Pentecost Anticipated
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May 31, 2018. Feast
of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Father Walter Schu, LC
Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out and
traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered
the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary´s
greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy
Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of
your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed
are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be
fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his
handmaid´s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The
Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is
from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from
their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good
things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham
and to his descendants forever." Mary remained with her about three
months and then returned to her home.
Introductory Prayer:
Lord, I believe in
Your supreme goodness and love. I entrust my entire self to you with all of
my hopes, fears and joys. Thank You for giving us the gift of Yourself in the
Eucharist. Thank You, too, for giving us Your own mother to be our mother
during our exile on this earth and journey home to You in heaven. Here I am,
like her, to do Your will.
Petition: Mary, help me to
grow in humility.
1. Prompt and Joyful
Charity: What has impelled
Mary to undertake her perilous journey not only alone, but also in haste? An
irresistible force was acting within Mary: the presence of the Holy Spirit
overshadowed and filled her since the moment of the Annunciation. This same
Holy Spirit has filled the heart of Elizabeth at Mary’s greeting and moved
the infant within her womb. What is the first fruit of the fullness of the
Holy Spirit? Joy. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI comments on the relationship of
joy to the truth who is Christ himself: “Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of
truth, attracts to himself the heart of every man, dilates it, and fills it
with joy. Only the truth is capable of invading the mind and making it fully
joyful. This joy expands the dimensions of the human spirit, raising it from
the anxieties of egoism, making it capable of authentic love” (Discourse to
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005).
2. Elizabeth – The
Unworthy Host:
Elizabeth’s moving question reflects the one virtue necessary for a person to
be invaded by the Holy Spirit: humility. Elizabeth is profoundly aware of her
own lowliness in the face of a visit from the mother of her Lord. Mary
herself echoes these sentiments of deep humility throughout her Magnificat.
What is the reason her Creator has done great things for her, so much so that
all generations will call her blessed? It is not due to any talent or quality
she might possess of herself. There is no magnificent grandeur by which she
has captivated the Almighty. God has simply “looked upon his handmaid’s
lowliness.” Do I rejoice in my own littleness, knowing that it enables the
Holy Spirit to make his dwelling within me and do great things for Christ
with my life?
3. The Hymn of God’s
Praise: Mary is so filled
with the Holy Spirit that her whole being bursts forth in a hymn of joy and
praise to the Almighty. Pope Emeritus Benedict reflects on Mary’s joy at the
infant Lord’s presence within her womb: “This is the joy the heart feels when
we kneel to adore Jesus in faith” (Discourse to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005). The joy of Christ, the joy of the
Holy Spirit, gratitude to God for the great things he has done in us, impels
us to bring Our Lord to others, just as Mary brought him to Elizabeth even
before his birth. As she sings her Magnificat, Mary does not remain closed
within herself, but reflects on what God has done for her in light of his
saving plan for all his people. May the joy of the Holy Spirit bring about a
new Pentecost that radiates from our lives.
Conversation with
Christ: Thank you, Lord! The
great gift of Your Holy Spirit fills our lives with the unspeakable joy of
Your own presence within us. Help me to respond with haste -- as Mary did --
to the impulses of charity from the Holy Spirit.
Resolution: I will look for
occasions to speak about Christ with others and do acts of charity for them
with joy and haste, just as Mary did in the Gospel.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
25 During the night, the Mother of
God visited me, holding the Infant Jesus in Her arms. My soul was filled with
joy, and I said, "Mary, my Mother, do You know how terribly I
suffer?" And the Mother of God answered me, I know how much you
suffer, but do not be afraid. I share with you your suffering, and I shall
always do so. She smiled warmly and disappeared. At once, strength and a
great courage sprang up anew in my soul; but that lasted only one day. It
seemed as though hell had conspired against me. A terrible hatred began to
break out in my soul, a hatred for all that is holy and divine. It seemed to
me that these spiritual torments would be my lot for the rest of my life. I
turned to the Blessed Sacrament and said to Jesus, "Jesus, my Spouse, do
You not see that my soul is dying because of its longing for You? How can You
hide Yourself from a heart that loves You so sincerely? Forgive me, Jesus;
may Your holy will be done in me. I will suffer silently like a dove, without
complaining. I will not allow my heart even one single cry of sorrowful
complaint."
79 O
Mary, my Mother and my Lady, I offer You my soul, my body, my life and my
death, and all that will Follow it. I place everything in Your hands. O my
Mother, cover my soul with Your virginal mantle and grant me the grace of
purity of heart, soul and body. Defend me with Your power against all
enemies, and especially against those who hide their malice behind the mask
of virtue. O lovely lily! You are for me a mirror, O my Mother!
92
Humiliation is my daily food. I understand that the bride must herself share
in everything that is the groom's; and so His cloak of mockery must cover me,
too. At those times when I suffer much, I try to remain silent, as I do not
trust my tongue which, at such moments, is inclined to talk for itself, while
its duty is to help me praise God for all the blessings and gifts which He has
given me. When I receive Jesus in Holy Communion, I ask Him fervently to
deign to heal my tongue so that I would offend neither God nor neighbor by
it. I want my tongue to praise God without cease. Great are the faults
committed by the tongue. The soul will not attain sanctity if it does not
keep watch over its tongue.
161 Immaculate Virgin,
Pure crystal for my heart,
You are my strength, O sturdy anchor!
You are the weak heart's shield and protection.
Mary you are pure, of purity incomparable;
At once both Virgin and Mother,
You are beautiful as the sun, without blemish,
And your soul is beyond all comparison.
Your beauty has delighted the eye of the Thrice-Holy One.
He descended from heaven, leaving His eternal throne,
And took Body and Blood of your heart
And for nine months lay hidden in a Virgin's Heart.
O Mother, Virgin, purest of all lilies,
Your heart was Jesus' first tabernacle on earth.
Only because no humility was deeper than yours
Were you raised above the choirs
of Angels and above all Saints
178
Today we are beginning the third probation. All three of us met at Mother
Margaret's, as the other sisters were having their probation in the
novitiate. Mother Margaret began with a prayer, explained to us what the
third probation consists of, and then spoke on how great is the grace of the
perpetual vows. Suddenly I began to cry out loud. In an instant all God's
graces appeared before the eyes of my soul, and I saw myself so wretched and
ungrateful toward God. The sisters began to rebuke me, saying, "Why did
she break out crying?" But Mother Margaret came to my defense, saying
that she was not surprised.
At the
end of the hour, I went before the Blessed Sacrament and, like the greatest
and most miserable of wretches, I begged for His mercy that He might heal and
purify my poor soul. Then I heard these words, My daughter, all your
miseries have been consumed in the flame of My love, like a little twig
thrown into a roaring fire. By humbling yourself in this way, you draw upon
yourself and upon other souls an entire sea of My mercy. I answered,
"Jesus, mold my poor heart according to Your divine delight."
220 O
my eternal Lord and Creator, how am I going to thank You for this great
favor; namely, that You have deigned to choose miserable me to be Your
betrothed and that You are to unite me to yourself in an eternal bond? O
dearest Treasure of my heart, I offer You all the adoration and thanksgiving
of the Saints and of all the choirs of Angels, and I unite myself in a
special way with Your Mother. O Mary, my Mother, I humbly beg of You, cover
my soul with Your virginal cloak at this very important moment of my life, so
that thus I may become dearer to Your Son and may worthily praise Your Son's
mercy before the whole world and throughout all eternity.
260 I
had permission to visit Czestochowa while on my journey. I saw the Mother of
God [image] for the first time, when I went to attend the unveiling of the
image at five in the morning. I prayed without interruption until eleven, and
it seemed to me that I had just come. The superior of the house there [Mother
Serafin[75]] sent a sister for me, to tell me to come to
breakfast and said she was worried that I would miss my train. The Mother of
God told me many things. I entrusted my perpetual vows to Her. I felt that I
was her child and that She was my Mother. She did not refuse any of my
requests.
309
Before heaven and earth, before all the choirs of Angels, before the Most
Holy Virgin Mary, before all the Powers of heaven, I declare to the One
Triune God that today, in union with Jesus Christ, Redeemer of souls, I make
a voluntary offering of myself for the conversion of sinners, especially for
those souls who have lost hope in God's mercy. This offering consists in my
accepting, with total subjection to God's will, all the sufferings, fears and
terrors with which sinners are filled. In return, I give them all the
consolations which my soul receives from my communion with God. In a word, I
offer everything for them: Holy Masses, Holy Communions, penances,
mortifications, prayers. I do not fear the blows, blows of divine justice,
because I am united with Jesus. O my God, in this way I want to make amends
to You for the souls that do not trust in Your goodness. I hope against all
hope in the ocean of Your mercy. My Lord and my God, my portion-my portion
forever, I do not base this act of oblation on my own strength, but on the
strength that flows from the merits of Jesus Christ. I will daily repeat this
act of self-oblation by pronouncing the following prayer which You yourself
have taught me, Jesus:
"O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You!"
316
Once, the Mother of God came to visit me. She was sad. Her eyes were cast
down. She made it clear that She wanted to say something, and yet, on the
other hand, it was as if She did not want to speak to me about it. When I
understood this, I began to beg the Mother of God to tell me and to look at
me. Just then Mary looked at me with a warm smile and said, You are going
to experience certain sufferings because of an illness and the doctors; you
will also suffer much because of the image, but do not be afraid of anything.
The next day I fell ill and suffered a great deal, just as the Mother of God
had told me. But my soul was ready for the sufferings. Suffering is a
constant companion of my life.
564 On the feast day of the Immaculate Conception of the
Mother of God, during Holy Mass, I heard the rustling of garments and saw the
most holy Mother of God in a most beautiful radiance. Her white garment was
girdled with a blue sash. She said to me, You give Me great joy
when you adore the Holy Trinity for the graces and privileges which were
accorded Me. And She immediately disappeared.
620 Mary is my Instructress, who
is ever teaching me how to live for God. My spirit brightens up in Your
gentleness and Your humility, O Mary.
635
March 25. In the morning, during meditation, God's presence enveloped me in a
special way, as I saw the immeasurable greatness of God and, at the same
time, His condescension to His creatures. Then I saw the Mother of God, who
said to me, Oh, how pleasing to God is the soul that follows faithfully the
inspirations of His grace! I gave the Savior to the world; as for you, you
have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for
the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a
just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice,
the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about
this great mercy while it is still the time for [granting] mercy. If you keep
silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that
terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the end. I sympathize with you.
Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God.
805 From early morning, I felt the nearness of the Blessed
Mother. During Holy Mass, I saw Her, so lovely and so beautiful that I have
no words to express even a small part of this beauty. She was all [in] white,
with a blue sash around Her waist. Her cloak was also blue, and there was a
crown on Her head. Marvelous light streamed forth from Her whole figure. I
am the Queen of heaven and earth, but especially the Mother of your
[Congregation]. She pressed me to Her heart and said, I feel constant
compassion for you. I felt the force of Her Immaculate Heart which was
communicated to my soul. Now I understand why I have been preparing for this
feast for two months and have been looking forward to it with such yearning.
From today onwards, I am going to strive for the greatest purity of soul,
that the rays of God's grace may be reflected in all their brilliance. I long
to be a crystal in order to find favor in His eyes.
843 December 24, [1936]. During Holy Mass today, I was
united in a particular way with God and His Immaculate Mother. The humility
and love of the Immaculate Virgin penetrated my soul. The more I imitate the
Mother of God, the more deeply I get to know God. Oh, what infinite longing
envelops my soul! Jesus, how can You still leave me in this exile? I am dying
of longing for You. Every touch of my soul by You wounds me immensely. Love
and suffering go together; yet I would not exchange this pain caused by You
for any treasure, because it is the pain of incomprehensible delights, and
these wounds of the soul are inflicted by a loving hand.
874 Mary, Immaculate Virgin, take me under Your special
protection and guard the purity of my soul, heart and body. You are the model
and star of my life.
1097 Since that time, I have been living under the
virginal ', cloak of the Mother of God. She has been guarding me and
instructing me. I am quite at peace, close to Her Immaculate Heart. Because I
am so weak and inexperienced, I nestle like a little child close to Her
heart.
+ J. M. J.
1232 O sweet Mother of God,
I model my life on You;
You are for me the bright dawn;
In You I lose myself, enraptured.
O Mother, Immaculate Virgin,
In You the divine ray is reflected,
Midst storms, 'tis You who teach me to love the Lord,
O my shield and defense from the foe.
Cracow, August 10, 1937.
1410 Today [December 7, 1937] is the eve of the Feast of
the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. During the midday meal, in an
instant, God gave me to know the greatness of my destiny; that is, His
closeness, which for all eternity will not be taken away from me, and He did
this in such a vivid and clear fashion that I remained wrapped up in His
living presence for a long time, humbling myself before His greatness. +
J.M.J.
1412 + It is with great zeal that I have prepared for the
celebration of the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. I have made an
extra effort to keep
recollected in spirit and have meditated on that unique
privilege of Our Lady. And thus my heart was completely drowned in Her,
thanking God for having accorded this great privilege to Mary.
1413 I prepared not only by means of the novena said in
common by the whole community, but I also made a personal effort to salute
Her a thousand times each day, saying a thousand "Hail Mary's" for
nine days in Her praise.
+ This is now the third time I have said such a novena to
the Mother of God; that is, a novena made up of a thousand Aves each day.
Thus the novena consists in nine thousand salutations. Although I have done
this now three times in my life, and two of these while in the course of my
duties, I have never failed in carrying out my tasks with the greatest
exactitude. I have always said the novena outside the time of my exercises;
that is to say, I have not said the Aves during Holy Mass or Benediction.
Once, I made the novena while lying ill in the hospital. Where there's a
will, there's a way. Apart from recreation, I have only prayed and worked. I
have not said a single unnecessary word during these days. Although I must
admit that such a matter requires a good deal of attention and effort,
nothing is too much when it comes to honoring the Immaculate Virgin.
1414 The Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Before Holy
Communion I saw the Blessed Mother inconceivably beautiful. Smiling at me She
said to me, My daughter, at God's command I am to be, in a special
and exclusive way your Mother; but I desire that you, too, in a special way,
be My child.
1415 I desire, My dearly beloved daughter, that you
practice the three virtues that are dearest to Me-and most pleasing to God.
The first is humility, humility, and once again humility; the second virtue,
purity; the third virtue, love of God. As My daughter, you must especially
radiate with these virtues. When the conversation ended, She pressed me
to Her Heart and disappeared. When I regained the use of my senses, my
heart became so wonderfully attracted to these virtues; and I practice
them faithfully. They are as though engraved in my heart.
1742
Be praised, merciful God, One God in the Holy Trinity,
Unfathomable, infinite, incomprehensible, immersing themselves in You, their minds cannot comprehend You, So they repeat without end their eternal: Holy. Be glorified, O merciful Creator of ours, O Lord, Omnipotent, but full of compassion, inconceivable. To love You is the mission of our existence, Singing our eternal hymn: Holy... Be blessed, merciful God, Eternal Love. You are above the heavens, the saphires, the firmaments. The host of pure spirits sings You praises, With its eternal hymn: Thrice Holy. And, gazing upon You, face to face, O God, I see that You could have called other creatures before them. Therefore they humble themselves before You in great humility, For well they see that this grace comes solely from Your mercy. One of the most beautiful spirits would not recognize Your mercy, And, blinded by his pride, he drew others after him. Angel of great beauty, he became Satan And was cast down in one moment from heaven's heights into hell. Then the faithful spirits cried, "Glory to God's mercy!" And they stood firm in spite of the fiery test. Glory to Jesus, the Christ abased, Glory to His Mother, the humble and pure Virgin. After this battle, the pure spirits plunged into the ocean of Divinity; Contemplating and praising the depths of His mercy, They drown in His mercy and manifold light, Possessing in knowledge the Trinity of Persons, the Oneness of Godhead.
+The
Infinite Goodness of God in Sending Us His Only-Begotten Son.
1745 God, You did not destroy man after his fall, but in Your mercy You forgave him, You forgave in a divine way; that is, not only have You absolved him from guilt, but You have bestowed upon him every grace. Mercy has moved You to deign to descend among us and lift us up from our misery. God will descend to earth; the Immortal Lord of lords will abase Himself. But where will You descend, Lord; will it be to the temple of Solomon? Or will You have a new tabernacle built for Yourself? Where do You intend to come down? O Lord, what kind of tabernacle shall we prepare for You, since the whole earth is Your footstool? You have indeed prepared a tabernacle for Yourself: the Blessed Virgin. Her Immaculate Womb is Your dwelling place, and the inconceivable miracle of Your mercy takes place, O Lord. The Word becomes flesh; God dwells among us, the Word of God, Mercy Incarnate. By Your descent, You have lifted us up to Your divinity. Such is the excess of Your love, the abyss of Your mercy. Heaven is amazed at the superabundance of Your love. No one fears to approach You now. You are the God of mercy. You have compassion on misery. You are our God, and we are Your people. You are our Father, and we are Your children by grace. Praise be to Your mercy, that You have deigned to descend among us.
1746
Be adored, O God of mercy,
Because You have deigned to descend from heaven to earth. Most humbly we adore You For Your having vouchsafed to exalt all mankind. Unfathomable and incomprehensible in Your mercy, For love of us You take on flesh From the Immaculate Virgin, ever untouched by sin, Because You have willed it so from all ages. The Blessed Virgin, that Snow-White Lily, Is first to praise the omnipotence of Your mercy. Her pure heart opens with love for the coming of the Word; She believes the words of God's messenger and is confirmed in trust. Heaven is astounded that God has become man, That there is on earth a heart worthy of God Himself. Why is it that You do not unite Yourself with a Seraph, but with a sinner, O Lord? Oh, because, despite the purity of the virginal womb, this is a mystery of Your mercy. O mystery of God's mercy, O God of compassion, That You have deigned to leave the heavenly throne And to stoop down to our misery, to human weakness, For it is not the angels, but man who needs mercy. To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy, We unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, For then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, Because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us.
+
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.
1748
Be adored, O God, in the work of Your mercy,
Be blessed by all faithful hearts On whom Your gaze rests, In whom dwells Your immortal life. O my Jesus, have mercy, sorrowful was Your life on this earth, And in terrible torment Your work came to an end, Hanging stretched out on the wood of the Cross, And all this for the love of our souls. In Your inconceivable love, You allowed Your most holy side to be opened, And streams of Blood and Water gushed forth from Your Heart. Here is the living fountain of Your mercy, Here souls receive consolation and refreshment. In the Blessed Sacrament, You left us Your mercy; Your love deigned to arrange it so, That, going through life, suffering and toil, I might never doubt of Your goodness and mercy. For even if the whole world's miseries weighed on my soul, We must not doubt for even a moment, But have trust in the power of God's mercy, Because, with graciousness, God receives a contrite soul. O unspeakable mercy of our Lord, Source of compassion and all sweetness, Trust, trust, O soul, though you are stained by sin, For when you approach God, you will not taste bitterness. Because He is a living fire of great love, When we approach Him with sincerity, Our miseries, sins and evil deeds vanish; He will settle our debts when we surrender ourselves to Him.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-25, 79, 92, 161, 178,
220, 260, 309, 316)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-564, 620, 635, 805, 843, 874)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1097)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1232, 1244)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1410, 1412-1415)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1742, 1745-1748 )
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Mayo 31, 2018
Pentecost Anticipated-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
Mayo 30, 2018
On Sitting and Serving-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
On Sitting and Serving
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May 30, 2018. Wednesday
of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
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Father John Doyle, LC
Mark 10:32-45
The disciples were
on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they
were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the Twelve aside
again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we
are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the
chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they
will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him,
and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again."
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him,
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he
said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said
to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left,
in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you
are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with
the baptism that I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are
able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will
drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for
those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they
began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them,
"You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their
rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it
is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life
as ransom for many."
Introductory Prayer:
Once again, Lord, I
come to You to pray. Even though I cannot see you, I trust that You are
present and very much want to instruct me in Your teachings. In the same way
that You demonstrate Your love for me by spending this time with me, I want
to express my love for You by dedicating this time to You with a spirit of
faith, confidence and attention. Here I am, Lord, to listen to You and
respond with love.
Petition: Lord, help me
imitate your example of loving service.
1. Jesus Sets His
Face Toward Jerusalem: Jesus is walking ahead of his disciples, firm and determined.
A few of those following him are growing uneasy, but James and John seem not
to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Jesus is accompanied, but in a
certain sense, he is alone. Again and again he has tried to explain to his
followers that his mission will lead him to be rejected and mocked and
eventually to suffer the cruelest of deaths. But they seem incapable of
grasping the message; from their vantage point, none of this makes any sense.
At times we, too, hear Christ’s words about taking up our cross daily and
losing our life for his sake, and we are either terrified at the prospect or
its meaning eludes us. Jesus, however, continues inviting us to follow in his
footsteps and carry our daily crosses with our eyes fixed on our heavenly
home, the New Jerusalem.
2. The Ambitions of
James and John: James and John were hand-picked disciples of the Lord. Jesus
had often allowed them to accompany him when he went off alone to pray. They
both felt a deep affection for Our Lord, and so it is not surprising that
they wished to be near him when he entered into his glory. Jesus doesn’t
reproach them for their petition even though it comes at a moment when his
heart is burdened with deeper concerns. Rather, Jesus invites them to reflect
on the consequences of their request. To be on Jesus’ right and left in his
glory means to pass through a similar trial as the one he must soon undergo
–– they would have to be situated on his right and left on the day he is
lifted up on the cross. Jesus also invites us to “seek the things above” and
place our ambitions on heavenly sights and not earthly glory. If our love for
Jesus is true, then it must withstand the test of trial and suffering.
3. The True Meaning
of Authority: Most
of us prefer to command than obey. Ambition quickly leads to rivalry and
bitter feelings, as happened to the twelve apostles. Jesus quickly intervenes
and gives us a valuable lesson on the meaning of authority, a lesson to be
taken to heart. Authority of any kind has only one purpose: service. Do I
view the authority that I have been given as a service? Am I more concerned
about being obeyed –– immediately and exactly –– than about setting an
example for others? How can I be more like Jesus in exercising my authority?
Do I realize this is a specific way of picking up my cross and following
after Jesus?
Conversation with
Christ: Jesus, help me to be
zealous for the things of above. Do not allow my heart to be ambitious but
rather be meek and gentle like Yours.
Resolution: I will seek to serve
others no matter who they are.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
36 Once I was summoned to the
judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as
we know Him during His Passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except
for five, those in His hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly I saw the
complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is
displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will
have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before
the Thrice-Holy God! Jesus asked me, Who are you? I answered, "I
am Your servant, Lord." You are guilty of one day of fire in
purgatory. I wanted to throw myself immediately into the flames of purgatory,
but Jesus stopped me and said, Which do you prefer, suffer now for one day in
purgatory or for a short while on earth? I replied, "Jesus, I want
to suffer in purgatory, and I want to suffer also the greatest pains on
earth, even if it were until the end of the world." Jesus said, One [of
the two] is enough; you will go back to earth, and there you will suffer
much, but not for long; you will accomplish My will and My desires, and a
faithful servant of Mine will help you to do this. Now, rest your head on My
bosom, on My heart, and draw from it strength and power for these sufferings,
because you will find neither relief nor help nor comfort anywhere else. Know
that you will have much, much to suffer, but don't let this frighten you; I
am with you.
41 On one occasion I saw a servant
of God in the immediate danger of committing a mortal sin. I started to beg
God to deign to send down upon me all the torments of hell and all the
sufferings He wished if only this priest would be set free and snatched from
the occasion of committing a sin. Jesus heard my prayer and, that very
instant, I felt a crown of thorns on my head. The thorns penetrated my head
with great force right into my brain. This lasted for three hours; the
servant of God was set free from this sin, and his soul was strengthened by a
special grace of God.
55 1933. Spiritual Counsel Given
Me by Father Andrasz, S.J.
First: You must not turn away from these interior inspirations, but always tell everything to your confessor. If you recognize that these interior inspirations refer to your own self; that is to say, they are for the good of your soul or for the good of other souls, l urge you to follow them; and you must not neglect them, but always do
so in consultation with your
confessor.
Second: If these inspirations are not in accord with the faith or the spirit of the Church, they must be rejected immediately as coming from the evil spirit. Third: If these inspirations do not refer to souls, in general, nor specifically to their good, you should not take them too seriously, and it would be better to even ignore them. But you should not make this decision by yourself, either one way or the other, as you can easily be led astray despite these great favors from God. Humility, humility, and ever humility, as we can do nothing of ourselves; all is purely and simply God's grace. You say to me that God demands great trust from souls; well then, you be the first to show this trust. And one more word-accept all this with serenity. Words of one of the confessors: "Sister, God is preparing many special graces for you, but try to make your life as clear as crystal before the Lord, paying no attention to what anyone else thinks about you. Let God suffice you; He alone." Toward the end of my novitiate, a confessor [perhaps Father Theodore] told me: "Go through life doing good, so that I could write on its pages: `She spent her life doing good.' May God bring this about in you." Another time the confessor said to me, "Comport yourself before God like the widow in the Gospel; although the coin she dropped into the box was of little value, it counted far more before God than all the big offerings of others." On another occasion the instruction I received was this: " Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God; give, then, generously to others. They should take leave of you with their hearts filled with joy, even if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment. Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now." Still another time he gave me the following recommendation: "Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life." Here are a few words from a conversation I had with the Mother Directress [Mary Joseph] toward the end of my novitiate: "Sister, let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls."
300 +Ask of my faithful servant
[Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole world of My great
mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted
complete remission of sins and punishment.
+Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. +Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
301 Proclaim that mercy is the
greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.
458 During the ten-o'clock
meditation, Father [Rzyczkowski [98]]
spoke about divine mercy and about God's goodness to us. He said that as we
review the history of mankind, we can see this great goodness of God at every
step. All the attributes of God, such as omnipotence and wisdom, serve to
reveal to us the greatest of His attributes; namely, His goodness. God's
goodness is the greatest of God's attributes. Many souls striving for
perfection, however, are not aware of this great goodness of God. Everything
that Father said in the course of the meditation about the goodness of God,
was exactly what Jesus had said to me concerning (the Feast of Mercy. I have
now come to understand clearly what the Lord has promised me, and I have no
doubt about anything; God's language is clear and distinct.
525 O Holy Trinity, in whom is
contained the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
eternal joy, inconceivable depth of love, poured out upon all creatures and
constituting their happiness, honor and glory be to Your holy name forever
and ever. Amen.
When I consider Your greatness and beauty, O my God, I rejoice exceedingly that the Lord I serve is so great. With love and joy I carry out His will, and the more I come to know Him, the more I desire to love Him. I burn with the desire to love Him ever more and more.
543 The duration of the
postulancy. The postulancy will last one year. During this time, the
candidate should examine whether she is attracted to this type of life and
whether it is suitable to her. The directress should also diligently consider
whether or not the person in question is suitable for this type of life.
After a year, if the postulant shows evidence of a stable will and an earnest
desire to serve God, she should be admitted to the novitiate.
573 December 21, 1935. One day my
confessor [Father Sopocko] told me to go and look at a certain house to see
whether it was the same house I had seen in my vision. When I went with my
confessor to see that house, or rather those ruins, at a glance I recognized
that they were the same as I had seen in my vision. The moment I touched the
boards which had been nailed together in place of the doors, a strength
pervaded my soul like a flash, giving me unshakable certitude. I went away quickly
from that place, my heart full of joy, for it seemed to me that there was a
certain force chaining me to that place.
I am very happy to see that everything agrees perfectly with what I saw in the vision. When the confessor spoke to me about the arrangement of the cells and other things, I recognized everything to be the same as had been told to me by Jesus. I am delighted that God is acting in this way through my confessor, but I am not surprised that God is giving him so much light; since God, who is Light itself, lives in a pure and humble heart, and all sufferings and adversities serve but to reveal the soul's holiness. When I returned home, I went immediately to our chapel to rest a while. Then suddenly I heard these words in my soul: Do not fear anything. I am with you. These matters are in My hands and I will bring them to fruition according to My mercy, for nothing can oppose My will.
634 March 22,[1936]. When I
arrived at Warsaw, I went into the small chapel for a moment to thank the
Lord for a safe journey, and I asked the Lord to give me the assistance and
the grace necessary for everything that was in store for me here. I submitted
myself in all things to His holy will. I heard these words: Fear nothing;
all difficulties will serve for the fulfillment of My will.
764 November 24. Today, I received
a letter from Father Sopocko. [147]
I learned from it that God himself is conducting this whole affair. And as
the Lord has begun it, so will He continue to carry it along. And the greater
the difficulties which I see, the more am I at peace. Oh, if in this whole
matter the glory of God and the profit to souls were not greatly served,
Satan would not be opposing it so much. But he senses what he is going to
lose because of it. I have now learned that Satan hates mercy more than
anything else. It is his greatest torment. Still, the word of God will not
pass away; God's utterance is living; difficulties will not suppress the
works of God, but show that they are God's...
929 When I had rested near His
sweetest Heart, I told Him, "Jesus, I have so much to tell You."
And the Lord said to me with great love, Speak, My daughter. And I
started to enumerate the pains of my heart; that is, how greatly concerned I
am for all mankind, that "they all do not know You, and those who do
know You do not love You as You deserve to be loved. I also see how terribly
sinners offend You; and then again, I see how severely the faithful, especially
Your servants, are oppressed and persecuted. And then, too, I see many souls
rushing headlong into the terrible abyss of hell. You see, Jesus, this is the
pain that gnaws at my heart and bones. And, although You show me special love
and inundate my heart with streams of Your joys, nevertheless, this does not
appease the sufferings I have just mentioned, but rather they penetrate my
poor heart all the more acutely. Oh, how ardently I desire that all mankind
turn with trust to Your mercy. Then, seeing the glory of Your name, my heart
will be comforted."
Jesus listened to these outpourings of my heart with gravity and interest, as if He had known nothing about them, and this seemed to make it easier for me to talk. And the Lord said to me, My daughter, those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me. After these words, I found myself alone, but the presence of God is always in my soul.
948 February 13, [1937]. Today,
during the Passion Service, [170]
I saw Jesus being tortured and crowned with thorns and holding a reed in His
hand. Jesus was silent as the soldiers were bustling about, vying with each other
in torturing Him. Jesus said nothing, but just looked at me, and in that gaze
I felt His pain, so terrible that we have not the faintest idea of how much
He suffered for us before He was crucified. My soul was filled with pain and
longing; in my soul, I felt great hatred for sin, and even the smallest
infidelity on my part seemed to me like a huge mountain for which I must
expiate by mortification and penance. When I see Jesus tormented, my heart is
torn to pieces, and I think: what will become of sinners if they do not take
advantage of the Passion of Jesus? In His Passion, I see a whole sea of
mercy.
+ J.M.J. February 12, 1937 + The Love of God is the flower - Mercy the fruit.
1000 In the terrible desert of life,
O my sweetest Jesus, Protect souls from disaster, For You are the Fountain of Mercy. Let the resplendence of Your rays, O sweet Commander of our souls, Let mercy change the world. And you who have received this grace, serve Jesus. Steep is the great highway I must travel, But I fear nothing, For the pure fount of mercy is flowing for my sake, And, with it, strength for the humble soul. I am exhausted and worn out, But my conscience bears me witness That I do all for the greater glory of the Lord, The Lord who is my repose and my heritage. [End of Notebook Two of the Diary.]
1029 The doctor did not allow me
to go to the chapel to attend the Passion Service, although I had a great
desire for it; however, I prayed in my own room. Suddenly I heard the bell in
the next room, and I went in and rendered a service to a seriously sick
person. When I returned to my room, I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said, My
daughter, you gave Me greater pleasure by rendering Me that service than if
you had prayed for a long time. I answered, "But it was not to You,
Jesus, but to that patient that I rendered this service." And the Lord
answered me, Yes, My daughter, but whatever you do for your neighbor, you
do for Me.
1286 + Thank You, O God, for all
the graces
Which unceasingly You lavish upon me, Graces which enlighten me with the brilliance of the sun, For by them You show me the sure way. Thank You, 0 Lord, for creating me, For calling me into being from nothingness, For imprinting Your divinity on my soul, The work of sheer merciful love. Thank You, O God, for Holy Baptism Which engrafted me into Your family, A gift great beyond all thought or expression Which transforms my soul. Thank You, O Lord, for Holy Confession, For that inexhaustible spring of great mercy, For that inconceivable fountain of graces In which sin-tainted souls become purified. Thank You, O Jesus, for Holy Communion In which You give us Yourself. I feel Your Heart beating within my breast As You cause Your divine life to unfold within me. Thank You, O Holy Spirit, for the Sacrament of Confirmation, Which dubs me Your knight And gives strength to my soul at each moment, Protecting me from evil. Thank You, O God, for the grace of a vocation. For being called to serve You alone, Leading me to make You my sole love, An unequal honor for my soul. Thank You, O Lord, for perpetual vows, For that union of pure love, For having deigned to unite Your pure heart with mine And uniting my heart to Yours in the purest of bonds. Thank You, O Lord, for the Sacrament of Anointing Which, in my final moments, will give me strength; My help in battle, my guide to salvation, Fortifying my soul till we rejoice forever. Thank You, O God, for all the inspirations That Your goodness lavishes upon me, For the interior lights given my soul, Which the heart senses, but words cannot express. Thank You, O Holy Trinity, for the vastness of the graces Which You have lavished on me unceasingly through life. My gratitude will intensify as the eternal dawn rises, When, for the first time, I sing to Your glory.
1290 September 19, 1937. Today, my
own brother, Stanley, visited me. I rejoiced greatly in this beautiful soul,
who also intends to devote himself to God's service. That is to say, God
himself is drawing him to His love. We talked for a long time about God,
about His goodness. During this conversation with him, l learned how pleasing
his soul was to God. I received permission from Mother Superior to see him
more often. When he asked my advice about entering religion, I replied,
"Surely you know best what God is asking of you." I mentioned the
Jesuit Order, but said, "Enter wherever you like." I promised to
pray for him, and I decided to make a novena to the Sacred Heart through the
intercession of Father Peter Skarga with the promise of having it announced
in the Messenger of the Sacred Heart, [212]
because he is having great difficulties in this matter. I understood that, in
this case, prayer was more useful than advice.
1343 Third day. In the meditation
on death, I prepared myself as if for real death. I examined my conscience
and searched all my affairs at the approach of death and, thanks be to grace,
my affairs were directed toward that ultimate goal. This filled my heart with
great gratitude to God, and I resolved to serve my God even more faithfully
in the future. One thing alone is necessary: to put my old self to death and
to begin a new life. In the morning, I prepared to receive Holy Communion as
if it were to be the last in my life, and after Holy Communion I brought
before my imagination my actual death, and I said the prayers for the dying
and then the De Profundis for my own soul. My body was lowered into the
grave, and I said to my soul, "See what has become of your body, a heap
of dirt teeming with vermin-that is your inheritance."
1720 There are moments when Jesus
gives me knowledge within my soul, and then everything that exists on earth
is at my service: friends, enemies, success, adversity... all things, willing
or not, must serve me. I do not think of them at all; I strive to be faithful
to God and to love Him to the point of complete forgetfulness of self. And He
Himself looks after me and fights against my enemies.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-36, 41, 55, 300-301,
458)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-525, 543, 573, 634, 764, 929, 948)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-1000)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1029)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1286, 1290)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1343)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1720 )
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