Ready or Not!
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Friday of the
Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
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Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ´Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!´ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ´Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.´ But the wise ones replied, ´No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.´ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ´Lord, Lord, open the door for us!´ But he said in reply, ´Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.´ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
Introductory Prayer:
Lord, I come to You
again in prayer. Even though I cannot see You, I know through faith that You
are present in my life. I hope in Your promise to be with me. I love You, and
I know You love me. Accept this prayer as a token of my love.
Petition: Lord, make me long for and strive to enter
the kingdom of heaven.
1. A Severe Oil
Shortage: The Gospel invites
us to have oil for our lamps, that is, to be always ready for the coming of
the Lord. He appears in moments and ways we do not expect and at all times
throughout our day. The foolish virgins failed to anticipate when and how the
Lord would come to them, and they were not prepared. So often we, too, get
caught up in a thousand affairs and worries, and we can miss what is
essential. We miss the presence of Christ in the people around us, in the
circumstances in which we are living. Sometimes, Christ comes to us through
some sacrifice or suffering; but we do not recognize him in it, and we reject
it. We need to strengthen our faith and see how the Lord may appear in our
lives.
2. The Door Closes: Over and over in the New Testament, Jesus
makes clear that there is a real possibility some people, due to their own
choices, may not be saved. The most terrible thing that could happen to any
person would be to hear those words from the Lord who created us and died to
save us: “I do not know you.” The Lord takes our freedom to choose very
seriously. He never forces our will. He never imposes himself on us. Rather
he invites us to make a free response of love and obedience to him and the
way of life he taught us. We must choose to remain steadfast in the way of
the Christian life. God cannot save us without our cooperation.
3. Stay Awake: Saint Augustine said, “Beware of the
grace of God that passes and does not return.” We need to perceive God’s
presence in the little things of each day and never let the opportunity to
love and serve him pass us by. Our faith must be ready and watching for him.
If we take him for granted, or presume that we are already saved, we can miss
our chance to be with him.
Conversation with
Christ: Jesus, thank You for
teaching us so clearly about the seriousness of our choices. How terrible it
would be to opt for death instead of eternal life with you! I want to choose You and Your ways, but I am weak. Make me watch and wait always, ready to see You in all things and do Your will.
Resolution: I will actively look for signs of Christ in others today.
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Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
36 Once I was summoned to the
judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as
we know Him during His Passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except
for five, those in His hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly I saw the
complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is
displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will
have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before
the Thrice-Holy God! Jesus asked me, Who are you? I answered, "I am
Your servant, Lord." You are guilty of one day of fire in purgatory. I
wanted to throw myself immediately into the flames of purgatory, but Jesus
stopped me and said, Which do you prefer, suffer now for one day in purgatory
or for a short while on earth? I replied, "Jesus, I want to suffer in
purgatory, and I want to suffer also the greatest pains on earth, even if it
were until the end of the world." Jesus said, One [of the two] is
enough; you will go back to earth, and there you will suffer much, but not for
long; you will accomplish My will and My desires, and a faithful servant of
Mine will help you to do this. Now, rest your head on My bosom, on My heart,
and draw from it strength and power for these sufferings, because you will find
neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know that you will have
much, much to suffer, but don't let this frighten you; I am with you.
52 When I tried to run away from
these interior inspirations, God said to me that on the day of judgment He
would demand of me a great number of souls.
Once, exhausted because of these various difficulties t hat had befallen me because of what Jesus had said to me and what He had demanded of me for the painting of this image, I made up my mind to approach Father Andrasz [31] before my perpetual vows, and to ask him to dispense me from all these interior inspirations and from the duty of painting this image. After having heard my confession, Father Andrasz gave me this answer: "I will dispense you from nothing, Sister; it is not right for you to turn away from these interior inspirations, but you must absolutely-and I say, absolutely-speak about them to your confessor; otherwise you will go astray despite the great graces you are receiving from God.
Once, exhausted because of these various difficulties t hat had befallen me because of what Jesus had said to me and what He had demanded of me for the painting of this image, I made up my mind to approach Father Andrasz [31] before my perpetual vows, and to ask him to dispense me from all these interior inspirations and from the duty of painting this image. After having heard my confession, Father Andrasz gave me this answer: "I will dispense you from nothing, Sister; it is not right for you to turn away from these interior inspirations, but you must absolutely-and I say, absolutely-speak about them to your confessor; otherwise you will go astray despite the great graces you are receiving from God.
154 Once, when there was adoration at the convent of the
Sisters of the Holy Family,[50] I went there in the evening with one of our
sisters. As soon as I entered the chapel, the presence of God filled my soul. I
prayed as I do at certain times, without saying a word. Suddenly, I saw the
Lord, who said to me, Know that if you neglect the matter of the painting of
the image and the whole work of mercy, you will have to answer for a multitude
of souls on the day of judgment. After these words of Our Lord, a certain
fear filled my soul, and alarm took hold of me. Try as 1 would, 1 could not
calm myself. These words kept resounding in my ears: So, 1 will not only have
to answer for myself on the day of judgment, but also for the souls of others.
These words cut deep into my heart. When I returned home, I went to the little
Jesus,[51] fell on my face before
the Blessed Sacrament and said to the Lord, "I will do everything in my
power, but I beg You to be always with me and to give me strength to do Your
holy will; for You can do everything, while I can do nothing of myself."
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!
274 Jesus gave me the grace of knowing myself. In this
divine light I see my principal fault; it is pride which takes the form of my
closing up within myself and of a lack of simplicity in my relations with
Mother Superior [Irene].
The second light concerns speaking. I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment.
The third light concerns our rules. I have not sufficiently avoided the occasions that lead to breaking the rules, especially that of silence. I will act as if the rule were written just for me; it should not affect me at all how anyone else might act, as long as I myself act as God wishes.
Resolution. Whatever Jesus demands of me regarding external things, I will immediately go and tell my superiors. I shall strive for childlike openness and frankness in my relations with the superior.
The second light concerns speaking. I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment.
The third light concerns our rules. I have not sufficiently avoided the occasions that lead to breaking the rules, especially that of silence. I will act as if the rule were written just for me; it should not affect me at all how anyone else might act, as long as I myself act as God wishes.
Resolution. Whatever Jesus demands of me regarding external things, I will immediately go and tell my superiors. I shall strive for childlike openness and frankness in my relations with the superior.
426 O terrible hour, at which one is obliged to see all
one's deeds in their nakedness and misery; not one of them is lost, they will
all accompany us to God's judgment. I can find no words or comparisons to
express such terrible things. And although it seems to me that this soul is not
damned, nevertheless its torments are in no way different from the torments of
hell; there is only this difference: that they will someday come to an end.
496 Confession Day. From early morning, the turmoil in my
soul was more violent than anything I had ever experienced before. Complete
abandonment by God; I felt the utter weakness that I was. Thoughts bore in upon
me: why should I leave this convent where I am loved by the sisters and
superiors, where life is so tranquil; [where I am] bound by perpetual vows and
carry out my duties without difficulty; why should I listen to the voice of my
conscience; why follow an inspiration coming from who knows where; wouldn't it
be better to carry on like all the other sisters? Perhaps the Lord's words
could be stifled, not taken heed of; maybe God will not demand an account of
them on the day of judgment. Where will this inner voice lead me? If I follow
it, what tremendous difficulties, tribulations and adversities are in store for
me. I fear the future, and I am agonizing in the present.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
939 There is an exception [to this], and that is when God
himself directs the person, but the director will immediately recognize that
the person in question is being guided by God himself. God will allow him to
know this clearly and distinctly, and such a person should be even more under
the director's control than anyone else. In this case, the director does not so
much guide and point out the road along which the soul is to journey; but
rather, he judges and confirms that the soul is following the right path and is
being led by a good spirit.
In this situation, the director should be not only holy, but also experienced and prudent, and the soul should give priority to his opinion over that of God himself, for then the soul will be safe from illusions and deviations. A soul that will not fully submit its inspirations to the strict control of the Church; that is, to the director, clearly shows by this that a bad spirit is guiding it. The director should be extremely prudent in such cases and test the soul's obedience. Satan can even clothe himself in a cloak of humility, but he does not know how to wear the cloak of obedience and thus his evil designs will be disclosed. But the director should not be overly afraid of such a soul, because if God puts that special soul in his care, He will also give him great divine light regarding it, for otherwise how could he deal wisely with the great mysteries which take place between the soul and God.
In this situation, the director should be not only holy, but also experienced and prudent, and the soul should give priority to his opinion over that of God himself, for then the soul will be safe from illusions and deviations. A soul that will not fully submit its inspirations to the strict control of the Church; that is, to the director, clearly shows by this that a bad spirit is guiding it. The director should be extremely prudent in such cases and test the soul's obedience. Satan can even clothe himself in a cloak of humility, but he does not know how to wear the cloak of obedience and thus his evil designs will be disclosed. But the director should not be overly afraid of such a soul, because if God puts that special soul in his care, He will also give him great divine light regarding it, for otherwise how could he deal wisely with the great mysteries which take place between the soul and God.
1106 + Virtue without prudence is not virtue at all. We
should often pray to the Holy Spirit for this grace of prudence. Prudence
consists in discretion, rational reflection and courageous resolution. The
final decision is always up to us. We must decide; we can and we ought to seek
advice and light...
1317 I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the
mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: I know, My daughter, that you
understand it and that you do everything within your power. But write this for
the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material
means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which
requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is
within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or
other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls
knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged,
for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy.
1426 Christ, give me souls. Let anything You like happen to
me, but give me souls in return. I want the salvation of souls. I want souls to
know Your mercy. I have nothing left for myself, because I have given
everything away to souls, with the result that on the day of judgment I will
stand before You empty-handed, since I have given everything away to souls.
Thus You will have nothing on which to judge me, and we shall meet on that day:
Love and mercy... + J. M. J.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-36, 52, 154, 236, 274, 426, 496)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-939
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1106)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1317, 1426)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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