Garrigou-Lagrange refers to the “law of acceleration governing the love of God”. I have seen this,
even in children, which is one reason why I wrote the virtue and homeschooling
series last summer, almost exactly one year ago.
The law of acceleration means that if one is truly fighting
against all attachment to venial sin, if one can get to daily or frequent Mass
and Adoration, desire and fervor increase, as do love and grace.
This law of acceleration is a consolation, but also a result
of God’s mercy. The author tells us that, “It
will be seen that, just as the stone falls more rapidly as it approaches the
earth which is attracting it, so is it with the souls of the just: the more
nearly they approach to God and therefore the greater the force of His attraction,
the more rapid must their progress be.”
Hence, the importance
of early training of the child in the direction of holiness.
How much harder it is for us adults to re-train ourselves
re-sensitize ourselves to the mercy of God.
Garrigou-Lagrange notes that at our judgment, if only Justice prevailed,
we would all be condemned.
The “last appeal” of God to our hearts for repentance is
based on mercy, and according to the Dominican, stronger, more persistent.
“If His justice
inflicts the punishment due to sin, here again His mercy will outstrip it by
pardoning. To pardon means to ‘give beyond’ what is due. The rights of justice
are safe-guarded, but mercy outweighs it by constantly inspiring the sinner, as
death approaches, to make a great act of love for God, and of contrition, which
will wipe away sin and the eternal punishment mortal sin incurs. And so,
through the intervention of mercy, through the infinite merits of the Savior,
through the intercession of Mary refuge of sinner, and of St. Joseph patron of
the dying, for many persons death is something very different from the way they
lived. These are the laborers of the eleventh hour whom the Gospel parable
speaks of (Matt. 20:9); they receive eternal life, as do the rest in proportion
to the few meritorious acts they have performed before death, when already in
their agony. Such was the death of the good thief who, touched by the loving
kindness of Jesus dying on the cross, was converted, and he had the happiness
of hearing from the Savior’s lips:’ This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise’
(Luke 23:43). These interventions of mercy at the moment of death are one of
the sublimest features of the true religion.”
Such is one example of the mercy of God…
“The death of the
repentant sinner is one of the greatest manifestations of divine mercy.”
A powerful example of this is from St. Catherine of Siena
“Seeing me at the
place of execution, he began to smile, and wanted me to make the sign of the
cross upon him. I did so and then I said to him: ‘On your knees, sweetness my
brother. You are going to the marriage feast. You are about to enter into
everlasting life.’ He prostrated himself with great gentleness, and I stretched
out his neck; and bending over him, I reminded him of the blood of the Lamb.
His lips said nought save ‘Jesus’ and ‘Catherine’. And so saying, I received
his head in my hands, closing my eyes in the divine goodness, saying, ‘I will’.
Then as I saw, as might the clearness of the sun be seen, the Godman, the wound
in His side being open. He was permitting a transfusion of that blood with his
blood, and adding the fire of holy desire given to that soul to the fire of His
divine charity.”
This is from the Letters
of St. Catherine of Siena, translated by Scudder.
We must all pray for the grace of final perseverance and if
we do, even daily, can we doubt the mercy of God at that time?
To be continued….
