Catholic during the Great Apostasy

1. The life of the human heart is a ceaseless cycle of worries and desires. “Take care of yourself” – in this admonition, one of the ancient sages contained all the teachings of wisdom.

There are people who completely devote themselves to external matters, worrying about everything except themselves. To think only of oneself is wrong, but to also think of oneself is good. There is no created thing over which a reasonable person should care more than their soul and their inner life.
My soul is more precious than the entire world. What good will the whole world do me if I suffer harm to my soul? After the temporal comes eternity; my soul is immortal. This temporal life is short, given to me primarily to gain eternal life.

We care greatly about the health of our bodies; how much more should we care for the health of our souls! I have only one soul; God adopted it as His child, and through this grace of adoption, it is worth as much as the precious blood of Christ.

If we lose our soul, we lose it forever.

The happiness of my soul is my happiness. To achieve this happiness, I must pass the test of life. The trial is short, and eternity depends on it.
Human life is like a wave that rises for a moment on the vast surface of disappearing time and then subsides. During this short life, a person is confronted with an extremely important choice. The current of circumstances surrounding them is not within their power. However, within this current, they can choose a direction leading either to infinite happiness or eternal torment. In this trial, you must faithfully cooperate with grace; your happiness lies in your own hands.

Choose.
You stand at a crossroads; the path that seems more difficult leads to the goal, while the more comfortable path leads to an abyss.
Life almost constantly places you in a choice between good and evil. Each such choice is full of meaning. Evil spreads quickly, good grows slowly; nettles grow without effort, but roses require cultivation.

It is worth the trouble to achieve the goal of life! Great things are accomplished only through effort, not mere desire. The prey does not fall into the mouth of a sleeping lion.

The main part of the trial lies in making good use of the inconveniences and hardships of life. Joys and sorrows often alternate – this is the lot of humanity. Whoever does not fall in the face of this change is a strong person. In misfortune, lift your heart; in fortune, be humble.
Your most important effort, then, should be to endure and win the trial upon which the salvation of your soul depends.

You may care about the legitimate goods of this life, but not excessively. Whoever only worries about maintaining their health as long as possible is like a miser who hoards treasures but never uses them. Judge everything and act in everything according to God’s will.

—

2. The trial to which humans are subjected here presents certain dangers. Hence, in Christian circles, there is talk of saving one’s soul.

Save your soul!
Your Lord and Creator waits for you to endure the trial and earn your salvation. God has destined no one for destruction.
Even if a person commits the greatest sins, God does not desire their death but that they turn back and live. But when a person refuses what God desires, God forces no one.
Woe to the person who stands before God’s face as a rebel.
What generous prince would endlessly bestow benefits on a subject who deliberately insults him daily?

God will cast the proud into hell, which they themselves have prepared.
It is terrifying to be caught in a machine, to be crushed by the forces of nature; but how much more terrifying it will be to fall into the hands of a just God!

Save yourself! You will understand what this “save yourself” means if you have read descriptions of a sinking ship or a burning house.
If you were sitting in a train you knew would soon plunge into an abyss, what would you do? Would a comfortable cushion keep you in your seat?

And what will you do when you know that the train of your life is speeding toward an abyss with increasing velocity?
Save yourself! You are sick; you have a mortal wound, and its danger grows with each passing day.
Save yourself from eternal death, from the dreadful abyss! Save yourself amidst the numerous dangers surrounding you during the trials of temporal life. These dangers are so great that you would perish if left to your own strength.
Save yourself by firmly relying on God.

—

Christian Philosophy of Life – Fr. Tilmann Pesch, S.J.
Translated from German. Volume I, Second Edition. Kraków, 1930, pp. 161–164.