from the Diary of St. Faustina

Jesus' Call to Mercy

"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.
Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul.
If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy" (1317).

Corporal Works of Mercy
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Comfort the prisoners
Visit the sick
Bury the dead

Spiritual Works of Mercy
Teach the ignorant
Pray for the living & dead
Correct sinners
Counsel those in doubt
Console the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive wrongs willingly

Thank you Jesus for this unfathomable gift of your Divine Mercy! Oh, blood and water which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in you.

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a funny

What are you doing with the new life that God has given you?

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so what about holy week?

Sorry this information is a little late.....

The week that changed the world:

Holy Thursday- This day begins the sacred Triduum. These are three beautiful days during which the Church journeys with Christ as He fulfils His Heavenly Father's will by suffering; dying; and rising from the dead, for the salvation of our souls! On Holy Thursday, we remember the Last Supper. Above you will see a pic of Papa B16 washing some feet. At the Last Supper, Jesus washed his Apostle's feet. Why do you think He who is God would do the work of a slave? It's all about love. He said to His Apostles and to us, "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet." Jesus, you have shown us the path to life!

At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the Eucharist for us. He knew that He ws about to die and so He left us the precious gift of His body and blood in this holy Sacrament. He promised never to leave us alone. Thank you Jesus for such a great and wonderous gift!!

This night, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is placed on a special altar of repose until midnight. The faithful are invited to come and spend quiet time adoring our Lord. This is also to remind us of the time that Jesus spent in agony after the Last Supper in the garden. There He knew the suffering that He would endure for the sake of our sins and he willingly accepted it because of His great love for us. During the night of Holy Thursday, we are gifted the grace to spend an hour with our Lord in prayer and contemplation. Check out more about Jesus' agony in the garden in Luke 22:39-46

Good Friday- Where you there, when they crucified my Lord? On Good Friday, we remember the suffering and death of our Lord. At St. Martin's, our youth group reenacts the steps that Jesus took to His death and leads the parish community in prayer and meditation. In the evening, we gather to venerate the holy cross...the cross on which hung our salvation.

Holy Saturday- "This is the night." Perhaps this day begins busily with preparations for Easter celebrations and family get- togethers. It is also a day of preparation and excitement for all who will be entering the Church and receiving sacraments. The celebration begins at night, in a darkened, tomb-like, empty church. The priests have gathered to bless and ignite the Easter flame. This is the beginning of the light. Christ is risen!!! He is the Source of our light. He has conquered the darkness of sin. Alleluia!!

Easter- Beginning with our celebration on the night of Holy Saturday and continuing for fifty dayswe now focus on God's call to each one of us to pass from death in to new life. The Easter season is broken in to two parts. The first forty days of the season, we will be hearing about the new life Christ brings to those who believe in Him. The last ten days, between the feast of the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven and Pentecost we will move our attention to the coming of the Holy Spirit.

So what does all of this mean for me now?

Our Lord Jesus has conquered sin and death and has brought us new life. Take some time during this Easter season to look at your life. What areas of your life are good and holy? What is keeping you from God? What sins do you need to die to in order to allow God to renew your life?

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Jesus is with us in Eucharistic Adoration

"May I never leave you there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to your creative action. Amen"

- Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

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When B16 Says Mass at the Nat's Stadium ... We're Gonna B There!

The Pope is coming to Washington, DC and We Have Tickets!!!


Thanks be to God and to the generosity of our pastor, we have been given a limited number of tickets to the Pope's Mass on April 17th!

These will be made available to high school members of our youth group who would like to enter into the lottery for a ticket. We ask that teens who are already going to see the Holy Father in Sydney this summer; and those who have the opportunity to attend the Mass with their Catholic schools; to understand that you will be placed on a waiting list for a seat. We want to be as fair as possible.

To enter the lottery for a ticket, pick up a green entry form at youth group on Friday nights or at the parish office during the week. No registrations will be taken over the phone or by email.

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"The Only True Medicine of Immortality is the Eucharist"

Pope Benedict XVI to the youth:
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 9, 2008

"Man is not only a being that knows, but he lives in a relation of friendship and love. Beyond the dimension of knowledge and truth there exists, inseparably from the latter, the relational dimension. Here one draws closer to the fountain of life, from which one wants to drink to have life in abundance, life itself."

Science, the Pope added, and medicine in particular, represent a great struggle for life, but they cannot satisfy the desire for eternity that is proper to man, not even if the pill of immortality is discovered.

The Holy Father said, “Let us imagine what would happen with an immortal biological human life: a world grown old, a life that would no longer leave room for young people, for youth, for this newness of life.

"So, this cannot be that immortality [that comes from] drinking of the fountain of life, which we all desire."

The only true medicine of immortality is the Eucharist, he said, and the certainty of being loved by God."

Click here to read the entire zenit article.
ZE08030904 - 2008-03-09
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-22013?l=english

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Shock Yo' Momma!

Go to Mass!

For St. Martin's Mass and Confession Schedule, click here.

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Cardinal Tells Youth: You are Worth Your Weight in Love

ZE08030406 - 2008-03-04
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-21970?l=english

Youth Worth Their Weight in Love
Cardinal Comments on the Importance of Charity
By Robert Cheaib

ROME, MARCH 4, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The value of each of us will be determined by love, said the archpriest of St. Peters' Basilica told a gathering of young people in Rome.Cardinal Angelo Comastri said this Friday during a Mass at the San Lorenzo International Center. The center, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary March 13, was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II in 1983 and houses the first cross of the World Youth Days.The cardinal commented on the passage of the Gospel of Mark in which a scribe asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment. “Like the scribe did," he said, "so this afternoon we also ask Jesus, ‘Which is the first commandment? What matters most to God?’ “In God’s eyes we are worth as much as we love. This is a revolution. The world uses other valuation criteria. In God’s eyes there is only one value: love.”

Cardinal Comastri added: “At the end of our lives, we will all be put in the scale of charity, and each one will be worth as much as they loved. “But why does only charity matter?” “The answer,” said the 64-year-old cardinal, “is once again the Christian revolution: Because God is love. If you are in love, you have God with you, and if you have God with you, you are already in heaven. If, however, you are missing God, you don’t have anything.” Referring to the passage about the sinful woman who washes Jesus’ feet and dries them with her hair in the house of a well-known Pharisee, the archpriest of St. Peter's said: “In that moment, this woman declares through her acts: I believe that you are love. I have love, I had not found it until today, but now that I’ve found you, I’ve understood that God is love.

“And Jesus told the man who had invited him: Simon, you appear to be good, but your heart is made of ice, you are worthless in God’s eyes. Instead, this woman has understood it, she has found love. And so this woman is greater than you.” The cardinal asked the young people the following question: “We go to church, we listen to God’s word, we receive the Eucharist, but how often does charity enter into us?“In this time of Lent, we are invited to conversion; we all need to convert in order to accept the surprising news of the Gospel: Each of us is worth as much as we love.”

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a prayer for someone in a hurry

Lord, help me this day to slow down. It will not be easy for You- - even You- - to slow me down.... for I seem so caught in the traffic rush of life.

I rush through my prayers, hurry through my meals, and run from one thing to another.

But I have faith that my choices and your graces together can change my racetrack lifestyle.

I know Lord, even before You whisper it in my ear, that you are waiting for me in the slower, quieter things of life.

Teach me Lord, of Life, how to eat my food with awareness; show me how to walk deliberately instead of constantly running; how to visit and be present rather than merely exchanging words.

Help me, Divine Friend, to take my time praying to You.

Show me that it is good to "waste" time with You in such acts as enjoying a sunset or a friendship.With your presence and assistance, I will attempt to do all things with mindfulness:

slowly, carefully, and fully aware of what I am doing.

Then, with Your grace, I shall find you my God, in those unhurried and mindful moments.

Amen.

Our Lady, Queen of peace, pray for us!

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