Caught by the Mission
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Feast of the
Conversion of Saint Paul, apostle
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Mark 16:15-18
Jesus
appeared to the Eleven and said to them, "Go into the whole world and
proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will
be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will
accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will
speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they
drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the
sick, and they will recover."
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, I renew my
faith in the power of Your word. I come to You today to listen to You and
allow You to lead me. I renew my trust in Your mercy: You are constantly
looking upon me and the world with love. I want to love You in return and
lead others to love You.
Petition:
Fill me with the
power of Your good news, Lord.
1.
The World Needs
Messengers of Hope: Jesus Christ is the message that everyone vitally needs. He is
God’s message to man, the message that tells people that God loves them
deeply and offers them a way to true life and salvation. Our world often
looks for love in the wrong places; it needs to find the answer to its
deepest desires in Christ. But who will spread this message? Those like St.
Paul who take Christ’s love seriously and see that they, too, can become
messengers of hope. Am I meant to be a messenger of hope?
2.
God Acts Powerfully
in Those Who Trust Him: St. Paul is an example of what God can do through someone who
trusts in him. St. Paul valued the grace Christ gave him. He put his life
totally in the hands of Christ and was not afraid to proclaim him to everyone
he met. Even though Paul faced many difficulties, his work produced enormous
fruit and helped extend the number of Christian communities. Do I believe
that Christ can work through me as I participate in the New Evangelization?
In what ways can I trust him more?
3.
Our Opportunity Is
Now: St. Paul and the
first apostles did not wait until all the circumstances were right before
beginning evangelization. Once Christ had touched their lives and once he had
given them the command to begin, they began right away. The Church has asked
us to begin again today. Like St. Paul, we must feel that the fire of
Christ’s love impels us (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:14). We cannot wait until the
circumstances are favorable; we must do whatever we can now. We have already
experienced Christ’s love. Why are we waiting to share it? What holds me back
from a greater surrender to the work of evangelization?
Conversation
with Christ: Lord,
like Saint Paul I have been touched by Your love, and I have heard Your
command to go out and spread the good news. I renew my trust in Your
companionship, and I resolve to do all I can to bring Your Gospel to others.
Help me to keep my eyes on You.
Resolution: Today I will share a thought from the Gospel or from the Holy Father’s teaching with at least two people whom I encourage.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
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.
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.
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.
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!
(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)
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