Unwelcome Homecoming
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Monday of the Third
Week of Lent
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Luke 4:24-30
Jesus said to the
people in the synagogue at Nazareth: "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is
accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows
in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half
years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of
these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the
prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed
through the midst of them and went away.
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I prepare for Easter during this Lenten season,
I turn to You once again in prayer. I believe that You are my creator and
that You have created me to know, love and serve You. I believe that You want
to help me fulfill my purpose in life; that is why You came to earth to
suffer and die. I offer You my prayer today as a small token of my gratitude,
a small token of my desire to live my life for You. I know that sometimes I
can let things get between us. Now, during this time of prayer, I want to
give all my attention to You so that You – and not my egoism or passions –
may govern my life choices.
Petition: Lord, help me to have the humility to accept
Your will for my life.
1. No Special
Privileges: Jesus’ fellow
townsmen are upset with Jesus for pointing out that there were times in
history that God showed his favor to Gentiles and not just Jews. They are
upset because they had put their security in their Jewish heritage and the
promises made to their people through the Patriarchs. They want to think that
because they are Jews somehow God must show them more favor than the
Gentiles. We, too, can make this mistake. We think that because we belong to
this or that organization, or because we have this or that position, somehow
God must give us more attention and special privileges. Isn’t this often the
cause of indignation in our lives? We are upset when do not receive
preferential treatment. We think that we are deserving of more. Does
that indignation ever grow so strong that I try to rid myself of Christ?
2. Seeking God’s
Blessings: Why did God send
Elijah to help the widow in Zarephath and Elisha to cleanse Naaman the
Syrian? Surely it was not because they were more important or holier people.
God chose them because they welcomed him. The widow in Zarephath happily went
to fetch Elijah a drink of water when he asked for it and obediently gave him
the last of the food she had. Naaman repented from his indignation and went
to bathe in the Jordan as Elisha told him to do. God gives his gifts to those
who welcome him.
3. Willful
Acceptance of Christ: Christ
is perhaps too familiar to his townsmen. They are not able to recognize who
he really is. They are upset with the way he speaks, and so they do not
accept him. Will I accept Christ in my life? Perhaps he is too familiar to
me. I think I know who he is. Perhaps I am unwilling to accept his teachings.
Perhaps I am indignant that he has blessed others more than me. The people of
Nazareth tried to throw Jesus over a cliff, but they could not get rid of
him. Their assault was futile. Christ simply walked away. Christ cannot be
gotten rid of. Perhaps there are times in my life when I want to get rid of
Christ, but I can never destroy or blot him out of existence. He is always
there waiting for me to accept him.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, please help me
so that my ideas about how things should be will not cloud my vision of who You
are. As I prepare for the approaching Easter, help me to purify myself of all
egoism, sensuality, vanity and pride so that I can accept Your love with an
open heart.
Resolution: I will look for an instance during the day
when I can welcome Christ’s teaching into my life.
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]
47 In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus
clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing,
the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment,
slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one
red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was
struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, Paint
an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust
in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then]
throughout the world.
48 I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will
not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth,
especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.
49 When I told this to my confessor,[29]
I received this for a reply: "That refers to your soul." He told
me, "Certainly, paint God's image in your soul." When I came out of
the confessional, I again heard words such as these: My image already is
in your soul. I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want this image,
which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday
after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.
50 + I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine
towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The
flames of mercy are burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them
out upon these souls.
Jesus complained to me in these words, Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts].
72 O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg
Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and
unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart,
Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the
entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful
of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so
dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great
price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would
have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss
of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equalled.
Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its
hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth
may change, but God's mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy
burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus!
I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy
throughout endless ages.
73 O my Jesus, despite the deep night that is all around me and
the dark clouds which hide the horizon, I know that the sun never goes out. O
Lord, though I cannot comprehend You and do not understand Your ways, I
nonetheless trust in Your mercy. If it is Your will, Lord, that I live always
in such darkness, may You be blessed. I ask You only one thing, Jesus: do not
allow me to offend You in any way. O my Jesus, You alone know the longings
and the sufferings of my heart. I am glad I can suffer for You, however
little. When I feel that the suffering is more than I can bear, I take refuge
in the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and I speak to Him with profound
silence.
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.
84 O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus
as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
92 Humiliation is my
daily food. I understand that the bride must herself share in everything that
is the groom's; and so His cloak of mockery must cover me, too. At those
times when I suffer much, I try to remain silent, as I do not trust my tongue
which, at such moments, is inclined to talk for itself, while its duty is to
help me praise God for all the blessings and gifts which He has given me.
When I receive Jesus in Holy Communion, I ask Him fervently to deign to heal
my tongue so that I would offend neither God nor neighbor by it. I want my
tongue to praise God without cease. Great are the faults committed by the
tongue. The soul will not attain sanctity if it does not keep watch over its
tongue.
94 O my Lord, inflame my heart with love for You, that my spirit may not grow weary amidst the storms, the sufferings and the trials. You see how weak I am. Love can do all.
95 +A Deeper Knowledge
of God and the Terror of the Soul.
In the beginning, God lets himself be known as Holiness, Justice, Goodness - that is to say, Mercy. The soul does not come to know this all at once, but piecemeal, in flashes; that is to say, when God draws near. And this does not last for long, because the soul could not bear such light. During prayer the soul experiences flashes of this light which make it impossible to pray as before. Try as it may to force itself to pray as it did before, all is in vain; it becomes completely impossible for it to continue to pray as it did before it received this light. This light which has touched the soul is alive within it, and nothing can either quench or diminish it. This flash of the knowledge of God draws the soul and enkindles its love for Him. But this same flash, at the same time, allows the soul to know itself as it is; the soul sees its whole interior in a superior light, and it rises up alarmed and terrified. Still, it does not remain under the effects of terror, but it begins to purify itself, to humble and abase itself before the Lord. These lights become stronger and more frequent; the more the soul is crystallized, the more these lights penetrate it. However, if the soul has responded faithfully and courageously to these first graces, God fills it with His consolations and gives himself to it in a perceptible manner. At certain moments, the soul, as it were, enters into intimacy with God and greatly rejoices in this; it believes that it has already reached the degree of perfection destined for it, because its defects and faults are asleep within it, and this makes it think that they no longer exist. Nothing seems difficult for it; it is ready for everything. It begins to plunge itself into God and taste the divine delights. It is carried along by grace and does not take account of the fact that the time of trial and testing may come. And, in fact, this state does not last long. Other moments will soon come. I should add here, however, that the soul will respond more faithfully to divine grace if it has a well - informed confessor to whom it can confide everything.
96 +Trials sent by God to a soul which is particularly loved by
Him.
Temptations and darkness; Satan. The soul's love [for God] is still not such as God would have it. The soul suddenly loses the tangible perception of God's presence. Various defects and imperfections rise up within it, and it must fight them furiously. All her faults lift up their heads, but the soul's vigilance is great. The former awareness of the presence of God gives place to coldness and spiritual dryness; the soul has no taste for spiritual exercises; it cannot pray, either in the old way, or in the manner in which it had just begun to pray. It struggles this way and that, but can find no satisfaction. God has hidden himself from it, and it can find no consolation in creatures, nor can any of these creatures find a way of consoling it. The soul craves passionately for God, but sees its own misery; it begins to sense God's justice; it seems to it that it has lost all the gifts that God had given it; its mind is dimmed, and darkness fills it; unspeakable torment begins. The soul tries to explain its state to the confessor, but it is not understood and is assailed by an even greater unrest. Satan begins his work.
97 Faith staggers
under the impact; the struggle is fierce. The soul tries hard to cling to God
by an act of will. With God's permission, Satan goes even further: hope and
love are put to the test. These temptations are terrible. God supports the
soul in secret, so to speak. The soul is not aware of this, but otherwise it
would be impossible to stand firm; and God knows very well how much He can
allow to befall a soul. The soul is tempted to unbelief in respect to
revealed truths and to insincerity toward the confessor. Satan says to it,
"Look, no one understands you; why speak about all this?" Words
that terrify it sound in its ears, and it seems to the soul that it is
uttering these against God. It sees what it does not want to see. It hears
what it does not want to hear. And, oh, it is a terrible thing at times like
these not to have an experienced confessor! The soul carries the whole burden
alone. However, one should make every effort to find, if it is at all
possible, a well-informed confessor, for the soul can collapse under the
burden and come to the very edge of the precipice. All these trials are heavy
and difficult. God does not send them to a soul which has not already been
admitted to a deeper intimacy with Him and which has not yet tasted the
divine delights. Besides, in this God has His own plans, which for us are
impenetrable. God often prepares a soul in this way for His future designs
and great works. He wants to try it as pure gold is tried. But this is not
yet the end of the testing; there is still the trial of trials, the complete
abandonment of the soul by God.
+ The Trial of Trials,
Complete Abandonment - Despair
98 When the soul comes out victorious from the preceding trials, even though it may stumble here and there, it fights on valiantly, humbly calling upon God, "Save me, I am perishing!" And it is still able to fight on. At this point, however, the soul is engulfed in a horrible night. It sees within itself only sin. It feels terrible. It sees itself completely abandoned by God. It feels itself to be the object of His hatred. It is but one step away from despair. The soul does its best to defend itself; it tries to stir up its confidence; but prayer is an even greater torment for it, as this prayer seems to arouse God to an even greater anger. The soul finds itself poised on the summit of a lofty mountain on the very brink of a precipice. The soul is drawn to God, but feels repulsed. All other sufferings and tortures in the world are as nothing compared with this sensation into which it has been plunged; namely, that of being rejected by God. No one can bring it any relief; it finds itself completely alone; there is no one to defend it. It raises its eyes to heaven, but is convinced that this is not for her-for her all is lost. It falls deeper and deeper from darkness to darkness, and it seems to it that it has lost forever the God it used to love so dearly. This thought is torture beyond all description. But the soul does not agree to it and tries to lift its gaze toward heaven, but in vain! And this makes the torture even more intense. If God wishes to keep the soul in such darkness, no one will be able to give it light. It experiences rejection by God in a vivid and terrifying manner. From its heart burst forth painful moans, so painful that no priest will comprehend it, unless he himself has been through these trials. In the midst of this, the evil spirit adds to the soul's suffering, mocking it: "Will you persist in your faithfulness? This is your reward; you are in our power!" But Satan has only as much influence over the soul as God allows him, and God knows how much we can bear. "What have you gotten out of your mortifications," says Satan, "and out of your fidelity to the rule? What use are all these efforts? You have been rejected by God!" This word, rejected, becomes a fire which penetrates every nerve to the marrow of the bone. It pierces right through her entire being. The ordeal reaches its climax. The soul no longer looks for help anywhere. It shrinks into itself and loses sight of everything; it is as though it has accepted the torture of being abandoned. This is a moment for which I have no words. This is the agony of the soul.
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.
115 + When a soul has come out of these tribulations, it is
deeply humble. Its purity of soul is great. It knows better without need of
reflecting, as it were, what it ought to do at a given moment and what to
forbear. It feels the lightest touch of grace and is very faithful to God. It
recognizes God from afar and continuously rejoices in Him. It discovers God very
quickly in other souls and in its environment in general. The soul has been
purified by God himself. God, as Pure Spirit, introduces the soul to a life
which is purely spiritual. God himself has first prepared and purified the
soul; that is, He has made it capable of close communion with himself. The
soul, in a state of loving repose, communes spiritually with the Lord. It
speaks to God without the need of expressing itself through the senses. God
fills it with His light.
The enlightened mind sees clearly and distinguishes the various degrees of the spiritual life. It recognizes [that state] when its union with God was imperfect: where the senses were involved, and the spirit was linked with the senses in a manner-exalted and special, to be sure but not yet perfect. There is a higher and more perfect union with God; namely, intellectual union. Here, the soul is safer from illusions; its spirituality is purer and more profound. In a life where the senses are involved, there is more danger of illusion. Both for the soul and for its confessor, prudence must play a greater part. There are moments when God introduces the soul to a purely spiritual state. The senses dim and are seemingly dead. The soul is most closely united to God; it is immersed in the Deity; its knowledge is complete and perfect, not sporadic as before, but total and absolute. It rejoices in this. But I want to say more about those moments of trial; at those times the confessor must have patience with such a soul. But the soul must have even greater patience with itself.
140 Pure love is capable of great deeds, and it is not broken by
difficulty or adversity. As it remains strong in the midst of great
difficulties, so too it perseveres in the toilsome and drab life of each day.
It knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest
things out of great love-love, and always love.
Pure love never errs. Its light is strangely plentiful. It will not do anything that might displease God. It is ingenious at doing what is more pleasing to God, and no one will equal it. It is happy when it can empty itself and burn like a pure offering. The more it gives of itself, the happier it is. But also, no one can sense dangers from afar as can love; it knows how to unmask and also knows with whom it has to deal.
145 Oh,
how wretched my soul is for having wasted so many graces! I was running away
from God, and He pursued me with his graces. I most often experienced God's
graces when I least expected them. From the moment He gave me a spiritual
director, I have been more faithful to grace. Thanks to the director and his watchfulness
over my soul, I have learned what guidance means and how Jesus looks at it.
Jesus warned me of the least fault and stressed that He himself judges the
matter that I present to my confessor; and [He told me] that ... any
transgressions against the confessor touch Me myself.
When under his direction my soul began to experience deep recollection and peace, I often heard these words in my soul: Strengthen yourself for combat - repeated over and over at various times. +Jesus often makes known to me what He does not like in my soul, and He has more than once rebuked me for what seemed to be trifles, but which were, in fact, things of great importance. He has warned me and tried me like a Master. For many years He himself educated me, until the moment when He gave me a spiritual director. Previously, He himself had made clear to me what I did not understand; but now, He tells me to ask my confessor about everything and often says, I will answer you through his mouth. Be at peace. It has never happened to me that I have received an answer which was contrary to what the Lord wanted of me, when I presented it to the spiritual director [Father Sopocko]. It sometimes happens that Jesus first asks certain things of me, about which no one knows anything, and then, when I kneel at the confessional, my confessor gives me the same order-however, this is infrequent. +When, over a long period of time, a soul has received much light and many inspirations, and when the confessors have confirmed the source of these inspirations and set the soul at peace; if its love is great, Jesus now makes it known that it is time to put into action what it has received. The soul recognizes that God is counting on it, and this knowledge fortifies it. It knows that to be faithful it will often have to face various difficulties, but it trusts in God and, thanks to this trust, it reaches that point to which God is calling it. Difficulties do not terrify it; they are its daily bread, as it were. They do not frighten or terrify the soul, just as a warrior who is constantly in battle is not terrified by the roar of the cannon. Far from being frightened, it listens to determine from which side the enemy is launching his attack, in order to defeat him. It does nothing blindly, but examines and ponders everything deeply and, not counting on itself, it prays fervently and asks advice of other warriors who are experienced and wise. When the soul acts in this way, it nearly always wins. There are attacks when a soul has no time to think or seek advice; then it must enter into a life-or-death struggle. Sometimes it is good to flee for cover in the wound of the Heart of Jesus, without answering a single word. By this very act the enemy is already defeated. In time of peace, as well, the soul continues making efforts, just as in time of battle. It must exercise itself, and do so with energy; otherwise it has no chance of attaining victory. I regard the time of peace as a time of preparation for victory. The soul must be ever watchful; watchfulness and again, watchfulness. The soul that reflects receives much light. A distracted soul runs the risk of a fall, and let it not be surprised when it does fall. O Spirit of God, Director of the soul, wise is he whom You have trained! But for the Spirit of God to act in the soul, peace and recollection are needed.
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.
186
+Today Jesus said to me, I desire that you know more profoundly the love
that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you
meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire
their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with
faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This
is the prayer:
187 "O
Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy
for us, I trust in You."
190 Once
during an adoration, the Lord demanded that I give myself up to Him as an
offering, by bearing a certain suffering in atonement, not only for the sins
of the world in general, but specifically for transgressions committed in
this house. Immediately I said, "Very good; I am ready." But Jesus
gave me to see what I was going to suffer, and in one moment the whole
passion unfolded itself before my eyes. Firstly, my intentions will not be
recognized; there will be all kinds of suspicion and distrust as well as
various kinds of humiliations and adversities. I will not mention everything
here. All these things stood before my soul's eye like a dark storm from
which lightning was ready to strike at any moment, waiting only for my
consent. For a moment, my nature was frightened. Then suddenly the dinner
bell rang. I left the chapel, trembling and undecided. But the sacrifice was
ever present before me, for I had neither decided to accept it, nor had I
refused the Lord. I wanted to place myself completely in His will. If the
Lord Jesus himself were to impose it on me, I was ready. But Jesus gave me to
know that I myself was to give my free consent and accept it with full
consciousness, or else it would be meaningless. Its whole power was contained
in my free act before God. But at the same time, Jesus gave me to understand
that the decision was completely within my power. I could do it or not do it.
And so I then answered immediately, "Jesus, I accept everything that You
wish to send me; I trust in Your goodness." At that moment, I felt that
by this act I glorified God greatly. But I armed myself with patience. As
soon as I left the chapel, I had an encounter with reality. I do not want to
describe the details, but there was as much of it as I was able to bear. I
would not have been able to bear even one drop more.
198 On
one occasion the Lord said to me, My daughter, your confidence and love
restrain My justice, and I cannot inflict punishment because you hinder Me
from doing so. Oh, how great is the power of a soul filled with
confidence!
200 O Jesus, how deeply it hurts the soul when it is always
trying to be sincere and they accuse it of hypocrisy and behave with mistrust
toward it. O Jesus, You also suffered like this to make satisfaction to Your
Father.
The
little novice of Jesus-Sister Faustina.
229 +At the beginning of the retreat, Jesus told me, During this retreat, I myself will direct your soul. I want to confirm you in peace and love. And so the first few days passed by. On the fourth day, doubts began to trouble me: Is not this tranquillity of mine false? Then I heard these words, My daughter, imagine that you are the sovereign of all the world and have the power to dispose of all things according to your good pleasure. You have the power to do all the good you want, and suddenly a little child knocks on your door, all trembling and in tears and, trusting in your kindness, asks for a piece of bread lest he die of starvation. What would you do for this child? Answer Me, my daughter. And I said, "Jesus, I would give the child all it asked and a thousand times more. "And the Lord said to me, That is how I am treating your soul. In this retreat I am giving you, not only peace, but also such a disposition of soul that even if you wanted to experience uneasiness you could not do so. My love has taken possession of your soul, and I want you to be confirmed in it. Bring your ear close to My Heart, forget everything else, and meditate upon My wondrous mercy. My love will give you the strength and courage you need in these matters.
230
Jesus, living Host, You are my Mother, You are my all! It is with simplicity
and love, with faith and trust that I will always come to You, O Jesus! I
will share everything with You, as a child with its loving mother, my joys
and sorrows-in a word, everything.
249
+Jesus, I trust in You; I trust in the ocean of your mercy. You are a Mother
to me.
275 Jesus
loves hidden souls. A hidden flower is the most fragrant. I must strive to
make the interior of my soul a resting place for the Heart of Jesus. In
difficult and painful moments, O my Creator, I sing You a hymn of trust, for
bottomless is the abyss of my trust in You and in Your mercy!
294 +Once the Lord said to me, Act like a beggar who does not back
away when he gets more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more
fervently. You too should not back away and say that you are not worthy of
receiving greater graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy,
but rejoice all the more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can
carry, for then you will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing:
Take these graces not only for yourself, but also for others; that is,
encourage the souls with whom you come in contact to trust in My infinite
mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who have complete confidence in Me. I will
do everything for them.
+The
Mystery of the Soul. Vilnius, 1934
299 When, on one occasion, my confessor told me to ask the Lord Jesus the meaning of the two rays in the image,[77] I answered, "Very well, I will ask the Lord." During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls... These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy.
300 +Ask
of my faithful servant [Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole
world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this
day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment.
+Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. +Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
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.
580 On a certain occasion, the Lord said to me, I am more
deeply wounded by the small imperfections of chosen souls than by the sins of
those living in the world. It made me very sad that chosen souls make
Jesus suffer, and Jesus told me, These little imperfections are not all. I
will reveal to you a secret of My Heart: what I suffer from chosen souls.
Ingratitude in return for so many graces is My Heart's constant food, on the
part of [such] a chosen soul. Their love is lukewarm, and My Heart cannot
bear it; these souls force Me to reject them. Others distrust My goodness and
have no desire to experience that sweet intimacy in their own hearts, but go
in search of Me, off in the distance, and do not find Me. This distrust of My
goodness hurts Me very much. If My death has not convinced you of My love,
what will? Often a soul wounds Me mortally, and then no one can comfort Me.
They use My graces to offend Me. There are souls who despise My graces as
well as all the proofs of My love. They do not wish to hear My call, but
proceed into the abyss of hell. The loss of these souls plunges Me into
deadly sorrow. God though I am, I cannot help such a soul because it scorns
Me; having a free will, it can spurn Me or love Me. You, who are the dispenser
of My mercy, tell all the world about My goodness, and thus you will comfort
My Heart.
654 Now I understand that confession is only the confessing of
one's sins, and spiritual guidance is a different thing altogether. But this
is not what I want to speak about. I want to tell about a strange thing that
happened to me for the first time. When the confessor started talking to me,
I did not understand a single word. Then I saw Jesus Crucified and He said to
me, It is in My Passion that you must seek light and strength. After
the confession, I meditated on Jesus' terrible Passion, and I understood that
what I was suffering was nothing compared to the Savior's Passion, and that
even the smallest imperfection was the cause of this terrible suffering. Then
my soul was filled with very great contrition, and only then I sensed that I
was in the sea of the unfathomable mercy of God. Oh, how few words I have to
express what I am experiencing! I feel I am like a drop of dew engulfed in
the depths of the bottomless ocean of divine mercy.
666 I understood that all striving for perfection and all
sanctity consist in doing God's will. Perfect fulfillment of God's will is
maturity in sanctity; there is no room for doubt here. To receive God's light
and recognize what God wants of us and yet not do it is a great offense
against the majesty of God. Such a soul deserves to be completely forsaken by
God. It resembles Lucifer, who had great light, but did not do God's will. An
extraordinary peace entered my soul when I reflected on the fact that,
despite great difficulties, I had always faithfully followed God's will as I
knew it. O Jesus, grant me the grace to put Your will into practice as I have
come to know it, O God.
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.
1059
Jesus is commanding me to make a novena before the Feast of Mercy, and today
I am to begin it for the conversion of the whole world and for the
recognition of The Divine Mercy... so
that every soul will praise My goodness. I desire trust from My creatures.
Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak,
sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than
there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the
unmeasurable depths of My mercy.
1064 + O
my most sweet Master, good Jesus, I give You my heart. You shape and mold it
after Your liking. O fathomless love, I open the calyx of my heart to You,
like a rosebud to the freshness of dew. To You alone, my Betrothed, is known
the fragrance of the flower of my heart. Let the fragrance of my sacrifice be
pleasing to You. O Immortal God, my everlasting delight, already here on
earth You are my heaven. May every beat of my heart be a new hymn of praise
to You, O Holy Trinity! Had I as many hearts as there are drops of water in
the ocean or grains of sand in the whole world, I would offer them all to
You, O my Love, O Treasure of my heart! Whomever I shall meet in my life, no
matter who they may be, I want to draw them all to love You, O my Jesus, my
Beauty, my Repose, my sole Master, Judge, Savior and Spouse, all in one; I
know that one title will modify the other-I have entrusted everything to Your
mercy.
1065 + My
Jesus, support me when difficult and stormy days come, days of testing, days
of ordeal, when suffering and fatigue begin to oppress my body and my soul.
Sustain me, Jesus, and give me strength to bear suffering. Set a guard upon
my lips that they may address no word of complaint to creatures. Your most
merciful Heart is all my hope. I have nothing for my defense but only Your
mercy; in it lies all my trust.
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.
1165 Know this, My daughter: if you strive for perfection you
will sanctify many souls; and if you do not strive for sanctity, by the same
token, many souls will remain imperfect. Know that their perfection will
depend on your perfection, and the greater part of the responsibility for
these souls will fall on you.
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.
1293 It so happened that I fell again into a certain error, in
spite of a sincere resolution not to do so-even though the lapse was a minor
imperfection and rather involuntary-and at this I felt such acute pain in my
soul that I interrupted my work and went to the chapel for a while. Falling
at the feet of Jesus, with love and a great deal of pain, I apologized to the
Lord, all the more ashamed because of the fact that in my conversation with
Him after Holy Communion this very morning I had promised to be faithful to
Him. Then I heard these words: If it hadn't been for this small
imperfection, you wouldn't have come to Me. Know that as often as you come to
Me, humbling yourself and asking My forgiveness, I pour out a superabundance
of graces on your soul, and your imperfection vanishes before My eyes, and I
see only your love and your humility. You lose nothing but gain much...
1566 When I was apologizing to the Lord Jesus for a certain
action of mine which, a little later, turned out to be imperfect, Jesus put
me at ease with these words: My daughter, I reward you for the purity of
your intention which you had at the time when you acted. My Heart rejoiced
that you had My love under consideration at the time you acted, and that in
so distinct a way; and even now you still derive benefit from this; that is,
from the humiliation. Yes, My child, I want you to always have such great
purity of intention in the very least things you undertake.
1584 O inconceivable goodness of God, which shields us at every
step, may Your mercy be praised without cease. That You became a brother to
humans, not to angels, is a miracle of the unfathomable mystery of Your
mercy. All our trust is in You, our first-born Brother, Jesus Christ, true
God and true Man. My heart flutters with joy to see how good God is to us
wretched and ungrateful people. And as a proof of His love, He gives us the
incomprehensible gift of Himself in the person of His Son. Throughout all eternity
we shall never exhaust that mystery of love. O mankind, why do you think so
little about God being truly among us? O Lamb of God, I do not know what to
admire in You first: Your gentleness, Your hidden life, the emptying of
Yourself for the sake of man, or the constant miracle of Your mercy, which
transforms souls and raises them up to eternal life. Although You are hidden
in this way, Your omnipotence is more manifest here than in the creation of
man. Though the omnipotence of Your mercy is at work in the justification of
the sinner, yet Your action is gentle and hidden.
1683 Write for the benefit of religious
souls that it delights Me to come to their hearts in Holy Communion. But if
there is anyone else in such a heart, I cannot bear it and quickly leave that
heart, taking with Me all the gifts and graces I have prepared for the soul.
And the soul does not even notice My going. After some time, inner emptiness
and dissatisfaction will come to her attention. Oh, if only she would turn to
Me then, I would help her to cleanse her heart, and I would fulfill
everything in her soul; but without her knowledge and consent, I cannot be
the Master of her heart.
1690 After Holy Communion today, Jesus said, My daughter give Me
souls. Know that it is your mission to win souls for Me by prayer and
sacrifice, and by encouraging them to trust in My mercy.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-6,
18, 19, 47-50, 72-73, 83-84, 92)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-94-98,
106-107, 115, 140, 145, 148)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-186-187,
190, 200, 229-230)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-249, 275, 294, 299-300,
497 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-580,
654, 666, 678, 724, 954)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1059, 1064, 1065,
1074-1076 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1165, 1180-1184, 1199-1200)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1204-1205, 1207-1208)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-IV-1237, 1239, 1241, 1243-1244)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-IV-1255-1256, 1262, 1293)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1566, 1584)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1683, 1690)
http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/semanal.phtml?se=363&ca=975&te=866http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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