examination of the heart 356 But you will ask: How could He surrender the life of His soul? Just as He ordered you to pursue your soul with hatred, namely: mortifying your evil feelings, passions, eager desires, intellect, judgment, and will; thus He Himself laid down His soul for you when He endured wicked tongues, detractions, abuses, and the blasphemies of the Jews and Pharisees, which He suffered not in His body, but in His soul. Is there more? If nothing else, note His sadness and anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. There, you shall discover that the entire soul of Jesus was dead. Therefore, look how much you owe to the Lord who loves you so, and pay off your debt. 2. “And I have other sheep” (Jn 10:16). Consider, that the most gracious Savior of the world cares for the salvation of all people and takes into consideration the happiness not only of the just, but also, or particularly, of the sinners. He is the one who then brings about this happiness as He converts them to Himself through their frequent participation in the Most Holy Sacrament, through various inspirations, and His countless benefits poured out upon them. And thus, it happens that these sheep, which the evil spirit had already marked with his sign, are led back to the sheepfold of Christ and saved. Oh, how often He called you back from far off, alienated through quite grave sins! How often He drew you back from the sheepfold of the infernal hireling! How often He looked for you as a lost sheep and, seeking you out, He found you with the greatest effort; and once you were found, He nourished, pastured, and guarded you. Oh, how often, alas, have you departed from such a good Shepherd through sin! [f.111v] 3. “For this reason the Father loves [M]e” (Jn 10:17). Christ the Lord says that the reason why the Father loves Him is because He gave up His life for the salvation of men. Indeed, you shall experience God’s love for you in no other way than if you shall care for the salvation of your neighbor, and if, out of love for him, you shall accept and endure all that is hard, difficult, and burdensome. For he who does not love his neighbor is unworthy of being loved by God. He who, for the sake of the
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