For the Gate is Wide and the Way is Easy that Leads to Destruction, and Those Who Enter by it are Many

Many years ago there was a bold young fisherman living on the coast of Norway. On a dark and stormy night, he took it into his head to go out in the little fishing boat. His parents and brothers entreated him to stay, but he would not hear them. He was determined to go in spite of every reproach. He sailed on bravely in his tiny bark, till at last the sun arose, warm and bright, upon the placid, glassy sea. Overcome by fatique and heat, the young man fell asleep. Suddenly, he was aroused from his slumber by a loud shouting at a distance, and looking around, he saw his father's fishing boat. The crew were crying aloud, and waving their hands to invite him back. But they made no effort to reach him. What was the matter? What could they mean?

The young man seized his oars, and began to pull towards them, but he was amazed to find that his father's fishing boat was on his left and now on his right. He had evidently been making a circle. He was going round in a spiral curve, and now he was commencing another and a narrower one. A horrible suspicion flashed upon his mind. He threw off his cloak, and pulled like a madman at his oars. But though he broke the circle a little here and there, still round he went, and every time he drew nearer and nearer to the center.

He could distinctly hear the roaring of the water, and as he looked, he could see a downward funnel hissing and foaming. He threw down his oars in despair, and standing up, flung his arms frantically. The wild sea-bird screamed in his ears; he cast himself flat on his face; he shut his ears with his hands, and he held his breath. The boat spun round and round -- the gurgling waters roared above him as he was whirled headlong down into the yawning abyss.

The Broad Way to Hell and the Narrow Way to Heaven

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The story of this unhappy fisherman is the same story of the greater part of mankind, where the whole world has become an immense whirlpool of the grossest vices. Within its vortex are daily drawn thousands of souls, to be buried for ever in its depths. They are driven into it by different currents:

some by the current of immoral and pagan literature;

some by the current of ignorance to the True Faith;

some by the current of sinful pleasures;

some by the current of godless education and secret societies;

some by the current of impure thoughts and companions;

some by the current of choosing a bad spouse;

and others by the current of those rebelling against Christ and His Church.

If we sincerely desire not to be lost forever, we must keep out of such currents; that is, we must avoid the Near Occasions of Sin.

After the Prodigal Son had been kindly received by his father, he firmly resolved never again to leave his father's house and expose himself to the Near Occasion of Sin. Sad experience had taught him that every Near Occasion of Sin is a torrent that leads to the fathomless abyss of everlasting perdition. And by Near Occasion of Sin is meant any object, person, place, or circumstance that frequently leads one into sin. In this matter, every one has to examine his or her own conscience, for the Occasions of Sin are different for each person.

There is one, for instance, who frequents the society of certain companions, in whose company he knows that he is sure to be tempted to sin by immodest conversation, uncharitable speech, cursing, fighting, or gambling. For such a person, these wicked companions are the Near Occasion of Sin.

There is another who knows that when he begins to drink, he cannot stop until he has drunk to excess. For him, the Near Occasion of Sin is the bar-room or drinking-saloon.

Another has an employment which causes him to fall very frequently into sin. A man, for instance, owns a bar-room. Now a bar-room, if properly conducted, is not sinful in itself; but the owner knows from experience that so long as he keeps this bar-room, he, himself cannot give up the sin of drunkenness; and that, moreover, he is continually instigating others to sin by selling liquor to other drunkards, thereby causing them to commit thousands of sins. This business is for him the Near Occasion of Sin.

Another has an immodest picture, or the picture of one whom he loves with sinful passion, and the sight of this picture incites him to immoral or impure thoughts and desires. The picture or person in the image is the Near Occasion of Sin.

There is another who has an occupation in which he is continually tempted, almost forced to cheat and steal. He buys and receives stolen goods. He is continually tempted by the bad example of others to steal from his employers, on the premise that he does not receive enough wages. The employment is the Near Occasion of Sin.

There is one who works in a factory, in a printing office, or store, where he is continually obliged to listen to curses and blasphemies, where he must hear his Holy Faith ridiculed and misrepresented, and where he is almost continually tempted to take part in shameful and immodest discources. If he yields to these temptations and commits sin, that place and his fellow-workers are for him the Near Occasion of Sin.

Another helps to print, to sell Protestant, infidel, and immoral books. Another sings or plays in heretical or infidel churches, and thus gives scandal and encourages others in false worship. These employments are for such persons the Near Occasion of Sin.

A mother and father send their children to heretical or infidel schools, where they are in evident danger of losing their faith and their innocence. These godless schools are for the children, and consequently, for the parents and guardians of the children, the Near Occasion of Sin.

A young man lives in a house where he is continually tempted to sin, or a young woman lives in a place where she has fallen into sin again and again. Such places and circumstances are for such persons the Near Occasion of Sin.

A man keeps company with a person whose very presence causes him to fall into many sins of thought and desire, and tempts him into taking certain common, but sinful liberties. The company of this person is for him the Near Occasion of Sin.

He who has the misfortune to be living at this moment in the Near Occasion of Sin is commanded by God, as he hopes for salvation, to give up this person, place, or thing, no matter what it may cost. As long as he remains in the Near Occasion of Sin, the devil laughs at all his good resolutions. As long as he remains within the power of the devil, the evil spirit does all he can to keep his victim enslaved; and should that person have the happiness to cast him out of his heart by a good confession, the devil has no rest till he enters again. He knocks at the door of the heart by his temptations. He knows from experience the weak side, the ruling passion, of us all.

The foolish may say, "There is no great danger. I am strong enough. I am sure I could live forever in the Near Occasion of Sin without falling into sin. I hate sin; no one can ever induce me to commit it. l would rather die than sin again."

Who is sure of this? Who is certain that he will not fall if he remains in the Near Occasion of Sin? No man. It is certain, on the contrary, that the strongest will fall if he remains.

The Near Occasion of Sin leads us into sin in two ways:

First, it increases the natural weakness of man and his natural inclination to sin.

Second, he who seeks out the Near Occasion of Sin deprives himself of the special assistance of God.

Every one knows that at times, at least, his will is very weak, his passions fearfully strong. Even the great apostle St. Paul experienced this sad effect of original and actual sin, this corrupt inclination to evil. "I feel," he says, "in my members an inclination which wars against my reason. I do not the good which I wish to do, but the evil which I hate."

When a man places himself wilfully in the Near Occasion of Sin, this natural inclination to sin becomes so strong that it is nearly morally impossible to resist it. Suppose one were starving with hunger, and sees before him a table filled with the choicest food, would he be able to refrain from stretching out his hand and taking? Suppose one who is parched with thirst sees before him a cup of cool, fresh water, or a goblet of sparking wine, would he have the strength to resist his ardent longing for a cool drink?

And do we think that we shall be able, without the special grace of God, to resist our furious passions in the presence of the very object of our passions, which we willfully sought out and love? Why do we seek them out? Why do we go to meet them, unless with the desire and purpose of enjoying them? And yet we would deceive ourselves the very moment that we go to meet it or invite it. Is the soul blind or senseless that it knows not that the presence of the object of its passion has a facinating power over it, which without God's special grace it will not be able to resist it?

But this special grace, God does not throw away on those who wilfully turn their backs on Him to go to meet danger. He who goes alone to meet sin must stand or fall alone; and beyond doubt his fall will be speedy, for which he has himself and not his God to accuse.

In the Near Occasion of Sin, even saints have fallen, and persons on the point of death have been lost. Father Segneri relates that a female who had lived in the habit of sin with a young man, called for a confessor at the hour of her death, and with tears confessed all the wickedness of her life. After this she asked leave of her confessor to send for the young man, in order to exhort him to change his life at the sight of her death. The confessor very imprudently gave the permission, and taught her what she should say to her accomplice in sin.

But what happened? As soon as she saw him, she forgot her promise to God to sin no more, as well as the exhortation she was to give to the young man. She raised herself up in the bed, stretched out her arms to him, and said, "Friend, I have always loved you, and love you now more than ever. I see that on your account I shall go to hell, but I do not care; I am willing for the love of you to be damned." After these words, she fell back on her bed and expired.

To remain free from sin in the Near Occasion of Sin requires a miracle, a miracle far greater than to walk unhurt through the midst of a raging fire. But a miralce is a thing that cannot be performed without the special and extraordinary assistance of God. This assistance God will not and cannot give to those who remain wilfully in the Near Occasion of Sin. We may say as often as we please, "Oh! God is good, He will not suffer me to fall; I will pray to Him, and He will assist me."

God's assistance will not be given on such occasions. Listen to God's Own words: "He that loves danger shall perish in it."

For God to give us His assistance as long as we seek and love the Near Occasion of Sin, would be to go against His Own sanctity and justice. One day Satan took our Blessed Lord up and placed Him upon the pinnacle of the temple of Jerusalem, and tempted Him to cast Himself down, saying that the angels would bear Him up; but Jesus, our Divine Savior, answered: "Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God."

Whoever exposes himself wilfully to the Near Occaions of Sin tempts God; he is guilty of the sin of presumption.

Moreover, it is the teaching of all theologians that as often as we expose ourselves wilfully to the Near Occasion of Sin, even though we may not fall into sin, we still become guilty of a Mortal Sin merely by wilfully exposing ourselves to that which we know has led us into sin. This is evident, for God forbids not only sin itself, but also everything that naturally and necessarily leads to sin. It is, therefore, absolutely certain that if we seek the danger, if we love the danger, we shall perish in it.

To say that in certain cases it is allowed to remain wilfully in the Near Occasion of Sin is a proposition condemned by the Church, and consequently to believe such a thing is to be guilty of heresy.

Let our determination to avoid the Near Occasion of Sin be as great as that of a certain woman who was a great sinner. Passing a Church one day to shorten her way, she saw a number of persons crowding in and appearing to expect something extraordinary. Curious to know what was going on, she took her place with the others; and, the crowd increasing, she found herself so surrounded that it was impossible to think of leaving.

A Venerable Missionary ascended the pulpit, and preached on the mercy of God to sinners. Amongst others, he several times repeated these words, "My brethren, there is mercy for every sin, provided the sinner repents." This woman, who had heard all his words very attentatively, fixed her mind particulary on these words, which had struck her.

As soon as the discourse was finished, she made her way through the crowd, and, approaching the missionary just as he went down from the pulprit, she pulled him by the sleeve and said with simplicity: "Is it really true, Father, that there is mercy for every sin?"

"Nothing is more certain, madam! God forgives all sinners if they truly repent."

"But," said the woman again, "there are all sorts of sinners; does God forgive all without distinction?"

"Yes, certainly; provided they detest their sins, God forgives them all without distinction."

"Would He pardon me who for fifteen years have committed the greatest crimes?"

"Undoubtedly," answered the missionary, "He will pardon your sins if you only detest and cease to commit them."

"If that be so, father, I pray you tell me at what hour you will hear my confession."

"I can hear you immediately, madam; prepare yourself, and I will be back in a moment."

The missionary, pointed out his confessional, and returned some time after to hear her. After her confession, she said, "Father, I cannot return to my dwelling without exposing myself to the danger of falling again into sin; could you not procure me a shelter for the night?"

The missionary having explained to her that he could not do it without great difficulty, the woman resolved to remain in the Church all night. Next morning, when the doors were opened, she was found lifeless in a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. She was kneeling, with her face prostrate on the ground, and the pavement was seen wet with the tears she had shed. She had lamented her sins so bitterly that she died of grief.

The missionary being informed of what had happened, went to the place, recognized her as the person whose confession he had heard on the previous night, and admired her resolve to go and sin no more, as well as the greatness of God's mercy.

Prayer to Avoid Sin

My God! The enemies of my soul will not cease to fight against me till death. Unless You assist me, I shall lose You again! Ah! through the merits of Jesus Christ, I ask for the Grace of Holy Perseverance. Do not permit me to be separated from You. And I ask the same Grace for all those who are at the present time in the State of Grace. I hope, with certainty in Your promise, that You will give me Holy Perseverance if I will continue to ask it from You.

But I fear that in my temptations, I shall neglect to have recourse to You, and that thus I shall relapse into sin. I therefore, ask of You the Grace never more to neglect prayer. Grant that whenever I shall be in danger of relapsing, I may recommend myself to You, and may invoke the aid of the Most Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.

O Mary, my Mother! obtain for me the Grace that in all dangers of losing God, I may have recourse to you and to your Son!

Amen

Source of Meditation

The Prodigal Son

Original 1875 Publication

Fr. Michael Muller, 1825 - 1899

CSSR or the Redemptorists founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori