True Worship
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Tuesday of the Fifth
Week of Ordinary Time
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Mark 7:1-13
Now
when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered
around him, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with
unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. [For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of
the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without
purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have
traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles (and
beds).] So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your
disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with
unclean hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you
hypocrites, as it is written: ´This people honors me with their lips, but
their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as
doctrines human precepts.´ You disregard God´s commandment but cling to human
tradition." He went on to say, "How well you have set aside the
commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, ´Honor
your father and your mother,´ and ´Whoever curses father or mother shall
die.´ Yet you say, ´If a person says to father or mother, "Any support
you might have had from me is qorban"´ (meaning, dedicated to God), you
allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word
of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many
such things."
Introductory
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your
Gospel and for all the truth it teaches me. Thank You for warning me of
attitudes and dispositions that could become temptations for me. I love You
for Your goodness and mercy, and I entrust myself into Your loving hands.
Petition:
Lord, help me to
serve You sincerely, in truth and in love.
1.
“This people honors me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from
me.” Jesus calls his
disciples to authenticity. Too often so-called disciples give the impression
of following him, while at the same time accepting sensual loves and lusts in
their heart. Although the Pharisees display the outward trappings of
holiness, the way they treat Jesus and others betrays their true character.
Jesus would call them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 15:27): clean and bright
on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones within. Self-righteousness would
be their downfall. Such dispositions may lend the proud man certain
short-term security, but it will always be illusory since it is not rooted in
the truth. Is there any way in which I also pay tribute to God with my lips
but say something else in my heart, or behave contrariwise in my actions?
2.
“The worship they offer me is worthless.” True worship begins with humility, when the
soul recognizes that it possesses no good in and of itself, but that all of
its goodness comes from God. The Pharisees offered no real worship to God
since, in effect, they worshipped only themselves by relying more on their
talents and goodness than on the goodness that comes from God. It is not
insignificant that when Jesus describes a Pharisee’s prayer in the parable of
the Pharisee and the tax collector, he says “The Pharisee prayed this prayer to
himself” (Luke 18:11). How can I make sure that my prayer is truly
devoted, meaning that I am addressing Our Lord with the words of my heart?
3.
"You make God’s word null and void.” The Pharisees used the talents and gifts God
had given them not for God’s glory, but for their own personal gain, whether
that gain consisted of praise and admiration or personal comfort and ease.
True worship of God, truly placing God above all else, involves using the
things God created as means to reaching him. As number 226 of the Catechism
of the Catholic Church states, “It means making good use of created things:
faith in God, the only One, leads us to use everything that is not God only
insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to detach ourselves from it
insofar as it turns us away from him:
My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you. My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you. My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.”
Conversation
with Christ: Lord, thank You for my life and all the good things You have
given me. Help me to realize that You have created everything and that all I
have is from You. May I use all I have to serve others and as a means to come
closer to You, the source of all good.
Resolution:
I will examine my
conscience to see if I am using any of my gifts and talents to glorify or
serve only myself. If so, I’ll strive to put these same gifts at the service
of God.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
152
Once, I had night duty,[49] and I
was suffering greatly in spirit because of the painting of the image, and I
no longer knew which way to turn because they were constantly trying to convince
me that the whole thing was an illusion. On the other hand, one priest said
that perhaps God wanted to be worshiped through this image and therefore I
ought to try to get it painted. Meanwhile, my soul was becoming extremely
exhausted. When I entered the little chapel, I brought my head close to the
tabernacle, knocked and said, "Jesus, look at the great difficulties I
am having because of the painting of this image." And I heard a voice
from the tabernacle, My daughter, your sufferings will not last much
longer.
639 Thursday. During the evening
adoration, I saw Jesus scourged and tortured. He said to me, My daughter,
I desire that even in the smallest things, you rely on your confessor. Your
greatest sacrifices do not please Me if you practice them without the confessor's
permission; on the other hand, the smallest sacrifice finds great value in My
eyes, if it is done with his permission. The greatest works are worthless in
My eyes if they are done out of self-will, and often they are not in accord
with My will and merit punishment rather than reward. And on the other hand,
even the smallest of your acts, done with the confessor's permission is
pleasing in My eyes and very dear to Me. Hold firmly to this always. Be
constantly on the watch, for many souls will turn back from the gates of hell
and worship My mercy. But fear nothing, as I am with you. Know that of
yourself you can do nothing.
691 + Thursday. Although I was very tired today, I nevertheless
resolved to make a Holy Hour. I could not pray, nor could I remain kneeling,
but I remained in prayer for a whole hour and united myself in spirit with
those souls who are already worshiping God in the perfect way. But towards
the end of the hour, I suddenly saw Jesus, who looked at me penetratingly and
said with ineffable sweetness, Your prayer is extremely pleasing to Me. After
these words, an unusual power and spiritual joy entered my soul. God's
presence continued to pervade my soul. Oh, what happens to a soul that meets
the Lord face to face, no pen has ever expressed or ever will express!
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.
+ Particular Examen
Union with the merciful Christ. With my heart I encompass the whole
world, especially
Countries which are uncivilized or where there is persecution. I am
praying for mercy upon them.
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.
779 The sight of this great majesty of God, which I
came to understand more profoundly and which is worshiped by the heavenly
spirits according to their degree of grace and the hierarchies into which
they are divided, did not cause my soul to be stricken with terror or fear;
no, no, not at all! My soul was filled with peace and love, and the more I
come to know the greatness of God, the more joyful I become that He is as He
is. And I rejoice immensely in His greatness and am delighted that I am so
little because, since I am little, He carries me in His arms and holds me
close to His Heart.
782 + I am very
weak today. I cannot even make my meditation in the chapel, but must lie down.
O my Jesus, I love You, and I want to worship You with my very weakness,
submitting myself entirely to Your holy will.
848 While I was saying the
chaplet, I heard a voice which said, Oh, what great graces I will grant to
souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred
for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My
daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My
unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the
day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the
fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed
forth for them.
O human souls, where are you going to hide on the day of God's anger? Take refuge now in the fount of God's mercy. O what a great multitude of souls I see! They worshiped the Divine Mercy and will be singing the hymn of praise for all eternity.
988 I was praying
for a certain priest [probably Father Sopocko], asking God to help him in certain
matters when I suddenly saw Jesus Crucified. His eyes were closed, and He was
immersed in torture. I worshiped His five wounds, each one separately, and
asked His blessing for him. Jesus gave me to know interiorly how dear that
soul was to Him, and I felt that grace was flowing from Jesus' wounds upon
that soul who, like Jesus, is also stretched upon the cross.
998 Today, I took part in a
one-day retreat. When I was at the last conference, [177]
the priest was speaking of how much the world needs God's mercy, and that
this seems to be a special time when people have great need of prayer and
God's mercy. Then I heard a voice in my soul: These words are for you. Do
all you possibly can for this work of My mercy. I desire that My mercy be
worshiped, and I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation; that is,
recourse to My mercy. My Heart rejoices in this feast. After these words,
I understood that nothing can dispense me from the obligation which the Lord
demands from me.
1048 Then, in an
instant, I was caught up to stand near Jesus, and I stood on the altar next
to the Lord Jesus, and my spirit was filled with a happiness so great that I
am unable to comprehend it or write about it. A profound peace as well as
repose filled my soul. Jesus bent toward me and said with great kindness, What is it you desire, My daughter?
And I answered, "I desire worship and glory be given to Your
mercy." I already
am receiving worship by the institution and celebration of this Feast; what
else do you desire? I then looked at the immense crowd
worshiping The Divine Mercy and I said to the Lord, "Jesus, bless all
those who are gathered to give glory to You and to venerate Your infinite
mercy." Jesus made a sign of the cross with His hand, and this blessing
was reflected in the souls like a flash of light. My spirit was engulfed in
His love. I felt as if I had dissolved and disappeared completely in God. When
I came to myself, a profound peace was flooding my soul, and an extraordinary
understanding of many things was communicated to my intellect, an
understanding that had not been granted me previously.
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.
1176 During
Adoration, I heard a voice in my soul: These efforts of yours, My
daughter, are pleasing to Me; they are the delight of My Heart. I see every
movement of your heart with which you worship Me.
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.
1324 + I bow down
before You, O Bread of Angels,
With deep faith,
hope and love
And from the depths
of my soul I worship You,
Though I am but
nothingness.
I bow down before
You, O hidden God
And love You with
all my heart.
The veils of
mystery hinder me not at all;
I love You as do
Your chosen ones in heaven.
I bow down before
You, O Lamb of God
Who take away the
sins of my soul,
Whom I receive into
my heart each morn,
You who are my
saving help.
+ J. M. J.
Cracow, October 20,
1937.
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...
1653 The light
above, where my God reigns,
This it is that my
soul yearns for, T
his it is for which
my heart longs,
And my whole being
bounds towards You.
I hasten on to the
other world, to God alone,
Into the
incomprehensible light, the very fire of love,
For my soul and my
heart are created for Him,
And my heart has
loved Him from my tender youth.
There, in the
resplendent light of Your countenance
My languishing love
will rest.
For Your virgin
agonizes for You in her exile,
For she lives only
when united with You.
+ J. M. J.
My day is drawing
to a close,
Even now I glimpse
the refulgence of Your light, O my God.
No one shall learn
of what my heart is feeling;
My lips shall fall
silent in great humility.
Even now, I draw
nigh to the eternal nuptials,
To heaven unending,
to spaces without limit.
I long for no
repose or reward;
The pure love of
God draws me to heaven.
Even now, I go to
meet You, eternal Love
With a heart
languishing in its desire for You.
I feel that Your
pure love, Lord, dwells in my heart,
And I sense my
eternal destiny in heaven.
Even now, I go to
my Father, in heaven eternal,
From the land of
exile, from this vale of tears,
The earth can no
longer hold back my pure heart,
And the heights of
heaven have drawn me close.
I go, O my Bridegroom,
I go to see Your glory,
Which even now
fills my soul with joy
There where all
heaven is plunged in Your adoration,
I feel that my
worship is pleasing to You, nothingness though I am.
In eternal
happiness, I will not forget those on earth,
I will obtain God's
mercy for all,
And I will remember
especially those who were dear to my heart,
And the deepest
absorption in God will not allow me to forget them.
In these last
moments I know not how to converse with others.
In silence I await
only You, O Lord.
I know the time
will come when all will understand the work of God in my soul.
I know that such is
Your will.-So be it.
1692 I adore You,
Lord and Creator, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the
works of Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O
Lord. You have spread so much beauty over the earth, and it tells me about
Your beauty, even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of
You, Incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and
concealed Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You, and my soul
recognizes its Creator, its Highest Good; and my heart is completely immersed
in prayer of adoration.
My Lord and
Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy
abolishes the chasm
which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord,
is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could
desire. Here Your light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and
more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul
draws eternal life. O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts,
give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable
creature. Here, without searching for words, our hearts understand each
other. Here, no one is able to interrupt our conversation. What I talk to You
about, Jesus, is our secret, which creatures shall not know and Angels dare
not ask about. These are secret acts of forgiveness, known only to Jesus and
me; this is the mystery of His mercy, which embraces each soul separately.
For this incomprehensible goodness of Yours, I adore You, O Lord and Creator,
with all my heart and all my soul. And, although my worship is so little and poor,
I am at peace because I know that You know it is sincere, however
inadequate...
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!
1789 + Today 253
I saw the glory of God which flows from the image. Many souls are receiving
graces, although they do not speak of it openly. Even though it has met up
with all sorts of vicissitudes, God is receiving glory because of it; and the
efforts of Satan and of evil men are shattered and come to naught. In spite
of Satan's anger, The Divine Mercy will triumph over the whole world and will
be worshiped by all souls.
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-152)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-639, 691, 742, 745,
779, 782, 848)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-988, 998)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1048, 1104, 1146)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1256)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1324, 1523, 1540)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1653, 1692, 1749, 1789)
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Pebrero 11, 2014
True Worship-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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