Spiritual Readiness
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Tuesday of the
Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
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Father Steven Reilly, LC
Luke 12:35-38
Jesus said to his
disciples: "Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants
who await their master´s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately
when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds
vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them
recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the
second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those
servants."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, You watch my every action, know my every thought, and
guide my every path. I love and trust in Your will. Thank You for this time
of prayer. From it may I receive the spiritual energy I need to keep my eyes
firmly planted on You today and to remain confident that You are always at my
side.
Petition: Lord, help me always to be alert to the needs of others.
1. Watch and Pray: Being blindsided is no fun. Those unexpected
surprises are particularly annoying when we feel someone should have warned
us. “Please make sure you tell me about this next time” is a familiar
refrain. When it comes to the questions about the afterlife, if we are
blindsided we will have no one to blame but ourselves. Christ has given us
more than adequate warning. Neither death nor his coming in glory to judge
humanity should catch us off guard. The key to preparedness lies in his
admonition to his disciples: “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41).
2. Master or
Servant: Imagine Jesus’ joy
in welcoming one of his “good and faithful servants” into heaven. He said
that he will sit us down and serve us dinner. That beautiful image reminds us
that the hard work of being faithful will not lack its reward. More than
anything, it points to Jesus’ gratitude: the Master becomes the servant for
his loyal disciples. After all that the Lord has done for us, what else would
we rather do than to give Christ the joy of our faithfulness?
3. The Long Haul: Jesus talks about the master of the house
possibly arriving at the “second or third watch of the night.” Being faithful
isn’t a fling or a flash in the pan. We know that there will be “ups and
downs,” moments of two steps forward and one back. Through it all we are
called to persevere. Going the distance is not easy, but how beautiful it is!
Pope John Paul the II gave us an indelible example of perseverance. When we
heard that he had passed away, all of us felt sadness until we considered the
joy of imagining the embrace between him and the Lord he loved so much. May
our own example bear witness to our desire to persevere — to stick with the
commitment of fidelity until the Lord calls us home.
Conversation with
Christ: Whether life is long
or short, Lord, I have to be ready for whatever Your providence brings. I
want to persevere, but so often my love is undermined by my fears and
frailty. Give me the strength I need.
Resolution: I will review my life choices to make sure
that I am persevering in all that I have promised Christ.
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Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
36 Once I was summoned to the
judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as
we know Him during His Passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except
for five, those in His hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly I saw the
complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is
displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will
have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before
the Thrice-Holy God! Jesus asked me, Who are you? I answered, "I am
Your servant, Lord." You are guilty of one day of fire in purgatory. I
wanted to throw myself immediately into the flames of purgatory, but Jesus
stopped me and said, Which do you prefer, suffer now for one day in purgatory
or for a short while on earth? I replied, "Jesus, I want to suffer in
purgatory, and I want to suffer also the greatest pains on earth, even if it
were until the end of the world." Jesus said, One [of the two] is
enough; you will go back to earth, and there you will suffer much, but not for
long; you will accomplish My will and My desires, and a faithful servant of Mine
will help you to do this. Now, rest your head on My bosom, on My heart, and
draw from it strength and power for these sufferings, because you will find
neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know that you will have
much, much to suffer, but don't let this frighten you; I am with you.
52 When I tried to run away from
these interior inspirations, God said to me that on the day of judgment He
would demand of me a great number of souls.
Once, exhausted because of these various difficulties t hat had befallen me because of what Jesus had said to me and what He had demanded of me for the painting of this image, I made up my mind to approach Father Andrasz [31] before my perpetual vows, and to ask him to dispense me from all these interior inspirations and from the duty of painting this image. After having heard my confession, Father Andrasz gave me this answer: "I will dispense you from nothing, Sister; it is not right for you to turn away from these interior inspirations, but you must absolutely-and I say, absolutely-speak about them to your confessor; otherwise you will go astray despite the great graces you are receiving from God.
Once, exhausted because of these various difficulties t hat had befallen me because of what Jesus had said to me and what He had demanded of me for the painting of this image, I made up my mind to approach Father Andrasz [31] before my perpetual vows, and to ask him to dispense me from all these interior inspirations and from the duty of painting this image. After having heard my confession, Father Andrasz gave me this answer: "I will dispense you from nothing, Sister; it is not right for you to turn away from these interior inspirations, but you must absolutely-and I say, absolutely-speak about them to your confessor; otherwise you will go astray despite the great graces you are receiving from God.
154 Once, when there was adoration at the convent of the
Sisters of the Holy Family,[50] I went there in the evening with one of our
sisters. As soon as I entered the chapel, the presence of God filled my soul. I
prayed as I do at certain times, without saying a word. Suddenly, I saw the
Lord, who said to me, Know that if you neglect the matter of the painting of
the image and the whole work of mercy, you will have to answer for a multitude
of souls on the day of judgment. After these words of Our Lord, a certain
fear filled my soul, and alarm took hold of me. Try as 1 would, 1 could not
calm myself. These words kept resounding in my ears: So, 1 will not only have
to answer for myself on the day of judgment, but also for the souls of others.
These words cut deep into my heart. When I returned home, I went to the little
Jesus,[51] fell on my face before
the Blessed Sacrament and said to the Lord, "I will do everything in my
power, but I beg You to be always with me and to give me strength to do Your
holy will; for You can do everything, while I can do nothing of myself."
236 Oh, how misleading are appearances, and how unjust the
judgments. Oh, how often virtue suffers only because it remains silent. To be
sincere with those who are incessantly stinging us demands much self-denial.
One bleeds, but there are no visible wounds. O Jesus, it is only on the last
day that many of these things will be made known. What joy-none of our efforts
will be lost!
274 Jesus gave me the grace of knowing myself. In this
divine light I see my principal fault; it is pride which takes the form of my
closing up within myself and of a lack of simplicity in my relations with
Mother Superior [Irene].
The second light concerns speaking. I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment.
The third light concerns our rules. I have not sufficiently avoided the occasions that lead to breaking the rules, especially that of silence. I will act as if the rule were written just for me; it should not affect me at all how anyone else might act, as long as I myself act as God wishes.
Resolution. Whatever Jesus demands of me regarding external things, I will immediately go and tell my superiors. I shall strive for childlike openness and frankness in my relations with the superior.
The second light concerns speaking. I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment.
The third light concerns our rules. I have not sufficiently avoided the occasions that lead to breaking the rules, especially that of silence. I will act as if the rule were written just for me; it should not affect me at all how anyone else might act, as long as I myself act as God wishes.
Resolution. Whatever Jesus demands of me regarding external things, I will immediately go and tell my superiors. I shall strive for childlike openness and frankness in my relations with the superior.
426 O terrible hour, at which one is obliged to see all
one's deeds in their nakedness and misery; not one of them is lost, they will
all accompany us to God's judgment. I can find no words or comparisons to
express such terrible things. And although it seems to me that this soul is not
damned, nevertheless its torments are in no way different from the torments of
hell; there is only this difference: that they will someday come to an end.
496 Confession Day. From early morning, the turmoil in my
soul was more violent than anything I had ever experienced before. Complete
abandonment by God; I felt the utter weakness that I was. Thoughts bore in upon
me: why should I leave this convent where I am loved by the sisters and
superiors, where life is so tranquil; [where I am] bound by perpetual vows and
carry out my duties without difficulty; why should I listen to the voice of my
conscience; why follow an inspiration coming from who knows where; wouldn't it
be better to carry on like all the other sisters? Perhaps the Lord's words
could be stifled, not taken heed of; maybe God will not demand an account of
them on the day of judgment. Where will this inner voice lead me? If I follow
it, what tremendous difficulties, tribulations and adversities are in store for
me. I fear the future, and I am agonizing in the present.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
939 There is an exception [to this], and that is when God
himself directs the person, but the director will immediately recognize that
the person in question is being guided by God himself. God will allow him to
know this clearly and distinctly, and such a person should be even more under
the director's control than anyone else. In this case, the director does not so
much guide and point out the road along which the soul is to journey; but
rather, he judges and confirms that the soul is following the right path and is
being led by a good spirit.
In this situation, the director should be not only holy, but also experienced and prudent, and the soul should give priority to his opinion over that of God himself, for then the soul will be safe from illusions and deviations. A soul that will not fully submit its inspirations to the strict control of the Church; that is, to the director, clearly shows by this that a bad spirit is guiding it. The director should be extremely prudent in such cases and test the soul's obedience. Satan can even clothe himself in a cloak of humility, but he does not know how to wear the cloak of obedience and thus his evil designs will be disclosed. But the director should not be overly afraid of such a soul, because if God puts that special soul in his care, He will also give him great divine light regarding it, for otherwise how could he deal wisely with the great mysteries which take place between the soul and God.
In this situation, the director should be not only holy, but also experienced and prudent, and the soul should give priority to his opinion over that of God himself, for then the soul will be safe from illusions and deviations. A soul that will not fully submit its inspirations to the strict control of the Church; that is, to the director, clearly shows by this that a bad spirit is guiding it. The director should be extremely prudent in such cases and test the soul's obedience. Satan can even clothe himself in a cloak of humility, but he does not know how to wear the cloak of obedience and thus his evil designs will be disclosed. But the director should not be overly afraid of such a soul, because if God puts that special soul in his care, He will also give him great divine light regarding it, for otherwise how could he deal wisely with the great mysteries which take place between the soul and God.
1106 + Virtue without prudence is not virtue at all. We
should often pray to the Holy Spirit for this grace of prudence. Prudence consists
in discretion, rational reflection and courageous resolution. The final
decision is always up to us. We must decide; we can and we ought to seek advice
and light...
1317 I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the
mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: I know, My daughter, that you
understand it and that you do everything within your power. But write this for
the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material
means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which
requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is
within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or
other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew
how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for
they would forestall My judgment with their mercy.
1426 Christ, give me souls. Let anything You like happen to
me, but give me souls in return. I want the salvation of souls. I want souls to
know Your mercy. I have nothing left for myself, because I have given
everything away to souls, with the result that on the day of judgment I will
stand before You empty-handed, since I have given everything away to souls.
Thus You will have nothing on which to judge me, and we shall meet on that day:
Love and mercy... + J. M. J.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-36, 52, 154, 236, 274, 426, 496)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-939
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1106)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1317, 1426)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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