Jesus Is My Guest
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Tuesday of the
Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
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Father John Doyle, LC
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered
Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a
chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on
account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran
ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass
that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him,
"Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house
today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it
began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a
sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of
my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone
of anything, I will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to
him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of
Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."
Introductory Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are
the Alpha and the Omega. You have given me life and offer me eternal life
with You. You deserve my honor, gratitude and love, and yet You never impose Yourself upon me. Thank You for respecting my freedom so that I can offer
myself to You. All that I have is Yours; I return it to You.
Petition: Lord, increase my faith.
1. Zacchaeus up a
Tree: Yesterday and
today’s Gospel passages speak eloquently of the need to encounter Christ at
all costs. The blind man we read about yesterday would not stop shouting
until he was brought to the Lord. Today a short and very unpopular man named
Zacchaeus runs back and forth among the crowd until finally, in his determination
to encounter Christ, he breaks all protocol and scrambles up a tree. Jesus
wastes no time in entering decisively this tax collector’s life and
transforming it. This resembles our own encounter with Christ. At times
different obstacles stand in our way and prevent us from seeing Our Lord and
his action in our lives. Above all we lack determination. How easy it is to
craft excuses: “I am just too short,” “Maybe Jesus is too busy,” “I am just a
sinner.” If we really want Our Lord to stay at our house, he will, but there
may be trees that we need to climb first.
2. Welcoming Jesus: Few people ever welcomed Jesus with the joy
and exuberance as did this little man. He came down from the tree, gave half
of his wealth to the poor, and promised to restore any fraudulent
transactions four times over. Zacchaeus has truly been like that merchant in
search of fine pearls (see Matthew 13:45-46). He is willing to sell all he
has to buy the pearl of great price: friendship and intimacy with the Lord.
How many times has Jesus looked up at us and asked us to remain with him? How
many times have we had the immense grace of receiving the King of kings into
our hearts in the Blessed Eucharist? Do we offer merely a corner of our
hearts for him or do we reserve the presidential suite? How pure do we
maintain our souls for our Guest?
3. Of Sinners and
Saints: What makes someone a
saint and someone else a sinner? Certainly it is not the grumbling of the
jealous crowd who are unwilling to climb up the tree to see Jesus yet are
quick to criticize anyone who does. In fact, everyone is a sinner. St. Paul
writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the
foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15). Yet St. Paul, Zacchaeus, you and I all go from
being sinners to saints when we encounter Christ and are faithful to his
friendship. Salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house when Jesus entered it, and
salvation comes to us through the graces received at baptism, renewed in the
Sacrament of Penance, and nurtured in the Eucharist.
Conversation with
Christ: Jesus, help me to be
willing to do whatever it takes to grow in a deeper friendship with You.
Don’t allow me to worry about the murmurings of the crowd, but only to listen
to Your voice and respond to it with generosity.
Resolution: I will make a point to go to confession at
the next possible opportunity asking Jesus to forgive me my sins and to help
me to turn from being a sinner into being a saint. I will make it a real
encounter with Jesus.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
186 +Today Jesus said to me, I desire that you know
more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will
understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on
behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a
contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the
grace of conversion. This is the prayer:
187 "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You."
206 The next day, after Communion, I heard the voice
saying, My daughter, look into the abyss of My mercy and give praise and
glory to this mercy of Mine. Do it in this way: Gather all sinners from the
entire world and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. I want to give Myself
to souls; I yearn for souls, My daughter. On the day of My feast, the Feast
of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the
spring of My mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them.
280 Jesus commanded me to celebrate the Feast of God's
Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter. [This I did] through interior
recollection and exterior mortification, wearing the belt for three hours and
praying continuously for sinners and for mercy on the whole world. And Jesus
said to me, My eyes rest with pleasure upon this house today.
308 1934, Holy Thursday. Jesus said to me, I desire
that you make an offering of yourself for sinners and especially far those
souls who have lost hope in God's mercy.
God and Souls. An Act of Oblation. 309 Before heaven and earth, before all the choirs of Angels, before the Most Holy Virgin Mary, before all the Powers of heaven, I declare to the One Triune God that today, in union with Jesus Christ, Redeemer of souls, I make a voluntary offering of myself for the conversion of sinners, especially for those souls who have lost hope in God's mercy. This offering consists in my accepting, with total subjection to God's will, all the sufferings, fears and terrors with which sinners are filled. In return, I give them all the consolations which my soul receives from my communion with God. In a word, I offer everything for them: Holy Masses, Holy Communions, penances, mortifications, prayers. I do not fear the blows, blows of divine justice, because I am united with Jesus. O my God, in this way I want to make amends to You for the souls that do not trust in Your goodness. I hope against all hope in the ocean of Your mercy. My Lord and my God, my portion-my portion forever, I do not base this act of oblation on my own strength, but on the strength that flows from the merits of Jesus Christ. I will daily repeat this act of self-oblation by pronouncing the following prayer which You yourself have taught me, Jesus: "O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You!"
319 August 9, 1934. Night adoration on Thursdays.[79]
I made my hour of adoration from eleven o'clock till midnight. I offered it
for the conversion of hardened sinners, especially for those who have lost
hope in God's mercy. I was reflecting on how much God had suffered and on how
great was the love He had shown for us, and on the fact that we still do not
believe that God loves us so much. O Jesus, who can understand this? What
suffering it is for our Savior! How can He convince us of His love if even
His death cannot convince us? I called upon the whole of heaven to join me in
making amends to the Lord for the ingratitude of certain souls.
320 Jesus made known to me how very pleasing to Him were prayers of atonement. He said to me, The prayer of a humble and loving soul disarms the anger of My Father and draws down an ocean of blessings. After the adoration, half way to my cell, I was surrounded by a , pack of huge black dogs who were jumping and howling and trying to tear me to pieces. I realized that they were not dogs, but demons. One of them spoke up in a rage, "Because you have snatched so many souls away from us this night, we will tear you to pieces." I answered, "If that is the will of the most merciful God, tear me to pieces, for I have justly deserved it, because I am the most miserable of all sinners, and God is ever holy, just, and infinitely merciful." To these words all the demons answered as one, "Let us flee, for she is not alone; the Almighty is with her!" And they vanished like dust, like the noise of the road, while I continued on my way to my cell undisturbed, finishing my Te Deum and pondering the infinite and unfathomable mercy of God.
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.
349 In the morning, during meditation, I felt a painful
thorn in the left side of my head. The suffering continued all day. I
meditated continually about how Jesus had been able to endure the pain of so
many thorns which made up His crown. I joined my suffering to the sufferings
of Jesus and offered it for sinners. At four o'clock when I came for
adoration, I saw one of our wards offending God greatly by sins of impure
thoughts. I also saw a certain person who was the cause of her sin. My soul
was pierced with fear, and I asked God, for the sake of Jesus' pain, to
snatch her from this terrible misery.
350 Jesus answered that He would grant her that favor,
not for her sake, but for the sake of my request. Now I understood how much
we ought to pray for sinners, and especially for our wards.
Our life is truly apostolic; I cannot imagine a religious living in one of our houses; that is, in our Community, and not having an apostolic spirit. Zeal for the salvation of souls should burn in our hearts.
355 1934-1935. New Year's Eve. I was given permission
not to go to sleep, but rather pray in the chapel. One of the sisters had
asked me to offer an hour of adoration for her. I said yes, and prayed for
her for an hour. During the hour, God gave me to understand how very pleasing
this soul was to Him.
I offered the second hour of adoration for the conversion of sinners, and I tried especially to offer expiation to God for the insults that were being committed against Him at this present moment. How greatly God is being offended! I offered the third hour for my spiritual director. I fervently prayed for light for him in a particular matter. Finally the clock struck twelve, the last hour of the year. I finished it in the Name of the Holy Trinity, and I also started the first hour of the New Year in the Name of the Holy Trinity. I asked each of the Three Persons to bless me and, with great confidence, looked toward the New Year which certainly would not be sparing of suffering. 356 O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the testament of God's mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus as proof of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained life eternal and of infinite mercy, dispensed in abundance to us and especially to poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the mercy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit toward us, and especially toward poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the infinite price of mercy which will compensate for all our debts, and especially those of poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fountain of living water which springs from infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fire of purest love which blazes forth from the bosom of the Eternal Father, as from an abyss of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the medicine for all our infirmities, flowing from infinite mercy, as from a fount, for us and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom are contained all the sentiments of the most sweet Heart of Jesus toward us, and especially poor sinners. O Blessed Host, our only hope in all the sufferings and adversities of life. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of darkness and of storms within and without. O Blessed Host, our only hope in life and at the hour of our death. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of adversities and floods of despair. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of falsehood and treason. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the darkness and godlessness which inundate the earth. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the longing and pain in which no one will understand us. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the toil and monotony of everyday life. O Blessed Host, our only hope amid the ruin of our hopes and endeavors. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the ravages of the enemy and the efforts of hell. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when the burdens are beyond my strength and I find my efforts are fruitless. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when storms toss my heart about and my fearful spirit tends to despair. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my heart is about to tremble and mortal sweat moistens my brow. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when everything conspires against me and black despair creeps into my soul. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my eyes will begin to grow dim to all temporal things and, for the first time, my spirit will behold the unknown worlds. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my tasks will be beyond my strength and adversity will become my daily lot. O Blessed Host I trust in You when the practice of virtue will appear difficult for me and my nature will grow rebellious. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when hostile blows will be aimed against me. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my toils and efforts will be misjudged by others. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when Your judgments will resound over me; it is then that I will trust in the sea of Your mercy. Holy Trinity, One God, 361 incomprehensible in the greatness of Your mercy for creatures, and especially for poor sinners, You have made known the abyss of Your mercy, incomprehensible and unfathomable [as it is] to any mind, whether of man or angel. Our nothingness and our misery are drowned in Your greatness. O infinite goodness, who can ever praise You sufficiently? Can there be found a soul that understands You in Your love? O Jesus, there are such souls, but they are few.
367 +On one occasion, Jesus gave me to know that when I
pray for intentions which people are wont to entrust to me, He is always
ready to grant His graces, but souls do not always want to accept them: My Heart overflows with great mercy
for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand
that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood
and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For
them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces
upon souls, but they do not want to accept them. You, at least, come to Me as
often as possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. In this
way you will console My Heart. Oh, how indifferent are souls to so much
goodness, to so many proofs of love! My Heart drinks only of the ingratitude
and forgetfulness of souls living in the world. They have time for
everything, but they have no time to come to Me for graces.
So I turn to you, you-chosen souls, will you also fail to understand the love of My Heart? Here, too, My Heart finds disappointment; I do not find complete surrender to My love. So many reservations, so much distrust, so much caution. To comfort you, let Me tell you that there are souls living in the world who love Me dearly. I dwell In their hearts with delight. But they are few. In convents too, there are souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My features; therefore the Heavenly Father looks upon them with special pleasure. They will be a marvel to Angels and men. Their number is very small. They are a defense for the world before the justice of the Heavenly Father and a means of obtaining mercy for the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls sustain the world in existence. The infidelity of a soul specially chosen by Me wounds My Heart most painfully. Such infidelities are swords which pierce My Heart.
384 When I stayed for adoration from nine to ten
o'clock, four other sisters stayed; too. When 1 approached the altar and
began to meditate on the Passion of the Lord Jesus, a terrible pain
immediately filled my soul because of the ingratitude of so many souls living
in the world; but particularly painful was the ingratitude of souls
especially chosen by God. There is no notion or comparison [which can
describe it]. At the sight of this blackest ungratefulness I felt as though
my heart were torn open; my strength failed me completely, and I fell on my
face, not attempting to hide my loud cries. Each time I thought of God's
great mercy and of the ingratitude of souls, pain stabbed at my heart, and I
understood how painfully it wounded the sweetest Heart of Jesus. With a
burning heart, I renewed my act of self-oblation on behalf of sinners.
420 Low Sunday; that is, the Feast of The Divine Mercy,
the conclusion of the Jubilee of Redemption. When we went to take part in the
celebrations, my heart leapt with joy that the two solemnities were so
closely united. I asked God for mercy on the souls of sinners. Toward the end
of the service, when the priest took the Blessed Sacrament to bless the
people, I saw the Lord Jesus as He is represented in the image. The Lord gave
His blessing, and the rays extended over the whole world. Suddenly, I saw an
impenetrable brightness in the form of a crystal dwelling place, woven
together from waves of a brilliance unapproachable to both creatures and
spirits. Three doors led to this resplendence. At that moment, Jesus, as He
is represented in the image, entered this resplendence through the second
door to the Unity within. It is a triple Unity, which is
incomprehensible-which is infinity. I heard a voice, This Feast emerged from
the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of My
tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it.
I was overjoyed at the immense goodness and greatness of my God.
423 Praise the Lord, my soul, for everything, and
glorify His mercy, for His goodness is without end. Everything will pass, but
His mercy is without limit or end. And although evil will attain its measure,
in mercy there is no measure.
O my God, even in the punishments You send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment. Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His infinite mercy than a baby to its mother's heart. O God, You are compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent. The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy.
687 Once, as I was going down the hall to the kitchen,
I heard these words in my soul: Say
unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will
receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to
sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened,
if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My
infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I
desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.
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.
730 +
In this retreat, I shall keep you continually close to My Heart, that you may
better know My mercy, that mercy which I have for people and especially for
poor sinners.
741 Today, I was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell.
It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is! The
kinds of tortures I saw: the first torture that constitutes hell is the loss
of God; the second is perpetual remorse of conscience; the third is that
one's condition will never change; the fourth is the fire that will penetrate
the soul without destroying it-a terrible suffering, since it is a purely
spiritual fire, lit by God's anger; the fifth torture is continual darkness
and a terrible suffocating smell, and, despite the darkness, the devils and
the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and
their own; the sixth torture is the constant company of Satan; the seventh
torture is horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and
blasphemies. These are the tortures suffered by all the damned together, but
that is not the end of the sufferings. There are special tortures destined
for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul
undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in
which it has sinned. There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of
agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight of these
tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me. Let the sinner know
that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he
made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul
may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been
there, and so no one can say what it is like.
I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence. I cannot speak about it now; but I have received a command from God to leave it in writing. The devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God. What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: that most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell. When I came to, I could hardly recover from the fright. How terribly souls suffer there! Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God's mercy upon them. O my Jesus, I would rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the greatest sufferings, than offend You by the least sin.
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.
845 Before the vigil supper, I entered the chapel for a
moment to break the wafer spiritually with those dear to my heart. I
presented them all, by name, to Jesus and begged for graces on their behalf.
But that wasn't all. I commended to the Lord all those who are being
persecuted, those who are suffering, those who do not know His Name, and
especially poor sinners. O little Jesus, I fervently ask You, enclose them
all in the ocean of Your incomprehensible mercy. O sweet little Jesus, here
is my heart; let it be a little cozy dwelling place for Yourself. O Infinite
Majesty, with what sweetness You drew close to us. Here, there is no dread of
the thunderbolts of the great Jehovah; here, there is the sweet little Jesus.
Here, no soul is afraid, although Your majesty has not lessened, but only
concealed itself. After supper, I felt very tired and was in pain. I had to
lie down. But I kept vigil with the Most Holy Mother, awaiting the arrival of
the little Child.
873 January 8. On Friday morning, as I was going to the
chapel to attend Holy Mass, I suddenly saw a huge juniper tree on the
pavement and in it a horrible cat who, looking angrily at me, blocked my way
to the chapel. One whisper of the name of Jesus dissipated all that. I offered
the whole day for dying sinners. During Holy Mass, I felt the closeness of
the Lord in a special way. After Holy Communion, I turned my gaze with trust
toward the Lord and told him, "Jesus, I so much desire to tell You
something." And the Lord looked at me with love and said, And what is it that you desire to
tell Me?
"Jesus, I beg You, by the inconceivable power of Your mercy, that all the souls who will die today escape the fire of hell, even if they have been the greatest sinners. Today is Friday, the memorial of Your bitter agony on the Cross; because Your mercy is inconceivable, the Angels will not be surprised at this." Jesus pressed me to His Heart and said, My beloved daughter, you have come to know well the depths of My mercy. I will do what you ask, but unite yourself continually with My agonizing Heart and make reparation to My justice. Know that you have asked Me for a great thing, but I see that this was dictated by your pure love for Me; that is why I am complying with your requests.
875 Today, I experienced a great suffering during the
visit of our sisters. I learned of something that hurt me terribly, but I
controlled myself so that the sisters didn't notice anything. For some time,
the pain was tearing my heart apart, but all that is for the sake of poor
sinners.... O Jesus, for poor sinners.... Jesus, my strength, stay close to
me, help me....
893 January 22, [1937]. Today is Friday. My soul is in
a sea of suffering. Sinners have taken everything away from me. But that is
all right; I have given everything away for their sake that they might know
that You are good and infinitely merciful. I shall be faithful to You, come
rain or shine.
908 + O Jesus, how sorry I feel for poor sinners.
Jesus, grant them contrition and repentance. Remember Your own sorrowful
Passion. I know Your infinite mercy and cannot bear it that a soul that has
cost You so much should perish. Jesus, give me the souls of sinners; let Your
mercy rest upon them. Take everything away from me, but give me souls. I want
to become a sacrificial host for sinners. Let the shell of my body conceal my
offering, for Your Most Sacred Heart is also hidden in a Host, and certainly
You are a living sacrifice.
Transform me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a living sacrifice and pleasing to You. I desire to atone at each moment for poor sinners. The sacrifice of my spirit is hidden under the veil of the body; the human eye does not perceive it, and for that reason it is pure and pleasing to You. O my Creator and Father of great mercy, I trust in You, for You are Goodness Itself. Souls, do not be afraid of God, but trust in Him, for He is good, and His mercy is everlasting.
927 On these two days, I received Holy Communion as an
act of reparation, and I said to the Lord, "Jesus, I offer everything
today for sinners. Let the blows of Your justice fall on me, and the sea of
Your mercy engulf the poor sinners." And the Lord heard my prayer: many
souls returned to the Lord, but I was in agony under the yoke of God's
justice. I felt I was the object of the anger of the Most High God. By
evening my sufferings had reached such a stage of interior desolation that
moans welled up involuntarily from my breast. I locked the door of my room
and began an adoration; that is to say, a Holy Hour. Interior desolation and
an experience of God's justice-that was my prayer; and the moans and pain
that welled up from my soul took the place of a sweet conversation with the
Lord.
929 When I had rested near His sweetest Heart, I told
Him, "Jesus, I have so much to tell You." And the Lord said to me
with great love, Speak,
My daughter. And I started to enumerate the pains of my
heart; that is, how greatly concerned I am for all mankind, that "they
all do not know You, and those who do know You do not love You as You deserve
to be loved. I also see how terribly sinners offend You; and then again, I
see how severely the faithful, especially Your servants, are oppressed and
persecuted. And then, too, I see many souls rushing headlong into the
terrible abyss of hell. You see, Jesus, this is the pain that gnaws at my
heart and bones. And, although You show me special love and inundate my heart
with streams of Your joys, nevertheless, this does not appease the sufferings
I have just mentioned, but rather they penetrate my poor heart all the more
acutely. Oh, how ardently I desire that all mankind turn with trust to Your
mercy. Then, seeing the glory of Your name, my heart will be comforted."
Jesus listened to these outpourings of my heart with gravity and interest, as if He had known nothing about them, and this seemed to make it easier for me to talk. And the Lord said to me, My daughter, those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me. After these words, I found myself alone, but the presence of God is always in my soul.
934 Small practices for Lent. Although I wish and
desire to do so, I cannot practice big mortifications as before, because I am
under the strict surveillance of the doctor. But I can practice little
things: first-sleep without a pillow; keep myself a little hungry; every day,
with my arms outstretched, say the chaplet which the Lord taught me;
occasionally, with arms outstretched, for an indefinite period of time pray
informally. Intention: to beg divine mercy for poor sinners, and for priests,
the power to bring sinful hearts to repentance.
942 February 11, [1937]. Today is Friday. During Mass,
I suffered pain in my body: in my hands, my feet and my side. Jesus is
sending me this kind of suffering that I may make reparation for sinners. The
pain is brief, but very severe. I do not suffer for more than a couple of
minutes, but the impression remains for a long time and is very vivid.
943 + Today, I feel such desolation in my soul that I do not know how to explain it even to myself. I would like to hide from people and cry endlessly. No one understands a heart wounded by love, and when such a heart feels itself abandoned interiorly, no one can comfort it. O souls of sinners, you have taken the Lord away from me, but all right, all right; you get to know how sweet the Lord is, and let the whole sea of bitterness flood my heart. I have given all my divine comforts to you.
951 + O
incomprehensible and limitless Mercy Divine, To extol and adore You worthily,
who can? Supreme attribute of Almighty God, You are the sweet hope for sinful
man. Into one hymn yourselves unite, stars, earth and sea, and in one accord,
thankfully and
fervently sing of the incomprehensible Divine Mercy.
975 Today I heard these words: Pray for souls that they be not
afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy. Do not grow weary of praying for
sinners. You know what a burden their souls are to My Heart. Relieve My deathly
sorrow; dispense My mercy.
999 Last night I was in such pain that I thought it was
the end. The doctors could not diagnose what the sickness was. I felt as if
my entrails had been torn to shreds, but after a few hours of such sufferings
I am all right. All this is for sinners. Let Your mercy descend upon them, O
Lord.
1059 Jesus is commanding me to make a novena before the
Feast of Mercy, and today I am to begin it for the conversion of the whole
world and for the recognition of The Divine Mercy... so that every soul will praise My
goodness. I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust
in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach
Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world,
all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy.
1062 + I made an hour of adoration in thanksgiving for
the graces which had been granted me and for my illness. Illness also is a
great grace. I have been ill for four months, but I do not recall having
wasted so much as a minute of it. All has been for God and souls; I want to
be faithful to Him everywhere.
During this adoration, I realized the utter care and goodness that Jesus has been lavishing upon me and the protection He has given me against all evil. I thank You especially, Jesus, for visiting me in my solitude, and I thank You also for inspiring my superiors to send me for this treatment. Give them, Jesus, the omnipotence of Your blessing and compensate them for all the losses incurred because of me. 1063 Today, Jesus is bidding me to comfort and reassure a certain soul who has opened herself to me and told me about her difficulties. This soul is pleasing to the Lord, but she is not aware of it. God is keeping her in deep humility. I have carried out the Lord's directives. 1064 + O my most sweet Master, good Jesus, I give You my heart. You shape and mold it after Your liking. O fathomless love, I open the calyx of my heart to You, like a rosebud to the freshness of dew. To You alone, my Betrothed, is known the fragrance of the flower of my heart. Let the fragrance of my sacrifice be pleasing to You. O Immortal God, my everlasting delight, already here on earth You are my heaven. May every beat of my heart be a new hymn of praise to You, O Holy Trinity! Had I as many hearts as there are drops of water in the ocean or grains of sand in the whole world, I would offer them all to You, O my Love, O Treasure of my heart! Whomever I shall meet in my life, no matter who they may be, I want to draw them all to love You, O my Jesus, my Beauty, my Repose, my sole Master, Judge, Savior and Spouse, all in one; I know that one title will modify the other-I have entrusted everything to Your mercy. 1065 + My Jesus, support me when difficult and stormy days come, days of testing, days of ordeal, when suffering and fatigue begin to oppress my body and my soul. Sustain me, Jesus, and give me strength to bear suffering. Set a guard upon my lips that they may address no word of complaint to creatures. Your most merciful Heart is all my hope. I have nothing for my defense but only Your mercy; in it lies all my trust.
1122 God of great mercy, who deigned to send us Your
only begotten Son as the greatest proof of Your fathomless love and mercy,
You do not reject sinners; but in Your boundless mercy You have opened for
them also Your treasures, treasures from which they can draw abundantly, not
only justification, but also all the sanctity that a soul can attain. Father
of great mercy, I desire that all hearts turn with confidence to Your
infinite mercy. No one will be justified before You if he is not accompanied
by Your unfathomable mercy. When You reveal the mystery of Your mercy to us,
there will not be enough of eternity to properly thank You for it.
1123 Oh, how sweet it is to have in the depth of one's soul that which the Church tells us we must believe. When my soul is immersed in love, I solve the most intricate questions clearly and quickly. Only love is able to cross over precipices and mountain peaks. Love, once again, love.
1396 Today I heard a voice in my soul: Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they
would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to
approach Me; speak to them of My great mercy.
1397 The Lord said to me, The loss of each soul plunges Me
into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The
prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My
daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.
1446 The Lord said to me, It should be of no concern to you
how anyone else acts; you are to be My living reflection, through love and
mercy. I answered, "Lord, but they often take advantage
of my goodness." That
makes no difference, My daughter. That is no concern of yours. As for you, be
always merciful toward other people, and especially toward sinners.
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-186-187, 206, 208, 308-309, 319-320)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-324, 349-350, 355-356, 361, 367, 384)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-420, 423)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-687, 699, 730, 741, 793, 845, 873, 875)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-893, 908, 927, 929, 934, 942-943, 951)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-975, 999)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1059, 1062-1065, 1122-1123)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-IV-1396-1397)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1446)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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