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me is all hope of life and of virtue;  come
over to me all  Ecclus. 24:25. My children, that Mother of Mercy says to us, My poor afflicted
children, have recourse to me, and in me you shall find all hope; my Son denies me nothing. You
were 'dead by sin; come to me, find me, and you shall find life the life of divine grace, which I
shall recover for you by my intercession. (Act of contrition).


REFERRING TO SOME PARTICULAR CALAMITIES

1. Earthquakes

" The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved ,
because He was angry with them.'  Ps. 17:8.

" The earth shall be moved out of her place for the indignation of the Lord." Is. 13:13.
- "With shaking shall the earth be shaken as a drunken man. "  Is. 24:20. On these words Cardinal
Hugo makes the following
comment: "The earth shall eject sinners." St. John Chrysostom says: "The cause of the
earthquake is God's anger; but the cause of the divine anger is our sins. But do not fear the
punishment, but fear sin, which is the cause of the punishment.'' De Lazaro, cone. 6.
 - "The Lord shook the earth not to over throw it, but to convert unto salvation those that lead
wicked lives."  Serm. de S. Basso Mart.  "The city is shaken, but your mind remains unmoved." 
De Laz. cone. 6.  "The earthquake has preceded like a herald announcing God's anger that we may
escape by penance the punishment that we have merited." --Ibid.  "Behold, there came an
earthquake; what have riches profited thee? The possessor has perished along with the possession.
The city has become for all a common sepulchre, which has been built, not by the hand of the
artificer, but by calamity." 

Ibid.  "The hearts of men are first disturbed, then the elements."  Ibid.

2. Drought

 "If you walk in My precepts,  I will give you rain in due seasons. But if you will not hear
Me, I will make to you the heaven above as iron, and the earth as brass. Your labor shall be
spent in vain, the ground shall not bring forth her increase, nor the trees yield their fruit.'
 Levit. 26:3, 14, 19.
"How long shall the hind mourn, and the herb of every field wither for the wickedness of
them that dwell therein? The beasts are consumed.' Jer. 12:4.
 "Thou shalt case much seed into the
ground, and gather little." Deut. 28:38.
Commentary:  "Therefore the fields are
sterile, because charity has grown cold." "Thou hast polluted the land with thy for­
nications and with thy wickedness. Therefore the showers were withholden.'' Jer. 3:2.
- "You have not returned to Me, saith the Lord. I also have withholden the rain from you when there
were yet three months to the harvest."  Amos 4:6. St. Basil:  "Let us learn that because we have
turned our backs upon God He has inflicted upon us
calamities.' Hom. in fame et siccit.
" Let his roots be dried up, and his harvest destroyed.' Job 18:16.
Solomon, when dedicating the Temple to
God, thus spoke to God in prayer:  ''If heaven shall be shut up, and there shall be no rain
because of their sins, and they praying in this place shall do penance,  hear Thou them in
heaven."  3 Kings 8:35.
The Lord says:  "I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it."  Is . 5:6.  "Because
My house is desolate, therefore the heavens over you were stayed from giving dew,
and I called for a drought upon the land. "  Agg. 1:9.
St. Augustine:  "Punishments continue,

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