The Kingdom of God Is at Hand
God sent John the
Baptist into the world to prepare us for Christ’s coming
Monday of the Fourth
Week of Advent
Father Robert
DeCesare, LC
Luke 1:57-66
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have
her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the
Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When
they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call
him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be
called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who
has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be
called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were
amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke
blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters
were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things
took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the
hand of the Lord was with him.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that You had a plan for John
the Baptist as You do for me today. I believe in Your plan for me, and I trust
in it.
Petition: Lord, once again I see that you have a plan
for my salvation. Help me to prepare myself spiritually for Your plan.
1. God
Has a Plan.
“Gabriel said to Mary, ‘Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in
her old age… for nothing is impossible with God’ ” (Luke 1:37). God sent John
the Baptist into the world to prepare us for Christ’s coming. It pleased him to
send us a prophet so that we might prepare ourselves for the Incarnation of his
Son. The circumstances surrounding John the Baptist’s birth reminds us that God
is in charge, that his way is the only way, and that his plan for us is to see
him forever in heaven.
2. “His
Name Is John.” God names John the Baptist to proclaim the
Messiah. He is not just another child, but the forerunner to the Lord. God
sends him so that we too may prepare ourselves for Christ’s coming. God has had
a specific plan for John the Baptist since before the beginning of time. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “St John the Baptist is … sent to
prepare his way. … John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last. …
Going before Jesus ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah,’ John bears witness to
Christ” (523). John the Baptist has come to prepare the way so that we may be
ready for when Christ opens the gates of heaven for us.
3.
“What, Then, Will this Child Be?” John
reminds us of our mission in life by preparing us for the coming of Christ. “He
proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the ‘voice’ of the
Consoler who is coming. … John came to bear witness to the light” (Catechism of
the Catholic Church, 719). He sets the pace and tone for us. He is the herald
of the Lord, speaking about him and reminding us of our goal and purpose. God
wants us to correspond to his plan, not our own. “John is ‘Elijah who must
come.’ The fire of the Spirit dwells in him and makes him the forerunner of the
coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work of
‘[making] ready a people prepared for the Lord’” (Catechism, 718).
Conversation with Christ: Lord, you have sent John the Baptist
to prepare me for the birth of your Son. Help me to be ready for that day so
that I may correspond to the plan that you have for me, just as John corresponded
to the plan that You had for him.
Resolution: I will offer one small sacrifice of service
at a meal to help me spiritually prepare for Christmas.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
68
The heaviest suffering for me was that it seemed to me that neither my prayers
nor my good works were pleasing to God. I did not dare lift up my eyes to
heaven. This caused me such great suffering during the community exercises in
the chapel that one day Mother Superior [Raphael] called me aside after the
exercises and said to me, "Sister, ask God for grace and consolation,
because I can see for myself and the sisters keep telling me that the very
sight of you evokes pity. I really do not know what to do with you, Sister. I
command you to stop tormenting yourself for no reason."
But all these conferences with Mother Superior brought me no relief, nor did they clarify anything for me. Rather, even greater darkness hid God from me. I looked for help in the confessional, but not even there did I find it. A saintly priest wanted to help me, but I was so miserable that I couldn't even define my trouble, and that vexed me even more. A deathly sadness penetrated my soul to such an extent that I was unable to hide it, and it was apparent to those around me. I lost hope. The night was growing darker and darker. The priest to whom I went to confession said to me, "I see very special graces in you, Sister, and I am not worried about you at all; why are you torturing yourself in this way?" But at that time I did not understand at all what he was saying and was extremely surprised when, by way of penance, I was ordered to say the Te Deum or the Magnificat, or to run fast around the garden in the evening, or else to laugh out loud ten times a day. These penances were very surprising to me; but even with that the priest was not able to give me much help. Evidently, God wanted me to give Him glory through suffering.
That priest consoled me, saying that in my present situation I was more pleasing to God than if I were filled with the greatest consolations. "It is a very great grace, Sister, "he told me, "that in your present condition, with all the torments of soul you are experiencing, you not only do not offend God, but you even try to practice virtues. I am looking into your soul, and I see God's great plans and special graces there; and seeing this, I give thanks to the Lord." But despite all that, my soul was in a state of torture; and in the midst of unspeakable torments, I imitated the blind man who entrusts himself to his guide, holding his hand firmly, not giving up obedience for a single moment, and this was my only safety in this fiery trial.
But all these conferences with Mother Superior brought me no relief, nor did they clarify anything for me. Rather, even greater darkness hid God from me. I looked for help in the confessional, but not even there did I find it. A saintly priest wanted to help me, but I was so miserable that I couldn't even define my trouble, and that vexed me even more. A deathly sadness penetrated my soul to such an extent that I was unable to hide it, and it was apparent to those around me. I lost hope. The night was growing darker and darker. The priest to whom I went to confession said to me, "I see very special graces in you, Sister, and I am not worried about you at all; why are you torturing yourself in this way?" But at that time I did not understand at all what he was saying and was extremely surprised when, by way of penance, I was ordered to say the Te Deum or the Magnificat, or to run fast around the garden in the evening, or else to laugh out loud ten times a day. These penances were very surprising to me; but even with that the priest was not able to give me much help. Evidently, God wanted me to give Him glory through suffering.
That priest consoled me, saying that in my present situation I was more pleasing to God than if I were filled with the greatest consolations. "It is a very great grace, Sister, "he told me, "that in your present condition, with all the torments of soul you are experiencing, you not only do not offend God, but you even try to practice virtues. I am looking into your soul, and I see God's great plans and special graces there; and seeing this, I give thanks to the Lord." But despite all that, my soul was in a state of torture; and in the midst of unspeakable torments, I imitated the blind man who entrusts himself to his guide, holding his hand firmly, not giving up obedience for a single moment, and this was my only safety in this fiery trial.
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.
343 True love is measured by the
thermometer of suffering. Jesus, I thank You for the little daily crosses, for
opposition to my endeavors, for the hardships of communal life, for the
misinterpretation of my intentions, for humiliations at the hands of others,
for the harsh way in which we are treated, for false suspicions, for poor
health and loss of strength, for self-denial, for dying to myself, for lack of
recognition in everything, for the upsetting of all my plans.
Thank You, Jesus, for interior sufferings, for dryness of spirit, for terrors, fears and incertitudes, for the darkness and the deep interior night, for temptations and various ordeals, for torments too difficult to describe, especially for those which no one will understand, for the hour of death with its fierce struggle and all its bitterness.
I thank You, Jesus, You who first drank the cup of bitterness before You gave it to me, in a much milder form. I put my lips to this cup of Your holy will. Let all be done according to Your good pleasure; let that which Your wisdom ordained before the ages be done to me. I want to drink the cup to its last drop, and not seek to know the reason why. In bitterness is my joy, in hopelessness is my trust. In You, O Lord, all is good, all is a gift of Your paternal Heart. I do not prefer consolations over bitterness or bitterness over consolations, but thank You, O Jesus, for everything! It is my delight to fix my gaze upon You, O incomprehensible God! My spirit abides in these mysterious dwelling places, and there I am at home. I know very well the dwelling place of my Spouse. I feel there is not a single drop of blood in me that does not burn with love for You.
O Uncreated Beauty, whoever comes to know You once cannot love anything else. I can feel the bottomless abyss of my soul, and nothing will fill it but God himself. I feel that I am drowned in Him like a single grain of sand in a bottomless ocean.
Thank You, Jesus, for interior sufferings, for dryness of spirit, for terrors, fears and incertitudes, for the darkness and the deep interior night, for temptations and various ordeals, for torments too difficult to describe, especially for those which no one will understand, for the hour of death with its fierce struggle and all its bitterness.
I thank You, Jesus, You who first drank the cup of bitterness before You gave it to me, in a much milder form. I put my lips to this cup of Your holy will. Let all be done according to Your good pleasure; let that which Your wisdom ordained before the ages be done to me. I want to drink the cup to its last drop, and not seek to know the reason why. In bitterness is my joy, in hopelessness is my trust. In You, O Lord, all is good, all is a gift of Your paternal Heart. I do not prefer consolations over bitterness or bitterness over consolations, but thank You, O Jesus, for everything! It is my delight to fix my gaze upon You, O incomprehensible God! My spirit abides in these mysterious dwelling places, and there I am at home. I know very well the dwelling place of my Spouse. I feel there is not a single drop of blood in me that does not burn with love for You.
O Uncreated Beauty, whoever comes to know You once cannot love anything else. I can feel the bottomless abyss of my soul, and nothing will fill it but God himself. I feel that I am drowned in Him like a single grain of sand in a bottomless ocean.
429
When I became aware of God's great plans for me, I was frightened at their
greatness and felt myself quite incapable of fulfilling them, and I began to
avoid interior conversations with Him, filling up the time with vocal prayer. I
did this out of humility, but I soon recognized it was not true humility, but
rather a great temptation from the devil. When, on one occasion, instead of interior
prayer, I took up a book of spiritual reading, I heard these words spoken
distinctly and forcefully within my soul, You will prepare the world for My final coming.
These words moved me deeply, and although I pretended not to hear them, 1
understood them very well and had no doubt about them. Once, being tired out
from this battle of love with God, and making constant excuses on the grounds
that I was unable to carry out this task, I wanted to leave the chapel, but
some force held me back and I found myself powerless. Then I heard these words,
You intend to leave the
chapel, but you shall not get away from Me, for I am everywhere. You cannot do
anything of yourself, but with me you can do all things.
435 As I was walking in
the garden in the evening, I heard these words: By your entreaties, you and
your companions shall obtain mercy for yourselves and for the world. I understood
that I would not remain in the Congregation in which I am at the present time.[95] I saw
clearly that God's will regarding me was otherwise. But I kept making excuses
before God, telling Him that I was unable to carry out this task.
"Jesus, You know very well what I am" [I said], and I started
enumerating my weaknesses to the Lord, hiding behind them so that He
would agree that I was unable to carry out His plans. Then I heard these words:
Do not fear; I myself will make up for everything that is lacking in you. But
these words penetrated me to my depths and made me even more aware of my
misery, and I understood that the word of the Lord is living and that it
penetrates to the very depths. I understood that God demands a more
perfect way of life of me. However, I kept using my incompetence as an
excuse.
436 June 29, 1935. When I talked to my
spiritual director [Father Sopocko] about various things that the Lord was
asking of me, I thought he would tell me that I was incapable of accomplishing
all those things, and that the Lord Jesus did not use miserable souls like me for
the works He wanted done. But I heard words [to the effect] that it was just such
souls that God chooses most frequently to carry out His plans. This priest is
surely guided by the Spirit of God; he has penetrated the secrets of my soul,
the deepest secrets which were between me and God, about which I had not yet
spoken to him, because I had not understood them myself, and the Lord had not
clearly ordered me to tell him. The secret is this: God demands that there be a
Congregation which will proclaim the mercy of God to the world and, by its
prayers, obtain it for the world. When the priest asked me if I had not had any
such inspirations, I replied that I had not had any clear orders; but at that
instant a light penetrated my soul, and I understood that the Lord was speaking
through him.
437 In vain had I defended
myself by saying I had not received any clear orders, for at the end of our
conversation I saw the Lord Jesus on the threshold, as He is represented in the
image, and He said to me, I desire that there be such a Congregation.[96] This
lasted only a moment. Yet I did not tell him about it right away, as I was in a
hurry to get back home, and I kept repeating to the Lord, "I am unable to
carry out Your plans, O Lord!" But, strangely enough, Jesus paid no
attention to my appeals, but gave me to see and understand how pleasing this
work was to Him. He took no account of my weakness, but gave me to know how
many difficulties I must overcome. And I, His poor creature, could say nothing
but "I am incapable of it, O my God!"
440
O my Creator and Lord, my entire being is Yours! Dispose of me according to
Your divine pleasure and according to Your eternal plans and Your unfathomable
mercy. May every soul know how good the Lord is; may no soul fear to commune
intimately with the Lord; may no soul use unworthiness as an excuse, and may it
never postpone [accepting] God's invitations, for that is not pleasing to the
Lord. There is no soul more wretched than I am, as I truly know myself, and I
am astounded that divine Majesty stoops so low. O eternity, it seems to me that
you are too short to extol [adequately] the infinite mercy of the Lord!
492 Eternal God, Goodness itself, whose mercy is
incomprehensible to every intellect, whether human or angelic, help me, your
feeble child, to do Your holy will as You make it known to me. I desire nothing
but to fulfill God's desires. Lord, here are my soul and my body, my mind and
my will, my heart and all my love. Rule me according to Your eternal plans.
615 March 1, 1936. Today during Holy Mass I experienced a
strange force and urge to start realizing God's wishes. I had such a clear
understanding of the things the Lord was asking of me that truly if I were to
say that I do not understand what God is demanding from me, I would be lying,
because the Lord is making His will known to me so clearly and distinctly that
I do not have the least shadow of a doubt about them. I realized that it would
be the greatest ingratitude to delay any longer this undertaking which the Lord
wishes to bring to fulfillment for His glory and the benefit of a great number
of souls. And He is using me as a miserable tool through which to realize His
eternal plans of mercy. Truly, how ungrateful my soul would be to resist God's
will any longer. Nothing will stop me any longer, be it persecution,
sufferings, sneers, threats, entreaties, hunger, cold, flattery, friendships,
adversities, friends or enemies; be it things I am experiencing now or things
that will come in the future or even the hatred of hellnothing will deter me
from doing the will of God.
I am not counting on my own strength, but on His omnipotence for, as he gave me the grace of knowing His holy will, He will also grant me the grace of fulfilling it. I cannot fail to mention how much my own lower nature resists this thing, manifesting its own desires, and there results within my soul a great struggle, like that of Jesus in the Garden of Olives. And so I too cry out to God, the Eternal Father, "If it is possible, take this cup from me, but, nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done, O Lord; may Your will be done." What I am about to go through is no secret to me, but with full knowledge I accept whatever You send me, O Lord. I trust in You, O merciful God, and I wish to be the first to manifest to You that confidence which You demand of souls. O Eternal Truth, help me and enlighten me along the roadways of life, and grant that Your will be accomplished in me.
My God, I desire nothing but the fulfillment of Your will. It does not matter whether it will be easy or difficult. I feel an extraordinary force driving me to action. One thing alone holds me back, and that is holy obedience. O my Jesus, You urge me on the one hand and hold me back and restrain me on the other. In this, too, O my Jesus, may Your holy will be done.
I continued in this state, without a break, for many days. My physical strength declined, and though I did not speak to anyone about it, nevertheless Mother Superior [Borgia] noticed my pain and remarked that I had changed in appearance and was very pale. She told me to go to bed earlier and to sleep longer, and she had a cup of hot milk brought to me in the evening. She had a motherly heart, full of care, and tried to help me. But in the case of spiritual sufferings, external things have no influence, and they do not bring much relief. It was from the confessional that I drew my strength and the consolation of knowing that it would not be long before I could begin to act.
I am not counting on my own strength, but on His omnipotence for, as he gave me the grace of knowing His holy will, He will also grant me the grace of fulfilling it. I cannot fail to mention how much my own lower nature resists this thing, manifesting its own desires, and there results within my soul a great struggle, like that of Jesus in the Garden of Olives. And so I too cry out to God, the Eternal Father, "If it is possible, take this cup from me, but, nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done, O Lord; may Your will be done." What I am about to go through is no secret to me, but with full knowledge I accept whatever You send me, O Lord. I trust in You, O merciful God, and I wish to be the first to manifest to You that confidence which You demand of souls. O Eternal Truth, help me and enlighten me along the roadways of life, and grant that Your will be accomplished in me.
My God, I desire nothing but the fulfillment of Your will. It does not matter whether it will be easy or difficult. I feel an extraordinary force driving me to action. One thing alone holds me back, and that is holy obedience. O my Jesus, You urge me on the one hand and hold me back and restrain me on the other. In this, too, O my Jesus, may Your holy will be done.
I continued in this state, without a break, for many days. My physical strength declined, and though I did not speak to anyone about it, nevertheless Mother Superior [Borgia] noticed my pain and remarked that I had changed in appearance and was very pale. She told me to go to bed earlier and to sleep longer, and she had a cup of hot milk brought to me in the evening. She had a motherly heart, full of care, and tried to help me. But in the case of spiritual sufferings, external things have no influence, and they do not bring much relief. It was from the confessional that I drew my strength and the consolation of knowing that it would not be long before I could begin to act.
622 Intimate communion of a soul with God.
God approaches a soul in a special way known only to himself and to the soul.
No one perceives this mysterious union. Love presides in this union, and
everything is achieved by love alone. Jesus gives himself to the soul in a
gentle and sweet manner, and in His depths there is peace. He grants the soul
many graces and makes it capable of sharing His eternal thoughts. And
frequently, He reveals to it His divine plans.
650 O my Jesus, my Master and
Director, strengthen and enlighten me in these difficult moments of my life. I
expect no help from people; all my hope is in You. I feel alone in the face of
Your demands, O Lord. Despite the fears and qualms of my nature, I am
fulfilling Your holy will and desire to fulfill it as faithfully as possible
throughout my life and in my death. Jesus, with You I can do all things. Do
with me as You please; only give me Your merciful Heart and that is enough for
me.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before all ages happen to me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will. Enlighten my mind that I may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul, You know that I desire nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food of my soul, the light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will; for when I unite myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me and takes the place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's wishes.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before all ages happen to me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will. Enlighten my mind that I may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul, You know that I desire nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food of my soul, the light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will; for when I unite myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me and takes the place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's wishes.
693 September 14, [1936]. The
Archbishop [Jalbrzykowski] of Vilnius visited us. Although he stayed with us
for a very short time, I still had a chance to talk with this worthy priest
about the work of mercy. He showed himself very favorably disposed to this
cause of mercy: "Sister, be completely at peace; if this is within the
plans of divine providence, it will come about. In the meantime, Sister, pray
for a clearer outward sign. Let the Lord Jesus give you a clearer knowledge of
this. I beg you to wait a little while longer. The Lord Jesus will arrange the
circumstances in such a way that everything will turn out all right."
761 Jesus, my spirit yearns for You, and I
desire very much to be united with You, but Your works hold me back. The number
of souls that I am to bring to You is not yet complete. I desire toil and
suffering; let everything You have planned before the ages be fulfilled in me,
O my Creator and Lord! It is only Your word that I understand; it alone gives
me strength. Your Spirit, O Lord, is the Spirit of Peace; and nothing troubles
my depths because You dwell there, O Lord.
I know that I am under Your special gaze, O Lord. I do not examine with fear Your plans regarding me; my task is to accept everything from Your hand. I do not fear anything, although the storm is raging, and frightful bolts strike all around me, and I then feel quite alone. Yet, my heart senses You, and my trust grows, and I see all Your omnipotence which upholds me. With You, Jesus, I go through life, amid storms and rainbows, with a cry of joy, singing the song of Your mercy. I will not stop singing my song of love until the choir of Angels picks it up. There is no power that can stop me in my flight toward God. I see that even the superiors do not always understand the road along which God is leading me, and I am not surprised at this.
I know that I am under Your special gaze, O Lord. I do not examine with fear Your plans regarding me; my task is to accept everything from Your hand. I do not fear anything, although the storm is raging, and frightful bolts strike all around me, and I then feel quite alone. Yet, my heart senses You, and my trust grows, and I see all Your omnipotence which upholds me. With You, Jesus, I go through life, amid storms and rainbows, with a cry of joy, singing the song of Your mercy. I will not stop singing my song of love until the choir of Angels picks it up. There is no power that can stop me in my flight toward God. I see that even the superiors do not always understand the road along which God is leading me, and I am not surprised at this.
787 Today, during the morning
meditation, the Lord gave me to see and understand clearly that His demands are
unchangeable. I see clearly that no one can release me from the duty of doing
the known will of God. A great lack of health and physical strength is not a
sufficient reason and does not release me from this work that the Lord himself
is carrying out through me. I am to be just a tool in His hands. And so, O
Lord, here I am to carry out Your will. Command me according to Your eternal
plans and desires. Only give me the grace that I may always be faithful to You.
797 When I was somewhat overcome by the fear
that I was to be outside the community for so long a time alone, Jesus said to
me, You will not be
alone, because I am with you always and everywhere. Near to My Heart, fear
nothing. I myself am the cause of your departure. Know that My eyes follow
every move of your heart with great attention. I am bringing you into seclusion
so that I myself may form your heart according to My future plans. What are you
afraid of? If you are with Me, who will dare touch you? Nevertheless, I am very
pleased that you confide your fears to Me, My daughter: Speak to Me about
everything in a completely simple and human way; by this you will give Me great
joy. I understand you because I am God-Man. This simple language of your heart
is more pleasing to Me than the hymns composed in My honor. Know, My daughter,
that the simpler your speech is, the more you attract Me to yourself. And now,
be at peace close to My Heart. Lay your pen aside and get ready to leave.
897
January 27, 1937. I feel considerable improvement in my health. Jesus is
bringing me from the gates of death to life, because there was so little left
but for me to die, and lo, the Lord grants me the fullness of life. Although I
am still to remain in the sanatorium, I am almost completely well. I see that
the will of God has not yet been fulfilled in me, and that is why I must live,
for I know that if I fulfill everything the Lord has planned for me in this
world, He will not leave me in exile any longer, for heaven is my home. But
before we go to our Homeland, we must fulfill the will of God on earth; that
is, trials and struggles must run their full course in us.
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.
1401 Yesterday I received a letter from
Father Sopocko. I learned that God's work is progressing, however slowly. I am
very happy about this, and I have redoubled my prayers for this entire work. I
have come to learn that, for the present, so far as my participation in the
work is concerned, the Lord is asking for prayer and sacrifice. Action on my
part could indeed thwart God's plans, as Father Sopocko wrote in yesterday's
letter. O my Jesus, grant me the grace to be an obedient instrument in Your
hands. I have learned from this letter how great is the light which God grants
to this priest. This confirms me in the conviction that God will carry out this
work through him despite the mounting obstacles. I know well that the greater
and the more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that
rage against it.
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-68, 97, 343, 429, 435-437, 440, 492)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-615, 622, 650, 693, 761, 787, 797)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-872, 897)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1180)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1401)
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