In the last judgment the sinner shall be accused and condemned: first, by the fidelity shown him by Christ his Saviour, which he disregarded; secondly, by the love which he despised. Preached on the second Sunday after Epiphany.
"My hour is not yet come." (John ii. 4.)
So that Christ our Saviour had appointed for Himself certain
times and hours in which to do certain things. He had determined to show His divinity to the world, and to confirm it during His life on earth by many miracles; but this was not to be done until the proper time came; then He began to change water into wine, to heal the sick in a moment, to cleanse lepers, to free the possessed, to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and to raise the dead to life. Whoever asked Him to perform such wonders before the time was answered in the words, "My hour is not yet come." He had determined for the salvation of mankind to give Himself up to the rage of His enemies, to allow them to mock, scourge, crown Him with thorns,, condemn Him to death, and nail Him to the cross; but this was not to happen till the appointed time. Therefore when the wicked Pharisees were seeking in all places to put Him out of the way, as St. John says, " They sought therefore to apprehend Him: and no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come." But afterwards when the hour came for suffering, He Himself said to His disciple: "Be hold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners." My dear brethren, the same Saviour has determined to revenge Himself on His enemies, and to condemn wicked sinners to the eternal flames of hell; but the hour appointed for that is not yet come. Now He bears many insults from them with the utmost patience; He shows Himself to them as their Saviour and Redeemer, their Pledge and Advocate; He is constantly offering them His grace, if at any moment they will only resolve to return to Him. But when His time comes He will appear with great power and majesty to judge the living and the dead. And how He will then be changed! Sinners! ah, do not wait till that hour of the Lord! Woe to you if you do not profit in time of the graces now offered you; for that meek and gentle Saviour will otherwise pronounce the final sentence on you, and condemn you to eternal damnation. No, He will condemn you all the more because He is your Saviour and Redeemer, as I shall now show.
He will condemn you on account of His fidelity to you, which
you have neglected: the first part. He will condemn you on ac
count of the love He has shown you, which you have despised: the second part.
O just Judge and loving Saviour! that we may not be condemned
by You in that last hour, speak now to our hearts, that the wicked
may renounce sin, and the just be confirmed in their justice, through the intercession of Your Mother Mary, and of our holy guardian angels.
When a good, well-meaning friend offers to act as arbitrator
in a case on which much depends, and after much trouble succeeds in bringing matters to a conclusion, and is insulted and Lord abused by the unsuccessful party for whose sake he has chiefly undertaken the business, and whose case was evidently a lost one shall be from the first, what think you, my dear brethren, would be his feelings under such circumstances? Oh ho! he would think, is shown by a that the way in which you treat me? I meant very well towards you; I took a deal of trouble to help you out of the mire into which you were sunk, but you will have to wait a long time be fore I espouse your cause again; I shall rather turn your accuser and publicly prove that your claim is unjust, and woe to you if I should be appointed your judge ! We read in the fourteenth chapter of the Second Book of Kings how Absalom, after having murdered his brother, was forced to fly; Joab, the general of the army, succeeded, partly by the help of others and partly by his own immediate efforts, in reconciling him with his angry father, so that the latter recalled him, under the condition, however, that he was not to see him any more. But when that undutiful, dis obedient son again rebelled against his father and set fire to the field of Joab, he had no more determined enemy than that same Joab who was before his warmest patron and advocate. Joab had neither rest nor peace until, even against the express command of David, he pierced the heart of Absalom with his lance. So fierce does anger become in one whose fidelity and friend ship are despised.