One of the primary ways we stop the Mercy of God from entering into our lives is through obstinacy. Specifically, when we obstinately hold onto our own opinion, as a result of our pride, and therefore fail to be open to the truth, we shut the door to grace. This is a particularly dangerous sin because obstinacy, by its very definition, implies there is an unwillingness to repent and change. The obstinate person remains, day after day, year after year, closed to the grace of God. The only cure for an obstinate heart is humility before the Truth of God. Coming to God, with a sincerely open heart, ready and willing to change our convictions the moment He speaks, is the first step to being rid of this sin. Humble yourself by listening, setting aside your own firm opinion, being open and willing to change. This may be difficult at first, but you will be truly grateful you did (See Diary #560).What are you obstinate about? Is there a long-standing thought you hold against another? Is there something that you are convinced you are right on? Make sure that God feels the same way. Seek, today, to be open to change. The first step is to ask the Lord to open your eyes to see. The second step is to let yourself see this tendency within your heart.Lord, I know I am obstinate. I see it within my soul. I hold on to my will and refuse to listen to others out of pride. Give me the grace of an open mind that I may shed my stubbornness. Help me to humble myself before You and others and help me to be ready and willing to listen to Your Truth. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured Image above: The Pharisee and the Publican; James Tissot, via Brooklyn Museum

Reflection 118- An Obstinate Heart

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy: 365 Days with Saint Faustina. Reflections and prayers inspired by the Diary of Divine Mercy.The Diary of Saint Faustina is a spiritual treasure given to the Church by Jesus Himself through the humble instrumentality of a cloistered nun. It consists of Saint Faustina’s six handwritten notebooks revealing her faith and her daily encounters with our Lord.These short reflections were written to help you discover the spiritual wisdom revealed by Saint Faustina in her Diary. A total of 365 short spiritual reflections will be posted throughout the year for your daily meditation, inspiration and prayer. The written content of these reflections is available to you online at our website. It is also available for purchase in ebook and paperback format.May the Mercy of God transform you each and every day as you continue your journey of personal conversion!

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Imagine the scene of our Blessed Mother in the humble state of the Nativity. She had no home at that moment other than this place where animals gathered. Yet in the stillness of that holy night, she was at home as she gazed upon her Child with the deepest adoration and love. She gazed in silence as He lay sleeping on the hay. This must be an image of your soul. You are called to enter into the humility of the inner dwelling place of your heart. Deep within, you must see this Precious Child, resting in peace. Remain silent and attentive, keep your eyes fixed on Him in adoration, and allow yourself to become consumed with delight at His presence within your soul (See Diary #785).Reflect upon your humble and silent prayer. As you sit quietly before Jesus, or even as you go about the duties of your day, are you attentive to the divine presence of your Savior living within you? Do you see Him sleeping there in the stillness? Our souls must become a place of prayer and silence so that we can humbly keep our eyes upon our Lord within this holy dwelling place. If you keep your eyes upon Him, as He dwells silently within you, you will then go about your day with the peace and joy that only this holy Child can bring.Lord, bring humility and stillness to my heart. May I discover You resting there in peace and adore You with a profound love. May I always keep my eyes upon You and never become distracted by the many temptations of this world. May the adoration I offer You who dwell within me become a source of the love and service I offer to all. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Adoration of the Shepherds by Giorgione via Wikimedia Commons

Reflection 154- Silent and Humble Adoration

Little children can’t wait to grow up. When they have a birthday, they are filled with joy that they are one year older. And yet, as little children, they are still dependent upon their parents in many ways. The same is true of us in a spiritual sense. We often want to “grow up” and to become great saints, attaining great things for God. And yet, we must often remind ourselves that we are still children. In our “littleness” before God, we are now and ever will be fully dependent upon Him for all our needs. Recognizing this fact is essential to becoming a great saint and growing in holiness. We become great by becoming small (See Diary #779).Reflect upon your littleness before God. Compared to the glory and power of the Almighty, we are small and weak. But God sees our littleness and He desires that we run to Him in complete confidence. Entrust yourself to His Mercy and run to Him. Realize that it is only by humbly admitting your total dependence upon Him that you are made strong through His embrace. Lord, I do run to You and cling to You in my need. You are All-Powerful and glorious beyond measure. May I rely upon You in all things and continually seek You with my whole being. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Interior with Woman Teaching Child to Pray by Pierre-Édouard Frère via Wikimedia Commons

Reflection 153- Seeing our “Littleness”

Human suffering is one of the greatest mysteries of life. The Diary of Saint Faustina, as well as the whole spiritual tradition of our faith, reveals much about this profound mystery of suffering. First, from a purely secular point of view, suffering is far from desirable. In fact, it is typically avoided at all costs and seen as the greatest of tragedies. However, from a Christian perspective, suffering itself has been transformed by Christ and made the greatest instrument of grace ever known. It was through His intense suffering on the Cross that the salvation of the world came about. And by freely embracing all suffering, He made it the means and source of all grace. By so doing, Jesus also invites us to see our sufferings as an opportunity for grace. By embracing it, uniting it to His Cross, and offering it to the Father, our suffering is also able to take on infinite value and become a channel of the Mercy of God. Suffering, freely embraced by a Christian, must become a sign of one’s closeness to Christ and a path to holiness (See Diary #774).Suffering can be very difficult and yet unavoidable most often in life. Rather than run from it, reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use your suffering for good. This is a mysterious calling and requires the greatest of faith and trust. But when entered into, you will discover that the power of God overshadows and transforms even that which is most painful in life.Lord, help me to entrust to You all suffering. Help me to have hope in You and to fix my gaze upon Your Cross during the most troubled times of life. Use me Lord, and use my suffering as a source of my holiness and for the upbuilding of Your Church in holiness. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above on flickr

Reflection 152- The Mystery of the Grace of Suffering

In order to be truly close to someone else, and to understand them on a deep level, is it necessary to speak continually and to share every detail of your mind and heart? Not if both souls are intimately united with God. In that case, very little has to be said in order for each person to recognize a shared unity and to understand the other. When God is alive in each person, it is His presence that unites them and enables them to know the other. This produces the blessing of a spiritual kinship which could never be attained in any other way, not even after years of constant talking and sharing. The unity that comes from a shared knowledge of God is far superior and far more effective in establishing a beautiful friendship than any other means (See Diary #768).Think about your friendships. What is the basis of those relationships? Hopefully your friendships are grounded in your life of faith and love of God. Reflect upon how easily you are able to speak about your faith with your friends. While it’s good to offer friendship and love to all people, it’s also healthy to seek out those with whom you can share a spiritual kinship. Allow the Holy Spirit to draw you to others with whom you can share this depth of love and spiritual friendship and the Lord will bless you with an abundance of His Mercy through them.Lord, I thank You for the gift of those people in my life who have a strong faith in You. Help me to rely upon those friendships and, in them, to discover Your merciful Heart. Help me also to be an instrument of Mercy to all whom You have placed in my life. Lord, You are my closest friend and I thank You for this precious gift of Your friendship and Your love for me. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above on flickr

Reflection 151- Spiritual Kinship

Does it matter what others think of you? In other words, should you be concerned about the “opinions” of others? Yes and no. No, we should not be concerned in the sense that the only “opinion” that matters is that which is true. And the Truth is that which is in the Mind of God. And that Truth is not an opinion, it is the Truth. So, no, we ought not worry about opinions that do not reflect the Mind of God. However, we should be concerned about another’s opinion insofar as our love for them should draw us to help them arrive at the truth. Some are obstinate and hold to their opinion over the truth no matter what. This is beyond our control. But others are open and if we see an open mind and heart, we should also be open to any way that God wants to use us to help them shed their erroneous views in exchange for that which is in the Mind of God (See Diary #763).Reflect, especially, upon the tendency you have to become overly concerned about what people think or say about you. Do you allow this to influence you in an unhealthy way? Do you allow it to affect your own choices and focus in life? Remind yourself, this day, that all that matters is the truth. What is in the Mind of God? That’s what you should be concerned about. Recommit yourself to that truth and you will experience an immense amount of freedom.Lord, I turn to You who are the one and only source of all Truth. I seek to know and believe only that which resides in Your Mind. I choose this Truth over all the opinions of the world, and I choose to let go of my own opinions, preferring only to embrace what You reveal. Give me the grace to live always in the Truth. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: The Tribute Money by Peter Paul Rubens via Wikimedia Commons

Reflection 118- An Obstinate Heart

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