Praying in Humility and Mercy

Is it possible to pray out of misery without falling into self-pity?   The question, posed by one of our readers, indicates a grave evil confronted in prayer.   Misery is the demeaning absence of God’s love, a love we have rejected.  Without the love God created us to know, we are restless and in our restlessness we are inclined to mistake our own bloated egos for God.  The gravity of such self-occupation is a perilous... Read More

Finding the Splendor of Mercy in the Shadow of Humdrum Days

“Oh humdrum days, filled with darkness, I look upon you with a solemn and festive eye.” (Saint Faustina Kowalska, Diary, #1373) Saint Faustina Kowalska wrote these words in 1937 at the brink of falling into a very serious illness from which she would never recover.  She could not have known that this experience of darkness was only the beginning of many difficult days for herself, her native Poland and the Church.... Read More

Open the Floodgates of Mercy!

Beginning on Good Friday and culminating on Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of the Octave of Easter, the Church turns her attention to the divine mystery of merciful love.  This devotion in different forms is a special gift from the saints of our era.  St. Therese of Lisieux made an offering of herself to this mystery at the end of the 19th Century.   Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity understood her vocation to praise... Read More

The Glory of Christ Crucified

The Cross of Christ brings His glorious grace into the focus of contemplation.  It is a difficult mystery to dwell on.  The heart sometimes finds itself weary and sometimes even too discouraged to fix its gaze on the agony of the Lord.  This is where frequent confession and humble examination of conscience can help the practice of mental prayer – which is a humbled gaze of the heart on the mercy of God. Oftentimes,... Read More

Gethsemane’s Night and the Hope of Christian Prayer

Gethsemane: Those who enter into this hidden garden of prayer with fear of the Lord and right reverence are permitted to overhear part of the Son’s conversation with the Father in secret.  Extending the blessing He offered at the Last Supper, Christ offered perfect praise with bold confidence in the Father while cherishing everything about his human existence, especially His friends.  He was vigilant that they should... Read More

Charity’s Infinite Overflowing Flood in the Midst of Trial

Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity (1880 – 1906), a contemporary of St. Therese of Lisieux, is a Carmelite mystic from Dijon, France.   Her profound theological reflections are given in a tumultuous time, one not unlike our own.  The French government had begun to attack religious freedom with the intention of evicting religious orders and confiscating their properties.   The local bishop acquiesced to this political... Read More

More on Divine Mercy – Podcast Interview with Joseph Pronechen

HE IS RISEN! Dear Friends, this past Friday, I interviewed Joseph Pronechen, the author of our recent post on Divine Mercy, for Register Radio. You can find that podcast here. The interview begins about half way through the show and we covered the FINCH acronym that outlines the basic elements and aspects of the devotion. The acronym is as follows: F – Feast of Divine Mercy I  – Image of Divine Mercy N –... Read More

Divine Mercy Sunday – Time to Celebrate God’s Mercy

Worried about the world situation? About your spiritual life? Jesus gives us the hope-filled solution. Seek and accept his mercy. Start in the Eastertide celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday, then continue with the devotion. Jesus himself called for this devotion and feast. He made his urgent, essential request through Polish mystic St. Faustina Kowalska, the first saint canonized in the New Millennium by John Paul II. Jesus said,... Read More

I hate myself… How can I find comfort in God when I feel so unworthy?

Q: Dear Father John, I thought I once heard you mention that quite often a hatred of oneself runs parallel with a hatred of God. My problem is similar, but while I hate myself quite a bit I do not in any way hate God. God is, in fact, my longest and most faithful friend, always at the back of my mind. And I know it probably hurts Him to see me revile myself the way I do, but I feel unable to improve the situation. I compare... Read More

Pope Benedict On Divine Mercy

“God’s passionate love for his people — for humanity — is at the same time a forgiving love. by The Editors, National Catholic Register correspondent “God’s passionate love for his people — for humanity — is at the same time a forgiving love. It is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice.” This is a startling, radical, statement about divine mercy — the kind of declaration... Read More