Touching the Lord
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Father Robert DeCesare, LC
Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large
crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue
officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and
pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." He
went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. There
was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered
greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she
was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up
behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch
his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at
once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked,
"Who has touched my clothes?" But his disciples said to him,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ´Who touched
me?´" And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing
what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down
before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your
faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While
he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official´s house arrived and
said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue
official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He did not allow
anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of
James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught
sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said
to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but
asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along
the child´s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room
where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, Talitha
koum, which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl,
a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were
utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said
that she should be given something to eat.
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, You taught: “Ask, and it
will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be
opened for you” (Matthew 7:7). You invite me to place my petition here before You.
I believe Lord, that You will hear my prayer if I earnestly ask You with a
sincere heart . I hope in Your goodness and mercy, and I offer You my love even
if it is paltry in comparison to Yours , for You are the wellspring of love and
goodness itself.
Petition: Lord, help me to reach out to You with faith.
1. “If I But Touch His Clothes ” Lord, at times you can seem so distant, so far from us. I believe that
you are God, all-powerful and almighty. Yet, Lord, I believe that you want me
to come to you. As great and as mighty as you are, you invite me to come to you
as a little child. How seldom do I seek to reach out to you like the woman
suffering a hemorrhage! What great faith she has. All she wants to do is have
contact with you. She doesn’t seek much, just a brief moment. At times my life
goes by so fast that I do not seek even that. I worry about my own things, and
I get so caught up in my own problems that I do not think about bringing them
to you as she does. It seems so right and so easy , yet how frequently do I
hold the attitude she does?
2. “Who Touched Me?” Lord, it
must please you to recognize someone has reached out to you. Many times you
marveled at our faith, even if it be just for a moment. You were amazed at the
faith of the centurion when he said: “Only speak the word, and let my servant
be healed” (Luke 7:7). You promised the “Good Thief” that he would be with you
in Paradise. This woman believed that you could do something to make a
difference in her life, and she sought you out. How often do we touch you? How
often do we bring you to look for us, to seek us out because we seek you out?
3. “Your Faith Has Saved You ” Faith in
you, Lord, is what inspired the woman to touch your cloak. She believed that
you would make her well. Reaching out to you was her prayer. She knows who she
is: a creature whom the Father has made, a poor soul in need of help. She ha d
tried to do it alone, seeking cures in medicine. They only worsened her
condition. Now she asks for your help. Not only do you help her, Lord, but you
save her. You are waiting to do the same for me if I simply come to you and
make my petition. Lord, I believe that by making my petition known to you, I am
being the person you made me to be. I am one who is totally dependent on you. I
need you for everything. By myself I can do nothing, but with you I can do all
things (Cf. Galatians 2: 20).
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I
recognize that You want me to touch You like the woman with a hemorrhage did. I
believe, Lord, that You are waiting for me to come to You as she did. All I
have to do is reach out and touch You. You will be there to answer my prayer.
Resolution: I shall make two acts of faith during the day
so as to reach out to my Lord, who is waiting for me to come to him .
Excerpts from the DIARY of
Saint Faustina Kowalska
55 1933. Spiritual Counsel Given Me by Father Andrasz,
S.J.
First: You must not turn away
from these interior inspirations, but always tell everything to your confessor.
If you recognize that these interior inspirations refer to your own self; that
is to say, they are for the good of your soul or for the good of other souls, l
urge you to follow them; and you must not neglect them, but always do so in
consultation with your confessor.
Second: If these inspirations are not in accord with the faith or the spirit of the Church, they must be rejected immediately as coming from the evil spirit.
Third: If these inspirations do not refer to souls, in general, nor specifically to their good, you should not take them too seriously, and it would be better to even ignore them.
But you should not make this decision by yourself, either one way or the other, as you can easily be led astray despite these great favors from God. Humility, humility, and ever humility, as we can do nothing of ourselves; all is purely and simply God's grace.
You say to me that God demands great trust from souls; well then, you be the first to show this trust. And one more word-accept all this with serenity.
Words of one of the confessors: "Sister, God is preparing many special graces for you, but try to make your life as clear as crystal before the Lord, paying no attention to what anyone else thinks about you. Let God suffice you; He alone."
Toward the end of my novitiate, a confessor [perhaps Father Theodore] told me: "Go through life doing good, so that I could write on its pages: `She spent her life doing good.' May God bring this about in you."
Another time the confessor said to me, "Comport yourself before God like the widow in the Gospel; although the coin she dropped into the box was of little value, it counted far more before God than all the big offerings of others."
On another occasion the instruction I received was this: " Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God; give, then, generously to others. They should take leave of you with their hearts filled with joy, even if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment. Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now."
Still another time he gave me the following recommendation: "Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life."
Here are a few words from a conversation I had with the Mother Directress [Mary Joseph] toward the end of my novitiate: "Sister, let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls."
Second: If these inspirations are not in accord with the faith or the spirit of the Church, they must be rejected immediately as coming from the evil spirit.
Third: If these inspirations do not refer to souls, in general, nor specifically to their good, you should not take them too seriously, and it would be better to even ignore them.
But you should not make this decision by yourself, either one way or the other, as you can easily be led astray despite these great favors from God. Humility, humility, and ever humility, as we can do nothing of ourselves; all is purely and simply God's grace.
You say to me that God demands great trust from souls; well then, you be the first to show this trust. And one more word-accept all this with serenity.
Words of one of the confessors: "Sister, God is preparing many special graces for you, but try to make your life as clear as crystal before the Lord, paying no attention to what anyone else thinks about you. Let God suffice you; He alone."
Toward the end of my novitiate, a confessor [perhaps Father Theodore] told me: "Go through life doing good, so that I could write on its pages: `She spent her life doing good.' May God bring this about in you."
Another time the confessor said to me, "Comport yourself before God like the widow in the Gospel; although the coin she dropped into the box was of little value, it counted far more before God than all the big offerings of others."
On another occasion the instruction I received was this: " Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God; give, then, generously to others. They should take leave of you with their hearts filled with joy, even if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment. Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now."
Still another time he gave me the following recommendation: "Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life."
Here are a few words from a conversation I had with the Mother Directress [Mary Joseph] toward the end of my novitiate: "Sister, let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls."
57 O my Jesus, You are the life of my life. You know only
too well that I long for nothing but the glory of Your Name and that souls come
to know Your goodness. Why do souls avoid You, Jesus?-I don't understand that.
Oh, if I could only cut my heart into tiny pieces and in this way offer to You,
O Jesus, each piece as a heart whole and entire, to make up in part for the
hearts that do not love You! I love You, Jesus, with every drop of my blood,
and I would gladly shed my blood for You to give You a proof of the sincerity
of my love. O God, the more I know You the less I can comprehend You, but this
"non-comprehension" lets me realize how great You are! And it is this
impossibility of comprehending You which enflames my heart anew for You, O
Lord. From the moment when You let me fix the eyes of my soul on You, O Jesus,
I have been at peace and desired nothing else. I found my destiny at the moment
when my soul lost itself in You, the only object of my love. In comparison with
you, everything is nothing. Sufferings, adversities, humiliations, failures and
suspicions that have come my way are splinters that keep alive the fire of my
love for You, O Jesus.
My desires are mad and unattainable. I wish to conceal from You that I suffer. I want never to be rewarded for my efforts and my good actions. You yourself, Jesus, are my only reward; You are enough, O Treasure of my heart! I want to share compassionately in the sufferings of my neighbors and to conceal my own sufferings, not only from them, but also from You, Jesus.
Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.
My desires are mad and unattainable. I wish to conceal from You that I suffer. I want never to be rewarded for my efforts and my good actions. You yourself, Jesus, are my only reward; You are enough, O Treasure of my heart! I want to share compassionately in the sufferings of my neighbors and to conceal my own sufferings, not only from them, but also from You, Jesus.
Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.
92 Humiliation is my daily food. I understand that the
bride must herself share in everything that is the groom's; and so His cloak of
mockery must cover me, too. At those times when I suffer much, I try to remain
silent, as I do not trust my tongue which, at such moments, is inclined to talk
for itself, while its duty is to help me praise God for all the blessings and
gifts which He has given me. When I receive Jesus in Holy Communion, I ask Him
fervently to deign to heal my tongue so that I would offend neither God nor
neighbor by it. I want my tongue to praise God without cease. Great are the
faults committed by the tongue. The soul will not attain sanctity if it does
not keep watch over its tongue.
178 Today we are beginning the third probation. All three
of us met at Mother Margaret's, as the other sisters were having their
probation in the novitiate. Mother Margaret began with a prayer, explained to
us what the third probation consists of, and then spoke on how great is the
grace of the perpetual vows. Suddenly I began to cry out loud. In an instant
all God's graces appeared before the eyes of my soul, and I saw myself so
wretched and ungrateful toward God. The sisters began to rebuke me, saying,
"Why did she break out crying?" But Mother Margaret came to my defense,
saying that she was not surprised.
At the end of the hour, I went before the Blessed Sacrament and, like the greatest and most miserable of wretches, I begged for His mercy that He might heal and purify my poor soul. Then I heard these words, My daughter, all your miseries have been consumed in the flame of My love, like a little twig thrown into a roaring fire. By humbling yourself in this way, you draw upon yourself and upon other souls an entire sea of My mercy. I answered, "Jesus, mold my poor heart according to Your divine delight."
At the end of the hour, I went before the Blessed Sacrament and, like the greatest and most miserable of wretches, I begged for His mercy that He might heal and purify my poor soul. Then I heard these words, My daughter, all your miseries have been consumed in the flame of My love, like a little twig thrown into a roaring fire. By humbling yourself in this way, you draw upon yourself and upon other souls an entire sea of My mercy. I answered, "Jesus, mold my poor heart according to Your divine delight."
224
To suffer without complaining, to bring comfort to others and to drown my own
sufferings in the most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
I will spend all my free moments at the feet of [Our Lord in] the Blessed Sacrament. At the feet of Jesus, I will seek light, comfort and strength. I will show my gratitude unceasingly to God for His great mercy towards me, never forgetting the favors He has bestowed on me, especially the grace of a vocation. I will hide myself among the sisters like a little violet among lilies. I want to blossom for my Lord and Maker, to forget about myself, to empty myself totally for the sake of immortal souls-this is my delight.
I will spend all my free moments at the feet of [Our Lord in] the Blessed Sacrament. At the feet of Jesus, I will seek light, comfort and strength. I will show my gratitude unceasingly to God for His great mercy towards me, never forgetting the favors He has bestowed on me, especially the grace of a vocation. I will hide myself among the sisters like a little violet among lilies. I want to blossom for my Lord and Maker, to forget about myself, to empty myself totally for the sake of immortal souls-this is my delight.
282
Once the Lord said to me, My Heart was moved by great mercy towards you, My
dearest child, when I saw you torn to shreds because of the great pain you
suffered in repenting for your sins. I see your love, so pure and true that I
give you first place among the virgins. You are the honor and glory of My
Passion. I see every abasement of your soul, and nothing escapes my attention.
I lift up the humble even to my very throne, because I want it so.
587 Once, I suddenly saw Jesus in great majesty, and He
spoke these words to me: My
daughter, if you wish, I will this instant create a new world, more beautiful
than this one, and you will live there for the rest of your life. I
answered, "I don't want any worlds. I want You, Jesus. I want to love You,
with the same love that You have for me. I beg You for only one thing: to make
my heart capable of loving you. I am very much surprised at Your offer, my
Jesus; what are those worlds to me? Even if You gave me a thousand of them,
what are they to me? You know very well, Jesus, that my heart is dying of
longing for You. Everything that is not You is nothing to me." -At that
moment, I could no longer see anything, but a strange force took over my soul,
a strange fire sprang up in my heart, and I entered into a kind of agony for
Him. Then I heard these words: With
no other soul do I unite myself as closely and in such a way as I do with you,
and this because of the deep humility and ardent love which you have for Me.
580 On a certain occasion, the Lord said to me, I am more deeply wounded by the small
imperfections of chosen souls than by the sins of those living in the world.
It made me very sad that chosen souls make Jesus suffer, and Jesus told me, These little imperfections are not
all. I will reveal to you a secret of My Heart: what I suffer from chosen
souls. Ingratitude in return for so many graces is My Heart's constant food, on
the part of [such] a chosen soul. Their love is lukewarm, and My Heart cannot
bear it; these souls force Me to reject them. Others distrust My goodness and have
no desire to experience that sweet intimacy in their own hearts, but go in
search of Me, off in the distance, and do not find Me. This distrust of My
goodness hurts Me very much. If My death has not convinced you of My love, what
will? Often a soul wounds Me mortally, and then no one can comfort Me. They use
My graces to offend Me. There are souls who despise My graces as well as all
the proofs of My love. They do not wish to hear My call, but proceed into the
abyss of hell. The loss of these souls plunges Me into deadly sorrow. God
though I am, I cannot help such a soul because it scorns Me; having a free
will, it can spurn Me or love Me. You, who are the dispenser of My mercy, tell
all the world about My goodness, and thus you will comfort My Heart.
581 I
will tell you most when you converse with Me in the depths of your heart. Here,
no one can disturb My actions. Here, I rest as in a garden enclosed.
1059 Jesus is commanding me to make a novena before the
Feast of Mercy, and today I am to begin it for the conversion of the whole
world and for the recognition of The Divine Mercy... so that every soul will praise My
goodness. I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great
trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to
approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the
world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy.
1065 + My Jesus, support me when difficult and stormy
days come, days of testing, days of ordeal, when suffering and fatigue begin to
oppress my body and my soul. Sustain me, Jesus, and give me strength to bear
suffering. Set a guard upon my lips that they may address no word of complaint
to creatures. Your most merciful Heart is all my hope. I have nothing for my
defense but only Your mercy; in it lies all my trust.
1074 When I went for adoration, I heard these words: My beloved daughter, write down these
words, that today My Heart has rested in this convent [the
Cracow house]. Tell the
world about My mercy and My love.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!
My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace.
Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!
My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace.
Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
1075 Souls
who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a
tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for
them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which
to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime
immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on
it.
1076 Write
this: Everything that exists is enclosed in the bowels of My mercy, more deeply
than an infant in its mother's womb. How painfully distrust of My goodness
wounds Me! Sins of distrust wound Me most painfully.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-55, 57, 92, 178, 224, 282)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-587, 580, 581)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1074-1076)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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