Wastefulness: something to give up for Lent
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God’s divine mercy is a gift to us for our eternal salvation and that of others. When we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday which is the Sunday after Easter, it is indeed “divine” as the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness are at work in our own hearts. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a beautiful prayer given to St. Faustina and it is all about receiving God’s mercy both for us and for others in the greatest of ways. As we move on after celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday and beyond, we can implement practical ways of living which offer God’s mercy in grace to those in our lives. Here are a few suggestions.
Prayer
The greatest thing we can do for ourselves and for anyone else is to pray for them. Prayer is something we do in our time, but God uses it for his grace into all of eternity. The prayers we say for ourselves, and others today make an impact on the past, the present, and in the future both near and far. We can never fully understand the gift of prayer as when it is done with sincerity of heart is the most precious gift we can ever give. Never give up praying both for your own spiritual needs and for those of everyone you know.
Kindness toward others
Kindness is something we should never take for granted daily. We imitate Christ when we are kind to others. This involves not only doing something good for someone but in doing so with a nice and friendly demeanor when possible. Friendliness, kindness, and niceness go together when done for the good of the other. Being selfless, giving, and a good listener to others is a gift, and it is a way to be kind. God smiles upon us when we are kind to all his children.
Forgiving
Being forgiving is not easy, but it is the right thing to do in following the ways of Christ. As we go through life, people will hurt us, betray us, and not care very much about us, but we must go on. God always provides for us by fostering new friendships, new activities, and new life. We must follow this path of newness to find mercy for ourselves through forgiveness. We must never forget that God’s mercy is a gift, and this gift is meant to continually be given to others in daily living.
By being more prayerful, kind, and forgiving we can give the give of mercy to others both in praying the Divine Mercy and always. Prayer and action are both especially important to our prayer life, and this entails living out the faith daily by offering real and practical ways of living out mercy.
Dr. Anne DeSantis (ThD) is a dynamic Catholic author and speaker from the Greater Philadelphia area, holding a doctorate in theology from Pontifex University (2024). As the Executive Director of the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith (www.Nonnatus.org), she helps leads pastoral outreach to families in crisis. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Anne deeply treasures her Catholic faith and passionately shares it through catechesis, focusing on reaching out to the marginalized. She is also a member of the Catholic Speakers Organization. To learn more about her faith journey and mission, visit www.AnneDeSantis.com.
