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With such powerful reasons for embracing virtue, I
know not what excuse men can make for refusing to
practice it. That pagans, who are ignorant of its
value, do not prize it is not astonishing. A peasant
digging in the earth and finding a precious stone
will probably throw it away, because he does not know
its worth. But that Christians, who have been taught
the value and beauty of virtue, continue to live in
forgetfulness of God and wedded to the things of this
world, as if there were no such thing as death or
judgment, or Heaven or Hell, is a continual subject
of sorrowful wonder. Whence this blindness, whence
this folly? It has several causes, the principal
of which is the mistaken opinion of the generality of
men, who believe that no advantages are to be reaped
from virtue in this life, that its rewards are
reserved for the life to come. Men are so
powerfully moved by self-interest, and present
objects make such an impression upon them, that they
think very little of future rewards and seek only
their immediate satisfaction. The same was true even
in the days of the prophets; for when Ezechiel made
any promise or uttered any threat in the name of the
Lord, people laughed at him and said to one another,
"The vision that this man seeth is for many days to
come; and this man prophesieth of times afar off." (Ezech.
12:27). In like manner did they ridicule the prophet
Isaias: "Command, command again, command, command
again; expect, expect again, expect, expect again."
(Is. 28:10). Solomon teaches us the same when he
says, "Because sentence is not speedily pronounced
against the evil, the children of men commit evils
without any fear � Because all things equally happen
to the just and the wicked � to him that offereth
victims and to him that despiseth sacrifices � the
hearts of the children of men are filled with evil,
and with contempt while they live, and afterwards
they shall be brought down to hell." (Eccles. 8:11;
9:2-3). Yes, because the wicked seem to prosper in
the world they conclude that they are safe, and that
the labor of virtue is all in vain. This they openly
confess by the mouth of the prophet Malachias,
saying, "He laboreth in vain that serveth God; and
what profit is it that we have kept His ordinances,
and that we have walked sorrowful before the Lord of
hosts? Wherefore now we call the proud people happy,
for they that work wickedness are built up, and they
have tempted God and are preserved." (Mal. 3:14-15).
This is the language of the reprobate, and is the
most powerful motive which impels them to continue in
sin; for, in the words of St. Ambrose, "They find it
too difficult to buy hopes at the cost of dangers, to
sacrifice present pleasures to future blessings." To
destroy this serious error I know nothing better than
the touching words of Our Saviour weeping over
Jerusalem: "If thou also hadst known, and that in
this thy day, the things that are for thy peace; but
now they are hidden from thy eyes." (Lk. 19:42).
Our Divine Lord considered the advantages which this
people had received from Him; the happiness He had
reserved for them; and the ingratitude with which
they rejected Him when He came to them in meekness
and humility. For this they were to lose not only the
treasures and graces of His coming, but even their
temporal power and freedom. This it was which caused
Him to shed such bitter tears and to foretell the
unhappy fate that was in store for His people. His
words apply with great force to our present subject.
Consider the inestimable riches, the abundant graces,
which accompany virtue; yet it is a stranger, a
wanderer on earth. Men seem to be blind to these
divine blessings. Have we not, therefore, reason to
weep and to cry out, O man, if thou also hadst known?
If thou hadst known the peace, the light, the
strength, the sweetness, and the riches of virtue,
thou wouldst have opened thy heart to it, thou
wouldst have spared no sacrifice to win it. But these
blessings are hidden from worldlings, who regard only
the humble exterior of virtue, and, having never
experienced its unutterable sweetness, they conclude
that it contains nothing but what is sad and
repulsive.
They know not that Christian philosophy is like its
Divine Founder, who, though exteriorly the humblest
of men, was nevertheless God and sovereign Lord of
all things. Hence the Apostle tells the faithful that
they are dead to the world, that their "life is hid
with Christ in God." (Col. 3:3). Just as the glory of
Christ was hidden by the veil of His humanity, so
should the glory of His faithful followers be
concealed in this world. We read that the ancients
made certain images, called Silenes, which were rough
and coarse exteriorly, but most curiously and
ingeniously wrought within. The ignorant stopped at
the exterior and saw nothing to prize, but those who
understood their construction looked within and were
captivated by the beauty they there beheld. Such have
been the lives of the prophets, the Apostles, and all
true Christians, for such was the life of their
Divine Model. If you still tell me that the path
of virtue is rugged, that its duties are difficult, I
beg you to consider the abundant and powerful aids
which God gives you. Such are the infused virtues,
interior graces, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, the
sacraments of the New Law, with other divine favors,
which are to us like sails to a ship, or wings to a
bird, to help us on our voyage to eternity. Reflect
upon the very name and nature of virtue. It is a
noble habit, which, like all other habits, ought to
make us act with facility and pleasure. Remember also
that Christ has promised His followers not only the
riches of glory, but those of grace: the former for
the life to come, the latter for this present life.
"The Lord," says the prophet, "will give grace and
glory." (Ps. 83:12). The treasures of grace are for
this life, and the riches of glory are for the next.
Consider further with what care God provides for the
necessities of all creatures. How generously He
supplies even the smallest creatures with all that is
necessary to the end for which they were created! Is
it not unreasonable then, to think that He will
disregard the necessities of man, the most important
of which is virtue, and leave him a prey to his weak
will, his darkened understanding, and his corrupt
nature? The world and the prince of darkness are most
assiduous in procuring vain pleasures and joys for
those who serve them. Can you doubt, then, that God
will grant refreshment, light, and peace to His
faithful in the midst of the labors performed for
Him? What did God wish to teach us by the words of
the prophet: "You shall return, and shall see the
difference between the just and the wicked, and
between him that serveth God and him that serveth him
not." (Mal. 3:18). Was it not that if we would be
converted we would see and know, even in this life,
the rewards of the good, "the difference between the
just and the wicked"? We would behold the contrast
between the true riches of the just and the poverty
of the wicked; between the joy of the former and the
misery of the latter; between the peace of the one
and the conflicts of the other; between the light
with which the good are surrounded and the darkness
by which the wicked are enveloped. Experience will
show you the real value of virtue and how far it
exceeds your former anticipations. Upon another
occasion God replied in like manner to men who,
having been deceived by appearances, ridiculed the
virtuous, saying, "Let the Lord be glorified, and we
shall see in your joy." (Is. 66:5). After depicting
the torments which God's justice prepares for the
wicked, Isaias thus describes the happiness reserved
for the just: "Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad
with her, all ye that love her. Rejoice for joy with
her, all you that mourn for her. That you may suck,
and be filled with the breasts of her consolation;
that you may milk out, and flow with delights, from
the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord:
Behold I will bring upon her as it were a river of
peace, and as an overflowing torrent, the glory of
the Gentiles, which you shall suck; you shall be
carried at the breasts, and upon the knees they shall
caress you. As one whom the mother caresseth, so will
I comfort you, and you shall be comforted in
Jerusalem. And you shall see, and your heart shall
rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb,
and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his
servants �" (Is. 66:10-14). Yes, "the hand of the
Lord shall be known to his servants"; for as men by
the beauties and wonders of the universe judge of the
infinite beauty and omnipotence of God, so shall the
just recognize the infinite love and goodness of God
in the incomparable joys and favors which He will
bestow upon them. As a further proof of what has
been said, I will add the remarkable words uttered by
Our Saviour when St. Peter asked what reward they
would have for leaving all things for love of Him:
"Amen I say to you, there is no man who hath left
house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or children, or lands for my sake and for the gospel,
who shall not receive a hundred times as much, now in
this time � and in the world to come life
everlasting." (Mk. 10:29-30). Mark how explicitly the
rewards of this life and the next are distinguished.
Nor can we doubt these words, for they are those of
Him who has said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away,'
but my words shall not pass away." And what is
this hundredfold which the just receive in this life?
Honors, riches, titles, and dignities are not their
portion; the greater number of the just lead hidden,
obscure lives, forgotten by the world and overwhelmed
with infirmities. How, then, does God fulfill His
infallible promise to give them a hundredfold even in
this life? Ah! It is not with the perishable goods of
this world that He will reward His servants.
Joy and peace and happiness are the spiritual
treasures with which the liberality of our God
enriches those who love Him. These are the blessings
which the world does not know, and which the wealth
of the world can never buy. And how fitting this is;
for as man does not live by bread alone, so the
craving of his soul cannot be satisfied by anything
short of spiritual blessings. Study the lives of
the saints, and you will see that they have received
the hundredfold promised in this life. In exchange
for the false riches which they forsook, they
received true riches which they can bear with them to
eternity. For the turmoil and conflicts of the world,
they received that "peace which surpasseth all
understanding." Their tears, their fasting, and their
prayers brought them more joy and consolation than
they could ever hope to obtain from the fleeting
pleasures of this life. If, then, you have
forsaken an earthly father for love of God, your
Heavenly Father will receive you as His child, and
make you His heir to an everlasting inheritance. If
you have despised earthly pleasures for love of Him,
He will fill you with the incomparable sweetness of
heavenly consolations. The eyes of your soul will be
opened, and you will love and cherish what formerly
frightened you. What was The formerly bitter will
become sweet; and, enlightened by grace, you will see
the emptiness of worldly joys, and you will learn to
relish the delights of God's love. Thus does He
manifest His merciful goodness; thus does He fulfill
His promise to us. The annals of the Cistercian
Order mention an incident which, in connection with
our subject, is worth recording. Arnulph, a man of
prominence in Flanders, who was strongly wedded to
the things of this world, was converted by the
preaching of St. Bernard. He was so touched by grace
that he became a Cistercian monk. On a certain
occasion he fell dangerously sick and remained
unconscious for some time. The monks, believing him
to be dying, administered Extreme Unction. But soon
after, his consciousness returned, and he broke out
into transports of praise, frequently repeating, "How
true are Thy words, O merciful Jesus!" To the
questions of his brethren he continued to repeat,
"How true are Thy words, O merciful Jesus!" Some of
them remarked that pain had made him delirious. "No,
my brethren," he exclaimed; "I am conscious, I am in
full possession of my senses, and again I assure you
that all the words Jesus has uttered are true."
"But we do not doubt this," said the monks; "why do
you repeat it so often?" "God tells us in the
Gospel," he answered, "that he who forsakes earthly
affections for love of Him shall receive a
hundredfold in this world, and in the world to come,
life everlasting, and I have already experienced the
truth of His promise. Great as my present pains are,
I would not exchange them, with the anticipation of
heavenly sweetness which they have procured me, for a
hundred or a thousand fold of the pleasures I forsook
in the world. If a guilty sinner like me receives
such sweetness and consolation in the midst of his
pains, what must be the joys of perfect souls?" The
monks marveled to hear a man of no learning speak so
wisely, but recognized in his words the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must conclude
that the just, though deprived of earthly blessings,
enjoy the rewards promised to virtue in this life. To
convince you more fully of this we shall treat in the
following chapters of the twelve privileges attached
to virtue in this world. Taken as a whole, they are
the twelfth motive for practicing virtue. We shall
treat of each, however, in a separate chapter. Though
some experience in the practice of virtue is
necessary to comprehend what we are about to say, yet
the want of it may be supplied by our faith in the
Holy Scriptures, which firmly establish the doctrine
we are teaching.
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