Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time, July 28
May You and I Become Witnesses to the Light of God’s Glory with Our Own Eyes As We, One Day, with the Help of His Grace, Stand in the Loving Embrace of Eternal Love Himself.
Today, we hear words of praise from our psalmist, “Holy is the Lord our God” – as we continue to reflect on the glory which is God’s, and the glory which awaits each of us!
I remember many years ago, on April 30th, in the year 2000, there was great joy in the hearts of many people when our late Holy Father, Pope St. John Paul II, proclaimed that the Second Sunday after Easter would be known as “Divine Mercy Sunday”, in answer to our Lord’s request made through Saint Faustina. John Paul placed great belief in the words of our Lord, for nothing was given to us in this devotion that was new.
Our Holy Father saw great importance in the message of God’s Mercy which mankind so sorely needed, for much of society had traveled so far away from God’s Love; much of society had plunged itself into such an abyss of darkness, that ONLY God’s Mercy could find and save His lost sheep.
Saint John Paul quoted from Saint Faustina’s Diary when he read, “Humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to Divine Mercy.”
What we received from this private devotion was a reawakening, a re-awareness of the great Mercy which God has for all of His children, a Mercy which gives us hope, a Mercy which fills us with joy, even in the midst of so much chaos which we find all around us in today’s world.
In Sacred Scripture, according to the Revised Edition of the New American Bible, the very concept of God’s Mercy is mentioned one hundred and fifty-three times.
Our Lord Himself talked about His Mercy on several occasions, but probably the most notable and renowned quote is, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Even Saint Peter, in his First Letter, speaks of God’s Mercy when he writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
Mercy that will give us a new birth, a living hope in an inheritance which is imperishable – WOW! Is this not what our Lord was telling us today about a “…pearl of great price” for which one would sell everything in order to possess, or a treasure buried in a field for which one sells all that he has in order to purchase the field?
Jesus once said, “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” And on another occasion, He is quoted as saying, “I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.”
Divine Mercy, in itself, becomes the means through which we may obtain that “…pearl of great price” which each of us, with an opened, humbled and truly contrite heart, seeks to possess, so that we may find ourselves in the loving Presence of the God who created us, so that we may find ourselves in the tender embrace of our Lord Himself, not only in the here and now, but most especially for all eternity in His Heavenly Kingdom.
Just as the Israelites witnessed the Eternal Light of God’s glory being reflected from the face of Moses, as we just read from the Book of Exodus, so, too, will we become witnesses to the Light of God’s glory with our own eyes as we, one day, with the help of His grace, stand in the loving embrace of God’s Eternal Presence, as we experience that Gift beyond all gifts – that which gives our life true meaning, that which gives our life true hope beyond all hope – living forever in the embrace of the greatest of all loves – Eternal Love Himself!
The hymn of praise from today’s psalmist shall become our own hymn of praise, as we give eternal thanks for all that our Savior endured for each one of us, so that we may, one day, share in the greatest of all treasures – eternal life, a life which has no end, a life which has no sorrows, no pain, no loneliness, a life filled with endless love, joy and the Eternal Light of God’s Loving Presence!
With one voice, we shall hear ourselves singing, “Holy is the Lord our God” for bequeathing to each of us this greatest of all treasures from the depths of His Most Merciful Love, Heaven itself! †
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Please Comment, Like and Share, and Suggest to your Facebook friends – to spread the message of God’s Merciful Love.
Por favor Comente, Le Gusta y Comparta, y Sugiera a tus amigos en Facebook – en difundir el mensaje del Misericordioso Amor de Dios.
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Scripture for the Day
- “Holy is the LORD, our God” (Psalm 99:9c)
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3-4)
- “…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)
- “I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.” (Hosea 2:21-22)
- “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13b)
- “I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.” (John 12:47b)
- “Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven…For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Luke 6:36-37, 38c)
- “Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.” (Isaiah 30:18ab)
- “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” (Hebrews 4:16)
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Prayer for the Day
“Our Eternal and Most Loving Father in Heaven,
Anonymous
may everything I do begin with Your inspiration,
continue with Your saving help,
and reach perfection under Your guidance.
“With Your loving Care, guide me in my daily actions,
and help me to persevere with love and sincerity.
Teach me to judge wisely the things of Earth
and to always love the things of Heaven.
“Your Spirit instilled in my heart that I am Your child,
and I am confident to call You my Father.
Keep me in Your Presence always
and never let me be separated from You.
“Make Your Love and Mercy the foundation of my life;
teach me to long for Heaven as my eternal Home.
May its promise and hope guide my way on Earth
until I finally reach eternal life with You. Amen.”
Evangelization Apostolate of God's Divine Love and Mercy 