A Step beyond
Justice
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February 19, 2017. Seventh
Sunday of Ordinary Time
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Father Timothy
Walsh, LC
Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his
disciples: "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for and eye and a
tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as
well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your
cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him
for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on
one who wants to borrow. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and
pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly
Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to
fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what
recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you
greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do
the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I wish to open my heart and let
Your Gospel message penetrate me and change my life. I believe that You love
me and that You died for me; yet when tested by the demands of the Gospel, my
faith and generosity waver. Nevertheless, once more I confess my faith in You
and my determination to work to please You alone.
Petition: Jesus, teach me true charity!
1. Revenge or
Justice. “An eye for an eye…” - Revenge has a tantalizing attraction. Oh, how we enjoy
those movies where the down-and-out hero suddenly gets the upper hand, pays
back all of the evil the villain has been inflicting on others, and justice
prevails. But is this really justice? Jesus speaks clearly: “But I say to
you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.” Our virtue must go beyond that
of the Scribes and the Pharisees.
2. Perfect Justice.
Christ invites us to go beyond the “tit-for-tat” mentality: “When someone strikes you on your right
cheek, turn the other one to him as well.” Jesus is not trying to teach us
passivism; rather, he is inviting us to discover that love is the perfection
of justice. Humility and forgiveness are the pillars of this radically new
mentality. Only in the light of these can we hope to build true and enduring
peace in the world, amongst those around us and even within ourselves.
3. Self-giving Love: Fulfillment of this attitude is not merely
to avoid direct retaliations but rather to form a generous and magnanimous
heart which knows how to give itself without ever giving up. Jesus gave not
only his tunic and cloak, but all of his clothes to those who were to crucify
him (cf. John 19:23). Jesus walked the extra mile, which brought him to the
top of Calvary (cf. John 19:17). Jesus promised salvation to the criminal who
asked him to remember him (cf. Luke 23:42-43).
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, You are
God. You came down from heaven to teach me how to love, but I have such a
hard time loving those around me and even loving myself sometimes. By Your
almighty grace, help me to be more like You, to forgive and to give myself to
others so that I can help make their lives just a bit happier.
Resolution: I will perform one small act of charity today: thinking or
speaking well of someone, or offering myself to help someone.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
57 O my Jesus, You
are the life of my life. You know only too well that I long for nothing but
the glory of Your Name and that souls come to know Your goodness. Why do
souls avoid You, Jesus?-I don't understand that. Oh, if I could only cut my
heart into tiny pieces and in this way offer to You, O Jesus, each piece as a
heart whole and entire, to make up in part for the hearts that do not love
You! I love You, Jesus, with every drop of my blood, and I would gladly shed
my blood for You to give You a proof of the sincerity of my love. O God, the
more I know You the less I can comprehend You, but this
"non-comprehension" lets me realize how great You are! And it is
this impossibility of comprehending You which enflames my heart anew for You,
O Lord. From the moment when You let me fix the eyes of my soul on You, O
Jesus, I have been at peace and desired nothing else. I found my destiny at
the moment when my soul lost itself in You, the only object of my love. In
comparison with you, everything is nothing. Sufferings, adversities,
humiliations, failures and suspicions that have come my way are splinters
that keep alive the fire of my love for You, O Jesus.
My desires are mad and unattainable. I wish to conceal from You that I suffer. I want never to be rewarded for my efforts and my good actions. You yourself, Jesus, are my only reward; You are enough, O Treasure of my heart! I want to share compassionately in the sufferings of my neighbors and to conceal my own sufferings, not only from them, but also from You, Jesus. Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.
58 +One night, a
sister who had died two months previously came to me. She was a sister of the
first choir. I saw her in a terrible condition, all in flames with her face
painfully distorted. This lasted only a short time, and then she disappeared.
A shudder went through my soul because I did not know whether she was
suffering in purgatory or in hell. Nevertheless I redoubled my prayers for
her. The next night she came again, but I saw her in an even more horrible
state, in the midst of flames which were even more intense, and despair was
written all over her face. I was astonished to see her in a worse condition
after the prayers I had offered for her, and I asked, "Haven't my
prayers helped you?" She answered that my prayers had not helped her and
that nothing would help her. I said to her, "And the prayers which been
any help to you?" She said no, that these prayers had helped some other
souls. I replied, "If my prayers are not helping you, Sister, please
stop coming to me." She disappeared at once. Despite this, I kept on
praying.
After some time she came back again to me during the night, but already her appearance had changed. There were no longer any flames, as there had been before, and her face was radiant, her eyes beaming with joy. She told me that I had a true love for my neighbor and that many other souls had profited from my prayers. She urged me not to cease praying for the souls in purgatory, and she added that she herself would not remain there much longer. How astounding are the decrees of God!
Darkness and
Temptations
77 My mind became dimmed in a strange way; no truth seemed clear to me. When people spoke to me about God, my heart was like a rock. I could not draw from it a single sentiment of love for Him. When I tried, by an act of the will, to remain close to Him, I experienced great torments, and it seemed to me that I was only provoking God to an even greater anger. It was absolutely impossible for me to meditate as I had been accustomed to do in the past. I felt in my soul a great void, and there was nothing with which I could fill it. I began to suffer from a great hunger and yearning for God, but I saw my utter powerlessness. I tried to read slowly, sentence by sentence, and to meditate in this way, but this also was of no avail. I understood nothing of what I had read. The abyss of my misery was constantly before my eyes. Every time I entered the chapel for some spiritual exercise, I experienced even worse torments and temptations. More than once, all through Holy Mass, I had to struggle against blasphemous thoughts which were forcing themselves to my lips. I felt an aversion for the Holy Sacraments, and it seemed to me that I was not profiting from them in any way. It was only out of obedience to my confessor that I frequented them, and this blind obedience was for me the only path I could follow and my very last hope of survival. The priest explained to me that these were trials sent by God and that, in the situation I was in, not only was I not offending God, but I was most pleasing to Him. "This is a sign," he told me, "that God loves you very much and that He has great confidence in you, since He is sending you such trials." But these words brought me no comfort; it seemed to me that they did not apply to me at all. One thing did surprise me: it often happened that, at the time when I was suffering greatly, these terrible torments would disappear suddenly just as I was approaching the confessional; but as soon as I had left the confessional, all these torments would again seize me with even greater ferocity. I would then fall on my face before the Blessed Sacrament repeating these words: "Even if You kill me, still will I trust in You!" [cf. Job 13:15] It seemed to me that I would die in these agonies. But the most terrible thought for me was the conviction that I had been rejected by God. Then other thoughts came to me: why strive to acquire virtues and do good works? why mortify and annihilate yourself? what good is it to take vows? to pray? to sacrifice and immolate yourself? why sacrifice myself all the time? what good is it - if I am already rejected by God? why all these efforts? And here, God alone knew what was going on in my heart.
93 +A Short Version
of the Catechism of the Vows[39]
Q. What is a vow? A. A vow is a voluntary promise made to God, to carry out a more perfect act. Q. Is a vow binding in a matter which is the object of a commandment? A. Yes. The carrying out of an act which is the object of a commandment has a double value and merit; and the neglect of such an act is a double transgression and evil, because by breaking such a vow we add to the sin against the commandment, the sin of sacrilege. Q. Why do religious vows have such value? A. Because they are the foundation of the religious life approved by the Church, in which the members bound together in a religious community undertake to strive always for perfection by means of the three religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, observed according to the rules. Q. What is the meaning of the words, "strive for perfection?" A. To strive for perfection means that the religious life does not in itself demand that perfection be already attained, but obliges, under the pain of sin, that we work daily to attain it. Therefore, a religious who does not want to become perfect neglects his principal duty of state. Q. What are "solemn" religious vows? A. " Solemn" religious vows are so absolute that, in extraordinary cases, only the Holy Father can dispense from them. Q. What are simple religious vows? A. These are vows which are less absolute - the Holy See dispenses from perpetual and annual vows. Q. What is the difference between a vow and a virtue? A. A vow pertains only to that which is commanded under pain of sin; the virtue goes beyond this and helps in the carrying out of the vow; on the other hand, by breaking the vow we fail in the virtue and do it damage. Q. To what do the religious vows oblige us? A. The religious vows oblige us to strive to acquire the virtues and to submit ourselves completely to our Superiors and to the Rules which are in force; thus the religious gives his own person to the Community, renouncing every right over himself and his actions, which he sacrifices to the service of God. The Vow of Poverty The vow of poverty is the voluntary renunciation of the right over property or to the use of such property with the purpose of pleasing God. Q. What objects does the vow of poverty concern? A. All those goods and those objects which appertain to the Community. We have no longer any right over anything that has been given to us, once it has been accepted, whether an article or money. All these donations and presents, which may have been given us out of gratitude or in any other way, belong by right to the Community. We cannot make use, without violating the vow, of any wages we may receive for work or even any annuity. Q. When do we break or violate the vow in a matter which entails the seventh commandment? A. We break or violate it when, without permission, we take for ourselves anything that belongs to the house; when, without permission, we retain something in order to appropriate it; and when, without authorization, we sell or exchange something that belongs to the Community. When we make use of an object for some other purpose than that intended by the Superior. When we give to, or accept from another, anything whatsoever without permission. When by negligence we destroy or damage something. When, in going from one house to another, we take something with us without permission. In a situation where the vow is broken, the religious is bound to restitution to the Community. The Virtue of Poverty This is an evangelical virtue which impels the heart to detach itself from temporal things; the religious, in virtue of his profession, is strictly obliged to it. Q. When do we sin against the virtue of poverty? When we desire something, contrary to this virtue. When we become attached to something, and when we make use of superfluous things. How many degrees of poverty are there and what are they? A. There are, in practice, four degrees of poverty for one who is a professed religious: to dispose of nothing without the consent of the Superiors (the strict matter of the vow); to avoid superfluities and be content with necessities (this pertains to the virtue); to readily content oneself with things of inferior quality in what concerns one's cell, clothing, nourishment, etc., and to experience this contentment interiorly; to rejoice in extreme poverty. The Vow of Chastity Q. To what does this vow oblige us? A. To renounce marriage and to avoid everything that is forbidden by the sixth and ninth commandments. Q. Is a fault against the virtue a violation of the vow? A. Every fault against the virtue is at the same time a violation of the vow, because here there is no difference, as in the case of poverty and obedience, between the vow and the virtue. Q. Is every bad thought a sin? A. No, every bad thought is not a sin; it becomes so only when the acquiescence of the will and consent are joined to the consideration of the mind. Q. Is there anything, over and above sins against chastity, which is detrimental to the virtue? A. Lack of custody of the senses, of the imagination, of the feelings; familiarity and sentimental friendships are detrimental to the virtue. Q. What are the means by which this virtue may be preserved? A. To conquer interior temptations with the thought of the presence of God, and moreover to fight without fear. And for exterior temptations, to avoid occasions. There are, in all, seven principal means: to guard the senses, to avoid occasions, to avoid idleness, to remove temptations promptly, to remove oneself from all - and especially particular friendships, the spirit of mortification, and to reveal all these temptations to one's confessor. Besides this, there are also five means of preserving this virtue: humility, the spirit of prayer, modesty of the eyes, fidelity to the rule, a sincere devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Vow of Obedience The vow of obedience is superior to the first two. It is, to tell the truth, a holocaust, and it is more necessary because it forms and animates the monastic body. Q. To what does the vow of obedience oblige us? A. By the vow of obedience, the religious promises to God to be obedient to his legitimate superiors in everything that they will ordain in virtue of the rule. The vow of obedience makes the religious dependent on his superior in virtue of these rules for his whole life and in all his affairs. A religious commits a grave sin against the vow every time he disobeys an order given in virtue of obedience and of these rules. The Virtue of Obedience The virtue of obedience goes further than the vow; it embraces the rules, the regulations and even the counsels of the superiors. Q. Is the virtue of obedience indispensable for a religious? A. The virtue of obedience is so indispensable to a religious that, even if he were to perform good actions contrary to obedience, these would be evil and without merit. Q. Can we sin gravely against the virtue of obedience? A. We sin gravely when we scorn the authority or the order of the superior, or when spiritual or temporal harm to the community results from our disobedience. Q. What faults endanger the vow? A. To be prejudiced against the superior, or to harbor an antipathy for him - murmuring and criticism, tardiness and negligence. The Degrees of Obedience Prompt and complete fulfillment - the obedience of the will, when the will persuades the intellect to submit to the advice of the superior. To facilitate obedience, Saint Ignatius suggests, moreover, three means: always to see God in our superior, whoever he might be; to justify in itself the order or advice of the superior; to accept each order as an order from God, without examining it or reflecting on it. General means: humility. Nothing is difficult for the humble.
96 +Trials sent by God to a soul which is
particularly loved by Him.
Temptations and darkness; Satan. The soul's love [for God] is still not such as God would have it. The soul suddenly loses the tangible perception of God's presence. Various defects and imperfections rise up within it, and it must fight them furiously. All her faults lift up their heads, but the soul's vigilance is great. The former awareness of the presence of God gives place to coldness and spiritual dryness; the soul has no taste for spiritual exercises; it cannot pray, either in the old way, or in the manner in which it had just begun to pray. It struggles this way and that, but can find no satisfaction. God has hidden himself from it, and it can find no consolation in creatures, nor can any of these creatures find a way of consoling it. The soul craves passionately for God, but sees its own misery; it begins to sense God's justice; it seems to it that it has lost all the gifts that God had given it; its mind is dimmed, and darkness fills it; unspeakable torment begins. The soul tries to explain its state to the confessor, but it is not understood and is assailed by an even greater unrest. Satan begins his work.
97 Faith staggers under the impact; the
struggle is fierce. The soul tries hard to cling to God by an act of will.
With God's permission, Satan goes even further: hope and love are put to the
test. These temptations are terrible. God supports the soul in secret, so to
speak. The soul is not aware of this, but otherwise it would be impossible to
stand firm; and God knows very well how much He can allow to befall a soul.
The soul is tempted to unbelief in respect to revealed truths and to
insincerity toward the confessor. Satan says to it, "Look, no one
understands you; why speak about all this?" Words that terrify it sound
in its ears, and it seems to the soul that it is uttering these against God.
It sees what it does not want to see. It hears what it does not want to hear.
And, oh, it is a terrible thing at times like these not to have an
experienced confessor! The soul carries the whole burden alone. However, one
should make every effort to find, if it is at all possible, a well-informed
confessor, for the soul can collapse under the burden and come to the very
edge of the precipice. All these trials are heavy and difficult. God does not
send them to a soul which has not already been admitted to a deeper intimacy
with Him and which has not yet tasted the divine delights. Besides, in this
God has His own plans, which for us are impenetrable. God often prepares a
soul in this way for His future designs and great works. He wants to try it
as pure gold is tried. But this is not yet the end of the testing; there is
still the trial of trials, the complete abandonment of the soul by God.
+ The Trial of Trials, Complete Abandonment
- Despair
98 When the soul comes out victorious from the preceding trials, even though it may stumble here and there, it fights on valiantly, humbly calling upon God, "Save me, I am perishing!" And it is still able to fight on. At this point, however, the soul is engulfed in a horrible night. It sees within itself only sin. It feels terrible. It sees itself completely abandoned by God. It feels itself to be the object of His hatred. It is but one step away from despair. The soul does its best to defend itself; it tries to stir up its confidence; but prayer is an even greater torment for it, as this prayer seems to arouse God to an even greater anger. The soul finds itself poised on the summit of a lofty mountain on the very brink of a precipice. The soul is drawn to God, but feels repulsed. All other sufferings and tortures in the world are as nothing compared with this sensation into which it has been plunged; namely, that of being rejected by God. No one can bring it any relief; it finds itself completely alone; there is no one to defend it. It raises its eyes to heaven, but is convinced that this is not for her-for her all is lost. It falls deeper and deeper from darkness to darkness, and it seems to it that it has lost forever the God it used to love so dearly. This thought is torture beyond all description. But the soul does not agree to it and tries to lift its gaze toward heaven, but in vain! And this makes the torture even more intense. If God wishes to keep the soul in such darkness, no one will be able to give it light. It experiences rejection by God in a vivid and terrifying manner. From its heart burst forth painful moans, so painful that no priest will comprehend it, unless he himself has been through these trials. In the midst of this, the evil spirit adds to the soul's suffering, mocking it: "Will you persist in your faithfulness? This is your reward; you are in our power!" But Satan has only as much influence over the soul as God allows him, and God knows how much we can bear. "What have you gotten out of your mortifications," says Satan, "and out of your fidelity to the rule? What use are all these efforts? You have been rejected by God!" This word, rejected, becomes a fire which penetrates every nerve to the marrow of the bone. It pierces right through her entire being. The ordeal reaches its climax. The soul no longer looks for help anywhere. It shrinks into itself and loses sight of everything; it is as though it has accepted the torture of being abandoned. This is a moment for which I have no words. This is the agony of the soul.
101 Jesus, You alone know how the soul,
engulfed in darkness, moans in the midst of these torments and, despite all
this, thirsts for God as burning lips thirst for water. It dies and withers;
it dies a death without death; that is to say, it cannot die. All its efforts
come to nothing; it is under a powerful hand. Now the soul comes under the
power of the Just One. All exterior temptations cease; all that surrounds it
becomes silent, like a dying person who loses contact with everything around
it: the person's entire soul is in the hand of the Just God, the Thrice-Holy
God,-rejected for all eternity! This is the culminating moment, and God alone
can test a soul in this way, because He alone knows what the soul can endure.
When the soul has been saturated through and through by this infernal fire, it is, as it were, cast headlong into great despair. My soul experienced this moment when I was all alone in my cell. When my soul began to sink into this despair, I felt that the end was near. But I seized my little crucifix and clutched it tightly in my hand. And now I felt my body separate itself from my soul; and though I wanted to go to my Superiors, I no longer had the physical strength. I uttered my last words: "I trust in Your Mercy!"-and it seemed to me that I provoked God to an even greater anger. And now I was drowned in despair, and all that was left me was a moan of unadulterated pain which, from time to time, tore itself from my soul. The soul is in agony-and it seemed to me that I would remain in this state, because by my own strength I could not emerge from it. Every recollection of God opened up an unspeakable ocean of suffering, and yet despite this there is something within the soul which is drawn to Him, though it seems to her for this only-that she suffer more. The memory of the love with which God formerly surrounded it is still another kind of suffering. His gaze pierces it, and everything within the soul is burned by this gaze.
116 My Jesus, You
know what my soul goes through at the recollection of these sufferings. I
have often marvelled that the angels and saints hold their peace at the sight
of a soul suffering like that. Yet they have special love for us at such
moments. My soul has often cried out after God, as a little child who cries
as loudly as he can when his mother covers her face and he cannot recognize
her. O my Jesus, honor and glory to You for these trials of love! Great and
incomprehensible is your mercy. All that You intended for my soul, O Lord, is
steeped in Your mercy.
118 The tongue is a
small member, but it does big things. A religious who does not keep silence
will never attain holiness; that is, she will never become a saint. Let her
not delude herself-unless it is the Spirit of God who is speaking through
her, for then she must not keep silent. But, in order to hear the voice of
God, one has to have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy
silence, but an interior silence; that is to say, recollection in God. One
can speak a great deal without breaking silence and, on the contrary, one can
speak little and be constantly breaking silence. Oh, what irreparable damage
is done by the breach of silence! We cause a lot of harm to our neighbor, but
even more to our own selves.
In my opinion, and
according to my experience, the rule concerning silence should stand in the
very first place. God does not give himself to a chattering soul which, like
a drone in a beehive, buzzes around but gathers no honey. A talkative soul is
empty inside. It lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A
deeper interior life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord
dwells, is quite out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the
sweetness of inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of
others. I have seen many souls in the depths of hell for not having kept
their silence; they told me so themselves when I asked them what was the
cause of their undoing. These were souls of religious. My God, what an agony
it is to think that not only might they have been in heaven, but they might
even have become saints! O Jesus, have mercy!
140 Pure love is
capable of great deeds, and it is not broken by difficulty or adversity. As
it remains strong in the midst of great difficulties, so too it perseveres in
the toilsome and drab life of each day. It knows that only one thing is
needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love-love,
and always love.
Pure love never errs. Its light is strangely plentiful. It will not do anything that might displease God. It is ingenious at doing what is more pleasing to God, and no one will equal it. It is happy when it can empty itself and burn like a pure offering. The more it gives of itself, the happier it is. But also, no one can sense dangers from afar as can love; it knows how to unmask and also knows with whom it has to deal.
147 I recall that I have received most light
during adoration which I made lying prostrate before the Blessed Sacrament
for half an hour every day throughout Lent. During that time I came to know
myself and God more profoundly. And yet, even though I had the superiors'
permission to do so, I encountered many obstacles to praying in such a way.
Let the soul be aware that, in order to pray and persevere in prayer, one
must arm oneself with patience and cope bravely with exterior and interior
difficulties. The interior difficulties are discouragement, dryness,
heaviness of spirit and temptations. The exterior difficulties are human respect
and time; one must observe the time set apart for prayer. This has been my
personal experience because, when I did not pray at the time assigned for
prayer, later on I could not do it because of my duties; or if I did manage
to do so, this was only with great difficulty, because my thoughts kept
wandering off to my duties. I also experienced this difficulty: when a soul
has prayed well and left prayer in a state of profound interior recollection,
others resist its recollection; and so, the soul must be patient to persevere
in prayer. It often happened to me that when my soul was more deeply immersed
in God, and I had derived greater fruit from prayer, and God's presence
accompanied me during the day, and at work there was more recollection and
greater precision and effort at my duty, this was precisely when I received
the most rebukes for being negligent in my duty and indifferent to
everything; because less recollected souls want others to be like them, for
they are a constant [source of] remorse to them.
156 +Once, l desired
very much to receive Holy Communion, but I had a certain doubt, and I did not
go. I suffered greatly because of this. It seemed to me that my heart would
burst from the pain. When I set about my work, my heart full of bitterness, Jesus
suddenly stood by me and said, My daughter, do not omit Holy
Communion unless you know well that your fall was serious; apart from this,
no doubt must stop you from uniting yourself with Me in the mystery of My
love. Your minor faults will disappear in My love like a piece of straw
thrown into a great furnace. Know that you grieve Me much when you fail to
receive Me in Holy Communion.
163 JMJ The Year
1937
General Exercises
+O Most Holy
Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many
times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want
to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be
completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O
Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable
mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord,
that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from
appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come
to their rescue.
Help me, that my
ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not
be indifferent to their pains and moaning. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue
may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but
have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord,
that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do
only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and
toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my
feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming
my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord,
that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of
my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with
those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the
most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May
Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself command
me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of
whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of
mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by
deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even
there where I cannot reach out physically.
O my Jesus,
transform me into Yourself, for you can do all things.
173 Satan's
temptations during meditation. I felt a strange fear that the priest would
not
understand me, or
that he would have no time to hear everything I would have to say. How am I
going to tell him all this? If it were Father Bukowski I could do it more
easily, but this Jesuit whom I am seeing for the first time... Then I
remembered Father Bukowski's advice that I should at least take brief notes
of the lights sent to me by God during the retreats and give him at least a
brief report on them. My God, for a day and a half all has gone well, and now
a life and death struggle is beginning. The conference is to start in a half
hour, and then I am to go to confession. Satan tried to persuade me into
believing that if my superiors have told me that my inner life is an
illusion, why should I ask again and trouble the confessor? Didn't MX
[probably Mother Jane] tell you that the Lord Jesus does not commune with
souls as miserable as yours? This confessor is going to tell you the same
thing. Why speak to him about all this? These are not sins, and Mother X,
told you that all this communing with the Lord Jesus was daydreaming and pure
hysteria. So why tell it to this confessor? You would do better to dismiss
all this as illusions. Look how many humiliations you have suffered because
of them, and how many more are still awaiting you, and all the sisters know
that you are a hysteric. "Jesus!" I called out with all the
strength of my soul.
216 We have come to
Cracow today [April 18, 1933]. What a joy it is to find myself again where I
took my first steps in the spiritual life! Dear Mother Directress [Mary Joseph]
is ever the same, cheerful and full of love of neighbor. I entered the chapel
for a moment and joy filled my soul. In a flash I recalled the whole ocean of
graces that had been given me as a novice here.
229 +At the
beginning of the retreat, Jesus told me, During this retreat, I
myself will direct your soul. I want to confirm you in peace and love. And
so the first few days passed by. On the fourth day, doubts began to trouble
me: Is not this tranquillity of mine false? Then I heard these words, My
daughter, imagine that you are the sovereign of all the world and have the
power to dispose of all things according to your good pleasure. You have the
power to do all the good you want, and suddenly a little child knocks on your
door, all trembling and in tears and, trusting in your kindness, asks for a
piece of bread lest he die of starvation. What would you do for this child?
Answer Me, my daughter. And I said, "Jesus, I would give the
child all it asked and a thousand times more. "And the Lord said to me, That
is how I am treating your soul. In this retreat I am giving you, not only
peace, but also such a disposition of soul that even if you wanted to
experience uneasiness you could not do so. My love has taken possession of
your soul, and I want you to be confirmed in it. Bring your ear close to My
Heart, forget everything else, and meditate upon My wondrous mercy. My love
will give you the strength and courage you need in these matters.
241 Love of
neighbor. First: Helpfulness towards the sisters. Second: Do not speak about
those who are absent, and defend the good name of my neighbor. Third: Rejoice
in the success of others.
267 Jesus told me
that I please Him best by meditating on His sorrowful Passion, and by such
meditation much light falls upon my soul. He who wants to learn true humility
should reflect upon the Passion of Jesus. When I meditate upon the Passion of
Jesus, I get a clear understanding of many things I could not comprehend
before. I want to resemble You, O Jesus,-You crucified, tortured and
humiliated. Jesus, imprint upon my heart and soul Your own humility. I love
You, Jesus, to the point of madness, You who were crushed with suffering as
described by the prophet [cf. Isaiah 53:2-9], as if he could not see the
human form in You because of Your great suffering. It is in this condition,
Jesus, that I love You to the point of madness. O eternal and infinite God,
what has love done to You?...
275 Jesus loves
hidden souls. A hidden flower is the most fragrant. I must strive to make the
interior of my soul a resting place for the Heart of Jesus. In difficult and
painful moments, O my Creator, I sing You a hymn of trust, for bottomless is
the abyss of my trust in You and in Your mercy!
278 At the feet of
the Lord. Hidden Jesus, Eternal Love, our Source of Life, Divine Madman, in
that You forget yourself and see only us. Before creating heaven and earth,
You carried us in the depths of Your Heart. O Love, O depth of Your
abasement, O mystery of happiness, why do so few people know You? Why is Your
love not returned? O Divine Love, why do You hide Your beauty? O Infinite One
beyond all understanding, the more I know You the less I comprehend You; but
because I cannot comprehend You, I better comprehend Your greatness. I do not
envy the Seraphim their fire, for I have a greater gift deposited in my
heart. They admire You in rapture, but Your Blood mingles with mine. Love is
heaven given us already here on earth. Oh, why do You hide in faith? Love
tears away the veil. There is no veil before the eye of my soul, for You
yourself have drawn me into the bosom of secret love forever. Praise and
glory be to You, O Indivisible Trinity, One God, unto ages of ages!
279 God made known
to me what true love consists in and gave light to me about how, in practice,
to give proof of it to Him. True love of God consists in carrying out God's
will. To show God our love in what we do, all our actions, even the least,
must spring from our love of God. And the Lord said to me, My child, you
please Me most by suffering. In your physical as well as your mental
sufferings, My daughter, do not seek sympathy from creatures. I want the
fragrance of your suffering to be pure and unadulterated. I want you to
detach yourself, not only from creatures, but also from yourself. My
daughter, I want to delight in the love of your heart, a pure love, virginal,
unblemished, untarnished. The more you will come to love suffering, My
daughter, the purer your love for Me will be.
281 I feel certain
that my mission will not come to an end upon my death, but will begin. O
doubting souls, I will draw aside for you the veils of heaven to convince you
of God's goodness, so that you will no longer continue to wound with your
distrust the sweetest Heart of Jesus. God is Love and Mercy.
282 Once the Lord
said to me, My Heart was moved by great mercy towards you, My dearest
child, when I saw you torn to shreds because of the great pain you suffered
in repenting for your sins. I see your love, so pure and true that I give you
first place among the virgins. You are the honor and glory of My Passion. I
see every abasement of your soul, and nothing escapes my attention. I lift up
the humble even to my very throne, because I want it so.
283 I want to love
You as no human soul has ever loved You before; and although I am utterly
miserable and small, I have nevertheless cast the anchor of my trust deep
down into the abyss of Your mercy, O my God and Creator! In spite of my great
misery I fear nothing, but hope to sing You a hymn of glory forever. Let no
soul, even the most miserable, fall prey to doubt; for, as long as one is
alive, each one can become a great saint, so great is the power of God's
grace. It remains only for us not to oppose God's action.
287 +My Jesus, when
I look at this life of souls, I see that many of them serve You with some
mistrust. At certain times, especially when there is an opportunity to show
their love for God, I see them running away from the battlefield. And once
Jesus said to me, Do you, my child, also want to act like that? I
answered the Lord, "Oh, no, my Jesus, I will not retreat from the
battlefield, even if mortal sweat breaks out on my brow; I will not let the
sword fall from my hand until I rest at the feet of the Holy Trinity!"
Whatever I do, I do not rely on my own strength, but on God's grace. With
God's grace a soul can overcome the greatest difficulties.
294 +Once the Lord
said to me, Act like a beggar who does not back away when he gets
more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more fervently. You too
should not back away and say that you are not worthy of receiving greater
graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the
more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for then you
will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing: Take these graces
not only for yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the souls with
whom you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those
souls who have complete confidence in Me. I will do everything for them.
296 +O Supreme Good,
I want to love You as no one on earth has ever loved You before! I want to
adore You with every moment of my life and unite my will closely to Your holy
will. My life is not drab or monotonous, but it is varied like a garden of
fragrant flowers, so that I don't know which flower to pick first, the lily
of suffering or the rose of love of neighbor or the violet of humility. I
will not enumerate these treasures in which my every day abounds. It is a
great thing to know how to make use of the present moment.
343 True love is
measured by the thermometer of suffering. Jesus, I thank You for the little
daily crosses, for opposition to my endeavors, for the hardships of communal
life, for the misinterpretation of my intentions, for humiliations at the
hands of others, for the harsh way in which we are treated, for false
suspicions, for poor health and loss of strength, for self-denial, for dying
to myself, for lack of recognition in everything, for the upsetting of all my
plans.
Thank You, Jesus, for interior sufferings, for dryness of spirit, for terrors, fears and incertitudes, for the darkness and the deep interior night, for temptations and various ordeals, for torments too difficult to describe, especially for those which no one will understand, for the hour of death with its fierce struggle and all its bitterness. I thank You, Jesus, You who first drank the cup of bitterness before You gave it to me, in a much milder form. I put my lips to this cup of Your holy will. Let all be done according to Your good pleasure; let that which Your wisdom ordained before the ages be done to me. I want to drink the cup to its last drop, and not seek to know the reason why. In bitterness is my joy, in hopelessness is my trust. In You, O Lord, all is good, all is a gift of Your paternal Heart. I do not prefer consolations over bitterness or bitterness over consolations, but thank You, O Jesus, for everything! It is my delight to fix my gaze upon You, O incomprehensible God! My spirit abides in these mysterious dwelling places, and there I am at home. I know very well the dwelling place of my Spouse. I feel there is not a single drop of blood in me that does not burn with love for You. O Uncreated Beauty, whoever comes to know You once cannot love anything else. I can feel the bottomless abyss of my soul, and nothing will fill it but God himself. I feel that I am drowned in Him like a single grain of sand in a bottomless ocean.
375 Particular
interior practice; that is, the examination of conscience. Self-denial,
denial of my own will.
I. The denial of my
reason. Subjecting it to the reason of those who represent God to me here on
earth.
II. The denial of my
will. Doing the will of God, which is revealed in the will of those who
represent God to me and which is contained in the rule of our order.
III. The denial of
my judgment. Accepting immediately and without reflection, analysis or
reasoning all orders given by those who represent God to me.
IV. The denial of my
tongue. I will not give it the least bit of freedom; but in one case only I
will give it complete freedom; that is, in proclaiming the glory of God.
Whenever I receive Holy Communion, I will ask Jesus to fortify and cleanse my
tongue that I may not injure my neighbor with it. That is why I have the
greatest respect for the rule which speaks about silence.
383 At the beginning
of the retreat, I saw, on the ceiling of the chapel, Jesus nailed to the
Cross. He was looking at the sisters with great love, but not at all of them.
There were three sisters at whom Jesus looked severely, for what reasons I do
not know. I only know what a terrible thing it is to meet with such a look,
which is the look of a severe Judge. That look was not directed at me, and
yet I was paralyzed with terror. I still tremble as I write these words. I
did not dare to say so much as a single word to Jesus. My physical strength
failed me, and I thought I would not live to the end of the conference. The
next day, I saw the same thing again, just as I had seen it the first time,
and this time I dared to speak these words: "Jesus, how great is Your
mercy!"
On the third day,
that gaze of great kindness upon all the sisters, except the three, was again
repeated. I gathered up my courage, which drew its force from love of
neighbor, and I said to the Lord, "You, who are Mercy Itself, as You
yourself told me, I beg You by the power of Your mercy, to look then with
kindness at these three sisters as well. And if this is not in accord with
Your wisdom, I ask You for an exchange: turn to them the kind look meant for
my soul, and let Your severe gaze at their souls be turned on me." Jesus
then said to me these words: My daughter, for the sake of your sincere and
generous love, I grant them many graces although they are not asking Me for
them. But I am doing so because of the promise I have made to you. And at
that moment, He turned a merciful look towards those three sisters as well.
My heart leapt with joy to see the goodness of God.
531 November 24,
1935. Sunday, first day. I went at once before the Blessed Sacrament and
offered myself with Jesus, present in the Most Holy Sacrament, to the
Everlasting Father. Then I heard these words in my soul: Your purpose
and that of your companions is to unite yourselves with Me as closely as
possible; through love You will reconcile earth with heaven, you will soften
the just anger of God, and you will plead for mercy for the world. I place in
your care two pearls very precious to My Heart: these are the souls of
priests and religious. You will pray particularly for them; their power will
come from your diminishment. You will join prayers, fasts, mortifications,
labors and all sufferings to My prayer, fasting, mortification, labors and
sufferings and then they will have power before My Father.
542 Postulancy. [108] Age
of admission: any person between the ages of fifteen and thirty. Firstly, the
spirit with which the candidate is imbued and her character are to be taken
into consideration, whether she has a strong will and the courage to follow
in Jesus' footsteps with joy and gladness, as God loves a cheerful giver. She
must despise the world and herself. The lack of a dowry will never be an
obstacle to admission. All formalities concerning the candidate must be
clear; no complicated cases should be admitted.
Melancholy persons, those disposed to sadness, those suffering from contagious diseases, those of an unstable character and those who are inclined to be suspicious of others are not adaptable to the religious life and must not be admitted. Members should be selected with greatest care, as one ill-fitting member is enough to throw the whole convent into confusion.
549 Work. As poor
persons, the nuns themselves will do all the work in the convent. Each one
should be glad when she is given some work which is humbling or which goes
against her nature, as that will greatly help her interior formation. The
superior will often change the sisters' duties, and in this way help them to
detach themselves completely from the little details to which women have a
great attachment. Truly, I often find it amusing to see with my own eyes
souls who have forsaken really great things only to attach themselves to
fiddle faddle; that is, trifles. Each sister, including even the superior, shall
work in the kitchen for a month. Every one should take a turn at every chore
which is to be done in the convent.
570 On one occasion,
I saw Jesus in a bright garment; this was in the greenhouse. [He said to me,] Write
what I say to you. My delight is to be united with you. With great desire, I
wait and long for the time when I shall take up My residence sacramentally in
your convent. My spirit will rest in that convent and I will bless its
neighborhood in a special way. Out of love for you all, I will avert any
punishments which are rightly meted out by My Father's justice. My daughter,
I have inclined My heart to your requests. Your assignment and duty here on
earth is to beg for mercy for the whole world. No soul will be justified
until it turns with confidence to My mercy, and this is why the first Sunday
after Easter is to be the Feast of Mercy. On that day, priests are to tell
everyone about My great and unfathomable mercy. I am making you the
administrator of My mercy. Tell the confessor that the Image is to be on view
in the church and not within the enclosure in that convent. By means of this
Image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access
to it.
571 O my Jesus,
Eternal Truth, I fear nothing, neither hardships nor sufferings; I fear only
one thing, and that is to offend You. My Jesus, I would rather not exist than
make You sad. Jesus, You know that my love knows no one but You. My soul is
absorbed in You.
576 O Holy Trinity,
Eternal God, my spirit is drowned in Your beauty. The ages are as nothing in
Your sight. You are always the same. Oh, how great is Your majesty. Jesus,
why do You conceal Your majesty, why have You left Your heavenly throne and
dwelt among us? The Lord answered me, My daughter, love has brought Me
here, and love keeps Me here. My daughter, if you knew what great merit and
reward is earned by one act of pure love for Me, you would die of joy. I am
saying this that you may constantly unite yourself with Me through love, for
this is the goal of the life of your soul. This act is an act of the will.
Know that a pure soul is humble. When you lower and empty yourself before My
majesty, I then pursue you with My graces and make use of My omnipotence to
exalt you
580 On a certain
occasion, the Lord said to me, I am more deeply wounded by the small
imperfections of chosen souls than by the sins of those living in the world. It
made me very sad that chosen souls make Jesus suffer, and Jesus told me, These
little imperfections are not all. I will reveal to you a secret of My Heart:
what I suffer from chosen souls. Ingratitude in return for so many graces is
My Heart's constant food, on the part of [such] a chosen soul. Their love is
lukewarm, and My Heart cannot bear it; these souls force Me to reject them.
Others distrust My goodness and have no desire to experience that sweet
intimacy in their own hearts, but go in search of Me, off in the distance,
and do not find Me. This distrust of My goodness hurts Me very much. If My
death has not convinced you of My love, what will? Often a soul wounds Me
mortally, and then no one can comfort Me. They use My graces to offend Me.
There are souls who despise My graces as well as all the proofs of My love.
They do not wish to hear My call, but proceed into the abyss of hell. The
loss of these souls plunges Me into deadly sorrow. God though I am, I cannot
help such a soul because it scorns Me; having a free will, it can spurn Me or
love Me. You, who are the dispenser of My mercy, tell all the world about My
goodness, and thus you will comfort My Heart.
590 When I receive
Holy Communion, I entreat and beg the Savior to heal my tongue, that I may
never fail in love of neighbor.
692 + O Jesus, I
understand that Your mercy is beyond all imagining, and therefore I ask You
to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all
the souls living on the face of the earth. O Jesus, my love extends beyond
the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy
toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. God's mercy is unfathomable and
inexhaustible, just as God himself is unfathomable. Even if I were to use the
strongest words there are to express this mercy of God, all this would be
nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart
sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul. O
my Jesus, I know that You act toward us as we act toward our neighbor.
My Jesus, make my
heart like unto Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing
good to everyone.
700 + Once, when I
was very tired and in much pain, I told Mother Superior [Irene] about it and
received the answer that I should get used to suffering. I listened to
everything that Mother told me, and then I went out. Our Mother Superior has
great love of neighbor and especially great love for the sick sisters, as
everyone knows. And yet, as regards me, it is extraordinary that the Lord
Jesus has permitted that she not understand me and that she test me much in
this respect.
704 I spend every
free moment at the feet of the hidden God. He is my Master; I ask Him about
everything; I speak to Him about everything. Here I obtain strength and
light; here I learn everything; here I am given light on how to act toward my
neighbor. From the time I left the novitiate, I have enclosed myself in the
tabernacle together with Jesus, my Master. He himself drew me into the fire
of living love on which everything converges.
742 My daughter, if
I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to
distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds
of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to
your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to
excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you
three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the
second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the
fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this
means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday
after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and
I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast
and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this
image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the
demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without
works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see
how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.
+ Particular Examen
Union with the
merciful Christ. With my heart I encompass the whole world, especially
countries which are uncivilized or where there is persecution. I am praying
for mercy upon them.
791 Hide me, Jesus,
in the depths of Your mercy, and then let my neighbor judge me as he pleases.
856 During the
morning meditation, I felt an aversion and a repugnance for all created
things. Everything pales before my eyes; my spirit is detached from all
things. I desire only God himself, and yet I must live. This is a martyrdom
beyond description. God imparts himself to the soul in a loving way and draws
it into the infinite depths of His divinity, but at the same time He leaves
it here on earth for the sole purpose that it might suffer and die of longing
for Him. And this strong love is so pure that God himself finds pleasure in
it; and self-love has no access to its deeds, for here everything is totally
saturated with bitterness, and thus is totally pure. Life is a continuous
dying, painful and terrible, and at the same time it is the depth of true
life and of inconceivable happiness and the strength of the soul; and because
of this, [the soul] is capable of great deeds for the sake of God.
861 Particular
examen: remains the same; namely, to unite myself with the Merciful Christ
(that is; what would Christ do in such and such a case?) and, in spirit, to
embrace the whole world, especially Russia and Spain.
General resolutions.
I. Strict observance
of silence - interior silence.
II. To see the image
of God in every sister; all love of neighbor must flow from this motive.
III. To do the will
of God faithfully at every moment of my life and to live by this.
IV. To give a
faithful account of everything to the spiritual director and not to undertake
anything of importance without a clear understanding with him. I shall try to
clearly lay bare to him the most secret depths of my soul, bearing in mind
that I am dealing with God himself, and that His representative is just a
human being, and so I must pray daily that he be given light.
V. During the
evening examination of conscience, I am to ask myself the question: What if
He were to call me today?
VI. Not to look for
God far away, but within my own being to abide with Him alone.
VII. In sufferings
and torments, to take refuge in the tabernacle and to be silent.
VIII. To join all
sufferings, prayers, works and mortifications to the merits of Jesus in order
to obtain mercy for the world.
IX. To use free
moments, however short, for prayers for the dying.
X. There must not be
a day in my life when I do not recommend to the Lord the works of our
Congregation. Never have regard for what others think of you [for human respect].
XI. Have no familiar
relationships with anyone. Gentle firmness toward the girls, boundless
patience; punish them severely but with such punishments as these: prayer and
self-sacrifice. The strength that is in the emptying of myself for their sake
is for them a [source of] constant remorse and the softening of their
obdurate hearts.
XII. The presence of
God is the basis of all my thoughts, words and deeds.
XIII. To take
advantage of all spiritual help. To always put self-love in its proper place;
namely, the last. To perform my spiritual exercises as though I were doing
them for the last time in my life, and in like manner to carry out all my
duties.
871 + My Master,
cause my heart never to expect help from anyone, but I will always strive to
bring assistance, consolation and all manner of relief to others. My heart is
always open to the sufferings of others; and I will not close my heart to the
sufferings of others, even though because of this I have been scornfully
nicknamed "dump"; that is, [because] everyone dumps his pain into
my heart. [To this] I answered that everyone has a place in my heart and I,
in return, have a place in the Heart of Jesus. Taunts regarding the law of
love will not narrow my heart. My soul is always sensitive on this point, and
Jesus alone is the motive for my love of neighbor.
944 + There are
moments when I mistrust myself, when I feel my own weakness and wretchedness
in the most profound depths of my own being, and I have noticed that I can
endure such moments only by trusting in the infinite mercy of God. Patience,
prayer and silence-these are what give strength to the soul. There are
moments when one should be silent, and when it would be inappropriate to talk
with creatures; these are the moments when one is dissatisfied with oneself,
and when the soul feels as weak as a little child. Then the soul clings to
God with all its might. At such times, I live solely by faith, and when I
feel strengthened by God's grace, then I am more courageous in speaking and
communicating with my neighbors.
1039 + I suffer
great pain at the sight of the sufferings of others. All these sufferings are
reflected in my heart. I carry their torments in my heart so that it even
wears me out physically. I would like all pains to fall upon me so as to
bring relief to my neighbor.
1662 + O Christ,
suffering for You is the delight of my heart and my soul. Prolong my
sufferings to infinity, that I may give You a proof of my love. I accept
everything that Your hand will hold out to me. Your love, Jesus, is enough
for me. I will glorify You in abandonment and darkness, in agony and fear, in
pain and bitterness, in anguish of spirit and grief of heart. In all things
may You be blessed. My heart is so detached from the earth, that You Yourself
are enough for me. There is no longer any moment in my life for self concern.
1663 Holy
Thursday [April 14, 1938]. Today I felt strong enough to take part in the
ceremonies of the Church. During Holy Mass, Jesus stood before me and said,
Look into My Heart and see there the love and mercy which I have for
humankind, and especially for sinners. Look, and enter into My Passion. In an
instant, I experienced and lived through the whole Passion of Jesus in my own
heart. I was surprised that these tortures did not deprive me of my life.
1664 During
adoration, Jesus said to me, My daughter, know that your ardent love and the
compassion you have for Me were a consolation to Me in the Garden [of
Olives].
1665 During Holy
Hour in the evening, I heard the words, You see My mercy for sinners, which
at this moment is revealing itself in all its power. See how little you have
written about it; it is only a single drop. Do what is in your power, so that
sinners may come to know My goodness.
1702 Towards the end
of the Way of the Cross which I was making, the Lord Jesus began to complain
about the souls of religious and priests, about the lack of love in chosen
souls. I will allow convents and churches to be destroyed. I
answered, "Jesus, but there are so many souls praising You in
convents." The Lord answered, That praise wounds My Heart,
because love has been banished from convents. Souls without love and without
devotion, souls full of egoism and self-love, souls full of pride and
arrogance, souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just
enough warmth to keep them alive: My Heart cannot bear this. All the graces
that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot
stand them, because they are neither good or bad. I called convents into
being to sanctify the world through them. It is from them that a powerful
flame of love and sacrifice should burst forth. And if they do not repent and
become enkindled by their first love, I will deliver them over to the fate of
this world...
How can they sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart specially chosen by Me, were you chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through...
1703 When I tried to
intercede for them, I could find nothing with which to excuse them and, being
at the time unable to think of anything in their defense, my heart was seized
with pain, and I wept bitterly. Then the Lord looked at me kindly and
comforted me with these words: Do not cry. There are still a great
number of souls who love Me very much, but My Heart desires to be loved by
all and, because My love is great, that is why I warn and chastise
them.
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.
1754 Consider,
My daughter, Who it is to whom your heart is so closely united by the vows.
Before I made the world, I loved you with the love your heart is experiencing
today and, throughout the centuries, My love will never change.
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.
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-57-58, 77, 93, 96-98, 101, 116, 118)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-140, 147, 156, 163, 178, 186-187, 216)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-229, 241, 267, 275, 278-279, 281, 287)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-282-283, 294, 296, 343, 375, 383)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-531, 542, 549, 570-571, 576, 580, 590)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-692, 700, 704, 742)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-791, 856, 861, 871, 944)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1029, 1039)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1662-1663)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1701-1703,
1743, 1747, 1754, 1758)
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Pebrero 19, 2017
A Step beyond Justice-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
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