him as an enemy; you have despised his grace and his friendship. You knew that by your sins yon would displease him, and yet you have committed them. What does the man who commits sin? He turns his back on God; he loses respect for him; he lifts his hands, it may be said, to strike him; he grieves the heart of his God (Is. lxiii. 10). He who sins, says in fact to God: Withdraw from me, I will not obey thee, I will »not serve thee, I will not acknowledge thee as my Lord, I will not have thee for my God; this pleasure, that worldly advantage, this gratification of my revenge, must be my God. So do you speak in your heart, whenever you prefer a creature to your God. St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi could not comprehend how a Christian, with his eyes open, could commit sin. And you, who now are reading this, what do you say? How many mortal sins have you not already committed? [Examine yourself. ] My God! pardon me, and have mercy on me. I have offended thy infinite goodness; I hate my sins, I love thee, and repent of having offended thee, O my God, thou who art infinitely lovely! [Arouse yourself to repentance, and make a firm resolution .]
II. Consider that in the moment when you are committing sin God says to you: “ My son! I am thy God, who have created thee from nothing, who have redeemed thee with my blood. I forbid thee, under pain of my displeasure, to commit these sins.” But when you sin, you answer your God, and say: “ O Lord! I will not obey thee, I will procure for myself this satisfaction; it is of no importance to me whether it displeases thee or not.” Alas! O my God, more than once have I done this ! [ Examine yourself. ] How was it possible for thee to bear with
