{"id":4848,"date":"2019-03-05T21:16:46","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T02:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/?page_id=4848"},"modified":"2022-02-17T07:41:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T12:41:14","slug":"experiencing-gods-mercy-part-i-lent-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/experiencing-gods-mercy-part-i-lent-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Experiencing God&#8217;s Mercy, Part I &#8211; Lent 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div align=\"center\" class=\"youtube-responsive-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OFn1EabC7n4?rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"564\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"summary\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In this talk, Amanda discusses how God is a merciful and compassionate God. She shares some of her personal experiences and some scriptures from the Old and the New Testament that we can reflect on and be reminded of God\u2019s mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for watching and participating in this retreat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Not Registered, yet? Don\u2019t miss the rest of the talks! Register for the Pray More Retreat!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/2019-lent-retreat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click Here to Register!<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"downloads\">Downloads<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"audio-mp3\">Audio MP3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/13-Amanda-Teixeira-Experiencing-Gods-Mercy-Part-1.mp3\">Click&nbsp;here&nbsp;to download audio file.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"printable-study-guide-pdf\">Printable Study Guide PDF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Experiencing-Gods-Mercy-Part-I-Study-Guide.pdf\">Click here to download the printable study guide.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"printable-transcript-pdf\">Printable Transcript PDF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Amanda-Teixeira-Experiencing-God%E2%80%99s-Mercy-Part-1-Transcript.pdf\">Click here to download transcript of the video presentation.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>\u201cPraise the Lord, for he is good; for His mercy endures forever.\u201d<\/p><cite>Psalm 136<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"reflective-study-guide-questions\">Reflective Study Guide Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>What steps will you take to immerse yourself deeper into studying His mercy this year?<\/li><li>How has God had mercy on you in your life?<\/li><li>Amanda suggests some practical things you can do to reflect on and learn more about God\u2019s mercy such as: reading an encyclical by St. John-Paul II, Fr. Michael Gaitley resources (\u201cThe Second Greatest Story Ever Told\u201d talk and DVD), praying the Lectio Divina, reading scripture readings about mercy, read St. Faustina\u2019s diary or other books you may be interested in that are on the topic of mercy. This Lent, challenge yourself to delve a little deeper into the mercy of God.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"text-experiencing-god-s-mercy-part-i\">Text: Experiencing God&#8217;s Mercy, Part I <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, hello there. My name is Amanda Teixeira, and I am honored to be with you on your Lenten retreat. Today we\u2019re going to be talking about the mercy of God. But before we dive into all the good stuff, I wanted to briefly take a second just to introduce myself a little bit more in case we haven\u2019t had the pleasure of meeting in the past. Like I said, my name is Amanda Teixeira, and my husband, Jonathan, and I have 3 daughters: Josephine, Charlotte, and Eleanor. We also have a crazy Labrador Retriever named Wrigley, not pictured here, and we live in Omaha, Nebraska, which is a joy for me because I grew up in the area as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color\">We served on staff with FOCUS, Fellowship of Catholic University Students, for almost 9 years before we resettled back in Nebraska, and now my husband and I run a business side-by-side called WalletWin, where we help people get out of debt, build wealth, and change the world through generosity. And I am super thrilled, like I said, to accompany you on your Lenten retreat, specifically as we dive into the topic of mercy today. And I have to admit that my husband laughed a little bit when I told him that I was going to be talking on the subject of mercy, because, if I\u2019m going to be honest and transparent, I\u2019m not always the best at showing him mercy. He\u2019s right, he is more of the Mr. Mercy in our relationship, and I tend to be a little bit more a lover of justice, and I really have to fight hard to understand <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/renewing-healing-our-relationship-with-god-lent-2021\/\">God\u2019s mercy<\/a>, to receive His mercy, and to extend that mercy to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I just wanted to preface this entire set of talks that we\u2019re about to dive into, that I\u2019m not somebody who has mastered this, I don\u2019t have it down pat, but I\u2019m a fellow pilgrim on this journey to discovering God\u2019s merciful heart. And so I just wanted to put that out there in case anybody else watching this also finds themselves being drawn a little bit more to the justice side, and they want to grow in the mercy. You\u2019re not alone. And those of you who, maybe you are prone to a little bit more of the merciful heart and not so much the justice, that\u2019s great. There\u2019s definitely ways that you\u2019re going to expand that side of experiencing God\u2019s mercy and receiving it, so that you can radiate it out to others as well. So I\u2019m excited to dive into this topic with you guys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"opening-prayer\">Opening Prayer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s really no better time to dive into the topic of mercy than Lent, because we\u2019ve got not only Lent that we\u2019re experiencing right now, but then we have Easter, and then we have Divine Mercy Sunday the week after Easter. So it\u2019s all set up in the liturgical calendar to just be immersed in mercy over the next several weeks, and so there\u2019s really no better time than right now, and it\u2019s a privilege to walk with you on your journey. Today\u2019s talks are going to be divided up into 3 different ones: We are going to discuss the mercy of God, experiencing that mercy, and last and certainly not least, becoming a channel of mercy to ourselves and to others. As we get ready to dive in, I\u2019m just going to go ahead and open us up in a prayer, so please join me<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\"><em>In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/how-to-lean-on-the-holy-spirit-during-suffering-healing-2019\/\">Holy Spirit<\/a>. Amen. Heavenly Father, we come before You today just begging, asking for Your mercy to wash down upon us. Help us to receive that, help us to see Your heart laid out in scripture, in the lives of the saints, and in our own story, just of the mercy that You have poured out on us, and that You long to continue to pour out. Help us to receive You in every way that You wish to speak to us today, and give us the courage to respond to You with an open heart. We pray these things in Your name. Amen. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"god-s-mercy-through-the-testaments\">God&#8217;s Mercy Through The Testaments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">As we transition into this first talk, I want to communicate that every person should know the story of God\u2019s mercy for His people, because it\u2019s the message He\u2019s been communicating since the beginning of time. Literally, from the beginning of time until now, God\u2019s plan has been unfolding. Now, you have to look at the main narrative that stays consistent from those early days until now, and I would argue, as many theologians have, that mercy is at the heart of that story. And today, we\u2019re going to highlight a few examples of God\u2019s mercy from the <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/facing-goliaths-famous-old-testament-story-weve-never-heard-lent-2018\/\">Old Testament<\/a>, the New Testament, and in modern times, so that we could actually watch that story of mercy evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, so first up, let\u2019s talk about the Old Testament. Alright, you might have heard sometimes people talk about Old Testament versus New Testament God, and that Old Testament God isn\u2019t merciful. And you know what? That\u2019s just not true. They\u2019re the same God. And in Genesis 3:15, there\u2019s something called the Protoevangelium, or the first gospel. Genesis 3:15, God said <strong><em>I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head while you strike at their heel.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">So this is right after &#8211; like, to give you some context around this right &#8211; right after Adam and Eve just sinned. The deal could have been off, right. I mean, they had a deal. They had a&#8230; God said don\u2019t eat of the tree, and they did. And God decided to step in and He made this promise and this prophecy really, and this line in Genesis 3:15 was God setting up a way to restore their relationship by prophesying the coming of <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/encountering-christ-within-advent-2018\/\">Jesus<\/a>. So right there, literally, not even skipping a beat, after they broke that covenant relationship with God, He already begins to display mercy to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sodom-and-gomorrah\">Sodom and Gomorrah<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Alright, another example in the Old Testament is from the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 18:20-33. Alright, bear with me, I\u2019m going to read this quickly, but it\u2019s a goodie. Okay. So the Lord said <strong><em>\u201cThe outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so great, that I must go down to see whether or not their actions are as bad as the cry against them that comes to Me. I mean to find out.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><em><strong>As the men turned and walked toward Sodom, Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said <\/strong><\/em><strong><em>\u201cWill You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were 50 righteous people in the city. Would You really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people within it? Far be it from me to do such a thing &#8211; to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Should not the judge of all the world do what is just?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>The Lord replied \u201cIf I find 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.\u201d Abraham spoke up again. \u201cSee how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I\u2019m only dust and ashes. What if there are 5 less than 50 righteous people? Would You destroy the whole city because of those 5?\u201d \u201cI will not destroy it,\u201d He answered, \u201cIf I find 45 there.\u201d But Abraham persisted, saying \u201cWhat if only 40 are found there?\u201d He replied \u201cI will refrain from doing it for the sake of the 40.\u201d Then he said \u201cDo not let my Lord be angry if I go on. What if only 30 are found there?\u201d He replied \u201cI will refrain from doing it if I can find 30 there.\u201d Abraham went on. \u201cSince I have thus presumed to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than 20?\u201d \u201cI will not destroy it,\u201d He said, \u201cFor the sake of the 20.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\"><strong><em>But he persisted. \u201cPlease do not let my Lord be angry for this one last time. What if 10 are found there?\u201d \u201cFor the sake of the 10,\u201d He replied, \u201cI will not destroy it.\u201d The Lord departed as soon as He finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home<\/em><\/strong> Okay, again, that was long, but it was Genesis 18:20-33, and it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/can-god-really-heal-me-healing-2020\/\">really a beautiful story about Abraham and God<\/a> kind of negotiating, literally, Abraham calling down God\u2019s mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah. And you can see God\u2019s own heart, right. This is a city committing great wickedness and not following His laws whatsoever, and He wants to extend mercy on behalf of His <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/purifying-our-faith-advent-2020\/\">faithful<\/a>. But at the end of the day we know how the story ends up &#8211; He cannot even find 10 righteous people there, and so judgment came down on the city of Sodom and Gomorra. But at the center of it really was God\u2019s desire to extend mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"god-s-mercy-to-the-israelites\">God&#8217;s Mercy to the Israelites<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, another example from the Old Testament is looking at Israel. God showed constant mercy to the Israelites. Oh my gosh, if you\u2019ve ever watched even the movie The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston, I mean, you almost get angry at how stubborn they can be. Really though, this is a story of our own selves, right. So He showed mercy to them when they broke free from Egypt, He showed mercy again after they decided in their freedom to create a golden calf and to worship that, that idol. He provided mercy again when they grumbled in the desert<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">against God because they were, you know, they didn\u2019t have the same food and the quality of things that they had back in Egypt. And so He provided literally food and water out of thin air in the desert, He found a way. He showed mercy when He sent judges and, kings and, prophets to try and constantly guide them back to the Lord. It\u2019s just this on repeat cycle in the Old Testament, that He\u2019s constantly reaching out and trying to find ways to give mercy to His people and <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/turning-back-to-god-in-prayer-lent-2021\/\">turn their hearts back<\/a> to Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is just continuously going on, and He extends that mercy, the Israelites receive it, they vow to never depart Him again, something always happens, and they end up forgetting His mercy and they wind up tangled in sin again, needing rescue. That\u2019s why this just is on wash, rinse, and repeat, right. But the theme here is that God is just ready to constantly display mercy. Or you can turn to the book of the Psalms. Psalms 136. Again, it\u2019s a little bit of a long one, but it\u2019s so good, and it really captures God\u2019s mercy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the Psalm says: <strong><em>Praise the Lord, for He is good. For His mercy endures forever. Praise the God of Gods. For His mercy endures forever. Praise the Lord of Lords. For His mercy endures forever. Who alone has done great wonders. For His mercy endures forever. Who skillfully made the heavens. For His mercy endures forever. Who spread the earth upon the waters. For His mercy endures forever. Who made the great lights. For His mercy endures forever. The sun to rule the day. His mercy endures forever. The moon and stars to rule the night. His mercy endures forever. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt. For His mercy endures forever. And let Israel from their midst. For His mercy endures forever. With mighty hand and outstretched arm. For His mercy endures forever. Who split in two the Red Sea. For His mercy endures forever. And let Israel through its midst. For His mercy endures forever. That swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. For His mercy endures forever. Who led the people through the desert. For His mercy endures forever. Who struck down great kings. For His mercy endures forever. Slew powerful kings. For His mercy endures forever. Sihon king of Amorites. For His mercy endures forever. Og king of Bashan. For His mercy endures forever. And made their lands as a heritage. For His mercy endures forever. A heritage for Israel, His servant. For His mercy endures forever. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>The Lord remembered us our lowest state. For His mercy endures forever. Freed us from our foes. For His mercy endures forever. And gives bread to all flesh. For His mercy endures forever. Praise the God of heaven. For His mercy endures forever.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-new-testament\">The New Testament<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">So we\u2019ve just seen there, you know, the Psalms, the example of Israel and all of the stories surrounding God freeing His people. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15. We see the entire Old Testament literally, the heartbeat of all of it is God\u2019s mercy. Alright, so let\u2019s next take our eyes and look at the New Testament and kind of see how this theme from the Old Testament just blends right in with the new. In Luke 15:3-7 it\u2019s the story of The <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/finding-the-lost-sheep-advent-2018\/\">Lost Sheep<\/a>, and this is what it says: <strong>So to them He addressed this parable: \u201cWhat man among you, having 100 sheep and losing one of them, would not leave the 99 in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy, and upon his arrival home he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them \u2018Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep.\u2019 I tell you in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So really, I mean, gosh, if you look at this story, this parable from like a business perspective, I mean it doesn\u2019t make sense at all, right. It\u2019s very irresponsible. You\u2019d never leave $99, you know, to go after the $1 blowing in the breeze. I mean, but spiritually speaking, this speaks volumes of God\u2019s heart and His mercy. He wants to extend mercy to the one who wanders, so He goes in search. He\u2019s eager to lavish mercy on repentant souls, opposed to the masses who have no need for His mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">Alright, another example is the <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/the-prodigal-son-be-reconciled-to-god-lent-2019\/\">Prodigal Son<\/a>. Luke 15:10-22. Jesus tells this story: <strong><em>Then He said \u201cA man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, \u2018Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.\u2019 So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected his belongings and set off to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck the country and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to a local citizen who sent him to his farm to attend the swine, and he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u201cComing to his senses, he thought \u201cHow many of my father\u2019s hired workers have more than enough to eat? And here I am dying from hunger. I shall get up, go to my father and say to him, \u201cFather, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me as you would a hired worker.\u2019 So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, \u2018Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.\u2019 But his father ordered the servants, \u2018Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it, then let us celebrate with a feast. Because this son of mine was dead, and he has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.\u2019 Then the celebration began.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So really, if you break this story down, it\u2019s a son who wants his inheritance early. So he\u2019s communicating he wishes his father was dead. He gets the inheritance early, but then he doesn\u2019t do well with it. He doesn\u2019t do the things that he knows would make his father proud. He squandered it, literally, all of it gone. And then he remembered how good his father treated even his servants, and he returned home to work as a servant. And the father ran to him, put a ring on his finger, gave him a robe, killed the fattened calf to celebrate. And we learn later, and I didn\u2019t share this part of the story, but the older son actually got angry. But he failed to realize his father\u2019s heart, and his father\u2019s heart was always mercy, and love, and wanting to extend those even if his son slipped up. And just the fact that his son came home, he was ready to just lavish that mercy out. And obviously Jesus was telling this story because this is really the story of His people coming home to Him, and this is what God wanted to extend to the people that had wandered from Him<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the New Testament we also have Ephesians 2:4-7 that says: <strong><em>But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love He has for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions brought to life with Christ &#8211; by grace you have been saved. Raised up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens in Christ, that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness to us in Christ Jesus.<\/em><\/strong> So, again, we hear in the New Testament that God, He\u2019s described as being rich in mercy. And so we\u2019ve seen it in the Old Testament, we\u2019ve seen that richness of mercy unfold in the New Testament. But sometimes it\u2019s easier to look at how is that happening today, even in modern times, because the biblical times can feel so far away, and almost like bible land, and not even related to today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I think it\u2019s important to look at our modern times, and how is the God who displayed Himself so mercifully in the Old Testament and the New Testament still actively working today? Now, I\u2019m going to just briefly give a rundown about how God\u2019s mercy is still playing out in our world today. If you want to do a little bit of a deeper dive, Father Michael Gaitley has books and resources and talks that are going to expand on what I\u2019m going to just hit on very briefly. And I cannot recommend his resources enough, and how he really captures what God is doing in our modern times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"divine-mercy\">Divine Mercy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay. With all that said, let\u2019s dive into talking about St. Faustina. On the eve of World War 2, Jesus appeared to a young Polish nun named Faustina, and He revealed His <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/the-message-of-divine-mercy-lent-2022\/\">message of Divine Mercy<\/a> for the world, and that it can overcome all evil. I mean, guys, think about the timing here: The eve of World War 2. Like, this is huge. He gave her an image and special ways to devote oneself to His Divine Mercy. These devotions began growing in popularity among the faithful, but due to some translation issues and things like that, the Vatican wasn\u2019t sure if it was truly valid. That was until a Polish Bishop translated the messages in her diary correctly and resubmitted them. The Vatican then approved the devotion to Divine Mercy as something good and beneficial for the faithful to embrace. That Bishop was John Paul the Second, and 6 months after helping lift Rome\u2019s ban on Divine Mercy materials, he was elected pope. He was even quoted as saying \u201cI consider this message of Divine Mercy to be my special task.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">He actually then beatified and canonized St. Faustina, and he said \u201cBy this act of canonization, I intend to pass this message of Divine Mercy onto the third millennium. And now, for the Universal Church, that second Sunday of Easter will be known as \u2018Divine Mercy Sunday.\u2019\u201d So the week right after Easter Sunday is when we as a church celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. John Paul the Second, at the banquet, he declared that day was the happiest day of his life, because he understood that the only <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/divine-hope-a-sense-of-purpose-for-your-life-healing-2020\/\">hope for the modern world was Divine<\/a> Mercy. And on April 2nd, 2005, his last words he said: \u201cAs a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered by the power of evil, selfishness, and fear, the good <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/returning-to-the-lord-with-our-whole-hearts-lent-2019\/\">Lord opens hearts<\/a> to love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand Divine Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the last day of John Paul the Second\u2019s life, Cardinal Dziwisz kept getting prompted to celebrate mass. And at 9 PM that night they were able to celebrate mass one last time, and 20 minutes later John Paul the Second entered into eternal life. Now, this connection between the Divine Mercy Image, St. Faustina, St. John Paul the Second, and our modern church today is incredible. And there are so many details that I don\u2019t have time to go into, that\u2019s why I highly recommend going through Father Michael Gaitley\u2019s resources, because we are really in a special time in the church right now. This Divine Mercy is literally something our Lord is longing to pour out on the faithful in the church who ask for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"amanda-s-story\">Amanda&#8217;s Story<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, we talked about the Old testament, we talked about the New Testament, we talked about the church and what\u2019s going on in our modern times. But I think sometimes even getting even a little bit more personal and kind of bringing it home, bringing it into our personal story is important, so that we can see how God\u2019s mercy and His desire to be merciful upon us really can play out in our individual lives. It\u2019s not just something He\u2019s calling the church to experience, but us as individuals. So I\u2019m going to share with you just a little bit about my own story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I grew up Catholic, and I went to Catholic grade school, I went to Catholic high school. But when I went away to college, the first Christians that I really encountered were in non-denominational ministries. And they started asking me the hard questions and, you know, I had all of this Catholic stuff kind of dump trucked onto me, but I didn\u2019t know how anything really fit together. And so when they\u2019d ask questions, I didn\u2019t know how to defend myself. And so it seemed easier just to go be Protestant than to actually stay Catholic, because I just didn\u2019t have the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My sophomore year of college though I met a FOCUS missionary, and she said that somebody had gotten sick, and if I wanted the spot to go to the FOCUS conference they were literally leaving the next morning, and it was free. They were going to Denver, and it was a weekend conference. And I knew that a couple of my sorority sisters were going on that conference, and I kind of wanted to hang out with them and help them grow in their relationship with Jesus, even though I was really skeptical about the whole Catholic thing. But hey, I grew up Catholic, so it probably can\u2019t hurt anything, so I went off to the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While I was at the conference, I decided to go to different talks based on things that I didn\u2019t understand. So I went to talks about Mary and the rosary, about the Mass and the Eucharist, about the sacraments, because these were the things that I didn\u2019t have the answers to, right. My friends were asking me and I didn\u2019t know how to explain them. And in these talks, it was incredible. It felt like I was not only getting a historical answer, but a biblical answer, and that it also made sense in the history of the church. And it just&#8230; they were powerful, and I felt like for the first time ever the Holy Spirit was kind of helping me make sense of not only my relationship with Jesus, but how that fit in the context of the wider church, and then the tradition and the history of our church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I remember I had never been to Eucharistic Adoration, but that night they were going to have it at the conference. And I went kind of thinking \u201cWell, okay. If it\u2019s really Jesus, because I went to a talk earlier today and he said it was really Him &#8211; body, blood, soul, and divinity &#8211; in the Eucharist, and they\u2019re going to turn around this monstrance. And if it\u2019s really Jesus, I need You to tell me, Lord because, gosh, nobody else is teaching this stuff. I have to be Catholic if that\u2019s true. And, oh my goodness, if it\u2019s not You, Jesus, and this is truly idol worship, I have to do something, I\u2019ve got to say something, I\u2019ve got to stand up on a chair and yell out heresy and run out of the conference with as many people as I can scrounge up.\u201d So I was prepared for something to happen that night, I just didn\u2019t know what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as the priest began to walk in, he had the gold thing &#8211; I didn\u2019t know it was called a monstrance at the time &#8211; and I remember him turning it around. And I just&#8230; I sincerely had an open heart. I just wanted to know the truth, right. And I remember feeling just, like, smacked in the face, in the gut with the presence that was before me, and I was on my knees and I remember just kind of crumbling into a ball and just kind of feeling consumed by love. I have no other way to describe it, but there was no way that that was not Jesus in that moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I remember hearing internally a voice that said \u201cIt\u2019s Me.\u201d And I remember tapping the FOCUS missionary nearby on the leg and saying \u201cLet\u2019s go talk in the hall.\u201d And I, you know, let her know \u201cOh my gosh, that\u2019s really Jesus in the Eucharist, and so I have to be Catholic. I don\u2019t know what to do. And there\u2019s still a million questions that I have and things that I don\u2019t understand, but if He can become bread, I guess it will all make sense in the end, because everything else could be&#8230; everything else is possible, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, over the next 12-18 months, she kind of took me under her wing and really taught me about what it meant to be Catholic, and how all the church teachings kind of came together and supported one another, and made sense in the context of church history and in the scriptures. And she really did teach me how to not only fall in love with Jesus, but also His bride, the church. And through that process, it was just overwhelmingly clear to me that God\u2019s mercy was so abundant on me. I mean, I had&#8230; I was walking away from the fullness of the Christian life, but He wouldn\u2019t let me, and He had mercy on me and drew me back to Himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I have countless stories since then of ways I\u2019ve tried to walk away from, you know, knowingly or unknowingly, you know, His best for me, and then Him having mercy and drawing me back to Him. And I think all of us have those stories. And it\u2019s important for us to pay attention to those, to write them down, and to be able to remember the ways that God\u2019s had mercy on us in our life, and the ways that He\u2019s called us back to Him, and the ways that He\u2019s orchestrated different events, you know, out of our control just to tell us that He loves us, just to call us back to the fold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s so important that we notice those, we pay attention to them, and that we internalize those, so that we can experience fully this mercy of God that\u2019s been so present from when Adam and Eve, you know, sinned against God in the Garden of Eden and He spoke the first gospel, all the way through the Old Testament, all the way through the New Testament, all the way through the modern times of the church, and even into our very own life. Because we are not separate from the story of mercy that\u2019s unfolding from the beginning of time. God\u2019s been weaving a story of His mercy, and it\u2019s truly beautiful. It&#8217;s a message that our world needs and must hear. It\u2019s something we have to experience and show others, which is what we\u2019re going to get to in the next couple of talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">Now it\u2019s time to get a little bit practical and turn the mic over to you. What steps are you going to take to immerse yourself deeper into studying His mercy this Lent? Also, how has God had mercy on you in your life? I want you to ask yourself those questions. Take a couple of minutes, jot down the answers. Maybe you\u2019re coming up blank on what, you know, practical steps to take to actively study His mercy. You could get into a John Paul the Second encyclical, the Father Michael Gaitley resources, which is The Second Greatest Story Ever Told talk and DVD series, you could do <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/praying-through-lectio-divina-healing-2021\/\">Lectio Divina<\/a>, or divine, you know, scripture reading with passages that involve mercy &#8211; we went over a ton today &#8211; you could read St. Faustina\u2019s diary, or other books that are devoted to the topic of Divine Mercy, or some other way. Just go ahead and take a few minutes to really think on that. How are you going to study His mercy, and how has God had mercy on you in your life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"closing-prayer\">Closing Prayer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color\">Let\u2019s end in a prayer. <em>In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/how-to-lean-on-the-holy-spirit-during-suffering-healing-2019\/\">Holy Spirit<\/a>. Amen. Heavenly Father, we continue to pray for open hearts and open minds, that we would be able to see the story of Your mercy, and just how merciful You truly are and long to be in our lives. Help us to notice the ways in which You are wanting to pour Your mercy out on us, and help us respond to that and to receive it. We pray these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"about-amanda-teixeira\">About Amanda Teixeira<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:30% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Amanda-full-res-headshot-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2642 size-full\"\/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/speaker-amanda-teixeira\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Amanda Teixeira<\/strong><\/a> hails from Omaha, Nebraska. She is a wife, mother, and co-founder of WalletWin, a personal finance education company. Amanda is a nationally sought after speaker and writer on the topics of finances, faith, leadership, and intentional living. Before launching WalletWin, she served nine years as a staff member with FOCUS. When she isn\u2019t running her business, Amanda can be found having spontaneous dance parties or exploring the outdoors with her husband Jonathan, daughters Josephine, Charlotte, and Eleanor and their beloved Labrador Retriever, Wrigley.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Experiencing-Gods-Mercy-Part-I-big-box.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4305\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"701\" height=\"316\" src=\"http:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/The-Pray-More-Lenten-Retreat-Image-without-many-words-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/The-Pray-More-Lenten-Retreat-Image-without-many-words-1.png 701w, https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/The-Pray-More-Lenten-Retreat-Image-without-many-words-1-300x135.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary In this talk, Amanda discusses how God is a merciful and compassionate God. She shares some of her personal experiences and some scriptures from the Old and the New Testament that we can reflect on and be reminded of God\u2019s mercy. Thank you for watching and participating in this retreat! Not Registered, yet? Don\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4849,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"plain-container","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Experiencing God&#039;s Mercy, Part I - Lent 2019 - The Pray More Retreat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praymoreretreat.org\/experiencing-gods-mercy-part-i-lent-2019\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Experiencing God&#039;s Mercy, Part I - Lent 2019 - The Pray More Retreat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Summary In this talk, Amanda discusses how God is a merciful and compassionate God. 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