49 Angle Road, Walkerville
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25 May 2014
The Sixth Sunday of Easter (John 14: 15-21)
The beautiful truth we encounter in this week’s Gospel is that Jesus will never leave us alone. Even though He no longer physically walks the earth, He is still present to us in many ways. He is present in His Word, through which He is able to speak to us when we listen. He is present in His Church, His mystical body. He is present in the poor and in His least brethren. He is present in the most powerful way in the Holy Eucharist, His very Body and Blood. However, His most obvious presence is that by virtue of our Baptism He dwells in our very hearts together with His Father and the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to look far at all to find Him; we only need to close our eyes and let our minds drop down into our hearts. He is with us, and we are never alone.
When St. Faustina was afraid of what Jesus was asking of her, He consoled her with these words:“Do not fear; I will not leave you alone. Do whatever you can in this matter; I will accomplish everything that is lacking in you. You know what is within your power to do; do that”(Diary 881).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, Your love is everlasting! I thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love. You will never leave me, sinner though I am. Help me to show my love for You through faithfulness to Your commandments. And give me deep trust that You will accomplish everything that is lacking in me. Amen.
18 May 2014
The Fifth Sunday of Easter (John 14:1-12)
Jesus assures us today that He is preparing a place for us in His Father’s house and that when it is ready, He will come back again and take us to Himself. What a beautiful promise! We all know that heaven is a splendid place, but the downside is that in order to get there we have to die! Somehow, it seems a bit less attractive at such a cost... Let the words of St. Faustina encourage us, words she wrote after one of her mystical experiences:
“Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. (…) I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom. This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures. Now I understand Saint Paul, who said, ‘Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him’” (Diary 777).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, I know You created me for eternity, to be with You in heaven in unending bliss. Help me to detach from my life here on earth, that I may never regret having to leave it behind. Amen.
11 May 2014
The Fourth Sunday of Easter (John 10:11-10)
On this Good Shepherd Sunday Jesus reminds us that He calls His sheep by name: they hear Him, they recognize His voice, and they follow Him. Reflecting on this, we can truly understand the relationship Jesus wants to have with each one of us. He knows us by name, yes, but that is not all. He knows our every thought and desire as well. He loves us so much that He even laid down His life for us. He wants to bless us with what is truly best for us, if only we will let Him reveal it to us, if only we will listen to Him speaking in the depths of our hearts.
Can I truly be counted as one of Jesus’ sheep? Do I hear Him and follow Him? In all truth, whose voice is it that I am listening for? St. Faustina knew how to hear Jesus’ voice in her heart. She wrote: “Let the earth be silent, and You alone speak to me, Jesus. You know that I understand no other voice but Yours, O Good Shepherd. In the dwelling of my heart is that wilderness to which no creature has access. There, You alone are King” (Diary 725).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, like St. Faustina I also long to have You alone reigning in my heart. Yet I truly must admit that I’m very inexperienced at listening to Your voice. How can I discern Your voice amid all the many voices that try to deter me from following You? Teach me, dear Lord, to encounter You in the secret depths of my heart where You speak to me in love. Amen.
4 May 2014
The Third Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:13-35)
This Sunday’s Gospel shows the resurrected Jesus meeting up with two of his disciples as they walk along a country road. But the disciples are so distraught over what happened on Good Friday, that they can’t even recognize the Lord. They are bitterly disappointed at the horrifying way their expectations about the Messiah have been shattered. How could God allow such a thing to happen? But Jesus opens up the Scriptures to the two, explaining exactly why the Messiah had to suffer. Things went the way they did precisely because God’s ways are not our ways. In the words of St. Paul, “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Cor 3:19).
The Lord told St. Faustina not to think about the way things might turn out, but to trust in Him who is completely in control. She wrote: “As I was conversing with the hidden God, He gave me to see and understand that I should not be reflecting so much and building up fear of the difficulties which I might encounter. Know that I am with you; I bring about the difficulties, and I overcome them; in one instant, I can change a hostile disposition to one which is favourable to this cause. (Diary 708).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, give me the grace of deep trust in the Father’s plan for me. How often I think I know better than Him, and become angry that He makes decisions without consulting me. Give me the total conviction that He truly loves me, and that He arranges every single detail for my eternal happiness. Amen.