EIGHTEEN HOMILY. "And Adam gave his wife the name of Eve, because she is the mother of all living. And the Lord God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them; and he said, Behold Adam become like one of us. (Gen. III, 20, 21, 22.)

ANALYSIS.

1. St. Chrysostom first recalls that the punishment of our first parents should make us attentive and vigilant to avoid sin, and then he explains why Adam gave his wife the name of Eve. - 2.-3. The garments of skins of which the Lord clothed them, testify his kindness, and warn us to avoid the luxury and sumptuousness of the garments. - The speaker takes the opportunity of a severe lesson to the rich, then he explains, as an ironical fulfillment of the promises of the devil, this saying: "Here Adam is like one of us. It was also by a merciful effect that God chased Adam out of the earthly paradise, before he had eaten the fruit of the tree of life; because immortality would have led him always to sin. He also compelled her to live with the earthly paradise, so that the sight of this place might remind her of her fault, and he subjected her to hard work so that he would not become too attached to the earth. life. 4. With regard to these words: "Adam knew his wife," St. Chrysostom observes that virginity was the first state of Adam and Eve, and he points out its excellence. 5. Then he says that, if God accepted the gifts of Abel, and rejected those of Cain, it was because of their inner dispositions, and he dwelled at length on the kindness with which the Lord spoke to Cain, and sought inspire him with better feelings. 6. Finally he concludes with a few words on the care that we must have to flee from the sin into which Cain fell.

1. Yesterday, you have been able to appreciate the indulgence of the superior judge, and the benevolence of his words. You have also seen the variety of punishment inflicted on the guilty. Thus the tempter was punished quite differently than those whom he had seduced; and divine mercy burst forth eminently even in the sentence passed against our first parents. It was therefore useful for us to attend this solemn judgment, and to follow all the details. For we have known from what good things Adam and Eve have deprived themselves by their disobedience; and we have learned how sin has robbed them of glory. all heavenly and of a very angelic existence. Finally, we have admired the patience of the Lord, and we have understood what a great evil is weakness since it has resulted in the loss of such precious benefits for man, and has plunged him into a humiliating degradation. That is why I beseech you, let us watch over ourselves, that this fall may be a salutary warning to us, and that this punishment will keep us in a wise distrust. We will be punished very severely, if this terrible example does not deter us from offending God. For every sin of relapse deserves to be punished more rigorously. This is what the illustrious doctor of the nations, Blessed Paul, tells us when he tells us that all who have sinned without the law will perish without the law, and that all who have sinned under the law will be judged. by the law. The meaning of this passage is that those who have sinned before the evangelical law will be treated with more indulgence than we who live under this law, and deserve more rigorous punishment because we sin after to have received it. For all who sin without the law shall perish without the law; and it will be an advantage to them to punish them for not having received knowledge or the help of the law ... But all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law; because it taught them, (106) says the Apostle, what they should do, and they did not want to follow his prescriptions. So, for the same sins, they will be punished more severely than the infidels.

But let us explain the passage just read. And Adam gave his wife the name of Eve, which means life, because she is the mother of all living. Observe here the care taken by the sacred writer to transmit these details to us. Thus we learn that Adam gave a name to his wife, and that he called her Eve, that is life, because she is the mother of all living. It is indeed the stem of the human race and the root and principle of all generations. But after telling us how Adam gave a name to his wife, Moses again tells us of the goodness of God, who did not abandon his creatures in the shameful nakedness in which they had fallen. And the Lord God, he said, gave Adam and his wife coats of skin, and clothed them. The Lord then acts as a good father behaves to a prodigal son. This son of a family was endowed with a good naturalness and had been brought up with care. He enjoyed in the paternal house a rich abundance, wore silk clothes, and had at his disposal an opulent heritage. But now the very excess of prosperity hurls him into evil; and then his father cuts off all these various advantages, keeps him more closely under his control, and replaces his sumptuous clothes with a simple and common habit which hides only his nakedness. So Adam and Eve went unworthy of that glorious glory that covered them and freed them from all the needs of the body. God took away from them this brilliance and the possession of all the goods they enjoyed before that time. dreadful fall. However, he had compassion on so great a misfortune, and seeing them ashamed of a nakedness which they could neither cover nor hide, he made tunics of skin and clothed them.

So where are the artifices of the devil? As soon as we listen to his suggestions, he seduces us with the love of some passing pleasure, and draws us into the abyss of sin. Then he abandons us, all covered with shame and confusion, to the pity and the eyes of all. But the Lord, who is always interested in the salvation of our souls, did not turn away his eyes from the sad state in which our first parents were reduced, and he gave them a garment whose simplicity alone was a memory of their fall. And the Lord God made Adam and his wife with tunics of skin, and clothed them. Observe here, I ask you, with what condescension the Scripture is proportioned to our weakness. But, I said it, and I repeat it, one must always give it a sense worthy of God. Thus this word: God made tunics, must be taken in this sense that he commanded that these tunics existed; and he wanted our first parents to cover them, so that this garment would constantly remind them of their disobedience.

2. Listen, O rich ones! O you who pride yourself on the work of silkworms, and who adorn you with the most beautiful fabrics! listen to this lesson of modesty that the Lord gave us from the first days of creation. Man had deserved death by his sin, and he needed a garment to hide his nakedness; and now God only puts on him a tunic of skin. He wanted to teach us to flee a soft and voluptuous life, and to embrace preferably a hard and austere life. But perhaps the rich, repelled by this severe morality, will tell me what! do you want us to dress with animal skins? I do not say that; and our first parents themselves have not always worn this kind of clothing, for divine goodness never ceases to be generous and beneficent. Thus, from the day Adam and Eve were subjected to the needs of nature, and lost the sweet and angelic existence in which they were created, the Lord allowed them to weave the wool to make clothing. It was proper, indeed, that man, being reasonable, should be clothed, and that he should not live like an animal in shame and nakedness. Our clothes thus remind us of the possessions we have lost, and the chastisement which, by their disobedience, Adam and Eve, have attracted to all mankind.

But how can one excuse this frenzied luxury which rejects the use of wool, to wear nothing but silk, and which even drives extravagance to embellish it with gold embroidery. It is mainly women who indulge in these vanities; and I say to them: why do you parry your body? and why do you (107) pride yourself on this pompous paraphernalia? So you forget that the clothes are a continuation of the punishment inflicted on our first parents. So the Apostle tells us: Having enough to feed ourselves and cover ourselves with, we must be happy. (I Tim.6, 8.) Thus we must limit our solicitude to the bare necessities; and it is enough for our body to be covered without worrying about the beauty or variety of the clothes. But let's continue the story of Genesis.

And the Lord God said, Behold Adam become like one of us, knowing good and evil; now, therefore, let us fear that He will advance His hand, and take also of the tree of life, and that He may eat and live forever. And the Lord God put him out of the garden of delight, to cultivate the land from which he had been drawn. (Gen. III, 22, 23.) Here again the Lord uses expressions proportioned to our weakness: And the Lord God says: Behold Adam become like one of us, knowing good and evil. What simplicity of language! but let us understand it in a sense worthy of God. He reminds us, therefore, of how the devil, by the organ of the serpent, deceived our first parents. He said to them, "If you eat this fruit, you will be like gods; and they ate it in the foolish hope of being equal to divinity. This is why God, wishing to make them feel again the blemish of their fault, and the illusion of their hopes, says ironically: "Behold Adam become like one of us.

This bitter reproach was personal and could only throw Adam into extreme confusion. It is as if the Lord had said to him: You have transgressed my commandment to be equal to me. Well! what you desired happened, or rather what you did not want, but what you deserved. Because you have become like one of us, knowing good and evil. The devil had said to Eve, by the serpent's organ, "Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil. So the Lord added, "And now let us fear that he should lift up his hand, and take from the tree of life, and eat and live forever. Here again the divine mercy manifests itself; but we must deepen each of these words to lose nothing, and discover all the hidden riches. When God made a command to Adam, he allowed him the use of all the fruits, except for one, threatening him with death, if he dared to touch it. But in commanding and threatening him, he says nothing about the tree of life. Adam, created immortal, could, in my opinion, and as far as I understand this passage, eat the fruit of this tree, as of all the others; and so he could have ensured immortality, since he had received no defense touching this tree.

3. If I were curiously asked why this tree is called the tree of life, I would say that human reason is incapable of understanding all the works of God. We only know that it pleased the Lord that in the earthly paradise man had as a matter of the virtue of obedience and the sin of disobedience. That's why he planted these two trees, one of life and the other of death, so to speak. For it was because he had eaten the fruit of the latter against the command of God, that man was subjected to death. But from the moment that he touched the forbidden fruit, sin entered the world, and man became subject to death, and to all the infirmities of nature. Yet this death was in the divine counsels a grace even more than a punishment; so the Lord would not allow Adam to inhabit the earthly paradise. He drove him out of it, proving to him, by this very rigor, that he acted only out of kindness and in his interest. But this doctrine requires a deeper examination of this passage.

And now, says the Lord, let us fear that Adam advances his hand, and takes also the fruit of the tree of life, and that he does not eat and live forever. It is as if he had said: An excess of intemperance has led man to transgress my command, and his sin has subjected him to death. So today, if he dared to touch the fruit of the tree of life, he would acquire immortality and never stop sinning. That is why it is to him that I chase him from the earthly paradise; and I will give it rather a mark of goodness than anger and revenge. Thus spoke the Lord; and it is true to say that his chastisements, as well as his benefits, show his mercy. So this hard exile became for Adam a salutary lesson. For if God had not foreseen that impunity would make men more guilty, he would not have driven Adam out of earthly paradise. (108) But it was to prevent the progress of vice in them and to close the way to a mischief that could not stop, that he chastised Adam in a thought of mercy; and this is what he does every day with regard to sinners.

He therefore commanded, out of benevolence and goodness, that man was driven out of the earthly paradise. And the Lord God, says the Scripture, put Adam out of the garden of delight, to plow the land from which he had been drawn. Notice here the accuracy of the sacred writer. He tells us that the Lord God put Adam out of the garden of delights, to plow the land from which he had been drawn. The divine judgment then receives its execution, and the man, driven from the garden of delights, was forced to work the land. Nor is it without reason that Scripture adds: from whence he had been fired. For this work was to be for him a continual lesson of humility, reminding him that his body had been formed of the mud of the earth. So it is expressly said: That he should work the land from which he was drawn. It is still like the consequence of this other word of the Lord: You will eat your bread by the sweat of your brow, that Adam then received the order to work the land from which he had been drawn.

Scripture then tells us how far from the earthly paradise God establishes it, since it adds that the Lord God drove out Adam, and made him live in front of the garden of delights. But here, as in all his covers, God shows himself to be full of mercy, even when he chastises us. So it is out of kindness and mercy that he casts Adam out of earthly paradise; and if he then establishes it in the presence of this same residence, it is so that each day he may conceive a new regret for his former state, and a new grief for his present misfortunes. No doubt this view was very sad and bitter to him, and yet he found there a useful lesson; for it made him wiser and more vigilant, and prevented him from sinning. It is indeed all too common for man to abuse the goods he enjoys, and to correct himself only when he has lost them. For experience reveals to him his fault, and his misfortune makes him appreciate the happiness from which he has fallen and feel the evils that surround him. It was therefore on God's part a sign of providence and goodness to establish Adam in the face of earthly paradise, since the sight of this place was to sustain salutary remorse in him. Finally, to prevent him from becoming too attached to life, he would try to return to the garden of delights and eat the fruit of the tree of life, the Lord, according to the story of the Scripture, narrative proportioned to our weakness, the Lord placed a cherub with a flaming sword that was still moving, to keep the path of the tree of life.

The negligence of our first parents in observing the divine commandment caused the Lord to guard the entrance to paradise so carefully. And it is fair to observe that if his goodness and mercy had already appeared when he banished Adam, they did not burst any less when he placed a cherub with a flaming sword that kept moving to keep the entrance of the garden of delights. It is not without reason also that it is said of this sword that he was constantly agitating. For we understand by this that all the roads that could lead to this garden were closed, and that this blazing sword defended all approaches. But what memories he remembered, and what terror he inspired to Adam!

4. Now Adam knew Eve his wife. (Gen. IV, 1.) Notice the precise date of this fact. It was only after their disobedience and their exile that Adam and Eve traded together. Before, they lived like angels, and they did not know the pleasures of the flesh. Ah! how could they have known them, since they were not subject to the needs of the body! Thus, in the order of time, virginity possesses the palm of the priority; but when the weakness of man had introduced disobedience and sin, she withdrew, because the earth was no longer worthy to possess; and then the law of concupiscence is established. Understand then, my dear brother, what is the dignity of virginity? It is a well-ascended and sublime virtue, and its possession is too much above human power, that we may acquire it without a special succor from divine power. And, indeed, Jesus Christ Himself declares to us that the virgins are in a mortal body the emulators of the angels. The Sadducees questioned him one day surfa resurrection and said to him: Master, there were among us seven brothers; and the first having married a wife died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother. It was the same with the second, the third, and all until the seventh. On the day of the resurrection, which of the seven will she be a woman? because (109) all had her for wife. But Jesus Christ answered them, You are in error, knowing neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the day of resurrection men will not have wives, nor wives of husbands; but they will be like angels. (Matthew XXII, 25-30.) Do you now understand that those who, for love of Jesus Christ, embrace holy virginity, lead the life of angels to the earth and in a mortal body? But the more this state is great and high, and the brighter are the crowns, the more magnificent the rewards, and the more abundant the goods which are promised to all who join in chastity the practice of other virtues.

Now Adam knew his wife who conceived and bore Cain. Sin had entered the world through the disobedience of our first parents, and the divine judgment had put them to death. That is why the Lord, who watched over the preservation of the human race, allowed it to spread through the union of man and woman. And Eve said, I have possessed a man by the grace of God. Do you see how the punishment inflicted on the woman made her better and more reserved? For she does not attribute to the laws of nature the birth of this child; but she brings it back to God and pays homage to it. Thus punishment has been a useful lesson for Elf. For I have possessed a man, "said she," by the grace of God, and I owe it rather to his kindness than to nature.

And again she bore Abel, her brother. The birth of this second son was the reward of his keen gratitude for that of the first. For this is how the Lord deals with us; and when we thank him for a first benefit, he pays our homage by new favors. Eve became a mother a second time, because in the first she had recognized the hand of the Lord. Now this fertility, since sin had subjected her to death, was a great consolation to her. So God wanted from the beginning to diminish for our first parents the severity of punishment, and to erase the image of death under the picture of new generations. And, indeed, these generations that succeed one another, are an emblem of immortality. And Abel, says the Scripture, was shepherd of sheep, and Cain plowman. We learn that each of the two brothers exercised a different art; one embraced pastoral life, and the other devoted himself to agriculture.

But it came long after that Cain offered the Lord a sacrifice of the fruits of the earth. (Gen. IV, 3.) Observe here what lights the Creator had spread in the consciousness of man. For who had revealed to Cain the notion of sacrifice? The voice of his conscience; he therefore offered the Lord a sacrifice of the productions of the earth, because he could not fail to acknowledge that he should pay homage to him for the fruits of his labor. It is not that God needed his sacrifices; but it was fitting that, receiving his benefits, he should show him his gratitude. And indeed, God, self-sufficient and not claiming anything from us, willfully, in his extreme goodness, will humble himself to our poverty, and allow by interest for our salvation, that the knowledge of its attributes are a school of virtues.

And Abel also offered the firstborn of his flock. It is not without reason that in our previous interview I told you that God, who does not accept anyone, probes the will and rewards the intention of the heart. This remark finds here its correct application. That is why this passage of Genesis deserves a profound examination, and it is necessary to stop there seriously to understand well what is said of Cain and Abel. For there is nothing useless in Scripture, and a syllable, even a letter, contains a rich treasure, since we can always draw from it a moral sense. But what does she tell us? And it came to pass, long after, that Cain offered to the Lord a sacrifice of the fruits of the earth, and Abel also offered the firstborn of his flock and the fat ones.

5. A penetrating mind understands at a simple reading the meaning of this passage. But I owe it to all, and the Gospel doctrine is equally addressed to all; I will go into some explanations, so that you will be better educated. Cain, says the Scripture, offered the Lord a sacrifice of the fruits of the earth. As for Abel, he chooses the productions of pastoral art as his own. And he offered the firstborn of his flock and the fat ones. Already these words alone show us all the piety of Abel, for he does not offer only a few sheep taken at random from his flock, but the firstborn, that is to say, the most beautiful and the most precious; and even among them the (110) fatter, that is to say all that was better and more excellent. But with regard to Cain, Scripture does not enter into any detail; she contented herself with telling us that he offered a sacrifice of the fruits of the earth, and thus lets us suppose that he took the first that fell to her hand, and that he disdained to choose the most beautiful.

I have already said it, and I will not cease to repeat it. If God receives our sacrifices, it is not that He needs them. He only wants to facilitate the means to show him our gratitude. That is why the man who offers in sacrifice the very things that he holds of God, must, to fulfill this religious duty, choose all that he has of the best. Otherwise, he would not understand how much God is superior to him and how much he is honored to fulfill these priestly functions. Observe also, my dear brother, and conclude from this example what rigorous chastisement deserves the Christian who, by cowardice, neglects his salvation. I add that no doctor instructed Cain and Abel, and that no counselor suggested to them the idea of ​​offering a sacrifice: their conscience alone warned them, and the lights which the Lord had spread in the spirit of the man. It was also the purity of the intention which made acceptable the sacrifice of the one and the malice of the will which made reject that of the other.

And God, says the scripture, looked at Abel and his gifts. Do you see how this word of the Gospel is fulfilled here: the first will be the last and the last will be first? (Xxi., 30.) For whoever had the privilege of the birthright, and who first offered his sacrifice, was put under his brother, because his intention was not right. Both offered a sacrifice; but it is only from Abel that Scripture says: The Lord looked upon Abel and his gifts. What does this word mean, looked? he states that God approved of Abel's action, praised his intention, crowned his good will and, in a word, was satisfied with his conduct. For if we dare to say something about God and open our mouth to speak of this eternal Being, we can not do it, because we are men, only in human language. But, oh prodigy! God looked at Abel and his gifts, that is to say, the offering he made of his fattest and best sheep. So God looked at Abel, because his sacrifice was from a pure and sincere heart. He looked also at his gifts, because the sheep were spotless and precious, either in relation to the intention of him who offered them, or in themselves, since they had been taken from the firstborn of the flock, and that they were the fattest, that is to say they were a choice made in all that was best.

And God looked upon Abel and his gifts; but he did not look at Cain or his sacrifices. (Gen. VII, 5.) The sacrifice that Abel offered, with a pure heart and a righteous will, was therefore pleasing to the Lord, who accepted him and even deigned him. to rent. So he called Abel's offering to better honor the sincerity of his intention. But he did not look at Cain or his sacrifices. Observe here how accurately the sacred writer speaks. By saying that God did not look at Cain, he tells us that he rejected his gifts, and calling them sacrifices, he gives us a useful lesson. The action and the word of God thus teach us that the Lord demands our sacrifices as an outward testimony of the feelings of our soul and as a public protest that we recognize for our Master and for the Creator who brought us out of nothingness. And indeed, Scripture, which names the offering of some sheep, and sacrifices that of some fruits of the earth, teaches us that the Lord seeks the purity of the intention much more than he cares that we offer him animals or fruits. It was this purity that made Abel's sacrifice pleasing to God; and it is a very opposite disposition that rejected Cain's.

It must also be understood in a sense worthy of God these words: The Lord looked upon Abel and his gifts; but he kept neither Cain nor his sacrifices. They signify that the Lord made the one understand that he approved his good will, and the other that he rejected his ingratitude. Such was the conduct of God; and now let's explain the next verse. And Cain was violently grieved, and his face was shot down. Where did this violent sadness come from? from a double principle: The Lord had rejected his sacrifice, and he had approved that of Abel. This is why Cain was violently grieved, and why his face was shot down. These two causes united to aggravate his sadness; the Lord had rejected his offering, and he had received that of Abel. Now, (111) since he had sinned, he had to do penance and correct himself, for our God is always full of mercy, and he hates in us less sin than (hardening in sin.) But Cain did not hold any account.

6. For the rest, the Lord's conduct showed all the greatness of his mercy, no less than the excellence of his goodness, and even the excess of his patience. And indeed, when he saw Cain violently saddened, and overwhelmed by the waves of pain, he did not look away from him, but he remembered that he had behaved towards Adam with tender compassion, which he had made it easier for him after his crime to obtain pardon for it, and that he had opened to her the door of a humble confession by this interrogation: Adam, where are you? So we see him bear witness to this ungrateful kindness, and offer him, on the edge of the abyss, a helping hand. Thus, to smooth his ways of penance and repentance, he said to him, "Why are you sad, and why is your face downcast? Your offering was good in itself, but did you not sin in the choice of fruits? so calm your irritation; his recourse will be in you and you will dominate him. Consider here, my dear brother, the indulgent and ineffable goodness of the Lord. He saw that Cain was prey to a violent evil, and that a black jealousy assailed him strongly; and now he is hastening, in his merciful tenderness, to offer him a salutary remedy. Even more, he offers her a helping hand to pull her out of the waves that threaten to overwhelm her.

Why are you sad, he said to him; and why is your face downcast? Where does this sadness come from, so great that one can read on your forehead the signs of deep sorrow? Why is your face all downcast? and what is the cause of this melancholy? Why did not you think about what you were doing? and did you think you were offering your sacrifices to a man who can be deceived? Finally, do you not know that I have no need of the gifts of man, and that I only consider in the sacrifice the intention of him who offers it? Why are you sad? and why is your face downcast? your offering was good in itself; but did not you sin in the choice of fruits? Yes, the thought of offering me a sacrifice was commendable; and the bad choice of fruits offered alone made me reject this sacrifice. The oblation of a sacrifice requires great precautions, and the infinite distance which separates the God who receives it from the man who presents it to him, commands. this one a serious attention in the choice of the matter. But you did not make any of these reflections, and you offered me the first fruits that you found under your hand. So I could not accept your sacrifice.

The evil dispositions with which you offered your sacrifice, made me reject it; and on the contrary the purity of the heart and the exquisite choice of the victims made me accept that of your brother. However, I do not hasten to punish your sin, and I only want to put it back to you right now, and give you good advice. If you are, you will obtain your forgiveness, and you will avoid frightful misfortunes. What is this advice? you have sinned, and seriously; but I punish crime less than hardening in crime, for I am good, and I do not wish for the death of the sinner, but to be converted and live. (Ezek. Xviii. 27.) Also because you have sinned, sooth your resentment, restore calm to your thoughts, banish from your mind trouble and worry, and tear your soul from the tumultuous waves that threaten to engulf it. but, above all, beware of falling into a still more serious sin, and of precipitating yourself into irreparable despair. You have sinned, so calm your anger.

The Lord knew that Cain would rise up against his brother, and that was why he tried to warn him of this guilty resolution. Because all the secrets of our hearts are known to him, and he discovered the movements that agitated that of Cain. So he seeks to cure him by paternal opinions, and by a language full of condescension for his guilty dispositions. He does not, therefore, attempt to bring back Cain to better feelings; but the unfortunate man rejected the remedy, and rushed into the abyss of the fratricide. You sinned, said the Lord, so calm your anger. No doubt I have rejected your sacrifice because of your bad dispositions, and I have approved that of your brother because of his pure and righteous intention; but do not think I want to deprive you of the honor and privileges of the birthright. Calm your anger, for though I have honored Abel, and received his gifts; but you shall be his eldest, and he shall be subject to you. Thus, even after your sin, I (112) maintain the privileges of the birthright for you, and I want your younger brother to recognize your superiority and authority.

Admire then with what goodness the Lord seeks to moderate the fury and irritation of Cain, and by what sweet words he tries to calm the anger of his anger! He sees the turmoil and agitation of his heart, and he is not unaware of his cruel and murderous plans; that is why he tries to enlighten his reason; and to restore calm and serenity to his soul, he assures him that his brother will be submitted to him, and that he will lose nothing of his authority. But so much kindness and consideration were useless; Cain did not profit by it, and he continued his malice and obstinacy.

7. I stop, for I fear that a longer speech would tire your ears, and that my words would become a burden and perhaps a nuisance for your kind attention. I end by exhorting you not to imitate this unfortunate man. Our duty is to renounce sin, and to observe faithfully the divine precepts, especially after these great and famous examples. Because now who could apologize for his ignorance! Cain had not before him any previous example which could hold him back, and yet he was condemned to the terrible and dreadful chastisement we all know. What, then, will be that of Christians who, filled with graces, commit the same sins, and still more! Do they not deserve the eternal fire, the worm that does not die, the grinding of teeth, the outer darkness, the flames of hell, and all the tortures that are inevitably reserved for us? Hey! what excuses could we make up for our negligence and cowardice! Do we not know what to do, and what to omit? Besides, do we not know that those who practice virtue will obtain immortal crowns, and that those who commit evil are destined to eternal torments? I conjure you therefore, do not make our assemblies useless, but translate into action the words that you hear. Thus, reassured by the good testimony of our conscience, and leaning on Christian hope, we will cross the stormy sea of ​​this life, and arrive at the port of happy eternity. May we enjoy these ineffable goods that the Lord has promised to those who love him! And may we obtain them, by the grace and mercy of His only-begotten Son, to be, with His holy and adorable Spirit, glory, honor, and empire, now and forever, and forever and ever. . So be it.