Faith and Faithfulness

mommyof4 · #1 Jun 9, '07, 7:39 am

Hello again folks. Please read the following passages and comment at your leisure, and as the Spirit Guides you!
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Faith and Faithfulness

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. (189)
This morning after completing my spiritual exercises, I began at once to crochet. I sensed a stillness in my heart; I sensed that Jesus was resting in it. That deep and sweet consciousness of God's presence prompted me to say to the Lord, "O Most Holy Trinity dwelling in my heart, I beg you: grant the grace of conversion to as many souls as the stitches that I make today with this crochet hook." Then I heard these words in my soul: My daughter, too great are your demands. "Jesus, You know that for You it is easier to grant much rather than a little." That is so, it is less difficult for Me to grant a soul much rather than a little, but every conversion of a sinful soul demands sacrifice." Well, Jesus, I offer You this whole-hearted work of mind; this offering does not seem to me to be too small for such a large number of souls; You know, Jesus, that for thirty years You were saving souls by just this kind of work. And since holy obedience forbids me to perform great penances and mortifications, therefore I ask You, Lord: accept these mere nothings stamped with the seal of obedience as great things." Then I heard a voice in my soul: My dear daughter, I comply with your request.

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 the soul, the soul must have faith. O how pleasing to Me is living faith! (1420)

....Forth, do not fear either struggles of the soul or any temptations, because I am supporting you; if only you are willing to fight, know that the victory is always on your side. Fifth, know that by fighting bravely you give Me great glory and amass merits for yourself. Temptation gives you a chance to show Me your fidelity. (1560)

Rammy · #2 Jun 10, '07, 6:34 am

This passage was beautiful to read, yet i am confused a bit. Is it a continuation of the Fostina diary? Or is it a story told to us of your accounts? Who point is the story told by?

Once i figure this out, i can better respond without foot in mouth.

Lana

mommyof4 · #3 Jun 10, '07, 6:42 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rammy

This passage was beautiful to read, yet i am confused a bit. Is it a continuation of the Fostina diary? Or is it a story told to us of your accounts? Who point is the story told by?

Once i figure this out, i can better respond without foot in mouth.

Lana

It's the Diary. No, I have not personally been gifted with direct conversations with Our Lord, yet!

Rammy · #4 Jun 10, '07, 7:00 am

ooo, ok, sorry...The words are deeply complex combinations, and i see the point they are making to eachother but some of the terminology is a bit over my head.

Although it was a bit over my head that two would converse so deeply, i did get the just of it i think. To offer her small deeds as an act of giving to the souls who need to be brought to the understanding of his mercy....i think!

Although i have often had conversations with the lord, this was the clearest for me to understand...

....Forth, do not fear either struggles of the soul or any temptations, because I am supporting you; if only you are willing to fight, know that the victory is always on your side. Fifth, know that by fighting bravely you give Me great glory and amass merits for yourself. Temptation gives you a chance to show Me your fidelity. (1560)

There is deep faith to hand over oneself to the lord with confidence in being aware of the works of temptation. To find oneself under the full knowlege and awareness of the act of temptation means you have controle. to have controle and awareness, you are better equipt to redily ask for help, and it then be dealt with and gone far faster, and with greater speed because the temptation has not pulled you in to the vortex of sinning, repentance and sorrow.

With the route they are speaking of has a great ability to see sin for what it is, rather than being at it's mercy. Recognize your weaknesses with confidence and honesty, pray often for help, and when it does happen that the darkness finds it's way in...and he will...to address it and be rid of it with confidence in yourself and the lord for helping you through this.

The key is in not doing it alone...facing it exactly up front, and addressing it as a faithful partner of the lord...teamwork!

or so it is what i got out of it...

Lana

katy · #5 Jun 10, '07, 9:23 am

I am so pleased that Jesus is pleased with the simple, boring things we do because they need to be done, when we are mindful of him and offer ourselves when we do them.

Hunho · #6 Jun 10, '07, 10:49 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommyof4

This morning after completing my spiritual exercises, I began at once to crochet. I sensed a stillness in my heart; I sensed that Jesus was resting in it. That deep and sweet consciousness of God's presence prompted me to say to the Lord, "O Most Holy Trinity dwelling in my heart, I beg you: grant the grace of conversion to as many souls as the stitches that I make today with this crochet hook." Then I heard these words in my soul: My daughter, too great are your demands. "Jesus, You know that for You it is easier to grant much rather than a little." That is so, it is less difficult for Me to grant a soul much rather than a little, but every conversion of a sinful soul demands sacrifice." Well, Jesus, I offer You this whole-hearted work of mind; this offering does not seem to me to be too small for such a large number of souls; You know, Jesus, that for thirty years You were saving souls by just this kind of work. And since holy obedience forbids me to perform great penances and mortifications, therefore I ask You, Lord: accept these mere nothings stamped with the seal of obedience as great things." Then I heard a voice in my soul: My dear daughter, I comply with your request.

Where in the Diary is this entry? It isn't a part of the other entries you gave (#s 189, 1420, 1560) nor one right next to any of them. ?????????????

icequeen · #7 Jun 14, '07, 11:29 am

I read a book about St Faustina a few years ago and the crocheting story (I can't think of a better word right now) was in this book. I crochet, and I often think about what St Faustina requested of Jesus while crocheting. Crocheting is so ordinary yet so personal, especially when what you are making is a gift. It's as if the souls that Jesus saved that day while she was crocheting became a part of what she was making. Kind of like a soul afghan! The souls are the yarn, Jesus was the hook and St Faustina wove the souls together into something beautiful.

Convert in 99 · #8 Jun 14, '07, 3:09 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by katy

I am so pleased that Jesus is pleased with the simple, boring things we do because they need to be done, when we are mindful of him and offer ourselves when we do them.

What you said!

Rammy · #9 Jun 14, '07, 7:27 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by icequeen

I read a book about St Faustina a few years ago and the crocheting story (I can't think of a better word right now) was in this book. I crochet, and I often think about what St Faustina requested of Jesus while crocheting. Crocheting is so ordinary yet so personal, especially when what you are making is a gift. It's as if the souls that Jesus saved that day while she was crocheting became a part of what she was making. Kind of like a soul afghan! The souls are the yarn, Jesus was the hook and St Faustina wove the souls together into something beautiful.

Wonderfully put, and so creative in the simple things we do for him humbly...every stich used for something good in heaven!

I do wonder something not really related to this story, but to crocheting. I know the simple three stiches needed to make a small quilt. I get bogged at the ends of each of the rows. I wonder, how many chain stiches are needed to be done before you start the next row? Is is different according to what stitch...eg. single chain, double or tripple!

I would love to incorperate what i find fun and peacefully relaxing into my offerings.

Rammy/Lana

icequeen · #10 Jun 15, '07, 12:20 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rammy

Wonderfully put, and so creative in the simple things we do for him humbly...every stich used for something good in heaven!

I do wonder something not really related to this story, but to crocheting. I know the simple three stiches needed to make a small quilt. I get bogged at the ends of each of the rows. I wonder, how many chain stiches are needed to be done before you start the next row? Is is different according to what stitch...eg. single chain, double or tripple!

I would love to incorperate what i find fun and peacefully relaxing into my offerings.

Rammy/Lana

Hi Rammy, I haven't talked with you in a while, mainly because I have been so busy with life. I hope that things are going well in yours.

At the end of the row, you need to chain one for single crochet, two for half double crochet and three for double crochet. Oh, also if you are doing a triple, you need to chain four. This helps to keep the height of the stitches the same throughout your work. Let me know if you need more help!

InHerHeartMJ · #11 Jun 15, '07, 10:12 pm

I remember this section when I was reading the diary several months ago. One of the lines that struck me at the time was the following:

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. (189)

At the time I read it I was constantly thinking of what I could DO for our Lord.....penance and mortifications. However, after reading this I had to ask myself, am I living in obedience to Him? Do I love my neighbor as He asks? Do I follow the 10 commandments? I realized that if I'm not even doing these things that He asks, what's the point of doing penance or mortifications for Him? The most notable trait of Our Lady is her total obedience to God. It gave me a whole different perspective on my spiritual life when I began to understand the importance of obedience.

There's a really good biography written about Padre Pio, "Padre Pio: A Man of Hope" by Renzo Allegri in which you get a real good sense of how much obedience was a part of his spiritual life, even in the most difficult of moments.

Catherine

anamchara · #12 Jun 15, '07, 10:18 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunho

Where in the Diary is this entry? It isn't a part of the other entries you gave (#s 189, 1420, 1560) nor one right next to any of them. ?????????????

Yes, I am a bit confused by this as well.

Mommy, can you give us number for that passage?

I would rather right down the numbers and quietly read them in the book at night

**Shoshana** · #13 Jun 22, '07, 7:07 pm

As a penance I will be reading Divine mercy again for the 4th time...maybe i might get the gist of holiness by osmosis!

**Shoshana** · #14 Jun 22, '07, 7:09 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rammy

....Forth, do not fear either struggles of the soul or any temptations, because I am supporting you; if only you are willing to fight, know that the victory is always on your side. Fifth, know that by fighting bravely you give Me great glory and amass merits for yourself. Temptation gives you a chance to show Me your fidelity. (1560)

Lana

I just received this word as a word of consolation from Catholic Answers (Amy Betros). It was the right word at the right time and now I read it again! Thank you Lord!

acadian · #15 Jun 26, '07, 2:01 pm

I've been reading the diary, slowly, for a few months now, I think.

Can I throw out a couple of things that hit me last night as I was reading?

The first from 439 ... I felt the strength and courage to do God's will; nothing seemed difficult to me; and whereas I had previously been making excuses to the Lord, I now felt the Lord's courage and strength within me...

This was something I could relate to in my real life. Several years ago, after being away for quite a few years, I went back to Mass and back to confession. I feel like I know exactly the courage and strength she was talking about, and now I know exactly where it came from. Once I made up my mind, there was nothing that was going to keep me away.

More recently, I met with my pastor to help sort through some issues I was having with a certain person. My question, more than anything, was how would I continue to work with this person in light of the words that had been exchanged, etc. His advice to me was to start off with an apology. This was certainly not the advice I expected to get, and not something I was too excited about doing. BUT, there was a great deal of peace that accompanied the advice, and so I did what I needed to do - drawing on some of that strength and courage - and a weight lifted.

And this one from 450: Satan defeats only the proud and the cowardly, because the humble are strong. Nothing will confuse or frighten a humble soul.

This reminds me of my pastor. One of his most noticeable attributes is his humility.

Just throwing out a few quotes that spoke to me. Anyone else?