Determined
Discipleship
Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 8:18-22
When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other
side. A scribe approached and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you
wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of
the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."
Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, let me go first and bury my
father." But Jesus answered him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury
their dead."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to You in this meditation ready to do whatever You ask.
Left to myself I often take the easy and convenient path, yet I know the way of
a Christian is through the narrow gate. In You I find the reason to abandon the
easy path for a more perfect mission of love. I’m ready to learn the meaning of
Your command: “Follow me.”
Petition: Lord Jesus, help me to seek true holiness by following after you.
1. Follow His Footsteps: The transition to becom ing a disciple is not
an easy one. While a disciple generously hands over his own will to the Lord
unconditionally, the scribe in today’s passage still seeks his own will, as
noble as it may be. A disciple is born from an invitation: “Follow me .” This
scribe does not yet have the total freedom of heart that life with Christ
demands. Where do I stand? One becomes identified with Christ not through a
mere accumulation of doctrine, principles and techniques, but by living a
common life with Christ born from union with the Master’s will. May I hear
Christ’s voice setting the pace of holiness in my life and inviting me to leave
behind my own will for the new life he presents.
2. Choosing the Better Way : Christ does not coldly ignore the scribe, but seeks to attract him to a different way of life, a life of simple poverty. Our Lord’s own self-emptying poverty goes beyond the lot of the poorest of men. What Christ’s poverty shows, however, is not misery. Rather, it compels and attracts, for it is an infallible sign of the richness of God from whom Christ lives and moves. Christ’s living example empowers men to leave their world for something better, nobler and more worthy of the life they have been given. May my example also compel others to find a better way, a holier way.
2. Choosing the Better Way : Christ does not coldly ignore the scribe, but seeks to attract him to a different way of life, a life of simple poverty. Our Lord’s own self-emptying poverty goes beyond the lot of the poorest of men. What Christ’s poverty shows, however, is not misery. Rather, it compels and attracts, for it is an infallible sign of the richness of God from whom Christ lives and moves. Christ’s living example empowers men to leave their world for something better, nobler and more worthy of the life they have been given. May my example also compel others to find a better way, a holier way.
3. Shunning Shoddy Sophisms: There is an almost ruthless quality to
Christ’s response to the sophisms and excuses offered to avoid following him.
Detachment from all personal wants and desires is the way to simplicity of
heart. Simplicity of heart requires us to be brutally honest with ourselves.
What comes first in our life? What is really moving our heart to make the
choices we make? Is it God’s will? God’s will for us is never complicated;
perhaps it may be difficult, but it is never complicated. Sometimes , under the
pretext of doing good , we rationalize not doing what is better. We do not need
sophisticated analyses assessing how many obstacles there are to doing God’s
will . All we need to clear the path to its perfect fulfillment is a generous heart.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I
know You have called me; I ask for Your strength to respond with simplicity and
fortitude. I have heard Your voice and I now answer.
Resolution: Today I will live better my vocation in life and, in particular, fulfill
some obligation that I normally put off.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
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.
153 One
day, I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of
joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and
enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of
the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls
fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so
great that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or
rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the
people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering
befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went
on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts
of happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they
forgot all their sufferings.
163 JMJ
The Year 1937
General Exercises
+O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, 0 Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
General Exercises
+O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, 0 Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
241 Love
of neighbor. First: Helpfulness towards the sisters. Second: Do not speak about
those who are absent, and defend the good name of my neighbor. Third: Rejoice
in the success of others.
242 +O
God, how much I desire to be a small child.[71] You are my Father, and You know how little
and weak I am. So I beg You, keep me close by Your side all my life and
especially at the hour of my death. Jesus, I know that Your goodness surpasses
the goodness of a most tender mother.
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.
303
Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which
lends value to our actions. And the purer our love becomes, the less there will
be within us for the flames of suffering to feed upon, and the suffering will
cease to be a suffering for us; it will become a delight! By the grace of God,
I have received such a disposition of heart that I am never so happy as when I
suffer for Jesus, whom I love with every beat of my heart.
Once when I was suffering greatly, I left my work and escaped to Jesus and asked Him to give me His strength. After a very short prayer I returned to my work filled with enthusiasm and joy. Then, one of the sisters [probably Sister Justine] said to me, "You must have many consolations today, Sister; you look so radiant. Surely, God is giving you no suffering, but only consolations." "You are greatly mistaken, Sister," I answered, "for it is precisely when I suffer much that my joy is greater; and when I suffer less, my joy also is less." However, that soul was letting me recognize that she does not understand what I was saying. I tried to explain to her that when we suffer much we have a great chance to show God that we love Him; but when we suffer little we have less occasion to show God our love; and when we do not suffer at all, our love is then neither great nor pure. By the grace of God, we can attain a point where suffering will become a delight to us, for love can work such things in pure souls.
Once when I was suffering greatly, I left my work and escaped to Jesus and asked Him to give me His strength. After a very short prayer I returned to my work filled with enthusiasm and joy. Then, one of the sisters [probably Sister Justine] said to me, "You must have many consolations today, Sister; you look so radiant. Surely, God is giving you no suffering, but only consolations." "You are greatly mistaken, Sister," I answered, "for it is precisely when I suffer much that my joy is greater; and when I suffer less, my joy also is less." However, that soul was letting me recognize that she does not understand what I was saying. I tried to explain to her that when we suffer much we have a great chance to show God that we love Him; but when we suffer little we have less occasion to show God our love; and when we do not suffer at all, our love is then neither great nor pure. By the grace of God, we can attain a point where suffering will become a delight to us, for love can work such things in pure souls.
340 I
know now that nothing can put a stop to my love for You, Jesus, neither
suffering, nor adversity, nor fire nor the sword, nor death itself. I feel
stronger than all these things. Nothing can compare with love. I see that the
smallest things done by a soul that loves God sincerely have an enormous value
in His Holy eyes.
502 Only
love has meaning; it raises up our smallest actions into infinity.
534
Chastity. There is no need to explain that this vow forbids all those things
prohibited by the sixth and ninth commandments: deeds, thoughts, words,
feelings... I understand that a solemn vow differs from a simple vow; I
understand this in all its implications. While reflecting upon this, I heard
these words in my soul:You are My spouse forever; your chastity should be
greater than that of the Angels, for I call no angel to such intimacy as I do
you. The smallest act of My spouse is of infinite value. A pure soul has
inconceivable power before God.
704 I
spend every free moment at the feet of the hidden God. He is my Master; I ask
Him about everything; I speak to Him about everything. Here I obtain strength
and light; here I learn everything; here I am given light on how to act toward
my neighbor. From the time I left the novitiate, I have enclosed myself in the
tabernacle together with Jesus, my Master. He himself drew me into the fire of
living love on which everything converges.
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...
1714
Today I interceded earnestly with the Lord Jesus for our house, that He might
deign to take away the cross which has touched our convent. 252 The Lord answered me, Your prayers are
accepted for other intentions. I cannot take away this cross until they
recognize its meaning. Nevertheless, I did not stop praying.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-94, 153, 163, 241-242)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-294, 303, 340, 502, 534)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-704)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1701, 1704)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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