To see everything in the light of eternity

14.01.2014

Saint Agnes:  When I decided to give myself completely to God, I felt a deep relief in my heart. I was no longer afraid that I will go down the wrong path, that I will be swallowed by the world of games and pleasure, or the love for a man will take away from me the love for God. I chose the purpose of my life and I strove towards it without looking back. The purpose of the life of man on Earth is the Salvation of his soul. Thus, it is totally not worth it to involve ourselves in matters that distance us from this goal.

True faith puts everything in the light of eternity, and in this light material things completely lose their value; instead, spiritual values gain immensely. In this light, it is clearly visible that all material things will undergo destruction and we will not salvage anything from them. And even if we manage to safeguard them from destruction or loss, to what avail? We still need to leave them all behind when departing from this world. Posterity? How do we know whether wealth will be a benefit for our posterity? Or maybe the opposite? Therefore one should not accumulate wealth, and one should not draw excessive joy from what rejoices human senses, because these items, although so fleeting and deceptive, have a great power to beguiled souls. In the light of faith, the human soul climbs on a pedestal. She, as seen through the eyes of eternity, does not lose its value at all, does not grow old, does not decay, does not pass, does not disappear, lasts forever. Therefore, we should care only for her. For her we should care by all means, because the way in which we will proceed with her now, will be decisive about her eternal future.

So I decided to avoid all that could harm my soul, keeping her in proper purity and trying to embellish her as much as possible through virtues, which as I know, are pleasing to God. Since that time, it saddened me to watch maidens in elegant dresses, because I always saw their souls growing poor from that. Striving for my appearance became an excess for me, and I lost all respect for the body. I thought a lot about the fact that it is the dwelling of man on Earth, but God had treated it very cruelly in His Son. Thinking about the sufferings of Jesus, I thus tried to have my body for nothing and, in the measure of possible, to mortify and to torment it. The smaller the body becomes in man, the more his soul grows, and I wanted to have a beautiful soul, because only the soul is eternal.

In that way, by seeing all in the light of faith in God and His Son, our Savior, I brought up my nature, taking away from her all desires and freedoms. The comparison of the world to eternity always brought me the answers to all my dilemmas. Thanks to this method, I was able to distinguish between what is good and what is bad; what should be cultivated and what should be avoided like fire. The man, who truly believes, lives by faith in every moment of life, because he has no time to waste for anything that does not lead to the goal. Also, a good name does not belong to eternity, because a good name in the world does not mean yet a good name in eternity, rather vice versa, as testified to us Lord Jesus Himself. Until now, His great and holy Name was despised, and yet in the highest, there is no greater name. So a good name in the world does not mean anything. It is better to renounce it right away, and then it is not a pity to be judged and despised. What is worth a good name in the world, if after it becomes an infernal torment? The name in Heaven gives God Himself. This name is a reflection of the soul of man and its greatness depends on the greatness of the soul. Only that name counts. To count on Earth is not worth it; it does not help in the salvation of the soul.


Translated from : Kompendium IV z Orędzi na Czasy Ostateczne, które własnie nadeszły (z tomow 17-22), Warszawa 2014, p 154-155