Our Mother Knows the Song of the Angels
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January 1, 2015. Solemnity
of Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God
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Luke 2:16-21
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and
found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw
this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And
Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and
seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for
his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before
he was conceived in the womb.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, You are my friend, my Father, and my
protector. I come to You on this new day confident in Your presence. I renew
my love for You, trusting in Your guiding hand.
Petition: Lord, I want to hear the angels sing. Help me learn to listen.
1. Sometimes We Need a Little Help: Would the shepherds have been impressed to
find Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus if the angels had not explained what
was happening? They would have just thought it was a poor, vagabond
family—unimpressive and unassuming like their own lives as shepherds. Yet the
angels opened them to a reality that they would never have imagined or
perceived. In my life God has also sent me angels who help me discover him:
the faith of a parent or grandparent, the sweet, innocent faith of a child,
the good example of a friend, a teacher, a priest or a nun, the example of
our Holy Father. Mary also teaches me to discover God in her Son. Do I thank
God for these angels that he has sent me? Do I follow their advice and look
for Christ in the simple, ordinary circumstances of my life?
2. Hints of a New Song: In a symphony, the first movement only hints at the central
theme. Mary had first heard this theme from the angel Gabriel. Now the
shepherds take up this theme—the hymn of the angels—and even though the
shepherds play their part with great enthusiasm, it probably makes very
little noise outside the little town of Bethlehem. Yet the song had begun,
and it would grow to a crescendo as Christ lived out his mission. History
unfolds God’s mysterious plan of salvation. I am part of that history, of
that symphony. Do I do my best to continue Mary’s song, God’s song, by living
my commitments and taking part in apostolate?
3. And His Name Shall Be “God Saves” Mary and Joseph take up the hymn. They know
the secret: this child will save Israel and will save all mankind. They begin
to explain to the world, using an ancient name, Joshua (Yeshua), a name that
now becomes not just a promise but a person. This is God’s new name. This is
Our God: God Saves. He is not merely a God who is the source of everything.
Our God is intimately committed to us, and he puts himself “in the line of
fire” to save us. Man had suspected that God was Creator, and the Jews had
received the surprise of his friendship, but neither Gentile nor Jew dreamed
that God was also this type of love. Do I dare to dream of God’s goodness? Do
I let Christ give me peace and hope in the midst of this despairing world?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I have heard something new today. You
remind me this Christmas that it is time for a new song, a song of confidence
and hope. Mary teaches me this song, this good news. I want to bring this
good news more deeply into my life. I know that You are helping me to discover You more each day. Help me also discover You to others.
Resolution: In Mary’s presence, I will strive to “sing
this new song” (the Christian virtue I have determined to cultivate) today by
making a special effort in one aspect of living this virtue.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
139 Still, a soul which is
faithful to God cannot confirm its own inspirations; it must submit them to
the control of a very wise and learned priest; and until it is quite certain,
it should remain distrustful. It should not, on its own initiative alone, put
its trust in these inspirations and all other higher graces, because it can
thus expose itself to great losses.
Even though a soul may immediately distinguish between false inspirations and those of God, it should nevertheless be careful, because many things are uncertain. God is pleased and rejoices when a soul distrusts Him for His own sake; because it loves Him, it is prudent and itself asks and searches for help to make certain that it is really God who is acting within it. And once a well-instructed confessor has confirmed this, the soul should be at peace and give itself up to God, according to His directions; that is, according to the directions of the confessor. 140 Pure love is capable of great deeds, and it is not broken by difficulty or adversity. As it remains strong in the midst of great difficulties, so too it perseveres in the toilsome and drab life of each day. It knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love-love, and always love. Pure love never errs. Its light is strangely plentiful. It will not do anything that might displease God. It is ingenious at doing what is more pleasing to God, and no one will equal it. It is happy when it can empty itself and burn like a pure offering. The more it gives of itself, the happier it is. But also, no one can sense dangers from afar as can love; it knows how to unmask and also knows with whom it has to deal.
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.
249 +Jesus, I trust in You; I trust in the ocean of your mercy. You are a Mother to me.
570 On one occasion, I saw Jesus
in a bright garment; this was in the greenhouse. [He said to me,] Write
what I say to you. My delight is to be united with you. With great desire, I
wait and long for the time when I shall take up My residence sacramentally in
your convent. My spirit will rest in that convent and I will bless its
neighborhood in a special way. Out of love for you all, I will avert any
punishments which are rightly meted out by My Father's justice. My daughter,
I have inclined My heart to your requests. Your assignment and duty here on
earth is to beg for mercy for the whole world. No soul will be justified
until it turns with confidence to My mercy, and this is why the first Sunday
after Easter is to be the Feast of Mercy. On that day, priests are to tell
everyone about My great and unfathomable mercy. I am making you the
administrator of My mercy. Tell the confessor that the Image is to be on view
in the church and not within the enclosure in that convent. By means of this
Image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access
to it.
571 O my Jesus, Eternal Truth, I fear nothing, neither hardships nor sufferings; I fear only one thing, and that is to offend You. My Jesus, I would rather not exist than make You sad. Jesus, You know that my love knows no one but You. My soul is absorbed in You. 572 Oh, how great should be the ardor of every soul who will live in that convent, since God desires to come and live with us! Let everyone remember that if we religious do not intercede before God, who will? Each of us should burn like a pure sacrifice before the majesty of God, but to be pleasing to God, each one should unite herself closely to Jesus. It is only with Him, in Him and through Him that we can be pleasing to God.
591 Jesus, You know how ardently I
desire to hide so that no one may know me but Your sweetest Heart. I want to
be a tiny violet, hidden in the grass, unknown in a magnificent enclosed
garden in which beautiful lilies and roses grow. The beautiful rose and the
lovely lily can be seen from afar, but in order to see a little violet, one
has to bend low; only its scent gives it away. Oh, how happy I am to be able
to hide myself in this way! O my divine Bridegroom, the flower of my heart and
the scent of my pure love are for You. My soul has drowned itself in You,
Eternal God. From the moment when You yourself drew me to yourself, O my
Jesus, the more I have known You, the more ardently I have desired You.
795 I have accepted the favor of this treatment, but I am
fully resigned to the will of God. Let God do with me as He pleases. I desire
nothing but the fulfillment of His holy will. I am uniting myself with the
Mother of God, and I am leaving Nazareth and going to Bethlehem. I will spend
Christmas there among strangers, but with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, because
such is the will of God. I am striving to do the will of God in all things. I
do not desire a return to health more than death. I entrust myself completely
to His infinite mercy and, as a little child, I am living in the greatest
peace. I am trying only to make my love for Him deeper and purer, to be a
delight to His divine glance...
846 December 25, [1936]. Midnight Mass. During Mass, God's
presence pierced me through and through. A moment before the Elevation I saw
the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus and the good Old Man [St. Joseph]. The
Most Holy Mother spoke these words to me: My daughter, Faustina,
take this most precious Treasure, and she gave me the Infant Jesus. When
I took Jesus in my arms, my soul felt such unspeakable joy that I am unable
to describe it. But, strange thing, after a short while Jesus became awful,
horrible-looking, grown up and suffering; and then the vision vanished, and
soon it was time to go to Holy Communion. When I received the Lord Jesus in
Holy Communion, my soul trembled under the influence of God's presence. The
next day, I saw the Divine Infant for a brief moment during the Elevation.
1203 Saint Joseph urged me to have a constant
devotion to him. He himself told me to recite three prayers [the Our Father,
Hail Mary, and Glory be] and the Memorare [204] once every day. He
looked at me with great kindness and gave me to know how much he is
supporting this work [of mercy]. He has promised me this special help and
protection. I recite the requested prayers every day and feel his special
protection.
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.
1442 + When I arrived at Midnight
Mass, from the very beginning I steeped myself in deep recollection, during
which time I saw the stable of Bethlehem filled with great radiance. The
Blessed Virgin, all lost in the deepest of love, was wrapping Jesus in
swaddling clothes, but Saint Joseph was still asleep. Only after the Mother
of God put Jesus in the manger, did the light of God awaken Joseph, who also
prayed. But after a while, I was left alone with the Infant Jesus who
stretched out His little hands to me, and I understood that I was to take Him
in my arms. Jesus pressed His head against my heart and gave me to know, by
His profound gaze, how good He found it to be next to my heart. At that
moment Jesus disappeared and the bell was ringing for Holy Communion.
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-139-140, 248-249)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-570-572, 591, 795, 846)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1203)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1286)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1442)
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Enero 01, 2015
Our Mother Knows the Song of the Angels-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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