The Cross is the Only Path to God
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February 19, 2015. Thursday
after Ash Wednesday
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Father Paul Hubert, LC
Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples, "The Son
of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests,
and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." Then he
said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What
profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, You did not flee before suffering, but did what
Your love for us told You to do. I trust in You. Lord Jesus, You went towards
Jerusalem in the hope that we would return to the Father’s home. I hope in
You, for You did not put a limit on Your love. Even when You were rejected
and put to death by your enemies, You prayed for them. Lord, I love You.
Petition: Lord, help me to see the redeeming power of the cross you have
laid on my shoulders and embrace it.
1. An Opportunity to be Relished: Suffering is present at every turn of life.
Our tendency is to flee from it, to avoid it. This holds true from the small
scratch we get when we first fall off our bicycle to the profound sorrow we
feel when a friend betrays us. When we feel pain, we take every means in our
power to get rid of it. In today’s society, there is a medicine to alleviate
any pain or suffering we might feel. Yet, in every suffering there is a
lesson, and we remember the lesson better when we have suffered to learn it.
Christ foresaw his rejection, suffering, and death, yet did not flee them. He
embraced them as a way of showing his most profound love: “No one has greater
love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). It is
what parents do when they give their children their time and attention. It is
what real friends do when they serve without counting the cost. It is what we
do when we help someone in need.
2. Taking Comfort Even When I Fall: Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed. With the
passing of time we may tire of our defects and their effects. The constant,
on-going battle to follow Christ may slowly wear us down. The path to
perfection in the virtues is surely full of rewards, but it has its share of
wear-and-tear. We should not become discouraged even if we fall a thousand
times, as long as we love the fight and not the fall. It therefore makes no
sense to despair, especially when we fight with Christ on our side. The
effort of a prolonged battle can please Christ more than an easy and
comfortable victory. Christ reminds us: He will suffer greatly, be rejected and
killed, and everyone who wants to be his disciple must take up his cross and
follow him.
3. When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong: With the coming of Christ on the earth,
suffering took on a new meaning. He gave us the possibility to give to
suffering, illness and pain—the consequences of sin—the redemptive and
salvific meaning of love. When the apostles asked our Lord who was
responsible for the misfortune of a man blind from birth, Christ answered:
“Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be
made visible through him” (John 9:3). Misfortune and weaknesses made St. Paul
exclaim: “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak,
then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). It is through denial of self,
through the recognition of our weakness, through willfully embracing our
trials and sufferings, that we can show the strength of God and the wonders
of God in our life.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me to see all that happens to me, even pain,
suffering and illness, as an opportunity to love, grow in love and offer You
my love.
Resolution: Before doing something today I will pause to
examine the motives for which I do it: is it for me or for God? If it is only
for me, I will rectify my intentions or leave the deed aside, especially if I
have the opportunity to do something else for God or to serve God in my
neighbor.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
6 I am to write [3] down the encounters of my soul with You, O God,
at the moments of Your special visitations. I am to write about You, O
Incomprehensible in mercy towards my poor soul. Your holy will is the life of
my soul. I have received this order through him who is for me Your
representative here on earth, who interprets Your holy Will to me. Jesus, You
see how difficult it is for me to write, how unable I am to put down clearly
what I experience in my soul. O God, can a pen write down that for which many
a time there are no words? But You give the order to write, O God; that is
enough for me.
18 However, after three weeks I
became aware that there is so very little time here for prayer, and of many
other things which spoke to my soul in favor of entering a religious
community of a stricter observance. This thought took a firm hold of my soul,
but the will of God was not in it. Still, the thought, or rather the
temptation, was growing stronger and stronger to the point where I decided
one day to announce my departure to Mother Superior and definitely to leave
[the convent]. But God arranged the circumstances in such a way that I could
not get to the Mother Superior [Michael]. I stepped into the little chapel [7] before going to bed, and I asked Jesus for light in this
matter. But I received nothing in my soul except a strange unrest which I did
not understand. But, in spite of everything, I made up my mind to approach
Mother Superior the next morning right afte rMass and tell her of my
decision.
19 I came to my cell. The sisters were already in bed - the lights were out. I entered the cell full of anguish and discontent; I did not know what to do with myself. I threw myself headlong on the ground and began to pray fervently that I might come to know the will of God. There is silence everywhere as in the tabernacle. All the sisters are resting like white hosts enclosed in Jesus’ chalice. It is only from my cell that God can hear the moaning of a soul. I did not know that one was not allowed to pray in the cell after nine without permission. [8]
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.
497 O Eternal Truth, Word Incarnate, who most
faithfully fulfilled Your Father's will, today I am becoming a martyr of Your
inspirations, since I cannot carry them out because I have no will of my own,
though interiorly I see Your will clearly. I submit in everything to the will
of my superiors and my confessor. I will follow Your will insofar as You will
permit me to do so through Your representative. O my Jesus, it cannot be
helped, but I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with
which You speak to me.
678 The
essence of the virtues is the will of God. He who does the will of God
faithfully, practices all the virtues. In all the events and circumstances of
my life, I adore and bless the holy will of God. The holy will of God is the
object of my love. In the most secret depths of my soul, I live according to His
will. I act exteriorly according to what I recognize inwardly as the will of
God. Sweeter to me are the torments, sufferings, persecutions and all manner
of adversities by divine will than popularity, praise and esteem by my own
will.
724 On the eve of the retreat, I started to pray
that the Lord Jesus might give me just a little health so that I could take
part in the retreat, because I was feeling so ill that I thought perhaps it
might be my last. However, as soon as I had started praying I felt a strange
dissatisfaction. I interrupted the prayer of supplication and began to thank
the Lord for everything He sends me, submitting myself completely to His holy
will. Then I felt profound peace of soul. + Faithful submission to the will
of God, always and everywhere, in all events and circumstances of life, gives
great glory to God. Such submission to the will of God carries more weight
with Him than long fasts, mortifications and the most severe penances. Oh,
how great is the reward for one act of loving submission to the will of God!
As I write, my soul is enraptured at the thought of how much God loves it and
of the peace that my soul already enjoys, here on earth.
954 Today after Holy Communion,
the Lord told me, My daughter, My delight is to unite myself with you. It
is when you submit yourself to My will that you give Me the greatest glory
and draw down upon yourself a sea of blessings. I would not take such special
delight in you if you were not living by my will. O my sweet Guest, I am
prepared for all sacrifices for Your sake, but You know that I am weakness
itself. Nevertheless, with You I can do all things. O my Jesus, I beseech
You, be with me at each instant.
1180 June [July] 15, 1937. Once, I
learned that I was to be transferred to another house. My knowledge of this
was purely interior. At the same time, I heard a voice in my soul: Do not
be afraid, My daughter; it is My will that you should remain here. Human
plans will be thwarted, since they must conform to My will.
1181 When I was close to the Lord, He said to me, Why
are you afraid to begin the work which I have commanded you to carry out? I
answered, "Why do You leave me on my own at such times, Jesus, and why
do I not feel Your presence?" My daughter, even though you do not
perceive Me in the most secret depths of your heart, you still cannot say
that I am not there. I only remove from you the awareness of My presence, and
that should not be an obstacle to the carrying out of My will. I do this to
achieve My unfathomable ends, which you will know of later on.
My daughter, know without doubt, and once and for all, that only mortal sin drives Me out of a soul, and nothing else.
1182 + Today the Lord said to me, My daughter,
My pleasure and delight, nothing will stop Me from granting you graces. Your
misery does not hinder My mercy. My daughter, write that the greater the
misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to
trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all.
On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all
souls-no one have I excluded!
1183 O Jesus, I want to live in the present
moment, to live as if this were the last day of my life. I want to use every
moment scrupulously for the greater glory of God, to use every circumstance
for the benefit of my soul. I want to look upon everything, from the point of
view that nothing happens without the will of God.
1184 On an earlier occasion.
In the evening, I saw the Lord Jesus upon the cross. From His hands, feet and side, the Most Sacred Blood was flowing. After some time, Jesus said to me, All this is for the salvation of souls. Consider well, My daughter, what you are doing for their salvation. I answered, "Jesus, when I look at Your suffering, I see that I am doing next to nothing for the salvation of souls." And the Lord said to me, Know, My daughter, that your silent day-to-day martyrdom in complete submission to My will ushers many souls into heaven. And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things. I understood many things I had been unable to comprehend before.
1199 [July] 29. I am to leave for Rabka today. I
went into the chapel and asked the Lord Jesus for a safe journey. But within
my soul there was silence and darkness. I felt I was all alone and had no one
[to turn to]. I asked Jesus to be with me. Then I felt a tiny ray of light in
my soul as a sign that Jesus was with me but, after this grace, the darkness
and shadows in my soul increased. Then I said, "Your will be done, for
everything is possible to You." When I was on the train and gazed
through the window at the beautiful countryside and the mountains, the
torments of my soul grew even greater. As the sisters welcomed me and began
to surround me with their warmth, my sufferings redoubled.
1200 I would have like to hide and rest for a
while in solitude, in a word, to be alone. At such moments, no creature is
capable of giving me comfort, and even if I had wanted to say something about
myself, I would have experienced new anguish. Therefore, I have kept silent
at such moments and submitted myself, in silence, to the will of God-and that
has given me relief. I demand nothing from creatures and communicate with
them only in so far as is necessary. I will not take them into my confidence
unless this is for the greater glory of God. My communing is with the angels
[cf. Mt. 18:10; Ex. 23:20].
1202 I could not even go to Holy Mass or receive
Holy Communion today but, amidst the sufferings of body and soul, I kept on
repeating, "May the Lord's will be done. I know that Your bounty is
without limit." Then 1 heard an angel who sang out my whole life history
and everything it comprised. I was surprised, but also strengthened.
1204 A retreat of suffering. O Jesus, in these
days of suffering, I am not capable of any kind of prayer. The oppression of
my body and soul has increased. O my Jesus, You do see that Your child is on
the decline. I am not forcing myself further, but simply submitting my will
to the will of Jesus. O Jesus, You are always Jesus to me.
1205 When I went to confession, I did not even
know how to confess. However, the priest [probably Father Casimir Ratkiewicz [205]] recognized the condition of my soul at once and
said to me, "Despite everything, you are on the way to salvation; you
are on the right path, but God may leave your soul in this darkness and
obscurity until death, and the former light may never return. But in all
things abandon yourself to the will of God."
1207 August 10. Today I am returning to Cracow, in
the company of one of the sisters. My soul is shrouded in suffering. I am
continually uniting myself to Him by an act of the will. He is my power and
strength.
1208 May You be blessed, O God, for everything You
send me. Nothing under the sun happens without Your will. I cannot penetrate
Your secrets with regard to myself, but I press my lips to the chalice You
offer me.
1237 O Jesus, what darkness is enveloping me and
what nothingness is penetrating me. But, my Jesus, do not leave me alone;
grant me the grace of faithfulness. Although I cannot penetrate the mystery
of God's visitation, it is in my power to say: Your will be done.
1239 O living Host, O hidden Jesus. You see the
condition of my soul. Of myself, I am unable to utter Your Holy Name. I
cannot bring forth from my heart the fire of love but, kneeling at Your feet,
I cast upon the Tabernacle the gaze of my soul, a gaze of faithfulness. As
for You, You are ever the same, while within my soul a change takes place. I
trust that the time will come when You will unveil Your countenance, and Your
child will again see Your sweet face. I am astonished, Jesus, that You can
hide yourself from me for so long and that You can restrain the enormous love
You have for me. In the dwelling of my heart, I am listening and waiting for
Your coming, O only Treasure of my heart!
1241 + 0 my Jesus, when someone is unkind and
unpleasant toward us, it is difficult enough to bear this kind of suffering.
But this is very little in comparison to a suffering which I cannot bear;
namely, that which I experience when someone exhibits kindness towards me and
then lays snares at my feet at every step I take. What great will power is
necessary to love such a soul for God's sake. Many a time one has to be
heroic in loving such a soul as God demands. If contact with that person were
infrequent, it would be easier to endure, but when one lives in close contact
with the person and experiences this at each step, this demands a very great
effort.
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.
1255 "As concerns yourself, Sister, it is
good that you are remaining in a state of holy indifference in everything
that pertains to the will of God, and that you are better maintaining a state
of equilibrium. Please do your best to keep this equanimity. Now, as regards
all these matters, you are to depend exclusively on Father Andrasz; I am in
complete agreement with him. Do nothing on your own, Sister, but in all
matters take counsel from your spiritual director. I beg you to keep your
levelheadedness and as great a calm as possible.One more thing-I am having
printed the chaplet which is to be on the back of the image, as well as the
invocations that resemble a litany; these too will be placed on the back.
Another large image has also been printed, and with it a few pages which
contain the Novena to The Divine Mercy. [208] Pray, Sister, that this be approved."
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.
1262 September 3. First Friday of the month.
During Holy Mass, I became united with God. Jesus gave me to know that even
the smallest thing does not happen on earth without His will. After having
seen this, my soul entered into an unusual repose; I found myself completely
at peace as to the work in its full extent. God can deal with me as He
pleases, and I will bless Him for everything.
1264 Act of total abandonment to the will of God,
which is for me, love and mercy itself.
Act of Oblation Jesus-Host, whom I have this very moment received into my heart, through this union with You I offer myself to the heavenly Father as a sacrificial host, abandoning myself totally and completely to the most merciful and holy will of my God. From today onward, Your will, Lord, is my food. Take my whole being; dispose of me as You please. Whatever Your fatherly hand gives me, I will accept with submission, peace and joy. I fear nothing, no matter in what direction You lead me; helped by Your grace I will carry out everything You demand of me. I no longer fear any of Your inspirations nor do I probe anxiously to see where they will lead me. Lead me, O God, along whatever roads You please; I have placed all my trust in Your will which is, for me, love and mercy itself. Bid me to stay in this convent, I will stay; bid me to undertake the work, I will undertake it; leave me in uncertainty about the work until I die, be blessed; give me death when, humanly speaking, my life seems particularly necessary, be blessed. Should You take me in my youth, be blessed; should You let me live to a ripe old age, be blessed. Should You give me health and strength, be blessed; should You confine me to a bed of pain for my whole life, be blessed. Should you give only failures and disappointments in life, be blessed. Should You allow my purest intentions to be condemned, be blessed. Should You enlighten my mind, be blessed. Should You leave me in darkness and all kinds of torments, be blessed. From this moment on, I live in the deepest peace, because the Lord himself is carrying me in the hollow of His hand. He, Lord of unfathomable mercy, knows that I desire Him alone in all things, always and everywhere. 1265 Prayer. O Jesus, stretched out upon the cross, I implore You, give me the grace of doing faithfully the most holy will of Your Father, in all things, always and everywhere. And when this will of God will seem to me very harsh and difficult to fulfill, it is then I beg You, Jesus, may power and strength flow upon me from Your wounds, and may my lips keep repeating, "Your will be done, O Lord." O Savior of the world, Lover of man's salvation, who in such terrible torment and pain forget Yourself to think only of the salvation of souls, O most compassionate Jesus, grant me the grace to forget myself that I may live totally for souls, helping You in the work of salvation, according to the most holy will of Your Father....
1266 August 5, [1937]. [209] The Lord let me know how much our dear Mother
Superior [Irene] is defending me against... not only by prayer but also by
deed. Thank You, Jesus, for this grace. It will not go unrequited in my
heart; when I am with Jesus, I do not forget about her.
1267 September 6, 1937. Today, I begin a new
assignment. I go from the garden to the desert of the gate. [210] I went in to talk to the Lord for a while. I
asked Him for a blessing and for graces to faithfully carry out the duties
entrusted to me. I heard these words: My daughter, I am always with you. I
have given you the opportunity to practice deeds of mercy which you will
perform according to obedience. You will give Me much pleasure if, each
evening, you will speak to Me especially about this task. I felt that
Jesus had given me a new grace in relation to my new duties; but, despite
this, I have locked myself deeper in His Heart.
1268 Today I felt more ill, but Jesus has given me
many more opportunities on this day to practice virtue. It so happened that I
was busier than usual, and the sister in charge of the kitchen made it clear
to me how irritated she was that I had come late for dinner, although it was
quite impossible for me to have come sooner. At any rate, I felt so unwell
that I had to ask Mother Superior to allow me to lie down. I went to ask
Sister N. to take my place, and again I got a scolding: "What is this,
Sister, you're so exhausted that you're going back to bed again! Confound you
with all this lying in bed!" I put up with all that, but that wasn't the
end. I still had to ask the sister who was in charge of the sick to bring me
my meal. When I told her this, she burst out of the chapel into the corridor after
me to give me a piece of her mind: "Why on earth are you going to bed,
Sister, etc...... I asked her not to bother bringing me anything. I am
writing all this very briefly because it is not my intention to write about
such things, and I am doing so merely to dissuade souls from treating others
in this way, for this is displeasing to the Lord. In a suffering soul we
should see Jesus Crucified, and not a loafer or burden on the community. A
soul who suffers with submission to the will of God draws down more blessings
on the whole convent than all the working sisters. Poor indeed is a convent
where there are no sick sisters. God often grants many and great graces out
of regard for the souls who are suffering, and He withholds many punishments
solely because of the suffering souls.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-6, 18-19, 248, 497)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-678, 724, 742, 954)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1180-1184, 1199-1200, 1202, 1204)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1207-1208, 1237, 1239, 1241, 1244 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1255-1256, 1262, 1264-1268)
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Pebrero 19, 2015
The Cross is the Only Path to God-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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