coffin, to his grave. He was once famous for his great talent — for his great politeness — for his courteous behavior, and for his facetiousness; but now that he is dead, his memory will soon pass away, “their memorial is perished with them.” (Psalms 9:6)

Upon hearing the news of his death, some people say he was of great dignity — others, that he left his family well provided for; some grieve because he had done them good, and others rejoice because they derive some benefit from his death. Within a short time, however, he is spoken of by no one. And his nearest relations, even from the hour of his death, will not bear him mentioned, lest their grief should be renewed. When the visits of condolence are made, other things form the subject of conversation; and if any one by chance alludes to the departed one, the relations immediately exclaim, In kindness, do not mention him to me.”

You must consider that what you have done at the death of your friends and relations, others will do at your death. Those who are living, enter upon the stage of life, to occupy the wealth and the position of the dead, and little or no esteem is paid to the dead, and very little mention is ever made of them. Your relations will at first mourn for you for some days, but they will soon be consoled with that share of property which will fall to them, so that they will shortly rejoice because of your death, and in the same room in which your soul has gone forth, to be judged by Jesus Christ, they will dance and eat, laugh and play, as they did before; and your soul, where will it be then?

Affections and Prayers.

Jesus, my Redeemer, I thank You that You did not let me die when I was in disgrace with You. During how many of the past years have I not deserved to be cast into hell? If I had died on such a day, or on such a night, what would have become of me for all eternity? I thank You for this, O my God. I accept my death as a satisfaction for my sins; and I accept it in whatever manner it may please You to send it to me. But since You have waited for me until now, wait for me yet a little longer. “Let me alone, that I may take comfort a little.”Job 10:20) Give me time to weep over the offences which I have committed against You, before You come to judge me.

I will no longer resist Your sweet voice that calls me. Perhaps these words which I have just read may be the last call for me. I confess that I do not deserve pity, for You have so often pardoned me; and I, ungrateful one that I am, have again offended You; but “a broken and contrite heart, O God, shall You not despise.”(Psalms 51:17) O Lord, since You will not despise a broken and contrite heart, look upon a traitor, who being repentant, flees unto You. Cast me not away from Your presence.”(Psalms 51:11) In mercy, do not cast me from You, for You have said, “Him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.”(John 6:37) It is true that I have offended You more than many others, because I have been favored by You with light and grace; but the blood which You have shed for me gives me courage, and gives me pardon, if only I repent Yes, O my Sovereign Good,’ I do repent with my whole heart for having despised You. Pardon me, and give me grace to love You for the time to come. I have offended You too many times already. I will not spend the life that remains to me, O my Jesus, in giving You offence, but I will spend it ever weeping over the displeasure I have caused You, and in loving You with all my heart, You, O God, who are so worthy of infinite love.

Second Point.

In order more clearly to see what indeed You are, my Christian soul, St. John Chrysostom observes, “Go to a sepulchre, contemplate dust, ashes, worms, and sigh.” See how that corpse becomes at first yellow, and then black. Afterwards there is seen upon the body a white and unpleasant mould. Then there issues forth a foul and corrupt matter, which sinks into the ground. In that corruption many worms are generated, which feed upon the flesh. The rats then come to feast upon the body, some on the outside, others entering into the mouth and bowels. The cheeks, the lips, and the hair fall in pieces; the ribs are the first to become bare of flesh, then the arms and the legs. The worms after having consumed the flesh eat each other, and, in the end nothing remains of that body but a fetid skeleton, which, in course of time, is divided, the bones being separated, and the head falling from the body: they “become like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away,”(Dan. 2:35) Behold then, what man is — a little dust upon a threshing floor, which is carried away by the wind.

Behold that nobleman, who was considered to be the life and soul of society, where is he? Go into his room, he is not there; if you look into his bed, it belongs to another; his clothes, his arms, others have already taken and divided them. If you wish to see him, you must seek for him in that grave where he is changed into all that is unpleasant, and into fleshless bones. O my God that body fed with so many delicacies, clothed with so much pomp, attended by so many servants, should be reduced to this! O you saints, you, who for the love of that God whom you loved alone, upon this earth, knew how to mortify your bodies; — and now your bones are kept and prized as sacred relics in golden shrines; and your souls which are beatified, rejoice in the presence of God, waiting for the final Day, when your bodies even, will again become the companions of your souls in glory, as they were once the companions of your souls, in hearing the cross of this world. This is the true love of the body, so to burden it with mortifications here, that it may be happy in eternity; and to deny it those pleasures here which would render it unhappy in eternity.

Affections and Prayers.

Behold, therefore, O my God, to what my body will become reduced, through which I have so often offended You, it will be reduced even to worms and corruption. But this does not grieve me, O my God, nay, it rather cheers me, for this my flesh to become putrid and consumed, which made me lose You, O my Sovereign Good. But it does grieve me very much, to think that I should have taken so much delight in those wretched pleasures which have so often displeased You. But I will not distrust Your mercy. You have waited for me to give me pardon. “Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto you.”(Isaiah 30:18) And You will pardon me if I repent. Yes, You will, for I do repent with all my heart for having despised You, O God of infinite goodness. I will repeat to You as did St. Catherine of Genoa, “No more sins, my Jesus, no more sins.” No, I will no longer abuse Your patience; neither will I wait to embrace You until the hour of death. O my Crucified Love, now will I embrace You, now will I commend my soul into Your keeping. “Into Your hands I commend my spirit.” My soul bas been many years in this world without loving You; give me light and strength to love You during the life that remains to me. I will not wait until the hour of death to love You; from this moment, I will love You, and embrace You, and unite myself to You, and I promise never more to leave You.

Third Point.

My brother, in this description of death, You see yourself, and that, which one day You will be, “Dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.”Reflect, for in a few years, no, perhaps in a few months, and even days, You will become a mass of corruption and worms. By thinking upon this, Job became a Saint, “I have said to corruption, You are my father, to the worm, You are my brother and sister.”(Job 17:14)

Everything must have an end; and if, when the hour of death arrives, Your soul is lost, everything will be lost for you. St Lawrence Justinian says, ‘Consider Yourself as dead already, since you know you must die. If now the hour of your death were approaching, what is there of good, that you would not like to have done? Now, that you are living, reflect, that one day you must die. St Bonaventure observes, that in order to guide the vessel aright, the pilot must place himself at the helm: even so must a maxi, if he wishes to lead a holy life, reflect that death is ever near. Therefore, St Bernard observes, “Look upon the sins of youth, and blush; look on the sins of manhood, and weep; look upon the present evil habits of your life, and tremble, and hasten to make amends.”

When Camillus de Lellis beheld the graves of the dead, he said within himself, “If all these dead bodies could come back again to life, what would they not do to go in eternal life? And I, who have now the opportunity — what am I doing for my soul?” Yet it was humility on the part of this saint which caused him to say this. But perhaps, my brother, you might with reason fear, lest you should be like that barren fig tree, concerning which our blessed Lord said, “Behold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none.”(Luke 13:7) You, who for many more years than three have been living in this world, what fruit have you yielded? Take care, remarks St Bernard, for the Lord does not require flowers only, but seeks for fruit also; that is to say, not only good desires and resolutions, but also good works. Therefore, take care to make good use of the time which God in His mercy grants to you; do not wait until time shall be no longer to desire to do good — when it shall be said unto you: “Time shall be no longer, depart.” Make haste, it is now almost time to leave the world; make haste, what is done, is done.

Affections and Prayers.

Look upon me, O my God, for I am that tree which for so many years deserved to bear these words, “Cut it down, why cumber it the ground?”(Luke 13:7) Yes, because during the many years that I have been in the world, I have yielded no other fruit than the briars and thorns of sin. But You, O Lord, do not wish me to despair. You have said to all those that seek You, that they shall find You. “Seek and you shall find.”I do seek You, my God, and I do desire Your grace. I am indeed sorry for all the sins I have committed against You. I would grieve even to death because of them. During the past years, I have often fled from You; but now I value Your friendship more than all the kingdoms of the world. I will no longer resist Your calls. You do wish me to be Yours alone. I yield myself wholly to You, without any reserve. You did give Yourself entirely for me, upon the Cross; now I live myself entirely to You.

You have said: ‘Of you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.”(John 14:14) My Jesus, I trust in this Your great promise, and in Your name; and through Your merits I seek of You Your grace and Your holy love. Let Your grace and Your most holy love abound in my soul, where sin did once abound. I thank You greatly, for having given me the Spirit to make this prayer to You. While You do inspire me to pray, it is a sign that You will graciously hear me. Hear me, O my Jesus, and give me a great love towards You, and give me a great desire to please You, and then the strength to follow the desire. $24.99

 
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