Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart,
and never let us escape from It. We beg this of Your by Your love which unites You to the Father and the holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of your mercy for ever and ever.

Amen. 

Commentary & Excerpts from the Book of Fr Michael Gaitley:

“Consoling the Heart of Jesus” 

Pages 37-39 of Consoling the Heart of Jesus the speaks about “this”. Fr. Michael Gaitley reminded us also in the video we watched last Thursday of the importance of a goal in our spiritual journey. And in the book he says: “…The Principle “first things first” basically means that when one keeps his/her eyes on such a vivid goal, the “first thing,” then all else falls into place.” Interestingly, in my conversations with friends about having that “one thing” that moves us, drives us, and inspires us to live a full and integrated life. This “one thing” would be the singular driving force that would give us direction – while we attend to, and are responsible for, many things. What St. Ignatius called the Principle and Foundation, and what Fr. Gaitley refers to as “the goal” or the “first thing”, I call “that one thing”. 

“The First Principle and Foundation teaches that we’re made to live the “first thing” (a life of praise, reverence, and service to God) by using “second things” (the other things on the face of the earth) only in so far as they help us to live the first thing. Not only that, it teaches that if a second thing becomes an obstacle to living out the first thing, then we should rid ourselves of it” (37).

Further on, Fr. Gaitley discusses the attitude of detachment or “indifference to all created things”. What is the nature of this detachment? The author is not talking about a loose kind of a detachment, or a stoic type of indifference to goodness and beauty of created things. This strife for indifference that comes up as a result of the “First Principle” – “the first things first”. “…The principle of keeping our eyes fixed on the goal… It’s the principle St. Peter discovered the hard way when he began to sink into the sea after taking his eyes off Jesus (see Mt 14:24-31). It’s the principle we might call “the primacy of contemplation”, the primacy of keeping the eyes of our hears lovingly on the Lord” (39).

There is a recent image going around Social Media of Jesus walking on water with the captions “Fix your eyes on Me, not the storm”. Probably, in light of what is happening around us; the chaos in the political arena, the increasing gap between the political parties, it is probably a good idea to retreat for a moment, and take a moment to reflect on the “first thing”. What better place to start changing the world, that to start locally? We cannot affect change anywhere if there would be a turmoil happening from within ourselves, within our family and smaller communities. 

“The Lord Jesus wants to help us more than we want to be helped. He sees much more clearly than we do that the culture of death in which we live cruelly grinds up so many lives… We think of these tragic realities from time to time, and it makes us sorrowful. But Jesus sees humanity’s pain constantly – in every detail – and it shatters his Heart. Thus, Jesus desperately longs to reach out with his saving, healing, and consoling touch. Whether or not he can, depends – in large part – on us” (39).