Lest You Remain

7 We should persist in penance as long as we live, so that devil could not say to anyone with a sneer: “he started building,” he started to rebuild his ruined house but “did not manage to complete it.” He rose from the decaying madness of his vices, and drowned in them again. He began to root out bad habits, and yet, he indulges in them again. He put the hand to the plow, but looked back. ( Inspectio Cordis ) A POSTOLATE 1 “Have faith in me” (cf. Jn 14:1). Notice that God demands great faith from you, greater than from others, whom He did not call to the Religious Life. However, along with good and great faith, He also requires good and great deeds. He tells you to believe in Him, but He also commends you to act the way He did. Someone expressed it succinctly: “faith that does nothing in practice is lifeless” (cf. Jas 2:17). The Apostles believed, but they were saved not only by their belief, but also because they fulfilled the law and the will of God. Christ wanted them to do a great deal, to suffer intensely, and in the end, to endure death for His Name. Contemplate where your bad actions are leading you? You will not be saved by your faith alone, if you do not do good things in your life. Is it at all possible to have good faith without good deeds? How could one expect to be saved, whose soul is condemned like the worm of the reproaches [Mk 9:48]? ( Inspectio Cordis ) 2 “Proclaim the good news to all creation” (Mk 16:15). How great is the kind- ness of the Son of God toward all mankind! He does not want anyone to be exclud- ed from the heavenly land, even the shameful and most dishonorable. He com- Fr. Founder’s Selected Thoughts on the Religious Life 173