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Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well.

Divine Mercy Novena

The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday and goes until Divine Mercy Saturday. You can join thousands of people in praying the novena this year! Will you join us for the Divine Mercy Novena?

The Divine Mercy novena prayers were given to St. Faustina through an apparition of our Lord Jesus. Each day has a new petition that seeks God’s mercy for different purposes.

The message of Divine Mercy is a powerful and moving way to come closer to Christ.

His Mercy is central to our lives and we must continually depend on it and ask for it daily.

Join us in praying the Divine Mercy Novena beginning this Good Friday!

Divine Mercy Novena Prayers

First Day of the Divine Mercy Novena:

Intention: Today bring to Me ALL MANKIND, ESPECIALLY ALL SINNERS, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.

Novena Prayers: Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever.

Amen.

Find the Original Here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/divine-mercy-novena/#ixzz4eEItAMt9

How to Ward off the 7 Deadly Sins with the 7 Lively Virtues

 People have heard of and can recall the seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices and cardinal sins. But, so often we cannot name the virtues which help us overcome these sins! Rather than focusing on the sins which bog down our spiritual life, turn your eyes to the virtues which can help break the bonds of sin. The Catholic Church has distinctive categories of virtues. The 7 heavenly virtues, also called the Capital virtues, contrary virtues, heavenly virtues, are the virtues which overcome the 7 deadly sins: lust, greed, envy, anger, pride, and sloth.

 Chastity overcomes the sin of lust. Everyone could use more chastity in a world that is constantly displaying sexual images. The Catholic Bible tells us that our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit. The virtue of Chastity can help calm our lustful desire for sexual acts and restrain our wandering eyes.

Generosity overcomes the sin of greed. Our lives can be filled with a yearning for material goods. Material objects can block our vision of Christ who told us to give to the poor. This means not only do we give what we have in “excess” but to surrender all of our time, money, and spiritual gifts to those in need.

Temperance overcomes the sin of gluttony. Gluttony wants us to give into our self gratification for eating and drinking, among other things. Temperance is our ability to control ourselves and these desires. We may fall into the trap of self indulgence but during these times we can call upon the virtue of moderation.

Kindness overcomes the sin of envy. Our love for someone should be without bias or spite. God blesses each of us in different ways. Envy will cause a rift in your relationship with God and others. Look upon your life with positivity rather than counting the ways God “hasn’t” blessed you.

Meekness overcomes the sin of anger. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the world”. When He was confronted by angry crowds who wanted to torture and kill him, he prayed for them. How often do we become upset and consumed by trivial matters? Use Christ as your model, control your anger and resentment and cultivate patience through this virtue.

Humility overcomes the sin of pride. God humbles the proud and exalts the humble! Pride is the devil’s sin, and just like him Satan wants us to hold ourselves up as gods. Everything we have is from God, and everything we do is derived from the gifts he has given us. By being modest we can turn outwards and lift up those around us.

Diligence overcomes the sin of sloth. The virtue of diligence aids us in fulfilling our duties and cultivating a strong work ethic. Sloth draws us in to be lazy in all aspects of our life, physical and spiritual. We should develop our talents and gifts rather than keeping them wrapped up in sloth

All other sins stem from 1 or more of these deadly sins. By praying for these 7 heavenly virtues we can keep each of these sins from creeping into our lives. Start praying for these virtues daily to help defeat Satan and these vices. Swap out your 7 deadly sins for these 7 heavenly virtues!

Let's be the light today!

I sure needed this post and the one below it today ... *sigh* ... Thank you Jesus, for always walking with me.

Daily Examination 

This is a simple daily exercise of paying attention to God’s activity in your life. 

Ignatian Daily Examination of Conscience 

An important Spiritual Discipline is to take a few moments at the end of each day and recall where you saw God’s gracious activity in your life in the day. This is an ancient and simple method of helping you call to mind what you have seen, heard, understood, tasted and touched of God in the day that is drawing to a close. It is a way to help you pay attention. Take the last few minutes of your day – as you lie in bed – or as you kneel to pray before going to bed, or in the morning before you start your day and …

1. Thank God for the gift of life this day and for all the blessings of life.

2. Ask for grace and guidance to recognize His work in your life this day and to see your transgressions and sin.

3. Slowly review the day -- hour by hour, in sections of the day – morning, afternoon and evening or interaction by interaction etc.. Don’t be too obsessive!

*Wherever you saw God in your day – say “thank you”.
* Wherever you were sinful or non-responsive to His presence – say “I am sorry”.

4. Finally, ask for God’s grace of healing in one particular area in which you need transformation.

It would be best if this was the same thing night after night -- this will keep you attentive to His work in this area and will keep you focused.

This should not take you more that a few minutes. If things come up which you want to explore more thoroughly – write them down and prayerfully explore them in the morning.

I certainly needed this today ... Forgive me, God, for my impatience ...

How is your Lent coming along? If it hasn't been that good, then start again! Have you done something that is truly out of the ordinary for you? Like they say, have you gone outside of your "box"? Don't be afraid to get out there and do something ... you may never know the impact but I will bet it will make a difference for someone!

Light a candle
Offer a Mass
Walk the sidewalk in front of an abortion clinic
Smile
Attend a weekday Mass
Become a Lector or Eucharistic Minister
Visit the sick
Make a meal for someone
Go to the Stations of the Cross

There are so many more small things that you can do!! Bless you for doing them!!