Charleston, South Carolina
Opening Prayer
Surely you are my salvation, O God; I will trust and not be afraid. For you are my strength and my song, and you have become my salvation. -Isaiah 12:2 (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible I have set you, Lord, always before me. Because you are at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my body also will rest in hope. You will make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forever -Psalm 16: 8-9, 11 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin Forgive me O Lord all my sins, for you are rich in mercy, because of your great love for me, made me alive with Christ even when I was dead in transgressions; it is by grace I have been saved. -Ephesians 2:4-5 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” -John 8:8-10 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others Out of the depths I call to you, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice and let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications -Psalm 130: 1-2 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. 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 his 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. -Pope Francis (1936- ) 
Harz Region, Germany
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