Weary of Heart-Take My Yoke
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July 19, 2018
Thursday of the
Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time
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Matthew 11: 28-30
Jesus said: "Come to me,
all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will
find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light."
Introductory Prayer: Almighty and
ever-living God, I seek new strength from the courage of Christ our shepherd.
I believe in You, I hope in You, and I seek to love You with all my heart,
all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. I want to be led one day to
join the saints in heaven, where Your Son Jesus Christ lives and reigns with
You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Petition: Lord Jesus, meek and
humble of heart, help me to take on Your yoke.
1. Come to Me: If you struggle
daily to do what is morally right even when those around you take shortcuts,
then come to Jesus. If the life of selfish pleasure and illicit gain seems
exceedingly attractive, then come to Jesus. If you are burdened with your
patterns of sin and weaknesses of character that affect your vocation as a
spouse, a parent, a friend, a consecrated soul, a Christian,… then come to
Jesus. If life seems unfair and God seems distant at best, then come to
Jesus. We do not follow rules for the sake of rules; we follow Jesus. Only
when we have first come to him will we understand the need for the rules
which help protect the dignity of this relationship.
2. Learn from Me: St. Paul admonishes
the Galatians to live in the freedom of Christ: "For freedom Christ has
set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of
slavery" (Galatians 5:1). One who is a slave of passion, vanity,
selfishness or any other vice is subject to that vice as something more
powerful than oneself. Yet in his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul invites
us to take on another “yoke”, not that of slavery to sin but rather that of
total submission to Christ in love, becoming "slaves of Christ, doing
the will of God from the heart" (Eph 6:5). To take on the yoke of
Christ means to entrust my life to him freely with the intention of following
where he leads. Experience shows that he always guides us down the path that
leads to our happiness and fulfillment, even when it entails the cross.
3. Rest in Me: in Christ we find
true “rest”. Notice that Jesus does not promise to take away the burdens, the
trials and the sufferings of life. However, if we take his yoke upon
ourselves, if we submit to his plan, his will and his love, he promises that
we will experience joy, profound happiness and peace of soul. This is the
rest that we all long for, the rest that will one day be uninterrupted in the
bliss of heaven. We have each met individuals who experience this peace and
joy despite their circumstances. If I have never experienced it, then I can
begin today by giving him whatever I know in my heart he is asking of me.
Although it may hurt at first, it will be accompanied by the lightness of
peace and the ease of joy.
Conversation with
Christ: Blessed Lord, You
lead me towards everlasting peace if I will simply follow, but following does
not always seem simple. Give me the very things You ask of me: faith,
generosity, courage, trust, love. With these gifts and your grace I will have
the strength necessary for the journey.
Resolution: Today I will pray an
extra decade of the rosary for the persons who are farthest away from Jesus.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
57 O my Jesus, You are the life of my life. You know
only too well that I long for nothing but the glory of Your Name and that
souls come to know Your goodness. Why do souls avoid You, Jesus?-I don't
understand that. Oh, if I could only cut my heart into tiny pieces and in
this way offer to You, O Jesus, each piece as a heart whole and entire, to
make up in part for the hearts that do not love You! I love You, Jesus, with
every drop of my blood, and I would gladly shed my blood for You to give You
a proof of the sincerity of my love. O God, the more I know You the less I
can comprehend You, but this "non-comprehension" lets me realize
how great You are! And it is this impossibility of comprehending You which
enflames my heart anew for You, O Lord. From the moment when You let me fix
the eyes of my soul on You, O Jesus, I have been at peace and desired nothing
else. I found my destiny at the moment when my soul lost itself in You, the
only object of my love. In comparison with you, everything is nothing.
Sufferings, adversities, humiliations, failures and suspicions that have come
my way are splinters that keep alive the fire of my love for You, O Jesus.
My desires are mad and unattainable. I wish to conceal from You that I suffer. I want never to be rewarded for my efforts and my good actions. You yourself, Jesus, are my only reward; You are enough, O Treasure of my heart! I want to share compassionately in the sufferings of my neighbors and to conceal my own sufferings, not only from them, but also from You, Jesus. Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.
142 When I was set
at peace and taught how to follow God's paths, my spirit rejoiced in the
Lord, and it seemed to me that I was running, not walking. My wings were
spread for flight; I soared into the very heat of the sun, and I will not
descend until I rest in Him, in whom my soul has lost itself forever. And I
subjected myself totally to the action of grace. God stoops very low to my
soul. I do not draw back, nor do I resist Him, but I lose myself in Him as my
only treasure. I am one with the Lord. It is as if the gulf between us,
Creator and creature, disappears. For a few days, my soul was in a state of
continuous ecstasy. God's presence did not leave me for a single moment. And
my soul remained in a continuous loving union with the Lord. But this in no
way interfered with the performance of my duties. I felt I was transformed
into love; I was all afire, but without being burned up. I lost myself in God
unceasingly; God drew me to himself so strongly and powerfully that sometimes
I was not aware of being on earth. I had impeded and feared God's grace for
so long, and now God himself, through Father Andrasz, has removed all
difficulties. My spirit has been turned towards the Sun and has blossomed in
His rays for Him alone; I understand no more... [The sentence breaks off here
and begins a completely new thought in the next line.]
163 JMJ The Year
1937
General Exercises
+O Most Holy
Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many
times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want
to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be
completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O
Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable
mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord,
that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from
appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come
to their rescue.
Help me, that my
ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not
be indifferent to their pains and moaning. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue
may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but
have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord,
that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do
only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and
toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my
feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming
my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord,
that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of
my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with
those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the
most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May
Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself
command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of
mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out
a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot
show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches
out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
O my Jesus,
transform me into Yourself, for you can do all things.
585 January 8,
1936. When I went to see the Archbishop [Jalbrzykowski], I told him that
Jesus was asking that I pray for God's mercy upon the world and that there be
a religious congregation which would entreat the mercy of God for the world.
I asked his permission for all the Lord Jesus was demanding of me. The Arch
bishop answered me in these words: "As for prayer, I give my permission
and even encourage you, Sister, to pray as much as possible for the world and
to beg God's mercy, as mercy is what we all need; and I presume that your
confessor certainly does not forbid you to pray for this intention. But as
regards this congregation, wait a while, Sister, so that all things may
arrange themselves more favorably. This thing is good in itself, but there is
no need to hurry. If it is God's will, it will be done, whether it be a
little sooner or a little later. Why shouldn't it be? There are so many
different kinds of congregations; this one too will come to be if God so
wills. Be completely at peace. The Lord Jesus can do all things. Strive for a
close union with God and do not lose heart." These words filled me with
great joy.
589 Love casts out
fear. Since I came to love God with my whole being and with all the strength
of my heart, fear has left me. Even if I were to hear the most terrifying
things about God's justice, I would not fear Him at all, because I have come
to know Him well. God is love, and His Spirit is peace. I see now that my
deeds which have flowed from love are more perfect than those which I have
done out of fear. I have placed my trust in God and fear nothing. I have
given myself over to His holy will; let Him do with me as He wishes, and I
will still love Him.
607 In the midst of
the worst difficulties and adversities, I do not lose inner peace or exterior
balance, and this discourages my adversaries. Patience in adversity gives
power to the soul.
622 Intimate
communion of a soul with God. God approaches a soul in a special way known
only to himself and to the soul. No one perceives this mysterious union. Love
presides in this union, and everything is achieved by love alone. Jesus gives
himself to the soul in a gentle and sweet manner, and in His depths there is
peace. He grants the soul many graces and makes it capable of sharing His eternal
thoughts. And frequently, He reveals to it His divine plans.
626 In the evening,
during Benediction, my soul was for some time in communion with God the
Father. I felt I was in His hand like a little child, and I heard these words
in my soul: Do not fear
anything, My daughter; all the adversaries will be shattered at My feet. At
these words, a deep peace and a great interior calm entered my soul.
627 When I
complained to the Lord that He was taking my help away and that I would be
alone again and would not know what to do, I heard these words: Do not be afraid; I am always with
you. After these words, a deep peace once again entered my
soul. His presence penetrated me completely in a way that could be sensed. My
spirit was flooded with light, and my body participated in this as well.
628 On the evening
of the last day before my departure from Vilnius, an elderly sister [131]
revealed the condition of her soul to me. She said that she had already been
suffering interiorly for several years, that it seemed to her that all her
confessions had been bad, and that she had doubts as to whether the Lord
Jesus had forgiven her. I asked her if she had ever told her confessor about
this. She answered that she had spoken many times about this to her
confessors and... "the confessors are always telling me to be at peace,
but still I suffer very much, and nothing brings me relief, and it constantly
seems to me that God has not forgiven me." I answered, "You should
obey your confessor, Sister, and be fully at peace, because this is certainly
a temptation."
But she entreated me with tears in her eyes to ask Jesus if He had forgiven her and whether her confessions had been good or not. I answered forcefully, "Ask Him yourself, Sister, if you don't believe your confessors!" But she clutched my hand and did not want to let me go until I gave her an answer, and she kept asking me to pray for her and to let her know what Jesus would tell me about her. Crying bitterly, she would not let me go and said to me, "I know that the Lord Jesus speaks to you, Sister." Since she was clutching my hand and I could not wrench myself away, I promised her I would pray for her. In the evening, during Benediction, I heard these words in my soul: Tell her that her disbelief wounds My heart more than the sins she committed. When I told her this, she began to cry like a child, and great joy entered her soul. I understood that God wanted to console this soul through me. Even though it cost me a good deal, I fulfilled God's wish.
653 April 25, 1936.
Walendow. On that day, the suffering in my soul was more severe than ever
before. From early morning, I felt as if my body and soul had separated. I
felt that God's presence had penetrated my whole being; I felt all the
justice of God within me; I felt I stood alone before God. I thought: one
word from my spiritual director would set me entirely at peace; but what can
I do?-he is not here. However, I decided to seek light in holy confession.
When I uncovered my soul to the priest, [134]
he was afraid to continue hearing my confession, and that caused me even
greater suffering. When I see that a priest is fearful, I do not obtain any
inner peace. So I have decided that only to my spiritual director will I open
my soul in all matters, from the greatest to the least, and that I will
follow his directions strictly.
+ June 29, 1936.
665 Father Andrasz told me to make a novena for the intention of knowing better the will of God. I prayed ardently, adding a certain bodily mortification. Towards the end of the novena, I received an inner light and the assurance that the Congregation will come into being and that it is pleasing to God. Despite the difficulties and adversities, complete peace and strength entered my soul from on high. I understood that nothing could resist or nullify the will of God. I understood that I must carry out this will of God despite obstacles, persecution and sufferings of all kinds, and despite natural repugnance and fear.
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.
693 September 14,
[1936]. The Archbishop [Jalbrzykowski] of Vilnius visited us. Although he
stayed with us for a very short time, I still had a chance to talk with this
worthy priest about the work of mercy. He showed himself very favorably
disposed to this cause of mercy: "Sister, be completely at peace; if
this is within the plans of divine providence, it will come about. In the
meantime, Sister, pray for a clearer outward sign. Let the Lord Jesus give
you a clearer knowledge of this. I beg you to wait a little while longer. The
Lord Jesus will arrange the circumstances in such a way that everything will
turn out all right."
697 Jesus, You know
that I love suffering and want to drain the cup of suffering to the last
drop; and yet, my nature experienced a slight shudder and fear. Quickly,
however, my trust in the infinite mercy of God was awakened in all its force,
and everything else had to give way before it, like a shadow retreating
before the sun's rays. O Jesus, how great is Your goodness! Your infinite
goodness, so well known to me, enables me to bravely look death itself in the
eye. I know that nothing will happen to me without God's permission. I desire
to glorify Your infinite mercy during my life, at the hour of death, in the
resurrection and throughout eternity.
+ My Jesus, my strength, my peace, my repose; my soul bathes daily in the rays of Your mercy. There is nota moment in my life when I do not experience Your mercy, O God. I count on nothing in my whole life, but only on Your infinite mercy. It is the guiding thread of my life, O Lord. My soul is filled with God's mercy.
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.
718 After Holy
Communion, I heard these words:- You
see what you are of yourself, but do not be frightened at this. If I were to
reveal to you the whole misery that you are, you would die of terror.
However, be aware of what you are. Because you are such great misery, I have
revealed to you the whole ocean of My mercy. I seek and desire souls like
yours, but they are few. Your great trust in Me forces Me to continuously
grant you graces. You have great and incomprehensible rights over My Heart,
for you are a daughter of complete trust. You would not have been able to
bear the magnitude of the love which I have for you if I had revealed it to
you fully here on earth. I often give you a glimpse of it, but know that this
is only an exceptional grace from Me. My love and mercy knows no bounds.
719 Today, I heard
these words: Know, my
child, that for your sake I grant blessings to this whole vicinity. But you
ought to thank Me on their behalf, as they do not thank Me for the kindnesses
I extend to them. For the sake of your gratitude, I will continue to bless
them.
751 And so You see,
Jesus, that everything is now up to You. I am perfectly at peace, despite
these great urgings. For my part, I have done everything, and it is now Your
turn, my Jesus, and in this way Your cause will be made apparent. I am
totally in accord with Your will; do with me as You please, O Lord, but only
grant me the grace of loving You more and more ardently. This is what is most
precious to me. I desire nothing but You, O Love Eternal! It matters not
along what paths You will lead me, paths of pain or paths of joy. I want to
love You at every moment of my life. If You tell me to leave, O Jesus, in
order to carry out Your will, I will leave. If You tell me to stay, I will
stay. It matters not what I will suffer, in the one instance or the other. O
my Jesus, if I leave, I know what I shall have to suffer and endure. I agreed
to this with full awareness, and I have already accepted it by an act of the
will. It does not matter what the chalice holds for me. It is enough for me
to know that it has been given to me by the loving hand of God. If you tell
me to turn back and stay, I will stay in spite of all the interior urgings.
If You still keep them in my soul and leave me in this inner agony even to
the end of my life, I accept this in the full consciousness of my will and in
loving submission to You, O my God. If I stay, I shall hide myself in Your
mercy, my God, so deeply that no human eye will see me. Throughout my life, I
want to be a thurible filled with hidden fire, and may the smoke rising up to
You, 0 Living Host, be pleasing to You. I'll feel in my own heart that every
little sacrifice arouses the fire of my love for You, but in such a silent
and secret way that no one will detect it.
757 November 19,
[1936]. During Mass today, I saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me, Be at peace, My daughter; I see
your efforts, which are very pleasing to Me. And the Lord
disappeared, and it was time for Holy Communion. After I received Holy
Communion, I suddenly saw the Cenacle and in it Jesus and the Apostles. I saw
the institution of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Jesus allowed me to penetrate
His interior, and I came to know the greatness of His majesty and, at the
same time, His great humbling of Himself. The extraordinary light that
allowed me to see His majesty revealed to me, at the same time, what was in my
own soul.
761 Jesus, my
spirit yearns for You, and I desire very much to be united with You, but Your
works hold me back. The number of souls that I am to bring to You is not yet
complete. I desire toil and suffering; let everything You have planned before
the ages be fulfilled in me, O my Creator and Lord! It is only Your word that
I understand; it alone gives me strength. Your Spirit, O Lord, is the Spirit
of Peace; and nothing troubles my depths because You dwell there, O Lord.
I know that I am under Your special gaze, O Lord. I do not examine with fear Your plans regarding me; my task is to accept everything from Your hand. I do not fear anything, although the storm is raging, and frightful bolts strike all around me, and I then feel quite alone. Yet, my heart senses You, and my trust grows, and I see all Your omnipotence which upholds me. With You, Jesus, I go through life, amid storms and rainbows, with a cry of joy, singing the song of Your mercy. I will not stop singing my song of love until the choir of Angels picks it up. There is no power that can stop me in my flight toward God. I see that even the superiors do not always understand the road along which God is leading me, and I am not surprised at this.
769 I have noticed
that the Lord grants this grace to souls for two purposes. The first is when
the soul is to do some great work which is, humanly speaking, absolutely
beyond its power. In the second case, I have noticed that the Lord grants it
in order that kindred souls might be guided and set at peace, although the
Lord can grant this grace as He pleases and to whomever He pleases. However,
I have noticed this grace in three priests, one of whom is a secular priest
[probably Father Sopocko] and the other two, religious priests [probably Father
Elter and Father Andrasz], and also in two religious sisters [probably Mother
Michael and Sister Mary Joseph], but not in the same degree.
779 The sight of
this great majesty of God, which I came to understand more profoundly and
which is worshiped by the heavenly spirits according to their degree of grace
and the hierarchies into which they are divided, did not cause my soul to be
stricken with terror or fear; no, no, not at all! My soul was filled with
peace and love, and the more I come to know the greatness of God, the more
joyful I become that He is as He is. And I rejoice immensely in His greatness
and am delighted that I am so little because, since I am little, He carries
me in His arms and holds me close to His Heart.
780 O my God, how I
pity those people who do not believe in eternal life; how I pray for them
that a ray of mercy would envelop them too, and that God would clasp them to
His fatherly bosom.
792 I must never
speak of my own experiences. In suffering, I must seek relief in prayer. In
doubts, even the smallest, I must seek only the advice of my confessor. I
must always have a heart which is open to receive the sufferings of others,
and drown my own sufferings in the Divine Heart so that they would not be
noticed on the outside, in so far as possible.
I must always strive for equanimity, no matter how stormy the circumstances might be. I must not allow anything to disturb my interior calm and silence. Nothing can compare with peace of soul. When I am wrongfully accused of something, I will not explain myself; if the superior wants to know the truth, whether I was in the right or not, let her find out from others rather than from me. My concern is to accept everything with a humble inner disposition. I will spend this Advent in accordance with the directions of the Mother of God: in meekness and humility.
795 I have accepted
the favor of this treatment, but I am fully resigned to the will of God. Let
God do with me as He pleases. I desire nothing but the fulfillment of His
holy will. I am uniting myself with the Mother of God, and I am leaving
Nazareth and going to Bethlehem. I will spend Christmas there among
strangers, but with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, because such is the will of God.
I am striving to do the will of God in all things. I do not desire a return
to health more than death. I entrust myself completely to His infinite mercy
and, as a little child, I am living in the greatest peace. I am trying only
to make my love for Him deeper and purer, to be a delight to His divine glance...
797 When I was
somewhat overcome by the fear that I was to be outside the community for so
long a time alone, Jesus said to me, You
will not be alone, because I am with you always and everywhere. Near to My
Heart, fear nothing. I myself am the cause of your departure. Know that My
eyes follow every move of your heart with great attention. I am bringing you
into seclusion so that I myself may form your heart according to My future
plans. What are you afraid of? If you are with Me, who will dare touch you?
Nevertheless, I am very pleased that you confide your fears to Me, My
daughter: Speak to Me about everything in a completely simple and human way;
by this you will give Me great joy. I understand you because I am God-Man.
This simple language of your heart is more pleasing to Me than the hymns
composed in My honor. Know, My daughter, that the simpler your speech is, the
more you attract Me to yourself. And now, be at peace close to My Heart. Lay
your pen aside and get ready to leave.
799 Suddenly, I saw the Lord Jesus, who said
to me, Be at peace, My
child. See, you are not alone. My Heart watches over you. Jesus
filled me with strength concerning a certain person. I feel strength within
my soul. A moral principle.
848 While I was
saying the chaplet, I heard a voice which said, Oh, what great graces I will grant
to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred
for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My
daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My
unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the
day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the
fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed
forth for them.
O human souls, where are you going to hide on the day of God's anger? Take refuge now in the fount of God's mercy. O what a great multitude of souls I see! They worshiped the Divine Mercy and will be singing the hymn of praise for all eternity.
853 In the evening,
a great longing took possession of my soul. I took the pamphlet with the
Image of the Merciful Jesus on it and pressed it to my heart, and the
following words burst forth from my soul: "Jesus, Eternal Love, I live
for You, I die for You, and I want to become united with You." Suddenly
I saw the Lord in His inexpressible beauty. He looked at me graciously and
said, My daughter, I
too came down from heaven out of love for you; I lived for you, I died for
you, and I created the heavens for you. And Jesus pressed me
to His Heart and said to me, Very
soon now; be at peace, My daughter.When I was alone, my soul
was set afire with the desire to suffer until the moment when the Lord would
say, "Enough." And even if I were to live for thousands of years, I
see in the light of God that that is but one moment. Souls ...[unfinished
thought].
887 January 19, 1937. My life at present
flows on in peaceful awareness of God. My silent soul lives on Him, and this
conscious life of God in my soul is for me a source of happiness and
strength. I do not look for happiness outside the depths of my soul in which
God dwells; of this I am aware. I feel a certain need to share myself with
others. I have discovered a fountain of happiness in my soul, and it is God.
O my God, I see that everything that surrounds me is filled with God, and
most of all my own soul, which is adorned with the grace of God. Already now,
I will begin to live on that on which I shall live for all eternity.
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.
952 My Jesus, You
see that Your holy will is everything to me. It makes no difference to me
what You do with me. You command me to set to work-and I begin calmly,
although I know that I am incapable of it; through Your representatives, You
order me to waitso I wait patiently; You fill my soul with enthusiasmbut You
do not make it possible for me to act; You attract me to yourself in
heaven-and You leave me in this world; You pour into my soul a great yearning
for yourself-and You hide yourself from me. I am dying of the desire to be
united with You forever, and You do not let death come near me. O will of
God, you are the nourishment and delight of my soul. When I submit to the
holy will of my God, a deep peace floods my soul.
O my Jesus, You do not give a reward for the successful performance of a work, but for the good will and the labor undertaken. Therefore, I am completely at peace, even if all my undertakings and efforts should be thwarted or should come to naught. If I do all that is in my power, the rest is not my business. And therefore the greatest storms do not disturb the depths of my peace; the will of God dwells in my conscience.
967 + When I set to
work at underlining the Lord's words and thus was going through everything in
sequence, I reached the page where I had marked down Father Andrasz's advice
and directions. I did not know what to do, to underline or not to underline,
and then I heard these words in my soul: Underline, because these words are Mine; I have
borrowed the lips of the friend of My Heart in order to speak to you and
reassure you. You are to observe these directions until your death. It would
not please Me at all if you were to disobey these directions. Know that it is
I who have placed him between Myself and your soul. I am doing this to set
you at peace and so that you may not err.
968 Since I have placed you in this
priest's special care, you are thus exempted from giving a detailed account
to your superiors concerning My relationship with you. In all other matters,
be as a child with your superiors, but whatever I do in the depths of your
soul is to be told, with all frankness, only to the priests.
And I have noticed that, from the time God gave me a spiritual director, He has not required me to report everything to the superiors, as was the case before, but only that which concerns external matters; apart from this, only the director knows my soul. To have a spiritual director is a special grace of God. Oh, how few have received it! The soul remains in constant peace amidst the greatest difficulties. Every day after Holy Communion, I thank the Lord Jesus for this grace, and every day I ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten him. I have truly experienced in my soul what power the director's words have. Blessed be God's mercy for this grace!
989 My Lord and my
God, You know that it is You alone whom my soul has come to love. My soul is
entirely drowned in You, O Lord. Even if I did not accomplish any of the
things that You have made known to me, O Lord, I would be completely at peace
because I would have done what I could.
1048 Then, in an
instant, I was caught up to stand near Jesus, and I stood on the altar next
to the Lord Jesus, and my spirit was filled with a happiness so great that I
am unable to comprehend it or write about it. A profound peace as well as
repose filled my soul. Jesus bent toward me and said with great kindness, What is it you desire, My daughter?
And I answered, "I desire worship and glory be given to Your
mercy." I already
am receiving worship by the institution and celebration of this Feast; what
else do you desire? I then looked at the immense crowd
worshiping The Divine Mercy and I said to the Lord, "Jesus, bless all
those who are gathered to give glory to You and to venerate Your infinite
mercy." Jesus made a sign of the cross with His hand, and this blessing
was reflected in the souls like a flash of light. My spirit was engulfed in
His love. I felt as if I had dissolved and disappeared completely in God.
When I came to myself, a profound peace was flooding my soul, and an extraordinary
understanding of many things was communicated to my intellect, an
understanding that had not been granted me previously.
1067 March 28.
Resurrection. During the Mass of Resurrection, I saw the Lord in beauty and
splendor, and He said to me, My
daughter, peace be with you. He blessed me and disappeared,
and my soul was filled with gladness and joy beyond words. My heart was
fortified for struggle and sufferings.
1069 March 29,
1937. During meditation today, I saw the Lord in great beauty, and He said to
me, Peace be to you,
My daughter. My whole soul trembled with love for Him and I
said, "O Lord, although I love You with all my heart, please do not
appear to me, because my spiritual director has told me that these sudden
appearances of Yours arouse the suspicion that You could be an illusion. And
although I love You more than my own life, and I know that You are my Lord
and God, who are communing with me, I must above all be obedient to my
confessor."
Jesus listened to my words with gravity and kindness and spoke these words to me: Tell your confessor that I commune with your soul in such an intimate manner because you do not steal My gifts, and this is why I pour all these graces upon your soul, because I know that you will not hoard them for yourself. But as a sign that his prudence is agreeable to Me, you shall not see Me, and I will not appear to you in this way until you have given him an account of what I have just said.
1072 + April 3,
1937. Today, the Lord said to me, Tell
the Reverend Professor [probably Father Theodore [186] ] that I desire that on the Feast of
My Mercy he deliver a sermon about My fathomless mercy. I
fulfilled God's wish, but the priest did not want to acknowledge the Lord's
message. When I left the confessional, I heard these words: Do as I tell you and be at peace;
this matter is between him and Me. You will not be held responsible for this.
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. 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.
1090 And this
happened on the last day of my novena to the Holy Spirit. After this return
to health, I found myself united with the Lord Jesus in a purely spiritual
way. Jesus gave me strong assurances; that is, He confirmed me in respect to
His demands. I remained close to the Lord Jesus all that day and talked with
Him about the details concerning that congregation.
Jesus infused my soul with power and courage to act. Now I understand that if the Lord demands something of a soul, He gives it the means to carry it out, and through grace He makes it capable of doing this. So, even if the soul be utterly miserable, at the Lord's command it can undertake things beyond its expectation, because this is the sign by which it can be known that the Lord is with that soul: if God's power and strength, which make the soul courageous and valiant, is manifest within it. As for myself, I am always at first a bit frightened at the Lord's greatness, but afterwards my soul is filled with profound peace which nothing can disturb, as well as an inner strength to do what the Lord is demanding at that particular moment....
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.
1121 May 6, [1937]. The Ascension of Our
Lord.
Since early this morning, my soul has been touched by God. After Holy Communion, I communed for a while with the heavenly Father. My soul was drawn into the glowing center of love. I understood that no exterior works could stand comparison with pure love of God... I saw the joy of the Incarnate Word, and I was immersed in the Divine Trinity. When I came to myself, longing filled my soul, and I yearned to be united with God. Such tremendous love for the heavenly Father enveloped me that I call this day an uninterrupted ecstasy of love. The whole universe seemed to me like a tiny drop in comparison with God. There is no greater happiness than when God gives me to know interiorly that every beat of my heart is pleasing to Him, and when He shows me that He loves me in a special way. This strong inner conviction, by which God assures me of His love for me and of how much my soul pleases Him, brings deep peace to my soul. Throughout this day I was unable to take any food; I felt gratified to the full with love.
1134 The Lord has poured such a depth of
peace into my soul that nothing will disturb it any more. Despite everything
that goes on around me, I am not deprived of my peace for a moment. Even if
the whole world were crumbling, it would not disturb the depth of the silence
which is within me and in which God rests. All events, all the various things
which happen are under His foot.
1152 It is no easy thing to bear sufferings
joyfully, especially those which are unmerited. Fallen nature rebels, and
although the intellect and will are above suffering, because they are able to
do good to those who inflict suffering on them, nevertheless the emotions
raise a lot of noise and, like restless spirits, attack the intellect and
will. But when they see they cannot do anything by themselves, they quiet
down and submit to the intellect and will. Like some kind of hideousness,
they rush in and stir up a row, bent on making one obey them alone so long as
they are not curbed by the intellect and will.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-57, 142, 163)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-585, 589, 607, 622, 626, 627-628, 653)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-665-666, 674, 693, 697, 699, 718-719)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-751, 757, 761, 769, 779-780, 792, 795)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-797, 799, 848, 853, 887, 895, 952,
967)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-968, 989)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1048, 1067, 1069, 10721074-1075)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1090, 1097, 1121, 1134, 1152)
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