Divine Mercy Sunday

04-19-2020Weekly Reflection© LPi

A person was going through a very dark time, questioning the meaning of life, not feeling very purposeful or worthwhile, and feeling disconnected and unappreciated. Suddenly, they gazed up at the night sky, found themselves in awe of all the stars and constellations, and exclaimed, "I am here on purpose and I am loved!" Having been brought by God to this moment of intense connection and awareness, his life changed from that moment on.

If we are always preoccupied with the challenges, obligations, and stuff of daily life, we can easily miss the wonderful opportunities when the resurrected Christ is knocking at our door. If we open ourselves to the fullness of experience, we will find ourselves listening and embracing all that is around us, being caught up in the magnificence of creation's grandeur and knowing in our heart and soul that God is and I am.

While that sounds like a simple, tell-me-something-I don't-know kind of revelation, it is life changing when it takes root in the depth of a person's soul. Stumbling upon this awesome truth and internalizing it doesn't require an assent of the mind. It beckons for a claim on our soul. We find ourselves knowing something profound that cannot be explained or reasoned, but purely is. When we are caught up in an experience and encounter the truth, it doesn't matter how all of the pieces got put together. Truth is simply truth. The "my Lord and my God" responses we utter are not evoked because all of the pieces of faith and life make reasonable sense. The "my Lord and my God" affirmations come when we are lifted up out of our preoccupations and silliness and are in the presence of mystery and mercy.

God is mystery, one who is beyond our grasp but at the same time within our reach, knowable yet unknowable. And when in the presence of mystery, there comes an intense experience of mercy. We know deep within the essence of ourselves — and in the very life of creation — this beating, unconditionally accepting, life-sustaining, profound, mysterious yet familiar presence of love.

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