Yearning for Christ
January 6, 2017. Christmas Weekday
Father Jason Smith, LC
Father Jason Smith, LC
Mark 1:7-11
This is what John
the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not
worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with
water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” It happened in those days
that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by
John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the
Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens,
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ,
thank You for the wonderful gift of my baptism. By it you have invited me to
follow You closely. You have called me to be part of Your Church. You have
washed my soul clean. You have called me to bring others closer to You. I hope
to always be filled with gratitude for this undeserved gift. In baptism You
also gave me the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. I wish to believe
in You more, to hope in Your mercy and love You every day of my life so that we
may spend eternity together.
Petition: Jesus, grant me a
profound appreciation for my baptism.
1. John’s Yearning for
Christ: Saint John the Baptist was a man with a mission. Every aspect of his
life was given to preparing the way of the Lord. Every fiber of his being
yearned to see that day arrive. Be it by penance, preaching, or repentance, he
did everything he could to prepare others for the Messiah’s coming. Because his
heart yearned for Christ, it made his every action glow with authenticity. What
joy must have filled him when, as Saint Mark writes, “It happened in those days
that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by
John.” The day he longed for had finally arrived! How good it is to long for
what we should long for and then to achieve it! Are all of my aspirations truly
Christian?
2. Our Yearning for
Christ: Like John, we also yearn for Christ’s coming into our lives. But we
need not look far off. By our baptism, Christ has already taken our hand; we
already belong to him! Our response to this unmerited gift is our baptismal
commitments, namely to preach the Gospel and to strive for holiness. In this way,
we renounce sin and profess to live out our faith in the Triune God. Baptism
gives the certainty for which each of us yearns: Christ is here, he has come
into my life, he has seized my soul, and will remain with me unless I
deliberately turn away from him by grave sin. Even then, he awaits and pursues
me to restore me to his intimate friendship. Do I appreciate the gift of my
baptism? Do I actively work to bring that seed to fruition in my life?
3. Our Neighbor’s
Yearning for Christ: When we live out our baptismal commitments the world becomes
transformed. Ideologies of violence, tendencies towards corruption, desires for
power and possessions are all steadily removed from our hearts. Instead our
eyes are opened to the needs of others. They too yearn for Christ, just as
those who gathered alongside the Jordan to hear Saint John preach. The greatest
gift we can give them is, like the Baptist, to point them to the Lamb of God —
it is Christ alone who can satisfy the thirst of every human heart! Am I convinced
that Our Lord wishes to use me as an instrument of his grace? I do not need to
have outstanding qualities to help others. I just need the desire and the
readiness to point out the way of happiness and peace to others.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to take a moment to thank You for Your wonderful
gift of baptism, the moment when you opened for me the doors to heaven, the
moment from which I can be called one of Your followers. Through my baptism I
can be truly called a Christian! Help me to be worthy of this calling.
Strengthen me today with Your grace and presence. Guide me along the path of
life. Help me to be Your light in the world.
Resolution: I will be mindful
of the great gift of my baptism today by periodically making the Sign of the
Cross.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
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.
148 +A noble and delicate soul,
even the most simple, but one of delicate sensibilities, sees God in
everything, finds Him everywhere, and knows how to find Him in even the most
hidden things. It finds all things important, it highly appreciates all
things, it thanks God for all things, it draws profit for the soul from all
things, and it gives all glory to God. It places its trust in God and is not
confused when the time of ordeals comes. It knows that God is always the best
of Fathers and makes little of human opinion. It follows faithfully the
faintest breath of the Holy Spirit; it rejoices in this Spiritual Guest and
holds onto Him like a child to its mother. Where other souls come to a standstill
and fear, this soul passes on without fear or difficulty.
167 Today [November, 1932], I
arrived in Warsaw for the third probation. After a cordial meeting with the
dear Mothers, I went into the small chapel for a moment. Suddenly God's
presence filled my soul, and I heard these words, My daughter, I desire
that your heart be formed after the model of My merciful Heart. You must be
completely imbued with My mercy.
Dear Mother Directress [Margaret] at once asked me whether I had had a retreat that year, and I said no. "Then you must first have a retreat of at least three days." Thanks be to God there was at Walendows[57] an eight-day retreat in which I could take part. But difficulties arose in regard to my leaving for this retreat. A certain person opposed my going very much, and it already [appeared that] I was not to go. After dinner, I went into the chapel for a five-minute adoration. Suddenly I saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me, My daughter, I am preparing many graces for you, which you will receive during this retreat which you will begin tomorrow. I answered, "Jesus, the retreat has already begun, and I am not supposed to go." And He said to me, Get ready for it, because you will begin the retreat tomorrow. And as for your departure, I will arrange that with the superiors. And in an instant, Jesus disappeared. I began to wonder how this was going to happen. But after a moment I rejected all such thoughts and devoted the time I had to prayer, begging the Holy Spirit for light to see the whole misery that I am. After a short while, I left the little chapel to go about my duties. Soon Mother General [Michael] called me and said, "Sister, you will go to Walendow today with Mother Valeria so that you can start the retreat tomorrow. Fortunately, Mother Valeria happens to be here and you can go together." Within two hours I was already in Walendow. I reflected for a moment within myself and recognized that only Jesus can arrange things in such a way.
170 The first day of the retreat.
I tried to be the first in the chapel in the morning; before the meditation I
had a bit of time for prayer to the Holy Spirit and to Our Lady. I earnestly
begged the Mother of God to obtain for me the grace of fidelity to these
inner inspirations and of faithfully carrying out God's will, whatever it
might be. I began this retreat with a very special kind of courage.
248 The words of the Bishop
[Rospond[73]], spoken at the
ceremony of the taking of perpetual vows: "Accept this candle as a sign
of heavenly light and of burning love." While giving the ring: "I
betroth you to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father Most High; may He keep you
unblemished. Take this ring as a sign of the eternal covenant you are making
with Christ, the Spouse of Virgins. May it be for you the ring of faith and
the sign of the Holy Spirit, that you may be called the bride of Christ and,
if you serve Him faithfully, be crowned [as such] for all eternity.
291 On a certain occasion, I saw a
person about to commit a mortal sin. I asked the Lord to send me the greatest
torments so that that soul could be saved. Then I suddenly felt the terrible
pain of a crown of thorns on my head. It lasted for quite a long time, but
that person remained in the Lord's grace. 0 my Jesus, how very easy it is to
become holy; all that is needed is a bit of good will. If Jesus sees this
little bit of good will in the soul, He hurries to give himself to the soul,
and nothing can stop Him, neither shortcomings nor falls-absolutely nothing.
Jesus is anxious to help that soul, and if it is faithful to this grace from
God, it can very soon attain the highest holiness possible for a creature
here on earth. God is very generous and does not deny His grace to anyone.
Indeed He gives more than what we ask of Him. Faithfulness to the
inspirations of the Holy Spirit-that is the shortest route.
356 O Blessed Host, in whom is
contained the testament of God's mercy for us, and especially for poor
sinners.
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus as proof of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained life eternal and of infinite mercy, dispensed in abundance to us and especially to poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the mercy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit toward us, and especially toward poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the infinite price of mercy which will compensate for all our debts, and especially those of poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fountain of living water which springs from infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fire of purest love which blazes forth from the bosom of the Eternal Father, as from an abyss of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the medicine for all our infirmities, flowing from infinite mercy, as from a fount, for us and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners. O Blessed Host, in whom are contained all the sentiments of the most sweet Heart of Jesus toward us, and especially poor sinners. O Blessed Host, our only hope in all the sufferings and adversities of life. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of darkness and of storms within and without. O Blessed Host, our only hope in life and at the hour of our death. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of adversities and floods of despair. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of falsehood and treason. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the darkness and godlessness which inundate the earth. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the longing and pain in which no one will understand us. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the toil and monotony of everyday life. O Blessed Host, our only hope amid the ruin of our hopes and endeavors. O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the ravages of the enemy and the efforts of hell. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when the burdens are beyond my strength and I find my efforts are fruitless. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when storms toss my heart about and my fearful spirit tends to despair. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my heart is about to tremble and mortal sweat moistens my brow. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when everything conspires against me and black despair creeps into my soul. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my eyes will begin to grow dim to all temporal things and, for the first time, my spirit will behold the unknown worlds. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my tasks will be beyond my strength and adversity will become my daily lot. O Blessed Host I trust in You when the practice of virtue will appear difficult for me and my nature will grow rebellious. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when hostile blows will be aimed against me. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my toils and efforts will be misjudged by others. O Blessed Host, I trust in You when Your judgments will resound over me; it is then that I will trust in the sea of Your mercy.
359 January 10, 1935. +Thursday.
In the evening during benediction,[85] such thoughts as these began to distress
me: Is not perhaps all this that I am saying about God's great mercy just a
lie or an illusion...? And I wanted to think about this for a while, when I
heard a strong and clear inner voice saying, Everything that you say about
My goodness is true; language has no adequate expression to extol My
goodness. These words were so filled with power and so clear that I would
give my life in declaring they came from God. I can tell this by the profound
peace that accompanied them at that time and that still remains with me. This
peace gives me such great strength and power that all difficulties,
adversities, sufferings, and death itself are as nothing. This light gave me
a glimpse of the truth that all my efforts to bring souls to know the mercy
of the Lord are very pleasing to God. And from this springs such great joy in
my soul that I do not know whether it could be any greater in heaven. Oh, if
souls would only be willing to listen, at least a little, to the voice of
conscience and the voice that is, the inspirations-of the Holy Spirit! I say
"at least a little," because once we open ourselves to the
influence of the Holy Spirit, He himself will fulfill what is lacking in us.
392 The Lord God grants His graces
in two ways: by inspiration and by enlightenment. If we ask God for a grace,
He will give it to us; but let us be willing to accept it. And in order to
accept it, self-denial is needed. Love does not consist in words or feelings,
but in deeds. It is an act of the will; it is a gift; that is to say, a
giving. The reason, the will, the heart-these three faculties must be
exercised during prayer. I will rise from the dead in Jesus, but first I must
live in Him. If I do not separate myself from the Cross, then the Gospel will
be revealed in me. Jesus in me makes up for all my deficiencies. His grace
operates without ceasing. The Holy Trinity grants me Its life abundantly, by
the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Three Divine Persons live in me. When God
loves, He loves with all His Being, with all the power of His Being. If God
has loved me in this way, how should I respond I, His spouse?
451 Once after Holy Communion, I heard these
words: You are Our dwelling place. At that moment, I felt in my soul
the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I
felt that I was the temple of God. I felt I was a child of the Father. I
cannot explain all this, but the spirit understands it well. O infinite
Goodness, how low You stoop to Your miserable creature!
472 I knew, more distinctly than
ever before, the Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. But their being, their equality and their majesty are one. My soul is
in communion with these Three; but I do not know how to express this in
words; yet my soul understands it well. Whoever is united to One of the Three
Persons is thereby united to the whole Blessed Trinity, for this Oneness is
indivisible. This vision, or rather, this knowledge filled my soul with
unimaginable happiness, because God is so great. What I am describing I did
not see with my eyes, as on previous occasions, but in a purely interior
manner, in a purely spiritual way, independent of the senses. This continued
until the end of Holy Mass.
This now happens often to me, and not only in the chapel, but also at work and at times when I least expect it.
477 Silence is a sword in the
spiritual struggle. A talkative soul will never attain sanctity. The sword of
silence will cut off everything that would like to cling to the soul. We are
sensitive to words and quickly want to answer back, without taking any regard
as to whether it is God's will that we should speak. A silent soul 14 strong;
no adversities will harm it if it perseveres in silence. The silent soul is
capable of attaining the closest union with God. It lives almost always under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without
hindrance.
478 O my Jesus, You know, You
alone know well that m heart knows no other love but You! All my virginal
love is drowned eternally in You, O Jesus! I sense keenly ho Your divine
Blood is circulating in my heart; I have no the least doubt that Your most
pure love has entered m heart with Your most sacred Blood. I am aware did You
are dwelling in me, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, or rather
am aware that it is I who it living in You, O incomprehensible God! I am
aware that I am dissolving in You like a drop in an ocean. I am aware that
You are within me and all about me, that You are in all things that surround
me, in all that happens to me. O my God, I have come to know You within my
heart, and I have loved You above all things that exist on earth or in
heaven. Our hearts have a mutual understanding, and no one of humankind will
comprehend this.
486 Jesus, when You come to me in
Holy Communion, You who together with the Father and the Holy Spirit have
deigned to dwell in the little heaven of my heart, I try to keep You company
throughout the day, I do not leave You alone for even a moment. Although I am
in the company of other people or with our wards, my heart is always united
to Him. When I am asleep I offer Him every beat of my heart; when I awaken I
immerse myself in Him without saying a word. When I awaken I adore the Holy
Trinity for a short while and thank God for having deigned to give me yet
another day, that the mystery of the incarnation of His Son may once more be
repeated in me, and that once again His sorrowful Passion may unfold before
my eyes. I then try to make it easier for Jesus to pass through me to other
souls. I go everywhere with Jesus; His presence accompanies me everywhere.
501 Oh, how great is Your beauty,
Jesus my Spouse! Living Flower enclosing life-giving dew for a thirsting
soul! My soul is drowned in You. You alone are the object of my desires and
strivings. Unite me as closely as possible to Yourself, to the Father and to
the Holy Spirit. Let me live and die in You.
525 O Holy Trinity, in whom is
contained the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
eternal joy, inconceivable depth of love, poured out upon all creatures and
constituting their happiness, honor and glory be to Your holy name forever
and ever. Amen.
When I consider Your greatness and beauty, O my God, I rejoice exceedingly that the Lord I serve is so great. With love and joy I carry out His will, and the more I come to know Him, the more I desire to love Him. I burn with the desire to love Him ever more and more.
552 In addition to the vows, I see
one rule as most important. Although all the rules are important, I put this
one in first place, and it is silence. Truly, if this rule were to be
observed strictly, I would not worry about the others. Women are very fond of
talking, but the Holy Spirit does not speak to a soul that is distracted and
garrulous. He speaks by His quiet inspirations to a soul that is recollected,
to a soul that knows how to keep silence. If silence were strictly observed,
there would not be any grumbling, bitterness, slandering, or gossip, and
charity would not be tarnished. In a word, many wrongs would not be done.
Silent lips are pure gold and bear witness to holiness within.
647 From this, I came to
understand one thing: that I must pray much for each of my confessors, that
he might obtain the light of the Holy Spirit, for when I approach the
confessional without first praying, fervently, the confessor does not
understand me very well. Father encouraged me to pray fervently for these
intentions, that God would give better knowledge and understanding of the
things He is asking of me. "Make novena after novena, Sister, and God
will not refuse the graces."
June, 1936. Conversation with
Father A. [Andrasz]
658 "Know that these are hard and difficult things. Your principal spiritual director is the Holy Spirit. We can only give direction to these inspirations, but your real director is the Holy Spirit. If you yourself have decided to leave, Sister, I neither prohibit nor order you to do so. You take the responsibility for yourself. I say this to you, Sister: you can begin to take action. You are capable of doing so, and therefore you can do so. These things are indeed probable; all you have told me up to now [before perpetual vows in Cracow in 1933] speaks in favor of taking action. Still, you have to be very careful in all this. Pray much and ask that I be given light."
734 I see that Jesus himself is
acting in my soul during this retreat. And as for me, I try only to be
faithful to His grace. I have submitted my soul completely to the influence
of God. This Mighty Ruler of Heaven has taken entire possession of my soul. I
feel that I am being lifted up above earth and heaven into the inner life of
God, where I come to know the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but always
in the unity of majesty.
777 November 27, [1936]. Today I
was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the
happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless
praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads
to all creatures, making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which
springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the
depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom.
This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures. Now I understand Saint Paul, who said, "Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him."
1073 April 4, 1937. Low Sunday;
that is, the Feast of Mercy. In the morning, after Holy Communion, my soul
was immersed in the Godhead. I was united to the Three Divine Persons in such
a way that when I was united to Jesus, I was simultaneously united to the
Father and to the Holy Spirit. My soul was flooded with joy beyond
understanding, and the Lord gave me to experience the whole ocean and abyss
of His fathomless mercy. Oh, if only souls would want to understand how much
God loves them! All comparisons, even if they were the most tender and the
most vehement, are but a mere shadow when set against the reality.
When I was united to the Lord, I came to know how many souls are glorifying God's mercy.
1106 + Virtue without prudence is
not virtue at all. We should often pray to the Holy Spirit for this grace of
prudence. Prudence consists in discretion, rational reflection and courageous
resolution. The final decision is always up to us. We must decide; we can and
we ought to seek advice and light...
1174 July 4, 1937. First Sunday of
the month.
Monthly retreat. This evening, I prepared with great care and prayed long to the Holy Spirit that He might deign to grant me His light and take me under His special guidance; [I prayed] also to Our Lady, to my Guardian Angel, and to our patron saints. [200]
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-56, 148, 167, 170, 248,
291, 356, 359)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-392, 451, 472, 477-478,
486, 501 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-525-526, 552, 647,
658, 734, 777 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1073, 1106, 1174)
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