Mental Prayer for October 17 - Sin, the Worst Evil

Mental Prayer Meditation Helps

Presence of God

Grace I Ask: Lord, help me to realize firmly that sin is the worst evil in the world because by it I offend God and I miss my goal and purpose which is heaven.

Mental Picture: I see myself in Hiroshima, Japan ...bright sunlight... peaceful... drone of an airplane high overhead. Suddenly an enormous explo­sion! I see the whole city ignite in flames and a white cloud mushrooming miles up into the sky... I feel my skin blister from the intense heat of the atomic bomb... I hear the agonizing screaming of horror as 100,000 people die in 20 seconds... and yet this doesn't even begin to equal the evil of one mortal sin.

My Personal Application: Why is one mortal sin more evil than any amount of physical suffering? First of all, because it is an offense against an infinitely good God. Secondly, what about the person who does the sinning? Suppose I'm the one. At that moment I am in danger of an eternal living-death agony in hell. The tremendous heat and force of an atom bomb will kill me in a few seconds. But there's an end to that. Between hell and physical death there is no comparison.

I Speak to God: O God, please help me to realize that sin is the worst possible evil that could happen to me. Help me to remember that when I sin, I turn my back on the road to heaven and go in the opposite direction. My God, how foolish I am when by my sins I serve a creature rather than you!

Thought for Today: O God, let me die rather than sin again.
__________________
Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)