49 Angle Road, Walkerville
P.O. Box 378, Walkerville, 1876
Tel: 073 462 4937
walkerville.divinemercy@catholicjhb.org.za
The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 28 October 2012 (Mark 10:35-45)
The words to the blind man in today’s Gospel, “Take heart, rise, he is calling you,” could be spoken to us as well, and are in fact meant for each of us, as often as we cry out those same words of Bartimaeus, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” This cry for pity is music to the ears of our Merciful Lord. Hearing it, He cannot resist drawing us to Himself and granting us every grace and blessing we desire.
The people were trying to silence Bartimaeus, because the world cannot bear misery that attracts attention to itself. People do not want the challenge of having to show mercy, and they hate those things that prick their consciences. But Jesus is always ready to show mercy, and even suffers when He has no one to show it to. He told Sister Faustina,
“The flames of mercy are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!” (Diary 1074).
Prayer: Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me. Do not ever allow me to hesitate in asking You for all the graces and favours I need for myself. But teach me to also be merciful to my neighbour. May I never be deaf to their cries for help. Use me as Your instrument in answering their prayers. Amen.
The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 21 October 2012 (Mark 10:35-45)
Today we see the apostles once again aspiring for recognition and worldly glory, even expecting to get special favours from Jesus for being close to Him. However, Jesus doesn’t play favourites. He lets them know that honour comes from two things: from drinking from the chalice of suffering and from becoming the slave of all.
Closeness to Jesus is actually a tremendous asset both in accepting suffering and in serving one’s neighbour. With His grace we are able to embrace our daily crosses. And the closer we are to Him, the easier it becomes for us to love our neighbor--the easier it becomes for us to fulfill His command to perform works of mercy.
Sister Faustina experienced the power of that grace which comes from intimacy with Jesus. She told Him, “…if You Yourself did not sustain me, I would not be able to persevere on the cross. I would not be able to endure so much suffering. But the power of Your grace (…) makes my sufferings meritorious. (…) With Your grace one can do all things” (Diary 1620).
Prayer: Merciful Jesus, give me grace to accept all the sufferings that come my way. Teach me to serve others and to put my neighbour’s needs before my own. Let me be great in Your eyes alone. Amen.
The Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 14 October 2012 (Mark 10:17-30)
Believing the words in today’s gospel, “all things are possible with God” is the essence of trust. Jesus’ words are almost exactly the same as the angel Gabriel’s words to the Blessed Mother: “Nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37). Mary believed this, and made herself poor, relying on the Lord 100% in everything. This is the poverty that gets us into heaven. And the riches that keep us from entering the Kingdom of God are own attempts at self-sufficiency before God.
Like Mary, Sister Faustina also lived with the conviction that God can do anything, and because of this she was able to get to heaven and even to become a saint. In one place she wrote:
“I do not understand how it is possible not to trust in Him who can do all things. With Him, everything; without Him, nothing. He is Lord. He will not allow those who have placed their trust in Him to be put to shame” (Diary 357).
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe St. Faustina’s words to You: “Your Merciful Heart can do all things” (Diary 228). I trust in Your merciful love, and I know that You truly want what is best for me. Teach me to surrender to You in all things. Amen.
The Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 7 October 2012 (Mark 10:2-16)
This week Jesus shows us that childlike simplicity is pleasing to the Father, while a know-it-all attitude can be detrimental to one’s salvation. Having said that God intended from the beginning for the marital union to be indissoluble, He then explained the necessity of accepting God’s teachings like a child. Truly, once we begin analyzing things by our own limited (and biased!) standards, the next step is to put our own personal opinions above divine revelation. Doing this could actually prevent us from getting into heaven!
St. Faustina’s approach of trustingly clinging to Jesus can teach us a lot. She wrote: “Christ and Lord, you are leading me over such precipices that, when I look at them, I am filled with fright, but at the same time I am at peace as I nestle close to Your Heart. (Then), I fear nothing. In these dangerous moments, I act like a little child, carried in its mother’s arms; when it sees something which menaces it, it clasps its mother’s neck more firmly and feels secure” (Diary 1726).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, teach me to accept Your Holy Will without questioning it, for You are a God of love and mercy, and You know what You are doing in my life! Don’t ever let me put my own opinions above Your teachings. I trust in You. Amen.