Lord, today I am rejecting hardness of heart. Please help me have the virtue of mercy and compassion. Jesus, soften my heart. Without your grace, I know I am not capable of merciful love or doing good works. You see my true selfishness. All my thoughts, words, and deeds are known to you even if I hide them from others.
You know I sometimes lack the guilt necessary to confess my sins. Even when I have confessed them, you know I still struggle to reconcile with the ones I have offended or who have offended me. My hardness of heart needs to be replaced with the virtue of mercy. I have justified my past behaviors toward others because I didn’t want to apologize to them or make restitution for what I have done to them. This is not the virtue of mercy.
Jesus, I desire holiness. I want to change my hard heart and be filled with the virtue of mercy, but without your grace, I am incapable of this kind of love.
Jesus, you have walked with me throughout my life and witnessed all my relationships. Many of these relationships were full of half-truths, lies, and perversions. Some relationships were even abusive. Please, Jesus, give me the virtue of mercy. Help me grow in this virtue and become magnanimous for your kingdom.
When Saint Paul confesses: “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want” (Romans 7:19), he speaks to my heart. This is how I feel. I know my hardness of heart is wrong and I do not want to be selfish anymore. I want to do the good that I know I should. I want to love like you do.
Lord, give me the grace to imitate your mercy from this day forward. Let me forgive and be forgiven in mercy as you have forgiven me. Let me learn to be faithful and just in my love of neighbor. I want to be a living example of God’s mercy on earth.
Teach me the ways of mercy and help me follow in your footsteps. Let me have the virtue of mercy, and be obedient to you.
AMEN
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Rejecting Hardness of Heart for the Virtue of Mercy
Man is Called Two Ways, One Leading
to Life and the Other to Death
by St. Hildegard von Bingen
Each person has in himself two callings, the desire of fruit and the lust for vice. How? By the desire for fruit he is called toward life, and by the lust for vice he is called toward death. In the desire of fruit a person wishes to do good, and says to himself, “Do good works!” And this is the reply to evil, to avoid it and bring forth useful fruit.
But in the lust for vice, a person wants to do evil and says to himself, “Do the work of your own pleasure!” And this is the reply to good, the refusal to resist iniquity and the delight in attaining to vice, whereby the person despises Me and by not honoring Me treats Me as an impostor.
And because he turns away from good, and puts himself into no sorrow or affliction through fear of Me, such a one turns celestial things to scorn, as, enlightened by Me, the psalmist says: “They have set their mouths against Heaven, and their tongues roam the earth” (Psalm 73:9).
Scivias, Book 3 Vision Five Paragraph 6
Week 4 of the Virtue Meditations Series
Rejecting Hardness of Heart
for the Virtue of Mercy
Reflection:
God’s grace gives us the power to change, the ability to fight vice with virtue, and a heart to bear good fruit again. We don’t do this by our own efforts. We surrender our lives to Christ and we pray for the grace to do it and Jesus gives us that very grace because he is merciful. When we receive this grace we must act on it and do the work that Jesus commands in obedience to his word and the precepts of the Church. We must put our faith to the test by growing in the virtue of mercy through our words and actions. Others must see our change of heart by the works that we do which are good.
What is the Virtue of Mercy?
In Your Mercy, Lord
A Prayer for Reconciliation
Eternal Father, in your mercy, you not only want to forgive me, but also reconcile with me. Through your mercy, you want to do this for me despite all the evil I have done to you through my sin, despite all I continue to do to you now in my lack of virtue, and despite all I will do to you in the future through my sinful nature.
Jesus, your love for me is magnanimous. You have shown this to me by suffering a cruel death on the Cross for my sake.
I do not deserve your kind treatment after what I have done to you in my life, both willfully and ignorantly. I don’t deserve your mercy and your offer of friendship. I am unworthy of you.
Your forgiveness would be enough. I could go on in my life without guilt, and try by my own power to be a better human being knowing you forgave me.
But, Jesus, you want to offer me more than forgiveness. You want to restore me and give me a complete change of heart. Despite all I have ever done to you in my life that I am ashamed of, you want to call me friend again and you are willing to give me the grace needed to make it happen.
You want to help me love others as you love me. You promise to give me the power to grow in the virtue of mercy so that I can offer merciful love to others.
I am overwhelmed by this gesture from you because I know it is true. I have felt your forgiveness overwhelm me and stir my heart toward receiving this grace. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for a second chance at holiness. Please help me overcome the vice of hardness of heart and help me have the virtue of mercy.
AMEN.
What is the Vice of Hardness of Heart?
Now let’s contemplate the corresponding vice that we need to remove from our lives by the root, like a weed, if we can receive the gift of the virtue of mercy that God offers us.
The soul with a hard heart sees the world from only his point of view. He believes his life is his possession, and it is not a gift from God. He thinks he can make himself happy by pursuing what he wants in life. In obtaining these ends, regardless of the means used, the soul with a hard heart thinks his future success will gain his happiness and contentment.
If the soul with hardness of heart can’t reconcile with God and be offered mercy, he will scheme to actualize a future he may never attain, and do it at all costs. This will negatively affect his decision-making abilities, his conscience, and his ego in very negative ways. He may lie, cheat, and steal to preserve his image, wealth, and worldly attachments. He may use people as objects to manipulate and harm to get his desires met so that he may achieve success. All this will leave him feeling empty and dissatisfied.
Rejecting Hardness of Heart
How Can I Have a Heart for God?
Going Further:
If you would like to do an act of mercy this week and you are not sure you can physically participate by volunteering your talents or money, you may want to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for someone you know who needs God.
Let us Pray:
Now that we understand the virtue of mercy, let’s begin with a prayer of petition asking for it.
Virtue of Mercy
Prayer of Petition
Eternal Father, I am the work of your creation, made in your image and likeness but too weak to conquer the devil by my own power. I ask you for the grace to grow in virtue, surrendering all my thoughts, words, and deeds to you. Please help me resist the devil and all his tricks. Jesus says that whoever believes in him will do the works that he does and that whatever we ask in Jesus’ name he will do so that You may be glorified. Heavenly Father, you sent us your Son to show us what it means to have perfect virtue in life. Jesus is fully human and fully divine and has perfect virtue. Father, have mercy on me and please give me the grace I need to grow in the virtue of mercy so that I might grow in holiness and imitate Christ in my thoughts, words, and deeds. AMEN.
Now let’s contemplate the Lord by listening to him speak to us in the Gospels. Slowly meditate on the following passage, reflecting on his virtue of mercy. Take your time. Pause over a word or phrase that speaks to your heart. Reread the passage again, and then ask Jesus to show you how you can imitate him in his mercy and compassion for people who are hungry and better overcome the hardness of heart you struggle with. Choose a word or phrase from this passage to write in your journal, and add your thoughts. Go back and prayerfully re-read it throughout the week.
Virtue of Mercy
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
from the Gospel of Mark Chapter 6:34-43
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to [his] disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish.
Let us Pray:
Jesus, you refused to let them go away hungry.
Jesus, I thank you for your mercy for me and for feeding me spiritual food throughout my life. Protect me and guard me from the vice of hardness of heart. Do not let me be lost. Do not let me miss out on opportunities and miracles that you want to give because I refuse to cooperate with your will.
Please protect me from pride and selfishness. Give me a pure heart, mind, and eyes that believe in your mercy. Help me imitate you in this scripture passage. I want to have the virtue of mercy and be magnanimous. I want to be one with God in my heart, mind, and through my actions in the present moment.
I don’t want to be selfish and self-seeking. I don’t want to be too proud. Help me understand your ways. Consecrate me in mercy. Send me, Lord, into the world and help me be merciful to my suffering brothers and sisters in Christ and to the people of the world.
Jesus, you are a gift to me. Thank you for being present to me. Give me the grace to be present to you and to grow in the virtue of mercy.
AMEN.
Virtue of Mercy
A Prayer for an Increase in Virtue for Others
Lord Jesus Christ, you say that when two or more are gathered in your name, you are with us. Jesus, in your name I lift up every person who has joined this prayer challenge or will join it in the future. I ask you to give us all the grace we need to grow in virtue and holiness so that we may love and serve you in our lives and through the people we love and care for. Help us in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Guide us all by your Holy Spirit and give us the strength to overcome every temptation from the evil one. We ask all this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
This week we ask for the virtue of mercy, which opens our hearts wide to be used by God in the service of those who are suffering around us. This is the virtue of compassion and empathy. Your efforts are out of love for God and a desire to imitate God as best you can in holiness. Try to be merciful to others in a bigger way. Strive to be more like Jesus each day this week in your thoughts, words and actions.
Stay in the present moment with Jesus and ask him to help you see those around you that are in need of love and mercy, then extend yourself a little bit and be Christ to them in the moment.
How do I Practice Virtue?
You’ve learned about the fourth Virtue, and you’ve prayed for God to give you grace to be merciful and magnanimous toward others. Now what? Let’s take a look at the Catechism for some guidance on how we can make Week four a successful effort.
“The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."
This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us. The teaching of Christ goes so far as to require the forgiveness of offenses. He extends the commandment of love, which is that of the New Law, to all enemies. Liberation in the spirit of the Gospel is incompatible with hatred of one's enemy as a person, but not with hatred of the evil that he does as an enemy.”
Making Resolutions
Take a moment to reflect on the virtue of mercy. What are the ways you can freely practice this virtue this week? Ask the Lord to give you opportunities, and when you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you, take action. Write down your resolutions for this coming week in your prayer journal. Remind yourself to complete these resolutions daily for this entire week, and as the Spirit prompts you, feel free to write about your experiences with this virtue throughout the week.
In My Thoughts:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my thoughts by… (make your intention).
In My Words:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my words by… (make your intention).
In My Actions:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my actions by… (make your intention).
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Week 5 Mental Prayer Meditation
Overcoming Spiritual Sloth to be Victorious for Christ
“Overcoming Spiritual Sloth to be Victorious for Christ” Join us for our fifth meditation on the 35 virtues of St. Hildegard of Bingen.
One Response
The timing for this Virtue is no coincidence , for I am suffering with hard -heartedness. I know I cant overcome this sin without Gods help . Thank You for this incredible site.