We Are All Brothers and Sisters,
Children of Our Heavenly Father
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Father Walter Schu, LC
Matthew 5: 43-48
Jesus said to his
disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray
for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on
the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense
will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your
brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be
perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, You present a message that is not easy for my fallen nature to
accept. However, I believe in Your words, and I trust in You because You alone
have the words of eternal life. As I begin this moment of prayer, I turn to You
as one in need. I want only to please You in all I do.
Petition: Lord, help me to
love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me.
1. True Love for
Your Enemies: Nowhere does the radical newness of the Christian ethic stand out more
clearly than in Christ’s simple phrase: “Love your enemies.” There are four
words for “love” in Greek. Storge refers to the love between parents and
children. Eros is the love of attraction between man and woman. Philia
is the love of friendship. Finally, agape is love as goodwill,
benevolent love that cannot be conquered, a love that wills only the good for
the person loved. In his book, Love and Responsibility, Karol Wojtyla
remarks that to love someone with truly benevolent love is to will God for
them, since God is the supreme good of each human person. It is precisely love
as agape that Christ asks from every one of his followers: “Pray for
those who persecute you.”
2. “Children of
Your Heavenly Father”: Why does Christ ask, even demand, of us such a
radical form of love? Precisely because that is how God the Father loves each
and every one of his sons and daughters, with no consideration of whether they are
good or evil. “For he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes
rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” How much the world around us would
change if those with whom we came into contact perceived in us a love like that
of the Father of mercies! His love is absolutely without self-interest. He
continues to love and pour forth his gifts even when he is not loved in return.
Christ calls us to a lofty and challenging ideal, but one that is capable of
transforming lives. What joy could be greater than to be true sons and
daughters of our heavenly Father?
3. Seeking True
Perfection Through Love: Why is Christ almost relentless in insisting that
we must be perfect — and not just a human perfection, but as our heavenly
Father is perfect? He knows that is the Father’s original plan for mankind,
from the dawn of creation. “So God created man in his own image, in the image
of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Christ
is well aware that sin has darkened the divine image within us, that his call
to perfect charity is not possible for our fallen human nature. But he is
equally aware that by the power of his own death and resurrection, through the
new life of the Holy Spirit whom he will send, God’s original plan for mankind
will be restored. There can be no more powerful motive for hope, even in the
midst of our own failures in charity and our human weaknesses.
Conversation with
Christ: Thank You, Lord, for Your radical message, for the constant challenge
it is to me, never allowing me to become complacent or self-satisfied. Help me
to be a better witness of Christian charity so that the world will believe in
You.
Resolution: I will pray for
those with whom I am experiencing difficulties and do an act of charity for
them.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
216 We have come to Cracow today [April 18, 1933]. What a joy it is to
find myself again where I took my first steps in the spiritual life! Dear Mother
Directress [Mary Joseph] is ever the same, cheerful and full of love of
neighbor. I entered the chapel for a moment and joy filled my soul. In a flash
I recalled the whole ocean of graces that had been given me as a novice here.
241 Love of neighbor. First: Helpfulness towards the sisters. Second:
Do not speak about those who are absent, and defend the good name of my
neighbor. Third: Rejoice in the success of others.
242 +O God, how much I desire to be a small child.[71] You are my Father, and You know how little and weak I am. So I beg You, keep me close by Your side all my life and especially at the hour of my death. Jesus, I know that Your goodness surpasses the goodness of a most tender mother.
242 +O God, how much I desire to be a small child.[71] You are my Father, and You know how little and weak I am. So I beg You, keep me close by Your side all my life and especially at the hour of my death. Jesus, I know that Your goodness surpasses the goodness of a most tender mother.
588 On one occasion, I heard these words within me: Every movement
of your heart is known to me. Know, My daughter, that one glance of yours
directed at someone else would wound Me more than many sins committed by
another person.
590 When I receive Holy Communion, I entreat and beg the Savior to heal
my tongue, that I may never fail in love of neighbor.
704 I spend every free moment at the feet of the hidden God. He is my
Master; I ask Him about everything; I speak to Him about everything. Here I
obtain strength and light; here I learn everything; here I am given light on
how to act toward my neighbor. From the time I left the novitiate, I have enclosed
myself in the tabernacle together with Jesus, my Master. He himself drew me
into the fire of living love on which everything converges.
742 My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My
mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My
mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me.
You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not
shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.
861 Particular
examen: remains the same; namely, to unite myself with the Merciful Christ
(that is; what would Christ do in such and such a case?) and, in spirit, to
embrace the whole world, especially Russia and Spain.
General resolutions.
General resolutions.
I. Strict
observance of silence - interior silence.
II. To see the image of God in every sister; all love of neighbor must flow from this motive.
III. To do the will of God faithfully at every moment of my life and to live by this.
IV. To give a faithful account of everything to the spiritual director and not to undertake anything of importance without a clear understanding with him. I shall try to clearly lay bare to him the most secret depths of my soul, bearing in mind that I am dealing with God himself, and that His representative is just a human being, and so I must pray daily that he be given light.
V. During the evening examination of conscience, I am to ask myself the question: What if He were to call me today?
VI. Not to look for God far away, but within my own being to abide with Him alone.
VII. In sufferings and torments, to take refuge in the tabernacle and to be silent.
VIII. To join all sufferings, prayers, works and mortifications to the merits of Jesus in order to obtain mercy for the world.
IX. To use free moments, however short, for prayers for the dying.
X. There must not be a day in my life when I do not recommend to the Lord the works of our Congregation. Never have regard for what others think of you [for human respect].
XI. Have no familiar relationships with anyone. Gentle firmness toward the girls, boundless patience; punish them severely but with such punishments as these: prayer and self-sacrifice. The strength that is in the emptying of myself for their sake is for them a [source of] constant remorse and the softening of their obdurate hearts.
XII. The presence of God is the basis of all my thoughts, words and deeds.
XIII. To take advantage of all spiritual help. To always put self-love in its proper place; namely, the last. To perform my spiritual exercises as though I were doing them for the last time in my life, and in like manner to carry out all my duties.
II. To see the image of God in every sister; all love of neighbor must flow from this motive.
III. To do the will of God faithfully at every moment of my life and to live by this.
IV. To give a faithful account of everything to the spiritual director and not to undertake anything of importance without a clear understanding with him. I shall try to clearly lay bare to him the most secret depths of my soul, bearing in mind that I am dealing with God himself, and that His representative is just a human being, and so I must pray daily that he be given light.
V. During the evening examination of conscience, I am to ask myself the question: What if He were to call me today?
VI. Not to look for God far away, but within my own being to abide with Him alone.
VII. In sufferings and torments, to take refuge in the tabernacle and to be silent.
VIII. To join all sufferings, prayers, works and mortifications to the merits of Jesus in order to obtain mercy for the world.
IX. To use free moments, however short, for prayers for the dying.
X. There must not be a day in my life when I do not recommend to the Lord the works of our Congregation. Never have regard for what others think of you [for human respect].
XI. Have no familiar relationships with anyone. Gentle firmness toward the girls, boundless patience; punish them severely but with such punishments as these: prayer and self-sacrifice. The strength that is in the emptying of myself for their sake is for them a [source of] constant remorse and the softening of their obdurate hearts.
XII. The presence of God is the basis of all my thoughts, words and deeds.
XIII. To take advantage of all spiritual help. To always put self-love in its proper place; namely, the last. To perform my spiritual exercises as though I were doing them for the last time in my life, and in like manner to carry out all my duties.
871 + My Master, cause my heart never to expect help from anyone, but I
will always strive to bring assistance, consolation and all manner of relief to
others. My heart is always open to the sufferings of others; and I will not
close my heart to the sufferings of others, even though because of this I have
been scornfully nicknamed "dump"; that is, [because] everyone dumps
his pain into my heart. [To this] I answered that everyone has a place in my
heart and I, in return, have a place in the Heart of Jesus. Taunts regarding
the law of love will not narrow my heart. My soul is always sensitive on this
point, and Jesus alone is the motive for my love of neighbor.
1029 The doctor did not allow me to go to the chapel to attend the
Passion Service, although I had a great desire for it; however, I prayed in my
own room. Suddenly I heard the bell in the next room, and I went in and
rendered a service to a seriously sick person. When I returned to my room, I
suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said, My daughter, you gave Me greater
pleasure by rendering Me that service than if you had prayed for a long time.
I answered, "But it was not to You, Jesus, but to that patient that I
rendered this service." And the Lord answered me, Yes, My daughter, but
whatever you do for your neighbor, you do for Me.
1039 + I suffer great pain at the sight of the sufferings of others.
All these sufferings are reflected in my heart. I carry their torments in my
heart so that it even wears me out physically. I would like all pains to fall
upon me so as to bring relief to my neighbor.
1148 June 20, [1937]. We resemble God most when we forgive our
neighbors. God is Love, Goodness, and Mercy...
Every soul, and especially the soul of every religious, should reflect
My mercy. My Heart overflows with compassion and mercy for all. The heart of My
beloved must resemble Mine; from her heart must spring the fountain of My mercy
for souls; otherwise I will not acknowledge her as Mine.
1244 August 15,
1937. During meditation, God's presence pervaded me keenly, and I was aware of
the Virgin Mary's joy at the moment of Her Assumption. Towards the end of the
ceremony carried out in honor of the Mother of God, I saw the Virgin Mary, and
She said to me, Oh, how very pleased I am with the homage of your love! And at
that moment She covered all the sisters of our Congregation with Her mantle.
With Her right hand, She clasped Mother General Michael to herself, and with
Her left hand She did so to me, while all the sisters were at Her feet, covered
with Her mantle. Then the Mother of God said, Everyone who perseveres
zealously till death in My Congregation will be spared the fire of purgatory,
and I desire that each one distinguish herself by the following virtues:
humility and meekness; chastity and love of God and neighbor; compassion and
mercy. After these words, the whole Congregation disappeared from my sight,
and I remained alone with the Most Holy Mother who instructed me about the will
of God and how to apply it to my life, submitting completely to His most holy
decrees. It is impossible for one to please God without obeying His holy will. My
daughter, I strongly recommend that you faithfully fulfill all God's wishes,
for that is most pleasing in His holy eyes. I very much desire that you
distinguish yourself in this faithfulness in accomplishing God's will. Put the
will of God before all sacrifices and holocausts. While the heavenly Mother
was talking to me, a deep understanding of this will of God was entering my
soul.
1358 Where there is genuine virtue, there must be sacrifice as well;
one's whole life must be a sacrifice. It is only by means of sacrifice that
souls can become useful. It is my self-sacrifice which, in my relationship with
my neighbor, can give glory to God, but God's love must flow through this
sacrifice, because everything is concentrated in this love and takes its value
from it.
1382 + When Sister Dominic [219] died
at about one o'clock in the night, she came to me and gave me to know that she
was dead. I prayed fervently for her. In the morning, the sisters told me that
she was no longer alive, and I replied that I knew, because she had visited me.
The sister infirmarian [Sister Chrysostom] asked me to help dress her. And then
when I was alone with her, the Lord gave me to know that she was still
suffering in purgatory. I redoubled my prayers for her. However, despite the
zeal with which I always pray for our deceased sisters, I got mixed up as
regards the days, and instead of offering three days of prayer, as the rule
directs us to do, by mistake I offered only two days. On the fourth day, she
gave me to know that I still owed her prayers, and that she was in need of
them. I immediately formed the intention of offering the whole day for her, and
not just that day but much more, as love of neighbor dictated to me.
1633 March 10, [1938]. Continuous physical suffering. I am on the cross
with Jesus. On one occasion, M. Superior [Irene] said to me, "It is a lack
of love of neighbor on your part, Sister, that you eat something and then you
suffer and disturb the others during their night's rest." Yet I know for
sure that these pains which occur in my intestines are not at all caused by
food. The doctor [probably Dr. Silberg] has said the same thing. These sufferings
come from the body itself, or rather are a visitation of the Lord.
Nevertheless, after that remark I resolved to suffer in secret and not to ask
for help, because it is of no avail anyway, since I throw up the medicines that
are given to me.
Many a time, I have managed to suffer through attacks that were known only to Jesus. The pains are so violent and severe that they cause me to lose consciousness. When they cause me to faint, and I am drenched in cold sweat, then they gradually begin to go away. Sometimes they last three hours or more. O my Jesus, may Your holy will be done; I accept everything from Your hand. If I accept the delights and raptures of love to the point of becoming oblivious to what is going on around me, it is only right that I should accept with love these sufferings which cause me to faint.
Many a time, I have managed to suffer through attacks that were known only to Jesus. The pains are so violent and severe that they cause me to lose consciousness. When they cause me to faint, and I am drenched in cold sweat, then they gradually begin to go away. Sometimes they last three hours or more. O my Jesus, may Your holy will be done; I accept everything from Your hand. If I accept the delights and raptures of love to the point of becoming oblivious to what is going on around me, it is only right that I should accept with love these sufferings which cause me to faint.
Third Day.
1768 My daughter, in this meditation, consider
the love of neighbor. Is your love for your neighbor guided by My love? Do you
pray for your enemies? Do you wish well to those who have, in one way or
another, caused you sorrow or offended you?
Know that whatever good you do to any soul, I accept it as if you had done it to Me.
1769 Application: O Jesus, my Love, You know that it has only been for a short while that I have acted toward my neighbor guided solely by Your love. You alone know of my efforts to do this. It comes to me more easily now, but if You Yourself did not kindle that love in my soul, I would not be able to persevere in this. This is due to Your Eucharistic love which daily sets me afire.
Know that whatever good you do to any soul, I accept it as if you had done it to Me.
1769 Application: O Jesus, my Love, You know that it has only been for a short while that I have acted toward my neighbor guided solely by Your love. You alone know of my efforts to do this. It comes to me more easily now, but if You Yourself did not kindle that love in my soul, I would not be able to persevere in this. This is due to Your Eucharistic love which daily sets me afire.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-216, 241-242)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-588, 590, 704, 742, 861, 871)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1029, 1039, 1148)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1244)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1358, 1382)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1633, 1768-1769)
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