James Tissot, 1886-1894
Translation of the Holy Gospel According to John (John 19:31-37)
At that time: The Jews (because it was the Parasceve), that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that was a great Sabbath day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with Him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony: and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true, that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture might be fulfilled: You shall not break a bone of Him. And again another Scripture saith: They shall look on Him whom they pierced.
A Message From St. Mary Margaret Alacoque’s “Letter to Sister de Thélis,” Sept. 1687.
I beg the adorable Heart of Jesus… to make you fell the powerful effects of His merciful charity, and to give you Himself what you are seeking…
In all that Your Charity tells us I find that the best and most important sign is the strong importunity of grace you feel even in spite of so many relapses. This shows God’s burning desire to save your soul. But He will not save us without cooperation. So we must not be presumptuous. For if we think we can go on resisting grace, it will at length tire of pursuing us and leave us so imperceptibly that we will not even be aware of our loss. That is why if today you hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your heart. Try to… make for this purpose… a strong and efficacious determination to conquer yourself by doing continual violence to yourself, whether it be by detachment or by removing the other stumbling-blocks you well know to be in your path. There must be no more deliberate faults if you wish to enter again into the good graces of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise you will seek him in vain, for He will treat us even as we have treated His grace. May His goodness preserve us from this unspeakably great evil! For what good can a soul possess that has lost its God?
Jan Bruegel, ca. 1595-6
[Listen to your priest-confessor, should he be a virtuous and holy man.] There is no use, of course, in calling a physician if we do not want to be cured or use the remedies he prescribes or of we are not willing to abstain from the things that make us sick. Since a disease once known is already half cured, all one needs is a firm “ I will” and everything will be all right. After all, there is question here of the salvation of your soul , so very dear to Our Lord Jesus Christ. I can assure you that there is nothing I would not be willing to do and suffer for it, sin apart, in order to make it wholly devoted to Him Who created it for His glory. No one, however, can work more efficaciously for this end than you yourself. This you will do by following the lights He gives you to do good and avoid evil. Do not, then, I urge you by the love of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, resist grace any longer.
When I spoke to you of devotion to this Heart I meant rather the devotion of perfect conformity with His perfect virtues, and not prayers only. As for your Communions, they must produce in you such good effects that you will no longer commit deliberate sins. If they do not, you must follow in this matter the advise given you. With regard to your being afraid, I think Our Lord will be pleased with you if you go to Him with the dispositions of the prodigal son, not letting fear destroy your confidence. It is not said, however, that this boy, once returned to his father, left him a second time! But forgive me! What will you say of the liberty your humility is causing my pride to take? I beg you not to be angry. I can add nothing more now, except to say that you will have a big share in my unworthy and feeble prayers. But because I am so wicked, my prayers will be useless for you.
These the are my thoughts simply presented. You do not have to agree with them, much less follow them. Follow them only in so far as Our Lord inspires you to do so. With all my heart I beg Him to make you ever faithful in doing the good He asks of you and in offering Him the sacrifice of everything of everything that costs you the most, as He shall make it known to you. There is no middle way, He wants everything or nothing. If only you knew the graces you are doing to receive from Him you would not refuse Him what He asks of you. For your whole peace of soul and all your happiness consists simply in this.
retablo, ca. 1880
… if only we could appreciate the great wrong we do our poor soul in depriving it of so many graces and by exposing it to such evident peril by our frequent voluntary faults! These make it lose the friendship of its God. He cannot hear it, nor even those who pray for it, as long as it itself refuses to listen to Him and to be completely converted to Him. He closes to it the entrance to His Sacred Heart because it casts Him out of its own heart. Let us make good use of the time He gives us, Let us delay no longer, And yet we ought not to worry, for all our worrying serves only to increase the difficulty. The spirit of God does everything peacefully. Let us have recourse to Him with love and confidence. He will receive us mercifully and with open arms. But after that let us try not to leave Him any more, for so many voluntary relapses are very dangerous.