Do Good, Always and Everywhere
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September 5, 2016. Monday
of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
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Father Patrick Butler, LC
Luke
6: 6-11
On a certain Sabbath Jesus went into the
synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on
the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he
realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then
Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath
rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking
around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand."
He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed
together what they might do to Jesus.
Introductory Prayer: God the Father, thank You for the gift of
creation, including my own life. God the Son, thank You for redeeming me at
the price of Your own Body and Blood. God the Holy Spirit, thank You for
being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening my mind, strengthening my
spirit, and kindling the fire of Your love in my heart.
Petition: Lord, make me a magnanimous, great-hearted person, one who
always desires the good of others.
1. Teaching and Doing: When Jesus speaks, he convinces those of
good will who are present. The people commented that Jesus spoke
convincingly, not like the Pharisees. That’s because Jesus preached only what
he was willing to put into practice himself. He practices what he preaches.
This is my Teacher and Master, who speaks of compassion and shows it. This is
he who lowers himself to washing his followers’ feet at the Last Supper
because he wants me to do the same.
2. Doing Good, Regardless of What Others
Think: Jesus is omniscient,
knowing even what others are thinking. He often chides the Pharisees, because
he sees their nitpicking and pettiness. They are guides of the people, yet
they stand aloof from their needs and constrain the people to follow many
rules that they themselves do not fulfill. Jesus sees a person in need whom
he can help. Although he sees around him many critics scrutinizing his words
and actions, nothing will keep him from doing this good deed. When I feel the
weight of others’ eyes upon me, can I still practice charity regardless of
what they think?
3. Saving Life: There is a culture of death and a culture of
life in this Gospel. The judgments of the Pharisees make them critical of
Jesus to the point that they become enraged. Eventually, they will plot to
kill Jesus. They couldn’t care less about the plight of the man Jesus heals.
Jesus speaks the words of life in the synagogue. He enriches life through
healing. I must learn from Jesus how to be a beacon of light and life amid
the divisive culture of egoism and death that surrounds me.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, you can read my heart, as You read the hearts of the
Pharisees. I also have a tendency to be critical and not always constructive.
Make my heart be more like Yours, desiring good, and being generous despite
the criticisms that might come my way.
Resolution: I will strive to perceive the needs of another person today,
someone in particular. Then, I will seek to do what I can to help that
person, if possible in a way that does not draw attention to myself.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
39 + One day Jesus told me that He would cause
a chastisement to fall upon the most beautiful city in our country [probably
Warsaw]. This chastisement would be that with which God had punished Sodom
and Gomorrah.[27] I saw the great wrath of God and a shudder
pierced my heart. I prayed in silence. After a moment, Jesus said to me, My
child, unite yourself closely to Me during the Sacrifice and offer My
Blood and My Wounds to My Father in expiation for the sins of that
city. Repeat this without interruption throughout the entire Holy
Mass. Do this for seven days. On the seventh day I saw Jesus in a bright
cloud and began to beg Him to look upon the city and upon our whole country.
Jesus looked [down] graciously. When I saw the kindness of' Jesus, I began to
beg His blessing. Immediately Jesus said, For your sake I bless the entire
country. And He made a big sign of the cross over our country. Seeing the
goodness of God, a great joy filled my soul.
55 1933.
Spiritual Counsel Given Me by Father Andrasz, S.J.
First: You must
not turn away from these interior inspirations, but always tell everything to
your confessor. If you recognize that these interior inspirations refer to
your own self; that is to say, they are for the good of your soul or for the
good of other souls, l urge you to follow them; and you must not neglect
them, but always do so in consultation with your confessor.
Second: If these inspirations are not in accord with the faith or the spirit of the Church, they must be rejected immediately as coming from the evil spirit. Third: If these inspirations do not refer to souls, in general, nor specifically to their good, you should not take them too seriously, and it would be better to even ignore them. But you should not make this decision by yourself, either one way or the other, as you can easily be led astray despite these great favors from God. Humility, humility, and ever humility, as we can do nothing of ourselves; all is purely and simply God's grace. You say to me that God demands great trust from souls; well then, you be the first to show this trust. And one more word-accept all this with serenity. Words of one of the confessors: "Sister, God is preparing many special graces for you, but try to make your life as clear as crystal before the Lord, paying no attention to what anyone else thinks about you. Let God suffice you; He alone." Toward the end of my novitiate, a confessor [perhaps Father Theodore] told me: "Go through life doing good, so that I could write on its pages: `She spent her life doing good.' May God bring this about in you." Another time the confessor said to me, "Comport yourself before God like the widow in the Gospel; although the coin she dropped into the box was of little value, it counted far more before God than all the big offerings of others." On another occasion the instruction I received was this: " Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God; give, then, generously to others. They should take leave of you with their hearts filled with joy, even if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment. Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now." Still another time he gave me the following recommendation: "Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life." Here are a few words from a conversation I had with the Mother Directress [Mary Joseph] toward the end of my novitiate: "Sister, let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls."
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.
57 O my Jesus, You are the life of my life. You know only
too well that I long for nothing but the glory of Your Name and that souls
come to know Your goodness. Why do souls avoid You, Jesus?-I don't understand
that. Oh, if I could only cut my heart into tiny pieces and in this way offer
to You, O Jesus, each piece as a heart whole and entire, to make up in part
for the hearts that do not love You! I love You, Jesus, with every drop of my
blood, and I would gladly shed my blood for You to give You a proof of the
sincerity of my love. O God, the more I know You the less I can comprehend
You, but this "non-comprehension" lets me realize how great You
are! And it is this impossibility of comprehending You which enflames my
heart anew for You, O Lord. From the moment when You let me fix the eyes of
my soul on You, O Jesus, I have been at peace and desired nothing else. I
found my destiny at the moment when my soul lost itself in You, the only
object of my love. In comparison with you, everything is nothing. Sufferings,
adversities, humiliations, failures and suspicions that have come my way are
splinters that keep alive the fire of my love for You, O Jesus.
My desires are mad and unattainable. I wish to conceal
from You that I suffer. I want never to be rewarded for my efforts and my
good actions. You yourself, Jesus, are my only reward; You are enough, O
Treasure of my heart! I want to share compassionately in the sufferings of my
neighbors and to conceal my own sufferings, not only from them, but also from
You,Jesus.
Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul
becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater
the suffering, the purer the love.
68 The heaviest suffering for me was that it seemed to me
that neither my prayers nor my good works were pleasing to God. I did not
dare lift up my eyes to heaven. This caused me such great suffering during
the community exercises in the chapel that one day Mother Superior [Raphael]
called me aside after the exercises and said to me, "Sister, ask God for
grace and consolation, because I can see for myself and the sisters keep
telling me that the very sight of you evokes pity. I really do not know what
to do with you, Sister. I command you to stop tormenting yourself for no
reason."
But all these conferences with Mother Superior brought me
no relief, nor did they clarify anything for me. Rather, even greater
darkness hid God from me. I looked for help in the confessional, but not even
there did I find it. A saintly priest wanted to help me, but I was so miserable
that I couldn't even define my trouble, and that vexed me even more. A
deathly sadness penetrated my soul to such an extent that I was unable to
hide it, and it was apparent to those around me. I lost hope. The night was
growing darker and darker. The priest to whom I went to confession said to
me, "I see very special graces in you, Sister, and I am not worried
about you at all; why are you torturing yourself in this way?" But at
that time I did not understand at all what he was saying and was extremely
surprised when, by way of penance, I was ordered to say the Te Deum or
the Magnificat, or to run fast around the garden in the evening, or
else to laugh out loud ten times a day. These penances were very surprising
to me; but even with that the priest was not able to give me much help.
Evidently, God wanted me to give Him glory through suffering.
That priest consoled me, saying that in my present
situation I was more pleasing to God than if I were filled with the greatest
consolations. "It is a very great grace, Sister, "he told me,
"that in your present condition, with all the torments of soul you are
experiencing, you not only do not offend God, but you even try to practice
virtues. I am looking into your soul, and I see God's great plans and special
graces there; and seeing this, I give thanks to the Lord." But despite
all that, my soul was in a state of torture; and in the midst of unspeakable
torments, I imitated the blind man who entrusts himself to his guide, holding
his hand firmly, not giving up obedience for a single moment, and this was my
only safety in this fiery trial.
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.
Darkness and Temptations
77 My mind became dimmed in a strange way; no truth seemed clear to me. When people spoke to me about God, my heart was like a rock. I could not draw from it a single sentiment of love for Him. When I tried, by an act of the will, to remain close to Him, I experienced great torments, and it seemed to me that I was only provoking God to an even greater anger. It was absolutely impossible for me to meditate as I had been accustomed to do in the past. I felt in my soul a great void, and there was nothing with which I could fill it. I began to suffer from a great hunger and yearning for God, but I saw my utter powerlessness. I tried to read slowly, sentence by sentence, and to meditate in this way, but this also was of no avail. I understood nothing of what I had read. The abyss of my misery was constantly before my eyes. Every time I entered the chapel for some spiritual exercise, I experienced even worse torments and temptations. More than once, all through Holy Mass, I had to struggle against blasphemous thoughts which were forcing themselves to my lips. I felt an aversion for the Holy Sacraments, and it seemed to me that I was not profiting from them in any way. It was only out of obedience to my confessor that I frequented them, and this blind obedience was for me the only path I could follow and my very last hope of survival. The priest explained to me that these were trials sent by God and that, in the situation I was in, not only was I not offending God, but I was most pleasing to Him. "This is a sign," he told me, "that God loves you very much and that He has great confidence in you, since He is sending you such trials." But these words brought me no comfort; it seemed to me that they did not apply to me at all. One thing did surprise me: it often happened that, at the time when I was suffering greatly, these terrible torments would disappear suddenly just as I was approaching the confessional; but as soon as I had left the confessional, all these torments would again seize me with even greater ferocity. I would then fall on my face before the Blessed Sacrament repeating these words: "Even if You kill me, still will I trust in You!" [cf. Job 13:15] It seemed to me that I would die in these agonies. But the most terrible thought for me was the conviction that I had been rejected by God. Then other thoughts came to me: why strive to acquire virtues and do good works? why mortify and annihilate yourself? what good is it to take vows? to pray? to sacrifice and immolate yourself? why sacrifice myself all the time? what good is it - if I am already rejected by God? why all these efforts? And here, God alone knew what was going on in my heart.
93 +A Short Version of the
Catechism of the Vows[39]
Q. What is a vow? A. A vow is a voluntary promise made to God, to carry out a more perfect act. Q. Is a vow binding in a matter which is the object of a commandment? A. Yes. The carrying out of an act which is the object of a commandment has a double value and merit; and the neglect of such an act is a double transgression and evil, because by breaking such a vow we add to the sin against the commandment, the sin of sacrilege. Q. Why do religious vows have such value? A. Because they are the foundation of the religious life approved by the Church, in which the members bound together in a religious community undertake to strive always for perfection by means of the three religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, observed according to the rules. Q. What is the meaning of the words, "strive for perfection?" A. To strive for perfection means that the religious life does not in itself demand that perfection be already attained, but obliges, under the pain of sin, that we work daily to attain it. Therefore, a religious who does not want to become perfect neglects his principal duty of state. Q. What are "solemn" religious vows? A. " Solemn" religious vows are so absolute that, in extraordinary cases, only the Holy Father can dispense from them. Q. What are simple religious vows? A. These are vows which are less absolute - the Holy See dispenses from perpetual and annual vows. Q. What is the difference between a vow and a virtue? A. A vow pertains only to that which is commanded under pain of sin; the virtue goes beyond this and helps in the carrying out of the vow; on the other hand, by breaking the vow we fail in the virtue and do it damage. Q. To what do the religious vows oblige us? A. The religious vows oblige us to strive to acquire the virtues and to submit ourselves completely to our Superiors and to the Rules which are in force; thus the religious gives his own person to the Community, renouncing every right over himself and his actions, which he sacrifices to the service of God. The Vow of Poverty The vow of poverty is the voluntary renunciation of the right over property or to the use of such property with the purpose of pleasing God. Q. What objects does the vow of poverty concern? A. All those goods and those objects which appertain to the Community. We have no longer any right over anything that has been given to us, once it has been accepted, whether an article or money. All these donations and presents, which may have been given us out of gratitude or in any other way, belong by right to the Community. We cannot make use, without violating the vow, of any wages we may receive for work or even any annuity. Q. When do we break or violate the vow in a matter which entails the seventh commandment? A. We break or violate it when, without permission, we take for ourselves anything that belongs to the house; when, without permission, we retain something in order to appropriate it; and when, without authorization, we sell or exchange something that belongs to the Community. When we make use of an object for some other purpose than that intended by the Superior. When we give to, or accept from another, anything whatsoever without permission. When by negligence we destroy or damage something. When, in going from one house to another, we take something with us without permission. In a situation where the vow is broken, the religious is bound to restitution to the Community. The Virtue of Poverty This is an evangelical virtue which impels the heart to detach itself from temporal things; the religious, in virtue of his profession, is strictly obliged to it. Q. When do we sin against the virtue of poverty? When we desire something, contrary to this virtue. When we become attached to something, and when we make use of superfluous things. How many degrees of poverty are there and what are they? A. There are, in practice, four degrees of poverty for one who is a professed religious: to dispose of nothing without the consent of the Superiors (the strict matter of the vow); to avoid superfluities and be content with necessities (this pertains to the virtue); to readily content oneself with things of inferior quality in what concerns one's cell, clothing, nourishment, etc., and to experience this contentment interiorly; to rejoice in extreme poverty. The Vow of Chastity Q. To what does this vow oblige us? A. To renounce marriage and to avoid everything that is forbidden by the sixth and ninth commandments. Q. Is a fault against the virtue a violation of the vow? A. Every fault against the virtue is at the same time a violation of the vow, because here there is no difference, as in the case of poverty and obedience, between the vow and the virtue. Q. Is every bad thought a sin? A. No, every bad thought is not a sin; it becomes so only when the acquiescence of the will and consent are joined to the consideration of the mind. Q. Is there anything, over and above sins against chastity, which is detrimental to the virtue? A. Lack of custody of the senses, of the imagination, of the feelings; familiarity and sentimental friendships are detrimental to the virtue. Q. What are the means by which this virtue may be preserved? A. To conquer interior temptations with the thought of the presence of God, and moreover to fight without fear. And for exterior temptations, to avoid occasions. There are, in all, seven principal means: to guard the senses, to avoid occasions, to avoid idleness, to remove temptations promptly, to remove oneself from all - and especially particular friendships, the spirit of mortification, and to reveal all these temptations to one's confessor. Besides this, there are also five means of preserving this virtue: humility, the spirit of prayer, modesty of the eyes, fidelity to the rule, a sincere devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Vow of Obedience The vow of obedience is superior to the first two. It is, to tell the truth, a holocaust, and it is more necessary because it forms and animates the monastic body. Q. To what does the vow of obedience oblige us? A. By the vow of obedience, the religious promises to God to be obedient to his legitimate superiors in everything that they will ordain in virtue of the rule. The vow of obedience makes the religious dependent on his superior in virtue of these rules for his whole life and in all his affairs. A religious commits a grave sin against the vow every time he disobeys an order given in virtue of obedience and of these rules. The Virtue of Obedience The virtue of obedience goes further than the vow; it embraces the rules, the regulations and even the counsels of the superiors. Q. Is the virtue of obedience indispensable for a religious? A. The virtue of obedience is so indispensable to a religious that, even if he were to perform good actions contrary to obedience, these would be evil and without merit. Q. Can we sin gravely against the virtue of obedience? A. We sin gravely when we scorn the authority or the order of the superior, or when spiritual or temporal harm to the community results from our disobedience. Q. What faults endanger the vow? A. To be prejudiced against the superior, or to harbor an antipathy for him - murmuring and criticism, tardiness and negligence. The Degrees of Obedience Prompt and complete fulfillment - the obedience of the will, when the will persuades the intellect to submit to the advice of the superior. To facilitate obedience, Saint Ignatius suggests, moreover, three means: always to see God in our superior, whoever he might be; to justify in itself the order or advice of the superior; to accept each order as an order from God, without examining it or reflecting on it. General means: humility. Nothing is difficult for the humble.
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.
97 Faith staggers under the impact; the struggle is
fierce. The soul tries hard to cling to God by an act of will. With God's permission,
Satan goes even further: hope and love are put to the test. These temptations
are terrible. God supports the soul in secret, so to speak. The soul is not
aware of this, but otherwise it would be impossible to stand firm; and God
knows very well how much He can allow to befall a soul. The soul is tempted
to unbelief in respect to revealed truths and to insincerity toward the
confessor. Satan says to it, "Look, no one understands you; why speak
about all this?" Words that terrify it sound in its ears, and it seems
to the soul that it is uttering these against God. It sees what it does not
want to see. It hears what it does not want to hear. And, oh, it is a
terrible thing at times like these not to have an experienced confessor! The
soul carries the whole burden alone. However, one should make every effort to
find, if it is at all possible, a well-informed confessor, for the soul can
collapse under the burden and come to the very edge of the precipice. All
these trials are heavy and difficult. God does not send them to a soul which
has not already been admitted to a deeper intimacy with Him and which has not
yet tasted the divine delights. Besides, in this God has His own plans, which
for us are impenetrable. God often prepares a soul in this way for His future
designs and great works. He wants to try it as pure gold is tried. But this
is not yet the end of the testing; there is still the trial of trials, the
complete abandonment of the soul by God.
+ The Trial of Trials, Complete Abandonment - Despair
98 When the soul comes out victorious from the preceding trials, even though it may stumble here and there, it fights on valiantly, humbly calling upon God, "Save me, I am perishing!" And it is still able to fight on. At this point, however, the soul is engulfed in a horrible night. It sees within itself only sin. It feels terrible. It sees itself completely abandoned by God. It feels itself to be the object of His hatred. It is but one step away from despair. The soul does its best to defend itself; it tries to stir up its confidence; but prayer is an even greater torment for it, as this prayer seems to arouse God to an even greater anger. The soul finds itself poised on the summit of a lofty mountain on the very brink of a precipice. The soul is drawn to God, but feels repulsed. All other sufferings and tortures in the world are as nothing compared with this sensation into which it has been plunged; namely, that of being rejected by God. No one can bring it any relief; it finds itself completely alone; there is no one to defend it. It raises its eyes to heaven, but is convinced that this is not for her-for her all is lost. It falls deeper and deeper from darkness to darkness, and it seems to it that it has lost forever the God it used to love so dearly. This thought is torture beyond all description. But the soul does not agree to it and tries to lift its gaze toward heaven, but in vain! And this makes the torture even more intense. If God wishes to keep the soul in such darkness, no one will be able to give it light. It experiences rejection by God in a vivid and terrifying manner. From its heart burst forth painful moans, so painful that no priest will comprehend it, unless he himself has been through these trials. In the midst of this, the evil spirit adds to the soul's suffering, mocking it: "Will you persist in your faithfulness? This is your reward; you are in our power!" But Satan has only as much influence over the soul as God allows him, and God knows how much we can bear. "What have you gotten out of your mortifications," says Satan, "and out of your fidelity to the rule? What use are all these efforts? You have been rejected by God!" This word, rejected, becomes a fire which penetrates every nerve to the marrow of the bone. It pierces right through her entire being. The ordeal reaches its climax. The soul no longer looks for help anywhere. It shrinks into itself and loses sight of everything; it is as though it has accepted the torture of being abandoned. This is a moment for which I have no words. This is the agony of the soul.
129 Satan always takes advantage of such moments; thoughts
of discouragement began to rise to the surface-for your faithfulness and
sincerity-this is your reward. How can one be sincere when one is so
misunderstood? Jesus, Jesus, I cannot go on any longer. Again I fell to the
ground under this weight, and I broke out in a sweat, and fear began to
overcome me. I had no one to lean on interiorly. Suddenly I heard a voice
within my soul, Do not fear; I am with you. And an unusual light
illumined my mind, and I understood that I should not give in to such
sorrows. I was filled with a certain strength and left my cell with new
courage to suffer.
134 + O my Jesus, You have tested me so many times in this
short life of mine! I have come to understand so many things, and even such
that now amaze me. Oh, how good it is to abandon oneself totally to God and
to give Him full freedom to act in one's soul!
158 +When I was at Kiekrz [1930] to replace
one of the sisters[52] for a short time, I went across the garden one
afternoon and stopped on the shore of the lake; I stood there for a long
time, contemplating my surroundings. Suddenly, I saw the Lord Jesus near me,
and He graciously said to me, All this I created for you, My spouse; and
know that all this beauty is nothing compared to what I have prepared
for you in eternity. My soul was inundated with such consolation that I
stayed there until evening, and it seemed to me like a brief moment. That was
my free day, set apart for a one-day retreat,[53] so I was quite free to
devote myself to prayer. Oh, how the infinitely good God pursues us with His
goodness! It often happens that the Lord grants me the greatest graces when I
do not at all expect them.
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 moanings. 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.
222 A few words from my conference with Mother ,
Directress, Mary Joseph. She clarified many things for me, and she set me at
peace as regards my spiritual life, reassuring me that I was on the right
path. I thanked the Lord Jesus for this great favor, for she is the first of
the superiors who did not cause me any doubts in this regard. Oh, how
infinitely good God is!
The little novice of Jesus-Sister Faustina.
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 tranquility 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.
241 Love of neighbor. First: Helpfulness towards the
sisters. Second: Do not speak about those who are absent, and defend the good
name of my neighbor. Third: Rejoice in the success of others.
242 +O God, how much I desire to be a small
child.[71] You are my Father, and You know how little and
weak I am. So I beg You, keep me close by Your side all my life and
especially at the hour of my death. Jesus, I know that Your goodness
surpasses the goodness of a most tender mother.
244 Now a gray, ordinary day has begun. The solemn hours
of the perpetual vows have passed, but God's great grace has remained in my
soul. I feel I am all God's; I feel I am His child, I feel I am wholly God's
property. I experience this in a way that can be physically sensed. I am
completely at peace about everything, because I know it is the Spouse's
business to look after me. I have forgotten about myself completely. My trust
placed in His Most Merciful Heart has no limit. I am continuously united with
Him. It seems to me as though Jesus could not be happy without me, nor could
I without Him. Although I understand that, being God, He is happy in himself
and has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels Him
to give himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond
understanding.
245 My Jesus, I will now strive to give honor and glory to
Your Name, doing battle till the day on which You yourself will say, enough!
Every soul You have entrusted to me, Jesus, I will try to aid with prayer and
sacrifice, so that Your grace can work in them. O great lover of souls, my
Jesus, I thank You for this immense confidence with which You have deigned to
place souls in our care. O you days of work and of monotony, you are not
monotonous to me at all, for each moment brings me new graces and opportunity
to do good.
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.
483 O God, how I desire that souls come to know You and to
see that You have created them because of Your unfathomable love. O my
Creator and Lord, I feel that I am going to remove the veil of heaven so that
earth will not doubt Your goodness.
Make of me, Jesus, a pure and agreeable offering before the Face of Your Father. Jesus, transform me, miserable and sinful as I am, into Your own self (for You can do all things), and give me to Your Eternal Father. I want t become a sacrificial host before You, but an ordinary wafer to people. I want the fragrance of my sacrifice be known to You alone. O Eternal God, an unquenchable fire of supplication for Your mercy burns within me. I know and understand that this is my task here and in eternity. You yourself have told me to speak about this great mercy and about Your goodness.
492 Eternal God, Goodness itself, whose mercy is
incomprehensible to every intellect, whether human or angelic, help me, your
feeble child, to do Your holy will as You make it known to me. I desire
nothing but to fulfill God's desires. Lord, here are my soul and my body, my
mind and my will, my heart and all my love. Rule me according to Your eternal
plans.
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Setyembre 05, 2016
Do Good, Always and Everywhere-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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