Sunday

*This week from Catholic ‘My Daily Bread’

CHRIST (point of view):
MY CHILD, I have proved My goodness by My numberless gifts to men. They cannot
mention a single good thing in their daily life which does not belong to Me. My love for
them was proved by My earthly life of labor, work, suffering and prayer to obtain
forgiveness for their sins. Anyone who takes time to think of what I deserve, cannot deny
that he owes Me more than he can ever repay. Yet, in spite of My goodness and love, some
people choose to walk away from Me. They refuse to follow My directions. As a result
they fall into sin. Though I made them for Heaven, they shall never see it because they are
refusing to do what it takes to get there.
2. Hell was made for the devil and his rebel angels. Man was made for Heaven. In refusing
to live for Heaven, a man chooses to exist without Me. He shall have his wish-he shall join
the rebel angels in hell. In refusing to follow My law, a man actually turns his back on Me
as the fallen angels did. If he dies in this condition, he condemns himself to hell. The jury
which convicts him is his own sinful life. I merely pronounce sentence on what he himself
has chosen.

 

Prayer:  We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
*Sub Tuum Praesidium

Monday

3. There is nothing on earth which can compare with hell. It is beyond all description. One
must see it to know it. Though I may try to give you some small idea of it in this chapter,
remember, this is a tiny and very imperfect idea of the real thing. Words fall far short of the
reality which is hell. I make no threats here. I simply want you to face this fact: Unless you
live for Heaven, you shall one day be in hell.
4. All the sufferings known to man are as nothing in comparison with the sufferings of hell.
The wise man would rather bear any trial on earth than place himself in danger of hell. One
single hour of hell will be harder than a hundred years of suffering on earth. In this earthly
life people have some rest from their labors and trials. They get some measure of
consolation from their friends. In hell, however, there is no rest, no consolation, and no
friends.

Prayer:  Holy angel of the Lord by guardian, pray to God for me.

 

Tuesday

5. The fires of hell will never die. There will be no end to suffering. One will find no
comfort in knowing that he has been there a thousand years. He can never hope for an end
to his tortures. All the other sufferings would be bearable if only the damned could hope
for relief. Despair is hell’s bitterest pain.
6. In hell a man will be punished through the same faults by which he sinned on earth. Each
sin will have its own particular torment. The lazy will be forced to work continuously. The
gluttonous will be tormented with extreme hunger and thirst. The proud will be filled with
confusion, and the greedy will feel the pinch of miserable want.
Prayer:  Our Father, Who art in  Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

Wednesday
7. And yet, the worst pain of hell is none of these. The people in hell would gladly bear all
of this and much more if only they could hope for My friendship and love, no matter how
long it might take, be it even a billion years from now. Their keenest torment is that they
have forever lost Me, the Source of all true joy and perfect happiness. This suffering makes
hell the home of despair and undying hatred.
8. My child, follow My Will in your daily life, and you need never fear hell. In fact you
have every reason to be joyful and merry if you are following My commandments and
using My sacraments. Do not condemn yourself to hell by refusing to obey My directions. I
love you dearly. Do not prevent Me from taking you to Heaven.

Prayer:  Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.

Thursday
Hell is a fact. Christ, Our Lord, pointed this out time and again during His earthly life.
Whoever rejects this fact is simply denying the word of Christ. He is God. He proved His
divine power many times during and after His earthly life. His word is truth. He preached
the truth of hell and continues to preach it today through His Church and Holy Scripture.

MY CHILD, if you desire to make progress along the way to Heaven, keep in your heart a
holy fear of the Divine justice. It is only reasonable that you should be afraid to hurt
yourself. When you bring sin into your life, you are making yourself an object of My
justice. I, the Eternal Truth, cannot accept you as good if you have become bad by sin.
Therefore, keep your earthly desires under control and refuse to surrender yourself to
unnecessary or dangerous pleasures. This holy fear of My justice will help you to stay free
of the slavery of earthly attractions.

Prayer:  O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.

Friday
2. It is not very wise to think only of having a pleasant time and to forget your spiritual
needs. It is reasonable and good for you to be afraid of losing My graces. Without them
you can never reach the perfect life and happiness of Heaven.
3. If your love of Me is not yet strong enough to hold you back from doing wrong, then let
your fear of hell keep you from sinning. A man who lacks this wise and holy fear, will not
go on doing good for long. He will soon fall into Satan’s snares, as he becomes more
careless in avoiding temptations. This fear is a holy thing because it is given by Me. It
makes a man strong in the daily battle against his unreasoning and selfish desires.
4. Even the saints, with all their confidence in Me, had this fear of Divine justice. They
knew the weakness and blindness of human nature. They were not less careful, nor less
humble, because of their great virtues and many graces.

Prayer:  O my God relying on Thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.
*Act of Hope

 

Saturday
THINK:
If my love of God ever fails to hold me back from sin, it will be because my self-love is
strong at the moment. Yet, even then I can make a last effort against this misguided love by
the thought of God’s justice, which will deal with me as I deserve. It is a foolish man,
indeed, who will refuse to consider the harm that can overtake him if he follows a certain
path. This holy fear of God’s justice is “the beginning of wisdom” because it guides men on
to a holier life.

Glory to Jesus Christ – Glory forever!