Page:Thecompleteascet02liguuoft.djvu/37

 that I  am,  how  many  nights  I  slept  under  Thy  displeasure! But Thou  wouldst  not  have  me  perish. I trust, O my  Jesus! in Thy  blessed  Passion  that  Thou  wilt  enable  me  to  change  my  life. Let not  that  sacred  blood be lost,  which  with  so  much  pain  and  sorrow  Thou  didst shed for  my  salvation.

3. But,  O  God! what have  I  done! Thou, my  redeemer,  hast  shown  that  regard  for  my  soul,  so  as  to shed  Thy  blood  for  its  salvation,  and  I  have  been  so wretched  as  to  allow  it  to  perish  for  a  mere  nothing,  for a caprice,  fora  maddening  passion,  fora  miserable  gratification,  for  contempt  of  Thy  grace  and  love. Ah! if faith did  not  assure  me  that  Thou  hast  promised  to  pardon  those  who  repent,  I  should  not  now  dare  to  implore Thy forgiveness. O my  Saviour! I kiss  Thy  sacred wounds, and  for  the  love  of  these  wounds  I  beseech  Thee to forget  the  injuries  which  I  have  committed  against Thee. Thou hast  said  that,  when  the  sinner  repents, Thou wilt  forget  all  his  ingratitude. I am  sorry  above every evil  for  having  despised  Thee,  my  sovereign  good; make haste  to  pardon  me,  as  Thou  hast  promised;  let me be  quickly  reconciled  to  Thee. I love  Thee  now more than  myself;  may  I  never  more  incur  Thy  displeasure. O Mary,  refuge  of  sinners! succor a  poor  sinner  who  invokes  thy  assistance.

i. The  greatest  pain  of  hell  is  not  the  fire  nor  the darkness, not  the  stench,  nor  any  other  of  all  the  material torments of  that  dreadful  prison  of  despair;  it  is  the pain of  loss — that  is,  the  pain  of  having  lost  God — which of itself  may  be  said  to  constitute  hell. The soul  was created to  be  forever  united  with  God,  and  to  enjoy  the sight of  his  enrapturing  countenance. God is  its  last