operate for this end. All desire to be saved, many because they will not employ the means of salvation, are lost St Philip Neri used to say: " Heaven is not made for the slothful.” Enlighten me, O Lord, that I may know what I ought to do, and what to avoid, for I desire to do all that thou requirest of me. I am determined, by thy grace, to save my soul.
II. St. Teresa said to her religious: “ One soul! my daughters, one eternity!” She meant, that in this world we ought not to attend to any thing but to the salvation of our souls; because if the soul be lost, all will be lost; and if once lost, will be lost for ever. Benedict the twelfth, being asked by a prince for a favour which he could not grant without committing sin, answered the ambassador: “ Tell your prince that if I had two souls I would give him one; but as I have only one, I cannot consent to lose it for his sake.” Thus should we answer the devil or the world when they offer us forbidden fruit. O God, how often have I lost my soul by forfeiting thy grace! But since thou offerest me thy pardon, I detest all the offences I have committed against thee, and love thee above all things.
III. Would that we were fully impressed with the meaning of that great maxim of St. Francis Xavier: “ there is but one evil, and one good, in the world!” The only evil is damnation, the only good, salvation. No; poverty, infirmity, ignominies are not evils; these when embraced with resignation will increase our glory in heaven. On the other hand, health, riches and honours are not goods for too many Christians, because they become to them greater occasions of losing their souls. Save me then, O God, and do with me what thou pleasest. Thou knowest and wiliest what is best for me. I abandon myself to thy
