Greetings Parents!
As Lent draws to its highlight, it is good to recall - for ourselves and our children - why it is that we try to "offer things up" for Lent. We live in a country and time where so many sufferings can be immediately eased that we come to expect it to be so. Unless it is a medical tragedy, our children can come to expect us to remove every pain and inconvenience. A mean mom, my boys had to live through fevers without fever-reducing medicine, because that was how their bodies killed the virus. They didn't feel great, but it was temporary - and they appreciated being healthy that much more.
When a tougher issue hits - something more painful or requiring a lengthier recovery, impatience can rear its head. I can't play for a whole week?! Many encountered that this past year - possibly multiple times when they didn't even feel sick. While being able to expect little suffering is a good thing to strive for in one way, it can make us lose gratitude for it - and an appreciation for how much more we have than others elsewhere in the world.
It can also make us lose an appreciation for the suffering itself. Many saints came to God through their sufferings. St. Ignatius of Loyola - the founder of the Jesuit order - was a soldier whose prolonged recovery from an injury led to pondering and eventually devoting his life to God.
Our world today is so set on not suffering, they deny it exists whenever possible. Tempted to buy a gift for yourself at Christmas - don't suffer without it - buy one for yourself and one for your friend too! Marriage troubles - you deserve to be free, just get out now - and we'll squeeze all we can from your ex. Marriage is a trouble - just live together! Children are a chore, they stop you from your dreams, avoid them - live free as a couple or single! It's your body and therefore your choice - do whatever you want with it.
This sounds great, but those who give the advice don't have to meet the people they just led astray (in this lifetime - they will in the next!). People in ministry do - and the guilt and sorrow can bury a person's sense of worth and leave them feeling eternally worthless.
Enter God - He created every person in His Image and Likeness - and this can never be worthless. He loves everyone so much that even in our darkest dirtiest moments, our guardian angel continues trying to lead us to heaven. And He loves each of us so much that Jesus suffered a horrific death so that each fault we committed could be taken away - we shouldn't waste that sacrifice! But it is hard! And He knows that. As the world has increasingly called evil good, Jesus stepped into our history through visions to St. Faustina and offered - again - complete and total forgiveness. As a parent, I can believe it. Whatever my child would do - if he came to me heartbroken for an evil he committed, I would rejoice that he wants to live again in the ways of goodness and light. With God, that love is even more infinite.
Hug your children tight , remind them how much you - and God - love them and will always forgive them for true sorrow. Tell them about God's Divine Mercy and learn how to take advantage of this amazing gift! May God bless you and your family abundantly!
- Linda Bader, CRE St.Thomas More
P.S. Did you know.... the Sunday after Easter is designated "Divine Mercy Sunday" as requested by Jesus Himself in the 1930's. He said:
“On that day . . . The soul that will
go to Confession and receive Holy Communion
shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 699)
He gave this message to a young nun, now known as St. Faustina. Directed by Jesus, she recorded His messages to her in what is now referred to as "The Diary of St. Faustina." This is a treasure trove of insights that can help us better understand everything God has shared throughout human history, with a strong emphasis on mercy!
His mercy is an endless abyss - each sin like a tiny droplet of water in the ocean. He can make all souls clean again, NO sin is too dark or evil - Christ can heal everyone - BUT there must be a desire to repent, to regret what was done and to want to turn to Him.
In this age when so many gravely sinful actions are celebrated in society, when a person realizes the consequences of his or her sins, many think they are too fallen to be saved. Their remorse for harm caused to others is overwhelming. But Christ is the Victor and He can rescue anyone who asks for His aid.
Jesus taught St. Faustina a prayer to be prayed for every dying person and to save souls - our own and others. We can pray it on behalf of others and He promised it carries great forgiveness and aid for those for whom it is prayed. Learn the prayer here - it can be prayed in 5 minutes! Do you have a loved one who has lost his or her way? Trust in the Lord's Power and Mercy and turn him or her over to God with this prayer!
