Eager Heart
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December 27, 2016. Feast
of Saint John, apostle and evangelist
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John20:1a and 2-8
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene
ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and
told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don´t know where
they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the
tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived
at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not
go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the
burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the
burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also
went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, today I am reminded of the intensity of love that You
stir in the hearts of Your followers. I want to be Your follower today. I
believe that You love me. I believe that You have overcome sin and death. I
believe that You walk with me.
Petition: Lord, give me the joy of discovering you as St. John
discovered You.
1. Eager: St. John had been enthused by Christ from
the very beginning. Early on Christ had won his heart. In his Gospel, John
would record many things about Christ in a very personal way, giving us
special insights into Christ. Christ allowed him into his heart, and John’s
faith gave him reason to hope in the Resurrection. That is why he runs with
such eagerness to the tomb. He does not yet know that Christ is risen, but he
wants to know. He wants to be where Christ is. Am I eager to be with Christ?
This time of Christmas is a special time in which I can naturally feel
attracted to Christ. Do I take advantage of this grace and try to converse
more with him?
2. Fast: No hesitation; Get there as quickly as possible. John knows
where he has to go. Nothing else is as important. He does not let anything
get in the way. A saint lives his life quickly, even if his years are long.
He lives it quickly because he lives each day, each moment, intensely for
Christ and souls. He lives his prayer life intensely—in spite of the natural
fatigue and moments of dryness—because he knows the time spent in prayer is
the most important moment of the day. A saint lives his service to his family
and to others with the intensity of love. Rather than tiring him, love brings
him closer to God. Am I afraid to love and to live with intensity?
3. Believing: John was rewarded for his faith. His Lord is
alive! No amount of cruelty and evil—not even death itself—can defeat his
Lord. John teaches us to believe in Christ, to discover with joy the signs of
his presence. Am I using this Christmas season to reaffirm my faith in
Christ’s presence in the world? Do I cultivate a supernatural outlook in the
things I do, in the way I deal with those around me? Do I build up confidence
in Christ’s victory in souls and discover the signs of that victory?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank You for St. John’s faith. He was
close to Your heart. Help me to place my heart in Your heart. I want to run
to You, Lord, throughout the ups-and-downs of my life, the good times and the
bad. Today I will stay close to You in my heart. Stay close to me also.
Resolution: I will pray the Creed in front of a manger
scene today and make a special effort to talk about God’s providence in my
conversations with others.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
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."
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.
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.
413 This morning I heard these words: From today until
the [celebration of the]
Resurrection, you will not feel My presence, but your soul
will be filled with great longing. And
immediately a great longing filled my soul; I felt a separation from my
beloved Jesus, and when the moment for Holy Communion came, I saw the
suffering Face of Jesus in every Host [contained] in the chalice. From
that moment, I felt a more intense yearning in my heart.
649 Mass of the Resurrection. [April 12, 1936]. When I
entered the chapel, my spirit was immersed in God, its only treasure. His
presence flooded me.
650 O my Jesus, my Master and Director, strengthen and
enlighten me in these difficult moments of my life. I expect no help from
people; all my hope is in You. I feel alone in the face of Your demands, O
Lord. Despite the fears and qualms of my nature, I am fulfilling Your holy
will and desire to fulfill it as faithfully as possible throughout my life
and in my death. Jesus, with You I can do all things. Do with me as You
please; only give me Your merciful Heart and that is enough for me.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before
all ages happen to me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will.
Enlighten my mind that I may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul,
You know that I desire nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food
of my soul, the light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will;
for when I unite myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me
and takes the place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's
wishes.
697 Jesus, You know that I love suffering and want to
drain the cup of suffering to the last drop; and yet, my nature experienced a
slight shudder and fear. Quickly, however, my trust in the infinite mercy of
God was awakened in all its force, and everything else had to give way before
it, like a shadow retreating before the sun's rays. O Jesus, how great is
Your goodness! Your infinite goodness, so well known to me, enables me to
bravely look death itself in the eye. I know that nothing will happen to me
without God's permission. I desire to glorify Your infinite mercy during my
life, at the hour of death, in the resurrection and
throughout eternity.
+ My Jesus, my strength, my peace, my repose; my soul
bathes daily in the rays of Your mercy. There is not a moment in my life when
I do not experience Your mercy, O God. I count on nothing in my whole life,
but only on Your infinite mercy. It is the guiding thread of my life, O Lord.
My soul is filled with God's 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.
1067 March 28. Resurrection. During the Mass of
Resurrection, I saw the Lord in beauty and splendor, and He said to me, My
daughter, peace be with you. He blessed me and disappeared, and my soul
was filled with gladness and joy beyond words. My heart was fortified for
struggle and sufferings.
1427 Hidden Jesus, life of my soul,
Object of my ardent desire,
Nothing will stifle Your love in my heart.
The power of our mutual love assures me of that.
Hidden Jesus, glorious pledge of my resurrection,
All my life is concentrated in You.
It is You, O Host, who empower me to love forever,
And I know that You will love me as Your child in return.
Hidden Jesus, my purest love,
My life with You has begun already here on earth,
And it will become fully manifest in the eternity to come,
Because our mutual love will never change.
Hidden Jesus, sole desire of my soul,
You alone are to me more than the delights of heaven.
My soul searches for You only, who are above all gifts and
graces,
You who come to me under the form of bread.
Hidden Jesus, take at last to Yourself my thirsting heart
Which burns for You with the pure fire of the Seraphim.
I go through life in Your footsteps, invincible,
With head held high, like a knight, feeble maid though I
be.
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.
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(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-55, 97, 205, 413)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-649-650, 697, 699)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1067)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1427)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1668) |
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