In one sense we can say that God imposes upon us an obligation to turn to Him with our whole being and receive His Mercy. He also imposes upon us the obligation to spread His Mercy to others. But we must understand that this is no ordinary “obligation.” It’s an obligation of love. This means that the “imposition” of this obligation is no imposition at all. It is something that God gives us complete freedom to choose or reject. There are no strings attached, no forms of force; rather, we are left in complete freedom to choose or not to choose to accept and bestow the Mercy of God. This freedom is essential to our lives and is essential to the gift of God’s Mercy. Only by giving us this freedom can we fully cooperate with this gift because Mercy must be freely given and freely received. If it is not, then it is not Mercy. Be grateful for the freedom the Lord has given you and use it to make a glorious choice (See Diary #1115).

Reflect, today, upon these two gifts God has given you. First, reflect upon the gift of freedom. In having free will, you are able to make your own choices in life. As a result, you also either reap the blessings of the choices you make, or suffer the consequences. Reflect, also, upon the fact that you are invited by God to accept and distribute His abundant gift of Mercy. By freely choosing this gift, you invite the God of the Universe to descend from His Throne of Grace and embrace you with an embrace of pure love, enabling you to offer that embrace to others.

Lord, I give You my life and freely choose to receive all the Mercy of Your most Sacred Heart. Help me to be open to all that You wish to bestow, and help me to be open to bestow all that You wish to offer others. I thank You, Lord, for these glorious gifts of freedom and Mercy and I choose Your Mercy with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.

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