49 Angle Road, Walkerville
P.O. Box 378, Walkerville, 1876
Tel: 083 979 4917
walkerville.divinemercy@catholicjhb.org.za
5 March 2017
The First Sunday of Lent (Matthew 4:1-11)
In today’s Gospel we see Jesus in the desert being enticed by the devil, tempted to misuse His divine power in order to make His own life easier. Jesus knows, however, that the heavenly Father is supporting Him, and He fights nobly and bravely, using the two-edged sword of the Word of God as His only weapon.
We are never alone during temptation, and we must never try to fight our temptations alone. The Lord is very near, and His Blessed Mother and the Saints are also ready to come to our aid. Jesus advised St. Faustina on how to deal with temptations: “First, do not fight against a temptation by yourself, but disclose it to the confessor at once, and then the temptation will lose all its force. Second, during these ordeals do not lose your peace; live in My presence; ask My Mother and the Saints for help. Third, have the certitude that I am looking at you and supporting you. Fourth, do not fear either struggles of the soul or any temptations, because I am supporting you; if only you are willing to fight, know that the victory is always on your side. Fifth, know that by fighting bravely you give Me great glory and amass merits for yourself. Temptation gives you a chance to show Me your fidelity” (Diary 1560).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, help me to remain calm and trusting during times of temptation. Never let me forget that You are very close, looking at me and supporting me. Help me to fight bravely, and in that way, to give You the glory You deserve. I trust in You! Amen.
12 March 2017
The Second Sunday of Lent (Matthew 17:1-9)
Today’s Gospel shows us Jesus in resplendent light, when in the presence of a few of His disciples, He is briefly transfigured into His glorified body as He converses with Elijah and Moses. Then, when the Father’s voice suddenly thunders from the clouds, it literally knocks the poor disciples off their feet. They are utterly dumbstruck on seeing the divine splendour of Jesus and on hearing the blast from the clouds confirming who He truly is.
Jesus is indeed the Son of God, but every one of us is also a beloved son or daughter of God. And that is not all. Every person who has been baptised into Christ is also in the process of being transformed into a living reflection of Jesus. The more we cooperate with divine grace, the more Christ-like we will become, and the more pleasing to the Father. St. Faustina wrote: “Jesus, my Life, how well I feel that You are transforming me into Yourself, in the secrecy of my soul where the senses can no longer perceive much. O my Saviour, conceal me completely in the depths of Your Heart and shield me with Your rays against everything that is not You. I beg You, Jesus, let the two rays that have issued from Your most merciful Heart continuously nourish my soul” (Diary 465). It is in our power to allow the grace of God and the Sacraments to transform us ever more fully into the image and likeness of Christ.
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, I thank You for the gift of Baptism, where I became a beloved child of God. Help me like St. Faustina to allow You to transform me completely into Yourself. I trust in You. Amen.
19 March 2017
The Third Sunday of Lent (John 4:4-42)
In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus offers living water, water that will become in the one who drinks “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The Samaritan woman likes the idea of no longer needing to make trips to the well to fetch heavy buckets of water. But the water Jesus is referring to is spiritual, water flowing from His pierced side which, mingled with wine, becomes His Precious Blood, and the cup of eternal salvation.
St. Faustina wrote to Jesus: “You have called us all to this fountain of love, to this spring of God's compassion. (…) To You, O living spring of mercy, all souls are drawn; some like deer, thirsting for Your love, others to wash the wound of their sins, and still others, exhausted by life, to draw strength. At the moment of Your death (…) allowing Your most holy side to be opened, You opened an inexhaustible spring of mercy for us, giving us Your dearest possession, the Blood and Water from Your Heart. Such is the omnipotence of Your mercy. From it all grace flows to us” (Diary 1747).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing Your Sacred Heart to be pierced for my offences, and for inviting me, sinner though I am, to drink from the wellsprings of salvation. Teach me to thirst after You alone, and to receive Your Body and Blood with true reverence and love. Amen.
26 March 2017
The Fourth Sunday of Lent (John 9:1-41)
In today’s Gospel about the man born blind, we see Jesus not only restoring the man’s sight, but even more importantly, bestowing on him the gift of faith. It is one thing to be able to physically see, but it is quite another to have a spiritual vision that reaches beyond our created world and into eternity.
Jesus Himself is the Light of the World and the source of all the supernatural light we need during our earthly pilgrimage towards Heaven. But we won’t make it through the pearly gates except by fulfilling the will of God for us. Having come to believe, we now must act, by imitating Jesus and loving our neighbour as ourselves. St. Faustina wrote this prayer:
“O Light Eternal, who come to this earth, enlighten my mind and strengthen my will that I may not give up in times of great affliction. May Your light dissipate all the shadows of doubt. May Your omnipotence act through me. I trust in You, O uncreated Light! You, O (...) Jesus, are a model for me in accomplishing Your Father's will, You, who said, ‘Behold, I come to do Your will.’ Grant that I also may do God's will faithfully in all things” (Diary 830).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, Light of the World, I thank You for giving me the precious gift of my Catholic faith. Enlighten me to see and know Your will for me as I journey towards eternity, and grant me all the grace I need to faithfully fulfil it. I trust in You. Amen.