shall relapse into sin. I therefore ask of Thee the grace never more to neglect prayer. Grant that whenever I shall be in danger of relapsing, I may recommend myself to Thee, and may invoke the aid of the most holy names of Jesus and Mary. My God! this I purpose and hope to do with the assistance of Thy grace. Hear me for the sake of Jesus Christ. O Mary, my Mother! obtain for me the grace that in all dangers of losing God I may have recourse to thee and to thy Son.
The Means of Persevering in the Grace of God.
In order to obtain eternal salvation, it is not sufficient to wish to be saved; but we must further use the means which have been left us by Jesus Christ. Otherwise, if we commit sins, it will not avail us in the day of judgment to excuse ourselves by saying that the temptations were great, and we were weak; because God has given us the means, through His grace, of conquering all the assaults of our enemies: if, then, we do not take advantage of them, and are overcome, the fault will be our own. All men desire to be saved; but because they omit to employ the means of salvation, they sin, and are lost. The first means is, To avoid all occasions of sin. It is impossible for any one who does not endeavor to flee from the occasions of sin, especially in the matter of sensual pleasures, to avoid falling into sin; for the occasion is like a veil put before our eyes, so that we can see nothing else — neither God, nor hell, nor the resolution we had made. As regards occasions, we must in this matter do violence to ourselves, resolutely overcoming all human respect. Those who do not use violence to themselves will not be saved.
The second means is mental prayer, without which the soul will find it almost impossible to remain a long time in the grace of God. He who often meditates on the Four Last Things, will not fall into sin. If these truths are not meditated on, they vanish from the mind; and then when the pleasures of the senses present themselves to the imagination, they carry us away altogether. This is the reason why so many abandon themselves to vice, and are damned.
Resolve, then, to make every day half an hour's meditation, or at least read some spiritual book, taking care from time to time to excite some good affection or to make some aspiration. If you do not discontinue this prayer you will certainly be saved.
The third means is the frequenting of the sacraments of confession and Communion.
By frequent confession the soul keeps itself purified; and by it it not only obtains remission of sins, but also greater strength to resist temptations.
Holy Communion is called heavenly bread, because just as common bread preserves the life of the body, so Communion preserves the life of the soul. Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man you
