Tag: reflection

Good Friday Consolation 2021

It is Good Friday. This is a day of deep grief and sadness, that resonates with and is dearly loved by, Catholics in particular. I say this because we devote this entire day to reflecting on Jesus’ Passion and Death, in so many little ways, and we also reflect on our personal sins and our frequent human failings- due to our sinful nature, which made our Salvation, in this manner, necessary. Our sorrow drives us to know we need The Sacrament of Confession- and in this, we are given to know that, with true contrition,  we are truly forgiven. This too brings tears; of thankfulness- for His Goodness, Mercy and Grace. The Cross is our reproach and Our Fount of Mercy. The natural response to this is fasting, abstinence, sobriety and  prayer.

On this particular Good Friday, while travelling to the 3 o’clock reading of the Gospel of John 18:1-19:42; (commemorated in many, if not all, Christian Churches) I suddenly remembered that The Chaplet of the Novena of Mercy starts today- on Good Friday. A condition of this is to be in a state of grace; having confessed all our sins, after a thorough examination of conscience. Grace obtains grace.

Surprised, and grateful, I decided to begin it immediately. I remembered the intention for the First Day of this beautiful Novena of Prayer, was for “All Mankind; especially sinners”. I thought how fitting it was, that this was the intention, falling on Good Friday, where Jesus gave Himself for that same intention

We intercede therefore, for all humanity, both sinners who are greatly in need of Salvation, and believers; we all are part of the one human family in need of Our Saviour. I had a prayer intention weighing quite heavily on my heart too. I had need of prayer, a powerful and fitting prayer, to help give words to my sorrowful soul which heaved and sighed within me, for this person, but it was not foremost in my mind at that moment.

I also trust in this prayer. This prayer is one of great trust in God. I prayed the Chaplet with the Day One intention of Jesus in mind, laid at the foot of the Cross; at Jesus’ feet, on Good Friday. And I travelled on to hear the Gospel. Later, I reminded a few others of the chance to start and partake in the Novena today, also because when we hear good news, we want to spread it!

By the time I returned home, I wanted to do more. I desired to read the words which Jesus had given to St. Faustina (Servant of God and Apostle of Mercy) and to pray the words of the intention prayer which offer this group of souls to Him. Again, because they are beautiful, because they appeal to His fathomless Mercy- and in words more perfect than I could choose; they are written through the Holy Spirit, Himself. Just praying these words soothes and consoles my soul and that of My Lord– who on the Cross, in perfect union with The Father and Holy Spirit, longs and thirsts for the Salvation of souls.

So I opened my drawer to find the little pamphlet with these words, to aid me in my prayer and to deepen and prolong my reflection, on this Holy Day. Upon doing this, the first thing I saw were my volumes of The Book of Truth. I decided to pull one out, being likely that I had kept the Divine Mercy pamphlet in it, as one of my many bookmarks. I had pulled out Volume 2. (There are 5 volumes).

I began to quickly do a visual check of the 5 or so bookmarks in that volume, to try to find what I was looking for. On the third bookmark I checked, my eye fell on a message entitled, “Only Through the Prayers of Intercession, can those souls in the dark be saved.” ( April 3rd, 2012). I stopped to read this message which directly related to my unspoken prayer intention and was an answer to my concerns. The message said that intense prayer was needed now, during Holy Week, for the salvation of souls who are beyond helping themselves,  and that this needed to be our priority. It reminded me that when we ask Our Beloved Father, in Jesus’ Holy Name, to save such sinners, our prayers will be answered. In the message, Jesus then offers us a specific prayer to pray on behalf of those sinners:

O God, the Almighty Father, on behalf of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and in commemoration of His death on the Cross to save us from our sins, I beg You to save souls who cannot save themselves, and who may die in mortal sin during The Warning. In atonement for the sufferings of Your Beloved Son, I urge You to forgive those who are unable to seek redemption because they will not live long enough to ask Jesus, Your Son, for Mercy, to free them from sin. Amen.

I thanked Jesus for His wonderful encouragement, help and consolation (thinking that was wonderful enough and feeling greatly consoled!) and then, I saw the title of the next message too:

“Please say My Divine Mercy and start My Novena on Good Friday”.

You could have knocked me over with a feather. There are 5 volumes and over 1000 messages. I think God was clearly speaking to me, and all of us, in regards to this, today, and confirming it through The Book of Truth. It’s too much of a coincidence to be one.

Good Friday is all about His Mercy. Lets’ seek it today.

The message can be read here:

https://missionofsalvation.com/message-0386/

The instructions for the completing Chaplet and Novena (9 days of praying the Chaplet for 9 special intentions) can be found here:

https://centrefordivinemercy.org/9-day-novena

https://centrefordivinemercy.org/chaplet-of-divine-mercy

As we speak I am holding the Divine Mercy Chaplet pamphlet in my hand, but I can’t recall when or where I found it- and I just felt my Rosary beads in my pocket too.

Today we bring Jesus all mankind, especially sinners…

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but on our trust, which we place in Your Infinite Goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from it. We beg this of You, by Your love, which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of  His sorrowful Passion, show us Your Mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your Mercy forever and ever, Amen.

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God’s Perspective: the true worth of our work. (A reflection)

AM+DG

I opened up the Bible this morning in the middle of my prayers. I just got a thought to open the Bible. There has been a lot going on for me recently, and this put it all into perspective.

It was from Ecclesiastes 1-3. It was basically about Wisdom.  Chapters 1 and 2 had a tone of sadness and perhaps ‘disillusion’ to some extent. The writer reflects on all he has done and achieved and realizes that it will all count for naught in the end. He repeatedly says : “All is vanity’ and a chase after wind” (1:14)

However, we have to appreciate what we have, for all is a gift from God – even our work. Our work takes a lot of effort and this effort is pleasing to God:

“There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink and provide themselves with good things from their toil. Even this, I saw, is from the hand of God.” (2:24)

The footnotes in the Bible explain the following verses on God’s work and timing in Chapter 3: 1-8: “The fourteen pairs of opposites describe various human activities. The poem affirms that God has determined the appropriate moment or “time” for each. Human beings cannot know that moment; further, the wider course of events and purposes fixed by God are beyond them as well.”

“There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every affair under the heavens.
2 A time to give birth, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
8 A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.”

Reflection:

“What profit have workers from their toil?  10 I have seen the business that God has given to mortals to be busied about.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 9-10)

The writer details all he has done and achieved. He realizes that all he has will be passed down to future generations; that each day is the same as the next – he expresses the futility and emptiness. I am by nature an optimist, and I always persist, but at times, things get to me and I want to lash out.

Why am I doing this? Is it really worthwhile? I haven’t done anything to deserve this! This is not what I want to spend my time on. I don’t need to go through all this stuff with other people – I’ll just leave and let someone else do it! I wonder if God led me here and whether perhaps I should be elsewhere doing something else? This is not what I was called to do! I’m not going to do this anymore- I’m already flat out…

But I realize that sometimes, God speaks to us through other people. Perhaps He wants me there. I think God directs us to work and people and situations in our lives. They are all there to teach us something. It is not always easy. It is work, sometimes hard work. Sometimes the work is ‘people.’ 

We have to work at all we do. Our work is not just to earn a wage with which to support our families. It entails everything we do – whether it is building, teaching, doctoring, nursing, or governing -or whether it is  work such as organizing, cooking, cleaning, mothering and fathering, being sisterly and brotherly, caring, consoling and guiding others; even handing out “Christian How to Vote pamphlets”  on important election issues.

We may be involved in many other things in our daily lives – “Meals on Wheels”,  Catechist work, or Sacramental programmes for children, in picking up other people’s children for sporting or recreational activities, in nursing home visits, in community service such as “Cleaning up Australia Day’ or many other voluntary activities.

At times we become disillusioned, or tired, or have difficulty with other people and we too may wonder (like the writer in the Bible reading ) – whether it is all worth it. As Crusaders (and as part of the Remnant Army) we pray, evangelize, share our ideas and knowledge; we support each other, we do spiritual reading, we blog… This all feels good and enjoyable, but our lives entail so much more – we have to appreciate all the work we are called to do; even the hard stuff. (Being a Crusader is “hard stuff” but we don’t notice because we enjoy doing it because it is for God.)

God made us to toil and to enjoy it: “And I saw that there is nothing better for mortals than to rejoice in their work; for this is their lot.” (Ecc. 3:22)

If this is so, and work is a gift from God, and in it God is revered – what better can we do than to do all our work to the very best of our ability, and in so doing, experience true happiness and joy knowing that this is what God wants.

The writer concludes: (Ecclesiastes 3: 12-14):

“I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life. 13 Moreover, that all can eat and drink and enjoy the good of all their toil—this is a gift of God. 14 I recognized that whatever God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it, or taking from it. Thus has God done that he may be revered.”

We are heirs to the Kingdom – we should rejoice!!!