DYING TO MYSELF

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PRAYER TO JESUS CRUCIFIED

O Lord Jesus Christ, you showed me true

sincere love by sacrificing your life, so that
I may be able to return to the Father. The
immense suffering you underwent for my
sake has no parallel in my life, and I thank
you for having shown me the way back to
the Father. You made me to understand that
everything in this life passes away with time
and only the love of God that remains with
me. I seek your forgiveness for a sinful life
of the past and the blessing of loving you
and knowing that now I am doing the will of
God, spreading the good news that God
loves all sinners and that you came to call
everyone back to the fold.

Mary, Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, I

humbly beg your pardon for, every time I
committed sin,I condemned your beloved

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son Jesus to death on the cross. I implore of
you to intercede with the Father for my
pardon and also beg you to help me in my
efforts to lead a life pleasing to the Father
and spreading the Word that God loves all
people. Amen

"The will is the seat of all the pain

people suffer, for if the will is fully
in accord with the will of God there
is no pain in suffering."
{St Catherine of Sienna}

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO
DEATH

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 Meditate:-Why was Jesus the son of the
Almighty God condemned to death on a cross?
Could not have God spared the Sons life?

Explanation:- God the Father had

no other alternative than to
sacrifice his only begotten Son in
order to show man and woman the
depth of His infinite love, and that
they can attain eternal life by
returning to Him. This does not
mean that any real sacrifice or
mortification is unacceptable to
God; but if I would stop at one
isolated sacrifice and am unwilling
to go beyond it, to the extent of
sacrificing earthly passions and
desires, I am incapable of reaching
union with God. Abraham was
prepared to sacrifice his son to
attain that union with God the
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Almighty. So also, if I wish to reach
union with God, I must relinquish
all that I desire which passes
away with time i.e. pleasure,
passions and all that draws me
down to earth and reach out to all
that leads to everlasting life. If I am
detached from all earthly desires
and is truly converted in mind,
heart and spirit, and discerns the
will of the Almighty, I sink into the
eternal realities of life and consider
time and nature as passing away.
This is the grace I must seek to
attain everlasting life. .

PRAYER

I am ready to leave all created

things for You my God, the one
uncreated eternal Good. I desire to
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offer You the perfect sacrifice of
myself, mind heart, body and soul
with all its pains and torments, as a
burnt offering of my whole being as
the only sacrifice You would accept
from me; since it is you who
brought me out into this world and
therefore I belong only to You. O
Lord Jesus Christ, it is you who
said, unless a corn of wheat fall
to the ground and die it remains
alone, I beg You give me the
grace to die to my selfish desires;
to live only for You so that I may
leave no stone unturned to attain
that perfect life which will bring
You into my soul for all time. Amen

JESUS BEARS HIS CROSS

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Meditate:-Does the cross which signifies shame
and suffering really belong to Jesus or to me? I
am the sinner who should be shamed.

Explanation:-The Cross is a story of

contradiction and shame. It can be carried
with love only by those who have emptied
their minds and hearts of all vanity and
sensual desires, understanding God's will
and living in accordance to that will. I
cannot serve God and myself nor can I live
hidden away from God my maker. I must
choose between God and my selfish
interests, desires, fancies, and the glory of
God. I must choose between the changes of
behavior that would occur in the pattern of
my life caused by repressing my feelings,
for the Glory of God. Jesus carried the
Cross because He had detached himself
from all that is worldly and that is why he
could live in pain of mind and heart, poverty

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and humility, with complete love and trust
in the Father. His one and only desire was to
fulfill the will of the Father; this should also
be my desire; who wants to see God's Holy
Face.

PRAYER

I shall carry my cross as You did O my

Jesus. The Cross You did carry was the task
to redeem mankind from a world of sin. It is
by carrying the cross and destroying all evil
that is within me that I too can find
salvation. I must learn to follow You, and to
follow You is to carry my cross as You did
Yours. To carry my cross also means that I
must die to all selfish interests that draw me
away from You, till all that is within me are
melted and I am like a new born babe. I

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must be born anew into living with the
entire oneness of being with the will of God.
Please grant me this grace. Amen.

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

Meditate:-What courage and strength is

required to rise from a fall caused by bodily
fatigue carrying a cross? Do I have that
courage and strength to rise up from my fall
into sin?

Explanation:- With the first sin a person

commits, he falls from the grace of God, but
the love of God continues to wait till such
time as that person has recognized his
foolishness and empties his self of all that is

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filthy. Pride, the lack of faith and trust in
God causes me to seek my own ways of
achieving my ends and therefore I fall into
deadly sin. However, a new man can and
shall arise only when I empty myself of all
vanities that caused me to sin; a new spirit
that can endure suffering as Jesus did is
created within me, when I have destroyed
all evil that is within me. Jesus did raise
himself from that first fall to accomplish his
task, and so the new man in me too, shall
rise up from my fall into sin only when I
choose to seek the will of God. Saul was
struck down to the ground but rose up as
Paul when he changed his pattern of life; he
as a chosen vessel was cut and polished and
formed for heaven; like a warrior is trained
to do battle by pains and sufferings of all
kinds which he must learn to endure, so also
the person who seeks the love of God.

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 PRAYER

I want to rise up to You my God, but first I

must detach myself from all worldly lust,
power and glory and think nothing of
myself, for it is only in the emptiness of life
that You will create a new person within me.
Lord Jesus give me that grace which is
necessary to bear all sorrows, trials and
temptations willingly, in the sure hope that
as You did show me, so also You will raise
me up once again and bring me to the reality
of suffering pain for love of my God; that
You will take me through this dark phase of
life that confronts me; that You will comfort
me in Your own time and then make the
darkness to flee forever. Amen

JESUS MEETS HIS BLESSED

MOTHER
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 Meditate:-Did she not say to the angel
Gabriel May it be done to me according to
your word. It was the faith and trust in God
that leads her to see a tortured Jesus; it is
this same faith that continues with her.

Explanation:-The Virgin Mother sees for

herself, the tortured, wounded figure of her
son Jesus. Both their hearts are torn with
sorrow, because they cannot comfort and
console each other as humans expect and
do. Because Mother and Son had very
willingly and with great devotion chosen to
act in accordance with the will of the one
God, even though it seemed hopeless by
earthly standards, were taken through that
dark valley of death. He gave them light,
strength and courage to walk through that
dark period of time in their life. It was
implicit faith and trust which cannot be
seen; it was the unseen hand of God that
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reached out to both mother and son. It was
that singular light of trust and faith in the
Father which carried them through even at
that tragic hour. If I can understand the pain
of mind and heart of Mary and Jesus and am

also capable of reaching out to the unseen

hand of God, then I can climb up to Calvary
carrying a cross.

PRAYER

I must come out of myself to meet You O

my Jesus as Your Mother Mary did. The
light of Faith guided her through that dark
moment; give me that faith you had in the
Father and the faith that Mary had at that
point of time; the faith to grasp the unseen
hand of God. O my God take my life when I
pass through this valley of death. Be a light
to my dark and gloomy soul in order that I
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will understand the suffering I must endure
even before the night of death and therefore
love its darkness because it leads me to You.
Amen.

SIMON THE CYRENIAN IS

CALLED TO CARRY THE
CROSS WITH JESUS

Meditate:-Simon was forced by the soldiers

to help Jesus carry the cross. Now Jesus
invites me to carry my cross; do I accept it
with love?

Explanation:-Love that is sincere and true

can never be forced nor can it be bought for
silver or gold. The person who is sincere in
love can and shall always carry the Cross of
Jesus with perfect love, for where there is

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perfect love there is no pain and suffering is
a luxury. Nothing can blind my soul so
much as pleasure that lasts only for a short
period of time; nor enlighten me so much as
suffering, which causes me to think more
deeply of my words and actions. So also
nothing can replace my cross and should I
bear the cross patiently, endure all trials for
love of Jesus I will have no pain, for it is in
accord with the will of God.

PRAYER

I would share Your cross O my Jesus and

with it be drawn close to You. O dear
Jesus, enlighten me that I may see all the
blessings You have embedded upon the
cross which I must necessarily carry to live
with You forever. Today at this moment it is
a struggle to carry that cross but then remind
me of the struggle You underwent for my

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sake. Teach me to rejoice in it and to love
my cross for love of You my Lord and God.
Amen.

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF

JESUS

Meditate:- Have I been

frightened and ashamed to
wipe the defaced face
of Jesus in public? Am I
ashamed to carry His
message of love? Am I ashamed to carry my
cross?

Explanation:-Fear and shame have no place

in the mind and heart of the person who
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bears sincere love for the afflicted,
discarded and downtrodden. Jesus bears His
cross of shame, and the courageous woman
Veronica, wife of a member of the
Sanhedrin, without fear or shame, maybe
even insults and abuses being hurled at her,
walks to Him a condemned criminal trying
to reach Calvary, and wipes His face. Pure
love for Jesus gives her all the strength and
courage to do what need be done. Whenever
I help a person who is downtrodden and
neglected by society for the love of Jesus, I
must not expect applause and
commendations but rather insults and
condemnation; Jesus will surely imprint His
image in the heart of such a soul as He did
on Veronicas veil and this image will take
him safely over the dark abyss of sin.

PRAYER

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I want to be near You O my Jesus that I may
ease Your journey to Calvary. Give me, I
pray such love for You that I may be quick
to see the needs of others and overcome
shame and fear; that I may help others who
are in desperate need especially the lowly,
downtrodden and discarded ones. Jesus you
rewarded Veronica for her act of kindness
please fill me with a spirit of sincere love
that I may show my gratitude to You and
others for their kindness to me. Amen

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

Meditate:- What humility and courage is

required to accomplish Gods given task of
living the commandment of love. Does not
my pride prevent me from being humble?

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Explanation:-It is not surprising that Jesus
falls a second time! The flesh of the body
has become extremely weak due to the
excessive torments inflicted upon Him, but
His spirit continues to grow in strength
because Jesus knows that if He weakens in
spirit His mission to redeem man will end in
failure. Therefore, this strong spirit causes
the body to raise itself once more and see
the completion of the journey. The person
with a weak spirit, like myself falls from the
grace of God, caused by the lack of humility
and burdened with pride , which are Satans
instruments of destruction; for me to arise
once more I must recognize the basic cause
for my weakness and daily destroy the
pride within and wear the garment of
humility worn by Jesus. As my soul, sinks
into the knowledge that my body is nothing
but only a mass of clay which passes away
with time, the spirit of God takes root in me
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and capable of rising to reap the rewards of
eternal life.

PRAYER

I will sink with You O Jesus into the depths

of self abasement, where everyone rejects
me in order that You may raise me up to
Yourself; for it is my pride and selfishness
that made me walk away from You and cast
me down to the ground. O Lord Jesus,
please lift up my fallen soul and enable me
to cast out all that is not pleasing to the
Father and reveal to me the contentment and
peace of deep humility. Amen

JESUS ENLIGHTENS AND

CONSOLES ALL THOSE WHO
WEEP

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Meditate:- Charged with physical emotion
and not understanding the will of God is a
cause for weeping.

Explanation:- The natural wail of women

when they see Jesus with blood splattered
garments, blood pouring down from a head
crowned with thorns and carrying the
burden of a shameful cross; it became His
cross when others refused to live by the
Fathers commandment of love-to love
neighbor and even enemy. Jesus tells me to
look deep into my mortal soul and repent
for myself and children; for this is the cross
of love I rejected. Even at that moment of
struggle with the cross He directs my heart
and mind to the creator, in order to know
and understand that I must turn to the will
of God for it is only through the will of
God that my soul can survive in peace and

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contentment; apart from the Almighty I will
surely die to eternity. My soul is made to
understand that peace, calm and joy, where
no trial or sorrow can trouble are realized in
that union with Gods will.

PRAYER

I weep O my God over the days when I

lived only for myself. I realize that true
happiness can only be found in submission
to Your Holy will. O Jesus! Forgive me for
having chosen everything else but You.
Vouchsafe to accept me now, seeking with
all my mind and heart to belong to You
alone and to be always in union with Your
Divine will and love. Amen

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 JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

Meditate: - The spirit must necessarily be

strong to rise from a third fall under the
weight of the cross. Perseverance and
patience are essential for a successful end to
the journey.

Explanation:-To fall is a human weakness but

to rise from that fall once more requires
divine inspiration. Jesus fell three times and
even more but he did arise from all those
falls because of that one firm conviction to
do the will of the Father. The body of Jesus
fell, but not His spirit. I fall so frequently
into sin, therefore I must take a lesson from
the falls of Jesus and with courage,
perseverance and determination like the
Master rise once more and carry the cross to
its final destination. It is in the conviction of
my spirit that strength can be found to arise
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from the many falls and rise with Jesus. My
weakness which gives way under trials can
only be cured by imitation of the courage
and perseverance of Jesus carrying His cross
to the end.

PRAYER

I would lie prostrate with You O Jesus,

under the weight of the cross, that You may
give me courage and strength to rise once
more and carry to the end any difficult task
which the heavenly Father may place upon
me in His love for me. O Lord Jesus I lay
my failures at Your feet with the supreme
intention of climbing that daunting hill of
sacrifice. Open my eyes that I may see You
in my path, feel the touch of your
strengthening hand and the power of your

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dwelling presence in me leading me on
along the way of the cross. Amen

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS

GARMENT

Meditate:-Satan in his wily way stripped our

first parents of their righteous garments.
Today do we continue with Satans work of
stripping the good that is seen in others?

Explanation:-The shame of it all; to be

stripped of ones garments in public and
clothed with nothing but a loin cloth
attached to the waist. The person who
wishes to hide his many failings very often
point a finger of accusation against the
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righteous; my own nakedness is covered
with stripping the righteous of their
garments. However much I try to clothe
myself with the white heavenly robes of
saintliness while casting aspersions on
others, and living in a state of sin and
unrighteousness, I cannot adorn myself with
a saintly garment; because it will be ill
fitting since I have not given up all earthly
vanities and attachments. I must be rid of all
self seeking desires and hang on to the will
of God the one thing that purifies the soul.
Vanity has no place in Gods kingdom.

PRAYER

I would strip myself O dear Jesus, even to

the inner most covering of my soul and give
up my whole self to be consumed in your
Divine love. Lord Jesus strip me of all that

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offends purity and love and clothe me with
all that you seek from me. Encircle my
proud head with a crown of thorns; fill my
heart with perfect humility in order that I
may feel no pain in suffering; crush under
my feet all the vanities of this world and
reveal to me the beauty of Your Divine love.
Amen

JESUS IS CRUCIFIED

Meditate:-It is an incomprehensible thought

to be nailed to a cross. Jesus accepted it
willingly to make me realize that suffering
is the key to redemption.

Explanation:- He was born into this world

that He might suffer untold agonies and die
to sin as it was the will of the Father; that
man seeing it may take the lesson from
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Jesus to suffer and die to sin. Dying to sin
means the spirit within me must live in the
love of the creator, and not for created
things. If I want to seek God I must
necessarily nail all my passions weaknesses
and trials to the cross as Jesus did. It is only
by nailing all created things that lead to sin,
to the cross and carrying it joyfully with no
complaints can I manifest sincere love for
Jesus. If I love Jesus I will love the cross
because innocence was nailed to that cross
and I need be crucified with Jesus; I need to
suffer as He suffered for it is only then that
Jesus can call me out of this life to eternity.

PRAYER

I would accept and embrace the cross when

You do stretch me on it. I relinquish all
created earthly matters that lead me away

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from You. Do purify my soul by stretching
me on the cross. O Lord my God it is better
to suffer on the Cross with You here than to
live without You hereafter. O my Crucified
savior, give me the grace to love and
embrace the cross, in order that You may
create Your image upon my soul. Fasten my
every sense and faculty to it with the nails
that pierced your hands and feet so that I
may be made like unto you. Amen

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

Meditate:- Jesus lived and died through

those dark hours, even when he felt he was
abandoned by God but still having implicit
faith and trust in the unseen hand of God.
Could there be a better example for me to
follow?

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 Explanation:-The greatest work undertaken
by one man named Jesus, for all of
humanity, is accomplished. It was a mission
which was well nigh impossible to a frail
weakling. There were three hours of
darkness in the land from the sixth hour
when Jesus felt a darkness engulf Him as
though He had been abandoned by the
Mighty Father and he cries, My God! My
God! Why have you abandoned me; only
to realize that it was in that will of the
Father which he accepted at Gethsemane.
Those agonizing moments of Gethsemane
flash through His mind, and darkness was
not only around Him but also within Him.
The Almighty Father was silent. Finally
Jesus bows His head in submission to that
one will of the Mighty God and says,
Father into Your hands I commend my
spirit. I can say that only when I have
complied with the Fathers will as Jesus did.
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If I want to see God I must contemplate all
truth and the realities that surround Him; I
must accept totally the reality of living
every moment by pure faith alone, by
making every effort to hold onto the
outstretched but unseen arm of God. Trials,
difficulties, sorrows, dangers and
temptations will cloud the indwelling
presence of God. The dark night of Calvary,
which Jesus experienced, will have to be
lived with all its agonizing moments.

Jesus heard no word of comfort from those

around Him. His Father was silent with no
word of encouragement, His Mother could
not speak for grief and the Jews blasphemed
Him. I must accept this silence in implicit
faith and the assuring hope of hearing the
sweet divine voice saying, To day you
shall be with me in Paradise

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 PRAYER

I shall look for nothing else in order that I

may see You; I shall listen to nothing else
that I may hear your voice call me by name;
and that I may feel the tenderness of your
presence. O Lord Jesus Christ, who did not
enter into glory till after your crucifixion
and death, crucify me that I may die to
myself and all created things that draw me
to the world, so that I may live with You in
the presence of the Father. Amen.

JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM

THE CROSS AND PLACED IN
THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER

Meditate:- As an earthly mother she felt

deeply grieved; with that grief she held onto
the unseen hand of God still more firmly

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with conviction Her love and trust in God
never faltered.

Explanation:- Sadness envelopes Mary as

she holds the body of her son in her loving
arms; she can feel the raw wounds that were
inflicted upon Him by a brutal scourging
and crowning with thorns. She, who had
found favour with God would not have
expected to hold a mutilated body of
Emanuel. Yes, she too had to suffer
immense pain of mind and heart like her son
Jesus, to receive her perfect reward for
implicit faith. She taught her son to accept
the will of the Father and look how much
they both suffered. Now she teaches me the
same lesson. Tears pour down and yet she is
satisfied that her son Jesus fulfilled His
work for the praise and glory of God. In that
moment of dark grief she clings to the
unseen hand of the Lord and tells me to do
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the same. I must leave the senses that draw
me down to the point of despair and turn to
that sacrifice offered on the cross. It is only
by sacrifice of self and total abandonment
into the hands of the Lord can I find peace
and contentment.

PRAYER

I offer back to You O my Jesus all that you

have given me. I sacrifice all my senses for
the praise and Glory of Thy name. My God
give me the grace to submit willingly to
your will even if it be abandoning my sinful
life for the praise and glory of Your Holy
Name; for Him who gave His life for my
sake. It is Your will O Lord my God that I
seek and it is Your unseen hand I cling onto.
Save me with Your unseen presence. Amen

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

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Meditate: - The triumph of Jesus is seen
only after His mortal remains are laid to
rest in the sepulchre. His spirit, which he
strengthened in the desert returns to the
body to rise up as Jesus once more.

Explanation:- The mortal remains of Jesus

are laid to rest in a tomb; Jesus who lived by
the word of God doing the Holy Will of the
Father lay in that dark gloomy tomb, only to
rise to everlasting life. Where is the soul
that has died with Jesus and lived by the
words of Jesus as he did? Has he not reaped
a heavenly reward? Where are the mortal
remains of him who lived by sincere faith as
the Father willed? The person who has lived
as Jesus did teach him to live, sacrificing all
trials, difficulties, temptations and desires
for the praise and glory of God and has been
laid to rest with Jesus, is with Jesus because
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he is raised by Jesus to a life of eternal bliss.
The soul that lived this life with Jesus in
accord with the will of God shall remain
with Him forever.

PRAYER

I will not fear the utter poverty, humiliation

and annihilation of death for it will be to my
soul the possession of You my Jesus. O My
Lord Jesus now residing and enthroned in
the dazzling brightness of eternal glory, I
pray You guide me in The way of the cross,
crucified and dead to all but You my Jesus.
Up hold and enlighten me in this dark night
of earthly life that even though I do not see
You, I may believe and though I do not feel
your physical presence, know that your
spirit is always with me, always to the end
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of time and so do bring me through the
shadow of death to the blessed vision of
Yourself and eternal rest .Amen

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Holy Spirit, You who make me see

everything and showed me the way to
reach my ideals, You who gave me the
Divine gift to forgive and forget all the
wrong that is done to me, and You who are
in all instances of my life with me. I thank
You sincerely for everything and confirm to
you once more that I never want to be
separated from You, no matter how great
the material desire may be. I want to be
with You and Your loved ones in Your
perpetual Glory. Amen.

Dear George,

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This is to thank you specially for the recent
two emails sent to me. Dying to myself is a
wonderful meditation for Lent.
Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Fernando

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