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Heaven invites us into a life of glory and fulfillment that is beyond what we could ever comprehend.  Not even in Heaven will we fully comprehend the glorious mystery of God and His Mercy.  From Heaven, the saints, radiant with glory and grace, look down upon us with love, seeking to lavish us with the Mercy of God.  Seek Heaven as your primary and ultimate goal in life.  Do all things with this goal in mind and the treasure you will build up for all eternity will be more abundant than you could ever hope for (See Diary #1592).

Do you think about Heaven as your one true desire in life?  Every act of love offered here on Earth will be remembered and exalted in Heaven.  Everything we do on Earth should be but a preparation for the glorious day of our passing from this world into our eternal home.  Ponder your desires and if the glories of Heaven is not front and center, be aware of that fact, redirect your focus and seek to place your eyes on this ultimate prize.  As you look at the beauty and splendor of Heaven, the Lord will draw you to it with a burning desire.

Lord, please flood my heart with the joyful delight of Heaven.  Help me to keep my eyes on this goal and to do all in this life as a preparation for that sweet encounter.  I love You, dear Lord, and have great hope in the day of our perfect union.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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God is hiding.  But why?  He hides under the veil of secrecy and silence so that we will diligently seek Him.  He does not choose to compete with the distractions of the world since He wants you to choose Him as your one desire.  Desire to seek Him, hidden in your heart, hidden in the holy Sacraments, hidden in the silence and hidden in the people whom you encounter throughout your day.  The Lord is there, waiting for you to discover His Heart filled with unfathomable Mercy.  Seek Him with all your might (See Diary #1591).

Ponder the hidden presence of God today.  Be aware of the fact that the presence of God is all around you, constantly calling to you and inviting you into His Heart.  If you allow yourself to become disinterested or distracted by the world, you will never discover how close He is.  Reflect upon His hidden presence and do not hesitate to seek Him today.

Lord, I love You but at times I fail to live that love fully.  I become so very distracted by things that mean little in the end.  Help me to regain my focus and to seek You with all my Heart.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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One common struggle many people have is that of impatience.  We tend to want what we want when we want it.  In our fast-paced society we are used to instant everything.  A full meal can be reheated within minutes, text messages can be sent worldwide in seconds, news travels the moment it happens, and for many people almost anything they could ever want or need is generally only a short drive from their homes at the nearest superstore.  All of this fosters a tendency to want what we want when we want it.  But the Lord does not work this way.  He has His own timing which is always in accord with His perfect wisdom.  Very often we can experience a temptation to do what we think is in the best interest of the truth and to do it now.  But sometimes God chooses to wait before He acts.  When He acts, His ways become clear and convincing and His wisdom is unmistakable (See Diary #1587).

Reflect upon your desire to do great things for God or to speak the truth in one situation or another.  Is your impulse from the Lord or is it your own impatience prompting you?  This is an important question to reflect upon because God’s Truth can only come forth at His command, in His time.  If we try to push the Hand of God we will be doing so on our own.  Yes, God will use even our misguided or impatient works for His glory, but our plans done in our way will never accomplish the glorious works of God as He can only accomplish them.  Reflect upon your patience with the Will of God and make an act of surrender this day.  Your trust and surrender will open the doors of Mercy in accord with the perfect Will of God.

Lord, I surrender to You and Your perfect Will.  Give me patience so that I may set aside my own ideas and plans, submitting only to You.  May I learn to wait on You, dear Lord, and act only as You command.  I love You, my God.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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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 entering into the glories of Heaven.  What a profound experience of absolute joy!  Nothing could be more glorious than that moment.  But once in Heaven, is it conceivable that this holy soul will forget about those on Earth?  Is it possible that the people who were loved and served so deeply would disappear from their minds as a result of being in Heaven?  Most certainly not.  In fact, once in Heaven, the holy souls who lived on Earth are even more consumed with a desire to spread the Mercy of God.  Seek out these saints.  Seek their intercession, ask for their inspiration, follow their example and know that you have a myriad of holy men and women seeking to serve you from the glories of Heaven (See Diary #1582).

Ponder the saints this day.  Especially ponder their burning love for you and their desire that all people receive the Mercy of God.  God uses them from Heaven and continually sends them to distribute His grace.  Open your heart to these holy men and women and they will pour forth the Mercy of God into your life.

Oh, holy saints of God!  How glorious you are in your Heavenly splendor!  I thank you for your love and service on Earth and now I call upon your intercession from Heaven.  Please pray for me and for all people that we may imitate your holiness while on Earth and obtain the glory in which you now share.  Saints of God, pray for us.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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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 hope.  This may not be something you normally think about but it’s worth doing so.  When a person has Heaven as their greatest desire it means, in part, that they have come to such a point in life that the things of this world do not matter to them.  They long for Heaven and to be with God eternally.  This does not undermine their love for family and friends.  This love is eternal and will remain with them in Heaven to an even greater degree.  The key to this desire is the realization that Heaven will be so glorious and fulfilling that there is much excitement about obtaining it.  This may not be your normal way of thinking about death but it is worth pondering and examining your earthly desires in the light of this ultimate goal (See Diary #1573).

Spend time today pondering death.  But do so in a new way.  Look at it not as an end to your life; rather, see it as the beginning of a new and glorious life of perfect fulfillment.  Reflecting upon death does not mean you wish for it to come soon.  We should only desire to obtain Heaven in accord with God’s timing.  But, nonetheless, we should desire it and desire it with all our soul.  In fact, keeping our eyes on this ultimate prize will help us walk through the hardships we endure here and now. 

Lord, of all the many desires and goals I have in life I pray that I may desire Heaven above all else.  Please free me from the foolish desires of this life and set my heart solely on You.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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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, therefore, happiness.  When fully embraced, this mission will bring abundant fulfillment to your life because of one simple fact: every mission is a mission of Mercy.  The struggle many people have is that they embark on selfish endeavors in life, failing to commit all their energies to the work of the Lord.  The Lord wants you to work day and night on His mission.  This is not too much to ask.  In fact, it’s what you were made for and the only way to obtain what you truly desire.  His mission will certainly include moments of fun and rest, work and struggle, laughter and tears.  It will also require a complete death to yourself.  But it’s worth it!  Seek the mission God has given you and embrace it with all your heart.  If you do, the Mercy of God will pour forth through your life (See Diary #1567).

Reflect, today, upon this simple question: What is my mission in life?  It may come to you slowly, over time, taking twists and turns as you go.  But never stop seeking to serve our Lord and His perfect plan.  This plan will become the delight of your soul.  Ponder it and if you are on the wrong path, correct your direction in life.

Lord, I thank You for calling me to a blessed and unique mission in life.  I choose, this day, that which You have given to me.  I promise to say “Yes” to You throughout my life and to never tire of fulfilling Your Will.  I love You, Lord.  Help me to love You with my life.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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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 this is that you were made, by God, for the purpose of giving yourself away.  It’s in your very nature to become a gift to others.  And only in giving of yourself to God and to others do you discover who you are and, in that act, you become who you were made to be.  So pride, in its attempt to become self-concerned, actually has the effect of destroying you.  Pride leaves you with yourself and allows no room for another, not even God (See Diary #1563).

Reflect upon the sin of pride today.  Here is an examination for this sin: Pride is an untrue opinion of ourselves, an untrue idea of what we are not.  Have I a superior attitude in thinking, or speaking or acting? Am I snobbish?  Have I offensive, haughty ways of acting or carrying myself?  Do I hold myself above others? Do I demand recognition?  Do I desire to be always first? Am I ready to accept advice? Am I in any sense a “bully” or inclined to be “bossy”?  Do I speak ill of others?  Have I lied about others?  Do I make known the faults of others?  Is there anyone to whom I have not spoken for a long time?  Am I prone to argue and be offensive in my arguments? Am I self-conscious?  Am I sensitive?  Am I easily wounded?  Reflect honestly on these sins today and seek freedom from them.

Lord, please free me from the self-centeredness that comes from pride.  May I seek the good of others with all humility and sincerity.  Free me from this sin, dear Lord, and help me to give myself away to You and to others, for in giving of myself I know I will find myself.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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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 water.  So it is with holiness.  Some are given a special calling to reach a greater height.  All people are to be “full” of the Holy Spirit and, thus, obtain perfect happiness.  But some are invited higher in a unique way.  This is similar to the Nine Choirs of Angels.  The Seraphim are of the highest order and have as their sole purpose the worship and adoration of God.  The Guardian Angels are of the lowest order and have as their primary duty the service of man.  Each celestial being is perfectly happy and rejoices in the unique calling of each (See Diary #1556).

Reflect, today, upon this glorious ordering of holiness for angels and for humanity.  At first, it may not seem fair that some are given a special calling to holiness and even a special sharing in the sufferings of Christ.  We must all ponder this truth and rejoice in it.  And as for those seraphic souls in the world, and those given a special call to share in Christ’s sufferings, we should seek them out and seek the wisdom and grace that flows from their lives.  God has a good reason for such ordering; it’s our duty to embrace it with joy and to benefit from their blessed vocation.

Lord, I thank you for Your perfect wisdom in ordering the holiness of both angels and humanity.  Help me to always seek out those seraphic souls, the special saints, who have reached a glorious level of holiness.  Thank You for their witness and thank You for their freely embraced suffering.  May the world be continually blessed by their lives.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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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 opposite truth also.  Namely, a zealous heart is one that finds great excitement in the activities of the day.  Though some may become obsessed with work, becoming a “workaholic,” an appropriate balance of rest and work produces the virtue of a zealous heart.  Are you zealous?  There are many things one can be zealous about in life, and not all of them good or within the Will of God.  But zeal for the salvation of souls, and the bringing forth of the Kingdom of God is a zeal we must all strive to foster.  In fact, our Lord wants you to have this as the highest priority in life.  As you grow in holiness and closeness to our Lord, He will send you forth cultivating the Earth with His Mercy.  Doing this with great zeal wins many souls for the Kingdom and produces abundant joy in your heart (See Diary #1548).

Do you struggle with a lazy heart or a zealous one?  If lazy, look at the effects of this in your life.  The boredom and dissatisfaction you experience is a direct result.  If, however, you are zealous and diligent in life, what is it you are zealous for?  Reflect upon this honestly today and seek to grow in a burning zeal for the building up of the Kingdom of God. 

Lord, I offer to You all my work and my talents.  Use them for Your glory.  Help me to have true zeal for Your Kingdom and to work tirelessly for Your glory.  Jesus, I desire to be an instrument of Your perfect Mercy in the world.  Use me as You will.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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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 struggle with great loneliness.  This may not be easily noticed because they often “wear a mask” covering the loneliness they experience.  Loneliness is real and comes as a result of one particularly deep need we all have.  And this is the need to be known by another.  We want to be known and understood.  We need people who will listen to us, care, understand and love us at our deepest core.  Simply being popular or being surrounded by many people does not meet this need since the “popular” person may not truly have revealed what is inside to anyone.  The best answer to loneliness is the intimate presence of God in your life.  An authentic and deeply personal relationship with your Lord enables you to be at peace, knowing that God knows you, understands you and loves you.  This gift also opens the door for you to find people to whom you can share your joys and struggles.  Seek intimacy with the Lord.  This is the greatest help to a lonely heart (See Diary #1542).

Be honest today and ponder the question of loneliness in your own life.  No matter if you are the life of the party or a quiet bystander, loneliness can affect everyone.  Reflect, also, upon the fact that intimacy with our Lord is the primary cure.  Look at your relationship with Him and open your heart to His love.

Lord, I invite You into my heart.  Come dwell there and reveal Your tender love.  Help me to understand that You know and love me through and through.  I give my heart to You, dear Lord.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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