Page:Thecompleteascet02liguuoft.djvu/41

 promised to  do  so,  but  I  have  not  done  it;   and  now,  in a  short  time,  what  will  become  of  me?"

Ah, my  Jesus  and  my  judge! I return  Thee  thanks  for the patience  with  which  Thou  hast  hitherto  waited  for me. How many  times  have  I  myself  written  my  own eternal condemnation  '. Since Thou  hast  thus  waited  to pardon  me,  reject  me  not,  now  prostrate  at  Thy  feet. Receive me  into  Thy  favor  through  the  merits  of  Thy bitter Passion. I am  sorry,  my  sovereign  good! for having  despised  Thee. I love  Thee  above  all  things. I desire  never  more  to  forsake  Thee. O Mary! recommend me to  thy  Son  Jesus,  and  do  not  abandon  me.

1. Be  you  ready:  for  at  what  hour  you  think  not,  the  Son  of man  will  come. The time  of   death  will  not  be  the  time to prepare  ourselves  to  die  well;  to  die  well  and  happily, we must  prepare  ourselves  beforehand,      There  will  not be time  then  to  eradicate  bad  habits  from  the  soul,  to  expel  from  the  heart  its  predominant   passions,  and  to  extinguish  all   affection  to  earthly  goods. The night  cometh when no  man  can  work? All in  death  will  be  night;   when nothing will  be  seen;  and,  hence,    nothing  done. The heart hardened,  the  mind  obscured,  confusion,  fear,  the desire of  health,  will  all   render  it  almost  impossible  at the  hour  of  death  to  set  in  order  a  conscience  confused and entangled  in  sin.

O Sacred  wounds  of   my  Redeemer! I adore    you,  I humbly  kiss  you,  and  I  confide  in  you.

2. The  saints  thought  they  did  but  little,  though  they spent their  whole  lives  in  preparing  for  death,  by  acts  of