Pondering Tidbits of Truth - May 4, 2023

Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time.

St. Catherine of Siena

“To join two things together, there must be nothing between them or there cannot be a perfect fusion. Now realize that this is how God wants our soul to be, without any selfish love of ourselves or of others in between, just as God loves us without anything in between.” 

(From thehookoffaith.com)

 

Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen 

“How God will judge my life I know not, but I trust he will see me with mercy and compassion. I am only certain there will be three surprises in Heaven. First of all, I will see some people whom I never expected to see. Second, there will be a number whom I expect who will not be there. And – even relying on God’s mercy – the biggest surprise of all may be that I will be there. When the record of any human life is set down, there are three pairs of eyes who see it in a different light. 1. As I see it. 2. As others see it. 3. As God sees it.”

 (From Treasures In Clay)

 

St. Josemaría Escrivá

"Going to Communion every day for so many years! Anybody else would be a saint by now", you told me, "and I … I’m always the same!" "Son," I replied, "keep up your daily Communion, and think: what would I be if I had not gone.”

(From The Way) 

Monday Musings - Have We Become Too Complacent About Death and Judgment?

[Last week I shared a silly whimsical glance into the particular judgment of one attorney - the judgment that occurs immediately after death. Today, we cast aside that foolishness, and get real. The salvation of souls is at stake. Ponder what Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. had to say on the subject.]

 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

“Consider, also, how uncertain is the hour of death. It generally comes when man is most forgetful of eternal things, overturning his plans for an earthly future, and opening before him the appalling vision of eternity. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures tell us that it comes as a thief in the night; that is, when men are plunged in sleep and least apprehensive of danger. The forerunner of death is usually a grave illness with its attendant weariness, sufferings, and pains, which weaken the powers of the body and give entrance to the king of terrors. Just as an enemy who wishes to take a citadel destroys the outer fortifications, so death with its vanguard of sickness breaks down the strength of the body, and, as it is about to fall before the repeated assaults of its enemy, the soul, no longer able to resist, takes its flight from the ruins…

 

'Men aspiring to perfection," says the holy Doctor [St. Gregory]... "constantly reflect upon the justice of the Sovereign Judge who is to pronounce sentence upon them in the dread hour which terminates their earthly career. They unceasingly examine themselves upon the account they are to render before this supreme tribunal. And if happily they find themselves innocent of sinful actions, they still ask with fear whether they are equally free from the guilt of sinful thoughts. For if it be comparatively easy to resist sinful actions, it is more difficult to conquer in the war which we must wage against evil thoughts. And though the fear of God's judgment is always before them, yet it is redoubled at the hour of death, when they are about to appear before His inflexible tribunal. At this moment the mind is freed from the disturbances of the flesh; earthly desires and delusive dreams fade from the imagination; the things of this world vanish at the portals of another life; and the dying man sees but God and himself. If he recalls no good which he has omitted, yet he feels that he cannot trust himself to give a correct and impartial judgment. Hence his fear and terror of the rigorous account to be exacted of him.' (Moral., 24:16, 17).

Do not these words of the great Doctor prove that this last hour and this supreme tribunal are more to be dreaded than worldly men imagine? If just men tremble at this hour, what must be the terror of those who make no preparation for it, whose lives are spent in the pursuit of vanities and in contempt of God's commandments? If the cedar of Lebanon be thus shaken, how can the reed of the wilderness stand? "And," as St. Peter tells us, "if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1Pet. 4:18).

Reflect, then, on the sentiments that will be yours when you will stand before the tribunal of God, with no defenders but your good works, with no companion but your own conscience. And if then you will not be able to satisfy your Judge, who will give expression to the bitterness of your anguish? For the question at issue is not a fleeting temporal life, but an eternity of happiness or an eternity of misery. Whither will you turn? What protection will you seek? Your tears will be powerless to soften your Judge; the time for repentance will be past. Little will honors, dignities, and wealth avail you, for "Riches," says the Wise Man, "shall not profit in the day of vengeance, but justice shall deliver a man from death." (Prov. 11:4).

The unhappy soul can only exclaim with the prophet, "The sorrows of death have encompassed me, and the perils of hell have found me." (Ps. 114:3). Unhappy wretch! How swiftly this hour has come upon me! What does it now avail me that I had friends, or honors, or dignities or wealth? All that I can now claim is a few feet of earth and a windings-sheet. My wealth which I hoarded I must leave to be squandered by others, while the sins of injustice which I here committed will pursue me into the next world and there condemn me to eternal torments. Of all my guilty pleasures the sting of remorse alone remains. Why have I made no preparation for this hour? Why was I deaf to the salutary warnings I received? "Why have I hated instruction, and my heart consented not to reproofs, and have not heard the voice of them that taught me, and have not inclined my ear to my masters?" (Prov. 5:12-13).

To preserve you, my dear Christian, from these vain regrets, I beg you to gather from what has been said three considerations, and to keep them continually before your mind. The first is the terrible remorse which your sins will awaken in you at the hour of death; the second is how ardently, though how vainly, you will wish that you had faithfully served God during life; and the third is how willingly you would accept the most rigorous penance, were you given time for repentance.

Acting on this advice, you will now begin to regulate your life according as you will then wish to have done."

(From The Sinner’s Guide by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P.)

 

Monday Musings - A Dog, Deceit and Death

[I thought a change of pace was warranted. We all need a good chuckle. But in actuality, death and final judgement are no laughing matters, as we will discuss next Monday.].

 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

There was quite an assortment of souls lined up at the pearly gates. St. Peter had to interview each of them before any decision as to their eternal residence could be made. Frankly, I was quite surprised about how rapidly he went about his business – a most difficult one no doubt.

“Next,” I heard an angel call.

It was already my turn!

“Let me see, whom do we have here?” St. Peter asked.

“Michael Seagriff,” the angel said.

“Welcome, Michael. Have a seat. I’ll be back to you shortly.” 

I wondered what the delay was all about. No one who had been ahead of me had been plucked off the line and told to take a seat. I was soon to discover that no one behind had been pulled off either.

“Dear God,” I mused, “maybe it is true – there are no attorneys in heaven!”

“Just relax Michael,” St Peter said, “there are a few things we need to clarify.”

Noticing how I was squirming in the chair, my heavenly Inquisitor asked, “Have you ever lied to a government official?”

“Not that I can recall,” I responded.

“Have you ever intentionally broken a law and encouraged your children to do likewise?”  

Oh, oh! Sometimes, it is better to remain silent. This seemed like one of those times. Ignoring my own advice, the fool that I am, I unconvincingly murmured a weak “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

The words no sooner left my mouth than a movie screen unfurled in front of us. “Maybe, counselor, this will refresh your memory. Let’s watch this video together.”

I immediately felt very uncomfortable. I had never seen myself on the big screen. Something told me I was not going to enjoy this experience.

“Pay close attention,” St. Peter directed.

The video began and this is what we saw:

I was sitting on the couch in my living room looking out at the blinding snow. Suddenly, there was a knock on my front door. “Who would be out in this weather and at this time of night?” I asked myself. My dog, Lady, looked at me, ran and hid behind the couch.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“The dog control officer. Can I speak to you?”

I opened the door and let him in. “Do you own a dog Mr. Seagriff?”

“Why, yes I do officer. Rescued the poor critter from an animal shelter several years ago. A real loving meek animal. Been a blessing to the family.”

“Do you take her for walks every day?”

“Either I or my children. Sure do!”

“Is she always on her leash?”

“Never leaves home without one.”

“Do you ever let the dog out on her own without a leash?

“Wouldn’t think of doing that sir! I respect the law!”

“Well, Mr. Seagriff, I have received more than 15 complaints over the past month from five different people that there is a beige dog that roams the neighborhood in the evening hours unaccompanied by any human. The most recent complaint was just 10 minutes ago. Would that be your dog?”

“Couldn’t be her. They must be mistaken. Lady has been at my side all night. There are other beige dogs in the neighborhood, you know.”

“Any of those other dogs have a large hump on their right hip?”

I swallowed real hard and decided to shut up.

“Have you taken her out for walk tonight? “

“Are you kidding? Neither man nor beast should be out in this weather.” 

“Can you explain then where all the dog paw prints in the snow in the roadway, on your sidewalk, your front porch and across your living room came from?”

Silence seemed again prudent.

Holding a treat in his hand, the officer called in a soothing and inviting voice, “Come here, Lady!”  The dog ran over, licked the kind gentleman’s face and grabbed the treat out of his hand. She even allowed the nice man to touch the hump on her hip and her wet paws.

The images on the screen disappeared.

With much shame and trepidation, I glanced into St. Peter’s eyes.  He stared back at me and simply said, “Counselor, don’t you just love it when there’s a video?”