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CHAPTER I
CHAPTER I
WHY DID GOD MAKE YOU? (Think about it.)
St. Ignatius’ “Principal and Foundation”
Place yourself in the presence of God.
See Him looking at you, perhaps as the loving Sacred Heart of Jesus, or perhaps as Christ The King. Humbly adore Him.
Preparatory Prayer (always the same):
“Oh God my Lord, please grant me the grace that all my intentions, all my actions, and all my works may be directed purely to the service and praise of your Divine Majesty.”
The Purpose of this Meditation is the conquest of self and the regulation of one’s life, for which we will be held accountable. The task before us is to build a spiritual edifice. It needs a good foundation, deep and solid. We need to rid ourselves of rubble and obstacles. You need to focus on why God Made You – Your END.
We breathe the errors of the world:
“Truth is what I want to believe.”
“It makes no difference what religion a man believes, so long as he is a ‘good’ man.”
This is a denial of Objective TRUTH. We cannot have a pick and choose mentality. We must believe all Objective TRUTH. Accept all, because God is GOD!
Most of us have too much chaos, noise and activity in our lives. With too fast a life, you don’t have time to think. This speeding up of society is not from God. Slow down once in awhile and be quiet so that you can hear God speak. You may want to take notes to capture any thoughts that come to mind as you meditate. You will be able to review them later.
What does it mean to be “manly”?
Satan, the “Master of Deceit”, has fooled many into accepting falsehoods as truth, particularly men who are supposed to be the Spiritual leaders in the family. For example:
He fools many into the belief that it is “manly” (and funny) to drink too much, cheat on their wives (or husbands), get into fights all the time, ignore the just laws of God and man (be irreligious), ignore spiritual duties for cheap thrills. In fact those who won’t control their animal tendencies are the ones who are frail (not the other way around). It takes manly strength to do what is right, to keep oneself under control and to have the courage to ignore those who try to tempt the strong to be as weak as they are. A “real man” will control himself and love his family enough to be their spiritual leader and guide and teach his family by a good example, instead of a bad one. Satan however, wants you to be weak and live like a cow (eat, sleep, etc.). God did not create you to live like a cow. You have an immortal Soul that also needs to be cared for.
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What were the saints like?
Compare the courage of the Saints who control their passions and resist the temptations of Satan with that of weak men who are not the spiritual leaders of their families, as God intended. Whose passions are often uncontrolled and who usually yield to the temptations (various levels of lust, greed, religious tepidity, etc) which Satan presents to them.
There are thousands of Saints from many diverse walks of life, men and women, Priests and laity, soldiers and tradesmen, (don’t know if there were any lawyers J). Many suffered terrible and heroic martyrdom. Some lived quiet holy lives faithfully doing their daily duties. Some started out as great sinners. Some where holy even in their youth. All bravely lamented their sins and ended their lives in The State of Grace and great spiritual strength. None in the end were spiritually frail.
St. Laurence:
In the year 258 Pope Sixtus was led out to die, and St. Laurence stood by, weeping that he could not share his fate. The prefect of the city demanded the treasures of The Church from Laurence. Laurence gathered up the poor, the infirm, and the religious who lived by the alms of the faithful. He then bade the prefect “see the treasures of The Church”. As Laurence was roasted over a slow fire, he made sport of his pains. “I am done enough,” he said, “eat, if you will.”
St. Monica:Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, was born in 332. She was given in marriage to Patritius, a pagan. She at once devoted herself to his conversion, praying for him always, and winning his reverence and love by the holiness of her life and her affectionate forbearance. She was rewarded by seeing him baptized a year before his death. When her son Augustine went astray in faith and manners her prayers and tears were incessant. By going to Italy, Augustine could for a time free himself from his mother’s pleadings; but he could not escape from her prayers. She followed him to Italy, and there by his marvelous conversion her sorrow was turned to joy. A few days afterwards she had an attack of fever, and died in the year 387.
Who are the strong, those who resist temptations or those who yield to them? Who is truly “manly”, the religious man or the worldly (frail) man? Think about it.
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Don’t Gamble With Your Soul.
What would you be, a “man” or a weakling, a Saint or one of the damned? There is no third choice!
Why are you here? What does God expect of you? Think about it. “Speak Lord Thy servant heareth”.
A tree falls the way it leans. As our lives go on, our tree leans more and more either towards Eternal Damnation or towards Eternal Life. Therefore we usually die the way we have lived.
We have only one life, one soul, and one chance at Eternal Salvation. Win or lose, its for all Eternity. Don’t gamble with your Soul!! Make sure everything is lined up to save your Soul. We cannot change the fact that we will live forever.
Build a Foundation:
So, let’s build a Foundation. Why did God make you? Think about it. What does He expect you to do with your life? How have you done so far? What will you do in the future?
“Man was created to praise, reverence, and serve God and by this means to save
his Soul.”… St. Ignatius.
“God made us to know Him, to Love Him, and to Serve Him in this life, so that
we may be happy with Him forever in Heaven”…Baltimore Catechism.
This is your END and what you must do to attain IT. Go back and read it again.
Think about it.
Quote from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius:
“The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created. Hence, man is to make use of them in as far as they help him in the attainment of his end, and he must rid himself of them in as far as they prove a hindrance to him.
Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed free choice and are not under any prohibition.
Consequently, as far as we are concerned, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds for all other things.
Our one desire and choice should be what is more conductive to the end for which we are created.”
Let us place ourselves in the presence of God and humbly adore Him.
Ask for the Grace to know and to accomplish your END:
Beg Him for the Grace that all your intentions, actions, and operations may be directed purely to the praise and service of His Divine Majesty.
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Ask for a special Grace to understand why you were created. What is your place in His Divine Plan? The Grace to understand that creatures are made for me as a means to lead me to God, made to help me save my soul and glorify God. Ask for the Grace to be convinced of the necessity of serving God and saving your soul and the souls of those whom you may influence.
To Praise God: These are our external prayers (Morning and evening prayers, Mass, Holy Communion, Rosary, Stations of The Cross, etc.). Do you do them as often as you should, as often as you could, with fervor or with rude tepidity or coldness?
To Know God: Meditate on His life, Passion and Resurrection, all for the love of us, so that we can love Him. How often do we read about the life of Christ or his saints?
To Love and Reverence God: This is our internal attitude towards God. Do we ignore Him during Holy Communion or do we make an effort to visit with Him whom we have invited into our body and soul upon receiving this Great Sacrament? Do we just recite our prayers instead of thinking of the words and the thoughts they express and how they may apply to you?
To Serve God: These are our actions to do God’s Will for us, to obey God freely. If you are generous in responding to His Graces, God will speak to your heart. Well, how have you done so far? What will you do with whatever time you have left? Think about it.
Think about God. Get to know Him so that you will be more inclined to Praise, Reverence and Serve Him. Most people do not make progress in their Spiritual Life because they don’t know GOD. How many consciously strive (make a sincere effort) to praise, know, love, reverence and serve God on a regular basis? Do you? (Stop and think about it.) Don’t confuse the “wish” to do these things with actually doing them. How many even know how to do these things even if they wanted to?
What happens when we refuse to meet our END? The END of a pen is to write. What do we do with a pen that will no longer write? The END of a calculator is to compute. What do we do with a calculator that will no longer compute? The END of a bowl of fruit is to nourish. What do we do with a bowl of fruit that turns moldy and rotten?
What happens to such (creatures) that fail to meet the END for which they were Created? Think about it!
The proper use of creatures:
Man was created for God alone. Other things were created to help us attain this END. All things are to be used to attain God. Make use of creatures as they can help us. Avoid creatures if they become a hindrance.
All creatures were made for man. Modern man acts the exact opposite. They are slaves to money, creatures, and sensual pleasures. They act as if they were created for creatures not the other way around. Creatures of the earth were made to serve man, not man creatures. Therefore, we must use them that way. Remove them if they are a hindrance to achieving your END.
We will be held accountable for our “stewardship”. We are the mind of those things that cannot think. We are the heart of those things that cannot love. We can offer to God all that He sends us. We do not have “rights”. We have duties to God.
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Get rid of inordinate attachments:
Man’s only function is to praise, reverence and serve God. If he does not “function” correctly, he deserves to be discarded like a bad toaster. Anything that inhibits your “function” is an “inordinate attachment”.
Creatures made up of parts can die, as the parts are disintegrated or separated. Your Soul however has no parts; therefore it will live forever.
Christ leaves alone those who have given themselves up to Satan. Satan however does not leave alone those who have given themselves to God. Satan never sleeps, never stops working for our damnation. What will a man give in exchange for his Soul? You have only one life during which to save your one soul, only one chance, one chance, one chance ….and then
F O R E V E R!
Break inordinate attachments here and now.
We have an immortal soul and don’t think about it!
“What will it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul!” The years of life are over in a wink compared to an eternity in Heaven or Hell.
Many of the rich are not happy. They are slaves to material things! God alone can satisfy us.
Have we made good use or bad use of the things we have and the occasions that came our way?
What we must fear is our abuse of creatures! For example: Sinful resorts, bad companions, preference for a creature that causes a neglect of a religious duty, etc.
Happiness cannot come in this world by the misuse of creatures. Worldly happiness follows Spiritual happiness. To be happy in this life, DO THE WILL OF GOD.
How many times have we decided based on emotion instead of our Salvation? I must save my soul above all else. Everything else is of minimal importance.
Be detached from goods. Consider your END. We must comply with God’s Will (our Creator) as a clay pot complies with the potter’s will.
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, man’s mind has been clouded and our wills inclined towards evil. Our Souls however were created by God to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him so that we can be happy with Him forever in Heaven. Our souls are therefore inclined towards good – an Infinite Good. Satan often tricks us away from the Infinite Good and towards an apparent “good”, which ends up never satisfying us, since our Souls have been created with a capacity for the Infinite Good. For example:
The child wants a new toy. If he gets it, the newness soon wears off and now a different toy is desired. We are never satisfied with worldly things.
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If only the investor could get $50,000. If he gets it then … if only it were $100,000…. And then $500,000…and then $1,000,000…and then on and on. We are never satisfied with worldly things.
If only I could get this new house…. Now it “needs” prettier windows… now it “needs” new furniture…. Now it “needs” new appliances…..now it “needs” new rugs…. Now it “needs” to be painted a different color…. Now it “needs” a bigger TV…..And so on. We are never satisfied with worldly things.
The happiness in this world is temporary. The “things” that we get are never as good as anticipated.
Don’t however, make the error that all things are evil. Return all to God. God gave us these things to help us come to Him. Things are basically good. Our use of them may be good or bad.
We are not to use the gifts and talents He gives us to rebel against God, but for Him.
For example, it is OK for an athlete to try his best to make that basket or goal or run. He should however be detached as to the outcome. Whatever happens, “Not my will but Thine be done”.
The financial manager of the family savings should try his best to invest wisely. He should however be detached as to the outcome. Whatever happens, “Not my will but Thine be done”.
God knows what is best for us. Sometimes growth in the Virtue of Humility requires a little humiliation.
“It is better for thee to have less than much, which may puff
thee up with pride.” My Imitation Of Christ, Book III, Ch. 7.
The point is man neglects striving for spiritual rewards, (which are eternal) in order to obtain temporary rewards, (which cannot ever satisfy him). For example:
I’m going to go fishing (or a game, or do some work, or watch TV or sleep in etc.) today instead of going to Mass (or Confession, or pray a rosary or morning or evening prayers).
“Let us consider how wrong we are when we preoccupy ourselves more about our
success in worldly affairs than about our progress in virtue.” Divine Intimacy by
Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. #234, page 701.
“Verily, when the Day of Judgment come, we shall not be asked what we have read,
but what we have done; nor how learnedly we have spoken, but how religiously we
have lived.” From My Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis Book I, Ch. 3.
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The White Rabbit:
Father LaFitte tells the story of a little boy who’s family was very well off. The little boy had a great many toys. An electric train, a fire engine, basketball, baseball bat and ball, soccer ball, bike, and a white rabbit. The white rabbit was soft and furry with pink button eyes and a soft bushy tail and big long floppy ears that were pink inside. He liked all his toys but he was particularly attached to his white rabbit.
The little boy had a friend about his own age who was very poor. His friend did not have any toys. The mother and father of the rich boy suggested that he invite his poor friend over and show him all his toys and let him have whichever toy he wanted. The boy thought for awhile and then agreed to do it. His friend came over, looked at the
toys, and picked out one he liked. He thanked the rich boy for the gift and went
happily home to show his parents. After the boy left, the mother of the rich boy noticed he was hiding something behind his back. What’s that behind your back? The mother asked. T he little boy
pulled out his white rabbit. He was so fond of his white rabbit that he just couldn’t take a chance of giving it up.
In this story, the white rabbit represents an attachment that you love more than God. An attachment that sometimes may keep you from advancing in the spiritual life. It may sometimes even be used as an excuse for a neglect of prayer or other spiritual duty (i.e. Sunday Mass).
Think about it. Do you have any “white rabbits”? What keeps you from advancing in the spiritual life?
Time for a REALITY check.
We behave this way due to a failure to understand REALITY.
The REALITY is that we need to fulfill our END.
The REALITY is that sin is very serious and must be avoided.
The REALITY is that Hell is real and like our souls will last forever.
The REALITY is that we are extremely rude to God when our prayers are careless and lack true love for God. “They honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me!”
Think about it. Only Saints get into Heaven. Therefore if you want to go to Heaven, then get into and stay in The State of Grace and live everyday like a Saint because we usually do not know which will be our last day.
“I’m no Saint!” Many proudly yell.
But only Saints go to Heaven! We know so well.
“So live like a Saint!” – A life we must sell. J
The only alternative hurts like Hell! L
Think about it!
The Titanic:
Consider the Drama of the 2000 people on the Titanic. How many on this doomed ship were thinking of their souls. Most were partying and having fun when the iceberg was hit and the ship sank in two hours and forty-five minutes. The lifeboats held only 1200 of them. The rest met their fate, their destiny. How many wished they had more time to prepare?
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Most are like those on the Titanic, they don’t think about their END till its too late. They don’t want to think. They don’t want to see. They reject God. They reject His Church (the Catholic Church). They refuse to use the Sacraments He gave us, particularly Confession and Holy Communion! Many are attracted to “teachers that tickle their ears.” Who con them into the presumptuous belief that all men are saved. Christ Redeemed us without our help. He will not save us without our cooperation (Catholic Baptism, Mass and Sacraments, etc.)
“But the security of the wicked arises from pride and presumption; and will end in deceiving themselves.” My Imitation of Christ, Book I, Ch. 20.
What are you going to do?
1. Pray for the Grace to Love God above all things.
2. Pray for the Grace of the Gift of Faith.
3. Pray for the Grace to know and to accept all the TRUTHS He handed down to us through The Church He established for this purpose.
4. Pray for the Grace to identify and then rid yourself of inordinate attachments.
5. Pray for the Grace to use creatures in order to Glorify God and save our Souls.
6. Pray for the Grace to know the Will of God and to carry IT out.
Offer all our joys and trials to God
God knows what’s best for us and He desires what’s best for us. He will send us what we need. Sometimes He sends consolations and sometimes He sends crosses. Leave all in God’s hands. Thy Will be done. God has complete ownership of us. We are His to do with what He pleases. God knows what is best for us. Ask God for forgiveness if we have tried to push our own will. He demands all our attention and concentration.
Whom God loves, He chastises. Take up your cross and follow Me. There is no crown without the Cross. The harder it is, the better it is, when all is offered up to Christ. When He sends us a cross, He also sends sufficient Grace to carry it. Offer all up to God.
“When thou are troubled and afflicted, then is the time to merit.” My Imitation of Christ, Book I, Ch. 22.
“But how great each one’s virtue is best appears by occasions of adversity; for occasions do not make a man frail, but show what he is.” My Imitation of Christ, Book I, Ch. 16.
“What saint was there ever in the world without his cross and affliction? And the
higher a person is advanced in spirit, the heavier crosses shall he often meet with.”
My Imitation of Christ; Book II, Ch. 12.
Either do what God wants or suffer what you do not want.
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“Who is it that is most at ease? Doubtless he who is willing to suffer something
for God’s sake.” My Imitation of Chirst: Book I, Ch. I
“Yet this man, thus in many ways afflicted, is not without some comfort, because he
is sensible of the great profit which he reaps by bearing the cross.”
My Imitation of Christ; Book II, Ch. 12.
“And If Thou wert to choose, thou oughtest to wish rather to suffer adversities for Christ
than to be delighted with many comforts, because thou wouldst thus be more like unto
Christ and more conformable to all the saints. For our merit and the advancement of our
state consists, not in having many sweetnessess and consolations, but rather in bearing
great affliction and tribulation.”My Imitation of Christ; Book II, Ch. 12.
“Take up your Cross and Follow Me.” Luke IX, 23.
“Through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God.” Acts XIV, 21
“Whence shall thy patience be crowned if thou meet with no adversity?”
My Imitation of Christ; Book II, Ch. I.
This Catholic attitude of “Thy will be done” keeps Catholics from going bonkers when troubles come their way. It helps us keep things in perspective. Therefore if the stock market crashes or cancer attacks us or we have a loss of employment or some other “catastrophe occurs, we offer all up to God. The worse it is, the better it is, if offered up to God and we are in the State of Grace. Do the best we can and whatever happens, so be it. A great peace of mind! God sends us what we need. Sometimes He sends crosses.
“O Lord, teach me to be always docile to Your Grace, to say ‘yes’ to You always. To say ‘yes’ to Your will as expressed in The Commandments, to say ‘yes’ to the intimate inspirations by which You invite me to a more intense union, to more generous self-denial and more complete detachment. Grant that I may always be ready to open the door to my will to You, or rather, to keep it open always, so that You can enter there, and thus not a single one of Your requests will escape me.
Make me understand well that true peace does not consist in being exempt from difficulties or in following my own wishes, but in total adherence to Your will, and in docility to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.” Divine Intimacy, by Father Gabriel Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., Meditation 252.
Your example will affect those around you! What are you going to do?
Think about how our actions effect not only ourselves, but also those around us!
Do you love your children enough to teach and show them (by example) how to save their souls?
Yes?
No?
Not yet? If not now, when? Who can promise you’ll have tomorrow? (Think about it.)
Children are not yours but God’s. You are just keeping them for Him. They are a loan to us. We must render an account of every creature we come into contact with (spouse, children, fellow workers, etc.) Were we a good example or a scandal by our behavior? Have we so far fulfilled or neglected our duty to teach and show, those under our care or influence, how to save their souls? Think about it.
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The Parable of The Car:
Consider that the road is the road to Heaven (Mass, Sacraments, Rosaries, Morning and Evening Prayers, etc.). The car is the family. The driver is the Head of the family and guides the car. He guides it either along the road to Heaven or away from Heaven (away from the Mass and Sacraments, etc.).
The driver can guide his family safely to Heaven or he can leave the road and wreck the car (his family). Usually the father fulfills his duty and guides his family spiritually because a strong Father is the spiritual leader of the family. If however, he is frail (tepid) or spiritually ignorant (a non-Catholic), then mom must drive the car (guide the family in the use of The Mass, Sacraments, Rosary, etc.). If a weak and negligent father refuses to let mom drive, or if mom refuses to drive (teach her family how to live good Catholic lives), then the car has no safe drivers and the car is wrecked. The children and the children’s children for generations are likely to be crippled for life (guided into a false non-Catholic “Religion”). When the car (the family) wrecks, the driver is likely not only to kill himself (Mortal Sin) but also kill his/her children (lead them off the road to Heaven and onto the road to perdition - Hell).
It would be interesting to see your family tree for many generations. Let the lines for those who were Catholics be in gold and the lines where one of the children left the Catholic Church be in black. Then look at the following generations, all in black, that resulted from the offspring that left The Church! Most non-Catholics today can trace their ancestors to a Catholic source. Hundreds and perhaps thousands of descendents denied their Catholic Heritage because an ancestor was too weak or did not love them enough to pass it on to them. What a cruelty it is to fail to teach and to show your children and those whom you may influence, how to save their souls!
Think about it. How is your family doing? How are you doing? What can you do to improve? What can you do to help your family to save their souls? Pause and think about it? “Speak Lord Thy servant heareth.”
Think about it. Who am I? Where am I going? Where am I leading others? What kind of example has my life been to others? What should I do in the future?
God often brings Good out of Evil, for example, His Passion and Crucifixion.
If your life so far has been a scandal, piling mortal sin on top of mortal sin, do not despair. Despair is from the Devil and not from God. As long there is still life, there is Hope. God often brings good out of evil and Great Good out of Great Evil. Some of the greatest sinners became some of the greatest Saints. Look at St. Ignatius, St Mary Magdalen, St. Augustine, etc. Those for whom much is forgiven, are so grateful, that they love much and thereby become Great Saints
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We need to reform ourselves before we can be of any use to others.
We need to make a good examination of Conscience, be sorry for our sins and make a good General Confession. All are encouraged to do this, during one of the 5-day Ignatian Retreats, offered by The Society of St. Pius X. A yearly Ignatian Retreat is recommended if possible. Frequent Confessions (at least once a month) are needed between Retreats. Those who have never been Baptized, need to take instructions from a Traditional Catholic Priest and get Baptized as soon as possible. Pray for the Grace of a sense of urgency in reforming yourselves. We do not know if God will give us tomorrow! Everyday we hear about people who have met with sudden and unexpected deaths. If you are guilty of only one unforgiven Mortal Sin, then you literally are hanging over the pit of Hell by the thin thread of life.
We would be willingly have others perfect, and yet we mend not our own defects.”
My Imitation of Christ; Book I, Ch. I.
It is not enough to say to children: “Do as I say and not as I do.” They often live at a moral level that we have shown them over the years. They will often more quickly imitate bad example than good example! Today, bad example is all around us. Confusion as to what is TRUE is all around us. It is vital therefore, that you at least show them good example and try to shield them from bad example as well as you can. It is vital that you love them enough, to show them how to live like Catholics should live. For the great Truth is that outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation! We will be held accountable for the generations that come after us! On the Day of Judgement we will see how our actions or inaction has effected the generations that followed us! There will be an accounting of our stewardship.
Also, you who are already baptized Catholics, (particularly children of the compiler of these Notes!) consider this: Are you going to prove to a Just God that your parents were negligent in their upbringing of you, by living a non-Catholic life! In other words, what you become will not only affect those who follow you, but also will reflect on your parents and your brothers and sisters! Your example (good and bad) will influence those closest to you.
You likely have already started an Examination of Conscience as you read Chapter I. A guide to a detailed Examination of Conscience will be given in Chapter V.
Modern man does not have an appreciation of the evil of sin. Hence, he usually thinks nothing of committing even serious sins and has little sorrow for them.
In Chapter II we will consider the seriousness of sin and how God has reacted to them in the past. Realize that God is unchangeable. Chapter III will meditate on the pains of Hell.
The thoughts in these two Chapters will help us to develop Imperfect Contrition for our sins (sorry for our sins due to the fear of Hell). This type of contrition is sufficient to have sins forgiven by a Catholic Priest in the Sacrament of Confession.
Later the meditations on the Passion of Christ should help us develop Perfect Contrition (sorry for our sins because they offend God whom we love). We all wish for the Grace of Perfect Contrition. We may even fool ourselves that we have it, when deep down our Contrition is Imperfect. The easiest one for us to fool, is ourselves! Therefore if we truly love God, we will always eagerly and frequently receive the Sacrament of Confession from a Catholic Priest.
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A corpse is not strengthened if food is forced into it, because it is dead. When a soul is Spiritually dead, due to at least one unforgiven Mortal Sin, then it cannot merit from its good works or penances. This condition often exists for many years. This is why it is very important to get back into The State of Grace with the Sacrament of Baptism and after that with the Sacrament of Confession. Then the soul will be strengthen by the Graces infused into it as it grows in Sanctity. Look, whether we are in State of Grace or not, we will still have crosses. So we might as well get into the State of Grace and merit from them.
Worldlings who do not have this Catholic attitude, go to shrinks, argue, fight and worry a great deal over their crosses and may even commit suicide. Worldlings have no peace of mind either in this life or in the next. Real peace of mind in this world can only come from The Catholic Faith.
We must do more than just know the Truth.
We must love the Truth.
We must live the Truth.
We must relish and savor the Truth.
We must appreciate the Truth.
We must cherish the Truth.
It has got to be part of us. We must not just know it but must practice it also.
This single consideration would solve all of the world’s problems.
Your creation is an invitation to Heaven. We were created for God, for the salvation of our Souls. It is everything. Will you accept the invitation to Heaven and the crosses that it requires?
It is a certitude that one day (maybe tomorrow) you will be in either Heaven or Hell. Think about it.
Let the thought of eternity grab you. We are creatures made for eternity. The Principle and Foundation really hits home on the day you die.
This was a very long meditation. Thank Our Lord with an “Our Father” for the Grace to go through it. Thank also Our Lady (the Mediatrix of All Graces) with a Hail Mary.
Did you take notes on thoughts and ideas that came to you during the meditation? If you did, review them. If not, perhaps you would like to do it now. If you like go through the meditation again and seek out additional fruits and inspirations. Write them all down. It is good to review them again at a latter date.
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