19. Flourish and Prosper in the Grace of God

19. Flourish and Prosper in the Grace of God

The world and the devil will ever seek to crush the children of light.
They will mock thy faith, scorn thy virtue, and labour to reduce thee to despair.
Yet hear the word of the Lord:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

St Benedict (†547) taught his monks:
“Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ,”
and in that preference they flourished amid the ruins of Rome.

St Bernard of Clairvaux (†1153) wrote:
“He who clings to God is never confounded, though the whole world rise against him.”

Therefore:

• Let no ridicule, no poverty, no persecution make thee abandon the narrow path.
• Work honestly, give alms generously, and trust that He who clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows will not abandon thee (Matthew 6:26-30).
• When the wicked prosper like the green bay tree (Psalm 37:35), remember: their end is destruction, but thy end is everlasting life.

Flourish, then, not in pride or riches, but in humility and charity.
Prosper not for thine own glory, but that thou mayest have more to give to God and to the poor.
Thus, even if the world strip thee of all, thou shalt still possess everything in Him who is All.

Epilogue: The True and Only Way

Happiness is not a distant dream; it is Christ Himself dwelling in thee by sanctifying grace.

“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).

The precepts here set down are but branches of the one Vine.
Keep them not as burdens, but as wings that bear thee upward to the bosom of the Father.

When thou fallest (for flesh is weak), rise quickly in the Sacrament of Penance, for the Lord is “ready to forgive, gracious and merciful” (Nehemiah 9:17).

There is no soul so lost that one act of perfect contrition cannot restore it to grace.
There is no night so dark that the light of one good confession cannot turn it into eternal day.

Therefore, begin anew each morning.
Love God above all.
Love thy neighbour as thyself.
And thou shalt already taste, even in this valley of tears, the first fruits of paradise.

Go forth, then, beloved soul.
The road is narrow, but it is sure.
The Driver is Christ Himself.

Fare thee well in Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Amen.