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The God-focused Face of Mercy

Week 1

Seven Faces

of Mercy

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Reader We gather in the name of the Father

All Who looks on the whole of

Creation

with love -

and on his human children

with mercy.

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Reader We gather in the name of the Son

All The face of the mercy of God

who did not cling to his divinity

but chose to live humbly

the fullness of humanity.

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Reader We gather in the name of the Holy

Spirit

All Who filled Jesus with joy and

power

and who led him

to places of temptation and

weakness

so that he should understand

the challenges facing God’s

people.

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Reader We gather…

All (making the Sign of the Cross)

in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit.

Amen

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The God-focussed Face

of Mercy

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What does someone who is famished look like

when faced with food… especially if they know

they are not allowed to eat it?

What does someone hungry for power look like?

What does someone anxious to prove how great

they are look like?

How easy do you find imagining Jesus

looking like these people?

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The God-focused Face

of Mercy

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Which do you find easier—to imagine Jesus

finding it easy to overcome temptation—or as

someone who “lived the temptation” and

worked out how to respond to it?

How might Jesus’ facing temptation help us

when we face our own?

Why do you think Jesus told his disciples

about the temptations? (Remember he was

alone and could simply have never mentioned

them).

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The God-focussed Face

of Mercy

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What aspects of God’s mercy do you think

Jesus’ temptation show us?

What words and actions of Jesus have helped

you to think about God’s mercy?

Why do you think Pope Francis has called

this a “Jubilee Year?

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The God-focused Face

of Mercy

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What are my “favourite” temptations? The

things that crop up in my life over and over

again?

What could I do to balance the temptation? (A

word of scripture—or an activity to help to

take my mind off it until it passes).

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Lord Jesus Christ,we trust your words

that you did not come to searchfor the good and righteousbut to walk alongside us

as we struggle with temptation and sin.

We ask you to walk with us this Lent.

Help us to see your tempted faceso that we can look into it

and see your own focus on God.Teach us to make this our own focus

so that we can overcome the temptations that come our way.

We ask this in your name.Amen.

 

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Department for SpiritualityDiocese of Hexham and Newcastle,

St Vincent’s Offices, St Cuthbert’s House, West Road,Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE15 7PY

Telephone: 0191 243 3302Email: spirituality@diocesehn.org.uk