We Must Fear the Just Judgment of Christ the King, Not the Ubiquitous Surveillance Cameras

Although I try very hard and with a firm resolve not to pay any attention to the internet’s daily assault on our immortal souls by means of sensationalized stories filled with details that are salaciously scatological, there are times when it is almost impossible not to take notice of a news story whose details become “front page” news even when one is not looking for such stories.

Such was the case about eight days ago when two executives, one of whom is civilly divorced and the other married to another woman, were caught in an embarrassing moment by something called the “kiss cam” at a so-called “concert” featuring alleged “music” played by some kind of “performer” whose name I have never before seen and resolved on the spot not to remember. What made the public display of affection particularly noteworthy was that the adulterous man and woman turned away from the camera to hide once they saw themselves on the jumbotron screen, and the man kept bobbing his head up to see if the camera was still focused on him. It was.

This tragic episode became fodder for all kind of “jokes” even though adultery not a laughing matter at all. I know that even some Catholics sent out something called “memes,” a genre of expression about which I know nothing, to join in the mirth and “merriment” of the situation.

What is truly noteworthy, though, is that the man and woman’s efforts to hide themselves demonstrated that, no matter how attenuated and self-interested, they had some kind of guilt and shame for being caught together, a guilt and shame that was compounded by the fact their identities became known almost intravenously given the omnipresence of the internet. It was human respect, though, that generated this guilt and shame, not a genuine love for God nor for fear of His just Judgment on their immortal souls. How sad it is that men who do not realize they are offending God and harming their own souls fear being exposed by a surveillance camera and the fact that their own spouses now know what they tried to keep hidden from them. Indeed, the whole world knows about their immoral behavior.

Indeed, the prince of dakrness and the master of lies has long tried to convice weak vessels of clay that sins of impurity are not grave and can be engaged in wantonly without fear of Divine justice being visited upon them, and it was to refute this age-old lie of the deceiver that Saint Alphonsus de Ligouri addressed a sermon "On the Vice of Impurity" for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: :

The man who indulges in impurity is like a person labouring under the dropsy. The latter is so much tormented by thirst, that the more he drinks the more thirsty he becomes. Such, too, is the nature of the accursed vice of impurity; it is never satiated. "As," says St. Thomas of Villanova, “the more the dropsical man abounds in moisture, the more he thirsts; so, too, is it with the waves of eternal pleasures." I will speak Today of the vice of impurity, and will show, in the first point, the delusion of those who say that this vice is but a small evil; and, in the second, the delusion of those who say, that God takes pity on this sin, and that he does not punish it.

First Point. Delusion of those who say that sins against purity are not a great evil.

1. The unchaste, then, say that sins contrary to purity are but a small evil. Like “the so wallowing in the mire" ("Sus lota in volutabro luti” 2 Pet. ii. 22) , they are immersed in their own filth, so that they do not see the malice of their actions; and therefore they neither feel nor abhor the stench of their impurities, which excite disgust and horror in all others. Can you, who say that the vice of impurity is but a small evil can you, I ask, deny that it is a mortal sin? If you deny it, you are a heretic; for as St. Paul says: "Do not err. Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, etc., shall possess the kingdom of God." (1 or. vi. 9.) It is a mortal sin; it cannot be a small evil. It is more sinful than theft, or detraction, or the violation of the fast. How then can you say that it is not a great evil? Perhaps mortal sin appears to you to be a small evil? Is it a small evil to despise the grace of God, to turn your back upon him, and to lose his friendship, for a transitory, beastly pleasure? (Saint Alphonsus de Ligouri, Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.)

Men such Jorge Mario Bergoglio does deny the immensity of the sin of impurity. Moreover, he even denies that sins of impurity are mortal in nature, not that they believe anyone even commits a Mortal Sin, well, with the exception of perhaps harming the Amazon Rainforest. He is a heretic. Period.

Saint Alphonsus went on to state:

2. St. Thomas teaches, that mortal sin, because it is an insult offered to an infinite God, contains a certain infinitude of malice. "A sin committed against God has a certain infinitude, on account of the infinitude of the Divine Majesty." (S. Thom., 3, p., q. 1, art. 2, ad. 2.) Is mortal sin a small evil? It is so great an evil, that if all the angels and all the saints, the apostles, martyrs, and even the Mother of God, offered all their merits to atone for a single mortal sin, the oblation would not be sufficient. No; for that atonement or satisfaction would be finite; but the debt contracted by mortal sin is infinite, on account of the infinite Majesty of God which has been offended. The hatred which God bears to sins against purity is great beyond measure. If a lady find her plate soiled she is disgusted, and cannot eat. Now, with what disgust and indignation must God, who is Purity itself, behold the filthy impurities by which his law is violated? He loves purity with an infinite love; and consequently he has an infinite hatred for the sensuality which the lewd, voluptuous man calls a small evil. Even the devils who held a high rank in heaven before their fall disdain to tempt men to sins of the flesh.

3. St. Thomas says (lib. 5, de Erud. Princ., c. li.), that Lucifer, who is supposed to have been the devil that tempted Jesus Christ in the desert, tempted him to commit other sins, but scorned to tempt him to offend against chastity.  Is this sin a small evil? Is it, then, a small evil to see a man endowed with a rational soul, and enriched with so many divine graces, bring himself by the sin of impurity to the level of a brute?” Fornication and pleasure," says St. Jerome,” pervert the understanding, and change men into beasts." (In Oseam., c. iv.) In the voluptuous and unchaste are literally verified the words of David;” And man, when he was in honour, did not understand: he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them." (Ps. xlviii. 13.) St. Jerome says, that there is nothing more vile or degrading than to allow oneself to be conquered by the flesh. ” Nihil vilius quam vinci a carne." Is it a small evil to forget God, and to banish him from the soul, for the sake of giving the body a vile satisfaction, of which, when it is over, you feel ashamed?  Of this the Lord complains by the Prophet Ezechiel;” Thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast forgotten me, and has cast me off behind thy back” (xxiii. 35.) St. Thomas says, that by every vice, but particularly by the vice of impurity, men are removed far from God. “Per luxuriant maxime recedit a Deo." (In Job cap. xxxi.)   

4. Moreover, sins of impurity, on account of their great number, are an immense evil. A blasphemer does not always blaspheme, but only when he is drunk or provoked to anger. The assassin, whose trade is to murder others, does not, at the most, commit more than eight or ten homicides. But the unchaste are guilty of an unceasing torrent of sins, by thoughts, by words, by looks, by complacencies, and by touches; so that, when they go to confession they find it impossible to tell the number of the sins they have committed against purity. Even in their sleep the devil represents to them obscene objects, that, on awakening, they may take delight in them; and because they are made the slaves of the enemy, they obey and consent to his suggestions; for it is easy to contract a habit of this sin. To other sins, such as blasphemy, detraction, and murder, men are not prone; but to this vice nature inclines them. Hence St. Thomas says, that there is no sinner so ready to offend God as the votary of lust is, on every occasion that occurs to him.” Nullus ad Dei contemptum promptior." The sin of impurity brings in its train the sins of defamation, of theft, hatred, and of boasting of its own filthy abominations. Besides, it ordinarily involves the malice of scandal. Other sins, such as blasphemy, perjury, and murder, excite horror in those who witness them; but this sin excites and draws others, who are flesh, to commit it, or, at least, to commit it with less horror. . . .

9. The votaries of lust say that God takes pity on this sin; but such is not the language of St. Thomas of Villanova. He says, that in the sacred Scriptures we do not read of any sin so severely chastised as the sin of impurity.” Luxuriæ facinus præ aliis punitum legimus." (Serm. iv., Dom. 1, Quadrag.) We find in the Scriptures, that in punishment of this sin, a deluge of fire descended from heaven on four cities, and, in an instant, consumed not only the inhabitants, but even the very stones." And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he destroyed these cities, and all things that spring from the earth." (Gen. xix. 24.) St. Peter Damian relates, that a man and a woman who had sinned against impurity, were found burnt and black as a cinder.  

10. Salvian writes, that it was in punishment of the sin of impurity that God sent on the earth the universal deluge, which was caused by continued rain for forty days and forty nights. In this deluge the waters rose fifteen cubits above the tops of the highest mountains; and only eight persons along with Noah were saved in the ark. The rest of the inhabitants of the earth, who were more numerous then than at present, were punished with death in chastisement of the vice of impurity. Mark the words of the Lord in speaking of this chastisement which he inflicted on that sin: “My spirit shall not remain in man for ever; because he is flesh." (Gen. vi. 3.) "That is," says Liranus, "too deeply involved in carnal sins." The Lord added: “For it repenteth me that I made man." (Gen. vi. 7.) The indignation of God is not like ours, which clouds the mind, and drives us into excesses: his wrath is a judgment perfectly just and tranquil, by which God punishes and repairs the disorders of sin. But to make us understand the intensity of his hatred for the sin of impurity, he represents himself as if sorry for having created man, who offended him so grievously by this vice. We, at the present day, see more severe temporal punishment inflicted on this than on any other sin. Go into the hospitals, and listen to the shrieks of so many young men, who, in punishment of their impurities, are obliged to submit to the severest treatment and to the most painful operations, and who, if they escape death, are, according to the divine threat, feeble, and subject to the most excruciating pain for the remainder of their lives. “Thou hast cast me off behind thy back; bear thou also thy wickedness and thy fornications." (Ezec. xxiii. 35.) (Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, “On Impurity”.)

This describes the the late Argentine Apostate with exacting specificity. Jorge Mario Bergoglio's repeated contentions about the slight nature of sins of impurity, coupled with his belief that even the nature of what is sinful was dependent upon changing circumstances, were not at all consonant with the unchanging and unchangeable Catholic Faith, which he found out at the moment of his Particular Judgment was more than a slight problem.

As we are called to view all things in the world through the eyes of the true Faith, the episode involving the former chief executive and the former head of the human resources department of human resources reminds us as Catholics not to fear the omnipresent surveillance cameras but to remember that everything we think, do or say is known to the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom there is never any hiding place.

Moreover, everything we have thought, did or said will be revealed at the General Judgment of the living and the dead on the Last Day to everyone who has ever lived.

The thought of the General Judgment should be uppermost in our minds at all times as believing Catholics know that all of their sins and embarrassing moments, though revealed to one and all on the Last Day, will revealed with all their merits they had gained from their prayers, sacrifices, good works, almsgiving, their patient endurance of the crosses that Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ appointed for them to bear for His own honor and glory and their own sanctification and salvation. The General Judgment, therefore, will be a time when just shall rejoice in the Mercy and Justice of their Divine King while the unjust will try in vain to hide from the Omniscient and Omnipresent Christ the King:

[21] For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be. [22] And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened. [23] Then if any man shall say to you: Lo here is Christ, or there, do not believe him. [24] For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. [25] Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.

[26] If therefore they shall say to you: Behold he is in the desert, go ye not out: Behold he is in the closets, believe it not. [27] For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west: so shall the coming of the Son of man be. [28] Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. [29] And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be moved: [30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty.  (Matthew 24: 1-30.)

Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., explained that the thought of the General Judgment should be ever present in our minds and hearts as we contemplate the moment at which the sign of the Son of Man, that is, the Sign of the Holy Cross of the Divine Redeemer, “will announce the coming of Christ”:

Today, we are reminded by Christ, in the Gospel, of the signs and warnings which shall herald the day of judgment, that terrible day which will witness at once the resurrection of the dead and the approach of the divine Judge. Of all these signs, I have selected for your consideration today the appearance in the heavens of the sign of the Son of Man, the cross, which will announce the coming of Christ.

What Christ has revealed to us of the signs which shall be sent as warnings of His advent, should cause us to reflect most deeply upon those things which shall come; upon us at the end of the world, when, in the expressive words of the Gospel, "Men shall wither away with fear and expectation of what is to come upon them."

It should so dispose our hearts that we may be ready to appear before the tribunal of Christ, whenever He shall call us from this earth. There is one circumstance of which our Lord makes mention, and which alone is of sufficient weight to strengthen us in our resolution to live only for the purpose for which He has given us our very existence, and for which He has accomplished in us the great work of redemption. I allude to the appearance of the cross in the heavens on the last day. This cross will show forth all the infinite and adorable perfections of the divine nature.

Mary, mother of God and mirror of His adorable perfections, pray for us that we, upon the terrible day of final reckoning, may be enabled to rejoice with thee when that cross, by which thou didst stand to hear the last sigh of thy dying Son, appears unto the world once more! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater honor and glory of God!

God would not one day judge the world if He were not just, on account of the angels, as St. Paul assures us. A remarkable expression. The sense of these words of the Apostle may be thus explained: If the ways of God were not all the ways of truth and emanations of His infinite perfections, the angels, whom God created as beings of the highest order, and at the same time pure and holy, would never allow what is wrong to pass as just.

In this world we are not permitted to behold our Lord face to face, nor to know Him as He is in the splendor of His majesty; so it is with His works which are, as it were, concealed by a vail which we dare not, if we could, remove. I will make use of a comparison. The mysterious workings of divine Providence, as time passes on, weave, as it were, a carpet of the various acts and scenes of our lives. Look upon the reverse side, and you will see the threads running hither and thither, without beauty or apparent design. But upon the day of judgment the gorgeous texture will be turned in the presence of all mankind, of the angels, and of all the devils. All will then behold with vision, clear and distinct, how the Lord hath ever worked to lead the souls created by His divine power to eternal happiness, and that what ever came to mar His benignant plans arose from an abuse of that free-will with which every rational being has been endowed. Even Lucifer, with all his fallen angels will pronounce his confiteor, and, with the millions of reprobate souls who chose to array themselves under his standard, will give testimony to the justice of God, impelled to it by the sight of the cross in the heavens.

The cross on the last day will stand forth in bold relief upon the sky, as the symbolical expression of the work of redemption, and also as a mirror in which the divine attributes appear most brilliant and resplendent.

First, it will reflect the splendor of the divine omnipotence by which He called the world into existence; for nothing is impossible with God, as the angel declared to Mary when he announced the great mystery of the incarnation, the most sublime triumph of the Almighty. By naught, save omnipotence, could this wonder of wonders have been effected. Omnipotence alone could unite the divine nature with a human nature by the hypostatic union of the second person of the blessed Trinity with that human nature. O miracle! God might create myriads of worlds, each one more glorious than the other, yet it would not be such a proof of His almighty power as His becoming man. For He did not join Himself to a human person, but assumed the human nature in Christ, and thereby became as truly man, as He was God from all eternity. O wonder of wonders!

The cross will also shine forth brilliantly on the last day, as the glorious reflex of the divine understanding and wisdom, whose triumph comes from the Incarnation of the Son of God. Only a God could have conceived this sublime idea of thus reconciling the fallen human race to God, of changing the curse of sin into a source of happiness, the loss of paradise into eternal beatitude.

The holy cross will also sparkle on the last day in the firmament as the reflected splendor of God’s infinite mercy. How fitting it is that this divine attribute should not only be glorified by the ransom of the fallen human race, as illustrated in the cross, but also be entirely vindicated before all men. If it were possible for one person to take upon himself the burden of the sins of the entire world, and if he had at the same time been guilty himself of the most heinous crimes which the heart can conceive, in the Sacrament of Baptism, at the words "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,"--supposing true contrition on his part,--all those sins would be remitted, and every stain washed away from his soul; so that if he were to die that moment, he would immediately enter heaven through the merits of Christ. And if a Christian had sullied the whiteness of his baptismal robe, and marred its beauty not only, with some venial faults, but with the most diabolical crimes; after a true contrition and sincere confession on the part of that sinner, at the words of the priest: " I absolve thee," united to the petition of Christ: "Father, forgive!" his guilt would be washed away.

Upon the day of final doom the cross will reflect the sanctity and holiness of the Lord of heaven and earth; for upon it the Sacred Heart of Jesus was opened, and from the wound came forth the Holy Church supplied with the means of salvation sufficient to make us, even in this life, pure as the angels in heaven.

On that momentous day, the cross will beam with glorious light,--indeed, the splendor of its radiance will fall with scathing brightness upon those wretched spirits whose doom is everlasting fire, for it will be the reflection of that divine attribute justice.

It will also irradiate the heavens with a lovely light, the reflex of God’s longanimity. As Christ stretched forth His arms upon the cross, so will He continue to do unto the end of time, as a sure refuge for all the children of men.

On that last and terrible day the holy cross will brightly shine to reflect the truth and fidelity of the Lord. For the truths of our divine faith are the Word of God promulgated by the Church, which remains as unchangeable and infallible in its doctrines as when it came forth from the Heart of our Lord on the cross. The work of redemption, consummated by Christ on the cross, was not a work of necessity, but of the infinite love of God.

Happy we, beloved in Christ, if we, as the cross continually exhorts us to do, glorify God in all His attributes by our virtues while on earth; then will we most surely hail its appearance in the heavens with joy and rapture on the resurrection morn! Amen! (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., First Sermon for the Last Sunday after Pentecost.)

Father Weninger reminded us in his second sermon for the Last Sunday after Pentecost that the reprobate will see the Sign of the Cross and then despair for having been so blind and self-centered for having persisted until death that they could live as they pleased without any thought of Christ the King and His true Church.

And what of the reprobate? What of those lost and miserable beings doomed to dwell in everlasting fire? Oh, their cries of despair, when they first behold the "sign of the Son of man" in the heavens! How bitter will be the thought that they might so easily have conquered the enemy of their souls had they but employed this powerful weapon to vanquish that demon, who will now torment them forever! Yes, my dear brethren, despair will be their portion; and, at the sight of the cross, they will be forced to acknowledge that their punishment is just.

As mentioned earlier, both the Justice and the Mercy of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be manifest at the General Judgment of the living and the dead on the Last Day. The just will be the beneficiaries of His Mercy while the damned will be humiliated once more at the public revelation to everyone who has every lived from the beginning to the end of time as the Particular Judgment that damned them to hell for all eternity is ratified. No one then will be complaining as the the just will receive the reward of their final perseverance and the unjust will understand they had damned themselves by their wickedness that made them so hardened in their sins to the point of dying in a state of final impenitence.

Father Weninger also noted that those who participate in the victory of the Divine Redeemer’s Holy Cross must fight a daily battle between the three enemies of our salvation: the world, the flesh, and the devil:
The three enemies against which we have constantly to struggle during life, are the world, the flesh, and the devil.

First, the world, with cunning malice, rather than with open warfare--this vigilant foe--is continually seeking our ruin, and with its brilliant allurements, pernicious examples and dazzling promises it too often succeeds. But here, my dear friends, we have a most powerful weapon in the cross of Christ, which will remind us of our Saviour, who will not accept a divided heart. He Himself says that no one can serve God and the world; that, as the world hath persecuted Him, so also will it persecute His faithful children, and that whoever loves the world will perish with the world,--"no one can serve God and mammon." Whosoever views the world in that light which shines from the holy cross, lives indeed in the world, but not of the world. To him its enticements possess no charm, for he lives so that he can exclaim, with St. Paul: "I am crucified to the world, and the world to me;" and, although beset by snares on every side, he gains a glorious victory over this powerful foe. On the other hand, the Christian, who lives in the world without the knowledge which the cross of Christ imparts, pursues the broad and pleasant path which leads to ruin. How many! O how many! walk thereon! unmindful that the end is eternal woe!

Our second great foe is the flesh, with its mighty army of inordinate desires and deeply-rooted passions; but here, too, we are furnished with a powerful means of defense against their attacks. Look upon the cross; it seems to say: "Deny thyself." If you listen to its exhortations, God will assist you, and you will be enabled to conquer this second foe. "Deny thyself; take up thy cross and follow Me." Those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with all its desires. Whosoever lives thus, beloved in Christ, ever pushing forward, though sometimes faltering on the rugged path, will reach the goal at last.

Our third foe and constant enemy in the pursuit of salvation is the devil; but here again we need not fear, for Christ has placed a weapon within our reach, the mere sight of which will put the evil spirits to flight. They know too well that cross which triumphed over them, and weakened their power to ruin souls. They know that through this blessed sign the Lord has brought to repentance many a precious soul redeemed by His blood, but seduced for a time by those wily demons of hell with their wicked arts.

In the Old Testament we read that the Israelites in the wilderness, having given way to sinful repinings, our divine Lord punished them by sending fiery serpents in their midst, from the bite of which many of them died. Brought to a sense of their ingratitude by this visitation, those who survived repented of their fault; and Moses, by the command of God, raised on high a brazen serpent, setting it up for a sign, and those who were bitten looked upon it and were healed.

The serpent thus placed on high in the wilderness is, according to all interpretations of the holy fathers, a figure and type of our Redeemer nailed to the cross,--of that Saviour who became man for us, who called us His brethren, sinful children of men as we are, and who suffered so many and such bitter torments for us. Our iniquities were placed upon Him, and He bore the heavy burden without a murmur.

Has the infernal serpent attacked you with its venomous fangs? One glance at the cross of Jesus Christ will save you from eternal death, as you will clearly understand if you consider the wounds made by the different passions. For every one you will find a cure in the saving balm which flows from the cross.

Are you tempted by pride, or has the infernal serpent inflicted thereby a dangerous and almost fatal wound upon your soul? Look at the cross, and find your remedy in the thought of Him who humbled Himself, "even to the death of the cross." Perhaps avarice and greed of gold are the fangs by which the venomous serpent has wounded your soul? One glance at the cross will save you, for you will be reminded of Him who became poor and destitute for love of man. The serpent of wrath has, perhaps, enfolded you in its coils, and your peril each moment increases? Then call upon your Saviour; cast but one glance at his holy cross. One thought of the meek Lamb of God, "who taketh away the sins of the world," and of your Saviour’s supplication on the cross,--"Father, forgive,"--and you will gain the victory. It may be that the infernal serpent of gluttony is winding its coils around you, or has even fastened its fangs in your soul? Look at the cross and think of the meek Victim Who hung thereon, exclaiming: "I thirst."

Is it the serpent of impurity, of sensual gratification, which has twined itself round your heart, perhaps wounding your soul almost unto death? Oh, even here you will find a salutary balm in looking at the cross, and the five sacred wounds of your Lord! Consider that sacred Victim, whose lacerated flesh hung quivering on the cross, and you will conquer this sin so hideous in the sight of God.

Does the serpent of sloth and indifference in matters of religion threaten to ruin your soul? You are furnished with a weapon wherewith to fight and conquer. Look at the cross and at your dying Saviour, whose lips pronounce the words: "It is consummated." Toil and suffering and persecution for three and thirty years has He patiently and joyfully endured for you, and now "it is consummated."

To those also who are striving after perfection I have a word to say: You, too, have much to contend with in your zealous efforts; for the kingdom of heaven is gained by violence, but the holy cross will be a most powerful aid; glance at it frequently, and meditate upon the sufferings of Him Who died thereon!

Thus you will be wonderfully strengthened in faith, hope, and charity, as well as all the moral virtues, such as humility, patience, self-denial, that are the supports of a holy life.

That your lives may be a true and perfect imitation of His own, our divine Saviour will try your fidelity by trials and sufferings, as gold is tested in the furnace to prove its value. Here, too, look upon the cross, and you will esteem all sufferings light and all sacrifices pleasant.

Christ Himself had, through bitter sufferings, to enter heaven. Then, is it not just that you, too, should walk in the royal way of the cross for love of Him, before you win eternal joy? Oh, what joy will be your portion, if, when death is drawing nigh, you can say, with Jesus: "It is consummated." Then, indeed, upon the last and terrible judgment day, the holy cross, upon which you have so often looked in life, will be a dear and familiar sign--a pledge of bliss, and a glorious token of victory for evermore! Amen! (Father Francis X. Weninger, Second Sermon for the Last Sunday after Pentecost).

One of the most consoling thoughts about the General Judgment is that the just will not only glory in the public manifestation of their salvation but will be reconciled to others of the just from whom they became estranged for one reason or another, and those whom we may have injured or offended (or who may have injured or offended us) in one form or another will discover all the prayers we said for their salvation and also our true spirit of contrition for the disagreements that led to an earthly estrangement. We must not worry in this life about what others think or say about us, whether just or unjust, as it a Spiritual Work of Mercy to pray for the living and the dead and to do so with the confidence that if, by the mercy of God and the graces of Our Lady, we save our souls that the only that matters is that we gain Heaven and then to share its joys for all eternity with those who may have known in this life who also were deemed worthy to participate in the Easter Victory of the Paschal Lamb, Christ the King.

No quarrel or disagreement we may have had in this life will matter at the General Judgment as, having expiated our sins either in this life and/or in Purgatory, all the souls of the just will rejoice at their salvation and their rejoice for love of God and His Divine Justice if their closest relatives wound up being damned. So perfect will be love that just have for the Most Blessed Trinity that there will not be the slightest degree of sympathy for the damned, who had every opportunity to save their souls.

Saint Alphonsus de Liguori noted in this in his own Sermon on the General Judgment:

At present God is not known, and, therefore, he is as much despised by sinners, as if he could not avenge, whenever he pleases, the injuries offered to him. The wicked”looketh upon the Almighty as if he could do nothing” (Job xxii. 17,) But the Lord has fixed a day, called in the Scriptures "the day of the Lord," on which the Eternal Judge will make known his power and majesty. "The Lord," says the Psalmist, "shall be known when he executeth judgment." (Ps. ix. 17.) On this text St. Bernard writes: ”The Lord, who is now unknown while he seeks mercy, shall be known when he executes justice." (Lib. de xii. Rad.) The prophet Sophonias calls the day of the Lord”a day of wrath a day of tribulation and distress a day of calamity and misery." (i. 15.)

Let us now consider, in the first point, the different appearance of the just and the unjust; in the second, the scrutiny of consciences; and in the third, the sentence pronounced on the elect and on the reprobate.

First Point. On the different appearance of the just and of sinners in the valley of Josaphat.

 1. This day shall commence with fire from Heaven, which will burn the earth, all men then living, and all things upon the earth. ”And the earth and the works which are in it shall be burnt up." (2 Pet. iii. 10.) All shall become one heap of ashes.

2 After the death of all men, “the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again." (1 Cor. xv. 52.) St Jerome used to say: “As often as I consider the day of judgment, I tremble. Whether I eat or drink, or whatever else I do, that terrible trumpet appears to sound in my ears, arise ye dead, and come to judgment" (in Matt, c. v.); and St. Augustine declared, that nothing banished from him earthly thoughts so effectually as the fear of judgment.

3 At the sound of that trumpet the souls of the blessed shall descend from Heaven to be united to the bodies with which they served God on Earth; and the unhappy souls of the damned shall come up from Hell to take possession again of those bodies with which they have offended God. Oh! how different the appearance of the former, compared with that of the latter! The damned shall appear deformed and black, like so many firebrands of Hell; but the just shall shine as the sun (Matt xiii 43) Oh! how great shall then be the happiness of those who have fortified their bodies by works of penance! We may estimate their felicity from the words addressed by St. Peter of Alcantara, after death, to St. Teresa: “O happy penance! which merited for me such glory”

4. After the resurrection, they shall be summoned by the angels to appear in the valley of Josaphat. “Nations, nations, in the valley for destruction for the day of the Lord is near‟‟ (Joel iii 14)” Then the angels shall come and separate the reprobate from the elect, placing the latter on the right, and the former on the left. ”The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from the Just. ”(Matt. xiii 49). Oh! How great will then be the confusion which the unhappy damned shall suffer!. “What think you, ” says the author of the Imperfect Work, “must be the confusion of the impious, when, being separated from the just, they shall be abandoned”(Hom liv.). “This punishment alone” says St. Chrysostom, “would be sufficient to constitute a hell for the wicked”. ”Et si nihil ulterius paterentur, ista sola verecundia sufficerit eis ad poenam," (in Matt, c. xxiv.) The brother shall he separated from the brother, the husband from his wife, the son from the father, etc.

5. But, behold! the heavens are opened the angels come to assist at the general judgment, carrying, as St. Thomas says, the sign of the cross and of the other instruments of the passion of the Redeemer. ”Veniente Domino ad judicium signum crucis, et alia passionis indicia demonstrabunt." (Opusc. ii. 244.) The same may be inferred from the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew: ”And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn." (xxiv. 30.) Sinners shall weep at the sign of the cross; for, as St. Chrysostom says, the nails will complain of them the wounds and the cross of Jesus Christ will speak against them. ”Clavi de te conquerentur, cicatrices contra et loquentur, crux Christi contra te perorabit." (Hom, xx., in Matt.)

6. Most holy Mary, the queen of saints and angels, shall come to assist at the last judgment; and lastly, the Eternal Judge shall appear in the clouds, full of splendour and majesty. “And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven with much power and majesty." (Matt. xxiv. 30.) Oh! how great shall be the agony of the reprobate at the sight of the Judge! "At their presence” says the Prophet Joel, "the people shall be in grievous pains." (Joel ii. 6.) According to St. Jerome, the presence of Jesus Christ will give the reprobate more pain than Hell itself. “It would," he says, ”be easier for the damned to bear the torments of Hell than the presence of the Lord." Hence, on that day, the wicked shall, according to St. John, call on the mountains to fall on them and to hide them from the sight of the judge. "And they shall say to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." (Apoc. vi. 16.)

Second Point. The scrutiny of conscience.

 7. "The judgment sat, and the books were opened. ”(Dan. vii. 10.) The books of conscience are opened, and the judgment commences. The Apostle says, that the Lord”will bring to light the hidden things of darkness." (1 Cor. iv. 5.) And, by the mouth of his prophet, Jesus Christ has said: ”I will search Jerusalem with lamps." (Soph. i. 12.) The light of the lamp reveals all that is hidden.

8. ”A judgment," says St. Chrysostom, ”terrible to sinners, but desirable and sweet to the just." (Hom. iii. de Dav.) The last judgment shall fill sinners with terror, but will be a source of joy and sweetness to the elect; for God will then give praise to each one according to his works. (1 Cor. iv. 5.) The Apostle tells us that on that day the just will be raised above the clouds to be united to the angels, and to increase the number of those who pay homage to the Lord. ”We shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air." (I Thess. iv. 16.)

 9. Worldlings now regard as fools the saints who led mortified and humble lives; but then they shall confess their own folly, and say: "We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour. Behold how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints." (Wis. v. 4, 5.) In this world, the rich and the noble are called happy; but true happiness consists in a life of sanctity. Rejoice, ye souls who live in tribulation;”our sorrow shall be turned into joy." (John xvi. 20.) In the valley of Josaphat you shall be seated on thrones of glory.

10. But the reprobate, like goats destined for the slaughter, shall be placed on the left, to await their last condemnation. ”Judicii tempus," says St. Chrysostom, ”misericordiam non recipit." On the day of judgment there is no hope of mercy for poor sinners. “Magna," says St. Augustine, "jam est poena peccati, metum et memoriam divini perdidisse judicii." (Serm. xx. de Temp.) The greatest punishment of sin in those who live in enmity with God, is to lose the fear and remembrance of the divine judgment. Continue, continue, says the Apostle, to live obstinately in sin; but in proportion to your obstinacy, you shall have accumulated for the day of judgment a treasure of the wrath of God “But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart , thou treasurest up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath” (Rom ii. 5)

11. Then sinners will not be able to hide themselves but, with insufferable pain, they shall be compelled to appear in judgment. "To lie hid” says St. Anselm, “will be impossible to appear will be intolerable." The devils will perform their office of accusers, and as St. Augustine says, will say to the Judge: “Most just God, declare him to be mine, who was unwilling to be yours. ” The witnesses against the wicked shall be first, their own conscience. "Their conscience bearing witness to them, ”(Rom. ii. 15); secondly, the very walls of the house in which they sinned shall cry out against them”The stone shall cry out of the wall," (Hab. ii 11); thirdly, the Judge himself will say "I am the judge and the witness, saith the Lord." (Jer. xxix 23 ) Hence, according to St. Augustine, "He who is now the witness of .your life, shall be the judge of your cause. ” (Lib. x. de Chord., c. ii.) To Christians particularly he will say: "Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida; for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes”(Matt. xi. 21.) Christians, he will say, if the graces which I have bestowed on you had been given to the Turks or to the Pagans, they would have done penance for their sins; but you have ceased to sin only with your death. He shall then manifest to all men their most hidden crimes. "I will discover thy shame to thy face. ” (Nahum iii. 5.) He will expose to view all their secret impurities, injustices, and cruelties. ”I will set all thy abominations against thee”(Ezech. vii. 3.) Each of the damned shall carry his sins written on his forehead.

12. What excuses can save the wicked on that day? Ah! they can offer no excuses. ”All iniquity shall stop her mouth." (Ps. cvi. 42.) Their very sins shall close the mouth of the reprobate, so that they will not have courage to excuse themselves. They shall pronounce their own condemnation.

Third Point. Sentence of the elect, and of the reprobate.

13. St. Bernard says, that the sentence of the elect, and their destiny to eternal glory, shall be first declared, that the pains of the reprobate may be increased by the sight of what they lost. ”Prius pronunciabitur sententia electis ut acrius (reprobi) doleant videntes quid amiserunt." (Ser. viii., in Ps. xc.) Jesus Christ, then, shall first turn to the elect, and with a serene countenance shall say: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ”(Matt. xxv. 34.) He will then bless all the tears shed through sorrow for their sins, and all their good works, their prayers, mortifications, and communions; above all, he will bless for them the pains of his passion and the blood shed for their salvation. And, after these benedictions, the elect, singing alleluias, shall enter Paradise to praise and love God eternity.

14. The Judge shall then turn to the reprobate, and shall pronounce the sentence of their condemnation in these words . ”Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire." (Matt. xxv. 41 ) They shall then be forever accursed, separated from God, and sent to burn for ever in the fire of hell. “And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just into life everlasting. ” (Matt. xxv. 46.)

15. After this sentence, the wicked shall, according to St. Ephrem, be compelled to take leave for ever of their relatives, of Paradise, of the saints, and of Mary the divine Mother. "Farewell, ye just! Farewell, O cross I Farewell, Paradise! Farewell, fathers and brothers: we shall never see you again! Farewell, O Mary, mother of God!”(St. Eph. de variis serm. inf.) Then a great pit shall open in the middle of the valley: the unhappy damned shall be cast into it, and shall see those doors shut which shall never again be opened. O accursed sin! to what a miserable end will you one day conduct so many souls redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. O unhappy souls! for whom is prepared such a melancholy end. But, brethren, have confidence. Jesus Christ is now a Father, and not judge. He is ready to pardon all who repent. Let us then instantly ask pardon from him. (Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, On the General Judgment, Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.)

Thus, we must understand that, even given the omnipresence of surveillance cameras and the readiness of others to take photographs on their phones of complete strangers without their permission of knowledge, we must be conscious of the Divine Presence at all times and be aware God knows all things, sees all things, and will judge all things justly while we live and when we die.

This should inspire us to seek the intercession of Our Lady for our salvation so that we, who have been so abusive of the tender mercies of the Most Sacred Heart of her Divine Son, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and so merciless towards others on so many occasions, will know the mercy of her Divine Son when we die and thus enjoy the Beatific Vision of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost in an ending Easter Sunday of glory in Paradise.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Saint Andrew the Apostle, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, pray for us.

Saint Pantaleon, pray for us.

Appendix A

Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., Third Sermon for Last Sunday after Pentecost
"And there shall appear the sign of the Sun of man in heaven."--Matt. 24, 30.

On this earth we behold collected together an immense number of people. The good and the bad, the believing Christian and the infidel who scoffs at the very existence of a God, those who defend and those who persecute the Church of Christ, those who profess her religion and those who are separated from her fold, all are living together, almost without a mark to distinguish them!

But it will not always be so; for the hour will come which shall witness the eternal separation of light and darkness. The Gospel wherein we read that the cockle is to be burned, but the wheat gathered up and cared for, assures us of this: "Let the good seed grow with the cockle until the harvest, then I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle and bind it into bundles to burn, but gather the wheat into My barn." These are the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The reapers are the angels; the good seed signifies the just, and the cockle the unjust. Christ also compares the just to sheep and the wicked to goats, bidding the former go to His right; that is, the right of the cross, the wicked to His left; that is, the left of the cross, which sends forth its rays to herald the coming of the divine Judge! It is the cross that on the last day divides the wicked from the good!

And can you, my brethren, realize that each one of us will be there, either to rejoice at the vision of the sign of redemption, or to view it as a harbinger of woe? If the former, then must it be the standard around which we rallied during life, the light which guided us on our way to God. Then, indeed, the sign of the Son of man in heaven will be to us a sign of joy!

Mary, who with such admirable fortitude didst stand beneath the cross, obtain for us a portion of the spirit of endurance which animated thee, that we also may endure unto the end! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater honor and glory of God!

We read in the life of St. Lawrence Justinian that, when in his youth he was about to make choice of a state of life, he took a crucifix, placed it before him, and fell on his knees. Gazing with loving devotion upon the image of his Lord, he mentally called up all the riches, all the honors and pleasures which he could expect in this world; while, on the other hand, he considered the treasures which faith bestows, and the Divine promises made of delights and treasures which last forever!

He compared the riches of earth with the glories of heaven, the fame of this world with eternal honors, and the empty joys which worldlings hold so dear, to the endless delights which are the portion of the blessed. Then he looked upon the image of the Crucified, and murmured: "What shall I do?"

Undoubtedly that glance decided him, by recalling to his mind that, if he wished to become perfect, to become truly holy, and to attain an exalted position in heaven, he must trample the world under foot and follow his divine Lord. He did so, and went on with such unfaltering zeal and unshaken fidelity that he became a glorious saint!

Lawrence Justinian is not alone in resolving to serve God in the most perfect manner. Many do the same, but they do not persevere. They begin well, but the path to perfection is narrow and beset with thorns, while the broad and pleasant road to perdition is bordered with lovely roses, whose fragrant leaves conceal the thorns that are not felt until too late. Thus the unstable Christian wavers in his efforts to lead a holy life, and too often abandons the pursuit of piety. Christ Himself suffered contempt and ignominy, and was held up to public scorn, while the multitude received Him with loud cries of "Crucify Him! crucify him!" Those very people who, but a few short days before, cried out: "Hosanna to the Son of David," angrily demand His death. Think of this when you are tempted to waver in your resolution to follow the straight and narrow path. The kingdom of heaven is gained by violence; there is a struggle, and very often a severe and protracted one; there are storms and temptations which threaten to destroy even the well-trained virtue of a life-time. Be firm, therefore, and let not the allurements of the world, the temptations of the flesh, nor the snares of the devil, induce you to falter. Look frequently at the crucifix, and you will be strengthened, remembering how Christ suffered for you. Imitate His divine example. How can we look upon the cross without sentiments of the deepest affection? How can it fail to excite feelings of the most profound awe, when we reflect that it will one day appear in the heavens to bear witness to the justice of God in deciding the eternal fate of the millions who tremble in His sight? One glance at it must remind us that we are destined to be either eternally happy or eternally miserable.

Either, Or. Oh, words of terrible import! Let us consider separately the circumstances of the final judgment as they have been revealed by Christ Himself, and we will be the better enabled to realize what is to come upon the world!

When the warning sound of the angel’s trumpet penetrates to the very depths of the grave, your body will obey the summons, and arise either glorious and beautiful from the tomb, or come forth horrible and disfigured before all men. More luminous and brilliant than the sun, radiant in celestial beauty will the bodies of the blessed arise, while hideous beyond conception will those of the damned appear!

Enveloped in flames, more loathsome and repulsive than the most vivid imagination can depict, will be those bodies from which even their wretched souls will shrink away! Either, Or. Either your body will arise to be joined to a blessed and happy soul, or to be united to an infernal inhabitant of hell! Oh, what food for reflection! what a motive for firmly resolving, cost what it may, to follow Christ, to obey His commandments, and to walk in the rugged way of the cross, so that upon the last great day your body will arise glorious, to be united to your happy soul forever!

Then, most beloved in Christ, the eternal gates will open. Those above will disclose to view the regions of light, the haven of bliss unutterable, of joy eternal; but those below will reveal a scene of horror, which, could you behold it now, would strike you dead with terror! From above will be seen descending the transfigured souls of the blessed, more brilliant than the sun, winging their flight under the guidance of their guardian angels to the graves where they will behold their bodies coming forth to meet them, to be united to them for evermore. What inexpressible joy! What a contrast to the other side of the picture!

Through the yawning gates of the fathomless depths of hell, see those despairing souls conducted by demons to the graves where lie the bodies which they pampered and sinned for while on earth. What terror will seize upon those wretched souls when such bodies are forced upon them!

Reflect deeply upon this: Either your body will arise radiant and beautiful, or black and horrible! Either, Or. Two little words, but worthy of the deepest consideration.

Christ will send forth His angels to separate the good from the bad,--the sheep at the right,--the goats at the left. Either the demons of hell will clutch you with death-like grasp, and force you to the left, or the good angels will surround you and place you at the right. Either, Or. Can you reflect on those words and remain tepid in the service of God and the great affair of salvation?

After this momentous separation, a supernatural light will illumine each conscience, and the hidden secrets of all hearts will be made clear as day. Either, Or. The sentence will be either: "Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you;" or: "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels!"

There is no third place. Either you will one day ascend body and soul into heaven, or go down to that region where darkness and horror dwell! Either high up in the kingdom of glory and joy, or beneath in the region of torments and woe! Either up with the glorious heavenly host, to live with them forever in beatitude and love, or down with the hideous infernal spirits to suffer in fire, yet never to die! Either up to Jesus and Mary, to claim the reward of a life well spent, or down with Lucifer and Anti-christ, to partake of their punishment! Either up to God, to be with God, to see God, to share His infinite beatitude, to become like unto God for all eternity, or down, to be apart from God, to be eternally separated from His gracious Majesty, to be the companion of the lost for evermore! Either up to the light of glory, or down to devouring fire!

Think frequently upon this alternative, and you will live in the service of God, firm in His love, and strong in your determination to imitate Christ until death. Then, on the day of judgment, you will salute the cross as the standard of your life. You will hail its appearance with joy, knowing that through that blessed cross and Him Who died thereon, your soul has been redeemed from sin and hell, and enabled to gain the port of safety, to obtain access to the heavenly Jerusalem! Amen! (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., Third Sermon for the Last Sunday after Pentecost.)

Appendix B

Father Francis X. Weninger Sermons for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

First Sermon

"By their fruits you shall know them."--Matt. 7.

The world is full of deception, and this deception is the more dangerous, because no one is secure from it. The Apostle assures us that Satan at times changes himself into an angel of light in order to corrupt souls under the appearance of good. Christ Himself speaks in today's Gospel of false prophets, who inwardly are wolves, but who have clothed themselves in sheep's skins.

There is one kind of deception especially which is often practised by those having the happiness of being children of the Catholic Church, namely: the belief that their salvation is secured because they are children of that holy Church, and also because they really perform many of the duties imposed by Christianity. This apparently Catholic life is the sheep-skin with which they clothe themselves, while they secretly indulge in the most abominable vices, and are like rapacious wolves in the corruption of others.

The enormity of the deception of a person who is satisfied with living only nominally a Catholic life, becomes clear to us from the parable of the good and bad tree. A good tree brings forth good fruit, an evil tree brings forth evil fruit; and by the fruits will we recognize whether a man walks really upon the path of salvation or not.

Let us earnestly consider today this parable of Christ, for what would it avail us to be Catholics if we nevertheless went to eternal perdition? O Mary, thou tree of life, who hast borne for the blessing of all nations Jesus, the fruit of thy womb and of thy virtuous life, pray for us that His grace may bear fruit within us. I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

"A good tree," says Jesus, "brings forth good fruit." Certainly, but it does not follow from this that every bough or seed of a good tree must bring forth fruit. That this may happen several conditions must be fulfilled which have all a spiritual signification. A short reflection on these conditions will be not a little beneficial to our soul, to the end that the fruit-tree of our life may not wither, or stand barren, and without fruit.

That a tree may bring forth fruit, it is necessary, first, that the roots have good soil, such as can give them nourishment and strength. The ground for the tree of a good life is faith-- instruction in religion, reflections on the truths of revelation, according to St. Paul, who says : "The just man lives by faith."

What an important admonition, especially for parents ! How often is it not the case that they themselves are only nominal Christians, imperfectly instructed in their faith, and hence but little concerned about the instruction of their children! This is particularly so here in America. What is the consequence? The sapling of life withers before it has grown up. The sand and rubbish of temporal cares is the earth in which such people place the shoot of their tree of life. It draws no sap from the earth, and soon dies.

Secondly, that a fruit-tree may grow, it must be watered, and the dews of heaven must refresh it. The water, the dew, is an emblem of prayer. How much this watering process is neglected in the education of the young! The parents frequently pray neither at morning nor at night, and thus accustom their children to live without having recourse to God. Hence no growth, no progress in virtue. Yes, even on Sundays and festivals of obligation, many parents neglect to hear Mass; and their children, following their example, do not go to Church either. Perhaps the parents even work on holydays, and in this the children also soon imitate their elders.

There is, above all, among Christians a neglect of spiritual reading, and of the frequentation of the Sacraments. They have recourse to the Sacraments only when the weeds and brambles of sin have outgrown the sapling of virtue. What is worse, even when at last they approach these fountains of graces, they commit sacrileges, and the young tree is poisoned and destroyed to the very roots.

Thirdly, if a sapling is to grow up and bear fruit, its trunk must be carefully watched, that it may not fork and throw out saplings, but grow up straight towards heaven; otherwise it becomes a bush, and perhaps instead of fruit bears thorns. What does this signify? It signifies that our will, our character, should be one and undivided, that we be resolved not to live for that which is earthly, but for that which is eternal for God, for heaven; to raise eye and heart continually upward, as the priest daily tells the children of the Church from the altar. This aim is the trunk of the tree of life.

But that this aim may be practical the trunk must spread out branches; we must namely make resolutions to live according to our station in life. Our life must be well regulated, our duties must stand clearly defined before our inner eye, and we must be determined to fulfill them from love to God. This desire makes the tree blossom, and brings out the buds of good resolutions. But that these blossoms may not wither and die, that they may develop into fruit, the tree needs light, as also that inner flow of the sap which the root diffuses through the trunk into the branches.

The light exemplifies our good intentions, our continual remembrance of the presence of God, which, like the sun, sends light and warmth through our interior life. The inner sap exemplifies sanctifying grace, which has to dwell within us if the virtues of life shall not be mere semblances, but be real solid fruit brought to maturity and ripeness. If this is the case fruit will not be wanting, especially if the disposition of the heart is such that it secures the ripening, and does not allow the fruit to fall and be lost before its time. This is the work of holy patience. How vigorously, how encouragingly this virtue acts upon the growth, the ripening of the fruit!

A fruit-tree does not stand in a conservatory, but in the open field, and is exposed to all the inclemency of the weather to rains and chilly winds, and the fiery rays of the midsummer sun. The branches are tossed by the storm, and the trunk sways under its violence. It is change of temperature and variations in the weather that develop the bud and mature the fruit.

"Heaven suffers violence." This admonition of Christ should be constantly before our eyes if we desire to grow up like a good fruit-tree, and not only bear some, but abundant fruit in accordance with the measure of divine grace which God has given us.

This is the parable that Christ proposed to us. May we carefully consider it, and make use of the lessons it points out to us, in order that our life may become fruitful, and bear a rich crop for eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, the heavenly gardener! Amen!

Second Sermon

"Every tree that bringth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire."--Matt. 7.

How earnest and solemn is the Lord's menace in today's Gospel: " Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire!" And mark well, not only every tree that bringeth forth bad fruit is threatened with this dreadful punishment, but also such trees as do not bring forth good fruit.

For, if we wish to be numbered amongst the children of God, we must, as our Lord Himself declares in today's Gospel, fulfill the will of our heavenly Father, according to the spirit of our vocation and in conformity with the duties of our state of life. The neglect of this obligation is an evil in itself, and brings down upon us the sentence of condemnation.

Unless we strive with all earnestness to advance in the way to perfection, we shall, even in this life, be deprived of many consolations, without which we easily fall a prey to despondency and despair. Thus, through a neglect of our spiritual welfare, we shall never know the joy and happiness which flow from a peaceful conscience; nor shall we ever experience the complete security and cheerful hope with which the fervent, earnest Christian may look forward to the day of retribution.

But certainly the most awful punishment with which the negligent Christian is threatened in today's Gospel, is his eternal banishment to the flames of hell! For, "Every tree," says the Lord, "that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire."

Mary, our refuge and hope, obtain for us, thy children, the grace, that we may live in such a manner as one day to be found worthy of being united to thee for all eternity in heaven ! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

The first thing with which the tree that bringeth not forth frood fruit is threatened, signifies the chief punishment of the damned, "it shall be cut down." If we have fulfilled the will of God during our earthly life, if we have brought forth good fruit for eternity, we shall then be transplanted as good trees from the paradise of the Church into that of heaven. But should we have been careless in the service of the Almighty, should we have slighted His commandments and neglected our duties towards His holy Church, we should then be cut down like a tree that has brought forth bad and worthless fruit, and which is good for nothing but the fire!

What do we mean by the words "cut down"? It will be easy to understand the signification of this expression, if we but consider the joys of heaven as they are revealed to us by the light of faith. Holy Writ calls heaven a paradise; i.e., a world of wonders, created by God for the recompense of His faithful servants. And now, though no man can divine the beauty and splendor and grandeur of the paradise of God, still it does not surpass a mortal's comprehension to understand that a God, who is infinite beauty, infinite splendor, infinite might and glory, that such a God, I say, should be able, and is able, to call into being creations grander and nobler than the greatest beauties of the earth.

What a beautiful fairy world can the imagination of man conjure up, by recombining and rearranging the elements of the visible world about us! What grand and wondrous things, then, must not God, the almighty Creator, be able to design and execute!

And now, dear Christians, if you fulfill the holy will of God as it has been taught you by your pastors; that is, if, as good trees in the paradise of the Church, you bring forth good works for eternity, you will then soon be admitted into the heavenly paradise; where, rejoicing with great joy, you will exclaim: "I see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living;" heaven is mine, all is mine! If, on the contrary, you have not performed good works, or have done evil deeds, you will hear the voice of the Judge, saying: "Cut down the tree, and throw it into the fire." Far from tasting the indescribable joys of heaven, you will, O horror! be condemned to the everlasting torments of hell!

Holy Writ calls heaven the kingdom of joy. Indeed, nothing but joy, infinite joy, reigns in heaven! "I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell with them. And they shall be His people: and God Himself with them shall be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor weeping, nor sorrow."

Yes, dear Christians, nothing but everlasting joy is the inheritance of the blessed in the kingdom of God. There is not a moment of care, not a moment of sadness or sorrow. Such will be your reward, if, during your life here below, you will treasure up good works for the life to come. But if you have not brought forth good fruit, you will, like a dead tree, be cut down, and never, never taste of those pure joys, of which St. Paul tells us: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for those who love Him." Never, unless you be a tree productive of good fruit in the paradise of the Church of God, will you, even for one single moment, through all the ages of eternity, enjoy this heavenly bliss, this all-surpassing beauty!

What a loss! The tree is cut down and cast away. What a dreadful evil! Holy Writ calls heaven the place of reward for the good works which we have performed, and the sufferings which we have patiently borne for the love of God. Nay, not even a glass of water given to the least of our neighbors for the love of Jesus, shall remain without its reward. And what will be this reward? Ah, dear Christians, its beauty and splendor will surpass all imaginable magnificence in this world; not the richest crowns, not the grandest princely pomp, will bear comparison to the things which God has prepared for the reward of those who show themselves His faithful and devoted children!

Happy you, God-loving soul, who, as a good tree, have brought forth good fruit by a faithful observance of the Divine law, and by the patient endurance of your daily trials! Indeed, the day will come, when you will exclaim in astonishment: Too great, O Lord, too great is Thy bounty towards me; never have I deserved, O Lord, the good things Thou hast given to me!

But woe to you, O sinner, who have not brought forth good fruit! You will be cut down, and will for evermore lament your miserable lot in the flames of hell! The menace of the Lord will be fulfilled in you: "He shall die in his sin, and his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered." What a loss! what a terrible punishment!

Holy Writ calls heaven the communion with angels and saints in all their bliss. Who can imagine what a flood of joy and happiness awaits the soul of the just in such an assembly! Happy you, who, during life, have endeavored to imitate the saints your departed brethren, and have, as good trees, brought forth good fruit in abundance! The bliss of angels and archangels will soon be your own.

But if you have not performed good works, or even have done evil deeds, then will your Judge pronounce the terrible sentence of condemnation against you: "Cut down the tree." And instead of enjoying the community of angels and saints, you will be most unmercifully tormented by the evil spirits and by the damned, especially by those souls to whom you have given scandal by your dissolute manner of life.

Instead of partaking of the beatitude of Christ and His blessed mother, the Lord will say to you: "Depart from Me, you cursed!"

But allow me once more to ask you : What is heaven? Holy Writ again answers for you, saying: "It is God!" "I Myself," says the Lord, "shall be thine inheritance." And what is God? God is infinite beauty, infinite bliss, infinite love. The possession of a God who is infinite beauty itself, did this possession last but for a single moment, would be, as St. Augustine says, an overwhelming recompense for a life-long martyrdom.

If our life has been full of good works, we will then be united with God, and will, through this union, be made partakers of His beatitude. If, however, our life has not been fruitful of good works, and even has been sullied with many a sinful deed and thought, then the terrible sentence, " Cut down the tree," will be unmercifully hurled against us. Our loss, in this case, will be God and His infinite glory. And this loss will be irreparable; it will last for all eternity! What a terrible loss!

Let us then, dear Christians, according to the counsel of St. Peter, secure our salvation by leading a truly edifying life, a life full of good and holy actions! Amen!

Third Sermon

"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire."--Matt. 7.

The cutting down of the tree that does not bear good fruit reminds us of the first part of the punishment in hell, namely, the loss of eternal beatitude, of eternal delight, of eternal union with God in His glory, and in the enjoyment of all created bliss. The last words of the menace of Christ: "and shall be cast into the fire," recalls to our mind the second part of the punishment in hell, namely, the torment which the sinner is forced to endure there, if he has led a life barren of good deeds, if he has not brought forth good fruit, but, on the contrary, evil fruit.

Christ, in today's Gospel, speaks only of fire; but, in several passages of Holy Writ, mention is made of other torments. Meditation on the pains of hell, strengthens the soul in her resolution, rather to forego every temporary pleasure, and to bear every transient affliction, than to expose herself to the danger of enduring the eternal sufferings of the damned.

We shall today consider, in order, these torments of hell. O Mary, mother, we beg thee, by thy maternal heart, not to permit even a single one of thy children here present to be subjected to the torments of the damned! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cast into the fire." Our divine Saviour here mentions the punishment by fire as the greatest and most painful torment that the damned suffer; but it is not the only one. Christ speaks also of other torments ; and He has revealed to us, through His Prophets and Apostles, that in hell the sinner shall have to endure hunger, eternal hunger; thirst, eternal thirst; the most profound darkness, the worm that never dies, gnashing of teeth and bowlings of despair, fire, eternal fire!

Holy Writ speaks first of the hunger of the condemned: "They shall suffer hunger like dogs." What a dreadful torment is hunger, even when endured but a few days! Josephus Flavius, in his description of the siege of Jerusalem, says that the pangs of hunger were so dire as to cause mothers to eat their own children!

In hell this hunger reigns forever! What distress that is, sinner, you will experience in hell! There, too, unrelenting thirst is experienced for ever! The torment of thirst is greater than that of hunger, as all those inform us who have traveled in deserts. But what is their thirst compared to that of the rich man in hell, who, as Christ tells us, thus called to Abraham: "Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in these flames."

Christ further assures us that hell is the place where the worm never dies, and by this worm He signifies the remorse of conscience: It is your own fault; it was not the will of God; it was so easy to save your soul; God bestowed so many divine graces upon you; you neglected them, set no store by them.

Bitter as these complaints may be, more bitter still will be the anguish of those who had during life so many opportunities of saving their souls; and such is the case with all the children of the Church. Woe to me, cries the unfortunate Catholic who has lost his soul! I had so many graces; I was a Catholic; God gave me good parents, teachers, confessors and priests; and I am damned! I had so many means of securing my salvation: Catholic instruction from my youth, sermons, Holy Mass, confession, communion; and I am damned!

But these are not all the torments which the sinner suffers in hell. Let us try to conceive all the pain of the manifold maladies to which flesh is heir, all the tortures the martyrs endured, the very thought of which causes us to shudder, and yet all these are as naught, compared with the sufferings of the damned in hell; for there, gnashing of teeth, howling, despair, fire, prevail!

That such is really the punishment of the damned, no one can doubt who considers what the Old and New Testament, the Apostles, the Holy Fathers, and Christ Himself have said concerning it. Isaias and all the Prophets expressly state this punishment of fire. They call hell, the pit of death,--the soil of curses,--the pool of brimstone,--the fire. Isaias says, emphatically: "Which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings? " "He will," says St. John the Baptist, "burn the chaff with unquenchable fire." St. Peter and St. Thaddaeus exclaim: They will suffer the punishment of fire, which God has prepared for the devil and his followers. "And the smoke of the pit arose," says St. John, "as the smoke of a great furnace;" and Christ Himself assures us that those to whom He says depart, "shall go into eternal fire!"

The Holy Fathers, whose commentaries on Holy Writ we have to follow according to the laws of the Church, give their testimony with the same precision. What can be more explicit than what the Holy Fathers say of the torments of Hell? St. Cyprian writes thus: "There are various pains in hell, where, through the utmost darkness, the flames of eternal fire break forth." Before him St. Justin wrote : "They will suffer eternal fire for their crimes." Ignatius, a disciple of the Apostles, tells us: "Those to whom He says, Depart from me into eternal fire, are condemned to remain forever in the same." St. Cyril, of Jerusalem, teaches: "The sinner receives an immortal body in order that, though burning for evermore, he may yet never be consumed." "There even spirits are tormented by material fire," writes St. Augustine.

What torture! How is it possible that any one, who, as a child of the Church possesses the grace of faith, should not be willing to endure anything in this world, rather than expose himself to the danger of suffering such torments for all eternity!

The only means of guarding ourselves against so dreadful a future, is to make use of the divine graces and talents God has bestowed upon us, to avoid all sin, to overcome all temptations; and thus by bringing forth fruits of life, by fulfilling the most holy will of God, follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

In addition to this our reason alone should tell us that, if God created rational and, hence, immortal beings; if He endowed them with freedom to fulfill or transgress His laws, He was also obliged to support these laws with endless punishment, if these immortal beings dared to violate them. I say endless punishment, because, for an immortal being, no sanction of a law is adequate unless it be eternal; for the contemptuous sinner might brave God, and choose to undergo any temporary punishment rather than be deprived of the present satisfaction of his passions. In that case the punishment would, in time, pass, and all would be over. But if the punishment is eternal without end even the devil must tremble at it, and the eternal laws of God have a sufficient sanction; otherwise, not.

Deign then, O Lord, to protect us from the transgression of Thy law, and from the everlasting evil of hell! Amen! (As found at: 7th Sunday After Pentecost.)