Preparation for Death/XIV. LIFE IS A JOURNEY TO ETERNITY.
CONSIDERATION XIV
Life is a journey to Eternity
"Man goeth to his long home." Eccles. xii. 5.
First Point.
From the beholding, that in this world so many evil-livers live in prosperity, and that so many righteous men, on the contrary, live in adversity, even the Gentiles recognised by the light of nature alone, this truth that, as there is a God, and as this God is just, so there must be another life in which the wicked will be punished and the good rewarded. What these Gentiles saw by the light of reason alone, that we, Christians, confess by faith: " Here we have no abiding city, but we seek one to come." (Heb. xiii. 14.) This world is not truly our country, but for us it is a place of passage, through which we must pass quickly to our " long home." " Man goeth to his long home." Therefore, my reader, the house in which you dwell is not your house; it is an hostel from which, quickly and when you least expect it, you will have to depart. Know that when the time of your death has arrived, those most dear, will be the first to thrust you out. And what will be your real home? A grave will be the home of your body until the day of judgment; and your soul will have to go to its long home, either to paradise or to hell. Wherefore S. Augustine addresses you: " Thou art a guest; thou beholdest; and thou passest onwards." That traveller would be insane who, passing through a country, would wish to lay out there all his patrimony in the purchase of a villa or a house in that place which in a few days he must leave. Reflect, yet, says the saint, that in this world thou art a passenger; do not place thy affections on what thou seest; behold and pass on, and procure a good home where you will have to dwell for ever.
If thou art saved, happy art thou. Oh, what a beautiful home is heaven! All the palaces, so exceedingly rich, of monarchs are hovels when compared with the city of heaven, which can alone be called "the perfection of beauty." (Lam. ii. 15.) In that place, you will not have anything left to desire; remaining in the company of the saints and of Jesus Christ, without further fear of harm. In short, you will live in an ocean of delights, and in perpetual joy which will never end: " Everlasting joy upon their heads." (Isa. xxxv. 10.) This joy will be so great, that through all eternity, at every moment, it will appear to be ever new. But if thou art lost; unhappy thou. Thou wilt be confined in a lake of fire, abandoned by all, and without God. And for what time? Perchance, when a hundred thousand years shall have passed by, your punishment will be ended? What end! A hundred thousand million years, and ages will pass by, and your hell will be ever at its beginning. For what are a thousand years in comparison with eternity? Less than a day that has passed, " A thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday, seeing that it is past as a watch in the night." (Ps. xc. 4.) Do you wish to know what will be your home, which will receive you in eternity? It will be exactly that which you deserved, and which you chose by your own actions.
Affections and Prayers.
Behold, then, O Lord, the home which I have deserved by my life; alas, hell! where, from the first sin which I committed, I ought to remain, abandoned by Thee, deprived of the hope of being able to love Thee more. Let Thy mercy for ever be blessed, which, having waited for me, also gives me time to atone for my sin. Let the Blood of Jesus Christ be blessed, which has obtained this mercy for me. No, my God, I do not desire further to abuse Thy patience. I repent, above every other sin, having grieved Thee, not so much on account of having deserved hell, as that I have abused Thy infinite goodness. Never more, my God, never more; let me die rather than offend Thee more. If I were now in hell, O my Sovereign Good, I could not love Thee any more, neither couldst Thou further love me. I love Thee, and I desire to be loved by Thee. I do not deserve this; but Jesus Christ merits it, Who so sacrificed Himself upon the Cross that Thou mightst be able to pardon and love me. Eternal Father, for the love, then, of Thy Son, give me grace to love Thee ever, and to love Thee much. I love Thee, O my Father, for having given Thy Son to me. I love Thee, O Son of God, for Thou hast died for me.
Second Point.
" If the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." (Eccles. xi. 3.) Wheresoever the tree of thy soul shall fall in death, there it will have to abide for ever. There is no middle way: either a king for ever in heaven, or a slave for ever in hell; either for ever blessed in a sea of joy, or despairing for ever in a pit of torments. S. Chrysostom, considering the feaster who was counted happy in this world because he was rich, but who was afterwards confined in hell; and considering Lazarus, on the other hand, who was reckoned miserable because he was poor, but who was afterwards happy in paradise, says, " O unhappy happiness which drew the rich man into eternal unhappiness! O happy unhappiness which led the poor man into the happiness of eternity! "
What does it serve to trouble yourself, as some do, by saying, " Am I among the number of the reprobate or the predestined? " When the tree is cut down, where does it fall? It falls as it inclines. To which side do you incline, my brother? What life are you leading? Study ever to incline towards the south; preserve yourself in the grace of God; fly from sin; and by so doing you will save yourself and will be numbered with the elect. To avoid sin, have ever before your eyes the great thought of eternity, called by S. Augustine " the great thought." This thought has caused so many youths to fly from the world and to live in deserts, so as to attend to their souls alone; and they have saved them. Now that they are saved, they find a happiness which will be theirs for ever.
A lady who was living far from God was converted by a certain Father M. Avila merely saying, " Lady, meditate upon these two words, always and ever." Paul Segneri, by a thought which he once had of eternity, was unable to sleep for many nights, and from that time he dedicated himself to a more ascetic life. Drexelius narrates, that this thought of eternity caused a bishop to lead a holy life, ever repeating to himself, " I stand at the gate of eternity every moment." A monk shut himself up in a cave, and there did nothing but exclaim, " O eternity! O eternity! " Avila says, that he who believes in eternity, if he does not become a saint, ought to be shut up in a madhouse.
Affections and Prayers.
O my God, have pity upon me! I truly know that I condemned myself to an eternity of pain in sinning; and I was content to oppose Thy will, and to have all this punishment; and for what? For a miserable gratification. Ah, my Lord, pardon me, for I repent with all my heart. I do not wish any more to oppose myself to Thy holy will. Wretched me! hadst Thou caused me to die in the time of my evil life, I should now have had to remain for ever in hell to hate Thy will; but now I love Thee, and I desire to love Thee ever. " Teach me to do Thy will." Teach me, and give me strength to perform today and henceforth Thy good pleasure. I desire not to thwart Thee further, O Infinite Goodness, and I ask Thee for this grace alone. " Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Grant me to fulfil Thy will perfectly, and I ask nothing else. And what more dost Thou desire, O my God, but my good and my salvation? Ah! Eternal Father, hear me for the love of Jesus Christ, Who has taught me ever to pray to Thee, and in His Name I beg Thee, " Thy will be done." O blessed me, if during the remainder of my life, and to its end, I may perform
Thy will. Third Point.
" Man goeth to his long home," says the Prophet. " Goeth" signifying that each one " goeth" to that home which he chooses; he will not be carried there, but he will go there of his own accord. It is certain that God wills all, but He will not force him to be saved. " Before man is life and death." He has placed before each of us life and death; and " that which he shall choose shall be given him." (Ecclus. xv. 18.) Similarly, Jeremiah says, that the Lord has given to us two ways in which to walk; the one of heaven, the other of hell. " I set before you the way of life, and the way of death." (Jer. xxi. 8.) It remains with us to choose. But how can he who chooses to walk in the way of hell, ever hope to find himself in heaven? It is a great truth that all sinners desire to be saved, and meanwhile they condemn themselves to hell, by saying, " I hope to save myself." But who ever, says S. Augustine, is so mad as to take poison with the hope of being cured? And yet so many Christians, so many who are mad, condemn themselves to death by sinning, with the saying, "Afterwards, I will think of the remedy." O deceit, which has ordered so many to hell!
Let us not be so mad as these; let us remember that it concerns eternity. How great pains do men take, to build themselves a house, convenient, airy, and healthy, considering that they will have to dwell in it all their lives! And why then are they so careless about that home in which they will have to dwell for eternity? " Eternity is the object for which we contend." says S. Eucher; not to treat of a home more or less convenient, more or less airy, but of a resting, either in a place full of all delights amongst the friends of God; or in a pit, full of every torment amongst an infamous crew of so many wicked heretics and idolaters. And for how long a time? Not for twenty, nor for forty years, but for all eternity. It is an all important point; it is not an affair of small moment, but one of vast moment. When Sir Thomas Moore was condemned to death by Henry VIII., his wife, Louisa, tried to persuade him to submit himself to the will of Henry; but he said to her, " Tell me, Louisa for you see how old I am now how many years do you think I may be able to live?" She answered, "You might live for twenty years." " O foolish tradeswoman!" he lovingly said; " for another twenty years of life on this earth, you would have me forfeit a happy eternity, and condemn myself to an eternity of pain."
O God, give us light! If this question of eternity were doubtful, or a probable opinion only, even then we ought to make it our whole study to live well, so as not to expose ourselves to the danger of being eternally unhappy, if ever this opinion should prove true. But not so. This point is not doubtful, but certain; it is not an opinion, but an article of faith, " Man goeth to his long home." Alas! says S. Teresa, that the want of faith should be such, as to cause so great sins, and the condemnation of so many Christians. Let us then ever rekindle faith by saying, I believe "in the life everlasting." I believe that after this life, there is another life which shall never end, and with this thought always before the eyes, let us seize the means to secure our eternal salvation. Let us frequent the Holy Sacrament; let us every day meditate, and reflect upon eternal life; let us flee from opportunities which are dangerous; and, if necessary, let us leave the world, since no security can be enough to make sure of this great point of eternal salvation. S. Bernard says, " That no security is excessive, where eternity is in danger."
Affections and Prayers.
Therefore, my God, there is not a middle way; either I must be happy for ever, or for ever unhappy; either in a sea of delights, or in a sea of torments; either ever with Thee in paradise, or for ever afar off and separated from Thee in hell. I know for certain that I have often merited this hell; but I also know that Thou dost pardon him who repents, and that Thou deliverest from hell him who hopes in Thee. Thou assurest me of it, "He shall call upon me, and I will hear him .... I will deliver him, and bring him to honour." (Ps. xcv. 15.) Make haste, then, my Lord, make haste to pardon me and to deliver me from hell, repent, O Highest Good, above every other evil, the having offended Thee; make haste to restore me to Thy favour, and give to me Thy holy love. If I were now in hell I could no longer love Thee, I should be compelled to hate Thee forever. O my God, what evil hast Thou done to me that I should hate Thee? Thou hast loved me even unto death. Thou art worthy of infinite love. O Lord, do not allow me again ever to be separated from Thee. I love Thee, and I will ever love Thee, " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Rom. viii. 35.) O my Jesus, sin alone can separate me from Thee. Permit it not, I pray Thee, by that Blood which Thou hast shed for me. Suffer me sooner to die.