Care, To Take Care
A Father who, if He takes care of this blade of grass born on a rock, could not take care of one of His sons who firmly wants to serve Him? Oh! truly God does not despise the "good" desires of man, for it is He Himself who ignites them in your hearts.[1]
Longer than life is eternity. One should have for the soul the solicitude one has for the body, and run where the words of life are...[2]
God gives us His help, hour after hour, if we remain humble and faithful.[3]
"Let the good God do, let Him do and you will see how He arranges all things well.[4]
In "The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me"
- It is a duty, however, to always take care (of oneself) to keep it in good health as long as it pleases God, to be useful to oneself, to parents, to one's city, to one's whole country. It is inevitable that illnesses occur. It is not said that every illness is the consequence of a vice or a punishment[5]
- God adds to the ministry of the guardian angel the ministry of the soul whom He has recalled to Him, and who loves with a love that is pure from human burdens her parents whom she loves in God. When He frees a soul, He takes care to replace it in the care needed by those who remain.[6]
- Longer than life is eternity. One should have for the soul the solicitude one has for the body, and run where the words of life are...[7]
- Is it true that we possess a soul and that we must take care of it because it is a divine, immortal, incorruptible thing by its nature, but on which, living brutishly, we can cause it to lose its divine character, without being able to destroy it?[8]
- A Father who, if He takes care of this blade of grass born on a rock, could not take care of one of His sons who firmly wants to serve Him? Oh! truly God does not despise the "good" desires of man, for it is He Himself who ignites them in your hearts.[9]
- Help of Mary: Her Tearing of the spiritual childbirth: She says: "But, believe me, my daughter, there has never been and never will be a torment of childbirth like my childbirth as a martyr of a spiritual motherhood accomplished on the hardest bed: that of my cross, at the foot of the gallows of my Son who was dying.
What mother is forced to give birth in such a way, and to mingle the torment of her entrails which would be torn hearing the scream of her Creature agonizing with the inner tearing to have to overcome the horror of having to say: "I love you. Come to me who am your Mother" to the murderers of her Son (...)."[10] - Her solicitude: All suffering rests on the bosom of Mary: Elizabeth says to her: "Let me put my hands on your bosom." "Oh! if in your suffering you would always ask me that!" (...) "And all pain calms and all hope blooms and all grace flows for whoever comes to me and lays their head on my bosom."[11]
- Our Mother in Heaven ceases not to take care and to pray for us : "I pray for you. Remember it. The beatitude of being in Heaven, living in the radiance of God, does not make me forget my sons who suffer on the earth. And I pray. The whole Heaven prays, because Heaven loves. Heaven is living charity. And Charity has pity for you.
But if it were only me, that would already be a sufficient prayer for the needs of those who hope in God, since I do not cease to pray for all of you: saints and the depraved, to give joy to the saints, to give the wicked the repentance that saves."
"Come, come, my sons of my sorrow. I await you at the foot of the Cross to grant you grace."[12] - God gives us His help, hour after hour, if we remain humble and faithful.[13]
- "Let the good God do, let Him do and you will see how He arranges all things well.[14]
- You must only seek, and let the first of your cares be the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all the rest will be given to you as well.[15] and [16]
- God would not exist if Providence failed His sons.[17]
- He who imposed His will on me and whom I serve with a love trusting, will give me His help for this hour (The Passion). To Him (J茅sus), to me (Mary)... because the Father cannot impose a will too strong for the forces of man... and He helps... always...[18]
- Where there is faith in Me, Providence is present.[19]
- Do not doubt the goodness and power of God. Whatever happens, He will intervene for your Good and mine, and for the good of many.[20]
- And, concerning the body, do not imitate the people of the world who keep trembling about their future, out of fear that they may lack the superfluous, that illness may come, that death may come, that their Enemies may harm them, and so forth.
God knows what you need. Therefore do not fear for your future. Cast away fears, heavier than the chains of galley slaves. Do not worry for your life, nor for food, nor for drink, nor for clothing.
The life of the spirit is more than that of the body, and the body is more than the clothing, for it is by the body and not by the clothing that you live and that, by the mortification of the body, you help The Spirit to obtain eternal life. God knows how long He will leave your soul in your body, and until that moment, He will give you what you need.
And can you think that God, who takes care of the lilies of the valleys and makes them grow and dress them in clothing more beautiful than that of Solomon, without their doing any work other than perfuming while adoring, do you believe He could forget you even concerning clothing? (...)
But do not be people of little faith. You will always have what you need. Do not be anxious like the people of the world who toil for their pleasures.
You have your Father who knows what you need. You must only seek, and let the first of your concerns be the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all the rest will be given to you as well.[21]