Take Time

Does Prayer Change Things?

They say that prayer changes things, but does it REALLY change anything?

Oh yes! It really does!

Does prayer change your present situation or sudden circumstances?
No, not always, but it does change the way you look at those events.

Does prayer change your financial future?
No, not always, but it does change who you look to for meeting your daily needs.

Does prayer change shattered hearts or broken bodies?
No, not always, but it will change your source of strength and comfort.

Does prayer change your wants and desires?
No, not always, but it will change your wants into what God desires!

Does prayer change how you view the world?
No, not always, but it will change whose eyes you see the world through.

Does prayer change your regrets from the past?
No, not always, but it will change your hopes for the future!

Does prayer change the people around you?
No, not always, but it will change you - the problem isn't always in others.

Does prayer change your life in ways you can't explain?
Oh, yes, always! And it will change you from the inside out!

So does prayer REALLY change ANYTHING?
Yes! It REALLY does change EVERYTHING!

Divine Mercy Sunday

It seems to me that Mercy and Compassion are the themes of Our Holy Father’s pontificate to date. And, he calls us as Church to show mercy and compassion to everyone we encounter. In Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis says, “Being Church means being God’s people, in accordance with the great plan of his fatherly love. The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good news of the Gospel” (114).

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, a day when we reflect on the mercy and love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It was on the Second Sunday of Easter, April 30, 2000, when Saint Pope John Paul II canonized Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska and declared that the Second Sunday of Easter, “from now on throughout the Church, will be called 'Divine Mercy Sunday'.” Saint Pope John Paul II chose the Second Sunday of Easter for this celebration to fulfill one of Jesus’ private revelations to St. Faustina, “the Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy” (Diary, 699).

God’s intense desire for mercy is revealed through the birth, ministry, crucifixion, death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. Through his teaching, healing and miracles Jesus demonstrated God’s kingdom of mercy, peace and love. Archbishop Mark Coleridge writes that, “Jesus gave God’s mercy flesh and bones and sealed a new covenant in his blood. He called the people of his time – and he calls us today – to live this new way of mercy.” And so, on this Divine Mercy Sunday 2024 remember the words of Jesus in St Matthew’s Gospel, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matt 9:12-13). We are all sinners and we all are in desperate need of God’s mercy.

Prayer of Entrustment to the Divine Mercy

O Lord, our God.

We place our trust in You,

Because you are mercy itself.

We repent of our sins and turn to You for mercy.

We trust You to provide for our every need, according to Your will.

Help us to forgive others as You forgive us.

We promise to be merciful by our deeds, words and prayers.

Though we have fears because of human weakness, 

we rely on Your infinite goodness and mercy.

We entrust to You the future of our planet, our Church, 

our nations, our families and all our needs.

With loud cries we implore your mercy on us and on the whole world.

Look upon us, created in your image and likeness.

Form us in the Heart of Mary 

by the power of the Holy Spirit into the living images of mercy.

May all come to know the depth of Your mercy 

and sing the praises of Your mercy forever.

Amen!

Addiction Prayer

O God, you call us to be your people and to minister to one another. Look with pity on all who are held captive by the bonds of addiction and other disorders. Free us from our own destructive impulses that we may choose life and enable others to find what is life-giving for them. Give discernment and wisdom to all who minister to those seeking liberation from any forms of addiction, that we may all know the joy of the freedom that is ours as your children. This we ask of you, Our Guardian, our God, Creator and Preserver of us all both now and in eternity.

Amen​

~ The Sisters of Mercy

Hello, God

Hello, God, I called tonight

To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.

You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.

I want to ask you please to keep,
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.

Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.

I thank you God, for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.

Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.

So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God,
Until tomorrow!

Pray in Silence

I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence-we need to listen to God because it's not what we say but what He says to us and through us that matters. Prayer feeds the soul-as blood is to the body, prayer is to the soul-and it brings you closer to God. It also gives you a clean and pure heart. A clean heart can see God, can speak to God, and can see the love of God in others. When you have a clean heart it means you are open and honest with God, you are not hiding anything from Him, and this lets Him take what He wants from you.

~ Mother Theresa

Never Forget

During the 19th century, Ireland was stricken by a potato famine. During this time, many of the Irish people emigrated to America. A young Irish boy stowed away on an America-bound ship. At seas, the ship struck an iceberg and began to sink. As people scrambled frantically for the lifeboats, the captain supervised the activity and was the last to leave the sinking vessel.

When he looked back at the ship, he saw the young stowaway coming out of hiding. The brave captain ordered his lifeboat back to the sinking ship. He climbed aboard and rescued the boy, putting him in the seat the captain had vacated - the only available place in the lifeboat. As the lifeboat slowly pulled away from the sinking ship, the captain yelled out to the boy, "Son, never forget what has been done for you today!"

And don’t forget what Jesus did for us: Matthew 27:45-54