“They all slumbered and slept.”[1] The sole reason why the former were admitted to the nuptials and the latter excluded was that the wise virgins had their lamps well provided with oil when the bridegroom came unexpectedly whilst the five foolish virgins had to go to buy oil. “Now whilst they went to buy the bridegroom came: and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.”[2] Once for all, he who is not at all times and in all places ready and prepared with a conscience adorned by sanctifying grace has reason to dread lest death should surprise him at any moment and hurry him into an unhappy eternity. Once for all, he who leads a good, Christian life need not fear death at any moment.
The most necessary means of procuring a happy death is to lead a good life. Shown by an example. There are here and there certain simple-minded people who imagine that if they repeat or carry about with them certain prayers they will not die a sudden or unprovided death, and that they will never perish violently by water, fire, or sword. This is a vain, hurtful, and superstitious practice, which cannot be justified either by God, or by the Church, or by the nature of the prayers themselves. And even if a hundred revelations are brought forward to prove their efficacy they are still nothing better than a fraud. The best, nay, the only safe means to be sure of a happy death is to lead a pious Christian life, or otherwise, if God gives that grace to the dying person, to repent sincerely of having led a sinful life. You may not perhaps have heard, my dear brethren, of that rich young man who was addicted to the vanities of the world and especially to the vice of impurity, and who placed all his hopes of salvation in a prayer of the kind I mention? He used to say this prayer every day to the Blessed Virgin, and ask her, at the same time, not to allow him to die suddenly without having some warning of his approaching end, so that he might have time to repent of and confess his sins and so save his soul. On one occasion, after having prayed in this style, an angel appeared to him and said: “Yes, your prayer is heard; you will not die before a sign has been given you that death is at hand; meanwhile I advise you to amend your wicked life.” Who would not think that this warning of the angel should have sunk deeply into the young man’s heart, and that he would at once have profited by it? But it was quite the contrary with him; being now, as he imagined, safe, he continued his
