Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Mark 12:18-27
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put
this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If
someone´s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the
wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven
brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants. So the
second married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the
resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be? For all seven had been
married to her." Jesus said to them, "Are you not misled because you
do not know the scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in
heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of
the living. You are greatly misled."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come before You humbly. As
one who has frequently fallen into sin, I am aware of my weakness. Your great
love, though, assures me that Your grace can keep me on the path to holiness.
Petition: Lord, let me imitate You better in my dealings with my loved ones.
1. If We Only Understood the Power of God: We can be like the
Sadducees. It´s not that we deny the resurrection of the dead. But we can live
as if we don´t believe in the power of God. A rash of bad news can leave us on
the verge of despair. We might ask: What´s the use? Evil seems to be winning on
all sides. Families are breaking down. Pornography is rife. Materialism is
rampant. Yet, the Almighty remains in charge. "Evil does not have the last
word in the world," said Pope Benedict XVI on Dec. 22, 2005. We Christians
are called to be witnesses to hope and joy. Does our life radiate joy? If not,
why not?
2. Reading the Scriptures: The study of Scripture is, as it
were, the "soul of sacred theology," says Vatican II (see Dei Verbum,
24). Our Lord, in effect, tells the Sadducees: "Because you don´t know
Scripture, you don´t know me. You don´t know what I´m about ― my message
of mercy, my call to repentance, my invitation to seek out the lost
sheep." So many of Christ´s supposed followers spend their time
criticizing the Church, the hierarchy, the parish and the school. They forget
that Christ calls them to build up, not to tear down. If only they knew him better
in Scripture. Where do I spend most of my energy day by day? Building up the
Church and the community? Or nitpicking at the faults of its members?
3. Like the Angels in Heaven: Marriage is beautiful. It is a
sacrament ― and an icon, so to speak, of the inner life of the Trinity. But it
can bring only a relative happiness, at best. Its more transcendent goal is to
lead spouses to heaven. In this world, expecting too much of a spouse (or
anyone, for that matter) courts disappointment. Humans have weaknesses. Yet,
they have their greatness, too. Could not that spouse, that family member, that
colleague, be saints despite their flaws? Do we see those around us as
potential saints? Do we encourage them in their path?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me see the greatness in
people, their good qualities and their potential to be apostles. Let me see,
too, how I can help them along the path to holiness.
Resolution: Today I will compliment someone on a genuine virtue they possess.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
135 During the third probation, the Lord gave me to
understand that I should offer myself to Him so that He could do with me as He
pleased. I was to remain standing before Him as a victim offering. At first, I
was quite frightened, as I felt myself to be so utterly miserable and knew very
well that this was the case. I answered the Lord once again, "I am misery
itself; how can I be a hostage [for others]? You do not understand this
today. Tomorrow, during your adoration, I will make it known to you. My
heart trembled, as did my soul, so deeply did these words sink into my soul.
The word of God is living.
When I came to the adoration, I felt within my soul that I had entered the temple of the living God, whose majesty is great and incomprehensible. And He made known to me what even the purest spirits are in His sight. Although I saw nothing externally, God's presence pervaded me. At that very moment my intellect was strangely illumined. A vision passed before the eyes of my soul; it was like the vision Jesus had in the Garden of Olives. First, the physical sufferings and all the circumstances that would increase them; [then] the full scope of the spiritual sufferings and those that no one would know about. Everything entered into the vision: false suspicions, loss of good name. I've summarized it here, but this knowledge was already so clear that what I went through later on was in no way different from what I had known at that moment. My name is to be: "sacrifice."
When the vision ended, a cold sweat bathed my forehead. Jesus made it known to me that, even if I did not give my consent to this, I could still be saved; and He would not lessen His graces, but would still continue to have the same intimate relationship with me, so that even if I did not consent to make this sacrifice, God's generosity would not lessen thereby.
When I came to the adoration, I felt within my soul that I had entered the temple of the living God, whose majesty is great and incomprehensible. And He made known to me what even the purest spirits are in His sight. Although I saw nothing externally, God's presence pervaded me. At that very moment my intellect was strangely illumined. A vision passed before the eyes of my soul; it was like the vision Jesus had in the Garden of Olives. First, the physical sufferings and all the circumstances that would increase them; [then] the full scope of the spiritual sufferings and those that no one would know about. Everything entered into the vision: false suspicions, loss of good name. I've summarized it here, but this knowledge was already so clear that what I went through later on was in no way different from what I had known at that moment. My name is to be: "sacrifice."
When the vision ended, a cold sweat bathed my forehead. Jesus made it known to me that, even if I did not give my consent to this, I could still be saved; and He would not lessen His graces, but would still continue to have the same intimate relationship with me, so that even if I did not consent to make this sacrifice, God's generosity would not lessen thereby.
205 +The Resurrection. Today, during the [Mass of the]
Resurrection, I saw the Lord Jesus in the midst of a great light. He approached
me and said, Peace be to you, My children, and He lifted up His hand and
gave His blessing. The wounds in His hands, feet and side were indelible and
shining. When He looked at me with such kindness and love, my whole soul
drowned itself in Him. And He said to me, You have taken a great part in My
Passion; therefore I now give you a great share in My joy and glory. The
whole time of the Resurrection [Mass] seemed like only a minute to me. A
wondrous recollection filled my soul and lasted throughout the whole festal
season. The kindness of Jesus is so great that I cannot express it.
206 The next day, after Communion, I heard the voice
saying, My daughter, look into the abyss of My mercy and give praise and
glory to this mercy of Mine. Do it in this way: Gather all sinners from the
entire world and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. I want to give Myself
to souls; I yearn for souls, My daughter. On the day of My feast, the Feast of
Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the
spring of My mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them.
209 In my sufferings, I do not seek help from creatures,
but God is everything to me. And yet, it often seems that even the Lord does
not hear me. I arm myself with patience and silence, like a dove that does not
complain and feels no bitterness when its children are being taken away from
it. I want to soar into the very heat of the sun, and I do not want to stop in
its vapors. I will not grow weary, because it is on You that I am leaning-O
You, my Strength!
210 I fervently beg the Lord to strengthen my faith, so
that in my drab, everyday life I will not be guided by human dispositions, but
by those of the spirit. Oh, how everything drags man towards the earth! But
lively faith maintains the soul in the higher regions and assigns self-love its
proper place; that is to say, the lowest one.
223 O living Host, my one and only strength, fountain of
love and mercy, embrace the whole world, fortify faint souls. Oh, blessed be
the instant and the moment when Jesus left us His most merciful Heart!
230 Jesus, living Host, You are my Mother, You are my
all! It is with simplicity and love, with faith and trust that I will always
come to You, O Jesus! I will share everything with You, as a child with its
loving mother, my joys and sorrows-in a word, everything.
235 O Jesus, I long for the salvation of immortal souls.
It is in sacrifice that my heart will find free expression, in sacrifice which
no one will suspect. I will burn and be consumed unseen in the holy flames of
the love of God. The presence of God will help my sacrifice to be perfect and
pure.
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!
282 Once the Lord said to me, My Heart was moved by
great mercy towards you, My dearest child, when I saw you torn to shreds
because of the great pain you suffered in repenting for your sins. I see your
love, so pure and true that I give you first place among the virgins. You are
the honor and glory of My Passion. I see every abasement of your soul, and
nothing escapes my attention. I lift up the humble even to my very throne,
because I want it so.
908 + O Jesus, how sorry I feel for poor sinners. Jesus,
grant them contrition and repentance. Remember Your own sorrowful Passion. I
know Your infinite mercy and cannot bear it that a soul that has cost You so
much should perish. Jesus, give me the souls of sinners; let Your mercy rest
upon them. Take everything away from me, but give me souls. I want to become a
sacrificial host for sinners. Let the shell of my body conceal my offering, for
Your Most Sacred Heart is also hidden in a Host, and certainly You are a living
sacrifice.
Transform me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a living sacrifice and pleasing to You. I desire to atone at each moment for poor sinners. The sacrifice of my spirit is hidden under the veil of the body; the human eye does not perceive it, and for that reason it is pure and pleasing to You. O my Creator and Father of great mercy, I trust in You, for You are Goodness Itself. Souls, do not be afraid of God, but trust in Him, for He is good, and His mercy is everlasting.
Transform me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a living sacrifice and pleasing to You. I desire to atone at each moment for poor sinners. The sacrifice of my spirit is hidden under the veil of the body; the human eye does not perceive it, and for that reason it is pure and pleasing to You. O my Creator and Father of great mercy, I trust in You, for You are Goodness Itself. Souls, do not be afraid of God, but trust in Him, for He is good, and His mercy is everlasting.
923 February 7, [1937]. Today, the Lord said to me, I demand of you a perfect and
whole-burnt offering; an offering of the will. No other sacrifice can compare
with this one. I myself am directing your life and arranging things in such a
way that you will be for Me a continual sacrifice and will always do My will.
And for the accomplishment of this offering, you will unite yourself with Me on
the Cross. I know what you can do. I myself will give you many orders directly,
but I will delay the possibility of their being carried out and make it depend
on others. But what the superiors will not manage to do, I myself will
accomplish directly in your soul. And in the most hidden depths of your soul, a
perfect holocaust will be carried out, not just for a while, but know, My
daughter, that this offering will last until your death. But there is time, so
that I the Lord will fulfill all your wishes. I delight in you as in a living
host; let nothing terrify you; I am with you.
965 Jesus looked at me and said, Souls perish in spite of My bitter
Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My
Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity.
Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine,
because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near.
966 + Today, I heard in my soul these words: My daughter, it is time for you to
take action; I am with you. Great persecutions and sufferings are in store for
you, but be comforted by the thought that many souls will be saved and
sanctified by this work.
967 + When I set to work at underlining the Lord's words
and thus was going through everything in sequence, I reached the page where I
had marked down Father Andrasz's advice and directions. I did not know what to
do, to underline or not to underline, and then I heard these words in my soul: Underline, because these words are
Mine; I have borrowed the lips of the friend of My Heart in order to speak to
you and reassure you. You are to observe these directions until your death. It
would not please Me at all if you were to disobey these directions. Know that
it is I who have placed him between Myself and your soul. I am doing this to
set you at peace and so that you may not err.
975 Today I heard
these words: Pray for
souls that they be not afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy. Do not grow
weary of praying for sinners. You know what a burden their souls are to My
Heart. Relieve My deathly sorrow; dispense My mercy.
1064 + O my most sweet Master, good Jesus, I give You my
heart. You shape and mold it after Your liking. O fathomless love, I open the
calyx of my heart to You, like a rosebud to the freshness of dew. To You alone,
my Betrothed, is known the fragrance of the flower of my heart. Let the
fragrance of my sacrifice be pleasing to You. O Immortal God, my everlasting
delight, already here on earth You are my heaven. May every beat of my heart be
a new hymn of praise to You, O Holy Trinity! Had I as many hearts as there are
drops of water in the ocean or grains of sand in the whole world, I would offer
them all to You, O my Love, O Treasure of my heart! Whomever I shall meet in my
life, no matter who they may be, I want to draw them all to love You, O my
Jesus, my Beauty, my Repose, my sole Master, Judge, Savior and Spouse, all in
one; I know that one title will modify the other-I have entrusted everything to
Your mercy.
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.
1407 When I was receiving Holy Communion today, I noticed
in the cup a Living Host, which the priest gave to me. When I returned to my
place I asked the Lord, "Why was one Host alive, since You are equally
alive under each of the species?" The Lord answered me, That is so. I am the same under each
of the species, but not every soul receives Me with the same living faith as
you do, My daughter, and therefore I cannot act in their souls as I do in
yours.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-135, 205-206, 209-210, 235-236, 282)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-908, 923, 965-967, 975)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1064, 1074-1076)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1407)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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