The Heart’s Oil
November 12, 2017. Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Father Edward
Hopkins, LC
Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples: "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like
this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of
them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they
took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the
bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight
there was a shout, ´Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.´ Then
all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the
wise, ´Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.´ But the wise
replied, ´No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to
the dealers and buy some for yourselves.´ And while they went to buy it, the
bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding
banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying,
´Lord, lord, open to us.´ But he replied, ´Truly I tell you, I do not know
you.´ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I
believe that You are here calling me to prayer. I believe in the reality and
strength of Your love, poured out for me. I trust that I can enter into this
love now through prayer and find all the courage I need to seek You actively. I
love You, Lord. May this prayer serve as a sincere act of my love for You.
Petition: Lord, prepare my
heart for Love.
1. Called to Meet the Bridegroom: God became man to
encounter each one of us in a human way. Yet the encounter is not distant,
brief or superficial. It is intimate; God presents himself as a “bridegroom.”
He is the reason for joy and celebration. The 10 bridesmaids represent the
bride, sharing in her joy. Their sole mission is to greet and accompany the
bridegroom into the wedding feast. No one can take their place. How seriously
they take their role will determine how well they fulfill it. The Church is
Christ’s bride. Like the bridesmaids, must I not have a deeper understanding of
Christ and his love for the Church, if he is to be my joy and reason to
celebrate?
2. Life Is a Preparation: Time is one of
God’s most precious gifts. Once lost, it can never be restored. We realize that
the most important moment of life is in fact the moment of death. Yet, that
last hour will be in some way the result and summary of all the hours we have
lived until that moment. Every moment is a preparation to meet the Lord who
loves us and has given his life to win our salvation. We will not be able to
improvise when the moment of truth comes. Each act of faith, trust and love --
every effort to sacrifice and do God’s will -- establishes a relationship with
the Bridegroom. My life is a search to know and love him, to be with him. How
ready, open and surrendered will my heart be? Will I still want to greet him?
3. Does He Know Me: What words could
be more desperate than, “Lord, open to us”? And what more tragic than “I do not
know you”? The Bridegroom certainly knows the bride, the one for whom he has
given his life. But he knows us in love, what his love calls us to be. So he
cannot know us only if we “fall out of love.” Our disposition while we await
the Bridegroom – which sums up faith, hope and love – is gratitude. The Lord,
who loved us first, will look to find a grateful heart that has been
transformed by the graces of baptism, repentance and charity. A grateful heart
does not forget him. Not a day goes by without a loving remembrance and acts of
thanksgiving. Little wonder he left us the Eucharist, the thanksgiving
sacrament, through which to prepare for his coming.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, help me
to anticipate Your coming by finding You in each person on my path. May I never
fail to prepare my heart to love You and share the joy of Your Kingdom. Reveal
to me the depths and qualities of Your love so that I can prepare to give You a
ready, sincere and worthy response.
Resolution: I will take time
to resolve or put aside the worries or hardships of the day in order to
recognize and love Christ in those I love.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
83 Write this:
before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before
the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens
of this sort: All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be
great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in
the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were
nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period
of time. This will take place shortly before the last day.
112 +A few words about
confession and confessors. I shall speak only of what I have experienced and
gone through within my own soul. There are three things which hinder the soul
from drawing profit from confession in these exceptional moments.
The first thing: when the confessor has little knowledge of extraordinary ways and shows surprise if a soul discloses to him the great mysteries worked in it by God. Such surprise frightens a sensitive soul, and it notices that the confessor hesitates to give his opinion; and if it does notice this, it will not be set at peace, but will have even more doubts after confession than before, because it will sense that the confessor is trying to set it at peace while he himself is uncertain. Or else, as has happened to me, a confessor, unable to penetrate some of the soul's mysteries, refuses to hear the confession, showing a certain fear when the soul approaches the confessional.
How can a soul in this state obtain peace in the confessional when it has become so oversensitive to every word of the priest? In my opinion, at times of such special trials sent by God to a soul, the priest, if he does not understand the soul, should direct it to some other experienced and well-instructed confessor. Or else he himself should seek light in order to give the soul what it needs, instead of downrightly denying it confession. For in this way he is exposing the soul to a great danger; and more than one soul may well leave the road along which God wanted it to journey. This is a matter of great importance, for I have experienced it myself. I myself began to waver; despite special gifts from God, and even though God himself reassured me, I have nevertheless always wanted to have the Church's seal as well.
The second thing: the confessor does not allow the soul to express itself frankly, and shows impatience. The soul then falls silent and does not say everything [it has to say] and, by this, profits nothing. It profits even less when the confessor, without really knowing the soul, proceeds to put it to the test. Instead of helping the soul, he does it harm. The soul is aware that the confessor does not know it, because he did not allow it to lay itself open fully as regards both its graces and its misery. And so the test is ill-adapted. I have been submitted to some tests at which I have had to laugh.
I will express this better thus: The confessor is the doctor of the soul, but how can a doctor prescribe a suitable remedy if he does not know the nature of the sickness? Never will he be able to do so. For either the remedy will not produce the desired effect, or else it will be too strong and will aggravate the illness, and sometimes-God forbid-even bring about death. I am speaking from my own experience because, in certain instances, it was the Lord himself who directly sustained me.
The third thing: it also happens sometimes that the confessor makes light of little things. There is nothing little in the spiritual life. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant thing will disclose a matter of great consequence and will be for the confessor a beam of light which helps him to get to know the soul. Many spiritual undertones are concealed in little things.
A magnificent building will never rise if we reject the insignificant bricks. God demands great purity of certain souls, and so He gives them a deeper knowledge of their own misery. Illuminated by light from on high, the soul can better know what pleases God and what does not. Sin depends upon the degree of knowledge and light that exists within the soul. The same is true of imperfections. Although the soul knows that it is only sin in the strict sense of the term which pertains to the sacrament of penance, yet these petty things are of great importance to a soul which is tending to sanctity, and the confessor must not treat them lightly. The patience and kindness of the confessor open the way to the innermost secrets of the soul. The soul, unconsciously as it were, reveals its abysmal depth and feels stronger and more resistant; it fights with greater courage and tries to do things better because it knows it must give an account of them.
I will mention one more thing regarding the confessor. It is his duty to occasionally put to the test, to try, to exercise, to learn whether he is dealing with straw, with iron or with pure gold. Each of these three types of souls needs different kinds of training. The confessor must-and this is absolutely necessary-form a clear judgment of each soul in order to know how heavy a burden it can carry at certain times, in certain circumstances, or in particular situations. As for myself, it was only later on, after many [negative] experiences, that, when I saw that I was not understood, I no longer laid bare my soul or allowed my peace to be disturbed. But this happened only when all these graces had already been submitted to the judgement of a wise, well-instructed and experienced confessor. Now I know what to go by in certain cases.
The first thing: when the confessor has little knowledge of extraordinary ways and shows surprise if a soul discloses to him the great mysteries worked in it by God. Such surprise frightens a sensitive soul, and it notices that the confessor hesitates to give his opinion; and if it does notice this, it will not be set at peace, but will have even more doubts after confession than before, because it will sense that the confessor is trying to set it at peace while he himself is uncertain. Or else, as has happened to me, a confessor, unable to penetrate some of the soul's mysteries, refuses to hear the confession, showing a certain fear when the soul approaches the confessional.
How can a soul in this state obtain peace in the confessional when it has become so oversensitive to every word of the priest? In my opinion, at times of such special trials sent by God to a soul, the priest, if he does not understand the soul, should direct it to some other experienced and well-instructed confessor. Or else he himself should seek light in order to give the soul what it needs, instead of downrightly denying it confession. For in this way he is exposing the soul to a great danger; and more than one soul may well leave the road along which God wanted it to journey. This is a matter of great importance, for I have experienced it myself. I myself began to waver; despite special gifts from God, and even though God himself reassured me, I have nevertheless always wanted to have the Church's seal as well.
The second thing: the confessor does not allow the soul to express itself frankly, and shows impatience. The soul then falls silent and does not say everything [it has to say] and, by this, profits nothing. It profits even less when the confessor, without really knowing the soul, proceeds to put it to the test. Instead of helping the soul, he does it harm. The soul is aware that the confessor does not know it, because he did not allow it to lay itself open fully as regards both its graces and its misery. And so the test is ill-adapted. I have been submitted to some tests at which I have had to laugh.
I will express this better thus: The confessor is the doctor of the soul, but how can a doctor prescribe a suitable remedy if he does not know the nature of the sickness? Never will he be able to do so. For either the remedy will not produce the desired effect, or else it will be too strong and will aggravate the illness, and sometimes-God forbid-even bring about death. I am speaking from my own experience because, in certain instances, it was the Lord himself who directly sustained me.
The third thing: it also happens sometimes that the confessor makes light of little things. There is nothing little in the spiritual life. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant thing will disclose a matter of great consequence and will be for the confessor a beam of light which helps him to get to know the soul. Many spiritual undertones are concealed in little things.
A magnificent building will never rise if we reject the insignificant bricks. God demands great purity of certain souls, and so He gives them a deeper knowledge of their own misery. Illuminated by light from on high, the soul can better know what pleases God and what does not. Sin depends upon the degree of knowledge and light that exists within the soul. The same is true of imperfections. Although the soul knows that it is only sin in the strict sense of the term which pertains to the sacrament of penance, yet these petty things are of great importance to a soul which is tending to sanctity, and the confessor must not treat them lightly. The patience and kindness of the confessor open the way to the innermost secrets of the soul. The soul, unconsciously as it were, reveals its abysmal depth and feels stronger and more resistant; it fights with greater courage and tries to do things better because it knows it must give an account of them.
I will mention one more thing regarding the confessor. It is his duty to occasionally put to the test, to try, to exercise, to learn whether he is dealing with straw, with iron or with pure gold. Each of these three types of souls needs different kinds of training. The confessor must-and this is absolutely necessary-form a clear judgment of each soul in order to know how heavy a burden it can carry at certain times, in certain circumstances, or in particular situations. As for myself, it was only later on, after many [negative] experiences, that, when I saw that I was not understood, I no longer laid bare my soul or allowed my peace to be disturbed. But this happened only when all these graces had already been submitted to the judgement of a wise, well-instructed and experienced confessor. Now I know what to go by in certain cases.
145 Oh, how wretched
my soul is for having wasted so many graces! I was running away from God, and
He pursued me with his graces. I most often experienced God's graces when I
least expected them. From the moment He gave me a spiritual director, I have
been more faithful to grace. Thanks to the director and his watchfulness over
my soul, I have learned what guidance means and how Jesus looks at it. Jesus
warned me of the least fault and stressed that He himself judges the matter
that I present to my confessor; and [He told me] that ... any
transgressions against the confessor touch Me myself.
When under his direction my soul began to experience deep recollection and peace, I often heard these words in my soul: Strengthen yourself for combat - repeated over and over at various times.
+Jesus often makes known to me what He does not like in my soul, and He has more than once rebuked me for what seemed to be trifles, but which were, in fact, things of great importance. He has warned me and tried me like a Master. For many years He himself educated me, until the moment when He gave me a spiritual director. Previously, He himself had made clear to me what I did not understand; but now, He tells me to ask my confessor about everything and often says, I will answer you through his mouth. Be at peace. It has never happened to me that I have received an answer which was contrary to what the Lord wanted of me, when I presented it to the spiritual director [Father Sopocko]. It sometimes happens that Jesus first asks certain things of me, about which no one knows anything, and then, when I kneel at the confessional, my confessor gives me the same order-however, this is infrequent.
+When, over a long period of time, a soul has received much light and many inspirations, and when the confessors have confirmed the source of these inspirations and set the soul at peace; if its love is great, Jesus now makes it known that it is time to put into action what it has received. The soul recognizes that God is counting on it, and this knowledge fortifies it. It knows that to be faithful it will often have to face various difficulties, but it trusts in God and, thanks to this trust, it reaches that point to which God is calling it. Difficulties do not terrify it; they are its daily bread, as it were. They do not frighten or terrify the soul, just as a warrior who is constantly in battle is not terrified by the roar of the cannon. Far from being frightened, it listens to determine from which side the enemy is launching his attack, in order to defeat him. It does nothing blindly, but examines and ponders everything deeply and, not counting on itself, it prays fervently and asks advice of other warriors who are experienced and wise. When the soul acts in this way, it nearly always wins.
There are attacks when a soul has no time to think or seek advice; then it must enter into a life-or-death struggle. Sometimes it is good to flee for cover in the wound of the Heart of Jesus, without answering a single word. By this very act the enemy is already defeated.
In time of peace, as well, the soul continues making efforts, just as in time of battle. It must exercise itself, and do so with energy; otherwise it has no chance of attaining victory. I regard the time of peace as a time of preparation for victory. The soul must be ever watchful; watchfulness and again, watchfulness. The soul that reflects receives much light. A distracted soul runs the risk of a fall, and let it not be surprised when it does fall. O Spirit of God, Director of the soul, wise is he whom You have trained! But for the Spirit of God to act in the soul, peace and recollection are needed.
When under his direction my soul began to experience deep recollection and peace, I often heard these words in my soul: Strengthen yourself for combat - repeated over and over at various times.
+Jesus often makes known to me what He does not like in my soul, and He has more than once rebuked me for what seemed to be trifles, but which were, in fact, things of great importance. He has warned me and tried me like a Master. For many years He himself educated me, until the moment when He gave me a spiritual director. Previously, He himself had made clear to me what I did not understand; but now, He tells me to ask my confessor about everything and often says, I will answer you through his mouth. Be at peace. It has never happened to me that I have received an answer which was contrary to what the Lord wanted of me, when I presented it to the spiritual director [Father Sopocko]. It sometimes happens that Jesus first asks certain things of me, about which no one knows anything, and then, when I kneel at the confessional, my confessor gives me the same order-however, this is infrequent.
+When, over a long period of time, a soul has received much light and many inspirations, and when the confessors have confirmed the source of these inspirations and set the soul at peace; if its love is great, Jesus now makes it known that it is time to put into action what it has received. The soul recognizes that God is counting on it, and this knowledge fortifies it. It knows that to be faithful it will often have to face various difficulties, but it trusts in God and, thanks to this trust, it reaches that point to which God is calling it. Difficulties do not terrify it; they are its daily bread, as it were. They do not frighten or terrify the soul, just as a warrior who is constantly in battle is not terrified by the roar of the cannon. Far from being frightened, it listens to determine from which side the enemy is launching his attack, in order to defeat him. It does nothing blindly, but examines and ponders everything deeply and, not counting on itself, it prays fervently and asks advice of other warriors who are experienced and wise. When the soul acts in this way, it nearly always wins.
There are attacks when a soul has no time to think or seek advice; then it must enter into a life-or-death struggle. Sometimes it is good to flee for cover in the wound of the Heart of Jesus, without answering a single word. By this very act the enemy is already defeated.
In time of peace, as well, the soul continues making efforts, just as in time of battle. It must exercise itself, and do so with energy; otherwise it has no chance of attaining victory. I regard the time of peace as a time of preparation for victory. The soul must be ever watchful; watchfulness and again, watchfulness. The soul that reflects receives much light. A distracted soul runs the risk of a fall, and let it not be surprised when it does fall. O Spirit of God, Director of the soul, wise is he whom You have trained! But for the Spirit of God to act in the soul, peace and recollection are needed.
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.
374 J.M.J Vilnius,
Februrary 4, 1935
[page in the Dairy with the words "From today on my will does not exist" crossed out with a large 'X']
The moment I knelt down to cross out my own will, as the Lord had bid me to do, I heard this voice in my soul:From today on, do not fear God's judgment, for you will not be judged
[The next page has...]
J.M.J Vilnius, February 4, 1935
From today on, I do the Will of God everywhere, always, and in everything.[88]
[page in the Dairy with the words "From today on my will does not exist" crossed out with a large 'X']
The moment I knelt down to cross out my own will, as the Lord had bid me to do, I heard this voice in my soul:From today on, do not fear God's judgment, for you will not be judged
[The next page has...]
J.M.J Vilnius, February 4, 1935
From today on, I do the Will of God everywhere, always, and in everything.[88]
378 Once as I was
talking with my spiritual director, I had an interior vision-quicker than
lightning-of his soul in great suffering, in such agony that God touches very
few souls with such fire. The suffering arises from this work. There will come
a time when this work, which God is demanding so very much, will be as though
utterly undone. And then God will act with great power, which will give
evidence of its authenticity. It will be a new splendor for the Church,
although it has been dormant in it from long ago. That God is infinitely
merciful, no one can deny. He desires everyone to know this before He comes
again as Judge. He wants souls to come to know Him first as King of Mercy. When
this triumph comes, we shall already have entered the new life in which there
is no suffering. But before this, your soul [of the spiritual director] will be
surfeited with bitterness at the sight of the destruction of your efforts.
However, this will only appear to be so, because what God has once decided
upon, He does not change. But although this destruction will be such only in
outward appearance, the suffering will be real. When will this happen? I do not
know. How long will it last? I do not know.[89] But
God has promised a great grace especially to you and to all those... who
will proclaim My great mercy. I shall protect them Myself at the hour of death,
as My own glory. And even if the sins of soul are as dark as night, when the
sinner turns to My mercy he gives Me the greatest praise and is the glory of My
Passion. When a soul praises My goodness, Satan trembles before it and flees to
the very bottom of hell.
423 Praise the Lord,
my soul, for everything, and glorify His mercy, for His goodness is without
end. Everything will pass, but His mercy is without limit or end. And although
evil will attain its measure, in mercy there is no measure.
O my God, even in the punishments You send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment. Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His infinite mercy than a baby to its mother's heart. O God, You are compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent. The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy.
O my God, even in the punishments You send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment. Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His infinite mercy than a baby to its mother's heart. O God, You are compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent. The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy.
496 Confession Day.
From early morning, the turmoil in my soul was more violent than anything I had
ever experienced before. Complete abandonment by God; I felt the utter weakness
that I was. Thoughts bore in upon me: why should I leave this convent where I
am loved by the sisters and superiors, where life is so tranquil; [where I am]
bound by perpetual vows and carry out my duties without difficulty; why should
I listen to the voice of my conscience; why follow an inspiration coming from
who knows where; wouldn't it be better to carry on like all the other sisters?
Perhaps the Lord's words could be stifled, not taken heed of; maybe God will
not demand an account of them on the day of judgment. Where will this inner
voice lead me? If I follow it, what tremendous difficulties, tribulations and
adversities are in store for me. I fear the future, and I am agonizing in the
present.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
566 One day, after
Holy Communion, I suddenly saw the Infant Jesus standing by my kneeler and
holding on to it with His two little hands. Although He was but a little Child,
my soul was filled with awe and fear, for I see in Him my Judge, my Lord, and
my Creator, before whose holiness the Angels tremble. At the same time, my soul
was flooded with such unspeakable love that I thought I would die under its
influence. I now see that Jesus first strengthens my soul and makes it capable
of abiding with Him, for otherwise I would not be able to bear what I
experience at such a moment.
660 O my Jesus, on the
day of the last judgment, You will demand from me an account of this work of mercy.
O just Judge, but my Spouse as well, help me to do Your holy will. O mercy, O
divine virtue!
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, my Betrothed, make my heart like unto Yours.
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, my Betrothed, make my heart like unto Yours.
717 All night long, I
was preparing to receive Holy Communion, since I could not sleep because of
physical suffering. My soul was flooded with love and repentance.
852 Today the Lord's
gaze shot through me suddenly, like lightning. At once, I came to know the
tiniest specks in my soul, and knowing the depths of my misery, I fell to my
knees and begged the Lord's pardon, and with great trust I immersed myself in
His infinite mercy. Such knowledge does not depress me nor keep me away from
the Lord, but rather it arouses in my soul greater love and boundless trust.
The repentance of my heart is linked to love. These extraordinary flashes from
the Lord educate my soul. O sweet rays of God, enlighten me to the most secret
depth, for I want to arrive at the greatest possible purity of heart and soul.
854 December 29,
[1936]. Today after Holy Communion, I heard a voice in my soul: My
daughter, stand ready, for I will come unexpectedly. Jesus, You do not
want to tell me the hour I am looking forward to with such longing? My
daughter, it is for your own good. You will learn it, but not now; keep
watch. O Jesus, do with me as You please. I know You are the merciful
Savior and You will not change towards me at the hour of my death. If at this
time you are showing me so much special love, and are condescending to unite
Yourself with me is such an intimate way and with such great kindness, I expect
even more at the hour of my death. You, my Lord-God, cannot change. You are
always the same. Heaven can change, as well as everything that is created; but
You, Lord, are ever the same and will endure forever. So come as You like and
when You like. Father of infinite mercy, I, Your child, wait longingly for Your
coming. O Jesus, You said in the Holy Gospel, "Out of your mouth do I
judge you." Well, Jesus, I am always speaking of Your inconceivable mercy,
so I trust that You will judge me according to Your unfathomable mercy.
895 January 23,
[1937]. I did not feel like writing today. Then I heard a voice in my soul:My
daughter, you do not live for yourself but for souls; write for their benefit.
You know that My will as to your writing has been confirmed many times by your
confessors. You know what is pleasing to Me, and if you have any doubts about
what I am saying, you also know whom you are to ask. I grant him light to
pronounce judgment on my case. My eye watches over him. My daughter, you are to
be like a child towards him, full of simplicity and candor. Put his judgment
above all My demands. He will guide you according to My will. If he doesn't
allow you to carry out My demands, be at peace; I will not judge you, but the
matter will remain between Me and him. You are to be obedient.
934 Small practices
for Lent. Although I wish and desire to do so, I cannot practice big
mortifications as before, because I am under the strict surveillance of the
doctor. But I can practice little things: first-sleep without a pillow; keep
myself a little hungry; every day, with my arms outstretched, say the chaplet
which the Lord taught me; occasionally, with arms outstretched, for an
indefinite period of time pray informally. Intention: to beg divine mercy for
poor sinners, and for priests, the power to bring sinful hearts to repentance.
1052 O my Jesus, I beg
You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit,
and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought
to repentance and return to You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy priests; You
yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the
power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's
traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests. May
the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might
tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things.
1054 When Jesus was taking
leave of me, such great pain filled my soul that it is impossible to express
it. Physical strength left me; I left the chapel quickly and went to bed. I was
oblivious of what was going on around me. My soul was filled with longing for
the Lord, and all the bitterness of His Divine Heart was imparted to me. This
lasted for about three hours. I asked the Lord to protect me from the eyes of
those around me. Although I wanted to, I could not take any food all day, until
evening.
I earnestly desired to spend the whole night with Jesus in the dark prison cell. [184] I prayed until eleven o'clock. At eleven, the Lord said to me, Lie down and take your rest. I have let you experience in three hours what I suffered during the whole night. And immediately I went to bed.
I had no physical strength left; the suffering had deprived me of it completely. Throughout all this time, I had been in a sort of swoon. Every beat of Jesus' Heart was reflected in my heart and pierced my soul. If these tortures had concerned me only, I would have suffered less; but as I looked at the One whom my heart has loved with all its might and saw that He was suffering, and that I could not bring Him any relief, my heart dissolved in love and bitterness. I was dying with Him, and yet I could not die. But I would not have exchanged that martyrdom for all the pleasures in the whole world. In the course of this suffering, my love grew immeasurably. I know that the Lord was supporting me with His omnipotence, for otherwise I would not have been able to endure it for even a moment. Together with Him, I underwent, in a special way, all the various tortures. The world still has no idea of all that Jesus suffered. I accompanied Him to the Garden of Gethsemane; I stayed with Him in the prison; I went with Him before the judges; I underwent with Him each of the tortures. Not a single one of His movements or looks escaped my notice. I came to know all the omnipotence of His love and of His mercy toward souls.
I earnestly desired to spend the whole night with Jesus in the dark prison cell. [184] I prayed until eleven o'clock. At eleven, the Lord said to me, Lie down and take your rest. I have let you experience in three hours what I suffered during the whole night. And immediately I went to bed.
I had no physical strength left; the suffering had deprived me of it completely. Throughout all this time, I had been in a sort of swoon. Every beat of Jesus' Heart was reflected in my heart and pierced my soul. If these tortures had concerned me only, I would have suffered less; but as I looked at the One whom my heart has loved with all its might and saw that He was suffering, and that I could not bring Him any relief, my heart dissolved in love and bitterness. I was dying with Him, and yet I could not die. But I would not have exchanged that martyrdom for all the pleasures in the whole world. In the course of this suffering, my love grew immeasurably. I know that the Lord was supporting me with His omnipotence, for otherwise I would not have been able to endure it for even a moment. Together with Him, I underwent, in a special way, all the various tortures. The world still has no idea of all that Jesus suffered. I accompanied Him to the Garden of Gethsemane; I stayed with Him in the prison; I went with Him before the judges; I underwent with Him each of the tortures. Not a single one of His movements or looks escaped my notice. I came to know all the omnipotence of His love and of His mercy toward souls.
1064 + O my most sweet
Master, good Jesus, I give You my heart. You shape and mold it after Your
liking. O fathomless love, I open the calyx of my heart to You, like a rosebud
to the freshness of dew. To You alone, my Betrothed, is known the fragrance of
the flower of my heart. Let the fragrance of my sacrifice be pleasing to You. O
Immortal God, my everlasting delight, already here on earth You are my heaven.
May every beat of my heart be a new hymn of praise to You, O Holy Trinity! Had
I as many hearts as there are drops of water in the ocean or grains of sand in
the whole world, I would offer them all to You, O my Love, O Treasure of my
heart! Whomever I shall meet in my life, no matter who they may be, I want to
draw them all to love You, O my Jesus, my Beauty, my Repose, my sole Master,
Judge, Savior and Spouse, all in one; I know that one title will modify the
other-I have entrusted everything to Your mercy.
1074 When I went for adoration, I heard these
words: My beloved daughter, write down these words, that today My Heart
has rested in this convent [the Cracow house]. Tell the world about
My mercy and My love.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!
My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace.
Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!
My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace.
Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
1075 Souls who spread the honor of My
mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at
the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At
that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy.
Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of
Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it.
1076 Write
this: Everything that exists is enclosed in the bowels of My mercy, more deeply
than an infant in its mother's womb. How painfully distrust of My goodness
wounds Me! Sins of distrust wound Me most painfully.
1093 + O Jesus, shield
me with Your mercy and also judge me leniently, or else Your justice may
rightly damn me.
1146 [Let] the
greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before
others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy
towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To
such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the
greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I
justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a
just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass
through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice...
1158 A member of this group ought to perform
at least one act of mercy a day; at least one, but there can be many more, for
such deeds can easily be carried out by anyone, even the very poorest. For
there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by
forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray-that
too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we
shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal
verdict.
1159 God's floodgates
have been opened for us. Let us want to take advantage of them before the day
of God's justice arrives. And that will be a dreadful day!
1317 I understand Your
words, Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul.
Jesus: I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do
everything within your power. But write this for the many souls who are often
worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an
act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor
storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If
a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on
the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for
themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with
their mercy.
1515 + I spent this
whole night with Jesus in the dark dungeon. This was a night of adoration. The
sisters were praying in the chapel, and I was uniting myself with them in
spirit, because poor health prevents me from going to the chapel. But all night
long I could not fall asleep, so I spent the night in the dark prison with
Jesus. Jesus gave me to know of the sufferings He experienced there. The world
will learn about them on the day of judgment.
1528 + When I
complained to the Lord Jesus about a certain person [saying], "Jesus, how
can this person pass judgment like that, even about an intention?" the
Lord answered, Do not be surprised. That soul does not even know her
own self, so how could she pass a fair judgment on another soul?
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I- 83, 112, 145, 282, 374, 378, 423, 496)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-566, 660, 717, 852, 854, 895, 934)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1052, 1054, 1064, 1074-1076, 1093)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1146, 1158-1159)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1317)
(Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1515, 1528)
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