How to Remain in Him
Fifth Sunday of
Easter (May 6, 2012)
Father Edward Hopkins, LC
John 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Introductory Prayer: I believe in You,
Lord. You are my life and the source of all happiness. I trust that by being
faithful to Your inspirations, deepening my faith, and observing Your commands,
I will grow. I love You, Lord. I offer you this prayer to intensify my love and
preserve my life in You. You are my hope and my strength.
Petition: Without you, Jesus, I can do nothing. Lord Jesus, may I remain in You.
1. “Unless You Believe…” “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not
believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of
the only Son of God” (John 3:18). In today’s world, truth and faith are viewed
as relative. Yet, Jesus was very specific and demanding in what he taught. How
precious and important are his words to me? How well do I know my faith? Do I
care for, study and protect it as that upon which my eternal salvation depends?
How well am I able to articulate it to others? Martyrs have died for confessing
their faith in Christ. “Those who belong to Christ through faith and baptism
must confess their baptismal faith before men” (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no. 14).
2. “Unless You Obey My Commandments…” “If you keep my commandments, you
will remain in my love…” (John 14:10). It is not enough to believe in our
hearts and minds, or to profess with our lips, if we do not live Christ’s
teachings in our life. Jesus reminds the Rich Young Man of the commandments as
the first step to eternal life (Matthew 19:16-22). St. Paul reminds the early Christians
of this: “Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God?”
(1 Corinthians 6:9).
The life of Christ, the life of the vine, is holiness, virtue and sacrificial love. I remain in him if I am growing. How much am I growing in morality and in following Christ? Where does Jesus most want me to grow? Do I believe I can do it, united to the vine? Or do I believe I can do it “without Him”? “He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness” (CCC, n. 1709).
3. “Unless You Pray…” St. Peter was warned by Christ that without prayer he could not be faithful (cf. Matthew 26:41). The entire moral life depends on the degree of our interior union with Christ. “His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity” (CCC, n. 2074). His grace, inspirations and strength allow us to overcome our weakness and do the Father’s will. As long as we do not experience God in prayer, it will be selfishness that will keep guiding and ruling our lives. Prayer and, in an especially effective way, the sacraments, strengthen our bonds with Christ, motivate our actions with his love, fill our minds with his words, and encourage our life with his presence.
In this busy world I am sometimes tempted to reduce prayer to spontaneous acts of faith or urgent cries for help. I get too bogged down to make time for Christ, so instead I give him only the leftovers. In the increasing challenge to transform the world with Christ, do I expect to produce significant apostolic fruit without the corresponding dedication to prayer? In the noise of life, do I believe in my need for substantial, exclusive and deep moments with Christ? Jesus decided to “remain with me” in the gift of his Eucharist. How often do I “remain in him” before the Eucharist?
The life of Christ, the life of the vine, is holiness, virtue and sacrificial love. I remain in him if I am growing. How much am I growing in morality and in following Christ? Where does Jesus most want me to grow? Do I believe I can do it, united to the vine? Or do I believe I can do it “without Him”? “He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness” (CCC, n. 1709).
3. “Unless You Pray…” St. Peter was warned by Christ that without prayer he could not be faithful (cf. Matthew 26:41). The entire moral life depends on the degree of our interior union with Christ. “His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity” (CCC, n. 2074). His grace, inspirations and strength allow us to overcome our weakness and do the Father’s will. As long as we do not experience God in prayer, it will be selfishness that will keep guiding and ruling our lives. Prayer and, in an especially effective way, the sacraments, strengthen our bonds with Christ, motivate our actions with his love, fill our minds with his words, and encourage our life with his presence.
In this busy world I am sometimes tempted to reduce prayer to spontaneous acts of faith or urgent cries for help. I get too bogged down to make time for Christ, so instead I give him only the leftovers. In the increasing challenge to transform the world with Christ, do I expect to produce significant apostolic fruit without the corresponding dedication to prayer? In the noise of life, do I believe in my need for substantial, exclusive and deep moments with Christ? Jesus decided to “remain with me” in the gift of his Eucharist. How often do I “remain in him” before the Eucharist?
Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, help me to experience You and Your love in prayer. Enable me
to foster my relationship with You by listening attentively to Your word taught
to me authentically by your Church. May my life give validity to my faith and
words! How often I hunger after the world’s withered husks that could never
satisfy my inner longings! Lord, help me to hunger for You alone, so that I
will turn to You and be filled with the comfort and joy of Your intimate
friendship.
Resolution: During an hour of prayer, preferably before the Blessed Sacrament, I
will reflect on the Gospel and ask Jesus what more I need to do to remain in
him.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
164 +JMJ
Warsaw, 1933.
Probation Before Perpetual Vows[56]
When I learned I was to go for probation, my heart beat with joy at the thought of such an immense grace, that of the perpetual vows. I went before the Blessed Sacrament; and when I immersed myself in a prayer of thanksgiving, I heard these words in my soul: My child you are My delight, you are the comfort of My Heart. I grant you as many graces as you can hold. As often as you want to make Me happy, speak to the world about My great and unfathomable mercy.
Probation Before Perpetual Vows[56]
When I learned I was to go for probation, my heart beat with joy at the thought of such an immense grace, that of the perpetual vows. I went before the Blessed Sacrament; and when I immersed myself in a prayer of thanksgiving, I heard these words in my soul: My child you are My delight, you are the comfort of My Heart. I grant you as many graces as you can hold. As often as you want to make Me happy, speak to the world about My great and unfathomable mercy.
165 A few
weeks before I was told about the probation, I entered the chapel for a moment
and Jesus said to me, At this very moment the superiors are deciding which
sisters are going to take perpetual vows. Not all of them will be granted this
grace, but this is their own fault. He who does not take advantage of small
graces will not receive great ones. But to you, my child, this grace is being
given. My soul was seized with joyful surprise, because a few days earlier
one of the sisters had said to me, "Sister, you will not be going for the
third probation. I myself will see to it that you will not be permitted to make
your vows." I said nothing to the sister, but felt great pain which I
tried to conceal as best I could.
O Jesus, how strange are Your ways! I now see that people can do very little on their own, for I did make my probation, as Jesus had told me.
O Jesus, how strange are Your ways! I now see that people can do very little on their own, for I did make my probation, as Jesus had told me.
186 +Today
Jesus said to me, I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns
in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My
Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation.
When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of
some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer:
187 "O
Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy
for us, I trust in You."
652 There is
one word I heed and continually ponder; it alone is everything to me; I live by
it and die by it, and it is the holy will of God. It is my daily food. My whole
soul listens intently to God's wishes. I do always what God asks of me,
although my nature often quakes and I feel that the magnitude of these things
is beyond my strength. 1 know well what I am of myself, but I also know what
the grace of God is, which supports me.
666 I
understood that all striving for perfection and all sanctity consist in doing
God's will. Perfect fulfillment of God's will is maturity in sanctity; there is
no room for doubt here. To receive God's light and recognize what God wants of
us and yet not do it is a great offense against the majesty of God. Such a soul
deserves to be completely forsaken by God. It resembles Lucifer, who had great
light, but did not do God's will. An extraordinary peace entered my soul when I
reflected on the fact that, despite great difficulties, I had always faithfully
followed God's will as I knew it. O Jesus, grant me the grace to put Your will
into practice as I have come to know it, O God.
674 I gave
no answer to Jesus, but poured out all my sorrow before Him, and Satan's
attempts ceased. Jesus then said to me, The
inner peace that you have is a grace, and suddenly He was gone.
I felt happy and unaccountably peaceful. Really, for so much peace to return
within a moment-that is a thing only Jesus can do, He, the most high Lord.
687 Once, as
I was going down the hall to the kitchen, I heard these words in my soul: Say unceasingly the chaplet that I
have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of
death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation.
Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet
only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the
whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to
those souls who trust in My mercy.
688 Jesus, Life and Truth, my Master, guide every step of my life, that I may act according to Your holy will.
688 Jesus, Life and Truth, my Master, guide every step of my life, that I may act according to Your holy will.
690 + On one
occasion, I came to know of the condition of two religious sisters who were
grumbling interiorly about an order the superior had given them, and for this
reason God had withheld many special graces from them. My heart ached at this
sight. How sad it is, O Jesus, when we ourselves are the cause of the loss of
graces. Whoever understands this is always faithful.
699 On one
occasion, I heard these words:
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that
the Feast of Mercy [139] be a refuge and
shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very
depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon
those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to
Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins
and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow
are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as
scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be
able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come
forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation
to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of
Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be
solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have
peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.
1661 I spent
the whole day in thanksgiving, and gratitude kept flooding my soul. O my God,
how good You are, how great is Your mercy! You visit me with so many graces, me
who am a most wretched speck of dust. Prostrating myself at Your feet, O Lord,
I confess with a sincere heart that I have done nothing to deserve even the
least of Your graces. It is in Your infinite goodness that You give Yourself to
me so generously. Therefore, the greater the graces which my heart receives,
the deeper it plunges itself in humility.
1675 On the
following day, Sister Felicia took me there. I left in great peace and a calm
spirit. When we arrived, they told us there was a private room for Sister
Faustina. When we entered the room, we were surprised that everything had been
prepared so beautifully: all was clean and neat, covered with tablecloths and
bedecked with flowers; a pretty Easter Lamb had been placed on the night table
by the Sisters. 248 At once, three Sacred Heart Sisters 249 who work at the sanatorium, my old
acquaintances, came and greeted me warmly. Sister Felicia was surprised at all
this. We bid a warm farewell to each other, and she left. When I was alone,
with just the Lord Jesus and myself, I thanked Him for this great grace.
1682 + May
1, [1938]. This evening, Jesus said to me, My daughter, do you need anything? I
answered, "O my Love, when I have You I have everything." And the
Lord answered, If souls
would put themselves completely in My care, I Myself would undertake the task
of sanctifying them, and I would lavish even greater graces on them. There are
souls who thwart My efforts, but I have not given up on them; as often as they
turn to Me, I hurry to their aid, shielding them with My mercy, and I give them
the first place in My compassionate Heart.
1683 Write for the benefit of religious
souls that it delights Me to come to their hearts in Holy Communion. But if
there is anyone else in such a heart, I cannot bear it and quickly leave that
heart, taking with Me all the gifts and graces I have prepared for the soul.
And the soul does not even notice My going. After some time, inner emptiness
and dissatisfaction will come to her attention. Oh, if only she would turn to
Me then, I would help her to cleanse her heart, and I would fulfill everything
in her soul; but without her knowledge and consent, I cannot be the Master of
her heart.
1687 Today I
saw the Crucified Lord Jesus. Precious pearls and diamonds were pouring forth
from the wound in His Heart. I saw how a multitude of souls was gathering these
gifts, but there was one soul who was closest to His Heart and she, knowing the
greatness of these gifts, was gathering them with liberality, not only for
herself, but for others as well. The Savior said to me, Behold, the treasures of grace that
flow down upon souls, but not all souls know how to take advantage of My
generosity.
1688 Today,
the Lord said to me, My
daughter, look into My Merciful Heart and reflect its compassion in your own
heart and in your deeds, so that you, who proclaim My mercy to the world, may
yourself be aflame with it.
The Creator and The
Creature.
1692 I adore You, Lord
and Creator, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of
Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You
have spread so much beauty over the earth, and it tells me about Your beauty,
even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You,
Incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed
Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You, and my soul recognizes
its Creator, its Highest Good; and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of
adoration.
My Lord and Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy abolishes the chasm which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord, is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could desire. Here Your light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul draws eternal life. O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts, give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable creature. Here, without searching for words, our hearts understand each other. Here, no one is able to interrupt our conversation. What I talk to You about, Jesus, is our secret, which creatures shall not know and Angels dare not ask about. These are secret acts of forgiveness, known only to Jesus and me; this is the mystery of His mercy, which embraces each soul separately. For this incomprehensible goodness of Yours, I adore You, O Lord and Creator, with all my heart and all my soul. And, although my worship is so little and poor, I am at peace because I know that You know it is sincere, however inadequate...
My Lord and Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy abolishes the chasm which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord, is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could desire. Here Your light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul draws eternal life. O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts, give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable creature. Here, without searching for words, our hearts understand each other. Here, no one is able to interrupt our conversation. What I talk to You about, Jesus, is our secret, which creatures shall not know and Angels dare not ask about. These are secret acts of forgiveness, known only to Jesus and me; this is the mystery of His mercy, which embraces each soul separately. For this incomprehensible goodness of Yours, I adore You, O Lord and Creator, with all my heart and all my soul. And, although my worship is so little and poor, I am at peace because I know that You know it is sincere, however inadequate...
1693 As I was writing
the above words, I saw the Lord Jesus leaning over me, and He asked, My daughter, what are you writing?
I answered, "I am writing about You, Jesus, about Your being hidden in the
Blessed Sacrament, about Your inconceivable love and mercy for people."
And Jesus said, Secretary
of My most profound mystery, know that yours is an exclusive intimacy with Me.
Your task is to write down everything that I make known to you about My mercy,
for the benefit of those who by reading these things will be comforted in their
souls and will have the courage to approach Me. I therefore want you to devote
all your free moments to writing. "But, O Lord, shall I
always have a moment, at least a brief one, in which to write?" And Jesus
answered, It is not for
you to think about that. Only do as much as you can, and I will always arrange
things so that you will easily be able to do what I ask of you...
1694 Today, I was
visited by a certain lay person [probably Stanislava Kwietniewska] who has
caused me a lot of sorrow and who has abused my goodness, telling many lies. At
the first moment I saw her, the blood froze in my veins, because there stood
before my eyes all that I had to suffer because of her, although with one word
I could have freed myself of them all. And the thought came to me to tell her
the truth, firmly and immediately. But at the same moment, the mercy of God
came before my eyes, and I resolved to act toward her as Jesus would have acted
in my place. I started to talk to her gently, and when she expressed the wish
to talk to me alone; I then, in a very delicate manner, made known to her
clearly the sad condition of her soul. I saw that she was deeply moved, though
she was trying to hide this from me. At that point, a third person came in, and
so our heart-to-heart talk came to an end. She asked me for a glass of water
and for two other things which I did willingly. However, had it not been for
the grace of God, I would not have been able to act in such a way toward her.
When they left, I thanked God for the grace which had supported me during that
time.
1696 O Christ, although
much effort is required, all things can be done with Your grace.
1697 I was feeling
fairly well today, and I was glad that I would be able to make the Holy Hour.
But when I began to make the Holy Hour, my physical sufferings intensified, so
that I was not able to pray. When the Holy Hour was over, my sufferings came to
an end, and I complained to the Lord that I had wanted so much to steep myself
in His sorrowful Passion, but that my sufferings had not allowed me to do so.
Then Jesus said to me, My
daughter, know that if I allow you to feel and have a more profound knowledge
of My sufferings, that is a grace from Me. But when your mind is dimmed and
your sufferings are great, it is then that you take an active part in My
Passion, and I am conforming you more fully to Myself. It is your task to
submit yourself to My will at such times, more than at others...
1698 l often attend upon
the dying and through entreaties obtain for them trust in God's mercy, and I
implore God for an abundance of divine grace, which is always victorious. God's
mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and
mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not
so. The soul, illumined by a ray of God's powerful final grace, turns to God in
the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from
God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either
of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react
to external things. Oh, how beyond comprehension is God's mercy!
But-horror!-there are also souls who voluntarily and consciously reject and
scorn this grace! Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God
gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it
has the possibility of returning to God. But sometimes, the obduracy in souls
is so great that consciously they choose hell; they [thus] make useless all the
prayers that other souls offer to God for them and even the efforts of God
Himself...
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-164-165, 186-187)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-652, 666, 674, 687-688,
690, 699 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1059, 1065, 1074-1076 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1661, 1675, 1682-1683,
1687-1688)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1692-1694,
1696-1698)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento