Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

With God there is no time. Time is strictly an earthly phenomenon. In God, all things are, always were and always will be. One effect of this eternal love is that God has loved you for all eternity. He has known you even before the foundation of the world and will know and love you forevermore. This all-encompassing love should give you great comfort. There never was a time that God did not perfec...

Often, when we speak of the Mercy of God, we speak of the forgiveness of sins. This is the first act of God’s Mercy. He sees every sin, even the slightest imperfection, and despite the suffering these sins impose upon Our Lord, He lavishly bestows Mercy to forgive. Forgiveness becomes total and permanent. God never brings up sins that have been forgiven. But God doesn’t stop there. It’s important...

When someone is troubled, you may shy away from them. It’s easy to think that engaging them will impose a heavy burden on your time and energy. But if the Lord is the one directing your conversation, He can do amazing things in a short while. Sure, there are times when love demands many hours of care, but often times a few words, a listening ear, or a gentle smile will do more for a person in need...

Read online  When there is excitement in your life, your heart begins to beat faster. This is a natural reaction. For that reason, it is good to ponder whether your heart ever beats for God? Do you allow yourself to become caught up in a holy awe of the presence of God? Do you become excited about the mission that God has given you? And, if so, do you ever find that your heart beats faster as you...

Some people are very good at talking about others. They offer continual opinions and judgments of them and speak freely, as if they have everything figured out. Do not be like one of these people. Those who have their minds and tongues occupied with the activities of others have little time to look into their own souls so as to discover who they are (See Diary #1717). Do you struggle with idle tal...

Read Online When a person begins to lie, and forms a habit of this sort, they will eventually become entangled in a web of lies. One lie leads to another and pretty soon they do not know how to break free of this web. This is where you must offer mercy. It’s very easy to be harsh toward someone who has clearly led themselves down the wrong path. It’s easy to point the finger and rub in their sin....

Music is a discovery and expression of the natural laws of God’s creation, relying upon the order and rhythm found in its natural design. Some music uses the natural order of things to glorify earthly realities. Some forms of music even express sin and disorder. But the greatest form of music is that which beautifully and clearly articulates the high order, harmony and symmetry of the life of God....

It may not be pleasant to consider the chastisement of God. But it must be understood that His chastisements are real and are an act of His abundant Mercy. When souls turn from God and refuse His Mercy, this deeply wounds His Heart. As a result, God becomes more “passionate” so to speak in His tireless pursuit. One way He seeks to open their hearts is through chastisements. Think of the Pharisees,...

It must be your constant goal to know God. Study of Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the lives of the saints all help in this endeavor. But knowing God is not the ultimate goal of life. Knowledge comes from faith and faith is a gift from God. But being fully united to God in charity is of far greater importance. They are not opposed, but they are not the same. In fact, at times the Lord...

Read Online The world is beautiful and reveals the beauty of God, but spiritual realities, such as the Holy Eucharist, are far more beautiful. To see the beauty of God, present in the Most Holy Eucharist, you need eyes of faith. One of the best ways to sharpen your vision of this beauty is through adoration. Though receiving Holy Communion must be the ultimate union we experience with our Lord, ad...

Read Online  What is it that has the power to steal away the peace and calm of your heart? What if you were insulted, ridiculed, falsely judged, imprisoned, beaten or even killed? Would any of these rob the peace of God in your heart? Only if you let it. It is essential that you know and believe with firm faith that nothing can steal the peace of your heart unless you let it. Your goal must be to...

It’s amazing to consider two facts side by side. First, consider that Saint Faustina heard Jesus tell her, over and over, that He desired that the Feast of Divine Mercy be promulgated and celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter every year. How was this lowly cloistered nun to accomplish such a task for the universal Church? Second, when St. John Paul II canonized Saint Faustina on Divine Mercy S...

There is no greater gift in this world than Holy Communion. And yet we so often approach that Sacrament with a distracted and inattentive heart. To overcome such a distraction you must first be convinced, with your entire mind, of the deep truths of the reality of Holy Communion. You must submit, with deep faith, to the reality that God is there, fully, in veiled form, coming to unite Himself with...

One act of Mercy you can offer to others is to perceive the gifts of God in their lives and to rejoice in that fact. Sadly, there can often be a temptation to be jealous or envious of others, especially when you see their natural talents or the grace of God in their lives. But if you can look at them with humility, your heart will be moved to see God at work in them. You will see their natural gif...

Do you ever soak in God? This is a rare and even non-existent experience for most people. Soaking, or drowning in God means that you become immersed so deeply in prayer that it’s as if you are lost in His presence. When this happens, the Lord fully takes you over and possesses your soul for that moment. You may not remain this way and you may soon return to your sins, but moments of pure contempla...

That may sound like an unusual heading. You should be concerned about sin inasmuch as you should diligently seek to avoid it. But if you were to realize that your understanding of the Mercy of God is but a drop of water compared to the ocean, you would not allow your concerns to turn into worries. To be concerned is to be conscientious and being conscientious is a grace. But when you look at your...

It’s easy to be grateful only when things go well. But when times are tough we tend to turn in on ourselves in self-pity. But you must learn to glorify the Lord in all things. There are countless blessings and graces that God gives you for which you must experience immense gratitude. Family blessings, spiritual consolations, fulfillment of duties, etc., must all be occasions of gratitude. But grat...

Normally we do not put the words “passion” and “refreshment” together. How could the Passion of Christ be refreshing? It is only horrific and sorrowful from an earthly perspective. The Lord suffered greatly and our blessed Mother suffered with Him with the most sorrowful heart. But they both took great refreshment in this act also. This is because the Passion is pure love. And love refreshes us li...

If you have ever been to a wonder of nature, the moment you behold it is an awe-inspiring moment. Looking at the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, or the Swiss Alps for the first time will take your breath away and leave you in a moment of adoration of God’s creation. But if the beauty of nature can evoke such a response, then the infinite beauty of God will leave you in awe for eternity. It will be a...

It may not be immediately pleasant, but at times we greatly benefit from being tested. The Lord permits this in a variety of ways. Being tested is not a temptation; rather, it’s a way that the Lord allows us to endure a trial so as to invite us to more deeply submit to His holy Will. When you feel a trial come your way, the best thing you can do is to get down on your knees and pray, “Lord, may Yo...

It may not be something you immediately conclude, but a soul who has a pure love of God is feared by many. The “fear” that they have is a fear to oppose such a soul. Those with malicious intent will not dare to attack such a person because they know it may backfire on them. It’s impossible for anyone to harm you when your heart is perfectly set on the Lord (See Diary #1643). What do you fear? Or p...

One act of love we can offer another is our confidentiality. We have all had experiences of people coming to us with a problem or confusion and they ask us to keep it to ourselves. Can you keep this form of a sacred secret? Confidentiality is a wonderful act of mercy to others. If you can be truly confidential, others will come to realize this quality in you and they will more readily come to you...

In our lives it is almost certain that we will encounter people from time to time who are agitated, upset or worried. They may obsess about this or that and their thinking may even be somewhat irrational. What a graced opportunity this is for Mercy. Anxiety and worry will happen in life and we should not let it draw us in. We must keep our peace, make the situation light, and especially offer pray...

It’s interesting how often we desire earthly possessions. Even if you had every treasure in the world all to yourself, this could not fill the longing in your heart. There is one thing and one thing alone that fills the void within you and that is the Lord and His holy Will. Nothing else suffices, yet we often work so hard at gaining more and more of the things that pass away (See Diary #1632). Sp...

One of the hardest things to do in life is to pray for those who persecute you and to treat them with the utmost respect and compassion. But what benefit is there in hating them or lashing out at them? Doing this “harm” to them is far more damaging to your own soul than to theirs. Forgive, forgive, and forgive again. In fact, forgiving another is a form of God’s justice in that it reveals that ano...