From St. Alphonsus Ligouri, "Preparation for Death," the text used in our retreat of last weekend...
Unhappy life of the Sinner: and Happy Life
of him who loves God.
"The goods of this earth," says St. Vincent Ferrer, "do not enter the soul. They are waters which do not penetrate where there is thirst." The sinner may wear embroidered robes and the riches jewels; he may indulge the palate as much as he pleases; but his poor soul will be full of thorns and gall, and therefore with all his riches, pleasures, and amusements, you will see him always unhappy and ready to fly into a rage at every contradiction. He who loves God resigns himself to the divine will in adversity, and enjoys peace; but he who lives in opposition to the divine will, cannot conform to it, and therefore he has no means of tranquillizing the soul. The miserable man serves the devil, he serves a tyrant who repays him with gall and bitterness. The word of God can never fail. Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness, thou shalt server the enemy in hunger, and thirst, and nakeness, and in want of all things. [Dt. 28:47-48] What do not the vindictive suffer after they have gratified their resentment? The unchaste, after they have attained their wicked object? What do not the ambitious, and the avaricious, endure? Oh, how many are there, who, if they suffer for God as much as they suffer to bring themselves to their own damnation, would become great saints?
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