6 Easy Ways to Grow in Divine Love (Pt. 2)

(6) Praise God in ALL THINGS and for ALL THINGS

What is it that attracts God to our souls? Is it our virtue? Our strength? Our talents?

Certainly not.

St. Augustine says that we cannot give what we don’t have. Well, okay – what do we have? “I am good at maths,” one will say; “I am a professional athlete,” another will say; “Yeah, well, I can bench 120!”

Yes, okay – but what do you have of yourself? What do you have that you have not received? (Bear in mind that we do not have existence of or from ourselves; our essence is distinct from our existence).

The answer? Nothing. Nada.

[Actually, there is an exception. Although we have neither existence from ourselves, nor talents, nor grace, we do have a unique claim to our sufferings and our sins].

This might seem all a bit depressing, a bit of a guilt-trip. But it isn’t. Rather, it is the foundation of happiness; it is the bedrock of the spiritual life, of a genuine relationship between the creature and the Creator; it is the key to holiness and, subsequently, to happiness.

It is humility that attracts God to our souls. [Humility and charity grow together.]

Let me attempt to explain.

Because God’s essence is Love, He is always seeking our good; He longs to communicate His Divine Life – which is nothing other than Love Itself – to us, His dear children, for whom He has paid so great a price! Whether we are the greatest sinner in the universe or not, matters little; the only impediment to God’s action in us… is us. If we are full of pride, of self-sufficiency, then God has no room to act (pride and God are like oil and water); but if we are humble, acknowledging our frailty and leaning on God alone, He will supply for our deficiencies, He will fill our empty vessels, bit by bit (“… fill the hearts of Thy faithful… “). And the greater our need, the more God is glorified in helping us!

Let Love be Love. Don’t try to give yourself to God; this is beyond your strength. Rather, ask God to take you to Himself. ‘I am thine: save Thou me’ (Ps. 118:94).

“God alone is capable, properly speaking, of giving – he to Whom ALL THINGS belong.”

– Louis Bouyer (p. 80, ‘The Meaning of the Monastic Life’)

God is more glorified by the feeble works of an imperfect soul who recognises her absolute dependence on God, and who trusts audaciously in His goodness, than He is by the most heroic acts of a soul who believes that, by their works, they are somehow giving God something that wasn’t already His to begin with; for ‘to Him nothing may be added’ (Eccles. 42:21).

God alone communicates life and goodness to His creatures. Until we grasp this truth, our relationship with God will suffer. There is nothing quite like knowing that God’s love for us is perfectly pure; that He seeks us, not because of what we are, but because of what He is. In ALL THINGS, then, let us rely on Him, let us glorify Him, let us thank Him. This is the key to great holiness. A grateful soul is necessarily a humble soul, and a humble soul is necessarily a loving soul, being inundated, as it were, with the graces of God.

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ALL THINGS IN GOD, ALL THINGS BY GOD,

ALL THINGS WITH GOD, ALL THINGS FOR GOD

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“Thou art my Treasure: be Thou my All!”

– Dom Pius de Hemptinne

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Everything is Grace

‘Giving thanks always for ALL THINGS, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father…’ (Eph. 5:20)

Those Who Possess God are Truly Rich (Even the Poor and Afflicted)

‘… as having nothing, and possessing ALL THINGS.’ (2 Cor. 6:10)

God Seeks Only to Give

‘He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill ALL THINGS.’ (Eph. 4:10)

God Changes Everything we Give Him into Gold

‘And we know that to them that love God, ALL THINGS work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints.’ (Rom 8:28)

 ‘… if we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil?’ (Job 2:20)

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+ Some Revelations to the Same Effect

(1) “Religious Soul, let thyself be guided in ALL THINGS by Love.“

– Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata

(2) “… she [the soul] should have God alone in view in ALL THINGS, His glory, His good pleasure; doing this she will always be at peace.”

– Our Lady to Sr. Benigna Consolata

(3) “A soul who does the Will of God in ALL THINGS, not only accomplishing His Will but studying even His least desires in order to fulfill them, who is, so to say, ever on the alert, is a soul always in prayer.”

– Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata

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‘Furthermore I count ALL THINGS to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of ALL THINGS, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ…’ (Phil. 3:8)

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“I WILL LOVE HIM IN ALL THINGS;

I will love Him in Himself and out of Himself, in His creatures, in His severity,

in His sweetness, in His magnificence, in my privations, contradictions, censures,

in oppression of heart and joy of  soul, in His abundance as well as in my poverty…”

– Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (d. 1692)

[The next post will provide us with the easiest means for finding God, loving God and pleasing God in all things. I have never been so eager to share something.]

 

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Wisdom from the Writings of Saintly Souls (on a Range of Topics)

The Father’s Love for the Mystical Body, the Church

1. “The more God sees His Son in each one of us, the more abundantly He showers His gifts on us.” (p. 98, ‘The Spiritual Doctrine of Dom Marmion’)

Authentic Christianity: “For me, to live is Christ”

2. “A spiritual life which does not depend entirely on Christ is false, empty, absolutely useless; ‘Without Me you can do nothing.” (p. 54, ‘The Spiritual Doctrine of Dom Marmion’)

Without Jesus, We Cannot Bear the Cross

3. Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos: “… at the beginning of Mass I saw our Lord stooping, as if bearing a heavy burden, and He said to me, I take upon myself the suffering of My daughter.” (p. 402, Life)

The Delight of the Elect: Perfect Union with God

4. Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos: “One day the interior voice said to me: God renders the blessed like Himself; yes, Benigne, My elect by seeing Me are in such wise transformed in Me that they have no other will than Mine; their love springs from My Love.” (p. 341, Life)

The Alpha and the Omega

5. Our Lord to Ven. Louise Margaret: “Infinite Love envelops, penetrates, and fills all things. It is the only source of life and of all fertility; It is the eternal principle of beings and their eternal end. If you wish to possess life and not be sterile, break the bonds that bind you to yourself and to creatures and plunge into this abyss.” (p. 4, ‘The Love and Service of God, Infinite Love,’ TAN Books)

Hell Exists because God is Good

6. Ven. Louise Margaret: “No, if there were no Hell, I could not love Thee… If there were no Hell, three splendid jewels would be wanting to the crown of Thy sublime perfections; there would be wanting justice, power and dignity.” (p. 10, TLGIL)

“I desire mercy”

7. From the Life of Bl. Elizabeth Canori–Mora: “Another time He revealed to her and placed before her eyes the sins of His own Ministers and of the public Magistrates. Elizabeth was so much surprised that she was filled with profound indignation, and opened her lips to cry out for justice against these unknown delinquents; but Our Lord prevented her, and said in a tone of love and tenderness: “Ah! My daughter, cry for mercy, not for justice. I wish not the death of the sinner, but that he should be converted and live.” Whilst saying these ineffable words He directed upon her from His Heart a ray of pure and living light; then he added: “May this ray of light serve you to protect men against the anger of Divine Justice.” (p. 184)

The Blood of Jesus Cries for Mercy

8. St. Gemma’s Guardian Angel: “Look at what Jesus has suffered for men. Consider one by one these Wounds. It is Love that has opened them all. See how execrable sin is, since to expiate it, so much pain and so much love have been necessary.” (p. 194, Life)

Imperfections: A Treasure for the Soul of Good-Will

9. Jesus to Sr. Consolata Betrone: “… you will commit faults, infidelities, and imperfections; and these will help you to advance, for they will cause you to make many acts of humility.” (p. 41, JATTW)

The Cross is a Gift

10. Jesus to St. Gemma (appearing to her with the Cross on His shoulders): “Gemma, wilt thou have it, My Cross? See, this is the present I have prepared for thee.” (p. 174, Life)

A Model of Patience in Suffering

11. From the Life of Sr. Gertrude Mary: “On her bed of agony, coughing incessantly, she murmurs this word of love: Every fit of coughing is a cry to Heaven.”

Heaven on Earth

12. Sr. Gertrude Mary: “The air which I breathe near the Tabernacle is not the same as elsewhere, for it is already that of Paradise. I know this by experience.”

What the Damned Would Give to See God

13. From ‘The Dogma of Hell, Illustrated by Facts Taken from Profane and Sacred History,’ by Rev. F.X. Schouppe:

“A holy priest was exorcising a demoniac, and he asked the demon what pains he was suffering in Hell.

“An eternal fire,” he answered, “an eternal malediction, an eternal rage, and a frightful despair at being never able to gaze upon Him who created me.”

“What would you do to have the happiness of seeing God?”

“To see Him but for one moment, I should willingly consent to endure my torments for 10,000 years. But vain desires! I shall suffer forever and never see Him!”

Man’s Only Good

“My God, my Sovereign Love, my All… My Jesus, my only Love, my God, my All... My Jesus, my only God, my All…”

– Words taken from various prayers given by Our Lord to SG. Sr. Benigna Consolata

He who possesses God, possess all. “Sanctifying grace,” writes Reginal Garrigou-Lagrange, “which makes us begin to live in this higher, supra-angelic order of the intimate life of God, is like a divine graft received in the very essence of the soul to elevate its vitality and to make it bear no longer merely natural fruits but supernatural ones, meritorious acts that merit eternal life for us.” (‘The Three Ages of the Interior Life’)

‘Furthermore,’ exclaimed St. Paul,  ‘I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ‘ (Phil. 3:8).

“That I may gain Christ.” That we may gain Christ. Is this not the reason for the Incarnation? Is this not the reason behind Our Lord’s cruel passion and death? Is this not the sublime end for which we were created? What more can we desire? What else can slake our thirst for limitless Good? ‘A man cannot receive any thing, unless it be given him from Heaven.’ (John 3:27) ‘I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and I go to the Father.’ (John 16:28)

“This,” writes Bl. Dom Columba Marmion, “is what our Lord Himself said to a Benedictine nun, Mother Deleloe, whose wonderful inner life has but recently been revealed:

“What more can you desire than to have within you the true source of all good, My Divine Heart?… All these great things are yours, all these treasures and riches are for the heart that I have chosen… Draw as much as you desire of these infinite delights and riches.” (‘Christ, the Ideal of the Monk’)

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“Maria,” said Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata, “no longer go begging the love of creatures; were they to give themselves entirely to thee thou wouldst not be satisfied. GOD ALONE CAN SUFFICE FOR THEE. Maria, thou hast need of a heart which loves thee, which understands thee; it is the Heart of God thou needest.” (‘The Tendernesses of the Love of Jesus for a Little Soul’)

Happy are those who can say with St. Francis of Assisi: “My God and my All!” What a beautiful, powerful and succint prayer. To go to God; to hope for everything from Him, to desire nothing but Him, is the very reason for which we were created; there is no other means by which we can find true, lasting fulfilment. This truth is beautifully illustrated in the writings of Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (‘The Life of Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos: Lay-Sister of the Visitation of Holy Mary’). The words speak for themselves:

“Once, on the Feast of the great St. Ambrose, I was in an extreme weakness, without devotion or application in God or to the merits of that Saint, my great protector, so that I said to our Lord:

‘Alas! my sweet Love, since I am so weak that I cannot further the interests of Thy glory as much as Thy goodness desires and signifies to me, I would punish myself for my fault by depriving myself this morning of approaching the holy Table. It is indeed the hardest penance I can impose on myself; yes, my Jesus, it is carrying my chastisement to the highest point thus to deprive myself of union with Thee by the reception of that Bread of Life.’

He made answer with a graciousness and love which penetrated my inmost soul and passed into the marrow of my bones:

‘Benigne, since when hast thou found that thou dost increase My glory, promote My interests, and make reparation for thy faults BY KEEPING AWAY FROM ME? …”

 

 

Some Saintly Insights into the “Little Way”

Servant of God, Leonie Martin (sister of St. Therese)

‘The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was little and he delivered me.’

– Psalm 116:6

When people hear of the “Little Way,” they generally think of (Little) St. Therese. This is understandable, considering the profound role she has played, and will continue to play, in making this doctrine better known, i.e. the doctrine of confident and complete abandonment to Merciful Love.

But it is important to know that St. Therese is only one of many “little souls” (or the “littlest ones,” as she desired to be). There are a number of other “little ones,” that, like St. Therese, have much to teach us. This post is devoted to them. Let us consider their wisdom:

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“Our deeds are not the best claim to merit before God. God inspires the thought and gives the strength. Our true Title to the Divine favour is the Blood of Christ, to which we have the right through our own destitution and humbly acknowledged frailty.”

– Dom Pius de Hemptinne, d. 1907 (p. 139, ‘A Disciple of Dom Marmion’)

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+ “And to make Jesus more promptly realize my desire [to become a religious], I treated Him as a little child treats her mother until she obtains what she wants. I tormented Jesus. How weary He must have grown of hearing me! But was it not He Himself who was inspiring this ardent desire of giving myself to Him, wholly and without reserve? Did He not really wish that I should importune Him in this way?”

– Sr. Gertrude Mary, d. 1908 (An extraordinary French mystic, who has often been compared to St. Therese.)

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+  “I wish to stay small, so that I can have the audacity to believe that I will not go to Purgatory.  I ask my Jesus that He Himself prepare me for His arrival.”

– Servant of God, Leonie Martin, sister of St. Therese, d. 1941

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“I will suffer joyously since Jesus wills it; I will not seek calm and tranquillity, but let Jesus do around me whatever He pleases. I shall be faithful to the practice of virtue, even in the smallest things; for example, I shall be silent when I wish to speak, and speak when I would like to keep silence. May Jesus bless me, guide me, and enlighten me!”

– Servant of God, Sr. Benigna Consolata, d. 1916

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“Love is the soul of every life of prayer and of every good work.”

– Ven. Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, d. 1937

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“Never let yourself be depressed by the thought of your wretchedness. The great
St. Paul said: ‘Where sin abounded, grace did more abound.’ So it seems to me that the weakest, even the most sinful person has the greatest right to hope. By forgetting self and casting herself into the arms of God, she glorifies Him more than by any self-examination and self-reproach, which keep her attention fixed on her own defects though she possesses a Saviour within her Who is always willing to purify her.”

– Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity (soon to be declared a Saint!)

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“I have only to ask; I hear the humble and trustful prayer of little ones.”

– Our Lady to Pere Lamy (p. 95, ‘Pere Lamy’)

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The Life and Revelations of Sister Jeanne Bénigne Gojos

Her Birth

Servant of God (S.G.) Sr. Jeanne Bénigne was born on July 20, 1615, in Viuz, Veronay, a small French village situated in the diocese of Geneva. Her father and mother were both from respectable Catholic families, who took care to observe the Commandments, and practice works of mercy.

Her Baptism

On July 22, the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene (and the birth of St. Margaret Mary*), little Jeanne received the grace of Baptism. Her mother chose this name because her birth was a cause of joy for all her family.

[*In the year 1657, Sr. Jeanne Benigne prophesied about a Sister Margaret Mary, who would teach a profitable devotion in the Church i.e. devotion to the Sacred Heart.]

Her Childhood

Shortly after her baptism, she was entrusted to the care of her grandfather, Anthelme Perjure. He was a very wealthy and respected man, renowned for his great charity towards the poor. We can only estimate the extent of his influence on Jeanne, whose first words were, “I want to be a saint.” Whenever the question was repeated to her, she always gave the same response: “I want to be a saint. Yes, yes, Jeanne wants nothing else but holiness.” Our Lord was already acting impressively upon the soul of his beloved child, who, like St. John the Baptist, was to be a child of grace.

At the age of 4, Jeanne was afflicted by smallpox, which left her features disfigured. Her illness was so severe that her parents feared for her life. On another occasion, Jeanne fell into a fire, but was fortunate enough to escape with nothing worse than a sore hand. Later, little Jeanne faced yet another grave danger when a man who was carrying her on horseback nearly drowned in the river.

When she reached a fitting age, Jeanne was taught how to read, write, sing and dance. She was particularly fond of singing and dancing; but these things could never satisfy her heart; she thirsted for the All, the Alpha and the Omega.

Inevitably – as happens in the lives of all servants of the Divine Master – Jeanne became the victim of the world’s assaults; vanity, attachment to creatures, and frivolous pastimes knocked at the door of her heart – but in vain. These attacks only induced Jeanne to seek the safety of the cloister with greater ardour.

Spiritual Formation

At the age of 11, Jeanne made her first Communion with great devotion. She would often spend long periods before the Blessed Sacrament, where she occasionally tasted great spiritual sweetness. “It seemed to me,” she wrote “that when that time was past I was a poor orphan, no longer having my Divine Saviour before my eyes.”

To sustain her in the spiritual life, she read the writings of St. Francis de Sales, and the holy Gospels. The latter in particular inspired her with great lights, unction, reverence and love for Almighty God, Who penetrated her heart with an intense hatred of the least fault. Later in life she could say in truth:

“I would rather die a thousand times than offend Him. I have a mortal hatred of the very least defects.”

An Ever–Increasing Flame

Jeanne’s ardent love of God, and her hatred of sin – two sides of the same coin – would continue to grow throughout her life, even to an heroic degree. The Divine Gardener would continue to graft Himself every more intimately to the soul of His loving daughter, in whom He had planted the seed of a desire for the religious life; it was only time before this seed bore fruit. Since a young age, God had been drawing her irresistibly to the cloister, to sacrifice, to silence, to self–abnegation. ‘Therefore, behold I will allure her, and will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak to her heart’ (Hosea 2:14).

One day, at Holy Communion, Our Lord clearly manifested His Will to Jeanne; she was to retire from the world and give herself without reserve to God. At first, her confessor strongly dissuaded her from doing so – but he cited only earthly reasons. In her affliction, Jeanne addressed her ardent sights to the Blessed Mother, asking her to fulfil her resolution to give herself entirely to God within only a few months. Her prayer was answered. “During this time,” she writes, “by a sort of miracle, I found means, through one of our out–sisters of Annecy [of the Order of the Visitation], of asking to be received there without anyone knowing it… At the end of the limit I had given to Mary, my powerful Advocate, the out–sister, together with the chaplain of our first Monastery at Annecy, arrived at our house, saying quite frankly that they had come to take me away to that holy place, and that our Mothers had granted me admission into their house. I had made this choice the better to accomplish my desire of being a saint, for I had heard of the sublime perfection of the life that was led there. I had also in view to go to a distance from my relations and my country, in order that God might more readily make known to me His Will.”

Her Entrance into Religion

Despite her good intentions, Jeanne’s parents gently reproached her for acting so secretively. Her father was particularly reluctant to let go of his dear child, but the mother persuaded him to accept with docility the sacrifice that God was asking of them. After receiving her parents’ blessing, Jeanne left on the eve of the Feast of St. John for the Visitation of Holy Mary in Annecy, France, where she would arrive on the Feast of the Holy Innocents. This day also marked the 13^th anniversary of the death of [Saint] Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva. Jeanne knelt before his tomb that very day when “… she began to feel a grace which may have had some little resemblance to that which the great St. Paul received at the moment of his conversion; for she felt herself not only blind to all worldly objects, but dead to all worldly feelings.”

The religious life was, for Sr. Jeanne Benigne, a source of innumerable blessings from Heaven. Almighty God bestowed upon her the gift of infused prayer, a great purity of heart, and He occupied her affections to such an extent that “… He became thenceforward the Sovereign Master of her whole being by a continual perception and adoration of His divine Will in all things.”

The morning after entering the religious life, Sr. Jeanne changed put on the clothes of a servant–maid and began her new life within the walls of the Visitation. Writing later in life, she tells us that, since entering the religious house, not once did she lose sight of God, Who often manifested Himself to her in the most profound ways. Her life was truly extraordinary; she was often the recipient of visions, locutions, and other mystical graces. She learnt many valuable and inspiring lessons from the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, from the Blessed Mother, and even from St. Francis de Sales.

Her Extraordinary Sanctity

It was evident to those around her, that Sr. Jeanne Benigne was a privileged child of God; she was a model religious, who sought nothing but Christ and His good–pleasure. Although she tried to conceal her gifts, it was of no use; it was noted by the sisters, for example, that when Sr. Jeanne tried to make the Sign of the Cross without anyone perceiving it, this often resulted in remarkable cures, including the prolongation of life, and deliverance from temptations and distress. “God also promised her that during the course of her life He would preserve this country [France] from pestilence and famine, and from the dangerous consequences of the siege, as well as from other causes of public affliction; and this protection was in reality experienced, although we were often threatened with those scourges; and the secret favours she obtained for the whole state, and for us in particular, were innumerable.”

“And I say that Benigna is she by whom I go about cleansing the world from sins and heresy, often granting to her real conversions from both, such as the conversions of pagans and Turks.”

– Jesus to Sr. Jeanne Benigne (p. 192, ‘Divine Communications’ by Rev. Auguste Saudreau, Vol. 1)

No less of an authority than Mother de Chantal [St. Jane Frances de Chantal] “… judged favourably of the ways by which this soul was led, and said that the designs of God upon her were great; that love and grace would do admirable things in her favour.” This holy soul, a friend of St. Francis de Sales, ensured that Sr. Jeanne Benigne’s virtue was tried. This proved to be an occasion of countless graces for Sr. Jeanne Benigne and for the whole community at Annecy, who were greatly edified by her sublime virtue.

On the 31st of May, 1637, Sr. Jeanne Benigne received the habit from the hands of Mother de Chantal. “She redoubled her efforts to attain to the state of pure love; and her virtue gained her the esteem and affection of all the sisters, who found great consolation in conversing with her.”

Throughout her religious life, Sr. Jeanne Benigne was ever faithful in observing the Rule, which Our Lord gave her a profound respect for her, drawing her attention to particular words to meditate upon and put into practice. Such condescension on the part of Love Incarnate served to inflame the heart of Sr. Jeanne Benigne; she was always inventing new ways to mortify herself, so that Christ may reign in her soul. She sought to eradicate even the least shadow of a fault by means of continual mortifications of the senses, and of her own will. ‘Go not after thy lusts, but turn away from thy own will.’ (Eccles. 18:30)

In addition to her self–imposed sacrifices, she also suffered from strange maladies, which she bore with her usual patience and even with delight. Like the Sacred Heart of her Beloved Saviour, the heart of Benigne was a blazing furnace; the more she loaded it with the wood of the Cross, the more ardently it burned for God and for souls. “No, no,” she would exclaim; “O sovereign clemency, Heart of Jesus, pardon all the world and punish only Benigne; let her bear the chastisements that are due to it.”

She confessed on at least one occasion that sufferings were no longer a burden for her; rather, they were a delight, for they were opportunities to prove her love for her Heavenly Spouse.

For the sake of brevity, we pass over the greater part of Sr. Jeanne’s religious life. Suffice it to say that we are speaking here of a truly privileged soul, who was called to an unusual sanctity. “Ah!” said Our Lord to Sr. Jeanne one day, “what is wanting to the grace I bestow on thee in showing Myself to thee, except duration, to be able to call thyself blessed.” On another occasion the Three Divine Persons addressed these words to her:

“Benigne must do everything in the spirit of Jesus, and must follow Him in all things, to glorify us in Him and by Him.”

How admirably did Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos appear to put this sublime lesson into effect!

Her Holy Death

“It was on Wednesday, the 5th of November, 1692, at eight o’clock in the evening, that we witnessed the end of the holy life of this venerable sister, at the age of seventy–seven years, five months, and fifteen days, of which she had passed fifty–seven years in religion, as a humble lay-sister, which was no doubt a privilege granted by God to her humility, notwithstanding the frequent intentions that had been formed of giving her the black veil.

As she had often foretold, her death took place in the twenty–third week after Pentecost, on the Sunday of which the Gospel relates the story of that woman who only wished to touch the hem of the Saviour’s garment that she might be healed, and who won that praise from the mouth of Eternal Wisdom, Fides tua te salvam fecit, with an encouragement to confide in His goodness.”

Her Influence Today

S.G. Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos is a powerful intercessor, whose influence can still be experienced today. After her death, many holy and learned priests and religious gave written evidence attesting to her sanctity.

On November 5, 1908, Maria Consolata – another privileged nun of the Visitation Order – received the white habit with the name Sr. Benigna Consolata. This was no coincidence. These two privileged souls shared much in common. Our Lord even referred to the Revelations of Sr. Jeanne Benigne in a locution to Sr. Benigna Consolata.

Our Lord Desires to Make Himself Known Through Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos

“One day,” writes Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos, “I asked my pure Love in what manner I could exalt that glory, and I received from Him this instruction:

“By being obedient to My graces, and by writing them down also by obedience; yes, My Benigne, submission attracts My glory to the soul, and that enables it to gain victories, as thy holy Founder teaches you all, and attracts Me to the earth of your heart, which thus remains full and penetrated by Me. My daughter, I am much glorified by all those who know how to conquer themselves, and who for love of Me do violence to their passions, to bring them under the empire of holy love, and under the loving law of My Will.”

On another occasion, “… Our Lord confirmed the command to write, and there took place a kind of dialogue between Him and His Benigne. “Alas!” she said, “what wilt Thou gain by these writings, O Lord ?”

“My glory will be exalted by them.”

“O God! Nothingness exalt the All! How can that be?”

“By showing how I love this nothing,” Jesus replied.

“But to what purpose should they learn what Thou hast done for me?”

“They will be excited to love me by reading it.”

“Ah! Lord, my little virtue will not correspond to Thy bounties, they will never believe them!”

“He who will not believe shall not taste them.”

“Ah! my God, who will be able to collect Thy divine favours out of my rough copies? What person will take so much trouble?”

“I will find her, Benigne, trust to my care, and I will reward those who shall read the recital of the graces which I have been pleased to heap upon thy soul.”

She said again to her Jesus: “Faith does not oblige anyone to believe these divine favours.” But He taught her that the heart which loves perfectly hopes strongly, believes its Lover easily, and will possess even in this life all it can desire from His bounty.”

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SOME REVELATIONS GIVEN TO SR. JEANNE BENIGNE GOJOS

Source: ‘Life of Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos, lay–sister of the Visitation of Holy Mary, who died in the odour of sanctity in the Monastery of Turin, in 1692’ by Mother Marie Geltrude E. Provane De Leyni

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Our Misery Attracts Divine Mercy

“… remember that I love thee, that where misery and poverty abound, there I pour out My mercy, and the riches of My grace, and that as I cannot abase myself to the unworthiness of thy soul, I raise it up to Myself, freeing it from its dross and imperfection by means of my preventing love…”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 51)

Obedience Gives Value to the Least of our Actions

“My Spouse tells me that nothing but obedience and love give a high value to our good actions, and that obedience confers merit even on indifferent ones. That all we do with little love is painful, and if the merit of it is not quite lost, it is at least much diminished.”

– Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (p. 56)

Obedience Attracts the Divine Assistance

“… submission attracts My glory to the soul, and that enables it to gain victories, as thy holy Founder teaches you all, and attracts Me to the earth of your heart, which thus remains full and penetrated by Me. My daughter, I am much glorified by all those who know how to conquer themselves, and who for love of me do violence to their passions, to bring them under the empire of holy love, and under the loving law of My Will.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 61)

God Desires Love Alone

“Benigne, I love those who love me, and I desire only the love of my creature.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 62)

Humility Attracts Divine Grace

“I have learnt that the sincere avowal of my powerlessness for good is a wonderful secret of love to please God, to draw Him to me and to restore me to my place near Him…”

– Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (p. 63)

Jesus Does Not Abandon the Suffering Soul

“I am with him who suffers for love of me.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 65)

The Fruits of Good–will

“He who keeps my law will abound in benignity, happiness, and long life.”

– Words of the Eternal Father (p. 66)

Love, Hope, Sacrifice, Abandonment

“In short, I will that my Benigne should never cease to love God, to hope in Him, to suffer with her Spouse, and to abandon herself to love. These are the four laws which Divine Love gives her.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 67)

Prayer for Sinners

“Benigne, oh, tell Me to pacify these kings, and to cease to punish them by means of themselves.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 79)

Jesus Loves to See us do Battle

“I shall then conceal from thee the pleasure I take in seeing thee fight against my enemy; yes, Benigne, I shall be in thee in a singular manner.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 85)

God is our Protector and Guide

“Fear nothing; love guides thy steps; I tell thee again that My eyes are upon thee.”

– Words of God (p. 85)

The Importance of Work and Manual Labour

“… my holy Angels help me to do my work, and make me think highly of manual labour.”

– Sr. Jeanne Benigne (p. 103)

Death to Self

“I have learnt that God loves nothing so much as a heart dead to self, and that nothing gives Him more glory than such a heart when it no longer exists but in His divine Will.”

– Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (p. 147)

Purity of Intention

“I was taught that the soul that gives heed to this [purity of intention] gains much in a short time, as I have said elsewhere; but here I add that my Master taught me that by this purity of intention the soul sees accomplished in her the words of the apostle, ‘He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him [1 Cor. 1:17],’ and that it thus receives a blessed capacity of willing all that God wills, or rather a kind of impossibility of willing, desiring or loving anything but what God wills that it should desire, or will, or love, or do.”

– Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (p. 218)

The Treasure of Divine Grace

“I have placed my treasure in thee – keep it sedulously.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 239)

Union with God: A Work of Divine Love

“… My loving-kindness unites Me to thee, and my grace unites thee to Me…”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 294)

Jesus Loves Each Soul with an Infinite Love

“… I feel for thee the same tenderness which I felt for thy soul in particular upon the Cross…”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 294)

Jesus is our Strength

“I will be thy sole Support.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 319)

Mary is Our Mother and Protector

“Jesus, Saviour of souls, wills that Benigne should be protected by His Holy Mother, even in her death.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 319)

Examine your Conscience

“Know thyself.”

– Words of the Divine Spirit (p. 321)

Union with God in Paradise

“God renders the blessed like Himself; yes, Benigne, My elect by seeing Me are in such wise transformed in Me that they have no other will than Mine; their love springs from My love.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 341)

The Tender Love of our Heavenly Father

“My daughter, what can afflict thee? What do I not do for thee? I keep thee in My Bosom, thou hast been brought there with My Son, thou art My friend, I stoop down to thee, I fill thee with My graces, I give thee no reason to think that I omit to confer a single one upon thee.”

– Words of the Eternal Father (p. 345)

What Pleases God Most

“… submission to My divine good pleasure is what is most pleasing in My sight…”

– Words of the Eternal Father (p. 346)

God Protects Those Abandoned to Him

“… if thou entirely givest up thy own foresight, I will take care of thee; I take pleasure in working miracles for the hearts that belong to Me.”

– Words of the Eternal Father (p. 348)

Faith Glorifies God

“… if thou wouldst glorify the Father and the Son, believe My words; the loss is theirs who do not believe in Me…”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 350)

Docility

“… let Me act as I please…”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 357)

Involuntary Imperfections

“Benigne must not be surprised to see some faults in herself after receiving so many mercies, and even to feel imperfect emotions, provided she does not dwell on them.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 358)

He who Possesses God, Lacks Nothing

“God will be with thee as long as He is God, by an infinite mercy. What canst thou desire from us that thou hast not received?”

– The Three Persons in their Unity (p. 359)

An Echo of Our Lord’s Words to St. Margaret Mary

“If I had not already made this divine Eucharistic institution of love, I would make it this very moment for thee, Benigne of Jesus – that is thy new surname.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 367)

Jesus Inspires us to Ask Him for Graces

“When wilt thou come with an open heart; it is I who incite thee to ask; ask, and I can refuse thee nothing.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 367)

Jesus is “the Way”

“Come, Benigne, unite thyself to Me Who have united the Godhead to the Manhood, two contraries not to be reconciled by any but Me.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 373)

Cast your Cares upon Him

“Confide in the God of thy heart, who loves thee.”

– Words of Our Lord (p. 407)

Purgatory

“Souls which not being pure enough to fly at once to Heaven are destined to Purgatory, go thither to undergo their pains so lovingly and with a grace of such divine satisfaction that they find their punishment sweet in the justice of the Will of God. Oh! how extreme is their happiness in being assured of the love of their Creator!”

– Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (p. 417)

Every Movement Towards God is an Effect of Divine Love

“My daughter Benigne, when thou shalt be quite convinced of thine own nothingness and misery, thou wilt learn to magnify My name. I am the Almighty, raising to Myself what is but dust; My mercy is infinite, and I take pleasure in strikingly displaying it in the sanctification of the chosen souls who abandon themselves with tender confidence to My Providence.”

– The Heavenly Father (p. 347)

Why You Should Love St. Joseph

“I wish that every day you offer special prayers to My mother and St. Joseph, My most sweet guardian.”

– Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

If we exclude Our Lord, it can hardly be disputed that Mary, the Immaculate Conception, is the greatest Saint in Paradise.

After Our Lady, we have St. Joseph. [This, at least, is the contention of many holy and learned individuals.]

“I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint,” said St. Teresa of Avila, “for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God.” She goes on to say that she has never known anyone who was devoted to this humble Saint, who did not advance noticeably in virtue. Ask for his intercession and he will help you! His love and protection for the Mystical Body of Christ is immense!

Some Revelations About St. Joseph

“Benigne wishes to know the excellences of St. Joseph; let her know, then, that he is seated in Heaven near his Spouse, my blessed Mother, in one of the highest places; that the whole Trinity regards him, treats him, and glorifies him as the foster father of My Sacred Humanity, and that we readily grant all that is asked of us in his name and by his intercession.”

– Jesus to S.G. Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos

“The whole human race has much undervalued the privileges and prerogatives conceded to my blessed spouse and they know not what his intercession with God is able to do. I assure thee, my dearest, that he is one of the greatly favored personages in the divine presence and has immense power to stay the arms of divine vengeance.”

– Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda

“In an ecstasy, a saint has seen the body of St. Joseph preserved intact in a tomb, the site of which is yet unknown. The more the glorious Spouse of the most Blessed Virgin is honored, the sooner will the finding of his body take place, which will be a day of great joy for the Church.”

– S.G. Fr. Paul of Moll

“What you request shall be granted.”

– Almighty God to St. Joseph*

[*According to Maria Cecilia Baij, O.S.B., these words were addressed to St. Joseph in response to his many requests for the conversion of a hardened sinner, while he was on earth]

“You must see to it that you continually increase your love and devotion to this great Saint. In all your necessities, you must avail yourself of his protection, under all circumstances you must encourage as many people as possible toward this devotion . . . for indeed, whatever my devoted spouse requests in Heaven, the Almighty God will grant on Earth.”

– Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda

“… at the name of St. Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mother, all the saints made a profound inclination to him, testifying, by the serenity and sweetness of their looks, that they rejoiced with him for his exalted dignity.”

– A Vision Granted to St. Gertrude

Some Prayers of St. Joseph

The following prayers are taken from ‘The Life of Saint Joseph as manifested by Our Lord, Jesus Christ to Maraia Cecilia Baij, O.S.B.’

According to this privileged soul, St. Joseph addressed these prayers to Almighty God while he was on earth:

“See, oh my God, I am all Yours! There is nothing that can separate me from You. I have nothing but You. You are my entire inheritance, my only support. You are my consolation, my entire good. From you alone do I expect help and strength. I desire nothing besides You. I reject all that the world has to offer me. Gladly do I choose poverty, humiliation, suffering, for by them I will please You, Who are my Lord and my God, and therefore, possess complete dominion over me.” (p. 52)

“My God, afflict me with tribulations and chastisements; I am prepared to suffer anything, if only You shall no longer be offended or displeased!” (p. 67)

“May Your almighty arm uphold me! I place myself entirely into Your loving, Fatherly arms.”

– St. Joseph (p. 47)

God’s Providence: Fascinating Connections between 10 Mystics

The purpose of this article is to accentuate the wisdom, mystery and beauty of God’s Providence. I have chosen to focus on Providential events in the lives of 10 remarkable Catholic Mystics – each of whom were fervent (female) devotees of the Sacred Heart. It is my hope that in reading this article, many (of the relative few who read this blog) will be inspired to learn more about these remarkable women. Furthermore, it is my hope and prayer that you will seek their intercession and friendship. As Soeur Gertrude-Marie says: the more we love God, the more we will love His Saints.

Reading the lives of the Mystics* has been a passion of mine for quite some time. I confess that I am captivated by the love of these generous souls, who inspire me to seek their intercession, and to imitate, at least to some degree, their humility, purity and charity.

[*St. Therese is the only “ordinary” Mystic in this article; the others were the frequent recipients of visions, locutions and such.]

Read. Pray. Befriend. Imitate.

— Note: Much, much more could be said about the similarity between these great women. One has only to compare the revelations of Sr. Benigna Consolata and St. Faustina, for example, to see that their lives and writings are imbued with the message of Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy truly is the message for our times – our troubled, confused, despairing, atheistic, evil times. To this message we must respond with childlike confidence – another characteristic trait of the holy souls to whom this article refers.]

The Birth (and Death) of 10 Great Mystics

1615

• July 20: Birth of Servant of God (SG.) Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (d. November 5, 1692)

1647

• July 22: Birth of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (d. October 17, 1690)

1870

• October 28: Birth of (SG.?) Sr. Gertrude Mary (Anne-Marie Bernier) (d. May 24, 1908)

1873

• January 2: Birth of St. Therese of Lisieux (d. September 30, 1897)

1885

• August 6: Birth of SG. Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero (d. September 1, 1916)

1890

• February 4: Birth of SG. Sr. Josefa Menendez (d. December 29, 1923)

1897

• April 30: Birth of Bl. Dina Belanger (d. September 4, 1929)

1901

• July 16: Birth of SG. Mother Yvonne-Aimee de Jesus (d. February 3, 1951)

1903

• April 6: Birth of SG. Consolata Betrone (d. July 18, 1946)

1905

• August 25: Birth of St. Faustina (d. October 5, 1938)

Dates Connecting the Aforementioned

July 22 (Feast of St. Mary Magdalene)

• 1615: Baptism of Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos. “This dear child received the grace of Baptism on the Feast of St. Magdalen, which seemed to foretell that the little creature would be, as indeed she was, a true lover of Jesus, but [in her case] always innocent.” (p. 6 of her biography)
• 1647: Birth of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (It was also on her birthday in 1690 that “… a little less than three months before her death, she heard more distinctly than ever the call of the Spouse.” (p. 283 of her biography)

Some revelations received on July 22:

• 1921: Our Lady said to Sr. Josefa Menendez: “While you suffer, the devil has less power over that soul [for which you offer your sufferings].” (from ‘The Way of Divine Love’)
• 1922: Jesus appeared to Sr. Josefa Menendez at the beginning of Holy Mass. “In one hand,” she writes, “He held His Heart and with the other He beckoned to me: “Behold the Prison I have prepared for you from all eternity. In My Heart you will henceforth live lost and hidden forever.”

August 25

• 1671: St. Margaret Mary is clothed in the black habit of the Visitation Order.
• 1905: Birth of St. Faustina (Trivia: August 25, 1883, marks the death of SG. Louise Lateau; she was a stigmatist, who, like St. Faustina, died at age 33)

Some revelations received on August 25:

• 1915: Sr. Benigna Consolata received the “Decalogue of Love” from Our Lord.
• 1920: Sr. Josefa has a remarkable vision of Jesus. She writes: “I cannot attempt to describe Him. He was standing upright, vested in white; He held His Heart in His hands, as in a brazier of fire.”
• 1934: Sr. Consolata Betrone was reading a book which mentioned punishments threatened by Our Lord. Jesus consoled her: “Consolata, look up to Heaven… Have confidence!” (p. 19)

September 8 (Feast of Our Lady’s nativity/birthday)

• 1890: Solemn Profession of St. Therese.
• 1939: Sr. Consolata Betrone was transferred to the new foundation of Moriondo, Moncalieri, in Turin, Italy.
• 1942: Sr. Consolata Betrone reconsecrated the Littlest Ones (those who will follow her in her unceasing act of love) to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, who said to her: “Upon all, and upon each one, I will look with predilection, as I have done with you!”

Some revelations received on September 8:

• 1920: Jesus said to Sr. Josefa Menendez: “Which do you prefer, My Will or yours?”
• 1921: Jesus said to Sr. Josefa Menendez: “Let your soul occupation be to love Me; Love will give you strength.”
• 1922: Jesus said to Sr. Josefa Menendez: “O slake My thirst to be loved by souls, especially to be loved by those I have chosen… I do not look at the act, 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.”
• 1928: Jesus said to Bl. Dina Belanger: “I want My life in you to be a canticle of praise for the glory of My Father. From now on, I want you to sing with Me the eternal canticle of My sacred and glorious Heart. Let Me radiate through you the love and joy of eternity.” (p. 352 of her autobiography)
• 1936: Jesus said to Sr. Consolata Betrone: “Make every effort, Consolata; it is for your own good! It is upon the effort that I now insist, that you offer Me unceasingly an act of love!” (p. 104 of ‘Jesus Appeals to the World’)

November 5

• 1690: St. Margaret Mary made a Vow of perfection.
• 1692: Death of Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos.
• 1908: Sr. Benigna Consolata received the white habit of the Visitation Order.

Some revelations received on November 5:

• 1907: Our Lord gave Sr. Gertrude Mary a “superb necklace.” “This necklace,” He said, “is the symbol of faithfulness.” (p. 161)
• 1934: St. Faustina writes (Diary, 341): “I am very surprised that You bid me to talk about this Feast of Mercy, for they tell me that there is already such a feast and so why should I talk about it?” Jesus replied: “And who knows anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should be proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about it often do not know about it themselves. That is why I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.”

Further Connections between the Aforementioned

+ Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos and St. Margaret Mary:

• A little-known fact is that Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos – herself a great mystic – prophesied that Sr. [Saint] Margaret Mary would be instrumental in making known the Sacred Heart. Mother Marie Geltrude Provane de Leyni writes: “It is certain that in the year 1657 she [Sr. Jeanne] made known to me several of the graces of our Sister Mary Margaret Alacoque, of whom there was no talk as yet in our country. She told me that she was a person by whom God would be glorified, and that she would teach a very profitable devotion in the Church.” (p. 400 of Sr. Jeanne Benigne’s biography)

+ Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos and Sr. Benigna Consolata:

• While Sr. Benigna was still living at home, her spiritual director gave her some books to read, including a biography of Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos. “The reading of these lives,” she writes, “cast more deeply the roots of my vocation.” (p. 41 of her biography)
• The author of Sr. Benigna’s biography writes: “Our Honored Mother Maria-Louisa in giving her this name [Benigna/Benigne], seemed to enter into the designs of God since there was to be more than one trait of resemblance between these two privileged souls.” (p. 37)

+ Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos, Sr. Benigna Consolata and Sr. Consolata Betrone:

• Mother de Chantal [St. Jane Francis de Chantal] writes: “I have endeavoured, more than for any other foundation [of Visitation nuns], to ask of God light to choose for that of Turin, which gives us the entrance into Italy, no subjects but those capable of taking into it the true spirit of our little Congregation. I hope that our Lord may have granted me this grace for them all, but I am sure I have obtained it with regard to Sister Jeanne Benigne.” (p. 20) (Sr. Benigna Consolata was born in Turin, and Sr. Consolata was transferred to, and died in, Turin.)
• (Trivia: Jesus said to Sr. Benigna Consolata: “Thou shalt go to the Visitation. 1. Because it is My Will; 2. Because at the Visitation thou canst not only become holy, but thou canst attain to the degree of sublime perfection which I destine for thee; 3. For the spiritual good of others.” – p. 30)

+ Sr. Benigna Consolata and St. Therese:

• Maria Consolata (Sr. Benigna Consolata) received several names, including Consolata, Rosalia, Philomena, and Theresa. The title of her biography is “The Tendernesses of the Love of Jesus for a Little Soul” – a title that was recommended by Our Lord Himself.
• Therese compares herself to a “little ball”: “I had offered myself to the Holy Child some time before. I told him not to use me as a plaything for the worthy but as a little ball of no value that he could throw on the ground, kick, pierce, leave in a corner, hold close to his heart, as he wished; in a word, I wanted the Holy Child to play, I wanted to please him, I wanted to abandon myself to his childlike caprices.” Contrast these words with those of Sr. Benigna Consolata: “Jesus compares my soul to a ball, which when thrown violently to the ground, rises much higher than its point of departure; so my soul humbled by aridity rises again, by the grace of God, to the practice of pure love.” (from her biography)

+ St. Faustina and St. Margaret Mary:

• Feb 15: Death and Feast Day of St. Claude Colombiere (St. Margaret Mary’s confessor) and Bl. Sopocko (St. Faustina’s confessor).

+ Sr. Benigna Consolata and St. Faustina:

• Benigna Consolata died on September 1, 1916, at 3 o’clock (on a First Friday). Our Lord would later call this the “hour of great mercy,” reminding us at this time to implore His mercy, “especially for sinners.” Both St. Faustina and Sr. Benigna Consolata were Apostles of the Divine Mercy.

+ St. Therese, Yvonne-Aimee, Sr. Consolata Betrone and St. Faustina:

• After her death, St. Therese spoke to Yvonne-Aimee and St. Faustina, and Our Lord spoke to Sr. Consolata about St. Therese. For example: “You will help me to shower roses upon the earth!” (St. Therese to Yvonne-Aimee)

A Final Word:

What does all this mean? Are some of these similarities mere coincidences?

In response to the first question, the following point must be reiterated: the message of Divine Mercy is the message for our times (every other message, such as the Holy Face devotion, is linked, at least implicitly, to the Divine Mercy). Only merciful love can cleanse this world of its “sinful filthiness” (Jesus to Sr. Consolata Betrone).

As to the latter: Well, there is no need to get bogged down by drawing minute philosophical distinctions, which will be of little profit to souls. Not every little event has a particular meaning, per se. Suppose you spill some curry on your new white shirt (purely hypothetical… *cough*); does this event have meaning? In a limited sense, perhaps.

“With God, nothing is empty of meaning.” (St. Irenaeus). We must distinguish between “meaning” with a capital ‘M’ and meaning with a lower case ‘m.’ We often cannot differentiate. Don’t bother trying (especially if it distracts you from God Himself). Simply know that the infinite Wisdom, Knowledge and Love of God ordains all things for our greater good.

Pax Domine!

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#7)

“Look, My child, how they have treated Me. No, all these torments would be nothing to Me if men would only correspond to all the good inspirations I send them; but what pierces My heart is that, when I have merited for them so many good thoughts and holy feelings by the abundant shedding of My Blood, and I desire to fill their hearts most generously with these, they will not let Me.”

– Jesus to Madeleine Vigneron

When Our Lord addressed these words to Madeline Vigneron, His expression, she said, was full of tenderness and compassion for sinners. Soon after, Jesus’ expression appeared to be full of wrath, and He seemed ready to strike down all sinners. But His serene countenance was restored.  “My child,” He said, “you could do nothing more pleasing to Me than to work for these unhappy men.” 

Strictly speaking, God does not get “angry”; this is anthropomorphic language. The Divine Nature, writes St. John Chrysostom, is passionless. God’s anger is nothing other than an infinite hatred of sin. If His hatred of sin were not so great, this would be a sign of imperfection, not goodness.

When God punishes, He does so because He must. God’s punishments are intended to be medicinal. “Benigna must let Me correct her,” said Jesus to Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos, “because I love her and I am severe with My dearest spouses as long as they live.” (God’s corrections are evidence of His love for us; all the Saints experienced these loving reproofs).

Trust in God’s Providence!

‘Those who hope in Me and serve Me for Myself alone feel My Providence more than those who do so for their own advantage or for the happiness they find in Me… How can they believe that I, who am eternal and supreme goodness, can desire anything but their good in the little things I allow every day for their salvation, since they know by experience that in great things My only aim is to sanctify them?’

Almighty God to St. Catherine of Siena

The following words are also believed to have been revealed to St. Catherine of Siena by God the Father. Read them slowly; they are profound. 

“In ruling you, in ruling heaven and earth and the whole universe, I can never be deceived or led astray by any mistake. If it were otherwise, I should not be God and supreme Wisdom. In order that you may understand how efficacious is My Wisdom, know that from sin and punishment I draw good greater than the evil itself.

… My love makes Me will everything that is useful and salutary for you. It is impossible that any evil should come from Me, or any hatred. It was out of goodness that I created man, and I always love him with ineffable tenderness.

When you have been convinced of these truths by profound meditation and firm and unshakeable faith, you will understand that the troubles, difficulties, temptations, illnesses and all the vexatious things of life are always sent you by My Providence for your salvation. The things that seem disagreeable ought to correct your malice and lead you to that virtue by which you attain the true and supreme good which you know not.

The light of faith ought also to teach you that I know, I will and I can bring about your happiness better than yourself. You can do, know, and will nothing without My grace. You should, therefore, try your utmost to submit your will completely to the Will of God. If you do this, your soul will remain in peace, and you will always have Me with you, for I dwell in peace.

And so, My child, if you want to live in this deceitful and perishable world by grace, and in a happy eternity by glory, you must die to yourself by renouncing yourself and giving up your own will. For blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, and blessed are the poor in spirit, because they see Me through the union of love during their pilgrimage on earth, and will afterwards see Me in glory in the splendours of the fatherland.”

Listen also to the words of Our Lord to Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos:

“… if you will give up the forethought for yourself, My Providence will take good care of you, because above all things I love abandonment and dependence in the hearts that are Mine; I enjoy working miracles for them and in their favour; I provide them with everything, like a town that is My abode.”

17 Quotes/Revelations to Inspire Confidence in God’s Love.

God loves us, His beloved creatures. We have been fashioned in His image, and are capable of knowing and loving Him. He desires our love; He desires our union. “Come to Me,” “Love Me,” “Give Me thy heart,” “Speak to Me,” “Console Me,” “Go, seek for souls,” “Take My Cross,” “Give Me your hands,” “Help Me in the redemption of mankind,” “Believe in My love” – each of these words, which were addressed to various mystics, are a reminder of the Gospel message: “I thirst.” Jesus thirsts infinitely for our love.

When we sin, we weaken our union with Him. We cannot go on sinning forever: we must ultimately choose God or sin; the Creator or the creature; Heaven or the World; virtue or vice; eternal beatitude or eternal misery; light or darkness; peace or restlessness; self–will or God’s will. In a word, Our Lord says to each of us: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.” This commandment is to the soul what medicine is to the body.

Here are some quotes to inspire us with confidence in Him Who loves us more than all others, and Who always has our best interests at heart:

1. “You seek Me, indeed, but know that, however ardently you seek Me, I seek you more ardently still. And it is your fears that prevent your progress in Divine love.” – Jesus to St. Margaret of Cortona

2. “The bee 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

3. “For when anyone exerts himself to overcome his faults for love of Me, he offers Me the same testimony of fidelity and respect as a soldier would do to his captain when he courageously resisted his enemies in battle, overcoming them all, and casting them to the ground with his own arm.” – Jesus to St. Gertrude

4. “… I can wish for no greater joy than to see men return to Me by repentance and love.”– Jesus to St. Mechtilde

5. “My dove, I supply all the defects of thy love by My love, its littleness by the love of the Heart of Jesus, its weakness by My all–powerful goodness; in short, the Heart of Jesus and thine, Benigne, are united.” – Jesus to Sister Jeanne Benigne Gojos

6. “CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY WHICH OPENS THE TREASURE OF MY MERCY.” – Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata

7. “God loves us so tenderly, that he not only desires, but is solicitous about our welfare… Let us, then always throw ourselves into the hands of God, who so ardently desires and so anxiously watches of our eternal salvation. ‘Casting all our care upon him; for he hath care of you” (1 Pt. 5:7). He who, during life, casts himself into the hands of God, shall lead a happy life and shall die a holy death.” – St. Alphonsus Liguori

8. “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” – St. Augustine

9. “Benigne must learn that a humble soul rarely falls, because God sustains it by pure love.” – Jesus to Sister Jeanne Benigne Gojos

10. “What more can you desire than to have within you the true source of all good, My Divine Heart? … All these great things are yours, all these treasures and riches are for the heart that I have chosen… Draw as much as you desire of these infinite delights and riches.” – Words of Our Lord to Mother Deleloë, a Benedictine nun

11. “Since thou dost prefer nothing to Me, and desirest ever to submit Thy will to Mine, it is clear that thou art in grace and charity…” – Jesus to St. Gertrude

12. “The will and desire which thou hast to avoid sin with all thy strength and power are bonds which attract and unite Me to thee so that nothing could ever separate us.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

13. “Give Me your heart – that heart which creatures do not know and which they slight; it is more than a universe to Me, because I love you.” – Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Holy Trinity

14. “Can someone pardon and offense committed against someone else? No. And yet, the priest says: ‘I absolve you.’ Why can he say that? Because it is Christ who speaks through his mouth.” – Bl. Dom Columba Marmion

15. “Do not fear anything; you will be my true daughter, and I will always be your good mother.” – Mary to St. Margaret Mary

16. “It is not those who commit the least faults who are most holy, but those who have the greatest courage, the greatest generosity, the greatest love, who make the boldest efforts to overcome themselves, and are not immoderately apprehensive of tripping [a sign of self-love and distrustful pride].” – St. Francis de Sales

17. “I saw that I was created for Heaven, and that by submitting to the commands of God and being tractable to the divine inspirations, I shall enter into that holy city.”

– Sister Jeanne Benigne Gojos