Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

It is actually quite consoling to have someone with whom you can reveal the depths of your soul.  This sort of confidant is a great blessing when absolute confidentiality, mercy and understanding are offered.  Speaking even of your sins without hesitation can bring much healing when the person with whom we share these things responds with perfect love and is able to offer you the Mercy of God.  We...

The words of truth, spoken from the Heart of our Lord, bring joy to our lives and rejuvenate our spirits.  When you hear these words of truth, take them in and act on them, you are set free from the burden of error and may experience a certain lightness of spirit and refreshment.  However, the opposite is true also.  When you listen to an error, take it in and believe it, the fruit of this error i...

One unfortunate tendency within our fallen human nature is to “murmur” about another.  It’s like a virus in that once someone starts, it passes to others quickly.  Before you know it, many can be spreading rumors and gossip not based in truth, or truths not spoken in charity.  This can be very painful to the person who the murmuring is about.  We see this commonly among teens, but it is not exclus...

All of creation is capable of reflecting the glory and workings of God.  God is the wisdom behind the Universe, setting all its laws in order and guiding all things perfectly.  We only need to spend time meditating upon the laws of nature to perceive the laws of grace which they reflect.  For example, take the morning dew.  It arrives silently and without notice of its coming.  It sinks in and soa...

Imagine the parent who loves a child with burning love.  They are committed in every way to the care and well-being of their child.  Their love is steady and irrevocable from the time of birth on into adulthood.  Now imagine the pain in this parent’s heart if at some point their child walks out on them and fully rejects their love.  This loving parent will not give up but will think about their ch...

It is most appropriate to prayerfully reflect upon being held in the holy arms of our God.  Understanding the Merciful love of the Father in Heaven through the holy embrace of love reveals to us His fatherly care.  Running to the arms of Jesus opens our hearts to His merciful love.  But one image that will also be helpful and holy to reflect upon is that of the infant Jesus.  Imagine if you were p...

Do you understand what you will be doing for all eternity?  Heaven, if we are blessed to obtain it, will be an existence of eternal contemplation of the Most Holy Trinity.  Though there is no time in Heaven, imagine if there were.  And then imagine contemplating the Trinity for a million years in a row.  Would you eventually become tired of this life and find boredom in it?  Never in a million yea...

Do you see value in being reduced to nothingness in your own eyes?  Perhaps not.  The reason this language is difficult to accept is that humility is only fully understood by a special gift of God’s grace.  Some ancient philosophers even hold up pride as a great virtue, discounting humility as weakness.  Sadly, there are few souls that obtain the actual virtue of humility.  Some may obtain a certa...

Some people are called to a unique life of prayer and solitude within the context of religious life.  In particular, there are those called to the eremitical life or the cloister.  These holy souls are separated from the world and spend their days in quiet prayer and work.  But what value does this life have to the world?  This is an important question to understand.  From a worldly point of view,...

When something burdens us we often seek consolation from others regarding our suffering by speaking about them openly.  Though it may be beneficial to share our burdens with another to an extent, there is also great value in embracing them silently in a hidden way.  It may always be wise to share your burdens with a certain person such as a spouse, confidant, spiritual director or confessor, but b...

Many people enjoy excellent health while others do not.  Some experience great physical discomfort in life due to infirmity or old age.  Though many look for ways to alleviate this physical discomfort, it must be said that these pains offer an opportunity for grace.  First, much grace is won in the life of the person suffering when that suffering is freely embraced.  Grace can also be won for the...

When you look at the desire in your heart, what stands out the most?  Certainly there are many things that draw you.  Many worldly rewards and pleasures can easily occupy your longings.  A desire for physical pleasure, money and worldly success are among the strongest desires for many.  The single desire you should have is a desire to Love God.  From that desire you will also love others and you w...

If you are given the glorious gift of a deep faith, many will see this and rejoice in it.  But it may be the occasion for some to have jealousy.  This is a sad and painful experience.  Know that the jealousy of another is not caused by you or by your faith, it is caused by their sin.  Therefore, if you experience the jealousy or ridicule of another stemming from their jealousy, do not be alarmed. ...

“Ignominy” could mean public shame, disgrace, humiliation and embarrassment.  But it takes on special meaning when applied to Jesus.  The “cloak of ignominy” refers to the public humiliation that Jesus endured as a result of His Cross.  He was condemned as a sinner and liar.  He was charged with deceiving the people and attempting to undermine the civil authorities.  He was the object of extreme h...

What is it that is most dear to the heart of our Blessed Mother?  If she were to appear to you and offer you her greatest desire for you, what would it be?  Perhaps there would be some specific need that she has been made aware of by God for your life, but in addition to this she would most certainly call you to the virtues of humility, purity and love of God.  We especially see these holy virtues...

The evil one hates you with a profound hate.  And the closer you draw to God, fulfilling His Divine Will, the more he will seek to attack you.  Do not fear the bark of this little dog.  One of the most common ways the evil one attempts to deceive you is by presenting himself as an angel of light.  He does this by using his natural angelic powers of influence, speaking lies that have a faint resemb...

One common temptation that many face is that of living either in the past or in the future, and failing to live in the present moment.  You live in the past when you remain controlled by past events, sins, hurts, etc.  The past must be healed and your sins of the past must be forgiven.  Once that is done, you must let go of the past and not allow it to affect you in a negative way.  The past can a...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 spea...

Saint Faustina was asked to have an image of Jesus painted with rays of Mercy flowing from His Heart.  She did so and Jesus affirmed to her that many souls would be drawn to Him through this image.  It’s interesting to think about the importance that Jesus and Saint Faustina gave to this image.  Indeed it speaks volumes regarding the Mercy flowing radiantly from His wounded Heart.  It’s also insig...

Tension is often a part of life.  Some deal with much tension, frustration and even extreme anger in their daily lives.  At first, the anger of another can set you on guard and tempt you to fear.  This is a normal reaction.  The anger of another can also push you to react and to fight back with anger, spite and bitterness of your own.  You may get defensive and even lash out.  But the Mercy of God...

Does God get angry with you when you do not accomplish a certain task for His glory?  It depends.  He may issue forth His holy wrath if the failure is on account of your sin.  This wrath is an act of His Mercy calling you to repentance.  But at other times your work and service of God may be hindered by things beyond your control.  The Lord knows this and sees it.  You may wonder at times why God...