Episodes

  • Reflection 269- A Twofold Gaze at Mercy and Misery

    Reflection 269- A Twofold Gaze at Mercy and Misery
    Sep 25 2026
    Reflection 269: A Twofold Gaze at Mercy and Misery

    If you could pick two things to gaze at, what would they be? Ideally, the two greatest things to gaze at are the Mercy of God and your own misery. Most likely, it immediately makes sense that the Mercy of God would be one of the most important things to gaze at, but the wisdom of gazing at your own misery may not be immediately apparent. What we need to understand is that there is danger in seeing only one or the other. If you were to focus in on the Mercy of God without also seeing your misery, then you would not be in a position to invite that Mercy into the parts of your life that need it the most. And if you were to gaze at your misery without also seeing the Mercy of God, you would be led into despair. The Mercy of God is given so that every sin, hurt, confusion, struggle and the like will have a remedy. Our Lord longs to heal us and lift our burdens. Allow His Mercy to meet all that burdens you and His Mercy will achieve its end (See Diary #1345).

    Try to take some time to quietly and reflectively gaze at both God’s Mercy and your own inner burdens. As you look at both, try to imagine them meeting within the sanctuary of your soul. Let the Mercy of God fuse with any misery you experience in life and, in that act, you will be allowing God to do what He longs to do.

    Lord, please have Mercy on me and heal me. Help me to see the areas of my life that are in grave need of Your Mercy. As I see them, help me to also fix my eyes upon Your Sacred Heart from which Mercy and grace flow. In this gaze, may I discover Your unending compassion and love and so be healed of all that burdens me. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Image: Frederick Arthur Bridgman - The Prayer [1877], by Gandalf's Gallery, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

    Source: Free RSS feed from divinemercy.life — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
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    3 mins
  • Reflection 270- The Details of the Will of God

    Reflection 270- The Details of the Will of God
    Sep 26 2026
    Reflection 270: The Details of the Will of God

    Are you willing to accept the Will of God in your life? If so, you must be open to all the details. God’s Will is not some grandiose generalization. Choosing His Will is not simply a matter of saying that you choose to follow Him with broad strokes. Rather, choosing His Will is saying “Yes” over and over to every little prompting and every inspiration that the Lord gives. It’s about building a habit of attentiveness to the small ways that God speaks to you. Mercy is also in the details since Mercy and the Will of God are one and the same. Being open to the Mercy of God means that you come to realize that God wants to enter into the most “insignificant” parts of your life. The truth is that nothing in your life is insignificant to our Lord. Therefore, you must realize that those parts that you perceive as insignificant are very dear to Him. His care and concern reaches far and wide and is offered at every moment to every detail that makes up the apparent complexity of your life. When you realize this, you will, in turn, want to seek the fine details of His holy Will. You will want to serve Him in every way possible and, in so doing, you will be living in His merciful Will (See Diary #1356).

    Reflect today on the small things in your life. What is it that, at first thought, seems far from the Will of God? Knowing that every little detail of your life is important to our Lord and is always in His sight will give you a new perspective. As you reflect upon the small things that make up your life, turn them over to the Will of God and invite His Mercy into those details. Doing so will lead you down the path of true happiness.

    Lord, I offer You, this day, every part of my life. Thank You for Your perfect love and concern. Help me to love You in the details, embracing Your perfect Will in all things. May I never tire of allowing Your Mercy to enter so as to produce the smallest acts of love. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Image: Saint Christina Giving Idols of Gold to the Poor

    Source: Free RSS feed from divinemercy.life — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
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    4 mins
  • Reflection 271- Looking Past the Obstacles in Life

    Reflection 271- Looking Past the Obstacles in Life
    Sep 27 2026
    Reflection 271: Looking Past the Obstacles in Life

    One very common tendency and temptation most people struggle with is to become fixated upon sufferings, humiliations and the false opinions of others. When we experience one or more of these burdens, we can be tempted to make them the central focus of our life. For example, if you are unjustly humiliated and others have an erroneous opinion of you, it can be exceptionally hard to keep this from dominating your thoughts. Similarly, whatever it is that causes you grief or suffering can easily become the focal point of your life. These tendencies must be overcome by a commitment to look beyond these obstacles and to gaze only on the Truth. What is the Truth? It’s that which is in the Mind of God. Nothing less, nothing more, nothing other. As you seek to look beyond the struggles of life and focus only on the Truth, you will discover God’s glorious Will. His Will always offers us hope, confidence and joy as we move forward in life (See Diary #1360).

    What is it that dominates your attention? What is it that you are most aware of day after day? If you tend to let yourself become drawn into the confusions of life, work to change the focus of your attention. Instead, look only at the Will of God. His Will is glorious, inspiring, hopeful and renewing. Pay no attention to anything that is not contained within His Divine Will and the confusion, hurt and humiliation that you struggle with will slowly disappear as it is overwhelmed by the Mercy of God.

    Lord, help me to remain focused on the Truth as it is seen by Your watchful eye and known by Your perfect Mind. Help me to discover Your Will as the only Truth that I must know and help me to embrace Your Will with my whole being. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Image: Georg Pencz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Source: Free RSS feed from divinemercy.life — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
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    3 mins
  • Reflection 272- The External Manifestation of the Heart

    Reflection 272- The External Manifestation of the Heart
    Sep 28 2026
    Reflection 272: The External Manifestation of the Heart

    No one can see your heart except you and God. God is aware of every detail of your interior life to a perfect degree; you see the details of your interior life to an imperfect degree. Nonetheless, it is important to become increasingly aware of the reality of your inner life. See your soul as a hidden and secret world in which the Mercy of God resides. Allow the inner chambers of your heart to become consumed with the love of God. This holy and pure love of God must direct all things within you. And although others will not see that which takes place within you, they will see the good fruits that come forth from your life and these good fruits will become an exterior witness to the Mercy of God alive within you. Though the inner life is hidden, it must become manifest so that the secret workings of God will produce Mercy in a visible and radiant way (See Diary #1363). Are you aware of the powerful work of God within your soul?

    Are you attentive to His merciful hand, leading you and guiding you within this secret sanctuary of your interior life? Fix your interior gaze upon the pure love of God and allow this hidden place to bring forth an abundance of good fruit. As the good fruit of your life is produced, allow it to be made manifest for the world to see and to be inspired and changed by the Mercy of God coming forth from you. Ponder today this direct connection between your interior and exterior and allow your heart to shine forth.

    Lord, I love You with a burning love. Please continually purify my heart so that Your grace may become active and alive within my soul. As You work Your miracles of grace in my life, bring forth the good fruit of Mercy in my exterior actions so that Your works will become a public testimony to the pure love that is alive in my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Image: Vision of Blessed Alonso Rodríguez, by Francisco de Zurbarán

    Source: Free RSS feed from divinemercy.life — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
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    3 mins
  • Reflection 184- The Mercy of the Ministry of Priests

    Reflection 184- The Mercy of the Ministry of Priests
    Jul 2 2026
    Reflection 184: The Mercy of the Ministry of Priests

    No, priests are not perfect. They sin day in and day out. They are in constant need of repentance and conversion in their daily lives just like all the rest of humanity. But they are priests. And because of their sacred ordination, the Lord speaks through them in a clear yet mysterious way. Some speak with the authority of Christ only when speaking the words of Consecration at Mass or the words of Absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Others embrace the charism of their ordination and are used by God in a multitude of other ways, through their preaching, their holy living, and their words of counsel offered to their flock. Seek out these holy priests. Listen to them and allow the Lord to guide you through them. For in listening to the voice of God, spoken through them, you will be blessed with an abundance of Mercy (See Diary #968).

    Ponder today, with all charity, the priests that God has placed in your life. It may be your own parish priest, or a priest speaking through the written word, or a priest speaking through some other form of modern communication. God will point you to His holy priests and will speak to you directly through them. Listen to them, for in hearing their words you will be hearing the words of the Mercy of God.

    Lord, I thank You for establishing the sacred priesthood as a sign of Your continued sacramental presence in the world. I pray for all priests, especially those You have entrusted with my pastoral care. May I always be open to You, speaking through them, in their sacred ministry. And may I respond with abandon and generosity at the sound of Your voice spoken from their lips. Give me humility, dear Lord, that I may always hear Your voice spoken through priests. Jesus, I trust in You.
    Image: Ordination and first mass of Saint John of Matha, by Vicente Carducho

    Source: Free RSS feed from divinemercy.life — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
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    3 mins
  • Reflection 186- Transpierced by God

    Reflection 186- Transpierced by God
    Jul 4 2026
    Reflection 186: Transpierced by God

    Has your soul been “transpierced” by God? Does He “pervade” you? Do you allow yourself to “dissolve” into His divinity and become “enveloped” by His Mercy? There are so many words we can use to describe our relationship with God. Though they all add to an articulation of who God is and what sort of relationship we should have with Him, none of them will ever fully be able to present the mystery of our union with Him. We are called to “oneness,” to “transformative union.” And this union is like a drop of water being placed into the mighty ocean. Slowly and surely, that drop of water is lost in the vastness of the ocean depths. So it is with God. We are called to a unity so deep and so profound that words will never suffice to speak what the soul is called to experience (See Diary #983-984).

    What is your relationship with God like? Are the words above even a faint description of your life of prayer and communion with Him? Do you see and experience Him interiorly, calling you to His unfathomable depths of Mercy? Or is He distant to you, seen by you as someone you talk about and are aware of, but not living a “holy fusion” with? The words we use matter because they point to the deeper reality. Reflect upon how you would describe your relationship with God. And when you find that no words suffice, you are on the right track.

    Most Holy Trinity, may my whole being become consumed by the brightness of Your radiance. May I become possessed by You in every way so that it will no longer be my life that is lived, but is Yours living within me, consuming me and transforming me. May I be like that one small drop of water, entering into the mighty Ocean of Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.

    Image: The Ecstasy of St Cecilia, by Bernardo Cavallino

    Source: Free RSS feed from divinemercy.life — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
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    3 mins