Saint Anthony Mary Claret

205. I am also driven to preach without ceasing by the sight of the throngs of souls who are falling into hell--for it is a matter of faith that all who die in mortal sin are damned. It is estimated that about eighty thousand die each day, and how many of them die in mortal sin and hence are damned?⁴⁸⁵ As the saying goes, "talis vita, finis ita--your death will be as your life has been."

206. And when I see the way people live--so many of them set in their ways and living in habitual mortal sin; not a day goes by that they don't add to the number of their sins. They sin as easily as they'd take a glass of water;⁴⁸⁶ they commit iniquities as if it were a joke, for a laugh. They are really tragic figures, marching on their own two feet toward hell. As Zephaniah says, Ambulaverunt ut caeci quía Domino peccaverunt.⁴⁸⁷

207. If you saw a blind man about to fall into a pit or over a cliff, wouldn't you warn him? That's just what I'm doing and must do in conscience: warn sinners and make them see the precipice of hell that they are about to fall into. Woe is me if I don't, for they could hold me responsible for their damnation.⁴⁸⁸

208. Perhaps you may tell me that they are only going to insult me and that I should leave them alone and not bother about them. No, my good brethren. I can't abandon them: they are my own dear brothers and sisters. Tell me, if you had a very dear brother who was so sick that he was delirious and in his fever insulted you and said every foul thing in the world to you, would you abandon him? I'm sure you wouldn't. You'd feel all the more sorry for him and do everything you could for his recovery. Well, that's the way I feel about sinners. The poor creatures are just delirious. That makes them all the more deserving of compassion. I can't abandon them. I have to work for their salvation and pray to God for them, saying with Jesus Christ, Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing or saying.⁴⁸⁹

209. When you see a condemned man on his way to the gallows, it moves you to pity. If you could do something to free him, you'd do it. Well, brothers and sisters, when I see a person in mortal sin, I see someone drawing nearer with every step to the gallows of hell. And seeing him in this unhappy state, I happen to know the way to free him: that he be converted to God, ask God's pardon, and make a good confession. Woe is me if I don’t!⁴⁹⁰

210. Maybe you'll say that a sinner isn't interested in hell, or doesn't even believe in it. All the worse. Do you think that this will stop him from being damned? Indeed no; rather it's an even clearer sign of his fatal condemnation, as the Gospel says: Qui non crediderit, condemnabitur.⁴⁹¹ Bossuet⁴⁹² remarks that this truth does not depend upon whether a person believes in it; even though he doesn't believe in hell, he'll go there if he has the misfortune of dying in mortal sin, no matter what his opinion on the subject.

211. I tell you quite frankly that whenever I see sinners, I grow restless, I cannot quiet down, I cannot be consoled, my heart goes out to them. To give you an idea of how I feel, I'll draw a comparison. If a loving mother saw her child in danger of falling from a high window or into an open fireplace, wouldn't she run and shout, My son, my son, look out you're going to fall! Wouldn't she run up behind the child and take hold of him and pull him back if she could? My brothers and sisters, you should know that grace is stronger and braver than nature. Well then, if the natural love a mother feels for her child can make her run to him, shout at him, take hold of him, and pull him back from the brink of ruin, that is just what grace does in me.⁴⁹³

212. Charity urges and impels me;⁴⁹⁴ it makes me run from town to town shouting, "My son, sinner, look where you're heading; you're about to fall into hell. Stop! Don't take another step! I often ask God, as St. Catherine of Siena⁴⁹⁵ did: Lord, let me stand at the gates of hell and stop anyone from entering, by telling each of them, 'Where are you going, poor fool? Turn back! Make a good confession and save your soul. Don't come here, to be lost for all eternity!

213. Another force that drives me to preach and hear confessions is my desire to make my neighbors happy. Oh, what great joy there is in healing the sick, freeing the prisoner, consoling the afflicted, and cheering the sad. All this and much more is done in bringing one's neighbors to the glory of heaven. It means saving them from every evil and bringing them to the enjoyment of every good--and for all eternity. Mortals cannot understand this just now, but when they are in glory they will know the great good that was offered them and that they will have, happily, attained. Then they will sing the everlasting mercies of the Lord⁴⁹⁶ and bless those who have been merciful to them.⁴⁹⁷
Chapter XII
How I was moved to Preach Missions by the example of the Prophets, of Jesus Christ, of the Apostles, Fathers, and other Saints
214. Besides my unfailing love for poor sinners, another force that has driven me to work for their salvation is the example of the prophets, of Christ himself,⁴⁹⁸ of the Apostles, and of the many men and women saints whose lives and histories I have often read, noting down some of the more salient passages for my use and profit and as a stimulus to work harder. A few of these fragments follow.⁴⁹⁹

215. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amos,⁵⁰⁰ of the royal house of David, was a prophet and preacher. His main objective was to confront the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Israel with their infidelities and to announce the chastisement that God would visit upon them through the Assyrians and Chaldaeans, as He did, indeed. His brother-in-law, the impious King Manasseh, put him to death by having him sawn in half.

216. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied some 45 years. His main objective was to exhort his people to repent, announcing to them the chastisements that the Lord would visit upon them. He was carried off to Egypt and met his death in the capital city of Tanis, where he was stoned to death by his fellow Jews. The principal trait of this great prophet was his tender-hearted love for his neighbor, a charity full of compassion for both their temporal and spiritual needs, a charity that never let him rest. Thus, even in the midst of the tumult of war, the confusion of a kingdom going to ruin, and the very death throes of his people in Jerusalem, he worked with constant dedication for the well-being of his fellow-citizens, thus meriting the fair name of "Lover of the brethren and of the people of Israel."⁵⁰¹

217. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied and preached some 20 years and had the glory of dying as a martyr for justice sake. He was killed near Babylon by the prince of his people, whom he had reproached for worshiping idols.⁵⁰²

218. The prophet Daniel was endowed with incredible gifts, as one of the great prophets. Not only did he predict future events, as did the rest of the prophets, but he also specified the time when they were to occur. Out of envy he was thrown into the lions' den, but God freed him.⁵⁰³

219. The prophet Elijah, the prophet, a man of fervent and powerful prayer and of great and extraordinary zeal,⁵⁰⁴ was persecuted to the point of death, but he was not allowed to die and was carried off in a fiery chariot.⁵⁰⁵

220. Ecclesiasticus, speaking of the 12 prophets who are called lesser only because of the shortness of their writings, says that they gave new strength to Jacob and saved themselves through the virtue of faith.⁵⁰⁶

221. I am ever more deeply impressed at the thought of Jesus moving from town to town, preaching everywhere⁵⁰⁷-not just in big cities, but in little villages and even to a single woman. When he spoke to the Samaritan woman, he was tired and thirsty from traveling, and the moment was as inconvenient for him as it was for the woman.⁵⁰⁸

222. From the very beginning I have been thrilled by the preaching style of Jesus. What comparisons! What parables! I decided to imitate him with comparisons, similes and a simple style.⁵⁰⁹ And how He was persecuted! He was a sign of contradiction,⁵¹⁰ persecuted for his teaching, his works, and his very person. Finally, they took his life amid affronts, torments, and insults, making Him suffer the most shameful and painful death imaginable.⁵¹¹

223. I am also much encouraged by reading the Acts of the Apostles. St. Peter in his first sermon converted three thousand men, and in his second, five thousand.⁵¹² With what great zeal and fervor he preached! And what shall I say of St. James, St. John, and the other Apostles? With great concern and zeal they rushed from one kingdom to another, preaching zealously and without human fears or concerns, considering that God must be obeyed rather than men! This was their answer to the scribes and Pharisees when the latter forbade them to preach!⁵¹³ Scourging could not intimidate them into giving up their preaching; on the contrary, they counted themselves fortunate to be able to suffer something for [the love] of Jesus Christ.⁵¹⁴

224. Also the zeal of St. Paul has always awakened my deepest enthusiasm. He went from place to place, a chosen vessel, carrying the teaching of Jesus Christ.⁵¹⁵ He preached, wrote, and taught in synagogues, prisons--everywhere. He worked and made others work, in season and out of season.⁵¹⁶ He suffered scourgings, stonings, persecutions of all sorts, as well as the fiercest calumnies,⁵¹⁷ but he was never daunted; on the contrary, he so rejoiced in tribulations⁵¹⁸ that he could say that he did not wish to glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ.⁵¹⁹

225. I also took much heart from reading the lives and works of the Fathers of the Church:⁵²⁰ St. Ignatius Martyr, St. Justine, the philosopher martyr, St. Irenaeus, St. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, St. Cyprian Martyr, St. Eusebius, St. Athanasius, St. Hilary, St. Cyril, St. Ephraim, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Ambrose, St. Epiphanius, St. Jerome, St. Paulinus, St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Prosper, Theodoret, St. Leo the Great, St. Caesarius, St. Gregory the Great, St. John Damascene, St. Anselm, St. Bernard.

226. I frequently read the lives of those Saints who were distinguished for their zeal in saving souls, and I felt the good effect of it, for I applied to myself those words of Augustine: Tu non eris sicut isti et istae?⁵²¹ Will you not be like these men and women and work as they did at saving souls? The lives of the saints⁵²² that most moved me were those of St. Dominic,⁵²³ St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua,⁵²⁴ St. John Nepomucene, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Thomas of Villanova, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Philip Neri, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Borgia, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Francis Regis, St. Vincent de Paul,⁵²⁵ and St. Francis de Sales.⁵²⁶

227. In the course of meditating on the lives and works of these saints, I used to feel such a burning within me that I couldn't sit still.⁵²⁷ I had to get up and run from one place to another, preaching continually. I can't describe what I felt inside me. Nothing tired me; I wasn't terrified at the awful calumnies being leveled against me, or afraid of the greatest persecutions. Everything was sweet to me, as long as I could win souls for Jesus Christ⁵²⁸ and heaven and save them from hell.⁵²⁹

228. Before ending this chapter, I would like to present two models of truly apostolic zeal who have always moved me deeply. The first is the Venerable Joseph Diego of Cadiz;⁵³⁰ the second, the Venerable Master Avila. Of the former, we read in his Life: "The servant of God, moved by zeal to win souls for Jesus Christ, consecrated his whole life his whole life tirelessly in the apostolic ministry. He continually undertook long, tiresome journeys, always on foot, without regard for the inclemencies of the season as he went from place to place to announce God's Word and attain the results he longed for. He loaded himself with cilices, took the discipline twice a day, and observed a rigorous fast. After the hardship of his days, he took his nights' rest praying before the Blessed Sacrament, a devotion that so pleased him that he gave it his most tender and fervent love.''⁵³¹

229. From the Life of the Venerable Avila.⁵³² His baggage train was a little burro. On it, he and his companions piled their cloaks and saddlebags. The latter contained a supply of hosts for celebrating Mass at hermitages, as well as cilices, rosaries, medals, holy cards, and some wire and pliers for making rosaries. He never carried food but trusted in God's providence. It was a rare day when he ate meat; most of the time he ate only bread and fruit.⁵³³

230. His sermons usually lasted two hours and were so fluent and varied that they could hardly have been shorter. He spoke so clearly that all could understand him, and no one ever grew tired of listening to him.⁵³⁴ Day and night his only thought was how he might increase God's glory, reform morals, and convert sinners.⁵³⁵

In preparing his sermons he avoided using many books or elaborate concepts, and his talks were relatively free of scriptural allusions, far-fetched examples, and other such finery. With a simple thought and a single cry, he could set the hearts of his listeners afire.⁵³⁶

231. While Father Avila was preaching in Granada, another preacher, the most famous of his day, was also engaged in preaching there. People would leave this preacher's sermons crossing themselves in amazement at the many fine and profitable things that had been so beautifully said. But when they left Master Avila's sermons they all went out with bowed heads, not saying a word to one another, rapt and repentant from the sheer force of the truth, virtue, and excellence of the preacher.⁵³⁷

232. His preaching was directed mainly toward withdrawing sinners from their unhappy state by showing them the ugliness of sin, the wrath of God, the awful punishment that awaits the impenitent, and the reward that awaits the truly contrite and repentant. The Lord our God gave his words such power that venerable Father Luis of Granada says: "One day I heard him preach a sermon on the wickedness of those who for carnal pleasure do not hesitate to offend God, basing his remarks on a text in Jeremiah, Obstupescite coeli super hoc.⁵³⁸ In truth, he spoke with such great dread of spirit that it seemed to me that the very walls of the church began to shake.''⁵³⁹

233. O my God and my Father, may I know you and make you known; love you and make you loved; serve you and make you served; praise you and make all creatures praise you. Grant, my Father, that all sinners be converted, all the just persevere in grace, and all of us attain to eternal glory. Amen.⁵⁴⁰
Chapter XIII
The Example and Encouragement I received from certain Women Saints
234. If I was moved by the example of men saints, as I have said in the preceding chapter, I was moved still more by the example of women saints. How deeply they impressed me! I would ask myself, "If a woman has such feelings and desires and does so much to save souls, what ought I, a priest, however unworthy, be doing?" The reading of their lives affected me so much that I copied out excerpts of their words and works, some of which I wish to quote here.

235. From the Life of St. Catherine of Siena.⁵⁴¹ "She had a singular devotion and love toward those saints who spent their lives working for the salvation of souls, and since St. Dominic had founded his Order to spread the faith and save souls, she revered him so much that when she saw some of his friars passing by, she noted where they had set their feet and later, with all humility, would kiss their footprints."

236. "Magdalen at Jesus' feet chose the better part, but not the best, says St. Augustine; for the best is to unite both parts, the active and contemplative, as St. Catherine of Siena did."

"She regarded all as bathed in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ and, considering the many upon whom the benefits of the Redemption are wasted, she wept tenderly. Especially during her ecstasies she was heard to pray for the conversion of the infidel, often repeating this prayer: O eternal God, like a Good Shepherd turn your merciful eyes upon the many sheep who, though separated from the fold of your Church, are yet yours, since you have bought them with your Blood."

237. "One day the Lord let her glimpse the joys of heaven and told her: 'See how many joys are lost forever by those who break my law to do their pleasure. See the fierce chastisement by which my justice must exact satisfaction from sinners, who would not give it through their penance. Consider, too, the blindness of those mortals who gamble away a good that includes all other goods by living a life subjected to their passions. My providence has placed the saving of many souls into your hands. I shall give you words and instill in you a teaching that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or contradict.'''

238. "The ministry of preaching is the greatest that Jesus gave his Church. With this sword he armed his twelve captains, the Apostles. This sacred ministry of preaching is properly a duty of bishops alone, for they, as shepherds, must feed the flock from whose midst they may delegate others to aid them in their task. Gregory XI commanded Catherine to preach before him and the entire consistory of cardinals and other princes. She spoke so masterfully of heavenly things that they listened to her as motionless as statues, so struck were they with her admirable spirit. She preached before His Holiness and the cardinals on many other occasions and they always listened admiringly and profitably, venerating her as a new apostle, powerful both in words and works. She also preached to the laity, and as her own heart burned with the fire of holy zeal, her words broke out in flames, and so many sinners repented and changed their lives that she had to keep a number of confessors in her retinue, some of them with papal authority to absolve reserved cases.''⁵⁴²

239. From the Life of St. Rose of Lima⁵⁴³. "She felt the deepest sympathy for those in mortal sin, because she knew by the light God gave her how miserable they were. She cried continually over their misery and asked God to convert all sinners. She even used to say that she would gladly suffer all the torments of hell herself alone, as long as she could do so without sinning, if by doing so no one would be damned. For this reason she had a great desire to see the Gospel preached to unbelievers and penance preached to sinners. One of her confessors had offered himself to go to the missions, but was afraid of the dangers of the voyage. He consulted the saint and she told him: 'Go, my dear father, and don't be afraid. Go, convert the infidel. Consider that the greatest service men can render God is the conversion of souls, and this is the proper work of the apostles. Can there be any joy greater than that of baptizing a single person, although it be the humblest little Indian, and have him enter heaven through the gates of baptism?"'⁵⁴⁴

240. "She used to persuade all the friars of St. Dominic to busy themselves with this apostolic ministry, telling them that it was no less important to the spirit of their profession than the study of sacred theology-indeed, that this ministry was the goal of all their theological studies. She also used to say that if it were permitted her she would walk from one kingdom to another preaching the faith until all unbelievers were converted, and that she would go out into the streets, wearing a cilice, with a crucifix in her hand, and shout to sinners in order to awaken them and move them to repentance. She was determined to raise an orphan child, pay for his studies and have him ordained a priest, so that he could convert the infidel and be a preacher, since she could not do so herself."

241. "She was deeply troubled at the thought of preachers who did not seek the good of souls in their sermons. Once a Dominican friar of the monastery of the Rosary was preaching in Lima, to great applause because of his florid style. One day the saint told him with great modesty, but forcefully: 'My father, see how God has made you his preacher to convert souls, not to waste your talents idly on these useless flowers. You are a fisher of men: cast your net so as to catch men, not the air and vanity of applause. And remember, God will hold you accountable for so exalted a ministry."'

Even if she could not preach, she took every opportunity in conversation to use the eloquence God gave her to draw others to love virtue and hate vice.

Chapter XIV
On the Same Subject
242. From the Life of St. Teresa.⁵⁴⁵ "My father was not the only person whom I prevailed upon to practice prayer.⁵⁴⁶ When I saw persons fond of reciting their prayers, I showed them how to make a meditation, and helped them and gave them books. Life, VII, 21."⁵⁴⁷

243. "Who could look upon the Lord covered with wounds and afflicted by persecution and not embrace them, love them, and desire to share them with Him? Who could glimpse something of the glory He gives those who serve Him, without realizing that everything we might possibly do or suffer is as nothing in view of the reward that we await? Who could look upon the torments of the damned without counting our torments as delights in comparison, and without realizing how much we owe the Lord for having spared us so many times from going to that place?''⁵⁴⁸

244. "What an added glory and contentment it will be for the blessed to know that, however late they started, there was nothing that they might have done for God that they left undone! They held back nothing that they were able to give, in accordance with their ability and their state in life; the more they could do, the more they did. How rich they will be who have left all things for Christ. How honored they will be who sought not honor, but delighted in being humbled. How wise will they be who were thought to play the fool-- for so men thought the Word incarnate--and how few wise fools there are nowadays, because of our sinfulness. Now, yes now it seems that we have seen the last of all those whom people scorned as madmen on seeing them perform the heroic works of true lovers of Christ. O world, world, how you go on gaining in honor simply because there are so few who know you truly!"