First Comes Desire

"It is God who makes you not only wish but also carry out what pleases Him." - Philippians 2:13

I attended a Divine Mercy Holy Hour tonight and after the service, the priest asked my friend if he wanted to be a priest. My friend smiled at him not knowing how to respond politely. For most of us, the thought of being a nun or a priest is out of the question, but God will never call you to do anything you don't have a desire to do first. This is how it is with all things in our lives. When I started to look for God and find ways to serve Him, I had the desire for it first, before I ever did anything about it.

So many of you might feel in your heart that there is something you want to do for the Lord and don't know where to start. Maybe you want to read during Mass, maybe you want to volunteer to help the poor or at a soup kitchen, or maybe you want to teach religion classes to children studying for their First Communion or Confirmation. Whatever you feel in your heart you want to do, God wants you to do as well. Pray about it, ask God to show you the path and lead you in what to do next. In this way you'll see that whatever road God leads you on, He'll lead you with love and never out of obligation.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You know the desires of my heart. I want to follow You and serve You. Give me the desire to work for Your Kingdom and let me follow what You have put in my heart. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Mercy

"For God had given us the Law through Moses, but Truth and Loving-kindness came through Jesus Christ." - John 1:17

All of my life, I have followed the correct path. I hardly ever gave my parents any trouble. I was the teacher's pet and have always been called the goody goody by those who know me. Because of this, I painfully confess, I have often judged others because they weren't like me. I wouldn't admit it then, but now I realize I thought myself better. All this time I have been really good at following the law, doing what's right and staying away from bad. But my heart had been in being proud of myself for being right, while true goodness from the heart was lacking.

God has given us His law, but each of us knows the difference between right and wrong. What about mercy? Mercy is an undeserved gift from God. That is what Jesus brought to us with His life, death, and resurrection. True love and kindness have been given to us by Jesus. That means that because He loves us, not because we have been good, and even when we've been bad, Jesus forgives us without merit. He washes away sin. He washes away guilt. He washes away any pain we carry in the heart. It really doesn't matter what we've done in the past. God doesn't look at us like I would have in the past. If you weren't "good' like me, I would have thought less of you. But not God. The further you feel from Him, the more He wants to hold you, embrace you, keep you safe in His arms. He doesn't seek our righteousness but our mercy… that we love others in this way. That we see that we all come from the same Father. This way, no one can ever feel better than anyone else since all we have is because God has been loving and merciful, and has blessed us.

Please, don't make the same mistake I've made if you feel this speaks to you as well. Ask Jesus to bless you with His mercy. We are all flawed and have all sinned, yet the Lord loves us despite of all these things. Abandon yourself in His mercy and share it with others.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as imperfect as I am, with all my bad thoughts, deeds, and attitude, you still choose to love me and walk with me. I could never deserve you, but please change my heart. Humble me and make me pliable. Work through me and show me Your perfection. In Your Name we pray, amen.