Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

For the sake of his sorrowful passion

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Isaiah 50:4
The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear.

In 1905 Helena Kowalska was born in Cracow. A twentieth century mystic, at age 20 she became Sister Faustina. Her short life of 33 years was full of visions of Jesus and conversations with him, which she described in her diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul. The book has become a bestseller. Sister Faustina's prayer is recited daily by millions of people around the world, alone and in groups, in homes and churches and schools.

The central words are so simple: "Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

She was canonized in 2000. Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska, Secretary of Divine Mercy. That sounds kind of strange to my Protestant ears, but I am captivated by Sr. Faustina's vision. God's mercy for the world, poured out through Jesus, was all she saw.

Jesus saw that mercy, it was all he saw. Can I walk behind him today, waving palms, and see what he sees? "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."

At the edges of the parade frowning men walk with us, wearing suits and carrying walkie talkies. Their sunglasses hood their eyes. They don't look friendly. There are no smiles among them. "Keep them quiet," they say to Jesus.

But Jesus says, "Let the people praise me. If they keep silent, even the very stones of the street will cry out."

It is an awesome thing when the power of good overtakes evil. It may not be immediately clear, but the evil powers in the world are being drowned in God's love. "For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

Jesus carries on, and in this week of passion, we honor him and follow along.

Held together by the tough sinews of love and mercy, Lord, you walk upright, weeping for the children, and tear out the moneychangers, teach the children well, and worry about nothing. You know what's coming. We are afraid, but you are not. And we can walk with you today, and feel your joy even in the midst of all the pain.

Devotions Archive

For the sake of his sorrowful passion

Sunday, March 20, 2016