has so often driven Me out of your house by your impurity, pride, and injustice, by your abominable cursing and swearing, by your gluttony and drunkenness, by the hatred and revenge you cherished against your neighbor? Do you think I have forgotten all that? Now you come to Me compelled by necessity; now that you see that no one but I can help you; that you are a prisoner in My hands; and that you have no more time in which to wage war on Me by your sins. Now at last you have come to Me. Now at last I am your Emperor, your Lord and your God, whom you treated like a worthless rag during your lifetime. Now you begin to know who I am, after having completely ignored Me; now you wish to speak Me fair, after having mocked and ridiculed Me all your life; but it is not love, but rather extreme necessity and a slavish fear of hell that drive you to My feet. You shall have what you deserve, namely, the sentence of eternal condemnation.
Confirmed by the threats of God Himself. Hear the words of Our Lord Himself in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Many will say to Me in that day: Lord, Lord. And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from Me, you that work iniquity.”[1] So did God act towards the wicked Israelites, when He said of them: “They have turned their back to Me, and not their face,” but the time shall come when I will treat them in the same manner. “And in the time of their affliction they will say: Arise, and deliver us. But I will answer them: Where are thy gods, whom thou hast made thee? let them arise and deliver thee in the time of thy affliction.”[2] Sinner, you shall also hear those words in your extremity! Where are the gods you have adored and honored in your lifetime? You have not adored Me. Where are the idols, O unchaste man! whom you loved more than Me? Where is your wealth, O miser! that you looked on as your god? Where the world, O vain child of the world! which you took against My strict command as the guide of your actions? Where are those men, O tepid Christian! to please whom you have omitted so much good and done so much evil? “Let them arise and deliver thee in the time of thy affliction;” call now upon those gods of yours, and see if they can save you from hell! You have
- ↑ Multi dicent mihi in illa die: Domine, Domine! Et tunc confitebor illis: Quia nunquam novi vos; discedite a me, qui operamini iniquitatem.—Matt. vii. 22, 23.
- ↑ Verterunt ad me tergum et non faciem, et in tempore afflictionis suæ dicent: Surge, et libera nos. Ubi sunt dii tui quos fecisti tibi? surgant et liberent te in tempore afflictionis tuæ.—Jer. ii. 27, 28.
