In the Spirit
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The Fifth Day in the
Octave of Christmas
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Luke 2:22-35
When the days were
completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him
up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law
of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the
Lord," and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves or two
young pigeons," in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was
righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit
was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should
not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the
Spirit into the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to
perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and
blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace,
according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you
prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel." The child´s father and mother were
amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary
his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of
many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself
a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I long to abide in Your presence. You
refresh my soul and fill me with Your light, although I don’t turn to You
often enough or exercise enough faith when I do remember You. But here I am
now, Lord, ready to spend a few precious moments with You in the room of my
heart. I want to pick up more readily on the inspirations of Your Spirit. I
want to be a docile instrument in Your hands to serve You and Your Church.
Petition: Lord, teach me to be open to your Spirit.
1. Simeon, a Man of
the Spirit: Luke tells us three
times in this short passage that Simeon was a man who was attentive to the
Holy Spirit. The “Holy Spirit was upon him” since “it had been revealed to
him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the
Messiah of the Lord.” Simeon was in conversation with the Spirit and learned
to listen to his holy inspirations. Just as in Christ’s life we see him many
times moved by the Spirit—for example, to come to be baptized by John and
subsequently to be “driven by the Spirit” into the desert—so in Simeon’s
life, he is not only inspired, but also powerfully moved by the Spirit. We
should take a moment in our meditation to admire this man who lent himself
totally to the movements of the Spirit.
2. Mary,
Overshadowed by the Spirit: There is no one who demonstrates docility to the Spirit more
than Mary Immaculate. She didn’t put up any obstacles to the work of
the Holy Spirit; as the Spirit expresses to us through the Gospel writer,
“the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). As John Paul II describes it, Mary “responded
with faithful obedience to every request of God, to every motion of the Holy
Spirit.” As she stands here at the presentation of her firstborn son, she now
hears words spoken to her through the Spirit’s instrument: “Behold, this
child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign
that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Once more, Mary acquiesces to
the Holy Spirit and accepts the foretold suffering far in advance.
3. Amazed by the
Spirit: All of us have heard
incredible stories of moments in which the Holy Spirit clearly intervened or
directed a situation. Maybe we have experienced this in our own lives. Is
there any reason why we shouldn’t? Are there any obstacles that the Holy
Spirit would find in our lives? He should be the soul’s gentle guest. But how
do we foster this friendship with the Holy Spirit? We have to bring silence
into our hearts so as to distinguish his voice from the noise of so many
worldly voices trying to drown out his word, and it also means we have to be
docile and obedient once we have heard it.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, there
are so many lessons to be learned from Your presentation in the Temple. I
have taken one of them: the presence of Your Holy Spirit so evident in this
Gospel passage. In the Christmas season we celebrate Your being among us as a
tiny child. Yet, Your whole life will show us how to be docile to the Holy
Spirit. You have sent him so that we might not be alone. May He always
accompany me in life, and may He always remind me of the many things You did
and said, as You lead me to the Father’s house.
Resolution: I will spend the day attentive to the Holy
Spirit and make this a particular point for my examination of conscience.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
56 O my God, I understand well that You demand this
spiritual childhood[32]
of me, because You are constantly asking it of me through Your
representatives.
At the beginning of my religious life, suffering and adversities frightened and disheartened me. So I prayed continuously, asking Jesus to strengthen me and to grant me the power of His Holy Spirit that I might carry out His holy will in all things, because from the beginning I have been aware of my weakness. I know very well what I am of myself, because for this purpose Jesus has opened the eyes of my soul; I am an abyss of misery, and hence I understand that whatever good there is in my soul consists solely of His holy grace. The knowledge of my own misery allows me, at the same time, to know the immensity of Your mercy. In my own interior life, I am looking with one eye at the abyss of my misery and baseness, and with the other, at the abyss of Your mercy, O God.
106 Though these are frightening
things, the soul should not be too fearful, because God will never test us
beyond what we are able to bear. On the other hand, He may never send us such
sufferings, but I write this because, if it pleases the Lord to let a soul
pass through such sufferings, it should not be afraid but, insofar as this
depends on the soul itself, it should remain faithful to God. God will do a
soul no harm, because He is Love itself, and in this unfathomable love has
called it into being. However, when I was so tormented, I myself did not
understand this.
107 O my God, I have come to know
that I am not of this earth; You, O Lord, have poured this profound awareness
into my soul. My communion is more with heaven than with earth, though I in
no way neglect my duties.
148 +A noble and delicate soul, even the most simple,
but one of delicate sensibilities, sees God in everything, finds Him
everywhere, and knows how to find Him in even the most hidden things. It
finds all things important, it highly appreciates all things, it thanks God
for all things, it draws profit for the soul from all things, and it gives
all glory to God. It places its trust in God and is not confused when the
time of ordeals comes. It knows that God is always the best of Fathers and
makes little of human opinion. It follows faithfully the faintest breath of
the Holy Spirit; it rejoices in this Spiritual Guest and holds onto Him like
a child to its mother. Where other souls come to a standstill and fear, this
soul passes on without fear or difficulty.
167 Today [November, 1932], I arrived in Warsaw for the
third probation. After a cordial meeting with the dear Mothers, I went into
the small chapel for a moment. Suddenly God's presence filled my soul, and I
heard these words, My daughter, I desire that your heart be formed after
the model of My merciful Heart. You must be completely imbued with My mercy.
Dear Mother Directress [Margaret] at once asked me whether I had had a retreat that year, and I said no. "Then you must first have a retreat of at least three days." Thanks be to God there was at Walendows[57] an eight-day retreat in which I could take part. But difficulties arose in regard to my leaving for this retreat. A certain person opposed my going very much, and it already [appeared that] I was not to go. After dinner, I went into the chapel for a five-minute adoration. Suddenly I saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me, My daughter, I am preparing many graces for you, which you will receive during this retreat which you will begin tomorrow. I answered, "Jesus, the retreat has already begun, and I am not supposed to go." And He said to me, Get ready for it, because you will begin the retreat tomorrow. And as for your departure, I will arrange that with the superiors. And in an instant, Jesus disappeared. I began to wonder how this was going to happen. But after a moment I rejected all such thoughts and devoted the time I had to prayer, begging the Holy Spirit for light to see the whole misery that I am. After a short while, I left the little chapel to go about my duties. Soon Mother General [Michael] called me and said, "Sister, you will go to Walendow today with Mother Valeria so that you can start the retreat tomorrow. Fortunately, Mother Valeria happens to be here and you can go together." Within two hours I was already in Walendow. I reflected for a moment within myself and recognized that only Jesus can arrange things in such a way.
170 The first day of the retreat. I tried to be the
first in the chapel in the morning; before the meditation I had a bit of time
for prayer to the Holy Spirit and to Our Lady. I earnestly begged the Mother
of God to obtain for me the grace of fidelity to these inner inspirations and
of faithfully carrying out God's will, whatever it might be. I began this
retreat with a very special kind of courage.
248 The words of the Bishop [Rospond[73]],
spoken at the ceremony of the taking of perpetual vows: "Accept this
candle as a sign of heavenly light and of burning love." While giving
the ring: "I betroth you to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father Most
High; may He keep you unblemished. Take this ring as a sign of the eternal
covenant you are making with Christ, the Spouse of Virgins. May it be for you
the ring of faith and the sign of the Holy Spirit, that you may be called the
bride of Christ and, if you serve Him faithfully, be crowned [as such] for
all eternity.
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.
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.
359 January 10, 1935. +Thursday. In the evening during
benediction,[85] such thoughts as these began to distress me: Is not
perhaps all this that I am saying about God's great mercy just a lie or an
illusion...? And I wanted to think about this for a while, when I heard a
strong and clear inner voice saying,
Everything that you say about My goodness is true; language has no adequate
expression to extol My goodness. These words were so filled
with power and so clear that I would give my life in declaring they came from
God. I can tell this by the profound peace that accompanied them at that time
and that still remains with me. This peace gives me such great strength and
power that all difficulties, adversities, sufferings, and death itself are as
nothing. This light gave me a glimpse of the truth that all my efforts to
bring souls to know the mercy of the Lord are very pleasing to God. And from
this springs such great joy in my soul that I do not know whether it could be
any greater in heaven. Oh, if souls would only be willing to listen, at least
a little, to the voice of conscience and the voicethat is, the
inspirations-of the Holy Spirit! I say "at least a little," because
once we open ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit, He himself will
fulfill what is lacking in us.
392 The Lord God grants His graces in two ways: by
inspiration and by enlightenment. If we ask God for a grace, He will give it
to us; but let us be willing to accept it. And in order to accept it,
self-denial is needed. Love does not consist in words or feelings, but in
deeds. It is an act of the will; it is a gift; that is to say, a giving. The
reason, the will, the heart-these three faculties must be exercised during
prayer. I will rise from the dead in Jesus, but first I must live in Him. If
I do not separate myself from the Cross, then the Gospel will be revealed in
me. Jesus in me makes up for all my deficiencies. His grace operates without
ceasing. The Holy Trinity grants me Its life abundantly, by the gift of the
Holy Spirit. The Three Divine Persons live in me. When God loves, He loves
with all His Being, with all the power of His Being. If God has loved me in
this way, how should I respond I, His spouse?
451 Once after
Holy Communion, I heard these words: You
are Our dwelling place. At that moment, I felt in my soul the
presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I felt
that I was the temple of God. I felt I was a child of the Father. I cannot
explain all this, but the spirit understands it well. O infinite Goodness,
how low You stoop to Your miserable creature!
472 I knew, more distinctly than ever before, the Three
Divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But their being,
their equality and their majesty are one. My soul is in communion with these
Three; but I do not know how to express this in words; yet my soul
understands it well. Whoever is united to One of the Three Persons is thereby
united to the whole Blessed Trinity, for this Oneness is indivisible. This
vision, or rather, this knowledge filled my soul with unimaginable happiness,
because God is so great. What I am describing I did not see with my eyes, as
on previous occasions, but in a purely interior manner, in a purely spiritual
way, independent of the senses. This continued until the end of Holy Mass.
This now happens often to me, and not only in the chapel, but also at work and at times when I least expect it.
477 Silence is a sword in the spiritual struggle. A
talkative soul will never attain sanctity. The sword of silence will cut off
everything that would like to cling to the soul. We are sensitive to words
and quickly want to answer back, without taking any regard as to whether it is
God's will that we should speak. A silent soul 14 strong; no adversities will
harm it if it perseveres in silence. The silent soul is capable of attaining
the closest union with God. It lives almost always under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance.
478 O my Jesus, You know, You alone know well that m
heart knows no other love but You! All my virginal love is drowned eternally
in You, O Jesus! I sense keenly ho Your divine Blood is circulating in my
heart; I have no the least doubt that Your most pure love has entered m heart
with Your most sacred Blood. I am aware did You are dwelling in me, together
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, or ratherIam aware that it is I who it
living in You, O incomprehensible God! I am aware that I am dissolving in You
like a drop in an ocean. I am aware that You are within me and all about me,
that You are in all things that surround me, in all that happens to me. O my
God, I have come to know You within my heart, and I have loved You above all
things that exist on earth or in heaven. Our hearts have a mutual
understanding, and no one of humankind will comprehend this.
486 Jesus, when You come to me in Holy Communion, You
who together with the Father and the Holy Spirit have deigned to dwell in the
little heaven of my heart, I try to keep You company throughout the day, I do
not leave You alone for even a moment. Although I am in the company of other
people or with our wards, my heart is always united to Him. When I am asleep
I offer Him every beat of my heart; when I awaken I immerse myself in Him
without saying a word. When I awaken I adore the Holy Trinity for a short
while and thank God for having deigned to give me yet another day, that the
mystery of the incarnation of His Son may once more be repeated in me, and
that once again His sorrowful Passion may unfold before my eyes. I then try
to make it easier for Jesus to pass through me to other souls. I go
everywhere with Jesus; His presence accompanies me everywhere.
501 Oh, how great is Your beauty, Jesus my Spouse!
Living Flower enclosing life-giving dew for a thirsting soul! My soul is
drowned in You. You alone are the object of my desires and strivings. Unite
me as closely as possible to Yourself, to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.
Let me live and die in You.
525 O Holy Trinity, in whom is contained the inner life
of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, eternal joy, inconceivable
depth of love, poured out upon all creatures and constituting their
happiness, honor and glory be to Your holy name forever and ever. Amen.
When I consider Your greatness and beauty, O my God, I rejoice exceedingly that the Lord I serve is so great. With love and joy I carry out His will, and the more I come to know Him, the more I desire to love Him. I burn with the desire to love Him ever more and more.
552 In addition to the vows, I see one rule as most
important. Although all the rules are important, I put this one in first
place, and it is silence. Truly, if this rule were to be observed strictly, I
would not worry about the others. Women are very fond of talking, but the
Holy Spirit does not speak to a soul that is distracted and garrulous. He
speaks by His quiet inspirations to a soul that is recollected, to a soul
that knows how to keep silence. If silence were strictly observed, there
would not be any grumbling, bitterness, slandering, or gossip, and charity
would not be tarnished. In a word, many wrongs would not be done. Silent lips
are pure gold and bear witness to holiness within.
647 From this, I came to understand one thing: that I
must pray much for each of my confessors, that he might obtain the light of
the Holy Spirit, for when I approach the confessional without first praying,
fervently, the confessor does not understand me very well. Father encouraged
me to pray fervently for these intentions, that God would give better
knowledge and understanding of the things He is asking of me. "Make
novena after novena, Sister, and God will not refuse the graces."
June, 1936. Conversation with Father A. [Andrasz]
658 "Know that these are hard and difficult things. Your principal spiritual director is the Holy Spirit. We can only give direction to these inspirations, but your real director is the Holy Spirit. If you yourself have decided to leave, Sister, I neither prohibit nor order you to do so. You take the responsibility for yourself. I say this to you, Sister: you can begin to take action. You are capable of doing so, and therefore you can do so. These things are indeed probable; all you have told me up to now [before perpetual vows in Cracow in 1933] speaks in favor of taking action. Still, you have to be very careful in all this. Pray much and ask that I be given light."
734 I see that Jesus himself is acting in my soul
during this retreat. And as for me, I try only to be faithful to His grace. I
have submitted my soul completely to the influence of God. This Mighty Ruler
of Heaven has taken entire possession of my soul. I feel that I am being
lifted up above earth and heaven into the inner life of God, where I come to
know the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but always in the unity of
majesty.
777 November 27, [1936]. Today I was in heaven, in
spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us
after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God.
I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making
them happy; and then all the glory and praise which springs from this
happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the depths of God,
contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom.
This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures. Now I understand Saint Paul, who said, "Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him."
1073 April 4, 1937. Low Sunday; that is, the Feast of
Mercy. In the morning, after Holy Communion, my soul was immersed in the
Godhead. I was united to the Three Divine Persons in such a way that when I
was united to Jesus, I was simultaneously united to the Father and to the
Holy Spirit. My soul was flooded with joy beyond understanding, and the Lord
gave me to experience the whole ocean and abyss of His fathomless mercy. Oh,
if only souls would want to understand how much God loves them! All
comparisons, even if they were the most tender and the most vehement, are but
a mere shadow when set against the reality.
When I was united to the Lord, I came to know how many souls are glorifying God's mercy.
1106 + Virtue without prudence is not virtue at all. We
should often pray to the Holy Spirit for this grace of prudence. Prudence
consists in discretion, rational reflection and courageous resolution. The
final decision is always up to us. We must decide; we can and we ought to
seek advice and light...
1174 July 4, 1937. First Sunday of the month.
Monthly retreat. This evening, I prepared with great care and prayed long to the Holy Spirit that He might deign to grant me His light and take me under His special guidance; [I prayed] also to Our Lady, to my Guardian Angel, and to our patron saints. [200]
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-56, 106-107 148, 167,
170, 248, 291)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-356, 359, 392, 451,
472, 477-478)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-486, 501)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-525-526, 552, 647,
658, 734, 777)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1073, 1106, 1174)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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