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| Death will Come to us all -- how will you greet it? |
Preparation for Death or, Considerations on
the Eternal Truths,
Useful to all as MediTations,
Serviceable to Priests for Sermons
Serviceable to Priests for Sermons
By St. Alphonsus Liguori
I am currently reading this book and it's content makes you realize the seriousness of our death and eternity... as we all shall die... and we are not certain as to when this will happen -- BUT IT WILL. It may be this hour, this day, or 30 years from now, but WE WILL ALL EXPERIENCE IT. The four Truths are Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell... It's up to us to decide where we want to land up... Heaven or Hell... FOREVER.
I have copied this meditation to share with you and advise you to read the whole book yourself.. See where you are in your life with Christ... it is eye opening. As Lent will shortly be upon us... it's a good book to contemplate and reform our lives....
CONSIDERATION VI
The Death of a Sinner
“When distress cometh upon them, they will seek for peace,
and there shall be none. Trouble shall
come upon trouble.” – Ezekiel 7:25
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| Death of a Sinner |
FIRST POINT
The sinner will
Seek God at Death,
but He will not
find Him
At present sinners banish the remembrance and though of
death; and thus they seek after peace, though they never find it, in the sinful
life which they lead. But when they are
found in the straits of death, on the point of entering into eternity, they
shall seek peace, there shall be none.
Then they will not be able to fly from the torture of their sinful
conscience. They will seek peace; but
what peace can be found by a soul loaded with sins that sting it like so my
vipers?
What peace can the sinner enjoy
when he sees that he must in a few moments appear before the judgment-seat of
Jesus Christ, whose law and friendship he has till then despised?
Trouble shall come upon trouble. The news of death, which has been already
announced, the thought of being obliged to take leave of everything in this
worlds, the remorse of conscience, the time lost, the want of time at present,
the rigor of the divine judgments, the unhappy eternity which awaits sinners all
these things will form a horrible tempest, which will confuse the mind, will
increase his apprehensions; and thus, full of confusion and distrust, the dying
sinner will pass to the other world.
Trusting in the divine promise, Abraham with great merit, hoped in God,
against human hope. (Romans 4:18)
But sinners, with great demerit,
hope falsely
and to their own perdition,
not only against hope but also against faith;
because they despise the menace of God
against all who are obstinate in sin.
They are afraid of a bad death,
but they fear
not to lead a wicked life.
But who has
assured them that they will not suddenly be deprived of life by a thunderbolt,
by apoplexy, or by the bursting of a blood vessel? And were they at death even allowed time for
repentance, who assures them that they will be sincerely return to God?
To conquer bad habits, St. Augustine had to
fight against them for twelve years. How
will the dying man, who has always lived in sin, be able, in the midst of the pains,
the stupefaction, and the confusion of death, to repent sincerely of all his
past iniquities?
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| Death is Near Your Sins are Before You! |
I say sincerely,
because it is not enough to say
and to promise
with the tongue:
it is necessary
to promise
with the heart!
O God! What terror
and confusion will seize the unhappy Christian who has led a careless life,
when he finds himself overwhelmed with sins, with the fears of judgment, of
hell and of eternity!
Oh! What confusion
will these thoughts produce when the dying sinner will find his reason gone, his
mind darkened, and his whole frame assailed by the pains of approaching
death. He will make his confession; he
will promise, weep, and seek mercy from God, but without understanding what he
does; and in this tempest of agitation, of remorse, of pains and terrors, he
will pass to the other life.
The people
shall be troubled, and they shall pass (Job 34:20) A certain author says that
the prayers, the wailings, and promises of dying sinners are like the tears and
promises of a man assailed by an enemy who points a dagger to his throat to
take away his life. Miserable the man
who takes to his bed at enmity with God, and passes from the bed of sickness to
eternity.
Affections and Prayers
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| Christ Crucified |
O wounds of Jesus! You are my hope. I should despair of the pardon of my sins,
and of my eternal salvation, did I not behold you, the fountains of mercy and
grace, through which a God has shed all his blood, to wash my soul from the
sins which I have committed.
I adore
you, then, O holy wounds! And trust in You.
I detest a thousand times, and curse those vile pleasures by which have
displeased my Redeemer, and have miserably lost His friendship.
Looking then at Thee, I raise up my hopes, and
turn my affections to Thee. My dear
Jesus, Thou deservest to be loved by all men, and to be loved with their whole
heart. I have so grievously offended
Thee, I have despised Thy love; but, notwithstanding my sinfulness, Thou hast
bourne with me so long, and invited me to pardon with so much mercy.
Ah, my Saviour, do not permit me evermore to
offend Thee, and to merit my own damnation.
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| Sorrowful Mother of God |
O, God! What torture should I feel in hell at the sight of Thy blood and
of the great mercies Thou has shown me.
I love Thee, and will always love Thee.
Give me holy perseverance. Detach
my heart from all love which is not for Thee and confirm in me a true desire, a
true resolution henceforth, to love only Thee, my sovereign good.
O Mary, my Mother! Draw me to God, and obtain
for me the grace to belong entirely to him before I die.
More insight see this homily Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost by Fr. Francis Xavier
Weninger, 1877
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