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 Circe who,  by  her  magic,  turned  men  into  beasts,  but certain herbs,  whose  flowers  are  whitest  but  whose roots the  bitterest,  rendered  Ulysses  proof  against her charms. Brethren, such  another  herb  is  voluntary penance,  bitter  to  the  taste  but  bearing  rarest flowers and  fruits  and  fortifying  us  against  Bacchante's incantations,  who  fain  would  make  us  beasts. In fact,  the  word  tribulation  comes  from  tribular,  a thistle,  because  it  pricks  our  feet  and  makes  us  careful how and  where  we  walk. But that  is  only  one  of  all its heavenly  effects,  bitter  though  it  be. It is  the gall wherewith  the  young  Tobias  smeared  his  father's eyes,  for  it  enables  our  blinded  eyes  to  shed  the  scales of sin  and  see  aright. It is  the  absinthe  on  the  breast of Nature  that  weans  us  from  this  world  and  concentrates our  hearts  on  God. I remember,  when  a  boy, I wondered  why  the  village  blacksmith  doused  the fire with  water  to  heat  the  metal  quickly. In Scripture figures!,  oil  is  comfort,  and  tribulation,  water; and God  afflicts  us  to  prevent  the  heat  of  our  affections going  out  to  worldly  things;  to  drive  it  inward and so  inflame  us  with  His  love.

Brethren, there  is  to  heaven  but  one  small  door, so low,  indeed,  that  whoso  enters  in  must  bend  low down until  his  body  takes  almost  the  form  of  a  cross. Small chance  is  there  for  bloated,  tipsy  revellers  to scramble  through. Many, too,  that  seek  to  enter  are not able,  since  they  come  too  late  and  find  it  closed. In great  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  there  is  a  little  door where one  may  pass  in  time  of  jubilee,  but  after  that not even  prince  or  pontiff  is  suffered  more  to  enter.