Holiness and Community
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Monday of the First
Week of Lent
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Father Alex Yeung, LC
Matthew 25:31-46
"When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit
upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his
left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ´Come, you who are
blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed
me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.´ Then the
righteous will answer him and say, ´Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed
you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and
welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison,
and visit you?´ And the king will say to them in reply, ´Amen, I say to you,
whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.´
Then he will say to those on his left, ´Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry
and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger
and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in
prison, and you did not care for me.´ Then they will answer and say, ´Lord,
when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in
prison, and not minister to your needs?´ He will answer them, ´Amen, I say to
you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.´
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life."
Introductory
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are
my Savior and Redeemer. I place all my hope and trust in Your divine heart.
United to You, all things are possible — even my holiness. With childlike
faith and trusting You without limits, I know that I will experience the
triumph of Your grace in my life. I wish to grow in holiness today, so that I
will love You, my God, above all else. Amen.
Petition:
Lord, help me to
appreciate that growth in holiness occurs within a Christian community.
1.
Essentially, Holiness is Seeking the Good of Others: The Catechism of the
Catholic Church states that “charity is the soul of the holiness to which all
are called: it ‘governs, shapes and perfects all the means of sanctification.’”
And quoting St. Therese of Lisieux, it reminds us:
If
the Church was a body composed of different members, it couldn´t lack the
noblest of all; it must have a heart, and a heart burning with love. And I
realized that this love alone was the true motive force which enabled the
other members of the Church to act; if it ceased to function, the apostles
would forget to preach the Gospel, the martyrs would refuse to shed their
blood. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 826).
In
today’s Gospel Jesus grants eternal life to those who did good to others,
whom he identifies as his very self . Contrariwise, he sends to eternal
damnation those who did nothing to help others, whom he identifies as his
very self.
2.
Holiness Necessarily Entails a Dedication to the Christian Mission: Hand- in- hand with
genuine charity is our sense of Christian mission. There is no genuine
holiness apart from a radical orientation toward the spiritual and material
good of others. In a word : there is no holiness without mission. As Pope
John Paul II reminds us:
3.
Holiness Occurs Within the Christian Community: This universal call to holiness and mission
is meant to be fostered within the context of a Christian community. We are
meant to spur each other on by our devotion, good example, generosity and
encouragement.
Conversation
with Christ: Lord, make my holiness real. Let it be characterized by a
heartfelt, growing and universal love for all people. Let my heart beat in
unison with Yours. Open my eyes to all the good that I can do for my brothers
and sisters, and don’t allow me to walk away from any opportunity to show
this world Your love. Amen.
Resolution:
I will take some
time today to examine my conscience and honestly assess the spontaneity,
depth and extension of my charity towards others, especially those I
supposedly love the most.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
36 Once I was summoned to the
judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as
we know Him during His Passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except
for five, those in His hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly I saw the
complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is
displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will
have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before
the Thrice-Holy God! Jesus asked me, Who are you? I answered, "I
am Your servant, Lord." You are guilty of one day of fire in
purgatory. I wanted to throw myself immediately into the flames of purgatory,
but Jesus stopped me and said, Which do you prefer, suffer now for one day in
purgatory or for a short while on earth? I replied, "Jesus, I want
to suffer in purgatory, and I want to suffer also the greatest pains on
earth, even if it were until the end of the world." Jesus said, One [of
the two] is enough; you will go back to earth, and there you will suffer
much, but not for long; you will accomplish My will and My desires, and a
faithful servant of Mine will help you to do this. Now, rest your head on My
bosom, on My heart, and draw from it strength and power for these sufferings,
because you will find neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know
that you will have much, much to suffer, but don't let this frighten you; I
am with you.
52 When I tried to run away from
these interior inspirations, God said to me that on the day of judgment He
would demand of me a great number of souls.
Once, exhausted because of these various difficulties t hat had befallen me because of what Jesus had said to me and what He had demanded of me for the painting of this image, I made up my mind to approach Father Andrasz [31] before my perpetual vows, and to ask him to dispense me from all these interior inspirations and from the duty of painting this image. After having heard my confession, Father Andrasz gave me this answer: "I will dispense you from nothing, Sister; it is not right for you to turn away from these interior inspirations, but you must absolutely-and I say, absolutely-speak about them to your confessor; otherwise you will go astray despite the great graces you are receiving from God.
154 Once, when there was adoration
at the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Family,[50] I went there in the evening with one of
our sisters. As soon as I entered the chapel, the presence of God filled my
soul. I prayed as I do at certain times, without saying a word. Suddenly, I
saw the Lord, who said to me, Know that if you neglect the matter of the
painting of the image and the whole work of mercy, you will have to answer
for a multitude of souls on the day of judgment. After these words of Our
Lord, a certain fear filled my soul, and alarm took hold of me. Try as 1
would, 1 could not calm myself. These words kept resounding in my ears: So, 1
will not only have to answer for myself on the day of judgment, but also for
the souls of others. These words cut deep into my heart. When I returned
home, I went to the little Jesus,[51] fell on my face before the Blessed
Sacrament and said to the Lord, "I will do everything in my power, but I
beg You to be always with me and to give me strength to do Your holy will;
for You can do everything, while I can do nothing of myself."
236 Oh, how misleading are
appearances, and how unjust the judgments. Oh, how often virtue suffers only
because it remains silent. To be sincere with those who are incessantly
stinging us demands much self-denial. One bleeds, but there are no visible
wounds. O Jesus, it is only on the last day that many of these things will be
made known. What joy-none of our efforts will be lost!
274 Jesus gave me the grace of
knowing myself. In this divine light I see my principal fault; it is pride
which takes the form of my closing up within myself and of a lack of
simplicity in my relations with Mother Superior [Irene].
The second light concerns speaking. I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment. The third light concerns our rules. I have not sufficiently avoided the occasions that lead to breaking the rules, especially that of silence. I will act as if the rule were written just for me; it should not affect me at all how anyone else might act, as long as I myself act as God wishes. Resolution. Whatever Jesus demands of me regarding external things, I will immediately go and tell my superiors. I shall strive for childlike openness and frankness in my relations with the superior.
426 O terrible hour, at which one
is obliged to see all one's deeds in their nakedness and misery; not one of
them is lost, they will all accompany us to God's judgment. I can find no
words or comparisons to express such terrible things. And although it seems
to me that this soul is not damned, nevertheless its torments are in no way
different from the torments of hell; there is only this difference: that they
will someday come to an end.
496 Confession Day. From early
morning, the turmoil in my soul was more violent than anything I had ever
experienced before. Complete abandonment by God; I felt the utter weakness
that I was. Thoughts bore in upon me: why should I leave this convent where I
am loved by the sisters and superiors, where life is so tranquil; [where I
am] bound by perpetual vows and carry out my duties without difficulty; why
should I listen to the voice of my conscience; why follow an inspiration
coming from who knows where; wouldn't it be better to carry on like all the
other sisters? Perhaps the Lord's words could be stifled, not taken heed of;
maybe God will not demand an account of them on the day of judgment. Where
will this inner voice lead me? If I follow it, what tremendous difficulties,
tribulations and adversities are in store for me. I fear the future, and I am
agonizing in the present.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
939 There is an exception [to
this], and that is when God himself directs the person, but the director will
immediately recognize that the person in question is being guided by God
himself. God will allow him to know this clearly and distinctly, and such a person
should be even more under the director's control than anyone else. In this
case, the director does not so much guide and point out the road along which
the soul is to journey; but rather, he judges and confirms that the soul is
following the right path and is being led by a good spirit.
In this situation, the director should be not only holy, but also experienced and prudent, and the soul should give priority to his opinion over that of God himself, for then the soul will be safe from illusions and deviations. A soul that will not fully submit its inspirations to the strict control of the Church; that is, to the director, clearly shows by this that a bad spirit is guiding it. The director should be extremely prudent in such cases and test the soul's obedience. Satan can even clothe himself in a cloak of humility, but he does not know how to wear the cloak of obedience and thus his evil designs will be disclosed. But the director should not be overly afraid of such a soul, because if God puts that special soul in his care, He will also give him great divine light regarding it, for otherwise how could he deal wisely with the great mysteries which take place between the soul and God.
1064 + O my most sweet Master, good Jesus, I give You my heart. You
shape and mold it after Your liking. O fathomless love, I open the calyx of
my heart to You, like a rosebud to the freshness of dew. To You alone, my
Betrothed, is known the fragrance of the flower of my heart. Let the
fragrance of my sacrifice be pleasing to You. O Immortal God, my everlasting
delight, already here on earth You are my heaven. May every beat of my heart
be a new hymn of praise to You, O Holy Trinity! Had I as many hearts as there
are drops of water in the ocean or grains of sand in the whole world, I would
offer them all to You, O my Love, O Treasure of my heart! Whomever I shall
meet in my life, no matter who they may be, I want to draw them all to love
You, O my Jesus, my Beauty, my Repose, my sole Master, Judge, Savior and
Spouse, all in one; I know that one title will modify the other-I have
entrusted everything to Your mercy.
1106 + Virtue without prudence is
not virtue at all. We should often pray to the Holy Spirit for this grace of
prudence. Prudence consists in discretion, rational reflection and courageous
resolution. The final decision is always up to us. We must decide; we can and
we ought to seek advice and light...
1317 I understand Your words,
Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus:
I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything within
your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because
they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy.
Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is
much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does
not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day
of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for
themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment
with their mercy.
1426 Christ, give me souls. Let
anything You like happen to me, but give me souls in return. I want the
salvation of souls. I want souls to know Your mercy. I have nothing left for
myself, because I have given everything away to souls, with the result that
on the day of judgment I will stand before You empty-handed, since I have
given everything away to souls. Thus You will have nothing on which to judge
me, and we shall meet on that day: Love and mercy... + J. M. J.
1502 January 20, 1938. I never cringe
before anyone. I can't bear flattery, for humility is nothing but the truth.
There is no cringing in true humility. Although I consider myself the least
in the whole convent, on the other hand, I enjoy the honor of being the bride
of Christ. Little matter that often I hear people say that I am proud, for I
know that human judgment does not discern the motives for our actions.
1515 + I spent this whole night with Jesus
in the dark dungeon. This was a night of adoration. The sisters were praying
in the chapel, and I was uniting myself with them in spirit, because poor
health prevents me from going to the chapel. But all night long I could not
fall asleep, so I spent the night in the dark prison with Jesus. Jesus gave
me to know of the sufferings He experienced there. The world will learn about
them on the day of judgment.
1528 + When I complained to the Lord Jesus
about a certain person [saying], "Jesus, how can this person pass
judgment like that, even about an intention?" the Lord answered, Do not be surprised. That soul does
not even know her own self, so how could she pass a fair judgment on another
soul?
1541 My
daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It
pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When
hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of
their death will be a happy one.
Write this for the benefit of distressed souls: when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness. Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior.
1553 O my Jesus, Life of my soul, my Life,
my Savior, my sweetest Bridegroom, and at the same time my Judge, You know
that in this last hour of mine I do not count on any merits of my own, but
only on Your mercy. Even as of today, I immerse myself totally in the abyss
of Your mercy, which is always open to every soul.
O my Jesus, I have only one task to carry out in my lifetime, in death, and throughout eternity, and that is to adore Your incomprehensible mercy. No mind, either of angel or of man, will ever fathom the mysteries of Your mercy, O God. The angels are lost in amazement before the mystery of divine mercy, but cannot comprehend it. Everything that has come from the Creator's hand is contained in this inconceivable mystery; that is to say, in the very depths of His tender mercy. When I meditate on this, my spirit swoons, and my heart dissolves in joy. O Jesus, it is through Your most compassionate Heart, as through a crystal, that the rays of divine mercy have come to us.
+ J.M.J.
1629 I am a host in Your hand, O Jesus, my Creator and Lord, Silent, hidden, without beauty or charm, Because all the beauty of my soul is imprinted within me. I am a host in Your hand, O Divine Priest, Do with me as You please; I am totally dependent on Your will, O Lord Because it is the delight and adornment of my soul. I am like a white host in Your hand, O God, I implore You, transform me into Yourself. May I be wholly hidden in You, Locked in Your merciful Heart as in Heaven. I am like a host in Your hand, O Eternal Priest, May the wafer of my body hide me from human eye; May Your eye alone measure my love and devotion, Because my heart is always united with Your Divine Heart. I am like a sacrificial host in Your hand, O Divine Mediator, And I burn on the altar of holocaust, Crushed and ground by suffering like grains of wheat, And all this for the sake of Your glory, for the salvation of souls. I am a host abiding in the tabernacle of Your Heart. I go through life drowned in Your love, And I fear nothing in the world, For You Yourself are my shield, my strength, and my defense. I am a host, laid on the altar of Your Heart, To burn forever with the fire of love, For I know that You have lifted me up solely because of Your mercy, And so I turn all these gifts and graces to Your glory. I am a host in Your hand, O Judge and Savior. In the last hour of my life, May the omnipotence of Your grace lead me to my goal, May Your compassion on the vessel of mercy become famous.
1685 During Holy Hour today, I asked the
Lord Jesus if He would deign to teach me about the spiritual life. Jesus
answered me, My
daughter, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value
any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you.
Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me
and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit.
No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store
on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses
for yourself; it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign
of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for
anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you-respect,
your good name-let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from
everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed
by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you.
1686 O my Love, my eternal Master, how good it is to obey; because when obedience infuses the soul, it brings with it power and strength to act.
1702 Towards the end of the Way of the
Cross which I was making, the Lord Jesus began to complain about the souls of
religious and priests, about the lack of love in chosen souls. I will allow convents and churches
to be destroyed. I answered, "Jesus, but there are so
many souls praising You in convents." The Lord answered, That praise wounds My Heart, because
love has been banished from convents. Souls without love and without
devotion, souls full of egoism and self-love, souls full of pride and
arrogance, souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just
enough warmth to keep them alive: My Heart cannot bear this. All the graces
that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot
stand them, because they are neither good or bad. I called convents into
being to sanctify the world through them. It is from them that a powerful
flame of love and sacrifice should burst forth. And if they do not repent and
become enkindled by their first love, I will deliver them over to the fate of
this world...
How can they sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart specially chosen by Me, were you chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through...
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-36, 52, 154, 236, 274, 426, 496)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-939
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1064, 1106)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1317, 1426, 1502, 1515, 1528)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V- 1541, 1553)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1629, 1685, 1686, 1702)
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