Our Lady of the Lakes Parish

 

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Prayer

for

Divine Mercy

 

O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness,

 today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to

Your mercy, to Your compassion, my God; and it is with

its mighty voice of misery that it cries out.

 

Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth's exiles!

My Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding,

who are acquainted with our misery through and through,

and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You,

we implore You, anticipate us with Your grace and keep

on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do

Your holy will all through our life and at death's hour.

 

Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield

us from the darts of our salvation's enemies,

that we may with confidence, as Your children,

await Your final coming, that day known to You alone.

 

And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus

in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope:

through His merciful Heart, as through an open gate,

we pass through to heaven.

 

Jesus, I Trust in You!

 

From the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina

of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy

1905-1938

 

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A Prayer to the Holy Trinity

 

Arising from sleep I thank thee, O holy Trinity,

because of the abundance of thy goodness and longsuffering.

Thou was not wroth with me, slothful and sinful as I am;

neither hast Thou destroyed me in my transgressions;

but in Thy compassion raised me up, as I lay in despair;

that at dawn I might sing the glories of thy Majesty.

 

Do Thou now enlighten the eyes of my understanding,

open my mouth to receive Thy words, teach me Thy commandments,

 help me to do Thy will, confessing Thee from my heart,

singing and praising thine All-holy Name:

of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:

 now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

 Amen

 

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The Priest Prayer

 

The priest is not an angel sent from heaven.

He is a man chosen from among men,

a member of the church, a Christian.

Remaining man and Christian,

he begins to speak to you the Word of God.

 

Perhaps he has not entirely understood it himself.

Perhaps he adulterates it.

But he believes, and despite his fears,

he knows that he must communicate

God’s Word to you.

 

For must not some of us say something about God,

about eternal life, about the majesty of grace

in our sanctified being;  must not some one of us

speak of sin, the judgment and mercy of God?

 

So, my dear friends pray for him.

Carry him so that he might be able

to sustain others by bringing to them the

Mystery of God’s love revealed in Christ Jesus.

 

Karl Rahner, S.J.

 

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Love Them Anyway

by Saint Teresa of Calcutta

 

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

 

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

 

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Be good anyway.

Honest and frankness will make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

 

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People need help, but may attack you if you try to help them.

Help them anyway.

 

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

 

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