Mirror of Sinners on the Contempt of the World

"Do penance, for the kingdom of God is near." Concerning this penance, Scripture says: "Happy is the early penance and timely conversion, for it is secure; but he who turns late to penance will be doubtful and uncertain, because it is unknown whether he repents sincerely." Hence Gregory in his 12th homily: "He who promised forgiveness to the penitent did not promise the morrow to the sinner." For penance frees the soul from the servitude of the devil, sanctifies it with the gifts and virtues of the Holy Spirit, places it under the protection of God, prepares it to be crowned in paradise, and pleads for it. This, alas, the lovers of this world notice very little: the avaricious, the luxurious, the proud, the gluttonous, the voluptuous, those greedy for vain glory, the wrathful, lovers of their own will, and those who despise the divine will, choosing to make a short feast in this world and a long vigil in hell. For so says Blessed Gregory: "Momentary is that which delights, eternal that which tortures." Alas, alas! And there are many among us for whom these things said above achieve little. I speak to the lovers of the world; they turn their face away so as not to see the end, for they have eyes but do not see, they have ears but do not hear; they think they will live forever, and because they do not fear death, which is destined for them, the miserable ones disdain to provide for their own ruin. They are to be considered similar to the foolish who lived impiously until death, who died a worthy death, yet do not fear the neighboring death. They are like blind and foolish minds, not providing for their last ends and what will come after death. Hence Augustine: "Many are damned finally, and they remain in sins, not correcting themselves at the voice of the Lord, saying 'tomorrow, tomorrow,' for when 'tomorrow' comes, the door is suddenly closed, and the sinner remains outside before the ark of the heavenly homeland with the voice of a crow referring to the raven sent by Noah that did not return because he did not want to groan for his sins in the time when he should have, with the voice of a dove referring to the dove that returned, symbol of the Holy Spirit/peace." And again Augustine: Whence he says, by way of a similarity of a dying man: "O tomorrow, tomorrow! How long you have made me wait, and by procrastinating you have dragged me into the chasm of death! You have deceived me, and I have been deceived. Is not this misery above all the misery of this world? Is not my heart justly afflicted by this, and my soul wounded? Alas, all my days have passed without the fruit of good works, which I should have spent in praising God and procuring the salvation of my soul." And he adds further: "Thirty years of my age have elapsed, and they have been lost and miserably perished. They have passed so negligently that I do not know if I ever spent a single day out of all these for the will of God and the salvation of my soul as perhaps I should have, or if I ever showed the service well-pleasing to my Creator as my state required. Alas for me! Woe, from where my inner being is wounded!" He also adds: "O God, how will I stand shamefully before You and all the saints at the judgment when I must render an account of commissions and omissions? Woe is me, and what shall I say then, when my tribulation is near, so that..."