Flesh, Glory, Grace
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December 25, 2016. Solemnity
of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
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(Note: Since there
are four different liturgies on this day, we selected the Gospel from the
Mass during the day)
John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All
things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came
to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man
named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to
testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming
into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own
people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become
children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by
natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man´s decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his
glory, the glory as of the Father´s only Son, full of grace and truth. John
testified to him and cried out, saying, "This is he of whom I said, ´The
one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before
me.´" From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through
Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the
Father´s side, has revealed him.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank You for this Christmas day. I believe that You
became a little child to redeem me and show me the Father’s love. I love You.
Your birth shows the depth of Your love for me. I choose to recommit myself
today to be a Christian in love with You.
Petition: Lord, help me to grow in wonder at Your love.
1. Flesh: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
For most families, Christmas is a day of special closeness. We take time to
be with each other. We also know that God is close. He is that “someone” who
unites us in love. Today, in astonished silence, we contemplate the Christ
Child. Amid all the excitement and emotion of our Christmas day we cannot
help but stop in amazement: My God lets me put my arms around him. Here is an
amazing mystery of closeness. Here is where all human closeness finds its
greatest expression. It is God’s initiative. He became flesh. He lives among
us. Do I let myself draw close to Christ? Do I allow him to love me? Do I
allow myself to love him?
2. Glory: “And we saw his glory.” For John, the glory of God that shines
in the face of Christ is the glory of love. Jesus glories in being able to
love — in being able to love us. What an amazing God we have! He defies our
reason. His Christmas glory lies in making himself so humble that he becomes
a tiny child dependent on our love. His glory will later consist in embracing
his cross and dying out of love for us. Do I appreciate this glorious love?
Am I ready to enter into its mystery? Am I ready to make my heart today shine
with this glory of God’s love?
3. Grace: “…Full of grace and truth.” The grace spoken of here is the
Father’s loving glance. Jesus brings the Father’s loving glance to our world,
to our lives. He transforms our world into the very place where the Father
finds his Son. The Father is pleased; Christ lives among us. This is the
grace that is Christ: God’s initiative of love. Grace is a gift. It does not
depend on me. I simply have to receive it. I simply have to appreciate it, as
John did. Do I appreciate Christ? Do I try to make my life a gift like his
was?
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, thank You for this Christmas day. I
know it may be busy, but I also know it is very beautiful. It is beautiful
because You are here, Lord. Thank You for being here this Christmas day. I
want to love You as Mary did. I want to bring Your grace and glory to those
around me.
Resolution: Today I will strive to show special joy and
goodness in my relations with others, especially with my family. I will look
for an extra way to make each of them happy today.
Excerpts from the DIARY of
Saint Faustina Kowalska
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.
89 +Strangely, all things came
about just as the Lord had requested. In fact, it was on the first Sunday
after Easter [April, 1935] that the image was publicly honored by crowds of
people for the first time. For three days it was exposed and received public
veneration. Since it was placed at the very top of a window at Ostra Brama
[Shrine of Our Lady above the "Eastern Gate" to the city of
Vilnius], it could be seen from a great distance. At Ostra Brama, during
these three days, the closing of the Jubilee of the Redemption of the World
was being celebrated, marking the nineteen hundred years that have passed
since the Passion of our Savior. I see now that the work of Redemption is
bound up with the work of mercy requested by the Lord.
157 +In the evening, when I entered the small chapel, I
heard these words in my soul: My daughter, consider these words: "And
being in agony, he prayed more earnestly." When I started to think
about them more deeply, much light streamed into my soul. I learned
how much we need perseverance in prayer and that our salvation often depends
on such difficult prayer.
180 +During Advent, a great yearning for God arose in my
soul. My spirit rushed toward God with all its might. During that time, the
Lord gave me much light to know His attributes.
The first attribute which the Lord gave me to know is His
holiness. His holiness is so great that all the Powers and Virtues tremble
before Him. The pure spirits veil their faces and lose themselves in unending
adoration, and with one single word they express the highest form of
adoration; that is-Holy... The holiness of God is poured out upon the Church
of God and upon every living soul in it, but not in the same degree. There
are souls who are completely penetrated by God, and there are those who are
barely alive.
The second kind of knowledge which the Lord granted me
concerns His justice. His justice is so great and penetrating that it reaches
deep into the heart of things, and all things stand before Him in naked
truth, and nothing can withstand Him.
The third attribute is love and mercy. And I understood
that the greatest attribute is love and mercy. It unites the creature with
the Creator. This immense love and abyss of mercy are made known in the
Incarnation of the Word and in the Redemption [of humanity], and it is here
that I saw this as the greatest of all God's attributes.
186 +Today Jesus said to me, I desire that you know
more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will
understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on
behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a
contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the
grace of conversion. This is the prayer:
187 "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from
the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You."
235 O Jesus, I long for the
salvation of immortal souls. It is in sacrifice that my heart will find free
expression, in sacrifice which no one will suspect. I will burn and be
consumed unseen in the holy flames of the love of God. The presence of God
will help my sacrifice to be perfect and pure.
247 Jesus, Friend of a lonely
heart, You are my haven, You are my peace. You are my salvation, You are my
serenity in moments of struggle and amidst an ocean of doubts. You are the
bright ray that lights up the path of my life. You are everything to a lonely
soul. You understand the soul even though it remains silent. You know our
weaknesses, and like a good physician, You comfort and heal, sparing us
sufferings-expert that You are.
310 - I am giving you a share
in the redemption of mankind. You are solace in My dying hour.
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.
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.
522 +The mercy of the Lord I will
sing forever,
Before all the people will I sing it, For it is God's greatest attribute And for us an unending miracle. You gush forth from the Divine Trinity, But from one single womb filled with love. The mercy of the Lord will be revealed in the soul In all its fullness, when the veil falls. From the fountain of Your mercy, O Lord, Flows all happiness and life, And thus, all creatures and the whole of creation Sing out in ecstasy a song of mercy. The bowels of God's mercy are opened for us Through the life of Jesus, stretched on the Cross. O sinner, you must not doubt or despair, But trust in mercy, for you also can become holy. Two streams in the form of rays Have gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus, Not for Angels, nor Cherubim, nor Seraphim, But for the salvation of sinful man.
631 O my Jesus, Your goodness
surpasses all understanding, and no one will exhaust Your mercy. Damnation is
for the soul who wants to be damned; but for the one who desires salvation,
there is the inexhaustible ocean of the Lord's mercy to draw from. How can a
small vessel contain the unfathomable ocean?
648 Good Friday. At three o'clock,
I saw the Lord Jesus, crucified, who looked at me and said, I thirst.
Then I saw two rays issue from His side, just as they appear in the image. I
then felt in my soul the desire to save souls and to empty myself for the
sake of poor sinners. I offered myself, together with the dying Jesus, to the
Eternal Father, for the salvation of the whole world. With Jesus, through
Jesus and in Jesus is my communion with You, Eternal Father. On Good Friday,
Jesus suffered in His soul in a way which was different from [His suffering
on] Holy Thursday
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.
965
Jesus looked at me and said, Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I
am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If
they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of
My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful
day, the day of My justice, is near.
998 Today, I took part in a one-day retreat. When I was at
the last conference, [177] the priest was speaking of how much the
world needs God's mercy, and that this seems to be a special time when people
have great need of prayer and God's mercy. Then I heard a voice in my soul: These
words are for you. Do all you possibly can for this work of My mercy. I
desire that My mercy be worshiped, and I am giving mankind the last hope of
salvation; that is, recourse to My mercy. My Heart rejoices in this feast. After
these words, I understood that nothing can dispense me from the obligation
which the Lord demands from me.
1004 O will of the Omnipotent God,
You are my delight, You are my joy. Whatever the hand of my Lord holds out to me I will accept with gladness, submission and love. Your holy will is my repose; In it is contained all my sanctity, And all my eternal salvation, For doing God's will is the greatest glory. The will of God-those are His various wishes Which my soul carries out without reserve, Because such are His divine desires, In those moments when God shares His confidences with me. Do with me as You will, Lord. I place no obstacles, I make no reservations. For You are my whole delight and the love of my soul, And to You, in turn, I pour out the confidences of my heart.
1032 + During Holy Mass, I saw the
Lord Jesus nailed upon the cross amidst great torments. A soft moan issued
from His Heart. After some time, He said, I thirst. I thirst for the
salvation of souls. Help Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings
to My Passion and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners.
1061 In the evening, over the
radio, I heard hymns; that is, psalms, sung by priests. [185] I burst into tears, and all of the pain
was renewed in my soul, and I wept sorrowfully, unable to find appeasement in
this pain. Then I heard a voice in my soul: Do not cry; I am not suffering
any more. And for the faithfulness with which you accompanied Me in My
sufferings and death, your own death will be a solemn one, and I will
accompany you in that last hour. Beloved pearl of My Heart, I see your love
so pure, purer than that of the angels, and all the more so because you keep
fighting. For your sake I bless the world. I see your efforts to please Me,
and they delight My Heart.
After these words, I wept no more, but thanked the heavenly Father for having sent us His Son and for the work of the Redemption of mankind.
1100 April 24. I can sense every major grace
in advance; a strange longing and desire for God comes over me, and then I
wait for the grace. And the greater the grace, the more distinct is the presentiment,
and the fiercer is my struggle with the adversary of my salvation. My soul is
sometimes in such a condition that I can only describe it by means of a
comparison: there are two great friends, and one of them is giving a great
feast and has invited the other; both of them are looking forward to it; but
the hour of the feast has been set. Well, the moments just before receiving
the grace are so violent that it is difficult to describe them. They are
marked by painful longing and the fire of love. I can feel the Lord is there,
but I cannot be completely absorbed in Him, because the hour has been
designated. Often, before such a moment of grace, I am utterly destitute in
mind, will and heart. I am left all alone, and I wait for the One God. He
himself effects this in me before His coming. April 23, 1937. I have begun a
three-day retreat today. [190]
1151 + When pain overwhelms my soul,
And the horizon darkens like night,
And the heart is torn with the torment of suffering,
Jesus Crucified, You are my strength.
When the soul, dimmed with pain,
Exerts itself in battle without respite,
And the heart is in agony and torment,
Jesus Crucified, You are the hope of my salvation.
And so the days pass,
As the soul bathes in a sea of bitterness,
And the heart dissolves in tears,
Jesus Crucified, You shine for me like the dawn.
And when the cup of bitterness brims over,
And all things conspire against her,
And the soul goes down to the Garden of Olives,
Jesus Crucified, in You is my defense.
When the soul, conscious of its innocence,
Accepts these dispensations from God,
The heart can then repay hurts with love.
Jesus Crucified, transform my
weakness into omnipotence.
1184 On an earlier occasion.
In the evening, I saw the Lord Jesus upon the cross. From His hands, feet and side, the Most Sacred Blood was flowing. After some time, Jesus said to me, All this is for the salvation of souls. Consider well, My daughter, what you are doing for their salvation. I answered, "Jesus, when I look at Your suffering, I see that I am doing next to nothing for the salvation of souls." And the Lord said to me, Know, My daughter, that your silent day-to-day martyrdom in complete submission to My will ushers many souls into heaven. And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things. I understood many things I had been unable to comprehend before.
1205 When I went to
confession, I did not even know how to confess. However, the priest [probably
Father Casimir Ratkiewicz [205]] recognized the condition of my soul at
once and said to me, "Despite everything, you are on the way to
salvation; you are on the right path, but God may leave your soul in this
darkness and obscurity until death, and the former light may never return.
But in all things abandon yourself to the will of God."
1230 O day of eternity, O day so
long desired,
With thirst and longing, my eyes search you out. Soon love will tear the veil asunder, And you will be my salvation. O day most beautiful, moment incomparable, When for the first time I shall see my God, The Bridegroom of my soul and Lord of lords, And fear will not restrain my soul. O day most solemn, O day of brightness, When the soul will know God in His omnipotence And drown totally in His love, Knowing the miseries of exile are o'er. O happy day, O blessed day, When my heart will burn for You with fire eternal, For even now I feel Your presence, though through the veil. Through life and death, O Jesus, You are my rapture and delight. O day, of which I dreamed through all my life, Waiting long for You, O God, For it is You alone whom I desire. You are the one and only of my heart; all else is naught. O day of delight, day of eternal bliss, God of great majesty, my beloved Spouse, You know that nothing will satisfy a virgin heart. On Your tender Heart I rest my brow.
1265 Prayer. O
Jesus, stretched out upon the cross, I implore You, give me the grace of
doing faithfully the most holy will of Your Father, in all things, always and
everywhere. And when this will of God will seem to me very harsh and
difficult to fulfill, it is then I beg You, Jesus, may power and strength
flow upon me from Your wounds, and may my lips keep repeating, "Your
will be done, O Lord." O Savior of the world, Lover of man's salvation,
who in such terrible torment and pain forget Yourself to think only of the
salvation of souls, O most compassionate Jesus, grant me the grace to forget
myself that I may live totally for souls, helping You in the work of
salvation, according to the most holy will of Your Father....
1286 +
Thank You, O God, for all the graces
Which unceasingly You lavish upon me, Graces which enlighten me with the brilliance of the sun, For by them You show me the sure way. Thank You, 0 Lord, for creating me, For calling me into being from nothingness, For imprinting Your divinity on my soul, The work of sheer merciful love. Thank You, O God, for Holy Baptism Which engrafted me into Your family, A gift great beyond all thought or expression Which transforms my soul. Thank You, O Lord, for Holy Confession, For that inexhaustible spring of great mercy, For that inconceivable fountain of graces In which sin-tainted souls become purified. Thank You, O Jesus, for Holy Communion In which You give us Yourself. I feel Your Heart beating within my breast As You cause Your divine life to unfold within me. Thank You, O Holy Spirit, for the Sacrament of Confirmation, Which dubs me Your knight And gives strength to my soul at each moment, Protecting me from evil. Thank You, O God, for the grace of a vocation. For being called to serve You alone, Leading me to make You my sole love, An unequal honor for my soul. Thank You, O Lord, for perpetual vows, For that union of pure love, For having deigned to unite Your pure heart with mine And uniting my heart to Yours in the purest of bonds. Thank You, O Lord, for the Sacrament of Anointing Which, in my final moments, will give me strength; My help in battle, my guide to salvation, Fortifying my soul till we rejoice forever. Thank You, O God, for all the inspirations That Your goodness lavishes upon me, For the interior lights given my soul, Which the heart senses, but words cannot express. Thank You, O Holy Trinity, for the vastness of the graces Which You have lavished on me unceasingly through life. My gratitude will intensify as the eternal dawn rises, When, for the first time, I sing to Your glory.
1300 When I looked at this image, I was pierced with such
a lively love for God that, for a moment, I did not know where I was. When
we had finished our business, we went to the Church of the Most Holy Virgin
Mary. We attended Holy Mass, during which the Lord gave me to know what a
great number of souls would attain salvation through this work. Then I
entered into an intimate conversation with the Lord, thanking Him for having
condescended to grant me the grace of seeing how the veneration of His
unfathomable mercy is spreading. I immersed myself in a profound prayer of
thanksgiving. Oh, how great is God's generosity! Blessed be the Lord, who is
faithful in His promises...
1366 O my Lord, although so many things occupy me,
although I have this work at heart, although I desire the triumph of the
Church and the salvation of souls, although all the persecutions of Your
faithful ones affect me, although the fall of each soul is painful to me,
yet, above and beyond all this, I still have a profound peace in my soul
which neither triumphs nor desires nor adversities can disturb because, for
me, You are above all dispensations, my Lord and my God.
1426 Christ, give me souls. Let anything You like happen
to me, but give me souls in return. I want the salvation of souls. I want
souls to know Your mercy. I have nothing left for myself, because I have
given everything away to souls, with the result that on the day of judgment I
will stand before You empty-handed, since I have given everything away to
souls. Thus You will have nothing on which to judge me, and we shall meet on
that day: Love and mercy... + J. M. J.
1435 I perform each deed in the face of death.
I do it now as I would want to see it in my last hour.
Although life, like the wind, will pass swiftly by,
No deed undertaken for God will perish.
I feel the complete decay of my organism,
Although I am still living and working.
Death will be no tragedy for me,
Because I have long felt it.
Although it is very unpleasant for nature
To constantly smell one's own corpse,
Yet it is not so terrible when the soul is filled with
God's light,
Because in it faith, hope, love and contrition are
awakened.
Daily I make great efforts
To take part in community life,
Thereby gaining graces for souls' salvation,
Shielding them by my sacrifice from the fire of hell.
For the salvation of even a single soul
Is worth the sacrifice of a lifetime
And the bearing of the greatest sacrifices and torments,
Seeing how great the glory it gives God.
1452 When the clock struck twelve, my soul immersed itself
more deeply in recollection, and I heard a voice in my
Soul: Do not fear, My little child, you are not alone. Fight bravely, because My arm is supporting you; fight for the salvation of souls, exhorting them to trust in My mercy, as that is your task in this life and in the life to come. After these words, I received a deeper understanding of divine mercy. Only that soul who wants it will be damned, for God condemns no one.
1466 Jesus, lover of human salvation, draw all souls to
the divine life. May the greatness of Your mercy be praised here on earth and
in eternity. O great lover of souls, who in Your boundless compassion opened
the salutary fountains of mercy so that weak souls may be fortified in this
life's pilgrimage, Your mercy runs through our life like a golden thread and
maintains in good order the contact of our being with God. For He does not
need anything to make Him happy; so everything is solely the work of His
mercy. My senses are transfixed with joy when God grants me a deeper
awareness of that great attribute of His; namely, His unfathomable mercy.
The Goodness of God.
1485 The mercy of God, hidden in
the Blessed Sacrament, the voice of the Lord who speaks to us from the throne
of mercy: Come to Me, all of you.
Conversation of the Merciful God with a Sinful Soul. Jesus: Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart. Soul: Lord, I hear your voice calling me to turn back from the path of sin, but I have neither the strength nor the courage to do so. Jesus: I am your strength, I will help you in the struggle. Soul: Lord, I recognize your holiness, and I fear You. Jesus: My child, do you fear the God of mercy? My holiness does not prevent Me from being merciful. Behold, for you I have established a throne of mercy on earth-the tabernacle-and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart. I am not surrounded by a retinue or guards. You can come to me at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace. Soul: Lord, I doubt that You will pardon my numerous sins; my misery fills me with fright. Jesus: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace. Soul: You have conquered, O Lord, my stony heart with Your goodness. In trust and humility I approach the tribunal of Your mercy, where You yourself absolve me by the hand of your representative. O Lord, I feel Your grace and Your peace filling my poor soul. I feel overwhelmed by Your mercy, O Lord. You forgive me, which is more than I dared to hope for or could imagine. Your goodness surpasses all my desires. And now, filled with gratitude for so many graces, I invite You to my heart. I wandered, like a prodigal child gone astray; but you did not cease to be my Father. Increase Your mercy toward me, for You see how weak I am. Jesus: Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child, to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain of Life whatever your heart desires. Drink copiously from the Fountain of Life and you will not weary on your journey. Look at the splendors of My mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy.
Conversation of the Merciful God
with a Despairing Soul.
1486 Jesus: O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy. -But the soul, deaf even to this appeal, wraps itself in darkness. Jesus calls out again: My child, listen to the voice of your merciful Father. -In the soul arises this reply: "For me there is no mercy," and it falls into greater darkness, a despair which is a foretaste of hell and makes it unable to draw near to God. Jesus calls to the soul a third time, but the soul remains deaf and blind, hardened and despairing. Then the mercy of God begins to exert itself, and, without any co-operation from the soul, God grants it final grace. If this too is spurned, God will leave the soul in this self-chosen disposition for eternity. This grace emerges from the merciful Heart of Jesus and gives the soul a special light by means of which the soul begins to understand God's effort; but conversion depends on its own will. The soul knows that this, for her, is final grace and, should it show even a flicker of good will, the mercy of God will accomplish the rest. My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace. Jesus: What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father. Soul (as if awaking, asks fearfully): Is it possible that there yet is mercy for me? Jesus: There is, My child. You have a special claim on My mercy. Let it act in your poor soul; let the rays of grace enter your soul; they bring with them light, warmth, and life. Soul: But fear fills me at the thought of my sins, and this terrible fear moves me to doubt Your goodness. Jesus: My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust doesthat after so many efforts of My love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness. Soul: O Lord, save me yourself, for I perish. Be my Savior. O Lord, I am unable to say anything more; my pitiful heart is torn asunder; but You, O Lord... Jesus does not let the soul finish but, raising it from the ground, from the depths of its misery, he leads it into the recesses of His Heart where all its sins disappear instantly, consumed by the flames of love. Jesus: Here, soul, are all the treasures of My Heart. Take everything you need from it. Soul: O Lord, I am inundated with Your grace. I sense that a new life has entered into me and, above all, I feel Your love in my heart. That is enough for me. O Lord, I will glorify the omnipotence of Your mercy for all eternity. Encouraged by Your goodness, I will confide to You all the sorrows of my heart. Jesus: Tell me all, My child, hide nothing from Me, because My loving Heart, the Heart of your Best Friend, is listening to you. Soul: O Lord, now I see all my ingratitude and Your goodness. You were pursuing me with Your grace, while I was frustrating Your benevolence. I see that I deserve the depths of hell for spurning Your graces. Jesus (interrupting): Do not be absorbed in your misery-you are still too weak to speak of it-but, rather, gaze on My Heart filled with goodness, and be imbued with My sentiments. Strive for meekness and humility; be merciful to others, as I am to you; and, when you feel your strength failing, if you come to the fountain of mercy to fortify your soul, you will not grow weary on your journey. Soul: Now I understand Your mercy, which protects me, and like a brilliant star, leads me into the home of my Father, protecting me from the horrors of hell that I have deserved, not once, but a thousand times. O Lord, eternity will hardly suffice for me to give due praise to Your unfathomable mercy and Your compassion for me. + Conversation of the Merciful God with a Suffering Soul 1487 Jesus: Poor soul, I see that you suffer much and that you do not have even the strength to coverse with me. So I will speak to you. Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart? Tell me about everything, be sincere in dealing with Me, reveal all the wounds of your heart. I will heal them, and your suffering will become a source of your sanctification. Soul: Lord, my sufferings are so great and numerous and have lasted so long that I become discouraged. Jesus: My child, do not be discouraged. I know your boundless trust in Me; I know you are aware of My goodness and mercy. Let us talk in detail about everything that weighs so heavily upon your heart. Soul: There are so many different things that I do not know what to speak about first, nor how to express it. Jesus: Talk to Me simply, as a friend to a friend. Tell Me now, My child, what hinders you from advancing in holiness? Soul: Poor health detains me on the way to holiness. I cannot fulfill my duties. I am as useless as an extra wheel on a wagon. I cannot mortify myself or fast to any extent, as the saints did. Furthermore, nobody believes I am sick, so that mental pain is added to those of the body, and I am often humiliated. Jesus, how can anyone become holy in such circumstances? Jesus: True, My child, all that is painful. But there is no way to heaven except the way of the cross. I followed it first. You must learn that it is the shortest and surest way. Soul: Lord, there is another obstacle on the road to holiness. Because I am faithful to You, I am persecuted and suffer much. Jesus: It is because you are not of this world that the world hates you. First it persecuted Me. Persecution is a sign that you are following in My footsteps faithfully. Soul: My Lord, I am also discouraged because neither my superiors nor my confessor understand my interior trials. A darkness clouds my mind. How can I advance? All this discourages me from striving for the heights of sanctity. Jesus: Well, My child, this time you have told Me a good deal. I realize how painful it is not to be understood, and especially by those whom one loves and with whom one has been very open. But suffice it to know that I understand all your troubles and misery. I am pleased by the deep faith you have, despite everything, in My representatives. Learn from this that no one will understand a soul entirely-that is beyond human ability. Therefore, I have remained on earth to comfort your aching heart and to fortify your soul, so that you will not falter on the way. You say that a dense darkness is obscuring your mind. But why, at such times, do you not come to Me, the light who can in an instant pour into your soul more understanding about holiness than can be found in any books? No confessor is capable of teaching and enlightening a soul in this way. Know, too, that the darkness about which you complain I first endured in the Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in mortal anguish. I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am intending for you in heaven. A suffering soul is closest to My Heart. Soul: One more thing, Lord. What should I do when I am ignored and rejected by people, especially by those on whom I had a right to count in times of greatest need? Jesus: My child, make the resolution never to rely on people. Entrust yourself completely to My will saying, "Not as I want, but according to Your will, O God, let it be done unto me." These words, spoken from the depths of one's heart, can raise a soul to the summit of sanctity in a short time. In such a soul I delight. Such a soul gives Me glory. Such a soul fills heaven with the fragrance of her virtue. But understand that the strength by which you bear sufferings comes from frequent Communions. So approach this fountain of mercy often, to draw with the vessel of trust whatever you need. Soul: Thank You, Lord, for Your goodness in remaining with us in this exile as the God of mercy and blessing us with the radiance of Your compassion and goodness. It is through the light of Your mercy that I have come to understand how much You love me. 1488 Conversation of the Merciful God with a Soul Striving after Perfection. Jesus: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed? Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its cause? Soul: Lord, the reason for my sadness is that, in spite of my sincere resolutions, I fall again into the same faults. I make resolutions in the morning, but in the evening I see how much I have departed from them. Jesus: You see, My child, what you are of yourself. The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons. Soul: Yes, I know all that, but great temptations assail me, and various doubts awaken within me and, moreover, everything irritates and discourages me. Jesus: My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy. Soul: I understand what is the better thing to do, what pleases You more, but I encounter great obstacles in acting on this understanding. Jesus: My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for My kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life-for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness. Soul: O Lord, I feel my heart being filled with Your love and the rays of Your mercy and love piercing my soul. I go, Lord, at Your command. I go to conquer souls. Sustained by Your grace, I am ready to follow You, Lord, not only to Tabor, but also to Calvary. I desire to lead souls to the fount of Your mercy so that the splendor of Your mercy may be reflected in all souls, and the home of our Father be filled to overflowing. And when the enemy begins to attack me, I shall take refuge behind the shield of Your mercy.
1489 Conversation of the Merciful God with a Perfect Soul.
Soul: My Lord and Master, I desire to converse with You. Jesus: Speak, My beloved child, for I am always listening. I wait for you. What do you desire to say? Soul: Lord, first let me pour out my heart at Your feet in a fragrant anointing of gratitude for the many blessings which You lavish upon me; even if I wanted to, I could not count them. I only recall that there has never been a moment in my life in which I have not experienced Your protection and goodness. Jesus: Your words please Me, and your thanksgiving opens up new treasures of graces. But, My child, we should talk in more detail about the things that lie in your heart. Let us talk confidentially and frankly, as two hearts that love one another do. Soul: O my merciful Lord, there are secrets in my heart which no one knows or will ever know except You because, even if I wanted to reveal them, no one would understand me. Your minister knows some because I confess to him, but he knows only the bit of these mysteries that I am capable of revealing; the rest remains between us for eternity, O My Lord! You have covered me with the cloak of Your mercy, pardoning my sins. Not once did You refuse Your pardon; You always had pity on me, giving me a new life of grace. To prevent doubts, You have entrusted me to the loving care of Your Church, that tender mother, who in Your name assures me of the truths of faith and watches lest I wander. Especially in the tribunal of Your mercy does my soul meet an ocean of favors, though You did not give the Fallen Angels time to repent or prolong their time of mercy. O my Lord, you have provided saintly priests to show me the sure way. Jesus, there is one more secret in my life, the deepest and dearest to my heart: it is You yourself when You come to my heart under the appearance of bread. Herein lies the whole secret of my sanctity. Here my heart is so united with Yours as to be but one. There are no more secrets, because all that is Yours is mine, and all that is mine is Yours. Such is the omnipotence and the miracle of Your mercy. All the tongues of men and of angels united could not find words adequate to this mystery of Your love and mercy. When I contemplate this mystery, my heart falls into a new ecstasy. In silence I tell You everything, Lord, because the language of love is without words; not a single stirring of my heart escapes You. O Lord, the extent of Your great condescension has awakened in my soul an even greater love for You, the sole object of my love. The life of union manifests itself in perfect purity, deep humility, gentle silence, and great zeal for the salvation of souls. O my sweetest Lord, You watch over me each moment and inspire me as to how I should act in a precise situation, when my heart wavers between two things. You yourself frequently intervened in the resolution of a difficulty. Countless times, by means of a sudden enlightenment, You have given me to know what is the more pleasing to You. Oh, how numerous are the instances of forgiveness about which no one knows! How often You have poured into my soul courage and perseverance to go forward. It is You yourself who removed obstacles from my road, intervening directly in the actions of people. O Jesus, everything I have said to You is but a pale shadow of what is taking place in my heart. O my Jesus, how ardently I desire the conversion of sinners! You know what I am doing for them to win them for You. Every offense against You wounds me deeply. I spare neither strength, nor health, nor life itself in defense of Your kingdom. Although my efforts may remain invisible on earth, they are no less valuable in Your eyes. O Jesus, I want to bring souls to the fount of Your mercy to draw the reviving water of life with the vessel of trust. The soul desirous of more of God's mercy should approach God with greater trust; and if her trust in God is unlimited, then the mercy of God toward it will be likewise limitless. O my God, Who know every beat of my heart, You know how eagerly I desire that all hearts would beat for You alone, that every soul glorify the greatness of Your mercy. Jesus: My beloved child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake of your love, I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A single act of pure love pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven. I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity. But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls; fight as a king's child would; and remember that the days of your exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning merit for heaven. I expect from you, My child, a great number of souls who will glorify My mercy for all eternity. My child, that you may answer My call worthily, receive Me daily in Holy Communion. It will give you strength... Jesus, do not leave me alone in suffering. You know, Lord, how weak I am. I am an abyss of wretchedness, I am nothingness itself; so what will be so strange if You leave me alone and I fall? I am an infant, Lord, so I cannot get along by myself. However, beyond all abandonment I trust, and in spite of my own feeling I trust, and I am being completely transformed into trust-often in spite of what I feel. Do not lessen any of my sufferings, only give me strength to bear them. Do with me as You please, Lord, only give me the grace to be able to love You in every event and circumstance. Lord, do not lessen my cup of bitterness, only give me strength that I may be able to drink it all. O Lord, sometimes You lift me up to the brightness of visions, and then again You plunge me into the darkness of night and the abyss of my nothingness, and my soul feels as if it were alone in the wilderness. Yet, above all things, I trust in You, Jesus, for You are unchangeable. My moods change, but You are always the same, full of mercy.
1570 O Greatly Merciful God,
Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery
to Your mercy-to Your compassion, O God; and it is with its mighty voice of
misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this
earth's exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, Who are acquainted
with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot
ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on
increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will all
through our life and at death's hour. Let the omnipotence of Your mercy
shield us from the darts of our salvation's enemies, that we may with
confidence, as Your children, await Your final coming-that day known to You
alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of
all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope: Through His merciful Heart, as
through an open gate, we pass through to heaven.
1581 O my Jesus, my Master, I unite my desires to the
desires that You had on the cross: I desire to fulfill Your holy will; I
desire the conversion of souls; I desire that Your mercy be adored; I desire
that the triumph of the Church be hastened; I desire the Feast of Mercy to be
celebrated all over the world; I desire sanctity for priests; I desire that
there be a saint in our Congregation; I desire that our whole Congregation
have a great spirit of zeal for the glory of God and for the salvation of
souls; I desire that souls who live in our homes do not offend God, but
persevere in good; I desire that the blessing of God descend upon my parents
and my whole family; I desire that God give special light to my spiritual directors,
and in particular to Father An. and Father So.; I desire a special blessing
for Superiors 234 under whose direction I have been, and in
particular for Mother , General [Michael], for Mother Irene and for the
Directress of Novices, Mother [Mary] Joseph.
1583 As I write this, I hear Satan
grinding his teeth. He cannot stand God's mercy, and keeps banging things in
my cell. But I feel so much of God's power within me that it does not even
bother me that the enemy of our salvation gets angry, and I quietly keep on
writing.
+ J.M.J.
1629 I am a host in Your hand, O Jesus, my Creator and Lord, Silent, hidden, without beauty or charm, Because all the beauty of my soul is imprinted within me. I am a host in Your hand, O Divine Priest, Do with me as You please; I am totally dependent on Your will, O Lord Because it is the delight and adornment of my soul. I am like a white host in Your hand, O God, I implore You, transform me into Yourself. May I be wholly hidden in You, Locked in Your merciful Heart as in Heaven. I am like a host in Your hand, O Eternal Priest, May the wafer of my body hide me from human eye; May Your eye alone measure my love and devotion, Because my heart is always united with Your Divine Heart. I am like a sacrificial host in Your hand, O Divine Mediator, And I burn on the altar of holocaust, Crushed and ground by suffering like grains of wheat, And all this for the sake of Your glory, for the salvation of souls. I am a host abiding in the tabernacle of Your Heart. I go through life drowned in Your love, And I fear nothing in the world, For You Yourself are my shield, my strength, and my defense. I am a host, laid on the altar of Your Heart, To burn forever with the fire of love, For I know that You have lifted me up solely because of Your mercy, And so I turn all these gifts and graces to Your glory. I am a host in Your hand, O Judge and Savior. In the last hour of my life, May the omnipotence of Your grace lead me to my goal, May Your compassion on the vessel of mercy become famous.
1643 Listen, My daughter,
although all the works that come into being by My will are exposed to great
sufferings, consider whether any of them has been subject to greater
difficulties than that work which is directly Mine-the work of Redemption.
You should not worry too much about adversities. The world is not as powerful
as it seems to be; its strength is strictly limited. Know, My daughter, that
if your soul is filled with the fire of My pure love, then all difficulties
dissipate like fog before the sun's rays and dare not touch the soul. All
adversaries are afraid to start a quarrel with such a soul, because they
sense that it is stronger than the whole world...
1743 + God's Infinite Goodness in
Creating Mankind.
God, who in Your mercy have deigned to call man from nothingness into being, generously have You bestowed upon him nature and grace. But that seemed too little for Your infinite goodness. In Your mercy, O Lord, You have given us everlasting life. You admit us to Your everlasting happiness and grant us to share in Your interior life. And You do this solely out of Your mercy. You bestow on us the gift of Your grace, only because You are good and full of love. You had no need of us at all to be happy, but You, O Lord, want to share Your own happiness with us. But man did not stand the test. You could have punished him, like the angels, with eternal rejection, but here Your mercy appeared, and the very depths of Your being were moved with great compassion, and You promised to restore our salvation. It is an incomprehensible abyss of Your compassion that You did not punish us as we deserved. May Your mercy be glorified, O Lord; we will praise it for endless ages. And the angels were amazed at the greatness of the mercy which You have shown for mankind...
+ God's Infinite Goodness in
Redeeming Man.
1747 God, You could have saved thousands of worlds with one word; a single sigh from Jesus would have satisfied Your justice. But You Yourself, Jesus, purely out of love for us, underwent such a terrible Passion. Your Father's justice would have been propitiated with a single sigh from You, and all Your self-abasement is solely the work of Your mercy and Your inconceivable love. On leaving the earth, O Lord, You wanted to stay with us, and so You left us Yourself in the Sacrament of the Altar, and You opened wide Your mercy to us. There is no misery that could exhaust You; You have called us all to this fountain of love, to this spring of God's compassion. Here is the tabernacle of Your mercy, here is the remedy for all our ills. To You, O living spring of mercy, all souls are drawn; some like deer, thirsting for Your love, others to wash the wound of their sins, and still others, exhausted by life, to draw strength. At the moment of Your death on the Cross, You bestowed upon us eternal life; allowing Your most holy side to be opened, You opened an inexhaustible spring of mercy for us, giving us Your dearest possession, the Blood and Water from Your Heart. Such is the omnipotence of Your mercy. From it all grace flows to us
1758 My daughter, consider the
life of God which is found in the Church for the salvation and the
sanctification of your soul. Consider the use that you make of these
treasures of grace, of these efforts of My love.
+ Conference on Mercy.
1777 My daughter, know that My Heart is mercy itself.
From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has
approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled. All misery gets buried in the
depths of My mercy, and every saving and sanctifying grace flows from this
fountain. My daughter, I desire that your heart be an abiding place of My
mercy. I desire that this mercy flow out upon the whole world through your
heart. Let no one who approaches you go away without that trust in My mercy
which I so ardently desire for souls.
Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul.
1784 Today, in the course of a long conversation, the Lord
said to me, How very much I desire the salvation of souls! My dearest
secretary, write that I want to pour out My divine life into human souls and
sanctify them, if only they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest
sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would trust in My mercy.
The very inner depths of My being are filled to overflowing with mercy, and
it is being poured out upon all I have created. My delight is to act in a
human soul and to fill it with My mercy and to justify it. My kingdom on
earth is My life in the human soul. Write, My secretary, that I Myself am the
spiritual guide of souls-and I guide them indirectly through the priest, and
lead each one to sanctity by a road known to Me alone.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-72, 89, 157, 180, 186-187, 235, 247)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-310, 350, 420)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-522, 631, 648, 687, 965, 998)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1004, 1032, 1061, 1100, 1151, 1184)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-IV-1205, 1230, 1265, 1286, 1300, 1366)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1426, 1452, 1466, 1485-1489, 1570)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1581)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-VI-1593, 1629, 1643, 1743, 1758, 1747)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1777, 1784)
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Disyembre 25, 2016
Flesh, Glory, Grace-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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