Bless This Land

Turn to any page of the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska and you find spiritual gems. Like this one:

 

I saw Jesus in a bright cloud and began to beg Him to look upon the city and upon our whole country. Jesus looked [down] graciously. When I saw the kindness of Jesus, I began to beg His blessing. Immediately Jesus said, "For your sake I bless the entire country." And He made a big sign of the cross over our country. (39)

Are you sick of watching a constant stream of bad news? Are you fed up with politics? Are you in despair about the direction our country is heading in?

In Poland in the 1930s, abortion was legalized. Some have said that around this time, a million unborn children were aborted in Warsaw alone. Though St. Faustina didn't watch the news and though she probably wasn't well-versed in Polish politics, she knew what it was like to feel overwhelmed by the moral state of her country. But in the above passage, Jesus gives her, and us, a lot of hope. He reveals that He can bless entire countries on behalf of just one soul.

Sometimes, we feel so helpless and small, believing that there is nothing we can do about the problems that surround us. But our littleness ought not dampen our spirits. Indeed, there is nothing we can do on our own to effect change in this world. We can, however, turn to the Lord. We can strive for holiness in our own souls. We can offer Him prayer and sacrifices for the sake of our country. We can trust that He wants to bless our nation through our petitions and penances.

As St. Paul says,

"[N]othing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell ... No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38-39).

Abortion is not too big of a problem for God. Neither is suicide, poverty, crime, disease, or natural disaster. God loves every one of us. He created the world, and no disorder that arises from it is too difficult for Him to solve. But He relies on us to ask for His blessing.

So instead of letting the news overwhelm you, instead of screaming at the television whenever your least favorite politician gives a speech, instead of worrying what will ever come of our country in the end, we need to beg for God's mercy, and we need to hope and trust that He will bless our nation.

Jesus says to us: Do not become too preoccupied with the immorality of the world. Focus on me and my love, knowing that I can overcome all problems, no matter how widespread and difficult.

My prayer: Use the pain and suffering I undergo this day for the sake of souls throughout this country. Forgive our nation for all the ways we offend you. Jesus, I beg for your blessings to pour out on this country.

View the previous Discovering the Diary.

DDBURG

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