Divine mercy is a promise.
Loving.
Infinite.
Dynamic.
Peaceful.
I am a pilgrim of mercy.
Once upon a time, there was a priest who sat in the confessional in his church every day. People would come from all over to confess and receive his spiritual counsel. At about the same time each day, he would hear some loud clanging noises at the back of the church. A few minutes would pass and then he would hear the same clanging noises at the back of the church. The priest was always curious about that noise. One morning, he exited the confessional just as the second clanging was ringing out. Hurrying toward the back of the church, he found one of the local farmers leaving the church with his tools. "Do you come here every morning?" the priest asked the farmer. "Yes, Father," he replied. "What do you do here?" "I just sit a little and pray," the simple farmer replied. "How do you pray?" The farmer was a simple man and a little embarrassed by the priest's inquiry. Bowing his head, he said, "I look at the good God and the good God looks at me."
It's so simple and so beautiful and so practical and so profound. The priest was the cure of ours, St. John Vianney. Like so many of the central figures in the gospels, we don't know who the farmer was or how the rest of his life unfolded, but his simple wisdom about prayer lives on. I look at the good God and the good God looks at me. Our culture has a strong bias toward action. It is the fruit of our obsession with productivity. Together, our bias toward action and our obsession with productivity have eradicated any deeply rooted spirituality from most people's lives. A man sitting quietly in church for an hour appears to be doing nothing. And when he is finished, he has nothing to show for his efforts. To the naked eye, he appears to have accomplished nothing. Our culture believes this is a waste of time, but nothing could be further from the truth. Mercy is unearned. This is the essential dilemma we face as modern Christians when it comes to mercy. It isn't something you can earn, not even with virtue. It is given. It is given freely. It is given completely. Mercy is bestowed on beggars. Divine mercy is the intervention our lives need and the intervention our world needs.
Visit your local parish today and sit there quietly for a few minutes in church. You don't have to do anything. You don't have to say anything. Just sit there in the presence of our good God and allow him to pour his infinite mercy into your soul. St. John Vianney, pray for us. Trust surrender, believe, receive.
The word is out. People have been asking, what will Dynamic Catholics program on the Mass look like? The program will present one of the most beautiful masses you've ever seen right here in the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. The cinematography is amazing. It will be a journey through the mass like no other. And at the same time, practical and relatable, and it will change the way people experience the mass forever. There are 57 amazing moments of engagement in the Catholic Mass. Let's take a look at just one of those moments of engagement that the program covers, the Offertory. You've seen and participated in it a thousand times, but do you engage in it like this?
As the gifts are being brought forward and as the priest is preparing the gifts, in your heart, bring the different aspects of your life forward and offer them to God. Offer God your marriage, your family, your children, your career, your business, your friendships, in a special way, offer him your successes and your failures. Hold up to God a friend who is suffering. Offer him a particular struggle that you are enduring right now. Whatever you want to see changed in your life or in the world, place it all on the altar. That altar is an altar of transformation. Offer God everything. Mentally and spiritually place all these people and aspects of your life on the altar so that God can transform them. That's just one of the 57 moments of engagement in the Mass that will forever change the way you experience the Mass. So become an ambassador today and help us finish this program and share it with the world. Have a great day and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.
Eternal God.
In whom mercy is endless.
And the treasury of compassion and 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.
Hey, Ralph. One of the best ways to be a pilgrim of mercy is to collaborate with God to create holy moments. So, I figured while we have a couple of minutes, you could inspire our audience. So, tell me, what is today's Holy Moment Challenge?
It is, forgive someone who has wronged you
