How to Remain in Him
May 3, 2015. Fifth
Sunday of Easter
Father Edward Hopkins, LC
John 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Introductory Prayer: I believe in You, Lord. You are my life and the source of all
happiness. I trust that by being faithful to Your inspirations, deepening my
faith, and observing Your commands, I will grow. I love You, Lord. I offer you
this prayer to intensify my love and preserve my life in You. You are my hope
and my strength.
Petition: Without you, Jesus, I can do nothing. Lord Jesus, may I remain
in You.
1. “Unless You Believe…” “Whoever believes in him will not be
condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he
has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). In today’s
world, truth and faith are viewed as relative. Yet, Jesus was very specific and
demanding in what he taught. How precious and important are his words to me?
How well do I know my faith? Do I care for, study and protect it as that upon
which my eternal salvation depends? How well am I able to articulate it to
others? Martyrs have died for confessing their faith in Christ. “Those who
belong to Christ through faith and baptism must confess their baptismal faith
before men” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 14).
2. “Unless You Obey My Commandments…” “If you keep my commandments, you will remain
in my love…” (John 14:10). It is not enough to believe in our hearts and minds,
or to profess with our lips, if we do not live Christ’s teachings in our life.
Jesus reminds the Rich Young Man of the commandments as the first step to
eternal life (Matthew 19:16-22). St. Paul reminds the early Christians of this:
“Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God?” (1
Corinthians 6:9).
The life of Christ, the life of the vine, is holiness, virtue and sacrificial love. I remain in him if I am growing. How much am I growing in morality and in following Christ? Where does Jesus most want me to grow? Do I believe I can do it, united to the vine? Or do I believe I can do it “without Him”? “He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness” (CCC, n. 1709).
3. “Unless You Pray…” St. Peter was warned by Christ that without prayer he could not be faithful (cf. Matthew 26:41). The entire moral life depends on the degree of our interior union with Christ. “His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity” (CCC, n. 2074). His grace, inspirations and strength allow us to overcome our weakness and do the Father’s will. As long as we do not experience God in prayer, it will be selfishness that will keep guiding and ruling our lives. Prayer and, in an especially effective way, the sacraments, strengthen our bonds with Christ, motivate our actions with his love, fill our minds with his words, and encourage our life with his presence.
In this busy world I am sometimes tempted to reduce prayer to spontaneous acts of faith or urgent cries for help. I get too bogged down to make time for Christ, so instead I give him only the leftovers. In the increasing challenge to transform the world with Christ, do I expect to produce significant apostolic fruit without the corresponding dedication to prayer? In the noise of life, do I believe in my need for substantial, exclusive and deep moments with Christ? Jesus decided to “remain with me” in the gift of his Eucharist. How often do I “remain in him” before the Eucharist?
The life of Christ, the life of the vine, is holiness, virtue and sacrificial love. I remain in him if I am growing. How much am I growing in morality and in following Christ? Where does Jesus most want me to grow? Do I believe I can do it, united to the vine? Or do I believe I can do it “without Him”? “He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness” (CCC, n. 1709).
3. “Unless You Pray…” St. Peter was warned by Christ that without prayer he could not be faithful (cf. Matthew 26:41). The entire moral life depends on the degree of our interior union with Christ. “His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity” (CCC, n. 2074). His grace, inspirations and strength allow us to overcome our weakness and do the Father’s will. As long as we do not experience God in prayer, it will be selfishness that will keep guiding and ruling our lives. Prayer and, in an especially effective way, the sacraments, strengthen our bonds with Christ, motivate our actions with his love, fill our minds with his words, and encourage our life with his presence.
In this busy world I am sometimes tempted to reduce prayer to spontaneous acts of faith or urgent cries for help. I get too bogged down to make time for Christ, so instead I give him only the leftovers. In the increasing challenge to transform the world with Christ, do I expect to produce significant apostolic fruit without the corresponding dedication to prayer? In the noise of life, do I believe in my need for substantial, exclusive and deep moments with Christ? Jesus decided to “remain with me” in the gift of his Eucharist. How often do I “remain in him” before the Eucharist?
Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, help me to experience You and Your
love in prayer. Enable me to foster my relationship with You by listening
attentively to Your word taught to me authentically by your Church. May my life
give validity to my faith and words! How often I hunger after the world’s
withered husks that could never satisfy my inner longings! Lord, help me to
hunger for You alone, so that I will turn to You and be filled with the comfort
and joy of Your intimate friendship.
Resolution: During an hour of prayer, preferably before the Blessed
Sacrament, I will reflect on the Gospel and ask Jesus what more I need to do to
remain in him.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
1 O Eternal Love, You command Your Sacred Image [1] to be painted And reveal to us the
inconceivable fount of mercy,
You bless whoever approaches Your rays,
And a soul all black will turn into snow.
O sweet Jesus, it is here [2] You established the throne of Your mercy
To bring joy and hope to sinful man.
From Your open Heart, as from a pure fount,
Flows comfort to a repentant heart and soul.
May praise and glory for this Image
Never cease to stream from man's soul.
May praise of God's mercy pour from every heart,
Now, and at every hour, and forever and ever.
You bless whoever approaches Your rays,
And a soul all black will turn into snow.
O sweet Jesus, it is here [2] You established the throne of Your mercy
To bring joy and hope to sinful man.
From Your open Heart, as from a pure fount,
Flows comfort to a repentant heart and soul.
May praise and glory for this Image
Never cease to stream from man's soul.
May praise of God's mercy pour from every heart,
Now, and at every hour, and forever and ever.
O My God
2 When I look into
the future, I am frightened, But why plunge into the future?
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.
It is no longer in my power,
To change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.
O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of your omnipotence.
And so, trusting in Your mercy,
I walk through life like a little child,
Offering You each day this heart
Burning with love for Your greater glory
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.
It is no longer in my power,
To change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.
O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of your omnipotence.
And so, trusting in Your mercy,
I walk through life like a little child,
Offering You each day this heart
Burning with love for Your greater glory
God
and Souls.
5
Be adored, O Most Holy Trinity, now and for all time. Be adored in all Your
works and all Your creatures. May the greatness of Your mercy be admired and
glorified, O God.
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.
49 When I
told this to my confessor,[29] I received this for a reply: "That
refers to your soul." He told me, "Certainly, paint God's image in
your soul." When I came out of the confessional, I again heard words such
as these: My image already is in your soul. I desire that there be a Feast
of Mercy. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly
blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of
Mercy.
50 + I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.
Jesus complained to me in these words, Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts].
50 + I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.
Jesus complained to me in these words, Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts].
56 O my God, I understand well that
You demand this spiritual childhood[32] of me, because You are constantly asking it
of me through Your representatives.
At the beginning of my religious life, suffering and adversities frightened and disheartened me. So I prayed continuously, asking Jesus to strengthen me and to grant me the power of His Holy Spirit that I might carry out His holy will in all things, because from the beginning I have been aware of my weakness. I know very well what I am of myself, because for this purpose Jesus has opened the eyes of my soul; I am an abyss of misery, and hence I understand that whatever good there is in my soul consists solely of His holy grace. The knowledge of my own misery allows me, at the same time, to know the immensity of Your mercy. In my own interior life, I am looking with one eye at the abyss of my misery and baseness, and with the other, at the abyss of Your mercy, O God.
At the beginning of my religious life, suffering and adversities frightened and disheartened me. So I prayed continuously, asking Jesus to strengthen me and to grant me the power of His Holy Spirit that I might carry out His holy will in all things, because from the beginning I have been aware of my weakness. I know very well what I am of myself, because for this purpose Jesus has opened the eyes of my soul; I am an abyss of misery, and hence I understand that whatever good there is in my soul consists solely of His holy grace. The knowledge of my own misery allows me, at the same time, to know the immensity of Your mercy. In my own interior life, I am looking with one eye at the abyss of my misery and baseness, and with the other, at the abyss of Your mercy, O God.
66 O inexhaustible treasure of purity of intention which
makes all our actions perfect and so pleasing to God!
O Jesus, You know how weak I am; be then ever with me; guide my actions and my whole being, You who are my very best Teacher! Truly, Jesus, I become frightened when I look at my own misery, but at the same time I am reassured by Your unfathomable mercy, which exceeds my misery by the measure of all eternity. This disposition of soul clothes me in Your power. O joy that flows from the knowledge of one's self! O unchanging Truth, Your constancy is everlasting!
O Jesus, You know how weak I am; be then ever with me; guide my actions and my whole being, You who are my very best Teacher! Truly, Jesus, I become frightened when I look at my own misery, but at the same time I am reassured by Your unfathomable mercy, which exceeds my misery by the measure of all eternity. This disposition of soul clothes me in Your power. O joy that flows from the knowledge of one's self! O unchanging Truth, Your constancy is everlasting!
69 +O Jesus, eternal Truth, strengthen my feeble forces; You
can do all things, Lord. I know that without You all my efforts are in vain. O
Jesus, do not hide from me, for I cannot live without You. Listen to the cry of
my soul. Your mercy has not been exhausted, Lord, so have pity on my misery.
Your mercy surpasses the understanding of all Angels and people put together;
and so, although it seems to me that You do not hear me, I put my trust in the
ocean of Your mercy, and I know that my hope will not be deceived.
O
Divine Sun, in Your rays the soul sees the tiniest specks of dust which
displease You.
72 O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart, Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equaled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God's mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages.
72 O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart, Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equaled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God's mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages.
73
O my Jesus, despite the deep night that is all around me and the dark clouds
which hide the horizon, I know that the sun never goes out. O Lord, though I
cannot comprehend You and do not understand Your ways, I nonetheless trust in
Your mercy. If it is Your will, Lord, that I live always in such darkness, may
You be blessed. I ask You only one thing, Jesus: do not allow me to offend You
in any way. O my Jesus, You alone know the longings and the sufferings of my
heart. I am glad I can suffer for You, however little. When I feel that the
suffering is more than I can bear, I take refuge in the Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament, and I speak to Him with profound silence.
78
Once when I was being crushed by these dreadful sufferings, I went into the
chapel and said from the bottom of my soul, "Do what You will with me, O
Jesus; I will adore You in everything. May Your will be done in me, O my Lord
and my God, and I will praise Your infinite mercy." Through this act of
submission, these terrible torments left me. Suddenly I saw Jesus, who said to
me, I am always in your heart. An inconceivable joy entered my soul, and
a great love of God set my heart aflame. I see that God never tries us beyond
what we are able to suffer. Oh, I fear nothing; if God sends such great
suffering to a soul, He upholds it with an even greater grace, although we are
not aware of it. One act of trust at such moments gives greater glory to God
than whole hours passed in prayer filled with consolations. Now I see that if
God wants to keep a soul in darkness, no book, no confessor can bring it light.
80
O Jesus, Divine Prisoner of Love, when I consider Your love and how You emptied
Yourself for me, my senses fail me. You hide Your inconceivable majesty and
lower Yourself to miserable me. O King of Glory, though You hide Your beauty, yet
the eye of my soul rends the veil. I see the angelic choirs giving You honor
without cease, and all the heavenly Powers praising You without cease, and
without cease they are saying: Holy, Holy, Holy.
Oh, who will comprehend Your love and Your unfathomable mercy toward us! O Prisoner of Love, I lock up my poor heart in this tabernacle, that it may adore You without cease night and day. I know of no obstacle in this adoration, and even though I be physically distant, my heart is always with You. Nothing can put a stop to my love for You. No obstacles exist for me. O my Jesus, I will console You for all the ingratitude, the blasphemies, the coldness, the hatred of the wicked, the sacrileges. O Jesus, I want to burn as 'a pure offering and to be consumed before the throne of Your hiddenness. I plead with You unceasingly for poor dying sinners.
Oh, who will comprehend Your love and Your unfathomable mercy toward us! O Prisoner of Love, I lock up my poor heart in this tabernacle, that it may adore You without cease night and day. I know of no obstacle in this adoration, and even though I be physically distant, my heart is always with You. Nothing can put a stop to my love for You. No obstacles exist for me. O my Jesus, I will console You for all the ingratitude, the blasphemies, the coldness, the hatred of the wicked, the sacrileges. O Jesus, I want to burn as 'a pure offering and to be consumed before the throne of Your hiddenness. I plead with You unceasingly for poor dying sinners.
81 O Holy Trinity, One and
Indivisible God, may You be blessed for this great gift and testament of mercy.
My Jesus, to atone for blasphemers I will keep silent when unjustly reprimanded
and in this way make partial amends to You. I am singing within my soul an
unending hymn to You, and no one will suspect or understand this. The song of
my soul is known to You alone, O my Creator and Lord!
83 Write
this: before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy.
Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the
heavens of this sort: All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there
will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be
seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the
Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth
for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day.
84 O Blood and Water, which
gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in
You!
Vilnius,
August 2, 1934.
85
On Friday, after Holy Communion, I was carried in spirit before the throne of
God. There I saw the heavenly Powers which incessantly praise God. Beyond the
throne I saw a brightness inaccessible to creatures, and there only the
Incarnate Word enters as Mediator. When Jesus
entered this light, I heard these words, Write down at once what you
hear: I am the Lord in My essence and am immune to orders or needs. If I
call creatures into being - that is the abyss of My mercy. And at
that very moment I found myself, as before, in our chapel at my kneeler, just
as Mass had ended. I already had these words written.
88
+During adoration I felt God close to me. A moment later I saw Jesus and Mary.
At the sight of them I was filled with joy, and I asked the Lord, "What is
Your will, Jesus, concerning the matter about which my confessor told me to ask
You?" Jesus replied, It is My will that he should remain here
and that he should not take the initiative of dispensing himself. I asked
Jesus whether the inscription could be: "Christ King of Mercy." He
answered, I am King of Mercy, but He did not say
"Christ." I desire that this image be displayed in public
on the first Sunday after Easter. That Sunday is the Feast of Mercy. Through
the Word Incarnate I make known the bottomless depth of My mercy.
94 O my Lord, inflame my heart with
love for You, that my spirit may not grow weary amidst the storms, the
sufferings and the trials. You see how weak I am. Love can do all.
95 +A Deeper Knowledge of God and
the Terror of the Soul.
In the beginning, God lets himself be known as Holiness, Justice, Goodness - that is to say, Mercy. The soul does not come to know this all at once, but piecemeal, in flashes; that is to say, when God draws near. And this does not last for long, because the soul could not bear such light. During prayer the soul experiences flashes of this light which make it impossible to pray as before. Try as it may to force itself to pray as it did before, all is in vain; it becomes completely impossible for it to continue to pray as it did before it received this light. This light which has touched the soul is alive within it, and nothing can either quench or diminish it. This flash of the knowledge of God draws the soul and enkindles its love for Him.
But this same flash, at the same time, allows the soul to know itself as it is; the soul sees its whole interior in a superior light, and it rises up alarmed and terrified. Still, it does not remain under the effects of terror, but it begins to purify itself, to humble and abase itself before the Lord. These lights become stronger and more frequent; the more the soul is crystallized, the more these lights penetrate it. However, if the soul has responded faithfully and courageously to these first graces, God fills it with His consolations and gives himself to it in a perceptible manner. At certain moments, the soul, as it were, enters into intimacy with God and greatly rejoices in this; it believes that it has already reached the degree of perfection destined for it, because its defects and faults are asleep within it, and this makes it think that they no longer exist. Nothing seems difficult for it; it is ready for everything. It begins to plunge itself into God and taste the divine delights. It is carried along by grace and does not take account of the fact that the time of trial and testing may come. And, in fact, this state does not last long. Other moments will soon come. I should add here, however, that the soul will respond more faithfully to divine grace if it has a well - informed confessor to whom it can confide everything.
In the beginning, God lets himself be known as Holiness, Justice, Goodness - that is to say, Mercy. The soul does not come to know this all at once, but piecemeal, in flashes; that is to say, when God draws near. And this does not last for long, because the soul could not bear such light. During prayer the soul experiences flashes of this light which make it impossible to pray as before. Try as it may to force itself to pray as it did before, all is in vain; it becomes completely impossible for it to continue to pray as it did before it received this light. This light which has touched the soul is alive within it, and nothing can either quench or diminish it. This flash of the knowledge of God draws the soul and enkindles its love for Him.
But this same flash, at the same time, allows the soul to know itself as it is; the soul sees its whole interior in a superior light, and it rises up alarmed and terrified. Still, it does not remain under the effects of terror, but it begins to purify itself, to humble and abase itself before the Lord. These lights become stronger and more frequent; the more the soul is crystallized, the more these lights penetrate it. However, if the soul has responded faithfully and courageously to these first graces, God fills it with His consolations and gives himself to it in a perceptible manner. At certain moments, the soul, as it were, enters into intimacy with God and greatly rejoices in this; it believes that it has already reached the degree of perfection destined for it, because its defects and faults are asleep within it, and this makes it think that they no longer exist. Nothing seems difficult for it; it is ready for everything. It begins to plunge itself into God and taste the divine delights. It is carried along by grace and does not take account of the fact that the time of trial and testing may come. And, in fact, this state does not last long. Other moments will soon come. I should add here, however, that the soul will respond more faithfully to divine grace if it has a well - informed confessor to whom it can confide everything.
101 Jesus, You alone know how the soul, engulfed in
darkness, moans in the midst of these torments and, despite all this, thirsts
for God as burning lips thirst for water. It dies and withers; it dies a death
without death; that is to say, it cannot die. All its efforts come to nothing;
it is under a powerful hand. Now the soul comes under the power of the Just
One. All exterior temptations cease; all that surrounds it becomes silent, like
a dying person who loses contact with everything around it: the person's entire
soul is in the hand of the Just God, the Thrice-Holy God,-rejected for all
eternity! This is the culminating moment, and God alone can test a soul in this
way, because He alone knows what the soul can endure.
When the soul has been saturated through and through by this infernal fire, it is, as it were, cast headlong into great despair. My soul experienced this moment when I was all alone in my cell. When my soul began to sink into this despair, I felt that the end was near. But I seized my little crucifix and clutched it tightly in my hand. And now I felt my body separate itself from my soul; and though I wanted to go to my Superiors, I no longer had the physical strength. I uttered my last words: "I trust in Your Mercy!"-and it seemed to me that I provoked God to an even greater anger. And now I was drowned in despair, and all that was left me was a moan of unadulterated pain which, from time to time, tore itself from my soul. The soul is in agony-and it seemed to me that I would remain in this state, because by my own strength I could not emerge from it. Every recollection of God opened up an unspeakable ocean of suffering, and yet despite this there is something within the soul which is drawn to Him, though it seems to her for this only-that she suffer more. The memory of the love with which God formerly surrounded it is still another kind of suffering. His gaze pierces it, and everything within the soul is burned by this gaze.
When the soul has been saturated through and through by this infernal fire, it is, as it were, cast headlong into great despair. My soul experienced this moment when I was all alone in my cell. When my soul began to sink into this despair, I felt that the end was near. But I seized my little crucifix and clutched it tightly in my hand. And now I felt my body separate itself from my soul; and though I wanted to go to my Superiors, I no longer had the physical strength. I uttered my last words: "I trust in Your Mercy!"-and it seemed to me that I provoked God to an even greater anger. And now I was drowned in despair, and all that was left me was a moan of unadulterated pain which, from time to time, tore itself from my soul. The soul is in agony-and it seemed to me that I would remain in this state, because by my own strength I could not emerge from it. Every recollection of God opened up an unspeakable ocean of suffering, and yet despite this there is something within the soul which is drawn to Him, though it seems to her for this only-that she suffer more. The memory of the love with which God formerly surrounded it is still another kind of suffering. His gaze pierces it, and everything within the soul is burned by this gaze.
102 After some time, one of the
sisters came into the cell and found me almost dead. She was frightened and
went to find the Directress of Novices who, in the name of holy obedience
ordered me to get up from the ground. My strength returned immediately, and I
got up, trembling. The Directress recognized immediately the state of my soul
and spoke to me about the inscrutable mercy of God, saying, "Do not be
distressed about anything, Sister. I command this of you in virtue of
obedience." Then she said to me, "I see now, Sister, that God is
calling you to a high degree of holiness; the Lord wants to draw you very close
to Himself since He has allowed these things to happen to you so soon. Be
faithful to God, Sister, because this is a sign that He wants you to have a
high place in heaven." However, I did not understand anything of these
words. When I went into the chapel, I felt as though my soul had been set free
from everything, as though I had just come forth from the hand of God. I
perceived the inviolability of my soul; I felt that I was a tiny child.
116 My Jesus, You know what my soul
goes through at the recollection of these sufferings. I have often marvelled
that the angels and saints hold their peace at the sight of a soul suffering
like that. Yet they have special love for us at such moments. My soul has often
cried out after God, as a little child who cries as loudly as he can when his
mother covers her face and he cannot recognize her. O my Jesus, honor and glory
to You for these trials of love! Great and incomprehensible is your mercy. All
that You intended for my soul, O Lord, is steeped in Your mercy.
118 The tongue is a small member,
but it does big things. A religious who does not keep silence will never attain
holiness; that is, she will never become a saint. Let her not delude
herself-unless it is the Spirit of God who is speaking through her, for then
she must not keep silent. But, in order to hear the voice of God, one has to
have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy silence, but an
interior silence; that is to say, recollection in God. One can speak a great
deal without breaking silence and, on the contrary, one can speak little and be
constantly breaking silence. Oh, what irreparable damage is done by the breach
of silence! We cause a lot of harm to our neighbor, but even more to our own
selves.
In my opinion, and according to my
experience, the rule concerning silence should stand in the very first place.
God does not give himself to a chattering soul which, like a drone in a
beehive, buzzes around but gathers no honey. A talkative soul is empty inside.
It lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper interior
life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells, is quite
out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner
silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others. I have seen
many souls in the depths of hell for not having kept their silence; they told
me so themselves when I asked them what was the cause of their undoing. These
were souls of religious. My God, what an agony it is to think that not only
might they have been in heaven, but they might even have become saints! O
Jesus, have mercy!
119 I tremble to think that I have to give an account of my
tongue. There is life, but there is also death in the tongue. Sometimes we kill
with the tongue: we commit real murders. And we are still to regard that as a
small thing? I truly do not understand such consciences. I have known a person
who, when she learned from someone that a certain thing was being said about
her, fell seriously ill. She lost a good deal of blood and shed many tears, and
the outcome was very sad. It was not the sword that did all this, but the
tongue. O my silent Jesus, have mercy on us!
133 +Once, one of the older Mothers
[probably Mother Jane[43]] summoned me, and it was as if fiery bolts
from the blue were coming down upon my head, so much so that I could not even
discover what it was all about. But after a while I understood that it was
about a matter over which I had no control whatsoever. She said to me,
"Get it out of your head, Sister, that the Lord Jesus might be communing
in such an intimate way with such a miserable bundle of imperfections as you!
Bear in mind that it is only with holy souls that the Lord Jesus communes in
this way!" I acknowledged that she was right, because I am indeed a
wretched person, but still I trust in God's mercy. When I met the Lord I
humbled myself and said, "Jesus, it seems that You do not associate
intimately with such wretched people as I" Be at peace, My daughter, it
is precisely through such misery that I want to show the power of My mercy.
I understood that this Mother had merely wanted to subject me to a [salutary]
humiliation.
154 Once, when there was adoration at the convent of the
Sisters of the Holy Family,[50] I went there in the evening with one of our
sisters. As soon as I entered the chapel, the presence of God filled my soul. I
prayed as I do at certain times, without saying a word. Suddenly, I saw the
Lord, who said to me, Know that if you neglect the matter of the painting of
the image and the whole work of mercy, you will have to answer for a multitude
of souls on the day of judgment. After these words of Our Lord, a certain
fear filled my soul, and alarm took hold of me. Try as 1 would, 1 could not
calm myself. These words kept resounding in my ears: So, 1 will not only have
to answer for myself on the day of judgment, but also for the souls of others.
These words cut deep into my heart. When I returned home, I went to the little
Jesus,[51] fell on my face before
the Blessed Sacrament and said to the Lord, "I will do everything in my
power, but I beg You to be always with me and to give me strength to do Your
holy will; for You can do everything, while I can do nothing of myself."
163 JMJ The Year 1937
General Exercises
+O Most Holy Trinity! As many times
as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood
pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your
mercy.
+I want to be completely transformed
into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of
all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart
and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be
merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for
what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be
merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent
to their pains and moaning. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so
that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort
and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may
be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my
neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be
merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue
and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may
be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will
refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will
abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of
Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest
upon me.
+You yourself command me to exercise
the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The
second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist
by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can
always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach
out physically.
O my Jesus, transform me into
Yourself, for you can do all things.
164 +JMJ Warsaw, 1933.
Probation Before Perpetual Vows[56]
When I learned I was to go for probation, my heart beat with joy
at the thought of such an immense grace, that of the perpetual vows. I went before
the Blessed Sacrament; and when I immersed myself in a prayer of thanksgiving,
I heard these words in my soul: My child you are My delight, you are
the comfort of My Heart. I grant you as many graces as you can hold. As
often as you want to make Me happy, speak to the world about My great
and unfathomable mercy.
167 Today [November, 1932], I
arrived in Warsaw for the third probation. After a cordial meeting with the
dear Mothers, I went into the small chapel for a moment. Suddenly God's
presence filled my soul, and I heard these words, My daughter, I desire that
your heart be formed after the model of My merciful Heart. You must be
completely imbued with My mercy.
177 +Renewal of vows. From the
moment I woke up in the morning, my spirit was totally submerged in God, in
that ocean of love. I felt that I had been completely immersed in Him. During
Holy Mass, my love for Him reached a peak of intensity. After the renewal of
vows and Holy Communion, I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me with great
kindness, My daughter, look at My merciful Heart. As I fixed my gaze on
the Most Sacred Heart, the same rays of light, as are represented in the image
as blood and water, came forth from it, and I understood how great is the
Lord's mercy. And again Jesus said to me with kindness, My daughter, speak
to priests about this inconceivable mercy of Mine. The flames of mercy are
burning Me-clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls;
souls just don't want to believe in My goodness. Suddenly Jesus
disappeared. But throughout that whole day my spirit remained immersed in God's
tangible presence, despite the buzz and chatter that usually follow a retreat.
It did not disturb me in the least. My spirit was in God, although externally I
took part in the conversations and even went to visit Derdy.[59]
178 Today we are beginning the third
probation. All three of us met at Mother Margaret's, as the other sisters were
having their probation in the novitiate. Mother Margaret began with a prayer,
explained to us what the third probation consists of, and then spoke on how
great is the grace of the perpetual vows. Suddenly I began to cry out loud. In
an instant all God's graces appeared before the eyes of my soul, and I saw
myself so wretched and ungrateful toward God. The sisters began to rebuke me,
saying, "Why did she break out crying?" But Mother Margaret came to
my defense, saying that she was not surprised.
At the end of the hour, I went before the Blessed Sacrament and, like the greatest and most miserable of wretches, I begged for His mercy that He might heal and purify my poor soul. Then I heard these words, My daughter, all your miseries have been consumed in the flame of My love, like a little twig thrown into a roaring fire. By humbling yourself in this way, you draw upon yourself and upon other souls an entire sea of My mercy. I answered, "Jesus, mold my poor heart according to Your divine delight."
At the end of the hour, I went before the Blessed Sacrament and, like the greatest and most miserable of wretches, I begged for His mercy that He might heal and purify my poor soul. Then I heard these words, My daughter, all your miseries have been consumed in the flame of My love, like a little twig thrown into a roaring fire. By humbling yourself in this way, you draw upon yourself and upon other souls an entire sea of My mercy. I answered, "Jesus, mold my poor heart according to Your divine delight."
180
+During Advent, a great yearning for God arose in my soul. My spirit rushed
toward God with all its might. During that time, the Lord gave me much light to
know His attributes.
The
first attribute which the Lord gave me to know is His holiness. His holiness is
so great that all the Powers and Virtues tremble before Him. The pure spirits
veil their faces and lose themselves in unending adoration, and with one single
word they express the highest form of adoration; that is-Holy... The holiness
of God is poured out upon the Church of God and upon every living soul in it,
but not in the same degree. There are souls who are completely penetrated by
God, and there are those who are barely alive.
The
second kind of knowledge which the Lord granted me concerns His justice. His
justice is so great and penetrating that it reaches deep into the heart of
things, and all things stand before Him in naked truth, and nothing can
withstand Him.
The
third attribute is love and mercy. And I understood that the greatest attribute
is love and mercy. It unites the creature with the Creator. This immense love
and abyss of mercy are made known in the Incarnation of the Word and in the
Redemption [of humanity], and it is here that I saw this as the greatest of all
God's attributes.
186 +Today Jesus said to me, I
desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls,
and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy
on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with
a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the
grace of conversion. This is the prayer:
187 "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You."
206 The next day, after Communion, I
heard the voice saying, My daughter, look into the abyss of My mercy and
give praise and glory to this mercy of Mine. Do it in this way: Gather all
sinners from the entire world and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. I want
to give Myself to souls; I yearn for souls, My daughter. On the day of My
feast, the Feast of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring
fainting souls to the spring of My mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them.
A Moment Before the Blessed Sacrament.
220 O my eternal Lord and Creator, how am I going to thank You for this great favor; namely, that You have deigned to choose miserable me to be Your betrothed and that You are to unite me to yourself in an eternal bond? O dearest Treasure of my heart, I offer You all the adoration and thanksgiving of the Saints and of all the choirs of Angels, and I unite myself in a special way with Your Mother. O Mary, my Mother, I humbly beg of You, cover my soul with Your virginal cloak at this very important moment of my life, so that thus I may become dearer to Your Son and may worthily praise Your Son's mercy before the whole world and throughout all eternity.
220 O my eternal Lord and Creator, how am I going to thank You for this great favor; namely, that You have deigned to choose miserable me to be Your betrothed and that You are to unite me to yourself in an eternal bond? O dearest Treasure of my heart, I offer You all the adoration and thanksgiving of the Saints and of all the choirs of Angels, and I unite myself in a special way with Your Mother. O Mary, my Mother, I humbly beg of You, cover my soul with Your virginal cloak at this very important moment of my life, so that thus I may become dearer to Your Son and may worthily praise Your Son's mercy before the whole world and throughout all eternity.
223 O living Host, my one and only
strength, fountain of love and mercy, embrace the whole world, fortify faint
souls. Oh, blessed be the instant and the moment when Jesus left us His most
merciful Heart!
224 To suffer without complaining, to bring comfort to
others and to drown my own sufferings in the most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
I will spend all my free moments at the feet of [Our Lord in] the Blessed Sacrament. At the feet of Jesus, I will seek light, comfort and strength. I will show my gratitude unceasingly to God for His great mercy towards me, never forgetting the favors He has bestowed on me, especially the grace of a vocation. I will hide myself among the sisters like a little violet among lilies. I want to blossom for my Lord and Maker, to forget about myself, to empty myself totally for the sake of immortal souls-this is my delight.
I will spend all my free moments at the feet of [Our Lord in] the Blessed Sacrament. At the feet of Jesus, I will seek light, comfort and strength. I will show my gratitude unceasingly to God for His great mercy towards me, never forgetting the favors He has bestowed on me, especially the grace of a vocation. I will hide myself among the sisters like a little violet among lilies. I want to blossom for my Lord and Maker, to forget about myself, to empty myself totally for the sake of immortal souls-this is my delight.
225
As regards Holy Confession, I shall choose what costs and humiliates me most.
Sometimes a trifle costs more than something greater. I will call to mind the
Passion of Jesus at each confession, to arouse my heart to contrition. Insofar
as possible with the grace of God, I will always practice perfect contrition. I
will devote more time to this contrition. Before I approach the confessional, I
shall first enter the open and most merciful Heart of the Savior. When I leave
the confessional, I shall rouse in my soul great gratitude to the Holy Trinity
for this wonderful and inconceivable miracle of mercy that is wrought in my
soul. And the more miserable my soul is, the more I feel the ocean of God's
mercy engulfing me and giving me strength and great power.
229
+At the beginning of the retreat, Jesus told me, During this retreat, I
myself will direct your soul. I want to confirm you in peace and love. And
so the first few days passed by. On the fourth day, doubts began to trouble me:
Is not this tranquillity of mine false? Then I heard these words, My
daughter, imagine that you are the sovereign of all the world and have the
power to dispose of all things according to your good pleasure. You have the
power to do all the good you want, and suddenly a little child knocks on your
door, all trembling and in tears and, trusting in your kindness, asks for a
piece of bread lest he die of starvation. What would you do for this child?
Answer Me, my daughter. And I said, "Jesus, I would give the child all
it asked and a thousand times more. "And the Lord said to me, That is
how I am treating your soul. In this retreat I am giving you, not only peace,
but also such a disposition of soul that even if you wanted to experience
uneasiness you could not do so. My love has taken possession of your soul, and
I want you to be confirmed in it. Bring your ear close to My Heart, forget
everything else, and meditate upon My wondrous mercy. My love will give you the
strength and courage you need in these matters.
237
Holy Hour. During this hour of adoration, I saw the abyss of my misery;
whatever there is of good in me is Yours, O Lord. But because I am so small and
wretched, I have a right to count on Your boundless mercy.
239
Prayer during the Mass on the day of the perpetual vows. Today I place my heart
on the paten where Your Heart has been placed, O Jesus, and today I offer
myself together with You to God, Your Father and mine, as a sacrifice of love
and praise. Father of Mercy, look upon the sacrifice of my heart, but through
the wound in the Heart of Jesus.
249 +Jesus, I trust in You; I trust
in the ocean of your mercy. You are a Mother to me.
256 +Thank You, Jesus, for the great favor of
making known to me the whole abyss of my misery. I know that I am an abyss of
nothingness and that, if Your holy grace did not hold me up, I would return to
nothingness in a moment. And so, with every beat of my heart, I thank You, my
God, for Your great mercy towards me.
272 But previously, this priest had
put me through many trials. When I told him that the Lord wanted these things
of me [that is, the painting of the image, the establishing of a feast of The
Divine Mercy, and the founding of a new community], he laughed at me and told
me to come to confession at eight in the evening. When I came at eight, a
brother was already locking the church. When I told him that Father had ordered
me to come at that time and asked him to let Father know I was there, the good
brother went to let him know. Father told him to tell me that priests do not
hear confessions at that time of day. I returned home emptyhanded and did not
go to confession to him again, but I made a whole hour's adoration and took on
certain mortifications for him, that he might obtain light from God in order to
know souls. But when Father Sopocko left, and he substituted for him, I was
forced to go to confession to him. Yet, while previously he had been unwilling
to acknowledge these inner inspirations, he now put me under obligation to be
faithful to them. God lets such things happen sometimes, but may He be
glorified in everything. Still, it requires much grace not to falter.
275 Jesus loves hidden souls. A
hidden flower is the most fragrant. I must strive to make the interior of my
soul a resting place for the Heart of Jesus. In difficult and painful moments,
O my Creator, I sing You a hymn of trust, for bottomless is the abyss of my
trust in You and in Your mercy!
280 Jesus
commanded me to celebrate the Feast of God's Mercy on the first Sunday after
Easter. [This I did] through interior recollection and exterior mortification,
wearing the belt for three hours and praying continuously for sinners and for
mercy on the whole world. And Jesus said to me, My eyes rest with pleasure
upon this house today.
281 I
feel certain that my mission will not come to an end upon my death, but will
begin. O doubting souls, I will draw aside for you the veils of heaven to convince
you of God's goodness, so that you will no longer continue to wound with your
distrust the sweetest Heart of Jesus. God is Love and Mercy.
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.
283 I want to love You as no human
soul has ever loved You before; and although I am utterly miserable and small,
I have nevertheless cast the anchor of my trust deep down into the abyss of
Your mercy, O my God and Creator! In spite of my great misery I fear nothing,
but hope to sing You a hymn of glory forever. Let no soul, even the most
miserable, fall prey to doubt; for, as long as one is alive, each one can become
a great saint, so great is the power of God's grace. It remains only for us not
to oppose God's action.
286 +Once, after an adoration for
our country, a pain pierced my soul, and I began to pray in this way:
"Most merciful Jesus, I beseech You through the intercession of Your
Saints, and especially the intercession of Your dearest Mother who nurtured You
from childhood, bless my native land. I beg You, Jesus, look not on our sins,
but on the tears of little children, on the hunger and cold they suffer. Jesus,
for the sake of these innocent ones, grant me the grace that I am asking of You
for my country." At that moment, I saw the Lord Jesus, His eyes filled
with tears, and He said to me, You see, My daughter, what great compassion I
have for them. Know that it is they who uphold the world.
294 +Once the Lord said to me, Act like a beggar who does not back
away when he gets more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more
fervently. You too should not back away and say that you are not worthy of
receiving greater graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy, but
rejoice all the more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry,
for then you will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing: Take
these graces not only for yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the
souls with whom you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I
love those souls who have complete confidence in Me. I will do everything for
them.
299 When, on one occasion, my confessor
told me to ask the Lord Jesus the meaning of the two rays in the image,[77] I answered, "Very well, I will ask the
Lord."
During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls...
These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.
These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy.
During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls...
These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.
These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy.
300 +Ask of my faithful servant
[Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole world of My great mercy;
that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete
remission of sins and punishment.
+Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
+Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness.
My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
+Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
+Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness.
My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
301 Proclaim that mercy is the
greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.
302 +O Eternal Love, I want all the
souls You have created to come to know You. I would like to be a priest, for
then I would speak without cease about Your mercy to sinful souls drowned in
despair. I would like to be a missionary and carry the light of faith to savage
nations in order to make You known to souls, and to be completely consumed for
them and to die a martyr's death, just as You died for them and for me. O
Jesus, I know only too well that I can be a priest, a missionary, a preacher,
and that I can die a martyr's death by completely emptying myself and denying myself
for love of You, O Jesus, and of immortal souls.
305
It is my greatest desire that souls should recognize You as their eternal
happiness, that they should come to believe in Your goodness and glorify Your
infinite mercy.
308 1934,
Holy Thursday. Jesus said to me, I desire that you make an offering of
yourself for sinners and especially far those souls who have lost hope in God's
mercy.
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!"
S. M. Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament
Holy Thursday, during Holy Mass, March 29, 1934.
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!"
S. M. Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament
Holy Thursday, during Holy Mass, March 29, 1934.
319 August
9, 1934. Night adoration on Thursdays.[79] I made my hour of adoration from eleven
o'clock till midnight. I offered it for the conversion of hardened sinners,
especially for those who have lost hope in God's mercy. I was reflecting on how
much God had suffered and on how great was the love He had shown for us, and on
the fact that we still do not believe that God loves us so much. O Jesus, who
can understand this? What suffering it is for our Savior! How can He convince
us of His love if even His death cannot convince us? I called upon the whole of
heaven to join me in making amends to the Lord for the ingratitude of certain
souls.
320 Jesus
made known to me how very pleasing to Him were prayers of atonement. He said to
me, The prayer of a humble and loving soul disarms the anger of My Father
and draws down an ocean of blessings. After the adoration, half way to my
cell, I was surrounded by a , pack of huge black dogs who were jumping and
howling and trying to tear me to pieces. I realized that they were not dogs,
but demons. One of them spoke up in a rage, "Because you have snatched so
many souls away from us this night, we will tear you to pieces." I
answered, "If that is the will of the most merciful God, tear me to
pieces, for I have justly deserved it, because I am the most miserable of all
sinners, and God is ever holy, just, and infinitely merciful." To these
words all the demons answered as one, "Let us flee, for she is not alone;
the Almighty is with her!" And they vanished like dust, like the noise of
the road, while I continued on my way to my cell undisturbed, finishing my Te
Deum and pondering the infinite and unfathomable mercy of God.
364 +Once I was asked to pray for a
certain soul. I decided at once to make a novena to the Merciful Lord to which
I added a mortification; namely, that I would wear chains [86] on both legs throughout Holy Mass. I had
been doing this already for three days when I went to confession and told my
spiritual director that I had undertaken this mortification, presuming
permission to do so. I had thought he would not object, but I heard the
contrary; that is, that I should do nothing without permission. O my Jesus, so
it was willfulness again! But my falls do not discourage me; I know very well
that 1 am misery [itself]. Because of the condition of my health I did not
receive this permission, and my spiritual director was surprised that I had
been allowing myself greater mortifications without his permission. I asked
pardon for my self-willfulness, or rather for having presumed permission, and I
asked him to change this mortification for another one.
376 My Jesus, I trust that Your grace will help me to carry out
these resolutions. Although the above points are contained in the vow of
obedience, I want to practice these things in a special way, because this is
the essence of the religious life. Merciful Jesus, I beg You fervently to
enlighten my mind so that I may come to know You better, You who are the
Infinite Being, and that I may get to know myself better, who am nothingness
itself.
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.
383 At the beginning of the retreat,
I saw, on the ceiling of the chapel, Jesus nailed to the Cross. He was looking
at the sisters with great love, but not at all of them. There were three sisters
at whom Jesus looked severely, for what reasons I do not know. I only know what
a terrible thing it is to meet with such a look, which is the look of a severe
Judge. That look was not directed at me, and yet I was paralyzed with terror. I
still tremble as I write these words. I did not dare to say so much as a single
word to Jesus. My physical strength failed me, and I thought I would not live
to the end of the conference. The next day, I saw the same thing again, just as
I had seen it the first time, and this time I dared to speak these words:
"Jesus, how great is Your mercy!"
465
Jesus, my Life, how well I feel that You are transforming me into Yourself, in
the secrecy of my soul where the senses can no longer perceive much. O my
Savior, conceal me completely in the depths of Your Heart and shield me with
Your rays against everything that is not You. I beg You, Jesus, let the two
rays that have issued from Your most merciful Heart continuously nourish my
soul.
491
When I entered the chapel, once again the majesty of God overwhelmed me. I felt
that I was immersed in God, totally immersed in Him and penetrated by Him,
being aware of how much the heavenly Father loves us. Oh, what great happiness
fills my heart from knowing God and the divine life! It is my desire to share
this happiness with all people. I cannot keep this happiness locked in my own
heart alone, for His flames burn me and cause my bosom and my entrails to burst
asunder. I desire to go throughout the whole world and speak to souls about the
great mercy of God. Priests, help me in this; use the strongest words [at your
disposal] to proclaim His mercy, for every word falls short of how merciful He
really is.
609 I said to Him, "I know that
You are my Lord and Creator even though You are so tiny." Jesus stretched
His little arms out to me and looked at me with a smile. My spirit was filled
with incomparable joy. Then suddenly Jesus disappeared, and it was time for
Holy Communion. I went with the other sisters to the Holy Table, my soul deeply
moved. After Holy Communion, I heard these words in my soul: I am in your
heart, I whom you had in your arms. I then pleaded with Jesus for a certain
soul [Father Sopocko], asking the Lord to grant him the grace to fight, and to
take this trial from him. As you ask, so shall it be, but his merit will not
be lessened. Joy reigned in my soul that God is so good and merciful; God
grants everything that we ask of Him with trust.
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.
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.
635 March 25. In the morning, during
meditation, God's presence enveloped me in a special way, as I saw the immeasurable
greatness of God and, at the same time, His condescension to His creatures.
Then I saw the Mother of God, who said to me, Oh, how pleasing to God is the
soul that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! I gave the Savior
to the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about His great mercy
and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a
merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined
is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it.
Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for [granting]
mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of
souls on that terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the end. I sympathize
with you.
650 O my Jesus, my Master and
Director, strengthen and enlighten me in these difficult moments of my life. I
expect no help from people; all my hope is in You. I feel alone in the face of
Your demands, O Lord. Despite the fears and qualms of my nature, I am
fulfilling Your holy will and desire to fulfill it as faithfully as possible
throughout my life and in my death. Jesus, with You I can do all things. Do
with me as You please; only give me Your merciful Heart and that is enough for
me.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before all ages happen to me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will. Enlighten my mind that I may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul, You know that I desire nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food of my soul, the light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will; for when I unite myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me and takes the place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's wishes.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before all ages happen to me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will. Enlighten my mind that I may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul, You know that I desire nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food of my soul, the light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will; for when I unite myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me and takes the place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's wishes.
660 O my Jesus, on the day of the last judgment, You will
demand from me an account of this work of mercy. O just Judge, but my Spouse as
well, help me to do Your holy will. O mercy, O divine virtue!
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, my Betrothed, make my heart like unto Yours.
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, my Betrothed, make my heart like unto Yours.
692 + O Jesus, I understand that
Your mercy is beyond all imagining, and therefore I ask You to make my heart so
big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on the
face of the earth. O Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls
suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of
indulgenced prayers. God's mercy is unfathomable and inexhaustible, just as God
himself is unfathomable. Even if I were to use the strongest words there are to
express this mercy of God, all this would be nothing in comparison with what it
is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my
neighbor, whether of body or of soul. O my Jesus, I know that You act toward us
as we act toward our neighbor.
My Jesus, make my heart like unto
Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to everyone.
703 At present, the topic of my
particular examen is my union with the Merciful Christ. This practice gives me
unusual strength; my heart is always united with the One it desires, and its
actions are regulated by mercy, which flows from love.
728 + I have chosen Saint Claude de la Colombiere and Saint
Gertrude as my patron saints for this retreat, that they may intercede for me
before the Mother of God and the merciful Savior.
733 It sometimes happens, while I am listening to the
meditation, that one word puts me in very close union with the Lord, and I no longer
know what Father [144] is saying. I know that I am close to the
most merciful Heart of Jesus; my whole spirit is entirely plunged in Him, and
in one moment I learn more than during long hours of intellectual inquiry and
meditation. These are sudden lights which permit me to know things as God sees
them, regarding matters of both the interior and the exterior world.
813 + O merciful Jesus, stretched on the cross, be mindful
of the hour of our death. O most merciful Heart of Jesus, opened with a lance,
shelter me at the last moment of my life. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth
from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of unfathomable mercy for me at the hour of
my death, O dying Jesus, Hostage of mercy, avert the Divine wrath at the hour
of my death.
825
+ O bright and clear day on which all my dreams will be fulfilled; O day so
eagerly desired, the last day of my life! I look forward with joy to the last
stroke the Divine Artist will trace on my soul, which will give my soul a
unique beauty that will distinguish me from the beauty of other souls. O great
day, on which divine love will be confirmed in me. On that day, for the first
time, I shall sing before heaven and earth the song of the Lord's fathomless
mercy. This is my work and the mission which the Lord has destined for me from
the beginning of the world. That the song of my soul may be pleasing to the Holy
Trinity, do You, O Spirit of God, direct and form my soul yourself. I arm
myself with patience and await Your coming, O merciful God, and as to the
terrible pains and fear of death, at this moment more than at any other time, I
trust in the abyss of Your mercy and am reminding You, O merciful Jesus, sweet
Savior, of all the promises You have made to me.
832
O merciful Jesus, how longingly You hurried to the Upper Room to consecrate the
Host that I am to receive in my life. Jesus, You desired to dwell in my heart.
Your living Blood unites with mine. Who can understand this close union? My
heart encloses within itself the Almighty, the Infinite One. 0 Jesus, continue
to grant me Your divine life. Let Your pure and noble Blood throb with all its
might in my heart. I give You my whole being. Transform me into Yourself and
make me capable of doing Your holy will in all things and of returning Your
love. O my sweet Spouse, You know that my heart knows no one but You. You have
opened up in my heart an insatiable depth of love for You. From the very first
moment it knew You, my heart has loved You and has lost itself in You as its
one and only object. May Your pure and omnipotent love be the driving force of
all my actions. Who will ever conceive and understand the depth of mercy that
has gushed forth from Your Heart?
836 O most sweet Jesus, who have
deigned to allow miserable me to gain a knowledge of Your unfathomable mercy; O
most sweet Jesus, who have graciously demanded that I tell the whole world of
Your incomprehensible mercy, this day I take into my hands the two rays that
spring from Your merciful Heart; that is, the Blood and the Water; and I
scatter them all over the globe so that each soul may receive Your mercy and,
having received it, may glorify it for endless ages. O most sweet Jesus who, in
Your incomprehensible kindness, have deigned to unite my wretched heart to Your
most merciful Heart, it is with Your own Heart that I glorify God, our Father,
as no soul has ever glorified Him before.
853 In the evening, a great longing
took possession of my soul. I took the pamphlet with the Image of the Merciful
Jesus on it and pressed it to my heart, and the following words burst forth
from my soul: "Jesus, Eternal Love, I live for You, I die for You, and I
want to become united with You." Suddenly I saw the Lord in His
inexpressible beauty. He looked at me graciously and said, My daughter, I
too came down from heaven out of love for you; I lived for you, I died for you,
and I created the heavens for you. And Jesus pressed me to His Heart and
said to me, Very soon now; be at peace, My daughter.When I was alone, my
soul was set afire with the desire to suffer until the moment when the Lord
would say, "Enough." And even if I were to live for thousands of
years, I see in the light of God that that is but one moment. Souls
...[unfinished thought].
854 December 29, [1936]. Today after Holy Communion, I heard
a voice in my soul: My daughter, stand ready, for I will come unexpectedly. Jesus,
You do not want to tell me the hour I am looking forward to with such longing?
My daughter, it is for your own good. You will learn it, but not now; keep
watch. O Jesus, do with me as You please. I know You are the merciful
Savior and You will not change towards me at the hour of my death. If at this
time you are showing me so much special love, and are condescending to unite
Yourself with me is such an intimate way and with such great kindness, I expect
even more at the hour of my death. You, my Lord-God, cannot change. You are
always the same. Heaven can change, as well as everything that is created; but
You, Lord, are ever the same and will endure forever. So come as You like and
when You like. Father of infinite mercy, I, Your child, wait longingly for Your
coming. O Jesus, You said in the Holy Gospel, "Out of your mouth do I
judge you." Well, Jesus, I am always speaking of Your inconceivable mercy,
so I trust that You will judge me according to Your unfathomable mercy.
886
January 15, 1937. Sorrow will not establish itself in a heart which loves the
will of God. My heart, longing for God, feels the whole misery of exile. I keep
going forward bravely-though my feet become wounded-to my homeland and, on the
way, I nourish myself on the will of God. It is my food. Help me, happy
inhabitants of the heavenly homeland, so that your sister may not falter on the
way. Although the desert is fearful, I walk with lifted head and eyes fixed on
the sun; that is to say, on the merciful Heart of Jesus.
893 January
22, [1937]. Today is Friday. My soul is in a sea of suffering. Sinners have
taken everything away from me. But that is all right; I have given everything
away for their sake that they might know that You are good and infinitely
merciful. I shall be faithful to You, come rain or shine.
906
+ In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent Heart of Jesus,
stretched upon the Cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful Heart,
will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.
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.
1065 + My Jesus, support me when
difficult and stormy days come, days of testing, days of ordeal, when suffering
and fatigue begin to oppress my body and my soul. Sustain me, Jesus, and give
me strength to bear suffering. Set a guard upon my lips that they may address
no word of complaint to creatures. Your most merciful Heart is all my hope. I
have nothing for my defense but only Your mercy; in it lies all my trust.
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.
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.
1122 God of great mercy, who deigned
to send us Your only begotten Son as the greatest proof of Your fathomless love
and mercy, You do not reject sinners; but in Your boundless mercy You have
opened for them also Your treasures, treasures from which they can draw
abundantly, not only justification, but also all the sanctity that a soul can
attain. Father of great mercy, I desire that all hearts turn with confidence to
Your infinite mercy. No one will be justified before You if he is not
accompanied by Your unfathomable mercy. When You reveal the mystery of Your
mercy to us, there will not be enough of eternity to properly thank You for it.
1138
May 31. My tormented soul finds aid nowhere but in You, O Living Host. I place
all my trust in Your merciful heart. I am waiting patiently for Your word,
Lord.
1155
The Lord gave me knowledge of His will under three aspects, so to speak, but it
all comes down to one. [198]
The first is that souls separated from the world will burn as an offering before God's throne and beg for mercy for the whole world... and by their entreaties they will obtain blessings for priests, and through their prayers prepare the world for the final coming of Jesus.
The first is that souls separated from the world will burn as an offering before God's throne and beg for mercy for the whole world... and by their entreaties they will obtain blessings for priests, and through their prayers prepare the world for the final coming of Jesus.
1156
The second is prayer joined to the act of mercy. In particular, they will
defend the souls of children against the spirit of evil. Prayer and merciful
deeds are all that will be required of these souls, and even the poorest
persons can be admitted to their number. And in this egoistic world they will
try to rouse up love, the mercy of Jesus.
1157
The third is prayer and deeds of mercy, without any obligation of taking vows.
But by doing this, these persons will have a share in all the merits and
privileges of the whole [congregation]. Everyone in the world can belong to
this group.
1158 A member of this group ought to perform at least one
act of mercy a day; at least one, but there can be many more, for such deeds
can easily be carried out by anyone, even the very poorest. For there are three
ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by
comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray-that too is mercy;
and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged
from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict.
1159 God's floodgates have been opened for us. Let us want
to take advantage of them before the day of God's justice arrives. And that
will be a dreadful day!
1177 Particular examen.
Continuation of the same: to unite myself with the merciful Christ. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, I will entreat the heavenly Father for the whole world. A point of the rule: strict observance of silence.
I must probe the depth of my being and thank God for everything, uniting myself with Jesus. With Him, in Him, and through Him, I give glory to God.
Continuation of the same: to unite myself with the merciful Christ. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, I will entreat the heavenly Father for the whole world. A point of the rule: strict observance of silence.
I must probe the depth of my being and thank God for everything, uniting myself with Jesus. With Him, in Him, and through Him, I give glory to God.
1178 O Lord, my Love, I thank You for this day on which You
have allowed me to draw a wealth of graces from the fountain of Your
unfathomable mercy. O Jesus, not only today, but at every moment, I draw from
Your unfathomable mercy everything that the soul and body could want.
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
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
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-1, 2, 5, 49-50, 56, 66, 69, 72-73, 78)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-81, 83-85, 88, 94-95, 101-102, 116)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-118-119, 133, 154, 163-164, 167, 177)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-180, 186-187, 206, 220, 223-225, 229 )
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-237, 239, 249, 256, 272, 275, 280-283)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-286, 294, 299-302, 305, 308-309, 320)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-364, 376, 383, 465, 491)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-609, 615, 635, 650, 660, 692, 703, 728)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-733, 813, 825, 832, 836, 853-854, 886)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-893, 906, 938)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1065, 1074-1076, 1122, 1138, 1155)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1156-1159, 1177-1178, 1183-1184)
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