Author: diocesan-gainesville

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The Church is glorious for many reasons.  One glorious aspect of the Church is the unity found within it.  It’s true that there is, at times, much internal disunity, hurt and disorder of every kind.  But these are not qualities of the Church.  These are the effects of the sins of Her members.  The Church Herself is the Spotless Bride of Christ.  And the more we enter into union with Christ Jesus, the more fully we are a member of this glorious Church.  By uniting ourselves to Christ we unite ourselves to the Holy Father.  And by uniting ourselves to the Holy Father, we unite ourselves to St. Peter, all the Apostles and all the saints who are living and in Heaven.  We become mystically united with Christians throughout the world and our prayer and adoration of God becomes one song of praise rising to the glory of Heaven.  And as we unite ourselves, through our unity with Christ, we receive the overabundance of Mercy from God making us one (See Diary #1044).

Do you see yourself as a member of the one Body of Christ?  Do you understand that you are called to share in the unity that comes from your union with Him?  Loving Jesus with your whole mind, heart, soul and strength brings about a profound love for others.  If it does not, then it is not authentic love of God.  Reflect upon the effect that your love of God has on your relationship with others.  Let your love of God affect you in such a way that you discover an outpouring of love for all people, especially those within the Church.  And let that love reveal the deep bond of unity that is established as a result.  Unity is glorious.  It is a central blessing flowing from the Church and a sign of the Mercy of God.

Lord, help me to always live in union with You and with others.  May my love for You overflow into my love for others, especially those who are members of Your Church.  I love You, dear Lord, and I trust in You.

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Featured image above: Communion of saints, by  José Luiz via Wikimedia Commons

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The lack of true heartfelt empathy is a clear sign of a certain psychological, emotional and even spiritual disorder.  This is mentioned because the opposite is true also.  The presence of true heartfelt empathy is a sign that one is psychologically, emotionally and spiritually healthy.  Empathy means that you are aware of the other.  You sense when someone is hurting or when they are joyful.  Furthermore, you feel the pain they feel and experience the joy that they experience. This is an act of mercy in your heart flowing from the Mercy of God.  (See Diary #1039).

Reflect, today, upon your empathy or lack thereof.  What takes place within your mind, heart and emotions when you encounter either the joys or the sufferings of another.  Do you walk right past them, not caring and not engaging them?  Or do you see their humanity, recognize their dignity, and treat them with care, compassion and respect?  Empathy is ultimately all about the dignity of each and every person and our ability to acknowledge that dignity through our thoughts, feelings, words and actions.  Try to honestly look at your own empathy today and if you are surprised at a lacking in this area, look deeper at the reason why.  Do not be afraid to admit to this lacking and do not be afraid to seek its remedy.  But if you see yourself blessed with a heart of compassion, filled with an awareness of the other, then rejoice because your heart is sharing in and dispensing the Mercy of God.

Lord, I pray that my heart will become an instrument of Your own merciful Heart.  In any way that I lack the empathy and compassion flowing from Your Heart, bring me healing.  And in every way that I have been blessed to experience the struggles and joys of others on account of sharing in Your Mercy, I thank You.  Lord, my deep desire is to share in Your life and love so that my heart may become like unto Yours.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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“I thirst.”  These two simple words have so much meaning.  They were spoken by our Lord from the Cross.  A soldier tried to offer some comfort by offering Him a sponge soaked in wine-vinegar to satiate Him.  The wine turned to vinegar is a symbol of the soul turned sour from sin.  After taking this sour wine Jesus cried, “It is finished!”  And then He died.  What does Jesus thirst for?  He thirsts for you, a sinner.  He does not turn away from you on account of your sins and the effect that they have had on your soul, He thirsts for you anyway.  He thirsts for your love.  He wants you to satiate His thirst by loving Him as you are despite your sins.  Pay no attention to foulness of your soul as a result of your sins.  Our Lord was satisfied with the wine turned vinegar so as to say that He is satisfied with you coming to Him in your fallen condition (See Diary #1032).

Reflect upon the image of the Crucifixion.  Ponder Jesus hanging there, broken and suffering.  In this state of great humiliation, Jesus cries out to you to bring comfort to His suffering.  He seeks your love.  Will you give it to Him?  Can you offer Him yourself so as to enable Him to cry out that it is finished?  It is finished when you love Him and give your life to Him.  Go to our Lord this day in prayer, and tell Him you love Him and desire to spend this life with Him and on through eternity.  In that act, you will quench His thirst.

Lord, I thank You for thirsting for me in the midst of Your own suffering and pain.  Thank You for giving Your life to me, without reserve, as You hung upon the Cross.  Your love is the only thing that will ultimately satiate my thirsting soul.  Give me the grace I need to come to You, in my brokenness and sin, so as to offer You all that I have for Your thirst.  I love You, dear Lord, help me to love You more.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Prayers for Peace

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Featured image above: Calvary by Pau Vergós, via Wikimedia Commons

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We are quite familiar with the Gospel passage, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:40).  But do you believe this?  If you do, then you will discover that loving Jesus is easy and that you have an opportunity to do so all day long, every time you encounter another.  It may be through a kind smile or word.  It may be through an act of generosity, forgiveness or service.  But whatever you do to another in love, you do to Jesus.  This is true.  And it’s also true that when we treat another with harshness or a lack of Mercy we wound the Heart of our Lord.  This basic truth is easily understood as a concept in our minds, but not so easily understood through our actions.  It can be hard to actually see Jesus in another and to believe that we are loving our Lord by our service of them.  But just because it’s hard to believe doesn’t mean we should not believe it and live it (See Diary #1029).

Think of the people that you encounter daily.  When you look at them, do you see their presence as an invitation to love our Lord?  Is it hard to do this?  We must believe that Jesus is there, hidden within them, waiting to be loved.  Reflect upon your hidden Lord waiting for you in the persons you encounter this day.  Do not hesitate to love our Lord through them.  For in them, the font of Divine Mercy waits to be opened.

Lord, You desire that I show an abundance of Mercy to those I encounter every day.  Give me the grace to see You in them and to love You in each and every person I encounter.  May I have the eyes to see You, dear Lord, and as I discover You in others, help me to open my heart to them, loving them with the Mercy You give to me.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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If you were an expert in the area of wine tasting, and you had a choice between an excellent bottle of wine and a cheap one, obviously you would choose the excellent one.  You would know the difference and you would not find much delight in the cheap wine knowing that the good wine was available.  So it is with our souls.  When we’ve tasted of the Mercy of God, and taken a sweet delight in His presence, we will long for more.  We will also begin to realize that all the other “delights” in life do not compare.  They are poor “tastes” of the glory of God.  Drink the good wine of God’s Mercy and become accustomed to it.  If you do, you will find that all the other delights in life pale in comparison (See Diary #1026).

Have you tasted of the sweetness of the Lord?  Have you discovered the aroma of His Mercy and His presence in your life?  If you have, then you know what it means to want more and you will find yourself seeking Him out every day.  If you have not, you do not know what you are missing.  And when you do not know what you are missing, it’s hard to actually miss it.  But know this, you do not want to miss out on the Mercy of God.  Reflect, today, upon this question.  Have I tasted of the sweetness of my Lord?  God wants to flood you with the delight of His presence.  Let Him do so and you will never seek out the cheap wine of life again.

Lord, I do want to become inebriated with Your Mercy.  I desire that this Mercy fill me with the aroma of Your abundant grace.  May my love for You become an appetite so strong that I turn to You as the only delight of my life.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: Photo by Bobby Johnson on Unsplash

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What is it that satisfies you in life?  The answers to this question could be quite varied from person to person.  One may find satisfaction in work, another in family activities, another in community service, another in wealth and worldly rewards.  There are many and varied responses people will give.  But the answer shouldn’t be varied.  There should be one answer for us all.  And that answer is that you find true satisfaction in life by being with your Lord, resting in His Heart and being close to Him.  This may make sense to most people in a theoretical way, but in a practical way it may not connect.  What does it mean to be “resting in His Heart and being close to Him?”  The only way to discover this real and practical meaning is to do it.  All the books in the world will not teach you.  You must discover His Heart, love His Heart, be alone in His presence, and only then will you discover what true satisfaction is all about (See Diary #1021).

Do you understand, practically and experientially, the total satisfaction in life that comes from living close to the Heart of Christ?  When you hear this does it make sense to you?  Reflect upon this question today and if you realize that you do not know what it is to know Him this way, then admit that to yourself and begin to seek Him out.  If you seek, with your whole heart, you will find.  And when you find, you will be eternally grateful you did.

Lord, I want to be one with You.  I want to dwell in Your presence and bask in Your Divine Mercy.  Help me in my weakness to turn to You with every power of my soul and to encounter Your Divine Essence.  I reject all false “satisfactions” in life and turn to You and You alone.  My Jesus, my Lord, I trust in You.

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If you won a million dollars you probably wouldn’t say, “No, just give me $100, that’s all I want.”  And yet that is what we often do with the Mercy of God.  God offers an abundance of wealth and we choose to take only a small portion.  Why is that?  His Mercy is limitless.  It is infinite.  If we understood all that God wants to do in our souls, and then cooperated with Him and allowed Him to do it, we’d be in absolute awe and eternally grateful that we discovered this priceless treasure.  Perhaps the problem that many face in accepting His Mercy more fully is that it’s risky.  It’s risky in the sense that we must change.  Would a million dollars change your life?  Probably.  It would most likely change a number of things in your life, and not necessarily for the good.  But the Mercy of God is a treasure of infinitely more value.  Don’t hesitate! Take the risk to accept it and to allow it to change you for the good (See Diary #1017).

Do you hesitate in accepting God’s Mercy?  If you do it’s important to realize this, admit to it and face the reason why.  It’s a rare soul who is completely open to all that God wishes to bestow.  It’s a rare soul who is not cowed by the risk of total abandonment to the Mercy of God.  Choose to be one of those rare souls and embrace, without hesitation, all that God wants to pour out upon you and rejoice as you see His grace change your life.

Precious Lord, I thank You for Your abundance of Mercy.  I thank You for loving me with such a perfect love that You burn with desire to lavish the riches of Your grace on my life in an endless way.  May I cease all hesitation in the face of this glorious gift and willingly accept You and all that Your Mercy will do in my soul.  I thank You, dear Lord.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: “God” by Kai Stachowiak

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It’s easy to “love” God when all is well.  But when all is well, our love is not tested.  The testing that comes from human suffering clarifies our love of God.  This can be very fruitful for our spiritual lives.  It’s easy to believe that difficulties in life are nothing other than sad and unfortunate burdens and should be avoided at all costs.  Though we would be foolish to create difficulties intentionally, we will each have our share of them in this life.  Therefore, every difficulty and suffering in life must be embraced as an opportunity for you to increase your trust in God and, in so doing, to increase your love of Him.   How blessed is the soul who suffers greatly in this life while choosing to love God throughout, making that suffering the source of its increase in holiness (See Diary #1014).

What do you complain about each day?  What is it that burdens you?  Too often we run from these burdens or get angry.  Try to look at your struggles in a new light.  Try to see them as opportunities to deepen your trust and your love.  Every suffering and every burden in life has the potential of being infused with the spiritual power of the Cross.  By embracing them in love, we embrace the Cross.  And by embracing the Cross, we love God all the more.  Do not think that hardships deal you a poor quality of life.  Recognize them for what they are as a result of grace.  They are opportunities for holiness and for an increase in the reception of the Mercy of God.

Lord, when I get down, angry or despairing in life, on account of the difficulties I endure, help me to use that struggle as an opportunity for greater trust.  Lord, I desire to run to the Cross and to receive the love that poured forth from Your Cross so that I may become more like You in all things.  Increase my love, dear Lord, especially through every suffering in life that I surrender to You.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer by Jean-Léon Gérôme, via Wikimedia Commons

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A true danger to the interior life of communion with God is an excessive need to talk.  No, talking is not a sin and many times is an act of Mercy toward another.  But there are times when being too talkative is a hindrance to the Mercy of God.  Talking, in and of itself, is neither good nor evil.  The goal is to form our words in accord with the Mind and Will of God.  That’s it.  We must see the words we speak as a sacred tool to bring forth Truth and to manifest God’s love.  Excessive words, or words that do not flow from our love of God or others, can do more damage than we may realize.  Therefore, consecrate your speech to the Lord and seek to let Him speak through you as He will, when He will and to the extent He wills (See Diary #1008).

Do you talk a lot?  Do you talk too little?  It’s not about how many words we say, it’s about saying the right words at the right time in the right way.  Our words can cause much hurt, but they can also bring the healing balm of God’s Mercy.  Reflect upon the conversations you have had over this past week.  Were they pleasing to God?  Did they give God glory and edify yourself and others?  Reflect, also, upon any ways that you neglected to say what the Lord wanted you to say.  These omissions of silence can also be the cause of hurt and can be the reason for a loss of Mercy in our world.  Give your speech to the Lord and let Him manifest Himself through you.

Lord, I love You and I offer You my love, this day, through a consecration of my words to You.  You are the Eternal Word spoken from the Father.  You are the Truth that sets all people free.  Give me wisdom, temperance, and courage to speak only what You call me to speak and to listen only to that which You speak.  May my tongue be a sword piercing through the darkness of this world and my ear be a sponge for Your Mercy.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: St Scholastica with St Benedict, via flickr

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All things are made for one ultimate purpose: to give praise and glory to the Most Holy Trinity.  We are made for nothing more, nothing less and nothing other than this purpose.  As people, we are called to give the unique praise and glory of our adoration to God through lives fully committed and surrendered to Him.  This surrender and total submission of our mind and will to Him offers God the praise that is due His name.  But all Creation shares in the glory of God in that all creation reflects His perfect order and, especially, His perfect Mercy.  For example, the providence that God manifests in caring for the birds of the sky, creatures of the sea and all living things on Earth reveals His glory and gives Him glory by their very existence.  We must see this, rejoice in it and give God glory for His Mercy that keeps all things in being (See Diary #1005).

Do you recognize the Mercy of God as manifested in all of Creation?  It may be easier to recognize His Mercy when offered to us through the forgiveness of our sins and His invitation to us to share in His life.  But we must also see the perfect order of Creation and, in that order, see His providential care for it as an act of great Mercy.  Reflect, today, upon Creation.  Think of the flowers, the bees, the animals and all the small details that make up the design of the physical world.  It’s truly amazing and mysterious and reveals a God of perfect wisdom and love.  Creation is a powerful revelation of God’s Mercy.

Lord, I thank You for all that You have done in this world.  I thank You for designing it, creating it and keeping it all in existence in accord with Your providence.  May I discover Your Heart of Mercy in all that You have made and grow in admiration of You through this gift.  Jesus, I trust in You.

 

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Featured image above: “Morning Glory In The Sun” by Lynn Greyling