Looking for Jesus in the Wrong Place
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March 26, 2016. Holy Saturday
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Liturgical note:
There is no liturgy for Holy Saturday. Christian tradition has the Church
waiting at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. Today’s
meditation is taken from the Gospel reading for Easter Sunday at the Easter
Vigil.
Luke 24:1-12
At daybreak on the
first day of the week the women took the spices they had prepared and went to
the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they
entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were
puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them,
"Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he
has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise
on the third day." And they remembered his words. Then they returned
from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the
others. The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, but their
story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them. But Peter got up
and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went
home amazed at what had happened.
Introductory Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I
contemplate the tomb of Your Son who has loved us to the end. In the silence
of this Holy Saturday, I meditate and prepare myself for the Resurrection. I
come to You in quiet, expectant prayer, patiently awaiting the new dawn of
Easter, knowing that what seems like defeat is really the victory of life.
Help me to grasp the magnitude of Your death and resurrection.
Petition: Jesus, grant me the grace to understand in a
deeper way the glory of Your resurrection.
1. A Day with
Mary: Much has happened in
the last few days. The Sabbath dawns serenely, quietly. Today is a day to
wait quietly with Mary, to meditate slowly with her, to go to a lonely place
and contemplate the Lord’s death while holding her hand. Holy Saturday is a
day to take it all in. It is a day of sorrow and of hope. We must not let
Holy Saturday pass by as just another day, as just the day in between Good
Friday and Easter Sunday. It is a day of quiet contemplation with the Mother
of God.
2. The Other Side of
the Resurrection: From our vantage
point, it’s easy to forget that for the apostles and the disciples of the
Lord, all seemed over. Jesus was dead. There was something powerfully
definitive about that “It is finished” Jesus had pronounced from the cross.
They would no more hear his voice, feel the power of his preaching, or see
the marvels of his works. For them there was no resurrection, only passion
and death. The women were preparing everything to finish the task of
anointing Jesus’ dead body. We must contemplate this day from the other side
of the Resurrection.
3. Prayer Gives us
the Answers to Life: Only
in this silent contemplation will the apostles be able to see how it all fits
together. Jesus had told them all that would happen to him, including his
resurrection. Jesus had spoken plainly to them, yet their minds were not
prepared to understand. It is only in the silence of this day, accompanied by
Mary, that they could hope to understand what Jesus had told them. It is the
same for us; we must remember Christ’s words with Mary because oftentimes our
minds too are closed. Many times we think we know who Jesus is and what he is
teaching us, but really it doesn’t enter our heart. We must listen carefully
to what he tells us in the Gospels so as to comprehend the deeper meaning of
his words. We must do this with Mary and allow her to help us.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, the
silence of this day helps me to ponder in my heart all You have accomplished
for me during the past few days. I know that the silence of Holy Saturday is
not a silence of despair and hopelessness, but rather a silence of great
expectation ready to burst forth in the overwhelming joy of Easter. I will go
to the tomb with the holy women, not to anoint Your dead body, but to rejoice
with the angels as they proclaim, “He is not here. He has risen!”
Resolution: I will try to keep as much prayerful silence
as I am able today in order to prepare well for the joy of Easter.
Excerpts
from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
205 +The Resurrection. Today, during the
[Mass of the] Resurrection, I saw the Lord Jesus in the midst of a great
light. He approached me and said, Peace be to you, My children, and He
lifted up His hand and gave His blessing. The wounds in His hands, feet and
side were indelible and shining. When He looked at me with such kindness and
love, my whole soul drowned itself in Him. And He said to me, You have
taken a great part in My Passion; therefore I now give you a great share in
My joy and glory. The whole time of the Resurrection [Mass] seemed like
only a minute to me. A wondrous recollection filled my soul and lasted
throughout the whole festal season. The kindness of Jesus is so great that I
cannot express it.
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.
526 + The 14th. This Thursday, when we were
having nocturnal adoration, at first I could not pray; a sort of dryness
engulfed me. I could not meditate on Jesus' sorrowful Passion. So I lay
prostrate and offered the most sorrowful Passion of the Lord Jesus to the
heavenly Father in reparation for the sins of all the world. When I got to my
feet after this prayer and walked to my kneeler, I suddenly saw Jesus next to
it. The Lord Jesus appeared as He was during the scourging. In His hands He
was holding a white garment with which He clothed me and a cord with which He
girded me, and He covered me with a red cloak like the one He was clothed
with during His Passion and a veil of the same color, and He said to me, This is how you and your companions
are going to be clothed. My life from birth to death on the Cross will be the
rule for you. Fix your eyes upon Me and live according to what you see. I
desire that you penetrate into My spirit more deeply and understand that I am
meek and humble of heart.
591 Jesus, You know how ardently I desire
to hide so that no one may know me but Your sweetest Heart. I want to be a
tiny violet, hidden in the grass, unknown in a magnificent enclosed garden in
which beautiful lilies and roses grow. The beautiful rose and the lovely lily
can be seen from afar, but in order to see a little violet, one has to bend
low; only its scent gives it away. Oh, how happy I am to be able to hide
myself in this way! O my divine Bridegroom, the flower of my heart and the
scent of my pure love are for You. My soul has drowned itself in You, Eternal
God. From the moment when You yourself drew me to yourself, O my Jesus, the
more I have known You, the more ardently I have desired You.
592 I learned in the Heart of Jesus that in heaven itself there is a heaven to which not all, but only chosen souls, have access. Incomprehensible is the happiness in which the soul will be immersed. O my God, oh, that I could describe this, even in some little degree. Souls are penetrated by His divinity and pass from brightness to brightness, an unchanging light, but never monotonous, always new though never changing. O Holy Trinity, make yourself known to souls! 593 O my Jesus, nothing is better for the soul than humiliations. In contempt is the secret of happiness, when the soul recognizes that, of itself, it is only wretchedness and nothingness, and that whatever it possesses of good is a gift of God. When the soul sees that everything is given it freely and that the only thing it has of itself is its own misery, this is what sustains it in a continual act of humble prostration before the majesty of God. And God, seeing the soul in such a disposition, pursues it with His graces. As the soul continues to immerse itself more deeply into the abyss of its nothingness and need, God uses His omnipotence to exalt it. If there is a truly happy soul upon earth, it can only be a truly humble soul. At first, one's self-love suffers greatly on this account, but after a soul has struggled courageously, God grants it much light by which it sees how wretched and full of deception everything is. God alone is in its heart. A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God. God defends the humble soul and lets Himself into its secrets, and the soul abides in unsurpassable happiness which no one can comprehend.
+ J.M.J. February 12, 1937
+ The Love of God is the flower - Mercy the fruit. 949 Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and become trusting. [171] Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, fount gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, crown of all of God's handiwork, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You. 950 + Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
951 + O incomprehensible and limitless
Mercy Divine, To extol and adore You worthily, who can? Supreme attribute of
Almighty God, You are the sweet hope for sinful man.
Into one hymn yourselves unite, stars, earth and sea, and in one accord, thankfully and fervently sing of the incomprehensible Divine Mercy.
954 Today after Holy Communion, the Lord
told me, My daughter,
My delight is to unite myself with you. It is when you submit yourself to My
will that you give Me the greatest glory and draw down upon yourself a sea of
blessings. I would not take such special delight in you if you were not
living by my will. O my sweet Guest, I am prepared for all
sacrifices for Your sake, but You know that I am weakness itself.
Nevertheless, with You I can do all things. O my Jesus, I beseech You, be
with me at each instant.
955 February 15, 1937. Today, I heard these
words in my soul: Host
pleasing to My Father, know, My daughter, that the entire Holy Trinity finds
Its special delight in you, because you live exclusively by the will of God.
No sacrifice can compare with this.
956 + After these words, the knowledge of
God's will came to me; that is to say, I now see everything from a higher
point of view and accept all events and things, pleasant and unpleasant, with
love, as tokens of the heavenly Father's special affection.
957 The pure offering of my will will burn
on the altar of love. That my sacrifice may be perfect, I unite myself
closely with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. When great sufferings will
cause my nature to tremble, and my physical and spiritual strength will
diminish, then will I hide myself deep in the open wound of the Heart of
Jesus, silent as a dove, without complaint. Let all my desires, even the
holiest, noblest and most beautiful, take always the last place and Your holy
will, the very first. The least of Your desires, O Lord, is more precious to
me than heaven, with all its treasures. I know very well that people will not
understand me; that is why my sacrifice will be purer in Your eyes.
965 Jesus looked at me and said, Souls
perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of
salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy,
they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls
about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice,
is near.
966 + Today, I heard in my soul these words: My daughter, it is time for you to take action; I am with you. Great persecutions and sufferings are in store for you, but be comforted by the thought that many souls will be saved and sanctified by this work.
1017 The Lord said to me, I
want to give myself to souls and to fill them with My love, but few there are
who want to accept all the graces My love has intended for them. My grace is
not lost; if the soul for whom it was intended does not accept it, another
soul takes it.
1058 + At three o'clock, I prayed
prostrate, in the form of a cross, for the whole world. Jesus' mortal life
was coming to an end. I heard His seven words; then He looked at me and said,
Beloved daughter of My Heart, you are My solace amidst terrible torments.
1059 Jesus is commanding me to make a novena before the Feast of Mercy, and today I am to begin it for the conversion of the whole world and for the recognition of The Divine Mercy... so that every soul will praise My goodness. I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy. 1060 When Jesus had given up His last breath, my soul dissolved from the pain, and for a long time I could not come to myself. I found some relief in tears. The One whom my heart had come to love has died. Will anyone understand my grief? 1061 In the evening, over the radio, I heard hymns; that is, psalms, sung by priests. [185] I burst into tears, and all of the pain was renewed in my soul, and I wept sorrowfully, unable to find appeasement in this pain. Then I heard a voice in my soul: Do not cry; I am not suffering any more. And for the faithfulness with which you accompanied Me in My sufferings and death, your own death will be a solemn one, and I will accompany you in that last hour. Beloved pearl of My Heart, I see your love so pure, purer than that of the angels, and all the more so because you keep fighting. For your sake I bless the world. I see your efforts to please Me, and they delight My Heart. After these words, I wept no more, but thanked the heavenly Father for having sent us His Son and for the work of the Redemption of mankind.
1074 When I went for adoration, I
heard these words: My beloved daughter, write down these words, that today
My Heart has rested in this convent [the Cracow house]. Tell the world
about My mercy and My love.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them! My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace. Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
1075 Souls who spread the honor
of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her
infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the
Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend
itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed
itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it.
1076 Write this: Everything that exists is enclosed in the bowels of My mercy, more deeply than an infant in its mother's womb. How painfully distrust of My goodness wounds Me! Sins of distrust wound Me most painfully.
1265 Prayer. O Jesus, stretched
out upon the cross, I implore You, give me the grace of doing faithfully the
most holy will of Your Father, in all things, always and everywhere. And when
this will of God will seem to me very harsh and difficult to fulfill, it is
then I beg You, Jesus, may power and strength flow upon me from Your wounds,
and may my lips keep repeating, "Your will be done, O Lord." O
Savior of the world, Lover of man's salvation, who in such terrible torment and
pain forget Yourself to think only of the salvation of souls, O most
compassionate Jesus, grant me the grace to forget myself that I may live
totally for souls, helping You in the work of salvation, according to the
most holy will of Your Father....
1667 Holy Saturday [April 16, 1938]. During
adoration, the Lord said to me, Be
at peace, My daughter. This Work of mercy is Mine; there is nothing of you in
it. It pleases Me that you are carrying out faithfully what I have commanded
you to do, not adding or taking away a single word. And He
gave me an interior light by which I learned that not a single word was mine;
despite difficulties and adversities, I have always, always, fulfilled His
will, as He has made it known to me.
1668 The Resurrection. Before the Mass of the Resurrection, I felt so weak
that I lost all hope of participating in the procession which takes place in
the church; and I said to the Lord, "Jesus, if my prayers are pleasing
to You, give me the strength for this moment that I may take part in the
procession." At that same instant, I felt strong and certain that I
could go along with the sisters in the procession.
(Diary of Sister Faustina
Kowalska Notebook-I-1-2, 24, 205-206)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-526, 591-593, 949-951)
(Diary of Sister Faustina
Kowalska Notebook-II-954-957, 965 966)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1017, 1058-1061,
1074-1076)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1265)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1667-1668) |
Marso 26, 2016
Looking for Jesus in the Wrong Place-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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