Happy Easter!

"O Jesus, Divine Prisoner of Love, when I consider Your love and how You emptied Yourself for me, my senses fail me. You hide Your inconceivable majesty and lower Yourself to miserable me. O King of Glory, though You hide Your beauty, yet the eye of my soul rends the veil. I see the angelic choirs giving You honor without cease, and all the heavenly Powers praising You without cease, and without cease they are saying: Holy, Holy, Holy" (St. Faustina, 80).

We had a wonderful Easter weekend with Jeff, Kate, Lolo and Lola- we miss you all already! And a big shout out to Great Grandma Cook and Aunt Cyndy for the amazing Easter baskets and goodies! We will be enjoying their contents for weeks to come.

First time at Ben's Chili Bowl, and we all got a table together right off the bat...on Easter weekend! You can see the people packed in like sardines behind us...

Jeff, Kate and Frankie enjoying the Kite Flying Festival downtown.

When Christ seems absent

"My heart is languishing for God. I desire to become united with Him. A faint fear pierces my soul and at the same time a kind of flame of love sets my heart on fire. Love and suffering are united in my heart. "(St. Faustina, 1050).

Mary, in the deepest and darkest moments of my life, when Jesus seems totally absent, help me to remember that I am never alone; you are always here with me to comfort me and to teach me. With your help, dear Mother, I can trust that your Son's absence only appears as such and that I will experience His consoling presence again soon-- very soon. (Meditation by Fr. Jim McCormack, MIC)

"I thirst"

During Holy Mass, I saw the Lord Jesus nailed upon the cross amidst great torments. A soft moan issued from His Heart. After some time, He said, I thirst. I thirst for the salvation of souls. Help Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners (1032).

My Jesus, here I am, with You at the foot of Your Cross. Allow me to quench Your thirst. I offer You my whole being, and I place all my trust in You. May these words be to me like breathing: Jesus, I trust in You! (Meditation by Fr. Jim McCormack, MIC)

The Eucharist

"Over the bread and wine He says these words: 'This is My Blood, this is My Body.' Although mysterious, these are words of love. Then He passes the Cup among His disciples." (St. Faustina, 1002)

O Lord, how greatly You desire to dine with me, to give to me Your Body and Blood, that I may be one with You. In profound gratitude, I now offer You to the Father as You taught me to do-- for those who so need Your mercy. "Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world." (Meditation by Fr. Jim McCormack, MIC)

Easter eggs and fat legs

The strength to suffer

"[A particularly intense time of suffering] was an occasion for me to unite myself with Jesus, suffering on the Cross. Beyond that, I was unable to pray" (St. Faustina, 696).

Lord, I am so weak. I tend to run from suffering when it comes my way. But You know my weakness, and You love me anyway. Give me the strength to suffer with You what I must. (Meditation by Fr. Jim McCormack, MIC)

Gratitude

"I saw Jesus riding on a donkey's foal, and the disciples and a great multitude with branches in their hands joyfully accompanying the Lord Jesus. Some strewed them before His feet where He was riding, while others raised their branches in the air, leaping and jumping before the Lord and not knowing what to do for joy. ... But Jesus was very grave, and the Lord gave me to know how much He was suffering at the time. And at that moment, I saw nothing but only Jesus, whose Heart was saturated with ingratitude" (St. Faustina, 642).

Dearest Jesus, my heart is heavy also. I know that in just a few days You will enter into Your agony. And, even now, You are burdened by the ingratitude and lack of trust of others. But here I am with You, walking somberly beside You, as You ride into the holy city. May my presence here alongside You bring a smile to Your eyes and joy to Your heart, even if only a little. (Meditation by Fr. Jim McCormack, MIC)

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny lives under the shed in our back yard. He made an appearance today. Maybe I shouldn't have told Francesca and Teresa this particular one might be him. "Mommy, but how does he make the eggs? Does he come inside the house to fill the jar with jellybeans? I thought the Easter Bunny was BIG." Well, this fat rabbit here is big, but just by normal bunny standards. As for getting inside the house, well, that's magic. "Magic?" Frankie frowned. That explanation won't fly for too much longer, I can tell.

 

The Passion

Look into My Heart and see there the love and mercy which I have for humankind, and especially for sinners. Look, and enter into My Passion (Christ to St. Faustina, 1663).

My sins weigh heavily on my heart when I think of what I did in ignorance. I feel shame when I look upon an image of Your love poured forth for ungrateful humanity. How could I ever so completely reject Your love for me again? (Meditation by Fr. Daniel Cambra, MIC)

Jesus's consolation

My daughter, know that your ardent love and the compassion you have for Me were a consolation to Me in the Garden [of Olives] (Christ to St. Faustina, 1664).

How is it, Lord, that I should matter so much to You? How could I be worth so much to You? When will I matter so much to myself? (Meditation by Fr. Daniel Cambra, MIC)

Telling Him everything

Tell me all, My child, hide nothing from Me, because My loving Heart, the Heart of your Best Friend, is listening to you (Christ to St. Faustina, 1486).

Jesus, I trust in You as my Best Friend. You alone do not disappoint me. You do not laugh at my sorrows and worries, which are often trifles. You do not ridicule me, even when I am foolish. How could I live without You? How could I live without Your love in my life? (Meditation by Fr. Daniel Cambra, MIC)

Source of our happiness

"My Jesus, You suffice me for everything else in the world. Although the sufferings are severe, You sustain me. Although the times of loneliness are terrible, You make them sweet for me. Although the weakness is great, You change it into power for me" (St. Faustina, 1655).

Help me, Lord, to fully rely on You, the source of every good. Transform me into Your Love. (Meditation by Fr. Daniel Cambra, MIC)

Child-like assurance

Your humility draws Me down from My lofty throne, and I unite myself closely with you (Christ to St. Faustina, 1109).

Like a child in the lap of her parent, I desire to rest in the quiet of Your strong arms. Your arms wrap around me, protecting me from the Evil One and all harm. Help me, Lord Jesus, to quietly rest here with You protecting me. (Meditation by Fr. Daniel Cambra, MIC)

Encouraging others to trust

Encourage the souls with whom you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who have complete confidence in Me -- I will do everything for them (Christ to St. Faustina, 294).

My God, I trust in You, but heal my lack of trust! I want to encourage others to trust in Your mercy, but I myself sometimes feel like I need others to encourage me. Remind me of Your goodness. Help me to experience Your tenderness more deeply. How can I do this? Ah, yes. I'll think about all the good things You've done for me. When I look back on my life, I see that You've helped me through so many difficult times. You've been the best of friends. You were always there for me when I turned to You. Yes, I will encourage others to trust in You, and I will tell them that they will not be disappointed. (Meditation by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC)

Pondering Jesus's Passion

My daughter, today consider My Sorrowful Passion in all its immensity. Consider it as if it had been undertaken for your sake alone (Christ to St. Faustina, 1781).

Jesus, I'm grateful for all that You suffered for me. Yet I'm afraid I can't fully understand all that Your love endured. Please enlighten me. Help me to know Your greatest suffering. Was it the rejection? I think so. And You endured that for me? Yes. But I caused it, too? Yes, it's true. I've so often subtly rejected You. I'm sorry, Jesus. I'm sorry for drifting from Your love and for not taking time to ponder it. Help me, Lord, to know and experience Your love more deeply. Have compassion on my hardened heart, so I can feel more compassion for You. (Meditation by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC)

Giving Him our hearts

My daughter, I want to repose in your heart, because many souls have thrown Me out of their hearts today. I have experienced sorrow unto death (Christ to St. Faustina, 866).

Jesus, I'm making a resolution to remember that You're in my heart. Nevertheless, I'm afraid that I'll soon forget that You're there. Well, I'm going to start smiling as soon as I finish this meditation, and that's a sign to You that I love You. People may wonder why I'm smiling, but You'll know for sure. And when I have to stop smiling, or forget to smile, remember that I was smiling for You. And give me gentle reminders to smile for You throughout the day, because I want to cheer You up. At least remember my smile now, and don't be sad, because I love You. (Meditation by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC)

Habemus Papam!

Pope Francis I: the first Francis, the first Jesuit and the first Latin American to be pope. He took the bus to work as Archbishop of Argentina. He's a professor of chemistry. I can't wait to learn more about him, and what God in His providence has in store for the Church. Pope Francis, we love you!

Bearing crosses

"I do not ask, Lord, that You take me down from the cross, but I implore You to give me the strength to remain steadfast upon it" (St. Faustina, 1484).

Lord, St. Faustina is a great saint. I'm not. Sometimes I complain about even the littlest crosses in my life. Well, as You gave Faustina the grace to accept her big crosses, please give me the grace not to complain about my little ones. You are so merciful that You forget what a complainer I've been. Today, Lord, I begin again. Out of love for You, I will try to give You a smile when I feel the splinters from the Cross. And if I have to begin again tomorrow, I won't get discouraged. After all, You love little souls most especially, and I'm certainly much smaller than Faustina. (Meditation by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC)

Trusting in Mercy

There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted-- it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it (Christ to St. Faustina, 1273).

Thank You, Jesus, for Your merciful Heart. I trust in Your mercy, and I happily accept Your special care. But when I begin to feel anxious or discouraged and my trust falters, I beg You, please don't abandon me. Instead, give me the grace to trust in You completely. Jesus, I trust You to do this. After all, isn't my misery greatest during those times of darkness? And didn't You just say, "There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy?" Well, then, I know Your mercy will be there for me during those trials. Thank You, Jesus, for Your mercy, which reaches out to me, especially in the darkness. (Meditation by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC)

Please say a prayer for Fr. Gaitley, who did the above meditation, and who wrote Consoling the Heart of Jesus, because he is in the hospital for some serious heart problems. Two of his nieces are in Frankie's class.

Jesus's example

And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things. (Christ to St. Faustina, 1184)

What do I have to do? What is my mission, my vocation? I have to look for Your will, Jesus. You want to show me that Your plan and Your provisions are the best things I could ever have. Your life, dear Jesus, is my best example: You came to do the will of the Father, that was Your mission. Such a difficult mission! Yet You prayed for the Father's will, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." When my crosses seem more than I can bear, let me look to You with trust and echo, "Thy will be done." (Meditation by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC)

Fear

"I do not fear anything in the world, but fear only lest I make Jesus sad" (St. Faustina, 610).

What is most important? Jesus, You created me in love. You redeemed with with Your Blood. Then why am I so full of fear? My life is ruled by fear of failure, fear of what others think, fear of losing the love of those around me, fear of being forgotten, or fear of being lonely. In the past, I've resisted giving You these fears. The most important thing in my life is loving You, so I freely give You these fears. Today I will look for ways to put You first. If I start to worry again, I will stop, give it to You, and then continue my day. May my constant acts of trust and surrender bring You joy (Meditation by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC).

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Cook

Happy Birthday to my wife.  You are my joy and inspiration, and our children are a reflection of your selflessness and love.  You are like the chocolate soufflé we had tonight to celebrate your birthday: refined, elevated, delicate and sweet.

My purpose

I spend every free moment at the feet of the hidden God. He is my Master; I ask Him about everything; I speak to Him about everything. Here I obtain strength and light; here I learn everything; here I am given light on how to act toward my neighbor. (St. Faustina, 704)

What can I do for You, Lord Jesus? What can I do? I am really a small one. How can my life change anything? And yet, in some mysterious way, my life can change the world. Through intercessory prayer I can touch people all over the world. You are God and I am a creature, yet You ask me to seek You out, to converse with You, to ask You for anything. No petition is too small for You or too difficult for You. Today, Jesus, let me remember those I love who are far from You. I beg Your graces upon them. My trust is in You, O Lord. (Meditation by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC)

This meditation seems fitting for me to read on the day I was born. Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

Suffering

"Oh, if only the suffering soul knew how it is loved by God, it would die of joy and excess of happiness! Some day, we will know the value of suffering, but then we will no longer be able to suffer. The present moment is ours." (St. Faustina, 963)

Jesus, You are my great Teacher. From You, I learn the value of suffering. From You, I learn how to recognize all of the little and big crosses that You give me today. Increase my awareness of my daily crosses, so that I may offer them back to You, especially for poor sinners. Sometimes my path to You is full of sharp rocks and pebbles. But, when I pick them up and give them to Mary, she cleans them off and underneath the dirt and grime is a jewel. Even though I have trouble seeing the jewel, please take these crosses, these jewels, of mine and, through the hands of Mary, may they shine brilliantly before You. Let me not overlook one cross today, but may I offer each one to You with joy. (Meditation by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC)

Being little

"Oh, how good the Lord is in not letting me go astray! I know that He will guard me, even jealously, but only as long as I remain little, because it is with such that the great Lord likes to commune. As to proud souls, He watches them from afar and opposes them" (St. Faustina, 1440).

Today, I am afraid of nothing. I am not afraid of my littleness. I am not afraid of my falls. For as many times as I fall today, I will turn to You-- not discouraged, but with a contrite heart. I will tell You everything. To convert means to turn around to You, to face You, to look tward You, to love You with all my energy, my mind, my soul, and my heart. Jesus, I beg You for the grace to be continually converted today, to begin yet again in seeking You, no matter how many times I have to turn back to You. (Meditation by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC)

Lent and St. Faustina

If you haven't read The Diary of St. Faustina, you're missing out. Don't be intimidated by its size; it's a fast read, and you'll reap countless insights from it. I was reading it in 2006 while pregnant with Francesca. After Mass at St. James one day, a slight, elderly nun approached me. She handed me a holy card with the Divine Mercy image on it and whispered sweetly, "Trust in Jesus!" Perhaps seeing me pregnant she felt I could use some encouragement (it had been a rough go with morning sickness, I won't lie). I was amazed to learn she's a relative of St. Faustina's, working to spread the Divine Mercy message in the northern Virginia area! Feeling strongly this was no random coincidence, we decided on "Faustina" as Francesca's middle name.

This little Lenten reader Hilary gave me a couple years ago gives a snippet from the Diary for each day of Lent. I'll try to post one or two a day that I find particularly thought-provoking and prayer-inspiring. They speak to the suffering soul (i.e. every one of us). Here's a few for today:

Christ to St. Faustina:

The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered (1397).

I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate on My Passion (186).

You are my great joy; your love and your humility make Me leave the heavenly throne and unite Myself with you. Love fills up the abyss that exists between My greatness and your nothingness (512).

She has a pleasant face, doesn't she? It kindof reminds me of JPII's... must be a Polish thing, or maybe a saint thing.