"...you asked Me for vengeance, but you do not know Me..."

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MariaChristi

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

St. Louis de Montfort relates a story here that can bring us to tears – it can pierce our hearts if we are willing to be open to the Fullness of His Love for us. In Chapter 11 of his book: “The Love of Eternal Wisdom, we read” :
  1. St Denis the Areopagite relates that a certain bishop, Carpas by name, had, after a great deal of trouble, converted a pagan. On hearing afterwards that a fellow-pagan had lost no time in making the new convert abjure the faith, Carpas earnestly prayed to God all night to wreak vengeance and punishment upon the guilty one for his attack on the supreme authority of God. Suddenly, when his fervour and his entreaties were reaching their peak, he saw the earth opening and on the brink of hell he saw the apostate and the pagan whom the demons were trying to drag into the abyss. Then lifting up his eyes, he saw the heavens open and Jesus Christ accompanied by a multitude of angels coming to him and saying, “Carpas, you asked Me for vengeance, but you do not know Me. You do not realise what you are asking for, nor what sinners have cost Me. Why do you want Me to condemn them? I love them so much that if it were necessary I would be ready to die again for each one of them.” Then our Lord approached Carpas, and, uncovering his shoulders, said to him, “Carpas, if you want to take vengeance, strike Me rather than these poor sinners.”
  2. With this knowledge of eternal Wisdom, shall we not love Him who has loved us and still loves us more than His own life; and whose beauty and meekness surpass all that is loveliest and most attractive in heaven and on earth?
Come, Holy Spirit, kindle in us, the Fire of Your Love. Jesus we trust in You! Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
 
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Thanks for sharing. We must strive for forgiveness instead of vengeance. For through forgiveness and love, our Lord conquered death.
 
During lent, while saying the Divine Mercy chaplet and meditating on Christ’s passion, I was horrified when I saw myself scourging Jesus. I cried until I had no more tears and then off and on whenever I thought about that “vision”. Another time, while also meditating on His passion, Jesus looked back at me while he carried His cross, with a look that said “Will you follow me no matter the cost?”
Jesus is truly love and mercy itself.
Jesus we trust in You.
 
Dear Dan,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, always strive to forgive and to love as Jesus loved us. How can we pray as Jesus taught us in the Our Father, if we do not forgive?

“…Our Father…Forgive us as we forgive those who sin against us…”
 
Jesus is very close to us when we suffer. I can tell you that for certain
 
Dear VanitasVanitatum,

“God so loved the world…” we grow used to the words, but when reading:
"… you asked Me for vengeance, but you do not know Me. You do not realize what you are asking for, nor what sinners have cost Me
those words coming from God as St. Louis de Montfort wrote in his book, are meant to pierce our hearts and touch them very deeply.
 
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Yes, dear observing, Jesus is truly Love and Mercy! Thanks for your reply!
 
Yes, dear Halogirl, Jesus remains with us, in joys and sorrows, yet He is especially close when we suffer, for He is sharing Himself and giving us the opportunity to unite our sufferings with His. Thanks for your reply.
 
And now I’m verklempt .

Righteous anger is one thing. Asking for vengeance crosses the line.

There are people in my life who have made a great deal of trouble for me and my loved ones, and it was a long hard road to go from “punish them! punish them!” to “please fix what they broke”.
 
Dear OScarlet,

Thanks for your reply. I had to look up the word “verkleempt” and the dictionary says it means, “overcome with emotion”. To ask God to “please fix what they broke” seems to me to be a work of Grace and a beautiful step forward in knowing Eternal Wisdom.
 
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