I do not see that there is any sinner in the whole Gospel story who was brought to repentance otherwise than by kindness and by benefits. Our Lord drew to Himself St. Matthew, Zacchaeus and other publicans by inviting Himself to eat with them and showing that He did not spurn their company - unlike the Pharisees who treated them as infamous persons. He won the heart of Magdalen - not by severe reproaches, but by permitting her to draw near to Him, praising what was praiseworthy in her action, taking up her defence against the respectable people whom she scandalised. Any other but Jesus would have pronounced against the woman taken in adultery the sentence of death written in the Law; but He saved her by a miracle; He obliged the judges and the accusers to retire, and, when she stood alone, He said: "Woman, has no one, then, condemned thee?" "No one, Lord", she answered. "Neither, then, will I condemn thee. Go now and sin no more." He did not put to shame the Samaritan woman by at once recalling to her what He knew concerning her sinful life; He quietly won her to make her own confession; after that first step He so gained on her that she admitted everything, recognised Him for what He was and made Him known to all that city of Samaria. What did He not do to win back Judas? Everything, except to confound or denounce him or speak to him harshly. He showed him clearly that He knew of his crime, but spoke so that the others did not understand; He washed his feet and wiped them, He suffered the traitor to kiss Him, He called him "Friend", He called him by his name, He uttered no word of bitterness or anger. To move Peter to repentance He was content with a look; and it was not a look that struck terror, but a look full of tenderness and affection. Finally, to conquer the obstinacy of Thomas, He took the doubting Apostle's hand and gently placed it in the wound of His pierced side.

If, when God seeks to convert us, He were striving for some interest or advantage of His Own, I should not be surprised at His acting with such extreme moderation and clemency; but since His zeal has no other end than to withdraw us from sin and death, we may well wonder that He acts so delicately and so patiently spares us and yields to us. When a father sees his child in danger of death by drowning or by fire, he does not consider whether he seizes him by the foot or by the hand, whether he drags him into safety by his clothes or by his hair, whether he hurts him or not, provided only he can rescue him from that extreme peril. But God seems to have consideration for our weakness even in the extremity of our dangers; He studies our humour, inclination, disposition, even our passions and bad habits, in order to seize and draw us in the way that will pain us least. To the man that loves gain He offers the treasures of Heaven; to the miser He suggests the terrible poverty in which he will find himself in the next life; to the votary of pleasures He insinuates the peaceful joys of a life free from guilt, from remorse and from the warfare of the passions; to one who shrinks from suffering and pain He recalls the endless sufferings of the lost; to one who is of affectionate and grateful disposition He recalls His benefits, the blessings that He has given, is giving, and proposes in future to give. But if this delicacy and ingenuity of your Lord in drawing you to Him has not powerfully struck you; for surely we have, most of us, strangely tried and proved it!