We interrupt this octave . . . Bl. Michal Sopocko St. Claude de la Colombiere, pray for us!

"The decisive factor in obtaining God's Mercy is trust. Trust is the expectation of someone's help. It does not constitute a separate virtue, but is an essential condition of the virtue of hope, and an integral part of the virtues of fortitude and generosity. Because trust springs from faith, it strengthens hope and love. . . "   - Bl. Michal Sopocko, St. Faustina's spiritual director

Or in other words:

Trust gets God's attention and convinces Him to pour out His Mercy on us.
So what is trust? What is this magic key unlocking the floodgates of His Love?
Trust is expecting God to help, freely, just like a child expects everything for free from his parents. Just like a newborn baby expects everything from the Mama she doesn't even know yet from the outside.

Nine months growing inside her mother "teaches" the infant trust.
Birth presents a new experience of her mom, one that allows for skin to skin contact, a loving gaze, warm milk, and sweet smells. But this experience only builds on what baby has experienced already: Someone who is a refuge and provider.

God is our Refuge and Provider par excellence. He knit us together in our mothers' wombs, He  brought us safely into the light of day, He has given us air to breathe, water to drink, clothes to wear every day since.

Do we trust Him, then? Not all that much, usually, and in fact, even in the case of the greatest and most trusting saints, only a fraction as much as He can be trusted.

We here at Miss Marcel's Musings are huge fans of the saints who trusted God the most, or rather the saints Holy Mother Church presents to us as models of trust. There are perhaps as many saints in Heaven as stars in the sky, and it may well be that the most trusting ones are those yet unnamed by most men on earth. . . How wonderful!

And yet there are two stars given to us that shine brightly and unceasingly and, thanks be to God and those who worked for their causes, these two stars are named for us: Therese and Faustina.

Little Saint Therese was from France, and dear Faustina from Poland, and both lived in modern times when there were cameras (so we get to see photos of them) and elevators (Therese used this new invention as an image of the way God will take us up to Heaven in the elevator of His arms) and - for Faustina - radio and world war and the 20th century.

Therese is a Doctor of the Church because of her teaching on the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood, sometimes called the Little Way of Trust and Love.

Faustina, a fan of Therese like us, is famous because of revealing Jesus' Divine Mercy image, chaplet, Feast, and motto ("Jesus, I trust in You!") after Jesus revealed them to her.

What is the common feature of their messages?
TRUST. 
"Jesus, I trust in You!" St. Faustina taught us to say (after Jesus taught her).
"It is confidence, and nothing but confidence, that must lead us to Love," said St. Therese, and our Holy Father recently wrote that if that was all she had said, it would have been enough to gain her the Doctorate!

So why are we interrupting our ongoing novena and octave of Our Lady of Lourdes to talk about trust? Yesterday, St. Valentine's Day and St. Cyril and Methodius, was the anniversary of the 2nd apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to St. Bernadette. And today? What more fitting sequel to Valentine's Day and the rest than . . .trumpet fanfare, please, and a nice, long drumroll . . . .

Today is the Feast of St. Faustina's spiritual director, Blessed Michal Sopocko!
And the Feast of St. Margaret Mary's spiritual director, St. Claude de la Colombiere!
Praise God for the men of the cloth who encouraged and supported Faustina and Margaret Mary in remaining faithful to Jesus, and who brought Jesus' message to these quiet religious sisters to THE WHOLE WORLD!!! Including to us!

"Jesus, I trust in You!"
"Behold this Heart . . . "

I don't know that much about Father Michal, and I don't know nearly enough about St. Claude. I do know that they have changed the world by helping two of the littlest souls in history, and this was most likely not their plan when they became priests. Heavenly Father, send us more priests after Your own Heart, and pour down Your merciful Love and Wisdom, the Holy Spirit, into the hearts of all priests.

Faustina was frustrated (as we so often are) that no one understood her, least of all the priests to whom she confessed.

I love every priest to whom I've confessed, because I take Therese's childlike approach and remember that (as her older sisters taught her) the priest is Jesus in the confessional. Therese asked if she could hug the priest or give him a kiss after her first confession, and her sisters said, "Well, probably better not to . . ." and we know that's because the priest is also a regular man, when he isn't Jesus conferring the sacraments.

And so I add to my love for these priests-in-the-confessional a healthy dose of skepticism. Mostly they don't know who I am and have only a moment to figure out what it is I'm saying - and I'm sure I don't make it easy! My husband is clear - probably in the confessional, and certainly everywhere else. I don't have that gift. . . And so when the priest kindly shares some advice that doesn't set me free with that momentous and liberating whoosh of the Holy Spirit, I don't mind at all. I just make sure I know my penance and get my absolution . . .

Faustina had a problem like this. The saints are THAT normal. They had problems like ours, from indigestion to headaches, from needing to cut their fingernails to bad hair days. (I have to laugh that despite chemo and losing most of my hair, I've still got some wispy strands no one gets to see, and I now imagine that even Ben Franklin had bad hair days most days. Thank goodness I get to wear cuter hats and scarves than he did!)

In Faustina's case though (I'm thinking about problems in the confessional, not under the veil), because Jesus had such an important public mission for her, He said to her one day after she complained to Him, "Don't worry. I'm going to provide a priest who totally understands your heart."

Soon after, she went on retreat and there was a new priest - new to her - and voila! He understood everything. He had been specially prepared by God to understand her, and I think we can use words from St. Therese to explain the beauty of Faustina's encounter with Fr. Michal: 

"I had hardly entered the confessional when I felt my soul expand. After speaking only a few words, I was understood in a marvelous way and my soul was like a book in which this priest read better than I did myself. He launched me full sail upon the waves of confidence and love which so strongly attracted me, but upon which I dared not advance. He told me that my faults caused God no pain, and that holding as he did God's place, he was telling me in His name that God was very much pleased with me." (Story of a Soul)

Wow!

I don't know about you, but that doesn't usually happen to me when I go to confession. But it didn't usually happen to Therese and Faustina either! And if it never happens to us, don't despair - that means that Jesus - whose pierced and merciful hands guide everything - doesn't need that to happen to get us to fulfill our missions.

What missions?
The one, starting now, of trusting Him much more. 
How?
Why not start by counting some blessings. Things God has provided for you that you are grateful for. Or that were life changing and brought you here, to a place where you can read about His love for you. 

You can start small. You were created and grew in your mother's womb. You were born! You exist! You can read! You can smell! You can see, touch, taste, and hear! 

These are gifts He has given you because He is delighted to have you know Him and love Him, and above all BE LOVED BY HIM. He loves you so much, and (the parts I like best) He is all good and all powerful! Put those three together - infinite love, goodness, and power - and you've got Someone you can trust A LOT!

Blessed Michal and St. Claude, please intercede for all priests, seminarians, and those with vocations: obtain for them deep insight, good counsel, and the ability to experience and convey to others TRUST. And if you want to do something really fun, please help the priests who hear our confessions to sometimes really understand us, and launch us on the waves of confidence and love.

St. Faustina, you experienced Therese's love in a dream, and Therese, you experienced Blessed Anne's love for you in a dream. We don't need dreams, but we need to know you love us too. Please share with us your beautiful trust and bold confidence in Jesus. You don't need these now that you are with Him face to Face, but we need them badly! Shower us with the heavenly roses of confidence to the point of joy, peace, and surrender. Help us to say often, and believe it: JESUS, I trust in YOU!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

​Draw me, we will run!!!

As for St. Claude, tune in next time when we will thank and praise God, and try to provide a quote or two to strengthen our trust in the Sacred Heart and His infinitely merciful love for us.