Divine mercyThe "Festival of Forgiveness"Madrid's Retiro Park will host the "Festival of Forgiveness" during World Youth Day 2011. Hundreds of priests will be located in the park for people to confess throughout the day. The priests will be available to listen to confessions in all major languages. Watch here the video We present some texts of St Josemaria on Divine Mercy: What depths of mercy there are in God's justice! For, in the judgements of men, he who confesses his fault is punished: and in the Judgement of God, he is pardoned. Blessed be the holy Sacrament of Penance! The Way, 309 Another fall, and what a fall! Must you give up hope? No. Humble yourself and, through Mary, your Mother, have recourse to the merciful Love of Jesus. A miserere, and lift up your heart! And now begin again. The Way, 711 "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart ... '' The humility of Jesus!...What a lesson for you who are a poor earthenware vessel. He, always merciful, has raised you up, and made the light of the sun of grace shine upon your baseness, which has now been freely exalted. And you, how often you have covered your pride under a cloak of dignity or justice...! And how many chances to learn from the Master you have wasted by not knowing how to supernaturalize them! Furrow, 261 Get accustomed to entrusting your poor heart to the Sweet and Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that she may purify it from so much dross, and lead it to the Most Sacred and Most Merciful Heart of Jesus. Furrow, 830 Yes, you're right: how base your wretchedness is! By your own efforts, where would you be now, where would you have got to? You admitted: "Only a Love that was full of mercy could keep on loving me.'' Cheer up. He will not deny you his Love or his Mercy, if you go to him. The Forge, 897 That is why we must insistently go to the Holy Trinity asking God to have compassion on everyone. When talking about this subject, I hesitate to refer to God’s justice. I appeal to his mercy, his compassion, so that he will not look at our sins but will rather see the merits of Christ and of his holy Mother, who is also our mother, the merits of the patriarch St. Joseph whom he made his father, and the merits of the saints. Christ is Passing By, 82 If ever you fall, my son, go quickly to Confession and seek spiritual guidance. Show your wound so that it gets properly healed and all possibility of infection is removed, even if doing this hurts you as much as having an operation. The Forge, 192 In this adventure of love we should not be depressed by our falls, not even by serious falls, if we go to God in the sacrament of penance contrite and resolved to improve. A Christian is not a neurotic collector of good behavior reports. Jesus Christ our Lord was moved as much by Peter’s repentance after his fall as by John’s innocence and faithfulness. Jesus understands our weakness and draw us to himself on an inclined plane. He wants us to make an effort to climb a little each day. He seeks us out, just as he did the disciples of Emmaus, whom he went out to meet. He sought Thomas, showed himself to him and made him touch with his fingers the open wounds in his hands and side. Jesus Christ is always waiting for us to return to him; he knows our weakness. Christ Is Passing By, 75 http://www.josemariaescriva.info/article/divine-mercy |