Daily Inspiration

We are commanded throughout the Bible to love one another. It is a message found in both the Old and New Testaments alike, it is repeated often, but yet we still struggle to adhere to the command.

Last Sunday was Divine Mercy Sunday. It is a feast day in the Church, and it recognizes the deep and powerful visions of St. Faustina Kowalska of Poland, (1905-1938). St. Faustina recorded her visions of Jesus, who taught her of His unfathomably deep mercy for mankind. Her story is fascinating, easily searched on the web, and I highly recommend some further reading on her life, and encounters with Jesus.

Jesus told St. Faustina to tell us all to pray and commit our soul to a simple phrase.

“Jesus, I trust in you.” Jesus promised us all, as recorded in St. Faustina’s diary, access to His deep mercy, but we must entrust our life to God, and practice active love for each other.

The depth of God’s love and mercy cannot be described with the words of this world, as they are too weak and pale to represent the Truth. We are given access to His vast mercy, but we must actively participate in the reception of such love. It is an easy enough phrase to say, that we must love one another, but in this world the enemy does all he can to impede us from completing the Lord’s request.

Today, more than ever the enemy is using all his tools to divide, and separate us. The various forms of media, politicians, and activists, help the enemy when they try to label and drive a wedge between us. We are separated and categorized by race, ethnicity, gender, and political leaning among other things. Again, all one needs to do is turn to scripture to understand who Jesus knows we are to Him. He did not strive to separate us, but unite us, in Him.

“And responding to them he said, “Who is my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those who were sitting all around him, he said:

“Behold, my mother and my brothers. For whoever has done the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.” (Mark 3:33-35 NAB)

We are inundated with messages that urge us to do the contrary to God’s two greatest commandments, to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love one another as we love ourselves. Don’t fall prey to the enemy’s plan to divide us and capture us for himself. The time is now upon us, when we must look across from ourselves, and realize the person we are facing is indeed, our brother, sister or mother in Christ. We are family, and we should care for each other accordingly. Hate has never solved any problems, and it never will.

To truly love God with all our heart means to surrender ourself to Him, and to His will for us. We all have plans and desires, and we tend to over focus on our will, as opposed to God’s. But who really knows better of what we need than the Father who has numbered every hair on our head, even if there aren’t as many up there as there once was? He is a good father, and gives us what we need. Have faith in Him that He will care for you, and as you surrender to Him, you will find how easy His yoke really is. His yoke is easier than the yoke we place on ourselves, and definitely easier than the yoke with which the enemy tries to burden us.

Spend some time looking for some of the scripture verses that tell us to love each other, and then spend a little time trying to understand how vast God’s mercy must be, to send His Son to be offered for our sins.

Peace to you my brothers and sisters,

Ed

“Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Jesus, I trust in you! (Divine Mercy Chaplet)