Pv 11, 23 W 5, 15 their hope the abomination When it is yet in flower, and of the soul. is not plucked up with the The desire of the just is hand, it withereth before all all good: the expectation of herbs. Even so are the the wicked is indignation. ways of all that forget God, The hope of the wicked is and the hope of the hypocrite as dust which is blown away shall perish:- His folly shall with the wind, and as a thin not please him, and his trust froth which is dispersed by shall be like the spider's web. the storm, and a smoke that -He shall lean upon his is scattered abroad by the house, and it shall not stand: wind, and as a remembrance he shall prop it up, and it of a guest of one day that shall not rise. passeth by. The hopes of a man that is Eci 34, 1 Jb8, 11-15 Can the rush be green void of understanding are without moisture? or a sedge- vain and deceitful; bush grow without water ?-dreams lift up fools. Je 17, 5-6 5. and -LOSS AND PUNISHMENT OF THOSE WHO TRUST Cursed be the man that Wherefore thou hast done -For he shall be like tamaric You are all troublesome Jb 16, 2 in the desert, and he shall comforters. not see when good shall come: Vain are the sons of men, Ps 61, 10 but he shall dwell in dryness the sons of men are liars in in the desert in a salt land, the balances, that by vanity and not inhabited. they may together deceive. 2P16, 7-9 Hanani the prophet came O, grant us help from trou- Ps 107, 13 to Asa, King of Juda, and ble: for vain is the help of said to him: Because thou man. hast had confidence in the Put not your trust in Ps 145, 2 King of Syria, and not in the princes: in the children of Lord thy God, therefore hath men, in whom there is no the army of the King of Syria salvation. escaped out of thy hand.- He that trusteth in his Ps 28, 26 and the Libyans much more Wo to you, apostate chil- Is 30, 1-5 18 30, 7 Is 30, 16 17 Pharao, and trusting in the will spread My net upon any profit, but to confusion Wo to you that are wealthy Am6,1 Egypt shall help in vain, confidence in the mountain 19 horses: therefore shall you Hail shall overturn the Is 28, 17 flee. And we will mount hope of falsehood: and waters upon swift ones: therefore shall overflow its protection. shall they be swifter that Your league with death Is 28, 18shall pursue after you.-A shall be abolished, and your thousand men shall flee for covenant with hell shall not fear of one and for fear of stand: when the overflowfive shall you flee, till you be ing scourge shall pass, you left as the mast of a ship on shall be trodden down by it. the top of a mountain, and -Whensoever it shall pass as an ensign upon a hill. through, it shall take you Os 7, 11-12 They called upon Egypt, away: because in the morning they went to the Assyrians. early it shall pass through, -And when they shall go, I in the day and in the night. Pv 12, 2 6.-WARNINGS AGAINST AGAINST RELYING SELF-CONFIDENCE AND ON MAN RATHER THAN He that is good shall draw Trust not in lying words, grace from the Lord: but he saying: The Temple of the that trusteth in his own Lord, the Temple of the devices doth wickedly. Lord, it is the Temple of the Eci 5, 2-3 Follow not in thy strength Lord. Je 7,4 the desires of thy heart: Put not your trust in Ps 145, 2-3 -And say not: How mighty princes,-In the children of am I! and who shall bring men, in whom there is no me under for my deeds? for salvation. God will surely take re- His spirit shall go forth, Ps 145, 4 and he shall return into his venge. earth in that day all their Ps 145,5-6 Blessed is he who hath the Ex 14, 13 Jb 13, 15 7.-EXAMPLES OF HOPE And confidence in god. see no more for ever. Although He should kill and I will give the carcasses me, I will trust in Him. of the army of the Philistines Nu 14, 7-9 The land which we have this day to the birds of the gone round is very good.-air and to the beasts of the If the Lord be favourable, He earth: that all the earth will bring us into it, and may know that there is a give us a land flowing with God in Israel. 1 K17, 37 1 K 17,4546 Je 20, 11 4 K 19, 23 2 P16, 7 Is 22, 17 Mt 7, 26 milk and honey. Be not Machabeus ever trusted 2 M15,7-8 18 David said: The Lord Who from the Almighty. delivered me out of the paw I will deliver thee in that Je 39, 17of the lion, and out of the day, saith the Lord, and thou paw of the bear, He will shalt not be given into the deliver me out of the hand hands of the men whom thou of this Philistine. fearest.-But delivering, I David said to the Philis- will deliver thee, and thou tine: Thou comest to me shalt not fall by the sword; with a sword, and with a but thy life shall be saved spear, and with a shield: but for thee, because thou hast I come to thee in the Name put thy trust in Me, saith of the Lord of Hosts, the the Lord. 8.-EJACULATIONS OF A HOPEFUL SOUL. The Lord is with me as a fall, and shall be weak: they strong warrior; therefore shall be greatly confounded. they that persecute me shall The Lord is my Portion, La 3, 24 La 3, 25 La 3, 26 Ps 22, 4 Ps 3, 3-4 Ps 3, 7 said my soul; therefore will and let me not be confounded The Lord is good to them that hope in Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. The Lord is my Helper: IPs 117,6-9 will not fear what man can do unto me.-The Lord is my It is good to wait in silence Helper: and I will look over for the Salvation of God, my enemies.-It is good to for He will not cast off for confide in the Lord, rather than to have confidence in Though I should walk in man.-It is good to trust in the midst of the shadow of the Lord, rather than to trust death, I will fear no evils, in princes. for Thou art with me. ever. I have stuck to Thy testi- Ps 118, 31 Many say to my soul: monies, O Lord: put me not him in his God.-But Thou, In Thee, O Lord, I have Ps 70, 1-2 Thy justice. I will not fear thousands The God of hope fill you Ro 15, 13 of the people surrounding with all joy and peace in me. Arise, O Lord; save me, believing; that you may O my God. abound in hope, and in the Ps 41, 6-7 Hope in God, for I will Holy Ghost. still give praise to Him, the Though I should walk in Ps 22, 4 Ps 118,116 Uphold me, according to for Thou art with me. 9.—THE BITTER fruits of dESPAIR; THE SAVING Ro 12, 12 Eci 38, 9 My son, in thy sickness, the sword: they shall fall neglect not thyself, but pray when no man pursueth them. to the Lord, and He shall Thou saidst: I have lost Je 2, 25 all hope, I will not do it; for Je 18, 12 Ep 4, 19 Le 26, 36 heal thee. We have no hopes; for I have loved strangers, and I we will go after our own will walk after them. thoughts, and we will do If thou lose hope, being Pv 24, 10 every one according to the weary in the day of distress, perverseness of his evil heart. thy strength shall be diminDespairing, they have given ished. themselves up to lascivious- If any man sin, we have 1J2, 1-2 ness, unto the working of all an Advocate with the Father, uncleanness, unto covetous- Jesus Christ the Just.-And ness. He is the Propitiation for The sound of a flying leaf our sins: and not for ours shall terrify them, and they only, but also for those of shall flee as it were from the whole world. Ps 146, 11 The Lord taketh pleasure They blasphemed the God Ap 16, 11 in them that fear Him, and of Heaven, because of their in them that hope in His pains and wounds, and did mercy. not penance from their works. PART III. CHARITY AND ITS OPPOSITE VICES. CHARITY is "a divinely infused supernatural virtue by which we love God, above all things, for His own sake, and our neighbour for God's sake." The joy, glory, and crown of Charity lie in this, that it makes us the Friends of God. That we may become the Friends of God is clear from the sacred text, "You are My Friends."* That Charity possesses the conditions of this Friendship is equally clear. According to 8. Thomas,† the conditions of friendship are, (1) unselfish love, (2) mutual love, (3) intercommunion. But by Charity, (1) man loves God for God's sake, and God loves man for man's sake, as a subject to whom He wishes eternal Beatitude. (2) The love is mutual. "He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him." (3) There is intercommunion of God and man by communion in the same Beatitude which the Just possess "in exilio, in jure et in spe, in patria autem in re." |