The Cross is the Only Path to God
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Thursday after Ash
Wednesday
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Father Paul Hubert, LC
Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his
disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the
elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third
day be raised." Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For
whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, You did not flee before suffering, but did what Your
love for us told You to do. I trust in You. Lord Jesus, You went towards
Jerusalem in the hope that we would return to the Father’s home. I hope in You,
for You did not put a limit on Your love. Even when You were rejected and put
to death by your enemies, You prayed for them. Lord, I love You.
Petition: Lord, help me to see the redeeming power of
the cross you have laid on my shoulders and embrace it.
1. An Opportunity to
be Relished: Suffering is present
at every turn of life. Our tendency is to flee from it, to avoid it. This
holds true from the small scratch we get when we first fall off our bicycle
to the profound sorrow we feel when a friend betrays us. When we feel pain,
we take every means in our power to get rid of it. In today’s society, there
is a medicine to alleviate any pain or suffering we might feel. Yet, in every
suffering there is a lesson, and we remember the lesson better when we have
suffered to learn it. Christ foresaw his rejection, suffering, and death, yet
did not flee them. He embraced them as a way of showing his most profound love:
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”
(John 15:13). It is what parents do when they give their children their time
and attention. It is what real friends do when they serve without counting
the cost. It is what we do when we help someone in need.
2. Taking Comfort
Even When I Fall: Sometimes we may
feel overwhelmed. With the passing of time we may tire of our defects and
their effects. The constant, on-going battle to follow Christ may slowly wear
us down. The path to perfection in the virtues is surely full of rewards, but
it has its share of wear-and-tear. We should not become discouraged even if
we fall a thousand times, as long as we love the fight and not the fall. It
therefore makes no sense to despair, especially when we fight with Christ on
our side. The effort of a prolonged battle can please Christ more than an
easy and comfortable victory. Christ reminds us: He will suffer greatly, be
rejected and killed, and everyone who wants to be his disciple must take up
his cross and follow him.
3. When I Am Weak,
Then I Am Strong: With the coming of
Christ on the earth, suffering took on a new meaning. He gave us the
possibility to give to suffering, illness and pain—the consequences of
sin—the redemptive and salvific meaning of love. When the apostles asked our
Lord who was responsible for the misfortune of a man blind from birth, Christ
answered: “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God
might be made visible through him” (John 9:3). Misfortune and weaknesses made
St. Paul exclaim: “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I
am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). It is through denial of
self, through the recognition of our weakness, through willfully embracing
our trials and sufferings, that we can show the strength of God and the
wonders of God in our life.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, help me to see all that happens to me,
even pain, suffering and illness, as an opportunity to love, grow in love and
offer You my love.
Resolution: Before doing something today I will pause to
examine the motives for which I do it: is it for me or for God? If it is only
for me, I will rectify my intentions or leave the deed aside, especially if I
have the opportunity to do something else for God or to serve God in my
neighbor.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
6 I am to write [3] down the encounters of
my soul with You, O God, at the moments of Your special visitations. I am to
write about You, O Incomprehensible in mercy towards my poor soul. Your holy
will is the life of my soul. I have received this order through him who is for
me Your representative here on earth, who interprets Your holy Will to me.
Jesus, You see how difficult it is for me to write, how unable I am to put
down clearly what I experience in my soul. O God, can a pen write down that
for which many a time there are no words? But You give the order to write, O
God; that is enough for me.
18 However, after three weeks I became aware that there
is so very little time here for prayer, and of many other things which spoke
to my soul in favor of entering a religious community of a stricter
observance. This thought took a firm hold of my soul, but the will of God was
not in it. Still, the thought, or rather the temptation, was growing stronger
and stronger to the point where I decided one day to announce my departure to
Mother Superior and definitely to leave [the convent]. But God arranged the
circumstances in such a way that I could not get to the Mother Superior
[Michael]. I stepped into the little chapel [7]
before going to bed, and I asked Jesus for light in this matter. But I
received nothing in my soul except a strange unrest which I did not
understand. But, in spite of everything, I made up my mind to approach Mother
Superior the next morning right afte rMass and tell her of my decision.
19 I came to my cell. The sisters were already in bed - the lights were out. I entered the cell full of anguish and discontent; I did not know what to do with myself. I threw myself headlong on the ground and began to pray fervently that I might come to know the will of God. There is silence everywhere as in the tabernacle. All the sisters are resting like white hosts enclosed in Jesus’ chalice. It is only from my cell that God can hear the moaning of a soul. I did not know that one was not allowed to pray in the cell after nine without permission. [8]
497 O Eternal Truth, Word Incarnate, who most faithfully fulfilled Your
Father's will, today I am becoming a martyr of Your inspirations, since I
cannot carry them out because I have no will of my own, though interiorly I
see Your will clearly. I submit in everything to the will of my superiors and
my confessor. I will follow Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so
through Your representative. O my Jesus, it cannot be helped, but I give
priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with which You speak to
me.
678 The essence of the
virtues is the will of God. He who does the will of God faithfully, practices
all the virtues. In all the events and circumstances of my life, I adore and
bless the holy will of God. The holy will of God is the object of my love. In
the most secret depths of my soul, I live according to His will. I act
exteriorly according to what I recognize inwardly as the will of God. Sweeter
to me are the torments, sufferings, persecutions and all manner of
adversities by divine will than popularity, praise and esteem by my own will.
724 On the eve of the retreat, I started to pray that the Lord Jesus
might give me just a little health so that I could take part in the retreat,
because I was feeling so ill that I thought perhaps it might be my last.
However, as soon as I had started praying I felt a strange dissatisfaction. I
interrupted the prayer of supplication and began to thank the Lord for
everything He sends me, submitting myself completely to His holy will. Then I
felt profound peace of soul. + Faithful submission to the will of God, always
and everywhere, in all events and circumstances of life, gives great glory to
God. Such submission to the will of God carries more weight with Him than
long fasts, mortifications and the most severe penances. Oh, how great is the
reward for one act of loving submission to the will of God! As I write, my
soul is enraptured at the thought of how much God loves it and of the peace
that my soul already enjoys, here on earth.
954 Today after Holy Communion, the Lord told me, My
daughter, My delight
is to unite myself with you. It is when you submit yourself to My will that
you give Me the greatest glory and draw down upon yourself a sea of
blessings. I would not take such special delight in you if you were not
living by my will. O my sweet Guest, I am prepared for all
sacrifices for Your sake, but You know that I am weakness itself.
Nevertheless, with You I can do all things. O my Jesus, I beseech You, be
with me at each instant.
1180 June [July] 15, 1937. Once, I learned that I was
to be transferred to another house. My knowledge of this was purely interior.
At the same time, I heard a voice in my soul: Do not be afraid, My daughter; it is My will that you
should remain here. Human plans will be thwarted, since they must conform to
My will.
1181 When I was close to the Lord, He said to me, Why are you afraid
to begin the work which I have commanded you to carry out? I answered,
"Why do You leave me on my own at such times, Jesus, and why do I not
feel Your presence?" My daughter, even though you do not perceive Me
in the most secret depths of your heart, you still cannot say that I am not
there. I only remove from you the awareness of My presence, and that should
not be an obstacle to the carrying out of My will. I do this to achieve My unfathomable
ends, which you will know of later on.
My daughter, know without doubt, and once and for all, that only mortal sin drives Me out of a soul, and nothing else.
1182 + Today the Lord said to me, My daughter, My pleasure and
delight, nothing will stop Me from granting you graces. Your misery does not
hinder My mercy. My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul,
the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to trust in the
unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all. On the
cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls-no
one have I excluded!
1183 O Jesus, I want to live in the present moment, to live as if this
were the last day of my life. I want to use every moment scrupulously for the
greater glory of God, to use every circumstance for the benefit of my soul. I
want to look upon everything, from the point of view that nothing happens
without the will of God.
1184 On an earlier occasion.
In the evening, I saw the Lord Jesus upon the cross. From His hands, feet and side, the Most Sacred Blood was flowing. After some time, Jesus said to me, All this is for the salvation of souls. Consider well, My daughter, what you are doing for their salvation. I answered, "Jesus, when I look at Your suffering, I see that I am doing next to nothing for the salvation of souls." And the Lord said to me, Know, My daughter, that your silent day-to-day martyrdom in complete submission to My will ushers many souls into heaven. And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things. I understood many things I had been unable to comprehend before.
1199 [July] 29. I am to leave for Rabka today. I went into the chapel
and asked the Lord Jesus for a safe journey. But within my soul there was
silence and darkness. I felt I was all alone and had no one [to turn to]. I
asked Jesus to be with me. Then I felt a tiny ray of light in my soul as a
sign that Jesus was with me but, after this grace, the darkness and shadows
in my soul increased. Then I said, "Your will be done, for everything is
possible to You." When I was on the train and gazed through the window
at the beautiful countryside and the mountains, the torments of my soul grew
even greater. As the sisters welcomed me and began to surround me with their
warmth, my sufferings redoubled.
1200 I would have like to hide and rest for a while in solitude, in a
word, to be alone. At such moments, no creature is capable of giving me
comfort, and even if I had wanted to say something about myself, I would have
experienced new anguish. Therefore, I have kept silent at such moments and
submitted myself, in silence, to the will of God-and that has given me
relief. I demand nothing from creatures and communicate with them only in so
far as is necessary. I will not take them into my confidence unless this is
for the greater glory of God. My communing is with the angels [cf. Mt. 18:10;
Ex. 23:20].
1202 I could not even go to Holy Mass or receive Holy Communion today
but, amidst the sufferings of body and soul, I kept on repeating, "May
the Lord's will be done. I know that Your bounty is without limit." Then
1 heard an angel who sang out my whole life history and everything it
comprised. I was surprised, but also strengthened.
1204 A retreat of suffering. O Jesus, in these days of suffering, I am
not capable of any kind of prayer. The oppression of my body and soul has
increased. O my Jesus, You do see that Your child is on the decline. I am not
forcing myself further, but simply submitting my will to the will of Jesus. O
Jesus, You are always Jesus to me.
1205 When I went to confession, I did not even know how to confess.
However, the priest [probably Father Casimir Ratkiewicz [205]] recognized the
condition of my soul at once and said to me, "Despite everything, you
are on the way to salvation; you are on the right path, but God may leave
your soul in this darkness and obscurity until death, and the former light
may never return. But in all things abandon yourself to the will of
God."
1207 August 10. Today I am returning to Cracow, in the company of one
of the sisters. My soul is shrouded in suffering. I am continually uniting
myself to Him by an act of the will. He is my power and strength.
1208 May You be blessed, O God, for everything You send me. Nothing
under the sun happens without Your will. I cannot penetrate Your secrets with
regard to myself, but I press my lips to the chalice You offer me.
1237 O Jesus, what darkness is enveloping me and what nothingness is
penetrating me. But, my Jesus, do not leave me alone; grant me the grace of
faithfulness. Although I cannot penetrate the mystery of God's visitation, it
is in my power to say: Your will be done.
1239 O living Host, O hidden Jesus. You see the condition of my soul.
Of myself, I am unable to utter Your Holy Name. I cannot bring forth from my
heart the fire of love but, kneeling at Your feet, I cast upon the Tabernacle
the gaze of my soul, a gaze of faithfulness. As for You, You are ever the
same, while within my soul a change takes place. I trust that the time will
come when You will unveil Your countenance, and Your child will again see
Your sweet face. I am astonished, Jesus, that You can hide yourself from me
for so long and that You can restrain the enormous love You have for me. In
the dwelling of my heart, I am listening and waiting for Your coming, O only
Treasure of my heart!
1241 + 0 my Jesus, when someone is unkind and unpleasant toward us, it
is difficult enough to bear this kind of suffering. But this is very little
in comparison to a suffering which I cannot bear; namely, that which I
experience when someone exhibits kindness towards me and then lays snares at
my feet at every step I take. What great will power is necessary to love such
a soul for God's sake. Many a time one has to be heroic in loving such a soul
as God demands. If contact with that person were infrequent, it would be
easier to endure, but when one lives in close contact with the person and
experiences this at each step, this demands a very great effort.
1243 "These times of dryness and stark awareness of one's
wretchedness, which God has permitted, allow the soul to know how little it
can do by itself. They will teach you how much you should appreciate God's
graces. Secondly, faithfulness in all exercises and duties, faithfulness in
everything, just as in times of joy. Thirdly, as regards the matters in
question, be absolutely obedient to the Archbishop [Jalbrzykowski] although,
from time to time, the matter can be brought to his attention, but
peacefully. Sometimes, a little bitter truth is necessary."
At the end of the conversation, I asked the priest to allow me to commune with Jesus as I had done formerly. He answered, "I cannot give orders to the Lord Jesus, but if He himself draws you to himself you may follow the attraction. However, always remember to show Him great reverence, for the Lord is great indeed. If you are truly seeking God's will in all this and desire to fulfill it, you can be at peace; the Lord will not allow any sort of error. As to the mortifications and sufferings, you will give me an account next time of how you carry them out. Place yourself in the hands of the Most Holy Mother."
1244 August 15, 1937. During meditation, God's presence pervaded me
keenly, and I was aware of the Virgin Mary's joy at the moment of Her
Assumption. Towards the end of the ceremony carried out in honor of the
Mother of God, I saw the Virgin Mary, and She said to me, Oh, how very
pleased I am with the homage of your love! And at that moment She covered all
the sisters of our Congregation with Her mantle. With Her right hand, She
clasped Mother General Michael to herself, and with Her left hand She did so to
me, while all the sisters were at Her feet, covered with Her mantle. Then the
Mother of God said, Everyone who perseveres zealously till death in My
Congregation will be spared the fire of purgatory, and I desire that each one
distinguish herself by the following virtues: humility and meekness; chastity
and love of God and neighbor; compassion and mercy. After these words,
the whole Congregation disappeared from my sight, and I remained alone with
the Most Holy Mother who instructed me about the will of God and how to apply
it to my life, submitting completely to His most holy decrees. It is
impossible for one to please God without obeying His holy will. My
daughter, I strongly recommend that you faithfully fulfill all God's wishes,
for that is most pleasing in His holy eyes. I very much desire that you
distinguish yourself in this faithfulness in accomplishing God's will. Put
the will of God before all sacrifices and holocausts. While the heavenly
Mother was talking to me, a deep understanding of this will of God was
entering my soul.
1255 "As concerns yourself, Sister, it is good that you are
remaining in a state of holy indifference in everything that pertains to the
will of God, and that you are better maintaining a state of equilibrium.
Please do your best to keep this equanimity. Now, as regards all these
matters, you are to depend exclusively on Father Andrasz; I am in complete
agreement with him. Do nothing on your own, Sister, but in all matters take
counsel from your spiritual director. I beg you to keep your levelheadedness
and as great a calm as possible.One more thing-I am having printed the
chaplet which is to be on the back of the image, as well as the invocations
that resemble a litany; these too will be placed on the back. Another large
image has also been printed, and with it a few pages which contain the Novena
to The Divine Mercy. [208] Pray, Sister, that this
be approved."
1256 [August] 30. Reverend Father Sopocko left this morning. When I was steeped in a prayer of thanksgiving for the great grace that I had received from God; namely, that of seeing Father, I became united in a special way with the Lord who said to me, He is a priest after My own Heart; his efforts are pleasing to Me. You see, My daughter, that My will must be done and that which I had promised you, I shall do. Through him I spread comfort to suffering and careworn souls. Through him it pleased Me to proclaim the worship of My mercy. And through this work of mercy more souls will come close to Me than otherwise would have, even if he had kept giving absolution day and night for the rest of his life, because by so doing, he would have labored only for as long as he lived; whereas, thanks to this work of mercy, he will be laboring till the end of the world.
1262 September 3. First Friday of the month. During Holy Mass, I became
united with God. Jesus gave me to know that even the smallest thing does not
happen on earth without His will. After having seen this, my soul entered
into an unusual repose; I found myself completely at peace as to the work in
its full extent. God can deal with me as He pleases, and I will bless Him for
everything.
1264 Act of total abandonment to the will of God, which is for me, love
and mercy itself.
Act of Oblation Jesus-Host, whom I have this very moment received into my heart, through this union with You I offer myself to the heavenly Father as a sacrificial host, abandoning myself totally and completely to the most merciful and holy will of my God. From today onward, Your will, Lord, is my food. Take my whole being; dispose of me as You please. Whatever Your fatherly hand gives me, I will accept with submission, peace and joy. I fear nothing, no matter in what direction You lead me; helped by Your grace I will carry out everything You demand of me. I no longer fear any of Your inspirations nor do I probe anxiously to see where they will lead me. Lead me, O God, along whatever roads You please; I have placed all my trust in Your will which is, for me, love and mercy itself. Bid me to stay in this convent, I will stay; bid me to undertake the work, I will undertake it; leave me in uncertainty about the work until I die, be blessed; give me death when, humanly speaking, my life seems particularly necessary, be blessed. Should You take me in my youth, be blessed; should You let me live to a ripe old age, be blessed. Should You give me health and strength, be blessed; should You confine me to a bed of pain for my whole life, be blessed. Should you give only failures and disappointments in life, be blessed. Should You allow my purest intentions to be condemned, be blessed. Should You enlighten my mind, be blessed. Should You leave me in darkness and all kinds of torments, be blessed. From this moment on, I live in the deepest peace, because the Lord himself is carrying me in the hollow of His hand. He, Lord of unfathomable mercy, knows that I desire Him alone in all things, always and everywhere. 1265 Prayer. O Jesus, stretched out upon the cross, I implore You, give me the grace of doing faithfully the most holy will of Your Father, in all things, always and everywhere. And when this will of God will seem to me very harsh and difficult to fulfill, it is then I beg You, Jesus, may power and strength flow upon me from Your wounds, and may my lips keep repeating, "Your will be done, O Lord." O Savior of the world, Lover of man's salvation, who in such terrible torment and pain forget Yourself to think only of the salvation of souls, O most compassionate Jesus, grant me the grace to forget myself that I may live totally for souls, helping You in the work of salvation, according to the most holy will of Your Father....
1266 August 5, [1937]. [209] The Lord let me know how
much our dear Mother Superior [Irene] is defending me against... not only by
prayer but also by deed. Thank You, Jesus, for this grace. It will not go
unrequited in my heart; when I am with Jesus, I do not forget about her.
1267 September 6, 1937. Today, I begin a new assignment. I go from the
garden to the desert of the gate. [210] I went in to talk to the
Lord for a while. I asked Him for a blessing and for graces to faithfully
carry out the duties entrusted to me. I heard these words: My daughter, I
am always with you. I have given you the opportunity to practice deeds of
mercy which you will perform according to obedience. You will give Me much
pleasure if, each evening, you will speak to Me especially about this task.
I felt that Jesus had given me a new grace in relation to my new duties; but,
despite this, I have locked myself deeper in His Heart.
1268 Today I felt more ill, but Jesus has given me many more
opportunities on this day to practice virtue. It so happened that I was
busier than usual, and the sister in charge of the kitchen made it clear to
me how irritated she was that I had come late for dinner, although it was
quite impossible for me to have come sooner. At any rate, I felt so unwell
that I had to ask Mother Superior to allow me to lie down. I went to ask
Sister N. to take my place, and again I got a scolding: "What is this,
Sister, you're so exhausted that you're going back to bed again! Confound you
with all this lying in bed!" I put up with all that, but that wasn't the
end. I still had to ask the sister who was in charge of the sick to bring me
my meal. When I told her this, she burst out of the chapel into the corridor
after me to give me a piece of her mind: "Why on earth are you going to
bed, Sister, etc...... I asked her not to bother bringing me anything. I am
writing all this very briefly because it is not my intention to write about
such things, and I am doing so merely to dissuade souls from treating others
in this way, for this is displeasing to the Lord. In a suffering soul we
should see Jesus Crucified, and not a loafer or burden on the community. A soul
who suffers with submission to the will of God draws down more blessings on
the whole convent than all the working sisters. Poor indeed is a convent
where there are no sick sisters. God often grants many and great graces out
of regard for the souls who are suffering, and He withholds many punishments
solely because of the suffering souls.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-6, 18-19, 497)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-678, 724, 742, 954)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1180-1184, 1199-1200, 1202, 1204)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1207-1208, 1237, 1239, 1241, 1244 )
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1255-1256, 1262, 1264-1268)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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