By Lynda MacFarland

 

 

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. ~ Psalm 33:20-21

Mercy and Love

Today’s Responsorial Psalm (33) speaks of God’s mercy and how we can trust in Him because of this great gift. As a Divine Mercy devotee, it is no surprise to me that the Bible is full of prayers and examples of God’s mercy. There is nothing in St. Faustina’s diary, particularly the prayers concerning the Divine Mercy that cannot be found in Scripture. 

The closing prayer of the Chaplet contains the assertion that God’s will is “love and mercy itself.” And we recall that God is love. His mercy is poured out because of the love in Jesus’ Sacred Heart, His pierced human heart. We are the blessed recipients of that mercy, that love, that grace when we trust and open up to receive it. 

There Will Be Times

Bishop Robert Barron says that God doesn’t want us to fall in love with consolations. He wants us to fall in love with His Will. Consolations are those moments in life when we can feel the grace of God stirring in our hearts—those times we witness His grace in our lives. However, there will be times of trial, dark valleys, when we may not experience God’s consolations. It is then, when we’ve already fallen in love with His Will, that we can persevere, trusting Jesus is with us. That walk through the valley of death isn’t always physical; sometimes it’s the loss of a dream, of a relationship, of a plan. In those moments, look to Jesus on the cross, at love and mercy itself, hanging there for us. 

Trust Him

As we learn to accept God’s merciful Will, we can trust that Jesus is beside us—weeping with us. He, who knows to suffer, like us in all things but sin, never abandons you. Look to the cross; let Love in. Trust Him.

Prayer

Dear Lord of all Creation, in all humility, knowing that You are God and I am not, I ask for Your Will to be my guiding light. May I trust Your light that leads me where You desire me to go, even when I can’t see the path clearly. Help me to trust as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph trusted You in all things. I beg this in Jesus’ Holy name. Amen.

Call to Action

Learning to trust God with everything can be a challenge, though God never asks the impossible. It is about giving up control and surrendering to the Perfect Will of the Father. Read the accounts of Mary’s fiat in Luke’s Gospel, Joseph’s acquiescence to the angel of the Lord, and Jesus’ prayer to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then pray for that kind of trust in God’s will, which is “love and mercy itself.” 

 

© 2021 WINE — All Rights Reserved