Mercy and Forgiveness - Bearing Suffering with Joy and Thankfulness

The Divine Mercy is all about Gods mercy which we will never understand or fathom. I often ask myself how merciful and forgiving I am.  It is something I need to improve vastly in my life.  I can only do it with Gods help and grace.  When we are hurt, it is not easy always to forgive completely, perhaps we can still hold onto that hurt in our hearts.  But we have to let them go, and let God heal those wounds and allow Him to help us to forgive.  Nurturing wounds only harms us more, causes bitterness and maybe even sickness.  One of the ways I find helpful in forgiving and letting things go is to thank God in all circumstances.  Because God is in control.  Yes even in the midst of the most awful things we must thank God  with our willpower even though our emotions may cry out against us which they often can.  Many of the Saints testify to this as does St. Faustina herself. 

Diary - St. Faustina   -  Notebook 3

1151 + When pain overwhelms my soul,

And the horizon darkens like night,

And the heart is torn with the torment of suffering,

Jesus Crucified, You are my strength.

When the soul, dimmed with pain,

Exerts itself in battle without respite,

and the heart is in agony and torment,

Jesus Crucified, You are the hope of my salvation.

And so the days pass,

As the soul bathes in a sea of bitterness,

And the heart dissolves in tears,

Jesus Crucified, You shine for me like the dawn.

And when the cup of bitterness brims over,

And all things conspire against her,

And the soul goes down to the Garden of Olives,

Jesus Crucified, in You is my defense.

When the soul, conscious of its innocence,

Accepts these dispensations from God,

The heart can then repay hurts with love.

Jesus Crucified, transform my weakness into omnipotence.

1152    It is no easy thing to bear sufferings joyfully, especially those which are unmerited. Fallen nature rebels, and although the intellect and will are above suffering, because they are able to do good to those who inflict suffering on them, nevertheless the emotions raise a lot of noise and, like restless spirits, attack the intellect and will. But when they see they cannot do anything by themselves, they quiet down and submit to the intellect and will. Like some kind of hideousness, they rush in and stir up a row, bent on making one obey them alone so long as they are not curbed by the intellect and will.