22 April 2013 Motives for penance: The thought of death If we were to tell a dying person: ‘Your last moment is drawing near; all is ending for you in this world; but take comfort -- you have borne an important part; you have held ... the highest posts ... in your profession; ... won a great name among the learned; your works and writings will keep your name alive.’ Would it give him any comfort? He would say-- ‘What will all this avail me in eternity? A dying celebrity said-- I have been president in the largest companies; ... a popular and much applauded teacher. All this is ‘nothing’ to me now. I have kept my faith and ‘that is something’; it is the only thing that consoles me now.’ The greatest comfort, then, on our deathbeds is the knowledge that we have been true to our faith; that we have been crucified with Jesus to the world and to ourselves by constant mortification. If I were to die now, should I find comfort in reviewing the past? A dying good man is not in fear and sorrow at the thought of leaving the fair things of this world; but only on account of his past sins. But what reassurance and peace we can find in those other words of the Holy Spirit -- ‘Thou overlooked the sins of men for the sake of repentance!’ The memory of having expiated by mortification the insult which sin is to God, of having paid off many debts owing to divine justice by means of penance, will also comfort us. St Hilarion was thus preserved from the fear of death: ‘What, my soul, thou hast carried the cross for seventy years, and now dost thou fear to leave the world to appear before God?’ When death draws near and desiring to share the calm trust of the saints, even those whose lives had not always been spotless, we should imitate their penance especially during this precious time of Lent. Let us be in earnest and not defer it to the hour of sickness or the time of old age. “While you are in health, you can perform many works of satisfaction; but you know not what you will be able to do when sickness overtakes you.” (Thomas à Kempis, “Imitation”) When the laborer joyfully gathers in a rich harvest, all his past labor is forgotten. The joy and satisfaction of the result far outweigh his former trouble and privation. This signals the joy and happiness which the penitent and mortified person will feel when he begins to reap the fruits of all the austerities of life. He receives the reward promised by our Lord to those who renounce all worldly pleasures to bear the cross after him. St Peter of Alcantara gave some idea of it when he appeared in glory to St Teresa, and said, ‘O blissful penance, which has purchased for me so great a reward!’ Thoughts like these bring us courage and strength to live and persevere till death in doing penance. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp140-142 Fear of Death Today Generations of men achieved progress with great difficulty, waste, energies, expense. However, it contains ‘a potent coefficient of death’ within its complexity; conceals a gigantic ‘potential for death’ in itself. Is it necessary to test this for oneself in society, conscious of possibilities of destruction in the military and nuclear arsenals? Man of today is therefore, afraid. The superpowers possess those arsenals but are afraid. This ‘fear is justified. ... men are slaying other men abundantly already today!’ They kill in homes, offices, universities. Men armed with modern weapons kill defenseless and innocent people. Together with this gigantic material progress, have we also reached the point of ‘wiping out man himself, who is such a fundamental and elementary Value?’ Ref: Cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, pp99-100 Grace begets more graces Our Lady had plenitude of grace which corresponded to her at every moment. This grace grew and increased day by day, since graces and supernatural gifts do not limit one’s capacity to receive them. Instead, they increase and expand that capacity for new gifts. The more we love God, the more our soul is enabled to love him further and to receive more grace. By loving we obtain new powers to love. Whoever loves more has a greater desire to love and a greater capacity for loving. Grace invites more grace, and a plenitude of grace calls for an ever greater plenitude. Mary’s soul at the first instant of its creation received an immense treasure of graces. From the beginning Mary has been loved by God above all creatures, because the Lord was fully pleased with her and filled her with supernatural graces, “more than all the angelic spirits and more than all the saints.” (cf Pius IX, “Ineffabilis Deus”, 8 Dec 1854) Of Our Lady, St Thomas states that “her dignity is in a certain sense infinite”. (8St Thomas, “Summa Theologiae”,1, q.25, a.6 ad.4) This grace was given to Mary due to her divine Motherhood. Fulness of grace and fulness of freedom went together in Our Lady, since one is more free in so far as one is more holy. Thus, she gave a most faithful response to God’s gifts and obtained great merit. Let us go to her now. We have such great need of her help. Ref: Cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 4:611-2 Our Lady — “Mary spent three days and three nights looking for the son who was lost. May you and I also be able to say that our willingness to find Jesus knows no rest.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Furrow”, 794) • Our Lady of Betharam, in the diocese of Lescar, in the province of Bearn. This image was found in the year 1503 by some shepherds who, seeing an extraordinary light on the spot where the high altar of the chapel now stands, came up and found an image of Our Lady, for which they at once erected a chapel. — Triple Couronne. n. 32. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Betharam, France (1503). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html) • Our Lady of Betharam (Diocese of Lescar: Bearn, France). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • “Notre Dame de Betharam”. Diocese of Lescar, Bearn, France. 1503. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)