49 Angle Road, Walkerville
P.O. Box 378, Walkerville, 1876
Tel: 073 462 4937
walkerville.divinemercy@catholicjhb.org.za
7 May 2017
The Fourth Sunday of Easter (John 10:1-10)
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.
14 May 2017
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...
May 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 leaving it in Your time. Amen.
21 May 2017
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). Indeed, He is always with us and will never leave us orphaned.
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.
28 May 2017
The Ascension of the Lord (Matthew 28:16-20)
This Sunday we observe that in spite of everything Jesus did to manifest Himself to the disciples after his resurrection from the dead, some of them, nonetheless, still doubted. Yet we have to excuse them for doubting, for we know that after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost less than two weeks later, they all bravely went forward as Jesus commanded them, to make disciples of all the nations and to baptise them in the name of the Holy Trinity.
St. Faustina once observed that many souls serve the Lord with mistrust, and run away from the battlefield when an opportunity arises to show their love for God. Am I among those souls? Jesus asks me, as He asked her, (Diary 287) “Do you, my child, also want to act like that?” May our answer be like that of St. Faustina, who replied: “Oh, no, my Jesus, I will not retreat from the battlefield, even if mortal swear breaks out on my brow; I will not let the sword fall from my hand until I rest at the feet of the Holy Trinity!” What was it that allowed St. Faustina to persevere in the good fight? She wrote: “Whatever I do, I do not rely on my own strength, but on God’s grace. With God’s grace a soul can overcome the greatest difficulties.”
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, Your grace is enough! With Your Holy Spirit, I can also transcend my fears and go forward onto the battlefield to fight for souls. May I never doubt Your love or Your promise to be with me always, to the close of the age. I trust in You! Amen.