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Lifting the Veil
Greetings Divine Mercy Family; For those of us who have walked the Christian walk for many years, it is easy to become complacent; to think we’re not doing too badly. Therefore, in His Mercy, Our Lord uses Lent to lovingly shake us out of our apathy. If we open ourselves to Him, He awakens our souls and shines light upon our darkness. It is with joy and gratitude that I share with you at this fourth week of my Lenten journey, how our Merciful Saviour has lifted the veil, that I may discover several areas of pride lurking in the shadows of my interior life. Perhaps this should not have surprised me because over the years He has helped me overcome some obvious areas of pride. Such as reveling in the acclaim received for a job well done; instead of giving glory to God or thinking myself better than someone else, rather than acknowledging that it is only by God’s grace that I am not in a much worse state than they. However, this Lent Our Lord began to deal with my pride in different areas, areas I had not considered before - like the times I take offense due to some criticism or rebuke; rather than acknowledging my guilt. “St Teresa of Jesus said, “Properly speaking we can never be blamed unjustly, since we are always full of faults...If we are not to blame for the thing that we are accused of, we are never wholly without blame in the way that our good Jesus was....But Jesus held His peace.” Way 15 Our Dear Lord, could NEVER be justly accused of anything. Yet, even when He was unjustly accused, He did not go off and lick His wounds or sulk like a spoiled child; nor did He dredge up in His mind a record of all the ways His accusers sinned, in order to make himself feel better - all of which I have done!! Instead, His love was such that He pleaded for Mercy upon them, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Another area of pride Our Lord has recently asked me to surrender to Him, is the need to be consulted or considered. When my spouse and his siblings made some important decisions without consulting or considering me, I felt hurt and rejected; when truthfully, I should have joyfully taken the lowest place, abandoning all to God’s Perfect Will. I have also had to consider this. Our Lord distributes his talents where He will. It has nothing to do with our merit. None of us deserve anything, due to our wretchedness and sin. Therefore, for those of us who have been given leadership or organizational skills, danger lurks in the shadows of our heart. I find it particularly difficult when the responsibility to organize an event is placed in my hands. Invariably, one cannot please everyone, and sometimes the harder we try the more criticism and complaining we encounter. This can be very frustrating when one is striving to do God’s will and to openly consider input from others. With the help of my Spiritual Director, I have come to realize that this frustration is a form of pride. Ideally, one should welcome every obstacle, embracing each one as a treasure we can unite with Our Lord’s suffering. Therefore, when I become vexed, angry, or resentful, I allow Satan to rob me of grace. These sinful emotions stem from my pride; my desire to be right, my desire to be appreciated, my desire for esteem or control, my ego; these are all spiritually childish responses. “When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child....”; now our Lord wants me to mature spiritually. It is His desire that we all become Holy, therefore, He has shone the light of His Countenance deep into my interior. There lies the source of my sins, deep in my heart. This does not discourage or upset me, for I know He does not show me my weaknesses to defeat me. On the contrary, He shows them to me because He desires to give me the grace to overcome them. Glory to God!! This is very exciting, and I am most grateful for yet another opportunity for growth. May Our Merciful Saviour continue to shake us out of our complacency, for the good of our poor souls. Praise be to God for the gift of Lent! May you be blessed.
In His Merciful Love and Prayers, Grace Devine.
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