Lest You Remain

that she had received a full absolution, to protect herself from a fall in future, she put on the armor of harsh penance against the heavy advances of the former foe. And what are you supposed to do, regarding how to do penance and how to exer- cise it daily,you, who deserve ever more punishment for your daily transgressions! Do you not sin frequently, because you do not close the door to future offenses with a perfect penance for past sins? By neglecting atonement for past falls, you inevitably prepare the way for new, even bigger ones. Just as a past sin is an occasion for a new one, so penance after the fall, protects against future falls and distances them. No one in the world would be able to prevent another fall, if he did not atone for past sins and would not devote his entire soul, to harsh, true and solid penance. The Apostle right- ly testifies by saying: “I [. . .] discipline my own body and master it” (1 Cor 9:27). Why?—so as not to return to old sinful habits and acquired ancient vices. You should do the same. Focus on penance, because you will never be protect- ed from evil, if you do not stop it with penance. If you neglect penance, temptation, sin and evil spirits will come back to you, accompanied by even stronger comrades to fight your will, and you should fear that the last state will be worse than the first (cf. Mt 12:43-45). ( Inspectio Cordis ) 6 Starting some works and not bringing them to a happy conclusion, never brings honor; it is always laughed at. Often it results in harm rather than benefit. What glory is there in starting many things, to finish them badly or to abandon them unfinished? The end, not the beginning, brings glory. Thus God, the Creator of the Universe, when He praised the works of the five days of creation, did not express the solemn approval: “God saw how good it was,” for the works of the sec- ond day. Everything else He considered good, only the firmament, as if unfinished, was not praised by Him. For what reason? Rupert answers this question: “Although the firmament is one of its kind and a beautiful object, it is not, according to the plan of the One who performs the work, something exclusive and complete.” Thus, it does not receive praise like the other works of the right hand of God, because in God’s thought, it must have been a work only begun, not yet completed. Those who begin their internal transformation, have a lesson here: while tak- ing up penance, they should persevere in it until death. Only that penance is all per- fect and certain of eternal glory, which is fulfilled till the end of life. ( Inspectio Cordis ) L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 172