If Thy Sins Affrighten Thee

The Imitation of The Sacred Heart of Jesus

If thy sins affrighten thee...

...know My Child, that My infinite merits are infinitely more powerful to save thee, if thou art willing, than thy sins to destroy thee, if thou art uneasy.

1. The Voice of Jesus

As I live, I desire not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live.

If the sinner do penance for all the sins which he has committed, and keep all My commands, living, he shall live, and not die.

The ungodliness of the ungodly shall not hurt him, in whatever day he shall turn away from his ungodliness: the sins which he has sinned shall not be imputed to him.

Why, then, art thou troubled, My Child, or why fearest thou so immoderately? Am I like a man, that I should lie or change? Did I say it, and shall I not do it? Did I promise, and shall I not make it good? Did I swear, and shall I not keep My word?

Why dost thou doubt, man of little faith? Amen: heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.

2. My graces and blessings

Behold, God, My heavenly Father, who, for thy salvation, did not spare His only Son, but delivered Him up for thee, no less than for the rest: did He not give thee, together with Him, all other things, pardon, perseverance, Paradise, every blessing?

Through Me, therefore, the only-begotten Son of God, thou art become rich in all things, so that thou canst be wanting in no grace. For, where sin abounded, there grace did more abound.

Go then, with confidence, to the throne of grace, that thou mayst obtain those things that are needful to thee.

3. I Am the Just Judge

My Child, I came down from heaven, that I might snatch thee from the jaws of hell: all the days of My life, I was in suffering, that thou mightst be happy through all eternity; I was willingly condemned to die, that thou mightst be free from everlasting death: and all these things I did for thee when thou wast My enemy; what, then, will I not do, or what can I refuse, when thou lovest Me?

If thy sins affrighten thee, know, My Child, that My infinite merits are infinitely more powerful to save thee, if thou art willing, than thy sins to destroy thee, if thou art uneasy.

If, by reason of thy sins, thou standest in dread of My judgment, call to mind, that I, Thy Savior, who, even at the right hand of God, My Father, intercede for thee, shall be thy Judge.

4. All thy sins will be forgiven

Enlarge, therefore, thy heart in the Holy Spirit, whom thou didst receive in the Sacrament of divine mercy. That Spirit of love, that consuming fire, will destroy the remnant of thy sins, and cast out all inordinate fear.

Hadst thou been an exceedingly great sinner, like the thief crucified with Me; hadst thou, like Paul, persecuted Me; hadst thou even denied Me, like Peter: behold, if once thou confesses rightly, so as to enjoy the effect of the Sacrament, all thy sins are forgiven thee.

5. Do not be deceived

Why art thou sad, My Child? and why dost thou disquiet thyself? Thinkest thou that I am a harsh master, whom it is difficult to satisfy?

Thou art mistaken, Child; thou art greatly deceived. For, behold, am I not a Father, whose Heart is goodness itself? Dost thou not know this? Hast thou not experienced it?

Do not then dishonor Me; do not revile Me, by attributing to Me things which are so wrongful.

6. Have confidence

My Child, thou hast not received the spirit of bondage again in fear: but thou hast received the spirit of adoption of the sons of God, whereby thou mayst love and address Me: Abba, Father!

Do not, then, fear, Child; do not, by worrying thyself uselessly, lose the time which thou oughtest to spend happily in loving Me; for I do not require anguish, but love.

Have confidence, My Child, that thy sins have been forgiven thee. Do now strive to love Me the more, the more I have forgiven thee.

7. The voice of the Disciple

O Jesus! my love! my life! How delightful to me, how sweet are the words thou utterest from Thy Heart!

O Lord, My God! Thou didst wash not my feet, not my hands, not my head alone, but my soul, my whole self, and that with Thy own blood.

Behold, Thou didst cast my sins into the depth of a sea, into the abyss of the mercy of Thy Heart, where they have disappeared from Thy sight.

Jesus! how can I ever be unmindful of Thy mercies, whereby Thou hast thus restored me to life!

I will sing Thy mercies, Lord, forever: I will praise the goodness of Thy Heart for evermore.

8. His mercy endures forever

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless His Sacred Heart. Yea, bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He has done for thee; Who forgives all thy iniquities – who heals all thy diseases.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor has He rewarded us according to our iniquities: but He has blotted them out according to the multitude of the mercies of His Heart.

As a father has pity on his children, so has the Lord had pity on us; because He is good, because His mercy endures forever.

9. O my Soul...

Love the Lord, O my soul, love Jesus, love Him much; because He has forgiven thee much.

Let them love less to whom He has forgiven less: but do thou, by the greatness of thy love, strive to make a suitable return for the greatness of His bounty.

Yea, O most sweet Jesus, I will love Thee with all my strength: nor will I henceforward pass my time in vexing my heart, Thy kingdom now; but I will employ it better, more usefully to me, more pleasingly to Thee: Thy love shall ever be my occupation. In peace in the self-same, will I take my rest and repose.

“Voice of Jesus” is taken from Arnoudt’s “Imitation of the Sacred Heart”, translated from the Latin of J.M. Fastre; Benziger Bros. Copyright 1866