JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU. While the greatest day to obtain Divine Mercy is the Sunday after Easter, God's forgiveness and peace are available to us every day of the year. If we trust completely, there is no limit to our experience of the Heavenly Father's Goodness, Kindness and Mercy.
In October 1936, Saint Faustina wrote in her diary:
I have understood that at certain and most difficult moments I shall be alone, deserted by everyone, and that I must face all the storms and fight with all the strength of my soul, even with those from whom I expected to get help.
But I am not alone, because Jesus is with me, and with Him I fear nothing. I am well aware of everything, and I know what God is demanding of me. Suffering, contempt, ridicule, persecution, and humiliation will be my constant lot. I know no other way. For sincere love – ingratitude; this is my path, marked out by the footprints of Jesus.
My Jesus, my strength and my only hope, in You alone is all my hope. My trust will
not be frustrated. (Diary entry 746)
April 17. Today, during a catechetical lecture [by Father Theodore], I was given a confirmation of what I had understood interiorly and lived by for quite some time; namely, that if a soul loves God sincerely and is intimately united with Him, then, even though such a soul may be living in the midst of difficult external circumstances, nothing can disturb its interior life; and in the midst of corruption, it can remain pure and unsullied; because the great love of God gives it strength for battle, and God also protects in a special way, even in a miraculous way, a soul that loves Him sincerely. (Diary entry 1094)
If you know St. Therese of the Child Jesus, then you may know her parents, Zelie and Louis Martin. Called to marriage since their religious vocations didn't work out, Zelie and Louis were a devout and loving couple, having nine children -- five surviving daughters became nuns. They each suffered during their lives but never lost faith or their love for one other. They are a model for married couples. Pray for their intercession, especially now that they have been cannonized, to find a suitable mate and for greater love in marriage.
Prayer
Louis and Zelie Martin,
you who, in your life as a couple and as parents,
have given witness of an exemplary Christian life
by fulfilling the duties of your state in life
and practicing the evangelical virtues,
we turn to you today.
We pray especially for the synod fathers:
that they may let themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit
so that the Church can send a clear and encouraging word
to the families of today.
Let the example of your unfailing trust in God
|and of your abandonment to His will,
in joys but also through the trials, sorrows,
and suffering with which your life was filled,
encourage us to persevere in our daily difficulties
and to live in joy and Christian hope.
Intercede for us with our Father
that we may obtain the graces
of which we have such need in our everyday life on earth
and that, like you, we may reach eternal happiness.
Amen.