49 Angle Road, Walkerville
P.O. Box 378, Walkerville, 1876
Tel: 073 462 4937
walkerville.divinemercy@catholicjhb.org.za
21 June 2015
The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mk 4:35-41)
Today’s Gospel shows Jesus sound asleep on a cushion when the disciples, panicking and worried that they will all drown, awaken Him and accuse Him of not caring about them. How similar we are to those disciples! When God doesn’t immediately fix the messes we get ourselves into, we accuse Him of not caring. Why don’t we trust that He is in control and that He knows what He is doing? Instead we want to dictate to Him the way things should be, and accuse Him of not really loving us when He doesn’t fulfill our will. Why is it that we pray, “Thy will be done,” and yet continually try to force our own will on God?
St. Faustina had a proper disposition during the storms of life, one of trust. She wrote, “The slightest storm would drown me, engulfing my boat in the swirling depths, if You Yourself did not watch over me, O God, at each instant and moment of my life. Amid the roaring waves I sail peacefully, trustingly, and gaze like a child into the distance without fear, because You, O Jesus, are my Light” (Diary 1322).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, I know You want me to spread Your love to others, but often I am deaf to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and to the work of divine grace. Help me to cooperate with every grace and never to miss an opportunity to show Your love to everyone You place in my path. Amen.
14 June 2015
The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mark 4:26-34)
In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks to us about God’s Kingdom and of its amazing potential once the seed He has sown in our lives has taken root, the seed of His mercy and love. The Kingdom of God is present wherever God is loved and wherever His love reaches out to us (or from us to others). And as this love is passed on to others, especially to those who are neglected and unloved, His Kingdom increases astronomically, like the growing mustard tree. For when we love others, we do not give away the love God has given us, so as to lose it, but in loving others God’s love increases in our own lives and in the lives of those we are showing love and mercy.
Love is what increases the Kingdom of God on earth. In her St. Faustina wrote: “The Lord gave me to know, during meditation, that as long as my heart beats in my breast, I must always strive to spread the Kingdom of God on earth. I am to fight for the glory of my Creator. I know that I will give God the glory He expects of me if I try faithfully to cooperate with God's grace” (Diary 1548).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, I praise You for the wonderful gift of divine peace, which I can experience every day ,thanks to Your Holy Spirit dwelling within me. Preserve me, dear Lord, from withholding forgiveness to anyone that I may live always in Your peace. I trust in You! Amen.
7 June 2015
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26)
Today’s readings bring us to reflect on the greatest Mystery of our faith, the Body and Blood of Christ present under the appearances of bread and wine. Through an act of pure mercy and unsurpassed humility, God Himself stoops down to us miserable creatures for our sake alone, for our consolation and sanctification. How is it that we come to take such a precious gift for granted? How is it that we so often receive Holy Communion indifferently, without giving God the praise and thanksgiving that are His due?
St. Faustina wrote: “One day we will know what God is doing for us in each Mass, and what sort of gift He is preparing in it for us. Only His divine love could permit that such a gift be provided for us. O Jesus, my Jesus, with what great pain is my soul pierced when I see this fountain of life gushing forth with such sweetness and power for each soul, while at the same time I see souls withering away and drying up through their own fault” (Diary 914).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, instil in my heart a deep gratitude for the Holy Eucharist. After all these years I still don’t know how to receive Holy Communion in a way pleasing to You. Never let me offend You by indifference, but teach me to treasure each moment with You as a foretaste of heaven. Amen.