Jesus: “If you knew how I love you…”

“If you knew how I love you, you would die from joy.”

– Jesus to Blessed Maria Pierina De Micheli

The love of God is so great that, were we to behold Him as the Saints do in Heaven, it would be impossible not to love Him. Many do not love God because they do not know Him. Ignorance, sinfulness and pride are perhaps the primary causes of this lack of knowledge and subsequent lack of love. “Everyone with a good conscience,” said Our Lady to St. Bridget, “understands well that God is more lovable than anything else, and such a person also puts this into practice. However, not everyone sees this, even if they have healthy pupils, because eyelids cover the eyes of most people. What does this eyelid signify if not the neglect of the life to come that covers the intelligence of many people?”

Blessed Imelda died of love, as did many other Saints. Fr. Paul O’Sullivan, in his book ‘How to Be Happy, How to Be Holy’ tells a beautiful (true) story about a nun who died of love. God is love. God is infinite. God is INFINITE LOVE. 

“If you knew how much I love you, you would die of joy.” – Jesus to Blessed Alexandrina da Costa

“If we knew the value of the Mass, we would die of joy.” – St. John Vianney

“Oh, if only the suffering soul knew how much God loves it, it would die of joy and excess of happiness!” – St. Faustina

“If you were to know how much I love the soul, you would never know aught further, for you would either die or continue to live by a miracle… So powerful is my love that the knowledge of it would annihilate not only the body but the soul of man, if that were possible.”

– Jesus to St. Catherine of Genoa

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Nine Reasons To Love God

In his inspiring book, ‘How to Be Happy, How to Be Holy,’ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan writes the following:

‘Why Should We Love God?’
Here are nine reasons:

God is infinitely good and loveable. Were we to see Him for one moment, our hearts would burn with love for Him and we should fly to Him.

It is the sight of God’s beauty and love and mercy that fills Heaven with happiness. This is the God that we are asked to love.

If the devil could see God for one instant, his being would be so filled with happiness that he could never suffer again.

God made us with infinite love.

God died the awful death of Cavalry for the love of us.

God made our hearts expressly and solely to love Him, and they can never be happy if they do not love Him.

The smallest act of love will have an eternal reward.

The greatest works a man can do, if they are not done for the love of God, are worth nothing.

The heart of man that was made for God can never find rest or find peace or be happy if it does not love God.

This, then, is the grace we must ask Our Lady in the Fifth Joyful Mystery (of the Rosary): to find God, to know God and to love God.

Commenting on the Scripture, “To those who love God, all things work together unto good” (Rom. 8:28), St. Alphonsus says something very profound: “Those who love God are always happy, because their whole happiness is to fulfill, even in adversity, the will of God. Afflictions do not mar their serenity, because by accepting misofrtune, they know they give pleasure to their beloved Lord: ‘Whatever shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad.'”

There is a beautiful story of a religious Sister from the same convent as St. Gertrude. She was deeply touched by the way St. Gertrude brought out the words, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart…”. Jesus said (to this Sister): “From her childhood I have carried her in My arms, keeping her soul pure until she gave herself to Me with her whole will. Then I gave Myself entirely to her, putting Myself in return into her arms. This is why the great love she bears Me draws Me towards her ; and, as wax melts before the fire, so does My Heart melt with the ardour of her love and pass, drop by drop, into her soul. In her I take so much pleasure that often, when I am offended by others, I come to her for rest and comfort by afflicting her with some suffering of mind or body. This she accepts in union with My Passion, with so much gratitude, bearing it with such patience and humility, that My anger and sorrow are appeased and, for her sake, I pardon innumerable sinners.”

Our lives will be transformed if all our actions and prayers are guided towards one end: to love God’s will above all things. He will surely give us the grace to carry our cross with love and joy; the cross is necessary for growing in love, humility, compassion, faith. None of our sufferings are wasted when they are accepted with love, and for Love. On the contrary, every cross we accept from God’s loving Providence will be met with a reward in eternity (remember, we can only merit if we possess sanctifying grace), and it can be used to save souls, thus giving glory and joy to God, and filling the angels and saints with raptures of joy and love! “If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.” – St. Ignatius Loyola

Pax Christi!

Beautiful Words of Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez

**I have added some very useful quotes to my post ‘An Infallible Cure for Scrupulosity’ e.g. about how to differentiate between thinking and willing (this post can be found on the right hand side of the page under ‘Archives’, ‘August 2012’. Also, I apologise that this post is not about prayer, as I mentioned earlier. I haven’t yet had time to construct it.**

“My appeal is addressed to all: to those consecrated in religion and those living in the world, to the good and to sinners, to the learned and the illiterate, to those in authority and to those who obey. To each of them I come to say: if you seek happiness you will find it in Me. If riches, I am infinite wealth. If you desire peace, in Me alone is peace found. I am Mercy and Love! and I must be sovereign King.”

“Yes, in spite of its miseries, a soul can love Me to folly . . . But realize that I am speaking only of faults of frailty and inadvertence, not of willed sin or voluntary infidelity. Offer your life, imperfect as it is, that all My chosen souls may realize the beautiful mission that they can carry out through their ordinary actions and in their daily struggles. Let them never forget that I have preferred them to so many others, not because of their goodness, but because of their wretchedness . . . I am all love, and that flame in Me consumes all their weakness. I will again tell you the secrets of My Heart . . . But the desire which consumes Me is ever the same: It is that souls may know My Heart better and better.” (October 20, 1922).

“Come . . . enter My Heart. How easy it is for a mere nothing to lose itself in that abyss of love. That is how I will consume your littleness and nothingness. I will act through you, speak through you, and make Myself known through you. How many will find life in My words! How many will take new courage as they understand the fruit to be drawn from their efforts! A little act of generosity, of patience, of poverty . . . may become treasure that will win a great number of souls to My Heart . . .” (August 7, 1922)

“I do not look at the act itself, I look at the intention. The smallest act, if done out of love, acquires such merit that it gives Me immense consolation . . . I want only love, I ask for nothing else.” (September 8, 1922)

“I so much want souls to understand this! It is not the action in itself that is of value; it is the intention with which it is done. When I swept and labored in the workshop of Nazareth, I gave as much glory to My Father as when I preached during My Public Life. There are many souls who in the eyes of the world fill important posts and they give My Heart great glory; this is true. But I have many hidden souls who in their humble labors are very useful workers in My vineyard, for they are moved by love, and they know how to cover their deeds with supernatural gold by bathing them in My Blood. My love goes so far that My souls can draw great treasure out of mere nothing. When as soon as they wake they unite themselves to Me and offer their whole day with a burning desire that My Heart may use it for the profit of souls.”

“I do not say that by the fact of My choice, a soul is freed from her faults and wretchedness. That soul may and will fall often again, but if she humbles herself, if she recognizes her nothingness, if she tries to repair her faults by little acts of generosity and love, if she confides and surrenders herself once more to My Heart . . . she gives Me more glory and can do more good to other souls, than if she had never fallen. Miseries and weaknesses are of no consequence, what I do ask of them is love.”

“Write for My souls: The soul who constantly unites her life with Mine glorifies Me and does a great work for souls. Thus, if engaged in work of no value in itself . . . if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world . . . and that, whether she studies, speaks or writes . . . whether she sews, sweeps or rests . . . provided first that the act is sanctioned by obedience or duty and not done from mere caprice; secondly: that it is done in intimate union with Me, with great purity of intention and covered with My Blood.”

“. . when with love they perform their duties, hour by hour and moment by moment . . . How great is the treasure they amass in one day! I will reveal My love to them more and more . . . it is inexhaustible and how easy it is for a loving soul to let itself be guided by Love.” (November 30, 1922).

“My Heart is all love and it embraces all souls, but how can I make My chosen souls understand My special love for them and how I wish to use them to save sinners and so many souls who are exposed to the perils of the world? For this reason I would like them to know how much I desire their perfection, and that it consists in doing their ordinary actions in intimate union with Me. If they once grasped this, they could divinize their life and all their activities by this close union with My Heart . . . and how great is the value of a divinized day! When a soul is burnt up with desire to love, nothing is a burden to her, but if she feels cold and spiritless everything becomes hard and difficult . . . let her then come to My Heart to revive her courage . . . Let her offer Me her dejection, and unite it to My fervor; then she may rest content, for her day will be of incomparable value to souls. All human miseries are known to My Heart, and My compassion for them is great.”

“But I desire souls to unite themselves to Me not only in a general way. I long for this union to be constant and intimate, as it is between friends who live together: for even if they are not talking all the time, at least they look at each other, and their mutual affectionate little kindnesses are the fruit of their love.”

“When a soul is in peace and consolation, doubtless it is easier for her to think of Me, but if she is in the throes of desolation and anguish, she need not fear. I am content with a glance. I understand, and this mere look will draw down on her special proofs of My tenderness. I will repeat again to souls how My Heart loves them . . . for I want them to know Me thoroughly, that they may make Me known to those I place in their care. I ardently desire My chosen souls to fix their eyes on Me, and never turn them away . . . and among them there should be no mediocrity which usually is the result of a misunderstanding of My love. No! it is neither difficult nor hard to love My Heart, but on the contrary, it is sweet and easy. They need do nothing extraordinary to attain to a high degree of love: purity of intention, be the action great or small . . . intimate union with My Heart, and love will do the rest.” (December 2, 1922).

“Yes, I am that Jesus who loves souls tenderly . . . Behold this Heart that never ceases calling them, guarding them, and caring for them . . . Behold this Heart on fire with longing for their love, but especially for the love of My chosen ones.”

“Love transforms their most ordinary actions and gives them an infinite value, but it does more: My Heart loves My chosen souls so tenderly, that I wish to use their miseries, their weaknesses, and often even their faults. Souls that see themselves overwhelmed with miseries, attribute nothing good to themselves, and their very abjectness clothes them with a certain humility that they would not have if they saw themselves to be less imperfect. When therefore in the course of apostolic work or in the carrying out of duties, a consciousness of their incapacity is forced upon them . . . or when they experience a kind of repugnance to helping souls towards perfection to which they know themselves to be still strangers, such souls are compelled to humble themselves in the dust, and should this self-knowledge impel them to My feet, asking pardon for their halting efforts, begging of My Heart the strength and courage they need, it is hardly possible for them to conceive how lovingly My Heart goes out to them and how marvellously fruitful I will make their labors. Those whose generosity is not equal to these daily endeavors and sacrifices will see their lives go by full only of promise which never comes to fruition.”

“… But there are others, and it is of them I now speak, who begin their day with a very good will and desire to prove their love. They pledge themselves to self-denial or generosity in this or that circumstance . . . But when the time comes they are prevented by self-love, temperament, health, or I know not what, from carrying out what a few hours before they quite sincerely purposed to do. Nevertheless they speedily acknowledge their weakness and, filled with shame, beg for pardon, humble themselves, and renew their promise . . . Ah! Let them know that these souls please Me as much as if they had nothing with which to reproach themselves.” (December 12, 1922).

“I want to forgive. I want to reign over souls and pardon all nations. I want to rule souls, nations, the whole world. My peace must be extended over the entire universe, but in a special way over this dear country [France] where devotion to My Heart first took root . . . O that I might be its peace, its life, its King. I am Wisdom and Beatitude! I am Love and Mercy! I am Peace, I shall reign! I will shower My mercies on the world to wipe out its ingratitude. To make reparation for its crimes, I will choose victims who will obtain pardon . . . for there are in the world many whose desire is to please Me . . . and there are moreover generous souls who will sacrifice everything they possess, that I may use them according to My will and good pleasure. My reign will be one of peace and love and I shall inaugurate it by compassion on all: such is the end I have in view, and this is the great work of My love.”

“Confidence is Fortified by Faith”

Taken from ch. 2 of ‘The Book of Confidence’ by Fr. Thomas de Saint-Laurent:

Confidence Is Fortified by Faith
What sovereign strength fortifies hope to the point of rendering it unshakable in the face of the assault of adversity? Faith!

The confident soul remains mindful of the promises of her Heavenly Father; she meditates upon them profoundly. She knows that God’s word cannot fail, and from this she draws her certainty. Danger may threaten, surround, and even strike her, but she always preserves her serenity. In spite of the imminent danger, she repeats the words of the Psalmist: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: Of whom shall I be afraid?”

There is the closest affinity between faith and confidence; the two are most intimately related. A contemporary theologian tells us that confidence has its “source and root” in faith. Hence the more profound our faith, the stronger and more deeply rooted will be our confidence. In the Scriptures, we find that the sacred writers designated these two virtues by the same word: fides.

Confidence Is Unshakable
… “Confidence,” writes Father Saint-Jure, “is firm, stable, and constant to such an eminent degree that it cannot be shaken – I no longer say just overthrown – by anything in the world.”

Neither the most afflicting temporal misfortunes nor the greatest spiritual difficulties will disturb the peace of the confident soul. Unforeseen calamities may lay her happiness in ruins around her; this soul, more master of herself than the ancient wise man, will remain calm: “Impavidum ferient ruinae.”

She will simply turn to the Lord. She will lean on Him with a certainty that increases in proportion to the degree that she feels herself deprived of human help. She will pray with greater fervour and, in the darkness of the trial, continue on her path, waiting in silence for the hour of God.

… We find sublime examples of this degree of confidence in the Scriptures and in the lives of the saints.

Such was the confidence of Job. Stricken with every possible misfortune – the loss of his wealth, the death of his children, the ruin of his health – he was reduced to direst poverty and afflicted with a dreadful disease. As he sat on a dunghill, his friends, even his wife, increased his pain by the cruelty of their words. But he did not allow himself to be discouraged; no murmuring was mixed with his groaning. He kept his mind fixed on thoughts of faith. “Although He [the Lord] should kill me,” he said, “I will trust in Him.”

This was an admirable confidence that God rewarded magnificently. The trial ceased; Job recovered his health, gained a considerable fortune again, and enjoyed a life more prosperous than the one he had before the trial.

On one of his journeys, Saint Martin fell into the hands of highwaymen. The bandits stripped him and were going to kill him. Suddenly, however, touched by the grace of repentance or moved by a mysterious fear, they turned him loose and, against all expectations, freed him. Later, the illustrious bishop was asked if, during that pressing danger, he had not felt some fear. “None,” he responded. “I knew that as human help became more improbable, the divine intervention was all the more certain.”

Unfortunately, most Christians do not imitate such examples.

Never do they approach God so seldom as in the hour of trial. Indeed, many do not even send forth that cry for help which God awaits in order to come to their assistance. What a fatal negligence! “Providence,” Louis of Granada used to say, “wishes to give the solution to the extraordinary difficulties of life directly, while it leaves to secondary causes the resolving of ordinary difficulties.” But it is always necessary to cry out for divine help.

That help God gives us with pleasure. “Far from bothering the nurse who suckles him, the baby brings her relief.”

Other Christians pray rervently, but they do not persevere in prayer. If they are not answered immediately, they quickly fall from exalted hope into a state of unreasonable discouragement. They do not understand the ways of grace. God treats us like children; He plays deaf at times because He likes to hear us invoking Him. Why should we become discouraged so quickly when, on the contrary, it would be convenient for us to cry out with greater insistence?

This is the doctrine taught by Saint Francis de Sales: “Providence only delays in coming to our aid in order to excite us to confidence. If our Heavenly Father does not always grant us what we ask, it is because He desires to keep us at His feet and to provide us with an occasion to insist with loving violence in our petitions to Him. He showed this clearly to the two disciples at Emmaus, with whom He did not consent to remain until the close of the day, and even after they had pressed Him.”

Confidence Counts on Nothing but God
Unshakable firmness is, then, the first characteristic of confidence.

The second quality of this virtue is even more perfect. It leads a man not to count on the help of creatures, whether such help be drawn from himself, from his own intelligence, from his judgement, from his knowledge, from his skill, from his riches, from his friends, from his relatives, or from any other thing of his; or whether it be assistance that he might perhaps hope to receive from someone else: kings, princes, or any creature in general, because he senses and knows the weaknesses of all human help. He considers human helps to be what they really are. How right Saint Teresa was in calling them “dry branches that break under the first pressure.”

But, some will say, does not this theory proceed from false mysticism? Will it not lead to fatalism or, at least, to perilous passivity? Why should we multiply our efforts in trying to overcome difficulties if all human support must crumble in our hands? Let us simply cross our arms and await divine intervention!

No, God does not wish us to sleep; He demands that we imitate Him. His perfect activity has no limits. He is pure act.

We must act, then, but from Him alone must we expect the efficacy of our action. “Help thyself that heaven may help thee.” Behold the economy of the providential plan.

To your posts then! Let us work with our spirit and heart turned on high. “It is vain for you to rise before light,” says the Scripture; if the Lord does not aid thee, thou shalt attain nothing.

Indeed, our impotence is radical. “Without Me you can do nothing,” says Our Saviour. In the supernatural order, this impotence is absolute. Heed well the teachings of the theologians.

Without grace, man cannot observe the commandments of God for a long time or in their totality. Without grace, he cannot resist all the temptations, sometimes so violent, that assault him.

Without grace, we cannot have a good thought; we cannot even make the shortest prayer; without it, we cannot even invoke with piety the holy name of Jesus.

Everything that we do in the supernatural order comes to us from God alone. Even in the natural order, it is still God who gives us victory.

Saint Peter had worked the whole night; he had endured in his labours; he had a profound knowledge of the secrets of his difficult occupation. Nevertheless, his movements over the gentle waves of the lake had been in vain; he had caught nothing. Then he receives the Master into his boat; upon casting his net in the name of the Saviour, he attains an undeniably miraculous catch; the nets break, such is the number of fish.

Following the example of the Apostle, let us cast our nets with untiring patience; but let us hope only in Our Lord for the miraculous catch.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola used to say: “In everything you do, behold the rule of rules to follow: Trust in God, acting, nevertheless, as if success in everything depended entirely on you and not at all on God; but, employing your efforts to attain this good result, do not count on them, but proceed as if everything were done by God alone and nothing by you.”

Confidence Rejoices Even at Being Deprived of Human Help
Do not be discouraged when the mirage of human assistance fades away. To count on nothing but the help of heaven, is this not already a most high virtue?

Even so, the vigorous wings of true confidence rise to even more sublime regions. It reaches them by a kind of refinement of heroism. Then it attains the highest degree of its perfection. This degree consists in the soul rejoicing when it finds itself stripped of all human support, abandoned by its relatives, its friends, and all the creatures who do not wish to or cannot help it, who cannot give it counsel or assist it with their talents or credits, who have no means left to come to its aid.

What a profound wisdom this joy denotes in such cruel circumstances!

To intone the Canticle of Alleluia under blows which are, naturally speaking, sufficient to break our courage, one must know the Heart of Our Lord to Its depth; one must believe blindly in His merciful and fatherly love and His omnipotent goodness; one must have absolute certainty that He selects for His intervention the hour of the desperate situations.

After his conversion, Saint Francis of Assisi despised the dreams of glory that had dazzled him previously. He fled from human gatherings, withdrew into the forest in order to surrender himself to a long period of prayer, and gave generous alms. This change displeased his father, who, dragging his son before the diocesan authority, accused him of dissipating his goods. Then, in the presence of the marvelling bishop, Francis renounced his paternal inheritance, removed the clothing that had come to him from his family, and stripped himself of everything! Then, vibrant with supernatural happiness, he exclaimed: “Now, yes, O my God, I can call Thee more truly than ever, ‘Our Father, Who art in heaven’!” Behold how the saints act.

You souls wounded by misfortune, do not murmur over the abandonment in which you find yourselves reduced. God does not ask of you a sensible joy, impossible to your weakness. Just rekindle your faith, have courage, and, according to the
expression dear to Saint Francis de Sales, in the “innermost point of your soul,” try to have joy.

Providence will eventually give you the right sign by which you shall recognise Its hour; It deprived you of all support. Now is the moment to resist the distress of nature. You have reached that hour in the office of the interior of the soul in which you should sing the Magnificat and put incense to burn. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice… The Lord is nigh!” Follow this counsel; you will feel the benefit of it.

If the Divine Master did not allow Himself to be touched by such confidence, He would not be the same Person shown by the Gospel to be so compassionate, the One who trembled with painful emotion at the sight of our suffering.

Our Lord once said to a saintly religious, who died in the odour of sanctity: “If I am good to all, I am very good to those who confide in Me. Dost thou know which souls take the greatest advantage of my goodness? They are those who hope  the most. Confident souls steal my graces!”  (*These words were spoken to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero).

Tender Words of Our Lord to St. Mechtilde.

“But when this poor human heart is contrite and broken with sorrow and cries out, ‘I will arise and got to my Father,’ the Sacred Heart thrills with joy. I say to thee, that no matter how great his sins may be, at that same moment, if he sincerely repents, I forgive all his sins, and My Heart inclines towards him with as much mercy and sweetness as though he had never sinned.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

“It is a great joy to Me that men expect great gifts from Me. If any of them expected to receive from Me greater rewards than he had deserved after this life and, if, in consequence, he thanked Me for them during his life, he would thus give Me so much pleasure that, now matter how great his faith or extraordinary his confidence, I would reward him beyond his merit; it is impossible that a man should not receive what he has believed and hoped for. Therefore it is good for a man to hope much in Me, and to place in Me all his confidence.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

“Enter and travel through My divine Heart, see its length and breadth; its length is the eternity of My goodness, and its breadth the love and the desire I have always had for thy salvation. Consider this length and breadth- that is, take possession of it, for all the good that thou dost find in My Heart really belongs to thee.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

At the Wound in His Heart He said: “This wound is so large that it embraces Heaven and Earth and all they contain; come, place thy love near to My divine love, that it may be perfected and so blended with it as to become only one love, as iron is identified with the fire.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

The Son of God deigns to lower Himself to each of us. He stands at our door and knocks, saying: “O son of man, give Me thy heart and receive Mine.” As soon as the soul answers, “Enter, O well-beloved Lord,” He takes possession of us, but by a happy exchange we take possession of Him. “The bee,” He tell us, “does not fly with greater eagerness to the green meadows than do I to thy soul when it calls Me. Now My Heart is thine and thy heart is Mine.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

“I follow,” He tells us, “this sinful soul ceaselessly, and when it returns to Me, by repentance, desire or love, I rejoice exceedingly. It is impossible to confer a greater favour on a debtor than to bestow on him the means to pay his debts: I have become, in a way, a debtor to My Father, by undertaking to satisfy for the sins of men, so I can wish for no greater joy than to see men return to Me by repentance and love.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

Whenever You Gaze Upon A Crucifix…

(Taken from ‘The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude,’ London: Burns & Oates, with Imprimatur):

“On another occasion she (St. Gertrude) learned that when anyone turns towards a crucifix, he ought to persuade himself that Our Lord speaks thus lovingly to his heart: “Behold how, for your love, I have been fastened to this Cross- naked, despised, torn and wounded in My Body, and in all My members; and still My Heart has such tender charity for you, that were it necessary for your salvation, and were there no other means of saving you, I would even at this moment suffer for you alone all that I have suffered for the whole world.”

On another occasion, as she was occupied in considering the Passion of Our Lord, it was made known to her that there is infinitely more merit in meditating attentively on the Passion of Jesus than in any other exercise*. For as it is impossible to handle flour without attaching it to yourself, so also is it impossible to meditate devoutly on the Passion without deriving great fruit thereby.

*Similarly, Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina, that there is more merit in one hour of meditation on His Passion, than there is in one year of flagellation.

An Arsenal for Overcoming Temptation (Part 1)

“The truth will set you free.” – Jesus (John 8:32)

Considering the important truths outlined in the previous post, as well as Church teaching, the words of saints and Our Lord, let’s see how we can overcome various temptations- at least in part (God’s grace is necessary for us to overcome any temptation; neither understanding nor passion alone is enough to overcome sin and error).

After each temptation is a quote that refutes it. I will also provide an explanation with the help of other references.

1. “God is indifferent to my needs.”

“Each soul is a matchless treasure to Me.” – Jesus to Sr. Mary of Trinity

Do you truly know what you need? Only God knows what is best for us, therefore we can know with certainty that whatever befalls us is ordained by God, so we can (and should!) accept with gratitude everything that happens to us in life. God desires our salvation first and foremost. He knows each one of us intimately and He desires our love. His words, “I thirst”, relate to each one of us. God knows that our salvation is the most (and only truly) important thing that we can attain. Everything else is transitory. Consider how blind and ungrateful we are when we complain to God about this and that, when everything God allows (or directly wills) is for our eternal benefit! We need to shift our focus to eternal life and God’s eternal love, lest we be overcome by the vicissitudes of this earthly exile.

God obviously also knows that the merit we gain on Earth will be enjoyed by us in Heaven for all eternity. St. Catherine of Genoa could not emphasise more strongly the immense rewards that we will experience in Heaven for our every sacrifice, every illness beared patiently, every suffering “offered up”, every act of humility etc. A book I strongly recommend, which implicitly deals with this particular temptation very thoroughly and practically is ‘Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence’ (written by two very holy men, including St. Claude, who was the confessor to St. Margaret Mary).

2. “God cannot still love me.”

“Yes, I love all souls… My love NEVER changes… I yearn for souls… I thirst for them.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

God does not- and indeed cannot- stop loving the souls He created out of and for love. Even while were sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Whatever we have done, God’s nature remains unchanged and unaffected. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

3. “My sins are too grave to be forgiven.”

“The mercy of My Heart is inexhaustible.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

God’s love and mercy is infinite/inexhaustible and unchanging; it cannot possibly be exhausted by any human iniquity (Council of Trent). This means that God’s mercy is always available to us; always infinitely greater- and therefore capable of and willing to annihilate/forget- our sins, whatever they may be. This temptation suggests the impossible: that we could exhaust God’s mercy. Succumbing to such a temptation- particularly out of pride, rather than ignorance- has the ability to lead us to despair (the total and wilful abandonment of hope), which has the potential to make us so blind and hardened that we become ‘unforgivable’ i.e. only when our despair becomes final/absolute (because we lose the ability to- and therefore never will- acknowledge or accept the graces that lead us to repentance). Final impenitence is always found in such souls (God can “overcome” a hard heart, but it is much more difficult- if not impossible- to overcome a hard and blind heart!) Jesus said to Sr. Consolata Betrone that final impenitence is only found in those souls who “purposely wish to be damned and therefore obstinately refuse [His] mercy.” Jesus has made it clear through His Holy Church that we can always accept forgiveness in this life, no matter how great our guilt (“Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them…” – John 20:23). “Sooner would Heaven and Earth turn to nothingness than would My mercy fail to embrace a trusting soul.” (Jesus to St. Faustina) In other words, it is impossible for God to refuse His mercy to those who trust in Him, provided that they have the right dispositions, of course (which are solely the affect of God’s grace!).

Jesus’ words must always be understood within the context of his other words (as understood by His Church). If Jesus were to say, for example, that “presumption is unforgivable,” He would obviously not be imposing a limit on His mercy; He could not be saying that He will refuse mercy to those who repent of this sin (especially considering that repentance is a grace from God); rather, Our “all-merciful” Lord would be warning us that we can become so stubborn and impenitent that He is unable to help us, as He cannot force His mercy on us. Only those who “absolutely will it” are lost (Jesus to Sr. Benigna), “… for terrible is the condition of an impenitent heart… I [Jesus] cannot penetrate it. It is not I who condemn it; [the soul] wilfully repels Me.” (Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Trinity).

St. John Vianney reminds despairing souls in particular- although these words apply to all souls- that God is as eager to forgive the repentant than is a mother to rescue her child from a fire!

(*Read some of my earlier articles/posts, which deal with this temptation at least implicitly. The post named “The SEEMINGLY unforgivable sin” deals explicitly with this topic. St. John Vianney’s Catechism on hope is very helpful and has been included- in part- in an earlier post).

4. “After I have sinned, I lose the confidence to approach God.”

“… because the divine nature is passionless, God never punishes nor takes vengeance with wrath, but with tender care and much lovingkindness. So we must be of much good courage and trust in the power of repentance. God does not punish for His own sake even those who have sinned against Him, for nothing can harm that divine nature.” – St. John Chrysostom

God is always the same: love and mercy. His mercy and love always pour forth in the Sacraments. We simply have to receive them with the right dispositions. Even without the Sacraments, God is still more than willing to give us His grace. He is bound to His Sacraments, but He is not bound by them (St. Thomas Aquinas).

4. “Jesus only died for some.”

“[Jesus] gave Himself as a ransom for all.” (1 Tim. 2:6)

Not all souls will accept the free gift of God’s love (it is in this sense that Christ only died for some or many).

5. “My past sins haunt me.”

“… let us have no doubt about the solemn pardon pronounced over our errors. Let us place a tombstone over them just as the Lord has done.” – St. Padre Pio

Listen to the advice of the holy confessors St. Padre Pio and St. John Vianney, who were both known to spend over 15 hours a day in the confessional. Each of these holy men tell us that after we have been absolved, we must no longer dwell on our past sins. St. John Vianney admonishes those who dwell on sins which have been absolved, reminding us that we have no right to think about what God has chosen to forgive and forget.

6. “My past is so sinful that I get discouraged.”

“Never consider your past sins except in the light of infinite mercy, so that the memory of them may not discourage you, but may lead you to place your confidence in the infinite value of the Saviour’s merits.” – St. Catherine of Siena

When we consider that no one can approach Jesus unless the Heavenly Father draws Him (John 6:44), and that, when we repent, Jesus casts our sins “… as far as the east is from the west…” (Psalms 103:12), rather than being discouraged by our sinful past we should be immensely encouraged! Why? Because the fact that Our Heavenly Father has drawn us to His loving Heart for forgiveness- especially when our sins are grave and shameful- is clear evidence that He still loves us very dearly and wishes to use us in His plan of redemption (He does not simply forgive us and leave us be; He uses us in His vineyard)! Thus, whenever we are tempted to dwell on our sinful past we should remember that: a.) Our sins have been forgiven and forgotten b.) It was Our Heavenly Father who drew us to His Divine Son for pardon. Why does God wish to pardon us? For our own sake- because He loves us, and wants to love us more. Sin hinders God from pouring out the immensity of His graces into our souls, in the same way that our parents are unable to embrace us when we turns our backs on them. What pleases God is when we let Him embrace us, which is what happens most intimately in Holy Communion.

There is much more consolation to be derived from meditation on this quote from St. Catherine, but I will leave it to you and God.

 

To “Sinful Souls Drowned in Despair”

St. Faustina, the great Apostle of God’s Mercy, wrote: “I would like to be a priest, for then I would speak without cease about Your mercy to sinful souls drowned in despair.” For her powerful intercession and witness, I would like to thank her by sharing some words of encouragement for such souls:

“…do not yield to despair! For as long as a breath of life remains a man may have recourse to mercy and ask for pardon.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“Write then that I make the most beautiful masterpieces with the most miserable subjects, provided they will let Me. When a soul repents of her faults and deplores them, thinkest thou I am so hard as to not receive her? If so, thou knowest not My Heart. My most loving Heart has such a thirst for the salvation of souls, that when they return to Me I cannot contain My joy; I run to meet them.” – Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero

“If you are still young, if already the scandals of your life have lowered you in the eyes of the world, do not be afraid. . . . Even if there is reason to treat you as a criminal, to insult and cast you off . . . your God has no wish to see you fall into the flames of hell. … On the contrary He ardently desires you to come to Him so that He may forgive you. If you dare not speak to Him, at least look at Him and let the sighs of your heart reach Him, and at once you will find His kind and fatherly hand stretched out to lead you to the springs of pardon and life.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“Should it happen that you have spent the greater part of your life in impiety and indifference, and that the sudden approach of the hour of death fills you with blinding despair . . . Oh! do not let yourself be deceived, for there is still time for pardon. If only one second of life remains to you, in that one second you can buy back eternal life!” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“If your whole life has been spent in ignorance and error . . . if you have been a cause of great evil to other men, to society at large, or to religion, and if through some set of circumstances you have come to realize that you have been deceived … do not allow yourself to be crushed by the weight of your sins and of the evil of which you have been the instrument; but with a soul penetrated with deep contrition throw yourself into an abyss of confidence, and hasten to Him who awaits your return only to pardon you.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“Oh soul whom I love, pay no heed to this ruthless enemy … but as soon as possible have recourse to Me, and filled with deepest contrition implore My mercy and have no fear. I will forgive you.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“How St. Francis converted three murderous robbers who became friars…

‘Father, we for our many wicked wins believe we cannot return to the mercy of God; but if thou have some hope that God in His mercy will receive us, lo, we are ready to do thy bidding and to do penance with thee.’ Then St. Francis received them with loving-kindness and comforted them with many examples, and made them confident in God’s mercy, promising he would surely obtain it for them from God. He told them that the mercy of God was infinite, and that, according to the gospel, even if our sins were infinite, His mercy was yet greater than our sins; and that the Apostle St. Paul hath said, ‘Christ the blessed came into the world to save sinners.’ Hearing these words and the like teachings, the said three robbers renounced the devil and all his works, and St. Francis received them into the Order, and they began to do great penance. And two of them lived but a brief space after their conversion and went to paradise… the third lived on, and… gave himself up to penance…” (From ‘The Little Flowers of St. Francis’, Dover Thrift Editions)

To those who are particularly hardened in despair, ask God for the grace of a confident repentance. Despair wounds the tender Heart of Jesus and greatly offends Him. St. Catherine of Siena said that Judas was primarily lost because of his final act of despair at the “moment of death“. (Despair is forgivable with repentance. This is obvious when we know that repentance is impossible without grace. God desires that all hope in Him, but if we continually refuse God’s mercy, He will at some point leave us in that “self-imposed disposition”, as Jesus said to St. Faustina. Similarly, St. Thomas More said that Judas was guilty of “refusing to be saved”. How can God conquer a hard, blind and impenitent heart? Jesus said to Sr. Consolata Betrone: “You see, final impenitence is found only in a soul who purposely wishes to go to Hell and therefore obstinately refuses My mercy, for I never refuse to pardon anyone.” The mystics tell us that Mary (whose prayers are “all-powerful” with God), prayed fervently for the conversion of Judas, but he did not respond to this immense grace. Mary wept bitterly over the tragic fate of Judas.

To those who are in despair, or who are tempted to despair, here is some advice from St. Josemaria Escriva, from ‘The Way’: “That is nearly always the way the devil tackles souls who are going to resist him: hypocritically, quietly, with motives… of a spiritual nature! Trying not to attract attention. — And then, when there seems to be no way out (though there is), he comes brazenly trying to gain another Judas-like success — despair without repentance”.

“Consider that at that last moment, if you have lived sinfully… The dog of conscience that had been so weakened will begin to bark so incessantly that it will all but drive your soul to despair. But no one ought to despair. No, reach out trustingly for the blood, no matter what sins you have committed, for my mercy, which you receive in the blood, is incomparably greater than all the sins that have ever been committed in the world.” – God to St. Catherine

From St. John Vianney’s Catechism (with Imprimatur; TAN Books):

CHAPTER 19: Catechism on Hope

“My children, there is so little faith now in the world that people either hope too much, or they despair. Some say, “I have done too much evil; the good God cannot pardon me.” My children, this is a great blasphemy; it is putting a limit to the mercy of God, which has no limit – it is infinite. You may have done evil enough to lose the souls of a whole parish, and if you confess, if you are sorry for having done this evil, and resolve not to do it again, the good God will have pardoned you.

A priest was once preaching on hope, and on the mercy of the good God. He reassured others, but he himself despaired. After the sermon, a young man presented himself, saying, “Father, I am come to confess to you.” The priest answered, “I am willing to hear your confession.” The other recounted his sins, after which he added, “Father, I have done much evil; I am lost!” “What do you say, my friend! We must never despair.” The young man rose, saying, “Father, you wish me not to despair, and what do you do?” This was a ray of light; the priest, all astonishment, drove away that thought of despair, became a religious and a great saint* … The good God had sent him an angel under the form of a young man, to show him that we must never despair. The good God is as prompt to grant us pardon when we ask it of Him as a mother is to snatch her child out of the fire.” (* And so can you! Listen to the words of St. Faustina who herself was overomce by despair at times: “Let no soul, even the most miserable, fall prey to doubt; for as long as one is alive, each one can become a great saint, so great is the power of God’s grace. It remains only for us not to oppose God’s action.”)

“I want all souls to have confidence in My mercy, to expect all from My clemency, and never to doubt my readiness to forgive. I am God, but a God of Love! I am a Father, but a Father full of compassion and never harsh. My love never changes. It is my joy to forgive.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“The mercy of God is infinite and NEVER refuses to forgive sinners… My Heart takes comfort in forgiving. I have no greater desire, no greater joy, than when I can pardon a soul… When a soul returns to Me after a fall, the comfort she gives Me is a gain for her, for I regard her with very great love.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez (Give Jesus this joy! As Jesus said to Sr. Mary of the Trinity: “The greatest give you can make Me is to receive Me.” Closing our hearts to God will leave us cold and unhappy. Let God love you! As He said to St. Catherine: “Mercy is what I do”).

[Josefa asked if He remembered our faults after they were forgiven. Jesus replied:] “As soon as a soul throws itself at My feet and implores My forgiveness, Josefa, I forget all her sins.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“However great is the number of your frailties, far greater are the mercies of My Heart…My love never changes.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“Do not worry about your miseries; My Heart is the Throne of Mercy, and the most wretched are the best welcomed, as long as they come to lose themselves in the abyss of My love.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“Oh! If souls only realized how I wait for them in mercy. I am the love of all loves, and it is My joy to forgive.”  – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

******* “… your sins will NEVER be as great as My mercy, which is infinite.” *******

– Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

A “Love Letter” from God to YOU!

Here I have created a “Love letter” from God to all sinners, by combining the words of various private revelations (without changing their true meaning) of Jesus to: St. Faustina, Sr. Josefa Menendez, Sr. Mary of the Trinity and Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero (all revelations have been taken from reliable Catholic books with an imprimatur):

“You know that it is the property of fire to destroy and to enkindle. In the same way, My Heart’s property is to pardon, love, and purify. Never think that I shall cease to love you because of your miseries… No, My Heart loves you and will never forsake you… Each soul is a matchless treasure to Me!… My love has no limits… My mercy is more abundant for sinners than the just… they have a right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy… I pursue sinners as justice pursues criminals. But justice seeks them in order to punish, I, in order to forgive… My Heart takes comfort in forgiving. I have no greater desire, no greater joy, than when I can pardon a soul… I want to forgive them. It rests me to forgive… I am consumed with desire to pardon… Yes, to pardon these poor souls for whom I shed My Blood… At the least sign of repentance, My Heart is aflame with joy, and I wait with inexpressible love for the sinner to turn towards Me… When a soul returns to Me after a fall, the comfort she gives Me is a gain for her, for I regard her with very great love… Never does My Heart refuse to forgive a soul that humbles itself, especially when it asks with confidence… The mercy of My Heart is inexhaustible… A person’s sins may be enormous and numerous, but provided they repent, I am always ready to forgive all, to forget all… My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world… I seek nothing so much as to exercise mercy continually… Sooner would Heaven and earth turn to nothingness than would My mercy fail to embrace a trusting soul… Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this Fountain (…My Heart)… I never reject a contrite heart… For to Me the sight of a humble and contrite soul is irresistible… You honour Me more by the confidence you show Me than by all that you could give Me… The greatest gift a soul can make Me is to receive Me… place no limits on your confidence in Me, then I will place no limits on My graces for you! … I delight to work in a soul. You see, I love to do everything Myself; and from this soul I ask only that she love Me… You must not grieve overmuch at your falls. Why, I could make a saint of you without more ado.”

INFINITE MERCY

Firstly, let us imitate the confidence of the saints! You will come to realise that many of these revelations are remarkably similar! These quotes are taken mainly from ‘Consoling the Heart of Jesus’ by Fr. Gaitley, and ‘Words of Love’ by Bartholomew Gottemoller.

“God does not reject sinners and he will not reject you!” – Padre Pio

“If someone, at the Devil’s prompting, had committed every sin against God and then, with true contrition and the intention of amendment, truly repented these sins and humbly, with burning love, asked God for mercy, there is no doubt that the kind and merciful God Himself would immediately be as ready to receive that person back into His grace with great joy and happiness as would be a loving father who saw returning to him his only, dearly beloved son, now freed from a great scandal and a most shameful death.” – St. Bridget of Sweden

“God is such an inexhaustible wellspring of boundless mercy and natural goodness that never was there a devoted mother who as willingly stretched out her hand to her own child that she had carried under her heart, seeing it in a raging fire, as God does to the penitent, even if it were possible that he had the sins of all men himself and committed them a thousand times every day.” – Bl. Henry Suso

“I’m certain of this – that if my conscience were burdened with all the sins it’s possible to commit, I would still go and throw myself into our Lord’s arms, my heart all broken up with contrition; I know what tenderness He has for any prodigal son of His who comes back to Him.” – St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church

“Even if I had the sins of the whole world on my conscience, as well as the sins of all the condemned souls weighing on my conscience, I would not have doubted God’s goodness but, without hesitation, would have thrown myself into the abyss of the Divine Mercy, which is always open to us…” – St. Faustina (Diary, 1552)

“Even if you had committed all the sins of this world, Jesus repeats to you, “Many sins are forgiven thee because thou hast loved much!” – St. Padre Pio

“The greater your sins, the greater still the triumph of the goodness, charity, and clemency of this God Who is infinitely rich in mercy.” – St. Leonard of Port Maurice

“Infinite Mercy is exercised on our behalf in the measure that it finds us miserable and unworthy.” – Bl. Dina Belanger

“As the fire is fed with combustibles, and increases according as they are supplied, so My mercy is nourished with the miseries it consumes, and the more it receives the more it increases.” – Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero

“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.” (Diary, 1273)

My love is fed by consuming miseries; the soul that brings Me the most, if the heart is contrite and humble, is the one that pleases Me the most, because she gives Me an opportunity of exercising more fully My office of Saviour.” – Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero

Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero (taken from the ‘Decalogue of Mercy’ which he dictated to her):

“8. The more evil the state to which the soul is reduced by the sins of the past, by her disorders and passions, so much the more pleased is Love to have so much to accomplish in her.

9. Souls the most miserable, the most weak, the most infirm, are the best clients of Love, the most desired by the Divine Mercy.

10. These souls, thus become, as it were, the predilette [favourite] of God, will, like so many living monuments, exalt and magnify the multitude of His mercies, sending up to God the reflections of living light, His own light, which they have received from Him during their mortal life,- the multitude of kindnesses God has made use of to conduct them to eternal salvation. These souls will shine like previous gems, and will form the crown of the Divine Mercy.”

“My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy” (Diary, 1182).

“Our Lord had promised that whoever looked upon His Cross, no matter how sinful he might be, even if he did so only at the end of his life, as did the good thief, would receive salvation.” – St. Francis de Sales’ sermon on Good Friday, 1622

Various words of Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero: “My Heart is full of mercy, not only for thee, but for all… Imperfections cannot displease Me, unless the soul loves them… Provided I find good will in a soul, I am never weary of looking upon its miseries… the soul ought never to be afraid of God because God is all-merciful… Trusting souls are the robbers of My graces. Write that the pleasure I take in the trusting soul is inexpressible.”

“God hates sin infinitely, but He loves His creatures infinitely. As soon as the soul repents of its sin, it recovers the love of God. If all sinners wished to return to God with contrite and humble hearts, all would be saved. This infinite kindness desires that all men reach Heaven… A mother would be less eager to rescue her child who fell into a fire than God would be to embrace the repentant sinner.” – St. Leonard of Port Maurice

“Look at this amazing friendship Our Lord offers us! God’s tenderness protects us while we’re sinning, and He even pats us secretly and shows us our sins by the gentle light of His sweet mercy and grace. When we see ourselves so soul-dirty, we think God’s mad at us, and we’re encouraged by the Holy Spirit to feel godly sorrow and to pray. At that point, we want nothing more than to change ourselves and make God happy. We hope God has forgiven us and of course God has. Then our considerate Lord shows Himself to the soul. God is happy. The Lord’s face is the most cheerful one you’ll ever see. He welcomes the soul as a friend. God welcomes our souls as if they had been in pain and prison, which they have. Our considerate Lord then says, “Sweetheart, I’m glad you came to Me when you were hurting so. Know I’ve always been with you. Now you see Me. Now you see how much I love you. Now we are made one in bliss.” – Julian of Norwich

“My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. (Diary, 1146)

“There are souls who thwart My efforts, but I have not given up on them; as often as they turn to Me, I hurry to their aid, shielding them with My mercy, and I give them the first place in My compassionate Heart.” (Diary, 1682)

“Write, My daughter, that I am mercy itself for the contrite soul. A soul’s great wretchedness does not enkindle Me with wrath; but rather, My Heart is moved towards it with great mercy.” (Diary, 1739)

“How very much I desire the salvation of souls!” (Diary, 1784)

“My secretary, write that I am more generous towards sinners than the just. It was for their sake that I came down from Heaven; it was for their sake that My Blood was spilled. Let them not fear to approach Me; they are most in need of My mercy.” (Diary, 1275)

“O my Jesus, Your goodness surpasses all understanding, and no one will exhaust Your mercy. Damnation is for the soul who wants to be damned; but for the one who desires salvation, there is the inexhaustible ocean of the Lord’s mercy to draw from.” (Diary, 631)

“God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God’s mercy will never be exhausted.” (Diary, 72)

“Only that soul who wants it will be damned for God condemns no one.” (Diary, 1452)

“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.” (Diary, 1146)

“My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; urge all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all. On the Cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls- no one have I excluded!” (Diary, 1182)

“Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you.” (Diary, 1488)

“The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy… He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool.” (Diary, 1059)

“Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy.” (Diary, 1059)

“You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons.” (Diary, 1488)

“I am mercy itself; therefore I ask you to offer Me your misery and this very helplessness of yours and, in this way, you will delight My Heart.” (Diary, 1775)

The demon suggested to Adolphe Rette, a great sinner: “If God allows you to be walled up in distress, it’s to show you that you no longer have anything to hope for from Him… Sinners of your calibre cannot be redeemed… Take up your old ways again… Since God rejects you, since your existence has become a continual torment, you had best escape in death. So be a man—admit that everything is finished for you, jump into the darkness.” His good angel consoled him, saying: “The mercy of God is infinite towards him who repents. Hope and pray… Accept this trial with perseverance, for it is necessary… Go, humble yourself, fear nothing, you will be heard.”

“In the Sacrament of Penance, God shows us and shares with us His mercy even unto infinity… You have seen my candle at night: early in the morning it burned out. Where is it? It no longer exists, it is gone: in the same way, the sins for which one has received absolution no longer exist: they are gone.” – St. John Vianney

“There is no sinner in the world, however much at enmity with God, who cannot recover God’s grace by recourse to Mary, and by asking her assistance.” – St. Bridget of Sweden

“I was given mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Jesus Christ could show that he has patience without limit as an example to those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” – 1 Timothy 1:16

“Divine goodness not only does not reject the repentant soul, but always seeks to find even the obstinate.” – St Padre Pio

“Should it happen that you have spent the greater part of your life in impiety and indifference, and that the sudden approach of the hour of death fills you with blinding despair . . . Oh! do not let yourself be deceived, for there is still time for pardon. If only one second of life remains to you, in that one second you can buy back eternal life!” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“We can hope. We are precisely the ones that Jesus came to save, for we are being lost. Yes, without Him we are perishing at every moment. We can hope, for whatever we may be guilty of, Jesus wants to save us. The more sinful we are, the closer to death, the deeper our state of despair for our body and our soul, the more it can be said that Jesus wants to save us, for He came to save what was about to be lost. We must never be discouraged, but always hope. We are on the edge of a gulf, we are about to sink…we are sinking. We are just the ones Jesus came to save. He wants to save us because we are sinking. He is infinitely good and infinitely powerful. To the very last, as long as there is a breath of life left, all can hope in Him.” – Bl. Charles de Foucauld

“If you are still young, if already the scandals of   your life have lowered you in the eyes of the world, do not be afraid. . . .   Even if there is reason to treat you as a criminal, to insult and cast you   off . . . your God has no wish to see you fall into the flames of hell. …   On the contrary He ardently desires you to come to Him so that He may forgive   you. If you dare not speak to Him, at least look at Him and let the sighs of   your heart reach Him, and at once you will find His kind and fatherly hand   stretched out to lead you to the springs of pardon and life.” – Jesus to Sr.   Josefa Menendez“Come all of you to Me and fear not, for I Love you all…   I will wash you in My Blood and you shall be made whiter than snow. All of   your offences will be submerged in the waters in which I myself shall wash   you, nor shall anything whatsoever be able to tear from My Heart its Love for   you.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez“I will teach sinners that the Mercy of My   Heart is inexhaustible.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez “God cannot turn away his face from   those who cast themselves at his feet with a humble and contrite heart.”   – St. Alphonsus Liguori “Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know but I pray that you will be able to know that love.” – Ephesians 3:19 “God loved us before he made us; and his love has never diminished and never shall.”- Julian of Norwich “…the love of God can be exhausted by no human iniquity” – Catechism of the Council of Trent “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His compassions NEVER fail; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.” –   Lamentations 3:22-23 “Jesus Christ   is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to   separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans   8:39). “Now, I want   something more, for if I long for love in response to My own, this is not the   only return I desire from souls: I want them all to have confidence in My   mercy, to expect all from My clemency, and never to doubt My readiness to   forgive. I am God, but a God of love! I am a Father, but a Father full of   compassion and never harsh. My Heart is infinitely holy but also infinitely   wise, and knowing human frailty and infirmity, stoops to poor sinners with   infinite mercy. I love those who after a first fall come to Me for pardon . .   . I love them still more when they beg pardon for their second sin, and   should this happen again, I do not say a million times but a million million   times, I still love them and pardon them, and I will wash in My Blood their   last as fully as their first sin. Never shall I weary of repentant sinners,   nor cease from hoping for their return, and the greater their distress, the   greater My welcome. Does not a father love a sick child with special   affection? Are not his care and solicitude greater? So is the tenderness and   compassion of My Heart more abundant for sinners than for the just. This is   what I wish all to know. I will teach sinners that the mercy of My Heart is   inexhaustible.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez “I will make   it known that My work rests on nothingness and misery—such is the first link   in the chain of love that I have prepared for souls from eternity. I will use   you to show that I love misery, littleness and absolute nothingness. I will   reveal to souls the excess of My love and how far I will go in forgiveness,   and how even their faults will be used by Me with blind indulgence . . . yes,   write . . . with blind indulgence. I see depths, the very depths of souls, I   see how they fain would please, console and glorify Me, and the act of humility they are obliged to make when they see themselves so feeble, is   solace and glory to My Heart. What does their helplessness matter? Cannot I   supply all their deficiencies? I will show how My Heart uses their very   weakness to give life to many souls that have lost it. I will make known that   the measure of My love and mercy for fallen souls is limitless. I want to   forgive them. It rests Me to forgive. I am ever there, waiting, with boundless love till souls come to Me. Let them come, nor be discouraged. Let   them fearlessly throw themselves into My arms! I am their Father.” – Jesus to   Sr. Josefa Menendez “In our thoughts and in confession, we must not dwell on sins that were previously confessed. Because of our contrition,   Jesus forgave them at the tribunal of penitence. It was there that He faced   us and our destitution, like a creditor standing before an insolvent debtor.   With a gesture of infinite generosity, He tore up and destroyed the   promissory notes which we signed with our sins, and which we would certainly   not have been able to pay without the help of His Divine clemency.” – St. Padre Pio “When disturbed by passions and misfortunes, may the sweet hope of His inexhaustible mercy sustain us. Let us hasten   confidently to the tribunal of penance where He awaits us at every instant   with the anxiety of a father; and even though we are aware of our inability   to repay Him, let us have no doubts about the solemn pardon pronounced over   our errors. Let us place a tombstone over them, just as the Lord has done.” –   St. Padre Pio “The mercy of God is so great that he abandons no one.” – St. Padre Pio “God’s mercy, my son, is infinitely   greater than your malice.” St. Padre Pio “God, at the moment of absolution, throws our sins   over His shoulder. He forgets them; He annihilates them; they shall never reappear.” – St. John Vianney

“Our Redeemer longs to pardon and forget. He often awaits only a gesture or a thought of love on our part to grant an extraordinary grace to some sinner.” – Bl. Dina Belanger

“Love transforms and divinizes everything and mercy pardons all.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez (December 5, 1922).