The third rock on the Path to Eternal Life

Father Lucas writes:

"The third and most dangerous rock obstructing the path of life is guilt. The other two we can pass safely; but this one, with God's grace, we must destroy entirely if we wish to reach our eternal home....The rock of unforgiven, unrepented guilt must be removed [by sacramental Confession] while man is yet in full possession of his faculties, so that at the hour of death the soul may walk peacefully and securely into the new life."

The picture above shows the confessional in St. Peter's Cathedral in Annecy, France. St. Francis de Sales served as bishop from this cathedral. I wonder if he heard confessions in this particular confessional box? When we read his writings, we wish that we could go to confession to a saint like that! He would have been kind and understanding, and give great advice, and encourage us not to fall again. What a gift we have in the Sacrament of Penance, or Confession, in which we can have confidence that the huge stone of our guilt has been removed from our path!

Fr. Lucas laments in his book that some people, instead of going to Confession when they are well and strong and can lift that heavy rock out of the way, try to wait to do it with weak, dying hands. No one is guaranteed that chance at the end of life to do so! Let us instead, vigorously remove this final stone from our path, this worst stone of all, fling it aside, never to block our path again, so we may climb with courage and strength.

"Obstacles there will always be, but not one of them can be the cause of our failure unless we ourselves will it. No devious turnings can draw us from our goal, no treacherous footing cast us into the abyss, so long as we walk with our hand in Mary's, our eyes fixed upon her glorious countenance."

 (Lourdes, France)

Today is the feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When all is said and done, the kind Mother of our Savior is watching over our journey up the mountain with loving eyes. Let us ask her to help us remove the rock of mortal guilt, use to our advantage the rock of our crosses, and avoid the rock of inordinate attachment to worldly pleasure.

Father Lucas tells us this story:

"Cardinal Dechamps, former Archbishop of Mechlin, once made a railway trip in the company of an English Protestant. The conversation turned to religious topics. The Englishman criticized Catholic devotion to Mary.

"'I do not expect my salvation from Mary,' he declared, 'and so I see no reason for honoring her.'

"The Cardinal looked thoughtfully out the window. 'Is it not true,' he replied after a minute's reflection, 'you think of yourself what I think of myself: that we are all poor sinners, and have not many merits to bring with us to God's judgment seat?'

"'Yes, not many,' the Englishman agreed.

"'You are right,' the Cardinal continued, 'in expecting salvation from God. I do that, too. But there will be a great difference between the two of us when we appear before God's judgment seat. You will approach God as an orphan, but I will be led by my Mother's hand. And no man has ever trusted his Mother in vain.'"