I'd come across the following list recently--what Jesus had shared with or instructed, St. Faustina as to how to engage successfully in the spiritual combat that comes to those who are striving in the spiritual life, who are followers of Jesus. He revealed these to her in messages of June 2, 1938. The then Sister Faustina wrote in her diary, what the Lord told her.
In my own current struggles with added suffering of unknown-for-sure causes, the abdominal pain and intestines not functioning, as well as the poorly fitting crown the dentist put in which flares off and on in tooth pain--that is of the physical on top of the constant pain from the spinal issues. But also there have been increasingly a shift in relationships, partly mysterious and partly of known reasons, but mostly a sense of parting or detaching as of one passing over into other phase or other world, of sorts.
This has not been by my own desire, but it has been occurring. A temporal reason is the difficulty of sustaining relationships with increasingly limiting suffering; but also there is a shift with others in the spiritual aspects of life, the ways in which souls grow and change in different ways and earthly time frames, as a result of a variety of different experiences. Age of persons and age of souls, in effect, can cause shifts to occur even if the persons involved may not want the shift; or sometimes one person develops need for change or does not feel the same about the person for whatever reasons, while the other person may not understand why.
But always, the other person--the one who may not want the shift occurring, the detaching or rejecting, depending on circumstances--must come to a point of acceptance. And, in some cases, the person must have the courage to shake the dust and move on, move away in essence, from those who are struggling unsuccessfully in trying to force themselves to want to remain in a relationship they find themselves unable to sustain, for good or ill. We must as Christians strive to remain positive and loving, even when love requires accepting or even of walking away from what is not positive, or is rejective, or even non-productive in mutual love and respect.
So it is that I find the reminder of what Jesus told St. Faustina, about 80 years ago, to be excellent help in keeping in my current phase of preparation, of a seeming passing over at least spiritually into another phase or growth in "soul school", and of which some around me are not going to be passing with me, but themselves probably passing over into some other phase in their own soul school.
For even in this temporal life, our souls are spiritual; and we are constantly evolving, on a type of spectrum, like rubber cones convoluting while at the same time moving through space in timelessness of God's realm, toward Christ's purity of light. Souls on earth (or on the other side who are still progressing) do not move, evolve, progress at the same speed or intensity, at any given point in the spectrum or of earth's temporal time.
It takes dying to self (I remind my self!) and great compassion and understanding to not feel reticence or regret, or even a bit angry or hurt, when our souls or others' souls shift and change in convolutions of spiritual progression, while in the same essence, are moving toward Christ's Light, or I realize in some instances, aspects of choice or not recognizing in ourselves that which hinders our drawing toward increasing purity of His Light.
I personally am striving to remain available if someone or other wishes to contact or interact, but in some situations of repeated negatives, I must not continue reaching in but rather remain open to God's divine will and purpose, and let go of repeatedly pointless pursuing. Simply place myself in God's providence as a malleable soul, and very much accepting of what to me seems rather like being between worlds in many respects, and very much aware of my flaws but more so of the love of God for me in preparing my soul for passing over in whatever ways, including that of leaving the temporal life physically, not just in temporary ecstasy but forevermore, at whatever point in this life the Lord deems.
Staying removed from negative persons unless God requires our responses or to answer questions they may have of us, does take our prayerful discernment, incidence and situation, as each may arise. But generally, when we realize we ought let go of pursuing that which has become negative or negatively stagnant, the other/s go on their way in their own lives of which we can say that we are merely in different soul schools, or different classes in soul school, our God-given purposes involving one another specifically, evidently fulfilled or finished for now or furthermore. We must do all to retain a loving and positive rationale and attitude toward those who have moved on or of which we have had to move on, despite how humanly painful, rejective, or confusing the shift or move may seem.
Although I've read St. Faustina's Diary, I admit in all the distractions of living life, I had forgotten these points that Jesus taught her about how to endure through the various ploys of the devil, of which spiritual combat is necessary. Am praising God and thanking St. Faustina for her writing down what He advised her, as it is an excellent list to review and put to practice. Grateful for coming across this list--an invaluable Christmas gift, I'd say--and how! Jesus began his relating to St. Faustina, by first saying: My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare." We can consider in such divine revelations, that Jesus is teaching us, also, as He was Faustina.
I pray that we all keep close by, or take to mind and heart, this list of Jesus' instructions as to how to contend with spiritual warfare. Each instruction or points taught, we can ponder and pray to grasp fully with whatever added insights given by the Holy Spirit, our angels, and those close to us in heaven, which will help us if need be, to apply these to our daily lives and situations as they arise.
God bless His Real Presence in us!
1. Never trust in yourself but abandon yourself totally to My will.
2. In desolation, darkness and various doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director. He will always answer you in my name.
3. Do not bargain with any temptation; lock yourself immediately in My Heart.
4. At the first opportunity, reveal the temptation to the confessor.
5. Put your self-love in the last place, so that it does not taint your deeds.
6. Bear with yourself with great patience.
7. Do not neglect interior mortifications.
8. Always justify to yourself the opinions of your superiors and of your confessor.
9. Shun murmurs like a plague.
10. Let all act as they like; you are to act, as I want you to.
11. Observe the rule as faithfully as you can. [Jesus was referring to her religious rule of life; and while I have a rule of life as a consecrated Catholic hermit, all Christians can live the Gospel as a rule of life if not having marriage or baptism vows or other types of an adopted spiritual or moral rule of life.]
12. If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer.
13. Do not pour out your feelings.
14. Be silent when you are rebuked.
15. Do not ask everyone's opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a child with him.
16. Do not become discouraged by ingratitude.
17. Do not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you.
18. When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart.
19. Do not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us.
20. Always fight with the deep conviction that I am with you.
21. Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will.
22. Always depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things. [Remember that the Holy Trinity--and God's will, His Living Word--are every soul's Superior.]
23. I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles.
24. Know that you are on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you.
25. Fight like a knight, so I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone.
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