Communication with Visitors Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us! April 1 (P.S. April 2,11,15,20,21,22,26,30) Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, It is nice communicating with you again. To many folks, today is also April's Fool. One may ask "Who, then, is the greatest fool?" With all due respect, perhaps we can say that Jesus is the greatest Fool, not to us, but for us. Conceived (at the Annunciation) and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary (on Christmas), Christ Jesus went through His indescribable Passion, Death and Resurrection (commemorated during the Triduum, from April 20-22 this year). Now He is not only in Heaven but also living --- or rather imprisoning Himself for us --- in the Sacred Host (since His establishment of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday some two millennia ago). According to our Bl. Sr. Faustina (to be canonized on April 30 this year): "If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is receiving of Holy Communion and the other is suffering [sharing and alleviating the very Passion of Christ]" (The Diary of Sister M. Faustina Kowalska, no. 1804). Someone commented aptly: "The One who is crucified without mercy on the Cross should have been me; and now He has even become a vegetable with all consciousness, again for me". What, then, does this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me really want? Obviously, this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me wants, above all, our/my eternal salvation (i.e., that we/I go to Heaven), especially our/my personal loving union with God. The rest, including global peace and justice, is only a means to this end. However, this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me has already been the designated Means to this purpose of creation. In the words of Sr. Faustina: "O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners" (Ibid, no. 356). As the eternal God creates each of us to be in loving union with Him (sorry, there is again no special pronoun for God in the English language yet), unceasingly so, Jesus living in the Blessed Sacrament is without compare the greatest Life and easiest Way to do so on earth. Yet it may be the most difficult Truth in this scientific age, for it takes a living fool to wholeheartedly embrace, believe, visit, receive, love, surrender and pray more than an hour daily before this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me. Lord, have mercy on us/me! Help us/me to become a willing and loving fool for this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me! Yours sincerely in Christ and Our Heavenly Mother, Editor P.S. (April 2) The editor still has to spend time looking after his dear mother, besides doing his regular research work and so on. He hopes that the above would cover more or less the whole month of April. Further, he is not talking about himself here. Please do not worry. Thank you for your kindness. Praise God! May the whole Divine Heavenly Family be with us always! P.S. (April 11) In Praise of Fools for Christ As we know, many situations in life often challenge us to make a firm choice, either we become a bitter self-filled fool unto ourselves, or we become a joyful, Spirit-filled fool for Christ (or for some noble cause). Regarding the latter, there exists oftentimes a thin line between becoming a fool or saint/hero/heroine. Sung or unsung, Christian or non-Christian, many saints or heroes have become so only because they have made this commitment in boundless faith, hope and love for God and others, again and again, unshaken by various difficulties or challenges. Whether in fulfilling the First, Second or both Great Commandments of God, we cannot name one great person who has not followed such a path. To be happy always, we often have to practice the spirit of the Baptist, i.e., God/they must truly increase, I must truly decrease, as the Lord is pleased. P.S. (April 15) The editor would like to wish all our dear visitors a most prayerful and Spirit-filled Holy Week. Thank you. God bless you! P.S. (April 20) Holy Thursday Apparently, God created us (1) first and foremost to love us, (2) then for us to love God, (3) and then for us to love one another as part of God's family. The first (i.e., for God to love us) seems to manifest only God's very nature of love, as God is love. The second and the third are certainly God's Great Commandments for us. All in all, the Triduum appears to be the greatest occasion during the whole Liturgical Year to prove this truth. Tonight God/Jesus institutes the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to love us, giving God/Jesus countless real occasions to unite with us in love, most intimately on earth. The Sacrament of Sacraments also gives us countless real occasions to unite ourselves most intimately with God/Jesus in love, just as we are. Yet we need to spend an appropriate amount of time after Mass to thank God/Jesus and to make this union with God/Jesus truly real and intimate. At times we may need Confession to make sure we are not receiving God/Jesus in sacrilege. At the same time, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist gives us countless real occasions on earth to unite ourselves with one another in love as part of Christ's Mystical Body, intimately so. From these real, personal encounters with God/Jesus, we receive also much grace (divine strength or energy) and inspiration (through the Word, sermon, our personal dialogue with God and with one another after Mass, etc.) to further realize our love for one another as part of God's big family (which includes the whole Divine Heavenly Family and all in the human family). P.S. April 21 Holy Friday Whenever God loves, whether the object is God Himself (in the Holy Trinity ad intra) or us His sinful creatures (in the Holy Trinity ad extra), God seems to love with all His Heart, all His Soul, all His Mind and all His Strength. As we commemorates the suffering and death of Christ for us sinners today, we commemorate most gratefully God's unspeakable love for us, i.e., God/Jesus loves us sinners with all His Heart, all His Soul, all His Mind and all His Strength, even going through His indescribable suffering and death on the Cross for us.* Created as God's image and likeness, it is only natural for us to follow God's very nature of love, i.e., to love God and others according to the First and Second Great Commandments. Indeed, God does not ask us to do anything which God Himself has not first done or cannot first do.** The two Great Commandments of God reflect only God's unchangeable nature, as it occurs eternally or unceasingly among the Three Divine Persons in the Holy Trinity ad intra. -------------------------------------------------------- * Two schools of thought are possible here. The first school, which most of us belong to, tends to think as follows: 1) It seems that it was only God the Son who suffered and died for us, not God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. 2) It seems that Jesus only went through His suffering and death on the Cross for no more than a few hours. The second school, which many canonized mystics and some good-standing theologians belong to, tends to think like this: 1) As the mystery of Perichoresis necessarily implies, at no time in history can we separate the Three Persons as if They live separately in three separate compartments. In different forms or appearances, the Three Divine Persons did go through the Passion together. 2) Jesus continues His Passion and salvation of us on the Cross until His Second Coming. ** A famous saying in the British army states something like the following: "Do not ask your subjects to do anything which you yourself cannot first do." As it is always easier said than done, we may have to practice repentance even continuously. Lord, have mercy on us! P.S. (April 22) Holy Saturday Tonight -- during the Easter Vigil -- we celebrate the irreversible, everlasting family union or re-union between the whole Uncreated and created reality. This exuberant family re-union is particularly true between the whole Uncreated Family (of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the whole human family (except for those souls who have chosen to reject God and want nothing to do this incredible and awesome free gift of the Creator Himself). In hounor of the coming canonization of Blessed Sister Faustina on the Divine Mercy Sunday (April 30), the following is highlighted by certain quotes from Christ which she allegedly reported in her Diary. First and foremost, Jesus (in whom dwells the infinite fullness of God the Father and the Spirit) is resurrected to be in loving union with us, in fulfillment of His Uncreated Dream to be forever united with each precious member of His family on earth. Did Christ not call us His mother, sister and brother in the Sacred Scriptures (cf. Mt 12:50; Mk 3:35; etc.)? Jesus said, "I desire to unite Myself with human souls; My great delight is to unite Myself with souls." (Diary 1385) "My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners." (Diary 367) At the same time, Jesus is resurrected to help us love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, to fulfil our wildest dream to be in loving union with God for all eternity. Jesus said, "Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces." (Diary 738) "What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father." (Diary 1486) To each soul who responds to His love, Jesus would say, "O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity." (Diary 1489) Further, Jesus is resurrected to help us in our struggles to love one another as part of God's family, especially in bringing souls to God. He said, "My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace." (Diary 1486) "But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls." (Diary 1489) Practically speaking, one of the best ways we can help our sisters and brothers today is to take advantage of the current Novena of Divine Mercy by praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Jesus is resurrected! He is truly resurrected for all of us! Together with the whole family of God everywhere in Heaven, on earth and in Purgatory, we proclaim with immense joy and gratitude: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Thank you, Jesus dearest! P.S. (April 26-30) Happy Easter again! Today (April 26, Day 6) let us continue to unite our prayers with other sisters and brothers in making the Novena of Divine Mercy by praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. It is possible for the time-free dimension of Christ (which unifies, swinging back-and-forth instantly, the past, the present and the future) to be real as mentioned by Sr. Faustina in the Novena of the Divine Mercy. This is particularly true when we envision Christ to have mystically united (in the mystery of Incarnation) or re-united (in the mystery of Resurrection) within Himself not only the Uncreated and created dimensions of space but also those of time, i.e., the Uncreated Time (eternity) and created time (temporality). If Karl Rahner's most-quoted comment on Christian mysticism is correct (i.e., the future Christian would become either a mystic or not at all), we cannot afford to take lightly this mystical presentation of Christ given by a soon-to-be-canonized mystic (on April 30, this Sunday). Apparently, one can present or understand Christ in at least four dimensions: the historical, the personal, the cosmic and the mystical. To some significant extent Sr. Faustina seems to have linked them well together in this Novena of the Divine Mercy. Let us reflect on it in light of the following succinct yet awestruck insight of Teilhard: "The God for whom our century is waiting must be: 1) as vast and mysterious as the Cosmos; 2) as immediate and all-embracing as Life; 3) as linked (in some way) to our efforts as Mankind" (Teilhard de Chardin, The Heart of Matter, p. 212). Let us truly rejoice and thank God for St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. For further information on this great Saint of the twentieth century, click here. Thank you. Alleluia! P.S. (April 30) As a footnote, we have to say that Christ's bitterness as mentioned in the Novena of the Divine Mercy is different from ordinary human bitterness. Just as divine jealousy (cf. Ex 20:5; Deut 5:9; etc.) being differed from its human counterpart, the former is infinitely, perfectly and uncreatedly justified or justifiable, while the latter is not. After all, there are many meanings regarding the words "bitter" or "bitterness". Further, since we have no access to the original terms in Polish, we have to interpret these terms in ever unblemished faith, hope and love of God. Obviously, to avoid being a bitter or jealous fool unto ourselves, God's presence within and around us needs to be wonderfully activated at all times. It could be done through, for example, daily prayers, meditation and virtuous works. Oftentimes, we tend to behave according to the intensity of God's grace in and near us. No matter what happens, we are called to go before the Lord with the greatest confidence. If we focus long enough on the Lord, especially on the Sacred Host - the Greatest Host to all visitors, we oftentimes will go back to our daily life with the greatest radiant joy. Why? It is because the Lord has risen and has become the unshakable Foundation and Transformation of all created beings. Anyway, we are celebrating finally the canonization of a real fool/hero for Christ. She has now become perfectly free from all human vices, resembling the ever perfect Lord and Greatest-Fool/Hero-for-us. Alleluia and Alleluia! Pray for us, dear Saint Sister Faustina! .
April 1 (P.S. April 2,11,15,20,21,22,26,30)
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
It is nice communicating with you again. To many folks, today is also April's Fool. One may ask "Who, then, is the greatest fool?"
With all due respect, perhaps we can say that Jesus is the greatest Fool, not to us, but for us. Conceived (at the Annunciation) and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary (on Christmas), Christ Jesus went through His indescribable Passion, Death and Resurrection (commemorated during the Triduum, from April 20-22 this year). Now He is not only in Heaven but also living --- or rather imprisoning Himself for us --- in the Sacred Host (since His establishment of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday some two millennia ago). According to our Bl. Sr. Faustina (to be canonized on April 30 this year): "If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is receiving of Holy Communion and the other is suffering [sharing and alleviating the very Passion of Christ]" (The Diary of Sister M. Faustina Kowalska, no. 1804). Someone commented aptly: "The One who is crucified without mercy on the Cross should have been me; and now He has even become a vegetable with all consciousness, again for me".
What, then, does this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me really want? Obviously, this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me wants, above all, our/my eternal salvation (i.e., that we/I go to Heaven), especially our/my personal loving union with God. The rest, including global peace and justice, is only a means to this end. However, this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me has already been the designated Means to this purpose of creation. In the words of Sr. Faustina: "O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners" (Ibid, no. 356). As the eternal God creates each of us to be in loving union with Him (sorry, there is again no special pronoun for God in the English language yet), unceasingly so, Jesus living in the Blessed Sacrament is without compare the greatest Life and easiest Way to do so on earth. Yet it may be the most difficult Truth in this scientific age, for it takes a living fool to wholeheartedly embrace, believe, visit, receive, love, surrender and pray more than an hour daily before this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me. Lord, have mercy on us/me! Help us/me to become a willing and loving fool for this Greatest-Fool-for-us/me!
Yours sincerely in Christ and Our Heavenly Mother,
Editor
P.S. (April 2) The editor still has to spend time looking after his dear mother, besides doing his regular research work and so on. He hopes that the above would cover more or less the whole month of April. Further, he is not talking about himself here. Please do not worry. Thank you for your kindness. Praise God!
May the whole Divine Heavenly Family be with us always!
P.S. (April 11) In Praise of Fools for Christ As we know, many situations in life often challenge us to make a firm choice, either we become a bitter self-filled fool unto ourselves, or we become a joyful, Spirit-filled fool for Christ (or for some noble cause). Regarding the latter, there exists oftentimes a thin line between becoming a fool or saint/hero/heroine. Sung or unsung, Christian or non-Christian, many saints or heroes have become so only because they have made this commitment in boundless faith, hope and love for God and others, again and again, unshaken by various difficulties or challenges. Whether in fulfilling the First, Second or both Great Commandments of God, we cannot name one great person who has not followed such a path. To be happy always, we often have to practice the spirit of the Baptist, i.e., God/they must truly increase, I must truly decrease, as the Lord is pleased.
P.S. (April 15) The editor would like to wish all our dear visitors a most prayerful and Spirit-filled Holy Week. Thank you. God bless you!
P.S. (April 20) Holy Thursday
Apparently, God created us (1) first and foremost to love us, (2) then for us to love God, (3) and then for us to love one another as part of God's family. The first (i.e., for God to love us) seems to manifest only God's very nature of love, as God is love. The second and the third are certainly God's Great Commandments for us. All in all, the Triduum appears to be the greatest occasion during the whole Liturgical Year to prove this truth.
Tonight God/Jesus institutes the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to love us, giving God/Jesus countless real occasions to unite with us in love, most intimately on earth.
The Sacrament of Sacraments also gives us countless real occasions to unite ourselves most intimately with God/Jesus in love, just as we are. Yet we need to spend an appropriate amount of time after Mass to thank God/Jesus and to make this union with God/Jesus truly real and intimate. At times we may need Confession to make sure we are not receiving God/Jesus in sacrilege.
At the same time, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist gives us countless real occasions on earth to unite ourselves with one another in love as part of Christ's Mystical Body, intimately so. From these real, personal encounters with God/Jesus, we receive also much grace (divine strength or energy) and inspiration (through the Word, sermon, our personal dialogue with God and with one another after Mass, etc.) to further realize our love for one another as part of God's big family (which includes the whole Divine Heavenly Family and all in the human family).
P.S. April 21 Holy Friday
Whenever God loves, whether the object is God Himself (in the Holy Trinity ad intra) or us His sinful creatures (in the Holy Trinity ad extra), God seems to love with all His Heart, all His Soul, all His Mind and all His Strength. As we commemorates the suffering and death of Christ for us sinners today, we commemorate most gratefully God's unspeakable love for us, i.e., God/Jesus loves us sinners with all His Heart, all His Soul, all His Mind and all His Strength, even going through His indescribable suffering and death on the Cross for us.*
Created as God's image and likeness, it is only natural for us to follow God's very nature of love, i.e., to love God and others according to the First and Second Great Commandments. Indeed, God does not ask us to do anything which God Himself has not first done or cannot first do.** The two Great Commandments of God reflect only God's unchangeable nature, as it occurs eternally or unceasingly among the Three Divine Persons in the Holy Trinity ad intra.
--------------------------------------------------------
* Two schools of thought are possible here. The first school, which most of us belong to, tends to think as follows: 1) It seems that it was only God the Son who suffered and died for us, not God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. 2) It seems that Jesus only went through His suffering and death on the Cross for no more than a few hours.
The second school, which many canonized mystics and some good-standing theologians belong to, tends to think like this: 1) As the mystery of Perichoresis necessarily implies, at no time in history can we separate the Three Persons as if They live separately in three separate compartments. In different forms or appearances, the Three Divine Persons did go through the Passion together. 2) Jesus continues His Passion and salvation of us on the Cross until His Second Coming.
** A famous saying in the British army states something like the following: "Do not ask your subjects to do anything which you yourself cannot first do." As it is always easier said than done, we may have to practice repentance even continuously. Lord, have mercy on us!
P.S. (April 22) Holy Saturday
Tonight -- during the Easter Vigil -- we celebrate the irreversible, everlasting family union or re-union between the whole Uncreated and created reality. This exuberant family re-union is particularly true between the whole Uncreated Family (of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the whole human family (except for those souls who have chosen to reject God and want nothing to do this incredible and awesome free gift of the Creator Himself). In hounor of the coming canonization of Blessed Sister Faustina on the Divine Mercy Sunday (April 30), the following is highlighted by certain quotes from Christ which she allegedly reported in her Diary.
First and foremost, Jesus (in whom dwells the infinite fullness of God the Father and the Spirit) is resurrected to be in loving union with us, in fulfillment of His Uncreated Dream to be forever united with each precious member of His family on earth. Did Christ not call us His mother, sister and brother in the Sacred Scriptures (cf. Mt 12:50; Mk 3:35; etc.)? Jesus said, "I desire to unite Myself with human souls; My great delight is to unite Myself with souls." (Diary 1385) "My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners." (Diary 367)
At the same time, Jesus is resurrected to help us love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, to fulfil our wildest dream to be in loving union with God for all eternity. Jesus said, "Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces." (Diary 738) "What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father." (Diary 1486) To each soul who responds to His love, Jesus would say, "O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity." (Diary 1489)
Further, Jesus is resurrected to help us in our struggles to love one another as part of God's family, especially in bringing souls to God. He said, "My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace." (Diary 1486) "But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls." (Diary 1489) Practically speaking, one of the best ways we can help our sisters and brothers today is to take advantage of the current Novena of Divine Mercy by praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.
Jesus is resurrected! He is truly resurrected for all of us! Together with the whole family of God everywhere in Heaven, on earth and in Purgatory, we proclaim with immense joy and gratitude: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Thank you, Jesus dearest!
P.S. (April 26-30) Happy Easter again! Today (April 26, Day 6) let us continue to unite our prayers with other sisters and brothers in making the Novena of Divine Mercy by praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.
It is possible for the time-free dimension of Christ (which unifies, swinging back-and-forth instantly, the past, the present and the future) to be real as mentioned by Sr. Faustina in the Novena of the Divine Mercy. This is particularly true when we envision Christ to have mystically united (in the mystery of Incarnation) or re-united (in the mystery of Resurrection) within Himself not only the Uncreated and created dimensions of space but also those of time, i.e., the Uncreated Time (eternity) and created time (temporality). If Karl Rahner's most-quoted comment on Christian mysticism is correct (i.e., the future Christian would become either a mystic or not at all), we cannot afford to take lightly this mystical presentation of Christ given by a soon-to-be-canonized mystic (on April 30, this Sunday).
Apparently, one can present or understand Christ in at least four dimensions: the historical, the personal, the cosmic and the mystical. To some significant extent Sr. Faustina seems to have linked them well together in this Novena of the Divine Mercy. Let us reflect on it in light of the following succinct yet awestruck insight of Teilhard: "The God for whom our century is waiting must be: 1) as vast and mysterious as the Cosmos; 2) as immediate and all-embracing as Life; 3) as linked (in some way) to our efforts as Mankind" (Teilhard de Chardin, The Heart of Matter, p. 212).
Let us truly rejoice and thank God for St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. For further information on this great Saint of the twentieth century, click here. Thank you. Alleluia!
P.S. (April 30) As a footnote, we have to say that Christ's bitterness as mentioned in the Novena of the Divine Mercy is different from ordinary human bitterness. Just as divine jealousy (cf. Ex 20:5; Deut 5:9; etc.) being differed from its human counterpart, the former is infinitely, perfectly and uncreatedly justified or justifiable, while the latter is not. After all, there are many meanings regarding the words "bitter" or "bitterness". Further, since we have no access to the original terms in Polish, we have to interpret these terms in ever unblemished faith, hope and love of God.
Obviously, to avoid being a bitter or jealous fool unto ourselves, God's presence within and around us needs to be wonderfully activated at all times. It could be done through, for example, daily prayers, meditation and virtuous works. Oftentimes, we tend to behave according to the intensity of God's grace in and near us.
No matter what happens, we are called to go before the Lord with the greatest confidence. If we focus long enough on the Lord, especially on the Sacred Host - the Greatest Host to all visitors, we oftentimes will go back to our daily life with the greatest radiant joy. Why? It is because the Lord has risen and has become the unshakable Foundation and Transformation of all created beings.
Anyway, we are celebrating finally the canonization of a real fool/hero for Christ. She has now become perfectly free from all human vices, resembling the ever perfect Lord and Greatest-Fool/Hero-for-us.
Alleluia and Alleluia! Pray for us, dear Saint Sister Faustina!
.