«Qui perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salvus erit» — "He who perseveres to the end, he shall be saved" (Matt. 24:13).
Point I
St. Jerome says that many begin well, but few are those who persevere: «Incipere multorum est, perseverare paucorum» — "To begin belongs to many, to persevere to few" (Lib. I contra Iovin.). A Saul, a Judas, a Tertullian began well, but then they ended badly, because they did not persevere in good. «Non quaeruntur in christianis initia, sed finis» — "In Christians it is not the beginning that is sought, but the end" (St. Jerome, Ep. ad Fur.). The Lord (the saint continues) does not require only the beginnings of a good life, but also the end; it is the end that will obtain the reward. St. Bonaventure says that to perseverance alone is the crown given: «Sola perseverantia coronatur» — "Perseverance alone is crowned." Therefore St. Lawrence Justinian called perseverance the gate of heaven: «coeli ianuam». Thus, whoever does not find the gate to enter cannot enter paradise. My brother, at present you have left sin, and you rightly hope to have been forgiven. You are therefore a friend of God, but know that you are not yet saved. And when will you be saved? When you have persevered to the end: «Qui perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salvus erit» — "He who shall have persevered to the end, he shall be saved." You have begun the good life; thank the Lord;
but St. Bernard warns you that to those who begin, the reward is only promised, while it is given only to those who persevere: «Incohantibus praemium promittitur, perseverantibus datur» — "To those who begin, the prize is promised; to those who persevere, it is given" (Serm. 6 de Modo bene viv.). It is not enough to run for the prize; one must run until one takes it: «Sic currite, ut comprehendatis» — "So run, that you may obtain it," says St. Paul (1 Cor. 9:24).
Now you have already put your hand to the plow, you have begun to live well; but now more than ever, fear and tremble. «Cum metu et tremore vestram salutem operamini» — "With fear and trembling work out your salvation" (Phil. 2:12). And why? Because if (may God never will it) you turn to look back and return to your evil life, God will declare you excluded from paradise. «Nemo mittens manum ad aratrum, et respiciens retro, aptus est regno Dei» — "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Now, by the grace of the Lord, you flee evil occasions, you frequent the sacraments, you practice meditation every day; blessed are you if you continue to do so, and if Jesus Christ finds you doing so when He comes to judge you: «Beatus ille servus, quem cum venerit Dominus eius, invenerit sic facientem» — "Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when He comes, shall find so doing" (Matt. 24:46). But do not believe that, now that you have set yourself to serve God, the temptations are nearly over or wanting; hear what the Holy Spirit says to you: «Fili, accedens ad servitutem Dei, praepara animam tuam ad tentationem» — "Son, when you come to the service of God, prepare your soul for temptation" (Sir. 2:1). Know that now more than ever you must prepare yourself for battle; for the enemies — the world, the devil, and the flesh — now more than ever will arm themselves to fight you, to make you lose all that you have gained. Denis the Carthusian says that the more someone gives himself to God, the more hell seeks to strike him down: «Quanto quis fortius nititur Deo servire, tanto acrius contra eum saevit adversarius» — "The more strenuously one strives to serve God, the more fiercely the adversary rages against him." And this is clearly expressed in the Gospel of St. Luke, where it is said: «Cum immundus spiritus exierit ab homine, quaerens requiem et non inveniens, dicit: Revertar in domum meam, unde exivi. Tunc vadit, et assumit septem alios spiritus nequiores se, et ingressi habitant ibi; et fiunt novissima eorum peiora prioribus» — "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, seeking rest and not finding it, he says: I will return to my house, from whence I came out. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in they dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first" (Luke 11:24). The devil, when he is driven out of a soul, finds no rest and puts all his effort into entering it again; he even calls companions to his aid, and if he succeeds in reentering, the second ruin will be far greater for that soul than the first was.
Consider, then, what weapons you must avail yourselves of, to defend yourselves from these enemies and to keep yourselves in the grace of God. To avoid being conquered by the devil, there is no other defense than prayer. St. Paul says that we do not have to fight against men of flesh and blood like ourselves, but against the princes of hell: «Non est nobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, sed adversus principes et potestates» — "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers" (Eph. 6:12). And with this he wishes to warn us that we do not have the strength to resist such powers, and therefore we need God to help us. With divine help we shall be able to do all things: «Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat» — "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13): so he said, and so must each of us say. But that help is not given except to those who ask for it in prayer. «Petite, et accipietis» — "Ask, and you shall receive." Let us not trust, then, in our own resolutions; if we place confidence in them, we shall be lost: when we are tempted by the devil, let us place all our confidence in the help of God, by then commending ourselves to Jesus Christ and to the divine Mother. And we must do this especially when we are tempted against chastity, for this temptation, of them all, is the most terrible, and it is the one by which the devil gains the most victories. We do not have the strength to preserve chastity; God must give it to us. Solomon said: «Et ut scivi quoniam aliter non possum esse continens, nisi Deus det... adii Dominum, et deprecatus sum illum» — "And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, unless God gave it... I went to the Lord, and besought Him" (Wis. 8:21). In such a temptation, then, we must at once have recourse to Jesus Christ and to His holy Mother, then frequently invoking their most holy names of Jesus and of Mary. Whoever does this will conquer; whoever does not do this will be lost.
Affections and Prayers
«Ne proiicias me a facie tua» — "Cast me not away from Your face." Ah, my God, do not drive me away from Your face. I already know that You will never abandon me, unless I am the first to abandon You; but I tremble at this, from the experience of my weakness. Lord, You must give me the strength I need against hell, which claims to see me once more made its slave. I ask it of You for the love of Jesus Christ. Establish, O my Savior, between me and You an everlasting peace, which may never again be broken in eternity. And therefore give me Your holy love. «Qui non diligit, manet in morte» — "He who does not love abides in death." Whoever does not love You is dead. From this unhappy death You must save me, O God of my soul. I was lost — You already know it. It has been all Your goodness to bring me to this state in which I see myself, and I hope I am in Your grace. Ah, do not permit, my Jesus, by that bitter death You suffered for me, that I should ever willingly return to lose it. I love You above all things. I hope to see myself always bound by this holy love, so as to die thus bound, and to live bound in eternity.
O Mary, You are called the Mother of perseverance. This great gift is dispensed through You: I ask it of You, and through You I hope for it.
Point II
Let us now see how the world is to be conquered. The devil is a great enemy, but the world is worse. If the devil did not avail himself of the world and of wicked men (by whom the world is meant), he would not gain the victories he obtains. The Redeemer warned us not so much to guard against devils as against men: «Cavete autem ab hominibus» — "But beware of men" (Matt. 10:17). Men are often worse than devils, because devils flee at prayer and at the invoking of the most holy names of Jesus and of Mary; but when evil companions tempt someone to sin, and he answers with some spiritual word, they do not flee — rather, they tempt him the more and deride him, calling him a cowardly man, without breeding, who is good for nothing; and when they can say nothing else, they call him a hypocrite who feigns holiness. And certain weak souls, to avoid hearing these reproaches or derisions, miserably keep company with those ministers of Lucifer and return to their vomit. My brother, be persuaded that if you wish to live well, you must without fail be mocked and despised by the wicked. «Abominantur impii eos, qui in recta sunt via» — "The wicked abhor those who are in the right way" (Prov. 29:27). He who lives badly cannot bear those who live well; and why? Because their life is a continual reproach to him, and therefore he would wish all to imitate him, so as not to suffer the remorse that the good life of others causes him. There is no remedy (says St. Paul): he who serves God must be persecuted by the world. «Omnes qui pie volunt vivere in Christo Iesu, persecutionem patientur» — "All who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). All the saints have been persecuted. Who was holier than Jesus Christ? And the world persecuted Him, even to making Him die, drained of blood, upon a cross.
There is no escape from this, because the maxims of the world are all contrary to those of Jesus Christ. What is esteemed by the world is called folly by Jesus Christ: «Sapientia enim huius mundi stultitia est apud Deum» — "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Cor. 3:19). In turn, the world calls folly what is esteemed by Jesus Christ, such as crosses, sorrows, and contempt. «Verbum enim crucis pereuntibus quidem stultitia est» — "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" (1 Cor. 1:18). But let us take comfort: if the wicked curse us and revile us, God blesses us and praises us. «Maledicent illi, et tu benedices» — "They will curse, and You will bless" (Ps. 108:28). Is it not enough for us to be praised by God, by Mary, by all the angels, by the saints, and by all good men? Let us then let sinners say what they will, and let us continue to give pleasure to God, who is so gracious and faithful to those who serve Him. The greater the repugnance and opposition with which we do good, the greater will be the pleasure of God and our merit. Let us imagine that in the world there were nothing but God and ourselves. When these wicked people mock us, let us commend them to the Lord; and in return let us thank God, who gives light to us that He does not give to these wretches, and let us continue on our way. Let us not be ashamed to appear as Christians, for if we are ashamed of Jesus Christ, He declares that He too will be ashamed of us and of keeping us at His right hand on the day of judgment: «Nam qui me erubuerit, et meum sermonem, hunc Filius hominis erubescet, cum venerit in maiestate sua» — "For whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His majesty" (Luke 9:26).
If we wish to be saved, we must resolve to suffer and to force ourselves — indeed, to do ourselves violence. «Arcta est via, quae ducit ad vitam» — "Narrow is the way that leads to life" (Matt. 7:14). «Regnum coelorum vim patitur, et violenti rapiunt illud» — "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force"
(Matt. 11:12). He who does not force himself is not saved. There is no remedy, for we have to go against our rebellious nature if we wish to practice what is good. We must especially force ourselves at the beginning, to root out the evil habits and acquire the good ones; for once the good habit is formed, the observance of the divine law becomes easy, indeed sweet. The Lord said to St. Bridget that whoever, in practicing virtue, patiently and resolutely endures the first pricks of the thorns, will afterwards find the thorns turn into roses. Be attentive then, my Christian: Jesus Christ now says to you what He said to the paralytic: «Ecce sanus factus es, iam noli peccare, ne deterius tibi contingat» — "Behold, you have been made whole; sin no more, lest something worse befall you" (John 5:14). Understand (St. Bernard continues): if by misfortune you fall again, know that your ruin will be worse than all your former falls: «Audis: recidere quam incidere esse deterius» — "You hear it: to fall back is worse than to fall." Woe, says the Lord, to those who take the way of God and then leave it: «Vae, filii desertores» — "Woe to you, deserting children" (Isa. 30:1). Such men are punished as rebels against the light: «Ipsi fuerunt rebelles lumini» — "They have been rebels against the light" (Job 24:13). And the punishment of these rebels — who have been favored by God with a great light and are then unfaithful to Him — is to remain blind, and so to end their life in their sins: «Si autem averterit se iustus a iustitia sua... nunquid vivet? omnes iustitiae eius, quas fecerat, non recordabuntur... in peccato morietur» — "But if the just man turns away from his justice... shall he live? All the just works that he had done shall not be remembered... in his sin he shall die" (Ezek. 18:24).
Affections and Prayers
Ah, my God, I have already deserved such a punishment many times, for many times I left sin by means of the light that You gave me, and then miserably returned to it. I thank Your mercy infinitely for not having abandoned me in blindness, leaving me wholly deprived of light, as I deserved. Too much then, O my Jesus, am I obliged to You; and too ungrateful would I be if I were to turn my back on You again. No, my Redeemer, «misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo» — "I will sing the mercies of the Lord forever." I hope, in the life that remains to me and for all eternity, to sing and praise Your great mercies always, loving You always and never again seeing myself deprived of Your grace. The ingratitudes I showed You in the past — which I now detest and curse above every evil — will serve to make me weep ever bitterly over the wrongs I have done You, and to enkindle me more to love You, who after so many offenses received from me have shown me such great graces. Yes, I love You, O my God, worthy of infinite love. From this day forward You must be my only love, my only good. O Eternal Father, through the merits of Jesus Christ I ask You for final holy perseverance in Your grace and in Your love. I already know that You will grant it to me, whenever I ask it of You. But who assures me that I will be careful to ask You for this holy perseverance? For this reason, my God, I ask You for holy perseverance and the grace always to seek it of You.
O Mary, my advocate, my refuge and my hope, obtain for me by Your intercession the constancy to ask God always for final holy perseverance. I beg You to obtain it for me by the love You bear Jesus Christ.
Point III
We come to the third enemy, which is the worst of all, namely the flesh; and let us see how we must defend ourselves against it. First, by prayer; but this we have already considered above. Secondly, by fleeing the occasion; and this we now wish to weigh well. St. Bernardine of Siena says that the greatest of all counsels — indeed, as it were the very foundation of religion — is the counsel to flee dangerous occasions: «Inter consilia Christi unum celeberrimum, et quasi religionis fundamentum est, fugere peccatorum occasiones» — "Among the counsels of Christ, one of the most renowned, and as it were the foundation of religion, is to flee the occasions of sins" (Tom. I, Serm. 21, a. 3, c. 3). The devil once confessed, constrained by exorcisms, that among all sermons the one that most displeases him is the sermon on fleeing the occasion; and rightly so, for the devil laughs at all the resolutions and promises that a repentant sinner makes, if that man does not leave the occasion. The occasion, especially in matters of sensual pleasures, is like a blindfold placed over the eyes: it no longer lets the person see resolutions made, lights received, or the eternal truths; in short, it makes him forget everything and renders him as though blind. This was the cause of the ruin of our first parents: not fleeing the occasion. God had forbidden even the touching of the forbidden fruit: «Praecepit nobis Deus (disse Eva al serpente) ne comederemus, et ne tangeremus illud» — "God commanded us (Eve said to the serpent) that we should not eat of it, and that we should not touch it" (Gen. 3). But the incautious woman «vidit, tulit, comedit» — "saw, took, and ate." First she began to gaze at the fruit, then she took it in her hand, and then she ate it. Whoever voluntarily puts himself in danger will perish in it: «Qui amat periculum, in illo peribit» — "He who loves danger shall perish in it" (Sir. 3:27). St. Peter says that the devil «circuit quaerens quem devoret» — "goes about seeking whom he may devour"; and so, to re-enter a soul from which he has been driven out (says St. Cyprian), what does he do? He goes in search of the occasion: «Explorat an sit pars, cuius aditu penetretur» — "He looks for some part through whose entrance he may penetrate." If the soul lets itself be induced to put itself in the occasion, the enemy will enter into it once more and devour it. Abbot Guerric further says that Lazarus rose bound — «prodiit ligatus manibus, et pedibus» — "he came forth bound hand and foot" — and rising in that state, he died again. Unhappy, this author means, is he who rises from sin but rises bound by the occasion: even if he rises, he will die again. Whoever therefore wishes to save himself must leave not only sin, but also the occasion of sin — that companion, that house, that correspondence.
But you will say: now I have changed my life, and I no longer have any evil intention with that person — indeed, not even a temptation. I answer: In Mauritania it is related that there are certain bears that go hunting monkeys; the monkeys, seeing the bear, save themselves in the trees, and the bear stretches out under the tree and feigns death; when it then sees the monkeys come down, it rises, seizes them, and devours them. So does the devil: he makes the temptation appear dead, but when the person has come down to put himself in the occasion, he makes the temptation rise up, and it devours him. Oh, how many wretched souls, who frequented prayer and Holy Communion and could be called saints, by then putting themselves in the occasion have remained the prey of hell! It is related in the Ecclesiastical History that a holy matron, who performed the pious office of burying the martyrs, once found one who had not yet expired; she took him into her house and he recovered. What happened? With the occasion near at hand, these two saints (as they could be called) first lost the grace of God and then also the faith.
The Lord commanded Isaiah to preach that every man is hay: «Clama, omnis caro foenum» — "Cry out: all flesh is hay" (Isa. 40:6). Here St. John Chrysostom reflects and says: Is it possible for hay not to burn when fire is set to it? «Lucernam in foenum pone, ac tum aude negare, quod foenum exuratur» — "Set a torch to hay, and then dare to deny that the hay will be burnt." And so St. Cyprian then says: it is impossible to stand amid flames and not burn: «Impossibile est flammis circumdari, et non ardere» — "It is impossible to be surrounded by flames and not burn" (De Sing. Cler.). Our strength, the prophet warns us, is like the strength of tow set in the flame: «Et erit fortitudo vestra ut favilla stupae» — "And your strength shall be as a spark of tow" (Isa. 1:32). Likewise Solomon says: mad would be the man who claimed to walk on burning coals without being burnt: «Nunquid potest homo ambulare super prunas, ut non comburantur plantae eius?» — "Can a man walk upon hot coals, and the soles of his feet not be burnt?" (Prov. 6:17). And so he too is mad who claims to put himself in the occasion without falling. We must therefore flee from sin as from the face of the serpent: «Quasi a facie colubri fuge peccatum» — "Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent" (Sir. 21:1). We must flee, says Geoffrey, not only the serpent's bite, not only the touching of it, but even the drawing near to it: «Fuge etiam tactus, etiam accessum» — "Flee even the touch, even the approach." But that house, you say, that friendship serves my interests. But if you already see that that house is for you the way to hell — «via inferi domus eius» — "her house is the way to hell" (Prov. 7:27) — there is no remedy: you must leave it, if you wish to save yourself. Even if it were your right eye, says the Lord, if you see that it causes you to be damned, you must pluck it out and cast it far from you: «Si oculus tuus dexter scandalizat te, erue eum, et proiice abs te» — "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you" (Matt. 5:30). And note the word «abs te» — "from you": it must be cast not near, but far away; which is to say that every occasion must be removed. St. Francis of Assisi used to say that the devil tempts spiritual persons, who have given themselves to God, in a different manner from that in which he tempts evildoers: at first he does not seek to bind them with a rope; he is content to bind them with a hair, then he binds them with a thread, then with a cord, then with a rope, and so finally he drags them into sin. Therefore whoever wishes to be free of this danger must break all the hairs at the outset — all the occasions: those greetings, those gifts, those notes, and the like. And speaking especially of one who has had the habit of the impure vice, it will not be enough for him to flee the proximate occasions: if he does not flee the remote ones as well, he will fall again.
It is necessary for one who truly wishes to be saved to establish and continually renew the resolution never again to separate himself from God, often repeating that saying of the saints: "Let all be lost, provided God is not lost." But it is not enough merely to resolve never to lose Him again; one must also adopt the means not to lose Him. The first means is to flee the occasions of sin, of which we have already spoken. The second is to frequent the sacraments of confession and Holy Communion. In a house that is swept often, filth does not reign. By confession the soul is kept cleansed, and through it we obtain not only the remission of our faults but also help to resist temptations. Holy Communion, moreover, is called the heavenly bread, because just as the body cannot live without earthly food, so the soul cannot live without this heavenly food. «Nisi manducaveritis carnem Filii hominis, et biberitis eius sanguinem, non habebitis vitam in vobis» — "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you" (John 6:54). On the other hand, to one who often eats this bread it is promised that he shall live forever:
«Si quis manducaverit ex hoc pane, vivet in aeternum» — "If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever" (John 6:52). For this reason the Council of Trent calls Holy Communion a medicine that frees us from venial sins and preserves us from mortal ones: «Antidotum quo liberamur a culpis quotidianis, et a peccatis mortalibus praeservamur» — "An antidote by which we are freed from daily faults and preserved from mortal sins" (Trid., Sess. 13, c. 2). The third means is meditation, or mental prayer. «Memorare novissima tua, et in aeternum non peccabis» — "Remember your last end, and you shall never sin" (Sir. 7:40). Whoever keeps the eternal truths before his eyes — death, judgment, eternity — will not fall into sin. In meditation God enlightens us: «Accedite ad eum, et illuminamini» — "Come to Him, and you shall be enlightened" (Ps. 33:6). There He speaks to us and makes us understand what we must flee and what we must do. «Ducam eam in solitudinem, et loquar ad cor eius» — "I will lead her into solitude, and speak to her heart" (Hos. 2:14). Meditation, moreover, is that blessed furnace in which divine love is enkindled: «In meditatione mea exardescet ignis» — "In my meditation a fire shall flame forth" (Ps. 38:4). Furthermore, as has already been considered several times, in order to remain in the grace of God it is absolutely necessary always to pray and to ask for the graces we need; one who does not practice mental prayer hardly prays, and not praying, he will certainly be lost.
We must therefore adopt the means to be saved and lead a well-ordered life. In the morning, on rising, let him make the Christian acts of thanksgiving, love, offering, and good resolution, with a prayer to Jesus and Mary that they may preserve him that day from sins. Then let him make his meditation and hear Mass. During the day, spiritual reading, and a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and to the divine Mother. In the evening, the rosary and the examination of conscience. Holy Communion several times a week, according to the advice of his spiritual director, who should be kept permanently. It would also be very useful to make the spiritual exercises in some religious house. The divine Mother should also be honored with some special devotion, for example by fasting on Saturday. She is called the Mother of holy perseverance, and she promises it to those who serve her: «Qui operantur in me, non peccabunt» — "They who work in me shall not sin" (Sir. 24:31). Above all, one must always ask God for holy perseverance, especially in time of temptation, then invoking more frequently the most holy names of Jesus and Mary as long as the temptation lasts. If you do this, you will certainly be saved; and if you do not, you will certainly be damned.
Affections and Prayers
My beloved Redeemer, I thank You for these lights that You give me, and for the means that You make known to me for my salvation. I promise You that I will steadfastly put them into practice. Give me Your help to be faithful to You. I see that You wish me to be saved, and I wish to be saved, chiefly to please Your Heart, which so greatly desires my eternal salvation. No, my God, I will no longer resist the love You bear me. This love made You bear with me so patiently while I was offending You. You call me to Your love, and I desire nothing but to love You. I love You, infinite goodness; I love You, infinite good. Ah, I beseech You, by the merits of Jesus Christ, do not permit me ever to be ungrateful to You again: either make me cease to be ungrateful to You, or make me cease to live. Lord, You have begun the work; bring it now to completion: «Confirma hoc Deus quod operatus es in nobis» — "Confirm, O God, what You have wrought in us." Give me light, give me strength, give me love.
O Mary, You who are the treasurer of graces, come to my aid. Declare me to be Your servant, as I wish to be; and pray to Jesus for me. First the merits of Jesus Christ, and then Your prayers, must save me.