Frankly, I don’t remember how I happened upon this life hack. Maybe someone recommended it to me or I read about it somewhere. Maybe the Holy Spirit whispered it into my ear. However I discovered it, though, this little tip has had a huge impact on my life.
A couple years ago, I did the Divine Mercy consecration with Fr. Michael Gaitley’s book, 33 Days to Merciful Love. (If you’re interested, you can find it here.) It had a profound effect on me at the time, and it continued to do so throughout the following year–no thanks to my own feeble efforts! I knew that I was supposed to live out the Divine Mercy consecration in my everyday life, but I was frustrated by my own forgetfulness and consequent failure to devote myself to Christ’s Merciful Love.
While I still wouldn’t hold myself up as a model of devotion to Divine Mercy, I have improved, thanks to this nifty little trick. Just set a reminder on your smartphone for 3:00 everyday and label it “Divine Mercy.” When it goes off, stop whatever you’re doing and say a Chaplet of Divine Mercy. (If you aren’t familiar with this prayer, you can find it here.) While this prayer can be said at any time of day, it’s traditional to say it at 3:00, the hour of the Lord’s death on the Cross. Keep arosary in your purse so you always have it handy. If you forget it one day, it’s no excuse–your ten fingers will work just as well as a decade of rosary beads.
This year, I’ve been fortunate to have a schedule that accommodates this practice. I know this won’t be possible for everyone, at least not everyday, but the nice thing is that the Chaplet only takes about 5 minutes to say. Even if you don’t even have time for that, you can just take a moment and pray, “Jesus, I trust in you.” Of course, if you know there will be days that you are in a meeting or class at 3:00, make sure your phone is off! I’ve learned the hard way that putting an iPhone in airplane mode doesn’t silence the reminders, and even vibration can be pretty loud if your phone is on a hard surface.
I hope this little life hack helps you carve out time for Jesus and brings you closer to His merciful heart. God bless!
The New Feminist 