Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
“Katrin, Katrin, why are you hesitating? Why do you fear?
Lord, if I look at all you’ve given me, I’m afraid of what you might want in return.
“Katrin, have I not shown you how gentle I am with you? Have I not shown you only kindness? Why do you fear? Look at your life. Have I ever allowed anything you couldn’t bear?”
No Lord, all you’ve shown me is mercy and love, and the tough times came when I went off on my own.
“Katrin, all I want is for you to be my friend. All I want is for you to not be afraid of me and to come to me.”
That’s all, Lord?
“That’s all.”
St. Faustina, simple with childlike trust, intercede for me.
Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You.
Michael E. Gaitley, MIC (2001). Consoling the Heart of Jesus.
Why would God be so attracted to humility? Humility disposes us to the grace of God as does nothing else. Humility creates a space that God can inhabit with his self, healing and perfecting our self. (Mysteries of the Virgin Mary, pg. 39)
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The Litany of humility O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. |
Eternal Father, look tenderly on me as I strive to be a better daughter, friend and servant. Humble this sinful heart that longs to be with you. Teach me to be patient, teach me to be kind, teach me to be joyful, teach me to love even more than I can imagine. Lord, teach me your ways to Holiness.
Mother Mary, most faithful and humble servant, you are the epitome of all things pure and all things beautiful. Intercede for me, that I may love more intimately and more deeply just as your Son continues to do so.
Divine Heart of Jesus, Loving Heart of Mary, be with me always.
St. Faustina, pray for us.
St. Rose of Lima, pray for us.
St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
Today, Jesus entered my room wearing a bright robe and girded with a golden belt, His whole figure resplendent with great majesty. He said, My daughter, why are you giving in to thoughts of fear? I answered, “O Lord, You know why.” And He said, Why? “This work frightens me. You know that I am incapable of carrying it out.” And He said, Why? “You see very well that I am not in good health, that I have no education, that I have no money, that I am an abyss of misery, that I fear contacts with people. Jesus, I desire only You. You can release me from this.” And the Lord said to me, My daughter, what you have said is true. You are very miserable, and it pleased Me to carry out this work of mercy precisely through you who are nothing but misery itself. Do not fear; I will not leave you alone. Do whatever you can in this matter; I will accomplish everything that is lacking in you. You know what is within your power to do; do that. The Lord looked into the depth of my being with great kindness; I thought I would die for joy under that gaze. The Lord disappeared, and joy, strength and power to act remained in my soul. But I was surprised that the Lord did not want to release me and that He is not changing anything He has once said. And despite all these joys, there is always a shadow of sorrow. I see that love and sorrow go hand in hand.
881 January 14, 1937.
| Divine Mercy Litany Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You Divine Mercy, fountain gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus,I trust in You Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You Divine Mercy, in the founding of the Holy Church, I trust in You Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I trust in You Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You Divine Mercy, crown of all God?s handiwork, I trust in You Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You |
| Prayer: Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. |
Lord, i’m afraid, anxious and growing very weary. But despite all of this, I trust you. Help me to trust in myself.
St. Faustina, simple with child-like trust, intercede for me.
Jezu, ufam Tobie.
My family is the most important part of my life. And although some of my actions towards them may not seem like it, I truly do love them. They definitely are one of the heaviest crosses that I carry with in my journey. I cannot remember any sharings that I have done without having to break into tears because of them. It used to be difficult for me to express my love for them, but by God’s grace and because of this beautiful community, I was given the courage to really express it in ways that I have never done so before.
I have had my fair share of struggles within my family during this past year, but through it all, one thing that I can definitely say for sure is that, the Lord had continued to provide and be present through and through.
In many of my reflections this past year leading up to this present moment, the Lord was loud and clear. It IS necessary to suffer. In order to experience true joy, one must go through a season of suffering. It is in our present sufferings that we learn the true value of our joys. It is in our present sufferings that we gain the many graces and blessings. But we can be sure that, “…the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase.” – St. Rose of Lima.
In having said that, I feel that, this is where the Lord continually tests me in my faithfulness to Him. And I strongly do believe that, it is through understanding and having complete faith and trust in the Lord that helps to surpass all difficulties.
Throughout this year, I continued to question the Lord in all of His doings. And in many of my reflections, the Lord continued to reveal to me the same message. He is in fact, very intentional. But in being intentional, He is purposeful as well. He is purposeful, intentional and very specific in all of His dealings with us. He breaks us with a purpose. And in breaking us, it is only to build us back up stronger than we were before. It is through our sufferings that the Lord makes His will known and apparent. Without the trials, how would we know what true happiness or true joy really is? And how will we have the desire for the all of the true, good and beautiful things that He has promised to us?
In having a heavy cross, I have accepted and am willing to continue carrying it for as long as the Lord so desires. Yes, I am weak. And yes, I have fallen many times, but because the Lord has not given up on me, who am I to give up on Him? The Lord was both human and divine and yet, he showed His human nature in His weakness and sufferings through the cross. He embraced His cross with passion and humility. Just as the Lord had done, I too am called to carry and embrace my cross with humility and utmost surrender.
“Although the cross speaks of suffering, it signifies love.” (Shout out to the person who gave a session on the passion of the Lord on the cross this past year. I just can’t remember who.)
Excerpt from the Life of St. Rose of Lima
Our Lord and Savior lifted up his voice and said with incomparable majesty: “Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven”.
When I heard these words, a strong force came upon me and seemed to place me in the middle of a street, so that I might say in a loud voice to people of every age, sex and status:“Hear, O people; hear, O nations. I am warning you about the commandment of Christ by using words that came from his own lips: We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul”.
That same force strongly urged me to proclaim the beauty of divine grace. It pressed me so that my breath came slow and forced me to sweat and pant. I felt as if my soul could no longer be kept in the prison of the body, but that it had burst its chains and was free and alone and was going very swiftly through the whole world saying:
“If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! Without doubt they would devote all their care and concern to winning for themselves pains and afflictions. All men throughout the world would seek trouble, infirmities and torments, instead of good fortune, in order to attain the unfathomable treasure of grace. This is the reward and the final gain of patience. No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men”.
Lord, thank you for the trials and tribulations that You have allowed me to experience. Increase my sufferings, and with them, increase Your love in my heart. Only by Your grace can I reach eternal happiness and immense joy. Teach me patience, teach me humility, teach me to love even more than I can imagine.
St. Rose, lily among the thorns, pray for us.
St. Rita, advocate of the impossible, pray for us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have Mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Kind of late but, here is a quick reflection I found on my phone that I had forgotten I wrote during the busyness of TNC 2014 prep.
O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.