Before You Go

Thank you again for joining us on this Good Friday retreat.

Before you go, we once again invite you to post a prayer. It may be a prayer of thanksgiving for graces that you’ve received today. It may be a new realization about God or yourself, a deep experience during the retreat, or even a disturbing question that surfaced.

Or it may be a prayer of petition. Perhaps the reflections today brought to mind some people in your lives who are in need of your thoughts and prayers, and you feel moved to entrust them and their needs to the Lord.

Remember: When you post your prayers, you are sharing them with our online community and entrusting your intentions to our prayers.

You may also simply post a comment about your retreat experience today. Who knows whom and how your post can help? The Spirit truly works in mysterious ways.

See you tomorrow for the third day of our online retreat! Note that we have a BONUS feature after you post your comment below. 🙂

In case you’d like to watch last year’s Zoom Good Friday retreat, “Letting Good, Letting Evil, and Letting God,” click Part 1 and Part 2.

BACK  |  HOME | BONUS

425 replies on “Before You Go”

Thank you, Lord, for not giving up on me. No servant can be greater than his master, and you Lord, are my one and only Master. Guide me in my thoughts, words, and actions – so that I may always say ‘yes,’ persist in pursuing your mission for me, and not give up despite all the pain, humiliation, and suffering that I am going through.

Thank you Fr. Johnny for this retreat. Really gave me a chance to reflect. May I ask for you and my fellow retreatants for prayers as I go through some rough patches in my life.
God bless everyone!

Lord, I know You are near.
Standing always by my side.

Thank you everyone and thank you for your beautiful Good Friday reflections! ☺️

Thank you for this retreat, Lord. It affirmed Your great love for me, a sinner. Help me to live my life as a thanksgiving to You. May my life be an offering of my love to You, too. May I never forget Your great sacrifice on the cross for me. Amen.

Lord Jesus, thank you for this opportunity to reflect and become closer to you. Thank you for all the blessing you have given me and my loved ones. What struck me most in today’s reflection was how you were given an opportunity to “run away” or “abort mission” when you felt forsaken while dying on the cross. Despite this, you did not run way, but you continued to have courage to go through with death because you love us so much. Please also give us the courage to continue loving you and others even during the times it feels difficult to do so. Help us continue to trust in you even during trying times. Lastly, please help me develop the habit of prayer in both good times and bad times. Amen.

Thank you, Lord, for always being there for me, even though I often bitch that You seem far away. In truth You are not. You have always been there for me. You know how broken my heart is. You know the pain that I feel. Thank you for sending me people who remind me that You are always there. I just need to follow the path and Your light.

Dear Lord, I have been enslaved by the mistakes, wrong choices, and failures of the past. It was only through your grace that I was able to forgive myself and the people who have wronged me. It was only through your grace that I have found the courage to accept the things I can no longer change. Please also grant me the strength that I will need to be able to change the things that I still can before it’s too late.

Thank you for reminding me to show up for you, to say yes to you. Despite how difficult it is to do so, we have your example on the cross to give us courage and confidence. Thank you, Jesus, for everything.

I pray for all the intentions of those taking this retreat as well.

Dear Lord,
I don’t know why you chose to die for our sins. Beyond your obedience to the Father, what was your motivation? You knew you would suffer because of people who would just turn their back on you. If it’s love, how could you love us, after our betrayal?

Thank you for your sacrifice on the cross.

Please lead me out of this darkness I’m in, and transform my hardened heart a little closer to yours, that is pure, forever obedient to the Father, is selfless and loves without keeping a record of offenses.

Thank you Jesus again and again and again for all that You had to go through for us to bring us close to the Father.

Thank you Father, for allowing Your heart to be broken too, seeing Your only Son also so broken in all the many ways possible. All for love of us. It is overwhelming and awesome really just to sit with that truth.

“To forgive and to love those who hurt and persecute us”

Always difficult to keep saying Yes to love until the end but I pray that God enlarges my heart so that He may enter and that I too can love others unconditionally including my own father who has deeply hurt me and is causing our family grief.

I pray for healing within the family, that God will repair my relationship with my father and siblings. I pray that God also heals my own father’s wounds that he addresses through addiction. 🙏

I am reminded of the line from Ps 139:12 which goes:

“Darkness and light are but one.”

“Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You, But the night shines as bright as the day; Darkness and light are alike to You.”

The dark nights of our lives serve to free us from the grasp of evil and whatever slavery or addictions we have and truly form us into the image of God’s Beloved daughters and sons, and our hearts like the heart of God – IF we do not allow it to make us bitter and vengeful. This is possible only with God’s grace if we seek surrender to ourselves to it.

My dearest Lord Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.

My dearest Lord Jesus Christ, my deepest gratitude.

All praise and glory to You. +

My 5 yo niece has been showing me what it means to be forgiving and loving despite the hurts. I thank Jesus for never giving up ,for truly proving His words are alive. In this case, to remember children belong to His kingdom.

I seek prayers for my young nephew who has been crying last night about “darkness”. May he be comforted and see Jesus’ light instead.

Only love.
At the time in my life when I felt most separated from God because of my sin, I heard the silent whisper of the Lord saying, “Come back to me.” Over and over again. There was no reproach, no condemnation. Only love.

Thank You, Lord, for never leaving my side even when I sin. Thank you for not letting go. Pls help me remember always my realizations from this retreat: Your last cry before the final push, that I need to be still, that You really have taken my sinful place and continue to transform it even when I keep forgetting. I’m sorry, Lord. Pls help me stay on the right path and look only to You. Amen.

Thank you for the unconditional invitation, my Savior. I look forward to the rest of the journey to keep loving You more.

Thank you, Fr Johnny for this yearly Lenten retreat!
While at times it makes me feel uncomfortable, and guilty for adding to the suffering of Jesus, I am grateful that He never gave up. Knowing and being reminded of His great love, I am encouraged to try to love and forgive just as He loves and forgives me.

Thank you, Fr Johnnyfor this yearly Lenten retreat!
While at times it makes me feel uncomfortable, and guilty for adding to the suffering of Jesus, I am grateful that He never gave up. Knowing and being reminded of His great love, I am encouraged to try to love and forgive just as He loves and forgives me.

Thank you Lord Jesus for your sacifice on the cross; and carrying with you my sins and paying for the penaly of my sins. Thank you to Our Father who raised you from the dead giving us the free gift of salvation and eternal life through Christ Jesus. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Lord teach me to love uncconditionally or to truly love for that matter. To show my love to family and friends and even to those who have hurt me.
Give me a pure heart O God; renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me out of your presence; or take the Holy Spirit away from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation; create in me a willing spirit to sustain me. ( Psalm 51)
Jesus in the remaining years or days of my life; teach me more ot be pleasing to God. Teach me more to be like you King Jesus.
I am on my own, the struggle is so real. Thank you for newver leaviing my side. I depend on you God moreso now.
This I ask in Jesus name.

Thank yuu for this DIY retreat

I would like to share this:

“At the end, I turn to Jesus Christ hanging on His cross and I talk to Him. I ask how can it be that the Lord and Creator should have come from the infinite reaches of eternity to this death here on earth, so that He could die for our sins. And then I reflect upon myself, and I ask:
“What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I to do for Christ?
“And I talk with Jesus like a friend. I end with Our Father.”

(From St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Meditation: A Conversation with Jesus)

Thank you Lord for giving us your son Jesus Christ to redeem us from our sins. Thank you for being with us always. I pray that you will continuously bless our family and all of our loved ones. I am also praying for my personal intention to be able to complete the professional designation that I am currently working on and for the kids to be able to finish their schooling too and achieve their golas and dreams. Thank you Lord for everything!

Lord, thank you for bearing the most excruciating kind of pain to save humanity. Your LOVE for us is way beyond comprehension.
Please forgive me, Lord for failing to live the life you want me to endure. There were many times when I chose pleasure over happiness, selfish motives over service. I beg from you, Lord, to give me the chance to fulfill my mission here on Earth as you bless me with 2nd lease on life. I LOVE You and I don’t want to be separated from You again🙏🙏🙏

Thank you Lord for reminding me what a great thinker used to say, “the joy of the yes in the sadness of the finite.”

May we all say yes, to life, to the challenges, to the heartache, even to the pain, not just our own but the of the pain of others around us, that life has to offer.

To say yes so that we may push on to see the light of Easter through the cracks of the wounds that we all have and share.

Amen.

With the noise (LIES!) going on around us now, may we all be guided by the truth and remember what the Lord showed us – to see even “the small flicker of good in the hearts of even the most wicked among us”. Ang hirap naman talaga! But yes, it should help us – ME!-to look for the sheep hiding in wolves’ clothing, by seeking to understand that like most of us, they have been hurt & traumatized in the past, hardening their hearts. Yet I pray that more of us, these people, will learn to seek the Lord and be touched to stay with Him.
Thank you for enlightening us Fr. J.

Fr. J i wish to post a song instead and share it also with this online community. It’s an old song I heard ages back but it surfaced again in my mind after this session. And I resolved to make sure to listen to it more often as my prayer. To keep me closer to God. To keep closer to Jesus. To deepen my love for Him.
It’s I Need You, sung by Leann Rhimes.
I hope I can post the link here.
https://youtu.be/axvWdQhMHKU

Lord, today, I’ve felt your suffering to save us. It must’ve been really difficult to still say “yes”, given the pain and mockery you received from the people. And yet, you stayed on; you kept your faith in God’s will. Thank you for that. Thank you for sacrificing Your life for us. Lord, may You give me the graces to be more kind and loving towards other, all, people. May You remind me to look and listen to them more lovingly to see the sheep in them rather than focus on the wolves on the surface. May You continue to lend me Your heart and share it with all the people I will encounter in this life. Amen.

Ang pagtulad kay Hesus ay hindi madaling daan at hindi pinipiling daan ng karamihan.

Ito ang hamon sa aking pagpapatuloy upang muling balikan ang sarili kung tama pa ba ang pinipili kong daan patungo kay Hesus?

Salamat.

Thank you for the song compilation. A bonus, indeed! Thanks to everyone who share their songs.

Could we also add this other song – “One Day at a Time (Sweet Jesus)” . It is a popular Country and Western-style Christian song written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson. Thank you very much.

Magbabaya… help me be more mindful of what I do, my thoughts, how I act on my thoughts, how I relate with myself and others. Help me be aware of the possibilities of me becoming a mean person myself.

Note to self – forgive me for attributing human characteristics to other animals (wolves are not inherently mean; it is humans like me who look at them as mean…)

help me please to be courageous to not allow bad things to happen, to not be complicit in the actions of others by not taking actions myself…

so many things happening around me… help me know me more, so that I am able to remain true to your teachings of doing love… “bringing good news to the poor, telling prisoners that they are prisoners no more, telling blind people that they can see, and set the downtrodden free… to go tell everyone the news that the kingdom of God has come…”.

Thank you Lord for making me think of the man who gave Jesus vinegar to drink, and the wolf in sheep’s clothing. May I have the grace not to be a “reluctant” good man, i.e. one who is unafraid to follow God’s will all the time in the midst of all the sin around, even when dealing with my “wolves” friends.

Thank you, Lord for loving me unconditionally. Teach me how to love others as you love us.

In today’s reflection, all I saw was how much God loves me. Even His last cry was a cry of love that is forgiving and unconditional It assured me that in anything, God will not give-up on me. It’s just a matter of me recognizing and surrendering to his great offering of love. I say YEs to his calling.

Thank you for the gift of love and forgiveness. Both are hard to do without your example Lord. Actually, both are hard to do because we are just human and sinful… but your love for us is powerful to make us learn to love and forgive.

Love the hand that bites us, and love the wolves in sheep’s clothing–So very difficult especially in these times! But I pray for your grace Lord, to shift my perspective to do these so I may honor your death and suffering for me.
Thank you, Fr Johnny for another soul-stretching reflection today.

Thank you Lord for this challenging week that just passed. Thank you for helping me get through it. THANK you for my new friend on this Good Friday! Truly it is a blessing when doors open and opportunities come from the most unexpected places. Lord God, you are in each and every one of us. Thank you for loving us always and reminding us of your GREAT LOVE!

Thank you Lord for tirelessly calling, speaking, teaching, reminding and most of loving me. Yes I know You understand me. Kindly make my heart be like Yours

I will say yes Lord. Grant me strength to bear my cross as yourself. Teach me to bear it with great humility. I love you Lord with all my heart.

Just say Yes – sounds easy, but I find that very hard. All my life I have been a “reasonable risk taker”. Saying yes means so much commitment that it is scary.
But looking back, on the many moments that I needed to day “yes” to something, I have consistently been blessed with great joy.
Yet each time I need to cross that threshold, I still feel the fear of what it means to say yes.
Takes a lot of discernment. Takes a lot of courage.

Forgive me Lord for repeatedly hurting you by allowing myself to be controlled by things of this world. My heart longs for you, Stay with me O Lotd. Stay with me.

For the many graces and blessings You have given me in this life, Lord, thank you. Ever grateful as you continue to guide and care for me.

I lift up to You, all those who seek the gift of recovery. All those who are sick, physically, mentally, and spiritually. May they find hope and strength in knowing You are there, embracing them in their suffering. Amen.

Thank you Jesus for never giving up, for holding on and staying in your conviction of saving humanity. I am reminded of that LOVE every time I look at the cross. Thank you, My Redeemer🙏.

Saying YES to you Jesus! No tricks just LOVE. Beyond grateful for this gift.

May I always be worthy of all your pains and sufferings. Amen.

Dear Jesus, thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for the many chances you give me to start all over again. Please give me the grace to do the same to the people around me. Please enable me to love the way you do. I entrust to you my needs and the desires of my heart, and those of my family, friends and all the people who asked for my prayers. Amen.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for being with us, despite all our failings and shortcomings. You have defied all human limitations and showed us the only way to the Father is love – only love.

We are human – bounded to our limited mind, logic and reason. But more than the body and mind that we have, our soul expressed the true essence – God’s image and likeness.

Thank you, not just the Cross that you beared for us, but You shared the Cross with us.

Acceptance. Acceptance to the will of the Father and to let go of the hurt that burdens me. When the curtain of the temple was broken, it paved the way for me to forgive the people that hurt me. All i have to do is accept which is the hard part and take the necessary step since the door is wide open

I’m sorry I let myself be distracted by the world even as I tried to work in it as mandated by the Lord.
I’m sorry I keep opening old wounds, scratching at scabs, and looking inside too much to notice the cries of the world.
I’m sorry I forgot that You, Jesus, were human too, and knew our pains, felt them keenly.
I’m sorry I keep choosing my own self-preservation instead of radical love.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for Your unconditionally love. For giving Your only Begotten Son Jesus to save me/us. I’m sorry for the times that I’m stubborn. Help me to follow Your path and guide me every single day of my life.

Thank you for healing my son and daughter. And thank you for protecting my family, extended family, relatives and friends. Please heal all the sick, be with the suffering, lonely, hungry, and thirsty (physically and spiritually).

Amen.

Thank you Fr. J and Pins of Light!
God bless us all!

Today’s online retreat just nudged me once more to listen and heed to God’s calling.

I still remember that time around 2018 when I decided to let God take control over where He would want me to be. And indeed, He gave me graces I could only achieve beyond imagination and through His will. He allowed me to reach one of my dreams that hugely impacted me today.

However, the pandemic came and, while I never blamed God for it, I just felt that the current uncertainty have somewhat shaken me to the core. I’ve been trying to trust His plans and why things have unfolded that way, but I couldn’t seem to find anything at this point. And in an effort to find answers, I have somewhat relinquished the idea of entrusting everything unto Him like how I did it before.

But I’ve been trying my best to reach out, Lord. Please help me go back to where we used to be.

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for this space and time. I entrust in your hands D who is the most generous and kindest person that I know but who more often than not prefers to don the wolf’s clothing. Pls heal all her hurts and embrace her. I entrust all my apprehensions for my parents health and safety. I entrust all my loved ones and W in your hands. I entrust all these feelings of helplessness, fear and void within me. I beg for the grace to see things the way You do.i beg for the courage and the grit to do what needs to be done.

I especially pray for peaceful and clean elections. Pls bless us Filipinos with wisdom in choosing and courage to vote for persons who can best serve this country. Pls let hope and compassion for each other reign in our hearts as we resume the campaign period and move to May 9. Stop us from compromising with corrupt and selfish ways. Lord pls bless the Philippines.

Please pray for me to be able to continually say “Yes” to my mission/service in spite of all the obstacles that I encounter.

I am overwhelmed with God’s Love for us…When I look at my life I can relate to how Jesus felt during Good Friday and it makes the trials and hurt I experienced so tiny compared to what Jesus experienced did for us…It always makes me cry when I remember His sufferings…but He makes me calm and gives His comfort and Peace…Love Never Fails…Victory belongs to Jesus!

Jesus, please continue to grant me the grace and strength to say Yes to do Your Holy Will and be an instrument of love to your people. Thankful for this online retreat.

It is more difficult to be quiet now than last year. The noise and the busy-ness have rooted unnoticed as I came to fashion my new normal during the height of the pandemic. Being cautious and on continued vigilance keep me on edge and had been my normal. I worry when I am not worried. Does that make sense?

I pray and hear mass as often as I can because, as one of the priests in his homily said, the quality of our prayers vary and are unpredictable. It is better to do it often (quantity) so that one gets more chance to have a good prayer experience (quality). In all these, what has been consistent is that God has never given up on me. He has never let go of my hand. He has never stopped calling my name.

Thank you so much for the bonus playlist!!! Itong mga nakaraang linggo nagkaroon ako ng greater appreciation for the sense of hearing when it comes to praying – listening to audio versions of the Gospel or daily readings, speaking out reflections, listening to songs…and now…imagining the “sound” of Jesus’ final cry…

Dear Lord,
Your love for us is so great. Forgive me for my shortcomings as your follower. Help me in my journey towards becoming a better Christian. Guide me in understanding Your word. Loving your enemies is so difficult. Lead me towards Your ways always. Stay with me and keep me. Amen

Thank You, Jesus, for your love song and invitation to surrender my life entirely to you. I know the invitation has been there for a long time. And I do feel the aching too. I don’t even know what’s holding me back – maybe the need to know exactly what I am getting into. But there is never knowing everything with You. Afterall, You are a God of surprises. So, please, grant me the grace to say YES with heart and soul wide open, in full surrender, to You.

Dearest Jesus:

I cry out to you, from the deepest part of my heart, asking You to heal me so that I can be more loving.

Thank you, Lord for your sacrifice to us. Thank you kasi kahit anong mangyari ay di mo kami pinapabyaan. Ikaw lang yung totoong masasabi namin na di mangiiwan hanggang huli.. forgive us in our sins..

thank you fr. j and Pins of light team. blessed holy friday! (oppss holy sat na po pala hehe)

Dear God,

Thank You for today’s session and the graces You have bestowed on us from our reflections today. I pray for the online community— for all our personal intentions, and I pray most especially for the grace for us to see the things and/or people that are hurting us with eyes of love.

In our suffering, God, I pray that we have the strength and courage to say yes just as Jesus did throughout his life and passion, even down to his final moments on the cross. May love always sustain us.

Amen.

Dear Lord,

I pray that you grant all the petitions asked of you in today’s retreat — to love you more, to learn how to love others unconditionally, to lift up everything to you whatever is their need, to give the gift of miraculous healing both in spirit and in body, to understand that we are all here temporarily and that our true home is to be with you, that all temporal matters pass if we only see what our purpose here is — to accomplish the mission you have set for us.
Thank you for this gift of life. And thank you even more for your great sacrifice that we may all obtain eternal life.

I love you, Jesus, and look forward to the time when you call me Home to be with you.

How to love the sheep in devil’s clothing in the case of our political elites-

but also attain justice,
correct and prevent such evil-

so we can truly move on as a nation of compassion AND reason AND progress?

When the wolf is evil through and through, and its nature is obfuscated by political, theatrical acrobatics, can it not be an act of love to reject?

In any case, one hopes God will be understanding if mortals – especially like many Filipinos made so desperate, deprived, ignorant, partisan, and fanatical – cannot always pull off feats of the Divine.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your immense love for me and for all of us. Although You felt abandoned and rejected by the people you love yet you never gave up on them. Help me to be like you. In the midst of rejection and feeling unloved and taken for granted by people I dearly love, help me to understand them better, forgive them and see the goodness in them. Let me never give up on them and just as you called on to God, the father, allow me to call out on you as I lift up and entrust these special people in my life totally to you. Help me … help them and guide us all to become the persons we ought to be, not to go astray and be worthy of your love. Forgive us all Lord Jesus as we may have failed you. Allow us always to feel your loving presence in our midst. 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

Dear Lord, I lift up to you the turnout of the Philippine elections. Bless the hearts and minds of everyone that they may vote for future leaders who truly want to serve the country, and not themselves. Bless also those who will administer the election process that they may do all efforts to preserve the integrity of the results. Amen.

Lord, thank you for everything. I’m praying for those who are sick in body and spirit. Give us the strength as we face our challenges in work and in life. Provide us the grace to forgive others.

Lord I lift up tonyou my nephews. May they find you again and believe in you. May they learn to forgive those who hurt them especially their parents and whole heartedly embrace their past and learn from them. I pray for my sister, please open up her heart, her mind and her sould to you. May she accept her past as well and the hurt inflicted on her and the ine that she inflicted especially on her children. I also pray for guidance, wisdom and patience Lord so I may help them and lead them back to you. Amen.

Lord, grant me the grace to love the people I don’t want to love. Help me to see beyond my emotions and look for the child of God in that person. Help me to release my resentments to tear the curtain allowing me to remove the barrier between those persons and myself.

Dear God, thank you Lord for accepting us and forgiving our sins. May we all be worthy to enter the door to your Kingdom and follow Your path.

O Lord Jesus Christ, just want to thank you so much always being there for me. Thank you Lord Jesus for the Holy Spirit working in me to help me be like You and Love like You. Thank you also Lord for making it easy for me to discern your Will. Lord Jesus, I seek your will always. Let me know what you want me to do. Use me Lord as your instrument to do Your will. I love You Lord Jesus and I give myself to You to do your will. Your will be done Lord. Use me Lord Jesus. Use me. Amen

Dear Lord,

I entrust myself to you. Through the Holy Spirit, grant me the courage to love unconditionally. As Your son, Jesus, breathed and cried His last, that made me able to come to You, without barriers. Through Your grace, may I courageously seek the sheep in everyone, especially those wolves that have hurt me. Transform my heart, so that I may not be the reason for someone to harden his/her heart but to soften his/her heart as well, by allowing me to become a vessel of Your grace and love. Thank you Lord God. Thank you Lord Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thank you dear Lord for loving all of us unconditionally. No other love greater than this. Help us to be like you who will love because of your utmost sacrifice simply because You loved us first no questions asked.
Thank you for blessing me with parents who first taught us about You. I pray that they are both now with You in your heavenly Kingdom. I love you Lord, let me love others the way You do for us. It is hard I know but holding on to You, who knows, I will be able to do it too. Thank you for every blessing every time You wake me up.

Dear Lord, thank you for enlightening me further. As you know, I have been trying to understand why you feel being abandoned by God.. for a number of years now I have always been awaiting the 7 Last Words for a better understanding of your words. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to get to know you better

Dear Lord

You have shown us what it means to love. We may never be able to measure up to the love you give but we will always strive to do better, with your Grace and Mercy. Thank you for never giving up on us till the end. 🙏

Father God, thank you for all the gifts/blessings that you have bestowed upon me, unworthy though I am.

I fervently pray for the marginalized flood victims of my hometown, Sigma, Capiz. Help them survive this calamity that have deprived them of food on the table and a roof over their heads. Send good Samaritans to help them, Lord, Amen.

Lord, I offer tp you my brothers and sisters who were affected by Typhoon Agaton. Comfort them. Rescue them. Provide for their needs-physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. Amen.

Lord, I also offer to you the WORLD today – the broken and the lost WORLD. Make us whole again. And bring us back to you. Amen.

Lord Jesus, thank you. No more barrier. You are always with us in the most difficult situation of our lives.
Lord Jesus, I ask for guidance, inspiration and encouragement. You know what are my issues. And I believe you talk to me thru others. I will wait dear Lord with an expectant faith.
I love you Lord and I know you are with me.
Maraming salamat!

Lord Jesus, thank you for your ultimate sacrifice that we may be freed from our sins and have everlasting life. I offer to you all who are silently suffering right now, those who feel abandoned and discouraged. Wrap them in you healing and restorative love.

Lord Jesus, it has been such a trying year for me. Thank you for being with me especially during times when there is no one I can run to. Help me as I continue to heal and forgive the one person I loved the most. Guide me, give me a compassionate heart and always remind me that Your love is enough to sustain me. Thank you, Lord! Amen.

Lord, please transform me to be more forgiving, generous and kind with others. Please also give me the strength to see the sheep in wolves’ clothing, to love them and eventually lead them back to You.

I also pray for a peaceful election and for my fellowmen to choose servant leaders who are sincere, honest and God-fearing.

Lord Jesús I’m sorry. I put you on that cross – my sin! Please forgive me. I should’ve been the one on that Cross. But I am thankful for the cross that saved me. You took the blame for my sin. Thank you – by faith I now have access to the Father in heaven.

Lord,

Continue to show and remind us that LOVE is so powerful that it can change the course of our lives. It is through LOVE that we can truly unite our fellow Filipinos towards creating a nation that’s more inclusive, just and truthful. We continue to pray for Filipinos to put our Motherland first above our personal interests in electing the leaders we truly deserve to allow our country to move forward. Let LOVE be our radical response towards sharing our collective visions of a good nation to one another.

Thank you Jesus for never leaving me. Even at times when i felt alone, I look back and realize that you were always there and always will be. Whatever I am going through, as long as I hold on tight to you i know in my heart that things will be ok because your plan is always best and infinitely better than what we can dream of on our own

I can imagine and feel Jesus cries as my own cries of hurt, pain, and desolation. Yet it brings me to understand that genuine love really hurts and you say yes in the midst of those tears, knowing deep inside that Jesus holds my heart. I say yes because it is Jesus that I see.

Lord, give me more patience and understanding on why people behave and act the way they do. Teach me to see the sheep in the wolves’ clothing. The older I get, the shorter my patience become, so please help me. The older I get, the wisdom I have gained thru the years should help me understand people more.

Thank you, Lord, for helping me to grow in faith and love for you. This grace, I also pray for my brothers. I also pray for all the intentions posted here.

Special prayers for RB, a lost soul. He had so much past hurts that he has turned hurting people he loves and even himself. May he find forgiveness within and from other people.

Thank you for the grace and blessings…
May the good Lord help us restore understanding and communication at home…

Dear Lord, thank you for the surprise and gift of this retreat. Please soften my heart and enable me to accept and love the people who hurt me the most, especially the people closest to me. Help me to always remember that I too behave like a wolf so very often but you have never rejected me. Infuse in me the same love that you have for me so I can love others with your unconditional love. I pray for the grace to never get tired of saying “Yes!” to love.

Thank you Lord for the blessings and the insights i got on this retreat.
Lord please comfort my love ones, i know i frustrate them.
I lift up my struggles and trials to you Lord for i know you have better plans for me .

Thank you Jesus for staying in my life.. ❤️ Despite and inspite of my iniquities. Thanks for your unconditional love. ❤️

I thank you Lord for all our blessings, for our life. I ask you to help our country this elections, to help end the Russia-Ukraine war, to help the poor. I ask you to continue to inspire us to live a life worthy of honoring you. I also ask to bless my marriage, to bless us with a baby and to heal my wife completely.

Lord Jesus, please help me to love my son despite the hurts and pains that characterized our relationship. Show me how to love him without expecting anything in return.

Lord thank you for reminding me to just say Yes and to be open to your will. Your cry is still heard through the marginalized. Help me do something about it.

Thank you Fr. Johnny Tan. I have consistently attended all your past online retreats. Each one has been so enriching. In this Lenten Retreat you have actually said less but you enabled me to enter somehow into Jesus’ experience. It has touched me more deeply than I can express.

Dear Jesus, I reach out to you in the midst of the darkness of my pain and desolation. Hold on to me when my grasp fails me.

Dear Lord , thank you for your unconditional love. For saving us all sinners. Let me be worthy of the unimaginable and unexplainable sacrifices you chose to undertake for my sake.

Thank You for dying on the cross, Jesus. Thank You for this retreat also. Thank You, because all this time I’ve been feeling that You’re shaping my heart, even when it’s hardened. Thank You for talking to me. Lord Jesus, help me to love others and myself as how You love us. I love You po.

Lord Jesus, I thank you for all the people who had been your instrument to deepen my faith and love for you. Please grant me always the grace of holy perseverance and faithfulness not only on the vocation that you have called me but most of all for being faithful to your gift of faith.

I lift up to you, Lord, my good friend who is going through her own suffering at the moment. She has just been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Please take care of her, Lord. I know not your plans for her and while I pray for her healing, I also ask You to keep her strong.

Thank you Lord for reassuring us that You are with us in our most challenging moment of late… and like many times before You provide for us even more than what is expected.

We pray that God’s Grace will continue to shine through our children as they begin building their own lives. Please bless them Lord with opportunities to know You even more…🕊

I have, once again, been “touched” spiritually by God through this formation.

Thank you

God bless and heal us all.

Lord,
I’ve been hurting lately and this cause me to hurt other people as well. I have no energy to move on in life, finds no meaning in my work that I do as I continue to grieve. But,thank you for the grace I received today. I am reminded of how you stayed faithful to God’s will which also calls me not to give up to His will and plan for me. YES to love until the end.

Lord, thank You for loving us even if we’re unlovable at times. Guide us to forgive our enemies and see them through Your eyes. We apologize for our sins and for the many ways that we have grieved You. We cannot walk this life without You. May we receive your everlasting grace. Amen

Lord, God, lead me to your heart. Lead me to your will. Let me see your light and love in my life. Thank you for your graces. Thank you for the light and love you have blessed us all with.

Lord forgive me for abandoning you so many times in my life and instead giving more time to wordly things. I am nothing without you Lord. Thank you for your unconditional love. I surrender everything to you and I love you so much.

Lord, I pray for our country, especially as the elections draw near. May we all break down the walls that separate us from each other and recognize that those we are inviting to join us are sheep in wolves’ clothing who want the same thing—a brighter, kinder, better future for all. Amen.

Lord, help me surrender my life to You every morning that You bless me with. I offer You the wheel, Jesus. (Forgive me when I struggle with this.)

It is truly a challenge to love those who we think are unlovable, but God reminds us to look beyond someone’s countenance and truly see them–sheep in wolves’ clothing. Lord, please help us see things clearly and learn to love people unconditionally.

How beautiful it is that Jesus experienced abandonment in his last moment yet He never abandoned us. He had a thousand reasons to give up but He held onto that one reason to save us which is to love without condition.

The call to say YES is really difficult for me. But what I can do is to continue seeking God until I learn unconditional love and finally be able to freely say yes to follow HIM wholeheartedly.

Thank you Fr J for doing this online retreat. I have atttended last years also. These retreats help me understand more the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Your explanation of the sky opening up had the most impact on me in this session.
Thank you again. God bless

Lord, thank you for all the opportunities you have given me for soul-searching. I lift up to you my desire for complete healing. I desire as well to continue experiencing your healing love amidst my physical condition. Dear Jesus, my calvary is nothing compared to yours; I pray that for the sake of my loved ones I will not give up. Thank you for blessing me with a trusting heart and a spirit that does not easily yield. Jesus, King of Mercy, I trust in you!

To love the unlovable.. you did that well, Lord. I cannot do it by myself. You will have to help me with that.

Jesus, all praises and thanksgiving to you. By your grace and love, I pray that I may be blessed with a heart like yours. Enduring, loving, humble and forgiving.

This is my third year to do the Pins of Light retreat. I’m always amazed at how popular songs can turn out to be meditations on God or even conversations with Him.

I admit it’s difficult to see through the wolf’s “clothing” to see the sheep underneath. It takes much effort to put ourselves in their shoes, in their situations; but only when we do so do we realize we could very well be the same in our unguarded moments.

Lord, help me to tame the wolf within me and help me also to recognize the sheep hiding in wolves’ clothing in other people.

Thank you, Father J, for another cathartic session.

Jesus, is it time to say goodbye to the part of me – who possess the qualities I wished I had and who I didn’t get to know – who I lost somewhere along my journey? Maybe she is keeping me from forgiving…..Please help me Lord…..I do not normally pray for myself. I always pray for others…..but I hope you will allow me some time to pray for myself and finally receive the healing that I need…..

Dear Lord,

I pray that you bless my son with the commitment and desire to pursue a college degree in another country.

And for all of us in the family to discern if this is Your will for him.

I also pray that I will go back to the foot of the cross and remember to say “Yes” to serving others all the way, especially at those times, when my employees and customers do not deserve it at all.

I have never felt to be loved unconditionally and immensely than how Christ did through his passion and death. there is no greater love than Christ who joined me, a sinner, imperfect and unworthy. Only Christ’s love truly heals the broken, and gives strength to the hopeless and weak.

Please be merciful, O God, for I am a sinner. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Help me to say “yes” and to open my doors to others.

The message has been consistent the past two days. I needed this retreat to deal with a painful betrayal and both days, love has been the answer. Let me
find that kind of love to ease the pain and quiet the heart, Lord.

This has been true for me too. The challenge is to respond with love and kindness to those who have hurt us. To try to look beyond and see the brokenness on each person that leads us to hurt ourselves and others. In recognizing our common experience and the need for Jesus in order to deal with these challenges , May we find mercy and forgiveness in our hearts

Thank you for translating the groans into plain English! 🙂

God bless you and everyone in this group helping me see things with a deeper and proper life perspective.

Can’t wait for tomorrow!

Thank you for saying “yes,” Lord. You knew exactly how everything would be, yet you still chose to submit to God’s will. By taking our place, you have torn the wall that separates us from Him. Please help me say “yes” to the challenge of feeding the hand that bites me, of recognizing the sheep in wolves’ clothing. Help me to be more like you each day. Amen.

Dear Lord , thank you once again for your LOVE , You have always given me so much “Yeses” in my life & i am grateful ~ even your “NO’s” are actually a Yes in disguise bec they were meant for my good❗️
Now its my turn to give my Yes to people who are burdened with crosses in their lives~ bec they are the sheep that You want me to see & Love❤️

Loving and forgiving father, thank you for accepting me, your lost sheep. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our Good Shepherd. May His example of loving all despite and of all our failures help us to be more like him.

Almighty God, thank you for this Christian faith. Thank you for sending us Your Son, Jesus Christ to save us. Thank you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for the opportunity to have this Lenten retreat & reflection.
May we continually seek You, and live our lives according to Your will, for us to bring glory & honor to You, our Loving Father.

I pray for my family, relatives, friends and all those around us.
I pray for peace and harmony among us.
I pray for healing & good health.
I pray for discernment and protection.
I pray for good leaders.
I pray for enlightenment for those who are struggling and those who have strayed.
I pray for eternal peace & pardon for those who have gone ahead.

O, Jesus, please teach us your ways and lead us to be good & kind, to show compassion, be humble & forgiving, to be generous, truthful & just. Amen.

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the Word and my soul shall be healed.”
Only by God’s grace and mercy, can we love the sheep in wolves’ clothing. God loves our enemies as much as He loves us.

Thank you Lord for your Grace and all our blessings received today, despite all the difficulties we are facing. I pray today for all the people in my life with hardened hearts, refusing to listen to other people. Please guide them and help them discern Your will better.

I pray also for the reversion of my siblings to the faith. I know they are good and kind-hearted people, please lead them back to the church. I know You are always just there, waiting to welcome them back with open arms.

Lord, help me to appreciate that your love is never intended to be taken as an excuse to justify the actions of those who commit deep hurt and sufferings to others. You will be the final judge. You yourself was accused unjustly, suffered grievously but you embraced your sufferings to death; even praying to your Father to “forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. Please help those who have suffered from wrong doings or are suffering from injustice and persecution, be with them through these difficult times, heal them and restore them to life. Amen.

Dear Lord,
I too often question the method of you saving us. Was it worth it? How disappointing? Today I realized that how great your love is for us and How you continue to love us. Thank you for the love.

Thank you Lord for the many shared links by well meaning friends that led me here.

Thanks, too, Fr. J and the POL Team for making this possible.

My journey to my discernment on what this YES means and entails has started. Please pray for me as I continue this trek, that I may find the wisdom and strength to make this a beautiful YES in His eyes, specially as I am doing so for a loved one.

Dearest Lord,
In my brokenness, You continue to love me in countless ways I sometimes fail to see. Thank you for always staying by my side, no matter how much I forgetful I am of this. I beg for the grace to respond to Your call to love through the people around me through good and challenging times.

I pray for people suffering during these times – the poor and marginalized so much affected by the pandemic, victims of war and crimes in various parts of the world, sick and abandoned by their families. May they feel compassion through the help and care others give to them. May we also be more caring and concerned about them.

I pray for families – that they remain faithful to the love that God invites us all to accept, nurture and give to others.

I pray for my fellow retreatants – that the Lord will grant their intentions, actions and operations in their prayers. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide each one in responding to God’s love.

This retreat resounds God’s message of love for me. With everything that has been going on in my life – the many changes and adjustments, I always wanted to be in control of things. But it is not I who does it. It is the Lord.

Thank you for this blessing and prayers too for everyone who worked to make this possible for us.

I have asked for forgiveness from someone today. May this grace of forgiveness remain and be transformed to love.

Thank you Lord for being with me in the dark moments of my life. I know you never leave me even during the times I felt alone.

Thank you for loving me until the end, Lord Jesus. Help me to love, love unconditionally and to say ‘yes’ until the end.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your great love for us. Thank you for the opportunity to walk with you to Calvary through the grace of suffering. Thank you for leading me to this retreat and for telling me to “say yes to love until the end”. May your passion and Cross lead us all to the glory of the Resurrection.

Thank you Lord Jesus for dying for me, sinful as I am
Humbly, Lord, I ask for the courage to due to myself and let Your Spirit take control of all that I am and have

Dear Lord — It feels like we are at the ninth hour, with the prolonged pandemic, illnesses and uncertainties. Can we also shout out in a loud voice our frustration and our fears? Will you stay with us please like how you stayed on the Cross for us in Calvary? Stay with us while we carry our crosses not because of our love (which is weak and faulty) but with your Love for us, constant and revolutionary? Please stay with us, Lord.

Thank you so much LORD for your unconditional LOVE…so very very much appreciated…Now im ready to do my mission because I know YoU will keep me strong to do it until the end just like what YOU did in the cross♥️♥️♥️

Looking at the Cross of Jesus, and as much as there is so much pain and suffering, there is so much life and love. My heart is thankful for this moment of peace.

God our Father, grant me the courage to embrace your will even if it means suffering as Jesus did.
Help me to slow down and suffer willingly and lovingly through the moments,
And not quickly give in to anger or pride.

Dearest Lord,
I know that the only true way to be happy is to follow your will for my life. But a lot of times that is just too difficult. Too difficult to let go of what I want because this is what I think will be good for me. Please be patient with me and help me to truly surrender to you everything, even though it can be uncomfortable. Grant me the courage, the obedience and the humility to follow your will. Grant me the grace to accept where I am now if this is where you want me to be.

For times when life is so tough, when I feel there’s no hope please help me remember oh Lord how great is your love for us. And for each moment like this, help me remember that Easter will come. Thank you for the greatest love in the world. Through your wounds oh Lord, we are healed. Amen.

THANK YOU Jesus for staying on the CROSS for LOVE…Help me to do as you did…to STAY on my PRESENT CROSS..to carry it with LOVE and HOPE. Amen.

Thank you Lord for keeping that door of love open, always welcoming people like me who have gone astray to return and to be with you.

Despite the many challenges, I still say YES to you Lord! Continue to give me strength and courage to get through life despite obstacles that come my way. Thank you for the graces and blessings that you always bestow upon me and my family. Continue to protect us and guide us as we live the life you want us to be. Thank you Fr.J and POL team for coming up with this significant retreat and making my Holy Week a blessed one.

Thank you very much Lord for healing me and making me feel well. You sent people to help us as we tried to do our best knowing you will take care of the rest. On this Good Friday, I pray I continue to strive to be better today than yesterday. With your help and grace, stay with me always.

Lord please forgive me of my sins. You know what lies in my heart and i pray that I caj go through the door to become closer to You so i can be guided more in everything i think and do.

Please help me with people who have been unkind. Help me not only to see their pain, but to be patient until they are ready to receive You too.

Amen.

We all have situations in our lives where we do not want to stay or find it better to leave because of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Love should be enough to make us stay. If there is no more love, then indeed you will already leave. Then again, with a different perspective that some of the people who surround us are “sheep in wolve’s clothing”, then we might be able to accomplish what Jesus did in our own little way.

What Jesus did accomplished at the Cross can also move us to do acts of love no matter how small or big. Who knows, it might bring a pretending wolf into a sheep.

This is God’s invitation for me and a simple take away to INVITE (Thursday) and then ACT out of love (FRIDAY).

May I ask, if we can summarize our sharings here through a word count or like how many said this realization and that realization? It may also allow God to speak through it?

Thank you Lord Jesus for your sacrifice.
Let us never forget your sacrifice.
Let us always honor it.
Thank you for all the blessings we have received.
We pray for your strength and guidance.
We pray for your forgiveness.
We look up to you for inspiration and pray for unwavering Faith – most specially in times of trial
Make us your instruments Lord – to spread your Word, your Love, to all.

Recently, my husband, who is a sheep in wolve’s clothing, has accused me
of being a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Because of this, he has been intentionally hurting me emotionally. And all my actions have been misinterpreted so I can relate to the song…It’s not a test, nor a trick of the mind. Only love. This must be similar to how Jesus must have felt.

Lord, please heal my husband’s wounds and help him shed his wolve’s clothing and help him to see that I only have love for him- not a test, not a trick of the mind.

I Thank the Lord for tearing the curtain…the veil that divides…I see the open door but fail to enter…i pray that may always see and be brave enough to enter on each and every opportunity…everyday! I know, Lord, that you told us, did this and LoVED us…so that your Peace may be with us amd our Joy may be complete

Lord, please help me broaden my understanding of people – their behavior and their speech. Help me to forgive those who mock and ridicule me despite the fact that i have helped them many times. I offer you my pains and heartaches. Unload my burden and give me the heart to forgive them. AMEN.

I ask Lord that I may muster all the faith, courage and uncondtitional love to say “yes” to whatever is Your will , the discernment to recognize the “signs” on which path You want me to take. Many times when I am faced with crossroads in life, I pray for grace to make the right decision but oftentimes the signs are not clear and I do not know which road You want me to take. I pray for the gift of discernment to hear Your Voice and recognize the signs You send to me.

Thank you very much Lord for healing me and making me feel well. You sent people to help us as we tried to do our best knowing you will take care of the rest. On this Good Friday, I pray I continue to strive to be better today than yesterday. With your help and grace, stay with me always.

Lord, I ask for the grace to say yes to your invitation to love – “radical love” as one candidate calls it. This is not an easy yes to say, but your having done so makes it attainable for sinners like myself.

Dear Father, I pray for all of our intentions today. Thank you for the reminder that the answer to all our questions, our fears, our joys, our doubts, will always be “Yes, Lord. Amen.”

Sometimes love is as simple as just saying yes. Not that that’s easy. Often it’s hard.

But hard isn’t always complicated. Like simple isn’t always easy.

Lord, pls remind me that when I’m in doubt and paralyzed with fear – or anger masking that fear – just say yes. Keep it simple.

Thank You Lord Jesus for your unconditional love and sacrifice.
Thank You for always being by my side, in both good times and bad.
Thank You for helping me learn how to forgive, let go, and see the good in this world again after everything.
Thank You for watching over my loved ones all the time.
Thank You for the blessings you have given me.

I trust that everything will turn out to be okay.

And I pray that all of us will find light at the end of tunnel, especially with all the things happening to us in the world.

I love this part of the song that was shared: Just say yes, just say there’s nothing holding you back
It’s not a test, nor a trick of the mind
Only love.
Thank you Father for your Son, Jesus Christ whom you gave to lift us up for a greater love!

I pray for our country the Philippines.
I pray for the Filipino people.
I pray that the good Filipino will overcome the evil that lurks in forthcoming May elections.
I pray that Good will be victorious and will neutralize evil in the forthcoming May elections.
I pray that each Filipino’s love for his country, The Philippines, will make him, her, et al choose The Good Leaders without a doubt.
I pray that the revision of the history of the Philippines shall never succeed.
I pray that this Holy Week shall bring epiphanies and enlightenment to all Filipinos that will lift the fog of the decision to choose the Good Leaders that our country and our people will be blessed with.

Thank You Lord for your continuous Love, Show me the way to say YES! I pray that the sheep hidden in her clothing will change through prayers , thoughts and actions and hopefully Love will always triumph and the truth will always set us free, from all the pains, hurts caused towards each other and to others. To build trust and respect once again.Thank you Lord for always being there for me, guiding me in your ways not my ways.

Lord, thank you so much for inviting me to Your table and letting me invite, too, my family, friends and even those I now consider sheep in wolves’ clothing. Thank you for helping me to see from Your perspective. Thank you for letting me realize and feel that You never left me during those difficult times. May I always remember and come back to the lessons You taught me in this retreat – lessons on acceptance, love, forgiveness & faith.

Thank you, Pins of Light, for offering this engaging and insightful retreat. I sincerely appreciate this. More power to the community! All honor and glory to You, Lord!

It puzzles me how there are people who can so easily forgive and there are people who just have an astronomically hard time doing it. I’m the latter.

Dear Regina, it is indeed not easy to forgive. But the Spirit of God can give us the grace to forgive and release us from the chain of unforgiveness. God’s peace be with you.

Thank you LORD, for another day, and for Your many blessings!

Forgive me LORD for the many times I’ve hurt You.

I pray that I may see You in each and every person, especially the UN-lovables. Please continue to shower me with Your MERCY.

Dear Lord God Almighty. I thank You for redeeming us from darkness and sin. We have done NOTHING to deserve such redemption much more the kind of death Jesus had to suffer for our sake. It was all because of Your love for us. I am sorry for my sins Lord. I pray that You send me Your Holy Spirit that, from now on, I may refrain from sinning and separating myself from You. My spirit is willing Lord but my flesh is very weak. However I believe that with Your grace nothing is impossible Lord.

I also pray for our country and countrymen Lord. May You guide the people during the May 9 elections. May You give those who have lost hope, HOPE that they have a voice and that they have the power to change things if they are not happy with how things are being run.
Guide us Lord, be with us. Amen.

Thank you Lord for the reminder of your presence and love. I pray for those who need your comfort now, may they feel it and find it. Please bless my family Lord and guide them, help them always feel your love through their lives and know they are not alone. Help me also to help others feel your presence in their lives. Please continue to guide and bless us. Amen

Thank you Dear Lord for sacrificing your Life for us and saving all of us. We are indeed your children and we will continue to find and be with you. Amen

Thank you Lord for holding my hand and not letting me go…sorry for not trusting you enough 🙏🙏🤗🤗

My God and my Lord, thank you for touching my heart today. Thank you for faithfully loving me even I am unfaithful to you. Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding me all the time. It is good to know that even if I sinned against you ,I am still near you. Thank you for this grace of always seeking you ,Lord ,in every moment of my life. Thank you for this grace of loving difficult people,understanding them somehow.May You be glorified all the time in the hearts of all the people…let there be peace in every heart.Amen

My Lord and my God. I have never stopped believing in your Love for me. During happy times when you reward me with accomplishments at work, great time with friends and families, healing of mind and soul, I can’t thank you enough. During challenging times when I lost a loved one, work crisis, get hurt by a loved one or experience COVID, my sadness would bring me closer to you. You come to us everyday of our lives in different forms. And I feel shamed when I am unable to help someone in need and this I encounter each day. Please help me help them.

Lord, time and time again, you always prove to me that you are with me especially during my darkest times. It gets frustrating for me that I know this and yet when challenges come my way, I always doubt you. I am still scared to let go and fully surrender to you. I am still scared that you might just give up kn me because I am always lacking in faith.
Just recently, I was faces with so much anxiety. I saw myself in the pain of Christ on the cross. The questions, the why, the anger on the Lord. And yet, because I knew that the situation was beyond my control, in the end, I surrendered.
Thank you Lord. I know I do not deserve the blessings but I know it is not because I deserve them or not but because you love me and is compassionate

Thank you Jesus for showing me what perfect love is. I am nowhere near it- my heart harbors resentment, unforgiveness, and pride especially against a certain relative. I struggle to see the sheep inside the wolf, so much so that I myself have become a wolf towards her. I need your grace and mercy Lord.

Thank you!
Today is also the first day of the novena to the Divine Mercy.
Again, as in years past, I see more clearly. I love more dearly. I can and will follow you more nearly.
Day by day by day.

Thank you!!

Thank you Lord for your great love for me. Help me to be more like you through the crosses I have to bear. Give me strength that I may carry the cross with your grace courageously. Love you Lord

I will always hold precious the memory of how Jesus cried , how heartbroken He was because of His love for us. Our cry reflects our deep love and care for another.

Today is another encounter with God. I felt the pain and the loud cry reverberated. Forgive me Father for the shortcomings. I pray that your love will continue to nourish my spirit and remind me to remain faithful.

I offer prayers for all brothers and sisters who need to be remembered and prayed for. May they also feel your love.

Special prayers to those who are falling out of love and faith.

I am going through a painful heartbreak right now. I asked God during my lowest lows moments to give me strength for whatever he has planned for me, that I may accept them and see that they are for my good. I only realized after this recollection that he was there with me all along and I did not need to wait for him, for his guidance and strength. He was with me as I was going through it. Thank you.

I wish to share the reminder to think of the phrase “this too shall pass”. This phrase kept popping in my head when things were going bad one after another, it got me through several times. I believe it was God that was reminding me then and even now. And now I wish to send this reminder to anyone especially needing encouragement to keep going and power through 😉
By God’s grace all will be well.

This retreat is a good reminder to continue loving just as Jesus even He’s hurting in the cross. Indeed, His other name is LOVE.

Being in a state of broken heartedness for some time now, today’s reflection reminds me that Jesus was also broken and went through even more pain than what I’m going through right now. And as such, he is with me through this season of my life and will heal me and make we whole once again.

Jesus, thank you for reassuring me that You are and will always be with me no matter what. Grant me the grace to truly forgive and teach me to love how you love.

You have gone before us and are always one with us. Thank you for Lent to remind us of Your great Love. May we also learn to say Yes to you everyday. Amen

Lord purify my Yes to you from now on…to look beneath the wolves in others and to recognize–and love–the sheep hiding in wolves’ clothing…Amen♥️

Jesus, thank you for reassuring me that You are and will always be with me no matter what. Grant me the grace to truly forgive and to teach me to love how you love.

I pray for the grace to say ‘YES’ to God no matter what.
Grant me the grace to know,love, and serve you more and more each day.
I am forever grateful for God’s mercy, love, and compassion.
Lifting all of you and all your prayer intentions (said and unsaid) to our Lord in prayer. In Jesus’ name through Mary. Amen.

Lifting to God all our prayers and petitions and thanksgiving.
Lord Jesus, thank you for your ultimate sacrifice for us. You have never abandoned us – in good and bad times. Grant me the grace to walk with you, the Spirit leading me, the Heavenly Father lovingly gazing. I cannot do it alone, Lord.

Lord, thank you for allowing me to spend time with You today in this retreat. Give me the grace to be ever more present and feel your presence as I go through the readings and exercises to better hear You. Thank You for still welcoming me, for keeping an open door despite my sinfulness. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the grace to be with You and to know You through this retreat. Please grant us listening ears and descerning minds. Please grant us the Grace to choose You and Your Will, always. Amen.

Lord, I pray for you to help me to discern and balance between accepting what cant be changed in people beyond my control versus keeping on mind they might be sheeps in wolves clothing,
Self care vs loving and serving,
Always observing good communication vs
keep silent, be prudent, and especially praying for space for grace to work in our lives.

Blessed once again. Thank you, Pins of light. I pray for those who are experiencing great suffering and oppression, for those who have not encountered God and those lukewarm in faith. May I be God’s mouthpiece and bearer His love and joy always. I pray for enlighten and protection for our country and the world. God bless us all.

I want to say yes to love, to Jesus. Please help me not only say it, but to also do and show it in my life. Thank you for this online retreat.

Thank you for this interactive retreat Fr. J and your team. There are always new insights and new realizations. I have learned to see the bible stories in a new light. I have seen my life in a new light as well. I have come to a much closer relationship with Jesus and our dear God. I will be mindful always of their presence in my life. 💕

Dear God, I thank you for this opportunity to stay close with you despite this pandemic. Bless the retreat master, Fr J and all fellow on-line retreatants. Mother Mary pray for us. Amen!

Thanks pins of light for giving another angle on how we can reflect on the stories of the Bible this Holy Week. It truly amazes me how I personally memorize these stories growing up, but there’s always something new we can focus and ponder on.

Dear MERCIFUL and LOVING FATHER, thank you for giving me hope even if it’s Good Friday. Indeed, every after Good Friday, comes Easter. I am hopeful that my heavy lent season with the death of my Dad, there will be light. But I need to trust and wait patiently with a spirit of hope. Looking forward to enter a time of empty but hopeful waiting-black Saturday. But I am sure, all these are passages toward resurrection. so I need not fear. I also pray for the difficult people in my life, those sheep wearing wolves clothing. May I see that they need a Good Shepherd, too. I pray most especially for the souls of my Dad and my Mama. whom I dedicate this retreat.
Amen.

Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for staying with me during those dark moments of my life. I know that there will be trials and sufferings but I know and BELIEVE that you will always be by my side.
I Love you, Lord and Thank you!

Dearest Lord Jesus,
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice. You have shown me how to love despite the difficulty. I ask that you continue to help, heal and bless my loved ones, especially the ones who have been suffering greatly. Please help those who I do not know but are in dire need of your grace and healing hands. Please also grace those who have hurt me, guide and heal them as they have been hurt as well. Dear Lord, please give me the strength and courage to always choose kindness, love and forgiveness. Amen.

Lord, thank you for all the blessings received. We continue to ask you to bless our family, grant peace to each and every one of us.

Thank You Po God, for being with me in all my Good Fridays.
Thank You for the strength and Your love in all these said Good Fridays.
I have said yes in all these and with You Po with me, I will say yes pa rin.
Thank You Po God for all answered prayers then, now and soon.

Thank you Lord, for helping me realize that this part of my life will be all about me choosing to accompany You. Strenghten me for this next chapter of my life. Thank You for always being by my side, even when i have gone astray. This time around, I will choose to stay by Your side.

What holds me back from saying YES?
Money worries, being the breadwinner of the family.
Image issues, I like the public persona of me being the capable, dependable sister, daughter, colleague.
Fear of not being enough, not having enough.
Comfort in the known, in the certain.

But not saying Yes does have a price.
My soul is never really at peace, it is always lacking, searching, feeling guilty.
Pray for me.

Lord pls grant me the grace to transform myself inwardly ( spiritually) to be child you deserve to have… Thank you Lord, forgive me my sins…

When it’s difficult to give our YES, let us continue to gaze on Jesus as Jesus has always turned His gaze to the Father… all will be well. Thanking God for His total self-offering and unconditional love.

For there is no greater Love than the One who lays down His Life for those He loves. You have torned down the curtain that separated us from the Holy of Holies! My Lord you suffered so that we may never say that You are far from us for You ARE one in us The mighty God Suffered and humbled Himself for us. I will no longer feel alone! Thank you for Your Ever Saving Grace!!

Thank you Jesus for thinking of me at your final moments on the cross. Whenever I forget, please remind me of this so I will never feel alone. Help me to let You bring me home to the Father.

Dear Lord, I want to say yes, but can you please tell me what the mission is? I thought I knew what it was, but now it is so unclear. My greatest consolation is knowing that my desire to serve you is pleasing enough to you, my greatest blessing is knowing you are always with me. Please do not ever let me lose sight of that. Thank you for surrounding me with love.

Thank you Lord for your unconditional love. I have hurt many of my family members including a loved one whom I dont think can ever forgive me. Please forgive me Lord for what I have done and hopefully someday I may be able to forgive myself too.

My most fervent prayer, aside from health and safety of my family and friends, would be clean, honest and peaceful elections.

Thank you Lord for all the blessings I have received, most especially of good health and safety of our family. Please forgive me on those times I have “abandoned” you and taken you for granted

Thank you for these reflections. I pray for the grace to be able to love the sheep under the wolves, love like how the Lord did. Although things are not always within our control, I pray for the grace to do the best available action based on God’s will.
—
Other prayer intentions include: for the recovery of my grandmother Sol (mother’s side) in terms of her arthritis / left hip issues, for the eternal repose of my grandmother (father’s side) Dina’s soul, for good health for my family (and end of the pandemic in general), and for peace among nations especially those in wars now.

Thank you for this time of reflection and feeling closer to you, my lord God! Thank you for letting me live through this pandemic! I love you!

Lord, I pray for forgiveness among me and those in this circle of hurt. May I realize and accept with humility the wrongs that I’ve done them and may they find it in their hearts to forgive me. May I also find it in me to forgive them for what they have done. May we all find healing and move on from this with lighter hearts. Amen.

Thank you Fr. J for this Do-it-yourself retreat.

“YES” to God’s will as he himself did. O God, help me to be faithful in my “YES” to your Will every moment of my life.

“YES” to God’s will as he himself did. O God, help me to be faithful in my “YES” to your Will every moment of my life. Thank you Fr. J for this Do-it-yourself retreat.

Thank you Lord for this retreat. Grateful for showing me your unconditional love through your suffering in the cross. I know that you are always with me in my own suffering. Grant me the grace Lord to always see your love in everyone including those who hurt me and as well as those I have hurt. Praying to heal, restore, renew, rebuild, rejuvenate me and my relationships around me as I remain to always open my door to receive and give your love in my life.

Praying for all who are in this retreat. May your Love and your light be with us always.

I think of God the Father and Mama Mary and the suffering they went through as Jesus was on the cross. No parent wants their child to suffer. I can understand the anger and hatred they would have felt for the people. But Jesus said, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”

I am a sinner. I am not even worthy to say His name. But He died for me and for each of us.

We need to be reminded to trust God and just say “yes.” He has our back if only we really believe. Sometimes hurts and failures disillusion us but the Lord is there to guide us back, if only we let Him.

I Thank you Lord for this opportunity to spend Good Friday with Co-travelers, seeking answers and seeking you in our lives.
You know what is in My heart and where the questions and the pain are. I lift them up to you.
I lift up My Co-retreatants and the people I pray for. Grant us strength Lord to Face our inner devils and to allow transformation according to your Will.

Do not hold back. Saying “yes” to God means not holding back. It is full and complete obedience, fueled only by love.

Thank you Lord Jesus for your great love and mercy for us. Thank you for this gift of salvation for without Your dying on the crosss, we would still be away from you. I am humbled that Jesus said yes to save me. Heavenly Father, You are the author of life. You love us with a great love, sending forth Your son to die for our sake. Abba, we love because You first loved us!

Thank you Pins of Light for this wonderful retreat. I am looking forward to Easter!

Thank you for letting me hear you and feel you today, Lord. Thank you for reminding me that I am your beloved and you will never let me on my own. Thank you for reminding me that you know what my heart desires and desire nothing but the gladness of my heart. Thank you for making a way for us to be in communion with you always, in all ways, forever.

Wanted to share this song with all of you. While it is not exactly the soundtrack of my life, it is probably a part of it. Indescribable by Chris Tomlin sings about a God so amazing that he “puts all the stars in the sky and knows them by name”, and at the same time He ‘knows the depths of my heart and loves me the same.” That line makes me cry all the time. Hope you like it.

Thank you Jesus for reminding me to “Just say Yes” to hold Your Hand and the path is clear already.

I lift up to you all the people I promised to pray. Bless them as you blesses me, guide them as you are guiding me and use me to love them as you love me deeply.
No more running in circles LORD, by Your grace, through Your grace and in Your grace. Amen

Another reminder of how much Jesus did for us, and how being thankful and letting go are the best ways to live life.

Wanted to share this song too.. while its not exactly the soundtrack of my life, perhaps it is a part of it. Its a song proclaiming how amazing a God we have, who places the stars in the sky and knows them all by name, but its also about a God “who sees the depths of my heart and loves me the same.” That line make me cry every time.. Hope you like it.

Indescribable – Chris Tomlin

https://open.spotify.com/album/63o2Wjzlnv5FsMSuEmT0Xu?si=2wBiX3d6Rym9-b41V6JetQ

Thank You, Lord, for the time today to reflect and pray. My thoughts are churning, and I need more time to think about the inputs shared today and the (beginning) realizations that come to me. May the Holy Spirit continue to inspire and guide us all. And may we muster the courage to look for the sheep in wolves’ clothing.

Thank you Lord for this retreat. Please continue to work in different areas of my life. I pray for healing and grace to say yes to your will in my life each day.

I also pray for the following people:

Barbara Coralde – may God stay with her as she strives to endure all trials and difficulties in her present journey
KM Morales – may God guide and support her in her endeavors as she takes care of her family’s needs and needs financial assistance in finishing their own house
Herc Sabas – may God continue to guide him in the crossroads of his life. May he be able to make the right decisions as he juggles various responsibilities and does his best to change his ways. May God show his enduring love and mercy towards him. May he will be able to endure various challenges coming his way with the help of God’s grace

May God also guide and support my younger sister as she continues with her training. Give her the strength and support in order to endure all suffering and trials as she continues to serve her patients.

Oh Lord Almighty, I pray that I may be able to get through with my semester so that I may be able to make those around me proud of all that I do. Thank you oh Lord for the tests and challenges that you have put in my path that continue to test my character and faith in you. May all that has come and gone strengthen me, strengthen my love of you, as I shape my image in you.

I have always been grateful to this online retreat for all the great takeaways I’m blessed with. Today, I hear God reminds me to love unconditionally, even when it hurts. I have these people in my life who constantly struggle financially and I’m one of the few people they run to for help. Even if I say NO sometimes, they will not stop until I give them help. I give in because they have kids who will suffer if I don’t. Even if I tell them to spare me because I need to save money for my plans, yet they still do. Sometimes, I ask myself, do they really care for me? Why can’t they understand that I’m not getting any younger. I’ve invited them many times to join me in our community for I believe they need to meet prayerful people to enlighten them. They don’t even like going to church. I always include them in my prayer that God be with them and touch their lives. I love them, but I’m hurting inside because I don’t see any changes yet. I tried to ignore and play deaf to their pleas, hoping they learn the lesson, but I’m the one feeling hurt. Can someone help me pray for them? I’m desperate, but I trust God gave them to me for a reason.

Maraming salamat po Panginoon sa lahat ng mga biyayang natanggap at sa walang sawang pagmamahal at pagpapatawad sa aming mga kasalanan, kahinaan.

Maraming salamat po Fr. Go at sa iyong mga kasamahan sa pagbibigay ng inyong puso at kakahayan para makasama kami sa online recollection na ito.

I am truly BLESSED but also bothered . . . what and how I can do better to love and serve God, love myself, love and serve my fellowmen in meaningful ways?

Dear Lord,
Please help me to keep saying yes to you, and to trust in Your presence, especially in these times. Forgive me when I give in to myself, thinking You are far away, and I’m just forever lost. It is too easy to give up.. it is harder to stay the course. But i choose to do so, and even if I’m not moving in a straight line, I will still choose You. Thank you for being with me especially these past two years. Thank you for helping me deepen my faith. I continue to try to be better.

Lord, please give me the courage to open the door wide for you to enter and for me to meet you with open arms with no conditions whatsoever. Perhaps I have erred mostly in my thoughts which made me undeserving of meeting you at the door and welcoming you with a warm embrace but I now feel more hopeful and willing to try again. I just need to be more courageous despite my weaknesses and wounds to say, “Yes!” to learning to genuinely love myself first in order to be able to love you back even more. I pray for the courage to be whole and full of love.

I know I’m a prayerful person, not perfect, but I have a relationship with the Lord I’ve built throughout these years. Something happened last night though that just made me stop and found myself distancing myself away from God. I felt I had been abandoned. I felt and still feel like perhaps I’m such a bad person, a sinner, that is why things are happening. And I feel that it’s just not going to work, praying and all, because I don’t deserve God’s goodness.

In today’s retreat, I’m reminded by God that at this painful moment of my life, He is with me. I still don’t know how I would move on. And I still find myself questioning Him, feeling bad and thinking I deserve all these, nothing good. I just pray to find myself again. I pray to see myself in the Lord’s eyes, that I am to person who can be loved with no conditions.

Lord Jesus, help me to console You on the Cross by heeding the cry of my brothers amd sisters and hearing Your cry in theirs.

Thank you Lord for the amazing grace of tearing down the curtain that separated humankind from you. Truly, by your wounds Lord, I am healed.

By this same love, give me the grace O Lord to understand difficult people that come to my life, and see the sheep beneath the loathsome personality. Make. me be aware Lord, that my hurts make me also a difficult person to deal with. Give me, too the grace to stay and say yes. Bless me with an unconditional love for the people you send to my life O Lord.

Yes, dear God, only Love made you do what you did, to the point of giving your life for us! Help me to love as you love…

Thank you for this opportunity. Thankful that I have no real enemies to speak of.
Praying and remembering my deceased parents in the “what have you heard exercise; my dying mother’s offering of her pain and suffering for a
us her children
Praying for my siblings- one of whom has a chronic illness
Praying for the suffering innocent lives in Ukraine and others in similar situations
Praying for personal intentions…”YES ”
Praying for fr. Johnny’s full recovery

thank you LORD for seeing me through all these years…..
i feel you LORD and i pray to never be separated from you…

thank you Fr Johnny and POL team always for this enriching lenten recollection praying for your complete recovery.

Thank you dear Lord for the ultimate sacrifice. I know I am not worthy but still you assure me of your Love and that you will never abandon me. Empower me Lord with your Holy Spirit that I may continue to live the renewed Life You have started in me. Amen

Thank you Lord for staying with us even after committing sins. Help me see beneath the eyes of the wolves.

Thank you Lord for inviting me to stand at Foot of your cross today and to hear your long loud and agonizing cry to the Father. Lord as I unite my cry to you , of hurt, pain, frustration and loneliness may I be transformed by your grace so that I may see as you see the sheep I. Wolves’ clothing of those who hurt me and so I may forgive them and love them like you did. You are my Lord, my friend who suffered and died for my sins and I know you will always be with me through the hills and valleys of my life. I cannot thank you enough for constantly calling me to yourself to show your great love for me. I may let go but I am sure you will never let me go. See you soon 💗

Thanking Jesus is not enough for this supreme sacrifice, turning away from our sins is… My Jesus please lead me to your ways…it is very difficult but little by little with your guidance i hope to turn into a new leaf.
Thank you Fr J for this retreat. I really appreciate all the effort you put on this, even if it’s have just been a couple of months from your major surgery. Praying for your well being including the staff behind this. God bless us all.

Thank you Lord for all the sacrifices you have done for us. I will always try to say yes to all your invitation. I love you Lord and I know you will always be there for me I. Good times and bad times.

Jesus, in the midst of everything that is happening, I trust in you. I pray for friends who have left us this week and in the past two years, and friends who are still fighting for their lives.

I praise and that you Lord for Your unfathomable love and divine mercy. I pray for all of us here experiencing God’s goodness and faithfulness in thus silent retreat. We lift up to You Jesus our families, friends and our country…we entrust all to You and to Your loving care.

Dear God,
During this campaign period, there are people we meet who are campaigning for rival-candidates. It is much easier to hate them – teach me Your love. It is much easier to call them names – lend me Your wisdom. It is very easy to feel insulted – allow me a glimpse of Your patience. It is very easy to feel alone & lonely – allow me to feel Your presence. I may feel proud, grant me humility. I may know confusion, grant me the Truth. I beg of You.. Give us people that will truly, humbly and lovingly be servant-leaders – given us out of your infinite mercy. Amen.

I’m saying YES Lord to this new season in my life You’ve called me to. It is not easy, far from what I have imagined or wanted. It feels lonely and sad at times.

But I surrender to Your will because I know You know what’s best. All I ask is Your protection and providence. Be with me, Lord. Be my strength and shield. Be my joy and comfort in the difficult days.

Thank you for the Spotify Playlist. Will be keeping it on loop the entire day, all the while thinking of and praying for my fellow retreatants.

O Holy Father, thank you for this morning’s retreat session. Thank you for making us feel the love Your Son had for us, to willingly undergo the pain, abandonment & torment of the cross. Give us the grace to also love as He loves us. Be with us as we love even those who hurt us.
We also pray for those in calamity-stricken & worn-torn areas of the world, especially those affected by Typhoon Agaton & in Ukraine. Grant those in these areas comfort & strength.
Amen

Dear Lord, once again you are affirming that there is a lot of good behind my sufferings (health, relationships); that I need to be patient; but most of all realise that I can already experience the good here and now, if I just continue to believe that “all things work for the good of those who love You”. Jesus, I trust in You.

Thank you Jesus! Today You died for me, You saved me from eternal damnation. I am beyond grateful for Your love.

My prayer request is for my family members who are in the dark — some feel that God has abandoned them, and some are lost sheep. I pray for God’s healing hands be upon them. May the Holy Spirit indwell in their hearts for them to feel God’s love, and receive His graces and mercies.

Thank you Fr. J and the Pins of Light community. May God continue to bless the work of your hands.

Thank you Jesus for saying “yes” so I too can say “yes”. Lord, help me say “yes” to You anytime and all the time so that my last breath may be a joyful “yes” – I have done what You asked of me, I have fulfilled my mission, I accept Your invitation to share Your Kingdom for all eternity

Pls stay with me Lord, guard my heart/emotions and guide my thoughts. Thank you for your unconditional love 🙏
I love you Jesus 💖

Thank you very much for this Good Friday blessing of pause. I was struck by the line describing the temple curtain being torn as Jesus died on the cross. What an amazing visual for the gift of Jesus’ death, a reminder that we should always be go back to this and be always be grateful in whatever circumstance we are in, and to keep going on and holding on to what is beyond the temple curtain especially during the difficult times.

When I was in college, we had an exercise in class where we had to describe the one place in the world where you feel totally at peace, with no need for anything, with no worries or problems. I imagined sitting at the foot of the cross as my place of peace. Seeing the image now, which until now had only been a picture in my minds eye, brought back a flood of memories, of a time long gone, of a self that has changed so much over the years. It made me remember that I once chose the foot of the cross as my place of peace and I am reclaiming that space again now – as a reminder of Jesus ultimate sacrifice for us- so we can all find peace in our time on earth.

Just sharing my insight and some questions.

In my reflections, I have wondered about the symbolism of God’s crucifixion and trial as a criminal. As we know it, being in conflict with the law does not constitute being a sinner. With a more social look into it, being treated as a criminal means to be separated from society.

But I never did think that Jesus took on our sins by taking on the burden of being a sinner–being separated from God. In His crucifixion and suffering, He was separated by the greater humanity and–by virtue of taking on the burden of sinners–God.

As for my questions: is there necessarily a distinction of Jesus as a criminal and as taking on the sin of the world? Does His crucifixion symbolize both?

Hope I can hear some feedback and thoughts!

Thank you, Lord, for tearing down the temple curtain (Old Jerusalem) in order to give way to the New Jerusalem, the new Passover, which is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Thank you for the realization that Jesus went through great suffering because he loved all of us unconditionally. Although it may be hard to discern the sheep in wolves clothing, we must continue to try or simply trust that in everyone there is good. They may not know it or their circumstances prevent them from knowing this. We must therefore love everyone.

“Feed the hands that bite you”
“Love the sheep in wolve’s clothing”

Lord ang hirap! Ang hirap isabuhay!
Its very difficult to find good in others whose beliefs and values are directly opposite ours. This election season we tend to look down on people and brand them as bad just because we do not support the same candidate.

But You, You love as all the same
You died on the cross not only for those who are good but also for those who are not so good. You will save us and You will give us all the chances to be with You at the end of our lives. You will meet us where we are

Thank you Lord, may we not forget this, that we are all worthy of your redeeming grace.

Teach me to say YES everyday, Lord. Saying yes once is easy enough, but to say it every day, I can only do by Your grace.

I felt closer to God, this is my first retreat and I am looking forward to the session tomorrow.

A.M.M.D (9 y/o)

Thank you for this prayerful and reflective online retreat. It is doable, just setting aside dedicated time and place. The songs are entirely new to me except for Christify. They are so inspiring and appropriate too not only for the season but for times when I feel Christ has abandoned me. Prayers lift me up to your bosom, Lord. I feel comforted and blessed.

Thank you Lord for always reminding me that You are always with me. Lord teach me how to love like you…. Selfless and generous. Lord grant me the courage to Love even when it’s not easy. Finally grant me the perseverance and the faith to hold on to You. To surrender to Your will.

In this retreat i realize how crazy in love Jesus is with me! He just didn’t give me the moon and the stars (although he’s he did that too!) He gave me his life his last breath his last wordless cry.

So I’m going to say YES.

Yes, my Beloved. I love you and I’m safe with you and I long for you too. Let’s be one. In love.

Lord, might I continue to pray for the innocent souls who have been oppressed by those who don’t know any better. Might we never forget those killed as criminals despite their innocence.

Dearest Lord, thank You very much for saying”yes” to Your Father and giving us the gift of salvation. Help us also to see the seed of goodness in the hearts of our persecutors. Make us realize that like us they are also wounded and need healing. May we be like our Lord always ready to embrace everyone with radical love. Amen

Thank you dear Jesus for letting us see a glimpse of your heart and profoundly experience your deep love that knows no bounds, indeed the only Good of this Friday. Grant us the humility to accept and receive Your love and its unfathomably subversive ways. Open us to its redemptive and transforming graces so we can be witnesses to You who make it possible to share the same Love beginning with our family to the greater family of humankind. Thank you Jesus, help us to say YES to the end.

Thank You for the greatest act of love that made Friday Good…
Teach us to love as You did…
Teach us to trust as You did…

I have always been scared to follow Christ because there is that possibility of loss and hardship.

BUT todays reflection helped me see beyond the pain and harships. That these pain and harships lead to the tearing of the curtain, to Easter Sunday.

Thank you

Fr. Johnny, I pray to God for your complete healing and thank you for this recollection. The prayers through songs are the most moving for me and the reflections stay with me because of them.

Keep me humble Lord. Especially in times when I am self-righteous. Remind me to love even in the most difficult situations. Teach me to bow my head, trust your divinity and carry that joy within me because with you, all will be well.

Thank you Lord for your unconditional love. Thank you for always bringing us to light. Thank you for accompanying us in our journey.

Thank you Jesus for the suffering you undertook for us;
Thank you Jesus for the pain you endured for us;
Thank you Jesus for the blood you shed for us;
Most of all, Lord Jesus, thank you for the life you gave up for us because of your unconditional love for us.

I m not a perfect person and still a work in progress. It’s easy to succumb to what’s human in us, but God calls us, In Jesus’ example of “ loving even when it hurts”. Hurt people hurt people. This is what I learned and to not be quick to condemn others, but like Jesus, see the deeper reasons why they behave like that and that’s where we find it in our hearts to understand and accept them, lead them to be a better version of themselves as we ourselves work to be the person God intends for us to be. I thank God for this deeper perspective.

Lord Jesus, thank you! Thank you for all You have done and continue to do for us. Thank you for walking with me and reminding me that even in my darkest and most difficult moments, You are there with me. Please continue to heal me and my loved ones. Please heal our land too.

I pray that I can always learn to love how Jesus loves. I pray that I can see the good in everyone around me, especially those who hurt me.

Jesus will always have an open door for me.

The song reminded me of an Improv “rule” where you say “Yes…and…” meaning you say YES and you add on to what you have been given by your scene partner. I think this applies in life as well and is a good principle to live by. Sometimes we say yes to something, not knowing where that will lead to, but if we pray and discern, we may find ourselves in a place we were meant to be but wouldn’t have found if we hadn’t said yes.

Lord, thank You for sacrificing Your only Son Jesus to redeem mankind from sin and death. Please allow us to see You in others so that we may experience Your love for us and to show us that You are always there, looking over us. Amen.

The message of his last breath.
To give all for and with love.
To surrender for and with love too.
Thank you Jesus.

Lord please protect and save our country during this critical time. Sometimes we feel forsaken and we are frightened by the possibilities. Give us courage and hope. And help us see that the last word is not evil but love and goodness from you.

A new horizon opens up as Jesus opens wide His door, letting me in and sharing His light. It is His light of love transforming a once dark world into a bright one as I see myself once locked up in anger and dismay over an evil done. Yes, the veil opens and ushers me into renewing a relationship. God showers sparks of joy in my heart as I welcome the Easter feast. Thank you Lord, and thank you for this space of prayer.

Lord, remind of the blessings of the Cross and not it’s weight on my shoulders. In your great love, let me embrace my Cross. I know you are with me in this journey of faith, patience and trust.

love the sheep behind wolves’ clothing
He burst the door wide open, our sins no longer separate us from God. His immense love is beyond my understanding and imagination.

Jesus, You suffered and died on the Cross because You Loved us. You didn’t abandon us. I am holding on to this promise that You are always here with us. Please hold me steady as I feel lost and scared, and my faith is on shaky ground. Thank you.

Thank you to Fr Johnny and the PoL Team for this retreat. Thank you for the comments and sharing that help deepen my own reflection.

Ive lived by the saying that “If you dont like where you are, move. Youre not a tree.” Today in my soul stretching experience, I realize that there are unpleasant situations that maybe, God is asking us to stay in and stay with Him.

And so I ask for the grace to persevere and to unite myself with Jesus in these difficult situations worth staying in.

Lord God, it is very difficult to be inclusive in hurtful relationships, even (moreso) when the pesrons involved are family members. Pour your wisdom, your strength, courage, forgiveness, understanding, mercy, compassion, and love on me. Thank you, Jesus.

Ever grateful & moved Lord for speaking to me clearly & deeply, for stretching my soul, to think differently about my natural inclinations that block me from saying a louder “Yes” to you.

Thank you Lord for all the graces received in this Online Retreat. Today, I am especially grateful for the Lord’s sacrifice for me and for all of us. I pray that the Lord touches my daughter’s heart.

Lord, please grant me the grace to forgive and try to forget.
Thank you for this chance to still my mind and focus on the good.
It has not been easy. But thank You Lord for not giving up on me.

Praying for Joy, Bing, and other friends – cancer patients:
Just hang in there; God has not abandoned you. Jesus Christ hung on the Cross on Good Friday, believing that God has everything all planned out, that everything has a purpose. So, be strong. God hears our prayers.

My prayers today are for all of us that have many ‘cries’ resulting in many tears. May You all remember that God is crying with all of us.

Lord, forgive me my sins. Thank you for showing me The Way.

We pray that in our words, thoughts, and deeds, we may be deserving of your blessings, love, and protection. Thy Will be Done. BIL+

Thank you LORD for all the blessings that you given to me and to my family. I will always say YES to you LORD 🙏

Thank you Lord for reminding me to surrender to Your will at all times, even in my deepest physical pain or when I feel abandoned and alone.
Love is your answer and I need to love too as you have loved me.

Thank you Lord Jesus… i know that You are always there for me… i will never waver… I LOVE YOU … 🙏❤️🙏

I hear the Lord calling me again to say YES amidst life’s trials and to recognize the goodness in the persons who hurt me most.

I end with a simple quote from Dag Hammarskyold: “To all that has been. Thanks. To all that shall be, Yes.”

Thank you for this soul stretching experience. Yes, I am again reminded to follow the Lord’s example of seeking and following the Father’s will. Such a valuable lesson in humility and true love for God. The temptation is do what I want and ask God to bless the direction I have chosen without asking Him if this is what He wants me to do.

I will say YES, even if in my mind I doubt. I give the wheel to You Lord to drive my life. Help me not to be a backseat driver and questioning You with my Why’s. I will try my utmost best to say YES even if this yes will hurt my feelings or annoy me… Grant me only Your Love and Grace that I may carry on….

When fear and anxiety hit me, prayer and God’s Grace keep me going. His Presence remarkably eases my worries.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient of the day is its own trouble.” – Matthew 6:34

I gave up on caring for my Father during the most critical hour. I abandoned him. He is no longer with us and i am ashamed and angry with myself because I did not persevere. I allowed pride and selfishness to dictate my relationship with him on his last day. For this I ask for forgiveness from him and from God!!

Thank you for reinforcing the need to be humble and surrender to God’s love and will, knowing that He will always be with us in our journey. We pray for the grace to see joy and blessings amid all our hardships and challenges. May we learn to surrender our pains as our contribution to the pain you experienced in the cross.

Lord, you know how painful the last months have been for me, yet you never abandoned me, even at my lowest point, I knew I could count on You to see me through. Yet there are times when I question why…. why this had to happen. Staying on the cross when You did not have to, let’s me know You will stay with me too.

Lord, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for always choosing and pursuing me.l despite my flaws and imperfections. I know that I am not worthy but your grace is sufficient. Thank you for being the source of my everything. May you continue to guide me in every step of the way.
Thy will be done! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your death on the cross to pay for my sins. So sorry that it took such a costly and gruesome death to accomplish your mission. I pray that in the coming days it may become clearer how you want me to give back to you with thanksgiving for what you have done in love for me.

My first time to join retreat after a longtime. Thank you Fr J and Pins of Light team for this meaningful Good Friday prayer experience.

Lord, please give me the grace to say YES to you fully and without reservations and most of all, without fear. For it is always fear that is holding me back to fully commit to You.

I started this retreat yesterday with the intention of having clarity of my life’s purpose. While it is still not clear to me, the Lord’s call “to keep saying “Yes” to God’s Will as he himself did” is a big wake up call for me. I feel it is a big step towards that.

Just as you yielded, Lord, to your passion and death on the cross, guide me as I surrender my life now to you. Lead me on how best to listen to what You are telling me. Please whisper closer or louder. Lead me too on how best to carry out your teachings. Please nudge me slightly harder. You know that I get too caught up with ‘life’ that makes me hard of hearing and makes me lethargic or not sensitive to your ‘taps/nudges.’ And later once it is my time to yield my spirit, allow me to have a happy one, Lord.

Thank you for your unconditional love dear Jesus. Loving without expecting anything in return can be truly hard especially to those people who hurt us and betrayed our trust. I continue to pray that I can be more like you, loving and caring for everyone. Please heal my broken heart and help me to see the goodness in everyone around me. Help me carry my own cross and I entrust my life to you. Make me be a better person Lord.

How can we deal with a person who continuously bullies us?

As what they say, “walang mang aapi kapag walang mag papa api.”

If we we will not stand up to ourselves, aren’t we ,somewhat, “encouraging” them to do the same thing to others?

How can we balance the “ love” we are giving them and the “lesson” we are teaching them?

Lord please teach me to let go. And guide me towards the light. Enlighten my path as I pursue my goals, pray for my enemies and lead a life free of hurt and pain. Amen

It is my first time to do this online retreat of Fr Johnny – and I am really finding it enlightening and real. I am not very good in our Catholic rituals, but I am very happy that I told myself to try this retreat, and I am happy I did!

Oh Jesus, may we LOVE YOU more and more through the people around us and with the mission you entrust to us. Amen.

Thank you very much everyone. God bless us all.

I never knew the significance of the temple curtain being torn. Thank you, Fr. J.

Dear Lord, thank you for your ultimate sacrifice. When I think about your cry I feel like I am truly unworthy. Your “yes” to your mission has reminded me that although I am a sinner I am also a child of God and that He is always present even in the loneliest of places, waiting for me to return to Him.

Watch “Prince of Egypt” (Dreamworks), if you can. If not, look for one of the songs from the cartoon on YouTube. It’s called “Through Heaven’s Eyes.” The lyrics go: look at yourself through heaven’s eyes.

Thanks for this on line retreat. Really a lot of realization. One is the love of God is immensely poured to all if we will only open our doors to Him. Thanks for the songs that were beautifully picked for this day. The challenge is great but God is here to empower us and strengthen us. 3 words I realize service,love, and openness

I have been reading the Holy Bible and I’ve read about the Holy of Holies – the innermost sanctuary of the Tabernacle. For some reason, this made me curious every time I come across it. And now, it moved me to realize the significance of the tearing of the curtain. Thank you for the blessing, Lord.

To love — something so basic and simple yet so complicated and hard. May the Lord who resides in each one of us give us the grace to love.

The last song, hit me with the sadness of the reality of the relationship that i see in front of me. Pray that i may know what to do next with this reality. I am just sad.

I am always totally and completely enveloped in God’s grace and love and yet am so woefully unaware. Help me, Lord, to see, think, feel, say what you meant me to be.

That Yes is composed of one Big YES and millions of small yeses.

I said YES to God. Decades ago when I was just confused with my life’s direction. Many years after I took a second course which I felt I was led to. And now am just at the crossroads waiting where all this will lead. Where that BiG yes and a million yeses will bring me . I think that all of the struggles were meant to test my faith and obedience. Will I turn to Him when the road is not clear. I read somewhere that in a dark street God only shows you what’s a few steps ahead . You don’t have to figure out what’s at the end of the road or at the end of the journey.

I can just say that saying yes is scary but it is also exciting. You can only walk it by faith and not by sight. This means I need to fully trust in this journey. I pray that everyday I will choose to Say Yes to your will .

Lord, thank you for loving me without conditions. Please help me to do the same. Thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice to save us from our sins. I love you Lord!

Thank you Lord for the blessings that you have given me and my family. Please give me the grace to share these gifts with my brothers and sisters who have not been dealt with the same fortunate circumstance in life. Lord, give me the perseverance to help those in need and to always put those around me first, so that they may be closer to your embrace. Amen.

Thank you Lord for this opportunity to be with you even for a short while. You know our needs. You know our country’s dire needs. Do according to your will and only for your greater glory.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the gift of Your life. Grant us the grace to surrender fully to God the Father’s will and plan for our lives. Direct us to find and stay in that path. May our faith be constantly revived and remain unwavering as we think of You on that cross. We hang all our pain, sorrows, losses, betrayals, sufferings, worries on that cross, to in some way, share Your Calvary experience. Thank You for Your love. Teach us to love you more and more. Grant us the grace to love and forgive those who hurt us.

Lord, thank you for your immense love for me. You died to show me how you deeply love and care for me even if I don’t deserve it. During those times when I feel unloved & misunderstood, I would remember the moment you died for me. Give me the grace to extend the same love to those sheep in wolves’ clothing. It can be difficult to love them but by your grace, it can be possible. Jesus, I trust in you!

Lord, thank you for tearing the veil that separates us with You through Your Son’s ultimate sacrifice. May we keep the veil open so that we can reach out to You and feel Your loving embrace especially in times when we feel abandoned, rejected, afraid, tired, and lost.

Jesus, allow us to follow You closely as we learn to follow in Your Footsteps and lovingly carry our crosses. Amen.

People may experience pain but in the end God’s love will always prevail. We just have to go through the process, learn from it and recognize that God is with us in this journey.

Lord, give me Your eyes to see the sheep underneath the wolves’ exterior. Grant me the grace to still love and pray for those who have left the fold.

We’ve always been warned of wolves in sheep’s clothing. But to look beneath the wolves to recognize and love the sheep hiding underneath is much more challenging. I pray for the grace to be able to do just that – to see the good in every person and to love and forgive unconditionally as our Lord.

Lord, thank you for coming to us and being one of us. Thank you for showing us that despite our imperfections as humans, we can still choose to love no matter what. Thank you truly, Lord.

I am truly grateful for the forgiveness of our Lord as I received the gift of communion yesterday. Moreover, I am also thankful for this online retreat and I am planning to repeat the experience in the many years to come.

God’s love should and will always be at the center of my life.
You have heard my prayers Lord and I know you have already answered it. You have opened the door… Thank you my God.

Sheep in wolves’ clothing. It is very difficult at times to see the sheep. With God’s grace, I pray for perseverance to do this. This is such a powerful and humbling reminder that there is always hope and good in all of us. This is because God made us.

Praise the Lord for Fr. Johnny Go, who has allowed us to experience a deep and meaningful retreat in the comforts of our home. Your powerful prayers and music touched the deepest of our minds and soul. I thank Him for your full recovery, too.

I know I am in the early evening of my life. I pray for the graces to focus and complete my MISSION. THANK YOU, LORD!

Bukas Palad song:

Soul of Christ
Sanctify me
Body of Christ save me
Water from the side of Christ
Wash me, Passion of Christ
Give me strength

Chorus:
Hear me Jesus
Hide me in thy wounds
That I may never leave thy side
From all the evil that surrounds me
Defend me and when the call of death arrives
Bid me come to thee
That I may praise thee
With thy saints forever

“There is no place too dark and too far from God.” — This line left a deep impact on me. In the darkest moments of my life, I would struggle with how I can go back to Him when I have hurt Him so much. And He always always always leads me back to Him. That depth of love is unfathomable. Thank you for this retreat, Fr. The lyrics of the songs spoke to me.

As I reflected my presence on the Lords last cry, I asked for forgiveness as I felt I was part of the reason why He was suffering and crying out for the last time. Forgive me and let me be an instrument of Your dying wishes.

Love unconditionally. The door is always open and God is waiting for us. Always trust and say YES to God’s will.

Thank you for this online retreat. Lord, please forgive me from my sins. 🙏🙏🙏

For me the desire to say yes to God’s will has always been there, but the consistency to keep that yes especially when I encounter the wolves in my daily life make it extremely difficult. I pray that God may always remind me to recognize the sheep in these wolves’ clothing especially when emotions run high and to remember that when I fail to do so, God’s door will always be open.

Thank you Fr J and Pins of Light team for leading us into this meaningful Good Friday prayer experience.

Thank you for this online opportunity to reflect and pray. “May Jesus in His death and Christ in His resurrection lead us all to grace and mercy. Amen”

Thank you Lord for showering us with your grace and love everyday. We may not be worthy, but we shall keep believing in you. We are sorry for the times that we have fell short of your expectations.
Please guide our family and friends, my husband and sons, to truly believe in your love.
May our health be restored during this trying times.
From now on, I will always remind myself and my family, to say “YES” everytime it pertains to your will and will glorify you. To accept challenges as we implore your aid.
Thank you to this DIY retreat, i am able to reflect more. ☺️

To love. Unconditionally.
This is the hardest to do.
It is the only way to peace and our own resurrection.
By His Grace and my willingness to try every day, I might experience true Paradise.

Jesus, in these moments we see you, vulnerable and very human. Trying to even imagine what You went through for all of us, thr abandonment, the torment. I am so sorry for contributing heavily to making You suffer. And it is your love for us that has saved us. I love you with all my broken heart.

Love those who have hurt you. This may be difficult but Jesus did it for us. Let us understand their pain and continue to pray for them.

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