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Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man who was going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave
five talents; to another, two; to a third, one -- to each according to his
ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents
went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who
received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug
a hole in the ground and buried his master´s money. After a long time the master
of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had
received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said,
´Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.´ His master
said to him, ´Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were
faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come,
share your master´s joy.´ Then the one who had received two talents also came
forward and said, ´Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two
more.´ His master said to him, ´Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great
responsibilities. Come, share your master´s joy.´ Then the one who had
received the one talent came forward and said, ´Master, I knew you were a
demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you
did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the
ground. Here it is back.´ His master said to him in reply, ´You wicked, lazy
servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I
did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I
could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent
from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will
be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he
has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness
outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.´"
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: Teach me, Lord, to take all that you have
given me and make it produce fruit for your kingdom.
1. God’s Gifts: The Gospel tells us clearly that God
distributes his gifts among us as he wills, and he entrusts each one of us
with a mission. He gives us what we need to produce fruits for his kingdom,
and he expects us to use those gifts responsibly and diligently. No two
people are exactly alike, and God treats each one individually as a unique
person made in his image. We need to live before God and respond to him
sincerely by using to the maximum the talents he has given us. Are we making
the best use of all that God has given us, or have we neglected some things
and taken others for granted? Might we be committing a sin of omission with
regards to some of our talents?
2. Life as a
Mission: The servants who
invest the talents and make a return on them have understood the purpose of
their lives and the time they have at their disposal. These servants were
generous with everything their master had given them, making it bear fruit,
and they received from him the reward of greater intimacy and more
responsibility. Each of us is also given a limited amount of time in life to
use our various gifts to give glory to God and help save other souls. We too
should work every day to hear those words: “Well done, good and faithful
servant.”
3. The Useless
Servant: How often we are
paralyzed by fear or false prudence into doing nothing, into trying just to
preserve ourselves! Sometimes we don’t take God’s gifts seriously or think we
have been given very little, and we use that as a rationalization for making
no effort or for producing little for God. We blame circumstances or others;
but the fact is we are neglecting to produce the fruits God wants. The master
didn’t expect a return of five talents from the servant to whom he gave only
one. He would have been happy with a return of one more, but the lazy servant
closed in on his egoism, self-love and laziness. We must resolve to use our
God-given talents wisely so as to net him a big return.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, give me the
grace and love to work for Your kingdom with all the talents that You have
given me. Let me return them all to You with real fruits for Your kingdom.
Resolution: I will make a plan for evangelizing other souls and look for
fruits of holiness in others.
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.
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281 I feel
certain that my mission will not come to an end upon my death, but will
begin. O doubting souls, I will draw aside for you the veils of heaven to
convince you of God's goodness, so that you will no longer continue to wound
with your distrust the sweetest Heart of Jesus. God is Love and Mercy.
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.
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299 When, on one occasion, my confessor told me to ask
the Lord Jesus the meaning of the two rays in the image,[77]
I answered, "Very well, I will ask the Lord."
During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and
Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red
ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls...
These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My
agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.
These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will
dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I
desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of 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.
301 Proclaim that mercy is
the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with
mercy.
302 +O Eternal Love, I want all the souls You have
created to come to know You. I would like to be a priest, for then I would
speak without cease about Your mercy to sinful souls drowned in despair. I
would like to be a missionary and carry the light of faith to savage nations in
order to make You known to souls, and to be completely consumed for them and to
die a martyr's death, just as You died for them and for me. O Jesus, I know
only too well that I can be a priest, a missionary, a preacher, and that I can
die a martyr's death by completely emptying myself and denying myself for love
of You, O Jesus, and of immortal souls.
324 The next day, I felt
very weak, but experienced no further suffering. After Holy Communion, I saw
the Lord Jesus just as I had seen Him during one adoration. The Lord's gaze
pierced my soul through and through, and not even the least speck of dust escaped
His notice. And I said to Jesus, "Jesus, I thought You were going to take
me. "And Jesus answered, My
will has not yet been fully accomplished in you; you will still remain on
earth, but not for long. I am well pleased with your trust, but your love
should be more ardent. Pure love gives the soul strength at the very moment of
dying. When I was dying on the cross, I was not thinking about Myself, but
about poor sinners, and I prayed for them to My Father. I want your last
moments to be completely similar to Mine on the cross. There is but one price
at which souls are bought, and that is suffering united to My suffering on the
cross. Pure love understands these words; carnal love will never understand
them.
326 Once, Jesus said to me, My gaze from this image is like My
gaze from the cross.
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331 Oh, how great a grace it is to
have a spiritual director! One makes more rapid progress in virtue, sees the
will of God more clearly, fulfills it more faithfully, and follows a road
that is sure and free of dangers. The director knows how to avoid the rocks
against which the soul could be shattered. The Lord gave me this grace rather
late, to be sure, but I rejoice in it greatly, seeing how God inclines His
will to my director's wishes. I will mention just one incident out of a
thousand that have happened to me. As I usually do, I asked the Lord Jesus
one evening to give me the points for next day's meditation. I received the
answer: Meditate on the Prophet Jonah and his mission. I thanked the Lord,
but began to think within myself of how different that subject was from the
others. But with all my soul I strove to meditate about it, and I recognized
myself in the person of the prophet, in the sense that often I, too, try to
make excuses to the Lord, claiming that someone else would do His holy will
better [than I could], and not understanding that God can do all things and
that His omnipotence will be all the more manifest if the tool is poorer. God
made this clear to me in the following way. That afternoon, there was
confession for the community. When I presented to the director of my soul the
fear that seized me because of this mission for which God was using me,
clumsy tool that I was, my spiritual father answered that, willing or not, we
must carry out the will of God, and he gave me the Prophet Jonah as an
example. After the confession, I wondered how the confessor knew that God had
told me to meditate about Jonah; surely I myself had not told him. Then I
heard these words:When the priest acts in my place, he does not act of
himself, but I act through him. His wishes are Mine. I can see how Jesus
defends His representatives. He himself enters into their actions.
341 November
5, 1934. One morning, when it was my duty to open the gate to let out our
people who deliver baked goods, I entered the little chapel to visit Jesus
for a minute and to renew the intentions of the day. Today, Jesus, I offer
You all my sufferings, mortifications and prayers for the intentions of the
Holy Father, so that he may approve the Feast of Mercy. But, Jesus, I have
one more word to say to You: I am very surprised that You bid me to talk
about this Feast of Mercy, for they tell me that there is already such a
feast[81] and so why should I talk about it? And Jesus said to
me, And who knows
anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should be proclaiming My
mercy and teaching people about it often do not know about it themselves.
That is why I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after
Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know
about it. Make a novena for the Holy Father's intention. It should consist of
thirty-three acts; that is, repetition that many times of the short
prayer-which I have taught you-to The Divine Mercy.
346 December
24, 1934. The Vigil of Christmas. During the morning Mass, I felt the closeness
of God. Though I was hardly aware of it, my spirit was drowned in God.
Suddenly, I heard these words:You
are My delightful dwelling place; My Spirit rests in you. After
these words, I felt the Lord looking into the depths of my heart; and seeing
my misery, I humbled myself in spirit and admired the immense mercy of God,
that the Most High Lord would approach such misery.
During Holy Communion, joy filled my soul. I felt that I am closely united to
the Godhead. His omnipotence enveloped my whole being. Throughout the whole
day I felt the closeness of God in a special manner; and although my duties
prevented me throughout the whole day from going to chapel even for a moment,
there was not a moment when I was not united with God. I felt Him within me more
distinctly than ever. Unceasingly greeting the Mother of God and entering
into Her spirit, I begged Her to teach me true love of God. And then I heard
these words: I will share with you the secret of My happiness this night
during Holy Mass.
We had supper before six o'clock. Despite all the joy and the external noise
accompanying the sharing of the wafer and the mutual exchange of good wishes,
I did not for a moment lose the awareness of God's presence. After supper we
hurried away to finish our work, and at nine I was able to go to the chapel
for adoration. I was allowed to stay up and wait for the Midnight Mass. I was
delighted to have free time from nine until midnight. From nine to ten
o'clock I offered my adoration for my parents and my whole family. From ten
to eleven, I offered it for the intention of my spiritual director, in the
first place thanking God for granting me this great visible help here on
earth, just as He had promised me, and I also asked God to grant him the
necessary light so that he could get to know my soul and guide me according
to God's good pleasure. And from eleven to twelve I prayed for the Holy
Church and the clergy, for sinners, for the missions and for our houses. I
offered the indulgences for the souls in purgatory.
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378 Once as I was talking with
my spiritual director, I had an interior vision-quicker than lightning-of
his soul in great suffering, in such agony that God touches very few souls
with such fire. The suffering arises from this work. There will come a time
when this work, which God is demanding so very much, will be as though
utterly undone. And then God will act with great power, which will give
evidence of its authenticity. It will be a new splendor for the Church,
although it has been dormant in it from long ago. That God is infinitely
merciful, no one can deny. He desires everyone to know this before He comes
again as Judge. He wants souls to come to know Him first as King of Mercy.
When this triumph comes, we shall already have entered the new life in which
there is no suffering. But before this, your soul [of the spiritual
director] will be surfeited with bitterness at the sight of the destruction
of your efforts. However, this will only appear to be so, because what God
has once decided upon, He does not change. But although this destruction
will be such only in outward appearance, the suffering will be real. When
will this happen? I do not know. How long will it last? I do not know.[89] But God has promised a great grace especially to
you and to all those... who will proclaim My great mercy. I shall
protect them Myself at the hour of death, as My own glory. And even if the
sins of soul are as dark as night, when the sinner turns to My mercy he
gives Me the greatest praise and is the glory of My Passion. When a soul
praises My goodness, Satan trembles before it and flees to the very bottom
of hell.
379
During one of the adorations, Jesus promised me that: With souls that have recourse to
My mercy and with those that glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others,
I will deal according to My infinite mercy at the hour of their death.
My Heart is
sorrowful, Jesus said, because even chosen souls do not understand the greatness
of My mercy. Their relationship [with Me] is, in certain ways, imbued with
mistrust. Oh, how much that wounds My Heart 1 Remember My Passion, and if
you do not believe My words, at least believe My wounds.
697 Jesus, You know that I love
suffering and want to drain the cup of suffering to the last drop; and yet,
my nature experienced a slight shudder and fear. Quickly, however, my trust
in the infinite mercy of God was awakened in all its force, and everything
else had to give way before it, like a shadow retreating before the sun's
rays. O Jesus, how great is Your goodness! Your infinite goodness, so well
known to me, enables me to bravely look death itself in the eye. I know
that nothing will happen to me without God's permission. I desire to glorify
Your infinite mercy during my life, at the hour of death, in the
resurrection and throughout eternity.
+ My Jesus, my strength, my peace, my repose; my soul bathes daily in the
rays of Your mercy. There is nota moment in my life when I do not experience
Your mercy, O God. I count on nothing in my whole life, but only on Your
infinite mercy. It is the guiding thread of my life, O Lord. My soul is
filled with God's mercy.
698 + Oh, how sorely Jesus is hurt by the ingratitude of a chosen soul!
What a martyrdom it is for His unspeakable love! God loves us with the
entire infinite Being that He is; and imagine, a miserable particle of dust
scorns that love! My heart bursts with pain when I see this ingratitude.
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.
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.
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.
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.
(Diary of Sister Faustina
Kowalska Notebook-I-36, 381-382, 299-302, 324)
(Diary of Sister Faustina
Kowalska Notebook-I-326, 331, 341, 346, 378-379)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-697-699, 965-966)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1074-1076)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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