Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/579

 we never  can  have,  wherewith  to  pay  the  debt  incurred by  even  one  mortal  sin,  for  what  do  we  possess, what  can  we  possess  that  is  not  from  our bountiful Creditor? No, there  is  only  one  hope  for us — the hope  that  our  King  and  our  God  will  be moved  with  compassion  and  forgive  us  all  the  debt, and the  foundation  for  that  hope  we  have  in  His  own blessed promise:  "That  an  humble  and  contrite heart  the  merciful  Lord  will  never  despise." But even our  contrition  and  humility — our  ransom — come from  God. By a  law  of  spiritual  gravitation, of ourselves  we  can  descend,  but  ascend,  never,  without the  helping  hand  of  God. If He  turn  not  toward us we  are  lost. Dante represents  the  damned  as submerged  in  a  frozen  lake — frozen  because  the light and  warmth  of  God's  gaze  never  penetrates there. The Lord  looked  on  the  traitor  Peter,  and immediately Peter  wept. So it  ever  is:  even  the  beginning of  our  repentance  comes  from  God. He may look  on  us  reproachfully,  He  may  even  command to  be  sold  into  the  slavery  of  the  devil  our  soul, and our  soul's  wife,  which  is  our  body,  and  the  children of  their  union,  which  are  our  evil  deeds,  but His very  wrath  is  an  artifice  of  divine  mercy  to  lead us to  fall  down  at  His  feet  and  beseech  Him  saying: " Have  patience  with  me  and  I  will  pay  Thee  all." Nay, He  even  puts  it  in  our  power  to  pay  Him  all, having given  us  an  elder  Brother,  our  Redeemer, possessed of  countless  riches  amassed  for  just  such emergencies, and  ever  generous  in  paying  the  debts of His  scapegrace  younger  brethren. Be our  debt