The certainty of being saved or lost

God desires all men to be saved, and He gives His graces to all, but many will not use these means of salvation and are lost, for "Heaven is not for the slothful."

I. With fear and trembling work out your salvation, wrote St. Paul to the Philippians (Phil. ii. 12). In order to be saved we should tremble lest we be lost, for there is no middle course. We must be either saved or lost forever. He who trembles not is in great danger of being lost, because he takes but little care to employ the means of obtaining salvation. God desires that all should be saved, and He gives to all His grace; but He requires that all should co-operate for this end. All desire to be saved, yet multitudes, because they will not employ the means of salvation, are lost. St. Philip Neri used to say: Heaven is not made for the slothful.

Enlighten me, O Lord, that I may know what I ought to do, and what to avoid, for I desire to do all Thou requirest of me. I am determined, by Thy grace, to save my soul.

St. Teresa said to her Religious: One soul! my daughters, one Eternity! She meant that in this world we ought not to attend to anything but the salvation of our souls; because if the soul be lost, all is lost; and if once lost, it is lost forever! Benedict XII, being asked by a prince for a favour that he could not grant without committing sin, answered the ambassador: "Tell your prince that if I had two souls I would give him one; but as I have only one I cannot consent to lose it for his sake." Thus should we answer the devil or the world when they offer us forbidden fruit.

O God, how often have I lost my soul by forfeiting Thy grace! But since Thou offerest me pardon, I detest all the offences I have committed against Thee, and will love Thee above all things.

II. Would that we were fully impressed with the meaning of that great maxim of St. Francis Xavier: There is but one evil, and there is but one good in the world! The only evil is damnation; the only good, salvation. Poverty, infirmity, ignominies are not evils. No; for these when embraced with resignation will increase our glory in Heaven. On the other hand, health, riches, and honours are not really goods for too many Christians, because they become to them greater occasion of losing their souls.

Save me, then, O my God, and do with me what Thou pleasest. Thou knowest and willest what is best for me. I abandon myself to Thy mercy: Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit (Ps. xxx. 6). I am sorry for having been hitherto opposed to Thy will, and am ready to die in order to expiate my offences; but now I love Thee, and wish for nothing but what Thou willest. Grant me Thy love, that I may be faithful to Thee. And Mary, give me thy powerful assistance.