Taking The Next Step

 

  Due to northern wildfires, the unhealthy air quality turned my fun, outdoor summer days with my grandchildren into "we have to stay in the house" days. We were forced to come up with different ways to have fun. One of our activities was a scavenger-hunt clue game. It was a game I always enjoyed playing with my children when they were young. My daughter, Theresa, began writing the clues, and the fun followed. My granddaughters had to solve each clue, which led them to the next. It was fun to watch them figure out the answers. What seemed obvious at times left them bewildered and needing more insight.

  I was thinking about this later on, and noticed some similarities between this game and a life of prayer.  Please keep in mind, that I am not suggesting that God is playing games with us.  Nothing could be further from the truth. What I am suggesting, though, is that through prayer, God leads us where we need to go.  If we listen to His voice, God gently guides us from one day to the next.  It's not always easy, though.  Sometimes we just don't pick up on God's clues. We may have to go back and spend even more time in prayer to discern where God is leading us- especially if we are being led to carry a cross. Often our hearts are heavy, and our heads are down when carrying a cross, making it difficult to see where we are being led. During these times, complete trust in God is needed.

  Unfortunately, wildfires touch everyone's lives. They can be completely unexpected and beyond our control. Keep in mind, though, that God is in control.  He will never abandon us. He loves us, and with each prayer, He will guide us away from pain and danger and into His world of love and peace. Never stop praying.  Prayer purifies us and fills us with His Spirit. And if you're too tired to say another prayer or take another step, just say four small words.  Holy Spirit, help me. Let His breath fill your lungs, enlighten your mind, and clear your vision. Praying in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is the best way to discover The Way.

-Susan

Yes I Trust You! Divine Mercy Sunday

 

  My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy.  I will make up for what you lack.  Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace.

Tell (all people), My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself.  When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.  (Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul 1074).

  I love this passage from the diary! The invitation is so intimate. Jesus promises to fill us with peace if we snuggle up to His merciful heart. His love is not distant or generic, but intensely personal. Like John the Apostle, who leaned on Jesus during the Last Supper, Jesus extends the same invitation to us. You can only snuggle up to someone you truly know, trust, and love; this is the depth of intimacy Jesus desires with us. As we remain close to His heart,  our lives will be filled with peace.

 It's almost unfathomable that Jesus has to plead with us to trust Him. If we can't trust Jesus, who can we trust? The more we trust Jesus, the more grace He bestows upon us.  It's a situation where everyone wins. Jesus declared, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10). Jesus desires our happiness! And not just ours, but also that we share this Good News with everyone.  Our God is Love and Mercy! Never fear being too close to God; trust that no one will love you more.  The blood and water which pour from His pierced heart are meant to purify, heal, and save us! The 'Good' of Friday may be beyond our comprehension in this life. Yet, it will be joyously celebrated and understood as we journey with Jesus in Eternity.

 Today is Divine Mercy Sunday!  Let's exult in our merciful Lord and demonstrate to everyone what God's mercy truly looks like! It's a day of jubilation, a day to share the joy of God's mercy with the world!

-Susan

 

Do You Trust Me/ (Week 6)

  For them (souls and poor sinners), I dwell in the Tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces upon souls but they do not want to accept them….My heart drinks only of the ingratitude and forgetfulness of souls living in the world.  They have time for everything, but they have no time to come to me for grace.  Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul (367)  

  

   Imagine if a favorite actor, sports star, or singer asked you to come to their house. Would you do it? Would you rearrange your schedule for them? Would you share your experience with others? Do you ever dream of being like them?

 Just as people eagerly welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday, do we give Him the same attention the rest of the week?  After Sunday Mass, how much time do we spend with Jesus? He desires to be your closest friend. Does that thought excite you?  Do you rearrange your schedule to be with Him? 

 Jesus, the King of Heaven and Earth, is so good and loving that He patiently waits for us. He invites us to spend time with Him, but we often have too many other things going on.   What excuses have you given Him for not coming?  If you feel embarrassed about this, know that you're not alone.  Let's make a promise to make this week different. Let this week be the beginning of something new.

-Susan

   

Do You Trust Me? (Week 5)

  (Jesus told St. Faustina) "My heart overflows with great mercy for souls and especially for poor sinners.  If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that the blood and water flowed from My heart as from a font overflowing with mercy."  Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul (367)              

 

 (This quote refers to the graces in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Today, we will examine the first part of the quote and revisit it next week.)

 

  Ashamed and standing just outside the church doors with your head cast down, your heart whispers, "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned."  You hear the door open, and as you slowly look up, you notice Jesus standing at the entrance.  He takes your hand and gently guides you inside.  "Lord, my sins are so many." You then let out a very long sigh.

 Jesus continues to hold your hand and says. "They don't have to be a part of you anymore. Give them to Me."

 "I'm ashamed to say them out loud."

 Jesus places a hand on your chin and slowly raises your head so that your eyes meet His.  "Do you trust that all things are possible for Me?  Do you trust that I can heal with one word, with one touch?  There is no end to My Mercy.  I can wash away the ugliest of sins.  So tell Me what needs to be healed in your heart, and I will show you the fountain of mercy flowing from Mine."

 Slowly, you speak words unveiling dark secrets. You kneel before the Lord, exposed and vulnerable, afraid to meet His gaze again. But again, Jesus lifts your head and says, "Child, I absolve you of all your sins."  Then He wraps His arms around you and presses you close to His heart.  Mery and love flow through you. You feel beautiful, cleansed, and renewed. Instinctively, you realize this is how you were meant to be: a child whose heart contains God's love and mercy.

-Susan

  

  

Do You Trust Me? (Week 3)

 

"Oh, if souls would only be willing to listen, at least a little, to the voice of conscience and the voice--that's the inspiration of the Holy Spirit!  I say "at least a little" because once we open ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit, He himself will fulfill what is lacking in us." (Diary Divine Mercy in My Soul 162).

 Each day, I pray that the Holy Spirit inspires me and that I am faithful to His inspirations.  I need to pray for His strength and courage because, if I am honest, ignoring the inspirations of the Holy Spirit can be easier than acting on them. Often, my first reaction is that I'm not qualified to say or do that.  No one is going to listen to me. And while my small inner thoughts can justify remaining quiet, I'm unsure if the sigh that escapes my lips is mine or the Holy Spirit's.

 Trusting God is central to the message of Divine Mercy. It almost sounds absurd that, at times, I do not trust God and His plans. Paradoxically, I can easily acknowledge my weaknesses and inabilities and yet, in the next thought, convince myself that my thoughts are better. I can easily forget that my best friend, the Holy Spirit, has everyone's best interest in His heart.  The Holy Spirit inspires each of us so that we can inspire one another. The plan is actually quite incredible when everyone follows it.

 This week, let's be brave enough to ask the Holy Spirit to inspire us to do some small job for God. If the job makes us uncomfortable, let's remember to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with whatever is lacking. 

  -Susan

Do You Trust Me?

 

  As we journey through this Lenten season, let's draw inspiration from the Diary of St. Faustina (Divine Mercy in My Soul)  Her intimate conversations unveil the depth of God's love and mercy for every soul. St. Faustina's revelations from Jesus remind us that many souls take His love for granted, causing Him pain. But Lent allows us to change and renew our relationship with God.

 I want to consider the first quote: "God usually chooses the weakest and simplest souls as tools for His great work" (464).

 God chose St. Faustina, the apostles, and He is choosing you. Listen carefully to the whispers He has planted in your heart.  His plan is perfect. What is God calling you to do? Do you know? Are you avoiding it?  Or have you never asked?  Like many of us, St. Faustina thought she was too simple of a soul to do great works. But we can always trust in God's Plan.  Let us begin Lent by asking God to increase our trust in Him. God is well aware of what we can do and is very aware of what He can do through us.  Placing our trust in God is a perfect place to begin.

-Susan

  

I Care

 

  I wanted to catch up on some much-needed landscaping work this weekend.  Nothing crazy, just trimming trees, pulling weeds, and laying down mulch. Halfway through the project, I realized I would need more mulch.  My son and I jumped into the car to buy some more.  We hit up the landscaping store and then another retail store.  After the second store, I entered the car and glanced down at my knees.  "Oh my gosh," I exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me my knees were all stained from laying down the mulch?"

  My son said, "Don't worry about it, Mom.  No one's going to notice or care."

  "You don't think anyone in the last two stores wondered why my knees were stained?  I could have easily washed it off."  A few minutes later, I started another conversation with my son.  "So, how many of your friends go to church?"

  My son gave me a face,  "None of them.  Nobody cares about church."

  "Seriously, that's so sad."  Later in the day, I couldn't help but recall these two conversations. I kept hearing the words "Nobody cares" in my thoughts.

  I want to announce to everyone that I care and invite anyone who has been away from the Mass to come back. I care about your relationship with Jesus. It must be so challenging to live life without Him. There is nothing complicated about coming back.  God welcomes you with open arms. As just as a bit of soap and water washed my stains, God can also cleanse you.  He's just waiting to shower you with His graces. So come on back home. God has a beautiful fountain of Mercy that He can't wait to share with you!

-Susan

Why Must This Be?

 

   I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman today.  He was telling me about a past experience with one of his children; at the time, the doctors thought the child had a very serious condition with a poor prognosis.  He told me he went home and cried for hours.  He said he had asked God why this was happening to him.  He didn’t smoke or drink, and he was always kind to people.  Why was this happening to him?

  I think that is a very natural response to a stressful life event.  Shouldn’t bad things only happen to bad people?  The answer, of course, is no.  Unfortunately, agonizing events can happen to anyone for so many different reasons. And even though we know God is all-loving, most of us, at one time or another, have blamed God when things went wrong. 

  Pain, like anger, can be overwhelming and difficult to experience alone. But that may be the point we often overlook. We are not alone. God is very present in our most difficult moments. Not because He is testing or punishing us but rather because He loves us so dearly and wants to help us. The difficult decision we need to make is: Can we trust God instead of blaming Him?

  Perhaps if we turned to God each day with the small annoyances of the day, we could develop a holy habit of relying upon God. Then, when we find ourselves faced with really difficult situations, we will give Him our pain and trust God to navigate the storm for us.  We may find ourselves on an unknown shore, but we will never be alone.

  Fortunately, the gentleman I spoke with today received a blessing instead of a tragedy. Let us pray this week for those who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves on an unexpected shore.  Let us pray they trust God who is all-loving, all-caring, and always at our side.

-Susan

God's Divine Mercy

 

  Sometimes, I struggle to define God's Mercy. It is more incredible than mere words could describe. God loves me more than I could understand and definitely more than I deserve. My sins are many, and His love is endless. My self-interest constantly distracts me, and He patiently waits for my focus to return. I walk away and then cry out for help, and instantly, His arms are holding me close. When my pain overwhelms me, He picks me up and allows me to rest my head against His Most Sacred Heart. I constantly demand more, and He reveals His pierced heart and says, "Child, I have given you all you need. I even gave up my life so that death would have no power over you."

 My sweet Jesus, celebrating your Divine Mercy today is my great delight. So many times, I have begged for Your Mercy for myself and my loved ones! I am so blessed and grateful that you listen to my cries as if I were the only person in the world. You exchange my anxieties with peace and my fears with your love. My soul exclaims, "I am eternally grateful," and I hear You whisper, "I will be yours for eternity." 

 Jesus, I trust in you and in Your Plans. Please have mercy on me and on the whole world.  

-Susan

The Good Shepherd

 I was lost in my own thoughts and my own problems. I wandered a little too far away.  I turned around, and I didn't know where I was. My anxiety tried to dictate my thoughts. I was scared. It took only three little words to turn everything around.  I whispered, "Jesus, I trust in you." Within seconds, my heart opened my eyes and ears.

  "There you are. I was worried about you.  Are you ready to come back home?" Jesus bent down and picked me up. He brushed away my anxious thoughts and just held me in His arms.

  I took slow, deliberate breaths in and out, trying to inhale His love. Peace pushed away my heavy thoughts as I rested my head on His heart.  I was all HIs.  He left the ninety-nine others to find me.

 "I love you, Jesus.  Thank you for caring so much about me. I thought I was lost."

  "My little one, you have no idea how much I love you. Trust me, I will always be here for you."

-Susan