Pillars of Fire In My Soul

Mercy is the fruit of God’s unconditional, overflowing, unending love for us. When we choose to walk with St. Faustina on the merciful way, we surrender the burdens we carry to our Lord and open our lives and our hearts to receive God’s compassion, forgiveness, and loving kindness. Jesus experienced every kind of hardship in His life: He was a refugee; He lived in a country ruled by oppressive leaders; He was rejected by His own people; He was betrayed; He was beaten; He was condemned as a common criminal; He was abandoned by His closest friends; He was a victim of the death penalty. Jesus knows the hardships that we face as frail human persons. He knows that we experience pain, depression, addictions, loneliness, prejudice, grief, illness, and death. He wants to share even our misery with us. That is the merciful way that St. Faustina shows us. The merciful way was St. Faustina’s road to holiness; it can be ours, too. When we are willing to ask for and receive Jesus’ mercy, He is free to work in our lives to heal us and make us whole and holy. When we experience the Lord’s mercy, our lives are transformed. We are empowered to act mercifully to others: to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, speak out against injustice, and to spread the good news of Divine Mercy by our own life witness. The road to holiness is a pilgrimage for everyone. The wonder of St. Faustina is that in following the merciful way, she so completely gave herself to Jesus that He could work marvels through her, and continues to answer the petitions she places before Him. The merciful way became St. Faustina’s road to canonization. 138 Pillars of Fire in My Soul