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The arguments we have just stated should certainly be
sufficient to convince men of the folly of deathbed
repentances; for if it be so dangerous to defer
penance from day to day, what must be the consequence
of deferring it until the hour of death? But as this
is a very general error, causing the ruin of many
souls, we shall devote a special chapter to it. The
reflections which we are about to make may alarm and
discourage weak souls, but the consequences of
presumption are still more fatal, for a greater
number is lost through false confidence than through
excessive fear. Therefore, we, who are one of the
sentinels mentioned by Ezechiel, must warn you of
these dangers, that you may not rush blindly to your
ruin, and that your blood may not be upon us. As the
safest light for us is that of Holy Scripture,
interpreted by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church,
we shall first study their opinions on this subject,
and afterwards we shall learn what God Himself
teaches us by His inspired writers. Before
entering upon the subject we must bear in mind an
undeniable principle, concerning which St. Augustine
and all the holy Doctors are agreed � namely, that as
true repentance is the work of God, so He can inspire
it when and where he wills. Hence if the heart of the
sinner, even at the hour of death, be filled with
true contrition for his sins, it will avail him for
salvation. But, to show you how rare such examples of
repentance are, I shall give you the testimony of the
saints and Doctors of the Church. I do not ask you to
believe me, but believe them, the chosen instruments
of the Holy Ghost. And first hear St. Augustine.
In a work entitled, True and False Penance he says,
"Let no one hope to do penance when he can no longer
sin. God wishes us to perform this work cheerfully
and not through compulsion. Therefore, he who,
instead of leaving his sins, waits until they leave
him, acts from necessity rather than from choice. For
this reason they who would not return to God when
they could, but are willing to seek Him when they are
no longer able to sin, will not so easily obtain what
they desire." Speaking of the character of true
conversion, he says, "He is truly converted who turns
to God with his whole heart, who not only fears
punishment but earnestly desires to merit God's
graces and favors. Should anyone turn to God in this
way, even at the end of his life, we would have no
reason to despair of his salvation. But as examples
of this perfect conversion are very rare, we cannot
but tremble for one who defers his repentance until
the hour of death. "Moreover, if he obtain the
pardon of his sins, their temporal punishment is not
remitted; he must expiate them in the fire of
Purgatory, the pain of which is greater than any
suffering known on earth. Never did the martyrs in
their most terrible torments, never did malefactors,
though subjected to all the cruelties which human
malice could invent, endure sufferings equal to those
of Purgatory. Let him, then, if he would avoid these
dreadful punishments after death, begin from this
time to amend his life." St. Ambrose, in his book
on penance, which some attribute to St. Augustine,
treats of this subject at great length. Here is one
of the many excellent things he tells us: "If a man
ask for the sacrament of penance on his deathbed, we
do not refuse him what he asks, but we are far from
assuring you that if he dies after it he is on the
way to Heaven. It is more than we dare affirm or
promise, for we. would not deceive you. But if you
would be relieved of this uncertainty, if you would
dissipate this doubt, do penance for your sins while
you are in health, and then I can positively assure
you that you will be in a good way, for you will have
repented for your crimes when you might have been
increasing them. If, on the contrary, you defer your
repentance until you are no longer able to sin, it
will not be that you have abandoned your sins, but
rather that they have abandoned you." St. Isidore
forcibly expresses the same truth: "If you would have
a hope of being pardoned your sins at the hour of
death, do penance for them while you are able. But if
you spend your life in wickedness, and still hope for
forgiveness at your death, you are running a most
serious risk. Though you are not sure that you will
be damned, your salvation is by no means more
certain." The authorities which we have just
quoted are very alarming; yet the words of St.
Jerome, uttered as he lay in sackcloth upon the
ground awaiting his last hour, are still more
terrifying. I dare not give his words in all their
rigor, lest I should discourage weak souls; but I
refer him who desires to read them to an epistle on
the death of St. Jerome written by his disciple,
Eusebius, to a bishop named Damasus. I will quote
only this passage: "He who daily perseveres in sin
will probably say: 'When I am going to die I shall do
penance.' Oh! Melancholy consolation! Penance at the
hour of death is a very doubtful remedy for him who
has always done evil, and has thought of penance only
as a dream, to be realized in the uncertain future.
Wearied by suffering; distracted with grief at
parting from family, friends, and worldly possessions
which he can no longer enjoy; a prey to bitter
anguish � how will he raise his heart to God or
conceive a true sorrow for his sins? He has never
done so in life, and he would not do it now had he
any hope of recovery. What kind of penance must that
be which a man performs when life itself is leaving
him? I have known rich worldlings who have recovered
from bodily sickness only to render the health of
their souls still more deplorable. Here is what I
think, what I know, for I have learned it by a long
experience: If he who has been a slave to sin during
life die a happy death, it is only by an
extraordinary miracle of grace." St. Gregory
expresses himself not less strongly upon this
subject. Writing upon these words of Job, "What is
the hope of the hypocrite, if through covetousness he
take by violence? Will God hear his cry when distress
shall come upon him?" (Job 27:8-9) he says, "If a man
be deaf to God's voice in prosperity, God will refuse
to hear him in adversity, for it is written: 'He that
turneth away his ears from hearing the law, his
prayer shall be an abomination.'" (Prov. 28:9). And
Hugh of St. Victor, comprehending in one sentence the
teaching of the Fathers, says, "It is very difficult
for that penance to be true which comes at the hour
of death, for we have much reason to suspect it
because it is forced." You now know the sentiments
of these great Doctors of the Church on deathbed
repentance. See, then, what folly it would be in you
to contemplate without fear a passage of which the
most skillful pilots speak with terror. A lifetime is
not too long to learn how to die well. At the hour of
death our time is sufficiently occupied in dying. We
have then no leisure to learn the lesson of dying
well. The teaching of the Fathers which we have
just given is also the teaching of the doctors of the
schools. Among the many authorities whom we could
quote we shall select Scotus, one of the most
eminent, who, after treating this subject at great
length, concludes that conversion at the hour of
death is so difficult that it is rarely true
repentance. He supports his conclusion by these four
reasons: First, because the physical pains and weakness which
precede death prevent a man from elevating his heart
to God or fulfilling the duties of true repentance.
To understand this you must know that uncontrolled
passions lead man's free will where they please. Now,
philosophers teach that the passions which excite
sorrow are much stronger than those which cause joy.
Hence it follows that no passions, no sentiments,
exceed in intensity the passions and sentiments
awakened by the approach of death,; for, as Aristotle
tells us, death is the most terrible of all terrible
things. To sufferings of body it unites anguish of
soul awakened by parting from loved ones and from all
that bind our affections to this world. When,
therefore, the passions are so strong and turbulent,
whither can man's will and thoughts turn but to those
things to which these violent emotions draw them? We
see how difficult it is even for a man exercised in
virtue to turn his thoughts to God or spiritual
things when his body is racked with pain. How much
more difficult will it be for the sinner to turn his
thoughts from his body, which he has always preferred
to his soul! I myself knew a man who enjoyed a
reputation for virtue, but who, when told that his
last hour was at hand, was so terrified that he could
think of nothing but applying remedies to ward off
the terrible moment. A priest who was present
exhorted him to turn his thoughts to his soul's
interests; but he impatiently repelled his counsels,
and in these disedifying dispositions soon after
expired. Judge by this example the trouble which the
presence of death excites in those who have an
inordinate love for this life, if one who loves it in
moderation clings to it so tenaciously, regardless of
the interests of the life to come. The second
reason given by Scotus is that repentance should be
voluntary, not forced. Hence St. Augustine tells us
that a man must not only fear, but also love his
Judge. We cannot think that one who has refused to
repent during life, and only has recourse to this
remedy at the hour of death, seeks it freely and
voluntarily. Such was the repentance of Semei for
his outrage against David when he fled from his son
Absalom. When King David returned in triumph, Semei
went forth to meet him with tears and supplications;
but though David then spared his life, on his
deathbed he enjoined his son Solomon to deal with the
traitor according to his deserts. (Cf. 2Kg. 16 and 17
and 3Kg. 2). Similar is the repentance of Christians
who, after outraging God with impunity during life,
piteously claim His mercy at the hour of death. We
may judge of the sincerity of such repentance by the
conduct of many who have been restored to health, for
they are no sooner released from the imminent fear of
death than they relapse into the same disorders. The
salutary sentiments excited by fear, and not by
virtue, vanish when the danger is past. The third
reason is that a habit of sin confirmed by long
indulgence accompanies man as inseparably as the
shadow does the body, even to the tomb. It becomes,
as we have said, a second nature which it is almost
impossible to conquer. How often do we see old men on
the verge of the grave as hardened to good, and as
eager for honors and wealth, which they know they
cannot take with them, as if they were at the
beginning of their career! This is a punishment,
says St. Gregory, which God frequently inflicts upon
sin, permitting it to accompany its author even to
the tomb; for the sinner, who has forgotten God
during life, too often forgets his own eternal
interest at this terrible hour. We have frequent and
striking proof of this, for how often do we hear of
persons who refuse to be separated from the objects
of their sinful love even at their last hour, and, by
a just judgment of God, expire wholly forgetful of
what is due to their Maker and their own souls!
The fourth reason given by Scotus is taken from the
value of actions done at such a time; for it is
manifest to all who have any knowledge of God that He
is much less pleased with services offered at this
hour than with the same services offered under
different circumstances. "What merit is there," says
the virgin and martyr St. Lucy, "in giving up what
you are forced to leave," in pardoning an injury
which it would be a dishonor to avenge, or in
breaking sinful bonds which you can no longer
maintain? From these reasons this doctor concludes
that repentance at the hour of death is a dangerous
and difficult matter. He goes even further, and
affirms that the act by which a Christian
deliberately resolves to defer his conversion till
the hour of death is in itself a mortal sin, because
of the injury he thereby inflicts on his soul, and
because of the peril to which he exposes his
salvation. As the final decision of this question
depends on the word of God, I pray you to hear what
He teaches us through Holy Scripture. The Eternal
Wisdom, after inviting men to practice virtue, utters
by the mouth of Solomon the following malediction
against those who are deaf to His voice: "Because I
called, and you refused: I stretched out my hand, and
there was none that regarded. You have despised all
my counsels, and have neglected my reprehensions. I
also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock
when that shall come to you which you feared. When
sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction,
as a tempest, shall be at hand; when tribulation and
distress shall come upon you, then shall they call
upon me, and I will not hear. They shall rise in the
morning, and shall not find me, because they have
hated instruction, and received not the fear of the
Lord, nor consented to my counsel, but despised all
my reproof." (Prov. 1:24-31). We have the
authority of St. Gregory for saying that these words
of the Holy Ghost apply to our present subject. Are
they not sufficient to open your eyes and determine
you to save yourself from God's vengeance by a timely
preparation for this terrible hour? In the New
Testament we find no less striking authority. Our
Saviour, when speaking to His Apostles of the day of
His coming, never fails to warn them to be always
ready. "Blessed is that servant," He says, "whom when
his lord shall come he shall find watching. Amen I
say to you, he shall place him over all his goods.
But if the evil servant shall say in his heart: My
lord is long coming, and shall begin to strike his
fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with
drunkards, the lord of that servant shall come in a
day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he
knoweth not, and shall separate him, and appoint his
portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 24:46-51). In this
parable Our Saviour, who reads the secret designs of
the wicked, tells them what they are to expect and
what will be the result of their vain confidence. You
are this bad servant, since you cherish the same
designs in your heart and seize the present time to
eat and drink and gratify every passion. Why do you
not fear the wrath of Him who is all-powerful to
execute what He threatens? It is to you that His
menaces are addressed. Awake, unhappy soul, and
hasten to profit by the time that remains to you!
We are devoting much time to this subject, which
ought to be clear to all, but we must do so, since
there are so many unhappy Christians who endeavor to
satisfy their consciences with this false excuse.
Hear, then, another lesson of Our Saviour: "Then
shall the Kingdom of heaven," He says, "be like to
ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went out to meet
the bridegroom and the bride." What time does Our
Saviour indicate by "then"? The hour of general
judgment and of each particular judgment, St.
Augustine replies, for the sentence uttered in secret
immediately after death will be ratified before all
men on the last day. Five of these virgins were wise
and five were foolish, Our Saviour continues. The
foolish virgins took no oil with them for their
lamps, and when at midnight � a time of profoundest
slumber, when men give least thought to their
interests � a cry was heard, "The bridegroom cometh,"
all the virgins arose, and they who had trimmed their
lamps and furnished them with oil went in to the
marriage, and the door was shut. When the foolish
virgins, who had gone to seek oil for their lamps,
came, saying: "Lord, Lord, open to us," He answered
them saying, "Amen I say to you, I know you not." Our
Saviour concludes the parable with these words:
"Watch, therefore, because you know not the day nor
the hour." Could we ask a plainer warning than this?
Could we desire a clearer condemnation of the folly
of those who rely on deathbed repentances? You
will perhaps urge in opposition to all this that the
good thief was saved at the last hour. St. Augustine
answers this objection by saying that the good thief
received in one hour the grace of conversion and
baptism, which being immediately followed by death,
his soul went directly to Paradise. Moreover, the
conversion of the good thief was one of the many
miracles which marked Our Saviour's coming, one of
the chief testimonies to His glory. The rocks were
rent; the earth trembled; the sun refused to give its
light; the graves were opened and the dead came forth
to bear witness to the divinity of Him who was
crucified. For a like purpose the grace of repentance
was bestowed on the good thief, whose confession of
Christ was no less wonderful than his conversion, for
he acknowledged Christ when the Apostles fled from
Him and denied Him; he glorified Christ when the
world blasphemed and insulted Him. This miracle being
one of the extraordinary marvels marking the coming
of Christ, it is folly to expect that it will be
repeated in our behalf. No; St. Paul tells us that
the end of the wicked corresponds to their works.
This is a truth which is constantly repeated in Holy
Scripture. It is sung by the psalmist, foretold by
the prophets, announced by the Evangelists, and
preached by the Apostles. Others argue that
attrition joined to the sacraments suffices to obtain
the pardon of sin, and claim that at the hour of
death they will have at least attrition. But they
should remember that the attrition which, joined to
the sacraments, obtains the pardon of sin, is a
special degree of sorrow, and God only can know
whether they possess it.
The holy Doctors were not ignorant of the efficacy of
attrition joined to the sacraments; yet see how
little confidence they had in deathbed repentances.
"We give the ; sacrament of Penance to such a sinner
who asks for it," says St. Ambrose, "but we give him
no assurance of salvation." If you cite the
example of the Ninivites, whose conversion was the
effect of fear, I would remind you not only of the
rigorous penance they performed, but of the amendment
which was wrought in their lives. Let there be the
same amendment in your life, and you will not fail to
find equal mercy. But when I see that you no sooner
recover your health than you relapse into your former
disorders, what am I to think of your repentance?
What we have said in this and the preceding chapters
is not intended to close the door of hope or
salvation against anyone. Our only intention is to
rout the sinner from the stronghold in which he
entrenches himself that he may continue to sin. Tell
me, dear Christian, for the love of God, how you dare
expose yourself to such peril when the Fathers of the
Church, the saints, Holy Scripture, and reason itself
unite in warning you of the dangers attending a
repentance deferred until the hour of death? In what
do you place your confidence? In the prayers and
Masses you will have offered for you? In the money
you will leave for good works? Alas! The foolish
virgins filled their lamps at the last hour, but they
called in vain upon the Bridegroom. Do you think your
tears will avail you at that time? Tears, no doubt,
are powerful, and blessed is he who weeps in
sincerity; but your tears, like those of Esau, who
sold his birthright to satisfy his gluttony, will
flow, not for your sins, but for what you have lost;
and like his, as the Apostle tells us, they will flow
in vain. (Cf. Neb. 12:17). Will your promises and
good resolutions help you? Good resolutions are
excellent when sincere, but remember what edifying
and valiant resolutions Antiochus formed when the
hand of God had been laid upon him. Yet Holy
Scripture tells us, "This wicked man prayed to the
Lord, of whom he was not to obtain mercy." (2Mac.
9:13). And why? Because his good purposes and
resolutions sprang not from love, but from servile
fear, which, though commendable, is not sufficient of
itself to justify the sinner. The fear of Hell can
arise from the love man naturally bears himself, but
love of self gives us no right to Heaven. As no one
clothed in sackcloth could enter the palace of
Assuerus (Cf. Esther 4:2), so no one can enter Heaven
clothed in the dress of a slave � that is, with the
garment of servile fear. We must be clothed with the
wedding garment of love, if we would be admitted to
the palace of the King of kings. I conjure you,
then, dear Christian, to think of this hour which
must inevitably come to you. And it may not be far
distant. But a few years, and you will experience the
truth of my predictions. You will find yourself
distracted with pain, filled with anguish and terror
at the approach of death and at the thought of the
eternal sentence which is about to be pronounced upon
you. Vainly will you then essay to change it, to
soften its rigor. But that which will be impossible
then is not only possible but easily accomplished
now, for it is in your own power to make your
sentence what you will wish it at the hour of death.
Lose no time, therefore; hasten to propitiate your
Judge. Follow the counsel of the prophet, and "seek
the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while
he is near." (Is. 55:6). He is now near to hear us,
though we cannot see Him. On the day of judgment we
shall see Him, but He will not hear us, unless we
live so as to merit this blessing from Him.
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