Vigils Reading

RETURN WITH YOUR

WHOLE HEART

From a homily by St Faustus of Riez

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Our Lord and Savior exhorts us through the prophet and advises us how

we ought to come to Him after many negligences, saying: “Come let us bow

down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord who made us”; and again: “Return

to me with your whole heart, with fasting, with weeping and mourning”. If we

notice carefully, dearest brethren, the holy days of Lent signify the life of the

present world, just as Easter prefigures eternal bliss.

Now just as we have a kind of sadness in Lent in order that we may rightly

rejoice at Easter, so as long as we live in this world we ought to do penance in

order that we may be able to receive pardon for our sins in the future and arrive

at eternal joy. Each one ought to sigh over his own sins, shed tears and give alms

in such a way that with God’s help he may always try to avoid the same faults as

long as he lives. Just as there never has been, is not now, and never will be a soul

without slight sins, so with the help and assistance of God we ought to be

altogether without serious sins.

Now in order that we may obtain this, if burdens of the world keep us

occupied at other times, at least during the holy days of Lent let us reflect on the

law of the Lord, as it is written, by day and by night. Let us so fill our hearts with

the sweetness of the divine law that we leave no place within us devoid of virtues

so that vices could occupy it. Just as at the time of the harvest or vintage…

enough is gathered so that the body may be fed, so during the days of Lent as at a

time of spiritual harvest or vintage we ought to gather the means whereby our

soul may live forever. Whenever a careless person fails to gather anything at the

time of harvest or vintage, he will be distressed by hunger throughout the entire

space of the year. In the same way if anyone at this season neglects to provide

and gather spiritual wheat and heavenly wine in the storehouse of his soul by

fasting, reading and prayer, he will suffer forever the most severe thirst and

cruel want.

Know for sure, dearest brethren, that the soul which is not fed

continuously by the word of God is like a body which receives food only after

many days. Just as the body becomes thin and dehydrated, almost like a

shadow, through hunger and want, so the soul which is not fed on God’s word is

found to be parched and useless, fit for no good work. Consider, brethren, if

every year we fill the barn and wine cellar and storehouse in order that our body

may have food for one year, how much do you think we ought to store up so that

our soul may be nourished forever?