Aug. 20, 2015 Thursday: St. Bernard
Aug. 20, 2015 Thursday: St. Bernard
Trust as a vessel to contain God’s mercy
Trust is our response in knowing and experiencing merciful love of God. We can use an analogy to describe what trust is. When we go to a public water fountain, we can draw water from it as long as we have a vessel or container of some kind to put the water in. If our vessel is small, we can only bring back a little water; if it's large, we can bring back a lot. And anyone with a vessel can draw water from the fountain. The water is there for us, and no one is excluded. All we need is a vessel.
So it is with God's grace and mercy. In repeated revelations to St. Faustina, Our Lord makes it clear that the fountain is His Heart, the water is His mercy, and the vessel is our trust. We know that there are time when we are so painfully aware of our weakness and our tendency to fall into temptations.
Confidence is defined as the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone. The more we are aware of our weakness, the greater should be our confidence that the "ocean" of God's infinite mercy would constantly overcome our misery. This knowledge should fill us with joy instead of sadness. St. Faustina wrote,
O Jesus, You know how weak I am; be then ever with me: guide my actions and my whole being, You who are my very best Teacher! Truly, Jesus, I become frightened when I look at my own misery, but at the same time I am reassured by Your unfathomable mercy, which exceeds my misery by the measure of all eternity. This disposition of soul clothes me in Your power. O joy that flows from the knowledge of one's self! O unchanging Truth, Your constancy is everlasting! (Diary, 66)
After Holy Communion, I heard these words: You see what you are of yourself, but do not be frightened at this. If I were to reveal to you the whole misery that you are, you would die of terror. However, be aware of what you are. Because you are such misery, I have revealed to you the whole ocean of My mercy. I seek and desire souls like yours, but they are few. Your great trust forces Me to continuously grant you graces. You have great and incomprehensible rights over My heart, for you are a daughter of complete trust... My love and mercy knows no bounds. (Diary, 718)
Once Mother Teresa explained to her sisters: "It is only when we realize our nothingness, our emptiness, that God can fill us with Himself. When we become full of God then we can give God to others, for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks."
Trust as a vessel to contain God’s mercy
Trust is our response in knowing and experiencing merciful love of God. We can use an analogy to describe what trust is. When we go to a public water fountain, we can draw water from it as long as we have a vessel or container of some kind to put the water in. If our vessel is small, we can only bring back a little water; if it's large, we can bring back a lot. And anyone with a vessel can draw water from the fountain. The water is there for us, and no one is excluded. All we need is a vessel.
So it is with God's grace and mercy. In repeated revelations to St. Faustina, Our Lord makes it clear that the fountain is His Heart, the water is His mercy, and the vessel is our trust. We know that there are time when we are so painfully aware of our weakness and our tendency to fall into temptations.
Confidence is defined as the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone. The more we are aware of our weakness, the greater should be our confidence that the "ocean" of God's infinite mercy would constantly overcome our misery. This knowledge should fill us with joy instead of sadness. St. Faustina wrote,
O Jesus, You know how weak I am; be then ever with me: guide my actions and my whole being, You who are my very best Teacher! Truly, Jesus, I become frightened when I look at my own misery, but at the same time I am reassured by Your unfathomable mercy, which exceeds my misery by the measure of all eternity. This disposition of soul clothes me in Your power. O joy that flows from the knowledge of one's self! O unchanging Truth, Your constancy is everlasting! (Diary, 66)
After Holy Communion, I heard these words: You see what you are of yourself, but do not be frightened at this. If I were to reveal to you the whole misery that you are, you would die of terror. However, be aware of what you are. Because you are such misery, I have revealed to you the whole ocean of My mercy. I seek and desire souls like yours, but they are few. Your great trust forces Me to continuously grant you graces. You have great and incomprehensible rights over My heart, for you are a daughter of complete trust... My love and mercy knows no bounds. (Diary, 718)
Once Mother Teresa explained to her sisters: "It is only when we realize our nothingness, our emptiness, that God can fill us with Himself. When we become full of God then we can give God to others, for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks."
