Lenten Watchfires – Discovering Mercy with Saint Faustina
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Lenten Watchfires is a Lenten series based on the Beatitudes and the lives of the saints following the delightful picture book Rejoice and Be Glad! If you missed the previous installments you can find them here:
Saint Francis of Assisi,Saint Peter, Saint Juan Diego, Saint Benedict.
This week we will journey with Saint Faustina Kowalska and learn about God’s mercy for us and discover how we can be merciful in return. Mercy is what led Christ to the Cross and what instills in us the hope of Heaven. To receive mercy and be merciful in return is one thing that will change the world.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
What is mercy? According to the dictionary it is: “kindness that makes you forgive someone, usually someone that you have authority over”. Our Lord has phrased this in another way in Matthew 6:14: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” To show mercy is simply to forgive out of kindness. Not because the forgiven deserves it or has made the perfect apology nor from any merit on the forgiven’s part, but to have forgiven out of kindness. Wow, that’s a big deal! Mercy is not earned, it is freely given.
True forgiveness
I know as a mom I often have made the mistake of forcing my younger children to ask for forgiveness and to give forgiveness. Little Susie hit Baby Joe with a block, well, she should apologize, right? How reluctant she is, though! Could it possibly be that it is too early for her to apologize? I know that I cannot apologize in the heat of the moment, so why should I expect it from my toddler? I believe that these forced “mercy” blurs the line for ourselves and our children on what true forgiveness and mercy is. It is something we need to be cautious with because it bleeds easily in our spiritual life. If I have said all the right words in confession, but there was no heartfelt sorrow behind them, it is not a valid confession. Same thing here.
To be merciful, to truly forgive, it has to come from the heart. It has to be a kind gesture to the other.
Teaching forgiveness
Let’s look again at Little Susie and Baby Joe. What if instead of jumping at Little Susie to apologize I show her, gently, that she has hurt Baby Joe and that he needs to be consoled. If she is cooperating with soothing Baby then we can start saying in a soft voice, “I am so sorry for hurting you Baby”. If she is not cooperating, maybe a little time by herself may help her calm down and soon she will come around. And, often, apologize of her own accord, freely.
This will teach Little Susie to be merciful, to be kind and to not hurt others. When the time comes she will be able to see that asking for forgiveness, be it to Baby Joe or to Our Lord, has to come from the heart and her sincerity will be beautiful to witness. By letting Little Susie discover the power of a heartfelt confession, it will instill in her a desire to forgive others promptly, freely and out of kindness. She will want to show the same mercy she has received to others.
Being merciful
This week let us focus on the four pieces of advice given in Rejoice and Be Glad! Let’s go through each one and examine our life and see where I need to forgive, where I need to grow and especially how I can be more merciful to others. And last but not least, go to confession. Make a true, heartfelt confession that I may receive the ultimate Mercy in this beautiful Sacrament. We are getting close to Easter and going to confession now prepares our hearts to receive Our Lord in all His Glory!
Saint Faustina
Discover the beautiful soul that Our Lord chose to teach us about His Mercy for us: Saint Faustina Kowalska. Saint Faustina was a peasant girl from a poor family, with very little education but a great love for Our Lord and a desire to be all His. With hard work and determination she was able to enter the convent at the age of 20. Soon after arriving at the convent she started to have apparitions of Our Lord. As suggested by her confessor, started keeping a Journal of these apparitions.
Find out all about Saint Faustina and her humble and beautiful life through either of these resources:
- Faustina: A Saints Story for Children, by Kaitlyn Mason, illustrated by Braelyn Snow
- Glory Stories: Saint Faustina Kowalska
- The Merry Beggars: Saint Faustina, The Secretary of Divine Mercy
Devotion to Divine Mercy
If you do not already have a devotion to Our Lord’s Divine Mercy, now is the perfect time to discover this beautiful devotion. On Good Friday will start the Divine Mercy Novena that will lead us through to Divine Mercy Sunday, the first Sunday of the Easter Season. Throughout the year our family prays the Divine Mercy chapelet, especially on Fridays. Both are wonderful devotions to have. Plan a beautiful Divine Mercy celebration to conclude the Easter Octave and keep pursuing your Lenten resolutions.
I am praying for you.
Love,
Mattie
