Up Against the Narrow Gate
|
October 31, 2018. Wednesday
Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
|
Father James
Swanson, LC
Luke 13:22-30
Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will
attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house
has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and
saying, ´Lord, open the door for us.´ He will say to you in reply, ´I do not
know where you are from.´ And you will say, ´We ate and drank in your company
and you taught in our streets.´ Then he will say to you, ´I do not know where
you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!´ And there will be wailing
and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will
come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will
recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be
first, and some are first who will be last."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in You with a faith that never seeks to test
you. I trust in You, hoping to learn to accept and follow Your will, even
when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. May my love for You
and those around me be similar to the love You have shown to me.
Petition: Lord, grant me the humility and sincerity to enter by the narrow gate.
1. A Scary Question: This is a scary question: “Lord, will only
a few people be saved?” Jesus doesn’t answer the question directly. Instead,
he gives some advice. It almost looks like Jesus is avoiding the question, as
if the answer is too discouraging. He tries to be encouraging instead, but at
the same time underlines the difficulty of success. “Strive” he says, “to
enter by the narrow gate.” Strive is the key word, since apparently, many are
going to try to enter and fail, because the gate is so narrow.
2. A Disturbing Reply: The words that many will try to enter and
fail are troubling. What percentage? How many? Nowadays, we like exact
statistics. Jesus doesn’t say, but we get the impression that it will be more
than a few. The possibility of failure is very real. Who will fail? Probably,
people who don’t take him seriously; people who don’t try hard enough; people
who love something more than they love Jesus. In other word, lots of people
will fail…
3. My Christian Credentials May Not Be as
Solid as I Think They Are:
He goes on to say that many who think they are doing enough are going to be
surprised to find they didn’t do enough. They think their Christian
credentials are solid, but they will be found wanting. They will tell Jesus
that they ate and drank with him, that they received communion every Sunday.
They will witness to how many times they heard him preach in their streets,
how much they contributed to the collection, but that will not be enough. Yet
others who did not seem so good in life will be entering the Kingdom before
them. Which group will I be in? Jesus is warning me that just because I feel
I am doing enough for him doesn’t mean I am going to be in the group to be
saved. I need to follow him with as much sincerity and honesty as I am
capable of, doing his will and not my own.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, Your words are troubling to me.
I see how often I fail in what I know I should be doing for You. I see that I
cannot reliably guide myself in this matter. Send Your Holy Spirit to help me
open my eyes to see if I am falling short before it is too late. Help me to
enter by the narrow gate.
Resolution: Today I will examine my conscience very
honestly to see if I am saying ‘no’ to Jesus in any aspect of my life and to
see if I am letting myself get too comfortable in any aspect of my life,
since comfort, especially in the spiritual life, is a sign that I am not
“striving to enter by the narrow gate.”
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
24 One day, just as I had
awakened, when I was putting myself in the presence of God, I was suddenly
overwhelmed by despair. Complete darkness in the soul. I fought as best I
could till noon. In the afternoon, truly deadly fears began to seize me; my
physical strength began to leave me. I went quickly to my cell, fell on my
knees before the Crucifix and began to cry out for mercy. But Jesus did not
hear my cries. I felt my physical strength leave me completely. I fell to the
ground, despair flooding my whole soul. I suffered terrible tortures in no
way different from the torments of hell. I was in this state for three
quarters of an hour. I wanted to go and see the Directress, but was too weak.
I wanted to shout but I had no voice. Fortunately, one of the sisters
[another novice, Sister Placida Putyra] came into my cell. Finding me in such
a strange condition, she immediately told the Directress about it. Mother
came at once. As soon as she entered the cell she said, "In the name of
holy obedience [16]
get up from the ground." Immediately some force raised me up from the
ground and I stood up, close to the dear Mother Directress. With kindly words
she began to explain to me that this was a trial sent to me by God, saying,
"Have great confidence; God is always our Father, even when He sends us
trials."
I returned to my duties as if I had come out from the tomb, my senses saturated with what my soul had experienced. During the evening service, my soul began to agonize again in a terrible darkness. I felt that I was in the power of the Just God, and that I was the object of His indignation. During these terrible moments I said to God, "Jesus, who in the Gospel compare Yourself to a most tender mother," I trust in Your words because You are Truth and Life. In spite of everything, Jesus, I trust in You in the face of every interior sentiment which sets itself against hope. Do what You want with me; I will never leave You, because You are the source of my life." Only one who has lived through similar moments can understand how terrible is this torment of the soul.
77 My mind became dimmed in a
strange way; no truth seemed clear to me. When people spoke to me about God,
my heart was like a rock. I could not draw from it a single sentiment of love
for Him. When I tried, by an act of the will, to remain close to Him, I
experienced great torments, and it seemed to me that I was only provoking God
to an even greater anger. It was absolutely impossible for me to meditate as
I had been accustomed to do in the past. I felt in my soul a great void, and
there was nothing with which I could fill it. I began to suffer from a great
hunger and yearning for God, but I saw my utter powerlessness. I tried to
read slowly, sentence by sentence, and to meditate in this way, but this also
was of no avail. I understood nothing of what I had read.
The abyss of my misery was constantly before my eyes. Every time I entered the chapel for some spiritual exercise, I experienced even worse torments and temptations. More than once, all through Holy Mass, I had to struggle against blasphemous thoughts which were forcing themselves to my lips. I felt an aversion for the Holy Sacraments, and it seemed to me that I was not profiting from them in any way. It was only out of obedience to my confessor that I frequented them, and this blind obedience was for me the only path I could follow and my very last hope of survival. The priest explained to me that these were trials sent by God and that, in the situation I was in, not only was I not offending God, but I was most pleasing to Him. "This is a sign," he told me, "that God loves you very much and that He has great confidence in you, since He is sending you such trials." But these words brought me no comfort; it seemed to me that they did not apply to me at all. One thing did surprise me: it often happened that, at the time when I was suffering greatly, these terrible torments would disappear suddenly just as I was approaching the confessional; but as soon as I had left the confessional, all these torments would again seize me with even greater ferocity. I would then fall on my face before the Blessed Sacrament repeating these words: "Even if You kill me, still will I trust in You!" [cf. Job 13:15] It seemed to me that I would die in these agonies. But the most terrible thought for me was the conviction that I had been rejected by God. Then other thoughts came to me: why strive to acquire virtues and do good works? why mortify and annihilate yourself? what good is it to take vows? to pray? to sacrifice and immolate yourself? why sacrifice myself all the time? what good is it - if I am already rejected by God? why all these efforts? And here, God alone knew what was going on in my heart.
94 O my Lord, inflame my heart
with love for You, that my spirit may not grow weary amidst the storms, the
sufferings and the trials. You see how weak I am. Love can do all.
96 +Trials sent by God to a soul
which is particularly loved by Him.
Temptations and darkness; Satan. The soul's love [for God] is still not such as God would have it. The soul suddenly loses the tangible perception of God's presence. Various defects and imperfections rise up within it, and it must fight them furiously. All her faults lift up their heads, but the soul's vigilance is great. The former awareness of the presence of God gives place to coldness and spiritual dryness; the soul has no taste for spiritual exercises; it cannot pray, either in the old way, or in the manner in which it had just begun to pray. It struggles this way and that, but can find no satisfaction. God has hidden himself from it, and it can find no consolation in creatures, nor can any of these creatures find a way of consoling it. The soul craves passionately for God, but sees its own misery; it begins to sense God's justice; it seems to it that it has lost all the gifts that God had given it; its mind is dimmed, and darkness fills it; unspeakable torment begins. The soul tries to explain its state to the confessor, but it is not understood and is assailed by an even greater unrest. Satan begins his work.
97 Faith staggers under the
impact; the struggle is fierce. The soul tries hard to cling to God by an act
of will. With God's permission, Satan goes even further: hope and love are
put to the test. These temptations are terrible. God supports the soul in
secret, so to speak. The soul is not aware of this, but otherwise it would be
impossible to stand firm; and God knows very well how much He can allow to
befall a soul. The soul is tempted to unbelief in respect to revealed truths
and to insincerity toward the confessor. Satan says to it, "Look, no one
understands you; why speak about all this?" Words that terrify it sound
in its ears, and it seems to the soul that it is uttering these against God.
It sees what it does not want to see. It hears what it does not want to hear.
And, oh, it is a terrible thing at times like these not to have an
experienced confessor! The soul carries the whole burden alone. However, one
should make every effort to find, if it is at all possible, a well-informed
confessor, for the soul can collapse under the burden and come to the very
edge of the precipice. All these trials are heavy and difficult. God does not
send them to a soul which has not already been admitted to a deeper intimacy
with Him and which has not yet tasted the divine delights. Besides, in this
God has His own plans, which for us are impenetrable. God often prepares a
soul in this way for His future designs and great works. He wants to try it
as pure gold is tried. But this is not yet the end of the testing; there is
still the trial of trials, the complete abandonment of the soul by God.
+ The Trial of Trials, Complete
Abandonment - Despair
98 When the soul comes out victorious from the preceding trials, even though it may stumble here and there, it fights on valiantly, humbly calling upon God, "Save me, I am perishing!" And it is still able to fight on. At this point, however, the soul is engulfed in a horrible night. It sees within itself only sin. It feels terrible. It sees itself completely abandoned by God. It feels itself to be the object of His hatred. It is but one step away from despair. The soul does its best to defend itself; it tries to stir up its confidence; but prayer is an even greater torment for it, as this prayer seems to arouse God to an even greater anger. The soul finds itself poised on the summit of a lofty mountain on the very brink of a precipice. The soul is drawn to God, but feels repulsed. All other sufferings and tortures in the world are as nothing compared with this sensation into which it has been plunged; namely, that of being rejected by God. No one can bring it any relief; it finds itself completely alone; there is no one to defend it. It raises its eyes to heaven, but is convinced that this is not for her-for her all is lost. It falls deeper and deeper from darkness to darkness, and it seems to it that it has lost forever the God it used to love so dearly. This thought is torture beyond all description. But the soul does not agree to it and tries to lift its gaze toward heaven, but in vain! And this makes the torture even more intense. If God wishes to keep the soul in such darkness, no one will be able to give it light. It experiences rejection by God in a vivid and terrifying manner. From its heart burst forth painful moans, so painful that no priest will comprehend it, unless he himself has been through these trials. In the midst of this, the evil spirit adds to the soul's suffering, mocking it: "Will you persist in your faithfulness? This is your reward; you are in our power!" But Satan has only as much influence over the soul as God allows him, and God knows how much we can bear. "What have you gotten out of your mortifications," says Satan, "and out of your fidelity to the rule? What use are all these efforts? You have been rejected by God!" This word, rejected, becomes a fire which penetrates every nerve to the marrow of the bone. It pierces right through her entire being. The ordeal reaches its climax. The soul no longer looks for help anywhere. It shrinks into itself and loses sight of everything; it is as though it has accepted the torture of being abandoned. This is a moment for which I have no words. This is the agony of the soul.
105 However, in all these
sufferings and struggles, I was not omitting Holy Communion. When it seemed
to me that I should not communicate, I went, before Holy Communion, to the
Directress and told her that I could not approach the Sacrament, because it
seemed to me that I should not do so. But she would not permit me to omit
Holy Communion, so I went, and I understand now that it was only obedience
that saved me.
The Directress herself told me later that my trials had passed quickly, "and this solely because you were obedient, Sister; and it was through the power of obedience that you struggled through this so bravely." It is true that it was the Lord himself who brought me out of this torment, but my fidelity to obedience did please Him.
109 After such sufferings the soul
finds itself in a state of great purity of spirit and very close to God. But
I should add that during these spiritual torments it is close to God, but it
is blind. The soul's vision is plunged into darkness, and though God is
nearer than ever to the soul which is suffering, the whole secret consists in
the fact that it knows nothing of this. The soul in fact declares that, not
only has God abandoned it, but it is the object of His hatred. With how great
a malady are they eyes of the soul afflicted! When struck by divine light,
the soul affirms that this light does not exist, although it is precisely
because this divine light is so bright that it is blinded. Yet despite all, I
learned later that God is closer to a soul at such moments than at others,
because it would not be able to endure these trials with the help of ordinary
grace alone. God's omnipotence and an extraordinary grace must be active
here, for otherwise the soul would succumb at the first blow.
112 +A few words about confession
and confessors. I shall speak only of what I have experienced and gone
through within my own soul. There are three things which hinder the soul from
drawing profit from confession in these exceptional moments.
The first thing: when the confessor has little knowledge of extraordinary ways and shows surprise if a soul discloses to him the great mysteries worked in it by God. Such surprise frightens a sensitive soul, and it notices that the confessor hesitates to give his opinion; and if it does notice this, it will not be set at peace, but will have even more doubts after confession than before, because it will sense that the confessor is trying to set it at peace while he himself is uncertain. Or else, as has happened to me, a confessor, unable to penetrate some of the soul's mysteries, refuses to hear the confession, showing a certain fear when the soul approaches the confessional. How can a soul in this state obtain peace in the confessional when it has become so oversensitive to every word of the priest? In my opinion, at times of such special trials sent by God to a soul, the priest, if he does not understand the soul, should direct it to some other experienced and well-instructed confessor. Or else he himself should seek light in order to give the soul what it needs, instead of downrightly denying it confession. For in this way he is exposing the soul to a great danger; and more than one soul may well leave the road along which God wanted it to journey. This is a matter of great importance, for I have experienced it myself. I myself began to waver; despite special gifts from God, and even though God himself reassured me, I have nevertheless always wanted to have the Church's seal as well. The second thing: the confessor does not allow the soul to express itself frankly, and shows impatience. The soul then falls silent and does not say everything [it has to say] and, by this, profits nothing. It profits even less when the confessor, without really knowing the soul, proceeds to put it to the test. Instead of helping the soul, he does it harm. The soul is aware that the confessor does not know it, because he did not allow it to lay itself open fully as regards both its graces and its misery. And so the test is ill-adapted. I have been submitted to some tests at which I have had to laugh. I will express this better thus: The confessor is the doctor of the soul, but how can a doctor prescribe a suitable remedy if he does not know the nature of the sickness? Never will he be able to do so. For either the remedy will not produce the desired effect, or else it will be too strong and will aggravate the illness, and sometimes-God forbid-even bring about death. I am speaking from my own experience because, in certain instances, it was the Lord himself who directly sustained me. The third thing: it also happens sometimes that the confessor makes light of little things. There is nothing little in the spiritual life. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant thing will disclose a matter of great consequence and will be for the confessor a beam of light which helps him to get to know the soul. Many spiritual undertones are concealed in little things. A magnificent building will never rise if we reject the insignificant bricks. God demands great purity of certain souls, and so He gives them a deeper knowledge of their own misery. Illuminated by light from on high, the soul can better know what pleases God and what does not. Sin depends upon the degree of knowledge and light that exists within the soul. The same is true of imperfections. Although the soul knows that it is only sin in the strict sense of the term which pertains to the sacrament of penance, yet these petty things are of great importance to a soul which is tending to sanctity, and the confessor must not treat them lightly. The patience and kindness of the confessor open the way to the innermost secrets of the soul. The soul, unconsciously as it were, reveals its abysmal depth and feels stronger and more resistant; it fights with greater courage and tries to do things better because it knows it must give an account of them. I will mention one more thing regarding the confessor. It is his duty to occasionally put to the test, to try, to exercise, to learn whether he is dealing with straw, with iron or with pure gold. Each of these three types of souls needs different kinds of training. The confessor must-and this is absolutely necessary-form a clear judgment of each soul in order to know how heavy a burden it can carry at certain times, in certain circumstances, or in particular situations. As for myself, it was only later on, after many [negative] experiences, that, when I saw that I was not understood, I no longer laid bare my soul or allowed my peace to be disturbed. But this happened only when all these graces had already been submitted to the judgement of a wise, well-instructed and experienced confessor. Now I know what to go by in certain cases.
116 My Jesus, You know what my
soul goes through at the recollection of these sufferings. I have often
marvelled that the angels and saints hold their peace at the sight of a soul
suffering like that. Yet they have special love for us at such moments. My
soul has often cried out after God, as a little child who cries as loudly as
he can when his mother covers her face and he cannot recognize her. O my
Jesus, honor and glory to You for these trials of love! Great and
incomprehensible is your mercy. All that You intended for my soul, O Lord, is
steeped in Your mercy.
117 I will mention here that those
who live with such a person should not add external sufferings; for indeed,
when the soul's cup is full, the little drop we may add to it may be the one
drop too much, and the cup of bitterness will overflow. And who will answer
for such a soul? Let us beware of adding to the suffering of others, because
that is displeasing to the Lord. If the sisters or the superiors knew or even
suspected that a soul was suffering such trials, and they nevertheless added
still other sufferings, they would be sinning gravely, and God himself would
demand an account of them on behalf of such a soul. I am not speaking here of
instances which of their very nature are sinful, but of things which in other
circumstances would not be sinful. Let us be on our guard against having the
weight of such a soul on our conscience. This is a grave and common defect in
religious life; namely, that when one sees a suffering soul, one always wants
to add even more suffering. I do not say that everyone acts like this, but
there are some. We take the liberty of passing all sorts of judgments, and we
repeat them when we would do better to remain silent.
121 +There is a series of graces
which God pours into the soul after these trials by fire. The soul enjoys
intimate union with God. It has many visions, both corporeal and
intellectual. It hears many supernatural words, and sometimes distinct
orders. But despite these graces, it is not self-sufficient. In fact it is
even less so as a result of God's graces, because it is now open to many
dangers and can easily fall prey to illusions. It ought to ask God for a
spiritual director; but not only must it pray for one, it must also make
every effort to find a leader who is an expert in these things, just as a
military leader must know the ways along which he will lead [his followers]
into battle. A soul that is united with God must be prepared for great and
hard-fought battles.
+After these purifications and tears, God abides in the soul in a special way, but the soul does not always cooperate with these graces. Not that the soul itself is not willing to work, but it encounters so many interior and exterior difficulties that it really takes a miracle to sustain the soul on these summits. In this, it absolutely needs a director. People have often sown doubt in my soul, and I myself have sometimes become frightened at the thought that I was, after all, an ignorant person and did not have knowledge of many things, above all, spiritual things. But when my doubts increased, I sought light from my confessor or my superiors. Yet I did not obtain what I desired.
153 One day, I saw two roads. One
was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of
pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They
reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a
horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into
it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was
impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it
was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along
it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell
down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the
road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and
all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all
their sufferings.
166 In prayer I always find light and strength of spirit,
although there are moments so trying and hurtful, that it is sometimes
difficult to imagine that these things can happen in a convent. Strangely,
God sometimes allows them, but always in order to manifest or develop virtue
in a soul. That is the reason for trials.
227 +In the midst of trials I will
try to see the loving hand of God. Nothing is as constant as suffering-it
always faithfully keeps the soul company. O Jesus, I will let no one surpass
me in loving You!
240 Three requests on the day of my perpetual vows. Jesus,
I know that today You will refuse me nothing.
First request: Jesus, my most beloved Spouse, I beg You for the triumph of the Church, particularly in Russia and in Spain; for blessings on the Holy Father, Pius XI, and on all the clergy; for the grace of conversion for impenitent sinners. And I ask You for a special blessing and for light, O Jesus, for the priests before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime. Second request :I beg Your blessings on our Congregation, and may it be filled with great zeal. Bless, O Jesus, our Mother General and our Mother Directress, all the novices and all the superiors. Bless my dearest parents. Bestow Your grace, O Jesus, on our wards; strengthen them so powerfully by Your grace so that those who leave our houses will no longer offend You by any sin. Jesus, I beg You for my homeland; protect it against the assaults of its enemies. Third request:Jesus, I plead with You for the souls that are most in need of prayer. I plead for the dying; be merciful to them. I also beg You, Jesus, to free all souls from purgatory. Jesus, I commend to You these particular persons: My confessors, persons recommended to my prayers, a certain person..., Father Andrasz, Father Czaputa, and the priest I met in Vilnius [Father Sopocko], who is to be my confessor, a certain soul... a certain priest, a certain religious[70] to whom You know how much I owe, Jesus, and all the people who have been recommended to my prayer. Jesus, on this day You can do everything for those for whom I am pleading. For myself I ask, Lord, transform me completely into Yourself, maintain in me a holy zeal for Your glory, give me the grace and spiritual strength to do Your holy will in all things. Thank You, o my dearest Bridegroom, for the dignity You have conferred on me, and in particular for the royal coat-of-arms which will adorn me from this day on and which even the Angels do not possess; namely, the cross, the sword and the crown of thorns. But above all, O my Jesus, I thank You for Your Heart-it is all I need. Mother of God, Most Holy Mary, my Mother, You are my Mother in a special way now because Your beloved Son is my Bridegroom, and thus we are both Your children. For Your Son's sake, You have to love me. O Mary, my dearest Mother, guide my spiritual life in such a way that it will please Your Son. +Holy and Omnipotent God, at this moment of immense grace by which You are uniting me with Yourself forever, I, mere nothingness, with the utmost gratitude, cast myself at Your feet like a tiny, unknown flower and, each day, the fragrance of that flower of love will ascend to Your throne. In times of struggle and suffering, of darkness and storm, of yearning and sorrow, in times of difficult trials, in times when nobody will understand me, when I will even be condemned and scorned by everyone, I will remember the day of my perpetual vows, the day of God's incomprehensible grace.
272 But previously, this priest
had put me through many trials. When I told him that the Lord wanted these
things of me [that is, the painting of the image, the establishing of a feast
of The Divine Mercy, and the founding of a new community], he laughed at me
and told me to come to confession at eight in the evening. When I came at
eight, a brother was already locking the church. When I told him that Father
had ordered me to come at that time and asked him to let Father know I was
there, the good brother went to let him know. Father told him to tell me that
priests do not hear confessions at that time of day. I returned home
emptyhanded and did not go to confession to him again, but I made a whole
hour's adoration and took on certain mortifications for him, that he might
obtain light from God in order to know souls. But when Father Sopocko left,
and he substituted for him, I was forced to go to confession to him. Yet,
while previously he had been unwilling to acknowledge these inner
inspirations, he now put me under obligation to be faithful to them. God lets
such things happen sometimes, but may He be glorified in everything. Still,
it requires much grace not to falter.
+O Jesus, hidden in the Blessed
Sacrament,
580 On a certain occasion, the
Lord said to me, I am more deeply wounded by the small imperfections of
chosen souls than by the sins of those living in the world. It made me
very sad that chosen souls make Jesus suffer, and Jesus told me, These
little imperfections are not all. I will reveal to you a secret of My Heart:
what I suffer from chosen souls. Ingratitude in return for so many graces is
My Heart's constant food, on the part of [such] a chosen soul. Their love is
lukewarm, and My Heart cannot bear it; these souls force Me to reject them.
Others distrust My goodness and have no desire to experience that sweet
intimacy in their own hearts, but go in search of Me, off in the distance,
and do not find Me. This distrust of My goodness hurts Me very much. If My
death has not convinced you of My love, what will? Often a soul wounds Me mortally,
and then no one can comfort Me. They use My graces to offend Me. There are
souls who despise My graces as well as all the proofs of My love. They do not
wish to hear My call, but proceed into the abyss of hell. The loss of these
souls plunges Me into deadly sorrow. God though I am, I cannot help such a
soul because it scorns Me; having a free will, it can spurn Me or love Me.
You, who are the dispenser of My mercy, tell all the world about My goodness,
and thus you will comfort My Heart.
581 I will tell you most when
you converse with Me in the depths of your heart. Here, no one can disturb My
actions. Here, I rest as in a garden enclosed.
609 I said to Him, "I know
that You are my Lord and Creator even though You are so tiny." Jesus
stretched His little arms out to me and looked at me with a smile. My spirit
was filled with incomparable joy. Then suddenly Jesus disappeared, and it was
time for Holy Communion. I went with the other sisters to the Holy Table, my
soul deeply moved. After Holy Communion, I heard these words in my soul: I
am in your heart, I whom you had in your arms. I then pleaded with Jesus
for a certain soul [Father Sopocko], asking the Lord to grant him the grace
to fight, and to take this trial from him. As you ask, so shall it be, but
his merit will not be lessened. Joy reigned in my soul that God is so
good and merciful; God grants everything that we ask of Him with trust.
770 As for myself, I received this grace for
the first time, and that for only a brief moment, in the eighteenth [149] year of my life, within the octave of Corpus Christi [June
18-25, 1925], during Vespers, when I made to the Lord Jesus the vow of
perpetual chastity. I was still living in the world, but I entered the
convent soon afterwards. The grace lasted for a very brief moment, but its
power was great. After this grace, there was a long interval. It is true that
I received many graces from the Lord during this interval, but they were of a
different order. It was a time of trials and purification. The trials were so
painful that my soul felt as though it was being totally abandoned by God and
it was steeped in profound darkness. I became aware and understood that no
one would be able to bring me out of those torments or even understand me.
There were two occasions when my soul was
plunged into despair, once for half an hour, and the second time for three
quarters of an hour. Just as I cannot describe the greatness of the graces,
so too with these ordeals sent by the Lord; whatever words I might use, they
are only a pale shadow [of the reality]. However, just as the Lord plunged me
into these torments, so too He brought me out of them. Only this lasted for a
few years, after which I again received this extraordinary grace of union
which has continued to this day. Still, during this second period of union,
there also have been short interruptions. But for some time now, I have not
experienced any interruption at all; on the contrary, I am more and more
deeply steeped in God. The great light which illumines the mind gives me a
knowledge of the greatness of God; but it is not as if I were getting to know
the individual attributes, as before no, it is different now: in one moment,
I come to know the entire essence of God.
831 O my Jesus, my soul was
yearning for the days of trial, but do not leave me alone in the darkness of
my soul. Rather, do You hold me firmly, close to Yourself. Set a guard over
my lips, so that the fragrance of my sufferings may be known and pleasing to
You alone.
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.
897 January 27, 1937. I feel considerable improvement in
my health. Jesus is bringing me from the gates of death to life, because
there was so little left but for me to die, and lo, the Lord grants me the
fullness of life. Although I am still to remain in the sanatorium, I am
almost completely well. I see that the will of God has not yet been fulfilled
in me, and that is why I must live, for I know that if I fulfill everything
the Lord has planned for me in this world, He will not leave me in exile any
longer, for heaven is my home. But before we go to our Homeland, we must
fulfill the will of God on earth; that is, trials and struggles must run
their full course in us.
915 + O Mary, today a terrible
sword has pierced Your holy soul. Except for God, no one knows of Your
suffering. Your soul does not break; it is brave, because it is with Jesus.
Sweet Mother, unite my soul to Jesus, because it is only then that I will be
able to endure all trials and tribulations, and only in union with Jesus will
my little sacrifices be pleasing to God. Sweetest Mother, continue to teach
me about the interior life. May the sword of suffering never break me. O pure
Virgin, pour courage into my heart and guard it.
940 I myself suffered a great deal
and was much tried in this respect. Therefore, I am writing only about what I
myself have experienced. It was only after many novenas, prayers and penances
that God sent me a priest who understood my soul. Oh, there would be many
more saintly souls if there were more experienced and saintly confessors.
Many a soul, earnestly striving for sanctity, cannot manage by itself during
times of trial and abandons the road to perfection.
+ Conversation of the Merciful God
with a Suffering Soul
1487 Jesus: Poor soul, I see that you suffer much and that you do not have even the strength to coverse with me. So I will speak to you. Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart? Tell me about everything, be sincere in dealing with Me, reveal all the wounds of your heart. I will heal them, and your suffering will become a source of your sanctification. Soul: Lord, my sufferings are so great and numerous and have lasted so long that I become discouraged. Jesus: My child, do not be discouraged. I know your boundless trust in Me; I know you are aware of My goodness and mercy. Let us talk in detail about everything that weighs so heavily upon your heart. Soul: There are so many different things that I do not know what to speak about first, nor how to express it. Jesus: Talk to Me simply, as a friend to a friend. Tell Me now, My child, what hinders you from advancing in holiness? Soul: Poor health detains me on the way to holiness. I cannot fulfill my duties. I am as useless as an extra wheel on a wagon. I cannot mortify myself or fast to any extent, as the saints did. Furthermore, nobody believes I am sick, so that mental pain is added to those of the body, and I am often humiliated. Jesus, how can anyone become holy in such circumstances? Jesus: True, My child, all that is painful. But there is no way to heaven except the way of the cross. I followed it first. You must learn that it is the shortest and surest way. Soul: Lord, there is another obstacle on the road to holiness. Because I am faithful to You, I am persecuted and suffer much. Jesus: It is because you are not of this world that the world hates you. First it persecuted Me. Persecution is a sign that you are following in My footsteps faithfully. Soul: My Lord, I am also discouraged because neither my superiors nor my confessor understand my interior trials. A darkness clouds my mind. How can I advance? All this discourages me from striving for the heights of sanctity. Jesus: Well, My child, this time you have told Me a good deal. I realize how painful it is not to be understood, and especially by those whom one loves and with whom one has been very open. But suffice it to know that I understand all your troubles and misery. I am pleased by the deep faith you have, despite everything, in My representatives. Learn from this that no one will understand a soul entirely-that is beyond human ability. Therefore, I have remained on earth to comfort your aching heart and to fortify your soul, so that you will not falter on the way. You say that a dense darkness is obscuring your mind. But why, at such times, do you not come to Me, the light who can in an instant pour into your soul more understanding about holiness than can be found in any books? No confessor is capable of teaching and enlightening a soul in this way. Know, too, that the darkness about which you complain I first endured in the Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in mortal anguish. I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am intending for you in heaven. A suffering soul is closest to My Heart. Soul: One more thing, Lord. What should I do when I am ignored and rejected by people, especially by those on whom I had a right to count in times of greatest need? Jesus: My child, make the resolution never to rely on people. Entrust yourself completely to My will saying, "Not as I want, but according to Your will, O God, let it be done unto me." These words, spoken from the depths of one's heart, can raise a soul to the summit of sanctity in a short time. In such a soul I delight. Such a soul gives Me glory. Such a soul fills heaven with the fragrance of her virtue. But understand that the strength by which you bear sufferings comes from frequent Communions. So approach this fountain of mercy often, to draw with the vessel of trust whatever you need. Soul: Thank You, Lord, for Your goodness in remaining with us in this exile as the God of mercy and blessing us with the radiance of Your compassion and goodness. It is through the light of Your mercy that I have come to understand how much You love me.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-24, 77, 94, 96-98 105,
109, 112, 116)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-117, 121, 166, 227,
240, 272)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-580-581, 609, 770,
831, 848)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-897, 915, 940 )
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1487)
|
Oktubre 31, 2018
Up Against the Narrow Gate-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
Oktubre 30, 2018
The Kingdom of Heaven Infiltrates and Enriches Everything It Touches-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
The Kingdom of Heaven Infiltrates and
Enriches Everything It Touches
|
October 30, 2018. Tuesday of the Thirtieth
Week in Ordinary Time
|
Luke 13:18-21
Jesus said, "What is the kingdom of God
like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a person took
and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches." Again he said, "To
what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of
dough was leavened."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in You with a faith that never seeks to test
you. I trust in You, hoping to learn to accept and follow Your will, even
when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. May my love for You
and those around me be similar to the love You have shown to me.
Petition: Lord, help me to value and seek the
invisible strength of the Kingdom of Heaven.
1. The Kingdom Grows from Small
Beginnings: Jesus tells us two
parables to help us understand the Kingdom of Heaven. What does he want us to
know about it? When he speaks about the mustard seed, he is emphasizing that
something that seems inconsequential can grow to become something of great
importance. Although the mustard seed is so small as to be nearly invisible,
it grows into a small tree, big enough for birds to make a nest in. Its
usefulness goes beyond its own needs. It can give shelter and support to
others.
2. You Don’t Have to Understand Biology to
Be a Baker: In the parable of
the leaven, something similar happens. Leaven has a mysterious property.
Although it seems to be nothing special itself, even a small amount of it,
mixed with dough, causes the dough to rise. The Jews listening to Jesus
didn’t know why. They didn’t know that the leaven contained yeast spores that
under the right conditions of heat, moisture and nutrients, would begin to
grow and produce carbon dioxide gas (which is what makes the dough rise). It
was mysterious to them, what power the leaven contained, but they knew that
just a little of it would transform a much larger quantity of dough, so that
the resulting bread would not just be matzo, but a much larger quantity of
light, airy bread that is much nicer to eat. In a similar way, grace
transforms the ordinary acts of our day, making them much nicer in God’s
eyes.
3. The Church Transforms Societies: Both these parables apply to the
Kingdom of Heaven. As he spoke, Jesus had before him just a few apostles who
still didn’t grasp his message very well. The Kingdom of Heaven was so small
as to be invisible, like the mustard seed. But it was destined to have
incredible growth, such that it would begin to help all humanity and not just
those who belonged to it. When he speaks of the leaven, he refers not just to
the growth that the Kingdom of Heaven would undergo throughout the centuries,
but to the transformation it would accomplish in the societies it entered. We
see this in the world today. The Church has not only grown, but it has also
come to affect many who are not in the Church and to transform society. The
apostles, who did not see the Kingdom very clearly, had a hard time accepting
this. We have seen much more, and yet we still doubt and hesitate.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus I have seen so much of Your
Kingdom that I should believe without hesitation, yet I still worry about the
final triumph of Your Kingdom. Help me to have a greater faith, not only to
believe what You said, but to help the spread of the Kingdom continue to come
true in my society and culture.
Resolution: I will try to be more optimistic about the Church in society,
seeing how it has influenced so much of what is best in our society – love
for the poor, love for enemies etc. Knowing that it is inspired by the Holy
Spirit, I will accept that as it has happened so many times in the past, just
when things look bleakest for the Church, God turns the tables, and it enters
into another Golden Age. Didn’t John Paul II predict that we were just
launching out into the New Age of Evangelization?
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.
83 Write this: before I come as the
just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice
arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort:
All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great
darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the
sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were
nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a
period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day.
374 J.M.J Vilnius, Februrary 4, 1935
[page in the Dairy with the words "From today on my will does not exist" crossed out with a large 'X'] The moment I knelt down to cross out my own will, as the Lord had bid me to do, I heard this voice in my soul:From today on, do not fear God's judgment, for you will not be judged [The next page has...] J.M.J Vilnius, February 4, 1935
496 Confession Day. From early morning, the
turmoil in my soul was more violent than anything I had ever experienced
before. Complete abandonment by God; I felt the utter weakness that I was.
Thoughts bore in upon me: why should I leave this convent where I am loved by
the sisters and superiors, where life is so tranquil; [where I am] bound by
perpetual vows and carry out my duties without difficulty; why should I
listen to the voice of my conscience; why follow an inspiration coming from
who knows where; wouldn't it be better to carry on like all the other
sisters? Perhaps the Lord's words could be stifled, not taken heed of; maybe
God will not demand an account of them on the day of judgment. Where will
this inner voice lead me? If I follow it, what tremendous difficulties,
tribulations and adversities are in store for me. I fear the future, and I am
agonizing in the present.
This suffering continued with the same intensity throughout the whole day. When, in the evening, my turn came for confession, I could not make a full confession, even though I had been preparing for a long time. I received absolution and left, not knowing what was going on within me. When I went to bed, the suffering grew even worse; or rather, it changed into a fire which penetrated all the faculties of my soul like lightning, piercing me to the marrow, and to the most secret recesses of my heart. In the midst of this suffering, I was unable to bring myself to do anything. "Your will be done, Lord." At times I could not even think these words. Truly, a deadly fear had taken hold of me, and the flames of hell were touching me. Toward morning, silence set in, and my tribulations disappeared in the twinkling of an eye, but I felt so frightfully exhausted that I could not even move. During my conversation with Mother Superior, my strength returned bit by bit, but God alone knows how I felt throughout that whole day.
625 In the evening, when I was praying, the
Mother of God told me, Your lives must be like Mine: quiet and hidden, in
unceasing union with God, pleading for humanity and preparing the world for
the second coming of God
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.
660 O my Jesus, on the day of the last
judgment, You will demand from me an account of this work of mercy. O just
Judge, but my Spouse as well, help me to do Your holy will. O mercy, O divine
virtue!
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, my Betrothed, make my heart like unto Yours.
793 I am reliving these moments with Our
Lady. With great longing, I am waiting for the Lord's coming. Great are my
desires. I desire that all humankind come to know the Lord. I would like to
prepare all nations for the coming of the Word Incarnate. O Jesus, make the
fount of Your mercy gush forth more abundantly, for humankind is seriously
ill and thus has more need than ever of Your compassion. You are a bottomless
sea of mercy for us sinners; and the greater the misery, the more right we
have to Your mercy. You are a fount which makes all creatures happy by Your
infinite mercy.
825 + O bright and clear day on which all my
dreams will be fulfilled; O day so eagerly desired, the last day of my life!
I look forward with joy to the last stroke the Divine Artist will trace on my
soul, which will give my soul a unique beauty that will distinguish me from
the beauty of other souls. O great day, on which divine love will be
confirmed in me. On that day, for the first time, I shall sing before heaven
and earth the song of the Lord's fathomless mercy. This is my work and the
mission which the Lord has destined for me from the beginning of the world.
That the song of my soul may be pleasing to the Holy Trinity, do You, O
Spirit of God, direct and form my soul yourself. I arm myself with patience
and await Your coming, O merciful God, and as to the terrible pains and fear
of death, at this moment more than at any other time, I trust in the abyss of
Your mercy and am reminding You, O merciful Jesus, sweet Savior, of all the
promises You have made to me.
840 December 23, [1936]. I am spending this
time with the Mother of God and preparing myself for the solemn moment of the
coming of the Lord Jesus. The Mother of God is instructing me in the interior
life of the soul with Jesus, especially in Holy Communion. It is only in
eternity that we shall know the great mystery effected in us by Holy
Communion. O most precious moments of my life!
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.
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.
+ Particular Examen
Union with the merciful Christ. With my heart I encompass the whole world, especially countries which are uncivilized or where there is persecution. I am praying for mercy upon them. 1317 I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything within your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy.
1339 O merciful God, You do not despise us,
but lavish Your graces on us continuously. You make us fit to enter ` Your
kingdom, and in Your goodness You grant that human beings may fill the places
vacated by the ungrateful angels. O God of great mercy, who turned Your
sacred gaze away from the rebellious angels and turned it upon contrite man,
praise and glory be to Your unfathomable mercy, O God who do not despise the
lowly heart.
1488 Conversation of the Merciful God with a
Soul Striving after Perfection.
Jesus: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed? Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its cause? Soul: Lord, the reason for my sadness is that, in spite of my sincere resolutions, I fall again into the same faults. I make resolutions in the morning, but in the evening I see how much I have departed from them. Jesus: You see, My child, what you are of yourself. The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons. Soul: Yes, I know all that, but great temptations assail me, and various doubts awaken within me and, moreover, everything irritates and discourages me. Jesus: My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy. Soul: I understand what is the better thing to do, what pleases You more, but I encounter great obstacles in acting on this understanding. Jesus: My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for My kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life-for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness. Soul: O Lord, I feel my heart being filled with Your love and the rays of Your mercy and love piercing my soul. I go, Lord, at Your command. I go to conquer souls. Sustained by Your grace, I am ready to follow You, Lord, not only to Tabor, but also to Calvary. I desire to lead souls to the fount of Your mercy so that the splendor of Your mercy may be reflected in all souls, and the home of our Father be filled to overflowing. And when the enemy begins to attack me, I shall take refuge behind the shield of Your mercy.
1489 Conversation of the Merciful
God with a Perfect Soul.
Soul: My Lord and Master, I desire to converse with You. Jesus: Speak, My beloved child, for I am always listening. I wait for you. What do you desire to say? Soul: Lord, first let me pour out my heart at Your feet in a fragrant anointing of gratitude for the many blessings which You lavish upon me; even if I wanted to, I could not count them. I only recall that there has never been a moment in my life in which I have not experienced Your protection and goodness. Jesus: Your words please Me, and your thanksgiving opens up new treasures of graces. But, My child, we should talk in more detail about the things that lie in your heart. Let us talk confidentially and frankly, as two hearts that love one another do. Soul: O my merciful Lord, there are secrets in my heart which no one knows or will ever know except You because, even if I wanted to reveal them, no one would understand me. Your minister knows some because I confess to him, but he knows only the bit of these mysteries that I am capable of revealing; the rest remains between us for eternity, O My Lord! You have covered me with the cloak of Your mercy, pardoning my sins. Not once did You refuse Your pardon; You always had pity on me, giving me a new life of grace. To prevent doubts, You have entrusted me to the loving care of Your Church, that tender mother, who in Your name assures me of the truths of faith and watches lest I wander. Especially in the tribunal of Your mercy does my soul meet an ocean of favors, though You did not give the Fallen Angels time to repent or prolong their time of mercy. O my Lord, you have provided saintly priests to show me the sure way. Jesus, there is one more secret in my life, the deepest and dearest to my heart: it is You yourself when You come to my heart under the appearance of bread. Herein lies the whole secret of my sanctity. Here my heart is so united with Yours as to be but one. There are no more secrets, because all that is Yours is mine, and all that is mine is Yours. Such is the omnipotence and the miracle of Your mercy. All the tongues of men and of angels united could not find words adequate to this mystery of Your love and mercy. When I contemplate this mystery, my heart falls into a new ecstasy. In silence I tell You everything, Lord, because the language of love is without words; not a single stirring of my heart escapes You. O Lord, the extent of Your great condescension has awakened in my soul an even greater love for You, the sole object of my love. The life of union manifests itself in perfect purity, deep humility, gentle silence, and great zeal for the salvation of souls. O my sweetest Lord, You watch over me each moment and inspire me as to how I should act in a precise situation, when my heart wavers between two things. You yourself frequently intervened in the resolution of a difficulty. Countless times, by means of a sudden enlightenment, You have given me to know what is the more pleasing to You. Oh, how numerous are the instances of forgiveness about which no one knows! How often You have poured into my soul courage and perseverance to go forward. It is You yourself who removed obstacles from my road, intervening directly in the actions of people. O Jesus, everything I have said to You is but a pale shadow of what is taking place in my heart. O my Jesus, how ardently I desire the conversion of sinners! You know what I am doing for them to win them for You. Every offense against You wounds me deeply. I spare neither strength, nor health, nor life itself in defense of Your kingdom. Although my efforts may remain invisible on earth, they are no less valuable in Your eyes. O Jesus, I want to bring souls to the fount of Your mercy to draw the reviving water of life with the vessel of trust. The soul desirous of more of God's mercy should approach God with greater trust; and if her trust in God is unlimited, then the mercy of God toward it will be likewise limitless. O my God, Who know every beat of my heart, You know how eagerly I desire that all hearts would beat for You alone, that every soul glorify the greatness of Your mercy. Jesus: My beloved child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake of your love, I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A single act of pure love pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven. I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity. But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls; fight as a king's child would; and remember that the days of your exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning merit for heaven. I expect from you, My child, a great number of souls who will glorify My mercy for all eternity. My child, that you may answer My call worthily, receive Me daily in Holy Communion. It will give you strength... Jesus, do not leave me alone in suffering. You know, Lord, how weak I am. I am an abyss of wretchedness, I am nothingness itself; so what will be so strange if You leave me alone and I fall? I am an infant, Lord, so I cannot get along by myself. However, beyond all abandonment I trust, and in spite of my own feeling I trust, and I am being completely transformed into trust-often in spite of what I feel. Do not lessen any of my sufferings, only give me strength to bear them. Do with me as You please, Lord, only give me the grace to be able to love You in every event and circumstance. Lord, do not lessen my cup of bitterness, only give me strength that I may be able to drink it all. O Lord, sometimes You lift me up to the brightness of visions, and then again You plunge me into the darkness of night and the abyss of my nothingness, and my soul feels as if it were alone in the wilderness. Yet, above all things, I trust in You, Jesus, for You are unchangeable. My moods change, but You are always the same, full of mercy.
1548 January 30, 1938. One-day retreat.
The Lord gave me to know, during meditation,
that as long as my heart beats in my breast, I must always strive to spread
the Kingdom of God on earth. I am to fight for the glory of my Creator. I
know that I will give God the glory He expects of me if I try faithfully to
cooperate with God's grace.
1701 I asked the Lord today that He might
deign to teach me about the interior life, because of myself I can neither
understand nor conceive anything perfectly. The Lord answered me, I
was your Teacher, I am and I will be; strive to make your heart like unto My
humble and gentle Heart. Never claim your rights. Bear with great calm and
patience everything that befalls you. Do not defend yourself when you are put
to shame, though innocent. Let others triumph. Do not stop being good when
you notice that your goodness is being abused. I Myself will speak up for you
when it is necessary. Be grateful for the smallest of My graces, because your
gratitude compels Me to grant you new graces...
1702 Towards the end of the Way of the Cross
which I was making, the Lord Jesus began to complain about the souls of
religious and priests, about the lack of love in chosen souls. I will
allow convents and churches to be destroyed. I answered,
"Jesus, but there are so many souls praising You in convents." The
Lord answered, That praise wounds My Heart, because love has been
banished from convents. Souls without love and without devotion, souls full
of egoism and self-love, souls full of pride and arrogance, souls full of
deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just enough warmth to keep them
alive: My Heart cannot bear this. All the graces that I pour out upon them
flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot stand them, because they
are neither good or bad. I called convents into being to sanctify the world
through them. It is from them that a powerful flame of love and sacrifice
should burst forth. And if they do not repent and become enkindled by their
first love, I will deliver them over to the fate of this world...
How can they sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart specially chosen by Me, were you chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through... 1703When I tried to intercede for them, I could find nothing with which to excuse them and, being at the time unable to think of anything in their defense, my heart was seized with pain, and I wept bitterly. Then the Lord looked at me kindly and comforted me with these words: Do not cry. There are still a great number of souls who love Me very much, but My Heart desires to be loved by all and, because My love is great, that is why I warn and chastise them.
1712 A certain person whom I have mentioned
before visited me again. When I saw that she was beginning to get entangled
in her own lies, I let her know that I knew she was lying. She became very
embarrassed and stopped speaking. Then I spoke to her about the great
judgments of God, and I also remarked that she was leading innocent souls
astray and along dangerous roads. I uncovered before her everything that was
in her heart. Since I had to overcome my own feelings in order to talk to her,
to prove to Jesus that I love my enemies, I gave her my afternoon snack. She
went away enlightened in soul, but action is still far away...
1722 I heard these words: If you did
not tie My hands, I would send down many punishments upon the earth. My daughter,
your look disarms My anger. Although your lips are silent, you call out to Me
so mightily that all heaven is moved. I cannot escape from your requests,
because you pursue Me, not from afar but within your own heart.
1728 Write: I am Thrice Holy, and I
detest the smallest sin. I cannot love a soul which is stained with sin; but
when it repents, there is no limit to My generosity toward it. My mercy
embraces and justifies it. With My mercy, I pursue sinners along all their
paths, and My Heart rejoices when they return to Me. I forget the bitterness
with which they fed My Heart and rejoice at their return.
Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart... when will it beat for Me? Write, that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they want. 1729 O my Jesus, You alone know of my efforts. I seem to be a bit better, but better only to the point that I can go out on the veranda instead of lying in bed. I see and am fully aware of what is happening to me. Despite the diligent care of my superiors and the efforts of the doctors, my health is fading and running out. But I rejoice greatly at Your call, my God, my Love, because I know that my mission will begin at the moment of my death. Oh, how much I desire to be set free from the bonds of this body. O my Jesus, You know that, in all my desires, I always want to see Your will. Of myself, I would not want to die one minute sooner, or to live one minute longer, or to suffer less, or to suffer more, but I only want to do Your holy will. Although I have great enthusiasm, and the desires burning in my heart are immense, they are never above Your will. 1730 I fly to Your mercy, Compassionate God, who alone are good. Although my misery is great, and my offenses are many, I trust in Your mercy, because You are the God of mercy; and, from time immemorial, it has never been heard of, nor do heaven or earth remember, that a soul trusting in Your mercy has been disappointed. O God of compassion, You alone can justify me, and You will never reject me when I, contrite, approach Your Merciful Heart, where no one has ever been refused, even if he were the greatest sinner.
1784 Today, in the course of a long
conversation, the Lord said to me, How very much I desire the
salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I want to pour out My
divine life into human souls and sanctify them, if only they were willing to
accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only
they would trust in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being are filled to
overflowing with mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I have created.
My delight is to act in a human soul and to fill it with My mercy and to
justify it. My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul. Write, My
secretary, that I Myself am the spiritual guide of souls-and I guide them
indirectly through the priest, and lead each one to sanctity by a road known
to Me alone.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-36, 83, 374, 496)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-660, 625, 635, 793, 825, 840, 895)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1074-1076)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-IV-1317, 1339)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1488-1489, 1548)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-VI-1701-1703, 1712, 1722)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-VI-1728-1730, 1784)
|
Mag-subscribe sa:
Mga Post (Atom)