Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Imagine the soul who has lived a life filled with complete abandonment to God.  They achieved the heights of holiness and were not deterred by earthly distractions.  Throughout their life they sought to serve our Lord and to be a continual instrument of Mercy for others.  Many people were saved on account of their sanctity and their total devotion to the Will of God.  Now imagine that holy soul en...

What do you long for in life?  If you could pick one thing that you desire above all else what would it be?  Would it be death?  Probably not.  Surprisingly, the greatest saint would probably desire death over anything else in life.  Not an early death or a death of their own choosing; rather, they would see death as the gateway to their true home and anticipate the joy of that encounter with much...

God gives to each person a unique mission.  Some are called to very public lives; others are called to quiet and simple lives.  Some are called to use their minds in powerful ways; others are called to use their hearts in special ways, but each person has a unique mission from God.  What is your mission?  Seeking to know what the Lord asks of you is essential to your journey of holiness and, there...

The Lord, in His abundant Mercy, comes to you day and night and joyfully enters your soul when it is open to Him.  Even the greatest struggles do not deter our Lord from coming to you.  But one thing, especially, keeps our Lord away.  And that is pride.  Pride is the mother of all sins and, simply put, is selfishness.  It’s a way of turning in on yourself as your primary concern.  The problem with...

Everyone is called to holiness and in that holiness is able to obtain complete happiness.  But God always chooses some for a special mission of holiness, a higher form of holiness.  These souls could be called “Seraphic Souls.”  The classic example is to compare two glasses of water.  One is large and one is small.  They are both filled to the brim so they are both full.  But one contains more wat...

One of the easiest things you can do in life is be lazy.  Imagine if you had no responsibilities, had all the wealth you could ever want and could spend your days in luxury and relaxation.  This would foster a very lazy heart and it would also foster a very sad heart.  Rest is good, but excessive rest can turn into laziness and laziness ultimately becomes very boring.  This fact reveals the opposi...

Loneliness is a deep suffering that many endure.  One reason it is so painful is that the lonely person obviously suffers alone with few people, if any, to help ease their hurt.  If this were not the case, they would not be lonely.  Interestingly, even those who are surrounded by others all day every day can be lonely.  Even the most popular and outgoing person in the community can sometimes strug...

If you were married and you were regularly indifferent to your spouse, this would be a problem.  Indifference means there is a lack of sincere care for the good of the other.  Forgetfulness is a symptom of indifference in that when one cares little, it’s easy to forget.  For example, if you forgot an important anniversary in your marriage this could be a sign of either a very poor memory or an unc...

It is very easy to pass judgment on another, but it is very difficult to withhold judgment.  Why is that so?  Why might you find yourself easily passing judgment on others when you truly do not know their heart?  There certainly can be many reasons for this sin; one of them is that some people do not even know themselves well enough to judge their own conscience.  When this is the case, the person...

There are many images we use to describe the Love of God.  One such image is a “Burning Flame of Love.”  This is seen in the spiritual classic, “Living Flame of Love,” written by St. John of the Cross: O living flame of love That tenderly wounds my soul In its deepest center! Since  Now you are not oppressive, Now consummate! if it be your will: Tear through the veil of this sweet encounter! Why d...

Do you tire of speaking of the Mercy of God?  Do you find that it becomes repetitive and unimpressive?  If so, speak of Mercy all the more and ponder it with new zeal.  You must never tire of the Mercy of God.  The Mercy of God is so great and abundant that, in Heaven, you will see clearly how vast and wide it is.  You will comprehend that it is incomprehensible and will never tire of contemplatin...

When an army is under siege, it seeks a place in which it can defend itself.  Seeking higher ground or a place that gives it shelter and protection is immediately sought out.  So it must be in your spiritual life.  When you experience the darts of the evil one, or when life becomes burdensome to you, especially on account of your sin, seek the higher ground and the greatest place of refuge.  This...

There are some who easily fall asleep each night and remain asleep until morning.  There are others who struggle greatly with sleep and this becomes a great burden and a source of discouragement.  If you are one who struggles with sleep on a regular basis, or even on rare occasions, see this cross as an opportunity rather than as a burden.  A sleepless night offers one particular opportunity to yo...

It is difficult to stay friends with one who is suffering, especially when that suffering endures.  Often, at first, when a soul is suffering from some illness or other difficulty, many friends come to help.  But as time goes on, fewer friends maintain their love and support.  This offers a test of their love and mercy.  But there is one Friend who will be there through it all.  This is our Divine...

The glorious virtue of humility must be understood, continually pondered and continually embraced.  What is humility?  It is nothing other than knowing the truth about yourself, believing that truth and living in accord with that truth.  Only you and God know the depths of your conscience.  Human opinion matters little.  Some may offer false judgments of you presuming your pride or another sin.  A...

The devil is real and his temptations are real.  He hates you with a pure hate and desires your destruction.  This is good to know.  But the evil one is also quite shrewd and manipulative and will rarely speak blatant lies to you since he knows this temptation will most likely not convince you.  Instead, he seeks to speak confusion to you, identifying things that are partly true and mixing them wi...

It’s true that no earthly image can fully reveal the perfect love of God.  God is transcendent and His love is beyond what this world can contain.  But nonetheless, there are many things in this world that do reveal aspects of the love of God.  One such image is that of a mother’s love.  Though God has been revealed to us as the Father in Heaven and the Son of God came as a man, we can discover mu...

How do you pray?  There are many good ways to pray.  Here are some common ways: attending the Holy Mass or another Liturgy, praying the rosary or other chaplets, reading the Scripture meditatively, reciting beautifully written prayers, sitting in silence before our Lord, falling prostrate before Him especially in the Holy Eucharist, etc.  One additional way to pray is to have a conversation with o...

When we engage in a conversation with another, it is always an opportunity to share the love of God.  Even casual conversation has such potential.  For example, listening intently to the details of another’s life expresses care and concern for them and reveals the fact that you see their dignity and are acknowledging it by listening.  Sometimes conversations can go astray and become dominated by t...

Do you doubt the Love of God?  The truth is that God is relentless in His pursuit of you.  Though much of our holiness depends upon us, most of it depends upon God.  While here on Earth, God never ceases to pursue you and to seek your conversion.  He sends His Mercy to you constantly in every way imaginable.  The problem is that if your heart is “deaf and blind” it will not perceive the tireless w...

Imagine if someone gave their life for you because they loved you.  They were put into a situation where they knew you would lose your life if they did not freely give theirs.  As a result, they chose to step forward in confidence, giving their life in exchange for yours.  In order for someone to do this they would have to have an incredible depth of love for you, so much so that they valued your...

Should we fear the truth?  On one hand the truth can get us in trouble.  Look, for example, at the Martyrs.  They are witnesses to the truth with the shedding of their blood.  They “got in trouble” only in the sense that their testimony to the truth brought forth their persecution.  But in the eyes of God this is no trouble at all.  It is an act of great love and honesty, courage and resolve.  The...

One of the dangers many encounter in our modern technological world is that of constant noise.  We are easily bombarded with chatter all day long.  It could be through the radio, TV, Internet, or the ceaseless conversation of another.  Rarely do we find times of great silence.  As a result, when silence is offered us, we often look to fill that silence immediately.  But is this wise?  Is it good t...

Our minds are a gift from God and one of the two primary ways we are made in His image and likeness.  The other way is through the gift of our free will.  But the intellect is an incredible gift that must be given to the work of God.  It is good to pray that our Lord make our minds great, powerful and keen so that we may know Him, understand Him and comprehend all the rich mysteries that He desire...

One motivation we should have for working diligently at spreading the Mercy of God is the reality of the Communion of Saints.  Understanding this eternal communion will enable us to realize that what we do now we will rejoice in forever in Heaven.  For example, if you go out of your way to share the Mercy of God with another and this Mercy is received and affects that soul for the good, this fact...