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Lying on his deathbed, Jane de Chantal’s husband forgave his cousin who had accidentally shot him while hunting. His young, devoted, heart-broken widow—now a single mother of four young children—was not as fast to reconcile. Jane approached forgiveness with great contemplation. A woman of deep faith, Jane knew that this task would not only take God’s grace to accomplish  but would also require time. At first, she could only greet the man on the street—slowly progressing to inviting him to their home. Jane eventually reached such peace in her relationship with this man that she became the godmother of one of his children. Forgiveness is a process. Sometimes a very long, arduous one but with God's grace it is possible to forgive even in the most difficult of circumstances. As St. Jane experienced herself... READ MORE All Rights Reserved, Allison Gingras 2016 *First appeared in  7 Qualities of Mercy  --   Light Along the Way.

In this Year of Mercy, I continue to cover at least one or more of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy each month. Given that today is Memorial Day, a day where we remember those who have given their lives in service to the United States of America, I thought it fitting that we should cover the corporal work of mercy to bury the dead. When you think of burying the dead, you think of attending someone’s funeral, correct? In one sense that is exactly what this corporal work of mercy requires us to do: to bury the dead by giving them a place of rest in a grave or urn. Every human being deserves to be treated with dignity; ever more so in death, by preparing that place of rest until the Second Coming of Christ, when Jesus will raise us all to new life. Until that day though, we all need that place of rest for our physical bodies. Honoring the dead is part of the work of mercy to bury the dead. On this day, I remember my dad, a World War II veteran... Read more...

Success #1   Returned home - safe and sound - and healthy from my business trip to Washington, DC.  While there for the  Napa Institute 's Human Ecology conference on the campus Catholic University of America - I learned: All about Uber (as the Metro was down while I was there);  $1500 a night hotel rooms are WAY better than $400 a night hotel rooms (our reservations were given away by the Days Inn so they had to put us up at a Marriott for one night - it was nice albeit very inconvenient at midnight)!; Planes travel 'wicked fast' when there are only 11 people on board with no stowed luggage! (except the one bag my traveling companion, Jennifer Longworth had with our  Breadbox Media  swag in it!). Success #2  Jennifer and I were able to spend some time in the  Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception  in Washington, DC at the end of the first night of the conference.  ...   read more  ......

Have you READ this little gem yet? My Lent will never be the same. Join me at Praying with Grace to hear why this book can transform Lent. Also, free printable!

Give of yourself during this Year of Mercy Every time that you do give of your time, talent and/or treasure, you give mercy to another individual in need. Think about it: When you give your time at a food bank or homeless shelter, your mere presence tells those in need that someone cares about them. When you give of your talent, for example, in tutoring children, you give mercy, because you believe that the tutored child should have a brighter future. When you give of your treasure, you give mercy because you believe that no one should go hungry or without shelter and clothing. Your money goes to meet someone else’s need. Give Mercy In this Year of Mercy we are given... Read more...

One of the most common criticisms of the Bible by non-believers is that the God of the Old Testament is a tyrant, completely different from the God of the New Testament. This idea appeared as early as the second century, with the heretic Marcion. We have heard this criticism so often that I’m afraid most of us are affected by it. During this year of mercy, if God wills, I want to present a series of meditations on God’s mercy in the Old Testament. I am not planning to write scholarly articles aimed at increasing your knowledge of Scripture. Rather, I ask you to ponder these things in your heart, especially during your mental prayer time. I hope we will all learn to appreciate the ways in which God showed his merciful character to the people living before Christ. Continue reading at Contemplative Homeschool.

© 1986  Túrelio  (via Wikimedia-Commons), 1986 /  Lizenz:  Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.0 de It's fitting that the anniversary of Mother Teresa's speech upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize falls during the week we begin to celebrate a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Her call is as clear and relevant today as it was a generation ago. "Just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home, and we will be able to overcome all of the evil that is in the world. Love begins at home. If we all look into our own homes, how difficult we find it sometimes to smile at each other. That smile is the beginning of love. Make time for each other in your family." Read more at Leaven for the Loaf .

Year of Mercy: What is it all about? What can we expect? Pope Francis ushered in the Year of Mercy yesterday. This Jubilee Year of Mercy extends to the Feast of Christ the King on November 20, 2016. From now until then, anyone who enters through the “ Door of Mercy…will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope. ” 1 What is this “Year of Mercy” all about? Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy “ so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives ” 2 . Our world has become so fractured and broken with much hatred. We see it in the... Read more...

Pope Francis described the Jubilee Year of Mercy back in April 2015 in his official document,  Misericordiae Vultus . The final paragraph of that document knocks my socks off. Here's my favorite part: “In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us.” — Misericordiae Vultus, ¶25 Let us allow God to surprise us! Amen! I'm excited to journey intentionally through this Year of Mercy. On this December 8th morning, though, as we begin the jubilee, I am thinking less about what   I  plan on doing and more on what God can do. Truly, I am overwhelmed at what the Lord wants to offer us. “From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. It is a spring that will never run dry, no matter how many people draw from it. Every time someone is in need, he o...

Young Jew as Christ , Rembrandt, c.1648 Staatliche Museen, Berlin [ Web Gallery of Art ] Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy. ( Pope Francis ) Universal: EXPERIENCING GOD’S MERCY That all may experience the mercy of God, who never tires of forgiving. The Holy Family with Angels , Rembrandt, 1645 The Hermitage, St Petersburg [ Web Gallery of Art ] And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ( John 1:14 ) Evangelization: FAMILIES That families, especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain hope. Intentions and videos from the website of the Apostleship of Prayer.

By Booyabazooka (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Feeling blue? I've been feeling sad lately, and maybe I'm not the only one. Despite the magnificent warm weather and glorious summer vacation, life just seems more difficult than usual--like walking through Jell-o. Often, during times like these, I try to count my blessings. But then again, when I remember the millions of things for which I should be thankful, I grow angry with myself for feeling useless and oppressed. So then I'm sad  and  frustrated. How do  you  shake the blues? Join in the conversation about the Works of Mercy at Praying with Grace .