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most troublesome, call quickly upon Jesus and Mary. Beware, brother, if you do not be converted
now, you may never be converted. (Act of contrition).

FIFTH DISCOURSE

External Devotions are Useless
if we do not Cleanse our Souls from Sin.

''And now do not mock, lest your bonds be tied strait."  Isa. 27:22.

God commands Jonas to go and preach to Ninive. Jonas, instead of obeying God, flies by sea towards
Tharsis. But, behold! a great tempest threatens to sink the ship; and Jonas knowing that the
tempest was raised in punishment of his disobedience, said to the crew of the vessel: Take me up
and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you; for I know that for my sake this great
tempest is upon you.  Jon. 1:12. And they actually did cast him into the sea, and the tempest
ceased thereupon. And the sea ceased from raging. Jon. 1:15. Then if Jonas had not been thrown
into the sea the tempest should not have ceased. Consider well, my brethren, what we are to learn
from this. It is, that if we do not cast sin out of our souls, the tempest, that is, the
scourge of God, will not cease. The tempest is excited by our sins; the tempest which is hurrying
us to destruction. Our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.  Is. 64:·6. Behold, we have
penitential exercises, novenas, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; but to what purpose are
those if we be not converted, if we do not rid our souls of sin? The subject of our discourse is:
EXTERNAL DEVOTIONS ARE USELESS, IF WE DO NOT ABANDON
OUR SINS; because otherwise we cannot please God.

It is said that the pain is not removed before the thorn has been plucked out. St.
Jerome writes that God is never angered, since anger is passion, and passion is incompatible
with God. He is always tranquil; and even in the act of punishing, his tranquility is not in the
least disturbed. But Thou being master of power, judgest with tranquility.  Wisd. 12:18. But the
malice of mortal sin is so great, that if God were capable of wrath and affliction, it would enrage
and afflict him. It is this that sinners do as far as in them lies, according to that of Isaias:
But they provoked to wrath, and afflicted the spirit of His holy one. Is. 63:10. Moses
writes, that when God was about to send the deluge, he declare himself to be so much afflicted by
the sins of men as to be obliged to exterminate them from the earth. And being touched inwardly
with sorrow of heart, He said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the
earth.  Gen. 6:6.

St. John Chrysostom says that sin is the only cause of all our sufferings and chastisements.
Commenting upon these words in Genesis which the Lord spoke after the deluge, I will place My bow
in the clouds,
 Gen. 9:13, St. Ambrose remarks that God does not say I will place my arrow, but my bow, in
the clouds; giving us thereby to understand that it is always the sinner who fixes the
arrow in the bow of God by provoking him to chastisement.

If we wish to be pleasing to the Lord, we must remove the cause of his anger, which is sin. The man
sick of the palsy besought Jesus Christ to restore the health of his body; but, before granting his
request, our Lord first restored his soul's health by giving him sorrow for his sins, and then
saying to him: Be of good heart, son; thy sins are forgiven thee.  Matth. 9:2. St. Thomas
says that the Redeemer first removed the cause of his infir­
mity, namely, his sins, and then freed him

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