When was the last time you felt alone? As a young man traveling in different parts of the world, there were many times where I felt alone or I felt lonely. The reality is, is that the idea that we're alone is actually a myth. It's a distortion of reality because God is with us always. And either we are aware of His presence or we are unaware of His presence. And not only God, but the angels and the saints, we're surrounded by a whole spiritual universe. And very often we close our minds off to that. We focus in on very small parts of reality. And those small parts of reality can distort the way we see ourselves, the way we see God, the way we see our lives, and the way we see the world and other people. Today, Faustina speaks to us about this in a quote, which actually is a quote from Jesus. It's something that Faustina heard Jesus say to her, "People will oppose you in many things, but my grace will be manifested in you through that. And it will be a sign that this busyness is my doing. But do not be afraid of anything. I am with you all the time."

I am with you all the time. If Jesus is with us all the time, if God is with us all the time, it's impossible to be alone. And so we're never alone in that respect. And when we feel alone, it's important for us to acknowledge that. It's important for us to acknowledge, okay, there's a greater reality here. In one sense, in one small sense, we might be alone. But in a greater sense, in the fullest sense, we are not. And Jesus is with us all the time. It was one of his great promises in the gospels. It's a promise he keeps in many, many different ways. He keeps that promise in the Eucharist, Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity alive in all the tabernacles and monasteries of the world. And so to be mindful of his presence always.

And so maybe it's a practical way to live this out. Next time you go to mass, next time you receive communion, just hold the host on your tongue for three seconds longer. And immerse yourself in the idea that we are never alone, that Jesus is always with us. However much that may feel to be not true, that is the truth. He's with us always. So that's what he points out to Faustina in his quote today. It's the last line. Let's take a look at the first line. People will oppose you in many things. Who's opposing you right now? As we make our way through holy week, Jesus is going to experience the epitome of opposition, the epitome of aggression, the epitome of evil. He's going to be confronted with this opposition in just an increasing way. What opposition are you facing at this time in your life? And what is the cause of the opposition? Is the cause of the opposition that you're living your faith so fully that that's offensive to people? We're reading the Beatitudes. "Blessed are you when people betray you and put you down and utter all sorts of horrible things about you." And then there's this phrase that Jesus adds: "On my account." People are horrible to me sometimes, but it has nothing to do with Jesus; it's certainly not on his account. It's because of my humanity, right? And not the best parts of my humanity. People say things to me that aren't kind sometimes, and it's like, okay, it's not on Jesus's account; it's on my account. It's on account of my ugly humanity or an ugly part of my humanity. But on his account, are you encountering opposition at the moment in your life because you're living out the gospel so fully, or are you encountering opposition because you're being unreasonable, or you're being selfish, or you're being any other of these ugly human traits that we manifest in our lives when we step away from the gospel, when we step away from Jesus? But it's important, I think, to acknowledge the opposition that we face in our lives. And certainly, living our faith is going to attract more opposition in a culture that is so anti-God, anti-morality, anti-Christianity, and specifically anti-Catholic.

John Paul II, today in his quote, wrote, "It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness. He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you. He is the beauty to which you are so attracted. It is he who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise. It is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life. It is he who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives." The will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal. He was a brilliant wordsmith. There's so much there. We could talk for the rest of the week just about this one quote: "It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness." Dreams are powerful; we talk about that so many times right? Incredible God-given ability to dream, look into the future, imagine something better in the future, then come back into the present and work in the present to bring about that richly imagined future. That is an extraordinary ability God has given us, the ability to dream. He says, "It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness." We do dream of happiness. He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you. We've tried so many things. We've tried so much. It doesn't satisfy. When will we surrender ourselves once and for all, wholeheartedly, 100% to an experience of Catholicism? What will it take for us to do that? Why are we so unwilling to do that? And maybe this is the week. Maybe this is your time. Give it a try. What do you have to lose? What you have to gain is that dream of happiness that He talks about, is that satisfaction that is evading you.

He goes on. "Jesus is the beauty to which you are so attracted, and it is He who provoked you." That's a great word. He's just so brilliant at picking these words. Jesus provokes you. He provokes you with a thirst for fullness of life so you don't settle, so you don't compromise. He urges you to shed the masks of a false life. Again, we're looking for one word, phrase, or idea. It's just everywhere in this quote. What masks are you putting on at this time in your life? What are your masks of a false life? This holy week, God is calling you to rip those masks off and to live more genuinely, to live more authentically. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives. Do something great with your life, humbly and patiently improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal, making the world more human. So much of what happens in our culture makes the world more inhumane. But the genius of our faith, God's mandate to love is a mandate to rehumanize the dehumanized, to bring humanity back to people and situations that have been dehumanized, that have become inhumane. It's genius there. Have a great day and remember, we are pilgrims of mercy.

How many people do you know who have stopped going to mass? It's sad, isn't it? So many people don't go to mass anymore. And they aren't strangers. It's our family and friends very often. And the tragic part? They have no idea what they're missing out on. We want to change that at Dynamic Catholic. This year, we are focused on finishing a groundbreaking learning system that will transform the way people experience the mass forever, and we need your help to make this dream a reality. So please click the button below, choose your welcome gifts, and become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador today. If you're already an Ambassador, increase your gift today, and we will send you these exciting new gifts too. 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.