Hour of Mercy: 3:00 p.m, Sunday, December 17, 2023

DEVOTION TO THE DIVINE MERCY

Daily Reflections, Supplications and Prayers

Sunday, December 17, 2023

1. REFLECTION:

Oh, how miserable is my soul that wasted so many Graces. I was escaping from GOD, and He was persecuting me with His Graces. Many times, I received the Graces of GOD when I least expected them. From the moment the LORD gave me a spiritual director, I have been more faithful to Grace. Thanks to the director and his vigilance over my soul, I understood what spiritual direction is and how JESUS sees it. JESUS admonished me for the slightest negligence and emphasized that the matters that I entrusted to the confessor, He Himself judged, and any disobedience before him, reaches Me. When, under his direction, my soul began to enjoy deep recollection and peace, I often heard these words in my soul: Strengthen yourself for the fight, sometimes repeated more than once.

Many times, JESUS makes me know what does not please him in my soul, and more than once he admonished me for things that seemed insignificant, but in reality, were of great importance, he admonished me and trained me as a Master. For many years He Himself educated me, until the moment when He gave me a spiritual director. Before, He Himself made known to me what I did not understand, and now He makes me ask my confessor [about] everything and often tells me like this: And I will answer you through his mouth, stay calm. (68) It has not yet happened to me that I received an answer contrary to what the LORD demanded and that I presented to the spiritual director [80]. Sometimes it happens that JESUS recommends me some things, of which no one is aware and when I approach the grid, the confessor recommends the same, but that is not frequent.

When the soul received much light and many inspirations for a long time and when the confessors confirmed the tranquility and the origin of them [the inspirations], if your love is great, now JESUS lets you know that it is the time to put into practice what he received. The soul knows that the LORD is counting on her, and this knowledge gives her more strength, she knows that, to be faithful, she will have to expose herself to different difficulties more than once, but she trusts in GOD and thanks to this trust she gets where she is. GOD calls her. Difficulties do not frighten her, they are for her like daily bread, they do not frighten her at all, nor do they frighten her, just as the soldier who is continually in combat is not frightened by the thunder of cannons. [He is] far from scared, but he picks up his ears, from which side the enemy attacks, in order to defeat him. He does nothing blindly, but examines, reflects deeply and without counting on himself, prays ardently and seeks advice from experienced and discerning officials; and behaving like this, he almost always wins.

There are attacks, when the soul does not have time to reflect, or ask for advice, or anything; then one must fight for life or death; sometimes it is good to resort to the wound in the heart of JESUS, without answering a single word and by that very [act] the enemy is defeated.

During the time of peace, the soul makes efforts just as in the time of struggle. He must exercise a lot, because otherwise, not to mention victory. I consider the time of peace as the time of preparation for victory. He must continually watch, watch and, once again, watch. The soul that reflects receives much light. The dissipated soul exposes itself to fall, and let it not be surprised if it falls. O Divine Spirit, Guide of the soul, the one whom You train is wise. But, for the Divine Spirit to work in the soul, silence and recollection are needed. (Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in my soul, Diary, 145).

2. SUPPLICATIONS:

Let us ask for the Grace of obedience to the LORD‘s will and to always have the attitude of a true spiritual childhood.
Let us pray for those who offend the LORD and who do not make an effort to abandon the paths of wickedness.
Let us ask the LORD to have mercy on our suffering humanity and for an end to the spread of COVID-19 throughout the world.
For our personal intentions

3.PURPOSE OF THE DAY:

Reflect on the value of spiritual childhood.

4. PRAYER:

Oh my JESUS, transform me into You, because You can do everything, hold my soul and defend me against my enemies. Help me to always trust in You and to live without losing hope. Oh My Good Merciful JESUS, I trust in You and only in You I hope. Amen.