27 APR 2024 · Mortification is a practice of denying your will so as to grow in greater detachment from the passing things of this world. We must seek to detach from everything but God and His holy Will. It’s not that everything we like or desire is bad, but if we want true holiness, our desire for God must transform every other desire and direct them all. Interior mortification consists of ways in which we deny our own thoughts or will. For example, saying a kind word when we do not feel like it, or holding our tongue when it is hard to hold. Exterior mortification consists of practices such as fasting from foods we like or giving things up for Lent and throughout the year. These practices are essential to the spiritual life if you are serious about your relationship with God (See Diary #565). What are you most attached to? What seems to control you and direct your desires the most? It could be a sinful tendency, or it could be a passion for some natural hobby. Start with your sinful tendencies and look for ways to mortify your desires so as to become strong enough to overcome these sins. Look also at your natural passions and likes. Choosing to freely sacrifice these, to a certain extent, from time to time, is a positive and holy way to grow in holiness. Look for ways to do this and God’s Mercy will flow more abundantly. Lord, I desire to desire You alone and above all other desires. Purify me and free me from my many attachments in this life. Help me to have the courage to make daily sacrifices to You so that my mind and will are more prepared to receive Your Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_mysticism#/media/File:Josep_Benlliure_Gil43.jpg

26 APR 2024 · One of the primary ways we stop the Mercy of God from entering into our lives is through obstinacy. Specifically, when we obstinately hold onto our own opinion, as a result of our pride, and therefore fail to be open to the truth, we shut the door to grace. This is a particularly dangerous sin because obstinacy, by its very definition, implies there is an unwillingness to repent and change. The obstinate person remains, day after day, year after year, closed to the grace of God. The only cure for an obstinate heart is humility before the Truth of God. Coming to God, with a sincerely open heart, ready and willing to change our convictions the moment He speaks, is the first step to being rid of this sin. Humble yourself by listening, setting aside your own firm opinion, being open and willing to change. This may be difficult at first, but you will be truly grateful you did (See Diary #560). What are you obstinate about? Is there a long-standing thought you hold against another? Is there something that you are convinced you are right on? Make sure that God feels the same way. Seek, today, to be open to change. The first step is to ask the Lord to open your eyes to see. The second step is to let yourself see this tendency within your heart. Lord, I know I am obstinate. I see it within my soul. I hold on to my will and refuse to listen to others out of pride. Give me the grace of an open mind that I may shed my stubbornness. Help me to humble myself before You and others and help me to be ready and willing to listen to Your Truth. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4532

25 APR 2024 · Some religious sisters and monks live a cloistered life within the confines of an enclosure. No one may enter that enclosure without good reason, unless they are a member of that community of faith. Others may enter only with the permission of the superior. It may be that a sister is gravely ill and in need of the Sacrament of Anointing, or it may be that a workman must enter for a needed repair. The image of an enclosure is analogous to our soul. We must give the key to Jesus and allow Him to safeguard it. He will only allow those who belong to enter in (See Diary #554). What is it that you allow into your soul? Do you allow the Lord to guard you and govern your inner thoughts and your heart? Too often, we allow many worldly things to enter. We open wide the door to the enticements of sin and filth. Give the key to your soul to our Lord. He will guard you and keep you safe. He will welcome all those with whom He desires you dwell, and open the door to those who come to heal and restore. But He will diligently protect this sacred space of your soul from that which does not belong, if you let Him. Lord, I do give You the one and only key to my soul. I choose You as my guardian this day. Allow me to commune, freely, with those whom You have invited into my life and set before me. Help me to love them and to serve them with all my heart. As I give You this key, I thank You that You will protect me. May I trust You and never seek to welcome that which displeases You, and that which You do not welcome. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolas_Mignard-Saint_Bruno.jpg

24 APR 2024 · God is wholly independent in that He perfectly sustains Himself. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit form a perfect unity through which they are interconnected and interdependent. And this interdependence is all They need. However, the Trinity freely chose to become dependent upon each one of us in a unique way. By choosing to enter into our lives, uniting with us, and forming a bond of love with us, God, in a certain way, makes Himself dependent upon our trust. His dependence upon our trust relates to the depth of love and the bond He forms with us. Without our trust, God has limited Himself in how deeply He can unite Himself with us. Therefore, God offers Himself to us freely and without reserve, but requires our full participation for this perfect gift of love to become complete (See Diary #548). Do you understand your role in the life of the Holy Trinity? The Father, Son and Holy Spirit offer you perfect love, but will not impose that love upon you. They invite you to freely reciprocate this love. Only in this free choice, on your part, to accept Them in trust, can God fulfill His choice of being one with you. Allow God to fulfill His longing of union with you. Do not reject this love nor be hesitant to reciprocate it. My God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I thank You for the gift of Your life and Your love. I freely accept this perfect Gift of Yourself. Help me to daily grow in trust of You so that I may receive You and offer myself back to You with the same generosity that You have shown me. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Coronation_of_the_Virgin_(Vel%C3%A1zquez)#/media/File:Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_-_Coronation_of_the_Virgin_-_Prado.jpg

23 APR 2024 · The Will of God is much more than a future plan God has laid out for you. It’s more than His hopes and dreams for you. His Will is your path to holiness and it is a source of the greatest consolation and joy. His Will is both active and passive (permissive). It’s active in that He has definite plans for you and calls you to discern those plans and embrace them. It’s passive in that He will permit certain evils to befall you as a result of your own sins and those of the whole world. Do not fear when God permits some evil or some suffering to come your way. Jesus Himself is the perfect example of one who experienced the effects of the permissive Will of the Father. Do not be surprised or scandalized by what God permits. His passive and permissive Will invites you to trust in Him in all things and allows you to grow in faith and trust of Him no matter what your future holds. Do not be afraid of that which God permits. (See Diary #541). Reflect upon any way that you are confused or even scandalized by what God has allowed to happen in your life. Know that He knows what He desires and He knows what He permits. Do not be afraid of His permissive Will. Do not be afraid to accept all that befalls you with faith and confidence. What God permits is done so as to manifest His providential care for you and as a way of increasing your own faith and trust in Him. Lord, when I suffer, I sometimes doubt Your love and care for me. I question whether You are there, sustaining me and leading me. Give me the grace I need to endure all the effects of sin in our world. Help me to face the effects of my own sin and those of the world with courage and confidence in Your protective hand. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gabriel_Metsu_-_Crucifixion_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

22 APR 2024 · The “world” is referred to in Scripture many times, especially by Jesus Himself. He said that the world will hate you and will not understand you. The world will, in fact, persecute you. This could become the cause of fear and distress for some. It causes these effects within us when we are overly concerned about looking good in the eyes of the world and acting so as to win its esteem. Do not fall into this trap. The world will love you only if you become worldly, taking on its secular and sinful values. Instead, keep your eyes fixed on Heaven. Live as though you are in the world, but not of it. Allow the Lord to shield you from worldly enticements so that you will live only in Him and for Him at all times (See Diary #537). Seriously ask yourself, today, how much influence the opinions of the world have on you. Do you find yourself dreaming of being well regarded and respected in the public eye? If so, be very careful with this desire. Sure, if you have given yourself completely to Christ and, as a result, many people speak well of you, this is good. But it’s not all that common. More often, when we commit ourselves to Christ and to His holy mission, we will find that we are misjudged, scorned and even persecuted. It may be only in small ways, but don’t be surprised if it becomes more pronounced as you draw closer to the Will of God. Do not worry about this. Keep your eyes on Christ and be concerned only about His judgment of you. His “opinion” is all that matters because His opinion is Truth. Lord Jesus, You were not controlled by the opinions of others. You did not allow the false values and pressures of the world to direct You. Help me to keep my eyes on You and Your Will in all things. Give me courage to be concerned only with pleasing You. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fra_Angelico_-_Christ_the_Judge_-_WGA00679.jpg

21 APR 2024 · The greatest prayer we can make is the “prayer of offering.” A prayer of offering is a sacrifice offered to the Father in union with the One Sacrificial Offering of Christ on the Cross. We do not offer ourselves, by ourselves. We offer ourselves in union with Christ Jesus. Specifically, we must offer our prayers, fasting, mortification and daily work to God. Pray prayers every day. Mortify your fleshly desires regularly through fasting and other forms of self-denial. And do all your daily work as a gift to God and as a result of His daily Will. Offer all of these to the Father with the Son, and God will accept your offering as a pure and holy sacrifice (See Diary #531). When you pray, do you make your prayer an offering? Too often we pray for this need or that and stop there. It is good to present our needs before God. He knows our needs even before we present them, but He still wants us to ask Him to meet our specific needs. But don’t stop there in your prayer. The Lord wants you to go further. He wants sacrifice from you. Reflect upon whether your prayer becomes a daily sacrifice to God. If this sacrificial language is not part of your daily thinking, begin to make it so. Think and act sacrificially in your daily life and prayer and the Lord will receive your sacrifice, using it in powerful ways for your own holiness and for the holiness of the entire Church. Lord, You not only offered the perfect sacrifice of Your life to the Father, You also set for me a perfect example of true prayer. Help me to daily offer to You the sacrifice of my life so that, through this sacrifice, You may make me holy and bring greater holiness to Your Church. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benediction_of_God_the_Father_by_Luca_Cambiaso,_c._1565,_oil_on_wood_-_Museo_Diocesano_(Genoa)_-_DSC01566.JPG

20 APR 2024 · When you love God and rejoice in that love, your desire for God will increase. The more you know Him, the more you will want to know Him, and the more you want to know Him, the more you will know Him. Similarly, the more you love Him, the more you will want to love Him, and the more you want to love Him, the more you will love Him. Finally, the more you serve Him, the more you will want to serve Him, and the more you want to serve Him, the more you will serve Him. Knowledge, love and service increase the desire for these, and the increase in desire for these three increases each one (See Diary #525). Do you want to know, love and serve God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? Hopefully you do. How is this achieved? It’s achieved by growing in these virtues and allowing them to increase your desire for them all the more. Look, today, at your desires. Inquire, within, about the desires of your heart. If you do not see a wholehearted desire to know, love and serve God, then commit yourself to these ends by choosing them. From there, the Lord will take over and direct you in accord with His own merciful Heart. Lord, increase my desire for You and for Your Divine Will. Help me to know, love and serve You with my whole being. Increase, also, my desire for You in these ways. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cima_da_Conegliano,_God_the_Father.jpg

19 APR 2024 · The devil will tempt us in many ways. One common way the devil likes to attack us is to remind us of our sins, including those we have confessed. He loves to try to convince us that we are on the wrong path, that we are not pleasing to God, that we are liars and sinners. And while it’s true that we are sinners, the evil one always fails to see our sin through the lens of God’s Mercy. To overcome his deceptive temptations, while he reminds us of our sins, we need only to remind ourselves of the Mercy of the Heart of Jesus. As we gaze upon His Heart, we will have no fear about admitting our sin. This act of honesty will not produce anxiety, despair and doubt as the evil one desires. Instead, facing our sin in the light of the Mercy of God, will refresh us and lift our spirits, filling them with an abundance of hope (See Diary #520). Think about the ways that the evil one may tempt you to despair over your sins. To mourn for your sins is a good and healthy act, but never in despair. Christian mourning leads to the Mercy of God, and the contrition you feel in this holy act lifts your burden and fills you with joy. Precious Lord, free me from the deceit and attacks of the evil one. Keep me safe, oh God, and help me to never forget the abundance of Your Mercy. As I see that Mercy, help me to daily repent of my sin so as to rob from the evil one all weapons of his malice. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://unsplash.com/photos/z4LXu7NiII4

18 APR 2024 · The Mercy of the Heart of Jesus shines forth with great radiance. This was the image of Divine Mercy seen by Saint Faustina. The open Heart of our Lord burst forth with an outpouring of light and grace on the world. Jesus wants to continue to shine forth on the world, and He wants to rest in your heart so that He may shine on others through you (See Diary #514). What is in your heart? Is it bitterness and pain? Is it sin and darkness? Or is it the Heart of our Lord? Does Jesus live in your heart? These questions are so very important to answer honestly. If you cannot honestly say that the Heart of Jesus rests in your heart, then this is an important revelation to ponder. Seek to let His Heart melt away any sin and dispel any darkness. In their place, let His light shine forth. When the Heart of Jesus rests in yours, your heart will radiate Mercy and bathe others in its rays. Lord, as I look at my heart, I see sin and darkness at times. Come live in my heart, dispel all darkness and wipe away all sin. As You take possession of my heart, shine forth Your Divine rays of Mercy upon me, and upon a world in need. I give my heart to You, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: http://www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://www.flickr.com/photos/catholicism/28078546996