Forget all the disappointments of the past. Focus on the new things God is doing today.

"Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy."  (Psalm 126: 5 NABRE)

"Thus says the LORD who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters....

“Do not remember the former things,
Or ponder the things of the past.
“Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even put a road in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert."  (Isaiah 43: 18-19 AMP)

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead."  (Philippians 3:13 NIV)

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May the working of Your mercy, O Lord, direct our hearts to You.

"O God, save me by your name;
by your power, defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth."  (Cf Psalm 54: 3 -  4 RM)

"In Christ, we have redemption by his Blood, and forgiveness of our sins, in accord with the riches of his grace."  (Ephesians 1: 7 RM)

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Jesus prepares fitting helps in our weaknesses.

"The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time."  (Psalm 34: 17 - 19 NLT)

"But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.  No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned."  (Psalm 34: 22 NLT)

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I will bear witness to You in the world O Lord.

"You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth."  (John 5: 33 NABRE)

"But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent  me.   And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself."  (John 5: 36-37 NLT)

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I pray to You, O Lord, for a time of Your favor.

"Yet Jerusalem says, “The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”   “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!"  (Isaiah 49:14-15 NLT)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”   (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)

 "This is what the LORD says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you."  (Isaiah 49:8 NLT)

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God is in our midst. We shall not be disturbed.

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing."   (Psalm 23:1 NIV)

"GOD IS our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas."
(Psalm 46:1-2 AMP)

"God himself is living in that city; therefore it stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay his help."  (Psalm 46: 5 TLB)

"The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
(Psalm 46:7 NIV)

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You changed our mourning into dancing

"The royal official pleaded with Jesus, “Sir, do come down [at once] before my child dies!”   Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives!”The man believed what Jesus said to him and started home."  (John 4: 49 - 50 AMP)

"He asked them when the lad had begun to feel better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at about one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!”  Then the father realized it was the same moment that Jesus had told him, “Your son is healed.” And the officer and his entire household believed that Jesus was the Messiah."  (John 4: 52 - 53 TLB)

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Father help us to come to our senses and seek You.

"I will get up and go to my Father and I shall say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you."  (Luke 15: 18  RM)

"We must celebrate with a feast,   for this son of mine was dead and has returned to life. He was lost and is  found.’ So the party began."  (Luke 15: 23 - 24 TLB)

"But it is right to celebrate. For he is your brother; and he was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found"  (Luke 15: 32 TLB)

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Lord we pray to know Your Heart intimately

"Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord; as certain as the dawn is his coming.
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.” (Hosea 6: 3 NABRE)

"For it is loyalty that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6: 6  NABRE)

Lord we yearn to know Your Heart intimately, to love You passionately and to follow You everywhere.

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"I am like an evergreen cypress tree" Because of Me, you bear fruit.

"Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord,
for you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God."  (Psalm 86: 10 RM)

"Which is the first of all the commandments?”   Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!   You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’"  (Mark 12: 28-31 NABRE)

"To love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself,
is worth more than any sacrifice."  (Cf Mark 12: 13 RM)

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Do not let us cling to false hope for You promised us the rewards of Your truth.

"When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe.   But when one stronger  than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils."  (Luke 11: 21 - 22 NABRE)

The Lion of Judah is stronger than Satan.

"But if it is by the finger of God that  drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."  (Luke 11: 20 NABRE)

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Lord cleanse us of all errors and make us worthy of Your promises

"Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.   Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 5: 18 - 19 NABRE)

"Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life."  (See Jn 6:63c, 68c RM)

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I forgave all your debt because you begged me.

"Since the servant had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.   At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’" (Matthew 18: 25-26 NABRE)

"You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.   Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.  So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”  (Matthew 18: 32 - 35 NABRE)

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How to obtain plenary indulgence in the Jubilee Year of Mercy 2016

JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY
How to obtain the Indulgences:

The Jubilee of Mercy , which is a season of grace, offers the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence through works of mercy and charity culminating in passing through a Holy Door of Mercy.

Look for a list of the Holy Doors in your Archdiocese/Diocese.
Those who seek the indulgence are asked to:

Participate in acts of mercy and charity (see a list corporal and spiritual works of mercy below)
Pass through one of the Holy Doors as a sign of conversion
Receive one the Sacrament of Reconciliation within 20 days of passing through the Holy Door
Receive Holy Communion

These pious exercises will accompany the prayer and celebration of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist as concrete signs of conversion and “immersion” in the Mercy of the Father (Jubilee of Mercy, pg 7).  As Jesus told the disciples in John 20:23, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…”

As indulgence is remission before God of the temporal punishment for sins, whose guilt is forgiven.  A properly disposed member of the Christian faithful obtains an indulgence under certain clearly defined conditions through the Intervention of Holy Mother Church.

As the member of Redemption, the Church dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasure of the expiatory works of Christ and the saints.

As indulgence is partial or plenary according to whether it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.

For more on indulgences see the Manuel of Indulgences published by the USCCB and #1471 – 1479 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY
1.Feed the hungry
2.Give drink to the thirsty
3.Clothe the naked
4.Shelter the homeless
5.Visit the sick
6.Visit the imprisoned
7.Bury the dead

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY
1.Instruct the ignorant
2.Counsel the doubtful
3.Admonish sinners
4.Bear wrongs patiently
5.Forgive offences willingly
6.Comfort the afflicted
7.Pray for the living and the dead

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Your Sacraments O Lord are spirit and life.

"Elisha sent Naaman the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”  (2 Kings 5: 10 NABRE)

"But his servants came up and reasoned with him: “My father, if the prophet told you to do something extraordinary, would you not do it? All the more since he told you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”   (2 Kings 5 : 13 NABRE)

"So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."  (2 Kings 5: 14 NABRE)

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The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

"The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.   So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. "  (Exodus 3: 7 - 8 NIV)

"The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed."  (Psalm 103: 6 RM)

God is still in the business of Redemption.

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I will never forget the blessings and gifts of Jesus.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

He pardons all your iniquities he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,he crowns you with kindness and compassion."

The Lord is kind and merciful.

He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes."  (Psalm 103: 1 -  3 RM)

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Joseph sold into slavery is Divine Providence and not Accident.

"Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.   Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed."  (Genesis 37: 26 - 27 NLT)

"When the LORD called down a famine on the land and ruined the crop that sustained them, He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave." (Psalm 105: 16 - 17 RM)

"Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes’?" (Matthew 21: 42 NABRE)

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Forgive again and again and again!

Forgive again and again and again!

"Sometimes it can occur that people forgive and feel the forgiveness;  but after a while, aversion returns.   Do not be surprised.  A deep wound needs many healings.  Forgive again and again until the wound is completely healed."   (Ignacio Larranaga)

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Blessed are those who hope in the Lord.

Lord direct our hearts to Yourself.

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from  the  Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land."

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit."  (Jeremiah 17: 5 - 8 NLT)

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