Thanksgiving to God

Give thanks to Our God for all His goodness!

Thank the Lord for His Goodness, thank the Lord of the lords, thank the God of the gods. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Because His Mercy endures forever, give thanks to our God for all His goodness. 

Psalm 28 Petition and Thanksgiving
Of David.

To you, LORD, I call;
my Rock, do not be deaf to me,
Do not be silent toward me,
so that I join those who go down to the pit.
Hear the sound of my pleading when I cry to you for help
when I lift up my hands toward your holy place.

Do not drag me off with the wicked,
with those who do wrong,
Who speak peace to their neighbors
though evil is in their hearts.

Repay them for their deeds,
for the evil that they do.
For the work of their hands repay them;
give them what they deserve.

Because they do not understand the LORD’s works,
the work of his hands,
He will tear them down,
never to rebuild them.

Blessed be the LORD,
who has heard the sound of my pleading.

The LORD is my strength and my shield,
in whom my heart trusts.
I am helped, so my heart rejoices;
with my song I praise him.

LORD, you are a strength for your people,
the saving refuge of your anointed.
Save your people, bless your inheritance;
pasture and carry them forever!

Give Thanks to the Father

Colossians 1:12-20

Brothers and sisters:
Let us give thanks to the Father,
who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Sacred Heart Prayer of Thanksgiving

Lord God, I thank You through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who is pleased to offer You on our behalf continuous thanksgiving in the Eucharist.

Thank You for all Your benefits, general as well as special: for creation, redemption, the sacraments; and especially for the Holy Eucharist, and for all the graces You have given me.

I wish to thank You, Lord, on behalf of myself and of all creatures, and to make amends to You, as far as I am able, for the ingratitude of many, of which You complain so vehemently. I wish that I were able to direct the hearts and minds of all to You and, together with them and for them, love You perfectly in return just as You rightly expect. Amen.

Christ the King

Luke 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said,
"He saved others, let him save himself
if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God."
Even the soldiers jeered at him.
As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
"If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."
Above him there was an inscription that read,
"This is the King of the Jews."

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
"Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us."
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
"Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal."
Then he said,
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
He replied to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise."

Take Refuge Behind the Shield of God's Mercy

Jesus: My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My mercy.

Soul: I understand what is the better thing to do, what pleases You more, but I encounter great obstacles in acting on this understanding.

Jesus: My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for My kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life-for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness.

Soul: O Lord, I feel my heart being filled with Your love and the rays of Your mercy and love piercing my soul. I go, Lord, at Your command. I go to conquer souls. Sustained by Your grace, I am ready to follow You, Lord, not only to Tabor, but also to Calvary. I desire to lead souls to the fount of Your mercy so that the splendor of Your mercy may be reflected in all souls, and the home of our Father be filled to overflowing. And when the enemy begins to attack me, I shall take refuge behind the shield of Your mercy. (Diary excerpt 1488)

Release 1,000 Souls From Purgatory

Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great, whose feast day is Nov. 16, that the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners which would alleviate the indebtedness accrued to them during their lives.

Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

St. Gertrude the Great was born in Germany in 1263. She was a Benedictine nun and often meditated on the Passion of Christ. She did many penances, and Our Lord appeared to her many times. She died in 1334.

The Miracle of Divine Mercy

If you've ever put off going to confession, don't any longer. Never be afraid to open your heart in making confession, for you are revealing yourself to Jesus. At that moment, you give Him permission to heal you.

Saint Faustina recorded the words of Jesus in her diary in late 1937:

Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [The Sacrament of Reconciliation] There the greatest of miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one's misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God's mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late. (Diary entry 1448*

Unite With Jesus in Holy Communion

Read the words of Jesus in this passage from Saint Faustina's diary, then think about the part of the Holy Mass when people line up for Holy Communion. Do they receive the Holy Host as a rote exercise, walking up, looking around at others, not paying attention? Or do they take the Lord into their hands and into their hearts in silence, listening to Him at the moment. Approach Holy Communion with the words in your heart, "Be merciful to me, O Lord, a sinner. Son of David, have pity on me."

Saint Faustina wrote in her diary in December 1937:

The Lord said to me, It should be of no concern to you how anyone else acts; you are to be My living reflection, through love and mercy.

I answered, "Lord, but they often take advantage of my goodness." That makes no difference, My daughter. That is no concern of yours. As for you, be always merciful toward other people, and especially toward sinners.

Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love. (Diary entries 1446 and 1447)