Good Friday 2010 - Morning - (also Divine Mercy Novena info)

Good morning to all.  A couple particulars about this day: Today is one of the two days in the calendar that we are to abstain from meat and fast.  These are not legalistic, "rules" we follow,  but have great purpose and meaning.  Here's a snippet from http://www.catholic.org/diocese/diocese_story.php?id=23168 .

"Fasting and abstinence gives Catholics an opportunity to slow down and draw nourishment from a different source. As acts of penance, fasting and abstinence help us acknowledge the sin in our lives. “When we fast and abstain we take attention away from ourselves,” Father DiNardo said. “It isn’t meant for weight loss. The tradition is based in the idea of denying oneself to focus on something greater.”

This lenten and Easter season, the idea of noticing or focusing on my hunger for Christ seems to be coming to a renewed light for me. That hunger has helped me take a step back: Instead of emotionally eating or impulsively speaking, I, by the grace of God, can have some self control and remember Christ.

A pic from Wikimedia Commons (The baldachin of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on the motherhouse grounds of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.- Author Sweet Kate):

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is also the day to start the Divine Mercy Novena.  Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday after Easter.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed along with the novena intentions.  The Chaplet and other useful info can be found at this link: http://thedivinemercy.org/ .  Here's an explanation of the Novena, etc from http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm :

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:


"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her: "On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

And a video for day 1:
 

 
I will do my best to put these videos on every day.
 
Peace!