Living with Christ
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise
night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own
accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full
grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for
the harvest has come." He said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom
of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when
it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But
once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth
large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade." With
many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand
it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he
explained everything in private.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe You have called me
to strive tirelessly to extend Your Kingdom throughout the world. I hope in You
because You are the one the Father sent. I love You. Thank You for inviting me
to be an apostle of Your Kingdom.
Petition: Lord Jesus, make me an apostle of Your Kingdom.
1. Kingdom of God: Christ returns to this theme again and again. It
was the topic of his first public sermon. He gives us the image of the mustard
seed which grows to be the largest of plants and in turn serves other
creatures’ needs. The Kingdom of God is like this. God is king and his Kingdom,
like the mustard tree, is a safe haven for us. We can dwell in its shade, rest
on its branches, and find protection from evils. All we have to do is be
faithful subjects of our King, following his commands and going out to spread
the news of his Kingdom to all people.
2. Modest Beginnings: We should not get anxious when we do
not progress in the spiritual life as fast as we would like. God moves us along
little by little. The life of our relationship with Christ does not depend
solely on us, but on him. We are like good farmers who do our part to make sure
the conditions are good for the seed to grow, but it is the Creator who makes
the growth happen. Often we do not perceive the work of God in our souls until
much time has passed. However, he is constantly there, pulling out our weeds
one at a time, and pushing our virtues to the surface.
3. Called to Greatness: Two thousand years ago, Christ’s
Church started off like a small mustard seed. It has grown and matured to be a
huge plant with many branches. I am one of those branches. Christ brings life
to my branch and assigns me a specific task. He calls me to participate in the
great mission of his Church. Do I realize and relish how great it is to be a
Catholic, how much good the Church does, how I am called to be a link that will
bring others to experience the same goodness I have experienced?
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am a member of Your
Mystical Body. I want to partake in Your mission of bringing all souls to know
and love You. I have found my joy in You, and now I have a burning desire to
make it known to all people. Lord, I pray for the courage to keep going, never
tiring from the mission You have given me.
Resolution: I will take a moment in prayer to reflect on how God has worked in my
life, making me grow.
Excerpts from the DIARY of
Saint Faustina Kowalska
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.
1339 O merciful God, You do not despise us, but lavish
Your graces on us continuously. You make us fit to enter ` Your kingdom, and in
Your goodness You grant that human beings may fill the places vacated by the
ungrateful angels. O God of great mercy, who turned Your sacred gaze away from
the rebellious angels and turned it upon contrite man, praise and glory be to
Your unfathomable mercy, O God who do not despise the lowly heart.
1396 Today I heard a voice in my soul: Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they
would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to
approach Me; speak to them of My great mercy.
1397 The Lord said to me, The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.
1397 The Lord said to me, The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.
1519 + Today before Holy Communion, the Lord said to me, My daughter, today talk openly to the
Superior [Mother Irene]
about My mercy because, of all the superiors, she has taken the greatest part
in proclaiming My mercy. And in fact, Mother Superior came this
afternoon, and we talked about this Work of God. Mother told me that the images
had not come out too well and were not selling very well. "But," she
said, "I have taken a good quantity myself and am distributing them
wherever I can and do the best I can to spread the Work of Mercy." When
she had gone, the Lord gave me to know how pleasing this soul was to Him.
1540 January 28, 1938. Today the Lord said to me, My daughter, write down these words:
All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging
others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death.
My mercy will shield them in that final battle...
1541 My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.
Write this for the benefit of distressed souls: when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior.
1541 My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.
Write this for the benefit of distressed souls: when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior.
1548 January 30, 1938. One-day retreat.
The Lord gave me to know, during meditation, that as long as my heart beats in my breast, I must always strive to spread the Kingdom of God on earth. I am to fight for the glory of my Creator.
I know that I will give God the glory He expects of me if I try faithfully to cooperate with God's grace.
The Lord gave me to know, during meditation, that as long as my heart beats in my breast, I must always strive to spread the Kingdom of God on earth. I am to fight for the glory of my Creator.
I know that I will give God the glory He expects of me if I try faithfully to cooperate with God's grace.
1549 I want to live in the spirit of faith. I accept
everything that comes my way as given me by the loving will of God, who sincerely
desires my happiness. And so I will accept with submission and gratitude
everything that God sends me. I will pay no attention to the voice of nature
and to the promptings of self-love. Before each important action, I will stop
to consider for a moment what relationship it has to eternal life and what may
be the main reason for my undertaking it: is it for the glory of God, or for
the good of my own soul, or for the good of the souls of others? If my heart
says yes, then I will not swerve from carrying out the given action, unmindful
of either obstacles or sacrifices. I will not be frightened into abandoning my
intention. It is enough for me to know that it is pleasing to God. On the other
hand, if I learn that the action has nothing in common with what I have just
mentioned, I will try to elevate it to a loftier sphere by means of a good
intention. And if I learn that something flows from my self-love, I will cancel
it out right from the start.
1784 Today, in the course of a long conversation, the
Lord said to me, How
very much I desire the salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I
want to pour out My divine life into human souls and sanctify them, if only
they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great
sanctity, if only they would trust in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being
are filled to overflowing with mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I
have created. My delight is to act in a human soul and to fill it with My mercy
and to justify it. My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul. Write, My
secretary, that I Myself am the spiritual guide of souls-and I guide them
indirectly through the priest, and lead each one to sanctity by a road known to
Me alone.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1074-1076)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1339, 1396-1397, 1519,
1540-1541 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-VI-1548-1549, 1784)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento