Divine Mercy Sunday

For the past nine days I have been praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet Novena. Yesterday I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and today I attended Mass and received the Eucharist.

Now this allows for me to be open to a great gift from Jesus; that is, a plenary indulgence.

A plenary indulgence wipes clean all past sins committed since Baptism.

Yes, I receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis and I try to do a 10th Step every night in order to examine my conscience and keep my side of the street as clean as possible. However, I am human and I will forget or even rationalize and overlook my culpability, my sin. By participating in the Divine Mercy Novena I can avail myself of the gift of indulgence as outlined by Holy Mother Church.

Col 1:24: Now I rejoice in sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His body, which is The Church.

If we ignore the fact of indulgences we neglect what Christ does through us, and we fail to recognize the value of what He has done IN us. St Paul used this very sort of language to teach how important our actions can be to help those struggling in sin.

This is why I have asked Christ to give what I have 'earned' through my participation in the Novena to people I love. In particular, I have asked that this indulgence be granted to my brother so that he can find his way home to Holy Mother Church.

2 Mac 12:42-46 - and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out.

I am asking - no, I am begging - that the sins of those I love be blotted out through the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ.

So....how was your day?

OH YUCK! My SNARKY MOUTH and FORGIVENESS

First of all - I made a snarky comment about Robert and boy is my face red. I apologize, may I plead too much turkey? I think, btw, that he is a really good 'thing' (for want of a better word) for Modesto Politics and when he makes another run for office I am going to help him shape a platform of middle-of-the-road, fiscal progressive decency - that is if he wants my help.

Now, let me get to the actual need for my post today.

FORGIVENESS

'Forgiveness is above all a personal choice, a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil...It has its perfect exemplar in the forgiveness of Christ, who on the cross prayed:'Father, forgive them;for they know not what they do". JPII 2002

This morning, on CNN I saw the report of the Rabbi and his family being murdered in India by the terrorists that currently have the town of Mumbai under attack. The nanny/cook at Chabad House rescued the 2 year old.

In my heart I felt that horrible combination of red rage and sorrow, the pull of the Catholic to want to forgive and of the human to want to find those people and kill them out of revenge.

This man, this decent, loving, Son of Abraham, this elder brother in the Faith, lost his life for one reason and one reason only - he is Jew. His family was murdered because they are Jews. What a horror.

The situation in India has been deteriorating for quite some time. The Catholics in one section of the country (near GOA) have been attacked, murdered, raped, their orphanages burned to the ground, children mutilated....it has been horrible. The primary attacks have been by Hindu extremists and Muslims terrorists. When they could not find a Catholic to beat up or kill, they went after the tiny Jewish community. And I mean tiny - maybe 100 to 150 with one rabbi who is not living in the area because his congregation is so spread out.

I am an American and I am of Irish and Italian descent and you know what? Probably my biggest character defect is my anger, my need to avenge the death of innocents...I just never go right to "mercy and forgiveness for those who do wrong'. Nope, not me. I go first to, "Let's blow them up and then forgive them".

This does not speak highly of me as a Catholic. My weakness is that I do not trust completely in God, that nothing happens in His Universe in error, that from all evil comes great good. Yes, eventually, I get there. Eventually, my anger will turn to tears and I will drop to my knees and pray for them....but first I want to hang them as high as I can and watch THEM suffer.

That poor little baby, without a mother and a father? Oh my God, have mercy on them and welcome these wonderful people into Your heavenly Kingdom.

Loving Savior, forgiveness seems like such a simple virtue, but when I examine my heart I find that I don't really forgive. I still carry the pain and resentment of the wrong others have done. Give me, please, a truly forgiving heart. amen.

Now, there is something else I want to share with you all. My dependence upon St Michael the Archangel. He has gotten me through a whole bunch of resentments by being my avenging angel....and I say this prayer after every Mass I attend.

St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of GOD, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Please everyone one, pray for me. On December 1, I am going to put down my cigarets. Keep me in prayer. heck, keep all those who come in contact me in more prayer.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and may God forgive those murdering people in India.....