Page:Thecompleteascet02liguuoft.djvu/51

 having ever  lost  the  respect  which  is  due  to  Thee. But then I  did  not  love  Thee;  now  I  do  love  Thee  more  than myself, and  I  am  ready  to  die  a  thousand  times  rather than again  forfeit  Thy  grace  and  friendship. Thou hast said that  Thou  lovest  those  who  love  Thee.1  I  love  Thee; do Thou  love  me  in  return,  and  give  me  grace  to  live  and die in  Thy  love;  that  so  I  may  love  Thee  forever. Mary, my refuge,  through  thee  do  I  hope  to  remain  faithful  to God  until  the  hour  of  my  death.

1. God,  being  infinite  goodness,  desires  only  our  good and to  communicate  to  us  his  own  happiness. When he chastises  us,  it  is  because  we  have  obliged  him  to  do  so by  our  sins. Hence the  prophet  Isaias  says  that  on  such occasions he  doth   a  work  foreign  to  his  desires? Hence it is  said  that  it  is  the  property  of  God  to  have  mercy  and to spare,  to  dispense  his  favors  and  to  make  all  happy.

0 God! it is  this  Thy  infinite  goodness  which  sinners offend and  despise,  when  they  provoke  Thee  to  chastise them. Wretch  that  I  am,  how  often   have   I   offended Thy infinite  goodness!

2. Let  us  therefore  understand  that  when  God  threatens us it  is  not  because  he  desires  to  punish  us,  but  because he wishes  to  deliver  us  from  punishment;  he  threatens because he  would  have  compassion  on   us. O God,. . . Thou  hast  been  angry,  and  hast  had  mercy  on  us.3     But  how is this? he is  angry  with  us,  and  treats  us  with  mercy? Yes! He shows  himself  angry  towards  us,  in  order  that we may  amend  our  lives,  and  that  thus  he  may  be  able