The Christian Who Doesn’t Pray Treats God like a Servant
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Thursday of the
Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
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Father James Swanson, LC
Luke 11:5-13
And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ´Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,´ and he says in reply from within, ´Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.´ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the master of the universe, and yet You
wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and
future, and yet You respect my freedom to choose You. Holy Trinity, You are
completely happy and fulfilled on Your own, and yet You have generously
brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank You for the gift of
Yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing You are pleased
with what I have to give.
Petition: Lord, through this meditation, grant me the grace of a greater
dependence on You.
1. God Wants Us to
Ask: Sometimes we think
that since God knows all things, we need not ask him for anything. We need
only wait until God will give us what we need. Nothing could be further from
the truth. In this passage, Jesus doesn’t say not to worry; instead he
says that our Heavenly Father will gladly and lovingly provide whatever we
need, provided we ask for it. One reason why God has arranged things this way
is because if our needs were automatically provided for, a great number of us
would not even realize there is a God, or we would easily forget him. There
are affluent societies in which the people’s material needs are taken care of
easily. Does such a situation remind the people of God, his power, or his
love? When we ask God to provide for our needs, we implicitly recognize his
existence and authority in our lives. God wants us to do this.
2. Petitions in
Prayer Increase My Faith: But there are even more important reasons God wants us to ask.
It is in asking that our faith grows. The more I ask, the more I come into a
personal relationship with God. If I never had to turn to him for my needs, I
would never realize how much he wants to be a part of my life. But when I
have to ask, especially if I have to put some time and effort into it, then,
when my needs are satisfied, it will be very clear that God did it. It will
be clear that it wasn’t me, or luck, or anything else, but God. Don’t be
afraid to ask. Develop your faith by doing so.
3. When I Don’t Ask
for What I Need, I Treat God as My Servant: When we expect God to give us all we need
without asking, are we not placing the whole burden of our salvation on him
and nothing on ourselves? Are we not in a sense being lazy? “You know what I
need, Lord. Just give it to me, take care of it, while I focus on my own
interests.” Not only is this laziness, it is pride, treating God like a
servant whose role is to provide whatever I need. We forget he is God.
Certainly God is generous and loving, willing to give us everything that is
good for us; but he is still God, and he deserves our respect, adoration, and
especially our gratitude.
Conversation with
Christ: Dear Jesus, so often I expect You to take
care of me without my having to ask. Help me to live my dependence on You
through the practice of asking You for my needs. Increase my faith through my
prayer so that I see my real dependence on You and how much You do for me.
Resolution: What do I most need today? I will ask God for it early and
often.
Excerpts from
the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
18
However, after three weeks I became aware that there is so very little time
here for prayer, and of many other things which spoke to my soul in favor of
entering a religious community of a stricter observance. This thought took a
firm hold of my soul, but the will of God was not in it. Still, the thought,
or rather the temptation, was growing stronger and stronger to the point
where I decided one day to announce my departure to Mother Superior and definitely
to leave [the convent]. But God arranged the circumstances in such a way that
I could not get to the Mother Superior [Michael]. I stepped into the little
chapel [7] before going to bed, and I asked Jesus for light in this matter.
But I received nothing in my soul except a strange unrest which I did not
understand. But, in spite of everything, I made up my mind to approach Mother
Superior the next morning right after Mass and tell her of my decision.
31
+Once I saw a big crowd of people in our chapel, in front of the chapel and
in the street, because there was no room for them inside. [19]
The chapel was decorated for a feast. There were a lot of clergy near the
altar, and then our sisters and those of many other congregations. They were
all waiting for the person who was to take a place on the altar. Suddenly I
heard a voice saying that I was to take the place on the altar. But as soon
as I left the corridor to go across the yard and enter the chapel, following
the voice that was calling me, all the people began to throw at me whatever
they had to hand: mud, stones, sand, brooms, to such an extent that I at
first hesitated to go forward. But the voice kept on calling me even more
earnestly, so I walked on bravely.
When I entered the chapel, the superiors, the sisters, the students,[20] and even my parents started to hit me with whatever they could, and so whether I wanted to or not, I quickly took my place on the altar. As soon as I was there, the very same people, the students, the sisters, the superiors and my parents all began to hold their arms out to me asking for graces; and as for me, I did not bear any grudge against them for having thrown all sorts of things at me, and I was surprised that I felt a very special love precisely for those persons who had forced me to go more quickly to my appointed place. At the same time my soul was filled with ineffable happiness, and I heard these words, Do whatever you wish, distribute graces as you will, to whom you will and when you will. Then, instantly, the vision disappeared.
40
+The year 1929. Once during Holy Mass, I felt in a very special way the
closeness of God, although I tried to turn away and escape from Him. On
several occasions I have run away from God because I did not want to be a
victim of the evil spirit; since others have told me, more than once, that
such is the case. And this incertitude lasted for quite some time. During
Holy Mass, before Communion, we had the renewal of vows. When we had left our
kneelers and had started to recite the formula for the vows, Jesus appeared
suddenly at my side clad in a white garment with a golden girdle around His
waist, and He said to me, I give you eternal love that your purity may be
untarnished and as a sign that you will never be subject to temptations
against purity. Jesus took off His golden cincture and tied it around my
waist.
Since then I have never experienced any attacks against this virtue, either in my heart or in my mind. I later understood that this was one of the greatest graces which the Most Holy Virgin Mary had obtained for me, as for many years I had been asking this grace of Her. Since that time I have experienced an increasing devotion to the Mother of God. She has taught me how to love God interiorly and also how to carry out His holy will in all things. O Mary, You are joy, because through You God descended to earth [and] into my heart.
94 O my Lord, inflame my heart
with love for You, that my spirit may not grow weary amidst the storms, the
sufferings and the trials. You see how weak I am. Love can do all.
153 One day, I saw two roads. One
was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of
pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They
reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a
horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into
it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was
impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it
was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along
it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell
down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the
road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and
all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all
their sufferings.
163 JMJ The Year 1937
General Exercises +O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy. +I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, 0 Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor. Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue. Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all. Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks. Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor. Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me. +You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
241 Love of neighbor. First:
Helpfulness towards the sisters. Second: Do not speak about those who are
absent, and defend the good name of my neighbor. Third: Rejoice in the
success of others.
242 +O God, how much I desire to be a small child.[71] You are my Father, and You know how little and weak I am. So I beg You, keep me close by Your side all my life and especially at the hour of my death. Jesus, I know that Your goodness surpasses the goodness of a most tender mother.
294 +Once the Lord said to me,
Act like a beggar who does not back away when he gets more alms [than he
asked for], but offers thanks the more fervently. You too should not back
away and say that you are not worthy of receiving greater graces when I give
them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the more and take as
many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for then you will please Me
more. And I will tell you one more thing: Take these graces not only for
yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the souls with whom you
come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who
have complete confidence in Me. I will do everything for them.
303 Great love can change small
things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions.
And the purer our love becomes, the less there will be within us for the
flames of suffering to feed upon, and the suffering will cease to be a suffering
for us; it will become a delight! By the grace of God, I have received such a
disposition of heart that I am never so happy as when I suffer for Jesus,
whom I love with every beat of my heart.
Once when I was suffering greatly, I left my work and escaped to Jesus and asked Him to give me His strength. After a very short prayer I returned to my work filled with enthusiasm and joy. Then, one of the sisters [probably Sister Justine] said to me, "You must have many consolations today, Sister; you look so radiant. Surely, God is giving you no suffering, but only consolations." "You are greatly mistaken, Sister," I answered, "for it is precisely when I suffer much that my joy is greater; and when I suffer less, my joy also is less." However, that soul was letting me recognize that she does not understand what I was saying. I tried to explain to her that when we suffer much we have a great chance to show God that we love Him; but when we suffer little we have less occasion to show God our love; and when we do not suffer at all, our love is then neither great nor pure. By the grace of God, we can attain a point where suffering will become a delight to us, for love can work such things in pure souls.
340 I know now that nothing can
put a stop to my love for You, Jesus, neither suffering, nor adversity, nor
fire nor the sword, nor death itself. I feel stronger than all these things.
Nothing can compare with love. I see that the smallest things done by a soul
that loves God sincerely have an enormous value in His Holy eyes.
502 Only love has meaning; it
raises up our smallest actions into infinity.
534 Chastity. There is no need to
explain that this vow forbids all those things prohibited by the sixth and
ninth commandments: deeds, thoughts, words, feelings... I understand that a
solemn vow differs from a simple vow; I understand this in all its
implications. While reflecting upon this, I heard these words in my soul:You
are My spouse forever; your chastity should be greater than that of the
Angels, for I call no angel to such intimacy as I do you. The smallest act of
My spouse is of infinite value. A pure soul has inconceivable power before
God.
704 I spend every free moment at
the feet of the hidden God. He is my Master; I ask Him about everything; I
speak to Him about everything. Here I obtain strength and light; here I learn
everything; here I am given light on how to act toward my neighbor. From the
time I left the novitiate, I have enclosed myself in the tabernacle together
with Jesus, my Master. He himself drew me into the fire of living love on
which everything converges.
1701 I asked the Lord today that
He might deign to teach me about the interior life, because of myself I can
neither understand nor conceive anything perfectly. The Lord answered me,
I was your Teacher, I am and I will be; strive to make your heart like unto
My humble and gentle Heart. Never claim your rights. Bear with great calm and
patience everything that befalls you. Do not defend yourself when you are put
to shame, though innocent. Let others triumph. Do not stop being good when
you notice that your goodness is being abused. I Myself will speak up for you
when it is necessary. Be grateful for the smallest of My graces, because your
gratitude compels Me to grant you new graces...
1714 Today I interceded earnestly
with the Lord Jesus for our house, that He might deign to take away the cross
which has touched our convent. 252
The Lord answered me, Your prayers are accepted for other intentions. I
cannot take away this cross until they recognize its meaning.
Nevertheless, I did not stop praying.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-18, 31, 40, 94, 153, 163, 241-242)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-294, 303, 340, 502, 534)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-704)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1701, 1704)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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