There are many Blessings of Divine Mercy which I have previously written about along with my experience of praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
How can a God who knows us more intimately than we know ourselves, who is aware of our every thought, word, and deed, love us so much that He’s willing to forgive us for our countless transgressions against Him and His children?
Contemplating the Lord’s Passion, as we have been invited to do during Lent and Holy Week, has made me even more aware of how weak I am when it comes to accepting suffering from the Lord willingly and lovingly as a way of purifying my soul and taking part in the redemptive suffering of Christ that will save souls in time and eternity.
Reading what’s happening in our world, in our country, with our government, in our town, it is easy for me to feel very overwhelmed and depressed. There are so many clear instances where the culture of death is running rampant and even those who were once faithful to the teachings of Christ have begun to believe the lies.
I felt quite humbled, sometimes even a bit useless when thinking about the profound suffering our Lord Jesus Christ accepted as expiation for our sins when I know how often I try to get out of the pain given to me in mind, body, and/or spirit which is quite mild in comparison.
Truly, periods of acute awareness of how sinful I am, how desperately I need the Lord’s mercy are gifts without which I probably wouldn’t develop an even deeper yearning for His Mercy. Unless I’m made uncomfortable and more aware of what I lack, then I don’t seek out and appreciate the forgiveness and reconciliation the Lord offers us through the sacrifice of His Son.
St. Faustina Kowalska is one of my favorite saints. Her closeness to the Lord and willingness to be shown her sinfulness and profound need for His Mercy gives me hope. No matter how far away we wander from the Lord, He always welcomes us back with open arms and invites us to be washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb, the only one perfect sacrifice ever offered in time and eternity.
Lord, please help me and each one of Your Children to accept the suffering in mind, body, and/or spirit that You give us, so that we are better vessels of love and mercy for others. Open our hearts to accept Your Divine Mercy on a deeper level than we ever have before, so that there is a greater capacity for Your love to grow in and through us. Amen.
