Meditation for Monday

I

Consider, O man, how important it is to save your soul. Your eternal happiness or misery depends on it. If you attain salvation, you will enjoy everlasting joy in both soul and body; if you lose it, you will lose everything—your soul, your body, heaven, and God Himself. Do not deceive yourself by thinking you can serve your passions now and turn to God later. How many have fallen into hell by trusting in a future repentance that never came! Thousands have perished in this illusion, believing they had time, only to be seized by death unprepared.

You may tell yourself, "I will sin now and repent later," but are you sure you will have the time? You may die in the very act of sin. By sinning, you lose God’s grace, and what if you never recover it? God is merciful to those who fear Him, but not to those who despise Him. He may forgive a first or second sin, but not indefinitely. He bears patiently with sinners for a time, but not forever. When iniquity reaches its limit, His mercy ceases, and He punishes the unrepentant—either by sudden death or by abandoning them to hardness of heart, leaving them to fall irreversibly into sin and, at last, into hell.

O Christian, take this seriously! It is time to end your sinful ways and return to God. This may be your final warning. God has tolerated your sins long enough—do not risk being forsaken after your next mortal sin. How many have been moved by the thought of eternity to flee the world and seek refuge in monasteries, deserts, and solitude! And what have my sins given me? A troubled conscience, a restless heart, deserved hell, and the loss of God! O my heavenly Father, bind me to Thy love!

II

Consider how men neglect the most important affair of their lives—the salvation of their souls. They have time for everything except God. If advised to frequent the sacraments or spend a short time daily in prayer, they protest that they are too busy with family, work, and responsibilities. But will their wealth or status save them at death? Can these deliver them from hell if they die in sin? No! Do not deceive yourself by thinking you can serve both God and the world, heaven and sin. Salvation is not won by indifference but by effort and self-denial. Many intended to serve God later but are now burning in hell for their delay. How foolish to focus on fleeting pleasures while neglecting an eternity that never ends!

Ah, Christian, set your life in order. Your soul is your most precious possession, and if you lose it, you lose all. In a short time, your body will be buried in the earth, and your soul will face its eternal destiny. If you are condemned, there will be no remedy—only endless woe. Reflect on this now while mercy is still offered to you.

III

Consider and say within yourself: I have a soul, and if I lose it, all is lost. What would it profit me to gain the whole world but lose my soul? What good are riches, honors, and pleasures if, in the end, I am cast into hell? Where now are the great ones of the world, whose bodies are dust and whose souls burn in torment? Since I have but one soul to save, and if I lose it, I lose it forever, I must do everything to secure my salvation. Nothing is more important. O my God, I am ashamed that I have lived so long without thinking seriously of my eternity. Save me, O Father, through Jesus Christ! I renounce everything if only I do not lose Thee. O Mary, my Mother, my hope, obtain for me the grace of final perseverance!