Salesian Literature

Chapter 10:  We often reject the inspiration and refuse to love God

​

Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: Tyre and Sidon would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago, if the miracles done in you had been done there instead (Mt. 11:21).  So our Lord, I would have you notice, speaks of the inhabitants of Corozain and Bethsaida.  They had been taught the true religion, they had received graces which would undoubtedly have resulted in the conversion of pagans; yet they remained obstinate.  They would not avail themselves of those graces, but refused the light of faith by the height of their impenitence.

 

Most assuredly, the men of Nineveh and the queen of the south will rise up with this (Jewish) generation at the day of judgement, and will leave it without excuse.  The men of Nineveh, idolators and barbarians as they were, did penance when Jonah preached to them. The queen of the south, although entangled in the affairs of a kingdom, put them aside, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon (Mt. 12:41-42).  Yet the Jews, who heard with their own ears the divine wisdom of a greater than Solomon, the Saviour of the world; who saw his miracles with their own eyes, who actually felt his power, received his blessings – those Jews remained obdurate, resisting the grace they were offered.

 

Notice, further, that those who received less attractions were won over to repentance, while those who received greater attractions remained stubborn; those with less reason for coming came to the school of wisdom, while those with more remained unenlightened.

 

Such comparative judgement can have only one basis, as all the Doctors of the Church observe: for all that some were given the grace of as many or more attractions than others, still they refused to accept God’s mercy; others – offered similar or smaller attractions – followed the inspiration, settled down to do penance.  Otherwise how could the impenitent be justly blamed for not being converted like the others?  After all, our Lord makes it quite clear, and all Christians understand it plainly, that at the last judgement the Jews will be condemned in comparison with the Ninevites: the Jews had great graces but no love, great encouragement but no repentance; while the Ninevites knew few graces but much love, little encouragement but great penance.

 

As for Lucifer and his followers, their fall can be attributed (as St. Augustine says) only to their own choice, since they freely renounced God’s grace, the grace which had so unobtrusively inspired them.  What, fallen from heaven, thou Lucifer, that once didst herald the dawn (Is. 14:12), who entered the world invisible clothed in pristine charity, like the light of dawn opening out into the full day (Prov. 4:18) of eternal glory?  Grace did not fail you, for you had it to perfection, to suit you nature; no, you failed grace.  God did not desert you in the operation of his love, you deprived his love of your cooperation; God would never have rejected you, if you had not rejected charity.

 

Go, who is all-good never forsakes unless forsaken, never takes away his gifts from us until we take away our hearts from him.  We rob God of his due, if we pride ourselves on our salvation; but we insult his mercy, if we claim that he has failed us.  We wrong his generosity, if we do not acknowledge his blessings; but we blaspheme his goodness, if we deny that he has been at hand to help us.

​

​

Back to Top

​