The tools of good works...
(73) And never to despair of God's mercy.
It is especially important that Saint Benedict ends his list of dos and don’ts with a note on despair. No one is going to get all these steps right, and by the time you get to the end of the list, you are likely to feel as though the whole endeavor is hopeless. That’s okay. Just don’t focus too much on your own efforts. An evangelical friend once asked me if I knew I was saved. Apparently, he did; but for my part, I couldn’t honestly give an answer one way or another, so I called up my parish priest. I put the question to him, and this is what he said: “When I think of myself and all the lousy things I’ve done, I’m pretty sure I won’t go to heaven. When I think of God and His mercy, I’m pretty sure I will. So I try to stay focused on God.”
No comments:
Post a Comment