Meditations for Each Day 37 (3): Mortal Sin is a Violation of All the Rights

Mortal Sin is a Violation of All the Rights

Of God Over Us

Anyone who offends God mortally not only deprives God of all the homage he owes Him, but also robs Him, so far as possible, of all His claims upon him. He denies Him and disavows all allegiance to God's supreme authority. He usurps and appropriates those essential rights, thus denying God by his works, because the sinner destroys God so far as lies in his power and makes himself his own god. What is God? He is our Supreme Good, who should be loved and esteemed above all things. His glory, pleasure, interest and will should be preferred to every other glory, pleasure, interest and will. He is the beginning, end, Centre, exemplar, king, master and ruler of all things. Consequently, all things should be referred to Him, tend to Him, take their pleasure in Him, follow Him as their rule and obey Him. What does the sinner do? He makes more account of himself than of God; he prefers his own will, interest, pleasure and glory to the will, interest, pleasure and glory of God. He desires to be master and dispose of himself as if he were his own instead of God's possession, as if he were his own beginning, holding his being and life from himself. He wishes to find his pleasure and happiness not in God, but in himself. He wishes to follow no rule but his passion and desires, no laws but his inclinations. He wants no ruler save his own blinded intellect and disordered will.

What is all this? Is it not to usurp God's rights and to rob Him of all His authority to appropriate them to ourselves? Is it not to deny God by our works? Do we not say to God by our depraved actions: "Lord, I am told that Thou art my beginning, end, centre, supreme good, exemplar, guide, king, and ruler, and that Thou hast manifold claims upon me; but I renounce Thee and disavow all these claims~ I am my own beginning, end, rule and guide." Actually, we destroy and annihilate God by our defiance and make a god of self. This is what we do when we commit mortal sin.

0 sin how terrible you are! How deeply I detest you! Forgive, my God, pray, forgive all m y offenses.

By Inducing Others to Sin and Abusing Created Things,

Man Robs God of his Rights and Makes Himself

The God of Creatures

Anyone who induces others to do anything contrary to the will of God either by word,.deed o r example, anyone who makes improper use of the things God has put into this world for our necessity, who uses them to excess and to satisfy his own pleasure, ambition, avarice or other passions, instead of using them for God's glory, robs God, so far as lies in his power, of His rights over created things. He appropriates them to himself and makes himself the god of those things. When he encourages other people to do anything contrary to the law of God, he desires them to pr;prefer his will and interest to that of God; and thus he seeks to be put in God's place in their regard. When he abuses the things God has made, he is not ruled by the will and glory of God but by his passions and corrupt inclinations, and he manifestly robs God of His rights over creatures and attributes them to himself. As God is the beginning and end of all things, His will and glory should be the measure and rule of our employment of creatures. Whoever uses anything otherwise, annihilates God in so far as he may, to put himself i n His place and make himself god of creatures.

But how does God desire us to use the things of the world? He has declared His Will by the use His Son Jesus Christ made of them, for

He sent Him upon earth to be our model in that as in everything else. 0 my God, I have followed this Divine Model most miserably I I am profoundly guilty of abusing the gifts Thou hast given me! Too often I have despoiled Thee of Thy supreme rights Thou hast over creatures to appropriate them to myself I Forgive me, 0 my God. I will no longer use anything save for Thy greater glory and i n accordance with Thy holy will, in imitation of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

0 my God, I have turned away from Thee in the past, from Thee who art my origin, my end and my supreme good. I have turned to myself, to the world and to Satan, preferring their will and mine to Thine. I affirm sincerely that I now desire to renounce entirely Satan, the world and myself to be converted and turn to Thee completely and forever.

0 my God, I give myself to Thee as my origin; possess me wholly. May I ever remain in Thee; may I avoid all that may not be worthy of my origin. Mayest Thou be the beginning and the end of all my actions.

0 my God, I give myself to Thee as my end, my centre and my supreme good. Draw me to Thee. Grant that I may continually tend towards Thee. Be Thou alone my pleasure, my glory, my treasure and my aft.

0 my God, I give myself to Thee as my king. "Give me the grace to do what Thou commandest and command what Thou dost please" (St. Augustine, Conf. 10, 29).

0 my God, I give myself to Thee as my prototype. Imprint upon my soul a perfect likeness of Thyself.

I give myself to Thee as my ruler and my protector. Direct me according to Thy holy will and preserve me from sin.

I give and abandon myself to Thee as my sovereign. Do with me what Thou wih.

I give myself to Thee as my judge. Willingly I submit to all the judgments Thou hast exercised and ever wilt exercise upon me, in time and in eternity, saying with all respect and submission: "Thou art just, 0 Lord; and thy judgment is right" (Ps. 118,137). "Yea, 0 Lord God Almighty, true and just arc thy judgments" (Apoc. 16, 7)

Lastly, I give, consecrate and sacrifice myself wholly to Thee as my

God. If I contained within myself every created being and all the lives of men and angels, and if I had a thousand worlds in my hands, I would sacrifice them all to Thy supreme honor for the accomplishment of Thy most holy will.

0 my God, do Thou employ Thy almighty power, Thy most infinite goodness, to take possession of me, to consecrate me to Thee, and to immolate me completely and forever to Thy pure glory.

Ejaculatory prayer:

"Satan, I renounce thee: My God, I cling to Thee." Abrenuntio tibi, Satana: adhaereo tibi, Deus meus.

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Eighth Colloquy

Our Obligation to Love, Honor, Imitate and Serve

God Because of All That HE Is In Himself

Greatness of God's Perfections

SUPPOSE that we ha d never received any favors from God and were not obliged to serve Him by reason of our creation, our preservation, the creation and preservation of the world and all His consequent attributes and claims upon us. Even so we should still have infinite obligations, much more pressing than the preceding, simply because ot the nature of God as He exists in Himself. Let us, therefore, adore God's divine essence and let us open the eyes of our faith, to behold and consider, with all possible respect and humility, His infinite being, His incomprehensible essence, His ineffable divinity, His supreme and adorable majesty, as follows:

"0 divine Essence Who art a fathomless and unlimited abyss of marvels! 0 immense ocean of grandeur! 0 incomprehensible world of miracles! 0 unity of my God! 0 simplicity! 0 eternity without beginning and without end, to Whom all things are ever present! 0 immensity who dost fill and encompass all things and couldst fill a countless number of worlds if they existed! 0 infinity, who dost contain all perfections! 0 immutability] 0 immortality! 0 invisibility! 0 inaccessible light! 0 incomprehensible truth! 0 abyss of knowledge and wisdom! 0 truth! 0 sanctity of God, wholly detached from all things and wholly centered in Himself !

"0 sanctity that suffers the destruction of His works in His presence, that will destroy this world by fire, that has even delivered to the death of the Cross the most excellent of His works, the God-Man! 0 divine strength which bearest all and dost all! 0 omnipotence!

O divine providence governing and ordaining things! 0 justice! 0 bounty! 0 plenitude of good, joy , peace and honor! 0 divine will accomplishing all that Thou dost please in heaven and on earth! 0 love! 0 charity! 0 divine sufficiency, by which God is so sufficient to Himself that Sacred Scripture says: "I have said to the Lord: thou art my God for thou hast no need of my goods" (Ps. 15, 2). 0 divine vigilance, all-seeing eye of the power, justice and mercy of God! 0 thoughts, designs, affections! 0 divine operations of God in Himself! 0 infinitely happy and glorious life of my God! 0 divine sovereignty which can dispose of all things, without anyone being permitted to question Thy decisions!

0 my God, I adore Thee, with and through Jesus Christ Thy Son, in union with all the adoration, praise and benediction of His members. I adore all these infinite grandeurs and perfections, and all innumerable and inconceivable attributes that are unknown to me. I adore, praise, glorify and love Thee according to all Thou art. What joy it gives my heart to behold Thee so great and so replete with myriad excellences ! Truly, my God, if all this greatness were mine instead of Thine, I would willingly renounce it to give it to Thee!

The Mutual Relationship of the Three

Divine Persons

Who are the Three Divine Persons and what do they accomplish for each one of us? The Father is continually communicating to His Eternal Son His being, His life, all His perfections, His glory, His felicity, all His goods and treasures. The Son is constantly referring to His Father as His origin, all that He has received from Him, and enjoys a perpetual state of glory and praise of His Heavenly Father.

The Father and Son give and communicate to the Holy Ghost all that They are, have and know. The Holy Ghost is continually referring to the Father and the Son, as to His source, all that He derives from Them. These divine communications, processions and relations, communications of the Father to the Son, of the Father and Son to the Holy Ghost, processions of the Son proceeding from His Father,

and of the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son, relations of the Father to the Son, of the Son to the Father, of the Father and Son to the Holy Ghost, of the Holy Ghost to the Father and the Son arc eternal, continual and immense, filling heaven and earth.

With these divine communications and processions, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost have but one and the same essence and divinity, live one and the same existence, possess one and the same power, wisdom, goodness and sanctity, and abide in the most perfect Unity.

The three Divine Persons are continually and mutually considering and perpetually praising, loving and glorifying one another.

0 Most Holy Trinity, I adore, bless and glorify Thee in this stupendous mystery. I unite with all the love and praise that the Divine Persons give one another. I offer Thee all the glory Thou hast in Thyself, for which I render infinite thanks with the Holy Church: I give Thee infinite thanks, 0 Eternal Father, for the divine generation of the Eternal Son. I give thanks exceedingly, 0 divine Father and Only-begotten Son of the Father, for the procession of the Holy Spirit in unity of Source. I offer infinite thanks, 0 Father, Son and Holy Ghost, for the mutual love, glory and praise of the Trinity. 0 my God, Heavenly Father, how I rejoice to behold that Thy Son and Holy Spirit love and praise Thee from all eternity and to all eternity, with a love and praise befitting Thy greatness!

0 Only-begotten Son of God, how my soul rejoices in contemplating the infinite love and glory Thou dost receive from the Heavenly Father and from the Holy Spirit 0 Holy Spirit, what joy for m y heart, to contemplate the love and blessings which are continually given Thee by the Father and the Son! 0 divine community, 0 unity, 0 society, love and life of the Three Eternal Persons! What rejoicing, what jubilation, what felicity for me to know that Thou art filled with ineffable glory, with inconceivable beatitude and infinity of good, and to know that Thou art God, the one only God living and reigning forever. "Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve ye the Lord with gladness. Come in before his presence with exceeding great joy. Know ye that the Lord he is God." (PS. 99, 2 - 3).

Our Obligation to Honor the Divine Perfections

And the Divine Persons

All the perfections of the divine essence and the marvelous mysteries of the Three Eternal Persons constitute so many innumerable obligations for us to serve, honor and love the Blessed Trinity. God is so great and so admirable that His least perfection, if there be any less glorious than the others, merits infinite adoration, service and obedience. What honor does His supreme greatness and majesty demand of us? What love does His goodness and His incomprehensible charity merit ? What fear does His dread justice inspire? What obedience is due His sovereignty? What purity of heart and life is required by His sanctity in those who serve Him?

What is our obligation to the Eternal Father for the being and life He imparts to His Divine Son by His Eternal generation, and to the Father and Son for all They impart to the Holy Ghost in his continual procession? Our debt is incomparably greater for this triune mystery than for the creation of a hundred thousand worlds.

What do we owe the Eternal Father for the infinite love of His Only-begotten Son, the Son for the love of His Father, and the Father and Son for their love of the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost for the love of the Father and the Son? What do we owe to the Three Divine Persons for the praise and glory they give one another for all eternity and to all eternity? Certainly we owe them more service and obedience for all these mysteries than for all the graces we have received or can receive from Their divine liberality. The glory of the Three Divine Persons must be dearer to us than our own welfare, for we should love them more than ourselves. Let us, therefore, give ourselves to God to serve and honor Him according to His most holy will.

What God most desires of us is that we imitate Him for He is our Exemplar, as Jesus Christ says: "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt, 5, 48), and St. Paul enjoins: "Be ye therefore followers of God" (Eph. 5, 1). Let us give ourselves to

Him with a great desire to imitate His sanctity, his purity, charity, mercy, patience, vigilance, meekness and all His other perfections. Let us beg Him to imprint in our soul a perfect image and likeness of His sanctity and His divine virtues.

Ejaculatory prayer:

"We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory." Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.

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N I N T H Colloquy

Our Obligations to God as Christians, and

What It Means to Be a Christian

Our Obligations as Children of God,

Brothers, and Co-heirs of Christ

TO BE a Christian is to be a child of God, sharing one and the same Father with Jesus Christ His Only Son. "He gave them power to be made the sons of God" (John I, 12). "I ascend to my Father and to your Father," says our Saviour (John 20, 17)- "Behold what manner of Charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God," says St. John (I John 3, 1). By creation, God is our creator, our origin, our efficient cause, our king, our sovereign; and we are His creatures, His handiwork, His subjects and His servants. By our regeneration and the new birth given us in baptism, in which we receive new being and a new and divine life, God becomes Our Father, and we His children, so that we can and must say: "Our Father who art in Heaven." The consequences of this divine adoption arc as follows:

1. By the new birth of baptism we emanated from the bosom of the Father, so we shall always remain there and be borne continually in His bosom. Otherwise, if He ceased to bear us for a single moment, we would lose the new being and life we received in baptism. He also says: "Hearken unto me, 0 house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who are carried by my bowels, are borne up by my womb" (Isa.46, 3)

2. We are brothers of Jesus Christ, of His royal and divine race, sharers in His heritage. Whence it follows that the Christian, the new man and the new creature who is born only of God, knows no other

genealogy than that of Jesus Christ, no other Father but God: "And call none your father upon earth" (Man. 23, 9). "Wherefore henceforth, we know no man according to the flesh," (2 Cor. 5, 16), says St. Paul. "That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit;' says our Lord (John 3, 6).

3. We are co-heirs with Jesus Christ, and heirs of God. 0 marvels! 0 dignity! 0 nobility! 0 greatness of the Christian! "Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God" (I John 3, 1). What a tremendous favor of God to have made us Christians! How deeply we are indebted to His goodness! How miserable is the wretched creature who denies God for his Father and wishes to be a child of the devil! This is what those do who commit mortal sin. To them our Lord says: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do" (John 8, 44). Let us humble ourselves at sight of our sins. Let us renounce Satan and give ourselves to God, firmly resolving to live henceforth as true children of God, not to degenerate from the nobility of our birth, not to sully our race, and not to dishonor our Father. The wise son is the glory of his father; he who does not act wisely is the ignominy of his father.