Dec
22
2010
By Anonymous (not verified)
At that moment, Jesus suddenly stood before me, coming I know not from where, radiant with unbelievable beauty, clothed in a white garment, with uplifted arms, and He spoke these words to me, "My daughter, your heart is My repose; it is My delight. I find in it everything that is refused Me by so many souls. Tell this to My representative." And an instant later, I saw nothing, but a whole ocean of consolations entered my soul.
- Diary of St. Faustina, 339
You know what? To be the Lord's delight is not as difficult as you may imagine. As the author and Divine Mercy scholar, Fr. George W. Kosicki, CSB, points out, we can learn from St. Faustina that "seeking and desiring to do God's will is a giant step in fulfilling His will" (Revelations of Divine Mercy, Marian Press). That is to say, by seeking, we find. Otherwise, it won't come automatically.
That's the case even with one as spiritually gifted as St. Faustina. Sure, St. Faustina was blessed with gifts that probably none of us will ever have. She had visions and hidden stigmata. She could bilocate. She could read human souls. She had a close, personal relationship with Christ, the Blessed Mother, angels, saints, and souls in purgatory. Still, she knew such gifts did not, in themselves, bring about holiness. She wrote: "Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God" (Diary, 1107).
In St. Faustina's revelations, Christ doesn't shy away from drawing a line and exhorting us to toe it. He tells St. Faustina, "Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the doors of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the doors of My mercy must pass through the doors of My justice ..." (1146). Still, obedient souls such as St. Faustina make it clear that following God's will is not a virtue done out of fear, but out of love and trust.
Through the Blessed Mother, we learn the loving consequence of obedience since her obedience brought the Savior of mankind into the world. Through our own obedience, we, too, may be Christ bearers to a hurting world. By trusting, loving, and obeying God - by offering ourselves wholeheartedly to His divine plan like St. Faustina did, like Mary did - only then can we experience the greatest, most lasting joy imaginable: the joy of God in our lives.
Jesus, I trust in You!
- Diary of St. Faustina, 339
You know what? To be the Lord's delight is not as difficult as you may imagine. As the author and Divine Mercy scholar, Fr. George W. Kosicki, CSB, points out, we can learn from St. Faustina that "seeking and desiring to do God's will is a giant step in fulfilling His will" (Revelations of Divine Mercy, Marian Press). That is to say, by seeking, we find. Otherwise, it won't come automatically.
That's the case even with one as spiritually gifted as St. Faustina. Sure, St. Faustina was blessed with gifts that probably none of us will ever have. She had visions and hidden stigmata. She could bilocate. She could read human souls. She had a close, personal relationship with Christ, the Blessed Mother, angels, saints, and souls in purgatory. Still, she knew such gifts did not, in themselves, bring about holiness. She wrote: "Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God" (Diary, 1107).
In St. Faustina's revelations, Christ doesn't shy away from drawing a line and exhorting us to toe it. He tells St. Faustina, "Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the doors of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the doors of My mercy must pass through the doors of My justice ..." (1146). Still, obedient souls such as St. Faustina make it clear that following God's will is not a virtue done out of fear, but out of love and trust.
Through the Blessed Mother, we learn the loving consequence of obedience since her obedience brought the Savior of mankind into the world. Through our own obedience, we, too, may be Christ bearers to a hurting world. By trusting, loving, and obeying God - by offering ourselves wholeheartedly to His divine plan like St. Faustina did, like Mary did - only then can we experience the greatest, most lasting joy imaginable: the joy of God in our lives.
Jesus, I trust in You!
chj
