[Ecumenical] Lent through Eastertide - Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts: Obedience

This series will be excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina. Some are short. Some are longer. I am keeping the spelling from the website in the title.

Obedience

(During a time of suffering) Mother came at once. As soon as she entered the cell she said, "In the name of holy obedience get up from the ground." Immediately some force raised me up from the ground and I stood up , close to the dear Mother Directress. (24)

By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself. (28)

However, in all these sufferings and struggles, [Saint Faustina was undergoing intense spiritual trials] I was not omitting Holy Communion. When it seemed to me that I should not communicate, I went, before Holy Communion, to the Directress and told her that I could not approach the Sacrament, because it seemed to me that I should not do so. But she would not permit me to omit Holy Communion, so I went, and I understand now, that it was only obedience that saved me. The Directress told me later that my trials had passed quickly, "and this solely because you were obedient, Sister: and it was through the power of obedience that you struggled through this so bravely." It is true that it was the Lord himself who brought me out of this torment, but my fidelity to obedience did please him. (105)

As I was talking to a certain person who was to paint the image but, for certain reasons, was not painting it, I heard this voice in my soul: I want her to be more obedient. I understood that our efforts, no matter how great, are not pleasing to God if they do not bear the seal of obedience; I am speaking about a religious soul. O God, how easy it is to know Your will in the convent! (354)

When I left the confessional and started to recite my penance, I heard these words. I have granted the grace you asked for on behalf of that soul, but not because of the mortification you chose for yourself. Rather, it was because of your act of complete obedience to My representative that I granted this grace to that soul for whom you interceded and begged mercy. Know that when you mortify your own self-will, then Mine reigns within you. (365)

Yes.. when you are obedient I take away your weakness and replace it with My strength. I am very surprised that souls do not want to make that exchange with Me. I said to the Lord, "Jesus, enlighten my heart, or else I, too, will not understand much from these words." (381)

My daughter, know that you give Me greater glory by a single act of obedience than by long prayers and mortifications. (894)

My daughter, you please me more by eating the oranges out of obedience and love of Me than by fasting and mortifying yourself of your own will. A soul that loves Me very much must, ought to live by My will. (1023)

I felt worse today, and I went to Mother Superior intending to ask her for permission to go to bed. However, before I could ask for permission, Mother Superior said to me, "Sister, you must somehow manage by yourself at the gate, because I am taking the girl to work at the cabbage, since there is no one else for the cabbage." I said - good, and left the room. When I got to the gate, I felt unusually strong, and I was at my post all day and felt well. I experienced the power of holy obedience. (1378)

Obedience has always been a difficult one for me — even as a child.

Lord help me!

[Ecumenical] Lent through Eastertide - Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts: Obedience
[Ecumenical] Lent through Eastertide - Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts: Mystery of God and His Ways
[Ecumenical] Lent through Eastertide - Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts: God's Infinite Mercy
[Ecumenical] Lent through Eastertide - Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts: Mary, Mother of Jesus
[Ecumenical] Lent through Eastertide - Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts: Love

Lenten Series Ping!

Something I didn't know about Easter until recently: It occurs on the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the vernal equinox.

How about that?

You’re right, and this is the latest Easter has been in 50 years according to my priest.

Obedience is always the most difficult

I think the sin that generally cripples most of us, even the holiest is pride

Pride is the start of the fall and obedience means to swallow your pride

Ecumenism is compromise.

yes and no. We in the Apostolic Church (Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental, Assyrian) remain true to God's word and share this with our Christian brothers in the Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc.

We share a common belief as encapsulated in

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.

On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father,
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

While we Christians may all differ on this, we believe in these common tenets of faith.