The Jubilee Year of Mercy: Spiritual and Corporal

Works of Mercy

Jubilee Year of MercyDecember 8, 2015 ~ November 20, 2016

St. Joseph ChurchOctober 3, 2016 October 10, 2016October 17, 2016

October 24, 20166:45 pm to 8:00 pm

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Fr. Richard Jones, Instructor

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This Evening’s ScheduleTitle Page

Opening Song (“You Raise Me Up” by Selah) 3Opening Prayer (A Prayer for the Year of Mercy) 4

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Closing Prayer 27Closing Song (“God Is On The Move” by 7eventh Time Down)

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Opening Song

You Raise Me Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DorNUsi5LE

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Opening PrayerA Prayer for the Year of Mercy

Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be mercifullike the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoeversees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will besaved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew

from being enslaved by money;the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking

happiness only in created things;made Peter weep after is betrayal,

and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us,

the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father,of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:

let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness

in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:let every who approaches them feel sought after,

loved, and forgiven by God.Send you Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,

and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm,may bring good news to the poor,

proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,and restore signt to the blind.

We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,you who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit

for ever and ever. Amen. 5

What God Won't Ask1. God won't ask what kind of fancy car you drove. He will ask how many people you took to church who didn't have transportation.2. God won't ask the square footage of your house. He will ask how many people you helped who didn't have a house.3. God won't ask how many fancy clothes you had in your closet. He will ask how many of those clothes you gave away to those who didn't have any.4. God won't ask what social class you were in. He will ask what kindness you displayed.5. God won't ask how many material possessions you had. He will ask whether those material possessions dictated your life.6. God won't ask what your highest salary was. He will ask if you trampled over any people to obtain that salary.7. God won't ask how much overtime you worked. He will ask did you work overtime for your family.8. God won't ask how many promotions you received. He will ask what you did to promote others.9. God won't ask what your job title was. He will ask did you perform your job to the best of your ability.10. God won't ask how many promotions you took to chase a dollar bill. He will ask how many promotions you refused to advance your family's quality of life.11. God won't ask how many times you didn't run around on your spouse. He will ask how many times you did.12. God won't ask how many degrees you had. He will ask how many people you thanked for helping you get those degrees.13. God won't ask what your parents did to help you. He will ask what you did to help your parents.14. God won't ask what you did to help yourself. He will ask what you did to help others.15. God won't ask how many friends you had. He will ask how many people you were a friend to.16. God won't ask what you did to protect your rights. He will ask what you did to protect the right of others.17. God won't ask what neighborhood you lived in. He will ask what other neighborhoods you visited.18. God won't ask how many times you told the truth. He will ask how many times you told a lie.

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19. God won't ask about the color of your skin. He will ask about the color of your heart.20. God won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words. He will ask how many times they didn't.

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Author unknown

L VEWe cannot love ourselves unless we love others, and we

cannot love others unless we love ourselves. But a selfish love of ourselves makes us incapable of loving others. The difficulty of this commandment lies in the paradox that it would have us love ourselves unselfishly, because even our love of ourselves is something we owe to others . . .

We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do I mean by loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live , accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give others . . .

If we live for others, we will gradually discover that no one expects us to be “as gods.” We will see that we are human, like everyone else, that we all have weaknesses and deficiencies, and that these limitations of ours play a most important part in all our lives. It is because of them that we need others and others need us. We are not all weak in the same spots, and so we supplement and complete one another.

~ Thomas Merton (1915 ~ 1968)

American Catholic writer mystic, Trappist monk

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Fruits of the Holy SpiritWhat role do the fruits of the Holy Spirit play in our lives, and how are they related to our pursuit of holinenss and perfection?

Charity enables us to love as God loves.

Joy is the great pleasure and delight we receive in doing the will of God.

Peace is an inward quality that brings with it serenity of mind and soul, knowing that one is conformed to God’s divine will.

Patience is tranquil endurance in the stress and strains of daily life and in the practice of Christian virtue.

Kindness is a tender, considerate, and helping nature; a deep kindness of character.

Goodness is the manifestation of an upright, thoughtful, loyal, and obedient nature.

Generosity is the willingness to give of our self and our possessions.

Gentleness is strength guided by love, ready to forgive more than to punish.

Faithfulness is reliability, dependability, responsibility and loyalty in dealing with God and others.

Modesty is the humble and moderate estimate of our value, abilities, and achievements; unpretentious and dignity in our manner, actions, and conduct, especially conversation and external behavior.

Self-Control is mastery and discipline over feelings, desires, and actions.

Chastity is sexual purity and simplicity of lifestyle.

from Living Your Life with Purpose and Passion (A Catholic Vision)

by Kevin J. Right

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Twenty-Six Ways to Be Happy, Holy and WiseYour task to build a better world, said God.

I answered: How?The world is such a large, vast place

So complicated nowAnnd I, so small and useless am.

There’s nothing I can do.But God in his great wisdom said:

Just build a better you.Anonymous

Accept each new day as a gift.Believe in your goodness and the goodness of others.Cheer for others and their successes.Don’t ever give up.Every moment is a gift for you—live it.Forgive others and yourselfGive thanks for all your blessings daily.Have faith.Invite others to share moments with you.Join groups and be involved.Keep in touch with those you love.Laugh, laugh, and laug some more.Make some mistakes daily—on purpose.Never judge—give others the benefit of the doubt.Offer to share your time and talents.Praise the good works of others.Quit worrying.Relax and rest and live each day fully.Say nice things to and about others.Take time to play.Understand that everything won’t be perfect.Value what you have.Wish for thestars.X-plain things when necessary.You are important; don’t forget that.Zap life into everything.

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from Live Laugh and be Blessed—finding humor and holiness in everyday momentsby Anne Bryan Smollin

In our world we have . . . a need for permanence in a civilization of transience;a need for the Absolute when all else has beome relative;a need for silence in the midst of noise;a need for gratuitousness in the face of unbelievable greed;a need for poverty amid the flaunting of wealth;a need for contemplation in a century of action, for without

contemplation, action risks becoming mere agitation;a need for communication in a universe content with

entertainment and sensationalism;a need for peace amid today’s universal outbursts of

violence;a need for quality to counterbalance the increasingly

prevalent response to quantity;a need for humility to counteract the arrogance of power

and science;a need for human warmth when everything is being

rationalized or computerized;a need to belong to a small group rather than to be a part of

a crowd;a need for slowness to compensate the present eagerness for

speed;a need for truth when the real meaning of words is distorted

in political speeches and sometimes even in religious discourses;

a need for transparency when everything seems opaque.

Yes, a need for the interior life . . . ~ J. P. Dubois Dumee

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Goals for Success

Goals are stepping stones to our destination.

The first four are positive:

1) What do I want to BE?2) What do I want to DO?3) What do I want to HAVE?4) What do I want to GIVE?

The fifth question related to what we might want to do is:5) What do I not want to BE, DO, HAVE and GIVE?

Goals must be SMART:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Time Frame

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Quotes on Success“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; if I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain, or help one feigning robin until his nest again, I shall not live again.”

Emily Dickinson (1830 ~ 1886) American Poet

Success“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the apprecition of critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier becaue you have lived—this is to have succeeded.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson1803 ~ 1882American essayist, lecturer and poet

“God loves the world through us.”St. Teresa of Calcutta(1910 ~ 1997)Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and missionary

“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.”Leo Tolstoy

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1828 ~ 1910Russian writer

Quotes on Success (continued)

“God’s dream is to not be alone but to have humanity as a partner in the drama of continuous creation.“ (Every moment of our lives, we can do something to make this world a better and more compassionate place, whether by providing food and relief for the hungry, fighting disease, protecting the environment, helping a friend throught a difficult time, or leaving someone’s loneliness with a kind word and friendly smile. This gives life meaning and is the hightest path we follow.”

Abraham Joshu Heschel(1907 ~ 1972) Polish-American Rabbi, great Jewish Scholar, theologian and philosopher

“Do all the good you can,by al lthe means you can,in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can,at all the times you can,to all the people you can,

as long as you can.”John Wesley(1703 ~ 1791)Anglican cleric and theologian

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God’s kingdom work gets done when we give generously of the time, love and resources he has provided us.

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How to Identify aSelf-disciplined Person

Self-disciplined people People who lack self-discipline

Set their own schedules End up doing what others determine

Pursue long-range goals Led around by immediate appetites

Make beautiful dreams come true Never accomplish anything significant

Ability to say NO to destructive feelings

Inability to say NO

Self-confident—being in control of self

Reduced self-confidence – unable to control self

Able to see a project through Unable to see a project through

Focused on the goals Inability to focus on goals

Have a strong sense of purpose Lack a strong sense of purpose

Are patient Are impatient

Perservere Do not persevere

Keep learning Do not learn anything

Love what they do Are tired of what the do

A man of character Not a man of character— fluctuates

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TheHuman PersonAn Overview

“God’s greatest glory is a person fully alive.” (St. Irenaus)

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Hebrew notion of “person” (Jesus’ notion: Wholistic, integrated, unifiedGreek notionof “person” (St. Augustine): Dualistic—body and soul

When Tomorrow Starts Without MeWhen tomorrow starts without me and I'm not there to see,If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me;I wish you wouldn't cry the way you did today,While thinking of the many things, we didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me, as much as I love you,Each time that you think of me I know you'll miss me too;But when tomorrow starts without me please try to understand,That an angel came and called my name and took me by the hand,

He said my place was ready in heaven far above,And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love.But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eyeFor all my life, I'd always thought I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for, so much left to do,It seemed almost impossible, that I was leaving you!I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad,I thought of all the love we shared, and all the fun we had

If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while,I'd say good-bye and kiss you and maybe see you smile.But then I fully realized that this could never be,For emptiness and memories would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things, I might miss come tomorrow,I thought of you, and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow.But when I walked through heaven's gates, I felt so much at home.When God looked down and smiled at me from His great golden throne.

He said, "This is eternity, and all I've promised you."Today your life on earth is past, but here life starts anew.I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last,And since each day's the same way, there's no longing for the past.

You have been so faithful, so trusting and so true.Though there were times you did some things you knew you shouldn't do.But you have been forgiven and now at last you're free.So won't you come and take my hand and share my life with me?

So when tomorrow starts without me, don't think we're far apart,For every time you think of me, I'm right here . . . in your heart!

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Corporal Works of Mercy Opportunities

St. Vincent de Paul Society

The Society has members and volunteers of all ages who reach out to the most vulnerable in our community. Members and volunteers assist people in need and do not discriminate against cultural, religious or political beliefs."

Shopping at St. Vincent de Paul supports your neighbors in need. Revenue from their stores provides assistance to local people through a variety of programs including food and utilities assistance, indigent burial, clothing and furniture assistance.

Bereavement Funeral Home Vigil Christian Funeral Mass of Thanksgiving Interment at Cemetery

Chaplaincy at Sewickley Valley Hospital Pastoral Care of the Sick Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist

Christmas Charities Angel Trees Securing, Wrapping and/or Delivering Christmas Presents for

Children in Need

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Corporal Works of Mercy Opportunities (continued)

Outreach to Elderly and Shut-Ins Transportation to Church Transportation for Shopping Transportation to Doctor’s Appointments Preparing a Meal Visiting and Spending Time

Prison Visits Men and women volunteers to bring Christ's love and forgiveness

to prisoners 

Food Drives Handing Out and/or Delivering Thanksgiving Meals Handing Out and/or Delivering Easter Meals

Volunteering in an Act of Charity Teaching CCD Volunteering at local hospitals, food pantrys, soup kitchens, etc. Leading Woman’s Spirituality Group Over 55 group (comes together in meal for the purpose of providing

community, faith, love and support.) Reaching out to Hillview, The Towers, West Hills Rehab Participating with the Lenten Fish Fry and Summer Festival Cookie Ministry

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Closing Prayer

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Closing Song

God Is On The Moveby 7eventh Time Down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqsafpTaNIw

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