Sunsets Into Sunrises
Bishop Martin - The Progress of a Soul in the Beyond
- Chapter 60 -
BISHOP MARTIN AS PEACEMAKER. - THE SANCTIMONIOUS FOLLIES OF THE TEACHING SISTERS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES IN THE BEYOND. - MARTIN'S ADMONITION.
1
(Bishop Martin): "Listen, all you dear sisters, let the Lord Jesus decide this for you. He alone is a just judge! But you forgive each other from all your heart and everything will be all right. This house of mine is a house of peace and love, and not a house of vengeance! Therefore, do compose yourselves and be happy that you have found such good shelter here with me - doubtlessly only thanks to the Lord's compassion. If you manage to change your hatred into love, your appearance is sure to improve considerably.
2
In the world, many walk the wrong path of virtue; why should you have been an exception? Although you did much, it was not done for the sake of the Lord, but only for the sake of heaven. That is not according to the Gospel! You have to do everything in your power and then you shall say: 'Lord, behold, I was an idle servant! O Lord, have mercy upon Your most idle servant!' If you, my dear sisters, will adopt this attitude and not judge or condemn each other, you will surely find favor in the eyes of God.
3
Don't you know what the wise teacher, Paul, says who considers himself only a bad, idle servant, who regards his work as of little merit and only the grace of God essential? He says that a man is not justified by his deeds, but solely by the grace of the Lord. Take this to heart and put your imagined merits at the feet of the Lord. Admit the futility of all that until now you considered your justification for eternal life, then the grace of God will soon become evident to you.
4
I was a bishop in the world, and was convinced that upon my arrival in the beyond heavenly hosts would come to meet me. However, things worked out in quite a different way. So far, I have not yet seen the actual heaven, although I have talked to the Lord on many occasions and have received this house directly from His most holy hands. How do you think you could already be crowned with all glory? Only with patience, meekness, love, and good cheer will everything come right!"
5
The Sisters of Charity are quite appeased and step back, and Bishop Martin calls the Teaching Sisters, who were just on the point of starting a fight, and he asks them how they came to be in such distress and where they had been living on earth.
6
(One of the Teaching Sisters): "Oh, dearest, highly esteemed and honorable friend, we are not all from one place, but come from France, Switzerland, Wales, and various parts of Australia.
7
We lived most devoted lives. We prayed at least fourteen times each day, for not less than a quarter of an hour; every day we attended holy mass and evensong. On Sundays and holidays we attended at least three masses, a sermon, the afternoon litany, and both benedictions. We went to confession every week, at least three times during Advent and Lent, and received the most holy sacrament daily. We fasted five times a week in honor of the holy five wounds, and on Fridays, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we gave ourselves seven smart-lashes with a rope or rod, four on the left and three on the right breast.
8
The remainder of the time we used for meditation and the teaching of young girls, in whose hearts we endeavored to promote the desire - if financially feasible - to follow in our footsteps as early as possible, laying all their earthly heritage at God's feet so that they might become pure and worthy brides of Jesus Christ.
9
We were not allowed on the streets unveiled and were strictly prohibited to look at a profane man, not even a priest, but only a holy brother from the Order of St. Francis, a holy Jesuit, a bishop, or maybe also a very pious canon. If we then had any unchaste thoughts, we immediately told the worthy Mother about it, asking her for most severe punishment to rid our chaste hearts of such infernal spook.
10
The worthy Mother, who was extremely holy, gave us her good advice first, and only then the appropriate punishment, dependent on the severity of the unchaste thoughts. For a very small thought, there was one lash on the naked body, three rosaries and a total fast day. For a larger sinful thought, there were seven sharp lashes, until blood was drawn, then twelve rosaries and three total fast days during the week. For a very sinful thought - maybe even about the damnable marriage state as it now exists - there were fifteen lashes with pointed rods, thirty rosaries, nine total fast days over a period of three weeks, and a sharp-pointed cilicium (girdle of penance) over the naked breast or the thighs.
11
In addition to the penance ordered by the dear, worthy Mother, there were the spiritual penances which were often much worse. We had to get up in the middle of the night and take part in prayers. This was particularly hard in winter, and if we fell ill following these cruel hardships, we were not even allowed to wish for recovery, but only for death, in order to do penance for our sins. These, and other most cruel kinds of self-abnegation, were demanded of us. From this brief but true description, you can see what terribly hard lives we led on earth.
12
Thus we suffered a lot for Christ, usually most patiently, and we obeyed the strict rules of our order without complaint. We signed over to the order all our property, for the good of the order, for the glory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for the glory of God. In view of this, we did not think that it was asking too much of God for Him to bestow on us eternal bliss immediately upon our bitter death . However, we not only saw our well-founded hopes melt away like froth, but we also had the following experience.
13
When all of us who are here now arrived almost simultaneously in this spirit world, we were told by some peasants where we were, and we noticed some miserable females, well-known to us, who had also arrived when we did in this spirit world. Of course, we expected a crowd of devils to meet these loose, bad, heretic female souls, in order to draw them into hell as was deserved by them.
14
However, we were amazed to see not devils, but angels descend from heaven, who arrayed these bad, sinful souls in true celestial garments. They gave them shining palm branches and carried them straight up into heaven, without paying any attention whatsoever to us. We cried, we prayed for what seemed to us millions of years, and we implored Mary and God through all His saints and elect - but so far our cries have been in vain. Isn't that just too bad? Haven't we been deceived, in the temporal as well as in the eternal life? Can that be called divine justice?"
15
(Bishop Martin): "Do have some patience! For the time being, you are provided for. And even if your position were not to improve ever, your life now is quite bearable. Do not count too much on your merit! How could you be so stupid in the world to put up with confinement and beatings, and practically allow them to kill you? What good did you do your fellowmen by suffering all that? You were only concerned with saving your own skin and would not have cared if God had condemned all the world, as long as you had won heaven.
16
This type of love of your neighbor is of no help whatsoever in this world. Therefore, be patient! Forget about your merit! Consider yourselves bad, idle servants of the Lord, and you, too, will find favor with Him. Step back now and let me see the Ladies of the Sacred Heart."