Our Misery, His Mercy

The passage we had today from the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of getting help in time, of need. And I think many of us are going through times of need, right now in different ways, maybe it’s health needs or financial needs. Maybe it’s personal needs or family needs, even the needs of our country, and our Church, these are really special times of need. And it also speaks of our weaknesses and temptations. The experience we have of our own misery. And many of us can look back in our past, and especially as we’re older, and see many things that we wish we hadn’t done, we wish had never happened. And oftentimes, when there’s a conversion, then we were motivated, and we become more knowledgeable. And so, we make special efforts, we make improvements in our life. But there’s sometimes a danger of pride there. And oftentimes, later on as we continue, we begin to experience again, our misery,  our weakness, even we find that even now that we know what we’re supposed to do, and trying to do it, oftentimes, we fail again and again. And I think of Jesus himself falling multiple times under the cross. And so, it’s very hard for us to understand, well, I’m trying to follow the Lord, yet I still feel so weak and sinful. So, in this situation, both of needs, and our own sinfulness, what can we do? And so, this letter to the Hebrews is, it’s brief, but it’s very important, because it says, “since we have a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.” So that’s the great revelation. That’s what changes everything, that we have a great high priest, Jesus, who is the Son of God.  And so, what does that mean?  He says “let us hold fast our confession, the confession of our faith,” and he must be sensing that the people he’s writing to are in danger of giving up, in given up their confession of faith.  And so, he’s writing to encourage them, and writing to encourage us. And it goes on to say “for we do not have a high priest, who was unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, even though He’s a great high priest.” That doesn’t mean He’s unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, “but rather one who in every respect has been tempted as we are.” So, this is a high priest, who is close to us, who understands our situation, understands our weaknesses, and our failings. So, He’s close to us. And then he goes on to say, “yet He has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning.”  So, He’s close to us. And at the same time, He has been victorious. So, He is powerful. He knows the way to victory. So, He knows the situation we’re in, He shares the situation we’re in, but He also knows the way to victory. So, He can be very effective. And so, then the letter to the Hebrews gives us a call to action, and that’s what we’re going to be focusing on today. This call to action and it’s just one sentence. It says, “Let us then with confidence, draw near the throne of grace.” So that word confidence in Greek, it’s parrhesia. In the Catechism, a Catechism says “it’s a word that which is characterized Christians. And the Catechism goes on to explain it as “straightforward simplicity, filial trust, joyous assurance, humble boldness, the certainty of being loved.”  Let me read that description again, straight is because this is what should categorize our attitude with God – straightforward, simplicity. filial trust, joyous assurance, humble boldness, the certainty of being loved. So, it says Let us then with confidence, with parrhesia, drawn near the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  So, it’s inviting us to do something, and we can do that right now. During this Mass, it says “As to draw near the throne of grace,” the throne of grace, that is the presence of God our Father, through Jesus Christ. And before every Sunday, we have Confessions. Here we have a beginning an hour before Mass, we have Confession, which is one of the great opportunities to draw near the throne of grace. And also, now we’re celebrating the Holy Eucharist, which is another extraordinary opportunity to draw near the throne of grace. And so why do we want to draw near the throne of grace? It says, “For it says two things that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  So, mercy and grace. So, let’s first of all, look at Grace, define grace to help in time of need. So how many of us are in situations of need right now? I think all of us in different ways are in situations of need. So Grace, is the strength and the light that we need in those in times of need. Grace is this divine strength in divine light, the help that God gives, in these times of need.  And we sent out in our email last Friday, comparing grace, to drip irrigation.  Drip irrigation, here, we use drip irrigation here at the mission, because irrigation is a big challenge keeping things watered.  But I think that’s a very helpful comparison. Because one thing about drip irrigation, is, it’s not like the rain.  Like the rain, we had a big rain this past week, and you can tell when it’s raining, right, you can see it, you can hear it, especially with a big rain like we had, it’s very evident. But drip irrigation is very hidden. You don’t know when it’s going on, it’s very hidden. And oftentimes, grace is like that, but it’s not always very apparent, even to the one who’s receiving it. It’s often very hidden, because it’s going directly into our soul without passing through our senses, without passing through our consciousness. And so oftentimes, we’re receiving this grace, without even realizing it, like the irrigation, which is going directly down into the roots.  And also, like, you know, like the rain we got, this big outpouring of rain, you know, more than what we needed in it, and also cause damages. But the drip irrigation is made to just give things little by little, just give the water little by little when we need it, not in advance. Like for instance, breathing. Right? You can’t say, well, I’m not gonna have a chance to breathe tomorrow so I’ll do my breathing today. Right, it doesn’t work that way. I mean, that’s the challenge when you’re trying to swim, you know, deep down trying to dive deep down. You know, there’s some who do freediving and they’re champions, because they can do it for so many minutes. But it’s very hard to do. And it’s very dangerous, because we can’t store up the breath, we have to keep on breathing, you know, over and over. And a lot of times, grace is like that, is just like the oxygen which is given to us every moment when we need it. So, through our breathing, so grace is often given to us just at the moment that we need it. And so, the thing about that is we can’t store it up. For the future, God gives us the grace we’re gonna need at a certain time, He gives it to us at the time that we need it. Like we pray in the Our Father, give us today, our daily bread, we don’t pray give us you know, a month of bread so we can store it up, or you know, give me a whole year, but I’ll make sure I have enough for the whole year.  We say give us our daily bread.  Give me what I need, when I need it. And so, the thing is that keeps us, that’s an act of continuous trust that God is going to give me what I need when I need it. And Grace is often like that.  What that means is that I don’t have the grace today for the challenges that I’m going to be facing tomorrow. And so, if I try to imagine what it’s going to be like tomorrow, it doesn’t work because I don’t have the graces that God’s gonna give me for those challenges tomorrow.  So, that image of drip irrigation is a good example how grace is given in a hidden way and just when we need it, so what that does is it forms us in faith, because we have to trust that God has giving me grace that I need, when I need it. And that’s why oftentimes later on, we wonder, how did I make it through that? How do I make it through that time, because we were receiving grace that got us through. So, to find grace, to help in time of need, but it also talks about to receive mercy. And, of course, that’s very important in this Mission of Divine Mercy.  And so, the grace is given to us when we need it. But we also have all the wounds from our past, especially the wounds from the sins that we ourselves committed. And were also wounded by things that other persons did to us. And sometimes these things are done out of malice, sometimes just out of ignorance or weakness, but they’ve still left wounds that have affected us. And so, we can’t change the past. And so that can be such a heavy, heavy thing for us. We can’t change the past, but we can be healed from our past. We can be liberated from our past. We can even have our past redeemed, and as so many examples in scripture, for instance like St. Mary Magdalene, St. Matthew, many other examples, because the Word of God even says, “Behold, I make all things new.” We don’t know exactly how that happens. But God says I make all things new. And the forgiveness of our sins is a great part of that making all things new. The Catechism quotes St. Thomas Aquinas who said, “God permits evil, not causes evil,” God doesn’t cause evil, but He permits evil. Why, in order to draw forth, some greater good.  So, it says St. Paul says, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” So, this is the main point of what I want to focus on today. Our misery, our sinfulness, our weakness, is not an obstacle to God’s mercy. Our misery is not an obstacle to God’s mercy. And I want to share four quotes from Saint Faustina when she writes, after Holy Communion, Holy Communion at Mass, “I heard these words, the Lord says, ‘you see what you are of yourself’.” So, he’s giving her the light, to see what she is of herself, what we are of ourselves. So that’s a grace, He says, “but do not be frightened.” So first of all, saying, it can be frightening to see what we are by ourselves. But it says, Do not be frightened. Then He says, “Listen to these very consoling words, this will make you feel good. If I were to reveal to you the whole misery that you are, you , you would die of terror.” Don’t you feel better now? If I were to reveal to you the whole misery of who you are,” and this is St. Faustina, I’ll say the same too so we could probably apply it ourselves, “You would die of terror.”   But there’s some good news in that, right. That doesn’t sound too good. Right. But there’s some good news in it. The thing is, sometimes we experienced a little bit how the misery in us, the sinfulness in us, and we’re terrified by that. But the thing is, God already knew it. We’re just discovering it. God already knew it, so it’s not a surprise. It’s not like God says I used to love you. But then I really realized who you really are. And so, I decided, no, I don’t love this person. I mean, that happens a lot of human relationships, right? We care for a person, and we discover something we didn’t know, but that never happens to God. It’s never, He never discovered something that changes His mind about somebody, nor about us. So that’s good to know. If he loves, it’s not because He didn’t realize, Oh, I didn’t realize how, what a mess they really are. So, He already knows that, so He says, “Do not be frightened by this, but be aware of what you are.” And again, here’s another encouraging word, “because you are such great misery.” Right? That’s a nice passage. You could put on your mirror, right? Because you’re such great misery. God said, “because you’re such great misery. But what does He say, “I have revealed to you the whole ocean of My mercy.”   So, it just said that she is a great misery. Then listen to what He says, “ I seek and desire souls like yours.” He’s just said that she is a great misery. And yet why is he seeking souls like her? He says, but they are few, because of your trust in me, and that the word He uses is your trust in Me, forces Me. So, God, you know what can force God but God is using the word force to help us understand how powerful trust is. He says, “Your great trust in me, forces Me to continuously grant you graces, you have great and incomprehensible rights over My heart, because you are a daughter of complete trust.” He doesn’t say complete perfection. He doesn’t say complete holiness. He says she’s a great misery, yet she has great trust. And He doesn’t say you have great trust, because you know, you’re perfect. He says, No, on the contrary, you have great misery and yet you still have great trust, and that draws Me to you. He says that, now listen to what He says, “You will not have been able to bear the magnitude”.. of the what?  Now he says “you will not be able to bear the magnitude of the love, which I have for you” So here we have great misery, but much greater love that God has for us, “you will not have been able to bear the magnitude of the love, which I have for you.” So, what we have of ourselves is misery. But what He has for you is this magnitude of love, “you will not even be able to bear it if I have revealed it to you fully here on earth.” So, on earth, we’re not able to bear it completely. That’s what we call the Beatific Vision when we will have a fuller awareness in heaven, of God’s love. He says, “I have often given you a glimpse of it. But know that this is only an exceptional grace for Me. My Love and Mercy knows no bounds.” So, our misery is great, but His love and mercy for us is infinitely greater.  Then the second passage today, the Lord said to me, “My daughter, My pleasure and My delight, nothing will stop Me from granting you graces.” Now this is a key phrase, “your misery does not hinder My mercy.” Your misery does not hinder my mercy.  Your misery does not hinder my mercy. That’s the main point of this whole this whole message today. “Your misery does not hinder my mercy.” My daughter, then he goes on to even say my daughter, right? “That the greater the misery of the soul, the greater its’ right to My mercy.” It would seem just the opposite, right? Well, the miserable souls Okay, I’ll give them still a little bit of mercy but, He says the greater the misery, the greater the right to My mercy.  And so, instead of our misery discouraging us, He says, the greater your misery and so as we begin to discover more and more, the greatness of our misery, He says the greater your right to My mercy. And to make it clear that this is not just for her, He says, ”urge all souls to trust in the unfathomable base of My Mercy, because I want to save them all. On the cross, the fountain of My Mercy was opened wide by the lance, for all souls. No one have I excluded.” The third passage. St. Faustina is writing, she’s praying that she wants to give God everything, she feels that she’s trying to give God everything. She says, “I have nothing more that I can offer you.”  And Jesus said, some of you have heard this passage before Jesus said “to Me, My daughter, you have not offered Me that which is really yours.” Jesus said to Me with kindness, because she says, “Well, what is that Lord?” It says, daughter, He says with kindness, “give Me your misery. Because it is your exclusive property.” And I’ve often comment on this passage, because how many people want your misery? And like if you go on what’s that, what’s that thing called on, where you sell things? Craigslist, if you went on Craigslist, and you’re offering your misery for sale, you know what type of offer would you get? You know, like if you’re if you’re bidding, maybe you don’t want it. Nobody else wants it either. Other people say well, I’ve got enough misery. I don’t need yours. But Jesus says, “give Me your misery. Because it is your exclusive property.” At that moment, a ray of light illumines My soul, and I sold the whole abyss of (My Mercy excuse me) the whole abyss of My misery.”  So, it was a gift from God, a light that revealed her misery to her. So that’s the grace of God, to reveal my own misery to me. So, at the moment that He reveals her misery, then she writes,  “I nestled close to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with so much trust that even if I had the sins of all the damned, weighing on my conscience, I will not have doubted God’s mercy. But with a heart crushed to the dust, I would have thrown myself into the abyss of Your mercy. I believe, oh Jesus, that you will not reject me. But you will absolve me to the hand of your representative.” So that’s speaking of the Sacrament of Confession. And so, the fourth and final one is she speaking about how God permits us to experience our misery.  Why? To help us be more humble and to not to discourage us, but rather to open us to His mercy. And so, she writes, “Lord, although You have made known to me the thunders of Your anger,” so she senses God’s anger, the anger at sin. She says, “although You have made known to me the thunders of your anger, your anger vanishes,” where? – “your anger vanishes before a lowly soul.” Your anguish vanishes before a lowly soul. Although You are great lord, You allow Yourself to be overcome.”  So, God is infinite power. So, what can overcome infinite power? She says, “You allow Yourself to be overcome by a lowly and deeply humble soul.”  A lowly and deeply humble soul. That’s what our Blessed Mother says, “the Lord has looked upon my loneliness.”  “You allow Yourself to be overcome by a lowly and deeply humble soul. “Oh, humility, and most precious virtues, how few souls possess You. I see only a semblance of this virtue everywhere, but not the virtue itself.”  And then listen to what she prays. She says, “Lord, reduce me to nothingness, in my own eyes, that I may find grace in Yours”, Lord, reduce me to nothingness in my own eyes. So, what do we expect, we expect our spiritual life to be filling ourselves holier and holier. Right? That’s what we’d like. That’s what we’d expect. And what now what is she praying, she’s praying, Lord, reduce me, to nothingness in my own eyes. So the very experienced the light that God gives to help me see my misery can bring about what she’s praying for, to reduce me to nothingness in my own eyes, by being aware of my misery, I accept my nothingness in my own eyes, that I may find grace in yours, because that, because it’s when we get rid of our pride, that creates a space for God, that draws into us. Until the very grace, that awareness of my misery is painful, but it’s a great grace because it helps me to be humble and opens a space for me to draw God’s grace and mercy. So just to conclude, in this time, that we’re living, in this difficult time of need, that we’re living, and which many of us are experiencing as we go through difficult periods, we’re experiencing more and more our own sinfulness, our own impatience, or own anger and fear, our own rage, all of that. And so many things from the past are coming back that are so painful to remember. And so, what to do in that. And so that’s what this Holy Eucharist is about. It says, “Let us hold fast to our confession of faith. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” So, let us confidently approach the throne of grace, to receive mercy and to find grace for help in time of need. And so right now, during this Holy Eucharist, in particular, at the moment of Holy Communion, is this opportunity to do this, to confidently approach Jesus, the throne of grace, who opens the way to the Father to receive mercy and to find grace to help in time of need.   Amen