Here is an excerpt from my book 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina: A Year of Grace and Mercy.
“Today, as God’s Majesty swept over me, my soul understood that the Lord, so very great though He is, delights in humble souls.” — Diary, 1092
Indeed, the Lord delights in humble souls. Saint Faustina wrote in her Diary: “The more a soul humbles itself, the greater the kindness with which the Lord approaches it. Uniting himself closely with it, He raises it to His very throne. Happy is the soul whom the Lord himself defends. I have come to know that only love is of any value; love is greatness; nothing, no works, can compare with a single act of pure love of God” (Diary, 1092). This week’s spiritual exercise is all about humility. Let’s take a look at this virtue, which is absolutely necessary for salvation, and let’s see how it grew in Sr. Faustina’s heart.
Jesus taught in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). It was C.S. Lewis who said, “As long as you are proud you cannot know God.” We must strive to be humble souls. Even so, humility is said to be one of the most difficult virtues to acquire. Yet we must be humble in order to pray properly. For instance, contemplative prayer, which St. Teresa of Avila has said is simply a “close sharing between friends,” is a loving conversation between ourselves and God, a conversation that requires of us humble hearts (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2709). As the Catechism states, contemplative prayer is “the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty” (2713). The Catechism also teaches that contemplative prayer “is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus” (2715, emphasis in original). We must humble our hearts and seek God in all of our prayers. In humility, we must take time to adore God, praise Him, and love Him.
Saint James taught, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6). Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori reiterated that fact. He said, “Prayer must be humble: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble … The prayer of the man that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds … and he will not depart till the Most High behold. The prayer of a humble soul at once penetrates the heavens and presents itself before the throne of God, and will not depart thence till God regards it and listens to it. However sinful such a soul may be, God can never despise a heart that repents of its sins, and humbles itself: A contrite and humbled heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”
Humility is a precious virtue in the spiritual life. The devil absolutely hates humility. He flees from it. He can’t get his way with a humble soul. Saint Vincent de Paul said, “The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”
The Lord Delights in Humble Souls
One time St. Faustina told her Lord Jesus that she wished to be hidden from everyone but Him: “I want to be a tiny violet, hidden in the grass, unknown in a magnificent enclosed garden in which beautiful lilies and roses grow.” She explained that the “beautiful rose and the lovely lily can be seen from afar, but in order to see the little violet, one has to bend low; only its scent gives it away” (Diary, 591). Saint Faustina wanted her soul to be firmly rooted in God.
Her confessor Fr. Sopoćko told her, “Without humility, we cannot be pleasing to God” (Diary, 270). Sister Faustina came to realize the secret in learning true humility. She wrote, “He who wants to learn true humility should reflect upon the Passion of Jesus. When I meditate upon the Passion of Jesus, I get a clear understanding of many things I could not comprehend before.” Sister Faustina understood that she should strive to imitate and even resemble Jesus. She continued in her Diary, “I want to resemble You, O Jesus, — You crucified, tortured and humiliated. Jesus, imprint upon my heart and soul Your own humility. I love You Jesus … “ (267).
At one point, Fr. Sopoćko told Sr. Faustina… [You can see the remainder of the excerpt here]
You can order 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina here at my website and here at the Marian’s.
