I grew up unaware of Christ's fathomless mercy during my formative years. A sword hung over me - I thought God the Father and His Son were waiting for - almost wanting - me to do something wrong so they could punish me.

I think that is how a lot of people perceive God.

A Wonderful Gift from Jesus this Sunday

Jesus offers us forgiveness constantly, but the Feast of Divine Mercy this Sunday is special.

If everyone understood what Jesus wants to give us on this day, they'd drop everything and beg for His mercy. 

Jesus told Saint Faustina that no sinner has offended God so much that he or she cannot be forgiven:  “Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.”

Jesus died horribly in order to be able to offer us His forgiveness. Why aren’t we taking advantage of His gift?

The Words of Jesus to St. Faustina

Jesus said to St. Faustina in entry 699 of her diary:

“It is My desire that (the Feast of Mercy) be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter.”

That feast is this coming Sunday, 27th April 2014.

 “On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to confession, receive Holy Communion, pray for the intentions of the Pope recite the Our Father, Creed and a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus before the Blessed Sacrament (exposed or reposed) shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishments.”  My italics.

Look at what Jesus is offering us and what little He asks us to give Him in return. Is it really so hard for us Catholics to fulfill those requirements?

Jesus Asks so Little of Us

If you didn’t go to confession during Lent, here’s your perfect opportunity. If you've been away from the Church for a long time – a few years or even decades – and are in need of some encouragement to go , read The Light Is On For You to be reassured of what a loving reception you can expect in the confessional.

Confession is the biggest hurdle to completing Jesus’ requirements for His mercy. He’s asking us to be humble, and that's tough. It’s difficult for us humans to get over ourselves, but we must if we are to move forwards in our spiritual lives.

Back in the Fold

Once you’ve been to confession, a powerful feeling of peace will come over you. You’ll look forward to receiving your first Communion after the long absence, and enjoy a strong sense of coming home.

If you go to Mass, but sit in your pew while others go up to receive, or walk up Sunday after Sunday with your arms crossed for a blessing – imagine how wonderful it will be to receive the Body and Blood of Christ again!

I went through that experience after being away from the Church (and Mass) for over twenty years. A tremendous sense of serenity filled me after my ‘first confession’ and I was so excited to receive Communion again.

I had not appreciated until then just how much I’d missed the Mass. I knew this was where I truly belonged, and I’m confident you will, too.

Get ready to receive Our Lord this coming Sunday!

Hurry Before This Offer Expires!

Once we die, Jesus becomes the Just Judge.  We can no longer prevail upon His mercy and forgiveness - it is too late.

Can any of us afford not to take Him up on His offer? 

Isn’t ‘pondering’ a great word? Its synonyms include: contemplate, reflect, meditate and cogitate on. You can just imagine Mary by her newborn baby, looking at him adoringly and pondering in her heart on the huge significance of this first Christmas.

Such was my inner response to the unexpected blessings this Christmas brought.

‘Twas an Unfamiliar Christmas Eve  

Florida is where my family spent Christmas this year. I was unhappy to leave my beautifully decorated Maryland home, but it was the right thing to do.

My mother is in assisted living - in Sarasota, where my husband hopes to retire soon. She cannot travel to visit us anymore, having lost the use of her left side in a stroke and being wheelchair bound.  We had to fly out and visit her, because we're her only family in the States - everyone else lives in England. 

It upset me that the closest thing to midnight Mass locally was at 10:30 p.m. Back home we have a true 12 o’clock Mass, but I reckon the older generation couldn’t stay up that late!

Offer up your sadness, I told myself. I expect Mary was a tad dismayed when she saw where her baby was supposed to sleep! And I bet she didn’t give St. Joseph a hard time about it, either. She will have smiled through her disappointment and focused on the positive. 

When Christmas Eve dinner was over I reminded the family that I was going to ‘midnight’ Mass in half an hour.

My twenty-one year old son smiled. “Mum, I’ll come with you. It’s a tradition and it won’t feel like Christmas if I don’t.”

You can imagine how overjoyed I was to hear those words! Not wanting to set myself up for misery, I’d not even secretly hoped he would come. 

Although this would have been the first year without his company, I’d been careful not to bring it up. He is no longer a regular church goer, which I pray will change. But he's too old to have his mother tell him what to think and do.

He pulled out the ironing board, and pressed a clean shirt to wear to greet Our Lord at His birth.

Graces, Godsends & Gratitude

The church was twenty minutes away, and while he drove, my son talked to me about personal things which don’t usually get discussed in the hurried life we lead. Another blessing.  

I had forgotten about the carol service immediately preceding this Mass, and the parking lot was chock full. Yet we found a space and once in the building, were lucky enough to get two seats next to each other half way up the aisle.

The pews were just regular chairs, without any kneelers. During the times in Mass when Catholics would normally kneel, the congregation had to stand.

(I’ll skip over my aggravation - as soon as I’d sat down - at seeing a parishioner walk in with two large, takeaway cups of coffee. I deliberately looked no more in their direction, as I didn’t want to see whether or not they had the audacity to drink it during the service!! Judge not lest ye be judged, I told myself.)

My son remembered all the prayers and responses during Mass, which was another wonderful surprise. The priest then incensed the offerings, and after a short while that distinctive aroma reached us.

Ross beamed. “Ah! Now it’s Christmas!”

I was so grateful to God that my son still embraced Catholic tradition.  I pray this will lead him fully back to the Church one day.

After Mass, as we were returning our hymnals, he noticed that a free book was being handed. The title was on my ‘to buy’ list: Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberley Hahn. Another unexpected bonus, which I voraciously read over the next three days.

Merry Christmas to Us, and to Us a Good Night 

Our cozy chats resumed during the trip back to the semi-darkness of my mother-in-law’s house, where everyone else had gone to bed.

Traditionally, after midnight Mass Ross joins me in a glass of mulled wine and we eat a minced pie each. Sadly, he was unable to do so this year, having been recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. God willing, he will share these things with me again next year.

Instead, we hugged and wished each other “Merry Christmas!” before he retired to bed.

Midnight Meditations

In a happy daze, I sat alone at the little breakfast table, sipping my hot spiced wine and munching on a minced pie - baked in Maryland for this very occasion - past the hour of 12 a.m.

My heart was full as I pondered this evening’s miraculous events and contemplated Mary’s wonder on beholding her child in the manger that first Christmas night.

When life is going badly and there seems no way out, it's easy to fall into despair.

Yet Christ's Easter message is: "Don't despair!" 

Repeat After Me..

We proclaim that message every time we recite the Apostles' Creed: Jesus "rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father....I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting."
 
There's no despair here.

But perhaps constant repetition has dulled our attentiveness to the reality of what we're saying: that Jesus suffered horribly for our sakes so that we might rise up from death and  have eternal life.

We are made in God's image and destined to be with Him in heaven. Christ asks us not to let earthly setbacks throw us into misery and distract us from that goal.

God loves us. If he puts suffering our lives, it's to turn our thoughts away from the world and back to Him and His infinite mercy.

But  fighting off despair and trusting in God's mercy is tough.

Judas Versus Peter

Despair is Satan’s most powerful weapon against God. He rejoices whenever he succeeds in separating us from our hope in Christ (see 'Hope versus Hope' in my last post). He thus sabotages our salvation and adds our souls to the ranks of those destined for hell.

Judas of Iscariot committed the ultimate sin when he despaired of forgiveness for betraying Jesus, thus cutting himself off from future happiness with God.

Peter denied knowing Christ three times, after having just said that he loved Him and would do anything for Him. But in contrast to Judas, he wept bitterly and repented over his betrayal. 

This humble admission of guilt and belief in Christ’s forgiveness wiped his slate clean. Peter's faith and hope restored his good standing with God and ensured his redemption.

Judas allowed Satan to deceive him into despairing of Christ's love: Peter believed in Our Lord’s mercy and was granted it.

Who would you rather be?

But What Use Is God's Mercy When I'm Suffering? 

Blessed Sopocko, confessor and spiritual director of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska has this to say about despair in his book God is Mercy (Marian Press, 1965, p. 81):

“Despair is passion arising in us because of the impossibility of escaping evil. The name covers not only the feeling of despair itself, but also the inclination to it. ... It is opposed to hope and trust, so much so that while hope enlightens, despair kills. ... (my italics)

“The causes of despair can vary. Temporal or spiritual misfortunes, incurable illness, loss of respect and honor, financial ruin, threat of inevitable danger, etc. Under the influence of such disasters there follows a terrible depression which takes away all energy, paralyzes the nerves, renders clear thinking impossible, and even impedes breathing and the normal circulation of the blood, so that the brain is not supplied sufficiently with oxygen and ceases to function sufficiently. ...

“If we search for the very first, deepest cause of despair, we always find a lack of trust in the Mercy of God. ...”  (My italics)

(Taken from What Is Divine Mercy? By Dr. Robert Stackpole)

But why is it that when things are going badly, we find it the hardest to trust in God?

Because we want control over our lives. We want to know exactly what lies ahead, we demand concrete proof that our bad situation will end and quickly.

‘Show, don’t tell!’ is the usual advice to story writers and we feel the same way about God. Don't tell us that all will be well, through the Scriptures, don't tell us that we must trust in You: show us a reason to trust you by performing a miracle!

For some reason, God's amazing miracle of resurrection on Easter Sunday often isn't good enough for us. We're doubting Thomases who want to see it for ourselves, not have to believe writings from 2000 years ago.

Unfortunately faith means believing without seeing, and we must have blind faith if we’re to attain the goal for which we were made, namely to be with God in eternity.

Dispelling Despair Through Divine Mercy
 
Since despair comes from believing things will never get better and that we are alone in our misery, the antidote is complete trust in God’s love for us. (See 'Christ's Strategy' in my last post.)

Dr. Stackpole says, regarding the benefits of trusting in God:

"It opens the door to all the graces and blessings He wants to give us.” (My italics.)

We mustn’t hang ourselves with despair, like Judas. Instead we must trust in God’s mercy and be raised from misery to happiness.

....Which Leads Us to Divine Mercy Sunday

This weekend, Catholics will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday (Feast of Mercy).

God’s mercy is not confined to this one day of the year – it is available every single day of every year! – but there are certain graces to be obtained on that day.

Here is entry 699 of St. Faustina Kowalska’s diary, in which Christ makes clear his desires for Divine Mercy Sunday. This entry is very long, but if you read it, you'll feel overwhelmed by Christ's love for you.

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

(Even if you've not been to Confession for 60 years or more, you may feel that it's worth going now, before next Sunday. :) I promise you, priests are kind in the confessional: they are there to help us make a good confession, not beat us up over our sins!)

Christ also revealed to St. Faustina the extraordinary graces available to those who devoutly receive Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday:

I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy (1109).  

Whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (300).  

The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (699).

Click here for further information on how to prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday 

Are God’s Graces Confined to Catholics?

No!

I know that we Catholics are considered arrogant because we believe that Catholicism is ‘the one, true faith.’
 
We make no apologies for this belief.
 
Christ instituted the Catholic (i.e. universal) Church 2013 years ago. All other Christian faiths are man-made spin-offs. (I now cheerfully await an onslaught of angry comments!) The Sacraments of our faith make the Christian life easier for Catholics.  We certainly don't believe that non-Catholics are doomed to the eternal fire of hell.



The important thing is to trust in God’s mercy and humbly ask Him to forgive our sins. Christ longs for us all to come to Him – Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

We will stop feeling despair when we realize that Christ is always walking with us.


Postscript: Whenever I find myself teetering on the edge of despair, I quickly recite this prayer, over and over again:

‘Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to your Holy Will, which is Love and Mercy itself.’ Diary 950

I hope it helps you, too.

Do you have annual expectations about Mother's Day? Do you fantasize that, unlike previously, this year it will contain twenty-four - well, at least twelve - hours of love and appreciation from the family?

Didn't think so. Neither do I.

A Toast to the Absentee Family Member

This year my son was at college, cramming for his exams in the coming week.
 
That is, I assume watching basketball on TV in his student residence, when we talked on the phone, was helping him in his endeavors. His father assures me that our son needs background noise to study.

If you say so.
 
The Beautiful Moment

On Saturday night I asked my husband if he would come to 8 a.m. Mass with me on Sunday. Imagine my pleasant surprise when he was dressed and ready the next morning, without my having had to say a word!

This put me in a very good mood.

The Mint that Ruined that Beautiful Moment

During the sermon he said something to me, to which I replied. Then shortly, afterwards he was trying surreptitiously to slide a mint to me along the pew.  I gave him a puzzled look, and he mouthed, "For your breath."

For that comment he received an angry look, and I mouthed "Not in church!" hoping the priest hadn't noticed this rude interruption of his sermon.

Men! (Or Is It Just Husbands?)

Then, while looking steadfastly at the priest, I proceeded to fume inwardly about my husband's insensitivity. How could he be so cruel as to ruin Mother's Day by telling me I had bad breath (I'd eaten garlic the previous night) and suggesting I eat a mint in the Lord's house?!

I tried to remind myself that I should not get upset, and pretty much succeeded.

Men! (Or Is It Just Husbands?) (Continued)

Until Mass was over. Desperate to get to his cigarettes, my husband marched out of church as fast as possible, leaving me trailing (and embarrassed) in his wake.

It was Mother's Day: couldn't he just this once have had the sensitivity to walk out with me properly, like husband and wife?

By the time I reached the car, way across the parking lot, the happiness of having been accompanied to Mass by my spouse had  well and truly dissipated!

Those of you reading this, who are married, can easily imagine the words that ensued in the car.......

The Man's Response

His response to the mint thing was "I was just trying to help," (I thin need to redefine the word 'help'!) and to the walking out on me "I always do that" (oh, that's alright then).

I don't often feel this way, but yesterday really was an instance of men and women coming from different planets!

The Day Is Saved

In case you're worried, he salvaged the day by buying and barbequing dinner that evening, and it all ended peacefully.

Q & A: Mother's Day - A Good Thing or Not?

I think Mother's Day builds up expectations which, to be fair to the average family, can't reasonably be met. And we mothers shouldn't be surprised or upset when they're not. But it is hard to be so sanguine!

What do you think? How was your Mother's Day?