HOW WE ARE TO UNITE OUR WILL WITH GOD’S WILL IN HIS PERMITTING SINS
God utterly hates sin, and yet, in his great wisdom, he permits it. This he does so as to allow rational creatures to act according to their natures. It is also to make those who are good more worthy of doing no wrong. They do not violate the law even though they are able to violate it. Let us, therefore, praise and adore God’s permissive will. However, since the providence which permits sin, hates it infinitely, let us also detest and hate it. We are to desire it with all our power that sin permitted may not be committed. Consequently, let us make use of all possible means to prevent the birth, growth and reign of sin. In this we are to imitate our Lord, who never ceases to advise, promise, threaten, forbid, command and inspire us in order to turn our will away from sin as far as possible without depriving us of our freedom.
But when a sin has been committed, we must do all we can to wipe it out. Our Lord has assured Carpus as has already been noted9, that if it were needed, he was ready to suffer death again in order to deliver a single soul from sin. But if the sinner is obstinate, Theotimus, let us weep, groan, pray for him to the Saviour of our souls. After he had shed many tears throughout his life over sinners and over those who represent them, he at last died, his eyes full of tears, his body all steeped in blood, lamenting the ruins of sinners. Such emotion touched David intensely that he fell fainting before it. He says, A fainting has seized me because ofthe sinners who abandon your law (Ps 119: 53). And the great Apostle [St Paul] tells of the continual anguish that he feels in his heart (Rom 8:2) for the obstinacy of the Jews.
Still, no matter how obstinate the sinners may be, let us not lose heart in helping and serving them. How do we know that they would do penance and be saved? Blessed is he who like St. Paul can say to his neighbours: I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears (Acts 20: 31). Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God (Acts 20: 26, 27). As long as we are within the limits of hope that sinner will amend his ways, and they are always of the same extent as those of his life, we should never reject him, rather pray for him and help him as far as his misery will permit.
Finally, after we have wept over the stubborn and having performed our duty in charity to save them, we are to imitate Our Lord and the Apostles. In other words, we are to turn our minds from them and place it upon other objects and tasks more conducive to God’s glory. It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you, said the Apostles to the Jews, but now, since you reject it, since you declare yourselves unfit for the kingdom of Jesus Christ, behold we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13: 46). The Kingdom of God, says the Saviour, shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation yielding its fruits (Mt 21: 43). We cannot spend too much time weeping over some, without losing time suitable and necessary to obtain the salvation of others. The Apostle [St Paul] indeed says that he has a continual anguish (Rom 9:2) over the loss of the Jews. But this is as when we say we praise God at all times. His praise shall be on my lips continually (Ps 34:1). After all this simply means that we praise God very often, at every occasion. It was the same with the glorious St Paul who had a continual anguish in his heart because of the rejection of the Jews. At all times he felt sad for their misfortune.
For the rest, we are to adore, love and praise eternally God’s retributive and punitive justice. Similarly we love his mercy, since both flow from his goodness. By his grace he wants to make us good because he is very good. Yes, supremely good. By his justice he wants to punish sin because he hates it. He hates sin because being supremely good, he detests the supreme evil which is sin.
In conclusion, note that God never withdraws his mercy from us except by the just retribution of his punishing justice. We never escape the severity of his justice except through his justifying mercy. Always, whether God punishes or rewards, his permissive will is worthy of adoration, love and everlasting praise. Thus the just person, who sings the praises of God’s mercy over those who are saved would also rejoice when he shall see vengeance (Ps 58: 10). The saints shall with joy approve the judgement condemning the damned as well as the salvation of God’s chosen ones. The angels having practised their charity towards those whom they have in their protection shall remain in peace when they see them stubborn or even damned. We are therefore to submit ourselves to God’s will and kiss with equal love and reverence the right hand of his mercy and the left hand of his justice.