October 5, 2026 // "Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time //  Optional Memorial of Saint Faustina Kowalska, Virgin // Optional Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Priest [In the Dioceses of the United States]"

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Reflect on the Word // As an eldest sister and educator, I’ve learned the importance of balancing an upfront “tell it like it is” approach with the gentleness that builds confidence in others. But my interactions with myself are often a different story. My harsh inner critic is still learning compassion and internalizing that Jesus is more merciful towards me than I am to myself. 

Today’s parable holds the simple heart of the Gospel message: mercy. I usually imagine myself as one of the travelers who notices the wounded man by the wayside. Do I pause like the Samaritan when someone is in need, or do I just pass by?

But in reality our criteria for loving our neighbors must be based on how mercifully we view ourselves (see Luke 10:27). With this in mind, I must not only ask whether I love my neighbor as myself, but also a reverse question: Do I receive my own heart with the same love I show others?

I recognize moments when I am the wounded one by the wayside. I sometimes fall victim to robbers, spiritually and emotionally: Insecurities, fears, and lies besiege me. When these hurting parts of me call out for compassion, do I exile them, turn away, and “[pass] by on the other side” (see Luke 10:31-32)? Or can I receive these parts of my heart, soul, and identity with love and ask Christ to pour over them the healing “oil and wine” of His grace (see Luke 10:34) so they cease being victims? Christ alone can grant integrity and victory to my story.

Sister, what has robbed your peace and ransacked your identity in Christ? Becoming an apostle of mercy requires knowing that He names you and me the “Beloved pearl of [His] Heart” as He called Saint Faustina, whose feast is today (Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1061). Rooted in God’s merciful gaze towards us, we can reflect it to others. Mercy restores souls, even our own, as Christ promised, saying, “Do this and you will live” (Luke 10:28). 

Relate to the Lord // Consider reading sections 1059-1061 of Saint Faustina’s diary.