Only One Master
Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Father Walter Schu, LC
Matthew 6: 24-34
Jesus said to his disciples: "No one can serve two masters; for a
slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Therefore I tell you, do
not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor
gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span
of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all
his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of
the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he
not much more clothe you - you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying,
´What will we eat?´ or ´What will we drink?´ or ´What will we wear?´ For it is
the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father
knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today´s
trouble is enough for today."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, as I begin this day, I trust
in Your unfailing providence. You are the deepest desire of my heart. In this
moment of prayer I want to please you alone. Even though I might be tired or
uninspired, even though I might only experience dryness, may this be my prayer:
I offer You all I am and all I have.
Petition: Lord, help me to trust more deeply in the loving providence of our
heavenly Father.
1. Why Worry? What can be added to Christ’s beautiful images in
the Gospel, urging us to trust in the loving providence of our heavenly Father?
All that is necessary is to ponder how God feeds the birds of the air and
clothes the lilies of the field and to let the reality of his fatherly care for
these ephemeral creatures sink deeply into our soul. How much more will he not
care for us, the crowning work of his hand, his sons and daughters, for whom he
is willing to send his only begotten Son to die on the Cross? Christ penetrates
to the real cause of our worries and anxieties, our anxious concern that often
overwhelms us in life: we have little faith. Little faith and even less trust
in the goodness of our heavenly Father. Let us thank him for his patience and
allow his fatherly goodness to penetrate to the depths of our spirit.
2. Stay Focused: Our worries and concerns about the material needs
of our daily life make us lose sight of the one thing that is truly necessary:
striving for holiness, for the establishment of Christ’s kingdom in our own
lives and the lives of those around us. If only we would allow Christ to set
our hearts on fire with the consuming passion of zeal for souls, how our lives
would change! We would become driven by the mission, constantly urged on by it
— and all of our former worries and anxieties would fade into insignificance.
Then we, too, could exclaim with Christ, “I have come to light a fire on the
earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!” (Luke 12:49)
3. Simplicity of Heart: One virtue that helps us trust God
more and grow in apostolic zeal is simplicity of heart. When you grow in
simplicity of heart, you will never demand of God that he explain your vocation
or your sufferings. Thanks to simplicity of heart, you will always see God’s
holy will in everything, and everything, even pain, becomes wells and rivers of
peace and joy. Thanks to simplicity of heart, you will be able to understand
people and their misery and give them a helping hand. Thanks to simplicity of
heart, you will never harbor hate, an evil wish, a grudge, or an evil thought
in your heart. Everything brings you to God.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me through this prayer to
grow in simplicity of heart, to recognize everything in my life as coming from Your
loving hand.
Resolution: I will renew my spirit of faith to see everything that happens to me
today as part of God’s loving providence.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
2
When I look into the future, I am frightened, But why plunge into the future?
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.
It is no longer in my power,
To change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.
O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of your omnipotence.
And so, trusting in Your mercy,
I walk through life like a little child,
Offering You each day this heart
Burning with love for Your greater glory.
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.
It is no longer in my power,
To change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.
O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of your omnipotence.
And so, trusting in Your mercy,
I walk through life like a little child,
Offering You each day this heart
Burning with love for Your greater glory.
4 O my Jesus, because of my trust in You, I weave
thousands of garlands, and I know That they will all blossom.
And I know that they will all blossom
When God's sun will shine on them.
+ O great and Divine Sacrament
That veils my God!
Jesus, be with me each moment,
And no fear will enter my heart.
And I know that they will all blossom
When God's sun will shine on them.
+ O great and Divine Sacrament
That veils my God!
Jesus, be with me each moment,
And no fear will enter my heart.
47 In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord
Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of
blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the
garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large
rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my
soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to
me, Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature:
Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your
chapel, and [then] throughout the world.
48 I promise that the soul that will venerate this
image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here
on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own
glory.
49 When I told this to my confessor,[29]
I received this for a reply: "That refers to your soul." He told me,
"Certainly, paint God's image in your soul." When I came out of the
confessional, I again heard words such as these: My image already is in your
soul. I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want this image, which you
will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after
Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.
50 + I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy
of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me.
The flames of mercy are burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them
out upon these souls.
Jesus complained to me in these words, Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts].
Jesus complained to me in these words, Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts].
55 1933.
Spiritual Counsel Given Me by Father Andrasz, S.J.
First: You must not
turn away from these interior inspirations, but always tell everything to your
confessor. If you recognize that these interior inspirations refer to your own
self; that is to say, they are for the good of your soul or for the good of
other souls, l urge you to follow them; and you must not neglect them, but
always do so in consultation with your confessor.
Second: If these inspirations are not in accord with the faith or the spirit of the Church, they must be rejected immediately as coming from the evil spirit.
Third: If these inspirations do not refer to souls, in general, nor specifically to their good, you should not take them too seriously, and it would be better to even ignore them.
But you should not make this decision by yourself, either one way or the other, as you can easily be led astray despite these great favors from God. Humility, humility, and ever humility, as we can do nothing of ourselves; all is purely and simply God's grace.
You say to me that God demands great trust from souls; well then, you be the first to show this trust. And one more word-accept all this with serenity.
Words of one of the confessors: "Sister, God is preparing many special graces for you, but try to make your life as clear as crystal before the Lord, paying no attention to what anyone else thinks about you. Let God suffice you; He alone."
Toward the end of my novitiate, a confessor [perhaps Father Theodore] told me: "Go through life doing good, so that I could write on its pages: `She spent her life doing good.' May God bring this about in you."
Another time the confessor said to me, "Comport yourself before God like the widow in the Gospel; although the coin she dropped into the box was of little value, it counted far more before God than all the big offerings of others."
On another occasion the instruction I received was this: " Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God; give, then, generously to others. They should take leave of you with their hearts filled with joy, even if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment. Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now."
Still another time he gave me the following recommendation: "Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life."
Here are a few words from a conversation I had with the Mother Directress [Mary Joseph] toward the end of my novitiate: "Sister, let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls."
Second: If these inspirations are not in accord with the faith or the spirit of the Church, they must be rejected immediately as coming from the evil spirit.
Third: If these inspirations do not refer to souls, in general, nor specifically to their good, you should not take them too seriously, and it would be better to even ignore them.
But you should not make this decision by yourself, either one way or the other, as you can easily be led astray despite these great favors from God. Humility, humility, and ever humility, as we can do nothing of ourselves; all is purely and simply God's grace.
You say to me that God demands great trust from souls; well then, you be the first to show this trust. And one more word-accept all this with serenity.
Words of one of the confessors: "Sister, God is preparing many special graces for you, but try to make your life as clear as crystal before the Lord, paying no attention to what anyone else thinks about you. Let God suffice you; He alone."
Toward the end of my novitiate, a confessor [perhaps Father Theodore] told me: "Go through life doing good, so that I could write on its pages: `She spent her life doing good.' May God bring this about in you."
Another time the confessor said to me, "Comport yourself before God like the widow in the Gospel; although the coin she dropped into the box was of little value, it counted far more before God than all the big offerings of others."
On another occasion the instruction I received was this: " Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God; give, then, generously to others. They should take leave of you with their hearts filled with joy, even if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment. Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now."
Still another time he gave me the following recommendation: "Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life."
Here are a few words from a conversation I had with the Mother Directress [Mary Joseph] toward the end of my novitiate: "Sister, let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls."
69
+O Jesus, eternal Truth, strengthen my feeble forces; You can do all things,
Lord. I know that without You all my efforts are in vain. O Jesus, do not hide
from me, for I cannot live without You. Listen to the cry of my soul. Your
mercy has not been exhausted, Lord, so have pity on my misery. Your mercy
surpasses the understanding of all Angels and people put together; and so,
although it seems to me that You do not hear me, I put my trust in the ocean of
Your mercy, and I know that my hope will not be deceived.
O Divine Sun, in Your rays the soul sees the tiniest
specks of dust which displease You.
72 O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I
beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and
unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart,
Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the
entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of
Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear
a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price
of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been
enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness
and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equalled. Therefore, let
every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy.
God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God's
mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I
contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all
sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages.
73 O my Jesus, despite the deep night that is all around
me and the dark clouds which hide the horizon, I know that the sun never goes
out. O Lord, though I cannot comprehend You and do not understand Your ways, I
nonetheless trust in Your mercy. If it is Your will, Lord, that I live always
in such darkness, may You be blessed. I ask You only one thing, Jesus: do not
allow me to offend You in any way. O my Jesus, You alone know the longings and
the sufferings of my heart. I am glad I can suffer for You, however little.
When I feel that the suffering is more than I can bear, I take refuge in the
Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and I speak to Him with profound silence.
Darkness and Temptations
77 My mind became dimmed in a strange way; no truth seemed clear to me. When people spoke to me about God, my heart was like a rock. I could not draw from it a single sentiment of love for Him. When I tried, by an act of the will, to remain close to Him, I experienced great torments, and it seemed to me that I was only provoking God to an even greater anger. It was absolutely impossible for me to meditate as I had been accustomed to do in the past. I felt in my soul a great void, and there was nothing with which I could fill it. I began to suffer from a great hunger and yearning for God, but I saw my utter powerlessness. I tried to read slowly, sentence by sentence, and to meditate in this way, but this also was of no avail. I understood nothing of what I had read.
The abyss of my misery was constantly before my eyes. Every time I entered the chapel for some spiritual exercise, I experienced even worse torments and temptations. More than once, all through Holy Mass, I had to struggle against blasphemous thoughts which were forcing themselves to my lips. I felt an aversion for the Holy Sacraments, and it seemed to me that I was not profiting from them in any way. It was only out of obedience to my confessor that I frequented them, and this blind obedience was for me the only path I could follow and my very last hope of survival. The priest explained to me that these were trials sent by God and that, in the situation I was in, not only was I not offending God, but I was most pleasing to Him. "This is a sign," he told me, "that God loves you very much and that He has great confidence in you, since He is sending you such trials." But these words brought me no comfort; it seemed to me that they did not apply to me at all.
One thing did surprise me: it often happened that, at the time when I was suffering greatly, these terrible torments would disappear suddenly just as I was approaching the confessional; but as soon as I had left the confessional, all these torments would again seize me with even greater ferocity. I would then fall on my face before the Blessed Sacrament repeating these words: "Even if You kill me, still will I trust in You!" [cf. Job 13:15] It seemed to me that I would die in these agonies. But the most terrible thought for me was the conviction that I had been rejected by God. Then other thoughts came to me: why strive to acquire virtues and do good works? why mortify and annihilate yourself? what good is it to take vows? to pray? to sacrifice and immolate yourself? why sacrifice myself all the time? what good is it - if I am already rejected by God? why all these efforts? And here, God alone knew what was going on in my heart.
77 My mind became dimmed in a strange way; no truth seemed clear to me. When people spoke to me about God, my heart was like a rock. I could not draw from it a single sentiment of love for Him. When I tried, by an act of the will, to remain close to Him, I experienced great torments, and it seemed to me that I was only provoking God to an even greater anger. It was absolutely impossible for me to meditate as I had been accustomed to do in the past. I felt in my soul a great void, and there was nothing with which I could fill it. I began to suffer from a great hunger and yearning for God, but I saw my utter powerlessness. I tried to read slowly, sentence by sentence, and to meditate in this way, but this also was of no avail. I understood nothing of what I had read.
The abyss of my misery was constantly before my eyes. Every time I entered the chapel for some spiritual exercise, I experienced even worse torments and temptations. More than once, all through Holy Mass, I had to struggle against blasphemous thoughts which were forcing themselves to my lips. I felt an aversion for the Holy Sacraments, and it seemed to me that I was not profiting from them in any way. It was only out of obedience to my confessor that I frequented them, and this blind obedience was for me the only path I could follow and my very last hope of survival. The priest explained to me that these were trials sent by God and that, in the situation I was in, not only was I not offending God, but I was most pleasing to Him. "This is a sign," he told me, "that God loves you very much and that He has great confidence in you, since He is sending you such trials." But these words brought me no comfort; it seemed to me that they did not apply to me at all.
One thing did surprise me: it often happened that, at the time when I was suffering greatly, these terrible torments would disappear suddenly just as I was approaching the confessional; but as soon as I had left the confessional, all these torments would again seize me with even greater ferocity. I would then fall on my face before the Blessed Sacrament repeating these words: "Even if You kill me, still will I trust in You!" [cf. Job 13:15] It seemed to me that I would die in these agonies. But the most terrible thought for me was the conviction that I had been rejected by God. Then other thoughts came to me: why strive to acquire virtues and do good works? why mortify and annihilate yourself? what good is it to take vows? to pray? to sacrifice and immolate yourself? why sacrifice myself all the time? what good is it - if I am already rejected by God? why all these efforts? And here, God alone knew what was going on in my heart.
78 Once when I was being crushed by these dreadful
sufferings, I went into the chapel and said from the bottom of my soul,
"Do what You will with me, O Jesus; I will adore You in everything. May
Your will be done in me, O my Lord and my God, and I will praise Your infinite
mercy." Through this act of submission, these terrible torments left me.
Suddenly I saw Jesus, who said to me, I am always in your heart. An
inconceivable joy entered my soul, and a great love of God set my heart aflame.
I see that God never tries us beyond what we are able to suffer. Oh, I fear
nothing; if God sends such great suffering to a soul, He upholds it with an
even greater grace, although we are not aware of it. One act of trust at such
moments gives greater glory to God than whole hours passed in prayer filled
with consolations. Now I see that if God wants to keep a soul in darkness, no
book, no confessor can bring it light.
83 Write this: before I come as the just Judge, I am
coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there
will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: All light in the
heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole
earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the
openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth
great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take
place shortly before the last day.
84 O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart
of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
92 Humiliation is my daily food. I understand that the
bride must herself share in everything that is the groom's; and so His cloak of
mockery must cover me, too. At those times when I suffer much, I try to remain
silent, as I do not trust my tongue which, at such moments, is inclined to talk
for itself, while its duty is to help me praise God for all the blessings and
gifts which He has given me. When I receive Jesus in Holy Communion, I ask Him
fervently to deign to heal my tongue so that I would offend neither God nor
neighbor by it. I want my tongue to praise God without cease. Great are the
faults committed by the tongue. The soul will not attain sanctity if it does
not keep watch over its tongue.
134 + O my Jesus, You have tested me so many times in
this short life of mine! I have come to understand so many things, and even
such that now amaze me. Oh, how good it is to abandon oneself totally to God
and to give Him full freedom to act in one's soul!
139 Still, a soul which is faithful to God cannot confirm
its own inspirations; it must submit them to the control of a very wise and
learned priest; and until it is quite certain, it should remain distrustful. It
should not, on its own initiative alone, put its trust in these inspirations
and all other higher graces, because it can thus expose itself to great losses.
Even though a soul may immediately distinguish between false inspirations and those of God, it should nevertheless be careful, because many things are uncertain. God is pleased and rejoices when a soul distrusts Him for His own sake; because it loves Him, it is prudent and itself asks and searches for help to make certain that it is really God who is acting within it. And once a well-instructed confessor has confirmed this, the soul should be at peace and give itself up to God, according to His directions; that is, according to the directions of the confessor.
Even though a soul may immediately distinguish between false inspirations and those of God, it should nevertheless be careful, because many things are uncertain. God is pleased and rejoices when a soul distrusts Him for His own sake; because it loves Him, it is prudent and itself asks and searches for help to make certain that it is really God who is acting within it. And once a well-instructed confessor has confirmed this, the soul should be at peace and give itself up to God, according to His directions; that is, according to the directions of the confessor.
148 +A noble and delicate soul, even the most simple, but
one of delicate sensibilities, sees God in everything, finds Him everywhere,
and knows how to find Him in even the most hidden things. It finds all things
important, it highly appreciates all things, it thanks God for all things, it
draws profit for the soul from all things, and it gives all glory to God. It
places its trust in God and is not confused when the time of ordeals comes. It
knows that God is always the best of Fathers and makes little of human opinion.
It follows faithfully the faintest breath of the Holy Spirit; it rejoices in
this Spiritual Guest and holds onto Him like a child to its mother. Where other
souls come to a standstill and fear, this soul passes on without fear or
difficulty.
+O Jesus, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament,
228 You see that in pronouncing my perpetual vows I am leaving the novitiate[68] today. Jesus, You know how weak and little I am, and so from today on, I am entering Your novitiate in a very special way. I continue to be a novice, but Your novice, Jesus, and You will be my Master to the last day. Daily I will attend lectures at Your feet. I will not do the least thing by myself, without consulting You first as my Master. Jesus, how happy I am that You yourself have drawn me and taken me into Your novitiate; that is to say, into the tabernacle. In making my perpetual vows, I have by no means become a perfect nun. No, no! I am still a weak little novice of Jesus, and I must strive to acquire perfection as I did in the first days of the novitiate, and I will make every effort to keep the same disposition of soul which I had on that first day the convent gate opened to admit me.
With the trust and simplicity of a small child, I give myself to You today, O Lord Jesus, my Master. I leave You complete freedom in directing my soul. Guide me along the paths You wish. I won't question them. I will follow You trustingly. Your merciful Heart can do all things!
228 You see that in pronouncing my perpetual vows I am leaving the novitiate[68] today. Jesus, You know how weak and little I am, and so from today on, I am entering Your novitiate in a very special way. I continue to be a novice, but Your novice, Jesus, and You will be my Master to the last day. Daily I will attend lectures at Your feet. I will not do the least thing by myself, without consulting You first as my Master. Jesus, how happy I am that You yourself have drawn me and taken me into Your novitiate; that is to say, into the tabernacle. In making my perpetual vows, I have by no means become a perfect nun. No, no! I am still a weak little novice of Jesus, and I must strive to acquire perfection as I did in the first days of the novitiate, and I will make every effort to keep the same disposition of soul which I had on that first day the convent gate opened to admit me.
With the trust and simplicity of a small child, I give myself to You today, O Lord Jesus, my Master. I leave You complete freedom in directing my soul. Guide me along the paths You wish. I won't question them. I will follow You trustingly. Your merciful Heart can do all things!
The little novice of Jesus-Sister Faustina.
229 +At the beginning of the retreat, Jesus told me, During this retreat, I myself will direct your soul. I want to confirm you in peace and love. And so the first few days passed by. On the fourth day, doubts began to trouble me: Is not this tranquillity of mine false? Then I heard these words, My daughter, imagine that you are the sovereign of all the world and have the power to dispose of all things according to your good pleasure. You have the power to do all the good you want, and suddenly a little child knocks on your door, all trembling and in tears and, trusting in your kindness, asks for a piece of bread lest he die of starvation. What would you do for this child? Answer Me, my daughter. And I said, "Jesus, I would give the child all it asked and a thousand times more. "And the Lord said to me, That is how I am treating your soul. In this retreat I am giving you, not only peace, but also such a disposition of soul that even if you wanted to experience uneasiness you could not do so. My love has taken possession of your soul, and I want you to be confirmed in it. Bring your ear close to My Heart, forget everything else, and meditate upon My wondrous mercy. My love will give you the strength and courage you need in these matters.
229 +At the beginning of the retreat, Jesus told me, During this retreat, I myself will direct your soul. I want to confirm you in peace and love. And so the first few days passed by. On the fourth day, doubts began to trouble me: Is not this tranquillity of mine false? Then I heard these words, My daughter, imagine that you are the sovereign of all the world and have the power to dispose of all things according to your good pleasure. You have the power to do all the good you want, and suddenly a little child knocks on your door, all trembling and in tears and, trusting in your kindness, asks for a piece of bread lest he die of starvation. What would you do for this child? Answer Me, my daughter. And I said, "Jesus, I would give the child all it asked and a thousand times more. "And the Lord said to me, That is how I am treating your soul. In this retreat I am giving you, not only peace, but also such a disposition of soul that even if you wanted to experience uneasiness you could not do so. My love has taken possession of your soul, and I want you to be confirmed in it. Bring your ear close to My Heart, forget everything else, and meditate upon My wondrous mercy. My love will give you the strength and courage you need in these matters.
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.
244 Now a gray, ordinary day has begun. The solemn hours
of the perpetual vows have passed, but God's great grace has remained in my
soul. I feel I am all God's; I feel I am His child, I feel I am wholly God's
property. I experience this in a way that can be physically sensed. I am
completely at peace about everything, because I know it is the Spouse's
business to look after me. I have forgotten about myself completely. My trust
placed in His Most Merciful Heart has no limit. I am continuously united with
Him. It seems to me as though Jesus could not be happy without me, nor could I
without Him. Although I understand that, being God, He is happy in himself and
has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels Him to give
himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond understanding.
275 Jesus loves hidden souls. A hidden flower is the most
fragrant. I must strive to make the interior of my soul a resting place for the
Heart of Jesus. In difficult and painful moments, O my Creator, I sing You a
hymn of trust, for bottomless is the abyss of my trust in You and in Your
mercy!
300 +Ask of my faithful servant [Father Sopocko] that,
on this day, he tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches
the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and
punishment.
+Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
+Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness.
My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
+Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
+Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness.
My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
1154
[June] 27. Today, I saw the convent of the new Congregation. It was a large and
spacious building. I went from room to room, observing everything. I saw that
God's Providence had provided for all that was necessary. The persons living in
this convent were still wearing lay clothes, but a thoroughly religious spirit
reigned there, and I was organizing everything just as the Lord wanted. All of
a sudden, I heard a rebuke from one of our sisters, "Sister, how can you
carry out such works?" I answered that it was not I, but the Lord working
through me, and that I had the authorization for everything. During Mass, I
received light and profound understanding concerning this whole work, and not a
shadow of a doubt remained in my soul.
1182+
Today the Lord said to me, My
daughter, My pleasure and delight, nothing will stop Me from granting you
graces. Your misery does not hinder My mercy. My daughter, write that the
greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all
souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save
them all. On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance
for all souls-no one have I excluded!
1195
O my Jesus, nothing can lower my ideals; that is, the love which I have for
You. Although the path is very thorny, I do not fear to go ahead. Even if a
hailstorm of persecutions covers me; even if my friends forsake me, even if all
things conspire against me, and the horizon grows dark; even if a raging storm
breaks out, and I feel I am quite alone and must brave it all; still, fully at
peace, I will trust in Your mercy, O my God, and my hope will not be
disappointed.
1234
All for You, Jesus. I desire to adore Your mercy with every beat of my heart
and, to the extent that I am able, to encourage souls to trust in that mercy,
as You yourself have commanded me, O Lord.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-2, 4, 47-50,55, 69, 72-73, 77-78)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-83-84,92,134, 139, 148, 228-230)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-244, 275, 300)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1154, 1182, 1195)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1234)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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