Christ is for us the way and example.
Father God now speaks: "I say to you, O soul that I made, O man whom I made, I say to you, you had ended. What had you ended? You had perished. I sent to you someone who sought you, I sent to you someone who walked with you, I sent to you someone who pardoned you. Hence he walked with feet, pardoned with hands. Hence, when after the resurrection he ascended, he showed hands, side, and feet: hands, by which he gave forgiveness of sins; feet, by which he announced peace to the forsaken; side, from which flowed the price of the redeemed." Christ, therefore, is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Make known to me, Lord, my end. Now your night’s end has come to be known to you. How has your end been made known to you? Your end was poor, your end was humble, your end was struck with blows, your end was covered with spit, against your end false testimony was given. I set a guard upon my mouth while the sinner stood against me. He himself has become your way. Whoever says they abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. There is the way. Now let us walk, let us not fear, let us not stray. Let us not walk outside the way. For it has been said: They laid scandals for me around the path, and they laid a snare for me around the path. And behold that mercy. So that you might not fall into the snare, you have that very mercy as the way. Make known to me, Lord, my end. Behold you have the end. Imitate Christ the redeemer: Be imitators of me, just as I am of Christ. How did Paul imitate Christ? Note what he said: In hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, and all the way to: Who is scandalized, and I do not burn? I have become all things to all men, so that I might save some. I set a guard upon my mouth while the sinner stood against me. What are the words of Paul, Brothers? Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Consider the end. Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or nakedness, or peril? O loving, O fervent, O running, O arriving man! What did this soul endure? How fervently he taught, how fervently did he teach? Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Distress? and so on, or sword? What did he endure? And lest anyone thought he was boasting, he said: Brothers, I consider I have not yet attained.
Never say: it is enough, but daily seek what you lack.
What does this mean: Make known to me, Lord, my end and the number of my days, what it is? How much do I have to live here? Why do you wish to know the day? So that I may know what is lacking for me. What is lacking, but unto eternity. Now consider Paul. After such labors, he still says, I do not consider myself to have apprehended. Hear him saying: What is lacking for me. Therefore let no one say: "I have already fasted much, labored much, given much. I have already done all of God's commandments. I did this yesterday, I did this today." And today will still be, if ever you were. Yesterday always has today; if you come to tomorrow, it will have today; and even if you come to ten years from now, it will be today. Always you say today: What is lacking for me. For if Paul, in such great labors a heavenly soldier, if after such great discipline and after such revelations, taken up to the third heaven, and heard ineffable words, and yet, so that he would not be exalted by revelations, received a thorn in the flesh to humble him, who is there who can say: "It is sufficient"? From that therefore make known to me, Lord, my end. And behold, you have Christ before you as the end. You no longer need to seek. As soon as you have believed, you have already known. But the matter is not in faith alone, but in faith and work. Both are necessary. For even the demons believe (you have heard the Apostle), and tremble, but it does not benefit them because they believe. Faith alone is not enough, unless it is also accompanied by works: Faith that works through love, says the Apostle. Make known to me, Lord, my end and the number of my days, what it is. This is not said because if each of us knew when we would die, he might decide for himself, for example, to live well. Hence the master himself, wishing us to become vigilant, is asked about the day and hour, and says: About that day and hour no one knows. For he did not wish that they should know. Hence he said: not even the Son; that is, it is not expedient for you to know. For you will be negligent, not vigilant. The more you will live well, the more you are vigilant. It is not because I do not know the day, for all that the Father has is mine. Make known to me, Lord, my end and the number of my days, what it is. Make this known to me, so that I may always be vigilant, because I do not know when the thief will come so that I may know what is lacking for me.
In temptation and tribulation, let us know what is lacking for us.
Therefore, Brothers, let us be careful there, so that we may know what we lack. The temptation of Christians is the trial of Christians. For he who is tempted, it is shown to him what he lacks. There are two things: either it is shown to him what he has, or it is shown to him what he lacks. Abraham was tempted not so that it might be shown to him what he lacked, but so that it might be shown to us what we should imitate. He was tempted in his son. What was that temptation? He longed for a son in his advanced age, already for whom there was desperation. However, when he heard the promise of God, he did not hesitate at all. He believed, he received, he merited, he accepted. He was born, he was nurtured, he was brought to maturity, he was weaned. And it was said to him: "In your seed all nations will be blessed." He knew in which seed, for we have testimony in the Gospel: "Abraham desired to see my day," he said, "and he saw it, and was glad." He knew therefore. After all those things he had believed, he heard from God: "Abraham, offer your son to me as a sacrifice." He was tempted. Why? Did God not know his faith? But He deigned to show these things for our sake. For to us it is said: "Offer me the sacrifice of your purse," and we doubt. What sacrifice? "Give alms and behold all things are clean for you"; and again: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." "Give something from your purse," it is said to you, and you hesitate. What if you were commanded concerning your son? Behold, you hesitate about your purse; what would you have done about your son? So that I may know what I lack. I will speak not without pain and shame. Many women perhaps wish to serve God, and, if they are bold, they say to their parents: "Let me go, I want to be a virgin of God," or: "I want to be a servant of God," and they hear: "Neither be saved, nor have salvation. Truly you will not do what you want. You will do what I want." What if you were told: "Kill"? You live, eternal life is promised to you, it is before you. And you resist, and doubt, and fight? Indeed, a Christian you are. "Why, Lord, because I am a Christian do I not have to have grandchildren?" Do you have to have grandchildren? Do you know how much you lack, because you fasted yesterday? Sing what he said: "Make known to me, Lord, my end, and the number of my days, so that I may know what I lack." For may God, and His mercy, grant that daily we may be stirred, either tempted, or tested, or exercised, or made progress. "Tribulation produces patience, patience produces proof, proof produces hope. And hope does not disappoint."
Let us therefore endeavor daily to make progress in God.
Therefore, my brothers, let us desire daily to know who we are, lest, when we are secure, the day comes and nothing is found of what we thought, and it is said to us: Who will confess to you in hell? Therefore, my brothers, let us strive daily to advance in God, not sparing passing things, which we are to leave behind here. Let us heed the faith of Abraham, because he too was our father. Let us imitate his devotion, let us imitate his faith. If we are tested in our children, let us not fear; if in our purse, let us not be terrified; if anything is inflicted upon the infirmities of our body, let us place our hope in God. We are Christians, we are pilgrims. Let no one be frightened, our homeland is not here. He who wants to have his homeland here will lose it, and he will not come to that one. Let us strive as good children towards our homeland, so that our course may be approved and brought through. Turned towards the Lord.