TOS065 Lenten Logos V – Divine Mercy For audio TOS065: Lenten Logos V – Divine Mercy – Truth of the Spirit (podcast) | Listen Notes
God’s Divine Mercy knows no bounds. We compare Divine Mercy to an ocean of grace, but the depths of the oceans only hint at the magnitude. God’s mercy provides the Way for us. It is narrow but it is not boring and it is not constrictive. Our God delights in our use of imagination and designed freewill for the fullness of life. How do we find God’s Divine Mercy? Seek the grace and the joy of the day—for this is the day the Lord has made! It is uniquely designed for us and for this moment in history. Call upon the name of Jesus and your prayers will be heard.
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God’s Mercy knows no bounds. We compare Divine Mercy to an ocean of grace, but the depths of the oceans only hint at the magnitude.
You are listening to Truth of the Spirit; I’m Patti Brunner. With this episode of the Lenten Logos Series we shall explore how to receive the fullness of God’s mercy.
Those who seek God’s Mercy must have repentance in their hearts. Sin shall not overcome the one who longs for reconciliation—no matter how deadly the sin can be—it is tamed by the crown and the branch.
When the Lord first told me that, I wondered, “The crown and the branch”. What does that mean?
The world mocked Jesus and gave him a crown of thorns and a branch known as the cross, yet he took it and overcame the sin of the world.
I found in the scripture of the Old Testament, in 1st Maccabees, that sending a crown and a branch to a neighboring king was an act of submission that brought peace. As long as we choose to be “king” of our own lives we are open to turmoil. As we submit to the authority of Jesus, his peace enters us.
Our king is not like earthly rulers because our King protects us from ruin not with destructive weapons but with his Mercy.
The Lord taught me that The crown symbolizes that Jesus is established as King forever over all the earth. The branch is symbolic too—like the olive branch brought to Noah—this world will no longer be devastated by the effect of sin. Each day of your life you are protected by God’s Mercy.
This Mercy is a gift yet it comes with a responsibility—you in turn must be merciful to others—generous in forgiveness, sensitive in compassion, lenient in judgement. For as Jesus does so He calls you to do.
What is the responsibility of the citizens of this kingdom? Jesus calls us to love others, to imitate his forgiveness, to live by the kingdom principles of forgiveness, compassion, and leniency.
To accept mercy for ourselves we must turn our hearts towards others. For if we treat others harshly, if we refuse to forgive, we commit treason and we are liable for our actions. Each time we pray the Our Father we ask to be forgiven the same way we forgive others. This could be a dangerous prayer for an unforgiving heart!
We may have a tendency to think of “Divine Mercy” like a “get out of jail free” card. What we may fail to understand is that it is precisely God’s Divine Mercy that has brought us to this point in our lives and even to listen to this podcast. Our sin so separates us from God that only his Divine Mercy could reconnect us to Him. The cross is God’s Divine Mercy. The cross is the branch that is affecting us this very moment!
Continue to search for the truth. It is in the truth you will find the Lord Jesus. It is in the love that you will know Him. It is in the giving that you will share Him with others. Jesus has not abandoned you, and He never will.
God’s mercy provides the Way for us. It is narrow but it is not boring and it is not constrictive. Our God delights in our use of imagination and designed freewill for the fullness of life.
Think of it this way:
The energy of the day is a gift; a choice in spending it is given to each of God’s children each day. Even those who have few choices have a choice. The problem arises when several choices seem to be good—how do we decide? Part of the ribbon of life is that God has provided good choices. Do not think that all choices are black and white, good or bad. It is the enemy who chastises us with fear of making the “wrong decision” when there are several good choices to make. In the “more abundant” life God has given us, we have lots of choices.
Now, Satan will not offer good options. Choosing evil options destroys the abundant life. How much freewill is there in addiction? How many choices are there in despair? Yet, after we have made bad choices God gives us the choice of repentance, the choice that restores the fullness of life and the glory of freewill to us.
We can see this play out in the Gospel story of Mary and Martha, the two sisters who were visited by Jesus. Martha chose to honor Jesus by cooking and being a gracious hostess. Mary chose to honor Jesus by sitting at his feet and listening to his words. Both choices honored Jesus until Martha became anxious about her work and wanted Mary to quit listening at the feet of Jesus and help around the house too. Jesus made it clear that Mary made a good choice. It is okay to set aside our daily activities to absorb His fullness. We can continue to do this by daily prayer and adoration. Jesus calls us to be Martha and Mary but without the worry.
Don’t judge yourself or others in every choice that is made. Are some choices better than others? Yes, like the choices Mary and Martha took. But know this: God loves both his daughters for who they were.
When God chooses a servant to do His work in a special way, He will provide all the grace they need to not fail, but the choice to serve Him is their decision. If they say ‘no’ that is not bad. Because they still can love and honor God in their life’s work.
God has been speaking to us for at least 5000 years and providing the tools for us to know him, especially the Bible. We also have teaching by the Church: saints, popes and inspired writers called Doctors of the Church, who continue to widen our understanding and path.
If you have ever gone hiking, you know the ease of following a path made firm by those who go before you. Even in times of personal darkness, if you are on the path you can find your way. If you go off on your own, you can easily get lost.
The Church hands us the compass and says, “This is the way of Christ”.
Through the Church, Jesus says: “Follow me”. When a particular leader goes astray, those who follow him can be confused.
Our separated brothers and sisters in Christ have been denied a portion of the truth because individual leaders took their own path 500 years ago. But if we continually check the map—the Bible—and keep our feet on the main path—Tradition—and keep our eyes on Jesus we will not be led off course.
How do we find God’s Divine Mercy? Seek the grace and the joy of the day—for this is the day the Lord has made! The great “I Am” is giving our generation a day like none have received before. It is uniquely designed for us and for this moment in history. Open your heart to His fullness! The most Holy Spirit descends upon you with gifts of untold wealth in power. Seek the face of Jesus in all that you do, say and see. Know that the Lord God I Am is with you to the ends of the earth and beyond. Call upon the name of Jesus and your prayers will be heard.
To put it simply:
Come forth for blessings; the blessings are yours for the asking. Then go beyond the desire for blessing to the depth of His Mercy.
Love is the key to His Mercy. Love for others in need opens the flow of Mercy to those in need for whom you pray.
There is also a Mercy that flows to the sinner who repents out of Love for the Lord God. The depths of darkness are whisked away when repentance, because of love, is given.
Fear of consequences also brings repentance and allows the heart to be open to God’s grace but it is the love that allows the heart to be washed completely clean in Divine Mercy.
Let me share the way to receive God’s Divine mercy:
- Ask with a contrite heart
- Ask with belief in the fullness of God’s power and ability
- Ask for those who can not ask for themselves
- Ask with a heart most pure: reconcile yourself to God before you ask for favor to receive the fullness of God’s mercy.
- Ask for more than is ‘necessary’.
Many choose to ‘get by’ with only what must be done. They attend mass on Sunday but do not comprehend the mystery of the Eucharistic celebration. They baptize their children but are in a ‘fog’ about what they ‘profess’ to believe as they recite the creed. They look at their watches and wonder when it will conclude so that they may move on to worldly activities. –Yet you who have stepped forward to hear God’s word this day have a desire to move beyond the ‘necessary’.
Ask for deep spiritual awakening. Ask to be aware each moment of the day of the love and Mercy of your God. Ask for fulfillment of the promises not just the promises connected to devotion to the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy, but the promises of the new covenant.
The Lord has placed His covenant before the people and it lays dormant—the people hold back their hearts and wills from the Lord our God. They are afraid to step out in faith.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you boldness. Let there be a “stepping out”: For the people – all the people of the world – to receive healing today, all that is necessary is for His people to step out in faith in the promise of His covenant;
heal the sick, lay hands on them and they will recover.
All that is necessary for the world to turn to Jesus is for His People to step out in faith to complete His command: Go forth among the nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Then teach them this: Divine Mercy is available to them. They are like a man adrift upon a raft in the ocean of Divine mercy. Until you dip your cup into it and partake you will not be refreshed. But to get the fullness of Mercy, you must abandon your raft and enter into that which will save you from all distress.
If you do not know God, if you are not aware of his presence or if you have no personal relationship with him, you have not really been seeking him with all your heart. His mercy continues to act in our lives by calling us to him.
He tells us, “When you seek me you will find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will always let you find me.”
The heart of this Lenten series is to look to find Christ. As you begin to find Christ centered inside you and begin to live a Christ-centered life you can then reach out and change the world. The power within must be recognized as the power of Christ. As you recognize the power of Christ through the Cross, “through the Crown and the Branch”, you can start to believe Christ’s love. This Lent the power of the Resurrection will draw life from your ashes.
As your mind is renewed and opened to the Lord, more and more will Truth be made clear. We thirst for knowledge of God but until our minds are renewed and darkness is cast out we cannot know him. Our lack will change in time. God’s love conquers all.
Those that cooperate with the Holy Spirit will come to understand the meaning of life and death and will come to know the Father’s Glory. The Holy Spirit is upon you, teaching you in wisdom and in faith so you may go into the world and teach others.
Turn your face to the Lord. Seek his presence in your lives. Reach out to him in prayer and supplication. Continue to walk in His ways; if you do not know the Way, learn it; if you cannot find the Way, ask for help; if you cannot follow the Way, repent. Grace is a communication of God’s love upon your life.
As we close our time together on this episode, Pray with me the prayer from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy:
Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of your sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
If you would like to read the blog of this episode you can find it on my website: PatriarchMinistries.com. You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner. I invite you to subscribe—And come back for more. With the Holy Spirit there is always more!
