Devotion to Mercy: the Holy Councils of Sister Faustina this month

18. Holiness. - Today I understood what holiness is about. It is neither revelations, nor ecstasies, nor any other gift that makes my soul perfect, but the intimate union with God. Gifts are an ornament, not the essence of perfection. Holiness and perfection lie in my close union with the will of
God. He never does violence to our agency. It is up to us to accept or reject God's grace, collaborate with it or waste it.
19. Our holiness and others. - “Know, said Jesus, that by striving for your perfection, you will sanctify many other souls. If you do not seek holiness, however, other souls will also remain in their imperfection. Know that their holiness depends on yours and that much of the responsibility in this area will fall
above you. Do not be afraid: it is enough that you are faithful to my grace ”.
20. The enemy of mercy. - The devil confessed to me that he hated me. He told me that a thousand souls together did him less harm than I did when I spoke of the infinite mercy of God. He said the spirit of evil: “When they understand that God is merciful, the worst sinners regain trust and are converted, while I lose everything; you torment me when you make known that God is merciful
endlessly". I realized how satan hates divine mercy. He does not want to recognize that God is good. His diabolical reign is limited by our every act of goodness.
21. At the convent door. - When it happens that the same poor people appear several times at the door of the convent, I treat them with gentleness even more than the other times and I do not make them understand that I remember seeing them already. This, not to embarrass them. Thus, they speak to me more freely about their pains
and the needs in which they find themselves. Although the concierge nun tells me that this is not the way to act with beggars and slams the door on their faces, when she is absent I treat them the same way my Master would have treated them. Sometimes, you give more by giving nothing, than giving a lot in a rude way.
22. Patience. - The nun who has her place in church next to mine, clears her throat and constantly coughs all the time of meditation. Today the thought crossed my mind to change places in time of meditation. However, I also thought that if I had done this, the sister would have noticed and could have felt sorry for her. So I decided to stay in my usual place and offered to God
this act of patience. At the end of the meditation, the Lord made me know that, if I had gone away, I would have also removed from me the graces that he intended to give me later.
23. Jesus among the poor. - Jesus appeared today at the door of the convent under the aspect of a poor young man. He was battered and numb by the cold. He asked to eat something hot, but in the kitchen I found nothing that was meant for the poor. After searching, I took some soup, warmed it up and chopped stale bread into it. The poor man ate it and, when he returned the bowl, yes
he made it known for the Lord of heaven and earth ... After that, my heart lit up with an even purer love for the poor. Love for God opens our eyes and continually shows us the need to give ourselves to others with actions, words and prayer.
24. Love and feeling. - Jesus spoke to me: “My disciple, you must have a great love for those who afflict you; do good to those who want you wrong. " I replied: "My Master, you see well that I do not feel any love for them, and this pains me". Jesus replied: “Feeling is not always in your power. You will recognize that you have love when, after receiving hostility and sorrow, you do not lose peace, but you will pray for those who make you suffer and you will desire their good for them ".
25. God alone is everything. - O my Jesus, you know what efforts are needed to behave with sincerity and simplicity towards those from whom our disposition shuns and who, consciously or not, make us suffer. Humanly speaking, they are unbearable. In moments like this, more than any other, I try to discover Jesus in those people and, for Jesus that I discover in them, I do anything to make them happy. From creatures I do not
I wait for nothing and, for that very reason, I am not disappointed. I know that the creature is poor in itself; so what can I expect from you? God alone is everything and I evaluate everything according to his plan.