Welcome back to our Holy Week Retreat. Today is Monday of Holy Week. And each day, as I mentioned yesterday, we're going to reflect on a quote from John Paul II, a quote from Faustina. In the daily gospels, I always encourage people to listen and pick a word or a phrase or an idea that jumps out at them that the Holy Spirit uses to capture their attention. And that may be a mechanism, a technique that is helpful to you this week as we make our way through our Holy Week retreat, reflecting on these quotes. I'm, of course, going to share with you about the words and the phrases that have jumped out at me. But it may be a different word that the Holy Spirit uses to capture your attention. And I don't think it hurts to pay attention to what that word or phrase or idea might be. Today's quote from John Paul II, "So often man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often, he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you, therefore, we beg you with humility and trust. Let Christ speak to man. He alone has the words of life, yes, of eternal life. Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept His power. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ."

Of course, this last line from the quote is a very famous quote to, "Open wide the doors for Christ." And so a good place for us to start today, open wide. Is your heart open? Is your heart open wide? Are the doors of your heart open wide to Jesus? And our mind, what about your mind? Are the doors of your mind open wide to Jesus, to his teachings, to the life and teachings of the church that he left us? About your soul, about your spirit, is your soul-- are the doors of your soul open wide to Jesus? Or are we a bit defensive? Are we a little standoffish? We just sort of crack the door open out of curiosity or out of a desire but also a fear maybe of, "Okay. If I open the doors wide to Christ, how is he going to change my life?" Well, radically. And that's why we're afraid sometimes, right? And the genius of John Paul II is he recognizes our fear just as Jesus recognized the fear of people when he was on the earth. John Paul II recognizes our fear. He says, "Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept His power." It's an interesting word, an interesting word. We might think, "Oh, do not be afraid to His love. Do not be afraid to accept His generosity." But what word does John Paul II use? His power. He says, "Do not be afraid to welcome Christ and to accept His power." Why? Because He wants to fill you with a power. He wants to send you out into the world powerfully. And in order to do that, He wants to fill you with His power. And that, in and of itself, can be, I think, a scary thing sometimes.

And then John Paul II reiterates. He says, "Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ." And so are we willing today to open wide the doors for Christ? There are other words and phrases powerful here today for reflection as well. John Paul the Second starts by saying, "People, they don't know what's within them." We don't know what's within us in the depths of our hearts and our minds. We're uncertain about the meaning of this life. Uncertain about the meaning of this life. Reflecting recently on slowing down to the speed of joy and the idea of what is the central task of your life? And are we clear about the central task of our life? Because the central task of our life isn't to be successful in our careers or in our studies. The central task of our life isn't to get married or have a family or become a priest or a great baseball player. These are not the central tasks of our life. The central task of our life isn't to travel the world, isn't to collect things. The central task of our life, the great mandate that God places on our lives, is to love.

And as we go through our day, we can do things with love, and we can do things without love. And we know when we're doing something with love. We know when there's that passion, that energy, that enthusiasm, that generosity that springs forth naturally from love. And we know when we're just going through the motions. When we're just going through the motions, we've lost sight of the central task of our lives, which is to love. And of course, by loving God and loving neighbor, we've grown in holiness. And that is the essence of the Christian experience. That is the essence of the Christian life, is to love God, love neighbor, grow in holiness, become more perfectly who God created us to be. Yes, that very best version of ourselves that God created us to be.

And then John Paul II, he talks about the obstacles. He says, "We get assailed by doubt." He says, "Doubt turns into despair." I think we look around our culture today. There's a lot of doubt. People have a lot of doubt. Yes, they have doubt about God, doubt about His church. They have doubt about the government. They have doubt about the future. They have doubt about their friends. They have doubt about their personal finances. They have doubt about their health. There's a lot of ways to doubt. There's a lot of things to be doubtful of. And what John Paul II is pointing out today is that when we separate those doubts from the central task of our lives, we get separated from that central task of our lives, it's easy to fall into doubts. It's easy for those doubts to fester. And left unattended, left unaddressed, those doubts become despair. And I think we do see a lot of despair in our culture is a natural result of rejecting God. Okay? I'll say it again. The despair of which we see very much in our culture today is a natural result, an inevitable result of rejecting God. And so the more we reject God as individuals, as a society, the more we will experience despair in our lives and in our culture. It is a natural, unavoidable, inevitable consequence of rejecting God. And so you and me probably think to ourselves, "Wow, no, that's those other people. I don't reject God." But the truth is, I reject God every day. I reject God every day in little ways. Some of them I'm conscious of, some of them I'm unconscious of. I reject God, I think, "Okay, I know God wants me to do that, but I want to do this thing over here." And I reject God's path. I reject His invitation. I go do this thing over here. It's not that I wasn't clear about what God was calling me to. There are times in our lives when that is true, but there are many times in our lives when that is not true. We know clearly what God is calling us to, but we lack the courage or the wisdom to choose his path. And it could be in the tiniest thing, but it is a rejection of God. It could be the tiniest rejection of God, but we all do it. We do it every day.

And it's important that we understand that, that we don't think, oh yeah, those people over there, they've rejected God. They're in big trouble. They're going to have doubts and despairs, and it's going to eat them up. No, it's not those people over there. It's all of us. It's part of the human condition. And John Paul II was brilliant at talking about the human condition, understanding the human condition, and expressing the human condition for us to understand. And that's what he's doing here today. He's saying these doubts, this despair, it'll eat you up. But he then proposes the antidote. He says, "I beg you with humility and trust. Let Christ speak to you. Let Jesus speak to you. What is Jesus saying to you today?" And then we take a look at Faustina's quote for the day. "All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us all. Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God, even if a person's sins were as dark as night. God's mercy is stronger than our misery." God's mercy is stronger than our misery. What is your misery today? What is your misery today? Identify it, own it, and then surrender it to God.

Say, "God, this is my misery today." The temptation is to say, "Wow, I'm so blessed compared to so many other people in so many other ways." But God doesn't want you to explain away your miseries. He doesn't want you to wallow in them, but let's own our misery today. It might be maybe your kid's been bullied at school, and that's your misery today. Or maybe your dad died this year, and that's your misery today. My dad died 20 years ago now, but there are still some days when that's my misery. And we have other types of misery as well that are self-created. We sin, and an inevitable consequence of sin is misery. Unavoidable, inevitable consequence of sin is misery. Might be delayed misery, but that's what happens. And so, we have our misery, but what is Faustina counseling us? God's mercy is stronger than your misery. Whatever your misery is, however great your misery is, His mercy is greater than your misery. And then, if we go back to the beginning of the quote, what is she talking about? She's talking about the last hour. The last hour of what? The last hour of your life, for your transition from this world to the next world, the last hour of your life. Is it morbid to think about death? Maybe. But I don't think so. Why? Because it's only by reflecting on death that we live life with great intentionality. It's only by reflecting on death that we live life to the fullest. And that's why a church is constantly inviting us to think about the last hour, constantly inviting us to think about, "Okay, this life is going to end." Because imagine if this life didn't end, okay? Imagine how recklessly and irresponsibly some people would behave if this life went on forever, if there was nothing to contain it, if there was nothing to limit it in any way. That could be a scary path to go down, but Faustina invites us today to think about, "Okay, there is going to be a last hour of your life. And in that last hour, God's mercy is greater than any person's sin, even if a person's sin are as dark as night." So whatever sin it is that brings you shame, that floods you with guilt, even though you may have confessed it long ago, even though God may have forgiven you long ago, Faustina is inviting us again to be mindful today that God's mercy is infinitely greater than whatever it is that brings you that guilt and that shame. Have a great day, and remember, we are pilgrims of mercy.

There is a multi-generational problem in the church that deserves our urgent attention. It seems the growing consensus among Catholics is that Mass is boring and that it isn't relevant to modern life. Nothing could be further from the truth. And this year, we want to change that mistaken perception forever. Dynamic Catholic is developing a world-class program that will teach Catholics, young and old, about the genius of the Mass and show them exactly how it applies to their daily lives. I hope this stirs your soul. I hope you want to be a part of it. So click the button below. Choose your welcome gift. Become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador today. We had so much fun creating these new welcome gifts for you. I hope you enjoy them. Have a great day. And remember, Be Bold. Be Catholic.

Eternal God.

In whom mercy is endless.

And the treasury of compassion inexhaustible.

Look kindly upon us.

And increase your mercy in us.

That in difficult moments.

We might not despair.

Nor become despondent.

But with great confidence.

Submit ourselves to Your holy will.

Which is love and mercy itself.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

See you tomorrow.

Thank you, Ambassadors.

You are changing the world.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.