“Today the Lord’s gaze shot through me suddenly, like lightning. At once, I came to know the tiniest specks in my soul, and knowing the depths of my misery, I fell to my knees and begged the Lord’s pardon, and with great trust I immersed myself in His infinite mercy. Such knowledge does not depress me nor keep me away from the Lord, but rather it arouses in my soul greater love and boundless trust. The repentance of my heart is linked to love. These extraordinary flashes from the Lord educate my soul. O sweet rays of God,enlighten me to the most secret depth, for I want to arrive at the greatest possible purity of heart and soul.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 852
“I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to beat me and prevent me from becoming unduly elated. Three times I begged the Lord to have it leave me, but he answered me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”” 2 Corinthian 12:8-9
I begged God to remove a certain thorn (sin) from my side, many times over. I have come to the Sacrament of Confession time and again, “forgive me, Father, again…” I come knowing God can remove it, giving Him full permission to enter my soul and mind to do so. So far, His answer has always been “no”, or silence.
Why would God allow a soul to suffer sin, especially grave sin? When the soul begs to be set free of such sin, why let the thorn continue to pierce and dig deep, causing such pain and languish to the soul? Wouldn’t it be better for the soul to have that sin simply removed?
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
God sees more than we do. He knows the long range purpose of the suffering caused by the thorn. The key is very simple, the soul continues to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, over and over and over again. He continuously begs God to remove the sin. Instead of this bringing the soul to depression, the thorn “rather arouses in my soul greater love and boundless trust. The repentance of my heart is linked to love.”
God has shared with me that the suffering of the thorn is to be offered as sacrifice to the salvation of other souls and, maybe more so, to bring me through repentance from fear of judgment to a true deep repentance of love of God and true trust in His mercy.
I see that if God can continue to forgive this sin(s), time and time and time again, His Divine Mercy is shown to be truly without bounds. His Divine Mercy is something the soul can trust to turn to, again and again – 7,000 times 70,000 time.
So, see the thorn as a pathway to true repentance and mercy. Always ask God to remove it, always seek to fight to overcome it, always seek to surrender that fight to God. Always always turn to seek His mercy, even again.
Do you carry the pain of the thorn? Are the scars still tearing at your heart? Run now to Mercy’s arms. Throw yourself in the arms of the Father, knowing He will remove the pain.
Hold the words of the Father tight to your heart –
“I am love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, either will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted–it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 1273