We are still celebrating advent, remembering the first coming of Christ to save humanity from sin and death, and looking forward to his second coming on the last day, when he will come to judge all people. In point of fact the last day for us will be the day when we pass away. Each one of us has the date of death written on their head. The real big question is not when, where or how we are going to die but whether we shall die in sin or in grace.
In the parable of the 10 virgins (Mt 25, 1-13), Jesus tells us that five were foolish because they expected to convert at the end of their lives. But they lived in sin and died in sin. When they knocked on heaven’s door − because it was shut for them − Jesus answered that he did not know them. Most of those in hell have lived separated from God in sin and ended up in the eternal state of separation from God in hell for ever.
The devil’s trap to get you under his thumb in hell forever is to convince you to leave your conversion for some day in the future. That future will never come and consequently your conversion will never materialise.
In his book Preparation for Death, Chapter 22, St Alphonsus Liguori writes: “How does it happen that so many Christians live obstinately in sin until they are lost at the end? Their own malice blinds them. Sin blinds them and thus they are lost. Every sin produces blindness; the more sins are multiplied, the greater the blindness they produce.”
St Bernard says: “Some sinners say: I will amend before death; but it is very difficult for a habitual sinner, even in his old age, to change his life. The man who has been obstinate in sin during life will make efforts, but without success, to get out of the state of damnation; and overwhelmed by his own malice, he will end his life in the same unhappy state.”
In St Faustina’s diary on Divine Mercy we read that on Christmas Day of 1935 Jesus told her: “There are souls who despise my graces as well as all the proofs of my love. They do not wish to hear my call, but proceed into the abyss of hell”. And in November 1937 he told her: “Oh, if sinners knew my mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to approach me; speak to them of my great mercy”.
God is infinitely merciful and continues to run after the sinner until the last second of their life, but living in sin normally leads to stubbornness and dying in sin.
For those sinners who sincerely want to attain eternal salvation, Christ’s mercy calls them to convert now!
In our Catholic churches Christ is really present. He is waiting for all sinners to embellish their souls with the beauty of his sanctifying grace through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He is ready to give them the powerful grace to deny themselves, renounce sin and all occasions of sin and start a new life in sanctifying grace. A sincere and lasting conversion is the best gift sinners can receive from Jesus for Christmas.