Sins are Numbered - Tremble and Sin No More

St. Alphonsus Liguori

From the Book, 

"Preparation for Death: Considerations on Eternal Truths" 

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Consideration XVIII: The Number of Sins

“Because sentence is not speedily pronounced against evil, 

the children of men commit evil without fear.” – Eccles. 8:11

FIRST POINT

The Measure is Determined for Each One

IF God instantly chastises the man who insults him, we certainly should not see him so much outrages as we do at present.  But because the Lord does not instantly punish sinners, but waits for them, they are encouraged to offend him the more.  It is necessary to understand that, though God waits and bears, he does not wait and bear forever.  

It is the opinion of many holy Fathers – of St. Basil, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, and others – that as God, according to the words of Scripture, 

Wis. 11:21, 

Thou hast ordered all things in measure, 

and number and weight has fixed for each 

the number of his days, the degrees of health and talent 

which he will give to him, 

so he has also determined the number of sins 

that he will pardon; 

and when this number is completed, 

he will pardon no more.  

Eusebius of Caesarea says the same thing: “God waits up to a certain number, and afterwards abandons;” and so speak also the above-mentioned Fathers.

And these Fathers  have not spoken at random, but according to the sacred Scriptures.  In one place the Lord says that he restrained his vengeance against the Amorrithes, because the number of their sins was not as yet filled up:  For as yet the iniquities of the Amorrithes (Amorites*) are not at the full (Gen 15:16).  In another place he says: I will not add any more to have mercy on the house of Israel (Os. I,6).  Again he says: All the men who have tempted Me ten times shall not see the land (Num. 15:22).  Thou hast, says Job, sealed up my offences as it were in a bag (Job 14:16).  

Sinners keep no account of their sins; but God keeps an account of them, that when the harvest is ripe, that is, when the number of sins is completed, he may take vengeance on them.  Put ye in the sickles; for the harvest is ripe (Joel 3:13).  

handwriting on the wall—Mene, Thecel, Phares

In another place he says: Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin to sin (Sirach 5:5**).  As if he said: O sinner! You must tremble even on account of the sins which I have forgiven you; for it you add another, if may happen that this new sin, along with those which have been pardoned, may complete the number, then there will be no more mercy for you.  The Lord waiteth patiently, that when the day of judgment shall come, he may punish them in the fullness of their sins (2 Mac. 6:14).  God waits till the measure of iniquities is filled up, and then he chastises the sinner.

Of such chastisements there are many examples in the Scriptures.  Saul disobeyed God a second time, and was abandoned.  When he entreated Samuel to intercede for him, saying: Bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with me that I may adore the Lord, Samuel answered:  I will not return with thee, because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee (1 Kings15:25).  

We have also the example of Balthasar, who, after having profaned the vessels of the temple at table, saw a handwriting on the wall—Mene, Thecel, Phares. Daniel came, and in explaining the words, among other things, said: Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting (Dan. 5:27).  By these words he gave the king to understand that in the balance of divine justice the weight of his sins had made the scale descend.  The same night Balthasar, the Chaldean king, was killed.  

Oh ! how many miserable sinners meet with a similar fate!  

They live many years, multiplying sins; 

but when the number is filled up, 

they are struck dead, and cast into hell! 

 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell (Job 21:13).  

There are some who spend their time in investigating the number of the stars, the number of the angels, or the number of years which each one will live.  

But who can discover the number of sins 

which God will pardon each individual?  

We should, therefore, tremble.  

My brother, it may be that God will pardon you no more after the first criminal pleasure which you indulge, after the first thought to which you consent, or after the first sin which you commit.

Contrite Heart

Affections

and Prayers

Behold me, O my God!  at Thy feet.  I am that disgusting dog that has so often eaten the forbidden apples, which I before detested.  I do not deserve mercy: but, O My Redeemer!  The Blood which Thou shed for me encourages me and obliges me to hope for it.  

How often have I offended Thee and Thou hast pardoned me!  I promised never more to offend Thee, and I have afterward returned to the vomit: (Prov 26:11) and Thou has again pardoned me! What do I wait for?  Is it that Thou mayest send me to hell, or that Thou mayest abandon me into the hand of my sins, which would be a greater punishment than hell?  

No, my God!  I wish to amend: and in order to be faithful to Thee, I will put all my confidence in Thee, I will, whenever tempted, always and instantly have recourse to Thee.  

Hitherto I have trusted in my promises and resolutions, and have neglected to recommend myself to Thee in my temptations: this has been the cause of my ruin.  Henceforth Thou shalt be my hope and my strength, and thus I shall be able to do all things.

I can do all things in Him that strengthened me. (Phil 4:13).  Give me grace then, O my Jesus, through Thy merits, to recommend myself to Thee, and to ask Thy aid in my wants.  I love Thee, O Sovereign Good, amiable above every good.  I wish to love Thee alone; but it is from Thee I must receive aid to love Thee.  

O Mary, my Mother! Do thou also assist me by thy intercession; keep me under thy protection, and make me always invoke thee when I am tempted.  Thy name shall be my defence.

*Amorites (Amorrithes)

The Amorites

. . . the isolated remnants of the Amorites, who in pre-Philistine and pre-Israelitish times had occupied a large part of the country west of the Jordan.

Amorites.(From the pylon of the Ramesseum.)

In Tosef., Shab. (vii. [viii.] 23), and generally in post-Biblical literature, the Canaanites are usually spoken of as the Amorites (compare Assumptio Mosis, xi. 16; B. M. 25b); and they were characterized by R. Jose, the chronicler, as the most intractable of all nations. To the apocryphal writers of the first and second pre-Christian century they are the main representatives of heathen superstition, loathed as idolaters, in whose ordinances Israelites may not walk (Lev. xviii. 3).

A special section of the Talmud (Tosef., Shab. vi.-vii. [vii.-viii.]; Bab. Shab. 67a et seq.) is devoted to the various superstitions called "The Ways of the Amorites." 

According to the Book of Jubilees (xxix. [9] 11), "the former terrible giants, the Rephaim, gave way to the Amorites, an evil and sinful people whose wickedness surpasses that of any other, and whose life will be cut short on earth." In the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (lx.) they are symbolized by "black water" on account of "their black art, their witchcraft and impure mysteries, by which they contaminated Israel in the time of the Judges."

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1422-amorites

**Sirach 5:5-7 Sirach 5:5-7Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

5 Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin:

6 And say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, he will have mercy on the multitude of my sins.

7 For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketh upon sinners.

Preparation for Death - St. Alphonsus Liguori

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

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

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?  

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

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. 

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

http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/TwentySecond%20Sunday%20After%20Pentecost.html

The Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross 

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

The Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) is an ancient devotion commemorating the journey of Jeus Christ from the house of Pilate to Calvary.

Begin by making an Act of Contrition and form the intention of gaining the indulgences, whether for yourself or for the souls in purgatory.  

At each Station meditate devoutly on the mystery.  

Upon conclusion, say five Our Fathers, Hail Marys, Glory Bes in honour of the Passion of Jesus Christ.  

An Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be may also be said for the intentions of the pope.

More information on the origins of the Way of the Cross at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/stations_of_the_cross_date_back_to_the_fourth_century/

First Station Jesus is Condemned

First Station   

Jesus is Condemned to Death

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.

My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was the merits that condemned you to die.  I beseech you, by the merit of this sorrowful journey to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity.  I love you, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended you.  Never permit me to offend you again. Grant that I may love you always and then do with me what you will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Second Station Jesus Carries His Cross

Second Station  

Jesus Carries His Cross

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders thought of us , and for us offered to His Father the death He was about to undergo.

My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations you have destined for me until death.  I beseech you, by the merits of the pain you did suffer in carrying your Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Third Station Jesus Falls the First Time

Third Station   

Jesus Falls the First Time

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross.  His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood.  He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders.  The soldiers struck Him rudely and thus He fell several times in His journey.

My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made you suffer so much pain.  By the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Fourth Station Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother

Fourth Station  

Jesus meets His Sorrowful Mother

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey.  Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.

My most loving Jesus, by the sorrows you did experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for your most holy Mother.  AndYou, my Queen, who were overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by your intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of your Son.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Fifth Station Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

Fifth Station  

Simon helps Jesus carry the Cross

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how at each step Jesus was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would did on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, they constrained Simon of Cyrenian to carry the Cross behind Our Lord.

My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it.  I accept in particular the death you have destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to your death, I offer it to you.  Help me by your grace.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Sixth Station Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

 Sixth Station  

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed I sweat and blood, presented Him with a veil, which He wiped His adorable Face, leaving on it the impression of His Holy countenance.

My most beloved Jesus, my soul also was once beautiful, which it received your grace in Baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins; you alone, my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty.  Do this by your Passion, O Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Seventh Station Jesus Falls the Second Time

Seventh Station  

Jesus Falls the Second Time

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross—a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the Sacred Head and members of Our afflicted Lord.

My most gentle Jesus, how many times you have pardoned me, and how many time have I fallen again, and begun again to offend you!  By the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in your grace until death.  Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to You.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Eighth Station The Women Weep over Jesus

Eighth Station  

The Women Weep Over Jesus

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood, as He walked along.  But Jesus  said to them: Weep not for Me, but for your children.

My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offences I have committed against You, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused You, Who have loved me so much.  It is Your Love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Ninth Station Jesus Falls the Third Time

Ninth Station  

Jesus Falls the Third Time

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ.  His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.

My exhausted Jesus, by the merits of the weakness You did suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect, and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Your friendship.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Tenth Station Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

Tenth Station    

Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus.  His inner garments adhered to His lacerated fles, and they tore them off so rouchly that the skin came with them.  Compassionate Your Saviour thus cruelly treated, and say to Him:

My Innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment You have felt, help me to strip myself of all affection for things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in YOU who are so worthy of my love.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Eleventh Station Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

Eleventh Station  

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Jesus after being thrown on the Cross extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation.  These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and then, raising the Corss, allowed Him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.

My Jesus! Loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Your Feet, that it may ever remain there, to love You, and never leave You again.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Twelfth Station Jesus Dies on the Cross

Twelfth Station  

Jesus Dies on the Cross

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how your Jesus, after three hours’ Agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His Body, bows His Head, and dies.

O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which You died for love of me.  I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Your Death is my hope.  By the merits of Your Death, give me grace to die, embracing Your Feet, and burning with love for You.  I surrender my soul into Your Hands.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Thirteenth Station Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

Thirteenth Station 
  

Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how after the death of Our Lord, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the Cross, and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed Him to her bosom.

O Mother of Sorrow, for the love of Your Son, accept me your servant, and pray to Him for me.  And you, my Redeemer, since you have died for me, permit me to love you, for I wish but you and nothing more.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Fourteenth Station Jesus is Laid in the Sepulchre

Fourteenth Station  

Jesus is Laid in the Sepulchre

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how the disciples carried the Body of Jesus to bury It, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged It in the sepulchre with her own hands.  They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.

Oh, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that has enclosed You.  But You did rise again the third day.  I beseech You, by Your resurrection, make me rise gloriously with You on the last day, to be always united with You in heaven, to praise and love you forever.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.


Beautiful artwork borrowed from 
http://krilichmosaics.com/masterpieces/StationsCross/index.htm

What the Saints Say

Jesus told St. Faustina:  “There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood, the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy.”

St. Augustine writes that “there is no more profitable occupation for the soul than to meditate daily on the Passion of Our Lord.”

St. Alphonsus says that all the Saints become Saints by devotion to the Passion; there was no Saint who had not a great love of the Passion; from the crucifix they learned the art of loving God.

Our Lord revealed to several holy women: St. Bridget (pictured), St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and St. Catherine of Siena, that they who meditate on His Passion are very dear to him.

St. Francis of Assisi’s preferred meditation was on the Passion of Jesus.  He wept so continually in meditating on the sufferings of Jesus Christ that he almost entirely lost his sight.

“The veneration of Christ’s Cross has shaped the history of Christian piety and has inspired the greatest saints emerging over the centuries from the heart of the Church.  All of them have become “lovers of the Cross of Christ”... there is no Christian holiness without devotion to the Passion.”  St. John Paul II

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful under the usual conditions for those devoutly perform the Way of the Cross before stations legitimately erected. The indulgence requires pious meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord, as well as movement from one station to the next.  Those who are ‘impeded’ from performing the Way of the Cross can gain the same indulgence, if they spend at least one half an hour in pious reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. (Enchridion Indulgenitarum, #63)

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by St. Alphonsus Liguori

          Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, 

living and life-giving fountain of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, 

and glowing furnace of love, 

You are my sanctuary.

O Adorable and Glorious Savior, 

consume my heart with that burning fire 

that ever inflames Your Heart.

Pour down on my soul those graces 

which flow from Your Love.  

Let my heart be one with, 

and in all things conformed to Yours.

May Your Will 

be the rule of both my desires and my actions.

Amen

St. Alphonsus Liguori