Daily Thought For October 27, 2018

Divine Mercy

Lectio

Luke 13:1–9

Meditatio

“… leave it for this year also.…”

On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938). Saint Faustina lived an obscure life in her Polish convent, hidden from the eyes of the world. Yet through this humble sister, God gave the world a message of divine mercy—a message that the world needs now more than ever.

In a way, Faustina’s life parallels what Jesus is saying in this parable. He’s telling us to look beneath appearances. To the hasty observer, it might have seemed that the people who were killed by Pilate and by the falling tower in Siloam had been cursed by God. 
And the barren fig tree was obviously a lost cause, just some deadwood cluttering up the ground. Why not get rid of it? But Jesus says no, those unfortunate people were no more guilty than anyone else. And God, the Master Gardener, sees the potential of the seemingly lifeless tree. He wants to pour out more fertilizer on it, to coax it to bear fruit. And just as with the tree, God pours out ever more graces even on the most hopeless soul, the one who seems least likely to profit from it. Has that young man gotten caught up in a world of drugs, violence, and crime? Has that young woman already had an abortion and lost her sense of direction in life? God still pours out graces on them, cultivating the soil of their souls, fertilizing them like gentle rain, calling them back to his loving heart. The message of divine mercy is already in the Gospel. Yet Jesus chose to use Saint Faustina as an instrument to help people hear it in a new way. That is the beauty of the saints in the Church. Each of them lives an aspect of the Gospel in a startlingly new way, one that makes it fresh and alive for each new generation.

Oratio

Jesus, I trust in your merciful love. You know how often I have failed in the past, yet you keep on offering me mercy and forgiveness. Thank you, Lord, for your infinite patience with me. Help me to have complete confidence in your love.

Contemplatio

“Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt” (Ps 51:11).

Daughters of St. Paul. (2011). Ordinary Grace Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections. (M. G. Dateno & M. L. Trouvé, Eds.) (pp. 220–221). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media.