Each day until Divine Mercy Sunday on April 7th, I will email you one thought from that day’s brief reading from Fr. Michael Gaitley’s fine book, 33 Days to Merciful Love. I render full credit for these thoughts, respecting copyright laws, to Fr. Gaitley. Each reading ends with a prayer, which I ask you to pray with me for this intention: the conversion of our parish.
Day Thirty-Two
Congratulations to all who have read every little chapter of Fr. Gaitley’s book thus far, and perhaps even every one of my little reflections. Tomorrow is the last one, and tomorrow I will lead my community in singing the Chaplet of Merciful Love at 3pm, along with a special Divine Mercy Sunday Mass. You’re all welcome to come!
Three words summarize the fourth week of preparation: Relate, See, and Smile. Most of us don’t relate to St. Thérèse at first, but if you read her short autobiography to the end, and give it some time, you will see that she is essentially like all of us. She struggled with darkness every day; she was tempted to think God that did not exist and that her life was meaningless. By God’s grace she overcome this sadness by focusing on the burning, passionate, infinite love of God. We too can see God if we really try by heartfelt prayer and reception of the sacraments, especially the Holy Mass. See if you can find a parish community, and a priest, who pray the Mass from the heart rather than just reciting it.
And the last word is smile. Thérèse smiled as she died at age 24 of tuberculosis. Thérèse is smiling at you right now, from heaven, as she smiled at me in August 1997. Her smile is a kind of Mona Lisa smile, manifesting deep peace and contentment, even as she stands beneath the cross. Her smile assures us that all will be well, and that all things work for the good for those who love God. “I am not dying; I am entering into life,” she said. “You, child of God, have nothing to fear.” It is with that happiness, and with that photograph of Thérèse’s smile, that I leave you until Mercy Sunday, tomorrow.
Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Help me to let you relate to the saints, to see what they saw, and to smile as they smiled.
Day Thirty-Two
Congratulations to all who have read every little chapter of Fr. Gaitley’s book thus far, and perhaps even every one of my little reflections. Tomorrow is the last one, and tomorrow I will lead my community in singing the Chaplet of Merciful Love at 3pm, along with a special Divine Mercy Sunday Mass. You’re all welcome to come!
Three words summarize the fourth week of preparation: Relate, See, and Smile. Most of us don’t relate to St. Thérèse at first, but if you read her short autobiography to the end, and give it some time, you will see that she is essentially like all of us. She struggled with darkness every day; she was tempted to think God that did not exist and that her life was meaningless. By God’s grace she overcome this sadness by focusing on the burning, passionate, infinite love of God. We too can see God if we really try by heartfelt prayer and reception of the sacraments, especially the Holy Mass. See if you can find a parish community, and a priest, who pray the Mass from the heart rather than just reciting it.
And the last word is smile. Thérèse smiled as she died at age 24 of tuberculosis. Thérèse is smiling at you right now, from heaven, as she smiled at me in August 1997. Her smile is a kind of Mona Lisa smile, manifesting deep peace and contentment, even as she stands beneath the cross. Her smile assures us that all will be well, and that all things work for the good for those who love God. “I am not dying; I am entering into life,” she said. “You, child of God, have nothing to fear.” It is with that happiness, and with that photograph of Thérèse’s smile, that I leave you until Mercy Sunday, tomorrow.
Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Help me to let you relate to the saints, to see what they saw, and to smile as they smiled.
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