Rizal was reading the &amp;#8220;Imitation of Christ&amp;#8221; by Thomas a&amp;#8217;Kempis in his last hours. The book is one of the great classical Christian writings of the medieval period. Rizal would give this to Josephine Bracken.

The book, among others, strengthened the national hero in his last moments. &amp;#8220;The Voice of Christ: With God nothing that is suffered for His sake, no matter how small, can pass without reward. Be prepared for the fight, then, if you wish to gain victory, without struggle you cannot obtain the crown of patience, and if you refuse to suffer you are refusing the crown. But if you desire to be crowned, fight bravely and bear up patiently. Without labor there is no rest, and without fighting, no victory.
The Disciple: O Lord, let that which seems naturally impossibe to me become possible through Your grace. You know that I can suffer very little, and that I am quickly discouraged when any small adversity arises. Let the torment of tribulation suffered fo Your name be pleasant and desirable to me&amp;#8230;&amp;#8221;
- Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Ch. 19

This can only be read by a man who, when he went back to his country, has already resigned himself to die.