HOW SAINT VINCENT FERRER SAVED TWO HOPELESS SINNERS
HOW SAINT VINCENT FERRER SAVED TWO HOPELESS SINNERS
THE LADY
“The Saint passing to Pampeluna, and his sanctity being well known to all the inhabitants, they besought him to interest himself in behalf of the spiritual needs and conversion of a person of notoriously bad character, who would continue impenitent to the last day of her life. The charity of St. Vincent, which desired nothing so much as the salvation of souls, drew promptly and with joy into the presence of this poor sinner. He unhappily found her completely hardened. She was obstinate and so despairing of her salvation that she exclaimed, blaspheming:
“It is impossible for me to be saved; God cannot pardon either the multitude or the enormity of my sins.”
The Saint began, then, with all the energy of his soul to offer her powerful reasons which might encourage her to hope for a generous pardon from God. But it was useless, that soul was hardened in evil. Seeing this, St. Vincent raised up his heart to God, made a short prayer, and led by a divine inspiration, he promised the sinner that her absolution should come in writing from heaven, if she would promise to make her confession. The wretched woman began to ridicule a pledge so extraordinary and which appeared to her impossible; yet she said to the Saint:
“If it be so, I am very willing to confess.”
Then, the Saint procured pen and paper, and wrote these words:
“Brother Vincent Ferrer beseeches the most Holy Trinity to grant the sinner here present the absolution of her sins.”
He then folded the paper, and cast it into the air; the document flew out of the house; but some minutes afterwards it returned folded and closed. Wonderful to relate, on opening it, St. Vincent found the following promise written in letters of gold:
“We, the most Holy Trinity, at the request of our Vincent, grant the sinner of whom he speaks, the pardon of her faults; We dispense her from all the punishment which she ought to undergo; and if she confesses, she shall be carried to heaven in half an hour, where she shall reign eternally with us… From heaven… We, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
St. Vincent read the answer, and without delay the happy woman made her confession; in half an hour afterwards her soul took its flight to heaven. Oh! happy sinner!
(From St. Vincent Ferrer, His Life, Spiritual Teaching, and Practical Devotion)
THE MAN
Another time Saint Vincent Ferrer came to the bedside of a sinner, to assist him in his last agony. The sinner clung to the saint; he felt that his tardy remorse, his imperfect contrition, his absence of penance, were insufficient to save him unless St. Vincent threw the whole of himself into the scale. He begged Vincent to make over to him a good share of the treasures of grace he had compiled. The saint had pity on his despair. He said: "I give God all my merits to be applied to you." "Is that true?" The dying man was mistrustful: He did not know that what a saint says is definite. "Then write it down for me on a slip of paper. The saint cheerfully did what he was asked and the man died clutching his precious document. Many woup d say logically, Vincent had nothing left, he must begin to pile up another lot of graces for himself. But a few days later, while he was Preaching to a large crowd, a paper whirled in the air above the heads of the crowd, like a dead leaf blown along by the wind. Finally it settled on the preacher's cloak. The Saint looked on the paper and the word's written on it and it read, God had decided to pay for the sinner's salvation in a different coin, He returned Vincent his merits along with his check, for you never lose by the gift of one's self unless you only half give it.
PRAYER TO BE SINLESS AT THE HOUR OF DEATH
Lord Jesus Christ, Who willest that no man should perish, and to Whom supplication is never made without the hope of mercy, for Thou saidst with Thine Own holy and blessed lips: “All things whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, shall be done unto you”; I ask of Thee, O Lord, for Thy holy Name’s sake, to grant me at the hour of my death full consciousness and the power of speech, sincere contrition for my sins, true faith, firm hope and perfect charity, that I may be able to say unto Thee with a clean heart: Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O God of truth, Who art blessed for ever and ever. Amen (St. Vincent Ferrer).
THE LADY
“The Saint passing to Pampeluna, and his sanctity being well known to all the inhabitants, they besought him to interest himself in behalf of the spiritual needs and conversion of a person of notoriously bad character, who would continue impenitent to the last day of her life. The charity of St. Vincent, which desired nothing so much as the salvation of souls, drew promptly and with joy into the presence of this poor sinner. He unhappily found her completely hardened. She was obstinate and so despairing of her salvation that she exclaimed, blaspheming:
“It is impossible for me to be saved; God cannot pardon either the multitude or the enormity of my sins.”
The Saint began, then, with all the energy of his soul to offer her powerful reasons which might encourage her to hope for a generous pardon from God. But it was useless, that soul was hardened in evil. Seeing this, St. Vincent raised up his heart to God, made a short prayer, and led by a divine inspiration, he promised the sinner that her absolution should come in writing from heaven, if she would promise to make her confession. The wretched woman began to ridicule a pledge so extraordinary and which appeared to her impossible; yet she said to the Saint:
“If it be so, I am very willing to confess.”
Then, the Saint procured pen and paper, and wrote these words:
“Brother Vincent Ferrer beseeches the most Holy Trinity to grant the sinner here present the absolution of her sins.”
He then folded the paper, and cast it into the air; the document flew out of the house; but some minutes afterwards it returned folded and closed. Wonderful to relate, on opening it, St. Vincent found the following promise written in letters of gold:
“We, the most Holy Trinity, at the request of our Vincent, grant the sinner of whom he speaks, the pardon of her faults; We dispense her from all the punishment which she ought to undergo; and if she confesses, she shall be carried to heaven in half an hour, where she shall reign eternally with us… From heaven… We, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
St. Vincent read the answer, and without delay the happy woman made her confession; in half an hour afterwards her soul took its flight to heaven. Oh! happy sinner!
(From St. Vincent Ferrer, His Life, Spiritual Teaching, and Practical Devotion)
THE MAN
Another time Saint Vincent Ferrer came to the bedside of a sinner, to assist him in his last agony. The sinner clung to the saint; he felt that his tardy remorse, his imperfect contrition, his absence of penance, were insufficient to save him unless St. Vincent threw the whole of himself into the scale. He begged Vincent to make over to him a good share of the treasures of grace he had compiled. The saint had pity on his despair. He said: "I give God all my merits to be applied to you." "Is that true?" The dying man was mistrustful: He did not know that what a saint says is definite. "Then write it down for me on a slip of paper. The saint cheerfully did what he was asked and the man died clutching his precious document. Many woup d say logically, Vincent had nothing left, he must begin to pile up another lot of graces for himself. But a few days later, while he was Preaching to a large crowd, a paper whirled in the air above the heads of the crowd, like a dead leaf blown along by the wind. Finally it settled on the preacher's cloak. The Saint looked on the paper and the word's written on it and it read, God had decided to pay for the sinner's salvation in a different coin, He returned Vincent his merits along with his check, for you never lose by the gift of one's self unless you only half give it.
PRAYER TO BE SINLESS AT THE HOUR OF DEATH
Lord Jesus Christ, Who willest that no man should perish, and to Whom supplication is never made without the hope of mercy, for Thou saidst with Thine Own holy and blessed lips: “All things whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, shall be done unto you”; I ask of Thee, O Lord, for Thy holy Name’s sake, to grant me at the hour of my death full consciousness and the power of speech, sincere contrition for my sins, true faith, firm hope and perfect charity, that I may be able to say unto Thee with a clean heart: Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O God of truth, Who art blessed for ever and ever. Amen (St. Vincent Ferrer).
Mga Komento
Mag-post ng isang Komento