49 Angle Road, Walkerville
P.O. Box 378, Walkerville, 1876
Tel: 073 462 4937
walkerville.divinemercy@catholicjhb.org.za
5 February 2017
The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 5:13-16)
In today’s Gospel Jesus invites us to be light for the world by telling us, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” I need to ask myself: Am I letting my light shine? Are people glorifying and thanking God because of the way I treat them?
One day Jesus visited St. Faustina in the disguise of a beggar. She scrounged through the convent kitchen looking for some leftovers to feed Him, and eventually found some bread and soup. After He had finished eating, Jesus revealed Himself to Faustina. And He made known to her that he had come to check things out, because hungry people she had fed at the convent were glorifying God on their way home. He said to her,“My daughter, the blessings of the poor who bless Me as they leave this gate have reached My ears. And your compassion, within the bounds of obedience, has pleased Me, and this is why I came down from My throne ̶ to taste the fruits of your mercy” (Diary 1312).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, it is true that I often run from doing works of mercy because I think I’m too busy to get involved, or even because I’m afraid of the needy people You place in my path. But nonetheless, You expect me to be a light to those people. Give me the courage and the grace today to reach out and brighten the day of at least one person You send my way. I trust in You. Amen.
12 February 2017
The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 5:17-37)
Jesus calls us in today’s Gospel to live righteously before God, holding ourselves to high moral standards, especially regarding the way we treat our neighbour. He even warns us of the price we could pay for our self love: “You will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
In today’s second reading we hear about heaven, and the joys that await us if we persevere in following the Lord. St. Faustina wrote the following about a vision she had of heaven: “I was caught up in spirit before the majesty of God. I saw how the Angels and the Saints of the Lord give glory to God. The glory of God is so great that I dare not try to describe it, because I would not be able to do so, and souls might think that what I have written is all there is. Saint Paul, I under-stand now why you did not want to describe heaven, but only said that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him” (Diary 1604).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, You call me to walk blamelessly and to live righteously, promising me a reward beyond my ability to imagine. Yet, in spite of this wonderful promise, I often fall into sin. Teach me to forget myself and to live for others. I trust in You. Amen.
19 February 2017
The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 5:38-48)
The theme of this Sunday’s gospel is love for one’s enemies. Jesus assures us that as His followers, it is not enough for us to love only those who love us; we must also be kind to complete strangers and even to those who treat us badly. “This is how all will know that you are My disciples: if you have love…”
The good news is that even when it seems difficult to show love to someone, we are never alone. Jesus is with us and will give us the grace and strength to love even those who have been mean and nasty to us. St. Faustina related the following incident in her Diary: “This morning, five unemployed men came to the gate and insisted on being let in. (...) When I was still a good way from the gate I could hear them banging loudly. At first, I was overcome with doubt and fear, and I did not know whether to open the gate or (...) to answer them through the little window. But suddenly I heard a voice in my soul saying, Go and open the gate and talk to them as sweetly as you talk to Me. I opened the gate at once and approached the most menacing of them and began to speak to them with such sweetness and calm that they did not know what to do with themselves. And they too began to speak gently and (…) they went away peacefully. I felt clearly that Jesus, whom I had received in Holy Communion just an hour before, had worked in their hearts through me Oh, how good it is to act under God's inspiration!” (Diary 1377).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, I often find it challenging to show love to certain people You place along my path. Help me to go through the day with You at my side, responding to Your every inspiration. I trust in You! Amen.
26 February 2017
The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 6:24-34)
This Sunday’s Gospel is all about trust. Jesus reminds us that the Heavenly Father knows what we need, and that He wants us to allow Him to take care of us as He does the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Jesus repeats several times, “Do not be anxious.” Rather, we should always put God and His righteousness first, and when we do so, everything we need will be given to us. We should never cling to anything He has blessed us with, but in all things seek Him first and the needs of our neighbour, trusting that “all these things” (the things we truly need and not just think we need) shall be ours as well.
It isn’t easy to trust, but the pay-offs are out of this world! Jesus told St. Faustina: Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. (...) Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. (Diary 1685).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, help me to put my trust in You and in You alone. Give me the grace of detachment from every material gift you have given me. Teach me to be generous with others, always remembering that You can never be outdone in generosity. I trust in You! Amen.