Be Inspired!
|
|
Christmas Weekday
|
|
John 1:29-34
John the Baptist saw
Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away
the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ´A man is coming after me
who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.´ I did not know him, but
the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to
Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a
dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who
sent me to baptize with water told me, ´On whomever you see the Spirit come
down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.´ Now I
have seen and testified that He is the Son of God.”
Introductory Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I know
that all Christians are called to proclaim You with their lives and to follow
the path you have taught. I want to grow closer to You and to be more the
person You want me to be. I love You and long to be transformed by Your
grace!
Petition: Holy Spirit, help me to be attentive and
docile to Your inspirations.
1. Trust in the Lord
and Let Him Lead You: Although
John the Baptist knew that he was sent as the Precursor of the Messiah, he
did not initially know who the Messiah would be. But he did not let
uncertainty about the details stop him. He knew that God had a plan and that
he was called to play a part in it; as soon as he knew what direction to go,
he went, regardless of not knowing his exact destination. Sometimes we can
want to have total knowledge of God’s plan, and we hesitate to go forward
until we’re sure we know exactly what to do. However, God rarely gives us a
full view of his plan before we start out. He wants us to trust in him, to
act on what we do know, and to be confident that God will bring his plan to a
good end. Not that we shouldn’t have all the foresight we can, but we can’t
expect God to let us in on his “master plan.” When God calls us, our response
should be to follow without questioning God’s ways.
2. The Holy Spirit
Is Our Guide: The fact that we
have to trust in God and allow him to reveal his plan as we go along means
that we have to be very attentive to his work in our life. John the Baptist
recognized Jesus because he was paying total attention to the signs God was
giving him: The Holy Spirit revealed to him that Jesus was the Messiah. God
will usually not speak to us through visions and special signs; however, if
we have St. John the Baptist’s attitude of openness to the inspirations of
the Holy Spirit, seeing God’s will in the events around us, we will be able
to discern his plan for our life and fulfill it. The most important time to
listen to God is in prayer, so setting aside time to be with God has to be
part of our daily routine.
3. Dealing with the
Unexpected: When St. John the
Baptist realized that Jesus was the Messiah, it might have been a surprise.
They were related through their mothers’ families, and they may have known
each other in youth before John went out into the desert. However, John
clearly states that he did not know who the Messiah was until the moment the
Holy Spirit revealed Jesus’ true identity. John may well have shared the
common opinion that Jesus was a man like any other, albeit outstanding in
justice and piety. The important thing is that he doesn’t doubt the divine
inspiration. Rather, he immediately acts on it, proclaiming Jesus to his
followers. In our own lives, God may well ask us to do the unexpected, or we
may see his will in places we least expect it. We need to have St. John the
Baptist’s readiness to see God’s hand and act on it, even if it goes contrary
to our expectations.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, knowing
Your will in my life can be hard at times. Even when I think I do know what You
want from me, it can be difficult to follow through — especially when it is
something that I did not expect or that requires that I go beyond my “comfort
zone.” But, Lord, I do want to do Your will. Grant me the same spirit of
docility and dedication as St. John the Baptist!
Resolution: Today I will renew in prayer my personal
commitment to always seek to know and follow God’s will in my life. I will
try to heed the inspirations that the Holy Spirit gives to guide me on the
right path.
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.
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 rather am 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, 148, 167, 170, 248,
291, 356, 359)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-392, 451, 472, 477-478,
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
|
Mga Pahina
▼
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento