Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

When a child is frightened or gets hurt, the natural place of comfort is the arms of a parent. This is the first thing a crying child looks for. So it must be with us. The arms of our Father in Heaven, and Jesus our Savior, are what we must run to in our need. We should not hesitate to turn to God in all things, especially when tempted to despair, or when we recognize our weakness and sin (See Dia...

God has spoken to the saints in numerous ways including through many interior graces and inspirations. But even the greatest mystic, living on the heights of holiness, must ultimately submit to the Voice of God spoken through His Church. The Church, especially in the person of our Holy Father, is the clearest channel of the Voice of God in our world. Through the Church we will be led to Heaven. We...

God sends to us His representatives in the person of His priests. Though priests are not perfect, they are God’s representatives nonetheless. This is especially true in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It’s essential that we approach that Sacrament with confidence and honesty. We must allow the confessor to see the sin in our souls so that he can enter, cleanse and heal by the sacred power of abso...

Each night, as you go to sleep, you are invited to sleep in the grace and Mercy of our Lord. You are invited to rest in His arms so as to be rejuvenated and refreshed. Sleep is an image of prayer and, in fact, can become a form of prayer. To rest is to rest in God. Every beat of your heart must become a prayer to God and every beat of His Heart must become the rhythm of your rest (See Diary #486)....

What would you experience if God were to fully dwell in the depths of your soul? Peace, joy and amazement! And from these gifts, and from the indwelling of the Trinity, you would have courage in the face of hardship, strength to cast out fear and an impenetrable defense against the evil one, against his lies and his snares. You will not be free from temptation and suffering, but you will overcome...

Prayer is essential to our Christian walk. When you pray, it is good to speak from the heart, pouring out your soul to God. But prayer must also follow your faith and all you know of God. It must reflect your true knowledge of God and call upon His Mercy. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is one such prayer that perfectly reflects your faith in the Mercy of God. (See Diary #475-476). Do you pray? Do you...

Communion with the Trinity must be the central purpose of our lives. And though we may converse and speak words to Them, the deepest form of communication is beyond words. It’s a union, a giving of ourselves and a basking in Their Mercy. Knowing and conversing with the Trinity must take place in the depths of our souls through a language that is understood in a way that words cannot contain (See D...

If you were God, and you had some glorious task you wanted accomplished, who would you choose? Someone with manifest gifts? Or someone who is weak, humble and appears to have very few natural gifts? Surprisingly, God most often chooses the weak for the greatest tasks. This is one way through which He is able to manifest His almighty power (See Diary #464). Reflect, today, upon whether you have a h...

Very often, God wants to speak to You a particular message that you need to hear. It may happen that, as you listen to a homily, read a book, hear something on the radio or talk with a friend, something particular will jump out at you that does not seem to affect others. Pay attention to this inspiration, it is a gift to you of God’s Mercy and a revelation of His love for you (See Diary #456). Ref...

God smiles upon us and lavishes rewards upon us for the love we offer to Him and to others. Our works of love, when inspired by His grace, are transformed into treasures in Heaven. But that’s not all that is transformed into treasures. Even our desire to do good and to serve God is transformed. God sees all things, even our smallest sincere desires, and transforms all into grace (See Diary #450)....

Why was it that Jesus suffered as He did? Why did He receive such a severe scourging? Why was His death so painful? Because sin has consequences and is the source of great pain. But Jesus’ voluntary and sinless embrace of suffering transformed human suffering so that it now has the power to purge us and free us from sin and all attachment to sin (See Diary #445). Do you realize that the extreme pa...

When God calls us to fulfill some mission, who is at work? God or us? The truth is that we are both at work, God is the source and we are the instrument. We make a freewill effort, but it is God who shines through. Just as a window can act as a source of light in the house, it is not the window that shines, it is the Sun. Similarly, we must surrender ourselves to God so that He will shine through...

If you were asked to build a rocket ship from scratch, you may object stating that you are not competent in this area and, therefore, cannot do what you are being asked to do. We often have the same response to God regarding His Will. We can easily feel as though we are being asked too much by our Lord, but this is foolish thinking since our Lord would never ask us to do that which He will not als...

If you dropped an object into the middle of the vast ocean you would know, with deep certainty, that this object would get wet. The immensity of the ocean would consume it. So it is with the Mercy of God. It is immense and infinite. Therefore, if you trust in His Mercy, you can have a deep certainty that you will obtain it (See Diary #420). Do you trust that God will bestow His infinite Mercy upon...

We can all, at times, have dreams of grandeur. What if I were rich and famous? What if I had great power in this world? What if I were the Pope or the President? But what we can be certain of is that God does have great things in mind for us. He calls us to a greatness we could never imagine. One problem that often arises is that, when we begin to sense what God wants of us, we run away and hide....

If you wish to avoid the fierce hatred of the evil one, then refrain from striving for holiness. Satan will still hate you, but he will not hate you as much as the saint. But, of course, this is foolishness! Why would anyone avoid holiness so as to avoid the hatred of the evil one? It is true that the closer we come to God, the more the evil one will seek to destroy us. Though it’s good to be awar...

Where do love and sin meet? They meet in the persecution, ridicule and malice inflicted upon our Lord. He was the Incarnation of perfect love. The Mercy in His Heart was infinite. His care and concern for all people was beyond imagination. And yet the soldiers mocked Him, laughed at Him and tortured Him for entertainment and fun. He, in turn, loved them with a perfect love. This is a true meeting...

Oftentimes, our days are filled with activity. Families are often occupied with one event or another. Chores and work can pile up and we may find, at the end of the day, that we have had little time to pray to God in solitude. But solitude and prayer can happen at times throughout our busy day. Though it’s important to look for moments when we can be alone with God, giving Him our full attention,...

Only God knows what another truly needs. We cannot read another’s soul unless this special grace were given to us by God. But each of us is called to pray fervently for others. At times, if we are open, God will place on our hearts the need to pray fervently for another. If we feel called to enter into special prayers for another, we may also be surprised to find that God will suddenly open the do...

We are made for unity with one another. When there is a lack of unity, the effects are felt in families, communities and among nations. What is it that unites us more than anything? First and foremost, we are united with other souls through our Baptism (See Diary #391). Think about the most basic fact that you share an unbreakable bond with each and every person who is baptized into Christ Jesus....

There are so many souls who are in need of our prayers and are in need of the Mercy of God. These are those souls who are stuck firm in their sin. We may pray for them but it seems to have little effect. What more can we do? Sometimes, the greatest intercession we can make is a heart filled with the most generous love. We must strive diligently to have the most pure and relentless love for these s...

Many people carry very heavy burdens within their souls. On the surface, they may radiate with joy and peace. But within their souls, they may also have great pain. These two experiences of our interior and exterior are not in contradiction when we follow Christ. Often times Jesus allows us to feel a certain interior suffering while, at the same time, He brings forth the good fruit of exterior pea...

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do the Will of God always? If you could simply make the choice to perfectly say “Yes” to God in all things and in every situation? The truth is that you can. The only thing hindering you from this absolute choice is your own stubborn will (See Diary #374). It’s hard to admit that we are stubborn and full of self-will. It’s hard to let go of our own will and to choo...

Imagine a large block of ice. Now imagine that there is a precious coin in the middle of that block. In order to obtain that coin, the block must melt away. So it can be with our hearts. Some hearts have become so hardened over time that there seems little chance of melting them away so as to bring forth the true value and dignity of that person. But Jesus is a radiant Sun whose rays shine forth w...

One of the greatest gifts we can give to our Divine Lord is our willfulness. We often want what we want, when we want it. Our will can become stubborn and obstinate and this can easily dominate our whole being. As a result of this sinful tendency toward willfulness, one thing that delights our Lord greatly, and produces an abundance of grace in our lives, is an interior obedience to that which we...