We are called to be saints. And if we walk down that road, we will be called to live heroic virtue. Heroic virtue will not always be understood by others. In fact, in the opinion of worldly wisdom, heroic and holy virtue is foolishness. But we must not allow the opinions of worldly “wisdom” to confuse us, tempt us or distract us from the road of true virtue (See Diary #126). Are you misunderstood, at times, because you are striving to live a holy life? Do others give you this or that bit of advice which seems to be in contradiction to the voice of God in your own conscience? Reflect upon the road of virtue God is calling you down. The world does not understand the road of virtue, Mercy and forgiveness that we are called to embrace. The world does not understand that we must accept injustice at times in silence and trust. The world does not understand the joy we have when we suffer for the sake of Christ. Keep your eyes on the voice of God as He speaks to you in your conscience and do not let the opinions of others or the world lead you astray. Lord, help me to walk the road of heroic virtue. At times, this road will leave me misunderstood. And, at times, others will tempt me to turn away from Your divine voice. Help me, at all times, dear Lord, to hear only You and to be obedient only to Your most holy Will. Give me wisdom, strength and courage to always follow Your divine ways of Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Assassination_of_Saint_Peter_Martyr_Workshop_Giovanni_Bellini.jpg

Our tongue can build others up, or cut them down. Our tongue also has a direct effect upon our own soul. When the tongue speaks words inspired by God, we grow in holiness. When the tongue speaks words not from God, we do great damage to our souls and others. The goal is not so much exterior silence; rather, it’s interior silence. Interior silence means that we think and pray before we speak. It means we are interiorly recollected and in tune with the voice of God speaking silently and gently within our conscience. This interior recollection of God is necessary if we are to dispose ourselves to speak the words of Mercy to others at the right time and in the right way (See Diary #118). Seek, today, to become a person who is continually in tune with the voice of God within your own conscience. God’s language is real and transforming. His language is one of silent but clear communication with us. God is always speaking, are you hearing? Try to silence your own thoughts and ideas today so that you can hear only what He has to say to you. Lord, I offer You my words this day. May I speak only what You inspire me to speak. May I hear only what You wish for me to hear. Help me, Lord, to enter into a deep and continual recollection of You, and in the silence of my heart may I meet Your divine presence so that I may share You and Your Mercy with others. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stomer_St._Peter.jpg

Often times we can be so preoccupied with ourselves and our own problems that we fail to see the struggles and needs of those around us, especially those of our own family. At times, because we are so self-consumed, we run the risk of adding unnecessary burdens to those we are called to love and care for. We need to foster within our hearts true Christ-like empathy and compassion for each person we encounter (See Diary #117). Do you see the needs of those in your life? Are you aware of their wounds and burdens? Do you sense when they are sad and overwhelmed? Do you add to their sorrow or do you seek to lift them up? Reflect, today, upon the great gift of an empathetic and compassionate heart. True Christian empathy is a human response of love for those all around us. It’s an act of Mercy we must foster so as to lighten the burden of those entrusted to our care. Lord, help me to have a heart full of true empathy. Help me to sense the struggles and needs of others around me and to turn my eyes from myself to the needs that they carry. Lord, You are full of compassion. Help me also to be filled with compassion for all. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hendrick_ter_Brugghen_-_The_Rich_Man_and_the_Poor_Lazarus_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

It is true that our goal must be Heaven. We must constantly keep our eyes on this eternal reality. Why? Because in comparison to this passing world, Heaven is all that ultimately matters. So how do we keep our focus on Heaven without becoming complacent with our daily duties? Would it be proper to neglect our daily duties and responsibilities so as to spend all day at church? Certainly not. In fact, the way to Heaven centrally involves living our duties well. We must live them in fidelity, diligence and love. Living well while we are here on Earth is the best preparation for Heaven (See Diary #107). Reflect, today, upon Heaven. See this glorious reality for what it is. It is eternal happiness! It is unending joy! Look, also, at all that God calls you to do each and every day. Be it small menial tasks or great and visible works, do everything for the love of God, seeing each responsibility you have been given as a central way by which you obtain eternal joy. Lord, I invite You to enter into my life daily. I pray that everything I do may be done as an act of love for You and for others. May I fulfill all my responsibilities well and, through them, obtain the glorious life that awaits. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.\ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_-_Coronation_of_the_Virgin_-_Prado.jpg

Sometimes we do not feel like going to Mass or may be deeply distracted as we approach the Blessed Sacrament. Perhaps one of the best things to do in this case is to live in holy obedience. Jesus wants you to receive Holy Communion every Sunday and every holy day because He knows you need it. He knows that this Food from Heaven is necessary for you to obtain happiness. It is the Gift of Himself given freely and completely to you. And He commands you to attend the Holy Mass for your own good (See Diary #105). Reflect, today, upon your attitude toward the Gift of the Holy Mass. Do you attend faithfully? That is, without fail? Are you perfectly obedient to our Lord’s command? And when there, how do you enter into the Mass? Do you pray and seek Him inviting Him into your soul? After you receive Holy Communion do you kneel and truly pray? We could never be grateful enough for this sacred Gift. Make your next Holy Communion one that sets you down a path of holiness. Lord, I thank You for this precious Gift of Holy Communion. I thank You for coming to me in such an intimate and perfect way. Help me to always be obedient to Your command to receive You faithfully. And each time I am privileged to receive You, help me to be fully attentive to Your divine presence. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giusto_di_Gand_(Joos_van_Wassenhove),_istituzione_dell%27eucarestia.jpg

Do you know that our Lord gazes upon you, night and day, with perfect love and affection. Do you know that He knows every detail of your life and walks with you through everything? This may be hard to believe because we cannot hear Him audibly, see Him with our eyes, or touch Him with our hands. But His intimacy is much deeper than the physical world. His intimacy is one that looks into our soul and loves us. His gaze of love, if we let it, will cast out all fear in life (See Diary #90). What is it that you fear the most? What is it that causes you the greatest anxiety? Today, try to identify the cause of your fear. And when you do, know that our Merciful Lord has already seen it all. He is aware of your situation and looks at you with love. The key is to look back at Jesus, to seek His face within your own soul, and to gaze back at Him with love. There, by looking intently upon our Lord, you will find the courage you need to let go of all that weighs you down and you will allow His grace to lift you on high. Lord, help me to turn my eyes from all my fears. Help me, instead, to seek out Your loving gaze and to allow that gaze of love to cast out all that is not of You. Lord, if I could only see Your face, radiant and beautiful, living in my soul, I would be consoled and comforted in all things. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/jes%C3%BAs-religi%C3%B3n-fe-cristianismo-3692881/

What is of greater value to God? To be successful in all that you set out to do, or to endure every hardship of life in patience and peace? Many may struggle with this question and want to choose both. Certainly it is easy to see that if we set out to accomplish the Will of God and all that He wants of us, this will be of great value for the Kingdom of God. But what if that which God calls us to do is to embrace patience and peace in the midst of some apparent struggle of difficulty? Is this of great value? Yes, it is of the greatest value because in this process of growing in patient endurance we are made truly holy (See Diary #86). What is it that is most difficult for you each and every day? What tries your patience more than anything? Do you look at this trial as an “obstacle” to happiness and fulfillment in life? If so, try to look at it from a different perspective. Try to see any difficulty as an opportunity for virtue and, in particular, an opportunity for personal growth in patience. Growing in that virtue delights the Heart of Christ and is of the greatest value for His Kingdom. Lord, I surrender to You those things that are most difficult for me. I thank You for them and believe that they are what will help me grow in holiness more than anything. I especially offer to You (mention any personal difficulty). Receive it Lord as my offering to You and give me the grace to transform it into love and Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Munkacsy_-_Christ_in_front_of_Pilate.jpg

There are many times in life when we are treated unjustly. As a result, our first instinct is to fight back, defend ourselves and see to it that justice is done. But is that what Jesus did? No, He remained silent and accepted all injustice as a sacrifice for the atonement for our sins. He was the Just One who took upon Himself all injustice. In doing so, He did two things. First, He appeased the justice of the Father as He offered this injustice for the atonement of sin. This is the central and deepest mystery of our faith. Second, He invites us to follow His example. In doing so, we are invited to accept unjust treatment and meet it with Mercy and forgiveness. This requires great inner strength and love. But if we are able to unite our own unjust suffering to that of Christ’s, we will win more souls for God than if we fought back winning a temporary satisfaction of earthly justice (See Diary #81). How have you been treated with cruelty and injustice? Reflect upon that which has been most painful to you and know that this suffering is an opportunity for you to atone for the sins of the world. You are enabled, by uniting your hurt to the suffering of Christ, to win many souls for God. This is the mystery of our redemption. It’s a mystery we are invited to enter into, live and offer to God as a sacrifice of love. Take a step in this direction, today, and watch the hurt you have dissolve into Mercy. Lord, I offer You, this day, my hurt, pain and all suffering. I especially offer You the injustices I have faced in life. May You remove all bitterness from my heart and replace it with Your Divine Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quentin_Massys_005.jpg

At times, the truth can seem to be of little consolation to us. That may seem strange to say. But if we are honest, there are times when we suffer interiorly despite the fact that we know what we are feeling is not true. For example, we may KNOW that God is with us and loves us, but we may not feel that or experience that at one time or another. We may KNOW that God is in control of our lives, but we may feel like in our life He is nowhere to be found. This apparent contradiction between what we know and what we feel or experience can be hard to reconcile interiorly. But it is a grace to experience this apparent contradiction. It’s a grace because when we do not feel the presence of God or, even worse, if we feel like we have been rejected by God, we are given, in that moment, an incredible opportunity for holiness. Why? Because faith is not about feeling, it’s about knowing. It’s about knowing the truth in all things, believing that truth and living in accord with that truth despite what we may feel or experience interiorly. Though this can be hard to understand, it’s a truth we must believe and embrace if we are to grow in perfection and holiness (See Diary #77). eflect upon the truths of our faith that appear to be in contradiction to what you feel. Which will you rely upon? That which comes through faith? Or that which directs your feelings? The best way to transform your misleading feelings is to make a profound act of faith in all that God has spoken and revealed. Make that act of faith and let God, in His time, redirect all that you interiorly feel and experience. Trust Him! Lord, I offer You, this day, that which I feel and experience in my life. Specifically, I offer you (state an intention). Help me to rely upon You and all that You have spoken as my guide. Help me to allow Your truth to enter into my life and redeem me. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ingres,_Jean_-_Jesus_Returning_the_Keys_to_St._Peter_-_1820.jpg

A speck of dust or a grain of sand are somewhat insignificant in most circumstances. No one notices one speck or one grain in the yard or even on the floor of a home. But if either were to enter the eye, this grain or speck becomes immediately noticeable. Why? Because of the sensitivity of the eye. So it is with the Heart of our Lord. He notices the smallest of our sins. Often times we fail to see even our most grievous sins, but our Lord sees all things. If we wish to enter into His Heart of Divine Mercy, we must allow the rays of His Mercy to shine on the smallest speck of sin in our souls. He will do so gently and lovingly, but He will help us to see and experience the effects of our sin, even the smallest ones, if we let His Mercy in (See Diary #71). Look into your soul today and ask yourself how aware you are of the smallest sin. Do you let His Mercy shine within, illuminating all that is there? It will be a joyful discovery when You let Jesus reveal to you what He sees so clearly. Lord, I pray that Your Divine Mercy so fills my soul that I see all that is within me as You see it. Thank You for Your gentle and compassionate Heart and for being attentive to the smallest detail of my life. Thank You for being attentive to even the smallest of sins that I need to overcome. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.life Copyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Massimo_Stanzione,_Mary-Magdalene_in_meditation.png