we never can have, wherewith to pay the debt incurred by even one mortal sin, for what do we possess, what can we possess that is not from our bountiful Creditor? No, there is only one hope for us — the hope that our King and our God will be moved with compassion and forgive us all the debt, and the foundation for that hope we have in His own blessed promise: "That an humble and contrite heart the merciful Lord will never despise." But even our contrition and humility — our ransom — come from God. By a law of spiritual gravitation, of ourselves we can descend, but ascend, never, without the helping hand of God. If He turn not toward us we are lost. Dante represents the damned as submerged in a frozen lake — frozen because the light and warmth of God's gaze never penetrates there. The Lord looked on the traitor Peter, and immediately Peter wept. So it ever is: even the beginning of our repentance comes from God. He may look on us reproachfully, He may even command to be sold into the slavery of the devil our soul, and our soul's wife, which is our body, and the children of their union, which are our evil deeds, but His very wrath is an artifice of divine mercy to lead us to fall down at His feet and beseech Him saying: " Have patience with me and I will pay Thee all." Nay, He even puts it in our power to pay Him all, having given us an elder Brother, our Redeemer, possessed of countless riches amassed for just such emergencies, and ever generous in paying the debts of His scapegrace younger brethren. Be our debt
