bitterness is not from death, but from sin; fear is not to be referred to death but to life." Therefore, if you desire not to fear death, live holily: " To him who fears the Lord it will be well in his last hour." Father Colombiere considered it quite impossible, for him, who has been faithful to God all his life long, to die an unhappy death. And before him S. Augustine has remarked, " He cannot die badly who has lived well." He who is prepared for death, does not fear it, although it should be sudden. " But the just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be in rest." (Wisd. iv. 7.) And since we are unable to go to enjoy God, except we die, S. John Chrysostom exhorts us "to offer to God that which we are bound to render to Hun." And let us understand, that he who offers his death to God, performs the most perfect act of love that can be done towards God; for by willingly embracing that death, which it pleases God to send us, and that time and manner of death which God wishes, he makes himself like unto the holy martyrs. He who loves God ought to long and sigh for death, because death unites us eternally with God, and frees us from the danger of ever losing Him again. It is a sign that we love God but little, if we have no desire soon to go to see Him, feeling certain that we shall never be able to love Him more. For the meantime, let us love God as much as we can in this life. For this alone should we live to increase in our love to Hun; the measure of love to God in which death will find us, will be the measure of our love to God in a blessed eternity.
Affections and Prayers.
Bind me, my Jesus, to Thyself, so that I may never more be severed from Thee. Make me wholly Thine before I die, so that, when I behold Thee for the first time, I may behold Thee in peace. Thou hast sought me when I was fleeing from Thee; oh, do not drive me from Thee, now that I seek Thee. Pardon me whatever displeasure I may have caused Thee. From this day forward I wish to think of serving and loving Thee only. I am already too much indebted to Thee. Thou didst not refuse to shed Thy blood and give Thy life through love of me. I would wish to be entirely consumed for Thee as Thou wert for me.
