The Difficult Road
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Matthew
7:6, 12-14
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."
Introductory Prayer: I believe in the power of prayer, Lord. This time spent with You is
the most important time of my day. Let me be confident of Your presence and
Your love, in order to take full advantage of these privileged moments.
Petition: Lord, help me appreciate better the beauty of the
Christian faith.
1. Our True Values: We take great care to guard what is most valuable to us, right? The truth
is, we often take great risks with what is most precious. We say we value life
and limb, but think nothing of speeding in heavy traffic. We say we want to get
to heaven, but we dabble in sin, even serious sin, almost daily. We surf racy
Web sites. We cut down people in office gossip. We close our hearts to the
needy. We habitually vote for politicians who defend abortion. We take sin
oh-so-lightly. Likewise, we might let the holy things of our faith languish. We
might neglect the sacrament of reconciliation. We receive Communion unworthily.
We stay silent when a relative brags about using contraception. We do nothing
when a child withdraws into the world of Internet for five hours a day. Is
there something about which I should be speaking up?
2. Do unto Others: To decide what to do in any given situation, we can ask ourselves how
we would like to be treated. "For the measure with which you measure will
in return be measured out to you" (Luke 6:38). The respect we have for
ourselves is often reflected in the respect we show others. Rudeness,
indifference and irritability toward others bespeak a problem in us. The Golden
Rule isn´t just for others; it is also to guard our own dignity. Are there
people toward whom I am routinely uncharitable? Do I realize that this lack of
charity can hurt my character more than it hurts their feelings?
3. The Broad Road and the Narrow Gate: Modernity is like a 24/7 convenience store. We can
get anything, anytime. We can end up thinking that everything about life should
be easy, be it marriage, self-discipline or even our salvation. The illusion of
ease shouldn´t fool us. Working toward our salvation is hard work. Original sin
left a deep mark on all of us. Struggling toward salvation takes prayer,
sacrifice and constant vigilance. Do I sense that the living of my faith in
today´s world is easy? If so, I´m probably not living it well. Where have I
avoided the narrow road of holiness? Am I too attached to food, clothes or the
opinions of others?
Conversation with Christ: Help me to see, Lord, that my real dignity lies in
treating others well, and in renouncing my disordered passions. Let me shake
off mediocrity in my spiritual life and make the most of the time You give me.
Resolution: Today, I will make a special sacrifice for a loved one.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
94 O my
Lord, inflame my heart with love for You, that my spirit may not grow weary
amidst the storms, the sufferings and the trials. You see how weak I am. Love
can do all.
153 One day,
I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy,
music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying
themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the
road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell
blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great
that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a
path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who
walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell
them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At
the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of
happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they
forgot all their sufferings.
163 JMJ The
Year 1937
General Exercises
+O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, 0 Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
General Exercises
+O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, 0 Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
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.
294 +Once
the Lord said to me, Act like a beggar who does not back away when he gets
more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more fervently. You too
should not back away and say that you are not worthy of receiving greater
graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the
more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for then you
will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing: Take these graces not
only for yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the souls with whom
you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls
who have complete confidence in Me. I will do everything for them.
303 Great
love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends
value to our actions. And the purer our love becomes, the less there will be
within us for the flames of suffering to feed upon, and the suffering will
cease to be a suffering for us; it will become a delight! By the grace of God,
I have received such a disposition of heart that I am never so happy as when I
suffer for Jesus, whom I love with every beat of my heart.
Once when I was suffering greatly, I left my work and escaped to Jesus and asked Him to give me His strength. After a very short prayer I returned to my work filled with enthusiasm and joy. Then, one of the sisters [probably Sister Justine] said to me, "You must have many consolations today, Sister; you look so radiant. Surely, God is giving you no suffering, but only consolations." "You are greatly mistaken, Sister," I answered, "for it is precisely when I suffer much that my joy is greater; and when I suffer less, my joy also is less." However, that soul was letting me recognize that she does not understand what I was saying. I tried to explain to her that when we suffer much we have a great chance to show God that we love Him; but when we suffer little we have less occasion to show God our love; and when we do not suffer at all, our love is then neither great nor pure. By the grace of God, we can attain a point where suffering will become a delight to us, for love can work such things in pure souls.
Once when I was suffering greatly, I left my work and escaped to Jesus and asked Him to give me His strength. After a very short prayer I returned to my work filled with enthusiasm and joy. Then, one of the sisters [probably Sister Justine] said to me, "You must have many consolations today, Sister; you look so radiant. Surely, God is giving you no suffering, but only consolations." "You are greatly mistaken, Sister," I answered, "for it is precisely when I suffer much that my joy is greater; and when I suffer less, my joy also is less." However, that soul was letting me recognize that she does not understand what I was saying. I tried to explain to her that when we suffer much we have a great chance to show God that we love Him; but when we suffer little we have less occasion to show God our love; and when we do not suffer at all, our love is then neither great nor pure. By the grace of God, we can attain a point where suffering will become a delight to us, for love can work such things in pure souls.
340 I know
now that nothing can put a stop to my love for You, Jesus, neither suffering,
nor adversity, nor fire nor the sword, nor death itself. I feel stronger than
all these things. Nothing can compare with love. I see that the smallest things
done by a soul that loves God sincerely have an enormous value in His Holy
eyes.
502 Only
love has meaning; it raises up our smallest actions into infinity.
534
Chastity. There is no need to explain that this vow forbids all those things
prohibited by the sixth and ninth commandments: deeds, thoughts, words,
feelings... I understand that a solemn vow differs from a simple vow; I
understand this in all its implications. While reflecting upon this, I heard
these words in my soul:You are My spouse forever; your chastity should be
greater than that of the Angels, for I call no angel to such intimacy as I do
you. The smallest act of My spouse is of infinite value. A pure soul has
inconceivable power before God.
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.
1701 I
asked the Lord today that He might deign to teach me about the interior life,
because of myself I can neither understand nor conceive anything perfectly. The
Lord answered me, I was your Teacher, I am and I will be; strive to make
your heart like unto My humble and gentle Heart. Never claim your rights. Bear
with great calm and patience everything that befalls you. Do not defend
yourself when you are put to shame, though innocent. Let others triumph. Do not
stop being good when you notice that your goodness is being abused. I Myself
will speak up for you when it is necessary. Be grateful for the smallest of My
graces, because your gratitude compels Me to grant you new graces...
1714 Today
I interceded earnestly with the Lord Jesus for our house, that He might deign
to take away the cross which has touched our convent. 252
The Lord answered me, Your prayers are accepted for other intentions. I
cannot take away this cross until they recognize its meaning. Nevertheless,
I did not stop praying.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-94, 153, 163, 241-242)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-294, 303, 340, 502, 534)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-704)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1701, 1704)
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento