Lest You Remain

mends those whom He raised to become His Apostles, to proclaim the Gospel to all creatures: kings and citizens, rulers and subjects; masters and servants, the rich and the poor, to both the wise and to children; quite simply, to all the people, absolutely everyone! Draw your own conclusions, on how despicably you behaved, when on any given occasion, while preaching salvation, you valued the powerful more highly than the common people, the rich more than the poor. How far you have wandered from the teachings of the Heavenly Master, if you have visited the drawing rooms of the noble, because of their splendor, while you contemptuously avoided poorer dwellings; or, when you have not served both the least and the greatest, with the same readiness. Undoubtedly, due to our religious vocation, thanks to which, we are equal to the Apostles, we should at least express our gratitude to God, that we do not hold any of His creatures in contempt; and as much as it is our duty, we should not neg- lect anyone, while teaching the Commandments, and the rules that would assist in keeping them. ( Inspectio Cordis ) 3 Be certain, that all who care for their brothers receive great and numerous graces, to obtain salvation, not only for themselves, but also for others, to win the souls of many. Why are you so lazy in spiritual service, that no care or love for your brother matters to you, moves or propels you? You say you care for your own sal- vation. Yet, oh best defender of your salvation, you should know, that when you care for your brother, you care for yourself. However, when you think only about your- self, you should fear not bringing yourself to a loss. The more work you perform in the Lord’s vineyard, the more certain you are of eternal salvation and an everlast- ing reward. Gather all the leftovers: in the time that is left, turn to the salvation of your brother. Direct and devote the supernatural powers of grace that you have in abun- dance, to care for that same brother. In this way, one day in the future, you will not have to provide a very scrupulous account of all the spare gifts and talents, espe- cially if you wasted them. Certainly, this will take place during a very exacting judgment, before a righteous judge, Christ, the author of our salvation. If it was necessary, He is ready to spill His blood again, even for one soul. ( Inspectio Cordis ) L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 174