A Decisive Response
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Friday-Feast of
Saint Andrew, Apostle
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Father Edward Hopkins, LC
Matthew 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking
by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and
his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said
to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At
once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and
saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They
were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called
them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
Introductory Prayer: Dear Jesus, I believe that You have called me to follow You
more closely today. I trust that in this prayer, You will help me see the
concrete implications of following Your will. I love You and want to respond
to all that You ask of me, today and always. Thank You for watching over me
and guiding me home to heaven.
Petition: Make me a fisher of men, here and now, Lord!
1. As Jesus Walked
By: One summer afternoon
a priest just happened to be in the area and visited my home. Within three
years, two of my brothers and I were following Christ on the road to the
priesthood. Jesus didn’t just happen to walk by these two pairs of brothers!
He had every intention of inviting those brothers to become “fishers of men.”
How much happens in my life, prepared and intended by God, to help me follow
him more closely? And all I see is an accident, a coincidence? Ask him when
was the last time he just happened by.
2. At Once They
Followed Him: Jesus never calls
someone when it’s perfectly convenient, when that person has nothing better
to do. No, he calls precisely when we are in the middle of living our life, doing
what we do best, what we do most, “casting or mending our nets.” “What a
losing formula!” we are tempted to conclude. Yet what is it he really wants
of us when he calls? He wants a response -- a reply of love. Love is all
about preference and priority. If I love him more than myself, I can follow
him “at once.” If I prefer him over my own activities and life, I can follow
him “immediately.” What is the response of love I am giving or want to give
Jesus today in my life?
3. They Left
Something Behind: “Pro-choice:” That’s
what God is! He wants us to choose. But he is not indifferent about what we
choose. Every choice implies the rejection of other options. We cannot follow
someone somewhere without leaving something and someone else behind. Peter
and Andrew left their nets behind. James and John left their boat and their
father behind. This was possible only with Jesus before them. Yet we, too,
often try to follow Christ without leaving things and others behind: the
world, comforts, my preferences... We think that we can have it all. We
can’t. We are in danger of “taming our faith,” bending to the demands of our
passions and the world’s insistence. Love requires a choice, a choice for the
real, complete Jesus. It asks me to reject everything in me that is not him.
How wholehearted is my following of Christ?
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, You have called me and continue
to call me throughout this day. Help me to respond with love, a love that
trumps all my other loves, likes and desires. I don’t want You to have to
wait for me, Lord. Just show me what You want and give me the courage and
generosity to give it to You, no matter the cost.
Resolution: I will give up something today that
diminishes the attention that I give to my spouse, family or friends.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
97
Faith staggers under the impact; the struggle is fierce. The soul tries hard
to cling to God by an act of will. With God's permission, Satan goes even
further: hope and love are put to the test. These temptations are terrible.
God supports the soul in secret, so to speak. The soul is not aware of this,
but otherwise it would be impossible to stand firm; and God knows very well
how much He can allow to befall a soul. The soul is tempted to unbelief in
respect to revealed truths and to insincerity toward the confessor. Satan
says to it, "Look, no one understands you; why speak about all
this?" Words that terrify it sound in its ears, and it seems to the soul
that it is uttering these against God. It sees what it does not want to see.
It hears what it does not want to hear. And, oh, it is a terrible thing at
times like these not to have an experienced confessor! The soul carries the
whole burden alone. However, one should make every effort to find, if it is
at all possible, a well-informed confessor, for the soul can collapse under
the burden and come to the very edge of the precipice. All these trials are
heavy and difficult. God does not send them to a soul which has not already
been admitted to a deeper intimacy with Him and which has not yet tasted the
divine delights. Besides, in this God has His own plans, which for us are
impenetrable. God often prepares a soul in this way for His future designs
and great works. He wants to try it as pure gold is tried. But this is not
yet the end of the testing; there is still the trial of trials, the complete
abandonment of the soul by God.
301 Proclaim that mercy is the
greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.
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.
375 Particular interior practice;
that is, the examination of conscience. Self-denial, denial of my own will.
I. The denial of my reason. Subjecting it to the reason of those who represent God to me here on earth. II. The denial of my will. Doing the will of God, which is revealed in the will of those who represent God to me and which is contained in the rule of our order. III. The denial of my judgment. Accepting immediately and without reflection, analysis or reasoning all orders given by those who represent God to me. IV. The denial of my tongue. I will not give it the least bit of freedom; but in one case only I will give it complete freedom; that is, in proclaiming the glory of God. Whenever I receive Holy Communion, I will ask Jesus to fortify and cleanse my tongue that I may not injure my neighbor with it. That is why I have the greatest respect for the rule which speaks about silence.
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 adoration's,
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.
962 + I often see a certain person
dear to God. The Lord has great love for him, not only because he is striving
to spread the veneration of God's mercy, but also because of the love he has
for the Lord God, although he does not always feel this love in his own heart
and is almost always in Gethsemane. However, this person is always pleasing
to God, and his great patience will overcome all difficulties.
1046 Then suddenly, I saw how the
two rays, as painted in the image, issued from the Host and spread over the
whole world. This lasted only a moment, but it seemed as though it had lasted
all day, and our chapel was overcrowded all day long, and the whole day
abounded in joy.
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.
1083 + That beautiful soul who is
spreading this work of divine mercy throughout the world is, by his deep
humility, very pleasing to God.
1652 Adore, my soul, the mercy of
the Lord,
O my heart, rejoice wholly in Him, Because for this you have been chosen by Him, To spread the glory of His mercy. His goodness no one has fathomed, no one can measure, His compassion is untold. Every soul that approaches Him experiences this. He will shield her and clasp her to His merciful bosom. Happy the soul that has trusted in Your goodness And has abandoned herself completely to Your mercy. Her soul is filled with the peace of love. You defend her everywhere as Your own child. O soul, whoever you may be in this world, Even if your sins were as black as night, Do not fear God, weak child that you are, For great is the power of God's mercy.
1680 Low Sunday. Today, I again
offered myself to the Lord as a holocaust for sinners. My Jesus, if the end
of my life is already approaching, I beg You most humbly, accept my death in
union with You as a holocaust which I offer You today, while I still have
full possession of my faculties and a fully conscious will, and this for a
threefold purpose:
Firstly: that the work of Your mercy may spread throughout the whole world and that the Feast of The Divine Mercy may be solemnly promulgated and celebrated. Secondly: that sinners, especially dying sinners, may have recourse to Your mercy and experience the unspeakable effects of this mercy. Thirdly: that all the work of Your mercy may be realized according to Your wishes, and for a certain person who is in charge of this work... Accept, most merciful Jesus, this, my inadequate sacrifice, which I offer to You today before heaven and earth. May Your Most Sacred Heart, so full of mercy, complete what is lacking in my offering, and offer it to Your Father for the conversion of sinners. I thirst after souls, O Christ.
1692 I adore You, Lord and
Creator, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of
Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You
have spread so much beauty over the earth, and it tells me about Your beauty,
even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You,
Incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed
Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You, and my soul recognizes
its Creator, its Highest Good; and my heart is completely immersed in prayer
of adoration.
My Lord and Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy abolishes the chasm which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord, is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could desire. Here Your light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul draws eternal life. O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts, give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable creature. Here, without searching for words, our hearts understand each other. Here, no one is able to interrupt our conversation. What I talk to You about, Jesus, is our secret, which creatures shall not know and Angels dare not ask about. These are secret acts of forgiveness, known only to Jesus and me; this is the mystery of His mercy, which embraces each soul separately. For this incomprehensible goodness of Yours, I adore You, O Lord and Creator, with all my heart and all my soul. And, although my worship is so little and poor, I am at peace because I know that You know it is sincere, however inadequate...
1749 + God's Infinite Goodness in
Adorning the Whole World with Beauty
in Order to Make Man's Stay on Earth Pleasant. O God, how generously Your mercy is spread everywhere, and You have done all this for man. Oh, how much You must love him, since Your love is so active on his behalf. O my Creator and Lord, I see on all sides the trace of Your hand and the seal of Your mercy, which embraces all created things. O my most compassionate Creator, I want to give You worship on behalf of all creatures and all inanimate creation; I call on the whole universe to glorify Your mercy. Oh, how great is Your goodness, O God!
1796 Today, 254 I saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the sky,
in the midst of a great brilliance. The rays were issuing from the Wound [in
His side] and spreading out over the entire world.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-97, 301, 341, 375, 378-379)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-962)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1046, 1074-1075, 1083)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1652, 1680, 1692, 1749, 1796)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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Nobyembre 30, 2012
A Decisive Response-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
Nobyembre 29, 2012
Scary Times-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
Scary Times
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Thursday of the
Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
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Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Luke 21:20-28
Jesus said to his
disciples: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its
desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let
those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not
enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the
scriptures are fulfilled. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those
days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful
judgment upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be
taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled
underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth
nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for
the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of
Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin
to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at
hand."
Introductory Prayer: Jesus my Savior, thank You for another day and another chance
to grow in holiness with Your grace. I love You and wish to make You the true
center of my thoughts, desires and actions.
Petition: Lord, give me a healthy, but realistic Christian optimism.
1. Desolation at
Hand: What a grim Gospel
passage! Lots of talk of armies and calamity and roaring seas. Jesus is
speaking of the coming destruction of Jerusalem (in A.D. 70) as well as
images of the End-Times. In our day we can think of wars, tsunamis, floods
and wonder why the world is such a nasty place sometimes. Why can´t life be
easier? Why do so many innocent people suffer? Alas, Our Lord asked the same
questions. All the evil we see springs from original sin, from the fall of
Adam. It wasn´t God´s plan to have all this suffering -- but he allows it. He
allows it because he respects our freedom. He allows it too because he knows
he can bring good out of it. How do I use my freedom? Do I have enough faith
in Christ to be optimistic?
2. Trampled Underfoot:
The fall of
Jerusalem didn´t mean that God abandoned the world. True, the focus of
religion would no longer be the Temple; rather, it would be a new focus:
Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. The tabernacle would be the new
center of attention. How few souls grasp that truth? After 2,000 years, Jesus
is still humble, allowing himself to be kept in a tabernacle. Does that fact
influence the way I act in a church? Does it affect the way I dress when
going to church? Do I try to enter church with the proper state of heart and
mind?
3. Redemption at
Hand: Faithful following
of Christ gives us the best assurance that our lives have meaning. Christ
will make sense of everything at the end of our lives. All our struggles to
live the Gospel will be worth it. On the last day we might regret many
things, but we will never regret the things we did for Christ. Does that
truth guide our lives each day? Do we live each day as if it were our last?
What is there in my life that I would be ashamed of on the last day? Why not
weed it out of my life now?
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, help me to judge the things of my
daily life against eternity. Let me see things with Your eyes. Let me see
what is really valuable and what is fleeting. And help me to act accordingly.
Resolution: I will make a fresh effort to get rid of the
biggest vice in my life
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.
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.
374 J.M.J Vilnius, Februrary 4, 1935
[page in the Dairy with the words "From today on my will does not exist" crossed out with a large 'X'] The moment I knelt down to cross out my own will, as the Lord had bid me to do, I heard this voice in my soul: From today on, do not fear God's judgment, for you will not be judged [The next page has...] J.M.J Vilnius, February 4, 1935
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.
625 In
the evening, when I was praying, the Mother of God told me, Your lives must
be like Mine: quiet and hidden, in unceasing union with God, pleading for
humanity and preparing the world for the second coming of God
635 March
25. In the morning, during meditation, God's presence enveloped me in a special
way, as I saw the immeasurable greatness of God and, at the same time, His
condescension to His creatures. Then I saw the Mother of God, who said to me,
Oh, how pleasing to God is the soul
that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! I gave the Savior to
the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about His great mercy
and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a
merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day!
Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble
before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time
for [granting] mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a
great number of souls on that terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the
end. I sympathize with you.
660 O my
Jesus, on the day of the last judgment, You will demand from me an account of
this work of mercy. O just Judge, but my Spouse as well, help me to do Your
holy will. O mercy, O divine virtue!
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, my Betrothed, make my heart like unto Yours.
793 I am reliving these moments
with Our Lady. With great longing, I am waiting for the Lord's coming. Great
are my desires. I desire that all humankind come to know the Lord. I would like
to prepare all nations for the coming of the Word Incarnate. O Jesus, make
the fount of Your mercy gush forth more abundantly, for humankind is
seriously ill and thus has more need than ever of Your compassion. You are a
bottomless sea of mercy for us sinners; and the greater the misery, the more
right we have to Your mercy. You are a fount which makes all creatures happy
by Your infinite mercy.
825 + O bright and clear day on
which all my dreams will be fulfilled; O day so eagerly desired, the last day
of my life! I look forward with joy to the last stroke the Divine Artist will
trace on my soul, which will give my soul a unique beauty that will
distinguish me from the beauty of other souls. O great day, on which divine
love will be confirmed in me. On that day, for the first time, I shall sing
before heaven and earth the song of the Lord's fathomless mercy. This is my
work and the mission which the Lord has destined for me from the beginning of
the world. That the song of my soul may be pleasing to the Holy Trinity, do
You, O Spirit of God, direct and form my soul yourself. I arm myself with
patience and await Your coming, O merciful God, and as to the terrible pains
and fear of death, at this moment more than at any other time, I trust in the
abyss of Your mercy and am reminding You, O merciful Jesus, sweet Savior, of
all the promises You have made to me.
840 December 23, [1936]. I am
spending this time with the Mother of God and preparing myself for the solemn
moment of the coming of the Lord Jesus. The Mother of God is instructing me
in the interior life of the soul with Jesus, especially in Holy Communion. It
is only in eternity that we shall know the great mystery effected in us by
Holy Communion. O most precious moments of my life!
895 January
23, [1937]. I did not feel like writing today. Then I heard a voice in my
soul: My daughter, you
do not live for yourself but for souls; write for their benefit. You know
that My will as to your writing has been confirmed many times by your
confessors. You know what is pleasing to Me, and if you have any doubts about
what I am saying, you also know whom you are to ask. I grant him light to
pronounce judgment on my case. My eye watches over him. My daughter, you are
to be like a child towards him, full of simplicity and candor. Put his
judgment above all My demands. He will guide you according to My will. If he
doesn't allow you to carry out My demands, be at peace; I will not judge you,
but the matter will remain between Me and him. You are to be obedient.
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.
+ Particular Examen
Union with the merciful Christ. With my heart I encompass the whole world, especially countries which are uncivilized or where there is persecution. I am praying for mercy upon them. 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.
1339 O merciful God, You do not
despise us, but lavish Your graces on us continuously. You make us fit to
enter ` Your kingdom, and in Your goodness You grant that human beings may
fill the places vacated by the ungrateful angels. O God of great mercy, who
turned Your sacred gaze away from the rebellious angels and turned it upon
contrite man, praise and glory be to Your unfathomable mercy, O God who do
not despise the lowly heart.
1548 January 30, 1938. One-day
retreat.
The Lord gave me to know, during
meditation, that as long as my heart beats in my breast, I must always strive
to spread the Kingdom of God on earth. I am to fight for the glory of my
Creator. I know that I will give God the glory He expects of me if I try
faithfully to cooperate with God's grace.
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...
1702 Towards the end of the Way of the Cross which I was making,
the Lord Jesus began to complain about the souls of religious and priests,
about the lack of love in chosen souls. I will allow convents and churches to be destroyed.
I answered, "Jesus, but there are so many souls praising You in
convents." The Lord answered, That
praise wounds My Heart, because love has been banished from convents. Souls
without love and without devotion, souls full of egoism and self-love, souls
full of pride and arrogance, souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm
souls who have just enough warmth to keep them alive: My Heart cannot bear
this. All the graces that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face
of a rock. I cannot stand them, because they are neither good or bad. I called
convents into being to sanctify the world through them. It is from them that
a powerful flame of love and sacrifice should burst forth. And if they do not
repent and become enkindled by their first love, I will deliver them over to
the fate of this world...
How can they sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart specially chosen by Me, were you chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through... 1703When I tried to intercede for them, I could find nothing with which to excuse them and, being at the time unable to think of anything in their defense, my heart was seized with pain, and I wept bitterly. Then the Lord looked at me kindly and comforted me with these words: Do not cry. There are still a great number of souls who love Me very much, but My Heart desires to be loved by all and, because My love is great, that is why I warn and chastise them.
1712 A certain person whom I have mentioned before visited me
again. When I saw that she was beginning to get entangled in her own lies, I
let her know that I knew she was lying. She became very embarrassed and
stopped speaking. Then I spoke to her about the great judgments of God, and I
also remarked that she was leading innocent souls astray and along dangerous
roads. I uncovered before her everything that was in her heart. Since I had
to overcome my own feelings in order to talk to her, to prove to Jesus that I
love my enemies, I gave her my afternoon snack. She went away enlightened in
soul, but action is still far away...
1722 I heard these words: If
you did not tie My hands, I would send down many punishments upon the earth.
My daughter, your look disarms My anger. Although your lips are silent, you
call out to Me so mightily that all heaven is moved. I cannot escape from
your requests, because you pursue Me, not from afar but within your own
heart.
1728 Write:
I am Thrice Holy, and I detest the smallest sin. I cannot love a soul which
is stained with sin; but when it repents, there is no limit to My generosity
toward it. My mercy embraces and justifies it. With My mercy, I pursue
sinners along all their paths, and My Heart rejoices when they return to Me.
I forget the bitterness with which they fed My Heart and rejoice at their
return.
Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart... when will it beat for Me? Write, that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they want. 1729 O my Jesus, You alone know of my efforts. I seem to be a bit better, but better only to the point that I can go out on the veranda instead of lying in bed. I see and am fully aware of what is happening to me. Despite the diligent care of my superiors and the efforts of the doctors, my health is fading and running out. But I rejoice greatly at Your call, my God, my Love, because I know that my mission will begin at the moment of my death. Oh, how much I desire to be set free from the bonds of this body. O my Jesus, You know that, in all my desires, I always want to see Your will. Of myself, I would not want to die one minute sooner, or to live one minute longer, or to suffer less, or to suffer more, but I only want to do Your holy will. Although I have great enthusiasm, and the desires burning in my heart are immense, they are never above Your will. 1730 I fly to Your mercy, Compassionate God, who alone are good. Although my misery is great, and my offenses are many, I trust in Your mercy, because You are the God of mercy; and, from time immemorial, it has never been heard of, nor do heaven or earth remember, that a soul trusting in Your mercy has been disappointed. O God of compassion, You alone can justify me, and You will never reject me when I, contrite, approach Your Merciful Heart, where no one has ever been refused, even if he were the greatest sinner.
1784 Today, in the course of a
long conversation, the Lord said to me, How very much I desire the
salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I want to pour out My divine
life into human souls and sanctify them, if only they were willing to accept My
grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would trust
in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being are filled to overflowing with
mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I have created. My delight is to
act in a human soul and to fill it with My mercy and to justify it. My
kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul. Write, My secretary, that I
Myself am the spiritual guide of souls-and I guide them indirectly through
the priest, and lead each one to sanctity by a road known to Me alone.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-36, 83, 374, 496)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-660, 625, 635, 793, 825, 840, 895)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1074-1076)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1317, 1339)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1548)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1701-1703, 1712, 1722)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1728-1730, 1784)
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