Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/257

 others by  committing  venial  sins  habitually,  or  by persevering  in  their  ordinary  failings,  and  taking  no pains  to  amend  their  lives.

As to  the  first  description  of  relapsing  sinners, viz., those  who  banish  Jesus  from  their  hearts  by grievous  sin,  their  misfortune  is  so  great,  that  it  can never be  too  much  dreaded,  or  sufficiently  deplored. They are  compared  by  the  Holy  Fathers  to  the  Jews, because, like  them,  they  receive  Jesus  Christ  with feelings of  joy  and  gratitude,  but  shortly  after  crucify him by  sin; they  are  even  likened  to  Judas,  the  most unfortunate of  all  men,  because,  like  him,  they  no sooner  communicate,  than  they  betray  their  Lord and divine  Guest. Alas! would it  not  be  better that such  persons  never  communicated,  never received those  graces  of  which  they  never  profit. Do you  most  earnestly  beg  of  God  to  enlighten your mind,  and  give  you  a clear  idea  of  the dreadful risk  which  relapsing  sinners  run,  and  also to penetrate  your  heart  with  a sincere  horror  of  their ingratitude. To conceive  their  danger,  you  need only reflect  on  those  awful  words  of  St.  Paul,  who says, that  it  is  impossible  for  those  who  were  once  enlightened, have  touted  also  the  heavenly  gift, and  were made partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost, and  are  fallen  away, to be  renewed  again  to  penance  ( Heb . vi.  4,  and  6); that is,  sincere  conversion  becomes  extremely  difficult for those  who,  though  fully  enlightened  by  instruction, frequently  nourished  with  the  heavenly gift of  Christ’s  sacred  body,  and  also  strengthened by the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  nevertheless  persevere in  a fatal  habit  of  repenting,  confessing,  communicating, and  then  relapsing; salvation  for  them must indeed  be  most  difficult,  if  not  impossible. Why? because the  ordinary  means  of  salvation