The World Awaits Our Witness
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Saturday in the
Octave of Easter
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Mark 16:9-15
When Jesus had
risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary
Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his
companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive
and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After this he appeared in
another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They
returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either. But
later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for
their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who
saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, You are the source of all life because You are life
itself. Your resurrection gives me the hope of being raised from the dead to
rejoice with You in heaven forever. I need to dwell more often on the good You
have done for us and on Your promises to those who put their trust in You.
Thank You, Jesus for taking up Your life again and leading the way home to
heaven. I love You, and I want to follow after You with all my heart. I want
to cooperate more fully with You in bringing many others to heaven with me.
Petition: Lord, grant me the grace of a profound
apostolic zeal.
1A Saint Who Is Sad
Is a Sad Saint: “When they heard that
he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.” From these
lines of scripture we can see the power our emotions can exercise over our
faith. Melancholy can affect our trust. Perhaps we have been hurt by others
and our sorrows are as real as those of the disciples. But let us not get
accustomed to our tears; rather, with the courage and help of Our Lord, let
us put aside past resentments and pain. After all, if his love is enough to
convert our hearts, what grounds do we have to think that it is not powerful
enough to convert the hearts and lives of those who hurt us? Humanity will
not be converted by the distressed. We should be willing to give the world a
joyful witness to the Resurrection, for the source of our joy is in the Lord,
not in the hands of our adversaries.
2. Rebuked for
Unbelief and Hardness of Heart: We may be a bit scandalized at Our Lord’s apparent lack of
understanding and sympathy towards his disciples who were mourning his tragic
loss. Sometimes though, a good shaking-up is required to slough off a melancholic
spirit and to switch us from an inordinate self-love and self-pity to a
concern for others. In moments when we begin to despair and feel suffocated
by our sufferings, St. Paul reminds us to have hope: “I am sure that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord” (Romans 8:38). We must never allow anything to rob us of our trust
in Christ. He is faithful to his promises.
3. We Are to Be
Witnesses to His Love: Despite
their unbelief, Our Lord did not retract his gift of redemption or lessen our
responsibility for the mission. “It is not to a dull everyday
routine that we return.… We need to imitate the zeal of the Apostle Paul:
‘Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14)’”(John
Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 59). Our encounter of faith with the Risen
Lord cannot be kept solely for the private sphere of our life. Rather, it
needs to draw us to be zealous in proclaiming him to others. The sense of
Christ’s command—“Go into the whole world”—is to proclaim him to as many
others as possible.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, I have taken
away from this meditation the lesson that it is time for me to wake from my
slumber to fulfill Your words. I must “go into the whole world and proclaim
the Gospel to every creature.” Help me to realize that my past sinfulness and
disbelief do not excuse me from this mission.
Resolution: The next time I find a person struggling or
in turmoil, I will offer to pray with them—or at least for them if they
decline.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
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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].
301 Proclaim that mercy is the
greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.
341
November 5, 1934. One morning, when it was my duty to open the gate to let out
our people who deliver baked goods, I entered the little chapel to visit Jesus
for a minute and to renew the intentions of the day. Today, Jesus, I offer You
all my sufferings, mortifications and prayers for the intentions of the Holy
Father, so that he may approve the Feast of Mercy. But, Jesus, I have one more
word to say to You: I am very surprised that You bid me to talk about this
Feast of Mercy, for they tell me that there is already such a feast[81]
and so why should I talk about it? And Jesus said to me, And who knows anything about this
feast? No one! Even those who should be proclaiming My mercy and teaching
people about it often do not know about it themselves. That is why I want the image
to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be
venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. Make a novena for the
Holy Father's intention. It should consist of thirty-three acts; that is,
repetition that many times of the short prayer-which I have taught you-to The
Divine Mercy.
375 Particular interior practice; that is,
the examination of conscience. Self-denial, denial of my own will.
I. The denial of my reason. Subjecting it to
the reason of those who represent God to me here on earth.
II. The denial of my will. Doing the will of
God, which is revealed in the will of those who represent God to me and which
is contained in the rule of our order.
III. The denial of my judgment. Accepting
immediately and without reflection, analysis or reasoning all orders given by
those who represent God to me.
IV. The denial of my tongue. I will not give
it the least bit of freedom; but in one case only I will give it complete
freedom; that is, in proclaiming the glory of God. Whenever I receive Holy
Communion, I will ask Jesus to fortify and cleanse my tongue that I may not
injure my neighbor with it. That is why I have the greatest respect for the
rule which speaks about silence.
378 Once as I was talking with my
spiritual director, I had an interior vision-quicker than lightning-of his soul
in great suffering, in such agony that God touches very few souls with such
fire. The suffering arises from this work. There will come a time when this
work, which God is demanding so very much, will be as though utterly undone.
And then God will act with great power, which will give evidence of its
authenticity. It will be a new splendor for the Church, although it has been
dormant in it from long ago. That God is infinitely merciful, no one can deny.
He desires everyone to know this before He comes again as Judge. He wants souls
to come to know Him first as King of Mercy. When this triumph comes, we shall
already have entered the new life in which there is no suffering. But before
this, your soul [of the spiritual director] will be surfeited with bitterness
at the sight of the destruction of your efforts. However, this will only appear
to be so, because what God has once decided upon, He does not change. But
although this destruction will be such only in outward appearance, the
suffering will be real. When will this happen? I do not know. How long will it
last? I do not know.[89]
But God has promised a great grace especially to you and to all those... who
will proclaim My great mercy. I shall protect them Myself at the hour of death,
as My own glory. And even if the sins of soul are as dark as night, when the
sinner turns to My mercy he gives Me the greatest praise and is the glory of My
Passion. When a soul praises My goodness, Satan trembles before it and flees to
the very bottom of hell.
379
During one of the adorations, Jesus promised me that: With souls that have recourse to My
mercy and with those that glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others, I will
deal according to My infinite mercy at the hour of their death.
My Heart is sorrowful, Jesus said, because even chosen souls do not understand the greatness of My mercy. Their relationship [with Me] is, in certain ways, imbued with mistrust. Oh, how much that wounds My Heart 1 Remember My Passion, and if you do not believe My words, at least believe My wounds.
My Heart is sorrowful, Jesus said, because even chosen souls do not understand the greatness of My mercy. Their relationship [with Me] is, in certain ways, imbued with mistrust. Oh, how much that wounds My Heart 1 Remember My Passion, and if you do not believe My words, at least believe My wounds.
491
When I entered the chapel, once again the majesty of God overwhelmed me. I felt
that I was immersed in God, totally immersed in Him and penetrated by Him, being
aware of how much the heavenly Father loves us. Oh, what great happiness fills
my heart from knowing God and the divine life! It is my desire to share this
happiness with all people. I cannot keep this happiness locked in my own heart
alone, for His flames burn me and cause my bosom and my entrails to burst
asunder. I desire to go throughout the whole world and speak to souls about the
great mercy of God. Priests, help me in this; use the strongest words [at your
disposal] to proclaim His mercy, for every word falls short of how merciful He
really is.
930 + O my Jesus, although I will go to You, and You will
fill me with Yourself, and that will make my happiness complete, I will
nevertheless not forget about humanity. I desire to draw aside the veils of
heaven, so that the earth would have no doubts about The Divine Mercy. My
repose is in proclaiming Your mercy. The soul gives the greatest glory to its
Creator when it turns with trust to The Divine Mercy.
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.
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.
1104 Today there was a beautiful teaching [by Father Plaza
on the goodness and mercy of God. During this conference my soul experienced
the flames of God's love, and I understood that God's word is a living word.
1142 June 4. Today is the Feast of
the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. During Holy Mass, I was given the knowledge of
the Heart of Jesus and of the nature of the fire of love with which He burns
for us and of how He is an Ocean of Mercy. Then I heard a voice: Apostle of
My mercy, proclaim to the whole world My unfathomable mercy. Do not be
discouraged by the difficulties you encounter in proclaiming My mercy. These
difficulties that affect you so painfully are needed for your sanctification
and as evidence that this work is Mine. My daughter, be diligent in writing
down every sentence I tell you concerning My mercy, because this is meant for a
great number of souls who will profit from it.
1160 When once I asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many
sins and crimes and not punish them, the Lord answered me, I have eternity for punishing [these], and so I am prolonging the time of
mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of
My visitation. My daughter, secretary of My mercy, your duty is not only to
write about and proclaim My mercy, but also to beg for this grace for them, so
that they too may glorify My mercy.
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.
1298 O God, show me Your mercy
According to the compassion of the
Heart of Jesus.
Hear my sighs and entreaties,
And the tears of a contrite heart.
O Omnipotent, ever-merciful God,
Your compassion is never exhausted.
Although my misery is as vast as the
sea,
I have complete trust in the mercy of
the Lord.
O Eternal Trinity, yet ever-gracious
God,
Your compassion is without measure.
And so I trust in the sea of Your
mercy,
And sense You, Lord, though a veil
holds me aloof.
May the omnipotence of Your mercy, O
Lord,
Be glorified all over the world.
May its veneration never cease.
Proclaim, my soul,
God's mercy with fervor.
1463 + The Lord also gave
me to know that many bishops were considering the question of this Feast, as
well as a certain lay person. Some were enthusiastic about this work of God,
while others regarded it with disbelief; but in spite of everything, the result
was great glory for the work of God. Mother Irene and Mother Mary Joseph were
giving some kind of a report to these dignitaries, but they were being
questioned, not so much about the work, as about myself.227 As
regards the work itself, there was no doubt, since the glory of God was already
being proclaimed.
1501 + Now that I have difficulty
sleeping at night, because my suffering won't allow it, I visit all the
churches and chapels and, if only for a brief moment, I make an act of
adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. When I return to my chapel, I then pray
for certain priests who proclaim and glorify The Divine Mercy. I also pray for
the intentions of the Holy Father and to obtain mercy for sinners-such are my
nights.
1519 +
Today before Holy Communion, the Lord said to me, My daughter, today talk
openly to the Superior [Mother Irene] about My mercy because, of all the
superiors, she has taken the greatest part in proclaiming My mercy. And in
fact, Mother Superior came this afternoon, and we talked about this Work
of God. Mother told me that the images had not come out too well and
were not selling very well. "But," she said, "I have taken a good
quantity myself and am distributing them wherever I can and do the best I can
to spread the Work of Mercy." When she had gone, the Lord gave me
to know how pleasing this soul was to Him.
1521
The Lord said to me, My daughter, do not tire of proclaiming My mercy. In
this way you will refresh this Heart of Mine, which burns with a flame of pity
for sinners. Tell My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their
words when they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have
for them in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give
wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom
they will speak.
1540
January 28, 1938. Today the Lord said to me, My daughter, write down these
words: All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship,
encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour
of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle...
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.
1680 Low Sunday. Today, I again offered
myself to the Lord as a holocaust for sinners. My Jesus, if the end of my life
is already approaching, I beg You most humbly, accept my death in union with
You as a holocaust which I offer You today, while I still have full possession of
my faculties and a fully conscious will, and this for a threefold purpose:
Firstly: that the work of Your mercy may spread throughout the whole world and that the Feast of The Divine Mercy may be solemnly promulgated and celebrated.
Secondly: that sinners, especially dying sinners, may have recourse to Your mercy and experience the unspeakable effects of this mercy.
Thirdly: that all the work of Your mercy may be realized according to Your wishes, and for a certain person who is in charge of this work...
Accept, most merciful Jesus, this, my inadequate sacrifice, which I offer to You today before heaven and earth. May Your Most Sacred Heart, so full of mercy, complete what is lacking in my offering, and offer it to Your Father for the conversion of sinners. I thirst after souls, O Christ.
Firstly: that the work of Your mercy may spread throughout the whole world and that the Feast of The Divine Mercy may be solemnly promulgated and celebrated.
Secondly: that sinners, especially dying sinners, may have recourse to Your mercy and experience the unspeakable effects of this mercy.
Thirdly: that all the work of Your mercy may be realized according to Your wishes, and for a certain person who is in charge of this work...
Accept, most merciful Jesus, this, my inadequate sacrifice, which I offer to You today before heaven and earth. May Your Most Sacred Heart, so full of mercy, complete what is lacking in my offering, and offer it to Your Father for the conversion of sinners. I thirst after souls, O Christ.
1688 Today, the Lord said to me, My
daughter, look into My Merciful Heart and reflect its compassion in your own
heart and in your deeds, so that you, who proclaim My mercy to the world, may
yourself be aflame with it.
1749 + God's Infinite Goodness in Adorning
the Whole World with Beauty
in Order to Make Man's Stay on Earth Pleasant.
O God, how generously Your mercy is spread everywhere, and You have done all this for man. Oh, how much You must love him, since Your love is so active on his behalf. O my Creator and Lord, I see on all sides the trace of Your hand and the seal of Your mercy, which embraces all created things. O my most compassionate Creator, I want to give You worship on behalf of all creatures and all inanimate creation; I call on the whole universe to glorify Your mercy. Oh, how great is Your goodness, O God!
in Order to Make Man's Stay on Earth Pleasant.
O God, how generously Your mercy is spread everywhere, and You have done all this for man. Oh, how much You must love him, since Your love is so active on his behalf. O my Creator and Lord, I see on all sides the trace of Your hand and the seal of Your mercy, which embraces all created things. O my most compassionate Creator, I want to give You worship on behalf of all creatures and all inanimate creation; I call on the whole universe to glorify Your mercy. Oh, how great is Your goodness, O God!
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-49-50, 301, 341, 375, 378-379, 491)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-783, 930)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1074-1075, 1104, 1142, 1156)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1298)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1463, 1501, 1519, 1521, 1540, 1548)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1680, 1688, 1692, 1749)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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