“Life-changing Discovery – God Speaks to Me” — Sr. Gaudia Skass, OLM | February 22, 2018

the Lord called Samuel Samuel and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said Here I am you called me my son Eli said I did not call go back and lie down now Samuel did not yet know the Lord the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him a third time the Lord called Samuel and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said Here I am you called me then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy so Eli told Samuel go and lay down and if he calls you say speak Lord for your servant is listening speak Lord for your servant is listening no doubts we believe the Holy Scripture God Himself spoke to Samuel we know also that he spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden he spoke to Noah Moses Abraham but does God still speak to us today I remember how fascinated I was when I first opened the diary of st. Faustina and saw their dialogues dialogues between Jesus and her and I was amazed not only with the way they they spoke to each other with what they spoke about but first of all I was amazed with the very fact that God speaks that he still speaks to people and that it happened in the 20 century so it's like yesterday and that he spoke to a Polish woman I'm the second one in the road so just waiting and it was kind of like a breakthrough in my spiritual life because these dialogues they awaken in me a great longing for the same and I really hope that my monologue will change into dialogue with him would God himself with with the beloved and I must tell you I was quite daring expecting God to speak to me the way he spoke to Faustina so you know like hearing him speaking the way I can you can hear me now I was and I still am a little impatient so quite quickly a discouragement came because nothing happened like no dialogues no clear voice I remember once I was quite frustrated with during meditation Jesus's ascension that wasn't a glorious mystery for me that was a sorrowful one and why simply he is gone what's the reason to rejoice he is gone okay you will tell me that he stayed with us but in a spiritual way now you can also tell me that he stayed with us physically so in in the Blessed Sacrament he didn't and I knew that since the Ascension I won't be able to talk to him so easily I can talk to you and I didn't understand then that this was simply his invitation for a higher level to go level up to learn a new way of communication to learn a new language I like speaking other languages but I don't like to learn you know that problem it it would be great to speak polish don't you think but to learn it hmm but if your motivation is love if you love the person who speaks polish you will learn the language Jesus speaks polish by the way so I really wanted a closer relationship with Jesus so I knew I have to learn his language I have to learn a new way of communication and so I entered the humble path of learning his ways of communication his ways not my ways and now I know already that he communicates with us in many ways like sometimes it seems to me that everything everything really tells me about him what he says what he thinks means and sometimes there's complete silence but silence also speaks so before I will name some ways he speaks to us personally first I need to mention one basic condition for this communication inner silence jesus said to Saint Faustina strive for a life of recollection so that you can hear my voice which is so soft that only recollected souls can hear it it is a constant struggle constant effort to keep this inner silence but it's so worth it so now let us have a look at some ways God speaks to us today and first of all of course through his word in the Holy Scripture we read in the Gospel of st. John my sheep hear my voice sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me though we really believe that God speaks to us through the Bible how much time do we spend reading it if we truly believed that this is God speaking to us it would be probably quite impossible for us to put down the Bible just recall the sleepless nights when you are reading one of the best books in your life that you ever have a sleepless night reading the Bible or when you received a letter from someone whom you loved that you put off reading it until the next day no matter how tired you were do we really believe the Bible is God's letter to us God speaks to us also through the Holy Spirit by inner inspirations in the depth of our hearts Jesus said to st. Faustina if souls would only want to listen to my voice when I'm speaking in the depths of their hearts they would reach the peak of holiness in a short time what an encouragement to learn to listen to discern his voice in our hearts I mean who doesn't want to become a saint right and in a short time what an encouragement if souls would only want to listen to my voice when I'm speaking in the depths of their hearts they would reach the peak of holiness in a short time seems to be so easy just a side known note to discern Jesus voice speaking in your heart in the depths of your heart you might need some help of someone who is more experienced someone whom we used to call spiritual director spiritual companion at least at the beginning of the journey God speaks to us also through other people God said through the book of the Prophet Hosea I drew them with cords of human kindness with ties of love you've heard probably already many times that God likes to use our hands our voice our gestures our gaze to touch the hearts of other people with his love it's so much better than if on the clouds something would appear you know voice of God telling you this or that it's so much better when he can speak to us through another person who says here I am Lord like use me like make me a channel I want you to speak through me I love you this is the main message that God wants to transmit to us every day and so every person who will share with you that message in any possible way we can call the person The Messenger of God but it's God's voice only sweet and tender of course not God is merciful love merciful love is the Crucified love he fights for us he looks for us when we go astray he speaks to us with a different tone of voice when we put ourselves in danger here Jesus's words which Faustina wrote in her diary tell sinners that I am always waiting for them that I listen intently to the beating of their heart when will it be for me that's still the sweet voice but now still Jesus speaking right that I am speaking through their remorse of conscience through their failures and sufferings through thunderstorms through the voice of the church and if they bring all my graces to naught I begin to be angry with them leaving them alone and giving them what they want terrifying isn't it I'm always afraid of that you know to to be so stubborn so stone hearted to push my ways you know like to make God make it my way like God I don't really care what you say I want it to be my way that's still the voice of the merciful God but firm voice voice of a fighter this passage from the passage from the diary tells us also that God speaks through the nature thunderstorms through events failures sufferings through the voice of the church etc etc etc and now are these the only ways God speaks to us today no of course not he's very creative he speaks to us in so many ways and while growing in friendship with him each one of us will already have maybe you already have this very personal alphabet of love that only you and God understand you actually cannot even share it with anyone because they will not understand but you understand it's so beautiful that we can have those secrets just you and God and no one else and even though and even through the Bible or or the diary of st. Faustina where you read the words of Jesus God will speak to each one of you in a different way God will touch different strings of your hearts because your hearts are different we are all different similar but different made in His image and likeness but but different it's fascinating let me invite you now to a special meditation today as sister already told us we celebrate the end the anniversary of the revelation of the image of merciful Jesus exactly 78 years ago 78 or 87 I'm so good with numbers 78 87 87 years ago it was February 22nd just like today it was evening just like now Jesus came to Sister Faustina or I prefer to say he allowed himself to be visible he was always there right we have no doubt he is with us all the time but on that evening he allowed himself to be seen he allowed her to see him and he appeared to her like that in a white robe and lifted in the gesture of blessing and he asked for an image if you know the whole diary well you also realize that the whole divine mercy message the whole Jesus's message that we read from the Diary is actually present in the image in symbols of the image and also what's so very important for me personally is to know that through this image he kind of introduces himself to us it's like if he would be saying this is how I am I invite you now to stop with me for a brief moment at every detail of this image and try to understand its meaning I want you all to understand to hear Jesus is saying it's speaking to you personally through this image I want you all to leave this this shrine today with a personal relationship with God through this image I like to think about that image like a window window that opens my eyes and my heart to to eternity and I can see more please take out your holy cards he received and look first at his eyes any encounter begins with exchanging looks jesus said to Sister Faustina my gaze from this image is like my gaze from the cross what is the expression of the eyes of someone who has offered his life out of love for us it is important to remember what happened on Golgotha anyone who looks at the painting and meets Christ's gaze can experience the same feelings as the people back then on Golgotha surprising forgiveness firm care infinite mercy which bridges the great sinners with the holy holy holy God Pope Francis while speaking about the image of merciful Jesus said do not be afraid to look into his eyes full of infinite love for you open yourselves to his merciful gaze so ready to forgive all your sins the Lord never tires in forgiving never it is we who tire of asking him for forgiveness he never the risen Christ gaze from this image is the same gaze that saw the prodigal son when he returned home the eyes of the Father were looking out for him for a long time always hoping he will return maybe they got sick and tired from long looking at the same point the path leading home maybe they got tired but never stopped hoping never stopped waiting the right hand raised in blessing in the gesture of blessing upon a closer look we noticed a nail wound on Jesus's hand the one whom we condemned to death is raising his hand not to take a revenge he would make such a gesture them right but to bless us opened and the blesses Jesus thought Sister Faustina to do the same always saying if someone causes you pain if someone causes you trouble think what good you can do for that person who cost you to suffer again mercy that's the surprising clock we never we never expect such response to to our sins always greater love what good can I do for you how can I help you mercy is the love that we do not deserve Jesus says love your enemies do good to those who hate you bless those who curse you pray for those who abuse you the left hand on his heart this hint points at the pierced heart of Jesus we don't see the heart but it's there and it is in the heart that our feelings our thoughts our decisions are born and this is in the heart in Jesus's heart were his decision to give his life for us was born he said I do not want to punish a king mankind but I desire to heal it pressing to my merciful heart to experience that pressing into his heart that would be something and he really wants to offer this to us it's not empty words it's not a poetry something that has no follow-up in our lives he really wants to press us to his merciful heart and heal our wounds there are many medical hypotheses for the cause of Jesus's death there is but one that speaks to me the most he died of a heart attack Jesus died of a broken heart his heart problems began to develop in the Olive Garden when he was sweating with blood then they continued to build to grow when he was rejected by many of his disciples almost all of them and they came to utter fruition when his people nailed him to a cross Jesus died from a broken heart as a result of the rejection and grief he experienced love died because we didn't respond to it race Jesus said to st. Faustina my heart overflows with great merciful Souls and especially for poor sinners if only they could understand that I am the best of fathers to them and that it is for them that the blood and water flowed from my heart blood and water from Jesus's heart it is for us the pale ray stands for the water which makes souls righteous jesus said that this is a symbol of the sacrament of baptism and confession Jesus never ceases to reach out his hand to us saying come I will make you clean I will wash away all the dirt come to confession I'm waiting there for you just reflect on the thought with which you go to confession do you go to priest I do go to Jesus he is waiting there for you Jesus said about the red rain that it stands for blood which is the life of sauce red like blood red like love red like wine like the Eucharist do you feel sometimes like life run away from you do you feel like life your life makes no sense has no meaning no value come to the Eucharist where Jesus wants to share his life with you let him live in you a new quality of life starts with Jesus in your heart with the awareness of his real presence with you and in you it's not about you know swallowing like the Holy Communion it's about the awareness that she actually invited him in he's there but his life his fullness he's there and that changes our lives ever every day we can live more fully but Jesus in our heart aware of his presence with us Jesus said happy is the one who will dwell in the shelter of this race for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him feet Christ's feet also carried traces of his immense suffering though wounded by our sins Jesus does not cease to look for us he makes the first move the first move toward us like again the loving father from the parable about the prodigal son we read in the Gospel of st. Luke while the son was yet at a distance his father saw him and was moved with compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him this old father running it's it always amazes me you know when I just imagine old sick tired father running to embrace and kiss his prodigal son this isn't a reaction that we would expect we expect punishment and he comes with greater love he ran he runs toward us with greater love the son when asking his father for his share of the inheritance he was actually saying to to him you are dead to me because when when do you receive inheritance when your parents die merciful love is always the surprising love the love that we do not deserve dark background the background behind the bright figure of Jesus on the image is an accurate depiction of the circumstances in which Jesus appeared to Faustina in 1931 she saw him in the dark hours of the evening however it also carries a symbolic meaning in that it illustrates the darkness of our sins Jesus enters that darkness he's not afraid of it he's not disgusted with our sins he enters in the very center of it he enters the sphere filled with pain fear shame and he says the same words he said the fearful disciples in the upper room when he passed through the closed door he says peace be with you be not afraid my mercy is greater than your sense and those of the entire world and so we came to the inscription Jesus I trust in you it's hard to imagine any other answer after all this litany of how good he is and what to do now he is so good starting from his gaze finishing at his feet he's so good what should I do now definitely be aware that he is awaiting your response he's so good with because he wants a response he reminds us about his merciful love about His infinite goodness because he's a waiting response there will be a reaction on our side Jesus I trust in you saint john paul ii once said about the shrine of divine mercy in krakow anyone can come here look at this picture of the merciful Jesus his heart radiating grace and here in the depths of his own soul what st. Faustina heard I invite you to read the diary like that this is not only Jesus talking to Faustina he speaks to you fear nothing I am with you always and if this person responds with a sincere heart Jesus I trust in you he will find comfort in all his anxieties and fears in this dialogue of abandonment there is established between men and Christ a special bond that sets love free in this dialogue of abandonment strive for a life of recollection so that you could hear his voice which is so soft that only recollected so can hear it so how is Jesus speaking to you what is he saying Samuel Samuel speak Lord for your servant is listening

Channel: Saint John Paul II National Shrine

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Keywords: Sr. Gaudia Skass, Evenings with the Merciful Jesus, Sr. Donata Farbaniec, Saint John Paul II, pope, museum, shrine, catholic, national shrine, john paul ii, immaculate conception, washington dc, divine mercy, divine mercy chaplet, jp2, jp2shrine, kofc, live mass, daily mass, online mass, bible museum, rosary, online rosary, I will never forget you, St. John Paul II National Shrine, @jp2shrine

Id: eYpRNyjthKs

Length: 32min 48sec (1968 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 15 2018