The Fruit of the Kingdom
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Friday of the Third
Week in Ordinary Time
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Mark 4:26-34
He said, "This
is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed
on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout
and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first
the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain
is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come." He
said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can
we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it
springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade." With many such
parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he
explained everything in private.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come into Your presence with openness of heart. I know
that You want to plant Your seed in me and help it to bear fruit. I trust
that You will pour out Your mercy on me as I spend this time with You. I want
to love You more and become a better instrument of Your love.
Petition: Lord, help me contemplate the action of Your
grace upon the world and fully cooperate with You.
1. Steady Growth:
Jesus reminds me
that his grace is working in the world. His message carries an interior
dynamism that affects souls and brings about change in them. I think of
someone who has surprised me by a sudden conversion or steady growth in
Christian living. I see many people who are working on projects of
evangelization or are full of Christian charity. I see many other people who
are trying in their secular occupations to do their part to make this world
better. I contemplate the many families that are striving to be places of
love in which each person is valued as a unique gift. This is the seed of the
Gospel that grows silently without our knowing how.
2. When the Grain
Is Ripe: God, in his mercy,
often adds years to our life so that we can learn wisdom and produce in our
actions fruit that is worthy of eternity. How much do I value the opportunities
I have each day to do simple acts of charity or leave messages that have a
beneficial effect on others? How often do I pray for others? Each day I
should be attentive to the small and big opportunities the Lord gives me to
help establish his kingdom more deeply in my soul and in the souls of others.
3. Disproportionate
Strength: Like the image of
the mustard tree in the parable, Christ’s grace sustains many men and women
throughout the world. People discover in Christ’s friendship the true home
their hearts seek and the communion with all men they intuitively desire.
What a great gift we have in the Church! Let us try to make it a true home
for all people. Let us partake deeply of its teachings and its grace and
become more deeply a gift for others. The strength of love sustains us.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, thank You for
the workings of Your grace in so many souls. I want to be united with Your
grace throughout this day and throughout my life. Help me to use this day in
such a way that I will be planting Your love around me.
Resolution: Today I will take time to say a special
prayer or make a special sacrifice for the conversion of sinners.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
36 Once I was summoned to the
judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as
we know Him during His Passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except
for five, those in His hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly I saw the
complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is
displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will
have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before
the Thrice-Holy God! Jesus asked me, Who are you? I answered, "I
am Your servant, Lord." You are guilty of one day of fire in
purgatory. I wanted to throw myself immediately into the flames of purgatory,
but Jesus stopped me and said, Which do you prefer, suffer now for one day in
purgatory or for a short while on earth? I replied, "Jesus, I want
to suffer in purgatory, and I want to suffer also the greatest pains on
earth, even if it were until the end of the world." Jesus said, One [of
the two] is enough; you will go back to earth, and there you will suffer
much, but not for long; you will accomplish My will and My desires, and a
faithful servant of Mine will help you to do this. Now, rest your head on My
bosom, on My heart, and draw from it strength and power for these sufferings,
because you will find neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know
that you will have much, much to suffer, but don't let this frighten you; I
am with you.
83 Write this: before I come as the just Judge, I am
coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there
will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: All light in the
heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole
earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the
openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come
forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This
will take place shortly before the last day.
374 J.M.J Vilnius, Februrary 4, 1935
[page in the Dairy with the words "From today on my will does not exist" crossed out with a large 'X'] The moment I knelt down to cross out my own will, as the Lord had bid me to do, I heard this voice in my soul: From today on, do not fear God's judgment, for you will not be judged [The next page has...] J.M.J Vilnius, February 4, 1935
496
Confession Day. From early morning, the turmoil in my soul was more violent
than anything I had ever experienced before. Complete abandonment by God; I
felt the utter weakness that I was. Thoughts bore in upon me: why should I
leave this convent where I am loved by the sisters and superiors, where life
is so tranquil; [where I am] bound by perpetual vows and carry out my duties
without difficulty; why should I listen to the voice of my conscience; why
follow an inspiration coming from who knows where; wouldn't it be better to
carry on like all the other sisters? Perhaps the Lord's words could be
stifled, not taken heed of; maybe God will not demand an account of them on the
day of judgment. Where will this inner voice lead me? If I follow it, what
tremendous difficulties, tribulations and adversities are in store for me. I
fear the future, and I am agonizing in the present.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
625
In the evening, when I was praying, the Mother of God told me, Your lives
must be like Mine: quiet and hidden, in unceasing union with God, pleading
for humanity and preparing the world for the second coming of God
635
March 25. In the morning, during meditation, God's presence enveloped me in a
special way, as I saw the immeasurable greatness of God and, at the same
time, His condescension to His creatures. Then I saw the Mother of God, who
said to me, Oh, how pleasing to God is
the soul that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! I gave the
Savior to the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about His
great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come,
not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day!
Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble
before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time
for [granting] mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a
great number of souls on that terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the
end. I sympathize with you.
660
O my Jesus, on the day of the last judgment, You will demand from me an
account of this work of mercy. O just Judge, but my Spouse as well, help me
to do Your holy will. O mercy, O divine virtue!
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, my Betrothed, make my heart like unto Yours.
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.
825 + O bright and
clear day on which all my dreams will be fulfilled; O day so eagerly desired,
the last day of my life! I look forward with joy to the last stroke the
Divine Artist will trace on my soul, which will give my soul a unique beauty
that will distinguish me from the beauty of other souls. O great day, on
which divine love will be confirmed in me. On that day, for the first time, I
shall sing before heaven and earth the song of the Lord's fathomless mercy.
This is my work and the mission which the Lord has destined for me from the
beginning of the world. That the song of my soul may be pleasing to the Holy
Trinity, do You, O Spirit of God, direct and form my soul yourself. I arm
myself with patience and await Your coming, O merciful God, and as to the
terrible pains and fear of death, at this moment more than at any other time,
I trust in the abyss of Your mercy and am reminding You, O merciful Jesus,
sweet Savior, of all the promises You have made to me.
840 December 23,
[1936]. I am spending this time with the Mother of God and preparing myself
for the solemn moment of the coming of the Lord Jesus. The Mother of God is
instructing me in the interior life of the soul with Jesus, especially in
Holy Communion. It is only in eternity that we shall know the great mystery
effected in us by Holy Communion. O most precious moments of my life!
895
January 23, [1937]. I did not feel like writing today. Then I heard a voice
in my soul: My
daughter, you do not live for yourself but for souls; write for their
benefit. You know that My will as to your writing has been confirmed many
times by your confessors. You know what is pleasing to Me, and if you have
any doubts about what I am saying, you also know whom you are to ask. I grant
him light to pronounce judgment on my case. My eye watches over him. My
daughter, you are to be like a child towards him, full of simplicity and
candor. Put his judgment above all My demands. He will guide you according to
My will. If he doesn't allow you to carry out My demands, be at peace; I will
not judge you, but the matter will remain between Me and him. You are to be
obedient.
1074 When I went for adoration,
I heard these words: My beloved daughter, write down these words, that
today My Heart has rested in this convent [the Cracow house]. Tell the
world about My mercy and My love.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them! My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace. Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
1075 Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield
through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of
death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last
hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy
is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of
Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it.
1076 Write this: Everything that exists is enclosed in the bowels of My mercy, more deeply than an infant in its mother's womb. How painfully distrust of My goodness wounds Me! Sins of distrust wound Me most painfully.
+ Particular Examen
Union with the merciful Christ. With my heart I encompass the whole world, especially countries which are uncivilized or where there is persecution. I am praying for mercy upon them. 1317 I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything within your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy.
1339 O merciful
God, You do not despise us, but lavish Your graces on us continuously. You
make us fit to enter ` Your kingdom, and in Your goodness You grant that
human beings may fill the places vacated by the ungrateful angels. O God of
great mercy, who turned Your sacred gaze away from the rebellious angels and
turned it upon contrite man, praise and glory be to Your unfathomable mercy,
O God who do not despise the lowly heart.
1489 Conversation of the Merciful God with a Perfect Soul.
Soul: My Lord and Master, I desire to converse with You. Jesus: Speak, My beloved child, for I am always listening. I wait for you. What do you desire to say? Soul: Lord, first let me pour out my heart at Your feet in a fragrant anointing of gratitude for the many blessings which You lavish upon me; even if I wanted to, I could not count them. I only recall that there has never been a moment in my life in which I have not experienced Your protection and goodness. Jesus: Your words please Me, and your thanksgiving opens up new treasures of graces. But, My child, we should talk in more detail about the things that lie in your heart. Let us talk confidentially and frankly, as two hearts that love one another do. Soul: O my merciful Lord, there are secrets in my heart which no one knows or will ever know except You because, even if I wanted to reveal them, no one would understand me. Your minister knows some because I confess to him, but he knows only the bit of these mysteries that I am capable of revealing; the rest remains between us for eternity, O My Lord! You have covered me with the cloak of Your mercy, pardoning my sins. Not once did You refuse Your pardon; You always had pity on me, giving me a new life of grace. To prevent doubts, You have entrusted me to the loving care of Your Church, that tender mother, who in Your name assures me of the truths of faith and watches lest I wander. Especially in the tribunal of Your mercy does my soul meet an ocean of favors, though You did not give the Fallen Angels time to repent or prolong their time of mercy. O my Lord, you have provided saintly priests to show me the sure way. Jesus, there is one more secret in my life, the deepest and dearest to my heart: it is You yourself when You come to my heart under the appearance of bread. Herein lies the whole secret of my sanctity. Here my heart is so united with Yours as to be but one. There are no more secrets, because all that is Yours is mine, and all that is mine is Yours. Such is the omnipotence and the miracle of Your mercy. All the tongues of men and of angels united could not find words adequate to this mystery of Your love and mercy. When I contemplate this mystery, my heart falls into a new ecstasy. In silence I tell You everything, Lord, because the language of love is without words; not a single stirring of my heart escapes You. O Lord, the extent of Your great condescension has awakened in my soul an even greater love for You, the sole object of my love. The life of union manifests itself in perfect purity, deep humility, gentle silence, and great zeal for the salvation of souls. O my sweetest Lord, You watch over me each moment and inspire me as to how I should act in a precise situation, when my heart wavers between two things. You yourself frequently intervened in the resolution of a difficulty. Countless times, by means of a sudden enlightenment, You have given me to know what is the more pleasing to You. Oh, how numerous are the instances of forgiveness about which no one knows! How often You have poured into my soul courage and perseverance to go forward. It is You yourself who removed obstacles from my road, intervening directly in the actions of people. O Jesus, everything I have said to You is but a pale shadow of what is taking place in my heart. O my Jesus, how ardently I desire the conversion of sinners! You know what I am doing for them to win them for You. Every offense against You wounds me deeply. I spare neither strength, nor health, nor life itself in defense of Your kingdom. Although my efforts may remain invisible on earth, they are no less valuable in Your eyes. O Jesus, I want to bring souls to the fount of Your mercy to draw the reviving water of life with the vessel of trust. The soul desirous of more of God's mercy should approach God with greater trust; and if her trust in God is unlimited, then the mercy of God toward it will be likewise limitless. O my God, Who know every beat of my heart, You know how eagerly I desire that all hearts would beat for You alone, that every soul glorify the greatness of Your mercy. Jesus: My beloved child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake of your love, I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A single act of pure love pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven. I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity. But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls; fight as a king's child would; and remember that the days of your exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning merit for heaven. I expect from you, My child, a great number of souls who will glorify My mercy for all eternity. My child, that you may answer My call worthily, receive Me daily in Holy Communion. It will give you strength... Jesus, do not leave me alone in suffering. You know, Lord, how weak I am. I am an abyss of wretchedness, I am nothingness itself; so what will be so strange if You leave me alone and I fall? I am an infant, Lord, so I cannot get along by myself. However, beyond all abandonment I trust, and in spite of my own feeling I trust, and I am being completely transformed into trust-often in spite of what I feel. Do not lessen any of my sufferings, only give me strength to bear them. Do with me as You please, Lord, only give me the grace to be able to love You in every event and circumstance. Lord, do not lessen my cup of bitterness, only give me strength that I may be able to drink it all. O Lord, sometimes You lift me up to the brightness of visions, and then again You plunge me into the darkness of night and the abyss of my nothingness, and my soul feels as if it were alone in the wilderness. Yet, above all things, I trust in You, Jesus, for You are unchangeable. My moods change, but You are always the same, full of mercy.
1548 January 30,
1938. One-day retreat.
The Lord gave me to
know, during meditation, that as long as my heart beats in my breast, I must
always strive to spread the Kingdom of God on earth. I am to fight for the
glory of my Creator. I know that I will give God the glory He expects of me
if I try faithfully to cooperate with God's grace.
1701 I asked the Lord today that He might deign to
teach me about the interior life, because of myself I can neither understand
nor conceive anything perfectly. The Lord answered me, I was your Teacher, I am and I will
be; strive to make your heart like unto My humble and gentle Heart. Never
claim your rights. Bear with great calm and patience everything that befalls
you. Do not defend yourself when you are put to shame, though innocent. Let
others triumph. Do not stop being good when you notice that your goodness is
being abused. I Myself will speak up for you when it is necessary. Be
grateful for the smallest of My graces, because your gratitude compels Me to
grant you new graces...
1702 Towards the end of the Way of the Cross which I
was making, the Lord Jesus began to complain about the souls of religious and
priests, about the lack of love in chosen souls. I will allow convents and churches
to be destroyed. I answered, "Jesus, but there are so
many souls praising You in convents." The Lord answered, That praise wounds My Heart, because
love has been banished from convents. Souls without love and without
devotion, souls full of egoism and self-love, souls full of pride and
arrogance, souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just
enough warmth to keep them alive: My Heart cannot bear this. All the graces
that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot
stand them, because they are neither good or bad. I called convents into
being to sanctify the world through them. It is from them that a powerful
flame of love and sacrifice should burst forth. And if they do not repent and
become enkindled by their first love, I will deliver them over to the fate of
this world...
How can they sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart specially chosen by Me, were you chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through... 1703 When I tried to intercede for them, I could find nothing with which to excuse them and, being at the time unable to think of anything in their defense, my heart was seized with pain, and I wept bitterly. Then the Lord looked at me kindly and comforted me with these words: Do not cry. There are still a great number of souls who love Me very much, but My Heart desires to be loved by all and, because My love is great, that is why I warn and chastise them.
1712 A certain person whom I have mentioned before
visited me again. When I saw that she was beginning to get entangled in her
own lies, I let her know that I knew she was lying. She became very
embarrassed and stopped speaking. Then I spoke to her about the great
judgments of God, and I also remarked that she was leading innocent souls
astray and along dangerous roads. I uncovered before her everything that was
in her heart. Since I had to overcome my own feelings in order to talk to
her, to prove to Jesus that I love my enemies, I gave her my afternoon snack.
She went away enlightened in soul, but action is still far away...
1722 I heard these words: If you did not tie My hands, I would
send down many punishments upon the earth. My daughter, your look disarms My
anger. Although your lips are silent, you call out to Me so mightily that all
heaven is moved. I cannot escape from your requests, because you pursue Me,
not from afar but within your own heart.
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. 1729 O my Jesus, You alone know of my efforts. I seem to be a bit better, but better only to the point that I can go out on the veranda instead of lying in bed. I see and am fully aware of what is happening to me. Despite the diligent care of my superiors and the efforts of the doctors, my health is fading and running out. But I rejoice greatly at Your call, my God, my Love, because I know that my mission will begin at the moment of my death. Oh, how much I desire to be set free from the bonds of this body. O my Jesus, You know that, in all my desires, I always want to see Your will. Of myself, I would not want to die one minute sooner, or to live one minute longer, or to suffer less, or to suffer more, but I only want to do Your holy will. Although I have great enthusiasm, and the desires burning in my heart are immense, they are never above Your will. 1730 I fly to Your mercy, Compassionate God, who alone are good. Although my misery is great, and my offenses are many, I trust in Your mercy, because You are the God of mercy; and, from time immemorial, it has never been heard of, nor do heaven or earth remember, that a soul trusting in Your mercy has been disappointed. O God of compassion, You alone can justify me, and You will never reject me when I, contrite, approach Your Merciful Heart, where no one has ever been refused, even if he were the greatest sinner.
1784 Today, in the
course of a long conversation, the Lord said to me, How very much I desire
the salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I want to pour out
My divine life into human souls and sanctify them, if only they were willing
to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if
only they would trust in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being are
filled to overflowing with mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I have
created. My delight is to act in a human soul and to fill it with My mercy
and to justify it. My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul. Write,
My secretary, that I Myself am the spiritual guide of souls-and I guide them
indirectly through the priest, and lead each one to sanctity by a road known
to Me alone.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-36, 83, 374, 496)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-660, 625, 635, 793, 825, 840, 895)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1074-1076)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1317, 1339)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1489, 1548)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1701-1703, 1712, 1722)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1728-1730, 1784)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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