Morning Offering
Come, Creator Spirit. Breathe life into me as I fill my whole being with you. Give me the graces to receive you through beauty so that I might grow in humility and invite you into my tender heart today. I pray that my soul will be vulnerable and allow you to love me in spite of my doubt and fear. I pray that my soul will have open arms without fear of getting hurt today. I give you my wounds today so that I might receive you into them. I let down my barriers and I give you my desire for control. I love you and I live this day for you. I lay this day with all my work, joys, and sorrows in your hands to redeem, mould, and shape into the masterpiece you desire. Amen.
Spiritual + Creative Prompt
This week’s spiritual and creative prompts will help us be open to receiving God’s immense love and help us grow in humility.
By imagining our soul as a vessel, we will have open arms and receive God’s love for us. We hope to grow in humility by being vulnerable. We will examine our hearts through our wounds, barriers, and fears as well as our joys and unique intricacies. We will invite God’s unending mercy into the vessel of our hearts by imagining His blood and water pouring forth from His side, into our very being.
Divine Mercy Chaplet & Image
On the Sunday after Easter, we celebrate the Octave of Easter, which we now know as Divine Mercy Sunday, requested by the Lord himself in a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s. On this beautiful feast day, we are invited to reflect on—and receive—a “whole ocean of graces” which Christ desires to pour out on us (Diary entry 699).
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.
Diary of St. Faustina, entry 699
This week, take some time to gaze upon the image of Divine Mercy (which was also revealed to St. Faustina) and ask Jesus to fill you with His graces. You might also consider praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or simply repeating the prayer, Jesus, I trust in You.
Learn more about the devotion to Divine Mercy at www.TheDivineMercy.org.
Soul Vessel
Materials:
Sketchbook
Pencil or pen
Art medium of your choice, such as colored pencils, markers, paper to collage, watercolor paint, etc.
Directions:
Imagine your soul as a vessel, into which God can pour His miraculous mercy. Draw, paint, or craft a representation of your ‘soul-vessel.’ Consider all the unique details and possibilities! What is it made of? What shape does it have? How is it adorned or embellished? Is it new or worn? Is it sturdy or are there cracks?
As you imagine and create, ask God to help form and mould the vessel of your soul through His graces.
Make it your own:
Consider these suggestions, especially If you are working in your own creative (non-sketchbook) hobby/medium.
While you work, imagine your soul as a kind of vessel into which God can pour His infinite love and mercy.
Think of the wounds you have in your heart and imagine God soothing them with graces pouring from His wounds.
Listen to and pray through the Divine Mercy Chaplet as you work and know how much God loves you.
If you aren’t able to sit and work on these prompts due to the season of life you’re in (toddlers, work obligations, etc.), remember that we’re called to make our very lives a work of art! This week, reflect on the themes, reflection questions, and ideas in this week’s prompts during your daily activities.
(Psst…If you’re sharing updates of your creative process, be sure to tag @ScatterandSow on social media, and use #StirredToWonder.)
Evening Offering
Redeemed: An Evening Offering of the Day’s Beauty
Giver of good gifts, thank you for inviting me to participate in the mystery of your creation. Thank you for all I have received today. As I lay my body down tonight, I offer you the fruits of my labors, and with them, the shortcomings, failures, and fears that prevent me from resting in the beauty of your embrace. Creator of the universe, you are making all things new, even now. Help me to trust in your redemptive power so that when I rise I am ready once more to receive and serve you. Amen.
UP NEXT: Week 2: Music & Prayers