Trust: It Matters.

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

Jesus complained to me in these words, "Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts]" (50).

Throughout St. Faustina's Diary, Jesus implores us to trust Him. But what exactly is trust, and why does it matter so much to Jesus?

An internet search reveals the definition of the word "trust" as "firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something." A relationship of trust begins with a certain knowledge that can testify to another person's good intentions.

In the passage above, Jesus mentions one piece of knowledge that ought to confirm our trust in His good intentions for us forever: He died for us. There's no greater way to show one's love for someone than to die for them.

Christ's death for us means that He is everything He says He is - all loving, all merciful, all forgiving, and this list goes on. It means that as long as we rely on Him, He will provide what we need when we need it. On the other hand, when we don't trust Him, we tell Him that we don't fully believe in Him. As a result, we limit His power to pour out His grace upon us.

Remember, when it comes to trust, Jesus seeks to redress our doubts. That's why He tells St. Faustina later in the Diary to "fight for the salvation of souls, exhorting them to trust in My mercy, as that is your task in this life and in the life to come" (1452). In this age of doubt, He's giving us recourse in St. Faustina, inviting us to turn to her in prayer and ask her to help us to trust more.

Now, psychologists differentiate between two kinds of trust: cognitive trust and affective trust. We base our cognitive trust on what we know intellectually. We base our affective trust on the good emotions we feel toward someone.

When Jesus complains that His people don't trust Him, He's probably referring to cognitive trust. Sometimes, we feel impatient or angry with Jesus because we don't get our way. In this case, we might not feel like trusting Him. The good news is that no matter how we feel about Jesus in the moment, we can always rely on what we know about Him - that He is on our side and wants the best for us.

Jesus says to us: Sometimes, especially when you suffer, you may feel like you have no reason to trust Me. During these times, rely on what you know and believe to be true - that I love you unto death, and that I am always fighting on your behalf.

My prayer: Jesus, you know how weak and fragile I am. Despite my weakness, help me to trust You. Help me to never forget what You did for me, what You do for me, and how You love me.

View the previous Discovering the Diary .

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