HolyDarkness

Treasures of Darkness

Reading Isaiah 45:3 today, though I have read it and memorized it several times before....,  this morning a sudden revelation came upon my soul. Epiphany! Eureka!! Yes, "and the Water Blushed",and  "the Word became Flesh" .

It is about the "treasures of darkness":

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel..

It suddenly occured to me that it is about the "dark night of the soul" as propounded by St. John of the Cross. It is the darkness 
through which Mother Teresa travelled as exposed in 'Come , Be my Light' . 
Shakespeare's words "Sweet are the uses of adversity" are just a diluted way of saying this. 
It is the Psalm 22, which Jesus recited during His last moments of agony on the Cross.
It is the three days of grave-darkness which Lazrus experienced inside his tomb. The details of it can be found in the book by Stephen W Smith in The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People.
It is the Hope about which Pope Benedict wrote in Spe Salvi 
And yes, it is about the "Holy Darkness" , the beautiful song about Hope by Dan Schutte. .................

That is exactly what St. Paul meant by saying " for we walk by faith, not by sight." in 2 Corinthians 5:7

St.Jane Frances de Chantal and the Prayer of Abandonment

"May the Lord grant me the grace to live and to die in His Sacred Heart"- St. Jane Frances de Chantal, co-foundress of the Visitation order                                              

"Distrust self and trust only and continuously in God, persuaded that not able to do anything by yourselves, you can do all with His grace and powerful help.”

That is a quote by St. Jane Frances de Chantal, who had two great Saints as her spiritual directors - St.Francis de Sales and St.Vincent de paul.
Her Feast Day : December 12th (Europe). In the USA,St. Jane Frances de Chantal's feast day was moved to August 12 in order to celebrate the feast of  Our Lady of Guadalupe.
At the time of her death, Saint Vincent de Paul was visiting, and reported a vision of Saint Frances escorting the pious saint to heaven. He said of Saint Jane Frances:

“She was a woman of great faith, and had temptations against the faith all her life. Even though she appeared to have reached the peace and tranquility of spirit of virtuous souls, she suffered terrible interior trials which she communicated to me on several occasions. She seemed so harassed by abominable temptations that she had to take her eyes away from herself so as not to contemplate her unbearable state. To look at her soul horrified her as if it was an image of hell. But through these great sufferings she never lost her serenity, yielding with joy to what God wanted from her. That is why I consider her as one of the most holy souls I have met on earth.”

                Act of Abandonment to Divine Providence 

                  (by Saint Jane Frances De Chantal.)

0 sovereign goodness of the sovereign Providence of my God! I abandon myself forever to Thy arms. Whether gentle or severe, lead me henceforth whither Thou wilt; I will not regard the way through which Thou wilt have me pass, but keep my eyes fixed upon Thee, my God, who guidest me. My soul finds no rest without the arms and the bosom of this heavenly Providence, my true Mother, my strength and my rampart.
Therefore I resolve with Thy divine assistance, 0 my Savior, to follow Thy desires and Thy ordinances, without regarding or examining why Thou dost this rather than that; but I will blindly follow Thee according to Thy divine will, without seeking my own inclinations.
Hence I am determined to leave all to Thee, taking no part therein save by keeping myself in peace in Thy arms, desiring nothing except as Thou incitest me to desire, to will, to wish. I offer Thee this desire, 0 my God, beseeching Thee to bless it; I undertake all it includes, relying on Thy goodness, liberality, and mercy, with entire confidence in Thee, distrust of myself, and knowledge of my infinite misery and infirmity.
Amen!

Hold on to God's Unchanging Hand.

                                        http://www.onemissionsociety.org.uk/channel-post.aspx?cnl=robin-sloss-men-for-missions-uk&pst=lean-onthe-promiser&dt=2012-04-22

This Easter , my Heavenly Father has given me a great message, and that is to trust , trust and trust in God. Like the most obedient sheep that follows the Good Shepherd, I must follow Him. A messenger in human form  told me to hold on to God's safe Hand, and that He will slowly but surely  elevate me from the deep mire of trials I'm in. That has reminded me of St.Francis de Sales who  says :

In all your affairs, rely wholly on God’s providence, through which alone you must look for success. Nevertheless, strive quietly on your part to cooperate with its designs…. Imitate little children who with one hand hold fast to their father while with the other they gather strawberries or blackberries from the hedges. — ( Introduction to the Devout Life, III.10)

Well, good. So I thought I'll do some search on how to trust . The best thing is to follow the Saints who trusted. There are some excellent prayers of Trust too. Today I will take St. Francis de Sales and his prayer of trust.

Complete trust in God  St. Francis de Sales

Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life with fear. Rather, look on them with full confidence that, as they arise, God to whom you belong will in His love enable you to profit by them. He has guided you thus far in life. Do you but hold fast to His dear Hand, and He will lead you safely through all trials. Whenever you cannot stand, He will carry you lovingly in His arms.
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Eternal Father who takes care of you today will care for you tomorrow, and every day of your life. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace then, and put aside all useless thoughts, all vain dreads and all anxious imaginations.

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” - Corrie Ten Boom

Skemp Divine Mercy Image

                                  http://www.divinemercypictures.com/images/large/skemp_lg.htm

“Skemp” Divine Mercy Image

This popular image is seen daily on TV in the EWTN Chapel.  This image was commissioned to represent Jesus as walking through the door in the Upper Room and to have the rays going out in all directions.  It was painted on wood in 1982 by Robert Skemp.  The original painting was then given to Blessed Pope John Paul II who, in turn, then gave it to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Tanzania.

Father Sopocko’s assistance in Kazimirowski’s creative process brought the first Divine Mercy Image to the world that same year . Other versions sprung into Church history at the hands of various artists over time, but Sopocko maintained that the Kazimirowski prototype, as he called it, was the ideal and most correct of any. “One needs very much to retain Sister Faustina’s mind,” he writes to Reverend Father Julian Chroschiechowski in 1956: “the walking position, the right hand not going above the shoulder, the eyes looking downward, the rays in the direction of the viewer, and not toward the ground as in the Lagiewniki image. [Sister] Faustina actually speaks of a pale [colorless] ray although sometimes she expresses herself that it’s white” (Stackpole, 83) .
Sopocko worked tirelessly to preserve and promote the authenticity of the first Divine Mercy Image. He openly opposed, for example, the version painted in 1942 by Adolf Hyla, a neighbor of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Lagiewniki, considering it overly feminine, at variance with clear details that Faustina provided many years prior, and having an inappropriate, illogical background. Hyla offered to paint the image for the sisters to thank them for aiding his family in the turmoil of war, and it remains today a very popular painting. From Mother Superior Irena Kryzanowska, he received a reproduction of the Kazimirowski version and a description of the revelation of Jesus. Guided also by Sister Faustina’s first spiritual director, Reverend Joseph Andrasz, S.J, the Cracovian artist painted a fourth successor to the Divine Mercy Image and saw it solemnly blessed in the sisters’ convent at Lagiewniki.

A fifth version, called the Sledzinski image, Father Sopocko himself instigated as with every effort he sought to demonstrate the image’s association with public revelation. Their Excellencies the Bishops decided in 1953 to prohibit the exposure of the Divine Mercy Image in churches so as not to anticipate the Holy See’s decision regarding the authenticity of private revelation. Sopocko in turn projected the image as representing Christ in the moment of instituting the Sacrament of Divine Mercy (of Penance) in the Upper Room (John 20: 19 ff). Consonant with Sister Faustina’s own thoughts, he provided the doors of the Cenacle for a background, and Professor Ludomir Sledzinkski accomplished a new painting according to the Kazimirowski prototype. Though more feminine than Father Sopocko cared to see, the Sledzinkski image depicts Christ at the time of His institution of the Sacrament of Penance when, to all present, Our Lord uttered “Peace to you!” In it, the Principle Episcopal Commission first saw the Divine Mercy Image as being a visual commentary on the liturgy – particularly the liturgy of Low Sunday, the Sunday following the Resurrection of Christ. The Commission thereafter approved Divine Mercy as stemming from public revelation, though on condition that the image remain disconnected from private revelation until verified by the Apostolic See in that regard. The story of the Image of the Merciful Jesus, at least this portion, closes here on the sixteenth anniversary of Sister Faustina’s death in 1954.

http://mercyimages.com/history_divine_mercy_image.php 

Bl. Michael Sopocko and his book God is Mercy

Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD (Dec 20, 2012)has a series of articles on Bl. Michael Sopocko and his book God is Mercy . Here i am quoting a few excerpts. The site is worth browsing..., more than that! It is worth meditating.

http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=5032

There is a richness to the nature of God that many Catholics do not appreciate. We tend to forget that God is not a divine person but Three Divine Persons, and it is the mystery of the eternal love going on between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit from which the merciful love of God for His creatures comes to be. Blessed Sopocko — the spiritual director and confessor of St. Faustina — puts it this way:

No one is able to comprehend the tenderness, the glowing love and supreme happiness with which the Father, from eternity, is always generating the Son, and the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Son and the Father. All the brilliance, fire and joy of the love which acts, enlivens and enflames creatures is only a very weak reflection of the eternal generation of the Son by the Father and of the surge and procession of the Holy Ghost from the blazing Ocean of Divine Love which exists between the Father and the Son. (God is Mercy. Stockbridge: Marian Press, 1965, p. 24)

God's natural goodness sufficiently manifests itself in the Holy Trinity, in the eternal generation of the Son by the Father, and in the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son, and in the mutual love of the three Divine Persons. Here is poured out all the fullness of the most perfect natural goodness of God. Through this, its tendency to communicate itself o others is fully satisfied. The creation of the rational world was not necessary to express God's goodness, since God has always been happy in Himself and entirely self-sufficient. Therefore creation happened without any external or internal compulsion, without necessity, but only through the infinite Mercy of God. ...
Lack of existence or nothingness is the greatest of all wants and the most awful misery. All nature shudders before such misery. Every man and animal flees from this want, fearing it above all other sufferings and wants, proving thus that want of existence is the greatest of all miseries. So creation of the world with all its beings is the work of the Mercy of God, which may also be called Divine Goodness in relation to the supreme misery of non-existence. (God is Mercy, pp. 30-31).

Blessed Sopocko, who served as the confessor and spiritual director of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, reflected on the causes of outright despair in his book God is Mercy (Marian Press, 1965, p. 81):

Despair is passion arising in us because of the impossibility of escaping evil. The name covers not only the feeling of despair itself, but also the inclination to it. ... It is opposed to hope and trust, so much so that while hope enlightens, despair kills. ...

The causes of despair can vary. Temporal or spiritual misfortunes, incurable illness, loss of respect and honor, financial ruin, threat of inevitable danger, etc. Under the influence of such disasters there follows a terrible depression which takes away all energy, paralyzes the nerves, renders clear thinking impossible, and even impedes breathing and the normal circulation of the blood, so that the brain is not supplied sufficiently with oxygen and ceases to function sufficiently. ...

If we search for the very first, deepest cause of despair, we always find a lack of trust in the Mercy of God. ...

Human reason can have knowledge of God by observing the visible things of nature, but, on account of original sin, it attains truth only imperfectly and with great difficulty, especially the ultimate Truth — God. It was fitting, then, that God should become Man in order to permit man to know Him more easily. In the person of Jesus Christ, God reveals Himself to the people. ... "Philip, he who sees Me sees also the Father" (John 14:9). ... He revealed to us the unfathomable perfections of God, and through this made it possible for us to know and to love God, and made us His brothers, as well as adopted children of God. (God is Mercy, p.7)

In the Old Testament, Blessed Sopocko cites the example of King David, who wrestled with this matter of trust in God throughout his life:

The poor shepherd David goes forth to battle against the well-equipped Philistine giant, and defeats him because he trusted in God's help. "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts" (I Kings 17:45). This same David reproaches himself in other instances for exceeding fear and lack of trust in God. "Why art thou sad, O my soul? And why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God" (Ps 41:6). "Therefore will I not fear when the earth shall be troubled and the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the sea" (Ps 45:3). (God is Mercy, p. 11)

 Our Lord invites us to trust in Him, as sheep trust in the leading of their shepherd without always knowing the path ahead themselves. Blessed Sopocko writes:

Through the most tender words and pictures does Jesus call to the soul to follow Him with child-like simplicity and trust. "I am," He says, "The Good Shepherd" (Jn 10:11) and it is this title which should awaken boundless trust in every heart.... [He] likens Himself to a Good Shepherd, Who knows and loves His flock, feeding it with grace, with doctrine, and with His most Holy Body and Blood. ... Would our Redeemer so indefatigably encourage us to trust in Him, if He did not want to reward this trust with mercy? ... Jesus, I trust in Thee. I trust that Thou wilt forgive me my sins and that Thou hast prepared Heaven for me. I trust that thou wilt provide all the graces I need to save my soul. (p. 12)

 Fr. Sopocko asks us to meditate above all on the most stupendous demonstration of all of God's merciful love during the life of His Son on earth: namely, His passion and death for us. He writes:

The greatest evidence of God's Mercy is that his Son found a means unheard of, unique, unfailing, inconceivable, worthy of admiration and ecstatic praise. He resolved to take our human nature, so that in and through it He might reform human nature and bring salvation to all men. Only He, since He was equal to God the Father, and at the same time a man, could give God's Majesty worthy satisfaction for the offense of original and actual sin, and establish a treasury, from which in the future it would be possible to draw continually in reparation for sin. ... Our Savior chose the most painful kind of death [death on a cross] in order that He might make satisfaction to the Divine Justice for our sins and provide for us as ransom the frightful pains on the cross as evidence of His mercy. (God is Mercy, pp. 19 and 45).

Cross:

T

he Merciful Jesus preceded us with graces and created our souls when Satan was already defeated, death conquered, Heaven opened, Divine Mercy revealed, and the straight road to heaven clearly shown. Truly, this is the golden age of grace, since at any time, the sinner can easily repair the faults of His whole life. Divine Mercy descends upon us more plentifully than snow flakes in the winter. ...We have, by God's Mercy, received Baptism in His Church, learned the principles of the true faith, and profited by the means of sanctification. (God is Mercy, p. 70)

 Blessed Sopocko writes:

I know that God wills my sanctity, that He acts for this end, that He possesses a thousand means to bring it about. Joys and sorrows, light and darkness, consolation and dryness, health and sickness — all this for my salvation. So I will follow Thine advice, O Merciful Savior, which Thou gavest to St. Gertrude: "Make an act of giving yourself to My good pleasure that I may freely dispose of everything concerning you. ... In all unite your sentiments with the sentiments of My most Merciful Heart!" (P. 104)

In Christ, With Christ. The Mystery of the Incarnate Word!

Here are some excerpts from  GAUDIUM ET SPES and Rich in Mercy.
There is much to ponder over these lines. 
The Mystery of Christ!  
               

  The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come,namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. It is not surprising, then, that in Him all the aforementioned truths find their root and attain their crown.

...............................

Such is the mystery of man, and it is a great one, as seen by believers in the light of Christian revelation. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us. Christ has risen, destroying death by His death; He has lavished life upon us so that, as sons in the Son, we can cry out in the Spirit; Abba, Father

 PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD
GAUDIUM ET SPES PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI
ON DECEMBER 7, 1965 http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html

http://www.divinemercygiftshop.org/marian/product.asp?prod_name=God+the+Father+is+%27Rich+in+Mercy%27&pf_id=PAAAAAKNCIEPBMGF&dept_id=3082&s_id=0&

Rich in Mercy
A Retranslation of Pope John Paul II’s
Encyclical Rich in Mercy (Dives in Misericordia)
http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/divinemercy/richinmercy1.htm


The Incarnation of Mercy

Although God “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tm 6:16), at the same time He speaks to man in the language of the entire universe: “ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Rom 1:20). This indirect and imperfect knowledge, achieved by the intellect seeking God by means of creatures of the visible world, falls short of “the vision of the Father.” “No one has ever seen God,” writes St. John in order to stress more fully the truth that “the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." (Jn 1:18). This “making known” reveals God in the most profound mystery of His being, one and three, surrounded by “unapproachable light” (1 Tm 6:16). Yet through this “making known” by Christ we know God above all in His relationship of love for man: in His philanthropy (Titus 3:4). Precisely here “His invisible nature" becomes “visible” in a special way, incomparably more visible than through all the other “things that have been made.” The invisible God becomes visible in Christ and through Christ, through His action and His words, and finally through His death on the cross and His Resurrection.

In this way, in and through Christ, God becomes remarkably visible in His mercy. This attribute of divinity is emphasized which the Old Testament defined as “mercy,” using various concepts and terms. Christ gives the whole Old Testament tradition of mercy its ultimate meaning. Not only does He speak of mercy and explain it by the use of comparisons and parables, but above all He Himself incarnates mercy and personifies it. In a sense, Christ Himself is mercy. To the one who sees mercy in Him, who finds mercy in Him, to that one God becomes “visible” in a remarkable way as the Father “who is rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4).........
The truth revealed in Christ, about God who is the “Father of mercies” (2 Cor 1:3), enables us to “see” Him as remarkably close to man, especially when man is suffering, when he is under threat at the very heart of his existence and human dignity. And for this reason many people and groups guided by a lively faith are turning almost spontaneously to the mercy of God in today’s situation in the Church and world. They are certainly being urged by Christ Himself, who through his Spirit works in the mystery of human hearts. This mystery of God revealed by Christ as “Father of Mercies,” in the midst of the threats to man in our age, becomes like a remarkable summons directed to the Church.
In the present Encyclical I want to follow this summons. I want to draw from the eternal and incomparable language of revelation and faith, with all its simplicity and depth, words to express in this same language once more, before God and humanity, the great anxieties of our time.
Revelation and faith teach us not only to meditate in the abstract upon the mysteries of God as “Father of Mercies,” but also to make recourse to that mercy in the name of Christ and in union with Him. Did not Christ say that our Father who “sees in secret” (Mt 6:4, 6, 18) is as if He were always waiting for us to call upon Him in every need, and at the same time come to know ever deeper His mystery: the mystery of the Father and His love (Cf. Eph 3:18; also Lk 11:5-13).

Extreme Humility of Christ

 Chapter 11 of Rev. George W Kosicki C.S.B."s "God's Radiation Therapy - A PRIEST, A Bio-Chemist - A Hermit Reflects on the Eucharist." mentions about two icons , one of which is the torso of Jesus in the tomb with the title "Extreme Humility". Here is the icon I found in the web : 

           
http://iconreader.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/christ-the-bridegroom-icon-of-humility/

There are some good quotes I found in this site , "A Reader's Guide to Orthodox Icons" .It says that we Christians are meant to be humble. "Yet this crucial virtue is very illusive: as soon as we think we have it, we don't". Yet, we need not despair, if we are ready to attribute everything to God rather than to yourself. To know humility we must look to Christ.

Specifically we can look to the Icon of Christ called “Extreme Humility”. This Icon shows the crucified Jesus Christ, in the tomb, usually bearing the marks of His murder and torture.
Here, “extreme” means “pre-eminent” or “ultimate”. So what is “ultimate humility” according to this icon?
“At the arrival of unjust persecution, bow your head. At the jeers of false accusations, cross your arms over your heart, whether physically or interiorly, and gratefully receive what is spitefully offered. And when faced with the question, ‘How far, how far do I tolerate this shame, this injustice’, remember that the answer is the grave. This is what the icon labels ‘Extreme Humility’, and it is humility that we must strive to emulate each day.”
-Hieromonk Irenaeus

Divine Mercy Image and Gamma Knife Surgery

   

                                                 

Recently I came across the term "gamma knife" a radiation therapy . One of my cousins underwent this therapy for brain tumour. It took just a wee bit time for the surgery, that too without even a local anesthesia ...! Amazing!
http://www.indicure.com/brain-surgery/Gamma-Knife-Surgery.htm

That has made me think of the Divine Mercy Rays emanating from the Heart of Jesus. I took the original Vilnius image of Divine Mercy Image to meditate on this. And as I was praying the Chaplet, I started imagining the rays going into my being, like in the gamma knife therapy , and how Sin, the cancerous disease that destroys the very fibre of my soul, is being burnt to naught with the power of those rays.( Cf. Hebrews 12:29 ; "our God is a consuming fire"!). Ah, that's indeed a great way to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

 http://mercyimages.com/
As I started searching for more ideas on this two e-books in pdf format has struck the right cord.

Pope Benedict in his book 'Spirit of Liturgy' , has written about the need for sacred art (Part III, 'Art and Liturgy'), and he notes that the Divine Mercy Image , which Jesus Himself has requested to be painted and venerated, as the most perfect image or icon.

Benedict wrote:

“The icon is intended to draw us onto an inner path, the eastward path, toward the Christ who is to come again. Its dynamism is ‘identical’ with the dynamism of the liturgy as a whole… In the liturgy the curtain between heaven and earth is torn open, and we are taken up into a liturgy that spans the whole cosmos.” The Divine Mercy image portrays Christ coming to us from Heaven and opening up that curtain and bestowing upon us His inexhaustible grace and mercy. .................

Jesus told us that the two rays in the Divine Mercy image denote the Blood and Waterthat gushed from His Heart, which was opened by a lance on the Cross. The Blood(denotes the Eucharist) which is the life of souls, and the Water (Baptism) that makessouls righteous. Jesus also indicated that we would receive graces from these images...(http://www.mercysunday.com/pdf/Pope_Benedict_and_the_Divine_Mercy_Image_9.pdf)

Another e book I'm reading regarding this is "God's Radiation Therapy - A PRIEST, A Bio-Chemist - A Hermit Reflects on the Eucharist." by none else but Rev. George W Kosicki C.S.B. He writes:

During a period of exhaustion and too much traveling I was challenged
by Fr. Kevin Scallon, C.M. and Sr. Briege McKenna, P.C.C. at a retreat in
Larchmont, NewYork to take extended time of presence before the Eucharist,
that grew into three hours per day. It was a time of “radiation therapy”. This
exposure to the radiance of the Holy Eucharist continued in my initial time
of hermitage with the Camaldolese hermits in Bloomingdale, Ohio. It was
during that period of time I was challenged by the saintly prior Fr. Charles
Kubsz E.C. to move into the Divine Mercy message and devotion full time.

https://www.renewalministries.net/files/freeliterature/God%20Radiation%20Therapy%20corr4-08.pdf

That's all for today. Let me immerse myself in these cyber books.

Divine Mercy Sunday

As we are coming closer to Good Friday and  Easter , I am also longing for the Divine Mercy Sunday. Hoping to Pray the Novena starting from Good Friday. 

      

 http://www.mustardseedrecording.com/?p=1087

Here are a few entries from St. Faustina's Diary:

 Jesus' words to St.Faustina

I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy. —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary, n. 1588
The flames of mercy are burning Me—clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls just don’t want to believe in My goodness. —Diary, n. 177

The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is-trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts. — 1578
Do not be absorbed in your misery—you are still too weak to speak of it—but, rather, gaze on My Heart filled with goodness, and be imbued with My sentiments. —1486

My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy. —1488

The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons. —. 1485

Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy… fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. —1488
My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. —. 367

If you do not succeed in taking advantage of an opportunity, do not lose your peace, but humble yourself profoundly before Me and, with great trust, immerse yourself completely in My mercy. In this way, you gain more than you have lost, because more favor is granted to a humble soul than the soul itself asks for… — 1361

Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace. — 1485

O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy… Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet… I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. — 1486, 699, 1146

 Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart. —. 1485

A soul’s greatest wretchedness does not enkindle Me with wrath; but rather, My Heart is moved towards it with great mercy. —. 1739

http://www.marianland.com/Divine07.html