Page 9 - SPIRITUAL EXERCISES 1829

THIRD MEDITATION
On the bodily pains of Hell

I reflected on the torments of the bodily senses: eyes,
ears and nose. However, what scared me most was the
thought that if I ended up in hell, I too would have to hear my
beloved Jesus, my sweet Mary and all the Saints hideously
cursed. Having to stay all the time close to mean, sinful
persons, never, never having anything that can be of the
slightest relief. And all this maybe for a single mortal sin ... And
for a moment’s pleasure, maybe, to gain for myself such a
hideous eternity! ...

Resolutions: To watch over my senses, especially my
eyes, lest I should deserve such a terrible punishment.
I did this Meditation partly walking about and partly

sitting; it must have lasted a little more than ¾ of an hour. At
the start I had some distractions, much less as I went on; I did
let it sink in to some extent.

The second spiritual reading was on the life of St
Gertrude, a nun. I admired her exceptional purity, how much
she cherished this virtue. I therefore concluded how much God
delights in this virtue, and how carefully a person who
possesses it should safeguard it as most valuable. In the life of
this Saint I found joined together the two beautiful virtues of

- 70 -