St. John of the Cross
"I find there are seven kinds of harm that can be incurred through vain joy in one's good works and customs, ... this harm is spiritual and is particularly ruinous ...
The first is vanity, pride, vainglory, and presumption. For one is unable to rejoice over his works without esteeming them. This gives rise to boasting, the critical spirit, etc., as is said of the pharisee in the Gospel: he prayed and sought friendship with God by boasting of his fasting and performance of other good works. [Lk. 18: 11-12]
The second is usually linked with the first. It is that a person judges others - comparatively speaking - to be evil and imperfect, supposing that their deeds and works are not as good as his own." - Ascent Bk III Ch 28, John of the Cross
Rejoice always! Rorate coeli ...
What?
What are we to make of the saints who have believed in the fewness of the saved? An example:
ReplyDeleteSt. Benedict Joseph of Labre (1748-1783): Yes, indeed, many will be damned; few will be saved… Meditate on the horrors of Hell which will last for eternity because of one easily-committed mortal sin. Try hard to be among the few who are chosen. Think of the eternal flames of Hell, and how few there are that are saved…I was watching souls going down into the abyss as thick and fast as snowflakes falling in the winter mist. (Life of the Servant of God, Benedict Joseph Labre)
http://stevensperay.wordpress.com/the-fewness-of-the-saved-most-christians-go-to-hell/
Well, either seems supported by reputable orthodox theologians, so, perhaps it is one thing that Catholics can have legitimate differences over. Me, I don't pay mind how many are saved or not, just that we do all we can to avoid being in that number. Even if only one person is damned, I wouldn't want to be that one person.
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