17 October 2019
Turn to the Lord with a Pure Heart
May
our Lord Jesus Christ, who repays most generously, reward your labour. You must
flee from evil, and drive away dangers. We and all our brothers,
although unworthy, pray
constantly to God the Father and to his Son Jesus Christ, as well as to
Mary the Virgin
Mother, to be with you as you seek the salvation of your souls and your
bodies.
Brothers, I most strongly urge you to work for the salvation of your
souls with prudence and
diligence. Death is certain, and life is short and vanishes like smoke.
Therefore you must fix
your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ who so burned with
love for us that he
came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sakes he suffered all the
agonies of body and
mind, and did not shrink from any torment. He gave us a perfect example
of patience and
love. For our part, we too must be patient when things go against us.
Put aside hatred and hostility. See to it that you refrain from harsh
words. But if you do
speak them, do not be ashamed to apply the remedy from the same lips
that inflicted the
wounds. In this way you will show each other mercy and not
keep alive the memories of past
wrongs. Remembering grievances works great damage. It is accompanied by
anger, fosters
sin, and brings a hatred for justice. It is a rusty arrow
spreading poison in the soul. It
destroys virtue and is a cancer in the mind. It thwarts
prayer and mangles the petitions we
make to God. It drives out love and is a nail driven into the soul,
an evil that never sleeps, a
sin that never fades away, a kind of daily death.
Be lovers of peace, the most precious treasure that anyone can desire.
You are already aware
that our sins drive God to anger, so you must repent of them, that God
in his mercy may
spare you. What men conceal is open to God. Turn to him with a sincere
heart. Live in such a
way that you bring upon yourselves the blessing of God, and that the
peace of God our
Father may be with you always.
A reading from
the letters of St Francis of Paola,
Hermit (Letter AD 1486)
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