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"The Christian Temple is the house of God, the place of prayer, and the gate of heaven. It is the tabernacle of God with men, where He hears the cry of their distress, and pours out the fullness of grace and mercy. It is their paradise upon the earth. Surely ecclesiastics, who approach to God in this His mercy seat, will not by irreverence or contempt commit sin or iniquity in the holy place. In their celebration of the Holy Sacrifice, in the public offices of the Church, their whole conduct and manner will breathe a spirit of piety and devotion. Moreover, it will be impossible for ecclesiastics to enforce on the laity the due and necessary respect for God's house, if they be never seen to exhibit it themselves. How can they ask the laity to fulfill an obligation which they themselves should be the first to observe, and which they are the first to violate?

Above all, the Christian Temple contains in the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, the living bread which came down from heaven, the great victim and propitiation for sin, the food and nourishment of holy souls. Behold the great reason for the respect and reverence of all - for the fear and awe with which we approach the sanctuary of God. Had we eyes to see, we should behold the angels with their faces veiled in profound adoration before the holy tabernacle, and had we ears to hear we should hear the voice of God crying out: "Locus iste terribilis est." Pavete ad sanctuarium meum."

Ecclesiastical meditations suitable for priests on the mission and students by Ecclesiastical meditations

"They carried Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord."-St. Luke ii. 22.

I. If Mary "carried Jesus to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord," Priests, when they celebrate Mass, " carry " Him to the mystical "Jerusalem," that is, to the Church, and there "present" the same Holy Victim to the same " Lord," and for the same ends. But how great is the difference between Mary's preparation and our preparation for this sublime act! She prepared Herself with so great purity, says St Bernard, that there was no need of her purification; She had no real, either legal or carnal stain; and yet, before fulfilling her great office, she waited in the Court of the unclean until the Priest had completed the prescribed rites for her purification, and led her into the Court of the purified (Lev. xii 2).

What a lesson is this for priests, teaching them to prepare themselves for Mass with the greatest possible purity of soul and body; for if Christ, during His mortal life, chose to be presented by a most pure Mother, by whom, says St. Peter Damian, would He be presented, now that He reigns gloriously in Heaven, if not by pure hands !

Moreover, she prepared herself with humility; for she concealed her Divine Maternity and her Virginity, and would not appear to be different from other women. St. Bernard says, that as the Son would be circumcised as a sinner, so she would be purified as unclean.

What ought our humility to be when we approach the Altar, conscious of our unworthiness of so sublime an honor? We ought to remember, as St. Martin says, that no wrinkles, nothing which contaminates mind or body, should affect the priest. Lastly, she prepared herself with immense fervor, knowing what a depth of mystery, of the wisdom and knowledge of God, was comprehended in this act. What, then, should be our fervor when we offer the Holy Sacrifice?

2. The Blessed Virgin, in "presenting Her Son," accurately fulfilled the ceremonial prescribed by the Law. It is worthy of note that St. Luke mentions this fact four times : " according to the law of Moses ... as it is written in the law of the Lord . . . according to the custom of the law . . . after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord." By these repetitions the Holy Spirit teaches us, that Mary fulfilled these ceremonial precepts with careful accuracy, although neither the letter nor the spirit of the law bound Her to them. Priest too are bound to an exact fulfillment of all the prescribed ceremonies in celebrating Holy Mass. Priests' diligence, says St. Bonaventure, should be great in act, greater in word, greatest of all in intention.

Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin to obtain for our priests a perfect observance of the sacred ceremonies, and an elevation of mind whilst they are celebrating the Divine Mysteries.

3. Mary tasted the purest joy " in presenting her Son to the Lord," not only because she presented a Sacrifice worthy of Almighty God, but also because she saw Him acknowledged by Simeon and Anna, who now obtained from God the fulfillment of their desires with ineffable consolations. And Mary rejoiced in their joy, for it is the property of holy souls to " rejoice with them that rejoice '' (Rom. xii. 15). So, in celebrating Holy Mass, we too should rejoice, that by our means God is glorified, the faithful are nourished, and the whole Church largely benefited. This is the time, says St. Bernard, when we ought to be glad and rejoice. We must not, however, be satisfied with present consolations, but imitate Mary, who ever retained a grateful, thankful remembrance of them, wondering as it were at them. Never should we forget the great grace of being permitted to say Holy Mass, but continually wonder at the infinite condescension of Almighty God. And amidst these consolations, let us make use of the strength we have received in the Holy Sacrifice to prepare ourselves for the tribulations which it may be the will of God we should suffer, and for the temptations with which the Devil may assail us. Even Mary, in the midst of all the consolations she then experienced, heard these words from holy Simeon : " Behold this Child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted, and thy own soul a sword shall pierce " (St. Luke ii. 34, 35).

" I will go in to the Altar of God, to God, who giveth joy to my youth." — Ps, xlii. 4.

** O Mary, pray to Thy Son, that He may not be to me for fall, but for resurrection." — St, Luke ii. 34. "

"The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of malice shall not touch them: in the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, but they are at peace." (Communion Antiphon, Vigil of All Souls)

"Pour forth abundantly upon us of Thy mercy, O Lord our God, and grant us grace to follow in the joy of their holy testifying, all they blessed servants the ever of whose glorious and solemn Commemoration we are keeping. ( Collect)

Pope Pius Sixtus IV in 1484 established November 1, the feast of all Saints, as a holy day of obligation and gave it both a Vigil (known today as "All Hallows' Eve" or "Hallowe'en") and an eight-day period or octave to celebrate the feast.  By 1955, however, the octave of All Saints was removed, and the current missal does not have a vigil Mass for the feast." Father Vierling

"The great feasts of All Saints and All Souls, preceded by vigil and fast, bring their annual blessings to us, and make the month of November the most unearthly, unworldly month of all the year to those who dwell, during its too brief thirty days, with the radiant inhabitants of heaven and with purgatory's blessed dead.  It is a time for quiet thought, for many memories, for many hopes, and God alone knows many fervent prayers; a time when hearts "through all the faithful past go sorrowing," and, through all the lonely future, look forward to a day when the reapers shall come with rejoicing, bring their sheaves with them, and when God, the loving Father, shall gather His dear children, reunited forever, into an eternal home.

Look upwards and behold them, they who stand there now already, a multitude whom no man can number,assembled triumphant before the great white throne. What do those radiant faces tell you, as they gaze in ecstasy upon the face of Him Who bears continually the glorious scars that proclaim Him King of kings and Lord of lords forever? Over and over again, they say that these saints whose day we celebrate came, like
their Leader, out of a sore conflict, and that they were possessed by a passionate love of the unseen.

"Salt of nations! Twelve foundations!
Twelve apostles - see them all!
Trumps of thunder, and the wonder
Of the Gentiles, holy Paul -
Loving Peter, and still sweeter,
Friend of Jesus, blessed John.
Full of gladness - no more sadness
Clouds the face Christ shines upon!

High procession! great confession!
Hear the loud triumphal tones!
Martyrs bleeding - Stephen leading
With this crown of precious stones.
Warriors glorious and victorious,
Tried companions of the Lord,
Fall before Him and adore Him.
He, the Lamb, is their reward.

It is the old lesson which Venerable Bede teaches, that lesson steeped in the life-blood of the Kind of Martyrs, and which deserves repeating every year, as these festivals return: "Dearly beloved brethren! This day we keep with one great cry of joy, a feast in memory of all God's holy children; His children, Whose presence is a gladness in heaven; His children,  prayers are a blessing to earth; His children, whose victories are the crown of Holy Church; His chose, whose testifying is the more glorious in honor, as the agony in which it was given was the sterner in intensity. For, as the dreader grew the battle, so the grander grew the fighters; and the triumph of martyrdom waxed the more incisive by the multiplicity of suffering; and the heavier the torment, the heavier the prize."

What cowards we are, we lesser men who nevertheless have the saints' seven sacraments, the saints' Mother Church, the saints' hope set before us, yet who shiver and shrink at the sound of suffering, and run away from pain!  I know not what stuff we are made of, in these mean, pleasure-loving days. Is it not better to suffer now than to suffer hereafter? Pere de Ravignan says that God in His goodness mingles purgatory with every day of our lives, and so we should accept and clasp to our breasts the crosses He offers us. Fenelon declares that it is a blessing to have our purgatory in this world, but that we by our cowardice endure two instead of one. "Our resistance," he says, :"makes earthly trials so ineffectual, that all has to be begun again after death. We should be in this life like souls in purgatory, supple and at peace in God's hand, yielding ourselves up to destruction in the avenging fire of love. Happy those who suffer thus."

Happy? Yes, my God! Teach us this happiness, this deep delight of pain. Teach us two lessons, - to fight, and to suffer, for Thee and under Thy red-cross flag!  Blessed who suffer - blessed who mourn - blessed who wounded and bleeding, still face untiring the tireless foe! We are sinners; and we must, here or hereafter, do penance for our sins. We are called to be saints; and like the saints we  must war unflinching in the tremendous warfare, if we would win the saints' reward and follow the mighty army into heaven.

"Cut, scourge, purge, burn here," prayed the penitent Augustine, "yea, burn here so as by fire, and spare there!" Yet not only for the cleansing and the penance do we fling ourselves, O God! into the red fire of earth's purgatory but because pain purges out the dross, and brightens the gold, and brings us closer to Thee. Strike and spare not, O God! and, even though we cry out otherwise, heed not, till every fiber of our being is one with Thee!
 
Sometimes, gazing steadily upward at the Blessed, radiant in their rapture which sin mar no more, a light flashes over the soul for a moment, and dazzles it; and it seems to comprehend, for that moment, that pain is heaven! For what is heaven but union with God/ and odes not he who clings closest to the Sacred Heart find union with God among the thorns, and does he not behold, in that darkness which makes earthly things invisible, the vision of Christ's face?

Cowards that we are, to shrink from pain or from insult; to fear this world's disgrace, or failure as worldly men count failure; when the question is of God's will, God's honor, God's eternal cause! We are soldiers in His army by the ineffaceable character of our Baptism. If we have been cowards, deserters, traitors, a hundred times, then the keener ought to be our soldierly longing to endure and encounter all in order that we may retrieve our honor, and far more, our Lord's honor! But if He has kept us from open treason, who shall tell with what loyal love we ought to follow after Him, down into the very valley of the agony and up the heights of Calvary, upward, with all the saints, to Heaven!"

The Inner Life of the Soul, Short Spiritual Messages for the Ecclesiastical Year by Susan L. Emery, 1903

Book also available at Barnes and Nobles

"Consider (...)2ndly, the eminent dignity to which the apostles were raised by our Lord: they were made his disciples, his individual companions, his familiar friends and confidants - yea, his brethren too, John xx. 17; they were made under him the chief priests of the New Testament, the first bishops and pastors of his church, the prime ministers of his kingdom, the stewards and dispensers of all his mysteries; his ambassadors to men; his vicegerents upon earth; the doctors and teachers of the whole world; and next after him, who is the chief corner-stone, the twelve foundations of his church, Eph. ii. 20 - yea, the twelve foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem, Apoc. xxi. 14. Reflect also on the distinguishing graces, and the excellency of power which our Lord conferred upon them, suitable to their great office and callings; such as the power of consecrating and of offering in sacrifice his sacred body and blood; of remitting sins; and of opening or shutting heaven's gates to men; the commission of feeding his flock, and of ruling and directing his church, with the promise of the Holy Ghost to assist them therein; the authority of publishing throughout the whole world his new law, the law of grace; and the covenant of salvation through him, & c.: besides the gifts of tongues, and prophecy, and other eminent graces of the Holy Ghost; and a power of working all kind of miracles, yea, even greater than those of Christ himself, St. John xiv. 12. Christians, bless your Saviour on the festivals of the apostles, for all these great things he has done for them, and through them for his church in general, and in some degree for every one of you in particular. For as they were, under Christ, the fathers and founders of the Christian religion, so from them, and through their ministry, the faith, the word, the sacraments, the graces of Christ, and all spiritual goods and treasures are derived down to your souls by the channel of their successors in the church of Christ."

Source: Meditations for Every Day in the Year, by Bishop Challoner

"Mary was born in order to be the Mother of Jesus. : "Of whom was born Jesus." This is the principle of all her privileges, the summing up of all her praises. (...) It is as the Mother of the Redeemer of mankind that she will be the refuge and advocate of sinners. She is the aurora which precedes and ushers in the morning sun. (...) Certain it is that if men had known the blessings which Mary's nativity drew upon them, there would have been throughout the whole world a repetition of that which occurred among the Jews at their having been preserved from death through the meditation of Ester. "A new light seemed to rise, you, honor, dancing in all peoples...wonderful rejoicing." (Est. viii. 16,17).

You also, O Priests, were born for a sublime destiny! Accomplish it faithfully, and you shall be the cause of an unspeakable joy for heaven and earth. To give Jesus to the world, and with Jesus to give it all blessings, such is your vocation, and such was the vocation of Mary. This is the reason why the holy Virgin has such a warm affection for good priests and lavishes upon them such truly maternal cares.

Source: September 8, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin  p444. Meditations for the Use of the Secular Clergy, from the French of Father Chaignon, S.J. Volume 2. 1907

I.  The  order  of  its  fulfillment.
II.  The  mode  of  its  fulfillment.
III.  Its  final  accomplishment.


"  He  said :  It  is  consummated :  and  bowing  His  head.  He  gave  up  the ghost." — St.  John  xix.  30.

I.  He  said:  It  is  consummated.  St.  Thomas  says,  that  Jesus Christ  hung  upon  the  Cross  between  heaven  and  earth,  in  order to  shew  His  quality  of  Priest  and  Mediator  between  God  and man ;  and  St.  Augustine  says  that  He  then  completed  that Sacrifice  of  reconciliation,  in  which  He  was  one  with  God,  to Whom  it  was  offered, — one  with  men,  for  whom  it  was  offered,— and  Himself  at  once  both  the  offerer  and  the  offered.  He Himself  announced  that  "  all  was  consummated,"  for  it  became Him  alone,  to  Whom  were  present  both  past  and  future,  to declare  it.  All  the  prophecies,  all  the  figures  contained  in  the sacred  Scriptures,  were  "consummated,"  as  He  had  already promised  :  "all  things  shall  be  accomplished  which  were  written "(St.  Luke  xviii.  31);  and  abundant  price  had  been  offered,  efficacious means  had  been  merited,  to  "consummate"  all  transgression,  and to  put  an  end  to  every  sin :  "that  transgression  may  be  finished, and  sin  may  have  an  end  "  (Dan.  ix.  24).  By  "one  oblation  He perfected  for  ever  them  that  are  sanctified"  (Heb.  x.  14).  He, therefore,  being  thus  "consummated,  became  to  all  that  obey Him,  the  cause  of  eternal  salvation"  (Heb.  v.  9).  Let  us  then meditate  on  the  admirable  order  with  which  Jesus  fulfilled  " the days  of  His  flesh,"  and  let  us  pray  to  Him  by  His  most  holy death,  that,  at  the  hour  of  our  death,  we  may  be  found  to  have "fulfilled  the  Divine  law"  (Rom.  ii.  27),  and  to  "have  finished" well  "the  course"  of  our  Priesthood  (2  Tim.  iv.  7).

2.  And  bowing  His  head.  The  manner  in  which  Christ  willed to  die,  was  to  bow  His  adorable  head,  in  token  of  perfect  obedience to  the  command  of  His  Father,  to  Whom  He  became "  obedient  unto  death,  even  to  the  death  of  the  Cross  "  (Phil.  ii.  8). He  proclaimed  to  the  world,  that,  as  He  had  fulfilled  His  Father's will  through  life,  so  also  He  rendered  Him  obedience  in  His  death  : "That  the  world  may  know  that  I  love  the  Father,  and  as  the Father  hath  given  Me  commandment,  so  do  I "  (St.  John  xiv.  31). Thus  was  it  the  fire  of  love, — that  is,  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  hypostatic Love  of  the  Father  and  the  Son, — "Who  immolated  the  Divine  holocaust :  " Who  by  the  Holy  Ghost  offered  Himself  unspotted  to God"  (Heb.  ix.  14).  in  bowing  His  Head,  Jesus  declared  to earth,  that  His  Sacrifice  had  had  the  desired  effect ;  that  is  to  say, "  into  the  face  of  man,"  once  dead  in  sin,  "  was  breathed  the breath  of  life,  and  man  became  a  living  soul "  (Gen.  ii.  7).  To the  sinner,  once  an  enemy,  was  given  the  kiss  of  reconciliation and  of  peace;  when  the  Savior  turned  His  Face  to  him,  as though  to  give  him  the  kiss  of  peace  (says  St.  Bonaventure).  O great  High  Priest,  who  can  thank  Thee  for  all  these  inventions  of Thy  mercy  !  When  shall  I  begin  to  love  Thee  with  the  fervor which  befits  one  who  is  Thy minister,  and  who  is  acquainted  with these  august  mysteries  ?  Bow  down  Thy  head  to  me,  and  breathe into  me  Thy  love.

3.  He  gave  up  the  ghost.  The  Eternal  Word,  Who  had  united His  Soul  to  His  Body,  and  assumed  both,  alone  had  power  to  separate them,  and  so  to  fulfill  the  supreme  act  of  Priesthood  (says  St. John  Damascene).  Therefore  He  "  gave  up  "  His  "  spirit "  into the  hands  of  His  Father,  to  shew  that  He  had  that  power  of which  He  had  formerly  spoken  to  His  enemies  (St  John  x.  18). Then  He  immolated  the  Victim,  and  offered  the  Sacrifice  decreed from  all  eternity,  promised  from  the  beginning shadowed  by  innumerable  types,  predicted  by  so  many  prophets, begun  in  Mary's  womb,  and  continued  throughout  His  whole  life. Then  was  homage  and  thanksgiving,  worthy  of  the  Divine  Majesty, rendered  to  God ;  and  pardon,  and  every  other  grace,  obtained for  all  mankind.  Christ  died  and  subjected  Himself  to  the  punishment of  sin,  in  order  to  free  us  from  the  fear  of  death,  which held  men  in  slavery  all  their  life ;  to  teach  us  to  die  to  sin,  as  He died  to  the  penalty  of  sin ;  and  to  fill  us  with  all  good  things.  Let us  then,  on  this  day,  honor  His  death,  which  has  been  the  means of  salvation  both  to  our  soul  and  body.  Our  Savior's  single death  (says  St  Augustine)  saved  us  from  the  double  death  which was  our  due.  With  the  same  holy  Father,  let  us  bless  God  for having  given  us  so  holy  a  Priest, — "a  Victim  taken  from  among  ourselves, yet  without  sin,  to  cleanse  us  from  our  sins  ;  so  that  the flesh  of  our  Sacrifice  is  the  Body  of  our  Priest  Let  us  thank  our Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Who  has  loved  us  so  greatly,  Who  has given  Himself  for  us,  as  if  for  each  one  of  us  alone  (Gal.  ii. 20).  Let  us  thank  Him  that,  through  the  merits  of  His  death. He  has  engrafted  us  into  His  Priesthood,  to  continue  the  offering of  this  same  Sacrifice.  Let  us  pray  to  Him  that  we  may  die mystically  with  Him,  in  order  that  we  may  live  in  Him  in  this life,  and  after  the  death  of  our  body  may  dwell  with  Him  for ever.

"Into Thy hands I commend my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth." Ps. xxx.6

"O great High Priest, who wast made the death of death and the sting of hell, redeem our soul from the hand of hell." From Ps. XlVIII. 16.

Source: Meditations for the use of the clergy, for every day in the year ..., Volume 1 By Angelo Agostino Scotti (abp. of Thessalonica.)

Prayer for Priests (Fr. Lasance)

My God, I believe in the sublime dignity of the priesthood-a dignity which St. Denis calls divine; a dignity which surpasses that of kings and angels, as St. Ambrose says. O My God! Thy priests are the leaders of Thy people, the guardians of Thy Church, the light of the world, (Matt. v. 14), the dispensers of the sacraments, the vicars of Jesus Christ, and His coadjutors in the work of salvation (1 Cor. III. 9). Grant, then, O Lord, to me and to all the faithful to have the same respect and submission toward the person, words, and counsels of Thy ministers as toward Thine own, since Thou Thyself didst say to them: “He that heareth you Heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth Me"

I ask of Thee, my God, for all the priests in the world and specially for those who have done any good to my soul, by seeking to sanctify it, the grace of loving Thee much and making Thee to be loved by others, so that by their piety, their virtues, and the ardor of their zeal they may merit a place with Thy apostles and most faithful servants.

Divine Spirit! Influence all their thoughts, words, and deeds; take complete possession of their minds and hearts, so that they may live in Thee and Thou in them. Jesus, meek and gentle Lamb of God, let their lives resemble the life Thou Thyself didst lead upon earth!

Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus, do thou by thy intercession sanctify the souls of all our priests and second their efforts in the work of saving souls; shield them, and defend them as thine own. Pray for them that the peace of God may be always with them, and that they may attain to the everlasting blessedness of heaven. Amen.

Blessed Sacrament Prayer Book

A Catholic must believe every truth revealed by the Almighty, be it great or small, as God cannot fail either in small things or great. The offense which we do to God by denying even the smallest article of faith, is as great as if we denied an important one, or all of them together; for, is is just as if we said: God has been deceived, or He has deceived us in revealing this article. Whether this is said of great and important articles, or of one that is small, makes but little difference; or if we desire to make a difference, we must say that it is a greater offense to God to ascribe to Him a fault in a small matter than in a great; for, what can be more blasphemous than to maintain that the Almighty has been deceived in a trifling matter, or that He intends to deceive us?

They should ponder on this, who sometimes entertain doubts about an article of faith, or even go so far as to say that in some matters, they agree with non-Catholics, and consider them right. These are no longer Catholics. Their faith is lost; and if they do not repent, as St. Thomas did, they will go to perdition, because they are incredulous. They are disobedient who obey nine of the Commandments but not the tenth. What is the fate of the incredulous? Christ Himself pointed it out when He said: " Who believes not in the Son, will not see life, but the wrath of God will remain with him." (John viii)

Source: Life of the Saints, by Fr. Franz X. Weninger.

A good priest described by Jesus Christ. By saying to us that He is the good pastor, He declares that none is a good pastor except as he resembles Him. "The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep." He is ever ready to expose his temporal life to save his people from eternal death. 

In the early days of the Church the acceptance of the pastoral charge was a consecration to martyrdom. " I know My sheep, and Mine know Me." Mutual confidence begets mutual affection.

" I give My life for My sheep." It is on Calvary and at the altar that the good priest learns how he ought to love souls.

Source: Meditations for the use of the secular Clergy, Père Pierre Chaignon 1907

If we understood fully what it is to receive the sacraments, we should bring to the reception of them very much better sentiments than those we do. It is true that the greater number of people, in hiding their sins, always keep at the back of their minds the thought of acknowledging them. Without a miracle, they will not be any the less lost for that.

If you want the reason, it is very easy to give it to you. The more we remain in that terrible state which makes Heaven and earth tremble, the more the Devil takes control of us, the more the grace of God diminishes in us, the more our fear increases, the more our sacrileges multiply, and the more we fall away.

The result is that we put ourselves almost beyond the possibility of returning into favor with God. I will give you a hundred examples of this against one to the contrary. Tell me, my dear brethren, can you even hope that after passing perhaps five or six years in sacrilege, during which you outraged God more than did all the Jews together, you would dare to believe that God is going to give you all the graces which you will need to emerge from this terrible state? You think that notwithstanding the many crimes against Jesus Christ of which you have been guilty, you have only to say: "I am going to give up sin now and all will be over."

 Alas, my friends! Who has guaranteed to you that Jesus Christ will not have made to you the same threat He made to the Jews and pronounce the same sentence which He pronounced against them?.... You did not wish to profit by the graces which I wanted to give you; but I will leave you alone, and you will seek Me and you will not find Me, and you will die in your sin!.... Alas, my dear brethren, our poor souls, once they are in the Devil's hands, will not escape from these as easily as we would like to believe.... Look, my dear brethren, at what the Devil does to mislead us.

When we are committing sin, he represents it to us as a mere trifle. He makes us think that there are a great many others who do much worse than we do. Or again, that as we will be confessing the sin, it will be as easy to say four times as twice. But once the sin has been committed, he acts in exactly the opposite way. He represents the sin to us as a monstrous thing. He fills us with such a horror of it that we no longer have the courage to confess it. If we are too frightened to keep the sin hidden, he tells us, to reassure us, that we will confess it at our very next Confession. Subsequently, he tells us that we will not have the courage to do that now, that it would be better to wait for another time to confess it. Take care, my dear brethren; it is only the first step which costs the effort. Once in the prison of the sin, it is very difficult, indeed, to break out of it....

But, you are thinking, I do not really believe that there are many who would be capable of hiding their sins because they would be too much troubled by them. Ah, my dear brethren, if I had to affirm on oath whether there were or were not such people, I would not hesitate to say that there are at least five or six listening to me who are consumed by remorse for their sins and who know that what I say is true. But have patience; you will see them on the day of judgment, and you will recall what I have said to you today. Oh, my God, how shame and fear can hold a Christian soul prisoner in such a terrifying state! Ah, my dear brethren, what are you preparing for yourselves?

You do not dare to make a clean breast of it to your pastor? But is he the only one in the world? Would you not find priests who would have the charity to receive you? Do you think that you would be given too severe a penance? Ah, my children, do not let that stop you! You would be helped; the greater part of it all would be done for you. They would pray for you; they would weep for your sins in order to draw down with greater abundance the mercies of God on you! My friends, have pity on that poor soul which cost Jesus Christ so dearly!.... Oh, my God, who will ever understand the blindness of these poor sinners! You have hidden your sin, my child, but it must be known one day, and then in the eyes of the whole universe, while by one word you would have hidden it forever and you would have changed your hell for an eternity of happiness. Alas, that a sacrilege can lead these poor sinners so far. They do not want to die in that state, but they have not the strength to leave it. My God, torment them so greatly that they will not be able to stay there!

Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen

Source: Lenten Reading plan: Daily readings from St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, compiled by Fr. Bryan W. Jerabek. Used with Permission.