9781644135945

The Light of the World
think that they can make progress without purifying the heart, without a struggle against their
evil inclinations and prevailing faults, against temptation and the power of the passions. All virtue
must be built on the foundation of self-denial and the mortification of the outward and inward
senses, of our inclination to pride and uncharitableness. Virtue must be based on an earnest
spirit of self-denial, either through a willing acceptance of those sufferings and trials sent to us
by God, or through voluntary imposition of mortifications upon ourselves. We must overcome
our purely natural manner of thinking and reasoning about events and people, about trials and
difficulties. We must daily seek a greater detachment from our own will and from the power of
self-love, which poisons and destroys the value of all our work and effort.
“But as wise.” The Apostle could have boasted of many advantages: his ancestry, his
talents, his learning, his zeal for the law. “But the things that were gain to me, the same I
have counted loss for Christ. Furthermore, I count all things to be but loss for the excellent
knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and
count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having my
justice, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ Jesus, which is of God,
justice in faith; that I may know Him and the power of His Resurrection and the fellowship
of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death, if by any means I may attain to the
resurrection which is from the dead. Not as though I had already attained, or were already
perfect; but I follow after, if I may by any means apprehend, wherein I am also apprehended
by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do;
forgetting the things that are behind and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I
press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil
3:7–14). What excellent advice! With every step we draw nearer to the final coming of
Christ, to our death and judgment.
“As in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days
before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till
that day in which Noe entered into the ark; and they knew not till the flood came and took
them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two shall be in the field;
one shall be taken and one shall be left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one shall
be taken and one shall be left. Watch ye, therefore, because you know not what hour your
Lord will come. But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the
thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not suffer his house to be broken
open. Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of Man
will come” (Mt 24:37–44).
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went out
to meet the bridegroom and the bride. And five of them were foolish, and five wise. But the
five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them. . . . And the bridegroom
tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the
bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their
lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. The
wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to
them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came;
and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. But at
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