THE ONLY CAUSE OF THE GROWING COLD AND FAILURE OF CHARITY IS IN THE WILL OF THE CREATURES
To want to attribute to the strength of our will the works of holy love which the Holy Spirit realized in us and with us would be impious disrespect. To want to place the responsibility for the lack of love in ungrateful people or the absence of heavenly help and grace would be a shameless impiety. For the Holy Spirit, on the contrary, cries out everywhere that our ruin comes from ourselves (Hos 13:9);[1] that the Saviour has brought the fire of holy love and desires nothing more than that it should set our hearts on fire (Lk 12:49); that salvation is prepared in the presence of all peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory of lsrael (Lk 2:30-32); that the divine goodness does not want any to perish (2 Pet 3:9), but that all come to the knowledge of the truth and desires all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), their Saviour having come into the world in order that all might receive the adoption of children (Gal 4:5). And the Wise man warns us clearly, Do not say, ‘It is because of God’ (Sir 15:11). Also the sacred Council of Trent, divinely inspired, teaches all the children of holy Church that the grace of God is never lacking to those who do what they can, asking for God’s help; that “God never abandons those he has once justified unless they themselves abandon him first", so that if they are not unfaithful to grace they will obtain glory. In short, Theotimus, the Saviour is a light that enlightens every one coming into this world (Jn 1:9).
On a summer’s day at about noon, some travellers lay down to rest under the shade of a tree. But while their tiredness and the coolness of the shade kept them asleep, the sun moving above them threw right into their eyes its strongest light. By its glittering brightness the sun gave glimpses of itself like little flashes of lightning around the pupils of the eyes of these sleepers. Through the heat which pierced their eyelids it forced them, by a gentle violence, to wake up. Some of those who were awakened stood up and moving on reached joyfully their night’s lodging. The rest not only did not stand up but turning their backs to the sun and pulling their hats over their eyes spent their day there sleeping. Surprised by the night, but still wanting to make their way to the lodging, they lost their way in a forest in danger of wolves, wild boars and other savage beasts. Now please tell me, Theotimus: ought not those who got back give thanks for all their good fortune to the sun? Or to speak like a Christian, to the Creator of the sun? Yes, certainly, for they did not think of waking when it was time for them to do so. The sun did them this favour and by the pleasant invitation of its light and heat came lovingly to awaken them. It is true that they did not resist the sun, but the sun also helped them much not to resist it. It came spreading its light gently over them. It gave them a glimpse of itself through their eyelids. By its warmth, as if by its love, it unsealed their eyes and urged them to see this day.
On the other hand, would it not be wrong, for the miserable wanderers to cry out in the wood, “What have we done to the sun? Why did he not make us see his light as he did to our companions? We would have reached the lodging without having to remain in this frightful darkness." Who would not take up the defence of the sun, or rather of God, my dear Theotimus, to say to these mean wretches: “What is there, miserable people, that the sun could have really done for you and did not do? Its favours were equally given to all of you who were asleep. It came to all of you with the same light. It touched you with the same rays. It spread over you the same warmth. But unfortunate that you are, though you saw your companions standing and holding their pilgrim’s staff and moving on, you turned your back to the sun. You did not want to make use of its light or let yourselves be overcome by its warmth."
Now hold on, Theotimus, to what I mean to say. We are all pilgrims in this mortal life. Almost all of us have willingly fallen asleep in sin. God, the Sun of justice, pours on all the rays of his inspirations very sufficiently, or rather abundantly. He warms our hearts with his blessings and touches each one of us with the attractions of his love. How does it happen that so few are attracted and even fewer are drawn? Surely, those who having been attracted, then drawn, follow the inspiration, have a great occasion to rejoice but not to glorify themselves for it. Let them rejoice because they enjoy a great good. But let them not glorify themselves for it because it is due to the pure goodness of God. He lets them enjoy his benefits but the glory he reserves to himself.
Now with regard to those who continue in the sleep of sin. O God, they have every reason to lament, to groan, to weep, to be sad. For their misfortune is the most miserable of all. But they have no reason to grieve or to complain except about themselves. They have despised, or rather turned their backs on the light. They ignored God’s invitations and stubbornly refused his inspirations. Hence, it is their malice alone that they must curse forever, since they themselves are the sole authors of their ruin, the sole makers of their damnation. The Japanese complained to Blessed [St.] Francis Xavier, their Apostle, that God who had taken so much care of other nations seemed to have forgotten their ancestors. He did not give them knowledge of himself and for want of it they must have been lost. The man of God answered them that the divine natural law, the light of heaven would without doubt have enlightened them. On the contrary, if they had violated it, they would have deserved damnation. An apostolic answer from an apostolic man. It is very similar to the reason given by the great Apostle [St. Paul] for the loss of the non-believers of ancient times. He says that they are inexcusable in so far as having known good they followed evil. It is, in a word, what he teaches in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans (Rom 1:20-21). Misery upon misery to those who do not recognize that their misery comes from their malice.
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[1] Jerusalem Bible