Separated From Christ
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May 2, 2018. Wednesday
of the Fifth Week of Easter
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Father Patrick Langan, LC
John 15: 1-8
Jesus said to his
disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He
takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that
does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of
the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a
branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither
can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever
remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can
do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch
and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will
be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever
you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that
you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Introductory Prayer:
Lord, thank You for
granting me the opportunity to be with You. There are things in life, Lord,
that attract me, but You attract me more. I hope in you, and I love You.
Maybe I don’t really understand what it means to love, and maybe I don’t love
the way I should, but I do love You.
Petition: Lord, help me to
grow in my interior life so I can remain united to You.
1. Forgetfulness of
God: Lord, it is so easy
to forget you when life gets busy. It is easy to forget you when things go
well. Almost without realizing it, I begin to separate myself from the vine.
My prayer time is a good thermometer: When I am separating myself from the
vine, it becomes shorter and shorter until it almost fades. I go my own way.
I forget to pray. However, it isn’t necessarily a question of eliminating
activities but of doing all of these tasks for God and in union with him.
2. Barrenness: If I separate myself
from Christ, the vine, and invest my energies in something else, I know what
is going to happen. I will produce no fruit. This is my experience; it has
already happened. Eventually I will wither and be thrown out like a dry
branch. Lastly, these withered, old, dried-up branches will be gathered and
thrown into a fire, and they will be burned. There is no way I can bear fruit
if I am separated from the vine.
3. Abundant Fruit: I want to produce
abundant fruit. I want to help bring about a change in this world. That is
attractive to me. That means a lot to me. I have tried different ways, and I
know that only united to the vine can I bear lasting fruits for Christ’s
Kingdom. This is the way I will glorify the Father. In this meditation, I
already sense the sap running back into my soul. My life will produce fruit
for others. Lord, help me to cling to the vine. Help me to strengthen that
bond of unity. Help my faith and love for you grow, for you are my all.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, it is easy to
trust what I can see, feel and touch. It is wiser, infinitely wiser to trust
You, even if You are hidden from me for now.
Resolution: At least three times
today I will lift up my thoughts to offer one of my activities to God.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
164 +JMJ Warsaw, 1933.
Probation Before Perpetual Vows[56] When I learned I was to go for probation, my heart beat with joy at the thought of such an immense grace, that of the perpetual vows. I went before the Blessed Sacrament; and when I immersed myself in a prayer of thanksgiving, I heard these words in my soul: My child you are My delight, you are the comfort of My Heart. I grant you as many graces as you can hold. As often as you want to make Me happy, speak to the world about My great and unfathomable mercy.
165 A few weeks before I was told
about the probation, I entered the chapel for a moment and Jesus said to me,
At this very moment the superiors are deciding which sisters are going to
take perpetual vows. Not all of them will be granted this grace, but this is
their own fault. He who does not take advantage of small graces will not
receive great ones. But to you, my child, this grace is being given. My
soul was seized with joyful surprise, because a few days earlier one of the
sisters had said to me, "Sister, you will not be going for the third
probation. I myself will see to it that you will not be permitted to make
your vows." I said nothing to the sister, but felt great pain which I
tried to conceal as best I could.
O Jesus, how strange are Your ways! I now see that people can do very little on their own, for I did make my probation, as Jesus had told me.
186 +Today Jesus said to me, I
desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for
souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call
upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say
this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I
will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer:
187 "O Blood and Water,
which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I
trust in You."
652 There is one word I heed and
continually ponder; it alone is everything to me; I live by it and die by it,
and it is the holy will of God. It is my daily food. My whole soul listens
intently to God's wishes. I do always what God asks of me, although my nature
often quakes and I feel that the magnitude of these things is beyond my
strength. 1 know well what I am of myself, but I also know what the grace of
God is, which supports me.
666 I understood that all striving
for perfection and all sanctity consist in doing God's will. Perfect
fulfillment of God's will is maturity in sanctity; there is no room for doubt
here. To receive God's light and recognize what God wants of us and yet not
do it is a great offense against the majesty of God. Such a soul deserves to
be completely forsaken by God. It resembles Lucifer, who had great light, but
did not do God's will. An extraordinary peace entered my soul when I
reflected on the fact that, despite great difficulties, I had always
faithfully followed God's will as I knew it. O Jesus, grant me the grace to
put Your will into practice as I have come to know it, O God.
674 I gave no answer to Jesus, but
poured out all my sorrow before Him, and Satan's attempts ceased. Jesus then
said to me, The inner peace that you have is a grace, and suddenly He
was gone. I felt happy and unaccountably peaceful. Really, for so much peace
to return within a moment-that is a thing only Jesus can do, He, the most
high Lord.
687 Once, as I was going down the
hall to the kitchen, I heard these words in my soul: Say unceasingly the
chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great
mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their
last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were
to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite
mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to
grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.
688 Jesus, Life and Truth, my Master, guide every step of my life, that I may act according to Your holy will.
690 + On one occasion, I came to
know of the condition of two religious sisters who were grumbling interiorly
about an order the superior had given them, and for this reason God had
withheld many special graces from them. My heart ached at this sight. How sad
it is, O Jesus, when we ourselves are the cause of the loss of graces.
Whoever understands this is always faithful.
699 On one occasion, I heard these
words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I
desire that the Feast of Mercy [139] be a refuge and shelter for all
souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My
tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls
who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and
receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and
punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow
are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as
scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be
able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come
forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its
relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The
Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire
that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will
not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.
1661 I spent the whole day in
thanksgiving, and gratitude kept flooding my soul. O my God, how good You
are, how great is Your mercy! You visit me with so many graces, me who am a
most wretched speck of dust. Prostrating myself at Your feet, O Lord, I confess
with a sincere heart that I have done nothing to deserve even the least of
Your graces. It is in Your infinite goodness that You give Yourself to me so
generously. Therefore, the greater the graces which my heart receives, the
deeper it plunges itself in humility.
1675 On the following day, Sister
Felicia took me there. I left in great peace and a calm spirit. When we
arrived, they told us there was a private room for Sister Faustina. When we
entered the room, we were surprised that everything had been prepared so
beautifully: all was clean and neat, covered with tablecloths and bedecked
with flowers; a pretty Easter Lamb had been placed on the night table by the
Sisters. 248 At once, three Sacred Heart
Sisters 249 who work at the sanatorium, my
old acquaintances, came and greeted me warmly. Sister Felicia was surprised
at all this. We bid a warm farewell to each other, and she left. When I was
alone, with just the Lord Jesus and myself, I thanked Him for this great
grace.
1682 + May 1, [1938]. This
evening, Jesus said to me, My daughter, do you need anything? I
answered, "O my Love, when I have You I have everything." And the
Lord answered, If souls would put themselves completely in My care, I
Myself would undertake the task of sanctifying them, and I would lavish even
greater graces on them. There are souls who thwart My efforts, but I have not
given up on them; as often as they turn to Me, I hurry to their aid,
shielding them with My mercy, and I give them the first place in My
compassionate Heart.
1683 Write for the benefit of
religious souls that it delights Me to come to their hearts in Holy
Communion. But if there is anyone else in such a heart, I cannot bear it and
quickly leave that heart, taking with Me all the gifts and graces I have
prepared for the soul. And the soul does not even notice My going. After some
time, inner emptiness and dissatisfaction will come to her attention. Oh, if
only she would turn to Me then, I would help her to cleanse her heart, and I
would fulfill everything in her soul; but without her knowledge and consent,
I cannot be the Master of her heart.
1687 Today I saw the Crucified
Lord Jesus. Precious pearls and diamonds were pouring forth from the wound in
His Heart. I saw how a multitude of souls was gathering these gifts, but
there was one soul who was closest to His Heart and she, knowing the
greatness of these gifts, was gathering them with liberality, not only for
herself, but for others as well. The Savior said to me, Behold, the
treasures of grace that flow down upon souls, but not all souls know how to
take advantage of My generosity.
1688 Today, the Lord said to me, My
daughter, look into My Merciful Heart and reflect its compassion in your own
heart and in your deeds, so that you, who proclaim My mercy to the world, may
yourself be aflame with it.
The Creator and The Creature.
1692 I adore You, Lord and
Creator, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of
Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You
have spread so much beauty over the earth, and it tells me about Your beauty,
even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You,
Incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed
Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You, and my soul
recognizes its Creator, its Highest Good; and my heart is completely immersed
in prayer of adoration.
My Lord and Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy abolishes the chasm which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord, is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could desire. Here Your light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul draws eternal life. O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts, give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable creature. Here, without searching for words, our hearts understand each other. Here, no one is able to interrupt our conversation. What I talk to You about, Jesus, is our secret, which creatures shall not know and Angels dare not ask about. These are secret acts of forgiveness, known only to Jesus and me; this is the mystery of His mercy, which embraces each soul separately. For this incomprehensible goodness of Yours, I adore You, O Lord and Creator, with all my heart and all my soul. And, although my worship is so little and poor, I am at peace because I know that You know it is sincere, however inadequate...
1693 As I was writing the above
words, I saw the Lord Jesus leaning over me, and He asked, My daughter,
what are you writing? I answered, "I am writing about You, Jesus,
about Your being hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, about Your inconceivable
love and mercy for people." And Jesus said, Secretary of My most
profound mystery, know that yours is an exclusive intimacy with Me. Your task
is to write down everything that I make known to you about My mercy, for the
benefit of those who by reading these things will be comforted in their souls
and will have the courage to approach Me. I therefore want you to devote all
your free moments to writing. "But, O Lord, shall I always have a
moment, at least a brief one, in which to write?" And Jesus answered, It
is not for you to think about that. Only do as much as you can, and I will
always arrange things so that you will easily be able to do what I ask of
you...
1694 Today, I was visited by a
certain lay person [probably Stanislava Kwietniewska] who has caused me a lot
of sorrow and who has abused my goodness, telling many lies. At the first
moment I saw her, the blood froze in my veins, because there stood before my
eyes all that I had to suffer because of her, although with one word I could
have freed myself of them all. And the thought came to me to tell her the
truth, firmly and immediately. But at the same moment, the mercy of God came
before my eyes, and I resolved to act toward her as Jesus would have acted in
my place. I started to talk to her gently, and when she expressed the wish to
talk to me alone; I then, in a very delicate manner, made known to her
clearly the sad condition of her soul. I saw that she was deeply moved,
though she was trying to hide this from me. At that point, a third person
came in, and so our heart-to-heart talk came to an end. She asked me for a
glass of water and for two other things which I did willingly. However, had
it not been for the grace of God, I would not have been able to act in such a
way toward her. When they left, I thanked God for the grace which had
supported me during that time.
1696 O Christ, although much
effort is required, all things can be done with Your grace.
1697 I was feeling fairly well
today, and I was glad that I would be able to make the Holy Hour. But when I
began to make the Holy Hour, my physical sufferings intensified, so that I
was not able to pray. When the Holy Hour was over, my sufferings came to an
end, and I complained to the Lord that I had wanted so much to steep myself
in His sorrowful Passion, but that my sufferings had not allowed me to do so.
Then Jesus said to me, My daughter, know that if I allow you to feel and
have a more profound knowledge of My sufferings, that is a grace from Me. But
when your mind is dimmed and your sufferings are great, it is then that you
take an active part in My Passion, and I am conforming you more fully to
Myself. It is your task to submit yourself to My will at such times, more
than at others...
1698 l often attend upon the dying
and through entreaties obtain for them trust in God's mercy, and I implore
God for an abundance of divine grace, which is always victorious. God's mercy
sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious
way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The
soul, illumined by a ray of God's powerful final grace, turns to God in the
last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from
God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign
either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no
longer react to external things. Oh, how beyond comprehension is God's mercy!
But-horror!-there are also souls who voluntarily and consciously reject and
scorn this grace! Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful
God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is
willing, it has the possibility of returning to God. But sometimes, the
obduracy in souls is so great that consciously they choose hell; they [thus]
make useless all the prayers that other souls offer to God for them and even
the efforts of God Himself...
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-164-165, 186-187)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-652, 666, 674,
687-688, 690, 699 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1059, 1065, 1074-1076
)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1661, 1675, 1682-1683,
1687-1688)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1692-1694,
1696-1698)
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