My Journal on God's Love

My Journal on God's Love

Jocelyn Soriano www.itakeoffthemask.com

CONTENTS I. Why I Wrote This II. A Personal Encounter -My Spiritual Growth -A Holy Experience -When I Asked For a Rose III.

What God’s Love Is Like

IV.How Do I Know God Loves Me? V. The Story of Jesus VI.How God’s Love Fills My Heart With Joy -What Fills My Heart With Joy -God Sees -Where I Fit In VII. When God Pursued Me -The One Who Pursues Us -In Him Alone -Leading Me Back in Faith -God’s Unique Call VIII. A Reflection of His Love -What I’ve Learned From Pope Francis -Saint Quotes on God’s Love -Other Quotes on God’s Love IX. Bible Verses on God’s Love -Old Testament Quotes -New Testament Quotes X. Closer to Jesus in Suffering -Wounds Lead Us to Jesus -Against Scruples and Despair -The Wounds of Christ

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.� – John 3:16, WEB O guiding night!

O night more lovely than the dawn!

O night that has united the Lover with his beloved, transforming the beloved in her Lover...

I abandoned and forgot myself, laying my face on my Beloved; all things ceased; I went out from myself, leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.

-St. John of the Cross

WHY I WROTE THIS There are times when I am fully certain of God’s love. Times like that, I just know how real it is, and how nothing could ever be more real. It’s the source of all things, the force behind everything that’s good and beautiful and true, and the one purpose that is ever worthy for eternity. Such are the times when I am most happy, when the veil between this life and the next seem thinnest, and when my view of heaven seem clearest.

There are times however when I feel as though I don’t even know what love is. At such times, I wonder whether I have any faith at all. Nothing seems tangible or clear. Memories seem unreal and the future clouded with uncertainty.

Maybe this is one reason why I wrote this. So I can remember. So I may never forget GOD’S LOVE. “Take God for your spouse and friend and walk with him continually, and you will not sin and will learn to love, and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.” - St. John of the Cross

A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER There are so many things I can write about God’s love, but for this book, I would like to limit it to those pertaining to my personal encounter with Him, with His love. God manifests His love uniquely to each person. His love is not merely an idea or a formula, His love is true, intimate and very personal for God is a person, a person we know fully in Jesus Christ.

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. - Augustine God does not love the crowd, but the person within the crowd.

He knows my name, and had I been the only person who needed to be saved, He would still have died on the cross for me.

Look up at the sky!

Who created the stars you see?

The one who leads them out like an army, he knows how many there are and calls each one by name!

-Isaiah 40:26, GNT Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

-Isaiah 49:15-16, WEB-BE

We have come to believe in God's love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. – Deus Caritas Est-Encyclical Letter, Benedict XVI

MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH CHILDLIKE STAGE When I was a child, I thought the world was in perfect order. I had dreams, and I know I could achieve them if only I tried hard enough.

I did achieve many things. I was on top of my class and I gained honors and the respect of my peers and teachers. I felt that because of this, even my future was assured because after success in school, success at work would follow, along with its financial rewards.

I would like to say that I believed in God then, but I also believed that He rewards those who help themselves and follow His commandments. I felt I was doing my part – doing my best and following His laws. I felt like a good person, an obedient child, and a diligent student.

Life had a simple formula. Do everything that is required of you and you will receive the fruits of your labors.

With the exception of certain issues, I was satisfied with my life.

DISCOVERING REALITY Starting with my High School years, I discovered many painful aspects of reality. One by one, my ideas of a perfect world fell.

It was no longer that easy to maintain high grades. It also became difficult to be accepted by others. Even when I succeed in my studies, I felt I had nothing else to offer to others but my intellect. Without being smart, who I am? Am I still likeable?

During my college years, these insecurities increased. I was able to maintain my scholarship and even to graduate Summa Cum Laude, but there was an emptiness in my heart I couldn’t fill. I felt out of place. I had no close friends.

When I started to work, these troubles lingered. I could not maintain a job for a long period of time. When I was working at a mall as branch accountant, I felt inept in carrying out my tasks.

Things got a bit better when I worked at a government office. I was able to do my job better. I think my audit responsibilities there were more aligned with my personality.

I was not burdened with responsibilities in operations. Rather, I was able to have more time to think and render my recommendations. Still, I wasn’t fully satisfied or happy. I felt I could do something more meaningful.

I was able to enjoy some aspects of out of town assignments though.

I was like a child merely beginning to see the world. I saw the beauty of nature. I saw fireflies for the first time! I saw beautiful beaches. I saw starlit skies and lovely sunsets and sunrises.

Still, I felt unhappy with myself. I felt I lacked something, like a good sense of humor that could make me likeable.

I continued to try to be a good person, to be a good friend.

But I also continued to fail. No matter how hard I tried, I failed. I couldn’t find the intimacy and friendship I was yearning for. I see now how even the best people and the best things in life can fail us. This is the start of realizing that only God cannot fail.

TIME OF TRANSITION I was able to keep my job and my way of life for quite some time (about ten years or so). It has become somewhat manageable.

Though there were still troubles, there were also good things there. I had a stable job, I was able to travel, and I was able to have some good friendships. I was even able to put up my own coffee shop, though that business lasted only for a short time. I was also able to have a boyfriend, but that relationship ended at almost the same time as my business. I experienced betrayal and heartbreaks.

Time came however when I felt I was slipping once again. I felt much unfulfilled with my work and I thought it was time to take a risk. I resigned from my job and thought of doing my internet undertakings fulltime. I also prepared for a possible life in Australia as immigrant since my visa had already been approved.

I felt happy and relieved initially for having been able to resign and finally being able to do what I thought I wanted to do – writing and earning online. I tried my best to make this endeavor work, but about two years have passed and it still wasn’t earning as much as I wanted it to. I felt insecure financially, so I decided to pursue life and career in Australia.

I felt that I already tried my best in my own country and in my online work and there is nothing more to do but to continue trying elsewhere.

I felt that this was what God was calling me to do.

INITIAL AWAKENING In between the time that I resigned and the time that I decided to go to Australia, I have slowly started to be awakened spiritually. I thought I already understood my religion, what my faith is, but during this time, I was able to understand it deeper. I felt as though the Holy Spirit is teaching me the Truth. I have asked questions and I have received answers. Not in the form of a voice or a vision. I have received it in very simple ways, such as being able to read an article or a Bible verse that exactly addresses my concern.

Still, I just KNEW it was the ANSWER to my questions. It is during this time that I was able to understand what GRACE meant.

It is like I was being taught the very basic things about my faith, things I should have known but have just started being able to understand. It’s as though my beliefs are being AFFIRMED one by one, not only through spiritual understanding, but by concrete REASON.

I believed truly that God exists, that He is Good, and that He is a Personal God. At the same time, I’ve realized how fallen human nature is and how we fall short of His goodness and perfection. That without God, all we can do is cause pain to others and ourselves. For this reason, God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to save us.

Previously, He gave us the Law, but we were incapable of fulfilling it.

So He gave us Jesus. He also gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all Truth. If we resist even this Spirit of Truth, what hope is left for us?

I’ve also been affirmed about the authenticity of the GOSPELS. It is a very strong evidence that can appeal to our reason.

All these made my soul come alive and I was happy! It’s like I have discovered a treasure that has always been waiting there all along, but I have buried it by giving more importance to earthly matters. Still, my heart has not been entirely purified. Far from it!

For I still desired financial stability, and worldly pride and I still put more weight on human relationships than I ought. And for this reason, I went to Australia.

A TIME OF LETTING GO I consider my journey to Australia as the start of one of my major purifications.

There, I was like a child again, learning everything again. I was in a very different culture with very few people I can depend upon. I have been stripped of many things. And because of this, I have also started healing in some areas.

I have started to rediscover my self- worth without the security of money or career. I was able to realize and understand some of my childhood wounds. I was also able to have affirmations on my possible calling of comforting others.

I was able to see my uniqueness. I was accepted and affirmed by others. Finally, I was able to stand up for what I believe in though it may not count for the popular opinion.

I was able to understand a bit about God’s message on Abraham’s call to depart his homeland and go the Promised land. I have felt it

related to God’s personal message to me. I did leave my homeland and went to Australia. What I couldn’t reconcile was that while I was then there and have entered a journey of personal realization about my true calling in life, it seems I have also received messages to come home again. I realized that what God was really relaying to me was not really to go to a certain place, but more importantly, to HEED HIS CALL. It is His CALL that is important, even if it urges us to get out of our comfort zones. My first comfort zone had been my homeland, which I left. But my comfort zone has turned to that new foreign land that promises a comfortable and rich life for me. If God is calling me to leave it too, in order to answer His call, then I must do as God desires.

My journey to Australia and back is indeed a time of letting go. When I went there, I let go of the presence of my family and the comfort of home and native land. When I went back, I let go of a possible abundant future in Australia. In a way, I also let go of my close companionship with a friend, who may choose to stay there for good. I let go of the possibility of bringing my family there and giving them many material things.

A TIME OF HEALING

When I got home, I started a period of healing – from the wounds I have just discovered, and from those I have yet to find.

And though I have let go of many things in my previous journey, I still have to let go of much. One of which is being successful in my chosen field of work – in writing and in being an inspirational public speaker.

In my frame of thought, I ought to succeed so that I can be a model for others to follow, so I can have the right to teach and to inspire them. But God has not allowed it. No matter how hard I worked, I did not find the success I was searching for.

Another is a cherished friendship that has been broken. seemed broken for good.

And it

I was wounded and this time, there was no one else to turn to but God. So I asked Him to heal me and help me. And God did.

Not only did God heal me. He filled my soul with life and brought me spiritual treasures I never asked nor deserved.

The time of grace and spiritual awakening which had begun before I left for Australia continued. Jesus led me to His mother and to her scapular and rosary, powerful armors that gave my soul strength.

Such also drew me away from sin, from the dangers of the occult, and from various heresies. Mama Mary taught me humility and purity, things that were far from me when I was relying on my intellectual understanding alone.

God has also led me closer to His mercy. I was able to attend and receive grace from the feast of His Divine Mercy. I was reintroduced to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I was able to avail of the grace of Confession. I was able to finish the Saturday Devotion for the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the First Friday Devotion for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, devotions with great promises of grace, especially at the hour of death. I have realized more truths. I have found the true value of the Eucharist. And I was able to personally experience God’s Love. I felt I had a glimpse of His Presence, and I thought that even if this is all that is in store for me for all eternity, I would never grow tired nor bored. It would already be heaven! How much more is what awaits us if we remain faithful in His love.

A TIME OF TRIAL Time came when I had to put into practice everything I have learned and received. When my grandmother got sick and close to death, it had been a time of crisis for my family.

During this time, I discovered more of my sinfulness and how little patience I had. I came face to face with my weaknesses and limitations. I realized more and more the frailty of our human nature and how little faith we have. If only we had more faith, we’d have suffered less.

I felt guilty many times for failing to do what I ought to do. But God’s mercy is greater, and in His mercy I relied upon.

In the end, God has helped my family go through this crisis in grace.

The last moments of my grandma is blessed, and is something that I shall always remember. Further, various affirmations that she went straight to heaven is a grace to which I shall always overflow with gratitude.

After my grandma’s death, another trial came to me personally. This is the sickness of someone very close to me. Because of this, I felt my heart would break with sorrow. Only hope in God was able to comfort me.

REST AND FORTIFICATION After my grandmother’s death, God has provided me with both rest and little trials that fortify my faith. One of these trials is the problem of whether we are going to relocate or not, with all the documentary problems and temptations. In the end, I believe God has brought us to the right solution, which is to rebuild the house grandma has left us.

Indeed, God provides for all of our needs. All these came at a time I wasn’t striving for it anymore. Had it come at a time when I was demanding such to be signs of God’s love for me, I wouldn’t have learned what true love and providence really meant.

I remember having asked God to help me know and feel that He really loves me.

I thought the solution is to bless me with earthly gifts and riches as signs of that love. But it was not answered that way.

Had it been answered that way, I would have been dependent on those signs that could easily be taken away. And once taken away, I might think God no longer loves me.

The answer God gave me was such that even sufferings can be signs of His great love for me, whose very depths and wisdom could only be fully revealed in eternity.

There were also little trials here and there. Here I got to know my weaknesses better and how little it took for me to fall back into sin. It is only God’s grace that supports me and I must be ever vigilant not to lose it nor credit any goodness to myself.

I also got concern for my health. I felt weaker and even felt like getting old. I felt more of my physical and even emotional limitations.

I feared becoming even worse than I was before being awakened spiritually. But God has helped me by giving me assurance once more of His wisdom, goodness and mercy.

He would never give us temptations and trials beyond what we can bear.

A TIME FOR PERSEVERANCE God continues to lead me closer to His love everyday. I often fall.

Many times I feel like losing the joy of my first spiritual awakenings.

But God is faithful, and He is the One who really watches over me and holds me. I know I am safe in His arms.

A HOLY EXPERIENCE God is an ocean, a fire, a living fountain...That is the essence of prayer: this contact with a living God, a God who reacts not like a simple inanimate being but like a living person, with a thrill of joy, with the gift of Himself. – Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus, OCD (Where the Spirit Breathes) I would like to share here an unforgettable experience I had while I was attending mass with my sister.

Here is how I wrote it at my journal: Had a very “blessed” moment while in St. Michael the Archangel Chapel today.

This feeling is “spiritual”. It was not caused by any physical external stimuli. I have attended mass at this chapel before without feeling this way. It couldn’t have come from the singing or music of the choir because there was nothing unusually peculiar in their singing that

time. They just sang the way they used to sing with simple ordinary songs. There was also nothing new to the outward architecture or decor of the chapel. And it also couldn’t have come from an eloquent sermon because the feeling started even before the priest started his homily.

This feeling could only be heavenly. I felt loved. I understood how God could really love me as a Father, how Jesus could love me as a Husband, how deep and true and pure His love is that even went so far as His passion and death at the cross.

PURE LOVE. Only that can make us truly Happy!

This kind of happiness is not like anything we could ever find in this world. We may feel comfortable with material things, we may be amused or excited, but we can never find this joy! The closest is the happiness we find in loving another person, but even this pales in comparison for it is never as pure.

There were a few other instances when I felt a similar level of this spiritual feeling: -when I was once praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament -when I was in a mass at our local church -after a confession It is a feeling of being blessed and loved and cleansed and purified by that love. It is communing in love without words. It is peace and contentment and being one with God. It is having the questions in your heart answered. It is being elevated in spirit. It is having FAITH. It is having a taste of eternity. It is being in the sweetness of God’s holy, gentle and loving presence.

After being enlightened much about God’s love, I have asked Him to help me know and feel it in a personal level. And He has answered my prayer!

“You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13, WEB-BE

WHEN I ASKED FOR A ROSE It was near Valentine’s Day. I was praying to God when I suddenly felt so sad. I felt so lonely. I knew that dreaded day would soon be coming when girls would soon be receiving flowers from their special someone, when they would all go about proudly carrying those flowers, certain of the sincere love of those that offered them. I haven't got any lover though. So no flowers for me, no bouquet, not even a single red rose.

It was a bit embarrassing, but I knew the Lord knew my heart and there was no point in hiding anything. I remained true to my feelings, and I asked God for something I've never asked before. I've asked Him to send me a rose, just one. I don't know how it could possibly happen, but I prayed, like a daughter asking something from her dear father. I prayed for a single red rose. I prayed for a small expression of love, a small sign that I am loved, and that I am special as well.

It was a heartfelt prayer, though I never really thought much of it the day after. I guess it was enough for me that I uttered it, and that the Lord heard me. It was already upon God's hands whether to grant the prayer of silly girls like me.

So I went through my activities for the day, attending a seminar in the morning, and meeting my bestfriend afterwards in the afternoon. My friend and I strolled at a mall for a while, and then proceeded to pick up our materials for our upcoming training out of town. After picking them up, we tried to find a ride back home. We found it difficult though, and found ourselves trying to find alternative routes.

On our way, we chanced upon a seedling bank, which we had seen many times before from the outside. A bit curious, we decided to look inside. We were amazed to see such a variety of plants wherever we proceeded. We certainly didn't expect so much there. But it turned out there was even an exhibit at that time from many skilled participants all over the country!

There were plants of all shapes and sizes, of common and rare varieties. There were beautiful flowers everywhere: gerberas, orchids, sunflowers, yellowbells, roses of all colors! Their scent enthralls the senses, their soft and vividly colored petals can't help but delight the

eyes. The presentation was just terrific, and it really felt like we've just entered an enchanted garden, far from the harsh activities of men, protected by fairies and elves that guard them night and day.

And suddenly, right in the middle of that garden, I remembered my prayer. My prayer for a single red rose. And I realized, right there and then, that that prayer had been granted far beyond how I expected it to be answered. For right before my eyes lay not just a flower, not just a rose, not just a red rose, not just a bouquet of roses, but hundreds of flowers flourishing, blooming, glorifying the God that answers all of our prayers.

I've only asked for a small emblem of care, but what I received is a mountain of flowers testifying to God's immeasurable love for me. I felt so happy. I felt so special and blessed. I believed then that no other girl was able to receive as much that Valentine's Day. No other man could have given as much. But the One who did was the One who loved me, the One who loved me enough to answer that silly prayer for a single rose.

WHAT GOD’S LOVE IS LIKE GOD’S LOVE IS: 1. Benevolent Benevolence is silent goodwill. It is like the sun shining on hard ground, softening the earth, melting the ice, but with no design or intention to heal. It is a state of naturalness which is why it works because the ground feels no debt to the sun. In the same way, to be on the receiving end of benevolence is to be receiving something for which there is no return. Not even a pressure to respond – which is why one does, so easily. – Inner Beauty God’s love is just like that. GOD’S LOVE just IS. Even without our appreciation, even without our gaze. God’s love needs no permission nor recognition in order to shine through and give its warmth to all.

Only He has that kind of benevolence.

God is not dependent upon His creatures for His happiness. He loves us but He is the Giver, not the one who expects from us something in return to fill Him back.

The only way we could somehow imitate such benevolence is when we’re able to connect to God. When we’re filled with His goodness, we’re able to give the same to others without expecting anything in return.

2. Strong God’s love is so strong that even if we fail Him again and again, His love remains steadfast and unaffected by our changing desires.

His love is also strong enough to join us not only in our happiness but even in our pain. It is not afraid to see us in our weakness and our failures. It is strong enough to allow us to make mistakes, to hurt, and to learn from them. How very different indeed from our human love that expects perfection from one another. We’re afraid to feel our loved one’s pain and so we meddle with their decisions and keep them

from being responsible for their own lives. We’d rather that they remain as babies who never grow up rather than risk falling as they learn to walk on their own.

3. Trustworthy We know God has no hidden agenda and only has our highest good in mind. He never lies to us and His words can be counted upon.

How different it is with people who often lie to us and betray us, people who keep us guessing whether they really love us or only care about themselves.

For those of us who have been hurt so deeply that we find it so difficult to trust again, only God’s love heals because it may just be the only love we’d be able to TRUST for a time.

4. Respectful God respects our freewill and does not force us to do His will even if it be far better than our desires. God is powerful but He does not manipulate us. God is everywhere but He doesn’t always reveal His presence if such will not be good for us.

God knows far better than we do and could surely accomplish a lot of things on His own, but He honors us by acknowledging the strength we have and what we can do for ourselves. He doesn’t want puppets who can do His will but who can’t appreciate and believe in His wisdom.

God's love is the kind of love that is able to respect the dignity of the person, one that is able to touch but not intrude, to help but also honor the person’s ability to help himself.

5. Wise God’s love is filled with wisdom. It knows and does what the beloved needs, not what she wants, if what she wants wouldn’t be good for her in the long run.

We in turn may be tempted to merely please other people. We think that by always doing everything others wanted us to do, we’re already loving them. True love is never blind. It sees beyond what the person asks to what a person really needs.

6. Gentle God’s love is so gentle that it could touch us in our frailty without causing us farther harm. Other people’s love seem strong, but unless gentleness be present also in that strength, we may feel threatened or even afraid to receive it. In times when we can’t even look up and extend our arms, what we need is a quiet love that merely shelters us in our moment of need, like a tree that provides just enough shade to protect us from too much rain or sun.

Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil...– 1 Corinthians 13:45(WEB) 7. Infinite God’s love is infinite. There’s always something new to discover, something fresh to surprise us and to keep us waiting for His presence. He could never bore us for there is no end to knowing Him. The more we know about His love, the more we yearn to comprehend His greatness.

8. Unchanging God’s love comforts us because His love remains the same, He is as reliable now and in the future as He had been in the past.

It is true that there is always something new to discover about Him, but He does not take back what He has already revealed about Himself.

For I, Yahweh, don’t change...– Malachi 3:6 (WEB)

9. Beautiful The beauty of God’s love is so alluring that it gives us joy. Can we ever find something more beautiful than His love?

True love is a love that is given out of the beauty of one’s heart, not out of one’s fears, guilt or emptiness.

10. Eternal We may not be able to count the number of times we wept because the love we thought we’d always have suddenly fades. Separation, abandonment and death broke our hearts and we couldn’t understand why something so beautiful had to end.

In truth, the love that we have right now is only a taste of the greater love we’d enjoy in eternity. With God’s love, we need never be afraid anymore because His love is eternal and has no end.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39 (WEB) Such is the greatness of God’s love that has been made available to all. We may not always be able to reflect that love to others, for we are all but hazy mirrors of His love at best. In times like that, let us not feel defeated for we know God can always continue His work for the people we love in ways we could never imagine for now. Only God’s love is infinite, wise and trustworthy. His LOVE shall never fail.

HOW DO I KNOW GOD LOVES ME? We crave for love, so much so that we look for it even in the worse of people who only hurt us and fail us constantly.

Somewhere at the back of our minds, a voice tells us we can find that love in God, that He has loved us ever since, and that He is the One who has really loves us most. But we doubt this voice. We feel it isn’t real, nor is the love of God which we cannot see. How can we know He loves us when we cannot even see Him?

Below are some of the things that made me realize how much I am loved, and how real God’s love really is: 1. He created me with awareness and the ability to love and be loved.

I am not a stone that does not know the things happening around it. I am not a shell that gets tossed about by the waves, unaware of whatever shore it lands upon, without consciousness of all the beauty surrounding it.

I am aware and alive. I hear the sound of the waves crashing upon the shore and it soothes my soul. I see the sunset and I marvel at God’s fingers painting that beautiful scenery everyday. I smell the flowers and I feel at peace. I walk upon the sand and their warmth comforts me.

When I hold a baby upon my arms, I feel an ability to love and to give.

I feel that I can make other people happy, and their happiness makes me glad in return.

2. He witnesses my life, my life isn’t meaningless We look for partners in life not only so that someone might love us and take care of us. We look for them because we want them to witness the life we’re living.

How important is it to have a witness to one’s life? For many, it’s the very difference between a life well lived and a meaningless one.

We all want somebody to see how far we’ve already reached, how far we’ve already grown. It’s not enough for us to be able to achieve something. We want our achievements to be remembered, to be seen, to be the cause of inspiration of another person’s life.

With God, I know that Someone’s always watching. Even if men do not understand, even if they don’t see the good that I do, Someone always does.

3. He gives me respect and allows me to be myself God respects me and allows me to be me. He loves me enough to allow me even to make mistakes. He knows that I could learn from them, and that even the hurts I would experience in life would make me a better person.

Sometimes we think that if we really love a person, we should always interfere in what they do so that they won’t make any mistakes. But by not letting them decide on their own and own the consequences of their actions, we are also not allowing them to grow. We’re also not expressing our belief in them, that they can rise up after they fall, that they can later on have the wisdom to choose what’s right.

4. He communicates with me, I know I’m not alone To be able to have someone to communicate with is to not be alone. It is to know that someone else understands what you’re saying, and that someone can respond according to His own awareness and understanding. It is not commanding an inanimate object to move according to your will. It’s being part of an intelligent and conscious exchange between two consciousness that is aware of each other.

Nobody falls in love with a puppet. A puppet merely says what you wanted him to say and moves where you wanted him to go. We want someone who has a mind of his own, someone who is just like us.

“God is an ocean, a fire, a living fountain…That is the essence of prayer:this contact with a living God, a God who reacts, not like a simple inanimate being but like a living person, with a thrill of joy, with the gift of Himself.-Where The Spirit Breathes” 5. He gives me something to look forward to, my life is far from boredom The person who is in love is far away from boredom. To her, every moment is meaningful, and every next moment is something to look forward to.

She does not know what her beloved would do next. Will he invite her out to dinner? Will he give her a bouquet of flowers? Will they watch a movie together?

It’s the same with God. We know God loves us because He forms a relationship with us. In that relationship, He gives the gift of Himself.

He pours out from a heart of love such surprises we could never have dreamed of!

6. He enlightens my mind and gives me wisdom Life is a continuous discovery of the mysterious. And when we have a relationship with God, He allows us to discover a part of Him. He reveals Himself and gives us spiritual wisdom we could never learn elsewhere.

This wisdom enlightens our mind and satisfies our thirst for spiritual food. We continuously learn new things that benefit us and other people. We are delighted with what we learn and such things can never be stolen away from us.

7. He heals my wounds and help me love myself more Only God knows me. Only He can understand my innermost wounds and fears. With His guidance, I am healed, and I am able to love myself more.

Other people have their own wounds that may cause them to avoid me when I hurt. They have desires which I cannot satisfy, expectations that I may fail to meet. With God, I am loved even if I fail, even if I can’t always be strong enough or beautiful enough. In truth, it is His love that makes me beautiful in time.

8. He receives with gladness everything I offer Him Other people may not need what I can offer them. Others may be too proud to accept help from someone like me. But God, even in all His greatness and glory receives with gladness every little offering that comes from me.

He knows what I can do. He knows the love with which I’ve made the gift I’m offering Him. And He receives the same with love and gladness, He honors me by receiving and appreciating all that I do for Him. 9. He directs my path and leads me back whenever I go astray If I were the only one who’s trying to maintain my relationship with God, I’d be in great trouble. I know my limits and imperfections. I know how often I change my mind and lose heart.

But God is so good. He cares for His sheep, and He will not allow any to be lost or stolen away. Whenever I start to lose my way, He is there to remind me of His love. He pursues me. He lets me know how much I matter. He leaves the 99 sheep behind just so He can find me and take me gently upon His arms.

10. He saved me and gave me eternal life and lasting joy Is there a greater act of love than to lay down one’s life for His beloved? There is no greater love, and this is just what God has done.

He could have just offered me the world and I would have been overwhelmed. He could have given me the entire galaxy, or a constellation of stars, but He did not stop there. I receive joy of the most precious kind, one that lasts unto eternity, one that comes from the offering Jesus made upon the cross – the offering of His own Self!

Indeed, nothing can separate us from the love of God. His love for us does not only manifest with the material things He provides for us, nor in the relationships we have with the people we love. His love is greater and far surpasses all our needs and expectations.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38:39 (WEB)

THE STORY OF JESUS The story of Jesus is a story of love. It is the story of a God leaving behind his ‘godhood’, becoming man, becoming flesh, going through the darkness so he can save those who are lost in the dark and lead them unto the Light they do not even know. It is a story that calls us to do the same, calling us to leave behind our comforts for a while so we can rescue the lost right where they are.

It is the story of the utmost kind of sacrifice, sacrificing one's own life in order to save many.

His story is the culmination of the unceasing love of God who never stopped seeking his people, who never gives up, who never fails to find a way to reach out and to make known to us the path of life.

The story of Jesus is a story of healing, both of the soul and of the body, soothing our pain and mending our wounds and our brokenness.

His is a story of acceptance, of welcoming those the world has made outcasts through its many prejudices. It is a story that discourages judgment and condemnation, a story that allows each person to be one's best possible self.

The story of Jesus is a story of empathy, of weeping with those who weep and of mourning with those who mourn. It is a reminder of the warmth each of us is being called to give to another, far different from the coldness and numbness the world has grown into, in its efforts to upheld the self above everything else.

The story of Jesus is a story of faith, of performing miracles and wonders the world could not believe in. For the world sees the mountain that stands in our way, but faith sees the power within us to move all mountains along the way.

The story of Jesus is a story of forgiveness. It is a story of releasing us from our burdens, of cleansing us from our troubled minds, of breaking free from the past so we could all make a fresh beginning.

The story of Jesus is a story urging as to FEAR NOT. In the midst of our worries, and of all the concerns that cripple us, Jesus proclaims trust upon the Father's protection and care, and of living life empowered in everything that we do.

The story of Jesus is a story of sincerity. It urges us to take off our masks and seek the truth, for it is after all in truth where we can find redemption, wisdom and enlightenment.

The story of Jesus is a story of simplicity. It is where all the commandments of Moses and the prophets have been merged and simplified into two. It is where the essence of all things have been summed up in one simple word - LOVE. The story of Jesus is a story of boldness. It is a story of standing up for what we believe in, of speaking out the truth even if the truth may hurt, even if it's not the popular choice, even if it means not being able to please everyone.

The story of Jesus is a story of joy, of celebrating life, of enjoying the company of the people we love. It is breaking bread and eating together, of talking and sharing and of walking hand in hand.

The story of Jesus is our own story, if we could dare to make it and believe. For the good news did not end with the fourth gospel. Jesus urges us to carry on. The story of Jesus calls to each and everyone of us, COME FOLLOW ME!

HOW GOD’S LOVE FILLS MY HEART WITH JOY WHAT FILLS MY HEART WITH JOY My heart is filled with joy because of God’s wonderful love for me.

Weak and small that I am, He takes notice of me and witnesses my life.

He takes me as I am and fashions me after His own glory.

He takes away my shame and my brokenness.

He heals my wounds.

He makes me beautiful and strong.

I will always look forward for that morning when He makes everything new.

Within my heart shall always dwell His voice, and I shall never be alone.

Wisdom is His constant gift, and respect, an eternal blessing as love.

Who would appreciate my small tokens of love? It is He who does not disregard my smallest efforts and my meekest prayers.

Who has planned the best things for me? It is He who has my welfare in mind for all eternity.

My short life is but a vapor that fades, but He grants me a life that never ends.

I am poor and have nothing, but mansions He has prepared for me where He is.

I cry and He wipes away my tears.

I run in grief, but He pursues me, and He wins me back with His words of love.

He shows me the value of each heartbreak, the cost of every tear.

He shows me how each sorrow can turn to joy a joy that never fades.

People may hunger now, but they shall be filled.

People may mourn, but they shall be comforted.

We shall receive far more than what we have lost, and far more than what we could ever dream about.

He is just, but He is also merciful.

He reigns from on high, yet He is never out of our reach.

He is my Father, but He is also like a Mother who loves her children each one is valuable, no one is dispensable, each one loved as though she were her only child.

I have my questions but He answers them one by one, I have my doubts, but He fills my soul with faith.

Where can I go that He cannot follow?

What wrong can I do that He cannot forgive?

There is nothing that can ever separate me away from Him, and there is no one who could take away these things that fill my heart with the Joy of Him!

GOD SEES There are times when I feel as though nobody knows what I’m going through – how sad it is, how empty how I struggle with pain that almost overpowers me.

Yes there are times when I’m tempted to think I’m all alone, but GOD SEES. There are times when I really thought I was doing something good for someone I love but then that loved one misunderstands and I feel as though every effort I’ve made were in vain.

Yes, it felt so bad and it seemed all my works were useless, but GOD SEES. How often have we wanted others to see who we truly are or what’s really going on deep down inside, but try as we might we are either rejected or passed by unnoticed as though we didn’t matter, as though we weren’t there?

For all such times and for all such hurts may we always remember that though people may fail to see and may fail to know, there is One who always knows, who knows us so intimately.

Everyone else’s eyes may go blind, but GOD SEES.

WHERE I FIT IN I can’t help it at times, if I trip when I walk Or I sing some notes out of tune.

I am not like ones you’ve seen on movie scenes – Lovely, witty and sweet.

I am not the shy underdog with a heart of gold, or that daring adventurous girl full of charm.

I fall short trying to fit in, where I cannot fit in, trying to be beautiful, trying to be good.

I look at me and I cannot see what He sees, how someone could love the likes of me.

But as I look into His eyes all I know is that I am loved, every bit of me – loved.

And I fall for Him, fearfully yet joyfully, I fall…

I let myself surrender all – my hurts, my doubts, my anger, my insecurities.

And they all vanish at the sight of Him. I am moved, I am thrilled, I am healed, every bit of me – accepted and made whole.

Without even trying to, He changes me.

Into His own likeness, He fashions me.

And I sink deeper into His affections, where I lose myself without truly being lost, where I discover another me, the one I’ve always been meant to be!

And it doesn’t matter anymore that I could never fit in anywhere else, for there I’ve found my place, for there I’ve found myself, the one He sees, the one He truly loves!

WHEN GOD PURSUED ME There was a time when I thought I was the only one seeking God. I have learned however how God has pursued me all along.

Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me.- Saint Clare of Assisi

The One Who Pursues Us It is God who pursues us who uplifts us and protects us and provides for everything we need It is God who loved us first who showers us with every good thing we do not even know All that is required of us is the faith to believe that He is there that He is our Greatest Lover the source of all that’s wonderful there is in our lives It is our part to be able to receive such a love to rejoice because we have been called because we have been found because we learn that despite the mundaneness of what we see we are special we are cherrised we are in truth God’s beloved ones.

God has protected me ever since I was a child. He provided for all my needs and became the Father who has always defended me and led me to the right path. He helped me finish my studies, and when my

earthly father died, He helped me to be the breadwinner of my family.

And all along, He has protected me spiritually. He gave me parents, relatives and friends who helped form my faith in God. He enabled me to go to a Catholic school. He allowed me to be born in a country which is predominantly Catholic where I can often attend mass or go to a Blessed Sacrament chapel nearby even when I already started working. In addition, He has also allowed me through my job to travel and see the beauty of nature where I felt ever closer to Him and His many blessings.

IN HIM ALONE You know that the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One who loves you. – Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth As God pursued me, He sometimes allowed me to be hurt, even to be disappointed by those closest to me. It is not that He wanted me to be alone or to not love others. But He wanted to draw me closer to Him and to realize how my eternal happiness is in Him alone. Only by loving Him above all else can I possibly love others more. Only by being more like Him can I possibly keep myself from hurting other people.

Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart? -Saint Gerard Majella

LEADING ME BACK IN FAITH Whenever I start to go astray, God has always been able to lead me back to Him. It’s not by force or by any threat, but always by love and by wisdom.

I can remember two major breakthroughs when God has led me back to the faith: In the first part, He has led me back to belief in Him and in Christianity.

I can summarize the major things I’ve learned in this phase in the following truths.

1. God exists 2. God is personal 3. God is good 4. The Bible contains the inspired words of God 5. Man cannot rise from sin by his own efforts 6. We are saved by faith in Jesus‘ death and resurrection.

7. Though we are saved by grace, the law had to come first to teach us what is right 8. The existence of the Holy Spirit leads us to Truth 9. All sins can be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Spirit 10. Our present sufferings are nothing compared to the eternal glory and joy that lies ahead with the New Heaven and New Earth promised

by Jesus

In the second part, He has completely led me back to the Catholic Church.

I can’t thank Him enough for His mercy in leading me back to the Catholic Church and thereby receiving so much grace.

-Being able to be strengthened by the sacraments especially by the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation -Being able to avail of many graces especially through devotions to Mary -Being guided by its teachings that help guard purity and avoid the dangers of the occult Countless indeed are the graces God has given through His Church: -Hope in the afterlife and in God. Hope that conquers despair.

-Fullness of joy in the love of God who suffers even death to give us life -Guidance with doctrines that keep us from slipping slowly and then eventually into a sinful life -Grace in the sacraments and devotions, particularly that of devotions to Mary

-Consolation even in the most painful sufferings -Meaning and purpose in life -The communion of saints -Truth and wisdom through Jesus Christ -Freedom from anxiety -Healing, both physical and spiritual, including miraculous healings -Confidence and gratitude in God's mercy

GOD’S UNIQUE CALL When the right time came, He revealed to me His personal call. One thing unfolded after another until everything came together and paved the path towards the direction my own heart has desired all along. One blessed day, it has all been summarized simply and clearly in a small page of a book I was reading: But as I mourned, behold a miracle Of grace Divine. My human love was changed To Heaven's own, and poured in healing streams On other broken hearts, while soft and clear A voice above me whispered, "Child of Mine, With comfort wherewith you are comforted, From this time forth, go comfort others, And you will know blest fellowship with Me, Whose broken heart of love has healed the world.”

-Streams in the Desert Other words and Bible verses eventually came and confirmed the path towards which I must go. Others may not understand what these verses mean or how they fit in God’s plan for my life, but He has allowed me to see how they all fall into place within His plans for me.

The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary.

He wakens morning by morning, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

-Isaiah 50:4, WEB-BE “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. – Isaiah 40, WEB-BE

“Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will respond there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

It will be in that day,” says the LORD, “that you will call me ‘my husband,’…”

-Hosea 2:14-16, WEB-BE “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth; break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says the LORD. -Isaiah 54:1, WEB-BE “Don’t be afraid; for you will not be ashamed.

Don’t be confounded; for you will not be disappointed.

For you will forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more.

For your Maker is your husband; the LORD of Armies is his name.

-Isaiah 54:4-5, WEB-BE Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear.

Forget your own people, and also your father’s house.

So the king will desire your beauty, honour him, for he is your lord.

The daughter of Tyre comes with a gift.

The rich amongst the people entreat your favour.

The princess inside is all glorious.

Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

She shall be led to the king in embroidered work.

The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you.

With gladness and rejoicing they shall be led.

They shall enter into the king’s palace.

-Psalm 45:10-15, WEB-BE

And thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be called Forsaken: and thy land shall no more be called Desolate: but thou shalt be called My pleasure in her, and thy land inhabited. Because the Lord hath been well pleased with thee… - Isaiah 62:3-4, DRA But I desire to have you to be free from cares. He who is unmarried is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife. There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. - 1 Corinthians 7:32-34, WEBBE The LORD, your God, is amongst you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17, WEB-BE Beloved My beloved is white and ruddy.

The best amongst ten thousand.

His head is like the purest gold.

His hair is bushy, black as a raven.

His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, washed with milk, mounted like jewels.

His cheeks are like a bed of spices with towers of perfumes.

His lips are like lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.

His hands are like rings of gold set with beryl.

His body is like ivory work overlaid with sapphires.

His legs are like pillars of marble set on sockets of fine gold.

His appearance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

His mouth is sweetness; yes, he is altogether lovely.

This is my beloved, and this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.

-Song of Solomon 5:10-16, WEBBE The Lord GOD’s Spirit is on me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the humble.

He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…

-Isaiah 61:1-3, WEB-BE I have grown in Wisdom since first I found her, and I will never be without her.Because I was driven by the desire to find her, I have been richly rewarded. The Lord gave me a gift for words, and I have used it in his praise...Do your duty at the proper time, and the Lord, at the time he thinks proper, will give you your reward.-Sirach 51, GNT But it is different with the person who devotes himself to studying the Law of the Most High. He examines the wisdom of all the ancient writers and concerns himself with the prophecies. He memorizes the sayings of famous men and is a skilled interpreter of parables. He studies the hidden meaning of proverbs and is able to discuss the obscure points of parables. Great people call on him for his services, and he is seen in the company of rulers. He travels to foreign lands in his efforts to learn about human good and evil. It is his practice to get up early and pray aloud to the Lord his Creator, asking the Most High to forgive his sins. Then, if the great Lord is willing, he will be filled with understanding. He will pour out a stream of wise sayings, and give thanks to the Lord in prayer. He will have knowledge to share and good advice to give, as well as insight into the Lord's secrets. He will demonstrate his learning in what he teaches, and his pride will be in the Lord's Law and covenant. – Sirach 39:1-8, GNT Be strong and courageous, and do it. Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed; for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of the LORD’s house is finished. - 1 Chronicles 28:20, WEBBE And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity. He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God

for your gifts which they receive from us. For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else. And so with deep affection they will pray for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown you. Let us thank God for his priceless gift! - 2 Corinthians 9:10-15, GNT Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness. - Mother Teresa My daughter, I assure you of a permanent income on which you will live. Your duty will be to trust completely in my goodness, and my duty will be to give you all you need. I am making Myself dependent upon your trust: if your trust is great, then My generosity will be without limit. - Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul I also remember one of the first clues I had years before. It came through a very simple excerpt from a book written by an author I admire.

Only love heals,and My love in you shall heal many. Allow me to use you in ways at which you yourself shall be astonished. You need not produce dramatic miracles,for you need only your kindness and courage. People shall go to you from afar to be spiritually and emotionally restored in the quiet waters of your friendship.

- Bo Sanchez, Embraced

A REFLECTION OF HIS LOVE To have faith is to make space for God’s love, to make space for his power, for God’s power. Not for the power of a powerful person, but for the power of one who loves me, who is in love with me and who wants to rejoice with me. This is faith. This is believing: making space for the Lord so that he can come and change me. – Pope Francis

What I’ve Learned From Pope Francis Pope Francis visited the Philippines from January 15 to 19, 2015. He visited both Manila and Leyte. During this time, it’s as though time stopped for this country. A holiday was declared, many roads were closed. The media coverage was non-stop. All eyes were on the Pope as though God Himself has visited this nation.

I was not able to see him personally, but even from afar, I can attest that I have been very blessed. The whole nation has been blessed!

Lord, I have seen your salvation. And it belonged to those whose hearts are like those of little children!

As I’ve watched on television the motorcades, the encounters and the homilies of Pope Francis, God has made me understand many things, things I couldn’t grasp even with long hours of study, thinking or imagination.

Through Pope Francis, I was able to understand Jesus more, how He was like when He walked the earth with His disciples.

Through His representative on earth, I was able to see Him better, as an image is made clearer if we saw it through a mirror that is clean and clear.

If the Pope, who is but a mirror of His image, could reflect such a great intensity of love, how much more if we saw Jesus face to face! If the Pope’s sincere gestures could evoke in us a gratitude and an awe at God’s mercy, how much more the infinite and unfathomable passion and suffering of Jesus Christ at the cross!

Indeed, it’s as though my spiritual eyes have suddenly been opened and I saw how God has saved His people, how He is even now constantly saving us.

God’s mercy is so great that He reaches out to the furthest corners of the earth. His mercy is so great that no darkness can overcome it! He has brought Light to the world and He seeks to bring His Light to the darkness where we are.

He is like the Pope who comes to comfort, inspire and console. He comes to meet us right where we are, in our emptiness and in our poverty, in our sickness and in our pain. Though we are in the midst of a fierce storm, He goes with us to make us feel that we are never alone.

God’s salvation is not such that He will immediately bring us out of this painful world. It is not that He would answer every question of ours. His Salvation comes through His presence, a presence that goes with us through our most painful sufferings.

God’s salvation comes through a Person, in the Person of Jesus Christ. In Him is love and beauty. In Him is mercy and compassion and kindness. In Him is a heart that knows how to weep with those who hurt.

We can argue with many things and fill our minds and our mouths with eloquent words and reasoning. But nothing can compare to the presence of the One who saves us!

For those who suffer, it is enough to see Christ. Words are sometimes silent. A warm embrace is enough. A glance of love is more than enough.

And we come to Him. We who are poor. We who are sick. We who are but beggars of His mercy and love. We come to Him like little children!

How hungry we all are for His love! How hungry we all are for His light!

And so we flock to Him. We follow Him wherever He goes because we know now that He is the Bread that can fill the hunger of our souls!

Once we see what we need, Who we need, an intense longing is stirred within our hearts that can never be quenched until we have found full possession of Him who is our salvation. When we finally know who can give us life and meaning and wholeness, we would gladly give away everything because everything else counts us nothing compared to the riches of Him who alone can give us joy!

And God so desires to give us Himself that nothing could prevent Him from saving us but our own pride.

Pride alone hinders us, because even when some see Him, His goodness and His mercy, His light and His truth, they choose to turn away and prefer their darkness over His light. Instead of rejoicing at His salvation, they grumble and prefer to exclude themselves from happiness. Instead of being enlightened with wisdom and truth, they choose to believe in their own lies.

And so it is that the humble are blessed. For it is the humble and the little children, the beggars and the sick, the old and the weak who ardently seek the face of Jesus. We don’t come to God with our selfsufficiency, with expectations of praise for our good works or our eloquent words. We come to Him empty-handed and willing to be filled! We come to Him because we love Him and because we know that He loves us.

Meanwhile, the rich and the strong think they have no need of Him. The self-righteous also are blinded by their own illusions of righteousness that they fail to see what true holiness means.

What do we expect God to do or to show us that we may believe? We may hear great words of wisdom. We may see true works of charity.

We may witness sincere sacrifice out of pure love and mercy. We may see the deaf hear and the lame walk and even the dead to rise again to life, yet still not believe because of our pride and hypocrisy.

God seeks us all, but are we willing to be found? God desires to love us all, but are we willing to be loved?

Are we willing to strip ourselves of our self-centeredness so we can finally focus our eyes on Him who alone can bring us joy?

“The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one… If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” – John 10:25-30, 37-38, WEB-BE “Do you feel self-sufficient, and only offer something and think you have no need of anything? Do you know that you, too, are poor? Do you know the need to receive? Do you let yourselves be evangelized by the ones you serve?” – Pope Francis

QUOTES FROM REVELATIONS TO ST. BRIDGET Although I am now so despised, nevertheless I am still so merciful that I will forgive the sins of any who ask for my mercy and who humble themselves, and I shall free them from the evil thief.

If you want to love me with your whole heart and to desire nothing but me, I will draw you to me through charity, just like a magnet or lodestone draws iron to itself. I will lay you on my arm, which is so strong that no one can stretch it out and so rigid that no one can bend it back once outstretched. It is so sweet that it surpasses every fragrance and cannot be compared with the delights of this world.

For only a person who loves shall enter the kingdom of heaven.

I did not want humanity to serve me out of fear or be compelled to do so like an irrational animal but out of love for God, because no one who serves me unwillingly or out of the fear of punishment can see my face.

My will is still the same as it was when I hung upon the cross.

I am the same now as I was then, when I forgave the thief his

sins upon his asking for mercy and opened for him the gates of heaven.

I protect those who trust in me with my power; I refresh them with my mercy; I hold them with my patience; I visit them with my solace; I enlighten them with my wisdom; I reward them a hundredfold with my love.

QUOTES FROM THE DIARY OF DIVINE MERCY Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you.

How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart.

I desire to enter into your heart.

I am not surrounded by a retinue or guards. You can come to me at any moment, at any time ; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace .

For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross ; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance , thus opening wide the source of mercy for you.

Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child, to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain of Life whatever your heart desires.

What joy fills My Heart when you return to me . Because you are weak, I take you in My arm s and carry you to the home of My Father.

Tell me all, My child, hide nothing from Me , because My loving Heart, the Heart of your Best Friend, is listening to you.

Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart?

Learn from this that no one will understand a soul entirely-that is beyond human ability. Therefore, I have remained on earth to comfort your aching heart and to fortify your soul, so that you will not falter on the way.

A suffering soul is closest to My Heart.

My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for My kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing.

I want to give myself to souls and to fill them with My love, but few there are who want to accept all the graces My love has intended for them.

OTHER QUOTES ON GOD’S LOVE How gently and lovingly you wake in my heart, where in secret you dwell alone; and in your sweet breathing, filled with good and glory, how tenderly you swell my heart with love.

-St. John of the Cross The glory of heaven consists in seeing and loving God face-to-face... – St. Alphonsus How did Jesus love us? He became living bread that you and I might eat, that we might live. He became so small and so weak in order to meet our hunger for God. Bread, just bread, the simplest of all food to the point that even a child can eat it and understand it. – Mother Teresa, Heart of Joy It’s Jesus’ home and Jesus welcomes [all]. But not only does He welcome, He goes out to see people just as He went out to find this

man. And if people are hurt, what does Jesus do? Scold them because they are hurt? No, He comes and He carries them on His shoulders. – Pope Francis "If all were to know how beautiful Jesus is and how loving He is! They would all die of love. And yet, how is it that He is so little loved?" – St. Gemma Galgani God's passionate love for his people—for humanity—is at the same time a forgiving love. It is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice. Here Christians can see a dim prefigurement of the mystery of the Cross: so great is God's love for man that by becoming man he follows him even into death, and so reconciles justice and love. – Deus Caritas Est-Encyclical Letter, Benedict XVI It is not because I have been preserved from mortal sin that I lift up my heart to God in trust and love. I feel that even had I on my conscience every crime one could commit, I should lose nothing of my confidence: my heart broken with sorrow, I would throw myself into the Arms of my Saviour. I know that He loves the Prodigal Son, I have heard His words to St. Mary Magdalen, to the woman taken in adultery, and to the woman of Samaria. No one could frighten me, for I know what to believe concerning His Mercy and His Love.

And I know that all that multitude of sins would disappear in an instant, even as a drop of water cast into a flaming furnace. – St. Therese of Lisieux

Who do you want to love, if you do not want to love Jesus?" – St. Gemma Galgani When Jesus speaks in his parables of the shepherd who goes after the lost sheep, of the woman who looks for the lost coin, of the father who goes to meet and embrace his prodigal son, these are no mere words: they constitute an explanation of his very being and activity. His death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him. This is love in its most radical form. – Deus Caritas Est-Encyclical Letter, Benedict XVI

Let us ... remember Peter: three times he denied Jesus, precisely when he should have been closest to him; and when he hits bottom he meets the gaze of Jesus who patiently, wordlessly, says to him: "Peter, don't be afraid of your weakness, trust in Me." Peter understands, he feels the loving gaze of Jesus and he weeps. How beautiful is this gaze of Jesus — how much tenderness is there! Brothers and sisters, let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God! – Pope Francis I am thirsty, said Jesus on the cross... His thirst was not for water but for love. – Mother Teresa, Heart of Joy Before His gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with Him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves... His gaze, the touch of His heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of His love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God.- Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi It is not easy to entrust oneself to God's mercy, because it is an abyss beyond our comprehension. But we must! ... "Oh, I am a great sinner!"

"All the better! Go to Jesus: He likes you to tell him these things!" He forgets, He has a very special capacity for forgetting. He forgets, He kisses you, He embraces you and He simply says to you: "Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more" (Jn 8:11). – Pope Francis It seems to me that if everyone were to receive such favours God would be feared by none, but loved to excess; that no one would ever commit the least wilful fault—and this through love, not fear. Yet all souls cannot be alike. It is necessary that they should differ from one another in order that each Divine Perfection may receive its special honour. To me, He has given His Infinite Mercy, and it is in this ineffable mirror that I contemplate his other attributes.

Therein all appear to me radiant with Love. His Justice, even more perhaps than the rest, seems to me to be clothed with Love. What joy to think that Our Lord is just, that is to say, that He takes our weakness into account, that He knows perfectly the frailty of our nature! Of what, then, need I be afraid? Will not the God of Infinite

Justice, Who deigns so lovingly to pardon the sins of the Prodigal Son, be also just to me "who am always with Him"? - St. Therese of Lisieux

BIBLE VERSES ON GOD’S LOVE OLD TESTAMENT QUOTES The Lord GOD’s Spirit is on me; because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the humble.

He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning…

-Isaiah 61:1-3 (WEB) For the Lord is sweet, his mercy endureth for ever, and his truth to generation and generation. – Psalm 100:5 He hath not dealt with us according to our sins: nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For according to the height of the heaven above the earth: he hath strengthened his mercy towards them that fear him. – Psalm 103:10-11 But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity upon them that fear him: And his justice unto children's children… - Psalm 103:17 But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn’t forsake them. Yes, when they had made themselves a molten calf, and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed awful blasphemies; yet you in your manifold mercies didn’t forsake them in

the wilderness. The pillar of cloud didn’t depart from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither did the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go. You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and didn’t withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.

“Yes, forty years you sustained them in the wilderness. They lacked nothing. Their clothes didn’t grow old, and their feet didn’t swell.

Moreover you gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you allotted according to their portions. So they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.

You also multiplied their children as the stars of the sky, and brought them into the land concerning which you said to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.

“So the children went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they pleased. They took fortified cities and a rich land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns dug out, vineyards, and olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled, became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.”

-NEHEMIAH 9:17-25, WEB-BE “You shall not take advantage of any widow or fatherless child. If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry… - EXODUS 22:22-23, WEB-BE JONAH God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?”

He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.”

The LORD said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not laboured, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night. Shouldn’t I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand

persons who can’t discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much livestock?”

-JONAH 4:9-11, WEB-BE “Yet even now,” says the LORD, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”

Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to the LORD, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.

-JOEL 2:12-13, WEB-BE Tell them, ‘“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, house of Israel?”’ – EZEKIEL 33:11, WEB-BE Because God made not death; Neither delights he when the living perish: For he created all things that they might have being: And the generative powers of the world are healthsome, And there is no poison of destruction in them: Nor has Hades royal dominion upon earth, For righteousness is immortal: But ungodly men by their hands and their words called death to them: Deeming him a friend they consumed away, And they made a covenant with him, Because they are worthy to be of his portion.

-WISDOM 1:13-16, WEB-BE Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.

Let him return to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

-ISAIAH 55:7-9, WEB-BE …if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14, WEB-BE “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth; break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says the LORD. – ISAIAH 54:1, WEB-BE “Don’t be afraid; for you will not be ashamed.

Don’t be confounded; for you will not be disappointed.

For you will forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more. For your Maker is your husband; the LORD of Armies is his name.

-ISAIAH 54:4-5, WEB-BE “For a small moment I have forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you.

In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

“For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my loving kindness will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will not be removed,” says the LORD who has mercy on you.

-ISAIAH 54:7-10, WEB-BE “Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope;

and she will respond there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

It will be in that day,” says the LORD, “that you will call me ‘my husband,’ and no longer call me ‘my master.’

-HOSEA 2:14-16, WEB-BE I will betroth you to me forever.

Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and in compassion.

I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD. -HOSEA 2:19-20, WEB-BE I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘My God!’” -HOSEA 2:23, WEB-BE Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD has taken away your judgements. He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is amongst you. You will not be afraid of evil any more. In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid, Zion. Don’t let your hands be weak.” The LORD, your God, is amongst you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

-ZEPHANIAH 3:14-17, WEB-BE Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you, and I will save those who are lame, and gather those who were driven away. I will give them praise and honour, whose shame has been in all the earth. At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will give you honour and praise amongst all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD. – ZEPHANIAH 3:19-20, WEB-BE

NEW TESTAMENT QUOTES For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. – JOHN 3:16-17, WEB-BE Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” – LUKE 23:34, WEB-BE But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus… – Ephesians 2:4-7, WEB Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted

by God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, WEB THE LOST SHEEP He told them this parable. “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?

When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. – LUKE 15:3-7, WEB-BE THE LOST COIN Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until

she found it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.” – LUKE 15:8-10, WEB-BE THE PRODIGAL SON He said, “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and travelled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.

But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’

“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.

-LUKE 15:11-24, WEB-BE THE REPENTANT THIEF One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”

But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

-LUKE 23:39-43, WEB-BE THE WOMAN AND THE TWO DEBTORS One of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered into the Pharisee’s house, and sat at the table. Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

He said, “Teacher, say on.”

“A certain lender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they couldn’t pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most?”

Simon answered, “He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most.”

He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet.

You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are

forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

-LUKE 7:36-50, WEB-BE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle, they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?” They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of.

But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin amongst you, let him throw the first stone at her.” Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.

They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

-JOHN 8:2-11, WEB-BE

ALABASTER JAR

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when his disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”

However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for me. For you always have the poor with you; but you don’t always have me. For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”

-MATTHEW 26:6-13, WEB-BE MARY AND MARTHA As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone?

Ask her therefore to help me.”

Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

-LUKE 10:38-42, WEB LITTLE CHILDREN Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them, and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one

of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

-MATTHEW 18:2-6, WEB-BE SERMON ON THE MOUNT Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He opened his mouth and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

-MATTHEW 5:1-11, WEB-BE SHEEP AND GOATS “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the

world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,‡ you did it to me.’ –MATTHEW 25:31-40, WEB-BE THE GOOD SAMARITAN Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’

Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”

He said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

-LUKE 10:30-37, WEB THE WIDOW’S SON Soon afterwards, he went to a city called Nain. Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude, went with him. Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city

were with her. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Don’t cry.” He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” He who was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.

-LUKE 7:11-15, WEB LAZARUS Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?”

They told him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus wept. …

“Father, I thank you that you listened to me. I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude that stands around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, “Free him, and let him go.”

JOHN 11:31-35,42-44 WEB

JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE

Jesus went out, and he saw a great multitude. He had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When evening had come, his disciples came to him, saying, “This place is deserted, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food.”

But Jesus said to them, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

They told him, “We only have here five loaves and two fish.”

He said, “Bring them here to me.” He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes. They all ate, and were filled.

-MATTHEW 14:14-20, WEB JESUS HEALS ON A SABBATH He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day.

Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up. When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God. The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!”

Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water? Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

-LUKE 13:10-16, WEB THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

-JOHN 4:7-10, WEB BE PERFECT “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.

For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

-MATTHEW 5:38-46, WEB-BE

FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

-LUKE 17:1-4, WEB-BE LOVE YOUR ENEMIES “But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also.

Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again.

“As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind towards the unthankful and evil.

“Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.

Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged.

Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned.

Set free, and you will be set free.

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”

LUKE 6:27-38, WEB-BE FORGIVE Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. – MARK 11:25, WEB-BE THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven. Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’

The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

“But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

“So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’ He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.

So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done.

Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’

His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he

should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”

-MATTHEW 18:21-35, WEB-BE REVELATIONS I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”

-REVELATIONS 21:1-4, WEB

CLOSER TO JESUS IN SUFFERING “A suffering soul is closest to My Heart.” - Jesus to St. Faustina “Suffering will never be completely absent from our lives. So don’t be afraid of suffering. Your suffering is a great means of love, if you make use of it, especially if you offer it for peace in the world. Suffering in and of itself is useless, but suffering that is shared with the passion of Christ is a wonderful gift and a sign of love. Christ’s suffering proved to be a gift, the greatest gift of love, because through his suffering our sins were atoned for. Suffering, pains sorrow, humiliation, feelings of loneliness, are nothing but the kiss of Jesus, a sign that you have come so close that He can kiss you.” – Mother Teresa “Your tears were collected by the angels and were placed in a golden chalice, and you will find them when you present yourself before God.” – St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

“Time is but a shadow, a dream; already God sees us in Glory and takes joy in our eternal beatitude. How this thought helps my soul. I understand then why he lets us suffer.” -St. Therese of Lisieux

WOUNDS LEAD US TO JESUS The wounds in our hearts are but openings by which the healing love of God can enter in…

It is not during the times when we were most confident that we experience the deepest intimacy. It is not when we feel most beautiful that we feel the most loved.

On the contrary, it is during the times when we are most down that we feel the warmest embrace. It is during the times when we feel most repulsive that we feel most accepted and cared for.

Our wounds are quite often the very keys that open the path towards true happiness. It is there when we learn what sincerity is, and what true sacrifice means.

Jesus comes right when we feel we do not deserve His gifts.

He carries us in His arms and saves us. In our darkest hour, He provides the light and grants us the happiness we have long been searching for.

Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping, and the Jews that were come with her, weeping, groaned in the spirit, and troubled himself, And said: Where have you laid him? They say to him: Lord, come and see. And Jesus wept. – John 11:33-35, DRA Within thy wounds hide me. – Anima Christi

THREE TYPES OF WOUNDS 1. WOUNDS FROM THE WORLD Being hurt and disappointed from earthly things has taught me that the world could never really satisfy my soul. It could never provide for me the happiness I desire. God sometimes allows us

to be hurt so we can at last let go of the things that will only continue to disappoint us, so we could look for Him. Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart? - Saint Gerard Majella 2. WOUNDS FROM THE SELF “Without God, we can spread only pain and suffering around us.”

- Mother Teresa It is not only the world that disappoint us. We also disappoint ourselves. And we become the source of pain of other people, especially those closest to us.

Only God can rescue us from ourselves. Only God can change us so that we can finally stop hurting those we love the most. This includes not only people, but Jesus Himself whom we hurt with each sin, each fall.

“See what I was in myself and by myself. I had destroyed myself, but He who made me remade me.” - St. Augustine 3. WOUNDS FROM THINGS DIVINE Our expectations are often shattered not only by the world, but especially from those whom we see as those who should represent God. This includes the Church and the imperfect people within it.

Seeing these fall can cause us to leave even our belief in God. But this can also lead us into a deeper faith. For are we here to please men or to please God? No one is perfect. We are all yet to be purified so we can see God. One day God will complete the good work He began in us, but until then, we are urged to walk in patience with each other and not expect from others what we can only expect from God.

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:10, WEB “People do not accept Christ because of love for the Church but they accept the Church because of love for Christ, even a Church disfigured by the sin of its many representatives...” Pope Francis

AGAINST SCRUPLES AND DESPAIR “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” (Pope St. John Paul II, World Youth Day 2002, Closing Homily) "Think about it. God thought of you and in the thinking loved you.

Because of His love you are. Because of His love you will always exist." - Deacon Michael Bickerstaff “Christ says: I know you through and through – I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to me, I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you – even in your wanderings.

I know every one of your problems. I know your need and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you – not for what you have or haven’t done – I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity my Father gave you by creating you in his own image.” ― Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living Whenever you feel guilty, even if it is because you have consciously committed a sin, a serious sin, something you have kept doing many, many times, never let the devil deceive you by allowing him to discourage you. Whenever you feel guilty, offer all your guilt to the

Immaculate, without analyzing it or examining it, as something that belongs to her…

My beloved, may every fall, even if it is serious and habitual sin, always become for us a small step toward a higher degree of perfection.

In fact, the only reason why the Immaculate permits us to fall is to cure us from our self-conceit, from our pride, to make us humble and thus make us docile to the divine graces.

The devil, instead, tries to inject in us discouragement and internal depression in those circumstances, which is, in fact, nothing else than our pride surfacing again.

If we knew the depth of our poverty, we would not be at all surprised by our falls, but rather astonished, and we would thank God, after sinning, for not allowing us to fall even deeper and still more frequently.

-ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE Someone complained to Padre Pio of being excessively distressed by sins he had committed. Padre Pio replied: “That which you feel is pride; it is the demon which inspires you with this sentiment, it is not true sorrow.” The penitent replied: “Father, how can you then distinguish what comes from the heart and is inspired by Our Lord, and that which instead is inspired by the devil?” “You will distinguish it,” replied Padre Pio, “always by this: The spirit of God is a spirit of peace, and also in the case of grave sin, it makes us feel tranquil sorrow, humble, confident, and this is due precisely to His mercy. The spirit of the demon, on the contrary, excites, exasperates, and makes us in our sorrow feel something like anger against ourselves, whereas our first charity must be to ourselves, and so if certain thoughts agitate you, this agitation never comes from God, who gives tranquility, being the Spirit of Peace. Such agitation comes from the devil.” – Padre Pio

“Even if you were to commit all the sins in the world, Jesus would repeat to you: “Many of your sins are forgiven because you have loved much.” – Padre Pio In the persons who go from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy is commonly used to propose to them apparent pleasures, making them imagine sensual delights and pleasures in order to hold them more and make them grow in their vices and sins. In these persons the good spirit uses the opposite method, pricking them and biting their consciences through the process of reason. In the persons who are going on intensely cleansing their sins and rising from good to better in the service of God our Lord, it is the method contrary to that in the first Rule, for then it is the way of the evil spirit to bite, sadden and put obstacles, disquieting with false reasons, that one may not go on; and it is proper to the good to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, easing, and putting away all obstacles, that one may go on in well doing. – St. Ignatius “The confessor must try to get across to the scrupulous person that God does not weigh every last detail of our lives. We try as best we can not to offend God, and then leave the rest to God’s mercy.

We admit that we cannot save ourselves without the help of God’s grace, and so we pray for grace with perseverance, confidence and peace of mind.” – St. Alphonsus, Guide for Confessors “Love can only be lost by disregarding it and letting it waste away.

This is true about love for God, as well as love for other human beings.

Any person who has deliberately chosen to reject God is completely clear about it: by robbing a bank, planning a murder and engaging in other such serious matters. But love is not wiped out by the little faults of everyday life. - Father Farnik, C.Ss.R. …the scrupulous person for one reason or another, has a negative image of God. A negative image of God does not inspire trust but rather fear and dread. In Jesus Christ we are able to glimpse the true image of God: a God who loves and heals and saves. It is in that God, the God revealed to us by Jesus, that we can and should place all of our trust.- Understanding Scrupulosity by Thomas M. Santa, C.Ss.R.

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them– every day begin the task anew. – Francis de Sales “Moreover, imperfections and venial sins cannot destroy our spiritual life, which is only to be lost through mortal sin; consequently we have only need to watch well that they do not imperil our courage. David continually asks the Lord to strengthen his heart against cowardice and discouragement; and it is our privilege in this war that we are certain to vanquish so long as we are willing to fight.” - St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life The Mother of fair love will rid your heart of all scruples and inordinate servile fear. She will open and enlarge it to obey the commandments of her Son with alacrity and with the holy freedom of the children of God. She will fill your heart with pure love of which she is the treasury. You will then cease to act as you did before, out of fear of the God who is love, but rather out of pure love. You will look upon him as a loving Father and endeavour to please him at all times.

You will speak trustfully to him as a child does to its father. If you should have the misfortune to offend him you will abase yourself before him and humbly beg his pardon. You will offer your hand to him with simplicity and lovingly rise from your sin. Then, peaceful and relaxed and buoyed up with hope you will continue on your way to him. -St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary True, the light shed by Jesus into Judas’ soul was not completely extinguished. He does take a step toward conversion: “I have sinned”, he says to those who commissioned him. He tries to save Jesus, and he gives the money back (Mt 27:3-5)… His second tragedy – after the betrayal – is that he can no longer believe in forgiveness. His remorse turns to despair. Now he sees only himself and his darkness; he no longer sees the light of Jesus, which can illumine and overcome the darkness. He shows us the wrong type of remorse: the type that is unable to hope, that sees only its own darkness, the type that is destructive and in no way authentic.

Genuine remorse is marked by the certainty of hope born of faith in the superior power of the light that was made flesh in Jesus. – Joseph Ratzinger The tyranny of the image of the perfect Christian leads to its own type of depression, a depression that swirls around the fear that God doesn’t love those who don’t live up to “my” – not God’s – expectations. By confusing God’s expectations with our own, we are led to a sense of failure and defeatism. We expect perfection of ourselves (“God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest and unfaithful in marriage, like other people,”cf. Lk 18:11).

God, instead, extends the gift of reconciliation. – Kathryn J. Hermes, Surviving Depression Then the Lord answered: “If I am so merciful, then, that I do not refuse pardon to anyone asking for it, ask me humbly for mercy yourself, and I will give it to you.” The devil answered him: “That I shall do by no means! At the time of my fall, a punishment was established for every sin, for every worthless thought or word. Every spirit that has fallen will have his punishment. But rather than bend my knee before you, I would rather swallow all the punishments myself, as long as my mouth can open and shut in punishment and be forever renewed to be punished again.” -St. Bridget, Revelations to St. Bridget For you know well that many who are involved with many heavy sins become very contrite before their death, whose contrition may be so perfect that not only their sin is forgiven them, but also the pain of Purgatory, if they die in the same contrition. – Revelations to St. Bridget Now at the time of death, since she cannot get out of My hands, she begins to see, and therefore is gnawed with remorse, seeing that her own sin has brought her into so great evil. But if the soul have light to know and grieve for her fault, not on account of the pain of Hell that follows upon it, but on account of pain at her offense against Me, who am Supreme and Eternal Good, still she can find mercy. But if she pass the Bridge of death without light, and alone, with the worm of conscience, without the hope of the Blood, and bewailing herself more on account of her first condemnation than on account of My

displeasure, she arrives at eternal damnation. And then she is reproved cruelly by My Justice of injustice and of false judgment, and not so much of general injustice and false judgment which she has practiced generally in all her works, but much more on account of the particular injustice and false judgment which she practices at the end, in judging her misery greater than My mercy. This is that sin which is neither pardoned here nor there, because the soul would not be pardoned, depreciating My mercy. Therefore is this last sin graver to Me than all the other sins that the soul has committed. Wherefore the despair of Judas displeased Me more, and was more grave to My Son than was his betrayal of Him. -ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA, Dialogue If the greatest sinner on earth should repent at the moment of death, and draw his last breath in an act of love, neither the many graces he has abused, nor the many sins he had committed would stand in his way. Our Lord would receive him into His mercy. – St. Therese of Lisieux You do not have enough trust. You have too much fear before the good God. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. You should not fear Purgatory because of the suffering there, but should instead ask that you not deserve to go there in order to please God, Who so reluctantly imposes this punishment. As soon as you try to please Him in everything and have an unshakable trust He purifies you every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. And then you can be sure that you will not have to go to Purgatory. – St. Therese of Lisieux It is not because I have been preserved from mortal sin that I lift up my heart to God in trust and love. I feel that even had I on my conscience every crime one could commit, I should lose nothing of my confidence: my heart broken with sorrow, I would throw myself into the Arms of my Saviour. I know that He loves the Prodigal Son, I have heard His words to St. Mary Magdalen, to the woman taken in adultery, and to the woman of Samaria. No one could frighten me, for I know what to believe concerning His Mercy and His Love. And I know

that all that multitude of sins would disappear in an instant, even as a drop of water cast into a flaming furnace. – St. Therese of Lisieux If I saw the gates of Hell open and I stood on the brink of the abyss, I should not despair, I should not lose hope of mercy, because I should trust in Thee, my God. – St. Gemma Galgani Men may deprive me of property and honour; sickness may take away my strength and other means of serving You; I may even lose Your grace by sin; but never, never will I lose my hope in You. I will cherish it unto that dreadful moment when all hell will be unchained to snatch my soul away. "No one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded” - St. Claude de la Colombiere God is so good and merciful, that to obtain Heaven it is sufficient to ask it of Him from our hearts. – St Benedict Joseph Labre However wicked I may be, however great a sinner, I must hope that I should go to heaven. You forbid me to despair. – Venerable Charles de Foucauld “The man who is not afraid to admit everything that he sees to be wrong with himself, and yet recognizes that he may be the object of God’s love precisely because of his shortcomings, can be sincere. His sincerity is based on confidence, not in his illusions about himself, but in the endless, unfailing mercy of God.” – Thomas Merton “The wise man has struggled to find You in his wisdom, and he has failed. The just man has striven to grasp You in his own justice, and he has gone astray. But the sinner, suddenly struck by the lightning of mercy that ought to have been justice, falls down in adoration of Your holiness: for he had seen what kings desired to see and never saw, what prophets foretold and never gazed upon, what the men of ancient times grew weary of expecting when they died. He has seen that Your love is so infinitely good that it cannot be the object of a human bargain.” ― Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

It is not easy to entrust oneself to God's mercy, because it is an abyss beyond our comprehension. But we must! ... "Oh, I am a great sinner!"

"All the better! Go to Jesus: He likes you to tell him these things!" He forgets, He has a very special capacity for forgetting. He forgets, He kisses you, He embraces you and He simply says to you: "Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more" (Jn 8:11). – Pope Francis Let us ... remember Peter: three times he denied Jesus, precisely when he should have been closest to him; and when he hits bottom he meets the gaze of Jesus who patiently, wordlessly, says to him: "Peter, don't be afraid of your weakness, trust in Me." Peter understands, he feels the loving gaze of Jesus and he weeps. How beautiful is this gaze of Jesus — how much tenderness is there! Brothers and sisters, let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God! – Pope Francis I am always struck when I reread the parable of the merciful Father. ...

The Father, with patience, love, hope and mercy, had never for a second stopped thinking about [his wayward son], and as soon as he sees him still far off, he runs out to meet him and embraces him with tenderness, the tenderness of God, without a word of reproach... God is always waiting for us, He never grows tired. Jesus shows us this merciful patience of God so that we can regain confidence and hope — always! – Pope Francis Let us never forget, whether as penitents or as confessors: there is no sin that God cannot forgive; not one. – Pope Francis It’s Jesus’ home and Jesus welcomes [all]. But not only does He welcome, He goes out to see people just as He went out to find this man. And if people are hurt, what does Jesus do? Scold them because they are hurt? No, He comes and He carries them on His shoulders. – Pope Francis "We are all sinners. But God heals us with an abundance of grace, mercy and tenderness." - Pope Francis

However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience, for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. – 1 Timothy 1:16, WEB God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13, WEB-BE “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you! -Isaiah 49:15, WEB-BE

Conversation of God with a Depressed Soul Jesus: O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost.

Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy.

-But the soul, deaf even to this appeal, wraps itself in darkness.

Jesus calls out again: My child, listen to the voice of your merciful Father.

-In the soul arises this reply: “For me there is no mercy,” and it falls into greater darkness, a despair which is a foretaste of hell and makes it unable to draw near to God. Jesus calls to the soul a third time, but the soul remains deaf and blind, hardened and despairing. Then the mercy of God begins to exert itself, and, without any co-operation from the soul, God grants it final grace. If this too is spurned, God will leave the soul in this selfchosen disposition for eternity. This grace emerges from the merciful Heart of Jesus and gives the soul a special light by means of which the soul begins to understand God’s effort; but conversion depends on its own will. The soul knows that this, for her, is final grace and, should it show even a flicker of good will, the mercy of God will accomplish the rest.

-Diary of Divine Mercy

…I received a deeper understanding of divine mercy. Only that soul who wants it will be damned, for God condemns no one. – St. Faustina (Diary, 1452) Damnation is for the soul who wants to be damned; but for the one who desires salvation, there is the inexhaustible ocean of the Lord’s mercy to draw from. – St. Faustina (Diary, 631) Love casts out fear. Since I came to love God with my whole being and with all the strength of my heart, fear has left me. Even if I were to hear the most terrifying things about God's justice, I would not fear Him at all, because I have come to know Him well. God is love, and His Spirit is peace. I see now that my deeds which have flowed from love are more perfect than those which I have done out of fear. – St. Faustina (Diary, 589) [Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice… - Jesus (Diary, 1146) And even if the sins of soul are as dark as night, when the sinner turns to My mercy he gives Me the greatest praise and is the glory of My Passion. – Jesus (Diary, 378) Write this for the benefit of distressed souls: when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been

disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness. – Jesus (Diary, 1541) My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust does that after so many efforts of My love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness. – Jesus (Diary of Divine Mercy) Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy. – Jesus (Diary of Divine Mercy)

THE WOUNDS OF CHRIST The heart of Christ can be seen through the openings of his wounds.

For what can prove to me so clearly as your wounds that you, O Lord Jesus, are sweet & mild & plenteous in mercy. – St. Bernard But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5, WEB The path to our encounter with Jesus… are his wounds. There is no other. – Pope Francis It is the wounds of Jesus that shows us most the greatness of His love. Through His wounds, we get a glimpse of His infinite mercy, a mercy we could never fully fathom for all eternity!

He was wounded for us, He suffered and died for us. With Jesus, we are never alone, even in our most painful sufferings.

Whenever we get hurt, we learn more about the love of Jesus, how He also experienced hurt for love of us.

Whenever we feel judged, we remember how Jesus was also judged.

Whenever we are abandoned by those we loved the most, we remember how Jesus had been abandoned and betrayed by His closest friends.

Whenever someone close to us doubts our best intentions, we remember in turn how we doubt Jesus' love and hurt Him many times for doing so.

And yet, despite all the hurts we caused Him, Jesus is always willing to forgive us and reconcile us with Himself.

He knows our misery, our darkness. And what He offers in return is His mercy and His Light.

It is through our misery that we learn most the depths of His mercy for us, a mercy that has no end.

Suffering is a gift—–though, like all gifts, it depends on how we receive it. And that is why we need a pure heart—to see the hand of God, to feel the hand of God, to recognize the gift of God in our suffering. – Mother Teresa The value of suffering is quite often invisible to us until suffering has passed and done its work. While we are suffering, all we can feel is the pain, and all that we can see is its darkness. In suffering, we feel so alone, even abandoned. We are like lost souls that do not know how to find its way back.

After suffering has done its work however, we learn how it is able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We can finally see how it has changed us, purified us and even strengthened us. We learn how it has opened our spiritual eyes, how it has taught us much wisdom.

God could have saved the world without suffering, but He chose to save it by undergoing even death itself. He has succeeded not merely in defeating pain but in overcoming it. He has given dignity to those who suffer and He is able to give all those who weep far more happiness than they have lost.

Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working.

– Deus Caritas Est-Encyclical Letter, Benedict XVI

O, how I am moved to prayer in the presence of the Lord.

My tongue knows no word, my lips no song,

yet I am aching to worship Him and Him alone.

O, when will His hand take mine?

When will His eyes gaze upon my eyes that tears may find no room for sadness, but only for overflowing joy?

I am here, my Lord,

helpless as a tree trapped upon the earth, yet I feel as light as air and as empty as the clear blue sky.

This vessel has found its purpose;

the essence it was meant to contain.

Yet rescue me for I am fragile and wounded. If I should break before Your touch, heal me and renew me Lord with Your Gracious Love!