The liturgy for this Thursday after Ash Wednesday presents us with a definitive choice: Life or Death. In the first reading, Moses stands before us with a finality that echoes through the centuries, urging us to “Choose life.” This isn’t a mere suggestion; it is the fundamental orientation of the soul toward the Divine Will.

The Two Paths: Deuteronomy and the Diary

In the First Reading (Deuteronomy 30:15-20), we see the blueprint for a soul. Moses speaks of “clinging to Him,” for in this “your life consists.” To cling to God is to reject the tangled web of fallen thoughts that keep us trapped in our own ego.

Saint Faustina recorded a similar sentiment regarding the necessity of choosing the path of light. In the Diary, Jesus emphasizes that the human will is the only thing that can block the floodgates of His Mercy:

“The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is—trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.” (Diary, 1578)

When we choose the “blessing” Moses speaks of, we are essentially choosing Trust. To choose “death and disaster” is to choose the isolation of the self, where the soul “strays” and refuses to listen to the whisper of Grace.

The Tree and the Flowing Waters

Psalm 1:1-4, 6 describes the just man as a tree planted by flowing waters. For the devotee of Divine Mercy, those “flowing waters” are the Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us.

The Psalmist warns us not to follow the “counsel of the wicked.” In our spiritual life, this often means the discouraged thoughts that tell us we are beyond God’s reach. By “pondering His law day and night,” we remain rooted in the Divine Life, yielding fruit even in the desert of Lent.

The Cross: The Price of the Pearl

The Gospel (Luke 9:22-25) provides the “how” for this choice. Jesus tells us that following Him requires us to renounce ourselves and take up our cross every day.

To the world, the Cross looks like the “curse” mentioned in Deuteronomy. But in the school of Divine Mercy, the Cross is the key to the Treasury of God. Saint Faustina learned that “losing her life” through suffering was the very thing that saved souls:

“I saw the Lord Jesus nailed upon the Cross… Then I saw a second multitude of souls… they held it tightly in their hands. The third group was neither crucified nor holding it, but trailing it behind them, dissatisfied.” (Diary, 446)

Pearls of Wisdom for the Soul

• The Daily Fiat: Taking up the cross “every day” is an invitation to live in the Present Moment. Moses says, “I set before you today…” Not yesterday’s failures or tomorrow’s anxieties, but the nunc stans (the standing now) where Mercy is always fresh.

• Renunciation as Liberation: Renouncing oneself is not about self-loathing; it is about emptying the “vessel” of the soul so that it can be filled with the Divine Life.

Today’s Act of Trust

As we navigate these early days of Lent, let us ask for the Interior Light to see where we are still clinging to the “counsel of the wicked.” Let us instead “cling to Him,” choosing the Cross not as a burden, but as the ladder to the Abyss of His Mercy.

Prayer: Jesus, I trust in You. Give me the grace to choose Life this day, to renounce my own wayward will, and to find my true self hidden within Your Sacred Heart. Amen.