Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Reflection 283: Overcoming Sin

The message of God’s Mercy is so simple that we can easily miss it, even after reflecting upon the many pages of this book or upon the Diary of Saint Faustina.  The simple truth that the message of God’s Mercy must convey is that we should have no fear, whatsoever, of admitting our sins and trusting in God’s perfect forgiveness.  Fear easily paralyzes us and keeps us from being honest in regard to our sins.  But if you understand the Mercy of God and realize how all-consuming it is, fear will have no power over you.  And though this may be easier to understand in theory, it can be very hard to embrace in your actions.  The only way to fully enter into the Mercy of God is to give Him that which properly belongs to you, namely, your sins.  Do not hesitate in doing this.  Have full confidence in your loving Father and allow the light of His Mercy to replace the darkness of your sin (See Diary #1396).

How easily can you admit your sins to God?  And when you do so, are you able to admit them with full confidence and hope?  Are you able to admit them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the greatest source of God’s Mercy?  You do not need to carry guilt and shame in regard to your sins no matter what they are.  Trust in the omnipotent love of God and let go of your hesitation and fear.  If you do this, you will discover that joy will begin to permeate your soul and lift the heavy burden that sin imposes.

Lord, please remove all fear from my life.  Cleanse me of my sin and free me from the burdens they impose.  Give me full confidence in the abundance of Your Mercy and open my heart to receive all that You wish me to receive.  I love You, dear Lord, may I allow that love to dispel all that is not of You.  Jesus, I trust in You.  

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Reflection 282: Suffering, Persecution, Abuse and Disgrace

This heading may not seem immediately attractive to you.  Who would want to endure these things?  But we ought to remember that Jesus endured them all to the greatest degree.  Was Jesus happy?  Was His soul at peace?  Most certainly.  This reveals to us that these crosses in life cannot ultimately do us harm if we are immersed in the presence of God.  Remember Jesus agonizing in the Garden, or the mockery He endured, or the rejection that many directed at Him, yet in all of this He remained in a peaceful repose.  Nothing in this world can steal us away from a profound peace if we remain immersed in the presence of God.  All the suffering, persecution, abuse and disgrace in the world cannot ultimately have victory over a soul given to God (See Diary #1394).

Reflect upon that which has the effect of stealing your peace away.  If you were perfect, this would not happen.  That may be hard to accept but it’s true.  We easily point to this or that as the source of our unrest when the source is always within.  It’s either a sin we have clung to, such as anger, or a sin of omission, such as a lack of trust.  Whatever your experience is, do not get caught up on your sin.  Simply turn your eyes to our merciful Lord and know that He can keep you in His peace through anything if you let Him.

Lord, I invite You to take control of all my inner thoughts, feelings and emotions.  Bring stillness and peace to my heart as I continue through this life filled with struggle.  When I experience the harshness of others, help me to use that as an opportunity for greater trust in Your Mercy.  I know that in all things I can remain wrapped in Your arms of grace.  I give myself to You, dear Lord, please protect me and keep me close to Your Heart.  Jesus, I trust in You.  

Image: Christ with the Crown of Thorns, by Dirck van Baburen

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Reflection 281: The Immovable Will of God

At times, when we love God with a profound love, we may find that we have strong impulsions to do great things for God.  And yet, despite our desire and firm resolve, it can seem as if God is not permitting our work to move forward.  This may be because the Lord is not ready to act.  Though it’s good to have a strong desire to do great things for God, we must always remember that our desires must align with the perfect timing and wisdom of the Will of God.  He knows best and He will allow the work He inspires to come to fruition when He wills it, not before.  Surrendering your impulsions to God is a way of letting God purify the work He calls you to do so that it is ultimately His work in us and not our own work done in accord with our own idea of what is good.  God’s Will is immovable and all the longings and desire in the world will not move Him to act contrary to His perfect plan set forth at the perfect time.  Humble yourself before God so that He will bless the world with His Mercy through You in the way He desires (See Diary #1389).

Do you have a heart filled with the desire to serve our Lord?  Hopefully you do.  Reflect upon these desires and know that they please our Lord.  But also reflect upon the fact that, if they are to come to perfection, even the most pure desire must be submitted to the Will of God.  Make that prayerful resolution today and God will use your heartfelt desire to manifest His Heart of Mercy to the world.

Lord, I do desire to serve You with all my heart.  Please increase that desire and purify it so that my will dissolves into Yours.  Help me to let go of even my “good” ideas as I submit to Your wisdom and love.  I do love You, dear Lord, and desire to be used by You in accord with Your perfect Will.  Jesus, I trust in You.  

Image: St Filippo Neri in Ecstasy, by Guido Reni

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Reflection 280: Ignoring God

Do you ignore God?  It’s far too easy to do and, therefore, all too common.  Very often, God is ignored after receiving Holy Communion.  Many people get in the habit of coming forward to receive Him and do so with many distractions and little attention to the sacredness of this encounter.  Do not allow yourself to fall into this habit.  Receiving our Lord in Holy Communion must become a profoundly intimate encounter.  Our souls are fused as one in this moment and we must be attentive to this reality.  Though Holy Communion is the most profound encounter we can have with our Lord, we must be deeply aware of His presence all the time.  When we pray to Him, we must allow ourselves to not only say prayers, but to be drawn into His glorious presence and consumed by His Mercy.  As we go throughout our day, we must be constantly aware of Him walking with us, leading us and speaking to us.  Do not ignore our Lord.  If you find that you do this at times, or if it has become a regular habit, know that the opposite habit can be formed.  Making regular choices to be aware of Him within you and all around you will open the door to you walking in His Mercy every day (See Diary #1385).

Reflect upon your attentiveness to our Lord as honestly as you can.  Reflect, especially, upon your attentiveness to Him as He comes to you in Holy Communion.  Seek Him, listen to Him and receive Him and your life will take on a new direction.

Lord, I know that I ignore You at times and that I fail to be attentive to Your gentle and holy Voice speaking in the depths of my conscience.  I know that I do not properly reverence You and adore You in the countless ways that You come to me.  Give me the grace to form a holy habit of always knowing that You are near.  As I form this habit, give me the grace to love You with all my heart.  Jesus, I trust in You.  

Image: Saint Stanislaus Kostka Receiving the Holy Communion from the Hands of Angels, by Jan van Cleve

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Reflection 279: Your Inner Conviction

You must seek to hear God speak to you through an inner conviction within your soul.  At times you may sense that God’s Voice is loud and clear, and at other times it may seem faint and confusing.  There are many things that can compete with the Voice of God but if you are open, you will come to know His Voice with familiarity.  This is important for your spiritual life.  Learning to hear Him speak and coming to recognize His Voice allows you to more easily walk in His ways throughout your life.  Seek to know this inner conviction that His Voice presents to you.  And as you learn to discern it, grow in confidence at His commands of love.  Daily obedience to Him in this way must become the foundation of all that you do in life and it will become an abundant source of His outpoured Mercy (See Diary #1383).

How familiar are you with the Voice of God?  You most likely will not hear Him speak to you in an audible way.  His Voice often comes as a strong sense that we ought to do this or avoid that.  He speaks by influencing our will even more than our mind.  We may be attentive in our mind to what we sense, but the conviction God gives us is a spiritual sense.  Though God may speak to each person in a unique way, this inner conviction is a common experience of God’s communication.  Reflect, today, upon God speaking in this way and if you struggle with this goal, recommit yourself to listen.  Through this habit you will discover the abundant Mercy that God has in store for you as He guides you day by day.

Lord, I desire to hear Your Voice speaking to me in the depths of my conscience.  Please do speak and fill my will with a sense and a conviction of Your holy and perfect Will.  May I learn to be attentive to You every day and follow Your gentle commands as the guiding light of my life.  Jesus, I trust in You.  

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