"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)
"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.
"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)
"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)
"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)
"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)
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
"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)
"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.
"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)
"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)
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)
Seekfirst.blogspot.com
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)
"As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” (Matthew 20: 17 - 19 NLT)
"Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20: 28 TLB)
"Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses’ chair [of authority as teachers of the Law]; so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them." (Matthew 23: 1-3 AMP)
"But the greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor." (Matthew 23: 11-12 AMP)
"Feed the flock of God; care for it willingly, not grudgingly; not for what you will get out of it but because you are eager to serve the Lord. Don’t be tyrants, but lead them by your good example."
"And when the Head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honor."
(1 Peter 4: 2 - 4 TLB)
"From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him." (Cf Matthew 17: 5 RM)
"My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” (Psalm 27: 8 NLT)
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.
"If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that." (Matthew 5: 43 - 47 MSG)
"Thus says the Lord GOD:
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
"Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?
says the Lord GOD.
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?" (Ezekiel 18: 22-23 RM)
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7: 7 - 8 NLT)
"And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?" ( Matthew 7: 11 TLB)
