Let Christ’s Light Shine
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January 31, 2019. Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest
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Mark
4:21-25
He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in
to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a
lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is
secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to
hear." He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure
with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be
given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has
not, even what he has will be taken away."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank You for reminding me today of my
dignity as a Christian. By Your grace in baptism and by Your teaching in the
gospels and in the Church, You have put light in my soul. Lord, You are my
light.
Petition: Christ, help me to be a sincere witness of Your light.
1. Transparency in Our Lives: God sees us. This is a simple truth—an
extremely powerful truth. God looks at us with love. We cannot hide from God.
We cannot hide from ourselves. We cannot even hide from others. We need to
live in the presence of God. God lets light shine on our lives so that we can
see the truth about ourselves, and so that we need not be ashamed that others
see the truth about who we are. True happiness is preserved and increased by
the tenacious living of sincerity.
2. Light for the World: Our life is not just for
ourselves. We are called to be a gift for others, a gift that leads them to
God. This is the greatest thing about our life: We are called to give life.
We are called to participate in the fruitfulness of God. We give life by
enlightening others. We help other people come to the light by trying
sincerely to go clearly towards the light and by not fearing to show people
the truth. The light shed by our lives produces a real effect in souls.
Vatican II reminds us that modern man needs reasons for hope. A Christian
carries hope. Will I keep it hidden; perhaps even kill it by being afraid to
share it? Or will I let the world receive hope? Will I let the world see that
we all can be much greater than we think because our Father is greater than
we think?
3. Standing up for the Light of Truth to Be
Lived: Moral relativism
seems to be the norm for our times. Many people think that they can decide
what principles they will live by, instead of seeking to form their
consciences by principles in accordance with God’s loving design for the
human person. Am I content merely to follow what I know to be right, or do I
also look to enlighten the consciences of others, prudently and charitably?
Have I ever given the impression of condoning actions that are wrong? Do I
take an interest in promoting the value of life in all of its stages? Am I courageous
in nobly defending others when people criticize them behind their backs?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank You for this calling. You have given light to my
soul so that I can be a light for others. Lord, help me to have confidence in
the power of Your light: the power of Your truth and grace. Let me be brave
enough to allow this light to penetrate my soul even more today. Let me be
brave enough to not hide from your light; let me be brave enough to give it
to others.
Resolution: I will enlighten my conscience better
about a point of our faith or morals by looking it up in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church (It can be found on-line at http://www.vatican.va
if needed).
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina
Kowalska
30 +On
one occasion I was reflecting on the Holy Trinity, on the essence of God. I
absolutely wanted to know and fathom who God is. ... In an instant my spirit
was caught up into what seemed to be the next world. I saw an inaccessible light,
and in this light what appeared like three sources of light which I could not
understand. And out of that light came words in the form of lightning which
encircled heaven and earth. Not understanding anything, I was very sad.
Suddenly, from this sea of inaccessible light came our dearly beloved Savior,
unutterably beautiful with His shining Wounds. And from this light came a
voice which said, Who God is in His Essence, no one will fathom, neither
the mind of Angels nor of man. Jesus said to me, Get to know God by
contemplating His attributes. A moment later, He traced the sign of the
cross with His hand and vanished."
67 When
I fell sick [probably the beginning of consumption] after my first vows and
when, despite the kind and solicitous care of my Superiors and the efforts of
the doctor, I felt neither better nor worse, remarks began to reach my ears
which inferred that I was making believe. With that, my suffering was
doubled, and this lasted for quite a long time. One day I complained to Jesus
that I was being a burden to the sisters. Jesus answered me, You are not
living for yourself but for souls, and other souls will profit from your
sufferings. Your prolonged suffering will give them the light and strength to
accept My will.
O Divine Sun, in Your rays the
soul sees the tiniest specks of dust which displease You.
72 O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart, Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equaled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God's mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages.
75 But these doubts always come from without, a fact which
inclined me to close myself up more and more within myself. When, during
confession, I sense uncertainty on the part of the priest, I do not open my
soul to its depths, but only accuse myself of my sins. A priest who is not at
peace with himself will not be able to inspire peace in another soul.
O priests, you bright candles enlightening human souls,
let your brightness never be
dimmed. I understood that at that time it was not God's
will that I uncover my soul
completely. Later on, God did give
me this grace.
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.
84 O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of
Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
Vilnius, August 2, 1934.
85 On Friday, after Holy Communion, I was carried in
spirit before the throne of God. There I saw the heavenly Powers which
incessantly praise God. Beyond the throne I saw a brightness inaccessible to
creatures, and there only the Incarnate Word enters as Mediator. When
Jesus entered this light, I heard
these words, Write down at once what you hear: I am the Lord in My
essence and am immune to orders or needs. If I call creatures into being -
that is the abyss of My mercy. And at that very moment I found myself, as
before, in our chapel at my kneeler, just as Mass had ended. I already had
these words written.
95 +A Deeper Knowledge of God and the Terror of the Soul.
In the beginning, God lets himself be known as Holiness,
Justice, Goodness - that is to say, Mercy. The soul does not come to know
this all at once, but piecemeal, in flashes; that is to say, when God draws
near. And this does not last for long, because the soul could not bear such
light. During prayer the soul experiences flashes of this light which make it
impossible to pray as before. Try as it may to force itself to pray as it did
before, all is in vain; it becomes completely impossible for it to continue
to pray as it did before it received this light. This light which has touched
the soul is alive within it, and nothing can either quench or diminish it.
This flash of the knowledge of God draws the soul and enkindles its love for
Him.
But this same flash, at the same time, allows the soul to
know itself as it is; the soul sees its whole interior in a superior light,
and it rises up alarmed and terrified. Still, it does not remain under the
effects of terror, but it begins to purify itself, to humble and abase itself
before the Lord. These lights become stronger and more frequent; the more the
soul is crystallized, the more these lights penetrate it. However, if the soul
has responded faithfully and courageously to these first graces, God fills it
with His consolations and gives himself to it in a perceptible manner. At
certain moments, the soul, as it were, enters into intimacy with God and
greatly rejoices in this; it believes that it has already reached the degree
of perfection destined for it, because its defects and faults are asleep
within it, and this makes it think that they no longer exist. Nothing seems
difficult for it; it is ready for everything. It begins to plunge itself into
God and taste the divine delights. It is carried along by grace and does not
take account of the fact that the time of trial and testing may come. And, in
fact, this state does not last long. Other moments will soon come. I should
add here, however, that the soul will respond more faithfully to divine grace
if it has a well - informed confessor to whom it can confide everything.
+ 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.
99 When for the first time this moment was drawing near, I
was snatched from it by virtue of holy obedience. The Directress of Novices,
alarmed by my appearance, sent me off to confession, but the confessor did
not understand me, and I experienced no relief whatsoever. O Jesus, give us
experienced priests!
When I told this priest I was undergoing infernal
tortures, he answered that he was not worried about my soul, because he saw
in it a great grace of God. But I understood nothing of this, and not even
the least glimmer of light broke through to my soul.
103 Suddenly I saw the Lord interiorly, and He said to me,
Fear not, My daughter; I am with you. In that single moment, all the
darkness and torments vanished, my senses were inundated with
unspeakable joy, [and] the faculties of my soul filled with light.
115 + When a soul has come out of these tribulations, it
is deeply humble. Its purity of soul is great. It knows better without need
of reflecting, as it were, what it ought to do at a given moment and what to
forbear. It feels the lightest touch of grace and is very faithful to God. It
recognizes God from afar and continuously rejoices in Him. It discovers God
very quickly in other souls and in its environment in general. The soul has
been purified by God himself. God, as Pure Spirit, introduces the soul to a
life which is purely spiritual. God himself has first prepared and purified
the soul; that is, He has made it capable of close communion with himself.
The soul, in a state of loving repose, communes spiritually with the Lord. It
speaks to God without the need of expressing itself through the senses. God
fills it with His light.
The enlightened mind sees clearly and distinguishes the various degrees of the spiritual life. It recognizes [that state] when its union with God was imperfect: where the senses were involved, and the spirit was linked with the senses in a manner-exalted and special, to be sure but not yet perfect. There is a higher and more perfect union with God; namely, intellectual union. Here, the soul is safer from illusions; its spirituality is purer and more profound. In a life where the senses are involved, there is more danger of illusion. Both for the soul and for its confessor, prudence must play a greater part. There are moments when God introduces the soul to a purely spiritual state. The senses dim and are seemingly dead. The soul is most closely united to God; it is immersed in the Deity; its knowledge is complete and perfect, not sporadic as before, but total and absolute. It rejoices in this. But I want to say more about those moments of trial; at those times the confessor must have patience with such a soul. But the soul must have even greater patience with itself.
129
Satan always takes advantage of such moments; thoughts of discouragement
began to rise to the surface-for your faithfulness and sincerity-this is your
reward. How can one be sincere when one is so misunderstood? Jesus, Jesus, I
cannot go on any longer. Again I fell to the ground under this weight, and I
broke out in a sweat, and fear began to overcome me. I had no one to lean on
interiorly. Suddenly I heard a voice within my soul, Do not fear; I am
with you. And an unusual light illumined my mind, and I understood that I
should not give in to such sorrows. I was filled with a certain strength and
left my cell with new courage to suffer.
654 Now I understand that
confession is only the confessing of one's sins, and spiritual guidance is a
different thing altogether. But this is not what I want to speak about. I
want to tell about a strange thing that happened to me for the first time.
When the confessor started talking to me, I did not understand a single word.
Then I saw Jesus Crucified and He said to me, It is in My Passion that you
must seek light and strength. After the confession, I meditated on Jesus'
terrible Passion, and I understood that what I was suffering was nothing
compared to the Savior's Passion, and that even the smallest imperfection was
the cause of this terrible suffering. Then my soul was filled with very great
contrition, and only then I sensed that I was in the sea of the unfathomable
mercy of God. Oh, how few words I have to express what I am experiencing! I
feel I am like a drop of dew engulfed in the depths of the bottomless ocean
of divine mercy.
658 "Know that these are hard
and difficult things. Your principal spiritual director is the Holy Spirit.
We can only give direction to these inspirations, but your real director is
the Holy Spirit. If you yourself have decided to leave, Sister, I neither
prohibit nor order you to do so. You take the responsibility for yourself. I
say this to you, Sister: you can begin to take action. You are capable of
doing so, and therefore you can do so. These things are indeed probable; all
you have told me up to now [before perpetual vows in Cracow in 1933] speaks
in favor of taking action. Still, you have to be very careful in all this.
Pray much and ask that I be given light."
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.
675 + August 7, 1936. When I
received the article] [136]
about Divine Mercy with the image [on the cover], God's presence filled me in
an extraordinary way. When I steeped myself in a prayer of thanksgiving, I
suddenly saw the Lord Jesus in a great brightness, just as He is painted, and
at His feet I saw Father Andrasz and Father Sopocko. Both were holding pens
in their hands, and flashes of light and fire, like lightning, were coming
from the tips of their pens and striking a great crowd of people who were
hurrying I know not where. Whoever was touched by the ray of light
immediately turned his back on the crowd and held out his hands to Jesus.
Some returned with great joy, others with great pain and compunction. Jesus
was looking at both priests with great kindness. After a while, I was left
alone with Jesus, and I said, "Jesus, take me now, for Your will has
already been accomplished." And Jesus answered, My will has not yet
been completely accomplished in you; you will still suffer much, but I am
with you; do not fear.
1394
Monthly one-day retreat. In the course of this retreat, the Lord has given me
the light to know His will more profoundly and to abandon myself completely
to the holy will of God. This light has confirmed me in profound peace,
making me understand that I should fear nothing except sin. Whatever God
sends me, I accept with complete submission to His holy will. Wherever He
puts me, I will try faithfully to do His holy will, as well as His wishes, to
the extent of my power to do so, even if the will of God were to be as hard
and difficult for me as was the will of the Heavenly Father for His Son, as
He prayed in the Garden of Olives. I have come to see that if the will of the
Heavenly Father was fulfilled in this way in His well-beloved Son, it will be
fulfilled in us in exactly the same way: by suffering, persecution, abuse,
disgrace. It is through all this that my soul becomes like unto Jesus. And
the greater the sufferings, the more I see that I am becoming like Jesus.
This is the surest way. If some other way were better, Jesus would have shown
it to me. Sufferings in no way take away my peace. On the other hand,
although I enjoy profound peace, that peace does not lessen my experience of
suffering. Although my face is often bowed to the ground, and my tears flow
profusely, at the same time my soul is filled with profound peace and
happiness...
1395 I
want to hide myself in Your Most Merciful Heart as a dewdrop does in a flower
blossom. Enclose me in this blossom against the frost of the world. No one
can conceive the happiness which my heart enjoys in its solitude, alone with
God.
1396 Today I heard a voice in my soul: Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to approach Me; speak to them of My great mercy.
1397
The Lord said to me, The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness.
You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to
Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this
prayer is always heard and answered.
1490 +
Jesus, source of life, sanctify me. O my strength, fortify me. My Commander,
fight for me. Only light of my soul, enlighten me. My Master, guide me. I
entrust myself to You as a little child does to its mother's love. Even if
all things were to conspire against me, and even if the ground were to give
way under my feet, I would be at peace close to Your heart. You are always a
most tender mother to me, and You surpass all mothers. I will sing of my pain
to You by my silence, and You will understand me beyond any utterance...
1491 +
The Lord visited me today and said, My daughter, do not be afraid of what
will happen to you. I will give you nothing beyond your strength. You know
the power of My grace; let that be enough. After these words, the Lord
gave me a deeper understanding of the action of His grace.
1499 At
that moment, I saw Jesus, who said, I am pleased with what you are doing.
And you can continue to be at peace if you always do the best you can in
respect to this work of mercy. Be absolutely as frank as possible with your
confessor.
Satan gained nothing by tempting you, because you did not enter into conversation with him. Continue to act in this way. You gave Me great glory today by fighting so faithfully. Let it be confirmed and engraved on your heart that I am always with you, even if you don't feel My presence at the time of battle.
1500
Today, the love of God is transporting me into the other world. I am all
immersed in love; I love and feel that I am loved, and with full
consciousness I experience this. My soul is drowning in the Lord, realizing
the great Majesty of God and its own littleness; but through this knowledge
my happiness increases... This awareness is so vivid in the soul, so powerful
and, at the same time, so sweet.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-30, 67, 72, 83-85, 95)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-98-99, 103, 115, 129)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-654, 658, 665-666, 675)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1394-1397, 1490-1491,
1499, 1500)
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