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Faith vs Feelings
Greetings in the name of Our Merciful Saviour. It is with untold joy that I address you, my brothers and sisters of Divine Mercy. You are a gift to me and to each other. We are ‘those trusted comrades God has given the faithful who dwell in His land’, to facilitate our long and sometimes arduous journey toward sanctity and Eternal Life. I need you and you need me, and we all need Jesus! As I sat to write you this letter, I knew the Holy Spirit was calling me to address the topic of ‘Faith’ vs ‘Feelings’. How did I know? Well, because I have been riding the waves–the ups and downs of ‘feelings’ and the free soaring grace of riding the crest of the wave of ‘Faith’. Our feelings are affected by numerous things: poor or good health, the weather, acceptance or rejection of loved ones, the abundance or lack of material goods etc. Whereas, faith is affected only by our relationship with God. Feelings can lie to us; faith cannot exist without Truth! So what are we going to listen to, the babel and din of feelings; or the glorious melody and tone of faith? These past three weeks we have received approximately 2 ½ days of sunshine and 18 ½ days of rain! During this time, the snow finally left, revealing a multitude of chores beckoning to be done. However, some nagging health issues and the in climate weather would not permit me to tackle the tasks screaming for my attention. This in itself could be cause for my fickle feelings to dive into the pit of desolation; but, add to the mix, a conflict with a dear one, dreadful inroads achieved by the culture of death in society, disappointments due to the frailty of some local well loved Shepherds, and the list goes on... In the midst of all this, it would be easy to fall into despair. Instead, (no doubt due to all your prayers) the wings of faith are carrying me high above the stormy seas where I can look into the Face of God and ‘Be’! This morning, as I pleaded with Our Lord to restore my hope, my joy, my peace, my love, my mercy and the grace He has given me. He is response was “...Do not look at the mountains, but look at He who made the mountains and can move them with ease. Dwell in My Love, My Mercy, My Hope, and My Peace and you will receive My Grace. “ He was calling me to enter and live in the Light of Faith; to trust in Jesus, not in myself or others. So with great joy, I come to you, dear brothers and sisters of Divine Mercy, and say: No matter what darkness befalls you, no matter what negative thoughts or feelings beset you, at this moment, move quickly into the Light of Faith. Run speedily into the Sacred Heart of Jesus and ride the crest of the wave of freedom and joy known as Faith! Delight in He who moves mountains for nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus Our Lord. Job did it, so can we. Thank God for the gift of each other.
In His Merciful Love and Prayers, Your Sister in Christ, Grace Devine.
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