Prayer Is the Lifeblood of My
Relationship with Jesus
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October 7, 2014. Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
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Father James Swanson, LC
Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a
village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister
named Mary, who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you
not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to
help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are
anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary
has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."
Introductory
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the master of the universe, and yet You wish to
listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and future, and
yet You respect my freedom to choose You. Holy Trinity, You are completely
happy and fulfilled on you own, and yet You have generously brought us into
existence. You are our fulfilment. Thank You for the gift of Yourself. I
offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing You are pleased with what I
have to give.
Petition: Lord, help me to
learn how to pray better.
1. “More Things
Are Wrought By Prayer Than Your Philosophy Dreams Of.” Many good people
see prayer as a weak thing that really doesn’t help. So they put their effort
into doing great projects, into doing as much as they can to bring about good
in the world. This is a good thing. But prayer is essential. Even if I manage
to involve thousands of others in my project, I will still not accomplish as
much as when I get God involved. Getting God involved through prayer is the
first and the most important thing to do if we are going to accomplish
anything. As King Arthur says to Sir Bedevere in Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur,
“More things are wrought by prayer than your philosophy dreams of.”
2. Persevere in
Prayer with Love: Many critics of prayer complain that they pray a lot, but it doesn’t
seem to do any good. Well, there are a couple of things to say about that.
First of all, there needs to be love for God in my heart. God needs to be
someone familiar to me, a friend. In asking for a favor, I expect to get a
greater response from someone I know, someone who is close to me, than from a
stranger. Imagine if there was someone I barely knew, and the only time I saw
him was when he needed a favor from me. Would I be inclined to give him what
he needs? Second, I need to persevere. Like the Canaanite woman who asked
Jesus to cure her daughter, I have to persevere in prayer when things are
difficult. Her perseverance increased her faith, and in the end it got her
what she wanted. If I persevere in prayer with love, I will get all that I
need.
3. Cooperate with
God’s Plan Instead of Insisting on Your Own: I need to
remember that every prayer has its effect. How often am I disappointed when I
don’t get what I’m asking for? Am I open enough in my prayer to let God work
as he wants; to follow his plan and not mine? Do I force him to refuse my
request by making it so narrow that there is no way to incorporate it into
his plan? Even if I don’t see the results of my prayer, that doesn’t mean God
is not listening. God always rises to the occasion and will often do
something a lot better than what I wanted him to do. He does what is best for
me, even if it does not entirely conform to my plan. I may never know or
realize – in this life – the specifics of how God listened to my prayers. It
takes faith to accept this.
Conversation with
Christ: Dear Lord, whatever project I undertake, help me to remember to start
it with prayer, pray while I am doing it, and finish it with prayer. I want
to be close to You like Mary. I want to serve You like Martha. Help me to
find the right order and balance in my life.
Resolution: When I consider
the biggest thing I am doing for God today, I will be sure to ask him in
prayer to bless it.
Excerpts
from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
64 When I came to Vilnius for two months to
replace a sister who had gone for her third
probation [Sister Peter, who worked in the
kitchen], I stayed a little longer than two months. One day, the Mother
Superior [Irene[34]], wanting to give me a bit of pleasure, gave
me permission to go, together with another sister,[35] to Calvary to "walk the paths," as they say. I was
delighted. Although it was not very far, it was Mother Superior's wish that
we should go by boat. That evening Jesus said to me, I want you to stay
home. I answered, "Jesus, everything is ready for us to leave
tomorrow morning; what am I to do now?" The Lord answered, This trip
will be harmful to your soul. I replied to Jesus, "You can find a
way out. Arrange things in such a way that Your will may be done." At
that moment the bell announced the time for sleep. I gave Jesus a parting
glance and went to my cell.
Next morning the weather was beautiful, and my
companion was filled with joy at the
prospect of the great pleasure we would have
in getting to see everything. But as for me, I was sure we would not go, even
though there were no obstacles so far.
We were to receive Holy Communion earlier and
leave right after the thanksgiving. But
during the time of Communion, all of a sudden,
the weather changed. Clouds covered the sky, and the rain came down in
torrents. Everyone was astounded at such a sudden change in the weather.
Mother Superior said to me, "I am so
sorry you cannot go, Sisters!" I answered, "Dear Mother, it doesn't
really matter that we cannot go; it was God's will that we stay home."
However, no one knew that it was Jesus' express desire that I stay home. I
spent the whole day in recollection and meditation, thanking the Lord for having kept me home. That day, God granted me many
heavenly consolations.
75 But these doubts always come from without, a fact which
inclined me to close myself up more and more within myself. When, during
confession, I sense uncertainty on the part of the priest, I do not open my
soul to its depths, but only accuse myself of my sins. A priest who is not at
peace with himself will not be able to inspire peace in another soul.
O priests, you bright candles enlightening human souls, let your brightness never be dimmed. I understood that at that time it was not God's will that I uncover my soul completely. Later on, God did give me this grace.
170 The first day of the retreat. I tried to be the first
in the chapel in the morning; before the meditation I had a bit of time for
prayer to the Holy Spirit and to Our Lady. I earnestly begged the Mother of
God to obtain for me the grace of fidelity to these inner inspirations and of
faithfully carrying out God's will, whatever it might be. I began this
retreat with a very special kind of courage.
279 God made known to me what true
love consists in and gave light to me about how, in practice, to give proof
of it to Him. True love of God consists in carrying out God's will. To show
God our love in what we do, all our actions, even the least, must spring from
our love of God. And the Lord said to me, My child, you please Me most by
suffering. In your physical as well as your mental sufferings, My daughter,
do not seek sympathy from creatures. I want the fragrance of your suffering
to be pure and unadulterated. I want you to detach yourself, not only from
creatures, but also from yourself. My daughter, I want to delight in the love
of your heart, a pure love, virginal, unblemished, untarnished. The more you
will come to love suffering, My daughter, the purer your love for Me will be.
God and Souls. An Act of Oblation.
309 Before heaven and earth,
before all the choirs of Angels, before the Most Holy Virgin Mary, before all
the Powers of heaven, I declare to the One Triune God that today, in union
with Jesus Christ, Redeemer of souls, I make a voluntary offering of myself
for the conversion of sinners, especially for those souls who have lost hope
in God's mercy. This offering consists in my accepting, with total subjection
to God's will, all the sufferings, fears and terrors with which sinners are
filled. In return, I give them all the consolations which my soul receives
from my communion with God. In a word, I offer everything for them: Holy
Masses, Holy Communions, penances, mortifications, prayers. I do not fear the
blows, blows of divine justice, because I am united with Jesus. O my God, in
this way I want to make amends to You for the souls that do not trust in Your
goodness. I hope against all hope in the ocean of Your mercy. My Lord and my
God, my portion-my portion forever, I do not base this act of oblation on my
own strength, but on the strength that flows from the merits of Jesus Christ.
I will daily repeat this act of self-oblation by pronouncing the following
prayer which You yourself have taught me, Jesus:
"O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You!"
354 As I was talking to a
certain person[84] who was to paint the
image but, for certain reasons, was not painting it, I heard this voice in my
soul: I want her to be more obedient. I understood that our efforts,
no matter how great, are not pleasing to God if they do not bear the seal of
obedience; I am speaking about a religious soul. O God, how easy it is to
know Your will in the convent! We religious have God's will set clearly
before our eyes from morning till night, and in moments of uncertainty we
have our superiors through whom God speaks.
395 [February] 15, 1935. A few days' visit at
my parents' home [92] to see my dying mother. When I learned that my
mother was seriously ill and near death, and that she had asked that I come
home, as she wanted to see me once more before dying, a host of emotions were
awakened in my heart. As a child who sincerely loves its mother, I wanted
very much to fulfill her wish. But I left this to God and resigned myself
completely to His will. Paying no heed to the ache in my heart, I followed
God's will. On the morning of my name day, February fifteen, Mother Superior
gave me a second letter from my family and granted me permission to go to my
parents' home to fulfill the wish and request of my dying mother. I began at
once to make the necessary preparations for the journey and left Vilnius in
the evening. I offered the whole night for my seriously ill mother, that God
might grant her the grace of losing none of the merits of her suffering.
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.
439 Then came the moment to
receive Holy Communion, and Jesus disappeared, and I saw a great brightness.
Then I heard these words: We give Our blessing, and at that moment a
bright ray issued from that light and pierced my heart; an extraordinary fire
was enkindled in my soul-I thought I would die of joy and happiness. I felt
the separation of my spirit from my body. I felt totally immersed in God, I
felt I was snatched up by the Almighty, like a particle of dust, into unknown
expanses.
444 The priest spoke these profound words to me,
"There are three degrees in the
accomplishment of God's will: in the first, the soul
carries out all rules and statutes
pertaining to external observance; in the second degree,
the soul accepts interior inspirations and carries them out faithfully; in
the third degree, the soul, abandoned to the will of God, allows Him to
dispose of it freely, and God does with it as He pleases, and it is a docile
tool in His hands." And the priest said that I was at the second degree
in the accomplishment of God's will and that I had not yet reached the third
degree, but that I should strive to attain it. These words pierced my soul. I
see clearly that God often gives the priest knowledge of what is going on in
the depths of my soul. This does not surprise me at all; indeed, I thank God
that He has such chosen persons.
477 Silence is a sword in the spiritual struggle. A
talkative soul will never attain sanctity. The sword of silence will cut off
everything that would like to cling to the soul. We are sensitive to words
and quickly want to answer back, without taking any regard as to whether it
is God's will that we should speak. A silent soul 14 strong; no adversities
will harm it if it perseveres in silence. The silent soul is capable of
attaining the closest union with God. It lives almost always under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance.
478 O my Jesus, You know, You
alone know well that m heart knows no other love but You! All my virginal
love is drowned eternally in You, O Jesus! I sense keenly ho Your divine
Blood is circulating in my heart; I have no the least doubt that Your most
pure love has entered m heart with Your most sacred Blood. I am aware did You
are dwelling in me, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, or
ratherIam aware that it is I who it living in You, O incomprehensible God! I
am aware that I am dissolving in You like a drop in an ocean. I am aware that
You are within me and all about me, that You are in all things that surround
me, in all that happens to me. O my God, I have come to know You within my
heart, and I have loved You above all things that exist on earth or in
heaven. Our hearts have a mutual understanding, and no one of humankind will
comprehend this.
506 "Do nothing without the consent of the superiors.
One must think this matter over thoroughly and pray much. One must be very
careful about these things because, in your present situation, Sister, the
will of God is certain and clear, for you are in fact bound to this
Congregation by vows, and perpetual vows at that; so there should be no
doubt. What you are experiencing interiorly, Sister, are only the glimmerings
of a project. God can make some alterations, but such things are very rare.
Don't be in a hurry, Sister, until you have received more precise knowledge.
The works of God proceed slowly, but if they are of Him, you will surely
recognize them clearly. If they are not, they will disappear; and you, by
being obedient, will not go astray. Speak frankly about everything to your
confessor and obey him blindly.
"For the present, Sister, there is nothing more for you to do than accept the suffering until the time when everything will become clear; that is, all things will be resolved. You are well disposed as regards these matters, and so continue in this simplicity and spirit of obedience; this is a good sign. If you continue in this attitude, God will not allow you to fall into error. Still, as much as is possible, keep far away from these things, but if despite that they still come your way, receive them calmly and do not fear anything. You are in the good hands of a very good God. In all that you have told me, I do not see any illusion or anything contrary to faith. These are things which are good in themselves, and it would indeed be good if there were a group of souls pleading with God for the world, as we all are in need of prayer. You have a good director; stay with him and be at peace. Be faithful to God's will and carry it out. As to your duties, always do what you are told to do and as you are told to do it, no matter how humiliating or toilsome it might be. Always choose the last place, and then they themselves will say to you, `Go up higher.' In spirit and in your demeanor, consider yourself the least in the whole house and in the entire Congregation. In everything and at all times, be most faithful to God."
518 + Before All Souls' Day, I
went to the cemetery at dusk. Although it was locked, I managed to open the
gate a bit and said, "If you need something, my dear little souls, I
will be glad to help you to the extent that the rule permits me." I then
heard these words, "Do the will of God; we are happy in the measure that
we have fulfilled God's will."
527 On one occasion, I felt an urge to set to work and
fulfill whatever God is demanding of me. I entered the chapel for a moment
and heard a voice in my soul saying, Why are you afraid? Do you think that
I will not have enough omnipotence to support you? At that moment, my
soul felt extraordinary strength, and all the adversities that could befall
me in carrying out God's will seemed as nothing to me.
585 January 8, 1936. When I went
to see the Archbishop [Jalbrzykowski], I told him that Jesus was asking that
I pray for God's mercy upon the world and that there be a religious
congregation which would entreat the mercy of God for the world. I asked his
permission for all the Lord Jesus was demanding of me. The Arch bishop
answered me in these words: "As for prayer, I give my permission and
even encourage you, Sister, to pray as much as possible for the world and to
beg God's mercy, as mercy is what we all need; and I presume that your
confessor certainly does not forbid you to pray for this intention. But as
regards this congregation, wait a while, Sister, so that all things may
arrange themselves more favorably. This thing is good in itself, but there is
no need to hurry. If it is God's will, it will be done, whether it be a
little sooner or a little later. Why shouldn't it be? There are so many
different kinds of congregations; this one too will come to be if God so
wills. Be completely at peace. The Lord Jesus can do all things. Strive for a
close union with God and do not lose heart." These words filled me with
great joy.
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 hell-nothing
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.
665 Father Andrasz told me to make
a novena for the intention of knowing better the will of God. I prayed
ardently, adding a certain bodily mortification. Towards the end of the
novena, I received an inner light and the assurance that the Congregation
will come into being and that it is pleasing to God. Despite the difficulties
and adversities, complete peace and strength entered my soul from on high. I
understood that nothing could resist or nullify the will of God. I understood
that I must carry out this will of God despite obstacles, persecution and
sufferings of all kinds, and despite natural repugnance and fear.
666 I understood that all striving for perfection and all sanctity consist in doing God's will. Perfect fulfillment of God's will is maturity in sanctity; there is no room for doubt here. To receive God's light and recognize what God wants of us and yet not do it is a great offense against the majesty of God. Such a soul deserves to be completely forsaken by God. It resembles Lucifer, who had great light, but did not do God's will. An extraordinary peace entered my soul when I reflected on the fact that, despite great difficulties, I had always faithfully followed God's will as I knew it. O Jesus, grant me the grace to put Your will into practice as I have come to know it, O God.
667 July 14. I received a letter
at three o'clock [from Father Sopocko [135]]. O Jesus, You alone know what I suffer,
but I will keep silent and will not say anything about it to any creature,
because I know that no one will comfort me. You are everything to me, O God,
and Your holy will is my nourishment. I am living now on what I will live on
in eternity.
I have great reverence for Saint Michael the Archangel; he had no example to follow in doing the will of God, and yet he fulfilled God's will faithfully.
713 October 11. This evening, as I
was writing about this great mercy of God and its great advantage to souls,
Satan rushed into my room with great anger and fury. He seized the screen and
began to break and crush it. I was a little frightened at first, but I
immediately made the sign of the cross with my little crucifix, and the beast
fell quiet and disappeared at once. Today, I did not see this hideous figure
but only his anger. Satan's anger is terrible, and yet the screen was not
shattered or broken, and I went on writing quietly. I know well that the
wretch will not touch me without God's willing it, but what is he up to? He
is beginning to attack me openly and with such great fury and hate, but he
does not disturb my peace for a moment, and this composure of mine makes him
furious.
830 O Light Eternal, who come to this earth, enlighten my
mind and strengthen my will that I may not give up in times of great
affliction. May Your light dissipate all the shadows of doubt. May Your
omnipotence act through me. I trust in You, O uncreated Light! You, O Infant
Jesus, are a model for me in accomplishing Your Father's will, You, who said,
"Behold, I come to do Your will." Grant that I also may do God's
will faithfully in all things. O Divine Infant, grant me this grace!
894 Today the doctor decided that I am not to go to Mass,
but only to Holy Communion. I wanted very much to assist at Mass, but my
confessor, [162] in agreement with
the doctor, told me to obey. "It is God's will, Sister, that you should
get well, and you must not undertake mortifications of any kind. Be obedient,
Sister, and God will reward you for it." I felt that the confessor's
words were Jesus' words, and although it made me sad to miss Holy Mass,
during which God had been granting me the grace of seeing the Infant Jesus;
nevertheless, I placed obedience above everything else.
I became absorbed in prayer and said my penance. Then I suddenly saw the Lord, who said to me, My daughter, know that you give Me greater glory by a single act of obedience than by long prayers and mortifications. Oh, how good it is to live under obedience, to live conscious of the fact that everything I do is pleasing to God!
924 Today, I received a note from Mother Superior
forbidding me to go to the bedside of the dying. And so, I will send to the
dying obedience in place of self, and it will support the souls who are
dying. Such is God's will, and that is enough for me. That which I cannot
understand now I will learn later.
937 + I will say a word more about
my spiritual director [Father Andrasz or Father Sopocko [169]]. It is strange that there are so few
priests who know how to pour power, strength and courage into a soul so that
it can make constant progress without getting tired. Under such direction a
soul, even of lesser strength, can do much for the glory of God. And here I
discovered a secret; namely, that the confessor, or rather the spiritual
director, does not make light of the trifles that the soul brings to him. And
when the soul notices that it is being controlled in this, it begins to exert
itself and does not omit the slightest opportunity to practice virtue and
also avoids the smallest faults. And from these efforts, as with little
stones, there rises within the soul a most beautiful temple. On the contrary,
if the soul notices that the confessor neglects these little things, it
likewise neglects them and ceases to give an account of them to the confessor
and, worse still, will begin to grow negligent in little things. Thus,
instead of going forward, it gradually retreats backward and becomes aware of
the situation only when it has already fallen into some serious trouble.
Here, a serious question poses itself: who is at fault, the soul in question
or the confessor; that is to say, the director? It seems to me that all the
blame should be put on the imprudent director; the soul's only fault is to
have taken upon itself the choice of a director. ! The director could well
have led the soul along the road of God's will to sanctity.
938 The soul should have prayed
ardently and at greater length for a director and should have asked the Lord
himself to choose a spiritual director for it. What begins in God will be
godly, and what begins in a purely human manner will remain human. God is so
merciful that, in order to help a soul He himself chooses the spiritual guide
and will enlighten the soul concerning the one before whom it should uncover
the most hidden depths of its soul just as it sees itself before the Lord
Jesus himself. And when the soul considers and recognizes that God has been
arranging all this, it should pray fervently for the confessor that he might
have the divine light to know it well. And let it not change such a director
except for a serious reason. Just as it had prayed fervently and at great
length in order to learn God's will before choosing a director, so too should
it pray fervently and at great length to discern whether it is truly God's
will that he leave this director and choose another. If God's will is not
absolutely clear, he should not make this change, for a person will not go
far by himself, and Satan wants just this: to have the person who is aspiring
for sanctity direct himself because then, without doubt, he will never attain
it.
956 +
After these words, the knowledge of God's will came to me; that is to say, I
now see everything from a higher point of view and accept all events and
things, pleasant and unpleasant, with love, as tokens of the heavenly
Father's special affection.
972 Today, the doctor decided that I am to stay here until
April. It is God's will, even though I did want to be back in the company of
my sisters.
981 I understood that these two years of interior
suffering which I have undergone in submission to God's will in order to know
it better have advanced me further in perfection than the previous ten years.
For two years now, I have been on the cross between heaven and earth. That is
to say, I am bound by the vow of obedience and must obey the superior as God
himself. And on the other hand, God makes His will known to me directly, and
so my inner torture is so great that no one will either understand or imagine
these spiritual sufferings. It seems to me that it would be easier to give up
my life than to go again and again through one hour of such pain. I am not
even going to write much about this matter, because one cannot describe what
it is like to know God's will directly and at the same time to be perfectly
obedient to the divine will as expressed indirectly through the superiors.
Thanks be to God that He has given me a director; otherwise, I would not have
advanced one single step.
1004 O will of the Omnipotent God,
You are my delight, You are my joy. Whatever the hand of my Lord holds out to me I will accept with gladness, submission and love. Your holy will is my repose; In it is contained all my sanctity, And all my eternal salvation, For doing God's will is the greatest glory. The will of God-those are His various wishes Which my soul carries out without reserve, Because such are His divine desires, In those moments when God shares His confidences with me. Do with me as You will, Lord. I place no obstacles, I make no reservations. For You are my whole delight and the love of my soul, And to You, in turn, I pour out the confidences of my heart.
1088 Sudden return of health. After I had written a letter
to Father Sopocko on Sunday, April 11, I suddenly became so very ill that I
did not send that letter, but waited for a clear sign of God's will. However,
my health got so bad that I had to go to bed. The coughing racked me so much
that it seemed to me that, if this repeats a few more times, it will surely
be the end of me.
1091 Then I heard these words: Go tell the superior
that you are in good health. I neither know, nor ask how long I will
remain in good health. I only know that I am
enjoying good health at present. The future does not
belong to me. I asked for this health as evidence of God's will and not in
order to seek relief from my suffering.
1101 In the evening, I heard these words in my
soul: My daughter, know that I shall speak to you in a special way through
this priest [Father Plaza [191]] so that you may
not yield to doubt concerning My wishes. Already in the first meditation
my soul was struck by the following words of the priest: I must not
oppose God's will and God's designs, whatever they might be; and as
soon as 1 am convinced of the certitude and the authenticity of the
will of God, I have the duty of carrying it out. No one can release me from
this. Whatever the will of God may be, once I have come to know it, I ought
to carry it out. This is just a very short summary, but the whole
meditation imprinted itself on my soul, and I have no doubts about
anything. I know what God wants of me, and what I ought to do.
1243 "These times of dryness and stark
awareness of one's wretchedness, which God has permitted, allow the soul to
know how little it can do by itself. They will teach you how much you should
appreciate God's graces. Secondly, faithfulness in all exercises and duties,
faithfulness in everything, just as in times of joy. Thirdly, as regards the
matters in question, be absolutely obedient to the Archbishop [Jalbrzykowski]
although, from time to time, the matter can be brought to his attention, but
peacefully. Sometimes, a little bitter truth is necessary."
At the end of the conversation, I asked the priest to allow me to commune with Jesus as I had done formerly. He answered, "I cannot give orders to the Lord Jesus, but if He himself draws you to himself you may follow the attraction. However, always remember to show Him great reverence, for the Lord is great indeed. If you are truly seeking God's will in all this and desire to fulfill it, you can be at peace; the Lord will not allow any sort of error. As to the mortifications and sufferings, you will give me an account next time of how you carry them out. Place yourself in the hands of the Most Holy Mother."
1244 August 15, 1937. During meditation, God's
presence pervaded me keenly, and I was aware of the Virgin Mary's joy at the
moment of Her Assumption. Towards the end of the ceremony carried out in
honor of the Mother of God, I saw the Virgin Mary, and She said to me, Oh,
how very pleased I am with the homage of your love! And at that moment She
covered all the sisters of our Congregation with Her mantle. With Her right
hand, She clasped Mother General Michael to herself, and with Her left hand
She did so to me, while all the sisters were at Her feet, covered with Her
mantle. Then the Mother of God said, Everyone who perseveres zealously
till death in My Congregation will be spared the fire of purgatory, and I
desire that each one distinguish herself by the following virtues: humility
and meekness; chastity and love of God and neighbor; compassion and mercy.
After these words, the whole Congregation disappeared from my sight, and I
remained alone with the Most Holy Mother who instructed me about the will of
God and how to apply it to my life, submitting completely to His most holy
decrees. It is impossible for one to please God without obeying His holy
will. My daughter, I strongly recommend that you faithfully fulfill all
God's wishes, for that is most pleasing in His holy eyes. I very much desire
that you distinguish yourself in this faithfulness in accomplishing God's
will. Put the will of God before all sacrifices and holocausts. While the
heavenly Mother was talking to me, a deep understanding of this will of God
was entering my soul.
1276 September 16, 1937. I wanted very much to make a Holy
Hour before the Blessed Sacrament today, but God's will was otherwise. At
eight o'clock I was seized with such violent pains that I had to go to bed at
once. I was convulsed with pain for three hours; that is, until eleven
o'clock at night. No medicine had any effect on me, and whatever I swallowed
I threw up. At times, the pains caused me to lose consciousness. Jesus had me
realize that in this way I took part in His Agony in the Garden, and that He
himself allowed these sufferings in order to offer reparation to God for the
souls murdered in the wombs of wicked mothers. I have gone through these
sufferings three times now. They always start at eight o'clock in the evening
and last until eleven. No medicine can lessen these sufferings. When eleven
o'clock comes, they cease by themselves, and I fall asleep at that moment.
The following day, I feel very weak.
This happened to me for the first time when I was at the sanatorium. The doctors couldn't get to the bottom of it, and no injection or medicine helped me at all nor did I myself have any idea of what the sufferings were about. I told the doctor that never before in my life had I experienced such sufferings, and he declared he did not know what sort of pains they are. But now I understand the nature of these pains, because the Lord himself has made this known to me.... Yet when I think that I may perhaps suffer in this way again, I tremble. But I don't know whether I'll ever again suffer in this way; I leave that to God. What it pleases God to send, I will accept with submission and love. If only I could save even one soul from murder by means of these sufferings!
1301 It is extraordinary how Mother Irene has so much
light from God concerning this whole matter. She was the first to allow me to
carry out the Lord's wishes, although it was not until two years after the
revelation that she became my superior. And despite this fact, she was the
first to go with me when the painting of the image was first undertaken. And
now again, when some things concerning the Divine Mercy are being published,
and small holy cards are being printed, again it is she who is going with me
[to take care of] this matter. God has ordained all this in a mysterious way,
because this was begun in Vilnius, and now God's will has so directed the
circumstances that this matter is being continued in Cracow. I know how
pleasing this superior is to God; I see how God is directing everything and
wants me to be under her protection during these important times.... Thank
You, Lord, for such superiors, who live in the love and fear of God. That is
why I pray for her most of all, because she has put herself out the most for
the sake of this work of Divine Mercy....
1389 O my Jesus, although I have such very strong
impulsions, I am to act on them slowly, and this only in order not to spoil
Your work with my haste. O my Jesus, You give me to know Your mysteries, and
You want me to transmit them to other souls. Soon now it will be possible for
me to act. At the moment of apparent absolute destruction, my mission, now no
longer hindered by anything, will begin. Such is the will of God in this, and
it will not change; although many persons will oppose it, nothing will change
God's will.
1431 Nevertheless, when in the refectory I still had to
bear being the object of the frequent suspicion that I was being fussy [about
my food]. At such times, as always, I hasten to the Tabernacle and bow before
the ciborium and there draw strength to accept God's will. That which I have
written is not yet everything.
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.
1525 One day, a certain sister came to me and asked me for
prayers, telling me that she could no longer stand things as they were.
"And so, please pray, Sister." I answered that I would, and I began
a novena to The Divine Mercy. I learned that God would give her the grace,
but that she would once again be dissatisfied when she received it. However,
I kept on praying as she had asked me to do. The next day, the same sister
came looking for me, and when we again began to talk about the same thing, I
told her, "You know, Sister, when we pray, we ought not force the Lord
God to give us what we want, but we should rather submit to His holy
will." But she thought that what she was asking for was indispensable.
Towards the end of the novena, the sister came again and said, "O
Sister, the Lord Jesus has given me the grace, but now I am of a different mind.
Please pray so that things will somehow be different again." I answered,
"Yes, I will pray, but that God's will be done in you, Sister, and not
what you want."
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-64, 75, 170, 279, 309, 354, 395, 435)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-439, 444, 477-478, 506, 515, 518)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-527, 585, 615, 665-667, 713, 830)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-894, 924, 937-938, 956, 972, 981)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1004, 1088, 1091, 1101)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1243-1244, 1276, 1301)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1389, 1431, 1521, 1525)
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Oktubre 07, 2014
Prayer Is the Lifeblood of My Relationship with Jesus-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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