Father Alex
Yeung, LC
John 11: 19-27
And many of the
Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When
Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at
home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God
will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."
Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the
last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives
and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to
him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the
Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."
Introductory
Prayer: Heavenly Father, once again I renew
my faith in Your plan for my life. I trust in Your loving providence, and I
know that no one can snatch me from Your hands. You know well that I love
You. I wish to be more open and docile to Your plan and action in my life.
Take this time that I now set aside for prayer. Take my mind, will and heart;
take my gifts and talents. I lay them at Your feet through this prayer. Do
with me today according to Your holy and loving plan. Amen.
Petition: Lord Jesus,
deepen my faith in your resurrection.
1. Do You Believe
This? This is the fundamental question in our life of faith: do we, in fact,
believe it all? Do we really believe that the human race was mysteriously
subjected to the catastrophic consequences of our first parents’ disobedience
to the divine will? Do we really believe what we say in the Creed every
Sunday? Do we believe that Jesus of Nazareth died and rose from the dead to
conquer sin, and now lives to draw all people to himself as their savior? The
great challenge for the Christian in our thoroughly post-modern,
post-Christian, technical age is to unabashedly say “Yes!”
2. Keeping Faith
Simple: One of the greatest challenges in the Christian life is to keep our
faith simple. Our tendency is toward sophistication and complication. While
certainly the ability to think and reason well is a gift and has its place in
the Christian life, we must be equally aware that the in-born tendency to
rationalism can be a non-starter for a genuine life of faith. We cannot
afford to fall into today’s error of trying to size God down according to our
meager perceptions and self-centered attitudes. Christ is much more; God ways
are far more sublime than what our limited vision can create. A simple faith
is so pleasing to God because then he has leeway for his supernatural action.
Then he can do something within us and through us.
3. Keeping Faith
Robust: This simple faith can and must launch us upward and outward in the
task of bringing Christ’s love to every soul. Our simple faith can rapidly
ignite and convert us into relentless apostles of the Kingdom, like St. Paul.
We need to make his words our own: “What will separate us from the love of
Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or the sword? (…) No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor
powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, give me strength to bear the burden of drawing others
closer to You. Let me feel, with St. Paul, the sting of “Woe to me if I do
not preach the Gospel!” And when I do set out to give others reasons for my
faith, accompany me with Your Holy Spirit to give success to my poor efforts.
Resolution: For love of
Jesus, I will renew, refresh and invigorate the act of faith with which I
begin every day in my morning offering.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
23 Toward the end of the first
year of my novitiate, darkness began to cast its shadow over my soul. I felt
no consolation in prayer; I had to make a great effort to meditate; fear
began to sweep over me. Going deeper into myself, I could find nothing but
great misery. I could also clearly see the great holiness of God. I did not
dare to raise my eyes to Him, but reduced myself to dust under His feet and
begged for mercy. My soul was in this state for almost six months. Our
beloved Mother Directress [Mary Joseph [14]] encouraged me in these difficult moments.
But this suffering became greater and greater.
The second year of the novitiate was approaching. Whenever I recalled that I
was to make my vows, my soul shuddered. I did not understand what I was
reading; I could not meditate; it seemed to me that my prayer was displeasing
to God. It seemed to me that by approaching the Holy Sacraments I was
offending God even more. But despite this, my confessor [Father Theodore [15]] did not let me omit one single Holy
Communion. God was working very strangely in my soul. I did not understand
anything at all of what my confessor was telling me. The simple truths of the
faith became incomprehensible to me. My soul was in anguish, unable to find
comfort anywhere.
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.
55 1933. Spiritual Counsel Given Me by Father Andrasz, S.J.
First: You must not turn away from these interior inspirations,
but always tell everything to your confessor. If you recognize that these
interior inspirations refer to your own self; that is to say, they are for
the good of your soul or for the good of other souls, l urge you to follow
them; and you must not neglect them, but always do so in consultation with
your confessor.
Second: If these inspirations are not in accord with the faith or the
spirit of the Church, they must be rejected immediately as coming from the
evil spirit.
Third: If these inspirations do not refer to souls, in general, nor
specifically to their good, you should not take them too seriously, and it
would be better to even ignore them.
But you should not make this decision by yourself, either one way or the
other, as you can easily be led astray despite these great favors from God.
Humility, humility, and ever humility, as we can do nothing of ourselves; all
is purely and simply God's grace.
You say to me that God demands great trust from souls; well then, you be the
first to show this trust. And one more word-accept all this with serenity.
Words of one of the confessors: "Sister, God is preparing many special
graces for you, but try to make your life as clear as crystal before the
Lord, paying no attention to what anyone else thinks about you. Let God
suffice you; He alone."
Toward the end of my novitiate, a confessor [perhaps Father Theodore] told
me: "Go through life doing good, so that I could write on its pages:
`She spent her life doing good.' May God bring this about in you."
Another time the confessor said to me, "Comport yourself before God like
the widow in the Gospel; although the coin she dropped into the box was of
little value, it counted far more before God than all the big offerings of
others."
On another occasion the instruction I received was this: " Act in such a
way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow
happiness about you because you have received much from God; give, then,
generously to others. They should take leave of you with their hearts filled
with joy, even if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment.
Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now."
Still another time he gave me the following recommendation: "Let God
push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of
the interior life."
Here are a few words from a conversation I had with the Mother Directress
[Mary Joseph] toward the end of my novitiate: "Sister, let simplicity
and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like
a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility,
content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others
fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility.
Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains
down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble
souls."
62 O life so dull and monotonous,
how many treasures you contain! When I look at everything with the eyes of
faith, no two hours are alike, and the dullness and monotony disappear. The
grace which is given me in this hour will not be repeated in the next. It may
be given me again, but it will not be the same grace. Time goes on, never to
return again. Whatever is enclosed in it will never change; it seals with a
seal for eternity.
91 O my Jesus, You alone know what
persecutions I suffer, and this only because I am being faithful to You and
following Your orders. You are my strength; sustain me that I may always
carry out what You ask of me. Of myself I can do nothing, but when You
sustain me, all difficulties are nothing for me. O my Lord, I can see very
well that from the time when my soul first received the capacity to know You,
my life has been a continual struggle which has become increasingly intense.
Every morning during meditation, I prepare myself for the whole day's
struggle. Holy Communion assures me that I will win the victory; and so it
is. I fear the day when I do not receive Holy Communion. This Bread of t lie
Strong gives me all the strength I need to carry on my mission and the courage
to do whatever the Lord asks of me. The courage and strength that are in me
are not of me, but of Him who lives in me - it is the Eucharist.
O my Jesus, the misunderstandings are so great; sometimes, were it not for
the Eucharist, I would not have the courage to go any further along the way
You have marked out for me.
92 Humiliation is my daily food. I
understand that the bride must herself share in everything that is the
groom's; and so His cloak of mockery must cover me, too. At those times when
I suffer much, I try to remain silent, as I do not trust my tongue which, at
such moments, is inclined to talk for itself, while its duty is to help me
praise God for all the blessings and gifts which He has given me. When I
receive Jesus in Holy Communion, I ask Him fervently to deign to heal my
tongue so that I would offend neither God nor neighbor by it. I want my
tongue to praise God without cease. Great are the faults committed by the
tongue. The soul will not attain sanctity if it does not keep watch over its
tongue.
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.
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.
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.
102 After some time, one of the
sisters came into the cell and found me almost dead. She was frightened and
went to find the Directress of Novices who, in the name of holy obedience
ordered me to get up from the ground. My strength returned immediately, and I
got up, trembling. The Directress recognized immediately the state of my soul
and spoke to me about the inscrutable mercy of God, saying, "Do not be
distressed about anything, Sister. I command this of you in virtue of
obedience." Then she said to me, "I see now, Sister, that God is
calling you to a high degree of holiness; the Lord wants to draw you very
close to Himself since He has allowed these things to happen to you so soon.
Be faithful to God, Sister, because this is a sign that He wants you to have
a high place in heaven." However, I did not understand anything of these
words. When I went into the chapel, I felt as though my soul had been set
free from everything, as though I had just come forth from the hand of God. I
perceived the inviolability of my soul; I felt that I was a tiny child.
106 Though these are frightening
things, the soul should not be too fearful, because God will never test us
beyond what we are able to bear. On the other hand, He may never send us such
sufferings, but I write this because, if it pleases the Lord to let a soul
pass through such sufferings, it should not be afraid but, insofar as this
depends on the soul itself, it should remain faithful to God. God will do a
soul no harm, because He is Love itself, and in this unfathomable love has
called it into being. However, when I was so tormented, I myself did not
understand this.
107 O my God, I have come to know
that I am not of this earth; You, O Lord, have poured this profound awareness
into my soul. My communion is more with heaven than with earth, though I in
no way neglect my duties.
111 When, in the midst of these
interior torments, I tried to accuse myself in confession of the smallest
trifles, the priest was surprised that I had not committed graver faults, and
he said to me, "If you are as faithful as this to God during these
sufferings, this in itself is evidence to me that God is sustaining you,
Sister, with a special grace, and it is a good thing that you do not
understand this." It is a strange thing, nevertheless, that confessors
could neither understand me nor set my mind at peace concerning these
matters, until I met Father Andrasz and, later on, Father Sopocko.
114 +Oh, how pleasing are the
hymns flowing from a suffering soul! All heaven delights in such a soul,
especially when it is tested by God. It mournfully sings out its longing for
Him. Great is its beauty, because it comes from God. The soul walks through
the jungle of life, wounded by God's love. With one foot only it touches the
ground.
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.
132 I must again mention that
there are some confessors who seem to be true spiritual fathers, but only as
long as things go well. When the soul finds itself in greater need, they
become perplexed, and either cannot or will not understand the soul. They try
to get rid of the person as soon as possible. But if the soul is humble, it
will always profit in some little way or other. God himself will sometimes
cast a shaft of light into the depths of the soul, because of its humility
and faith. The confessor will sometimes say something he had never intended
to say, without even realizing it himself. Oh, let the soul believe that such
words are the words of the Lord himself! Though indeed we ought to believe
that every word spoken in the confessional is God's, what I have referred to
above is something that comes directly from God. And the soul perceives that
the priest is not master of himself, that he is saying things that he would
rather not say. This is how God rewards faith.
I have experienced this many times myself. A certain very learned and
respected priest [probably Father Wilkowski, the sisters' confessor at
Plock], to whom I sometimes happened to go to confession, was always severe
and opposed to these matters [which I brought up to him]. But on one occasion
he replied to me, "Bear in mind, Sister, that if God is asking this of
you, you should not oppose Him. God sometimes wants to be praised in just
this way. Be at peace; what God has started, He will finish. But I say this
to you: faithfulness to God and humility. And once again: humility. Bear well
in mind what I have told you today." I was delighted, and I thought that
perhaps this priest had understood me. But it so turned out that I never went
to confession to him again.
136 And the Lord gave me to know
that the whole mystery depended on me, on my free consent to the sacrifice
given with full use of my faculties. In this free and conscious act lies the
whole power and value before His Majesty. Even if none of these things for
which I offered myself would ever happen to me, before the Lord everything
was as though it had already been consummated.
At that moment, I realized I was entering into communion with the
incomprehensible Majesty. I felt that God was waiting for my word, for my
consent. Then my spirit immersed itself in the Lord, and I said, "Do
with me as You please. I subject myself to Your will. As of today, Your holy
will shall be my nourishment, and I will be faithful to Your commands with
the help of Your grace. Do with me as You please. I beg You, O Lord, be with
me at every moment of my life."
138 A great mystery has been
accomplished between God and me. Courage and strength have remained in my
soul. When the time of adoration came to an end, I came out and calmly faced
everything I had feared so much before. When I came out into the corridor, a
great suffering and humiliation, at the hands of a certain person, was
awaiting me. I accepted it with submission to a higher will and snuggled
closely to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, letting Him know that I was ready
for that for which I had offered myself.
Suffering seemed to spring out of the ground. Even Mother Margaret herself
was surprised. For others, many things passed unnoticed, for indeed it wasn't
worth paying any attention to them; but in my case, nothing passed unnoticed;
each word was analyzed, each step watched. One sister said to me, "Get
ready, Sister, to receive a small cross at the hands of Mother Superior. I
feel sorry for you." But as for me, I rejoiced at this in the depths of
my soul and had been ready for it for a long time. When she saw my courage,
she was surprised. I see now that a soul cannot do much of itself, but with
God it can do all things. Behold what God's grace can do. Few are the souls
that are always watchful for divine graces, and even fewer of such souls who
follow those inspirations faithfully.
139 Still, a soul which is
faithful to God cannot confirm its own inspirations; it must submit them to
the control of a very wise and learned priest; and until it is quite certain,
it should remain distrustful. It should not, on its own initiative alone, put
its trust in these inspirations and all other higher graces, because it can
thus expose itself to great losses.
Even though a soul may immediately distinguish between false inspirations and
those of God, it should nevertheless be careful, because many things are
uncertain. God is pleased and rejoices when a soul distrusts Him for His own
sake; because it loves Him, it is prudent and itself asks and searches for
help to make certain that it is really God who is acting within it. And once
a well-instructed confessor has confirmed this, the soul should be at peace
and give itself up to God, according to His directions; that is, according to
the directions of the confessor.
145 Oh, how wretched my soul is
for having wasted so many graces! I was running away from God, and He pursued
me with his graces. I most often experienced God's graces when I least
expected them. From the moment He gave me a spiritual director, I have been more
faithful to grace. Thanks to the director and his watchfulness over my soul,
I have learned what guidance means and how Jesus looks at it. Jesus warned me
of the least fault and stressed that He himself judges the matter that I
present to my confessor; and [He told me] that ... any transgressions
against the confessor touch Me myself.
When under his direction my soul began to experience deep recollection and
peace, I often heard these words in my soul: Strengthen yourself for
combat - repeated over and over at various times.
+Jesus often makes known to me what He does not like in my soul, and He has
more than once rebuked me for what seemed to be trifles, but which were, in
fact, things of great importance. He has warned me and tried me like a
Master. For many years He himself educated me, until the moment when He gave
me a spiritual director. Previously, He himself had made clear to me what I
did not understand; but now, He tells me to ask my confessor about everything
and often says, I will answer you through his mouth. Be at peace. It
has never happened to me that I have received an answer which was contrary to
what the Lord wanted of me, when I presented it to the spiritual director
[Father Sopocko]. It sometimes happens that Jesus first asks certain things
of me, about which no one knows anything, and then, when I kneel at the
confessional, my confessor gives me the same order-however, this is
infrequent.
+When, over a long period of time, a soul has received much light and many
inspirations, and when the confessors have confirmed the source of these
inspirations and set the soul at peace; if its love is great, Jesus now makes
it known that it is time to put into action what it has received. The soul
recognizes that God is counting on it, and this knowledge fortifies it. It
knows that to be faithful it will often have to face various difficulties,
but it trusts in God and, thanks to this trust, it reaches that point to
which God is calling it. Difficulties do not terrify it; they are its daily
bread, as it were. They do not frighten or terrify the soul, just as a
warrior who is constantly in battle is not terrified by the roar of the
cannon. Far from being frightened, it listens to determine from which side
the enemy is launching his attack, in order to defeat him. It does nothing
blindly, but examines and ponders everything deeply and, not counting on
itself, it prays fervently and asks advice of other warriors who are
experienced and wise. When the soul acts in this way, it nearly always wins.
There are attacks when a soul has no time to think or seek advice; then it
must enter into a life-or-death struggle. Sometimes it is good to flee for
cover in the wound of the Heart of Jesus, without answering a single word. By
this very act the enemy is already defeated.
In time of peace, as well, the soul continues making efforts, just as in time
of battle. It must exercise itself, and do so with energy; otherwise it has
no chance of attaining victory. I regard the time of peace as a time of
preparation for victory. The soul must be ever watchful; watchfulness and
again, watchfulness. The soul that reflects receives much light. A distracted
soul runs the risk of a fall, and let it not be surprised when it does fall.
O Spirit of God, Director of the soul, wise is he whom You have trained! But
for the Spirit of God to act in the soul, peace and recollection are needed.
148 +A noble and delicate soul,
even the most simple, but one of delicate sensibilities, sees God in
everything, finds Him everywhere, and knows how to find Him in even the most
hidden things. It finds all things important, it highly appreciates all
things, it thanks God for all things, it draws profit for the soul from all
things, and it gives all glory to God. It places its trust in God and is not
confused when the time of ordeals comes. It knows that God is always the best
of Fathers and makes little of human opinion. It follows faithfully the
faintest breath of the Holy Spirit; it rejoices in this Spiritual Guest and
holds onto Him like a child to its mother. Where other souls come to a
standstill and fear, this soul passes on without fear or difficulty.
149 When the Lord himself wants to
be close to a soul and to lead it, He will remove everything that is
external. When I fell ill and was taken to the infirmary, I suffered much
unpleasantness because of this. There were two of us sick in the infirmary.
Sisters would come to see Sister N., but no one came to visit me. It is true
that there was only one infirmary, but each one had her own cell. The winter
nights were long, and Sister N. had the light and the radio headphones, while
I could not even prepare my meditation for lack of a light.
When nearly two weeks had passed in this way, I complained to the Lord one
evening that I was suffering so much and that I could not even prepare my
meditation because there was no light. And the Lord said that He would come
every evening and give me the points for the next day's meditation. These
points always concerned His sorrowful Passion. He would say, Consider My
sufferings before Pilate. And thus, point by point, I meditated upon His
sorrowful Passion for one week. From that moment, a great joy entered my
soul, and I no longer wanted either the visitors or the light; Jesus sufficed
me for everything. The superiors were indeed very solicitous for the sick,
but the Lord ordained that I should feel forsaken. This best of masters
withdraws every created thing in order that He himself might act. Many a
time, I have experienced such sufferings and persecutions that Mother M.
[probably Mother Margaret] herself said to me, "Sister, along your path,
sufferings just spring up out of the ground. I look upon you, Sister, as one
crucified. But I can see that Jesus has a hand in this. Be faithful to the
Lord."
150 + I want to write down a dream
that I had about Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. I was still a novice at
the time and was going through some difficulties which I did not know how to
overcome. They were interior difficulties connected with exterior ones. I
made novenas to various saints, but the situation grew more and more
difficult. The sufferings it caused me were so great that I did not know how
to go on living, but suddenly the thought occurred to me that I should pray
to Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. I started a novena to this Saint,
because before entering the convent I had had a great devotion to her. Lately
I had somewhat neglected this devotion, but in my need I began again to pray
with great fervor.
On the fifth day of the novena, I dreamed of Saint Therese, but it was as if
she were still living on earth. She hid from me the fact that she was a saint
and began to comfort me, saying that I should not be worried about this
matter, but should trust more in God. She said, "I suffered greatly,
too," but I did not quite believe her and said, "It seems to me
that you have not suffered at all." But Saint Therese answered me in a
convincing manner that she had suffered very much indeed and said to me,
"Sister, know that in three days the difficulty will come to a happy
conclusion." When I was not very willing to believe her, she revealed to
me that she was a saint. At that moment, a great joy filled my soul, and I
said to her, "You are a saint?" "Yes," she answered,
"I am a saint. Trust that this matter will be resolved in three
days:" And I said, "Dear sweet Therese, tell me, shall I go to
heaven?" And she answered, "Yes, you will go to heaven,
Sister." "And will I be a saint?" To which she replied,
"Yes, you will be a saint." "But, little Therese, shall I be a
saint as you are, raised to the altar?" And she answered, "Yes, you
will be a saint just as I am, but you must trust in the Lord Jesus." I
then asked her if my mother and father would go to heaven, will [unfinished
sentence] And she replied that they would. I further asked, "And will my
brothers and sisters go to heaven?" She told me to pray hard for them,
but gave me no definite answer. I understood that they were in need of much
prayer.
This was a dream. And as the proverb goes, dreams are phantoms; God is faith.
Nevertheless, three days later the difficulty was solved very easily, just as
she had said. And everything in this affair turned out exactly as she said it
would. It was a dream, but it had its significance.
159 +O Blessed Host, in golden
chalice enclosed for me,
That through the vast wilderness of exile
I may pass-pure, immaculate, undefiled;
Oh, grant that through the power of Your love this might come to be.
O Blessed Host, take up Your dwelling within my soul,
O Thou my heart's purest love!
With Your brilliance the darkness dispel.
Refuse not Your grace to a humble heart.
O Blessed Host, enchantment of all heaven,
Though Your beauty be veiled
And captured in a crumb of bread,
Strong faith tears away that veil.
170 The first day of the retreat.
I tried to be the first in the chapel in the morning; before the meditation I
had a bit of time for prayer to the Holy Spirit and to Our Lady. I earnestly
begged the Mother of God to obtain for me the grace of fidelity to these
inner inspirations and of faithfully carrying out God's will, whatever it
might be. I began this retreat with a very special kind of courage.
171 Struggle to keep silence. As usual, sisters from various houses came to
the retreat. One of the sisters whom I had not seen for a long time, came to
my cell and said she had something to tell me. I did not answer her, and she
saw that I did not want to break silence. She said to me, "I didn't know
you were such an eccentric, sister," and she went away. I was well aware
that she had no other business with me than to satisfy her own curious
self-love. O God, preserve me in faithfulness.
174 At that moment the priest came
in and began the conference. He spoke for a short time, as if he were in a
hurry. After the conference, he went over to the confessional. Seeing that
none of the sisters were going there, I sprang from my kneeler, and in an
instant was in the confessional. There was no time to deliberate. Instead of
telling the father about the doubts that had been sown in me in respect to my
dealings with the Lord Jesus, I began to speak about these temptations I have
just described above. The confessor immediately understood my situation and
said, "Sister, you distrust the Lord Jesus because He treats you so
kindly. Well, Sister, be completely at peace. Jesus is your Master, and your
communing with Him is neither daydreaming nor hysteria nor illusion. Know
that you are on the right path. Please try to be faithful to these graces;
you are not free to shun them. You do not need at all, Sister, to tell your
superiors about these interior graces, unless the Lord Jesus instructs you
clearly to do so, and even then you should first consult with your confessor.
But if the Lord Jesus demands something external, in this case, after
consulting your confessor, you should carry out what He asks of you, even if
this costs you greatly. On the other hand, you must tell your confessor
everything. There is absolutely no other course for you to take, Sister. Pray
that you may find a spiritual director, or else you will waste these great
gifts of God. I repeat once again, be at peace; you are following the right
path. Take no heed of anything else, but always be faithful to the Lord
Jesus, no matter what anyone says about you. It is with just such miserable
souls that the Lord Jesus communes in this intimate way. And the more you
humble yourself, the more the Lord Jesus will unite Himself with you."
175 176 177
186 +Today Jesus said to me, I desire that you know
more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will
understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on
behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a
contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace
of conversion. This is the prayer:
187 "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from
the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You."
189 On one occasion, Jesus gave me
to know how pleasing to Him is the soul that faithfully keeps the rule. A
soul will receive a greater reward for observing the rule than for penances
and great mortifications. The latter will be rewarded also if they are
undertaken over and above the rule, but they will not surpass the rule.
204 A short conversation with Mother
Directress [Margaret]. When I asked her about some particulars concerning
progress in the spiritual life, this holy Mother answered everything with
great clarity. She said to me, "if you continue cooperating with God's
grace in this way, Sister, you will be only one step away from close union
with God. You understand what I mean by this. This means that your
characteristic trait should be faithfulness to the grace of the Lord. God
does not lead all souls along such a path."
210 I fervently beg the Lord to
strengthen my faith, so that in my drab, everyday life I will not be guided
by human dispositions, but by those of the spirit. Oh, how everything drags
man towards the earth! But lively faith maintains the soul in the higher
regions and assigns self-love its proper place; that is to say, the lowest
one.
226 The rules that I most often
fail to obey: sometimes I break silence; disobedience to the signal of the
bell; sometimes I meddle in other people's affairs. I will do my very best to
improve.
I will avoid sisters who grumble, and if they cannot be avoided, I will at
least keep silent before them, thus letting them know how sorry I am to hear
such things. I must take no heed of the opinion of others, but obey the
evidence of my own conscience and take God to be the witness of all my
actions. I must do everything and act in all matters now as I would like to
do and act at the hour of my death. For this reason, in every action I must
be mindful of God.
Avoid presumed permissions.[67] I must report [even] small things to my
superiors, and do so in as much detail as is possible. I must be faithful in
my spiritual exercises; I must not easily ask to be dispensed from them. I
must keep silence outside the time of recreation, and avoid jokes and witty
words that make others laugh and break silence. I must have great
appreciation for even the most minute rules. I must not let myself become
absorbed in the whirl of work, [but] take a break to look up to heaven. Speak
little with people, but a good deal with God. Avoid familiarity. I must pay
little attention as to who is for me and who is against me. I must not tell
others about those things I have had to put up with. I must avoid speaking
out loud to others during work. I must maintain peace and equanimity during
times of suffering. In difficult moments I must take refuge in the wounds of
Jesus; I must seek consolation, comfort, light and affirmation in the wounds
of Jesus.
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!
+O Jesus, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament,
230 Jesus, living Host, You are my
Mother, You are my all! It is with simplicity and love, with faith and trust
that I will always come to You, O Jesus! I will share everything with You, as
a child with its loving mother, my joys and sorrows-in a word, everything.
234 When I finished this
confession, my spirit was immersed in God, and I prayed for three hours, but
it seemed to me like only a few minutes. Since then, I have placed no
obstacles in the way of grace working in my soul. Jesus knew why I had been afraid
to commune intimately with Him and was not at all offended. From the moment
the priest assured me that what I had experienced was not an illusion, but
the grace of God, I have tried to be faithful to God in everything. I can see
now that there are few such priests who understand the full depth of God's
work in the soul. Since then, my wings have been set free for flight, and I
yearn to soar into the very fire of the sun. My flight will not come to an
end until I rest in Him forever. When we fly very high, all the vapors, mists
and clouds are beneath our feet, and our whole carnal being is necessarily
subject to the spirit.
248 The words of the Bishop
[Rospond[73]], spoken at the
ceremony of the taking of perpetual vows: "Accept this candle as a sign
of heavenly light and of burning love." While giving the ring: "I
betroth you to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father Most High; may He keep you
unblemished. Take this ring as a sign of the eternal covenant you are making
with Christ, the Spouse of Virgins. May it be for you the ring of faith and
the sign of the Holy Spirit, that you may be called the bride of Christ and,
if you serve Him faithfully, be crowned [as such] for all eternity.
249 +Jesus, I trust in You; I trust in the ocean of your mercy. You are a
Mother to me.
257 Tomorrow I am to leave for
Vilnius. Today, I went to confession to Father Andrasz, this priest who is so
filled with the spirit of God, who untied my wings so that I could soar to
the highest summits. He reassured me in everything and told me to believe in
Divine Providence. "Have confidence and walk ahead with courage."
An extraordinary, divine power came over me after that confession. Father stressed
that I must be faithful to God's grace and said, "No harm will come to
you if, in the future, you continue to keep this same simplicity and
obedience. Have confidence in God; you are on the right path and in good
hands, in God's hands."
263 +The week for confession came
and, to my great joy, I saw the priest I had known before coming to Vilnius.
[That is to say,] I had known him by seeing him in a vision. At that moment,
I heard these words in my soul: This is My faithful servant; he will help
you to fulfill My will here on earth. Yet, I did not open myself to him
as the Lord wished. And for some time I struggled against grace. During each
confession, God's grace penetrated me in a very special way, yet I did not
reveal my soul before him, and I had the intention of not going to confession
to that priest. After this decision, a terrible anxiety entered my soul. God
reproached me severely. When I did lay bare my soul completely to this
priest, Jesus poured an ocean of graces into it. Now I understand what it
means to be faithful to a particular grace. That one grace draws down a whole
series of others.
264 +O my Jesus, keep me near to You! See how weak I am! I cannot go a step
forward by myself; so You, Jesus, must stand by me constantly like a mother
by a helpless child-and even more so.
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.
278 At the feet of the Lord.
Hidden Jesus, Eternal Love, our Source of Life, Divine Madman, in that You
forget yourself and see only us. Before creating heaven and earth, You
carried us in the depths of Your Heart. O Love, O depth of Your abasement, O
mystery of happiness, why do so few people know You? Why is Your love not
returned? O Divine Love, why do You hide Your beauty? O Infinite One beyond
all understanding, the more I know You the less I comprehend You; but because
I cannot comprehend You, I better comprehend Your greatness. I do not envy
the Seraphim their fire, for I have a greater gift deposited in my heart.
They admire You in rapture, but Your Blood mingles with mine. Love is heaven
given us already here on earth. Oh, why do You hide in faith? Love tears away
the veil. There is no veil before the eye of my soul, for You yourself have
drawn me into the bosom of secret love forever. Praise and glory be to You, O
Indivisible Trinity, One God, unto ages of ages!
291 On a certain occasion, I saw a
person about to commit a mortal sin. I asked the Lord to send me the greatest
torments so that that soul could be saved. Then I suddenly felt the terrible
pain of a crown of thorns on my head. It lasted for quite a long time, but
that person remained in the Lord's grace. 0 my Jesus, how very easy it is to
become holy; all that is needed is a bit of good will. If Jesus sees this
little bit of good will in the soul, He hurries to give himself to the soul,
and nothing can stop Him, neither shortcomings nor falls-absolutely nothing.
Jesus is anxious to help that soul, and if it is faithful to this grace from
God, it can very soon attain the highest holiness possible for a creature
here on earth. God is very generous and does not deny His grace to anyone.
Indeed He gives more than what we ask of Him. Faithfulness to the
inspirations of the Holy Spirit-that is the shortest route.
292 +When a soul loves God
sincerely, it ought not fear anything in the spiritual life. Let it subject
itself to the action of grace, and let it not impose any restraints on itself
in communing with the Lord.
300 +Ask of my faithful servant
[Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole world of My great
mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted
complete remission of sins and punishment.
+Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
+Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am
Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My
Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My
Goodness.
My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
301 Proclaim that mercy is the
greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.
302 +O Eternal Love, I want all
the souls You have created to come to know You. I would like to be a priest,
for then I would speak without cease about Your mercy to sinful souls drowned
in despair. I would like to be a missionary and carry the light of faith to
savage nations in order to make You known to souls, and to be completely
consumed for them and to die a martyr's death, just as You died for them and
for me. O Jesus, I know only too well that I can be a priest, a missionary, a
preacher, and that I can die a martyr's death by completely emptying myself and
denying myself for love of You, O Jesus, and of immortal souls.
328 O purest Love, rule in all
Your plenitude in my heart and help me to do Your holy will most faithfully!
331 Oh, how great a grace it is to
have a spiritual director! One makes more rapid progress in virtue, sees the
will of God more clearly, fulfills it more faithfully, and follows a road
that is sure and free of dangers. The director knows how to avoid the rocks
against which the soul could be shattered. The Lord gave me this grace rather
late, to be sure, but I rejoice in it greatly, seeing how God inclines His
will to my director's wishes. I will mention just one incident out of a
thousand that have happened to me. As I usually do, I asked the Lord Jesus
one evening to give me the points for next day's meditation. I received the
answer: Meditate on the Prophet Jonah and his mission. I thanked the Lord,
but began to think within myself of how different that subject was from the
others. But with all my soul I strove to meditate about it, and I recognized
myself in the person of the prophet, in the sense that often I, too, try to
make excuses to the Lord, claiming that someone else would do His holy will
better [than I could], and not understanding that God can do all things and
that His omnipotence will be all the more manifest if the tool is poorer. God
made this clear to me in the following way. That afternoon, there was
confession for the community. When I presented to the director of my soul the
fear that seized me because of this mission for which God was using me,
clumsy tool that I was, my spiritual father answered that, willing or not, we
must carry out the will of God, and he gave me the Prophet Jonah as an
example. After the confession, I wondered how the confessor knew that God had
told me to meditate about Jonah; surely I myself had not told him. Then I
heard these words:When the priest acts in my place, he does not act of
himself, but I act through him. His wishes are Mine. I can see how Jesus
defends His representatives. He himself enters into their actions.
333 I now see clearly how God acts
through the confessor and how faithfully He keeps His promises. Two weeks
ago, my confessor told me to reflect upon this spiritual childhood. It was
somewhat difficult at first, but my confessor, disregarding my difficulties,
told me to continue to reflect upon spiritual childhood. "In practice,
this spiritual childhood," [he said,] "should manifest itself in
this way: a child does not worry about the past or the future, but makes use
of the present moment. I want to emphasize that spiritual childlikeness in
you, Sister, and I place great stress upon it." I can see how God bows
down to my confessor's wishes; He does not show himself to me at this time as
a Teacher in the fullness of His strength and human adulthood, but as a
little Child. The God who is beyond all understanding stoops to me under the
appearance of a little Child.
352 At the chapter, Mother
[Borgia] stressed a life of faith and fidelity in small things. Half way
through the chapter, I heard these words: I desire that you would all have
more faith at the present time. How great is My joy at the faithfulness of My
spouse in the smallest things. Then I looked at the crucifix and saw that
Jesus' head was turned towards the refectory, and His lips were moving.
When I told Mother Superior about it, she answered, "You see, Sister,
how Jesus demands that our life be a life of faith."
353 When Mother left for the chapel and I stayed to set the room in order, I
heard these words: Tell all the sisters that I demand that they live in
the spirit of faith towards the superiors at this present time. I begged
my confessor to release me from this duty.
424 In the evening, I just about
got into bed, and I fell asleep immediately. Though I fell asleep quickly, I
was awakened even more quickly. A little child came and woke me up. The child
seemed about a year old, and I was surprised it could speak so well, as
children of that age either do not speak or speak very indistinctly The child
was beautiful beyond words and resembled the Child Jesus, and he said to me, Look
at the sky. And when I looked at the sky I saw the stars and the moon
shining. Then the child asked me, Do you see this moon and these stars? When
I said yes, he spoke these words to me, These stars are the souls of
faithful Christians, and the moon is the souls of religious. Do you see how
great the difference is between the light of the moon and the light of the
stars? Such is the difference in heaven between the soul of a religious and
the soul of a faithful Christian. And he went on to say that, True
greatness is in loving God and in humility.
449 I prepared for this feast with
greater zeal than in previous years. On the morning of the feast itself, I
experienced an inner struggle at the thought that I must leave this
Congregation which enjoys such special protection from Mary. This struggle
lasted through the meditation and through the first Mass as well. During the
second Mass, I turned to our Holy Mother, telling Her that it was difficult
for me to separate myself from this Congregation... "which is under Your
special protection, O Mary." Then I saw the Blessed Virgin, unspeakably
beautiful. She came down from the altar to my kneeler, held me close to
herself and said to me, I am Mother to you all, thanks to the unfathomable
mercy of God. Most pleasing to Me is that soul which faithfully carries out
the will of God. She gave me to understand that I had faithfully
fulfilled the will of God and had thus found favor in His eyes. Be courageous.
Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the Passion of My Son,
and in this way you will be victorious.
481 Almost every feast of the
Church gives me a deeper knowledge of God and a special grace. That is why I
prepare myself for each feast and unite myself closely with the spirit of the
Church. What a joy it is to be a faithful child of the Church! Oh, how much I
love Holy Church and all those who live in it! I look upon them as living
members of Christ, who is their Head. I burn with love with those who love; I
suffer with those who suffer, I am consumed with sorrow at the sight of those
whoa are cold and ungrateful; and I then try to have such a love for God that
it will make amends for those who do not love Him, those who feed their
Savior with ingratitude at its worst.
497 O Eternal Truth, Word
Incarnate, who most faithfully fulfilled Your Father's will, today I am
becoming a martyr of Your inspirations, since I cannot carry them out because
I have no will of my own, though interiorly I see Your will clearly. I submit
in everything to the will of my superiors and my confessor. I will follow
Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative.
O my Jesus, it cannot be helped, but I give priority to the voice of the
Church over the voice with which You speak to me.
500 During Holy Mass I prayed
fervently that Jesus might become King of all hearts and that divine grace
might shine in every soul. Then I saw Jesus as He is depicted in the image,
and He said to me, My daughter, you give Me the greatest glory by
faithfully fulfilling My desires.
506 "Do nothing without the
consent of the superiors. One must think this matter over thoroughly and pray
much. One must be very careful about these things because, in your present
situation, Sister, the will of God is certain and clear, for you are in fact
bound to this Congregation by vows, and perpetual vows at that; so there
should be no doubt. What you are experiencing interiorly, Sister, are only
the glimmerings of a project. God can make some alterations, but such things
are very rare. Don't be in a hurry, Sister, until you have received more
precise knowledge. The works of God proceed slowly, but if they are of Him,
you will surely recognize them clearly. If they are not, they will disappear;
and you, by being obedient, will not go astray. Speak frankly about
everything to your confessor and obey him blindly.
"For the present, Sister, there is nothing more for you to do than
accept the suffering until the time when everything will become clear; that
is, all things will be resolved. You are well disposed as regards these
matters, and so continue in this simplicity and spirit of obedience; this is
a good sign. If you continue in this attitude, God will not allow you to fall
into error. Still, as much as is possible, keep far away from these things,
but if despite that they still come your way, receive them calmly and do not
fear anything. You are in the good hands of a very good God. In all that you
have told me, I do not see any illusion or anything contrary to faith. These
are things which are good in themselves, and it would indeed be good if there
were a group of souls pleading with God for the world, as we all are in need
of prayer. You have a good director; stay with him and be at peace. Be
faithful to God's will and carry it out. As to your duties, always do what
you are told to do and as you are told to do it, no matter how humiliating or
toilsome it might be. Always choose the last place, and then they themselves
will say to you, `Go up higher.' In spirit and in your demeanor, consider
yourself the least in the whole house and in the entire Congregation. In
everything and at all times, be most faithful to God."
507 I desire, O my Jesus, to suffer and burn with the flame of Your love in
all the circumstances of my life. I am Yours, completely Yours, and I wish to
disappear in You, O Jesus, I wish to be lost in Your divine beauty. You
pursue me with Your love, O Lord; You penetrate my soul like a ray of the sun
and change its darkness into Your light. I feel very vividly that I am living
in You as one small spark swallowed up by the incomprehensible fire with
which You burn, O inconceivable Trinity! No greater joy is to be found than
that of loving God. Already here on earth we can taste the happiness of those
in heaven by an intimate union with God, a union that is extraordinary and
often quite incomprehensible to us. One can attain this very grace through
simple faithfulness of soul.
544 The novitiate [109] is to last one year, without any
interruption. At this time the novice should be taught about the virtues
relating to the vows and about the importance of the vows. The directress
should do her utmost to provide a solid formation. Let her train the novices
in the practice of humility, because only a humble heart keeps the vows
easily and experiences the great joys that God pours out upon the faithful
soul. The novices should not be burdened with duties that entail
responsibilities, so that they may be free to devote themselves to their own
perfection. They are obliged to observe the rules and statutes strictly, as
are the postulants.
545 After a year of novitiate, if the novice proves faithful, she may be
admitted to make her profession for one year. This is to be repeated for
three years. She may then be given duties of responsibility. However, she
will still belong to the novitiate, and once a week she must attend conferences
together with the novices, and she will spend the last six months entirely in
the novitiate in order to prepare well for her solemn profession. [110]
Relationship of Sisters with the
Superior.
567 All the sisters should respect the superior as the Lord Jesus himself, as
I mentioned when speaking about the vow of obedience. They should behave
toward her with childlike trust, and should never murmur or find fault with
her commands, as this is very displeasing to God. Let each be guided by a
spirit of faith in her relationship to superiors; let her ask with simplicity
for all that she needs. God forbid that it ever happen or be repeated that
any of the sisters would be a cause of sorrow or tears to the superior. Let
each one know that as the fourth commandment obliges a child to honor its
parents, in like manner is the religious bound to respect her superior. Only
a bad religious would take the liberty of judging her superior. Let the
sisters be sincere with the superior, telling her about everything and about
their needs with childlike simplicity.
The sisters will address the superior thus: "With your leave, Sister
Superior." They shall never kiss her hand, but whenever they meet her in
the corridor or enter her cell, they should say, "Praised be Jesus
Christ," bowing their heads slightly.
They shall address each other as "Sister," adding the proper name.
Their relationship toward the superior should be marked by a spirit of faith
and not by sentimentality or flattery, as these are unworthy of a religious
and would degrade her very much. A religious should be as free as a queen,
and will be such only when she lives in the spirit of faith. We should obey
and respect the superior, not because she is good, holy or prudent, but
solely because she represents God, and by obeying her we are obeying God
himself.
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.
637 Confession. As I was preparing
for confession, I said to Jesus, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament,
"Jesus, I beg You to speak to me through the mouth of this priest. And
this will be a sign to me, because he does not know at all that You want me
to establish that Congregation of Mercy. Let him say something to me about
this mercy."
When I approached the confessional and started my confession, the priest
interrupted me and started telling me about the great mercy of God, and he spoke
more forcefully about it than I had ever heard anyone speak before. And he
asked me, "Do you know that the mercy of the Lord is greater than all
His works, that it is the crown of His works?" And I listened
attentively to these words which the Lord was speaking through the mouth of
the priest. Although I believe that it is always God who speaks through the
lips of the priest in the confessional, I experienced it in a special way on
that occasion.
Although I did not reveal anything of the divine life which is in my soul and
only accused myself of my offenses, the priest himself told me very much of
what was in my soul and put me under obligation to be faithful to the
inspirations of God. He said to me, "You are going through life with the
Mother of God, who faithfully responded to every divine inspiration." O
my Jesus, who can ever comprehend Your goodness?
650 O my Jesus, my Master and
Director, strengthen and enlighten me in these difficult moments of my life.
I expect no help from people; all my hope is in You. I feel alone in the face
of Your demands, O Lord. Despite the fears and qualms of my nature, I am
fulfilling Your holy will and desire to fulfill it as faithfully as possible
throughout my life and in my death. Jesus, with You I can do all things. Do
with me as You please; only give me Your merciful Heart and that is enough
for me.
O Jesus my Lord, help me. Let what You have planned before all ages happen to
me. I am ready at each beckoning of Your holy will. Enlighten my mind that I
may know Your will. O God, You who pervade my soul, You know that I desire
nothing but Your glory.
O Divine Will, You are the delight of my heart, the food of my soul, the
light of my intellect, the omnipotent strength of my will; for when I unite
myself with Your will, O Lord, Your power works through me and takes the
place of my feeble will. Each day, I seek to carry out God's wishes.
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.
667 July 14. I received a letter
at three o'clock [from Father Sopocko [135]]. O Jesus, You alone know what I suffer, but
I will keep silent and will not say anything about it to any creature,
because I know that no one will comfort me. You are everything to me, O God,
and Your holy will is my nourishment. I am living now on what I will live on
in eternity.
I have great reverence for Saint Michael the Archangel; he had no example to
follow in doing the will of God, and yet he fulfilled God's will faithfully.
678 The essence of the virtues is
the will of God. He who does the will of God faithfully, practices all the
virtues. In all the events and circumstances of my life, I adore and bless
the holy will of God. The holy will of God is the object of my love. In the
most secret depths of my soul, I live according to His will. I act exteriorly
according to what I recognize inwardly as the will of God. Sweeter to me are
the torments, sufferings, persecutions and all manner of adversities by
divine will than popularity, praise and esteem by my own will.
683 + Once, when I was praying
fervently to the Jesuit Saints, I suddenly saw my Guardian Angel, who led me
before the throne of God. I passed through great hosts of saints, and I
recognized many of them, whom I knew from their pictures. I saw many Jesuits,
who asked me from what congregation I was. When I answered they asked, "Who
is your spiritual director?" I answered that it was Father A.... When
they wanted to say more, my Guardian Angel beckoned me to be silent, and I
came before the throne of God. I saw a great and inaccessible light, and I
saw a place destined for me, close to God. But what it was like I do not
know, because a cloud covered it. However, my Guardian Angel said to me,
"Here is your throne, for your faithfulness in fulfilling the will of
God."
724 On the eve of the retreat, I
started to pray that the Lord Jesus might give me just a little health so
that I could take part in the retreat, because I was feeling so ill that I
thought perhaps it might be my last. However, as soon as I had started
praying I felt a strange dissatisfaction. I interrupted the prayer of
supplication and began to thank the Lord for everything He sends me,
submitting myself completely to His holy will. Then I felt profound peace of
soul. + Faithful submission to the will of God, always and everywhere, in all
events and circumstances of life, gives great glory to God. Such submission
to the will of God carries more weight with Him than long fasts,
mortifications and the most severe penances. Oh, how great is the reward for
one act of loving submission to the will of God! As I write, my soul is
enraptured at the thought of how much God loves it and of the peace that my
soul already enjoys, here on earth.
734 I see that Jesus himself is
acting in my soul during this retreat. And as for me, I try only to be
faithful to His grace. I have submitted my soul completely to the influence
of God. This Mighty Ruler of Heaven has taken entire possession of my soul. I
feel that I am being lifted up above earth and heaven into the inner life of
God, where I come to know the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but always
in the unity of majesty.
742 My daughter, if I demand
through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to
distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds
of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to
your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to
excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the
first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three
degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof
of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My
mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there
must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the
solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which
is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is
to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith
is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in
everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on
Your goodness, O God.
1420 When I steeped myself in
prayer, I was transported in spirit to the chapel, where I saw the Lord
Jesus, exposed in the monstrance. In place of the monstrance, I saw the
glorious face of the Lord, and He said to me, What you see in reality,
these souls see through faith. Oh, how pleasing to Me is their great faith!
You see, although there appears to be no trace of life in Me, in reality it
is present in its fullness in each and every Host. But for Me to be able to
act upon a soul, the soul must have faith. O how pleasing to Me is living
faith!
1448 Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they
are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament
of Reconciliation]. There the greatest miracles take place [and]
are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not
necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony;
it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal
to him one's misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated.
Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there
would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be
lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul
in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle
of God's mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-23, 36, 55, 62, 91-92, 95, 97-98, 102)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-106-107, 111, 114-115, 129, 132, 136)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-138-139, 145, 149-150, 159, 170-171)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-186-187, 189, 210, 226-227, 230, 234)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-257, 263-264, 272, , 278, 291-292,
248)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-249, 300-302, 328, 331, 333, 352-353)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-424, 449, 481, 497, 500)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-544-545, 567, 635, 637, 650, 666-668)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-683, 724, 734, 742)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1420, 1448)
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