The Quiet Healer
Saturday of the
Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Father Shawn Aaron, LC
Matthew 12: 14-21
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope."
Matthew 12: 14-21
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope."
Introductory
Prayer: God Our Father, You gave us Your Son to make
us Your children. I believe, and I am hoping to be raised to full maturity in
him through the school of the Gospel. Thank You for Your unconditional love. I
offer You my love in return, knowing You welcome it as a parent does a small
child.
Petition:
Jesus, like You, make
my heart attentive to the needs of others.
1. When Jesus Realized This, He Withdrew from That Place: There is a great lesson for us here: It is not yet his "hour," so Jesus does not force the issue. Jesus does not taunt the Pharisees or provoke an unnecessary clash. Whenever Jesus challenges a person it is in order to lead that person to a deeper self-reflection and ultimately to a conversion of heart and of life. He did this on several occasions with the same Scribes and Pharisees. Yet this is not the time to engage them intellectually; their hearts are closed and they are unwilling to listen. When at times we find ourselves in a disagreement (perhaps even with a loved one), once the emotions are roused and it becomes clear that one or both parties are not ready for the truth, the prudent, loving and humble thing to do is withdraw from the situation until the moment our hearts are more open to listening.
1. When Jesus Realized This, He Withdrew from That Place: There is a great lesson for us here: It is not yet his "hour," so Jesus does not force the issue. Jesus does not taunt the Pharisees or provoke an unnecessary clash. Whenever Jesus challenges a person it is in order to lead that person to a deeper self-reflection and ultimately to a conversion of heart and of life. He did this on several occasions with the same Scribes and Pharisees. Yet this is not the time to engage them intellectually; their hearts are closed and they are unwilling to listen. When at times we find ourselves in a disagreement (perhaps even with a loved one), once the emotions are roused and it becomes clear that one or both parties are not ready for the truth, the prudent, loving and humble thing to do is withdraw from the situation until the moment our hearts are more open to listening.
2.
The Master Physician: Matthew´s comment in this section of the Gospel is quite
revealing: "Many people followed him, and he cured them all." We must
not imagine that all of the healings were physical. So "meek and
humble" is Jesus that every person felt he could approach him. If a
bruised reed comes to Jesus – a person battered by life, trials and his own sin
– his first and only inclination is to heal that soul. Even to this very day
Jesus continually takes what is broken and makes it whole. He is the master physician
who binds up wounds so that the person may be healed. In light of this attitude
we recognize the contrast between the Pharisees, who seek to kill, and Jesus,
who continues to give life to all who come to him.
3.
A Ember of Faith: All Jesus needs is the slightest ember of faith and hope to
change a person´s life. For instance, we cannot force a person to love us or to
trust us. Likewise, God himself respects the very freedom he entrusted to us.
Nonetheless, our Lord does give the human person a searching mind and heart.
That is why we can say that the human person is religious by nature from the
beginning. Atheists are not born; they are made by their choices. Within the
human soul God already provides us with the kindling for faith, hope and love.
Once we are baptized, that kindling can become an unquenchable fire. Yet it can
also be extinguished if we carelessly expose it to the winds and waves of
unbridled selfishness, secularism, skepticism and systematic doubt . No matter
how far we think we may have drifted, if we will simply turn to Jesus, we will
find that he is already looking at us.
Conversation
with Christ: Lord
Jesus, You see and know what I am to become if I will keep close to You in
faith, hope and love. Deepen within me the desire to remain united to You in
prayer so as to imitate You in love. Help me become with You what I can never
become without You. Mother Most Pure, make my heart only for Jesus.
Resolution:
Today I will contact
someone who needs to be encouraged and listened to.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
210 I fervently beg the Lord to strengthen my
faith, so that in my drab, everyday life I will not be guided by human
dispositions, but by those of the spirit. Oh, how everything drags man towards
the earth! But lively faith maintains the soul in the higher regions and
assigns self-love its proper place; that is to say, the lowest one.
742 My daughter, if I demand through you
that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by
this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to
arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and
everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself
from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.
743 Two general
resolutions:
First: To strive after inner silence and to observe the rule of silence strictly.
Second: Faithfulness to interior inspirations; to bring them into my life and actions according to the advice of my spiritual director.
In this present illness, I desire to glorify the will of God. I will try, as far as I am able, to take part in all the community exercises. I will give the Lord God fervent thanks for every sorrow and suffering.
First: To strive after inner silence and to observe the rule of silence strictly.
Second: Faithfulness to interior inspirations; to bring them into my life and actions according to the advice of my spiritual director.
In this present illness, I desire to glorify the will of God. I will try, as far as I am able, to take part in all the community exercises. I will give the Lord God fervent thanks for every sorrow and suffering.
763 November 22,
[1936]. Today during confession, the Lord Jesus spoke to me through the lips of
a certain priest. This priest did not know my soul, and I only accused myself
of my sins; yet he spoke these words to me: "Accomplish faithfully
everything that Jesus asks of you, despite the difficulties. Know that,
although people may be angry with you, Jesus is not angry and never will be
angry with you. Pay no attention to human opinion." This instruction
surprised me at first; but I understood that the Lord was speaking through him
without his realizing it. O holy mystery, what great treasures are contained in
you! O holy faith, you are my guidepost!
877 + O Jesus
concealed in the Host, my sweet Master and faithful Friend, how happy my soul
is to have such a Friend who always keeps me company. I do not feel lonely even
though I am in isolation. Jesus-Host, we know each other-that is enough for me.
890 Love is a mystery
that transforms everything it touches into things beautiful and pleasing to
God. The love of God makes a soul free. She is like a queen; she knows no
slavish compulsion; she sets about everything with great freedom of soul,
because the love which dwells in her incites her to action. Everything that surrounds
her makes her know that only God himself is worthy of her love. A soul in love
with God and immersed in Him approaches her duties with the same dispositions
as she does Holy Communion and carries out the simplest tasks with great care,
under the loving gaze of God. She is not troubled if, after some time,
something turns out to be less successful. She remains calm, because at the
time of the action she had done what was in her power. When it happens that the
living presence of God, which she enjoys almost constantly, leaves her, she
then tries to continue living in lively faith. Her soul understands that there
are periods of rest and periods of battle. Through her will, she is always with
God. Her soul, like a knight, is well trained in battle; from afar it sees
where the foe is hiding and is ready for battle. She knows she is not alone-God
is her strength.
898 O my Jesus, You
are giving me back my health and life; give me also strength for battle,
because I am unable to do anything without You. Give me strength, for You can
do all things. You see that I am a frail child, and what can I do? I know the
full power of Your mercy, and I trust that You will give me everything Your
feeble child needs.
899 I have desired death so much! I do not know whether I shall ever again in
my life experience such great longing for God. There have been times when I
fell into a swoon for Him. Oh, how ugly the earth when one knows heaven! I must
do violence to myself in order to live. O will of God, you are my nourishment.
900 Oh, how drab and full of misunderstandings is this life! My patience is exercised, and after it comes experience. I understand and learn many things each day and see that I know very little, and I am constantly discovering faults in my conduct. Still, I am not discouraged by this, but thank God that He deigns to grant me His light that I may know myself.
900 Oh, how drab and full of misunderstandings is this life! My patience is exercised, and after it comes experience. I understand and learn many things each day and see that I know very little, and I am constantly discovering faults in my conduct. Still, I am not discouraged by this, but thank God that He deigns to grant me His light that I may know myself.
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.
1344 O merciful God,
who still allow me to live, give me strength that I may live a new life, the
life of the spirit, over which death has no dominion. And with that, my heart
was renewed, and I began a new life while still here on earth, a life of love
of God. Nevertheless, I do not forget that I am weakness itself, though I do
not doubt even for a moment that I will obtain the help of Your grace, O God.
1357 Once, when I was
passing by a group of people, I asked the Lord if they were all in the state of
grace, because I did not feel His sufferings. Because you do not feel My sufferings, it does not
follow that they must all be in the state of grace. At times, I allow you to be
aware of the condition of certain souls, and I give you the grace of suffering
solely because I use you as the instrument of their conversion.
1365 O Eternal Love,
who enkindle a new life within me, a life of love and of mercy, support me with
Your grace, so that I may worthily answer Your call, so that what You yourself
have intended to accomplish in souls through me, might indeed be accomplished.
My God, I see the radiance of eternal dawn. My whole soul bounds toward You, O Lord; nothing any longer holds me back, nothing ties me to earth. Help me, O Lord, to bear the rest of my days with patience. The sacrifice of my love burns incessantly before Your Majesty, but so silently that only Your divine eye sees it, O God, and no other creature is capable of perceiving it.
My God, I see the radiance of eternal dawn. My whole soul bounds toward You, O Lord; nothing any longer holds me back, nothing ties me to earth. Help me, O Lord, to bear the rest of my days with patience. The sacrifice of my love burns incessantly before Your Majesty, but so silently that only Your divine eye sees it, O God, and no other creature is capable of perceiving it.
1484 O Living Host,
support me in this exile, that I may be empowered to walk faithfully in the
footsteps of the Savior. I do not ask, Lord, that You take me down from the
cross, but I implore You to give me the strength to remain steadfast upon it. I
want to be stretched out upon the cross as You were, Jesus. I want all the
tortures and pains that You suffered. I want to drink the cup of bitterness to
the dregs.
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.
1523 Everlasting
love, pure flame, burn in my heart ceaselessly and deify my whole being,
according to Your infinite pleasure by which You summoned me into existence and
called me to take part in Your everlasting happiness. O merciful Lord, it is
only out of mercy that You have lavished these gifts upon me. Seeing all these
free gifts within me, with deep humility I worship Your incomprehensible
goodness. Lord, my heart is filled with amazement that You, absolute Lord, in
need of no one, would nevertheless stoop so low out of pure love for us. I can
never help being amazed that the Lord would have such an intimate relationship
with His creatures. That again is His unfathomable goodness. Every time I begin
this meditation, I never finish it, because my spirit becomes entirely drowned
in Him. What a delight it is to love with all the force of one's soul and to be
loved even more in return, to feel and experience this with the full
consciousness of one's being. There are no words to express this.
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.
1549 I want to live
in the spirit of faith. I accept everything that comes my way as given me by
the loving will of God, who sincerely desires my happiness. And so I will
accept with submission and gratitude everything that God sends me. I will pay
no attention to the voice of nature and to the promptings of self-love. Before
each important action, I will stop to consider for a moment what relationship
it has to eternal life and what may be the main reason for my undertaking it:
is it for the glory of God, or for the good of my own soul, or for the good of
the souls of others? If my heart says yes, then I will not swerve from carrying
out the given action, unmindful of either obstacles or sacrifices. I will not
be frightened into abandoning my intention. It is enough for me to know that it
is pleasing to God. On the other hand, if I learn that the action has nothing
in common with what I have just mentioned, I will try to elevate it to a
loftier sphere by means of a good intention. And if I learn that something
flows from my self-love, I will cancel it out right from the start.
1553 O my Jesus, Life
of my soul, my Life, my Savior, my sweetest Bridegroom, and at the same time my
Judge, You know that in this last hour of mine I do not count on any merits of
my own, but only on Your mercy. Even as of today, I immerse myself totally in
the abyss of Your mercy, which is always open to every soul.
O my Jesus, I have only one task to carry out in my lifetime, in death, and throughout eternity, and that is to adore Your incomprehensible mercy. No mind, either of angel or of man, will ever fathom the mysteries of Your mercy, O God. The angels are lost in amazement before the mystery of divine mercy, but cannot comprehend it. Everything that has come from the Creator's hand is contained in this inconceivable mystery; that is to say, in the very depths of His tender mercy. When I meditate on this, my spirit swoons, and my heart dissolves in joy. O Jesus, it is through Your most compassionate Heart, as through a crystal, that the rays of divine mercy have come to us.
O my Jesus, I have only one task to carry out in my lifetime, in death, and throughout eternity, and that is to adore Your incomprehensible mercy. No mind, either of angel or of man, will ever fathom the mysteries of Your mercy, O God. The angels are lost in amazement before the mystery of divine mercy, but cannot comprehend it. Everything that has come from the Creator's hand is contained in this inconceivable mystery; that is to say, in the very depths of His tender mercy. When I meditate on this, my spirit swoons, and my heart dissolves in joy. O Jesus, it is through Your most compassionate Heart, as through a crystal, that the rays of divine mercy have come to us.
1557 O Jesus, keep me
in holy fear, so that I may not waste graces. Help me to be faithful to the
inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Grant that my heart may burst for love of You,
rather than I should neglect even one act of love for You.
1559 At that moment I
saw Jesus, and from His Heart there issued those same two rays, which enveloped
me, whole and entire. At the same moment, all my torments vanished. My daughter, the Lord
said, know that of
yourself you are just what you have gone through, and it is only by My grace
that you are a participant of eternal life and all the gifts I lavish on you.
And with these words of the Lord, there came to me a true knowledge of myself.
Jesus is giving me a lesson in deep humility and, at the same time, one of
total trust in Him. My heart is reduced to dust and ashes, and even if all
people were to trample me under their feet, I would still consider that a favor.
I feel and am, in fact, very deeply permeated with the knowledge that I am nothing, so that real humiliations will be a refreshment for me.
I feel and am, in fact, very deeply permeated with the knowledge that I am nothing, so that real humiliations will be a refreshment for me.
1570 O Greatly
Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of
its misery to Your mercy-to Your compassion, O God; and it is with its mighty
voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of
this earth's exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, Who are
acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power
we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep
on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will all
through our life and at death's hour. Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield
us from the darts of our salvation's enemies, that we may with confidence, as
Your children, await Your final coming-that day known to You alone. And we
expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our
wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope: Through His merciful Heart, as through an
open gate, we pass through to heaven.
Conference on
Spiritual Warfare.
1760 My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare. Never trust in yourself, but abandon yourself totally to My will. In desolation, darkness and various doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director. He will always answer you in My name. Do not bargain with any temptation; lock yourself immediately in My Heart and, at the first opportunity, reveal the temptation to the confessor. Put your self-love in the last place, so that it does not taint your deeds. Bear with yourself with great patience. Do not neglect interior mortifications. Always justify to yourself the opinions of your superiors and of your confessor. Shun murmurers like a plague. Let all act as they like; you are to act as I want you to.
Observe the rule as faithfully as you can. If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer. Do not pour out your feelings. Be silent when you are rebuked. Do not ask everyone's opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a child with him. Do not become discouraged by ingratitude. Do not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you. When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart. Do not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us.
Always fight with the deep conviction that I am with you. Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will. Always depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things. I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles. Know that you are now on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you. Fight like a knight, so that I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone.
1760 My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare. Never trust in yourself, but abandon yourself totally to My will. In desolation, darkness and various doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director. He will always answer you in My name. Do not bargain with any temptation; lock yourself immediately in My Heart and, at the first opportunity, reveal the temptation to the confessor. Put your self-love in the last place, so that it does not taint your deeds. Bear with yourself with great patience. Do not neglect interior mortifications. Always justify to yourself the opinions of your superiors and of your confessor. Shun murmurers like a plague. Let all act as they like; you are to act as I want you to.
Observe the rule as faithfully as you can. If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer. Do not pour out your feelings. Be silent when you are rebuked. Do not ask everyone's opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a child with him. Do not become discouraged by ingratitude. Do not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you. When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart. Do not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us.
Always fight with the deep conviction that I am with you. Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will. Always depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things. I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles. Know that you are now on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you. Fight like a knight, so that I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-210)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-742-743, 763, 877, 890, 898-900)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1074)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1344, 1357, 1365, 1484, 1521, 1523)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1540, 1549, 1553, 1557, 1559, 1570 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-VI-1760)
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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