Work for the Harvest
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Wednesday of the
Third Week of Ordinary Time
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Mark 4:1-20
On
another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered
around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole
crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them, "Hear this! A
sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the
birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little
soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun
rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among
thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some
seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded
thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." He added, "Whoever has ears to
hear ought to hear." And when he was alone, those present along with the
Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, "The mystery
of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside
everything comes in parables, so that ´they may look and see but not
perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be
converted and be forgiven.´" Jesus said to them, "Do you not
understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is
sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown
in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the
word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no root; they last only for
a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they
quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the
people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the
craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and
bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."
Introductory
Prayer:
Lord, I want to
spend these moments close to You. I believe that You are here with me. Take
over my life more and more and make it what it was meant to be. Lord, I put
my trust in You.
Petition:
Jesus, make the soil
of my heart open to Your word, so that it will bear fruit for eternal life.
1.
Beware of the Thieves: What the Father has planted in our lives is good. Goodness can
bear fruit. But Christ has shown us that there is someone who does not want
us to bear fruit. The devil tries to take goodness from our lives through
enticing us with evil, filling our hearts with selfishness, and making us
insensitive to the movements of grace in our soul. We need to renounce Satan
every day by fixing our will on the goodness of Christ. This is done through
sincere prayer and generosity of spirit.
2.
Dig Deep:
The strength of our resolve is tested by the difficulties we face. If we go
deeper in our prayer each day and build up the habit of letting go of our own
ego, we can face the bad times with peace and trust. When our spiritual roots
are not deep, we find ourselves disoriented, even defeated by the
tribulations that are part of an authentic Christian life. Christ teaches us
to dig deep. With him as our friend, difficulties become a way to show our
love and to do something that has eternal value. If I don’t fight, how can I
merit a crown of victory?
3.
Fruit in Docility: In order to bear fruit we must be docile to God’s word. But
being docile does not mean being passive. For a Christian, docility to Christ
and the Holy Spirit means willingness to work and serve. We are followers of
the One who came to serve. The Spirit that is self-surrender moves us. To
hear the Word of God and accept it means to make our lives an imitation of
Christ’s total self-giving—day in and day out. God will grant fruit to our
lives if we are willing to be other Christs in the here and now.
Conversation
with Christ: Lord,
thank You for showing me how to bear fruit in my life. I want to imitate Your
self-surrender to the Father and to souls. I know that this requires a
constant effort to go deep in my life and be docile to the Holy Spirit. Help
me to live as a giver, not a taker. Your love will always be there to
accompany me.
Resolution:
Today I will offer
up a small sacrifice to ask God for the grace of acquiring the virtue that I
need the most.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
248 The words of the Bishop
[Rospond[73]], spoken at the
ceremony of the taking of perpetual vows: "Accept this candle as a sign
of heavenly light and of burning love." While giving the ring: "I
betroth you to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father Most High; may He keep you
unblemished. Take this ring as a sign of the eternal covenant you are making
with Christ, the Spouse of Virgins. May it be for you the ring of faith and
the sign of the Holy Spirit, that you may be called the bride of Christ and,
if you serve Him faithfully, be crowned [as such] for all eternity.
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.
376 My Jesus, I trust that Your
grace will help me to carry out these resolutions. Although the above points
are contained in the vow of obedience, I want to practice these things in a
special way, because this is the essence of the religious life. Merciful
Jesus, I beg You fervently to enlighten my mind so that I may come to know
You better, You who are the Infinite Being, and that I may get to know myself
better, who am nothingness itself.
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 I Remember My Passion, and if you do not believe My words, at least believe My wounds.
389 Love must be reciprocal. If
Jesus tasted the fullness of bitterness for me, then I, His bride, will
accept all bitterness as proof of my love for Him.
391 Through Holy Baptism, we
entered into union with other souls. Death tightens the bonds of love. I
ought always to be of help to others. If I am a good religious, I will be
useful, not only to the Order, but to the whole Country as well.
392 The Lord God grants His graces
in two ways: by inspiration and by enlightenment. If we ask God for a grace,
He will give it to us; but let us be willing to accept it. And in order to
accept it, self-denial is needed. Love does not consist in words or feelings,
but in deeds. It is an act of the will; it is a gift; that is to say, a
giving. The reason, the will, the heart-these three faculties must be
exercised during prayer. I will rise from the dead in Jesus, but first I must
live in Him. If I do not separate myself from the Cross, then the Gospel will
be revealed in me. Jesus in me makes up for all my deficiencies. His grace
operates without ceasing. The Holy Trinity grants me Its life abundantly, by
the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Three Divine Persons live in me. When God
loves, He loves with all His Being, with all the power of His Being. If God
has loved me in this way, how should I respond I, His spouse?
393 During one conference, Jesus
said to me, You are a sweet grape in a chosen cluster; I want others to
have a share in the juice that is flowing within you.
441 Once, the image was being exhibited over the altar
during the Corpus Christi procession [June 20, 1935]. When the priest exposed
the Blessed Sacrament, and the choir began to sing, the rays from the image
pierced the Sacred Host and spread out all over the world. Then I heard these
words: These rays of mercy will pass through you, just as they have
passed through this Host, and they will go out through all the world. At
these words, profound joy invaded my soul.
525 O
Holy Trinity, in whom is contained the inner life of God, the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, eternal joy, inconceivable depth of love, poured
out upon all creatures and constituting their happiness, honor and glory be
to Your holy name forever and ever. Amen.
When I consider Your greatness and beauty, O my God, I rejoice exceedingly that the Lord I serve is so great. With love and joy I carry out His will, and the more I come to know Him, the more I desire to love Him. I burn with the desire to love Him ever more and more.
543
The duration of the postulancy. The postulancy will last one year. During
this time, the candidate should examine whether she is attracted to this type
of life and whether it is suitable to her. The directress should also
diligently consider whether or not the person in question is suitable for
this type of life. After a year, if the postulant shows evidence of a stable
will and an earnest desire to serve God, she should be admitted to the
novitiate.
699 On one occasion, I heard these
words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I
desire that the Feast of Mercy [139] be a refuge and shelter for all souls,
and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender
mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who
approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and
receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and
punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow
are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as
scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be
able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come
forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its
relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The
Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire
that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will
not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.
745 During Holy Mass, I was so enveloped in the great
interior fire of God's love and the desire to save souls that I do not know
how to express it. I feel I am all aflame. I shall fight all evil with the
weapon of mercy. I am being burned up by the desire to save souls. I traverse
the world's length and breadth and venture as far as its ultimate limits and
its wildest lands to save souls. I do this through prayer and sacrifice. I
want every soul to glorify the mercy of God, for each one experiences the
effects of that mercy on himself. The Saints in heaven worship the mercy of
the Lord. I want to worship it even now, here on earth, and to spread
devotion to it in the way that God demands of me.
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.
980 Today, I saw
the Lord in great beauty, and He said to me, My loving host, pray for
priests, especially during this time of harvest. My Heart is pleased with
you, and for your sake I am blessing the earth.
+ The
Love of God is the flower - Mercy the fruit.
1000
In the terrible desert of life,
O my sweetest Jesus, Protect souls from disaster, For You are the Fountain of Mercy. Let the resplendence of Your rays, O sweet Commander of our souls, Let mercy change the world. And you who have received this grace, serve Jesus. Steep is the great highway I must travel, But I fear nothing, For the pure fount of mercy is flowing for my sake, And, with it, strength for the humble soul. I am exhausted and worn out, But my conscience bears me witness That I do all for the greater glory of the Lord, The Lord who is my repose and my heritage. [End of Notebook Two of the Diary.]
962 + I often see a certain person dear to God. The Lord
has great love for him, not only because he is striving to spread the
veneration of God's mercy, but also because of the love he has for the Lord
God, although he does not always feel this love in his own heart and is
almost always in Gethsemane. However, this person is always pleasing to God,
and his great patience will overcome all difficulties.
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.
1076 Write this: Everything
that exists is enclosed in the bowels of My mercy, more deeply than an infant
in its mother's womb. How painfully distrust of My goodness wounds Me! Sins
of distrust wound Me most painfully.
1083 + That beautiful soul who is spreading this work of
divine mercy throughout the world is, by his deep humility, very pleasing to
God.
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.
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.
1286 +
Thank You, O God, for all the graces
Which unceasingly You lavish upon me, Graces which enlighten me with the brilliance of the sun, For by them You show me the sure way. Thank You, 0 Lord, for creating me, For calling me into being from nothingness, For imprinting Your divinity on my soul, The work of sheer merciful love. Thank You, O God, for Holy Baptism Which engrafted me into Your family, A gift great beyond all thought or expression Which transforms my soul. Thank You, O Lord, for Holy Confession, For that inexhaustible spring of great mercy, For that inconceivable fountain of graces In which sin-tainted souls become purified. Thank You, O Jesus, for Holy Communion In which You give us Yourself. I feel Your Heart beating within my breast As You cause Your divine life to unfold within me. Thank You, O Holy Spirit, for the Sacrament of Confirmation, Which dubs me Your knight And gives strength to my soul at each moment, Protecting me from evil. Thank You, O God, for the grace of a vocation. For being called to serve You alone, Leading me to make You my sole love, An unequal honor for my soul. Thank You, O Lord, for perpetual vows, For that union of pure love, For having deigned to unite Your pure heart with mine And uniting my heart to Yours in the purest of bonds. Thank You, O Lord, for the Sacrament of Anointing Which, in my final moments, will give me strength; My help in battle, my guide to salvation, Fortifying my soul till we rejoice forever. Thank You, O God, for all the inspirations That Your goodness lavishes upon me, For the interior lights given my soul, Which the heart senses, but words cannot express. Thank You, O Holy Trinity, for the vastness of the graces Which You have lavished on me unceasingly through life. My gratitude will intensify as the eternal dawn rises, When, for the first time, I sing to Your glory.
1300 When I looked at this image, I was pierced with such
a lively love for God that, for a moment, I did not know where I was. When we
had finished our business, we went to the Church of the Most Holy Virgin
Mary. We attended Holy Mass, during which the Lord gave me to know what a
great number of souls would attain salvation through this work. Then I
entered into an intimate conversation with the Lord, thanking Him for having
condescended to grant me the grace of seeing how the veneration of His
unfathomable mercy is spreading. I immersed myself in a profound prayer of
thanksgiving. Oh, how great is God's generosity! Blessed be the Lord, who is
faithful in His promises...
1520 Today the Lord said to me, I have opened My Heart
as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them
approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain
justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his
trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death.
1652 Adore, my soul, the mercy of
the Lord,
O my heart, rejoice wholly in Him, Because for this you have been chosen by Him, To spread the glory of His mercy. His goodness no one has fathomed, no one can measure, His compassion is untold. Every soul that approaches Him experiences this. He will shield her and clasp her to His merciful bosom. Happy the soul that has trusted in Your goodness And has abandoned herself completely to Your mercy. Her soul is filled with the peace of love. You defend her everywhere as Your own child. O soul, whoever you may be in this world, Even if your sins were as black as night, Do not fear God, weak child that you are, For great is the power of God's mercy.
1710 May 26, [1938-Feast of the
Ascension]. Today I accompanied the Lord Jesus as He ascended into heaven. It
was about noon. I was overcome by a great longing for God. It is a strange
thing, the more I felt God's presence, the more ardently I desired Him. Then
I saw myself in the midst of a huge crowd of disciples and apostles, together
with the Mother of God. Jesus was telling them to... Go out into the whole
world and teach in My name. He stretched out His hands and blessed them
and disappeared in a cloud. I saw the longing of Our Lady. Her soul yearned
for Jesus with the whole force of Her love. But She was so peaceful and so
united to the will of God that there was not a stir in Her heart but for what
God wanted.
1711 When I was left alone with
the Blessed Virgin, She instructed me concerning the interior life. She said,
The soul's true greatness is in loving God and in humbling oneself in His
presence, completely forgetting oneself and believing oneself to be nothing;
because the Lord is great, but He is well pleased only with the humble; He
always opposes the proud.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-248, 375-376, 378-379, 389, 391)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-392-393, 441)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-525, 543, 699, 745)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-930, 980, 962, 1000
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1074-1076, 1083, 1104)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1256, 1286, 1300)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1520)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1652, 1710-1711 )
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