Set Ablaze for Souls
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July 3, 2016 - Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
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Luke 10:1-9
The Lord appointed 72 others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ´Peace to this household.´ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ´The kingdom of God is at hand for you.´"
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I bring
myself into Your presence knowing the zeal of Your heart for souls. The glory
of your heavenly Father can shape my own heart. I am confident that, just as
the 72 lit the flame of their love for their mission from the furnace of Your
divine love, I can ignite all that is lukewarm and tepid in my own soul
today. I desire to fulfil more perfectly the mission You have given me.
Petition: Lord, fill my
heart with a holy zeal to make You known to many people!
1. Loving Souls without Limits: Contemplate our Lord’s hunger to
bring salvation to the many souls whose number exceeds the reach of his
humanity. His passionate, driving love for men breaks the confines of his
human nature, multiplying his presence in the world. We can be so easily drained
by the never-ending needs of those we serve. We can close the door on others
with comfortable excuses; we can ignore their needs, for which God wishes to
put a solution in our hands.
Christ’s heart, rather, is expansive and grows with the awareness of the need of men for him. Creatively he brings a divine solution into play to reach more souls, heal more hearts, cure more ills. Does my charity bring me to use all my creativity, intelligence and will-power to meet the needs of those God has entrusted to my care? Does divine wisdom, rooted in prayer, come into play in how I serve others?
2. Christ Is to Be Known through Me: Christ uses his divine power to
multiply himself, commissioning these disciples to be in effect other Christs
in the world. This sending out of the 72 is a critical juncture in the plan
of salvation. Here ordinary men, who at one time were simple-hearted
recipients of Christ’s redeeming message, are now to be the carriers of that
message to others. Yet with all their weaknesses, how could they ever hope to
offer others an experience of Christ like that which they themselves
experienced, an experience which is so ineffable and sublime? Christ
explains: It will be done by their obedience, especially to the details of
behavior that he outlines for them.
It will be done by acting in Christ’s name, knowing that he has commissioned them. It will be accomplished not through their own talents and charismatic personalities, but through the power and grace of God that comes to those who serve him with a pure heart. I can reflect on my own vocation and see that it has its ultimate source in God, not in my own preferences. Knowing God has given me my mission in life, I must, like the 72, purify myself of all self-centeredness and personal ambition in order to respond to his singular invitation. Can others experience Christ through me?
3. In the End, Lambs Conquer: Wolves appear
when the lamb is present. I should not think that opposition and
contradiction mark the end of my mission. Rather, they are a sign of its
authenticity. Being a lamb among wolves implies that the wolves are best
defeated by the meekness and simplicity with which a disciple of Christ lives
his life. A pure and selfless heart does not permit bitterness, resentment
and hardship to weaken its commitment.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I wish to
form my heart to be conquering and meek like Your own, certain of the victory
that awaits those who suffer in doing Your will. Grant me the grace never to
fall away from Your divine commission. Every morning, help me to awaken with
a generous and faithful spirit to its beauty and goodness.
Resolution: Today I will put
more effort into the details that prove my love for my vocation.
Excerpts from the DIARY of
Saint Faustina Kowalska
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.
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.
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.
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!"
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.
324 The next day, I felt very
weak, but experienced no further suffering. After Holy Communion, I saw the
Lord Jesus just as I had seen Him during one adoration. The Lord's gaze
pierced my soul through and through, and not even the least speck of dust
escaped His notice. And I said to Jesus, "Jesus, I thought You were
going to take me. "And Jesus answered, My will has not yet been fully
accomplished in you; you will still remain on earth, but not for long. I am
well pleased with your trust, but your love should be more ardent. Pure love
gives the soul strength at the very moment of dying. When I was dying on the
cross, I was not thinking about Myself, but about poor sinners, and I prayed
for them to My Father. I want your last moments to be completely similar to
Mine on the cross. There is but one price at which souls are bought, and that
is suffering united to My suffering on the cross. Pure love understands these
words; carnal love will never understand them.
349 In the morning, during
meditation, I felt a painful thorn in the left side of my head. The suffering
continued all day. I meditated continually about how Jesus had been able to
endure the pain of so many thorns which made up His crown. I joined my
suffering to the sufferings of Jesus and offered it for sinners. At four
o'clock when I came for adoration, I saw one of our wards offending God
greatly by sins of impure thoughts. I also saw a certain person who was the
cause of her sin. My soul was pierced with fear, and I asked God, for the
sake of Jesus' pain, to snatch her from this terrible misery.
350 Jesus answered that He would
grant her that favor, not for her sake, but for the sake of my request. Now I
understood how much we ought to pray for sinners, and especially for our
wards.
Our life is truly apostolic; I cannot imagine a religious living in one of our houses; that is, in our Community, and not having an apostolic spirit. Zeal for the salvation of souls should burn in our hearts.
355 1934-1935. New Year's Eve. I
was given permission not to go to sleep, but rather pray in the chapel. One
of the sisters had asked me to offer an hour of adoration for her. I said
yes, and prayed for her for an hour. During the hour, God gave me to
understand how very pleasing this soul was to Him.
I offered the second hour of adoration for the conversion of sinners, and I tried especially to offer expiation to God for the insults that were being committed against Him at this present moment. How greatly God is being offended! I offered the third hour for my spiritual director. I fervently prayed for light for him in a particular matter. Finally the clock struck twelve, the last hour of the year. I finished it in the Name of the Holy Trinity, and I also started the first hour of the New Year in the Name of the Holy Trinity. I asked each of the Three Persons to bless me and, with great confidence, looked toward the New Year which certainly would not be sparing of suffering. 356 O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the testament of God's mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus as proof of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained life eternal and of infinite mercy, dispensed in abundance to us and especially to poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the mercy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit toward us, and especially toward poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the infinite price of mercy which will compensate for all our debts, and especially those of poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fountain of living water which springs from infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fire of purest love which blazes forth from the bosom of the Eternal Father, as from an abyss of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the medicine for all our infirmities, flowing from infinite mercy, as from a fount, for us and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom are contained all the sentiments of the most sweet Heart of Jesus toward us, and especially poor sinners. O Blessed Host, our only hope in all the sufferings and adversities of life. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of darkness and of storms within and without. O Blessed Host, our only hope in life and at the hour of our death. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of adversities and floods of despair. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of falsehood and treason. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the darkness and godlessness which inundate the earth. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the longing and pain in which no one will understand us. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the toil and monotony of everyday life. O Blessed Host, our only hope amid the ruin of our hopes and endeavors. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the ravages of the enemy and the efforts of hell. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when the burdens are beyond my strength and I find my efforts are fruitless. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when storms toss my heart about and my fearful spirit tends to despair. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my heart is about to tremble and mortal sweat moistens my brow. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when everything conspires against me and black despair creeps into my soul. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my eyes will begin to grow dim to all temporal things and, for the first time, my spirit will behold the unknown worlds. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my tasks will be beyond my strength and adversity will become my daily lot. O Blessed Host I trust in You when the practice of virtue will appear difficult for me and my nature will grow rebellious. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when hostile blows will be aimed against me. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my toils and efforts will be misjudged by others. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when Your judgments will resound over me; it is then that I will trust in the sea of Your mercy.
Holy Trinity, One God,
361 incomprehensible in the greatness of Your mercy for creatures, and especially for poor sinners, You have made known the abyss of Your mercy, incomprehensible and unfathomable [as it is] to any mind, whether of man or angel. Our nothingness and our misery are drowned in Your greatness. O infinite goodness, who can ever praise You sufficiently? Can there be found a soul that understands You in Your love? O Jesus, there are such souls, but they are few.
367 +On one occasion, Jesus gave
me to know that when I pray for intentions which people are wont to entrust
to me, He is always ready to grant His graces, but souls do not always want
to accept them: My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and
especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best
of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed
from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the
tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces upon souls, but
they do not want to accept them. You, at least, come to Me as often as
possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. In this way you
will console My Heart. Oh, how indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to
so many proofs of love! My Heart drinks only of the ingratitude and
forgetfulness of souls living in the world. They have time for everything,
but they have no time to come to Me for graces.
So I turn to you, you-chosen souls, will you also fail to understand the love of My Heart? Here, too, My Heart finds disappointment; I do not find complete surrender to My love. So many reservations, so much distrust, so much caution. To comfort you, let Me tell you that there are souls living in the world who love Me dearly. I dwell In their hearts with delight. But they are few. In convents too, there are souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My features; therefore the Heavenly Father looks upon them with special pleasure. They will be a marvel to Angels and men. Their number is very small. They are a defense for the world before the justice of the Heavenly Father and a means of obtaining mercy for the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls sustain the world in existence. The infidelity of a soul specially chosen by Me wounds My Heart most painfully. Such infidelities are swords which pierce My Heart.
384 When I stayed for adoration
from nine to ten o'clock, four other sisters stayed; too. When 1 approached
the altar and began to meditate on the Passion of the Lord Jesus, a terrible
pain immediately filled my soul because of the ingratitude of so many souls
living in the world; but particularly painful was the ingratitude of souls
especially chosen by God. There is no notion or comparison [which can
describe it]. At the sight of this blackest ungratefulness I felt as though
my heart were torn open; my strength failed me completely, and I fell on my
face, not attempting to hide my loud cries. Each time I thought of God's
great mercy and of the ingratitude of souls, pain stabbed at my heart, and I
understood how painfully it wounded the sweetest Heart of Jesus. With a
burning heart, I renewed my act of self-oblation on behalf of sinners.
420 Low Sunday; that is, the Feast
of The Divine Mercy, the conclusion of the Jubilee of Redemption. When we
went to take part in the celebrations, my heart leapt with joy that the two
solemnities were so closely united. I asked God for mercy on the souls of
sinners. Toward the end of the service, when the priest took the Blessed
Sacrament to bless the people, I saw the Lord Jesus as He is represented in
the image. The Lord gave His blessing, and the rays extended over the whole
world. Suddenly, I saw an impenetrable brightness in the form of a crystal
dwelling place, woven together from waves of a brilliance unapproachable to
both creatures and spirits. Three doors led to this resplendence. At that
moment, Jesus, as He is represented in the image, entered this resplendence
through the second door to the Unity within. It is a triple Unity, which is
incomprehensible-which is infinity. I heard a voice, This Feast emerged from
the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of My
tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it.
I was overjoyed at the immense goodness and greatness of my God.
423 Praise the Lord, my soul, for
everything, and glorify His mercy, for His goodness is without end.
Everything will pass, but His mercy is without limit or end. And although
evil will attain its measure, in mercy there is no measure.
O my God, even in the punishments You send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment. Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His infinite mercy than a baby to its mother's heart. O God, You are compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent. The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy.
642 Palm Sunday.
This Sunday, I experienced in a special way the sentiments of the most sweet Heart
of Jesus. My spirit was there where Jesus was. I saw Jesus riding on a
donkey's foal, and the disciples and a great multitude with branches in their
hands joyfully accompanying the Lord Jesus. Some strewed them before His feet
where He was riding, while others raised their branches in the air, leaping
and jumping before the Lord and not knowing what to do for joy. And I saw
another crowd which came out to meet Jesus, likewise with joyful faces and
with branches in their hands, and they were crying out unceasingly with joy.
There were little children there also. But Jesus was very grave, and the Lord
gave me to know how much He was suffering at the time. And at that moment, I
saw nothing but only Jesus, whose Heart was saturated with ingratitude.
687 Once, as I was going down the
hall to the kitchen, I heard these words in my soul: Say unceasingly the
chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great
mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their
last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were
to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite
mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to
grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.
699 On one occasion, I heard these
words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I
desire that the Feast of Mercy [139]
be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On
that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole
ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul
that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete
forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates
through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me,
even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of
man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.
Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender
mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy
throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of
tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first
Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount
of My Mercy.
730 + In this retreat, I shall
keep you continually close to My Heart, that you may better know My mercy,
that mercy which I have for people and especially for poor sinners.
741 Today, I was led by an Angel
to the chasms of hell. It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large
and extensive it is! The kinds of tortures I saw: the first torture that
constitutes hell is the loss of God; the second is perpetual remorse of
conscience; the third is that one's condition will never change; the fourth
is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it-a terrible
suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God's anger; the fifth
torture is continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and, despite
the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all
the evil, both of others and their own; the sixth torture is the constant
company of Satan; the seventh torture is horrible despair, hatred of God,
vile words, curses and blasphemies. These are the tortures suffered by all
the damned together, but that is not the end of the sufferings. There are
special tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the
senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to
the manner in which it has sinned. There are caverns and pits of torture where
one form of agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight
of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me. Let the
sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses
which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that
no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has
ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like.
I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence. I cannot speak about it now; but I have received a command from God to leave it in writing. The devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God. What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: that most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell. When I came to, I could hardly recover from the fright. How terribly souls suffer there! Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God's mercy upon them. O my Jesus, I would rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the greatest sufferings, than offend You by the least sin.
793 I am reliving these moments
with Our Lady. With great longing, I am waiting for the Lord's coming. Great
are my desires. I desire that all humankind come to know the Lord. I would
like to prepare all nations for the coming of the Word Incarnate. O Jesus,
make the fount of Your mercy gush forth more abundantly, for humankind is
seriously ill and thus has more need than ever of Your compassion. You are a
bottomless sea of mercy for us sinners; and the greater the misery, the more
right we have to Your mercy. You are a fount which makes all creatures happy
by Your infinite mercy.
845 Before the vigil supper, I
entered the chapel for a moment to break the wafer spiritually with those
dear to my heart. I presented them all, by name, to Jesus and begged for
graces on their behalf. But that wasn't all. I commended to the Lord all
those who are being persecuted, those who are suffering, those who do not
know His Name, and especially poor sinners. O little Jesus, I fervently ask
You, enclose them all in the ocean of Your incomprehensible mercy. O sweet
little Jesus, here is my heart; let it be a little cozy dwelling place for
Yourself. O Infinite Majesty, with what sweetness You drew close to us. Here,
there is no dread of the thunderbolts of the great Jehovah; here, there is
the sweet little Jesus. Here, no soul is afraid, although Your majesty has
not lessened, but only concealed itself. After supper, I felt very tired and
was in pain. I had to lie down. But I kept vigil with the Most Holy Mother,
awaiting the arrival of the little Child.
873 January 8. On Friday morning,
as I was going to the chapel to attend Holy Mass, I suddenly saw a huge
juniper tree on the pavement and in it a horrible cat who, looking angrily at
me, blocked my way to the chapel. One whisper of the name of Jesus dissipated
all that. I offered the whole day for dying sinners. During Holy Mass, I felt
the closeness of the Lord in a special way. After Holy Communion, I turned my
gaze with trust toward the Lord and told him, "Jesus, I so much desire
to tell You something." And the Lord looked at me with love and said, And
what is it that you desire to tell Me?
"Jesus, I beg You, by the inconceivable power of Your mercy, that all the souls who will die today escape the fire of hell, even if they have been the greatest sinners. Today is Friday, the memorial of Your bitter agony on the Cross; because Your mercy is inconceivable, the Angels will not be surprised at this." Jesus pressed me to His Heart and said, My beloved daughter, you have come to know well the depths of My mercy. I will do what you ask, but unite yourself continually with My agonizing Heart and make reparation to My justice. Know that you have asked Me for a great thing, but I see that this was dictated by your pure love for Me; that is why I am complying with your requests.
875 Today, I experienced a great
suffering during the visit of our sisters. I learned of something that hurt
me terribly, but I controlled myself so that the sisters didn't notice
anything. For some time, the pain was tearing my heart apart, but all that is
for the sake of poor sinners.... O Jesus, for poor sinners.... Jesus, my
strength, stay close to me, help me....
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.
908 + O Jesus, how sorry I feel
for poor sinners. Jesus, grant them contrition and repentance. Remember Your
own sorrowful Passion. I know Your infinite mercy and cannot bear it that a
soul that has cost You so much should perish. Jesus, give me the souls of
sinners; let Your mercy rest upon them. Take everything away from me, but
give me souls. I want to become a sacrificial host for sinners. Let the shell
of my body conceal my offering, for Your Most Sacred Heart is also hidden in
a Host, and certainly You are a living sacrifice.
Transform me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a living sacrifice and pleasing to You. I desire to atone at each moment for poor sinners. The sacrifice of my spirit is hidden under the veil of the body; the human eye does not perceive it, and for that reason it is pure and pleasing to You. O my Creator and Father of great mercy, I trust in You, for You are Goodness Itself. Souls, do not be afraid of God, but trust in Him, for He is good, and His mercy is everlasting.
927 On these two days, I received
Holy Communion as an act of reparation, and I said to the Lord, "Jesus,
I offer everything today for sinners. Let the blows of Your justice fall on
me, and the sea of Your mercy engulf the poor sinners." And the Lord
heard my prayer: many souls returned to the Lord, but I was in agony under
the yoke of God's justice. I felt I was the object of the anger of the Most
High God. By evening my sufferings had reached such a stage of interior
desolation that moans welled up involuntarily from my breast. I locked the
door of my room and began an adoration; that is to say, a Holy Hour. Interior
desolation and an experience of God's justice-that was my prayer; and the
moans and pain that welled up from my soul took the place of a sweet
conversation with the Lord.
929 When I had rested near His
sweetest Heart, I told Him, "Jesus, I have so much to tell You."
And the Lord said to me with great love, Speak, My daughter. And I
started to enumerate the pains of my heart; that is, how greatly concerned I
am for all mankind, that "they all do not know You, and those who do
know You do not love You as You deserve to be loved. I also see how terribly
sinners offend You; and then again, I see how severely the faithful,
especially Your servants, are oppressed and persecuted. And then, too, I see
many souls rushing headlong into the terrible abyss of hell. You see, Jesus,
this is the pain that gnaws at my heart and bones. And, although You show me
special love and inundate my heart with streams of Your joys, nevertheless,
this does not appease the sufferings I have just mentioned, but rather they
penetrate my poor heart all the more acutely. Oh, how ardently I desire that
all mankind turn with trust to Your mercy. Then, seeing the glory of Your
name, my heart will be comforted."
Jesus listened to these outpourings of my heart with gravity and interest, as if He had known nothing about them, and this seemed to make it easier for me to talk. And the Lord said to me, My daughter, those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me. After these words, I found myself alone, but the presence of God is always in my soul.
930 + O my Jesus,
although I will go to You, and You will fill me with Yourself, and that will
make my happiness complete, I will nevertheless not forget about humanity. I
desire to draw aside the veils of heaven, so that the earth would have no
doubts about The Divine Mercy. My repose is in proclaiming Your mercy. The
soul gives the greatest glory to its Creator when it turns with trust to The
Divine Mercy.
934 Small practices for Lent.
Although I wish and desire to do so, I cannot practice big fortifications as
before, because I am under the strict surveillance of the doctor. But I can
practice little things: first-sleep without a pillow; keep myself a little
hungry; every day, with my arms outstretched, say the chaplet which the Lord
taught me; occasionally, with arms outstretched, for an indefinite period of time
pray informally. Intention: to beg divine mercy for poor sinners, and for
priests, the power to bring sinful hearts to repentance.
942 February 11, [1937]. Today is
Friday. During Mass, I suffered pain in my body: in my hands, my feet and my
side. Jesus is sending me this kind of suffering that I may make reparation
for sinners. The pain is brief, but very severe. I do not suffer for more
than a couple of minutes, but the impression remains for a long time and is
very vivid.
943 + Today, I feel such
desolation in my soul that I do not know how to explain it even to myself. I
would like to hide from people and cry endlessly. No one understands a heart
wounded by love, and when such a heart feels itself abandoned interiorly, no
one can comfort it. O souls of sinners, you have taken the Lord away from me,
but all right, all right; you get to know how sweet the Lord is, and let the
whole sea of bitterness flood my heart. I have given all my divine comforts
to you.
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.
975 Today I heard these words: Pray
for souls that they be not afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy. Do
not grow weary of praying for sinners. You know what a burden their souls are
to My Heart. Relieve My deathly sorrow; dispense My mercy.
999 Last night I was in such pain
that I thought it was the end. The doctors could not diagnose what the
sickness was. I felt as if my entrails had been torn to shreds, but after a
few hours of such sufferings I am all right. All this is for sinners. Let
Your mercy descend upon them, O Lord.
+ J. M. J.
1002 The Lord's
Supper is laid,
Jesus sits down at
table with His Apostles,
His Being all
transformed into love,
For such was the
Holy Trinity's counsel.
With great desire,
I desire to eat with you,
Before I suffer
death.
About to leave you,
love holds Me in your midst.
He sheds His Blood,
gives His life, for He loves immensely.
Love hides beneath
the appearance of bread,
Departing, He
remains with us.
Such self-abasement
was not needed,
Yet burning love
hid Him under these species.
Over the bread and
wine He says these words:
"This is My
Blood, this is My Body."
Although
mysterious, these are words of love.
Then He passes the
Cup among His disciples.
Jesus grew deeply
troubled within
And said, "One
of you will betray his Master."
They fell silent,
with a silence as of the tomb,
And John inclined
his head on His breast.
The supper is
ended.
Let us go to
Gethsemane.
Love
is satisfied, And there the traitor is waiting.
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.
1062 + I made an hour of adoration
in thanksgiving for the graces which had been granted me and for my illness.
Illness also is a great grace. I have been ill for four months, but I do not
recall having wasted so much as a minute of it. All has been for God and
souls; I want to be faithful to Him everywhere.
During this adoration, I realized the utter care and goodness that Jesus has been lavishing upon me and the protection He has given me against all evil. I thank You especially, Jesus, for visiting me in my solitude, and I thank You also for inspiring my superiors to send me for this treatment. Give them, Jesus, the omnipotence of Your blessing and compensate them for all the losses incurred because of me.
1063 Today, Jesus is bidding me to
comfort and reassure a certain soul who has opened herself to me and told me
about her difficulties. This soul is pleasing to the Lord, but she is not
aware of it. God is keeping her in deep humility. I have carried out the
Lord's directives.
1064 + O my most sweet Master,
good Jesus, I give You my heart. You shape and mold it after Your liking. O
fathomless love, I open the calyx of my heart to You, like a rosebud to the
freshness of dew. To You alone, my Betrothed, is known the fragrance of the
flower of my heart. Let the fragrance of my sacrifice be pleasing to You. O
Immortal God, my everlasting delight, already here on earth You are my
heaven. May every beat of my heart be a new hymn of praise to You, O Holy Trinity!
Had I as many hearts as there are drops of water in the ocean or grains of
sand in the whole world, I would offer them all to You, O my Love, O Treasure
of my heart! Whomever I shall meet in my life, no matter who they may be, I
want to draw them all to love You, O my Jesus, my Beauty, my Repose, my sole
Master, Judge, Savior and Spouse, all in one; I know that one title will
modify the other-I have entrusted everything to Your mercy.
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.
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.
1123 Oh, how sweet it is to have in the depth of one's soul that which the Church tells us we must believe. When my soul is immersed in love, I solve the most intricate questions clearly and quickly. Only love is able to cross over precipices and mountain peaks. Love, once again, love.
1142 June 4. Today
is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. During Holy Mass, I was given
the knowledge of the Heart of Jesus and of the nature of the fire of love
with which He burns for us and of how He is an Ocean of Mercy. Then I heard a
voice: Apostle of My mercy, proclaim to the whole world My
unfathomable mercy. Do not be discouraged by the difficulties you
encounter in proclaiming My mercy. These difficulties that affect you
so painfully are needed for your sanctification and as evidence that
this work is Mine. My daughter, be diligent in writing down every sentence
I tell you concerning My
1160 When once I
asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many sins and crimes and not punish
them, the Lord answered me, I have eternity for punishing [these],
and so I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners].
But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation.
My daughter, secretary of My mercy, your duty is not only to write
about and proclaim My mercy, but also to beg for this grace for them,
so that they too may glorify My mercy.
1396 Today I heard a voice in my
soul: Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great
numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to approach Me; speak to them of
My great mercy.
1397 The Lord said to me, The
loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when
you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the
conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard
and answered.
1446 The Lord said to me, It
should be of no concern to you how anyone else acts; you are to be My living
reflection, through love and mercy. I answered, "Lord, but they
often take advantage of my goodness." That makes no difference, My
daughter. That is no concern of yours. As for you, be always merciful toward
other people, and especially toward sinners.
1513 + Jesus said
to me today, You often call Me your Master. This is pleasing to My Heart;
but do not forget, My disciple, that you are a disciple of a crucified
Master. Let that one word be enough for you. You know what is contained in
the cross.
1521 The Lord said
to me, My daughter, do not tire of proclaiming My mercy. In this way you
will refresh this Heart of Mine, which burns with a flame of pity for sinners.
Tell My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when
they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them
in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous
power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they
will speak.
1710 May 26,
[1938-Feast of the Ascension]. Today I accompanied the Lord Jesus as He ascended
into heaven. It was about noon. I was overcome by a great longing for God. It
is a strange thing, the more I felt God's presence, the more ardently I
desired Him. Then I saw myself in the midst of a huge crowd of disciples and
apostles, together with the Mother of God. Jesus was telling them to... Go
out into the whole world and teach in My name. He stretched out
His hands and blessed them and disappeared in a cloud. I saw the longing of
Our Lady. Her soul yearned for Jesus with the whole force of Her love. But
She was so peaceful and so united to the will of God that there was not a
stir in Her heart but for what God wanted.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-186-187, 206, 280, 301-302, 308-309)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-319-320, 324, 349, 350, 355-356, 361)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-367, 384, 420, 423)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-687, 699, 730, 741, 793, 854, 873, 875)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-893, 908, 927, 929, 930, 934, 942-943)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-951, 975, 999)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1059, 1062-1065, 1122-1123)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1142, 1160)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1393-1397, 1513, 1521)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1710)
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Hulyo 03, 2016
Set Ablaze for Souls-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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