From Heaven or Earth?
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May 30, 2015. Saturday of the Eighth Week in
Ordinary Time
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Father John Doyle, LC
Mark
11:27-33
Jesus and his disciples returned once more
to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the
scribes, and the elders came to him and said, "By what authority are you
doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?" Jesus said
to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by
what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven,
or was it of human origin? Answer me." They argued with one another,
"If we say, ´From heaven,´ he will say, ´Why then did you not believe
him?´ But shall we say, ´Of human origin´?” - they were afraid of the crowd,
for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, "We do
not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what
authority I am doing these things."
Introductory Prayer: Once again, Lord, I come to You to pray.
Even though I cannot see You, I trust that You are present and want very much
to instruct me in Your teachings. In the same way You demonstrate Your love
for me by spending this time with me, I want to express my love for You by
dedicating this time to You with a spirit of faith, confidence and attention.
Here I am, Lord, to listen to You and respond with love.
Petition: Jesus, grant me true sincerity and uprightness of life.
1. The Day After: It was the day after Jesus had caused an uproar
in the Temple at Jerusalem, the like of which had not been seen for a long
time. Jesus had overturned the moneychangers’ tables and driven out the
animals. Anyone else would surely have landed in prison, but this was Christ,
and his hour had not yet come. Still the chief priests and scribes are
looking for an explanation –– or better an excuse –– to accuse Jesus. He
shrewdly answers their inquiry with a question that they cannot answer for
fear of revealing their insincerity before the crowds. How this insincerity
on the part of the scribes and Pharisees offended Our Lord! He would not
speak to them plainly because their purpose was to twist his words. Do I
detest insincerity as well? Do I find traces of dishonesty in my own life? Am
I more concerned about what others think or about what Christ thinks?
2. Why Did You Not Believe in Him? Jesus did not say these words, but they knew
he could have. Their troubled consciences were aware it would have been a
fitting accusation. Why had they not believed in the precursor of the Lord?
Was it not for the same reasons that they would not believe in the Lord
himself? John the Baptist had called them on their insincerity. They went to
receive his baptism of repentance, but they did not really mean to amend their
lives. Would Jesus have to reproach me for any insincerity? Do I ever go to
receive the sacrament of penance without a real desire to change my life? Or
do I avoid confession altogether because I really don’t see anything in my
behavior that needs to change?
3. We Do Not Know: This is certainly not the first or the last
time that ignorance is pleaded to avoid the consequences of the truth, but
this kind of ignorance is clearly culpable. The speakers were not uneducated
men, but rather the leaders of God’s people, responsible for guiding them
along the way of God’s covenant. While it was generally accepted that John
the Baptist had been a great prophet who stirred sinners to repentance with
his preaching and example of austerity, the Jewish authorities were unwilling
to accept that anyone besides themselves could claim any authority in God’s
name. Truly they did know, but they were unwilling to accept the truth. Do I
ever lean on ignorance in plowing forward with some action that I’m not sure
is quite right?
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, at times I know what Your will
for me is, but it costs me greatly to put it into practice. Sometimes I am
too worried about what others think and say, or I am afraid of the
consequences. Grant me a spirit of sincerity and strength always to accept
and follow Your will.
Resolution: I will arrive a little early to Mass
tomorrow in order to spend a few quiet moments with Our Lord asking for the
grace of always being sincere and upright in my actions.
Excerpts
from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
282 Once the Lord said to me, My
Heart was moved by great mercy towards you, My dearest child, when I saw you
torn to shreds because of the great pain you suffered in repenting for your
sins. I see your love, so pure and true that I give you first place among the
virgins. You are the honor and glory of My Passion. I see every abasement of
your soul, and nothing escapes my attention. I lift up the humble even to my
very throne, because I want it so.
355 1934-1935. New Year's Eve. I
was given permission not to go to sleep, but rather pray in the chapel. One
of the sisters had asked me to offer an hour of adoration for her. I said
yes, and prayed for her for an hour. During the hour, God gave me to
understand how very pleasing this soul was to Him.
I offered the second hour of adoration for the conversion of sinners, and I tried especially to offer expiation to God for the insults that were being committed against Him at this present moment. How greatly God is being offended! I offered the third hour for my spiritual director. I fervently prayed for light for him in a particular matter. Finally the clock struck twelve, the last hour of the year. I finished it in the Name of the Holy Trinity, and I also started the first hour of the New Year in the Name of the Holy Trinity. I asked each of the Three Persons to bless me and, with great confidence, looked toward the New Year which certainly would not be sparing of suffering.
356 O Blessed Host, in whom is
contained the testament of God's mercy for us, and especially for poor
sinners.
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus as proof of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained life eternal and of infinite mercy, dispensed in abundance to us and especially to poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the mercy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit toward us, and especially toward poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the infinite price of mercy which will compensate for all our debts, and especially those of poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fountain of living water which springs from infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fire of purest love which blazes forth from the bosom of the Eternal Father, as from an abyss of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the medicine for all our infirmities, flowing from infinite mercy, as from a fount, for us and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom are contained all the sentiments of the most sweet Heart of Jesus toward us, and especially poor sinners. O Blessed Host, our only hope in all the sufferings and adversities of life. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of darkness and of storms within and without. O Blessed Host, our only hope in life and at the hour of our death. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of adversities and floods of despair. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of falsehood and treason. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the darkness and godlessness which inundate the earth. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the longing and pain in which no one will understand us. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the toil and monotony of everyday life. O Blessed Host, our only hope amid the ruin of our hopes and endeavors. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the ravages of the enemy and the efforts of hell. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when the burdens are beyond my strength and I find my efforts are fruitless. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when storms toss my heart about and my fearful spirit tends to despair. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my heart is about to tremble and mortal sweat moistens my brow. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when everything conspires against me and black despair creeps into my soul. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my eyes will begin to grow dim to all temporal things and, for the first time, my spirit will behold the unknown worlds. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my tasks will be beyond my strength and adversity will become my daily lot. O Blessed Host I trust in You when the practice of virtue will appear difficult for me and my nature will grow rebellious. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when hostile blows will be aimed against me. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my toils and efforts will be misjudged by others. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when Your judgments will resound over me; it is then that I will trust in the sea of Your mercy.
Holy Trinity, One God,
361 incomprehensible in the greatness of Your mercy for creatures, and especially for poor sinners, You have made known the abyss of Your mercy, incomprehensible and unfathomable [as it is] to any mind, whether of man or angel. Our nothingness and our misery are drowned in Your greatness. O infinite goodness, who can ever praise You sufficiently? Can there be found a soul that understands You in Your love? O Jesus, there are such souls, but they are few.
367 +On one occasion, Jesus gave
me to know that when I pray for intentions which people are wont to entrust
to me, He is always ready to grant His graces, but souls do not always want
to accept them: My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and
especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best
of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed
from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the
tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces upon souls, but
they do not want to accept them. You, at least, come to Me as often as
possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. In this way you
will console My Heart. Oh, how indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to
so many proofs of love! My Heart drinks only of the ingratitude and
forgetfulness of souls living in the world. They have time for everything,
but they have no time to come to Me for graces.
So I turn to you, you-chosen souls, will you also fail to understand the love of My Heart? Here, too, My Heart finds disappointment; I do not find complete surrender to My love. So many reservations, so much distrust, so much caution. To comfort you, let Me tell you that there are souls living in the world who love Me dearly. I dwell In their hearts with delight. But they are few. In convents too, there are souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My features; therefore the Heavenly Father looks upon them with special pleasure. They will be a marvel to Angels and men. Their number is very small. They are a defense for the world before the justice of the Heavenly Father and a means of obtaining mercy for the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls sustain the world in existence. The infidelity of a soul specially chosen by Me wounds My Heart most painfully. Such infidelities are swords which pierce My Heart.
378 Once as I was talking with my
spiritual director, I had an interior vision-quicker than lightning-of his
soul in great suffering, in such agony that God touches very few souls with
such fire. The suffering arises from this work. There will come a time when
this work, which God is demanding so very much, will be as though utterly
undone. And then God will act with great power, which will give evidence of
its authenticity. It will be a new splendor for the Church, although it has
been dormant in it from long ago. That God is infinitely merciful, no one can
deny. He desires everyone to know this before He comes again as Judge. He
wants souls to come to know Him first as King of Mercy. When this triumph
comes, we shall already have entered the new life in which there is no
suffering. But before this, your soul [of the spiritual director] will be
surfeited with bitterness at the sight of the destruction of your efforts. However,
this will only appear to be so, because what God has once decided upon, He
does not change. But although this destruction will be such only in outward
appearance, the suffering will be real. When will this happen? I do not know.
How long will it last? I do not know.[89]
But God has promised a great grace especially to you and to all those... who
will proclaim My great mercy. I shall protect them Myself at the hour of
death, as My own glory. And even if the sins of soul are as dark as night,
when the sinner turns to My mercy he gives Me the greatest praise and is the
glory of My Passion. When a soul praises My goodness, Satan trembles before
it and flees to the very bottom of hell.
379 During one of the adorations, Jesus promised me that: With souls that have recourse to My mercy and with those that glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others, I will deal according to My infinite mercy at the hour of their death. My Heart is sorrowful, Jesus said, because even chosen souls do not understand the greatness of My mercy. Their relationship [with Me] is, in certain ways, imbued with mistrust. Oh, how much that wounds My Heart 1 Remember My Passion, and if you do not believe My words, at least believe My wounds.
384 When I stayed for adoration
from nine to ten o'clock, four other sisters stayed; too. When 1 approached
the altar and began to meditate on the Passion of the Lord Jesus, a terrible
pain immediately filled my soul because of the ingratitude of so many souls
living in the world; but particularly painful was the ingratitude of souls
especially chosen by God. There is no notion or comparison [which can
describe it]. At the sight of this blackest ungratefulness I felt as though
my heart were torn open; my strength failed me completely, and I fell on my
face, not attempting to hide my loud cries. Each time I thought of God's
great mercy and of the ingratitude of souls, pain stabbed at my heart, and I
understood how painfully it wounded the sweetest Heart of Jesus. With a
burning heart, I renewed my act of self-oblation on behalf of sinners.
420 Low Sunday; that is, the Feast
of The Divine Mercy, the conclusion of the Jubilee of Redemption. When we
went to take part in the celebrations, my heart leapt with joy that the two
solemnities were so closely united. I asked God for mercy on the souls of
sinners. Toward the end of the service, when the priest took the Blessed
Sacrament to bless the people, I saw the Lord Jesus as He is represented in
the image. The Lord gave His blessing, and the rays extended over the whole
world. Suddenly, I saw an impenetrable brightness in the form of a crystal
dwelling place, woven together from waves of a brilliance unapproachable to
both creatures and spirits. Three doors led to this resplendence. At that
moment, Jesus, as He is represented in the image, entered this resplendence
through the second door to the Unity within. It is a triple Unity, which is
incomprehensible-which is infinity. I heard a voice, This Feast emerged from
the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of My
tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it.
I was overjoyed at the immense goodness and greatness of my God.
423 Praise the Lord, my soul, for
everything, and glorify His mercy, for His goodness is without end.
Everything will pass, but His mercy is without limit or end. And although
evil will attain its measure, in mercy there is no measure.
O my God, even in the punishments You send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment. Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His infinite mercy than a baby to its mother's heart. O God, You are compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent. The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy.
619 At the beginning of Lent, I
also asked to have the subject of my particular examen changed, and I was
told to do everything with the pure intention of reparation for poor sinners.
This keeps me in continual union with God, and this intention perfects my
actions, because everything I do is done for immortal souls. All hardships
and fatigue are as nothing when I think that they reconcile sinful souls with
God.
687 Once, as I was going down the
hall to the kitchen, I heard these words in my soul: Say unceasingly the
chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great
mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their
last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were
to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite
mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to
grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.
699 On one occasion, I heard these
words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I
desire that the Feast of Mercy [139]
be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On
that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole
ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul
that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete
forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates
through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me,
even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it
of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.
Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender
mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy
throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of
tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday
after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My
Mercy.
1052 O my Jesus, I beg You on
behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit, and
give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought
to repentance and return to You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy priests; You
yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the
power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the
devil's traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of
priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all
that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things.
1074 When I went for adoration, I
heard these words: My beloved daughter, write down these words, that today
My Heart has rested in this convent [the Cracow house]. Tell the world
about My mercy and My love.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them! My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace. Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls. 1075 Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it. 1076 Write this: Everything that exists is enclosed in the bowels of My mercy, more deeply than an infant in its mother's womb. How painfully distrust of My goodness wounds Me! Sins of distrust wound Me most painfully.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-282, 355-356, 361, 367, 378-379)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-384, 420-423)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-619, 687, 699)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1052, 1074-1075)
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Mayo 30, 2015
From Heaven or Earth?-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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