I Hold the Keys to the Gates of Purgatory
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November 2, 2019. The
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)
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Father James
Swanson, LC
John 11:17-27
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem,
only about two miles away. 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: Lord, I believe in You with a faith that
never seeks to test You. I trust in You, hoping to learn to accept and follow
Your will, even when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. I
love You, and I want to love You and those around me with a love similar to
the love You have shown to me.
Petition: Lord, help me to take seriously the gravity of purgatory and the plight of those who end up there.
1. Even God Weeps for those who Have Died: Today we remember our loved ones who have
passed away, just as Mary and Martha remember their brother Lazarus in this
passage from the Gospel. It is a good and holy thing to be sad when a loved
one dies. Some think that it is a lack of faith to be sad when someone dies,
but in the passage, Jesus does not rebuke Mary and Martha for being sad, but
tries to console them. Later, when he comes to the tomb himself, Jesus weeps
for Lazarus (John 11:35). What a terrible thing death must be for Jesus to
weep for Lazarus even though he knows that in a few moments he will raise
Lazarus from the dead. Clearly, we don’t appreciate the true tragedy of
death, that God himself would weep for a friend who is dead while knowing he
has power over death.
2. You Don’t Want to Go There: We are quick to put people in heaven,
probably a little too quick. We are not doing them a favor. Many of us, even
the best of us, will not go straight to heaven, but will have to spend some
time in purgatory, to be cleansed of our attachments and desires toward
sinfulness as well as for any sins for which we have not done sufficient
penance. We tend to underestimate purgatory as well, maybe because people
there are assured of getting into heaven. While it is true that people in
purgatory probably experience a joy beyond anything we will experience in
this life, they also experience more intense suffering than anything we have
experienced in this life. The suffering of purgatory is similar to the
suffering of hell, and we know we don’t want to experience that.
Purgatory is nothing I want my loved ones to experience if I can help
it, nor do I want to go there myself, if I can help it. The great thing is, I
can help it.
3. Only the Living Hold the Keys to
Purgatory: What
am I willing to do to avoid purgatory? Up until now, have I even thought of
it as something to be avoided? Do I realize that all the sacrifices I can
make in this life to avoid purgatory do not add up to what it will be like to
suffer in purgatory? Do I ever remember that my loved ones may be there now?
Perhaps while they were in this life, they suffered greatly and I was
relieved by their deaths because now their “suffering was over.” Am I an “out
of sight, out of mind” kind of person? Do I think there is nothing more I can
do for them? Or am I genuinely concerned about the likelihood that they may
be in purgatory? Do I realize that my prayers and sacrifices represent the
key to release them and that I can use it if I want to? Do I care about using
it? On this day when we remember the souls in purgatory, it would
be good to do something for those who are there, especially for the ones I
love the most.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, help me to remember those I
love and offer up sacrifices, prayers and masses for them frequently, so they
may be with You as soon as possible. Help me to make the choices I need to
make in this life so I can avoid purgatory as much as possible.
Resolution: Today I will make a sacrifice for my loved
ones in purgatory, remembering that for God, the size of the sacrifice does
not count as much as the love with which it is made.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
1 O Eternal Love, You command Your Sacred Image [1]
to be painted And reveal to us the inconceivable fount of mercy,
You bless whoever approaches Your rays, And a soul all black will turn into snow. O sweet Jesus, it is here [2] You established the throne of Your mercy To bring joy and hope to sinful man. From Your open Heart, as from a pure fount, Flows comfort to a repentant heart and soul. May praise and glory for this Image Never cease to stream from man's soul. May praise of God's mercy pour from every heart, Now, and at every hour, and forever and ever.
O My God
2 When I look into the future, I am frightened, But why plunge into the future? Only the present moment is precious to me, As the future may never enter my soul at all. It is no longer in my power, To change, correct or add to the past; For neither sages nor prophets could do that. And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God. O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire. I desire to use you as best I can. And although I am weak and small, You grant me the grace of your omnipotence. And so, trusting in Your mercy, I walk through life like a little child, Offering You each day this heart Burning with love for Your greater glory.
20 Shortly after this, I fell ill [general exhaustion].
The dear Mother Superior sent me with two other sisters for a rest to
Skolimow, not far from Warsaw. It was at that time that I asked the Lord who
else I should pray for. Jesus said that on the following night He would let
me know for whom I should pray.
[The Next night] I saw my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The flames which were burning them did not touch me at all. My Guardian Angel did not leave me for an instant. I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God. I saw Our Lady visiting the souls in Purgatory. The souls call her "The Star of the Sea." She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk with them some more, but my Guardian Angel beckoned me to leave. We went out of that prison of suffering.[I heard and interior voice] which said, My mercy does not want this, but justice demands it. Since that time, I am in closer communion with the suffering souls.
58
+One night, a sister who had died two months previously came to me. She was a
sister of the first choir. I saw her in a terrible condition, all in flames
with her face painfully distorted. This lasted only a short time, and then
she disappeared. A shudder went through my soul because I did not know
whether she was suffering in purgatory or in hell. Nevertheless I redoubled
my prayers for her. The next night she came again, but I saw her in an even
more horrible state, in the midst of flames which were even more intense, and
despair was written all over her face. I was astonished to see her in a worse
condition after the prayers I had offered for her, and I asked, "Haven't
my prayers helped you?" She answered that my prayers had not helped her
and that nothing would help her. I said to her, "And the prayers which
been any help to you?" She said no, that these prayers had helped some
other souls. I replied, "If my prayers are not helping you, Sister,
please stop coming to me." She disappeared at once. Despite this, I kept
on praying.
After some time she came back again to me during the night, but already her appearance had changed. There were no longer any flames, as there had been before, and her face was radiant, her eyes beaming with joy. She told me that I had a true love for my neighbor and that many other souls had profited from my prayers. She urged me not to cease praying for the souls in purgatory, and she added that she herself would not remain there much longer. How astounding are the decrees of God!
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.
240 Three requests on the day of my perpetual vows. Jesus,
I know that today You will refuse me nothing.
First request: Jesus, my most beloved Spouse, I beg You for the triumph of the Church, particularly in Russia and in Spain; for blessings on the Holy Father, Pius XI, and on all the clergy; for the grace of conversion for impenitent sinners. And I ask You for a special blessing and for light, O Jesus, for the priests before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime. Second request :I beg Your blessings on our Congregation, and may it be filled with great zeal. Bless, O Jesus, our Mother General and our Mother Directress, all the novices and all the superiors. Bless my dearest parents. Bestow Your grace, O Jesus, on our wards; strengthen them so powerfully by Your grace so that those who leave our houses will no longer offend You by any sin. Jesus, I beg You for my homeland; protect it against the assaults of its enemies. Third request:Jesus, I plead with You for the souls that are most in need of prayer. I plead for the dying; be merciful to them. I also beg You, Jesus, to free all souls from purgatory. Jesus, I commend to You these particular persons: My confessors, persons recommended to my prayers, a certain person..., Father Andrasz, Father Czaputa, and the priest I met in Vilnius [Father Sopocko], who is to be my confessor, a certain soul... a certain priest, a certain religious[70] to whom You know how much I owe, Jesus, and all the people who have been recommended to my prayer. Jesus, on this day You can do everything for those for whom I am pleading. For myself I ask, Lord, transform me completely into Yourself, maintain in me a holy zeal for Your glory, give me the grace and spiritual strength to do Your holy will in all things. Thank You, o my dearest Bridegroom, for the dignity You have conferred on me, and in particular for the royal coat-of-arms which will adorn me from this day on and which even the Angels do not possess; namely, the cross, the sword and the crown of thorns. But above all, O my Jesus, I thank You for Your Heart-it is all I need. Mother of God, Most Holy Mary, my Mother, You are my Mother in a special way now because Your beloved Son is my Bridegroom, and thus we are both Your children. For Your Son's sake, You have to love me. O Mary, my dearest Mother, guide my spiritual life in such a way that it will please Your Son. +Holy and Omnipotent God, at this moment of immense grace by which You are uniting me with Yourself forever, I, mere nothingness, with the utmost gratitude, cast myself at Your feet like a tiny, unknown flower and, each day, the fragrance of that flower of love will ascend to Your throne. In times of struggle and suffering, of darkness and storm, of yearning and sorrow, in times of difficult trials, in times when nobody will understand me, when I will even be condemned and scorned by everyone, I will remember the day of my perpetual vows, the day of God's incomprehensible grace. 274 Jesus gave me the grace of knowing myself. In this divine light I see my principal fault; it is pride which takes the form of my closing up within myself and of a lack of simplicity in my relations with Mother Superior [Irene]. The second light concerns speaking. I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment. The third light concerns our rules. I have not sufficiently avoided the occasions that lead to breaking the rules, especially that of silence. I will act as if the rule were written just for me; it should not affect me at all how anyone else might act, as long as I myself act as God wishes. Resolution. Whatever Jesus demands of me regarding external things, I will immediately go and tell my superiors. I shall strive for childlike openness and frankness in my relations with the superior.
346 December 24, 1934. The Vigil
of Christmas. During the morning Mass, I felt the closeness of God. Though I
was hardly aware of it, my spirit was drowned in God. Suddenly, I heard these
words: You are My delightful dwelling place; My Spirit rests in you. After
these words, I felt the Lord looking into the depths of my heart; and seeing
my misery, I humbled myself in spirit and admired the immense mercy of God,
that the Most High Lord would approach such misery.
During Holy Communion, joy filled my soul. I felt that I am closely united to the Godhead. His omnipotence enveloped my whole being. Throughout the whole day I felt the closeness of God in a special manner; and although my duties prevented me throughout the whole day from going to chapel even for a moment, there was not a moment when I was not united with God. I felt Him within me more distinctly than ever. Unceasingly greeting the Mother of God and entering into Her spirit, I begged Her to teach me true love of God. And then I heard these words: I will share with you the secret of My happiness this night during Holy Mass.
We had supper before six o'clock. Despite all the joy and
the external noise accompanying the sharing of the wafer and the mutual
exchange of good wishes, I did not for a moment lose the awareness of God's
presence. After supper we hurried away to finish our work, and at nine I was
able to go to the chapel for adoration. I was allowed to stay up and wait for
the Midnight Mass. I was delighted to have free time from nine until
midnight. From nine to ten o'clock I offered my adoration for my parents and
my whole family. From ten to eleven, I offered it for the intention of my
spiritual director, in the first place thanking God for granting me this
great visible help here on earth, just as He had promised me, and I also
asked God to grant him the necessary light so that he could get to know my
soul and guide me according to God's good pleasure. And from eleven to twelve
I prayed for the Holy Church and the clergy, for sinners, for the missions
and for our houses. I offered the indulgences for the souls in purgatory.
412 There was no one in the
chapel, so I got up, picked up the pieces of the flowerpot, repotted the
flower and tried to do all this before anyone came in. But I did not manage
to do so, as Mother Superior [Borgia] came in at that moment together with
the sister sacristan [93]
and several other sisters. Mother Superior was surprised that I had been
touching something on the altar and thus caused the flowerpot to fall. Sister
sacristan showed her displeasure, and I did my best not to explain or excuse
myself. But towards evening I felt very exhausted and could not make my Holy
Hour, so I asked Mother Superior to allow me to go to bed early. I fell
asleep as soon as I lay down, but at about eleven o'clock Satan shook my bed.
I awoke instantly, and I started to pray peacefully to my Guardian Angel.
Then I saw the souls who were doing penance in purgatory. They appeared like
shadows, and among them I saw many demons. One of these tried to vex me;
taking the form of a cat, he kept throwing himself onto my bed and on my
feet, and he was quite heavy, as if [weighing] a ton.
I kept praying the rosary all the while, and toward dawn these beings vanished, and I was able to get some sleep. When I entered the chapel in the morning I heard a voice in my soul, You are united to Me; fear nothing. But know, my child, that Satan hates you; he hates every soul, but he burns with a particular hatred for you, because you have snatched so many souls from his dominion. 692 + O Jesus, I understand that Your mercy is beyond all imagining, and therefore I ask You to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on the face of the earth. O Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. God's mercy is unfathomable and inexhaustible, just as God himself is unfathomable. Even if I were to use the strongest words there are to express this mercy of God, all this would be nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul. O my Jesus, I know that You act toward us as we act toward our neighbor.
My Jesus, make my heart like unto
Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to
everyone.
1186 From early morning on the
following day, I offered everything for her intention. During Holy Mass, I
had a brief experience of her torment. I experienced such intense hunger for
God that I seemed to be dying of the desire to become united with Him. This
lasted only a short time, but I understood what the longing of the souls in
purgatory was like.
1315 + In times of interior desolation I do not lose my
peace, because I know that God never abandons a soul, except perhaps only
when the soul itself breaks the bond of love by its unfaithfulness. However,
all creatures without exception depend on the Lord and are maintained by His
omnipotence. Some are under the rule of love, others under the rule of
justice. It depends on us under which rule we want to live, because no one is
refused the aid of sufficient grace. I am not frightened at all by my
apparent abandonment. I examine myself more profoundly to discover whether
this is due to my fault. If this is not the case then may [the Lord] be
blessed!
1316 October 1, 1937. Daughter, I need sacrifice
lovingly accomplished, because that alone has meaning for Me. Enormous indeed
are the debts of the world which are due to Me; pure souls can pay them by
their sacrifice, exercising mercy in spirit.
1317 I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of
the mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: I know, My daughter, that
you understand it and that you do everything within your power. But
write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do
not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy.
Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses,
is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul
does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the
day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for
themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment
with their mercy.
1318 October 10, [1937]. O my Jesus, in thanksgiving for
Your many graces, I offer You my body and soul, intellect and will, and all
the sentiments of my heart. Through the vows, I have given myself entirely to
You; I have then nothing more that I can offer You. Jesus said to me, My
daughter, you have not offered Me that which is really yours. I probed
deeply into myself and found that I love God with all the faculties of my
soul and, unable to see what it was that I had not yet given to the Lord, I
asked, "Jesus, tell me what it is, and I will give it to You at once
with a generous heart." Jesus said to me with kindness, Daughter,
give Me your misery, because it is your exclusive property. At that
moment, a ray of light illumined my soul, and I saw the whole abyss of my
misery. In that same moment I nestled close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
with so much trust that even if I had the sins of all the damned weighing on
my conscience, I would not have doubted God's mercy but, with a heart crushed
to dust, I would have thrown myself into the abyss of Your mercy. I believe,
O Jesus, that You would not reject me, but would absolve me through the hand
of Your representative.
1319 You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed
forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O
Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty
Yourself out upon us.
1320 At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for
sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion,
particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of
great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal
sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request
of Me in virtue of My Passion....
1321 Hail, most merciful Heart of Jesus,
Living Fountain of all graces,
Our sole shelter, our only refuge;
In You I have the light of hope.
Hail, most compassionate Heart of my God,
Unfathomable living Fount of Love
From which gushes life for sinful man
And the Spring of all sweetness.
Hail, open Wound of the Most Sacred Heart,
From which the rays of mercy issued forth
And from which it was given us to draw life
With the vessel of trust alone.
Hail, God's goodness, incomprehensible,
Never to be measured or fathomed,
Full of love and mercy, though always holy,
Yet, like a good mother, ever bent o'er us.
Hail, Throne of Mercy, Lamb of God,
Who gave Your life in sacrifice for me,
Before whom my soul humbles itself daily,
Living in faith profound.
[End of Notebook Four]
1322 +J.M.J.
The barque of my life sails along
Amid darkness and shadows of night,
And I see no shore;
I am sailing the high seas.
The slightest storm would drown me,
Engulfing my boat in the swirling depths,
If You yourself did not watch over me, O God,
At each instant and moment of my life.
Amid the roaring waves
I sail peacefully, trustingly,
And gaze like a child into the distance without fear,
Because You, O Jesus, are my Light.
Dread and terror is all about me,
But within my soul is peace more profound than the depths
of the sea,
For he who is with You, O Lord, will not perish;
Of this Your love assures me, O God.
Though a host of dangers surround me,
None of them do I fear, for I fix my gaze on the starry
sky,
And I sail along bravely and merrily,
As becomes a pure heart.
And if the ship of my life sails so peacefully,
This is due to but one thing above all:
You are my helmsman, O God.
This I confess with utmost humility.
1324 + I bow down before You, O Bread of Angels,
With deep faith, hope and love
And from the depths of my soul I worship You,
Though I am but nothingness.
I bow down before You, O hidden God
And love You with all my heart.
The veils of mystery hinder me not at all;
I love You as do Your chosen ones in heaven.
I bow down before You, O Lamb of God
Who take away the sins of my soul,
Whom I receive into my heart each morn,
You who are my saving help.
+ J. M. J.
Cracow, October 20, 1937.
Fifth Notebook
1325 O my God, let everything that is in me praise You, my
Lord and Creator; and with every beat of my heart I want to praise Your
unfathomable mercy. I want to tell souls of Your goodness and encourage them
to trust in Your mercy. That is my mission, which You yourself have entrusted
to me, O Lord, in this life and in the life to come.
1336 + In this profound silence, I am better able to judge
the condition of my soul. My soul is like clear water in which I can see
everything: both my misery and the vastness of God's graces. And owing to
this true knowledge of itself, my spirit is strengthened in deep humility. I expose
my heart to the action of Your grace like a crystal exposed to the rays of
the sun. May Your image be reflected in it, O my God, to the extent that it
is possible to be reflected in the heart of a creature. Let Your divinity
radiate through me, O You who dwell in my soul.
1337 As I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament and
greeting the five wounds of Jesus, at each salutation I felt a torrent of
graces gushing into my soul, giving me a foretaste of heaven and absolute
confidence in God's mercy.
1338 As I write these words, I hear the cry of Satan:
"She's 'writing everything, she's writing everything, and because of
this we are losing so much! Do not write about the goodness of God; He is
just!" And howling with fury, he vanished.
1341 When one's health is poor, there is much one has to
bear. For when one is ill, but not in bed, one is not considered to be ill.
For many reasons, therefore, there are constant occasions for sacrifices, and
sometimes big ones. I understand now that only in eternity will many things
be revealed. But I also understand that if God demands a sacrifice, He does
not withhold His grace, but gives it to the soul in abundance.
1342 My Jesus, let my sacrifice burn before Your throne in
all silence, but with the full force of love, as I beg You to have mercy on
souls.
1343 Third day. In the meditation on death, I prepared
myself as if for real death. I examined my conscience and searched all my
affairs at the approach of death and, thanks be to grace, my affairs were
directed toward that ultimate goal. This filled my heart with great gratitude
to God, and I resolved to serve my God even more faithfully in the future.
One thing alone is necessary: to put my old self to death and to begin a new
life. In the morning, I prepared to receive Holy Communion as if it were to
be the last in my life, and after Holy Communion I brought before my
imagination my actual death, and I said the prayers for the dying and then
the De Profundis for my own soul. My body was lowered into the grave, and I
said to my soul, "See what has become of your body, a heap of dirt
teeming with vermin-that is your inheritance."
1344 O merciful God, who still allow me to live, give me
strength that I may live a new life, the life of the spirit, over which death
has no dominion. And with that, my heart was renewed, and I began a new life
while still here on earth, a life of love of God. Nevertheless, I do not
forget that I am weakness itself, though I do not doubt even for a moment
that I will obtain the help of Your grace, O God.
1349 Jesus comforted me, saying that both our souls had
benefited from this. But I begged the Lord to deign to spare me from being
the occasion of anyone's suffering, as my heart could not bear this.
1350 O white Host, You preserve my soul in whiteness; I
fear the day when I might forsake You. You are the Bread of Angels, and thus
also the Bread of Virgins.
1351 Jesus, my most perfect model, with my eyes fixed on
You, I will go through life in Your footsteps, adapting nature to grace, according
to Your most holy will and Your light which illumines my soul, trusting
completely in Your help.
+J.M.J.
1357 Once, when I was passing by a group of people, I
asked the Lord if they were all in the state of grace, because I did not feel
His sufferings. Because you do not feel My
sufferings, it does not follow that they must all be in
the state of grace. At times, I
allow you to be aware of the condition of certain souls,
and I give you the grace of
suffering solely because I use you as the instrument of
their conversion.
1358 Where there is genuine virtue, there must be
sacrifice as well; one's whole life must be a sacrifice. It is only by means
of sacrifice that souls can become useful. It is my self-sacrifice which, in
my relationship with my neighbor, can give glory to God, but God's love must
flow through this sacrifice, because everything is concentrated in this love
and takes its value from it.
1359 Bear in mind that when you come out of this
retreat, I shall be dealing with you as with a perfect soul. I want to hold
you in My hand as a pliant tool, perfectly
adapted to the completion of My works.
1360 O Lord, You who penetrate my whole being and the most
secret depths of my soul, You see that I desire You alone and long only for
the fulfillment of Your holy will, paying no heed to difficulties or
sufferings or humiliations or to what others might think.
1361 This firm resolution to become a saint is
extremely pleasing to Me. I bless your efforts and will give you
opportunities to sanctify yourself. Be watchful that you lose no opportunity
that My providence offers you for sanctification. If you do not succeed in
taking advantage of an opportunity, do not lose your peace, but humble
yourself profoundly before Me and, with great trust, immerse yourself
completely in My mercy. In this way, you gain more than you have lost,
because more favor is granted to a humble soul than the soul itself asks
for...
1364 Now I can be wholly useful to the Church by my
personal sanctity, which throbs with life in the whole Church, for we all
make up one organism in Jesus. That is why I endeavor to make the soil of my
heart bear good fruit. Although the human eye may perhaps never see it, there
will nevertheless come a day when it will become apparent that many souls
have been fed and will continue to be fed with this fruit.
1365 O Eternal Love, who enkindle a new life within me, a
life of love and of mercy, support me with Your grace, so that I may worthily
answer Your call, so that what You yourself have intended to accomplish in
souls through me, might indeed be accomplished. My God, I see the radiance of
eternal dawn. My whole soul bounds toward You, O Lord; nothing any longer
holds me back, nothing ties me to earth. Help me, O Lord, to bear the rest of
my days with patience. The sacrifice of my love burns incessantly before Your
Majesty, but so silently that only Your divine eye sees it, O God, and no
other creature is capable of perceiving it.
1366 O my Lord, although so many things occupy me,
although I have this work at heart, although I desire the triumph of the
Church and the salvation of souls, although all the persecutions of Your
faithful ones affect me, although the fall of each soul is painful to me,
yet, above and beyond all this, I still have a profound peace in my soul
which neither triumphs nor desires nor adversities can disturb because, for
me, You are above all dispensations, my Lord and my God.
1375 November 1, 1937.
After Vespers today, there was a procession to the
cemetery. I could not go, because I was on duty at the gate. But that did not
stop me at all from praying for the souls. As the procession was returning
from the cemetery to the chapel, my soul felt the presence of many souls. I
understood the great justice of God, how each one had to pay off the debt to
the last cent.
1379 November 10, [1937]. When Mother [Irene] showed me
the booklet with the chaplet, the litany and the novena, I asked her to let
me look it over. As I was glancing through it, Jesus gave me to know
interiorly: Already there are many souls who have been drawn to My
love by this image. My mercy acts in souls through this work. I learned
that many souls had experienced God's grace.
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-1-2, 20, 58, 114-115, 240, 274, 346)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-412)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-692)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-IV-1315-1321)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1322, 1324-1325, 1336-1338, 1341)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1342-1344, 1349-1351, 1357-1361)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1364-1366, 1375, 1379)
|
Nobyembre 02, 2019
I Hold the Keys to the Gates of Purgatory-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
Nobyembre 01, 2019
Winning the Only Contest that Matters-Divine Mercy Miracles Meditations
Winning the Only Contest that Matters
|
November 1, 2019. Solemnity
of All Saints
|
Father James
Swanson, LC
Matthew 5:1-12a
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the
mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to
teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are
the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and
persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in You with a faith that
never seeks to test You. I trust in You, hoping to learn to accept and follow
Your will, even when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. I
love You, and I want to love You and those around me with a love similar to
the love You have shown to me.
Petition: Lord, help me accept sacrifices and overcome
difficulties in order to gain heaven.
1. The Beatitudes Don’t Make Sense: As we celebrate the Solemnity of All
Saints’ Day, the Church calls us to contemplate the promises Jesus makes to
all those who follow him. At first, they don’t seem very attractive. Jesus
lists a whole series of things that most people would probably avoid. They
would see them as interfering with their wants and desires, Yet, Jesus says
that we will be blessed if we have them in our lives. The word in the
original Greek is “makarios”, which means “happy”. This doesn’t make sense. I
am supposed to be happy when I am poor, mourning, meek, lacking
righteousness, merciful, clean-hearted, a peacemaker, persecuted and
insulted? That’s not what I see on TV, in the movies, on the Internet. It’s
not what many of the people I know would advise me. So what is Jesus’ big
idea telling me this? Is he out to make me miserable?
2. Sacrificing for Worldly Glory: We can see that the whole picture isn’t
gloomy. Jesus says that if we accept these difficult things, there will be
rewards. And the rewards sound pretty good. In fact, they sound great: the
Kingdom of Heaven, comfort, inheriting the land, satisfaction in seeing
righteousness done, receiving mercy, seeing God, being a child of God, a
great reward in heaven. Who wouldn’t want these things? Don’t people work a
lot harder for a lot less? Don’t athletes train for years, giving up all
kinds of pleasures, submitting themselves to intense suffering at times only
for a brief moment of glory in some competition? Don’t businessmen work long
hours, giving up pleasures and making immense sacrifices just to make a few
more dollars? Isn’t what Jesus offers us much better than any of that? Better
than a gold medal or even a million dollars?
3. But I Am Not Interested in Heavenly
Things: Anything worth
having is worth making sacrifices for, and the more it is worth, the greater
sacrifices we should be willing to make for it. Perhaps a gold medal is worth
the sacrifices the athlete makes to win it. Perhaps a million dollars are
worth the sacrifices that a businessman makes to gain them. If heaven is
really all it is supposed to be, isn’t it worth all the sacrifices Jesus
mentions here – and more? If people are willing to make such great sacrifices
to gain things they cannot keep, shouldn’t I be willing to make even greater
sacrifices to gain the eternal happiness of heaven? Of course, many people
with the talent to do great things in this world never do them because they
just aren’t that interested or motivated. Is that why I don’t do more to gain
heaven? Just not that interested? What will it take to motivate me to really
desire what Jesus offers?
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, I don’t do much to make the
Beatitudes come to life in me. Help me to give heaven its full value.
Help me to desire it more each day. Help me to meditate on what heaven will
be like so I will love it more and more and be willing to do anything –
whatever it takes – to get there and help many others arrive as well.
Resolution: I will spend at least five minutes today
imagining what heaven will be like. What would I like heaven to be like?
Jesus is setting up a mansion there for me. He is going to put everything
that he can in it to please me and make me happy. Spend some time imagining
what he would put there to surprise and delight me. He will go far beyond my
wildest imaginations, but by dedicating some time to this today, I will increase
my desire for heaven and to make the sacrifices necessary to get there.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
116 My Jesus, You know what my
soul goes through at the recollection of these sufferings. I have often
marvelled that the angels and saints hold their peace at the sight of a soul
suffering like that. Yet they have special love for us at such moments. My
soul has often cried out after God, as a little child who cries as loudly as
he can when his mother covers her face and he cannot recognize her. O my
Jesus, honor and glory to You for these trials of love! Great and
incomprehensible is your mercy. All that You intended for my soul, O Lord, is
steeped in Your mercy.
118 The tongue is a small member,
but it does big things. A religious who does not keep silence will never
attain holiness; that is, she will never become a saint. Let her not delude
herself-unless it is the Spirit of God who is speaking through her, for then
she must not keep silent. But, in order to hear the voice of God, one has to
have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy silence, but an
interior silence; that is to say, recollection in God. One can speak a great
deal without breaking silence and, on the contrary, one can speak little and
be constantly breaking silence. Oh, what irreparable damage is done by the
breach of silence! We cause a lot of harm to our neighbor, but even more to
our own selves.
In my opinion, and according to my
experience, the rule concerning silence should stand in the very first place.
God does not give himself to a chattering soul which, like a drone in a
beehive, buzzes around but gathers no honey. A talkative soul is empty
inside. It lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper
interior life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells,
is quite out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of
inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others. I
have seen many souls in the depths of hell for not having kept their silence;
they told me so themselves when I asked them what was the cause of their
undoing. These were souls of religious. My God, what an agony it is to think
that not only might they have been in heaven, but they might even have become
saints! O Jesus, have mercy!
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.
161 Immaculate Virgin,
Pure crystal for my heart,
You are my strength, O sturdy anchor!
You are the weak heart's shield and protection.
Mary you are pure, of purity incomparable;
At once both Virgin and Mother,
You are beautiful as the sun, without blemish,
And your soul is beyond all comparison.
Your beauty has delighted the eye of the Thrice-Holy One.
He descended from heaven, leaving His eternal throne,
And took Body and Blood of your heart
And for nine months lay hidden in a Virgin's Heart.
O Mother, Virgin, purest of all lilies,
Your heart was Jesus' first tabernacle on earth.
Only because no humility was deeper than yours
Were you raised above the choirs
of Angels and above all Saints.
220 O my eternal Lord and Creator, how am I going to thank
You for this great favor; namely, that You have deigned to choose miserable
me to be Your betrothed and that You are to unite me to yourself in an
eternal bond? O dearest Treasure of my heart, I offer You all the adoration
and thanksgiving of the Saints and of all the choirs of Angels, and I unite
myself in a special way with Your Mother. O Mary, my Mother, I humbly beg of
You, cover my soul with Your virginal cloak at this very important moment of
my life, so that thus I may become dearer to Your Son and may worthily praise
Your Son's mercy before the whole world and throughout all eternity.
286 +Once, after an adoration for
our country, a pain pierced my soul, and I began to pray in this way:
"Most merciful Jesus, I beseech You through the intercession of Your
Saints, and especially the intercession of Your dearest Mother who nurtured
You from childhood, bless my native land. I beg You, Jesus, look not on our
sins, but on the tears of little children, on the hunger and cold they
suffer. Jesus, for the sake of these innocent ones, grant me the grace that I
am asking of You for my country." At that moment, I saw the Lord Jesus,
His eyes filled with tears, and He said to me, You see, My daughter, what
great compassion I have for them. Know that it is they who uphold the world.
401 The days at home passed in much company, as everybody
wanted to see me and talk with me. Often I could count as many as twenty-five
people there. They listened with great interest to my accounts of the lives
of the saints. It seemed to me that our house was truly the house of God, as
each evening we talked about nothing but God. When, tired from these talks
and yearning for solitude and silence, I quietly slipped out into the garden
in the evening so I could converse with God alone, even in this I was
unsuccessful; immediately my brothers and sisters came and took me into the
house and, once again, I had to talk, with all those eyes fixed on me. But I
struck on one way of getting some respite; I asked my brothers to sing for
me, inasmuch as they had lovely voices; and besides, one played the violin
and another, the mandolin. And during this time I was able to devote myself
to interior prayer without shunning their company.
What also cost me a lot was that I had to kiss the children. The women I knew came with their children and asked me to take them in my arms, at least for a moment, and kiss them. They regarded this as a great favor, and for me it was a chance to practice virtue, since many of the children were quite dirty. But in order to overcome my feelings and show no repugnance, I would kiss such a dirty child twice. One of these friends came with a child whose eyes were diseased and filled with pus, and she said to me, "Sister, take it in your arms for a moment, please." My nature recoiled, but not paying attention to anything, I took the child and kissed it twice, right on the infection, asking God to heal it. I had many opportunities to practice virtue. I listened to people pour out their grievances, and I saw that no heart was joyful, because no heart truly loved God; and this did not surprise me at all. I was very sorry not to have seen two of my sisters. I felt interiorly that their souls were in great danger. Pain gripped my heart at the thought of them. Once, when I felt very close to God, I fervently asked the Lord to grant them grace, and the Lord answered me, I am granting them not only necessary graces, but special graces as well. I understood that the Lord would call them to a greater union with Him. I rejoice immensely that such great love reigns in our family.
448 Feast of St. Ignatius. I prayed fervently
to this Saint, reproaching him for looking on and not coming to my aid in
such important matters as doing the will of God. I said to him, "You,
our Patron, who were inflamed with the fire of love and zeal for the greater
glory of God, I humbly beg you to help me to carry out God's designs. "[97] This was during Holy Mass. Then I saw Saint Ignatius at the left
side of the altar, with a large book in his hand. And he spoke these words to
me, "My daughter, I am not indifferent to your cause. This rule can be
adapted, and it can be adapted to this Congregation." And gesturing with
his hand toward the big book, he disappeared. I rejoiced greatly at the fact of
how much the saints think of us and of how closely we are united with them.
Oh, the goodness of God! How beautiful is the spiritual world, that already
here on earth we commune with the saints! All day long, I could feel the
presence of this dear Patron Saint.
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."
845 Before the vigil supper, I entered the chapel for a
moment to break the wafer spiritually with those dear to my heart. I
presented them all, by name, to Jesus and begged for graces on their behalf.
But that wasn't all. I commended to the Lord all those who are being
persecuted, those who are suffering, those who do not know His Name, and
especially poor sinners. O little Jesus, I fervently ask You, enclose them
all in the ocean of Your incomprehensible mercy. O sweet little Jesus, here
is my heart; let it be a little cozy dwelling place for Yourself. O Infinite
Majesty, with what sweetness You drew close to us. Here, there is no dread of
the thunderbolts of the great Jehovah; here, there is the sweet little Jesus.
Here, no soul is afraid, although Your majesty has not lessened, but only
concealed itself. After supper, I felt very tired and was in pain. I had to
lie down. But I kept vigil with the Most Holy Mother, awaiting the arrival of
the little Child.
875 Today, I experienced a great suffering during the
visit of our sisters. I learned of something that hurt me terribly, but I
controlled myself so that the sisters didn't notice anything. For some time,
the pain was tearing my heart apart, but all that is for the sake of poor
sinners.... O Jesus, for poor sinners.... Jesus, my strength, stay close to
me, help me....
885 Jesus, give me the strength and wisdom to get through
this terrible wilderness, that my heart may bear patiently this longing for
You, O my Lord! I always remain in holy
amazement when I sense that You are approaching me, You,
the Lord of the awesome
throne; that You descend to this miserable exile and visit
this poor beggar who has nothing but misery! I do not know how to entertain
You, my Royal Prince, but You know that I love You with every beat of my
heart. I see how You lower yourself, but nevertheless Your majesty does not
diminish in my eyes. I know that You love me with the love of a bridegroom,
and that is enough for me. Although we are separated by a great chasm, for
You are the Creator and I am Your creature, nevertheless, love alone explains
our union. Without it, all is incomprehensible. Only love makes it possible
to understand these incomprehensible intimacies with which You visit me. O
Jesus, Your greatness terrifies me, and I would be in constant astonishment
and fear, if You yourself did not set me at peace. You make me capable of
communing with You before each approach.
892 Today the Lord gave me to know, in spirit, about the
Convent of Divine Mercy. I saw a great spirit in this convent, but everything
was poor and very scanty. O my Jesus, you are allowing me to live in spirit
with these souls, but perhaps I shall never set foot there; but may Your Name
be blessed, and whatever You have intended, may it be done.
908 + O Jesus, how sorry I feel for poor sinners. Jesus,
grant them contrition and repentance. Remember Your own sorrowful Passion. I
know Your infinite mercy and cannot bear it that a soul that has cost You so
much should perish. Jesus, give me the souls of sinners; let Your mercy rest
upon them. Take everything away from me, but give me souls. I want to become
a sacrificial host for sinners. Let the shell of my body conceal my offering,
for Your Most Sacred Heart is also hidden in a Host, and certainly You are a
living sacrifice.
Transform me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a
living sacrifice and pleasing to You. I desire to atone at each moment for
poor sinners. The sacrifice of my spirit is hidden under the veil of the
body; the human eye does not perceive it, and for that reason it is pure and
pleasing to You. O my Creator and Father of great mercy, I trust in You, for
You are Goodness Itself. Souls, do not be afraid of God, but trust in Him,
for He is good, and His mercy is everlasting.
912 Then I heard the following words spoken thus: I
want you to be My spouse. Fear pierced my soul, but I calmly continued to
reflect on what sort of an espousal this could be. However, each time fear
would invade my soul, a power from on high would give it peace. After all, I
have taken perpetual vows, and I have taken them of my own completely free
will. And so I continued to reflect on what this could mean. I sensed, and
came to realize, that this was some special kind of grace. Whenever I think
about it, I feel faint for God, but in this swooning, my mind is clear and
penetrated with light. When I am united to Him, I faint from an abundance of
happiness, but my mind is bright and clear and free from all shadows. You a
base Your majesty to dwell with a poor creature. Thank you, O Lord, for this
great grace that makes it possible for me to commune with You. Jesus, Your
Name is my delight, I have a presentiment of my Beloved from afar, and my
languishing soul rests in His embrace; I don't know how to live without Him.
I would rather be with Him in afflictions and suffering than without Him in
the greatest heavenly delights.
920 +There is a woman here [165] who was once one of our students. Naturally, she puts my
patience to the test. She comes to see me several times a day. After each of
these visits I am tired out, but I see that the Lord Jesus has sent that soul
to me. Let everything glorify You, O Lord. Patience gives glory to God. O how
poor the souls are!
927 On these two days, I received Holy Communion as an act
of reparation, and I said to the Lord, "Jesus, I offer everything today
for sinners. Let the blows of Your justice fall on me, and the sea of Your
mercy engulf the poor sinners." And the Lord heard my prayer: many souls
returned to the Lord, but I was in agony under the yoke of God's justice. I
felt I was the object of the anger of the Most High God. By evening my
sufferings had reached such a stage of interior desolation that moans welled
up involuntarily from my breast. I locked the door of my room and began an
adoration; that is to say, a Holy Hour. Interior desolation and an experience
of God's justice-that was my prayer; and the moans and pain that welled up
from my soul took the place of a sweet conversation with the Lord.
929 When I had rested near His sweetest Heart, I told Him,
"Jesus, I have so much to tell You." And the Lord said to me with
great love, Speak, My daughter. And I started to enumerate the pains
of my heart; that is, how greatly concerned I am for all mankind, that
"they all do not know You, and those who do know You do not love You as
You deserve to be loved. I also see how terribly sinners offend You; and then
again, I see how severely the faithful, especially Your servants, are
oppressed and persecuted. And then, too, I see many souls rushing headlong
into the terrible abyss of hell. You see, Jesus, this is the pain that gnaws
at my heart and bones. And, although You show me special love and inundate my
heart with streams of Your joys, nevertheless, this does not appease the
sufferings I have just mentioned, but rather they penetrate my poor heart all
the more acutely. Oh, how ardently I desire that all mankind turn with trust
to Your mercy. Then, seeing the glory of Your name, my heart will be
comforted."
Jesus listened to these outpourings of my heart with
gravity and interest, as if He had known nothing about them, and this seemed
to make it easier for me to talk. And the Lord said to me, My daughter,
those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet
you are bringing humankind closer to Me. After these words, I found
myself alone, but the presence of God is always in my soul.
934 Small practices for Lent. Although I wish and desire
to do so, I cannot practice big
mortifications as before, because I am under the strict
surveillance of the doctor. But I can practice little things: first-sleep
without a pillow; keep myself a little hungry; every day, with my arms
outstretched, say the chaplet which the Lord taught me; occasionally, with
arms outstretched, for an indefinite period of time pray informally.
Intention: to beg divine mercy for poor sinners, and for priests, the power
to bring sinful hearts to repentance.
936 + A certain person in our ward was beginning to die.
Amidst terrible tortures, she was dying for three days, sometimes regaining
consciousness. Everyone in the ward was praying for her. I longed to go to
her, but Mother Superior had forbidden me to go to visit the dying, so I
prayed for that poor soul in my room. But when I heard that she was still in
agony, and there was no saying how long it was going to take, I suddenly felt
inspired in my soul and said to the Lord, "Jesus, if all I do is
pleasing to You, I ask You, as evidence, to let that soul stop suffering and
pass on immediately to her happy eternity." A few minutes later I
learned that the person had passed away so peacefully and quickly that they
did not even have time to light the candle.
953 + February 15, 1937. Today my suffering increased
somewhat: I not only feel greater pain all through my lungs, but also some
strange pains in my intestines. I am suffering as much as my weak nature can
bear, all for immortal souls, to plead the mercy of God for poor sinners and
to beg for strength for priests. Oh, how much reverence I have for priests;
and I am asking Jesus, the High Priest, to grant them many graces.
1156 The second is prayer joined to the act of mercy. In
particular, they will defend the souls of children against the spirit of
evil. Prayer and merciful deeds are all that will be required of these souls,
and even the poorest persons can be admitted to their number. And in this
egoistic world they will try to rouse up love, the mercy of Jesus.
1158 A member of this group ought to perform at least one
act of mercy a day; at least one, but there can be many more, for such deeds
can easily be carried out by anyone, even the very poorest. For there are
three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and
by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray-that too is
mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be
judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict.
1167 Satan has admitted to me that I am the object of his
hatred. He said that "a thousand souls do me less harm than you do when
you speak of the great mercy of the Almighty One. The greatest sinners regain
confidence and return to God, and I lose everything. But what is more, you
persecute me personally with that unfathomable mercy of the Almighty
One." I took note of the great hatred Satan has for the Mercy of God. He
does not want to acknowledge that God is good.
1274 I experience great torments of soul when I see God
offended. Today I recognized that mortal sins were being committed not far from
our door. It was evening. I prayed earnestly in the chapel, and then I went
to scourge myself. When I knelt down to pray, however, the Lord allowed me to
experience how a soul rejected by God suffers. It seems to me that my heart
was torn to pieces, and at the same time I understood how much such a soul
wounds the most merciful Heart of Jesus. The poor creature does not want to
accept God's mercy. The more God has pursued a soul with His mercy, the more
just will He be towards it.
1282 + When the same poor people come to the gate a second
time, I treat them with greater gentleness, and I do not let them see that I
know they have been here before; [I do this] in order not to embarrass them.
And then they speak to me freely about their troubles and
needs.
Although Sister N. tells me that is not the way to deal
with beggars, and slams the door in their faces, when she is not there, I
treat them as my Master would. Sometimes more is given when giving nothing,
than when giving much in a rude manner.
1309 When I make the Way of the Cross, I am deeply moved
at the twelfth station. Here I reflect on the omnipotence of God's mercy
which passed through the Heart of Jesus. In this open wound of the Heart of
Jesus I enclose all poor humans... and those individuals whom I love, as
often as I make the Way of the Cross. From that Fount of Mercy issued the two
rays; that is, the Blood and the Water. With the immensity of their grace
they flood the whole world....
1312 + Jesus came to the main entrance today, under the
guise of a poor young man. This young man, emaciated, barefoot and
bareheaded, and with his clothes in tatters, was frozen because the day was
cold and rainy. He asked for something hot to eat. So I went to the kitchen,
but found nothing there for the poor. But, after searching around for some
time, I succeeded in finding some soup, which I reheated and into which I
crumbled some bread, and I gave it to the poor young man, who ate it. As I
was taking the bowl from him, he gave me to know that He was the Lord of
heaven and earth. When I saw Him as He was, He vanished from my sight. When I
went back in and reflected on what had happened at the gate, I heard these
words in my soul: My daughter, the blessings of the poor who bless
Me as they leave this gate have reached My ears. And your compassion, within
the bounds of obedience, has pleased Me, and this is why I came down from My
throne-to taste the fruits of your mercy.
1313 O my Jesus, now everything is clear to me, and I
understand all that has just happened. I somehow felt and asked myself what
sort of a poor man is this who radiates such modesty. From that moment on,
there was stirred up in my heart an even purer love toward the poor and the
needy. Oh, how happy I am that my superiors have given me such a task! I
understand that mercy is manifold; one can do good always and everywhere and
at all times. An ardent love of God sees all around itself constant
opportunities to share itself through deed, word and prayer. Now I understand
the words which You spoke to me, O Lord, some time ago.
1487 Jesus: Poor soul, I see that you suffer much and
that you do not have even the strength to coverse with me. So I will speak to
you. Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give
in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart?
Tell me about everything, be sincere in dealing with Me, reveal all the
wounds of your heart. I will heal them, and your suffering will become a
source of your sanctification.
Soul: Lord, my sufferings are so great and numerous and
have lasted so long that I become discouraged.
Jesus: My child, do not be discouraged. I know your
boundless trust in Me; I know
you are aware of My goodness and mercy. Let us talk in
detail about everything
that weighs so heavily upon your heart.
Soul: There are so many different things that I do not
know what to speak about first, nor how to express it.
Jesus: Talk to Me simply, as a friend to a friend. Tell
Me now, My child, what hinders you from advancing in holiness?
Soul: Poor health detains me on the way to holiness. I
cannot fulfill my duties. I am as
useless as an extra wheel on a wagon. I cannot mortify
myself or fast to any extent, as the saints did. Furthermore, nobody believes
I am sick, so that mental pain is added to those of the body, and I am often
humiliated. Jesus, how can anyone become holy in such circumstances?
Jesus: True, My child, all that is painful. But there
is no way to heaven except the
way of the cross. I followed it first. You must learn that
it is the shortest and
surest way.
Soul: Lord, there is another obstacle on the road to
holiness. Because I am faithful to You, I am persecuted and suffer much.
Jesus: It is because you are not of this world that the
world hates you. First it
persecuted Me. Persecution is a sign that you are
following in My footsteps
faithfully.
Soul: My Lord, I am also discouraged because neither my
superiors nor my confessor
understand my interior trials. A darkness clouds my mind.
How can I advance? All this
discourages me from striving for the heights of sanctity.
Jesus: Well, My child, this time you have told Me a
good deal. I realize how painful
it is not to be understood, and especially by those whom
one loves and with whom one has been very open. But suffice it to know that I
understand all your troubles and misery. I am pleased by the deep faith you
have, despite everything, in My representatives. Learn from this that no one
will understand a soul entirely-that is beyond human ability. Therefore, I
have remained on earth to comfort your aching heart and to fortify your soul,
so that you will not falter on the way. You say that a dense darkness is
obscuring your mind. But why, at such times, do you not come to Me, the light
who can in an instant pour into your soul more understanding about holiness
than can be found in any books? No confessor is capable of teaching and
enlightening a soul in this way. Know, too, that the darkness about which you
complain I first endured in the Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in
mortal anguish. I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My
special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am
intending for you in heaven. A suffering soul is closest to My Heart.
Soul: One more thing, Lord. What should I do when I am
ignored and rejected by people, especially by those on whom I had a right to
count in times of greatest need?
Jesus: My child, make the resolution never to rely on
people. Entrust yourself
completely to My will saying, "Not as I want, but
according to Your will, O God, let
it be done unto me." These words, spoken from the
depths of one's heart, can
raise a soul to the summit of sanctity in a short time. In
such a soul I delight. Such a soul gives Me glory. Such a soul fills heaven
with the fragrance of her virtue. But understand that the strength by which
you bear sufferings comes from frequent Communions. So approach this fountain
of mercy often, to draw with the vessel of trust whatever you need.
Soul: Thank You, Lord, for Your goodness in remaining with
us in this exile as the God of mercy and blessing us with the radiance of
Your compassion and goodness. It is through the light of Your mercy that I
have come to understand how much You love me.
|
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-116, 118, 150, 161, 220, 286, 401, 448)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-683, 845, 875, 885, 892, 908, 912,
920)
(Diary of
Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-927, 929, 934, 936, 953)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1153, 1158, 1167, 1274, 1282, 1309)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1312, 1313
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1487)
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