Weaker Than We Think

By Marc Massery

View the previous Discovering the Diary.

Turn to any page of the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska and you find spiritual gems. Like this one:

[Jesus said], "Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces." (738)

We don't know what may happen to us tomorrow. Between our health, the weather, and those in authority over us, we are constantly subject to powers beyond our control.

But often we do not realize this. Believing that we have more control over our circumstances than we actually do, we tend to overestimate our own strength. When we overestimate our abilities, we tend to fall.

Saint Faustina's Diary passage above reminds us how weak we really are. In this passage, Jesus implies that we can't even accept His graces without His assistance.

Consider the significance of this sentiment. A "grace" is a gift that God freely gives to us, something we do not deserve. According to the passage above, we are so weak that we have trouble accepting even free, unearned gifts!

As created human beings, everything we have is a gift. On the other hand, we are not merely subject to forces beyond our control. God, indeed, endowed us with free will. We can choose between right and wrong, between grace and sin. But we must remember not to overestimate our ability, especially when it comes to choosing right over wrong. Even in the face of the most basic moral decisions, we need to ask God for the grace to choose what's right.

The Holy Spirit says to us: You depend more upon My grace than you realize. Never forget how little you truly are. Turn to Me as often as you can, and trust that in your weakness, I will be your strength.

My prayer: Jesus, sometimes I forget how much I truly need You. I often attribute the graces You bestow on me to my own doing. Please help me to remember that everything You give me is a gift.

View the next Discovering the Diary.

DDBURG

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