I do think most men understand that there is something unreal inherent in sin. Thus when a man approaches something imperfectly unreal such as another man in a state of mortal sin, he is quick to mirror, yet in opposition, in hopes to become some sort of savior himself. So he becomes angry, graceless, vulgar, ugly. Yet instead of becoming a savior, he himself becomes more like that unreal thing.
God, however, is freely without sin, so he has never been subjected to the eternal enemy, the king of sin, thus God has never has any need to become graceless, vulgar, ugly—His treasury is overflowing with resources to have compassion upon sinners; he even has compassion upon and love for the unreal things. Rather, all he has ever had to do is expose, expose the unreal thing for what it truly is— for in everyday life, the unreal thing coexists with all mankind, though in hiding. Thus approaches the Godman, and suddenly the unreal thing speaks, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29).
From St Faustina’s Diary (Paragraph 1698)
“I often attend upon the dying and through entreaties obtain trust in God’s mercy for them, and implore God for an abundance of divine grace, which is always victorious.God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way.Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so.The soul, illuminated by a ray of God’s powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things.Oh, how beyond comprehension is God’s mercy! But – horror! – there are also souls who voluntarily and consciously reject and scorn this grace!Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to God. But sometimes, the obduracy in souls is so great that consciously they choose hell; they [thus] make useless all the prayers that other souls offer to God for them and even the efforts of God Himself.”
