Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/483

 ing something  for  Him  without  being  told? When Jesus comes  to  you  is  your  greeting  as  perfunctory as Simon's,  or  as  loving  as  Magdalen's  or  the  Samaritan's? On  your  answer,  yes,  or  no,  depends  your perseverance.

Brethren, Christ  speaking  of  Himself  says:  "  I  am the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the end." It is  Catholic  doctrine  that  as  man  cannot merit the  grace  of  conversion,  neither  can  he  merit the grace  of  perseverance. Both are  purely  gifts  of God. Hence St.  Paul  to  the  Philippians  prays that God  "  who  had  begun  a  good  work  in  them might  perfect  it  unto  the  day  of  Christ  Jesus." So frail is  human  nature  that  though  one  may  do  a thing  ever  so  well  the  chances  are  that  he  will  not  do it  with  equal  perfection  a  number  of  times  over. Hence all  of  us,  even  the  most  saintly,  are  sure  to commit  more  or  less  venial  faults. Exemption from that has  been  granted  to  one  alone — the  Virgin Mary. But it  is  not  venial  but  mortal  sins  that  turn us from  God. Yet here,  too,  arises  the  selfsame  difficulty. For though  one  may  have  sufficient  grace  to avoid  all  grievous  faults,  taken  one  by  one,  yet  we may  surely  prophesy  that  the  time  will  come  when  he will  sin,  and  mortally  sin,  unless  God  fortify  him  with the grace  of  perseverance. Perseverance, therefore, is a  special  providence  whereby  God  removes  fatal temptations from  our  path,  strengthens  us  in  times  of greatest  peril,  and  brings  our  life  to  a  close  when naught else  will  suffice  to  save  us. How utterly, therefore, do  all  from  first  to  last  depend  on  God!