Kings and Gold Coins
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Memorial of the
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Father John Doyle, LC
Luke 19:11-28
While they were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, "A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ´Engage in trade with these until I return.´ His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ´We do not want this man to be our king.´ But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ´Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.´ He replied, ´Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.´ Then the second came and reported, ´Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.´ And to this servant too he said, ´You, take charge of five cities.´ Then the other servant came and said, ´Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.´ He said to him, ´With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.´ And to those standing by he said, ´Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.´ But they said to him, ´Sir, he has ten gold coins.´ ´I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.´" After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
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 Jesus, teach me to be patient and persevering in using my
talents to serve you and my neighbor.
1. Jesus, the King
of Kings: Nowadays there is
renewed interest in the imminence of the Lord’s return in glory. Every Sunday
when we recite the Creed we attest to our faith that Christ “will come again
to judge the living and the dead.” But we also know that we do not know when
it will be, as Our Lord clearly states: “But about that day and hour no one
knows” (Matthew 24:36). So what should we do in the meantime? The answer is
very simple: Live faithful to the values of Christ’s Kingdom and show that he
is our King right now. Are there any areas in my life where Christ is not
ruler? Am I faithful to my Christian commitments? Do I use my time well?
2. Earning One Gold
Coin at a Time: In today’s parable
each servant receives only one gold coin, but some invest it better than
others. There are some gifts that God has given all of us in equal measure
and some that we each receive in varying degrees. At baptism we receive the
gifts of faith, hope and love in seed form, so to speak, and it is up to us
to make sure they are cultivated, irrigated and exposed to enough light so
that they will grow and bear fruit. These gifts of faith, hope and love are
not given to us just for rainy days or moments of trial, but rather to keep
us focused on who we are as children of God and heirs to the kingdom of
heaven. Exercising these virtues is like earning gold, one coin at a time.
How often have I thanked God for his gifts of faith, hope and love? Do I
strive to grow in these virtues by keeping my heart set on the things of
heaven and through charity towards my neighbor?
3. God’s Generosity:
St. John reminds us
that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God’s essence is self-giving. The man who
hid his coin could not discover or fathom this reality, but the man who
“spent” his gold coin found this out as he was able to earn many more. Jesus
tells us that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it
remains just a single grain” (John 12:24). Later however a metamorphosis
occurs which brings many new grains of wheat into being. Jesus’ death on the
cross is the perfect example of the transformation of sacrifice and
self-giving into fruitfulness. We can’t have Jesus as our king unless we are
willing to follow him on his journey to Jerusalem and impending death. We
have much to give up, but we have so much more to gain by using our talents
for the Kingdom.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, I am sometimes afraid of what it
means to die to myself. Help me to use all of my talents for Your kingdom.
Help me to realize that I have nothing to lose and everything to gain and to
take steps courageously to love You.
Resolution: As a way of showing my love for Jesus, today
I will practice patience with someone who annoys me.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
291
On a certain occasion, I saw a person about to commit a mortal sin. I asked
the Lord to send me the greatest torments so that that soul could be saved.
Then I suddenly felt the terrible pain of a crown of thorns on my head. It
lasted for quite a long time, but that person remained in the Lord's grace. 0
my Jesus, how very easy it is to become holy; all that is needed is a bit of
good will. If Jesus sees this little bit of good will in the soul, He hurries
to give himself to the soul, and nothing can stop Him, neither shortcomings
nor falls-absolutely nothing. Jesus is anxious to help that soul, and if it
is faithful to this grace from God, it can very soon attain the highest
holiness possible for a creature here on earth. God is very generous and does
not deny His grace to anyone. Indeed He gives more than what we ask of Him.
Faithfulness to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit-that is the shortest
route.
244 Now a gray,
ordinary day has begun. The solemn hours of the perpetual vows have passed, but
God's great grace has remained in my soul. I feel I am all God's; I feel I am
His child, I feel I am wholly God's property. I experience this in a way that
can be physically sensed. I am completely at peace about everything, because
I know it is the Spouse's business to look after me. I have forgotten about
myself completely. My trust placed in His Most Merciful Heart has no limit. I
am continuously united with Him. It seems to me as though Jesus could not be
happy without me, nor could I without Him. Although I understand that, being
God,
He is happy in
himself and has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels
Him to give himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond understanding.
548 Suddenly I
heard these words in my soul: My daughter, I assure you of a permanent income
on which you will live. Your duty will be to trust completely in My goodness,
and My duty will be to give you all you need. I am making Myself dependent
upon your trust: if your trust is great, then My generosity will be without
limit.
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.
1068 Today, I had a
conversation with Father [Andrasz] and he recommended great caution in the
matter of these sudden appearances of the Lord Jesus. When he was speaking
about divine mercy, some sort of strength and power entered my heart. My God,
I want so much to express everything and am so very unable to do so. Father
tells me that the Lord Jesus is very generous in communicating himself to
souls and, on the other hand, He is, so to speak, stingy. "Although
God's generosity is very great," said Father, "be careful anyway, because
these sudden appearances arouse suspicion; although, personally, I do not see
anything wrong here, or anything contrary to faith. Be a little more careful,
and when Mother Superior comes, you can talk to her about these things."
1300 When I looked
at this image, I was pierced with such a lively love for God that, for a moment,
I did not know where I was. When we had finished our business, we went to the
Church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. We attended Holy Mass, during which the
Lord gave me to know what a great number of souls would attain salvation
through this work. Then I entered into an intimate conversation with the
Lord, thanking Him for having condescended to grant me the grace of seeing
how the veneration of His unfathomable mercy is spreading. I immersed myself
in a profound prayer of thanksgiving. Oh, how great is God's generosity!
Blessed be the Lord, who is faithful in His promises...
1602 Today the Lord
said to me, Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My
mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down
upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself
entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My
grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself
am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in
your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls
that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of
trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The
torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty
and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.
1650 First Friday.
When I took the Messenger of the Sacred Heart into my hand and read the account
of the canonization of Saint Andrew Bobola, my soul was instantly filled with
a great longing that our Congregation, too, might have a saint, and I wept
like a child that there was no saint in our midst. And I said to the Lord,
"I know Your generosity, and yet it seems to me that You are less
generous toward us." And I began again to weep like a little child. And
the Lord Jesus said to me, Don't cry. You are that saint. Then the
light of God inundated my soul, and I was given to know how much I was to
suffer, and I said to the Lord, "How will that come about? You have been
speaking to me about another Congregation." And the Lord answered, It
is not for you to know how this will come about. Your duty is to be
faithful to My grace and to do always what is within your power and
what obedience allows you to do...
1687 Today I saw
the Crucified Lord Jesus. Precious pearls and diamonds were pouring forth
from the wound in His Heart. I saw how a multitude of souls was gathering
these gifts, but there was one soul who was closest to His Heart and she,
knowing the greatness of these gifts, was gathering them with liberality, not
only for herself, but for others as well. The Savior said to me, Behold,
the treasures of grace that flow down upon souls, but not all souls
know how to take advantage of My generosity.
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.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-291, 244, 548)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1059, 1068)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-IV-1300)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-VI-1602, 1650, 1687)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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