Claretian English Prayer Book General Use

We should always keep this model of a missionary
before us:
A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
is a man on fire with love,
who spreads its flames wherever he goes.
He desires mightily
and strives by all means possible
to set everyone on fire with God’s love.
Nothing daunts him:
he delights in privations,
welcomes work,
embraces sacrifices,
smiles at slander,
rejoices in all the torments
and sorrows he suffers,
and glories in the cross of Jesus Christ.
His only concern
is how he may follow Christ
and imitate him
in praying, working, enduring
and striving constantly and solely
for the greater glory of God
and the salvation of humankind.
— CMF Fundamental Constitution, 9
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Claretian Missionaries
Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
www.claret.org
Prayers
for the Journey
A Book of Prayers for the Claretian in Formation
Come, Holy Spirit
The Word Made Flesh

Language is one of the most important human inventions, if
not the greatest. With language, not only do we have the power
to express ourselves and communicate with one another, we are
also able to pass on our memory, both personal and collective,
to the next generation. What humans invented in the beginning
as spoken language, they later developed into a written form
with its own systems and rules. So we have history and the
continuation of human civilization. The experiences of women
and men, their thoughts and actions, have been “captured” and
expressed in words. But this somehow turned what was flowing
and dynamic into something frozen and unchanging.
This is how human words are, but God’s Word is always
dynamic and ever-flowing. God utters his Word from the very
beginning and is the Word through which everything was
made and which sustains everything. Unlike human words
that embody our human experiences, thoughts and actions,
the Word of God became a “Body” to experience, think and act
like us; the Word was made flesh and became human, one like
us. In him we see the language of God—what God wants to tell
us—and in his life, we see how God speaks to us.
A New Language
We are children of God, our Father, who continually speaks
to us. In the past he spoke through different languages until his
Word became flesh in Jesus. Now, we come to know his words,
specially through the language we learned from our mothers
and fathers—our mother tongue. Yet God speaks not only in
one single language but in other tongues as well. English has
become the international and common language of the world;
with English we hear the many other voices through which God
speaks to us. English is a key that opens the door to the richness
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of today’s research in philosophy, theology and Scripture. With
the use of English, we are able to have access to the wealth of
materials the Internet offers since English remains the main
language of the worldwide web and technology. With the
English language, we are also able to reach out to people of
other culture, languages and nationalities.
The Holy Spirit
We began learning English with the English words and
phrases we heard, even before we went to school, and since
then, we have continuously studied English throughout our
school life. Different from our first language, English has become
the language of the classroom—a language of the mind that
we use in our study, and less of our heart. We have learned to
listen, speak, read and write in English, but we do not think,
much less, feel in English. This is the next step in our learning
of English—to be able to use English as a second language
with fluency and accuracy. As human language is part of God’s
creative work, we will have to ask his Holy Spirit to help us learn
English. Let us pray for a new Pentecost that God may send us
his Spirit to open our hearts and minds, that he may teach us
how to learn English as a language of understanding and love.
A New Way of Learning
In the following weeks, you will learn English not as an
academic subject, but by using it as the language of your daily
life from waking up in the morning until you go to bed at night,
and hopefully, even in your dreams.
The English Camp has the following components:
o English as the medium of communication 24/6
(except Sunday, which is “Mother Tongue Day”)
o daily personal prayer, community celebrations, and
prayer workshops
o sessions and activities about the human, Christian and
Claretian calling
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o dynamics on self-awareness, interpersonal relationship,
Christian vocation, study skills (brainstorming, mind
mapping, note taking), problem solving, and critical
and logical thinking
o workshops in listening, speaking, reading, and writing
o evening activities: cultural programs, movie forums,
games and recreational activities
o nightly assessment of the day’s schedule and planning
for the following day
o special weekend activities: group dynamics, cultural
presentations, recollection, outing
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Common
Prayers
Claret the evangelizer prays because Christ the
evangelizer does it. Furthermore, his prayer is
in the Son, and through his Spirit, which shouts:
“Father.” .... For Claret, prayer was, to a great
extent, a battle with God on behalf of the people
to obtain the conversion of all to the Gospel. In
prayer, ultimately, his charity is converted into a
flame of passion. Temperamentally, his oral prayer
is developed better than methodical, discursive
prayer; in it he felt freer in mind and heart.
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espiritu Santo. Amén.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
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The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Padre Nuestro
Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo, santificado sea tu nombre.
Venga a nosotros tu reino.
Hágase tu voluntad en la tierra como en el cielo.
Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día.
Perdona nuestras ofensas,
como también nosotros perdonamos
a los que nos ofenden.
No nos dejes caer en la tentación y líbranos del mal. Amén.
Pater Noster
Pater Noster qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.
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COMMON PRAYERS 11
Hail, Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Dios te salve, María

Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo.
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres,
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús.
Santa María, Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores,
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén.
Ave Maria
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc,
et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
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Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Gloria
Gloria al Padre, al Hijo y al Espíritu Santo
como era en el principio, ahora y siempre,
por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.
12 COMMON PRAYERS
Gloria
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto
sicut erat in principio, et nunc,
et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
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Glory to God in the Highest
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
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The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
COMMON PRAYERS 13
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us people and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
(All bow during this line)
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
14 COMMON PRAYERS
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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Prayers to the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created
and you will renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught
the hearts of your faithful; grant that through the same Spirit
we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Openness

Come, Holy Spirit,
as you came to the Apostles and to Mary 
on that day of Pentecost. 
Come, fill me with your light and power, 
open my mind that I may hear and understand, 
open my heart that I may see and feel God’s Word 
and the words of my sisters and brothers
in this new language.
Amen.
Prayer for a New Pentecost

On that day of Pentecost,
you came as tongues of fire
COMMON PRAYERS 15
on the community of disciples
gathered with Mary, the Mother of believers,
to set their hearts on fire
with renewed strength and courage.
Spirit of the Father and the Son,
come again to us, your disciples,
gathered as Sons of the Immaculate Heart,
to inflame in our hearts the zeal for the Kingdom,
and inspire us to learn English
as a new language of love and life in our community
in loving dialogue with one another.
Amen.
Divine Holy Spirit

Divine Holy Spirit, eternal Love of the Father and of the Son,
I adore you, I thank you, I love you,
and I ask your pardon for all the times
I have grieved you in myself and in my neighbor.
Descend with your grace
when I wake up that I may see the world with your light,
when I start the day that I may begin it with your strength,
and complete it in your love.
Be the light, sanctity and zeal.
To you, Spirit of truth,
I consecrate my mind, imagination, and memory: enlighten me.
May I know Jesus Christ our Teacher
and understand his Gospel and the teaching of the holy Church.
Increase in me the gifts of wisdom,
knowledge, understanding, and counsel.
To you, sanctifying Spirit, I consecrate my will.
Guide me in your way,
sustain me in doing the Father’s will, and in following Jesus.
Grant me the gifts of fortitude and fear of God.
To you, life-giving Spirit, I consecrate my heart.
16 COMMON PRAYERS
Guard and increase my faith.
Strengthen my hope and trust in God.
Grant me the gift of charity.
Amen.
Prayers for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Lord Jesus Christ, who before ascending into heaven,
promised to send the Holy Spirit to continue your work,
send the same Holy Spirit to me that she may perfect in me
the work of your grace and your love.
Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom
that I may discern and choose what is truly necessary,
the Spirit of Understanding
that I may see with the light of your truth,
the Spirit of Counsel that I may choose the way of God’s will,
the Spirit of Fortitude that I may stand up for justice and truth,
the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself,
the Spirit of Piety
that I may find the service of God in serving others,
the Spirit of the Fear of God
that I may be filled with loving reverence of God.
Mark me, Holy Spirit of God, with the sign of a true disciple:
the love of God and others.
Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit of Wisdom and

Understanding
Holy Spirit of wisdom and understanding, enlighten our minds
to perceive the mysteries of the universe in relation to eternity.
Spirit of right judgment and courage,
guide us and make us firm in our baptismal decision
to follow Jesus’ way of love.
Spirit of knowledge and reverence,
help us to see the lasting value of justice and mercy
COMMON PRAYERS 17
in our everyday relationship with one another.
May we respect life as we work to solve problems
of family and nation, economy and ecology.
Spirit of God, spark our faith, hope and love
into new action each day.
Fill our lives with wonder and awe in your presence
which penetrates all creation.
Amen.
A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,
replace the tension within me with a holy relaxation.
Replace the turbulence within me with a sacred calm.
Replace the anxiety within me with a quiet confidence.
Replace the fear within me with a strong faith.
Replace the bitterness within me with the sweetness of grace.
Replace the darkness within me with a gentle light.
Replace the coldness within me with a loving warmth.
Replace the night within me with your light.
Straighten my crookedness.
Fill my emptiness. Dull the edge of my pride.
Sharpen the edge of my humility. Light the fires of my love.
Quench the flames of my lust.
Let me see myself as you see me.
That I may see you as you have promised,
and be fortunate according to your word:
“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8).
St. Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy;
act in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy;
draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
18 COMMON PRAYERS
that I love but what is holy;
strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
to defend that is holy;
guard me then, O Holy Spirit,
that I always may be holy.
Pope St. Pius X’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, divine Spirit of light and love,
I consecrate to you my understanding, my heart and my will,
my whole being for time and for eternity.
May my understanding be always submissive
to your heavenly inspirations
and to the teachings of the holy Catholic Church,
of which you are the infallible Guide.
May my heart be ever inflamed
with love of God and neighbor;
may my will be ever conformed to the divine will,
and may my whole life be a faithful following
of the life and virtues
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
to whom, with the Father and you, Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory forever. Amen.
Pope St. John Paul II’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, most welcome Guest of our hearts,
reveal to us the profound meaning of your Word
and prepare our hearts to live it in faith,
in hope which does not disappoint,
and in love which seeks nothing in return.
Spirit of truth, you who search the depths of God,
memory and prophecy in the Church,
lead humankind to recognize in Jesus of Nazareth
the Lord of glory, the Savior of the world,
the supreme fulfillment of history.
COMMON PRAYERS 19
Creator Spirit, hidden builder of the Kingdom,
by the power of your saints,
guide the Church to carry to the coming generations
the light of the Word who brings salvation.
Spirit of holiness, divine Breath, which moves the universe,
come and renew the face of the earth.
Awaken in Christians a desire for full unity,
that they may be for the world
an effective sign and instrument of intimate union with God
and of the unity of the whole human race.
To you, Spirit of love, with the almighty Father
and only begotten Son,
be praise, honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Cardinal Mercier’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore you.
Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me.
Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it.
I promise to be submissive in everything
that you permit to happen to me,
only show me what is your will. Amen.
St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Prayer for the Help of the

Holy Spirit 
O God, send forth your Holy Spirit
into my heart that I may perceive,
into my mind that I may remember,
and into my soul that I may meditate.
Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy.
Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses
from beginning to end.
May your grace ever help and correct me,
and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high,
for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen.   
20 COMMON PRAYERS
Saint Anthony of Padua’s Prayer for the Indwelling
of the Spirit 
Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler,
sacred Bond of the Father and the Son,
Hope of the afflicted,
descend into my heart and in your love, dwell in me.
Enkindle in my lukewarm soul the fire of your love,
so that I may wholly live according to your will.
We believe that when you dwell in us,
you also prepare a dwelling for the Father and the Son.
Come to me, Consoler of the abandoned
and Protector of the needy.
Help the afflicted, strengthen the weak,
support the wavering.
Come and purify me; let no evil desire prevail over me.
You love the humble and resist the proud.
Come to me, Glory of the living and Hope of the dying.
Lead me by your grace that I may always be pleasing to you.
Amen.   
Veni Creator 
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, 
And in our souls take up your rest; 
Come with your grace and heavenly aid 
To fill the hearts which you have made.
O Comforter, to you we cry, 
O heavenly gift of God Most High, 
O fount of life and fire of love, 
And sweet anointing from above.
You in your sevenfold gifts are known; 
You, finger of God’s hand, we own; 
You, promise of the Father, you
COMMON PRAYERS 21
Who do the tongue with power imbue.
Kindle our senses from above, 
And make our hearts o’erflow with love; 
With patience firm and virtue high 
The weakness of our flesh supply.
Far from us drive the foe we dread, 
And grant us your peace instead; 
So shall we not, with you for guide, 
Turn from the path of life aside. 
Oh, may your grace on us bestow 
The Father and the Son to know; 
And you, through endless times confessed, 
Of both the eternal Spirit blest.
Now to the Father and the Son, 
Who rose from death, be glory given, 
With you, O holy Comforter, 
Henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.
St. Anthony Mary Claret’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit,
teach us to speak little and discreetly,
to do all things fervently,
and to praise God constantly. Amen.
Hildegarde of Bingen’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, life-giving Life,
Universal Mover and the Root of all creation,
Refiner of all things from their dross,
bring forgiveness of guilt and oil for our wounds.
You are the radiance of life, most worthy of worship,
wakening and reawakening both earth and heaven.
22 COMMON PRAYERS
St. Ephrem’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit
In your Bread, Lord, there is hidden
the Spirit who is not consumed,
in your Wine there dwells the Fire that is not drunk:
the Spirit is in your Bread, the Fire in your Wine,
a manifest wonder, that our lips have received,
and that worship is our work in the world.
Truth and Love are wings that cannot be separated,
for Truth without Love is unable to fly,
so too Love without Truth is unable to soar up:
their yoke is one of harmony.
The Spirit loves us with the truth,
perhaps most helpfully when we must make decisions.
Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Prayer for Peace

Pope St. John Paul II
Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace,
who are yourself our peace and reconciliation,
COMMON PRAYERS 23
who so often said, “Peace to you,” grant us peace.
Make all men and women witnesses of truth,
justice, and brotherly love.
Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace.
Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee and defend
the great gift of peace.
May all peoples on the earth become as brothers and sisters.
May longed-for peace blossom forth
and reign always over us all. Amen.
St. Benedict’s Prayer

Gracious and holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive you,
intelligence to understand you, diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate on you, and a life to proclaim you
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Generosity

St. Ignatius of Loyola
O Lord, teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I am doing your holy will. Amen.
Soul of Christ
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
24 COMMON PRAYERS
Within your wounds shelter me.
Allow me not to be separated from you.
From the evil one protect me.
At the hour of my death
call me and bid me come to you,
that I may praise you
with all your saints for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of Abandonment
Blessed Charles de Foucauld
Father, I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures—
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands
without reserve, and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father. Amen.
St. Francis of Assisi’s Vocation Prayer

Most high, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of our minds.
Give us a right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity,
so that we may always and in all things
act according to your holy will.
Amen.
Serenity Prayer
God, grant me
COMMON PRAYERS 25
the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as he did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.
Trusting that he will make all things right if I surrender to his will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with him forever in the next. Amen.
Prayer to the Sacred Heart

I give and consecrate myself
to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ,
my person and my life, my actions, pains and sufferings,
so that I may be unwilling to make use
of any part of my being other than to honor,
love and glorify the Sacred Heart.
This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all his,
and to do all things for the love of him,
at the same time renouncing with all my heart
whatever is displeasing to him.
I therefore take you, O Sacred Heart,
to be the only object of my love,
the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation,
the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy,
the atonement for all the faults of my life
and my sure refuge at the hour of death.
Be then, O Heart of goodness,
my mediator before God the Father,
who never ceases to love us no matter what.
O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in you,
for I fear everything
from my own wickedness and frailty,
but I hope for all things
26 COMMON PRAYERS
from your goodness and bounty.
Remove from me all that can displease you
or resist your holy will;
let your pure love imprint your image
so deeply upon my heart,
that I shall never be able to forget you
or to be separated from you.
May I obtain from all your loving kindness
the grace of having my name written in your Heart,
for in you I desire to place all my happiness and glory.
Amen.
Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my guardian dear
to whom God’s love commits me here.
Ever this day be at my side to light and guard,
to rule and guide. Amen.
Prayer Before Meals

Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts
which we are about to receive
from your bounty through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer After Meals

We give you thanks, O Lord, for all these gifts
that we have just received
from your bounty through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
COMMON PRAYERS 27
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy.
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Angelus
Leader. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
All. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary…
Leader. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
All. Be it done unto me according to your Word.
Hail Mary…
Leader. And the Word was made flesh.
All. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
Leader. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
All. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Leader. Let us pray.
All. Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our
hearts,
that we to whom the incarnation of Christ, your Son,
was made known by the message of an angel,
may, by his passion and cross, we be brought
to the glory of his resurrection. Through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Glory Be…
Queen of Heaven
Recited in place of the Angelus during Eastertide
Leader. Queen of heaven, rejoice! Alleluia.
All. For he whom you were worthy to bear, Alleluia.
28 COMMON PRAYERS
Leader. Has risen, as he said. Alleluia.
All. Pray for us to God. Alleluia.
Leader. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia.
All. For the Lord has truly risen. Alleluia.
All. O God, who through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ,
willed to fill the world with joy, grant, we beseech you,
that through his Virgin Mother, Mary,
we may come to the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
5
Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy!
Hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to you we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus;
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone
who fled to your protection, implored your help,
or sought your intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,
COMMON PRAYERS 29
but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
O Mary, Bright Dawn of the New World

O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life:
look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference
or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept
that Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it
with gratitude throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely,
in order to build, together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and Lover of life. Amen.
Mary, Jesus’ Teacher

Mary, Jesus’ Teacher; Mary, my Mother,
it was you who taught Jesus, your Son, his first word.
I come to you, Mother, during our years in formation
that you may help me to learn,
to say the right words
at the right time in the right place. Amen.
30 COMMON PRAYERS
In Our Mother’s Heart
Mary, your Son, Jesus, brought me to you
to be a son of your Immaculate Heart.
Form me in your heart
that I may be born anew in the image of your Son.
Accompany me in my vocation journey,
be there with me in my initial Claretian steps,
and hold my hand when you see
that I am beginning to fear and hesitate.
Hold me in your motherly embrace
that I may not waver in the path I have chosen.
Be my tutor as I study and learn English
as the language of our community
and of our universal congregation. Amen.
Prayer to Mary, a Migrant with Joseph and Jesus

Mary, when you accepted to be the mother of Jesus,
you also accepted to suffer with him
even before his time had come.
When he was an infant, you had to leave your homeland
and flee to Egypt with Joseph and Jesus
that you may save your Child, God’s Son and our Savior.
You experienced being away from your home
and lived as a stranger in a foreign land;
you left behind the security and the comfort
of being in one’s own country
and faced a life of uncertainty and insecurity.
Now, dear Mother, we commend to you
the many migrants and refugees in our present world,
who had to leave their family and loved ones,
to suffer pain and loneliness
away from their homes and country,
in search of freedom, livelihood and a better future.
COMMON PRAYERS 31
Accompany them
as you accompanied Joseph and Jesus,
be with them to comfort them with your motherly care,
and teach them to trust and never lose hope
in the Father’s unconditional love and concern for us,
his children. Amen.
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
we entrust to you the entire Church
Remember all your sons and daughters;
make their prayer effective before God;
preserve them solid in faith;
strengthen their hope and increase their charity.
We entrust to your Immaculate Heart the whole human race;
lead them all to know the one true Savior, Christ Jesus.
Free them from the punishment of sin.
Grant the whole world true and lasting peace
in justice, freedom and love.
Make the whole Church rise to the God of mercies
a hymn of joy, thanksgiving and rejoicing
for the wonders the Lord has worked through you,
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Joseph

O most holy spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and father of Jesus, our Savior and Brother,
guide and protect us with your fatherly love.
You accepted to be the guardian of our Savior,
you protected him and his mother when in danger
and provided them for their needs.
You watched Jesus grow,
you formed and educated him
to be a loving and faithful Child of God.
32 COMMON PRAYERS
As I begin my formation as a Claretian Missionary,
be my guardian and protector,
guide me as you guided Jesus,
and teach me to be loving and faithful to my vocation.
Pray for us to God that our community
may be like your family in Nazareth. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Jude

O most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend
of Jesus, the church honors and invokes you universally, as the
patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray
for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege given
to you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost
despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may
receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities,
tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (state your request) and
that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever.
I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great
favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron,
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Anthony to Find What Is Lost

St. Anthony, when you prayed, your stolen book of prayers
was given back to you. Pray now for all of us who have lost things
precious and dear. Pray for all who have lost faith, hope or the
friendship of God. Pray for us who have lost friends or relatives
by death. Pray for all who have lost peace of mind or spirit. Pray
that we may be given new hope, new faith, new love. Pray that
lost things, needful and helpful to us, may be returned to our
keeping. Or, if we must continue in our loss, pray that we may
be given Christ’s comfort and peace. Amen.
Prayer for Parents

Jesus, everlasting Word of the Father, you became a mem-
COMMON PRAYERS 33
ber of our human family to show us the way to be fully human
as the way to the fullness of life that God wants for us, his
children. We were all born into our families; it was our mothers
and fathers who gave flesh and life to us, and who brought us
to the Church to be your children in baptism.
To answer your call to follow you, I left my father and mother
and came to this formation house. I miss them sometimes,
but knowing that in your love we are always together gives
me comfort.
I ask you to bless my father and mother; take my place with
them, that they may feel your loving presence. Amen.
34 COMMON PRAYERS
Claretian
Prayers
25
“I was driven to work for God’s greater glory and

the salvation of souls … the Lord showed me …
the best and most fitting [means] to attain that
goal. The first means I have always employed
and still do is prayer.” — Autobiography 264
Prayers of St. Anthony Mary Claret
Apostolic Prayer
O my God and my Father,
may I know you and make you known;
may I love you and make you loved;
may I serve you and make you served;
may I praise you and make all creatures praise you.
My Father, grant that all sinners may be converted,
all the just persevere in grace,
and all of us attain eternal glory. Amen.
Nothing More than to Love You

Because you are so good, my Father,
I want nothing more than to know your holy will,
so that I may do it;
nothing more than to love you with all my heart
and serve you with all fidelity.
Father, give me the constant grace
to know what pleases you,
and the strength of will to do it. Amen.
Here I am, Lord

Here I am, Lord.
If you want, make me an instrument
to proclaim your kingdom.
Lord, let me eat
in order to gain energy and serve you better;
let me use the things of this world as needs require,
let me study to know and serve you better
and to help my brothers and sisters;
let me rest to regain the strength I have used up
and serve you better.
36
PRAYERS OF CLARET & OF THE CLARETIAN CONGREGATION 37
You are More than Enough for Me
Lord, you are my love, my honor, my hope, my refuge.
You are my glory and my goal. My Master, my Father.
Help me to seek nothing more than you
nor to know anything but your holy will and how to fulfill it.
I want you alone, and in you, by you and for you all other things.
You are more than enough for me.
Make me love you as you love me
and as you would have me love you.
Fire that Forever Blazes

Fire that forever blazes and never goes out,
love that forever burns and never grows cold,
embrace me that I may love you.
I love you, Jesus, with all my heart,
with all my soul, with all my strength.
O that I may love you more and that all may love you.
O that you might be loved by me and by all your creatures.
Most Holy Virgin, grant me the favor
that all may be saved and no one condemned.
Father, Teach Me Goodness

I believe, Lord, but let me believe more firmly.
I hope, Lord, but let me hope more surely.
I love, Lord, but let me love more ardently.
I repent, Lord, but let me repent more deeply.
I beg you, Lord, what do you want me to do?
Teach me to fulfill your will, for you are my God.
Give me an understanding heart to distinguish right from wrong.
Father, give me humility, meekness, chastity,
patience and charity.
Father, teach me goodness, knowledge and discipline.
Father, give me your love, together with your grace,
and I will be rich enough.
38 CLARETIAN PRAYERS
My God, My Jesus, My All
My God, my Jesus, my All.
On the cross I have lived and on the cross I wish to die,
and from the cross I hope to come down,
not by my own hands, but by the hands of others,
after my sacrifice has been consumed.
God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
through which the world is crucified to me and I to the world.
Amen.
Exercise on the Love of God

My God, be the God you are and have always been:
I find joy in whatever you are.
You have infinite power: be the all-powerful God you are.
You have infinite wisdom: may you be praised,
be the infinite wisdom you are.
You have infinite goodness, infinite charity,
and infinte forgiveness.
Lord, be the infinite goodness, charity and forgiveness you are.
Lord, be the infinite mercy, providence and generosity you are.
Lord, you are glorious and blessed without end;
be as glorious and blessed as you are.
You, Lord, are Three and One, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
three distinct persons and one true God;
be three and one as you are.
You are our Savior and Glorifier and that of all creatures,
may you be praised.
You, Lord are universal Lord,
who are loved, praised and served by the angels,
and the blessed in heaven and by the people on earth;
be Lord of all,
and may all in heaven and on earth love, praise,
and serve you without end.
Heart of Jesus, love God for me.
Heart of Mary, love God for me.
Heart of all the saints, love God for me.
All you, choirs of angels, love God for me.
All creatures, love God for me.
Divine Fire that always burns and is never extinguished,
Heart of Jesus, that always burns and never grows cold,
make my heart always burn with the fire of divine love.
Amen.
Short Prayers
For apostolic charity
O my God! Grant me apostolic charity,
that I may do everything forcefully yet gently,
with meekness and love.
In practicing the virtues
Jesus, give me the grace to imitate you faithfully
in practicing all the virtues.
With you I can do all things, but absolutely nothing without you.
My love, my hope
My Lord, you are my love, my honor, my hope, my refuge.
You are my life, my glory, my goal, my Master, my Father, my love.
Thank you for your kindness
Thank you, Lord, for your kindness,
because you use every means to bring sinners back.
Blest be your providence, that always watches over me.
Now and forever I will sing your eternal mercy.
I want to love you
I want to love you, my God,
with all my heart, with all my being, with all my strength:
I consecrate to you my thoughts, desires, words and actions,
whatever I have and whatever I can be.
Let me use what I have for your greater honor and glory
according to your will.
Like water mingled with wine
Lord, as water is mingled with wine in the Eucharist,
so I want to unite myself to you and offer myself with you
to the Most Blessed Trinity.
Send me your Spirit
I beg you, Lord, beause of my human frailty,
to send me your Spirit to enlighten me
and enkindle your love within me,
to guide me and lead me along the right path of Jesus Christ
and of the Virgin Mary, mother of God and my mother.
Immaculate Mary, Daughter of God

God hails you, Immaculate Mary, Daughter of God the Father,
God hails you, Immaculate Mary, Mother of God’s Son.
God hails you, Immaculate Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
God hails you, Mary, mother and advocate of sinners.
Blest are you among women.
You are the glory of Jerusalem,
the joy of Israel and the honor of your people.
You are the protectress of the weak, comfort of the afflicted,
and the shining light in our journey.
You are the health of the sick, the courage of the dying,
and the gate of heaven.
You, after Jesus Christ, the blessed fruit of your womb,
are all our hope.
O clement, O loving, O sweet and Immaculate Mary.
Mother of Divine Love

O Mary, my mother, Mother of Divine Love!
I can ask for nothing more pleasing to you
nor anything you are more ready to grant
than the love of God.
Grant me this, my mother and my love.
Mother, I hunger and thirst for love.
Help me, and satisfy my need.
O Heart of Mary, furnace and instrument of love,
kindle in me the love of God and neighbor!
Missionary Son of Mary

O Virgin Mother of God,
you are well aware that we are your sons and ministers,
formed by you in the forge of your mercy and love.
We are like arrows poised in your mighty hand.
Release us, our mother,
against what opposes the kingdom of God.
Trusting in your protection, we proclaim the Gospel
armed only with the Word of God,
and the title of Sons of your Immaculate Heart.
Mother, yours will be the victory.
Amen.
5
Prayers of the Congregation
Conformity to Christ
Lord our God,
who chose the ever-virgin Mary
as mother of your Son and our mother,
grant that, by faithfully dedicating ourselves
to her maternal heart,
we may conform ourselves more fully to Christ
and imitate her cooperation in the saving work of her Son,
dedicating ourselves with greater generosity
to the apostolic mission of faithfully proclaiming the Gospel
in oder to love you above all things
and help our brothers and sisters who are most in need.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Dedication to the Heart of Mary

I dedicate myself to you as your son,
and in the honor and glory of your purity,
I consecrate to you my body and soul, my senses and feelings,
and I beg you to grant me the grace
of never sinning again. Amen.
Mother, behold your son.
In you, my sweetest mother,
I have put all my trust and confidence;
let me never be put to shame. Amen.
Filial and Apostolic Prayer to the Heart of Mary

I dedicate myself to you as your son and servant.
I consecrate myself to your maternal love
that you may form Jesus in me, the Son sent by the Father
and anointed by the Holy Spirit
to proclaim the Good News to the poor.
I place myself in your hands
that you might send me to all the people,
your sons and daughters, and my brothers and sisters.
Let me reveal the Father to them.
Teach me to treasure the Word in my heart, as you did,
until it transforms me into the Gospel of God.
Make me a docile instrument of your maternal love,
that I may engender new sons and daughters for the Gospel.
Mother, here is your son, form me.
Mother, here is your son, send me.
Mother, here is your son, speak through me, love through me.
Keep me in your Heart,
that having proclaimed the Gospel to others,
I may not be excluded from the Kingdom.
Amen.
Dedication to the Heart of Mary

Mother of the Lord, Heart of Mary,
you who presided as Foundress
over the founding of our Congregation,
always be our inspiration
and the heart of our Congregation,
so necessary for contemplation and for new dreams.
In this world, so loved by the Father,
and so beset by unbelief and injustice,
speak for us and testify through our lives
to the message of the kingdom.
Mother of the Lord, pray that the Spirit,
who impels us toward a new world, comes to us.
Mother, with your Heart,
pray for us, intercede for us!
Offering to the Heart of Mary

O Virgin Mary, mother of God and our mother,
I entrust myself to your maternal love
that you may make me a missionary
in the image and likeness of your Son, sent by the Father,
to proclaim the Good News to the poor.
Teach me to believe, love and serve like you.
Make me generous and grateful
so that I may joyfully live
the gift of my missionary vocation.
Amen.
We are Missionaries!
31 Prayer Celebrations
from the XXV CMF General Chapter Declaration
“Witnesses and Messengers of the Joy of the Gospel”*
The following may be recited as an introductory part to community
reflection, or to conclude a community prayer or celebration. It can
also be read in place of the customary reading before meals, in which
case, the grace before meals at the end of each prayer celebration is
said.
Prayer Celebration 1
Introduction Part 1 (MS 1-2)
Introduction
Leader. We are missionaries! The Spirit called us to be mission-
aries, with the Mission belonging to the core of our most
fundamental identity.
All. We proclaim gratefully the greatness of the Lord.
Leader. The Spirit gave us a charism that conforms us to Jesus
and makes us similar to the apostles, in a communion of
life, totally dedicated to the Father and to the Kingdom.
Leader. The Spirit gave our Congregation of Missionaries as a
gift to the Church and to the world.
Reading
Reader. The Church of the Second Vatican Council has empha-
sized the Trinitarian understanding of Mission and consid-
ers herself a collaborator in God’s Mission. In the last years,
we have felt challenged by the Apostolic Exhortation Evan-
* Prayer celebrations with texts taken from the Declaration of the
XXV General Chapter of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretian Missionaries), held in
Rome from August 24 to September 16, 2015 (cf. Annales Congre-
gationis, vol. 72-II, 2015).
45
gelii Gaudium, fruit of the 2012 Synod of Bishops on new
evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith.
Response
Leader. The mission is not just a part or an additional dimen-
sion of our life. It is neither an adornment nor something
we can do without.
All. Jesus, you chose us as your disciples to bring light, to bless,
to enliven, to raise up, to heal and to free. Like Claret, we
have been anointed to announce the Good News to the
poor. We exist to carry out the Mission in the midst of the
People of God.
Leader. Lord, let us realize that Mission is much more than the
ministries we exercise.
All. It is the nucleus of our vocation which marks our spiritual-
ity, guides our entire formative process, determines our
style of community life, animation and governance and
the organization of our economy. We express this through
our presence and in the services that we seek to adapt to
the times, places and cultures.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, like the Church, we have meaning only in rela-
tion to Mission.
All. Father God, may we seek and ensure to make you known,
loved, served and praised by all and that your Kingdom,
your plan of love for humanity and Creation, is fully realized.
Amen.
When used as the reading before meals, the following may be said as
grace before meals.
Leader. God, our Father, we bless and thank you for our voca-
tion. You have gathered us around this table as a commu-
nity of missionaries. May the food we will share strengthen
the core of our missionary calling to bring light, to bless,
WE ARE MISSIONARIES! 47
to enliven, to raise up, to heal and to free. Through Christ,
our Lord.
All. Amen.
Introduction Part 2 (MS 3-4)
Introduction
Leader. We are missionaries! Our participation in the Mission
is the Gift of the Spirit, which springs from his action in
us, especially through the Eucharist and the Word of God.
All. Impel us, O Lord, to maintain an attitude of constant listen-
ing and discernment.
Leader. We seek in our daily life and in the evolution of the
world the signs of the presence of the Kingdom.
Leader. We have received the immense gift of a missionary com-
munity, impelling us to live in profound communion and
to care for our fraternity as our first missionary testimony.
Reading
Reader. The Gift of the Spirit makes us “communities in mission.”
Thus, each activity, task and ministry is to be accomplished
in such a way that we all live it as our own, and each one
carries it out in the name of the community, with the knowl-
edge and conviction of being sent by the community. It has
a privileged expression in the quality of our lives, which
are called to give witness to the absolute primacy of God
and his Kingdom, the divine option for the poor, the weak,
the impoverished and the sacred value of human rights, of
creation and of all life.
Response
Leader. The Gift of the Spirit announces explicitly Jesus Christ
and his Kingdom in a spirit of dialogue
All. Inviting us to be ready and prepared to go to the existential,
geographical, social and cultural frontiers of evangelization
and to contemplate reality from there.
Leader. The Gift of the Spirit unites us with other disciples, also
called to participate in the Mission
All. With the universal Church and the local churches, and with
millions of men and women of good will committed to
transform the world according to God’s plan.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, as we live our charism, may we be totally of you
and live completely committed to your Kingdom.
All. Make us like Jesus, your Son, consecrated and sent. May we
follow the example of Mary, the first disciple and mother
of disciples, that our practice of the evangelical counsels
have an indispensable missionary dimension. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Our Father in heaven, bless this food we are about
to partake. May this meal bind our fraternity ever more
closely that our community be our first missionary word
as we proclaim your primacy and that of your Kingdom.
Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
The Cry of Mother Earth (MS 5-8)
Introduction
Leader. We live in an era of interconnections. Much more than in
other moments of history, humanity is aware of the existing
relationship between the diverse dimensions of reality and
life, the common destiny of all peoples.
All. The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.
Leader. Our God, with his mysterious presence, speaks to us and
challenges us through creation, humanity, and his Church.
Leader. The Risen Lord has been given all power. He is with
us until the end of time. His Spirit, Lord and Giver of life,
challenges us with inexpressible groaning.
Reading
Reader. Within the Church, we are already very conscious of
what is happening to our “mother earth”: loss of biodiver-
sity, deterioration of the quality of life, social degradation
and global inequality. We are one human family. But, while
many live under the laws of consumerism, there are billions
of people who are excluded and whose interests do not
seem to count. Numerous cultures and ethnic groups are
under threat of disintegration and disappearing. The groan-
ing of sister earth and the cry of those abandoned demand
that humanity takes a different course. It is urgent to “bring
the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and
integral development” capable of opposing the unsustain-
able exploitation fueled by the inordinate desire to possess
and by a radically unjust economic system.
Response
Leader. The Church, the people of God, hears the challenges,
discerns them and presents them to us. As a missionary
community we feel challenged by the cry of mother earth.
All. May we initiate a process of “ecological conversion”
which should redefine our mission and lifestyles.
Leader. We need to learn how to translate in our personal and
community lives the Church’s call to combat the logic of vio-
lence, excessive consumerism, exploitation and selfishness.
All. We have to learn how to cultivate attitudes of the heart that
enable us to live with sobriety and simplicity, with deep joy
and without being obsessed with consumerism.
Conclusion
Leader. The Church appeals to all peoples of good will to be
aware of the gravity of these challenges and to promote
a truly integral ecology in which all creatures receive the
respect, protection and care they deserve, while the hu-
man being occupies a position consistent with the infinite
dignity given by God.
All. God, you called us to look after the Earth and to care for
one another so that the whole of your project can be in-
tegrally accomplished in each person from conception to
death. You do not only want your children to survive, rather
that they may have life to the full and as true brothers and
sisters, enjoying what has been given to all. The passion
for life belongs to the core of our missionary vocation. Let
our contribution ensure that humanity not disappoint your
expectations! Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Praised be to you, Lord, through our Sister, Mother
Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produced the
food we will share in this meal to nourish ourselves. Praised
be to you, Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful
and humble and precious and chaste, and who quenches
our thirst. May our sharing in your grace be an expression
of our solidarity with your creation.
All. Amen.
The Clamor of the Poor and for Justice (MS 9-10)
Introduction
Leader. The cry of the poor and of those in need is heard in
diverse ways in our world.
All. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Leader. We are challenged by the situations of inequality and
injustice that are causing an ever wider gap between the
rich and the poor
Leader. The growing number of those excluded and neglected
immigrants, displaced, refugees, homeless, peoples under
threat, maltreated women, children, elderly and aban-
doned sick people, and the many who resort to violence
at times in the name of creeds and religions.
Reading
Reader. Millions of innocent people suffer without reason; the
so-called natural catastrophes affect in a special way thou-
sands of families who have not been protected by others
nor by us. Power and money have displaced God and the
neighbor from the center of so many hearts.
Response
community we feel challenged by the clamor of the poor
and for justice.
All. We ask ourselves to what extent have we also participated
in this self-centered culture of instant gratification that is
destroying the world.
Leader. We feel called to denounce the idolatry of money and
of the market.
All. We are called to promote the social inclusion of the poor,
dialogue, peace, justice, and the defense of the integrity
of creation.
Conclusion
Leader. In union with God, we want to hear this cry and respond
to it with all our strength.
All. O Holy Spirit, let us cooperate with your liberating action,
as we identify ourselves with Christ who became poor and
was always close to the poor and excluded. Let us not just
promote small gestures to particular persons, but commit
ourselves, with charity and compassion, to the establish-
ment of the Kingdom, to bringing it to all dimensions of
existence, all individuals, all areas of community life, and
to all peoples. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Father God, you created us and sustain us, your children.
You give us food to make us strong and share in your work
of creation. May we share this meal in solidarity with the
poor, who have nothing but their trust in your providence.
May this nourishment strengthen our commitment to
justice. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
The Dream for Peace and Reconciliation (MS 11-13)
Introduction
Leader. In the last decades, humanity has shown a deep longing
for unity. The awareness of forming one family is growing
and is strongly manifested in the younger generations.
All. Grant us, Lord, your gift of heartfelt compassion.
Leader. The search for the difficult balance between unity and
diversity provokes many social tensions which often result
in jeopardizing peace. Violence affects and punishes many
peoples of the earth.
Leader. Millions of people live under harassment and in fear;
they feel forced to leave their homes and see their most
fundamental rights threatened; thousands of Christians
suffer persecution because of their faith.
Reading
Reader. There are many people and groups who work for
peace through patient and persistent dialogue, the quest
for reconciliation, the building of a harmonious social
life and respect for all. Hope is also making its way in the
world! Individuals, groups, movements, organizations,
communities and entire peoples are working for peace.
Families and educational institutions play an essential role
in this process, as do those who commit themselves with
courage to the policies that promote integral develop-
ment, the common good, transparency, integrity, service
to others and the struggle against corruption.
Response
community we feel challenged by the dream for peace
and reconciliation.
All. The Church wants to be a sacrament in the world of shalom:
catholic, meaning open to all, to the other, without hurting
or eliminating them, until one day we shall all become a
“Kingdom and People of God.”
Leader. We are called to be a sign of compassion.
All. We are called to conform our lives and mission to a pro-
phetic dialogue that is inter-confessional, inter-religious,
political.
Conclusion
Leader. O Lord, you give us the gift of heartfelt compassion
All. That we may favor what unites, reconciles and brings peace,
tears down walls that separate, supports those who work
for peace and reconciliation, no matter what creed they
profess or outlook they may have. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. God, Source of all unity and peace, you bless the earth
with your goodness from which we receive the gifts we are
about to partake in this meal. May this blessing of food and
drink make us like them: grains of rice cooked together as
food, grains of wheat crushed into flour kneaded together
as bread, and drops of water combined to quench our thirst.
Unite us all in your love through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
The Meaning of Life and Its Care (MS 14-16)
Introduction
Leader. In many of its dimensions, today’s reality is made up of
contradictory tendencies, of the battle between cultures
that care for life and cultures that promote death.
All. Lord, make us messengers of the joy and mercy of the
Gospel.
Leader. On one side, the appreciation for life is growing. We
human beings are happy when we are able to establish
among ourselves relationships of love and care, boosted
by the interactions facilitated by social media.
Gospel.
Leader. But at the same time, millions of people experience
loneliness and abandonment, harmful addictions, fragil-
ity, sickness, depression and the weight of unresolved
guilt. Many of our contemporaries experience “an infinite
sadness.”
Gospel.
Reading
Reader. In many regions of the world, where for centuries
faith guided the search for the meaning of life, God has
lost significance and importance for many. Together with
millions of people of good will, there are those who have
made the satisfaction of their interests and pleasures the
fundamental meaning of their lives.
Response
community we feel challenged by the meaning of life
and its care.
All. In many societies some fundamental values of family, the
common good, care for the weak have deteriorated and
undergone a serious relativization. The fragmentation of
life and its rapid rhythm impede serenity, thoroughness
and the formation of life principles.
Leader. Children, teenagers and youth, who are particularly
vulnerable, grow without orientation, often deprived of
the happiness that God wants for them and the means
of discovering it; their problems and needs and those of
their families challenge us in a special way.
All. Today, the Church invites us to be messengers of the joy
and mercy of the Gospel, to break down barriers of indif-
ference and to accompany and open our hearts without
fear to those living in the outmost fringes of society.
Conclusion
Leader. O God, you call us to discover and bring forth the gifts
of the Spirit.
All. Let us share the joy and blessedness of the Gospel, to put
into practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and
to express our heartfelt compassion in our encounter with
each person and our concern for the vulnerable. Make us,
personally and as community, credible witnesses of hope in
you who never want to hide yourself; may we “live in mercy”
and promote the joyful proclamation of forgiveness and
the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. God of life, you provide food and drink on our table to
nourish and sustain us. May this gift of physical nourish-
ment give us the strength to nurture and care for life in all
its forms. May we discover the true meaning of life in you.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
The New Digital and Technological Continent (MS
17-18)
Introduction
Leader. Technology has radically transformed the world of com-
munications to the extent that we can now speak of a new
digital continent populated by millions of internet users.
All. Wisdom of God, make these media become sources of new
cultural progress for humanity to promote our deepest
riches.
Leader. The possibilities of access to information and the
instantaneous exchange of messages increase day by day.
riches.
Leader. The world is becoming more and more a global village
although many peoples and individuals remain unjustly
disconnected. Ways of manipulation and control are also
multiplied.
riches.
Reading
Reader. The Church invites us to be present in this “new con-
tinent” and also warns us of its illusions and traps. What
a revolution Claret would have encouraged if he had the
possibilities offered today by these new technologies!
Response
community we feel challenged by the digital and techno-
logical continent.
All. As servants of the Word, we feel called to search for the
signs of God in the digital world.
Conclusion
Leader. Heavenly Father, you invite us to make you present in
all the dimensions our life.
All. As Servants of the Word, may we be present in the world’s
new digital continent to share our experience of the
Gospel in new communication codes and to combat the
viruses of manipulation, superficiality and depersonaliza-
tion. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Holy Trinity, One God, you model for us in your divine
communion how we should communicate and interact
with our sisters and brothers. Bless this table of our fellow-
ship; bless the food we are about to receive, so that as we
share in your blessing, we may also share with one another
our person. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
A Church Going Forth (MS 19-20)
Introduction
Leader. The Church has proposed to serve the Kingdom as
a “Church going forth” towards the human peripheries.
All. Call us to go forth to reach all the peripheries in need of
the light of the Gospel.
Leader. Accompanying the life of the poor, inserting herself into
their lives and trying to understand the soul of each person,
recognizing in them the signs of the presence of God.
Leader. Creating bridges and opportunities of encounter
between the Gospel and all cultures.
Reading
Reader. The word of God constantly shows us how God chal-
lenges those who believe in him “to go forth.” In our day
Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” echoes in
the changing scenarios and ever new challenges to the
Church’s mission of evangelization, and all of us are called
to take part in this new missionary “going forth.” Each Chris-
tian and every community must discern the path that the
Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to
go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all
the “peripheries” in need of the light of the Gospel. (EG 20)
Response
community we feel challenged to be a Church going forth.
All. In gratitude to the magisterium of the successors of Peter,
we perceive in the words of Pope Francis a deep and fresh
missionary dimension very much in line with the spirit that
animated Claret.
Conclusion
Leader. God, you are a God who goes out to your people.
All. Move us as well to leave our comfort zones and excessive
concern about ourselves to promote the disposition of the
Church, “permanently in a state of mission,” to boost in her
our “missionary outreach” according to our evangelizing
charism, to overcome any sort of worldliness or spiritual
sloth and to grow in missionary availability, inculturation,
incarnation and openness to the universal mission of the
Church and of the Congregation. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Father, you give us this moment of rest to refresh and
fortify our bodies. May the meal we will share with one
another give us the strength and the courage not to seek
our personal comfort and security, but to move on and go
forth to bring the light of the Gospel to others. We ask this
in the name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord forever and ever.
All. Amen.
Among the People with Many Faces and Charisms
(MS 21-22)
Introduction
Leader. We are increasingly aware that announcing the Gospel
is a task of the whole people of God:
All. Jesus, break through the dullness of our life and amaze us
with your divine creativity.
Leader. People with many faces, various charisms, ways of life
and ministries in which all of us are disciple-missionaries.
Leader. People who seek the transformation of the world ac-
cording to God’s plan.
Reading
Reader. “By his coming, Christ brought with him all newness.”
With this newness he is always able to renew our lives
and our communities. Jesus can also break through the
dull categories with which we would enclose him and he
constantly amazes us by his divine creativity. Whenever we
make the effort to return to the source and to recover the
original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new
paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expres-
sion, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning
for today’s world. Every form of authentic evangelization
is always “new.” (EG 11)
Response
community we feel challenged by being among the people
with many faces and charisms.
All. Our Congregation fulfills its proper mission by raising up and
strengthening communities of believers, either by leading
people to conversion to God through faith or by renewing
their life in Christ and leading them to perfection in it. (CC 47)
Conclusion
Leader. God, you gifted us with our missionary vocation.
All. You call us to be active agents of an ecclesiology of commu-
nion-mission in which every man and woman participate
and nobody is excluded. You invite us to collaborate in the
creation and consolidation of Christian communities, full
of the life and joy of the Gospel. May Claret’s call to think
and do with others echo in us in a special way. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Father, this blessing of food which we are to partake
comes to us because of the many women and men, who
had their share of work in feeding your people: farmers,
fishers, livestock growers, wholesalers, market vendors,
cooks. So many hands and faces, but sharing in the one
same task. Bless them all as you bless us and all this food
through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Seduction by the Spirit (MS 23-24)
Introduction
Leader. Our time is characterized simultaneously by the anxi-
ety and search for a non-dualistic, integrating spirituality,
by the enticement of many idolatries and the spread of
unbelief.
All. Send us as evangelizers with Spirit, burning with the fire
of your love.
Leader. All this constitutes new challenges for evangelization.
That is why the Church wants evangelizers who pray and
work, are socially committed as missionaries, and breathe
with the lungs of prayer and intercession.
of your love.
Leader. Their life in the Spirit is expressed into anti-idolatry
attitudes, and through contemplation, adoration, poverty,
humility, simplicity, authenticity and honesty.
of your love.
Reading
Reader. Whenever we say that something is “spirited,” it usu-
ally refers to some interior impulse which encourages,
motivates, nourishes and gives meaning to our individual
and communal activity. Spirit-filled evangelization is not
the same as a set of tasks dutifully carried out despite one’s
own personal inclinations and wishes. How I long to find
the right words to stir up enthusiasm for a new chapter
of evangelization full of fervor, joy, generosity, courage,
boundless love and attraction! Yet I realize that no words
of encouragement will be enough unless the fire of the
Holy Spirit burns in our hearts. A spirit-filled evangelization
is one guided by the Holy Spirit, for he is the soul of the
Church called to proclaim the Gospel. (EG 61)
Response
community we feel challenged by the seduction by the
Spirit.
All. We need the ability to cultivate an interior space which
can give a Christian meaning to commitment and activity.
We need prolonged moments of adoration, of prayerful
encounter with the word, of sincere conversation with the
Lord.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, you lead us to a deep serious personal and com-
munal spiritual journey.
All. May the Spirit always be our guide and inspiration, in which
an authentic spiritual discernment will guide and accom-
pany each of our steps. Aware of our limitations and sins,
may we as consecrated people respond to the invitation of
the Church to be joyful witnesses of the absolute primacy
of you and your Kingdom. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Lord God, you breathed your Spirit and called us into
life, and you constantly sustain our life with your abiding
presence. Bless this food we are about to receive to give us
vigor and strength not only to our bodies but to our spirit
as well. Make us spirited evangelizers full of fervor, joy,
generosity, and boundless love. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
The Grace of Being a Missionary Community (MS
25-27)
Introduction
Leader. What a joy to see the foundation and consolidation of
the Congregation in many parts of the world, the lives of
so many sick and elderly whose lives have been spent in
service and fidelity, the intense fraternal communion of our
martyrs, the silent, generous and enthusiastic dedication
of many of our brothers of all ages!
All. How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell
together as one!
Leader. On the contrary, how sad it is to discover that we are
not always faithful to the gifts of the Lord!
together as one!
Leader. The community of the disciple-missionaries with Jesus
and from Jesus, the principal mediation of mission, helps
us to move from the pre-eminence of the I to the primacy
of the We and makes us witnesses and messengers of the
Kingdom.
together as one!
Reading
Reader. Called to have “one heart and one mind,” and “to share
all in common,” far from asking each one to abandon
who he is, the Gospel invites us to open up ourselves to
that sharing for which we have been created: our being
as community strengthens, enriches and deepens our
personal self. I am because We are. The missionary com-
munity, a precious gift, nourished fully in the Eucharist,
is a privileged place that strengthens and facilitates our
personal fulfilment. In this world of sadness and dissat-
isfaction, the missionary vocation full of joy, facilitates a
priceless true happiness.
Response
community we feel challenged by the grace of being a
missionary community.
All. We are called to promote the beauty of the community
and to reactivate our fraternal covenant, so as to avoid
indifference, the existence of persons who live without
consideration of others and separated from them, groups
without community living, and apostolic individualism.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, you called us to and gifted us with our mission-
ary community as Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
All. Teach us to cultivate the art of listening within and outside
the community, concern for the other, spiritual sharing,
fraternal relationships, and transparency in the sharing of
goods. Send us your Spirit to help us always to make our
fraternal life a transparent and joyful proclamation of the
Kingdom! Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. God, bless this table and our community gathered
around you. May the food you give us as nourishment
nourish us to value and nurture our missionary commu-
nity, sharing with one another our life in fraternity and
friendship, even as we share this meal. Grant this through
Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Fidelity to Our Claretian Missionary Vocation (MS
28-31)
Introduction
Leader. With the beatifications of our brothers, we have con-
templated with great joy the love, appreciation and fidelity
to the vocation shown by so many Claretian Missionaries
of all times and places.
All. May we live more joyfully and deeply our missionary voca-
tion and our sense of belonging to the Congregation with
new vigor.
Leader. We are impressed and filled with joy also to discover the
faithful and simple steadfastness with which thousands of
people with whom we share the faith have preserved the
gifts of God amid difficulties.
new vigor.
Leader. We observe with joy that the collaboration among
organisms and the sharing of goods have instilled in us a
deeper sense of belonging to the Congregation.
new vigor.
Reading
Reader. Accepting the insistence of the Church, we feel
invited, personally and as a community, to cultivate a
creative fidelity, able to consolidate and deepen our mis-
sionary identity, reinterpret the charism in new settings
and lead us to live it more joyfully. We note with concern
the observation already made by the General Chapter of
2009, “we are not as close to the youth, or as disposed
to accompany them as we would like to believe,” and we
repeat its proposal that each and every one of us be more
involved in inviting them to be servants for the Kingdom
and ministers of the Word.
Response
community we feel challenged to fidelity to our Claretian
missionary vocation.
All. We need to promote among ourselves a culture of fidelity to
our vocation, to be increasingly aware of our duty to mutu-
ally care for each other respectfully, but also courageously,
and to welcome the Church’s call to credibility.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, we thank you for our Claretian missionary voca-
tion.
All. We are also grateful for the effort of many of our brothers
who have made and are making to improve formation in
the Congregation. Help us to intensify the real transforming
capacity of the formative process. May our true concern for
initial formation show in the seriousness of our dedication
to our own ongoing formation as disciple-missionary, a
formation that can never be considered completed until
we are all finally united with you in heaven. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. O Lord, bless us, we whom you gifted with the Claretian
missionary vocation, and these your gifts which we are
about to receive that we may remain faithful to your call
and be always open to your Spirit, who constantly forms us
according to your will. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Challenges from God in Our Time (MS 32-33)
Introduction
Leader. The Church is convinced that today the Spirit is asking
of us a “pastoral and missionary conversion that cannot
leave things as they presently are,” capable of transform-
ing everything into a suitable channel of evangelization.
All. She warns us about the temptations that lie in wait for
evangelizers.
Leader. Her challenge and all those we have noted here present
us with serious questions.
Reader A. How can we today be witnesses and messengers of
the joy of the Gospel in each one of our places?
Reader B. How can we encourage a new phase of evangeliza-
tion that is more open to the Spirit, full of fervor, joy, gen-
erosity, courage, boundless love, and attraction?
Reader C. How can we collaborate with the Spirit to find new
ways, languages, creative methods and more eloquent
symbols of the Kingdom?
Response
community we feel challenged by
All. The cry of mother earth, the clamor of the poor and for
justice, the dream for peace and reconciliation, the mean-
ing of life and its care, the new digital and technological
continent, a Church going forth, among the people with
many faces and charisms, seduction by the Spirit, the grace
of being a missionary community, and the fidelity to the
Claretian missionary vocation.
Leader. There are many questions and challenges before us.
All. But we are not overwhelmed by them.
Conclusion
Leader. O Jesus, we know that you walk with us.
All. You speak to us and seek with us the glory of the Father,
that the human person might live, that the poor might live,
that nature might live. United with you, trusting in your
Spirit, resting in the arms of the Father amid creative and
generous surrender, let your Spirit lead us wherever he wills
and make us in his own time “mysteriously fruitful.” Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. O Father God, you give us the fruits of the earth that we
may live and serve your glory. Bless us and our community,
and all those who respond to the challenges you present
to them. Bless this table that we may be strengthened by
your gift of nourishment for our pastoral and missionary
conversion. We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Charismatic Traits in Mission (MS 34-38)
Introduction
Leader. Our Congregation, present on the five continents,
desires to hear the challenges of our God who continues
to lovingly knock on our door.
All. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to
you.
Leader. As heirs of the charism of St. Anthony Mary Claret, we
ask: To keep the inheritance we have received alive and
fruitful, what is the Spirit asking of us at this moment in
the history of humanity?
you.
Leader. We gratefully recognize that the Lord has blessed
us generously. While sin has continued to manifest itself
among us, the signs of God’s grace have been and are
much greater.
you.
Reading
Reader. In 1979, recalling the 1967 special Chapter, the Con-
gregation enumerated the following “identifying traits of
every Claretian: a profound experience of God as Father:
a living of our divine sonship; conformity with Christ who
was anointed and sent to save humankind; a deep sense
of Marian sonship; a strict evangelical life following the
poor, chaste, and obedient Christ; community life in the
style of the apostles; a fervent expression of the love which
unites us with God and apostolic zeal for the salvation of
humankind; a faith-filled, prayerful and loving ministry of
the Word listened to and assimilated.”
Response
Leader. United with Mary we wish to add to her Magnificat, for
the Lord has done great things for us.
All. The Spirit of Claret is alive and every day more inspiring.
Leader. The Word of God occupies a place ever more central
to our mission and spirituality.
All. He has facilitated the growth of the Congregation and has
enriched it with missionaries from many places.
Leader. He sustains our fraternity and helps us to leave behind
jealousies and prejudices and to strengthen our commu-
nion within the Congregation.
All. He has strengthened our awareness of ecclesial commu-
nion and has granted us a better understanding of the gift
of Mission.
Leader. He has made us capable of responding to the needs
of many people, especially the poor, and the new faces
of poverty.
All. He has motivated us with the testimony of our martyrs and
the ecclesial recognition of their testimony.
Leader. He graces us with the dedication of many Claretians:
missionaries in formation, brothers, deacons and pres-
byters.
All. He has facilitated the increase of collaboration and the
sharing of goods and resources among us.
Conclusion
Leader. O Virgin and Mother of God, through your interven-
tion, our Congregation was founded. We honor you as
our Patroness.
All. Let us accompany you in love and trust, and commit our-
selves to you that we may be conformed to the mystery of
Christ and may cooperate with you in your maternal role
in our apostolic mission as sons of your Immaculate Heart.
Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Father, you called us to be sons of the Heart of Mary.
Bless the food we are about to receive that we may live our
sonship in conformity to Jesus, your first-born Son, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Missionaries “with Spirit” (MS 39-41)
Introduction
Leader. We have been graced with a particular spirituality,
inherited from St. Anthony Mary Claret and from our rich
tradition.
All. Rejoice! Do not be afraid! The Holy Spirit will come upon
you!
Leader. As Sons of the Heart of Mary, we are called to be men
open to the Spirit, led by him and always docile to his mo-
tions, men on fire with love.
you!
Leader. The Church of our time strengthens this trait when she
talks of “evangelizers with Spirit,” who are aflame with the
fire of the Spirit and of mission.
you!
Reading
Reader. Our path of spirituality in mission opens in each one
of us and in every community processes of listening to
the Master, of a progressive identification with his style of
life that is obedient, celibate and poor; and increases our
testimony to great missionaries at all times and places,
even against the tide, and our proclamation of the Gospel
with boldness. Without a strong spirituality and constancy
in prayer we will not be credible, able to communicate the
Gospel nor become mystics in the mission.
Response
Leader. Docility to the Spirit enables the flourishing of charac-
teristic virtues of our missionary charism in us:
All. Boldness and creativity, heartfelt compassion, joy, close-
ness, humility and meekness. In the face of decreasing
numbers and works, persecution and death, we glory in
the cross of Christ.
Leader. We aim to live as disciples
All. Sensitive to the signs of the Spirit in compassionate and
attentive contact with persons, and capable of receiving
the gift of God in history and of interpreting events from
the perspective of faith and our charism.
Leader. We want to nurture our spirituality
All. As Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary formed in the
forge of her Heart.
Conclusion
Leader. O God, send us your Spirit.
All. May we collaborate with your Spirit to acquire an attitude
of missionary outreach for the transformation of realities.
May we seek out in our missionary discernment those ac-
tivities that are most urgent, opportune and effective. Let
your Spirit generate is us that joy to overcome pessimism,
spiritual sloth, worldliness and our own weaknesses, so
that, in turn, we may give witness to that joy. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Father God, you sent your Spirit and everything was
created. You continue to sustain us with that same Spirit.
Bless us whom you have gathered in the Spirit. Bless our
community meal that we may all be nurtured and strength-
ened as spirit-filled missionaries. We ask you this through
Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Listeners and Servants of the Word of God (MS 42-
45)
Introduction
Leader. Our charismatic heritage defines us as “listeners and
servants of the Word.”
All. Let it be done to me according to your word.
Leader. We are in the Church and in society an echo of Claret,
passionate minister of the Gospel in season and out of
season, using all means at his disposal.
Leader. We, like Mary, as Sons of her Heart, want to welcome
and meditate upon the Word in our hearts and to proclaim
it with passion.
Reading
Reader. The Church of today has helped us to understand
in a new way that our God is speaking to us in order to
establish a permanent dialogue of life, the dialogue of
the Covenant. The Father who speaks in various ways and
manners—in creation, in the history of human salvation, in
the Scriptures—speaks in a definitive way in his Son Jesus,
the incarnate Word, and in the Sacraments of his pres-
ence. With Mother Church we can speak of a “symphony
of the Word.” God our Father expects from us a free and
committed response to his Word. Listening to the Word
generates in us habits of silence, adoration, contemplation
and discernment.
Response
Leader. The Spirit helps us understand the depth of God as we
become aware of God’s love for his people, and the revela-
tion of the mysteries of the Kingdom to the humble, the
poor and excluded.
All. The ministry of the Word belongs to the core of our char-
ismatic experience; it is a link between mission and life.
Leader. We aim to promote vocational and pastoral listening
to the Word
All. That makes the Bible, especially throughout the liturgical
year, the guide of God’s journey with us and of our own
journey with God.
Leader. We will read, understand and welcome the Word under
the action of the Spirit
All. And find out how through the Word, the person of Jesus
Christ, speaks to us, addresses us, helps us to understand
the signs of the times and shows us the Mission.
Conclusion
Leader. O God, may we listen to you in the events of the lives
of the poor and those who suffer violence and injustice.
May we encourage listening to the Word and proclaim the
Word, using the most appropriate and discerned means.
All. Make us messengers, witnesses and interpreters of the
Word, listening to you who speak through the various
religious traditions and cultures, and speaking about you
using languages appropriate to the different cultures. Make
us prophets who announce your Word and witnesses of
what we preach with our life in all aspects. Make us men
of dialogue, able to recognize significant signs for others
to believe the Gospel message. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Bless us, O Lord, and the grace of our community meal
that through the food that gives us bodily nourishment,
we may realize that we do not live on food alone but
from every Word that comes from your mouth. Grant this
through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Missionaries in Community (MS 46-48)
Introduction
Leader. From the beginning we have lived in community, in the
style of the apostles with Jesus and the first community,
which had one heart and one mind and had everything
in common.
All. May our communities be a parable of communion, an
eschatological sign, an evangelizing word in today’s world.
Leader. In the community we are sons of God the Father
and sent by him, and brothers among ourselves. Like the
beloved disciple, we welcome Mary into our home as our
Mother.
Leader. To live as a missionary community is a gift of the Holy
Spirit, which we must welcome and care for by loving one
another; it is he who shapes our fellowship and forms us
into disciple-missionaries among the people of God.
Reading
Reader. As witnesses and messengers of the joy of the Gospel
in apostolic community, we strive to have a common vision
in addressing the human peripheries that challenge us in
every place to have an attitude of missionary outreach. With
the attitude of a true discernment community we convert
our vision into a mission project.
Response
Leader. Within our missionary project, we integrate the min-
istries and services of each and every member, according
to our gifts, charisms and particular situation.
All. Thus grows within us an awareness that we are one body
with different members in mission, and individualism is
avoided.
Leader. We aim to shape our communities to be an eschatologi-
cal sign of unity, peace and reconciliation.
All. We build among ourselves a missionary community in a
spirit of dialogue, acceptance and mutual appreciation,
discerning together its ministries and services.
Conclusion
Leader. God, you called us to be missionaries in community.
All. Reinforce in us our sense of belonging and community co-
responsibility in our inter-generational and inter-cultural
communities that we may value and accept as indispens-
able the ministry of intercessory prayer and suffering of
our elderly, sick and impaired brothers, even as we also
learn to appreciate and integrate the creative energies of
the younger generation. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Heavenly Father, your Holy Spirit gifted us to live as a
missionary community. Bless this meal which gathers us
as one community around this table to give us renewed
vigor and strength. May this also fortify the bond of unity
of our fraternity. We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Sent to Evangelize Listening to the Poor (MS 49-52)
Introduction
Leader. Our Father Founder understood his vocation using the
scene of the synagogue of Nazareth in which he identified
himself with Jesus as anointed to evangelize the poor.
All. He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly.
Leader. In its process of return to the Gospel and adaptation to
the times, our Congregation has deepened its call to evan-
gelize the poor and to let itself be evangelized by them.
Leader. Today, it listens even more intensely to the Church’s
call to strengthen ever more with boldness and creativity
the option for the poor and displaced.
Reading
Reader. One cannot be Claretian if he acts as if the poor did not
exist. Nor can he be Claretian without denouncing unfair
structures, fighting against the system that subjugates the
poor and proposing alternatives. The poor are “the privi-
leged recipients of the Gospel.” Through them, as in Mary,
the Gospel speaks and challenges us with a new voice.
Response
Leader. Our option for the poor is made credible through a
poor and simple lifestyle and through the sharing of goods
among ourselves and with those most in need.
All. We also need to manage our goods without greed, trust-
ing in the Providence of God the Father and excluding any
collaboration with the god of unjust riches, just as Jesus
taught us. Evangelical poverty, chosen and professed, is
our blessing.
Leader. It upsets and moves us to see that at this time of so
much scientific and technological progress, there is a major-
ity of people who live precariously day by day; that having
so many resources, an exclusion economy, a “throw-away”
culture still predominates; that indifference is globalized.
All. As evangelizers, we want to be “instruments of God for the
liberation and promotion of the poor,” to be deeply touched
by the suffering of others, to become a Congregation which
is poor and for the poor, and that lets itself be evangelized
by them and evangelizes with them.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, you yourself became poor when you chose to
be born as one of us.
All. Grant us the grace to welcome, listen to, accompany and
care for the most vulnerable of the earth. May we open
ourselves to new experiences of the Spirit, who makes
us go out toward the peripheries of poverty, exclusion
and the “throw away” culture, who graces us with the gift
of mercy and compassion, who grants us an alternative
prophetic vision from the peripheries, and who leads us
to promote ethical cultures of cooperation and solidarity.
Let us give a real testimony of both personal and com-
munity poverty and simplicity, and to share our goods
for the promotion of the poor, and join in with the poor
as agents of evangelization and advocates of the unique
mission of the Spirit. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Bless this food, O Lord, set before us as the gift of your
providence. May we be in solidarity with those who at this
moment suffer hunger and want. Bless them too that they
may find hope and solace in you. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
With the Whole Church and Those Seeking
the Transformation of the World (MS 53-57)
Introduction
Leader. Our Father Founder taught us that the evangelizing
mission is an enormous work of transformation of the world
that has to be carried forward “by all” in favor of all and to
bring real happiness to our neighbors.
All. May we be of one mind and heart, and be filled with the
Spirit.
Leader. At Pentecost, the Spirit is poured out on the whole
Christian assembly, on “young and old,” “sons and daugh-
ters,” and “on all flesh.” Mary, our Mother, was there, as
witness and messenger of the total mystery of Jesus in the
community that had one heart and one mind.
Spirit.
Leader. For our Congregation the dimension of “evangelizing
with others,” multiplying evangelizing leaders, and shared
mission is an indispensable charismatic trait that we un-
derstand and carry out in various ways.
Spirit.
Reading
Reader. We live the charism of Claret in different ways: brothers,
students, deacons and priests. Our communities are the
first place of mission and shared life. When we see people
who feel graced with the charism of Claret and called to
share it or called to collaborate with us in our missionary
efforts, we see them in the mission as an “extended family.”
Response
Leader. We are members of a Church “in mission” by the work
of the Spirit, a Church that is a parable of the communion
of various charisms and ministries.
All. “In the Church, there is a diversity of ministry, but a one-
ness of mission.” This is why we actively involve ourselves
in the local churches and collaborate with other institutes
of consecrated life and movements in accord with our
charismatic identity.
Leader. We know that the problems of humanity need a com-
monly agreed and shared response. The Spirit pours himself
beyond the limits of the Church, when and how he wants.
All. This is why we want to collaborate closely with all people,
Christians or not, who act in ways that are compatible with
the values of the Kingdom; we join them in their initiatives
and actions.
Conclusion
Leader. O God, you called us to shared mission as our way of
being and doing.
All. Teach us the best ways of sharing our evangelizing and
missionary charism with those who, from different forms
of life, have been graced with it and form with us the Clar-
etian family. May we promote in accord with our charism
a Church of participation and communion: to share in the
mission and life of each particular church; to help form
Christian communities that receive and take care of all
their members; to be open to share missionary services
and community life with people of other institutes or forms
of life; and to collaborate in networks, shared mission and
projects of others. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. You bless us, O God, not just with food but with different
dishes, tastes and flavors. May this meal of different dishes
lead us on to live and work in a Church of different faces,
culture and ministries—all for your greater glory and the
salvation of humankind. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Open to the Whole World in Prophetic Dialogue
(MS 58-63)
Introduction
Leader. Like Claret, we are convinced that our spirit is for the
whole world.
All. Lord, make dialogue our style and means of evangelization.
Leader. Today we understand the world in a global sense: the
other, nature, the cosmos, the virtual world. This world is
already inhabited by God.
Leader. We need a sensitivity that will help us to discover all
that God is already doing in the world. From here springs
our dialogue with the sciences, culture, religions.
Reading
Reader. The Mission means announcing the Gospel, taking into
account the previous action of God’s Spirit in the world
and thus becomes missio inter gentes, prophetic dialogue.
The Church that is born of the missio Dei is shown to be
a community that not only gives, but also receives; that
does not impose, but persuades; that loves and respects
freedom and dignity, which empties itself and is humble to
grow with the other. In the dialogue of life questions and
the more serious issues of the mission emerge. Thus, we
discover how God reveals himself in various contexts and
how these prepare us for God’s revelation.
Response
Leader. The Congregation takes as its own this style of being
listeners and servants of the Word, giving importance to
prophetic dialogue of life as key to our pastoral and mis-
sionary activity.
All. We now need to enter into a new phase, open and creative
dialogue as presence—living more than doing—inter-
religious and inter-cultural dialogue which promotes peace
and reconciliation; dialogue with creation that leads to
ecological conversion.
Leader. In this dialogue we live the announcement and the
denouncement that is part of prophecy.
All. It is a dialogue which we also extend to the new digital con-
tinent and to the new generations of youth to evangelize
and to be evangelized. We are men on fire with love and
“dialogue is the new name of charity.”
Leader. When dialogue is difficult
All. Prayer, intercession, patience, mercy and humility will
reinforce our hope that the Spirit will carry out his work in
others and in us.
Conclusion
Leader. O God, we ask you for the grace of prophetic dialogue
with others.
All. May we make dialogue our style and means of evange-
lization that configure our words, work, ministries and
lifestyles. Grant us to sincerely be open to new ideas,
specially those coming from the young, as we understand
their circumstances, cultures and ways of being, and to
discern and respond to them; to look for the “mystique of
the encounter.” May we become enculturated to overcome
prejudices, fears and defenses, encouraging dialogue to
promote reconciliation, forgiveness and peace. May we ap-
proach initial and ongoing formation from the perspective
of prophetic dialogue and creative imagination. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Father, you are in constant dialogue with us and the
whole of creation. Bless us and this meal which comes
from you that we too may be attentive and open to enter
into dialogue with all. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Processes of Transformation (MS 64-65)
Introduction
Leader. We have been granted spiritual and charismatic
sensitivity, and fidelity to the traits of being Claretian
Missionaries.
All. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my
throne.
Leader. The Lord calls us through the cry of our mother earth,
the clamor of the poor, of justice, of the victims of violence,
of the denial of God.
throne.
Leader. He knocks and asks us to open the door.
throne.
Reading
Reader. During the half hour after Mass, I feel that I am totally
annulled. I desire nothing but his holy will. I live by Jesus’
own life. In possessing me he possesses nothing, while
I possess everything in him. I tell him, “Lord, you are my
love. You are my honor, my hope, and my refuge. You are
my glory and my goal. My love, my happiness, and my
preserver. My delight, my reformer, and my master. My
Father, Spouse of my life and soul. (Autobiography 754)
Response
Leader. We resolve to be with Jesus a Congregation “going
forth” which receives the call of the Church to the pastoral-
missionary and ecological conversion.
All. We commit ourselves to form under the guidance of the
Spirit communities of witnesses and messengers. The Spirit
of our Father and our Mother will speak for us.
Conclusion
Leader. God our Father, grant us the grace to adore you “in
spirit and truth.”
All. Let us embrace the processes of transformation that the
Spirit grants us. May we live in the joy that is born of you,
which Mary, our mother, experienced and which is char-
acteristic in receiving the Gospel. Let no privations and
adversities prevent us from living and proclaiming the
beatitudes of Jesus, your Son. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Father God, bless this meal and all those who had a
part in bringing this to our table and transforming all the
ingredients into life-giving dishes. Transform us, too, that
the nutrients our body will receive be for us strength and
zeal of the spirit that we may continue knowing you, loving
you, and serving you. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
A Congregation “Going Forth” Part 1 (MS 66-67)
Introduction
Leader. As in the case of our Father Founder, today, Mary of
the Pentecost—heart and fire—makes us restless, impels
our path, shakes our fear and inertias, and sends us forth to
proclaim the Gospel in new places and peripheries
All. Let us walk forward and open up new frontiers of all kinds,
including ways of thinking, to seek out new pathways.
Leader. That the whole Christ may be born and grow through
the troublesome human history.
Leader. That we may be witnesses of compassion and mercy,
universal brothers of the world.
Reading
Reader. Our missionary objective during the next six years will
be to walk forward, to open up new frontiers of all kinds,
Response
Leader. We will encourage a true pastoral conversion within
the whole Congregation:
All. Abandoning what is obsolete, and opting for what are
imaginative and innovative models of evangelization that
take us to human peripheries and to the new places of
prophetic dialogue.
Leader. We will include in our evangelization, shared with oth-
ers and as an essential dimension, the defense and care of
life, family, cultures, peoples and creation.
All. We will renew and better coordinate our places of edu-
cation and formation, and will look for effective ways of
mobilizing, coordinating and animating within the whole
Congregation and in the different continents the objectives
and actions of the Mission Procure, the Secretariat of JPIC
and our presence in NGOs and in the United Nations.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, you called us to be a Church on the move.
All. May we contribute to the multiplication of evangelizers for
a Church on the move, that is inclusive, participative and co-
responsible. May we encourage an opportune and efficient
response to urgent needs of evangelization from different
places and regions where we are, as well as commitments
of welcome and accompaniment of persons and groups im-
poverished and excluded, promoting processes of inclusion
and social transformation. Send us persons and teams that
understand the possibilities and limits of the information
and communication technologies and help us form them
to evangelize using the communication media. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Bless us, O Lord, and this table of your grace. May our
meal and fellowship give us renewed vigor to always be a
community that goes forth, a Church on the move, to the
peripheries of evangelization. Grant this through Christ,
our Lord.
All. Amen.
A Congregation “Going Forth” Part 2 (MS 68)
Introduction
Leader. As in the case of our Father Founder, today, Mary of
the Pentecost—heart and fire—makes us restless, impels
our path, shakes our fear and inertias, and sends us forth to
proclaim the Gospel in new places and peripheries
Leader. That the whole Christ may be born and grow through
the troublesome human history.
Leader. That we may be witnesses of compassion and mercy,
universal brothers of the world.
Reading
Reader. Our objective regarding the evangelization of the
youth generation and their preparation to respond to the
calling of the Lord, will be to go forth to meet them, to
walk with them and to help them be attentive to Jesus’
call.
Response
Leader. We will see that each province and delegation has the
necessary personnel and structures, so that Youth Ministry
and especially Vocation Ministry may be properly attended
to and coordinated.
All. We will take seriously the human, theological, pastoral and
spiritual preparation of our pastoral agents of evangeliza-
tion of the youth, so that they might be better prepared to
reach out to them, respond with creativity to their ques-
tions, accompany them with wisdom in their journey, and
to challenge their decisions prophetically.
Leader. We will promote the creation of groups and communi-
ties of teenagers and young people
All. That will initiate processes of searching for God, of faith,
vocation discernment and Christian and apostolic com-
mitment.
Conclusion
Leader. Lord, you called us to be a Church on the move.
All. Strengthen our commitment to you, so that each and
every one of us may encourage vocations. Help us create
an authentic culture of vocation, in which your Word and
the surrounding human situations really challenge us, to
clearly present the different forms of Christian life, and in
a very specific way our missionary vocation as “Sons of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. We gather, O Father, around this table as sons of the
Heart of Mary. Bless our community and these gifts of sus-
tenance and life. May these strengthen our commitment
and grant us the cordiality to proclaim to and share with
others our sonship. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Being a Community
of Witnesses and Messengers Part 1 (MS 69-70)
Introduction
Leader. To be “community” is a verb and not just a noun. It is an
action, a process. It is a grace which must be asked for, nur-
tured, and allowed to grow, not just the result of our efforts.
All. Lord, give us the grace of being a community of witnesses
and messengers of the joy of the Gospel.
Leader. As sons of the “heart,” should we not put great effort to
be communities of “one heart and one mind” in which we
share our spiritual and material goods, whereby we enjoy
the favor of God’s people, and God adds new members?
Leader. To be community is possible when we accept the
presence of the Father, and Mary our Mother, who make
us brothers with the only Master who makes us disciples
and brings us joy with his Presence and the love of the
Spirit which is poured into our hearts. Only then does our
mission become credible.
Reading
Reader. Our goal during the next six years is to create mis-
sionary communities that will rediscover the joy of living
in communities which are houses and schools of com-
munion; that give witness to God’s primacy and, in and of
themselves, will announce the Gospel.
Response
Leader. We will promote among ourselves attitudes of mutual
and loving appreciation, of interests in who the other is
and for what he does.
All. In this way healthy communities can develop where dia-
logue occurs, grace is shared, a sense of trust and freedom
develops, the joy of the Gospel is shared, pardon and
reconciliation heals our wounds, and no one and nothing,
like the abuse of social media, the new technologies, and
other interests, isolates us from one another.
Leader. We will encourage each of our communities to get
involved in accord with our charism in the local church,
to be open to collaborate in projects that go beyond the
local diocese
All. And become more visible in the social media, citizenship
projects and cultural context of the society in which it is
located, to transform this reality according to God’s plan,
and to offer generous and qualified collaboration, solidarity,
or support
Conclusion
Leader. Lord God, our being a community of witnesses and
messengers of the Gospel is both a gift and a challenge
from you.
All. Grant that our communities treasure and respond to this
grace, specially in elaborating our community projects in
a spirit of discernment, prayer and togetherness. Teach us
also how to open our communities to those with whom
we share our mission and charism. Lead our communi-
ties towards pastoral conversion that we may discern our
apostolic commitments and the status of our fraternal life.
Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Bless, O Lord, this food to make us healthy and strong.
Bless us, too and make our community healthy that we
may live as brothers and share to others the joy of living
the Gospel. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Being a Community
of Witnesses and Messengers Part 2 (MS 71)
Introduction
mission becomes credible.
Reading
Reader. With respect to the economy of our Congregation,
provinces and delegations, and communities, our goal for
the next six years is: to increase the sharing of goods in
solidarity, and to be an expression of a poor Church that
evangelizes the poor, in the style of Claret.
Response
Leader. We will rediscover the joy of being poor like Jesus
All. Conforming more and more our styles of life, organization
and economic activity to a missionary Gospel poverty
which makes our evangelization credible, witnesses to
solidarity and to a trust in Providence.
Leader. We will adopt measures and develop programs
All. Involving the interprovincial conferences to select and
prepare local and provincial treasurers and administrators
of works.
Conclusion
Leader. All that we are and everything that we have, all come
from you, Lord.
All. Teach us to administer the goods of this earth as your
stewards. May our provinces and delegations program their
economy using projections beyond the annual budget with
more transparency and competence in order to increase
resources that support our ministries on the peripheries
and allow us to support ministries of other provinces and
delegations under the coordination of the General Gov-
ernment. Grant us to find appropriate instruments and a
style of organization that facilitate the coordination of the
Congregation’s property for the benefit of its universal
mission. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Heavenly Father, you provide us with food to nourish us
in your love. Bless this table of our fellowship and make us
thankful for the little joys of this meal: the pleasing aroma
of the different dishes before us, the varied flavors of the
food we will eat, even the seeming blandness of the rice
(or bread) that enhances even more the taste of food. To
you be glory and honor forever and ever.
All. Amen.
Being a Community
of Witnesses and Messengers Part 3 (MS 72)
Introduction
mission becomes credible.
Reading
Reader. Our goal with respect to the governance of our
Congregation is to make sure that those who exercise
the service of authority, discern and act “according to
God’s heart” to accompany persons, to foster missionary
cooperation, to promote the creativity and innovation
that the Spirit requires in every time and place.
Response
Leader. We will encourage a governance that is shared, com-
passionate, inspired by Jesus and those attitudes found in
the heart of Mary.
All. Thus, we will ensure proper qualification and support for
those who will provide the services of animation, and we
will enhance the role of the inter-provincial conferences.
Leader. From initial formation, we will see that assignments
animate and reinforce the universal mission of the Con-
gregation in close dialogue of the General Government
with the major superiors.
All. We will develop programs that improve the preparation
of those who are going to be sent, and the disposition to
the host provinces, delegations and communities who are
going to receive them.
Conclusion
Leader. Father God, you bring us together as brothers, your
sons, in this missionary community.
All. It was you who began this great enterprise in us. Send us
your Spirit that we may explore new methods and ways
of organizing our general and provincial chapters in their
different phases from preparation to implementation to
evaluation as well as the inter-provincial conferences.
Give us your grace to bring to conclusion those processes
of reorganization already initiated and consolidate those
already carried out in accordance with the criteria set out
in the last General Chapters, which had been graced mo-
ments of renewal. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Our Lord and God, our community is your ongoing gift
to each of us. You continue to sustain and nourish us with
the grace of food that we are about to partake. Bless this
meal that we may nurture and keep our community a place
of compassion, service and mutual support according to
your heart. Grant this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Men who Adore God in the Spirit Part 1 (MS 73-74)
Introduction
Leader. As first disciple, Mary teaches us how to listen to the
Word, to keep it in our heart and to take care of the needs
of others.
All. In the forge of your Heart, O loving Mother, teach us to
proclaim the greatness of the Lord and rejoice in God our
Savior.
Leader. As mother at the foot of the Cross, she conforms us
with Jesus, prays with us for the coming of the Spirit and
the arrival of the final victory against Evil who wants to
destroy the creation of God.
Savior.
Leader. Therefore, the “only concern” of a son of the Heart
of Mary “is how he may follow Christ and imitate him in
praying, working, enduring and striving constantly and
solely for the greater glory of God and the salvation of
humankind.”
Savior.
Reading
Reader. Our objective with regard to spirituality for the next
six years is to joyfully go forth in the path of the Lord, to
proclaim with our life and mission the supremacy of God,
following the spiritual life journey of our Founder, as re-
flected in his autobiography.
Response
Leader. We will develop and carry out under the guidance of
the General Government a formative and spiritual itinerary
to help all Claretians know and live deeply and passionately
our spiritual patrimony.
All. We shall take care very specially of the vocational listening
and shared Word of God, particularly in the Eucharist and
the Liturgy of the Hours throughout the liturgical year
Leader. We shall continue to promote the Forge experiences.
We shall foster the realization of the Residential Forge in
various geographical and language areas and the participa-
tion of all in special moments of our life.
All. We shall work on our personal projects to encourage
progress in the missionary life, foster in us spiritual ac-
companiment, and look for ways to dialogue about these
in community.
Conclusion
Leader. O God, you call and accompany us to go forth joyfully
in your path.
All. Teach us and our communities to adore you in spirit and
truth, and thus show the emptiness of any kind of idolatry.
Encourage in us the joyful living of the vocation we have
received from you whether it be lay, priestly or diaconal that
we may grow deeper in it and to manifest in our spirituality
and formation our common vocation as missionaries and
religious. May we be open to participate more actively in
the spiritual journey of Christian communities and, when
present, in their popular religiosity, and in those human
groups with whom we share life, creating places and times
that allow for participation, all of which are for us a source of
spirituality. Lord, send more workers to the harvest. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. God, our Father, you bless us with every breath we take,
and you continue to nourish us with the food before us.
Bless us and this table that we may joyfully go forth in your
path and proclaim with our life and mission your primacy
in everything. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Men who Adore God in the Spirit Part 2 (MS 75)
Introduction
Leader. As first disciple, Mary teaches us how to listen to the
Word, to keep it in our heart and to take care of the needs
of others.
Savior.
Leader. As mother at the foot of the Cross, she conforms us
with Jesus, prays with us for the coming of the Spirit and
the arrival of the final victory against Evil who wants to
destroy the creation of God.
Savior.
Leader. Therefore, a son of the Heart of Mary’s “only concern
is how he may follow Christ and imitate him in praying,
working, enduring and striving constantly and solely for
the greater glory of God and the salvation of humankind.”
Savior.
Reading
Reader. Our objective regarding initial as well as ongoing
formation for the next six years is to progress and grow as
disciples, called by the Master to be with him, and to be sent
as witnesses and messengers until we are transformed as
was our Father Founder throughout the course of his life.
Response
Leader. We will review the General Plan of Formation, keep-
ing in mind our charismatic traits and the challenges of
our time, and will define our formation both initial and
continuous as truly transformative processes.
All. We will make certain that the accompaniment during
initial formation includes a personal meeting between
each student and his formator to facilitate discernment
and vocational growth.
Leader. We will endeavor to see that formators are prepared for
this ministry of accompaniment and perform their ministry
free of other tasks that might prevent them from joyfully
carrying out their assignment as a very important part of
the unique and common Claretian Mission.
All. We will reinforce in all our formation processes, centers and
stages, those actions that help to prepare our formandi for
intercultural living, inculturation and a commitment to the
universal mission of the Congregation.
Conclusion
Leader. Holy Spirit, you are the first and foremost Formator,
come and form us according to the Father’s will.
All. Make our formation communities witnesses and mes-
sengers of the Gospel committed to the formation
process. May we devote time and effort to update our
own biblical-theological formation and knowledge of the
social and political circumstances of the day, that we may
offer missionary services relevant to the times. Renew the
initiatives and structures we have in the Congregation for
renewal and formation that they may be life-giving and
responsive to the needs of our Missionaries, of the Church
and of the world. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Divine Formator, you formed us in your image and
likeness, and continue to form us in the image of your
Son. Bless us and these your gifts which will then become
us, that in turn we may become more and more like your
Son, Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Conclusion
Introduction
Leader. The Chapter discernment ends here. It is the result of
a wish and a prayer to place ourselves in the “upper room,”
the Cenacle of the Spirit, and with Mary our mother always
in the center.
All. May we listen to the challenges of God in our world, high-
light those traits by which the Spirit identifies us, let its fire
transform us and its wind make us a Congregation going
forth to the peripheries of the world.
Leader. If we are faithful to the vocation received we will be
happy and will communicate with our own style the Joy
of the Gospel.
Leader. May this document be received like a short film that
tries to capture in a few scenes the intense process of dis-
cernment, prayed, shared and endorsed by all.
Reading
Reader. The Chapter members represent only three percent
of the entire Congregation. Among us are reflected a
wonderful variety of languages, peoples and cultures.
Once again we find that fraternal intercultural dialogue is
possible, that through gestures of closeness and mutual
belonging, any barrier is surmountable. Nothing daunts a
united Congregation.
Response
Leader. We are motivated by a strong desire for change,
which is expressed in pastoral conversion, missionary and
ecological, to which the Church of today calls us, and in
the decision to leave our areas of comfort to become a
“Congregation going forth.”
All. We have received a charismatic heritage which energizes
us ever more and helps us to discover our reason for being
in the local churches, in the world Church, and in society.
Conclusion
Leader. The Immaculate Heart of Mary, so beautifully depicted
in the mural which presides over our General House chapel,
is our inspiration. With her, let us go forth, walking together
with the people, in joyful adoration! We are missionaries!
All. You are always Mother,
Mother now
)f that emergent Christ born and growing
Through an evolving human history.
Mother of the Word and its disciple,
Master of listening and of service,
Maternal Cenacle of the Church:
Never turn back, Mother!
Encourage the twelve going forth,
And all seventy,
For we are bewildered,
Perhaps, at the onslaught of God’s windstorm!
Open our eyes and ears,
Shake from us fear and inertia,
Give us a heart of flesh and chrism,
Clothe us with joy and courage,
Send us to the Wind that brings you,
Witnesses of your Son,
Paschal servers and deacons,
Brothers universal of the world!
Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. Bless us, O Lord, and all these gifts which we will share
in this cenacle of our fraternity. Grant that nourished by this
food, we may be open to your Spirit to welcome the fire
and the wind to go forth to the frontiers of evangelization.
Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
With Pope Francis:
Witnesses and Messengers of the Joy of the Gospel
Introduction
Leader. We are witnesses because joy cannot be expressed if it
is not present and profoundly rooted in our personal life,
as well as in the community.
All. Jesus, be the center of our life, that we may give witness
and communicate the joy of the Gospel.
Leader. We are messengers because what is good must be
shared and in sharing this joy, it is purified and multiplied,
making it truly evangelical.
Leader. One sure way to hear the challenges is to place
ourselves in the realities of the different peripheries of
the world. In these places we hear these challenges with
greater clarity.
Reading
Reader. St. Anthony Mary Claret, as a founder, gave you a
beautiful name: “Sons of the Heart of Mary.” Allow all of the
dimensions of your lives to be profoundly marked by this
“cordiality” which inspired Mary’s beautiful hymn of the
Magnificat; and express the motherliness of the Church,
Merciful Mother, who never tires of waiting, accompanying
and forgiving.
Response
Leader. To “give thanks for our past” is to give thanks to God for
the testimony of many of our brothers who, sustained by
their faith, lived their vocation with profound joy, some of
them even up to the point of martyrdom.
All. This also calls us to recognize the merciful hand of God
who, regardless of our weaknesses and inconsistencies,
continues to work marvels in the midst of the people of
God.
Leader. “Living the present with passion” is fundamental to the
missionary project in the spirit of St. Anthony Mary Claret,
who placed as his model in his coat of arms, “Caritas Christi
urget nos” (the Love of Christ Impels Us).
All. To love as Jesus loved should challenge each of our pastoral
options.
Leader. “Embracing the future with hope” means not to allow
ourselves to be dragged down by discouragement. Do not
be afraid. It is the Lord who sends us.
All. Let us always place our eyes on those who await the proc-
lamation, and those who need our witness in order to feel
the merciful presence of God in their lives.
Conclusion
Leader. God, our participation in your mission in the gift of
the Spirit.
All. We give you thanks for our past for the testimony of many
of our brothers. In spite of our weaknesses and inconsis-
tencies, you continue to work marvels in the midst of your
people. We live the present with passion to love as Jesus
loved. We embrace the future with hope for you are our
hope and strength. It is you who send us to those who
need our witness to feel your merciful presence in their
lives. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. We praise you, almighty God, Eternal Now where the
past and future meet. Send upon us your blessing and
bless our meal that we may always be thankful for the past,
passionate for the present and full of hope for the future.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
With Pope Francis —
To Adore, to Walk, to Accompany
Leader. For us in the world of efficiency, we have lost the sense

of adoration. Even in prayer, it is not certain, we pray, we
adore the Lord, we ask, we thank.
All. Adore.
Reader A. But adoration is being in front of the one and only
God, of that who do not have a price, who cannot be ne-
gotiated, who cannot be changed, and all that is outside
of him is an imitation of nothing, is idolatry.
All. Teach us, God, to adore you. Let us remember that we have
no other God than the only one, and worship only you.
Grant us the grace to spend time even without asking,
without thanking, even without praising, but only adoring,
only worshipping with a prostrate soul.
Leader. God cannot worship himself, but God wanted to walk,
he would not want to stand still. From the very start, he
walked with his people. That of Moses was so beautiful.
Which nation had a God so close who walks with you?
All. Walk.
Reader B. And to walk is to open frontiers, to go out, to open
up doors, to look for ways. Walk. Not just sit. Not to be
settled in the bad sense of the word. It is true that things
are to be organized, that there are ministries that require
sitting still but with the soul, the heart and the mind,
walk, search.
All. Bid us, Lord, to go to the frontiers, including that of the
mind, to open roads. To search and not be still that we may
not decay and become corrupted. Make us like the flowing
water of a river that does not decay. Let us walk the way you
walked, who became a companion on the road. Help us to
walk with that desire to gain one day to contemplate you.
Leader. Accompany, in other words, do not walk alone. Because
it’s kind of boring, rather accompany the people because
God walked accompanying them. Remember what Jesus did
to the foolish disciples escaping from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
All. Accompany.
Reader C. He walked right next to them and accompanied
them, accompanied them through a process until that
cold heart was rekindled and was burning, and then real-
ized what had happened.
All. Be with us, Lord, that we may accompany the people in
moments of joy, the happiness of marriages, of families, ac-
company them during the hard times, moments of crosses,
moments of sin. May we accompany people, accompany so
many wishes that you sow in their hearts, and to let them
grow well.
Leader. Adore, walk and accompany. And since Mary is the
Mother who takes care of us, let us pray a Hail Mary.
All. Hail, Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now
and at the hour of our death. Amen.
grace before meals.
Leader. God, our Father, you gather us before you around the
table of your grace. Bless the food we are about to partake
to give us strength and determination to adore you, to walk,
and to accompany you and our brothers and sisters in the
peripheries where you send us. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
5
Prayer of the Claretian
O Lord, renew is our Congregation and in each one of us
the spirit that animated St. Anthony Mary Claret, our Father.
Grant that we,
Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
may be men on fire with love
who spread its flames wherever we go;
that we may desire and strive by all means possible
to set the whole world on fire with God’s love;
that nothing or no one may daunt us;
that we may delight in privations,
welcome work, embrace sacrifices,
smile at slanders brought against us,
rejoice in the torments and sorrows we suffer
and glory in the cross of Jesus Christ;
that our only concern may be how to follow
and imitate Jesus Christ more closely
in prayer, work and suffering,
and strive constantly and singlemindedly
for the greater glory of God
and the salvation of souls.
Amen.
Thanksgiving for Our Vocation

O Mother, we thank you for the vocation we have received.
Grant us the grace to be faithful to it throughout our lives.
Definition of a Claretian Missionary

Reader 1. Lord, through the intercession of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, fill us with the spirit of love that we be men
on fire with love and spread its flames wherever we go.
All. Amen.
Reader 2. That we may desire and strive by all means possible
to set the whole world on fire with God’s love.
All. Amen.
Heart of Mary, fill us with the spirit of fortitude so that
nothing daunts us, that we may delight in privations and
valiantly welcome our apostolic labors.
All. Amen.
Reader 4. That we may joyfully embrace sacrifices, smile at
slander, and rejoice in suffering.
All. Amen.
Heart of Mary, fill us with the missionary spirit that ani-
mated Jesus, your Son, that our only concern may be to
follow and imitate him in praying, working and suffering.
All. Amen.
Reader 6. And so, like Jesus, we may strive constantly and
singlemindedly for your greater glory and the salvation
of humankind.
All. Amen.
Different Times
and Seasons
There is a given time for everything and a time
for every happening under heaven: A time for
giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting,
a time for uprooting.... A time for tears, a time for
laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing....
A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for
keeping, a time for throwing away.... a time to be
silent and a time to speak. —Ecclesiastes 3:1-7
Different Times and Seasons
Prayer upon waking up in the morning

On Monday
Father God,
today I begin a new day and a new week in your Name.
Grant me the joy of learning
as I use English as the language of my daily life;
give me the grace to always remember
this commitment to speak in English.
Amen.
On Other Weekdays
Glory and praise to you, God, in the beginning of this new day.
Make this day a day of joy and discovery,
of joy in learning a new language
and in discovering my own talents and ability.
Amen.
On Saturday
Father in heaven, thank you for the end of the week,
which is your gift to us that we may rest
and find renewed strength in you.
Weekends are not the end, but a new beginning.
Lift our spirits up to continue learning English.
Amen.
On Sunday
This is the day you have made when life triumphs over death:
the first day when you brought forth light
and also the eighth day when you raised Jesus,
your Son and our Lord,
from the darkness of the grave to be our true Sun!
On this day of rest, send us your Spirit of light
110
DIFFERENT TIMES AND SEASONS 111
that we may see what it takes to learn a new language:
our commitment and determination,
and time to learn and practice.
May we find in the risen Lord our resolve to learn English.
Amen.
Sunday Morning Prayer

Reading
Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit
through bonds of peace. Let there be one body and one spirit,
for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. One Lord, one
faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all, who is above all
and works through all, and is in all. —Ephesians 4:3-6.
Prayer
I praise you, Lord, this morning on the day of your resurrection.
On this day, you triumphed over sin and death,
and brought us new life.
It is also this day when my whole family are at home,
away from work and school, to rest and be together.
As I am also with my brothers in our Claretian family,
I pray that though I am far from my family,
you may unite us in your love.
May you be ever present with my family;
console them when my loved ones miss me.
Be with me on this day of rest
as your entire family celebrate the Eucharist,
that we may be nourished and strengthened
by your body and blood.
Amen.
Monday Morning Prayer

Reading
If anyone is not willing to work, neither should that one
112 DIFFERENT TIMES AND SEASONS
eat. However, we heard that some among you live in idleness—
busybodies, doing no work. In the name of Christ Jesus, our
Lord, we command those people to work and earn their own
living. And you, brothers and sisters, do not weary in doing what
is right. —2 Thessalonians 3:10-13.
Prayer
God, you began the work of creation
and entrusted to us to continue what you had begun.
I thank you for the strength you give us,
for the grace of work and study that we receive from you.
In the beginning of a new class week,
grant me the wisdom that comes from you
that I may learn English as a language
to communicate, understand and love one another
as we create and build our community.
Be with me as I begin another week
that as I go to class and participate in our activities,
I may bring you with me and that I may be a living sign
of your loving presence to those I will meet today.
Bless my classroom that there be harmony
among us who study there;
bless my classmates that they, too, may share in your goodness;
and bless my teachers that they be instruments in your hands
to impart to us your gift of knowledge and wisdom. Amen.
Tuesday Morning Prayer

Reading
This is the time to awake for our salvation is now nearer
than when we first believed; the night is almost over and day
is at hand. Let us discard, therefore, everything that belongs
to darkness and let us put on the armor of light. As we live
in the full light of day, let us behave with decency. —Romans
13:11b-13a.
Prayer
Lord God, you make the sun rise at the beginning of a new day;
you nourish the earth and fill us with your goodness.
Enlighten us throughout this day
that we may be aware of your abiding presence,
that we may ever walk in your ways.
Nourish us with your Word
that what you speak may take flesh in us
in our daily life and study.
As we learn English,
may your Spirit enlighten our minds
to understand what the different new words mean
and see the correct structure of different sentences.
May we study English in your name.
Bless my classmates and my teachers,
unite us all in your love
and together as one family,
we will praise and bless you, our Lord and God. Amen.
Wednesday Morning Prayer

Do not do to another what you would hate done to yourself.
Give your bread to those who are hungry and your clothes to
those who are naked. Take counsel of those who are wise and
do not despise any useful advice. In all circumstances, bless the
Lord and ask him to make your ways upright, and to make your
plans and projects succeed. —Tobit 4:15a, 16a, 18-19a.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you made us in your image
as brothers and sisters to one another.
I praise and thank you this morning
as you make the sun rise for all your children,
for the rich and the poor alike,
for the sinner and the just.
I begin this day in your Name;
be with me to guide me
that I may do good to everyone I meet today
and participate in class with dedication and joy.
Open my eyes to see your goodness in everything,
my ears to hear you speaking in the events of daily life,
my heart to welcome you into my life
and those who are in need of understanding and love.
Bless us, O God, in this English Camp
and make us one with you in our learning community.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Thursday Morning Prayer

Reading
The kingdom of God is not a matter of food or drink; it is
justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and if you serve Christ
in this way, you will please God and be praised by the people.
Let us look, then, for what strengthens and makes us better.
—Romans 14:17-19.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the Word of the Father, made flesh,
you became one of us to proclaim
the coming of God’s Kingdom among us,
the reign of justice, peace and joy in our world.
Send us your Spirit
that we may be your joyful witnesses
in the midst of selfishness and materialism;
make us instruments of your peace,
teach us how to be just
that we may live in harmony and peace with one another.
Grant us the spirit of true commitment in our study
so that we may learn not for grades or any rewards,
but as a way of sharing in the continuing work
of changing the face of the earth
according to God’s wisdom.
May we remain firm
in our promise to speak only in English
and strong in our determination to use English today.
Bless my classmates and teachers,
bless also my family and loved ones,
that we may all be united
in the love we have for each other. Amen.
Friday Morning Prayer

Reading
Do not let even one bad word come from your mouth, but
only good words that will encourage when necessary and be
helpful to those who hear. Do not sadden the Holy Spirit of God,
which you were marked with. It will be your distinctive mark on
the day of salvation. Do away with all quarreling, rage, anger,
insults and every kind of malice: be good and understanding,
mutually forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ.
—Ephesians 4:29-32.
Prayer
God, our Father,
you sent to us your Word to show us your face
and you gifted us with the grace to believe in him.
You marked us with the Holy Spirit in baptism
as a people redeemed by your Son,
a chosen nation to be a light to the world.
As you had brought us to this English Camp,
may we learn English with our brothers as another language
of your compassion and love.
Throughout this day, may I use English
to speak words of encouragement
that build and not destroy;
take away from my heart any laziness and lack of interest,
that I may radiate your zeal and love for life.
I also pray for my family and friends,
my teachers and my classmates,
and those who have asked me to pray for them:
bless them and grant them the grace they need. Amen.
Saturday Morning Prayer

Reading
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not wish evil
on anyone. Rejoice with those who are joyful, and weep with
those who weep. Live in peace with one another. Do not dream
of extraordinary things; be humble. —Romans 12:14-16a.
Prayer
Lord,
this morning is your gift to us—
the beginning of a new day
and the end of a week of class.
You know how difficult it is to learn a new language,
and how much effort we put into learning English.
We at times feel discouraged, bored or uninterested,
but you know and understand us
for you yourself also had to learn a lot
as the Son of Joseph and Mary.
May we learn from your example
how to be good learners and not give up.
Make us more sensitive to the structure of this new language,
as well as to the needs of our brothers in our English Camp.
Send us your Spirit to unite us in our learning community,
sharing with one another the joys and sorrows,
the sufferings and the triumphs
that our life in our Camp may bring. Amen.
Midday Prayer
Lord, on this first half of the day,
let me see what I did to make English a part of my daily life.
Personal Review
o What did I do this morning since I woke up until now? How did
I feel? Bored? Enthusiastic? Tired?
o What have I learned in our activities and sessions? Anything
new? Something reinforced?
o Did I use English? When? What did I do? Or did I switch to my
mother tongue? Why?
Concluding Prayer
I thank you, Lord, for this morning,
specially for this gift:
(think of something or a learning experience
that caught your attention this morning).
Strengthen my resolve to speak English
that I may learn it as my second language,
not only in studying,
but in communicating and interacting
with my brothers in the community.
Help me to understand English
that we may understand one another better.
Send me your Spirit to renew my commitment
to use English for the rest of this day.
Amen.
Prayer Before Studying

Jesus, my Brother and Friend,
help me to pay attention to what I will study now.
Send me your Spirit,
that I may be enthusiastic, energized and excited
with what I will study;
inspire me to learn English well,
and to do my homework correctly.
Grant me to be patient
when I meet any difficult words in reading;
enlighten me that I may understand them
according to how they are used in the sentence.
Make me aware of my thoughts
that I may express myself clearly,
specially when I write in English.
Show me how to be aware of how I learn
that I may learn how to learn.
May the English language take root in my life
that I may have access to the wealth
of knowledge and information
written and presented in English,
that I may express myself in English
as I reach out to others in our community
and in our Claretian congregation.
Amen.
Daily Visit to the Blessed Sacrament

Claretian spirituality revolves around the Eucharist. Most
of the graces Father Claret received are purely Eucharistic, or
they are in relation to the Eucharist (also with the Virgin) during
Mass or in his prolonged periods of adoration. The Eucharist
was the sacrament of his union with God. His faith was revealed
externally and inspired whoever accompanied him in his visits
to the Blessed Sacrament. He was near the tabernacle as much
as he could, and there he remained in ecstasy for awhile.
From Claret’s Autobiography, no. 767: “When I am before
the Blessed Sacrament, I feel such a lively faith that I can’t de-
scribe it. Christ in the Eucharist is almost tangible to me; I kiss
his wounds continually and embrace him. When it’s time for me
to leave, I have to tear myself away from his sacred presence.”
Sunday
Seeing the light near the tabernacle, the flowers and the
candles on the altar, I wish I could be like them to spend my
time with you, to listen to you and talk to you. Likewise, I desire
that I myself be like the altar, the place where you and your
people meet in conversation and mutual offering. Lord, teach
me how I can be a better instrument of your peace to bring
happiness, faith and hope to the people around me. Amen.
—Dan Quyet Manh
Monday
Hello, Jesus, I believe that you are there in the form of
bread though I am unable to see anything. I do not know what
concerns I will have today. I have a lot of things in my mind,
which makes it difficult to see you or to listen to you. Dear Je-
sus, when I somehow separate from you, be in command of my
heart that my heart may center on your words that I may put
the Gospel into practice in my life. Amen. —Dan Quyet Manh
Tuesday
Dear Jesus, I am here before you. I sometimes forget you
in my life and do not feel that you are with me. I do not let you
enter my life but keep you locked in this tabernacle. I want to
avoid you and play games to let the time pass. My schedule and
the many activities I have make me forget you. My heart has
become a barren field where no seeds can grow.
Jesus, my dear Brother and Guide, be a part of my life and
teach me to nurture my vocation, to do good and live well in
my community. I trust you and love you. You’re my only light
and source of my joy! Amen. —Ha Van Kinh
Wednesday
Jesus, I thank you for giving me this moment to be with you
and to share my thoughts and feelings. As I start my journey to
become a Claretian Missionary, help me learn how to be bread
for others like you and to fully commit myself to this way of life.
Bless those people who give their best to support me in my
vocation journey. Bless them and be with them always. May they
serve as my inspiration and as the way to see and appreciate
the beauty of life. Guide me to walk the right path, and be the
light when I am in the dark that I may continue to follow in your
footsteps. Welcome me with your loving hands, embrace me
with your blessings, and be with me in my daily task.
Lord, all I want is to offer myself to you. Grant me to faith-
fully follow you as I put myself in the service of your people.
Amen. —Wyeth Supas
Thursday
Lord, thank you for the life you give us, for the water we
drink and the air we breathe. Thank you for the laughter I have
with my brothers and friends, the bread of life we receive every-
day. May this bread nourish my spirit to continue my vocation
and strengthen my resolve to face any difficulties in life. Grant
me the courage and faithfulness to do my duties and focus
my mind and heart on the present moment. Help me to live
the faith with my community, and to be happy in your love as
your son. You are Christ, our Lord, the giver and bread of life.
Amen. —Roi Vincent Cabiles
Friday
Dear Jesus, hi! I am sorry for the times I was not able to
talk to you like this. I have been too busy doing the chores
I had to do. I know that this isn’t enough excuse to not visit
you. I am now here to talk to you about things I am not able
to understand in my life, that sometimes lead me to do bad.
Forgive me for those times.
I am grateful to you because though you are not physically
around, I can feel that you are always present, looking after
me and saving me from harm. I sometimes become too selfish
with the blessings you give me because I do not want to share
them with my brothers. Open my heart that I may be generous
as you are with me.
Guide me in this way of life, about which I do not know
much yet. Let me learn how to live as a Claretian Missionary in
this community, where your Spirit has brought me.
Thank you, Jesus, for everything. Amen.
Saturday
Dear Jesus, thank you for another special day, another day
to experience your love, to learn how to correct myself, a day
to be with my brothers to love them, another day of faith and
courage to follow your call.
I pray before you and ask you for your guidance. I present
to you my life of prayer that you may grant me the grace to
remember you every moment of the day that I may be a brother
to everyone in our community.
Strengthen my vocation that I may truly become a Claretian
Missionary on fire with God’s love. Amen. —Ray John Kenneth
Mejorada
Marian Prayer Day by Day

Sunday
Mary, Mother of our Redeemer and Mother of the Church,
we offer you the praise of the Angel of the Annunciation—Hail,
full of grace! Through you the Holy Spirit gave this world Jesus
its Savior—Son of God, Word made Flesh, Foundation of the
Church.
Monday
Through you God’s holy people, his Church on earth, ap-
peals for light and strength in its pilgrimage of faith. You have
gone before us on the same journey and are now glorified in
heaven. Be for us who are still on that journey of faith a true Star
of the Sea, leading us to the presence of your Son where he sits
at the right hand of the Father, enthroned in glory.
Tuesday
You were the first to believe. You persevered in prayer with
the disciples in the Upper Room. You were a unique witness to
the mystery of Jesus. All generations have called you blessed.
God’s holy Church looks yet again to you for inspiration and
help.
Wednesday
Be our Mother. Share with us your limitless faith. Take and
keep us within your protective arms in a world that has largely
lost faith and abandoned hope. Petition for us from your Son—
as once you did so powerfully at Cana of Galilee—an increase
of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life so that
the Church may flourish in our time and thereby magnify his
name. Touch the hearts of all our youth that they may see in
every walk of life an opportunity to serve.
Thursday
Take from all our hearts the selfishness that sours relation-
ships and keeps us centered only on ourselves. Give us hearts
aflame with charity and filled with love. Make us, like the apostle
John who was commended to your care, loving children of our
heavenly Father, conscious always of your maternal presence
in our lives.
Friday
Look favorably upon your children in our failure to provide
the one flock under one shepherd for which Jesus prayed. Shine
forth for us and for all the peoples as a sign of sure hope and
solace as we strive to make our pilgrimage of faith hand in hand.
Be our common Mother who prays for the unity of God’s family.
May we see in you our model of that obedience of faith which
should be found in all who listen attentively to what the Spirit
is saying to the Churches.
Saturday
He who is mighty has done great things for you. Humbly
we ask that you in turn may do for us these things for which
we pray in the name and through the power of that most Holy
Spirit who lives and reigns in the unity of the Father and the
Son, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer Before Going to Bed

Father God, thank you for this day;
help me see what I did throughout the day.
Examination of Conscience
o What activities did we do today? How did I participate in them?
What did I learn today? Was there anything that made me feel
bad or I did not like? Why?
o How did I pray today? Did I have personal quiet time? How did
I interact with my brothers?
o Did I use English as often as I could? Did I express myself in
English? What can I do to focus more on English?
Reading
Sunday
They will see his face and his name will be on their fore-
heads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light
of lamp or sun for God himself will be their light and they will
reign forever. —Revelation 22:4-5.
God, our Father,
forgive me whatever sins I have done this day:
the things I should not have done but did,
and the things I should have done but didn’t do.
You have been with me throughout this day,
especially in the celebration of the Eucharist;
with you, my brothers and I remain united.
Bind us more closely with one another
and grant that we may waken to a new day,
strengthened by your grace and full of joy and hope.
Amen.
End with the concluding prayer on page 98.
Monday
For God has not willed us to be condemned, but to win
salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. He died for us so that
we might enter into life with him, whether we are still awake
or already asleep. —1 Thessalonians 5:9-10.
Lord, thank you for this day,
for your grace of work and study.
Thank you for the rest you give us every night,
for this time of quiet and rest to be alone with you.
It has been a busy and tiring day, but with your help,
and the help of my teachers and classmates, I am able to go on.
As I remember them,
may you be with them throughout this night;
protect us and grant us the rest we need,
so that we may waken to a new day in your Name. Amen.
Tuesday
Be sober and alert because your enemy, the devil, prowls
about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Stand
your ground, firm in your faith, knowing that our brothers and
sisters, scattered throughout the world, are confronting similar
sufferings. —1 Peter 5:8-9.
Father, with the setting of the sun, you give rest to the world.
Give that same rest and comfort to us;
gladden the hearts of those who suffer
the loneliness of this night.
As you have enlightened us throughout this day,
may your Spirit shed on us this night
the light that comes from you,
a comforting light, a light that saves. Amen.
Wednesday
Be angry, but do not sin: do not let your anger last until the
end of the day, lest you give the devil a foothold. —Ephesians
4:26-27.
God, our Father,
thank you for this day;
you give us the night to rest and be renewed.
Bless our English Camp and all of us who participate in it;
may your Spirit reign in hearts
to make us your family, both students and teachers.
Bless our Claretian Congregation too,
especially our Missionaries in difficult mission areas. Amen.
Thursday
May the God of peace make you holy and bring you to
perfection. May you be completely blameless in spirit, soul
and body till the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. —1 Thes-
salonians 5:23.
Lord, it has been a busy day.
Thank you for the moments of rest
throughout this day and for the moments
of having lifted up my heart and mind to you in prayer.
As we come to the end of this day,
make the things we have done today
be like seeds sown to bear the fruits
of justice, mutual understanding and love.
Bless our learning community
even as you bless our Claretian family. Amen.
Friday
You are in our midst, Lord, and on us your Name has been
invoked. Do not abandon us! —Jeremiah 14:9b.
Our Father, you have accompanied us this day
as we participate in our English Camp.
We saw you in our brothers this day,
we heard you in the events that happened today,
we were with you, working and making things better
according to your will.
As we lie down to rest,
grant to us and those we love your protection and blessing
that we may awake rested and joyful in your presence. Amen.
Saturday
Listen, Israel: the Lord, our God, is One Lord. And you shall
love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul
and with all your strength. Engrave on your heart the com-
mandments that I pass on to you today. Repeat them over and
over to your children, speak of them when you are at home
and when you travel, when you lie down and when you rise.
—Deuteronomy 6:4-7.
God, our Lord,
in your love, you brought us to the end of this day.
Inflame our love for you
with all our heart, soul and strength;
and may we put this love into practice
in our concern for one another,
especially in our learning community.
Bless us this night, refresh us with your Spirit,
engrave your words on our hearts. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
Now, O Lord,
you can dismiss your servant in peace
for you have fulfilled your word
and my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you display for all the people to see.
Here is the light you will reveal to the nations
and the glory of your people, Israel. —Luke 1:29-32
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Lord, you have accompanied us throughout this day,
and you brought us to the end of another day
of learning and living together in a new language.
I thank you, Lord, for this gift of learning English
both in the classroom and in our daily life.
At the end of this day,
I lift up to you all our work and study,
all our effort, even our failures and discouragement.
Grant us the rest our bodies need
that we may awake refreshed and strengthened
to begin again another day of English
with you and our brothers. Amen.
Hail Mary…
Healing Prayer
Lord Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
go back into my memory as I sleep.
Every hurt that has ever been done to me, heal that hurt.
Every hurt that I have ever caused another person,
heal that hurt.
All the relationships that have been damaged in my whole life
that I am not aware of, heal those relationships.
But, O Lord, if there is anything that I need to do,
if I need to go to someone
because he or she is still suffering from my hand,
bring to my awareness that person.
I choose to forgive,
and I ask to be forgiven.
Remove whatever bitterness may be in my heart, Lord,
and fill the empty spaces with your love. Amen.
When Sad
Father,
at times, I cannot help feeling sad, especially when I am alone
or when I have some problems in my study,
and sometimes, I just feel sad for no reason at all.
Send me your Spirit, Lord, to console me;
give me the joy that comes from knowing
that you love me and care for me.
Let me feel your loving presence to make me smile.
Amen.
When Feeling Homesick

Jesus,
you experienced being away from the Father
when you became one like us.
You also experienced living in a foreign land
with Joseph and Mary in Egypt.
Now, as I live away from my family,
I cannot help but feel homesick—
I miss our place, our home, my family.
I miss the times I spent with my family, chatting or playing,
or just being together.
Though poor, we were very happy.
Don’t let sadness or loneliness overwhelm me;
instead, give joy to my heart
and console me with the knowledge
that you are always with us, blessing my family and me.
Amen.
When Overwhelmed by Problems

God, loving Father,
you want only what is good for us.
I thank you for bringing me to this Claretian community
as part of my vocation journey.
I know that there will always be problems in life,
but may these not overwhelm me.
Strengthen my faith in you that I may lift them all up to you.
Give me the courage to follow your call
in spite of the uncertainty that lies ahead.
Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.
When Sick
O Jesus,
you went around healing the sick and making people whole;
you want us to live life to the full and be happy.
Now that I am sick, specially as I am far from my family,
come and be with me,
let me feel your loving presence,
touch me with your healing hands
and drive away the illness
that keeps me on this bed,
so that renewed and strengthened with your Spirit,
I may return to class and be with my brothers.
Amen.
Special
Occasions
Engrave on your heart the commandments that
I pass on to you today. Repeat them over and
over to your children, speak of them when you
are at home and when you travel, when you lie
down and when you rise. Brand them on your
hand as a sign, and keep them always before
your eyes. Engrave them on your doorposts
and on your city gates. —Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Novena to the Immaculate Heart for the Gift of
Vocations
1. Opening Song
2. Opening Prayers
Leader. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Leader. O God, our Father, through the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, you gave St. Anthony Mary Claret a great love for
Jesus, your Son, that inspired him to found the Congrega-
tion of Missionaries for your glory and the salvation of
peoples. As you gathered around Father Claret companions
for this great enterprise, you have chosen us to follow him
as apostolic missionaries throughout the world. Open our
hearts that we may respond to your call to set the world
on fire with your love. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
3. Song
4. Novena Prayer
Leader. Brothers, as sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
our mother and foundress of our Congregation, we are
gathered as one family with her to entreat her to nurture
and strengthen our vocation as Claretian Missionaries.
All. Holy Mary, our Mother, as we add to our name the initials
CMF, Cordis Mariae Filius. May this not be just an external
detail, but as an expression of our new identity: our be-
ing Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
the concrete way of our being men, Christians, religious,
ordained ministers and apostles. Our charismatic name
expresses the new mission to which we are called: to be
your arms through the Word of God, of which we are listen-
ers and servants.
132
SPECIAL OCCASIONS 133
Reader 1. Our name emphasizes our condition as sons and
brothers. It shows that we are human beings loved by God
the Father and by you, our mother, in the Spirit.
Reader 2. We are called to participate in the life of God, graced
by the Spirit with filial and brotherly characteristics: dig-
nity, liberty, confidence, joy, tenderness, compassion and
solidarity.
Reader 3. This allows us to face with hope the challenges of our
mission and our personal and community life and not be
like those who only rely on their own strength, methods
or accomplishments.
All. Holy Mary, our Mother, may our experience as sons give
meaning to our special commitment to your Heart. Help us
to truly offer ourselves in special service to your Immaculate
Heart in order to fulfil the aim for which this Congregation
has been established in the Church.
Reader 4. To be sons of your Immaculate Heart means to be
seekers of your glory, you who desire that all your sons and
daughters live with dignity and fulfilment and in harmony
with all of creation.
Reader 5. As sons of your Immaculate Heart, we do not follow
Jesus alone because as members of the Congregation,
we form a new charismatic family raised by the Spirit in
the Church.
Reader 6. Because we are sons we are also brothers, brought
together to share the same plan of evangelical life.
Reader 7. We live in a network of multiple belongings in the
family, the society and the church, but our belonging to
Christ, expressed in the vocation we share in the Congre-
gation, takes the first place over all.
All. Therefore, help us realize that we do not join the Congre-
gation through a contract which we are able to rescind
at will, that we are not part of an association in which we
134 SPECIAL OCCASIONS
dedicate part of our time and energy. We are a new family
in the Spirit which is not based on flesh and blood but on
love and in listening to, welcoming, and proclaiming the
Word of God. Our new relationship and our community life
is symbolized and realized in the Eucharist and is nourished
by prayer, family lifestyle, co-responsibility in government
and collaboration in the common mission.
5. Petitions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Virgin, conceived without sin, pray for us.
Holy Mary, mother of Christ and our mother, pray for us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
form us in the forge of your Heart.
That we be open to the Holy Spirit, our first Formator, in the
process of our formation,
That we treasure and keep our vocation alive by our faithful-
ness in our daily life,
That we grow in our formation in discipleship until we are
conformed with Christ,
That the gift of vocation we have received allow us to over-
come temptations fed by our laziness and superficiality,
That we accept suffering and difficulty in our life to be one
with Jesus crucified,
That we learn to live as one family in our formation community,
That we find joy in our life in community in spite of being away
from our own families,
That we center our life on Jesus, specially in the Eucharist,
That we set ourselves alight in prayer like Claret to spur us on
to work and to suffer for the Gospel,
That we be responsible in using the time you give us in our
everyday life,
That we pray with fervor, study with enthusiasm, play with joy,
work with energy, and do everything in your name,
That we be open to our formators, who accompany us in our
vocation journey,
That we be sensitive to the needs of our brothers in the com-
munity and be concerned for the good of everyone,
That we be thankful for whatever food we receive for our daily
sustenance and strength,
That we always be of good cheer with a smile on our face,
That we be ready to extend a helping hand to anyone in need,
a listening ear to those who are lonely, and a heart open
to love everyone,
That we be conscious in our use of the material resources at
our disposal, specially in our use of water and electricity,
That the missionary love that has been granted to us be imagi-
native and creative,
That we fix our gaze on those who are excluded from the love
of others and who suffer terrible consequences of injustice,
That we get closer to them and stay with them, that we let
ourselves be touched and accompanied by them,
That we may center ourselves on these values throughout our
life and formative journey to purify our motivation, illumi-
nate our perplexity and direct all that we are and do for the
greater glory of God and the salvation of all,
O Heart of Mary, furnace and instrument of love,
kindle in us the love of God and neighbor.
St. Anthony Mary Claret,
accompany us whom the Father calls to this great en-
terprise.
Blessed Claretian Martyrs,
pray for us whom the Father calls in our Mother Con-
gregation.
All. O Immaculate Heart of Mary, make us your faithful sons
in response to the call of God we have received. Bless our
Claretian Congregation with new vocations to be Sons of
your Immaculate Heart. Intercede before the Lord that all
the Missionary Sons of your Heart persevere unto the end
in proclaiming the Gospel. Amen.
6. Prayer for the Congregation
Leader. The Congregation, as our tradition says, is the “Mother
Congregation.” Towards her we bear feelings of gratitude,
respect, loyalty, and dedication. It is moving to note that
“mother” is the title most used by the Martyrs of Barbastro
when speaking of the Congregation. In them, like in an icon,
we find gathered all the basic elements which make up our
identity: love for Jesus Christ, for the Heart of Mary and the
Church, missionary zeal, devotion to the Word and to the
Eucharist, a sense of community, a preference for the poor.
All. Mary, your formed us as your sons in the forge of your
Immaculate Heart as we share in the same vocation. The
diversity of gifts and functions enriches our common life
and mission, and commits us to promote and nurture
all these vocational paths. As your Congregation today
has many faces with brothers from different countries,
ethnicities, languages and cultures, may be live in
unity amidst diversity as we respond faithfully to the
gift of love for God and one another as the basis of our
communion. Let us enkindle the charismatic fire of our
origins to express and build up the global community of
the Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Pray that the Father send us the Spirit, who distributes
his gifts and unites diversity, to strengthen our ties and
bring forth a new body, our Claretian community, as a
living sign of the Kingdom. Amen.
7. Song
8. The Magnificat
Leader. Mary’s song is the song of the prophet and of the
missionary, and of all those who put themselves in your
hands. Let us, with Mary, ask God that we be parables of
love and mercy, and to oppose everything that denies or
seeks to obscure his love, that wants to reach everyone.
May we grow as missionaries and consolidate our identity
as a missionary community.
Reader 1. O God, with Mary we acknowledge that you have
blessed us with your grace that makes us great in your sight.
You have filled us with the gift of your presence in our lives
marked by poverty, suffering or weeping, brimming with
compassion, transparent, committed to justice, persecuted
for remaining faithful to the message of the Kingdom, and
always opening up new horizons in our life and making it
a vessel that brings hope.
All. My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness;
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
Silent reflection.
Reader 2. Mary’s song reveals a faith that becomes a prophecy
of hope, and encourages a commitment that seeks to make
a reality today what is proclaimed as a promise from you
who are always faithful to your word. Such an amazing
experience of grace refuses to stay locked up inside our
hearts, may we proclaim it and therefore multiply, and in
so doing, become a source of hope for many.
All. The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
Silent reflection.
Reader 3. Merciful God, you are faithful to your promises and
your heart is on the little ones, even as you guarantee
freedom for the oppressed and excluded.
All. He puts forth his arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
Silent reflection.
Reader 4. We see in Mary’s conviction that your presence
will transform the harsh reality of those who are hungry,
humiliated and exploited because your presence is always
a transforming presence, as she herself has experienced,
being made the mother of your Son, who accompanied
him on the way to Calvary and until at the foot of the cross,
trying to make your dream a reality.
All. He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
Silent reflection.
Reader 5. We discover in Mary’s awareness of being one of her
people that the blessing you bestowed upon her will be a
blessing for us since you always keep your promises and will
now do it through her who totally surrenders to your plan.
All. He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons for ever.
Silent reflection.
9. Our Father
Leader. Your blessing is a blessing that will reach all the de-
scendents of Abraham forever, indicating the universality
of your love as our Father.
All. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
10. Concluding Prayer
Leader. Our Father in heaven, make our community a welcom-
ing family as we are formed in the forge of Mary’s Heart, and
may we, as Claretians, live and proclaim the Gospel of love,
justice and peace, and do what is most urgent, opportune
and effective according to your will. We ask this through
Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
11. End Song
Prayer for Healing the Family Tree
John H. Hampsch CMF
Heavenly Father, I come before you as your child, in great
need of your help. I have physical health needs, emotional
needs, spiritual needs, and interpersonal needs. Many of my
problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect and
sinfulness, for which I humbly beg your forgiveness, Lord. But I
also ask you to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures
have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tenden-
cies, behavior patterns and defects in body, mind and spirit.
Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders.
With your help I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living
or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended
me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have
resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name
of your divine Son, Jesus, and in the power of his Holy Spirit,
I ask you, Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from
the influence of the evil one. Free all living and dead members
of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships,
and those in extended family relationships, from every con-
taminating form of bondage. By your loving concern for us,
heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of your precious Son,
Jesus, I beg you to extend your blessing to me and all my living
and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted
through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects
in future generations of my family tree.
I symbolically place the cross of Jesus over the head of
each person in my family tree, and between each generation;
I ask you to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the blood
lines in my family lineage. Set your protective angels to en-
camp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of
healing, to administer your divine healing power to all of us,
even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our
family members’ guardian angels to heal, protect, guide and
encourage each of us in all our needs. Let your healing power
be released at this very moment and let it continue as long as
your sovereignty permits.
In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy
bonding in family love. And let there be an ever deeper bond-
ing with you, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to your Son Jesus. Let the
family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender,
warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and
manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown
needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus’ pre-
cious Name. Amen.
A Birthday Prayer
God, our Father, you gave us life
and made us share in your Breath—the Spirit, dwelling in us.
I celebrate my birthday today; thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.
You have been with me throughout the years
and have always accompanied me
in my life’s journey, even to this community.
I thank you for the many people you sent into my life—
they who love and care for me;
we are your special gifts to one another.
How I wish I could be with my family on this special day!
But you have given me a new family—the Claretian community.
Make this day a day of blessing for my loved ones and me,
and for all my brothers in my new family:
bind us all in your love
and make us faithful to you and to one another.
Amen.
5
To Proclaim the Gospel
Lord Jesus Christ, you have given your Church
the mission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.
May our efforts to fulfill this mission be guided by the Holy Spirit
so that we might be a leaven of new life, salt of the earth,
and a light of the world—
worthy missionaries and faithful to you.
Make us valiant witnesses to the faith of the Church,
and inspire us to speak the truth with love.
Help us to communicate to others the joy that we have received.
Allow us to be united but not closed,
humble but not fearful, simple but not naïve,
thoughtful but not overbearing,
contemporary but not superficial,
respectful of others but boldly your disciples.
May we bear into the world the hope of God,
which is Christ the Lord,
who rose from the dead and lives and reigns
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Amen.
5
A Blessing of the Class or Group
1. Opening Song
2. Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Leader. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now
and for ever.
All. Amen.
Leader. We are a family. God called us from our own different
families to be brothers to one another in our Claretian
community in mission, where we are forged as sons of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our mother. It is in this
class (or group) that we study together and learn how to
be Claretian Missionaries. We support and belong to one
another and, in various ways, we remember and pray for
one another. We join now to give thanks to our God and
to ask God’s blessing on our class (or group).
3. Reading
Reader. A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians
(Col 3:12-17).
12
Clothe yourselves, then, as is fitting for God’s chosen
people, holy and beloved of him. Put on compassion, kind-
ness, humility, meekness and patience 13to bear with one
another and forgive whenever there is any occasion to do so.
As the Lord has forgiven you, forgive one another. 14Above all,
clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together
in perfect harmony. 15May the peace of Christ overflow in
your hearts; for this end you were called to be one body. And
be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you in all its
richness. Teach and admonish one another with words of
wisdom. With thankful hearts sing to God psalms, hymns,
and spontaneous praise. 17And whatever you do or say, do
it in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, giving thanks to God the
Father through him.
The word of the Lord.
All. Thanks be to God.
Other Scripture passages may be read in place of the one given
above. There will some moments for silent reflection after the
reading.
4. Sharing
Some may share their reflection.
5. Shared Intercession
After a time of silence, all offer prayers of intercession.
6. Our Father
Then all join hands for the Lord’s Prayer.
Leader. O God, you have called us in your love to be messengers
of the joy of the Gospel in the style of Father Claret. Shower
your blessings on our class (or group) gathered here in your
name. Give us the light and wisdom of your Spirit that we
may study diligently. Make us responsive to the needs of
others, and witnesses to the faith in all we say and do. We
ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Or...
Leader. In good times and in bad, in times of joy and of sad-
ness, we are brothers to one another, even as you are our
Father in heaven. By morning and by night may your name
be on our lips, a blessing to all our days: so may kindness
and patience be ever among us, a hunger for justice, and
songs of thankfulness in all we do: our study, work, recre-
ation, prayer and rest. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Or...
Leader. You willed, Lord, that we meet one another in this class
(or group) and gathered us together in this community. As
we live as one Claretian community in mission, bind us as
one family of God in our love and concern for one another.
May your love reign in this house.
All. Amen.
The leader may sprinkle all with holy water, or each one may
take holy water and make the sign of the cross.
Leader. May the Lord Jesus, who lived with his holy family in
Nazareth, dwell also with our class, keep us from all evil,
and make all of us one in heart and mind.
All. Amen.
Leader. Let us bless the Lord.
8. End Song
5
Bible Enthronement Prayer Service
Reverently place the open Bible on a bookstand or the altar. You
may add other sacramentals to this display such as a candle,
crucifix, icon, flowers or plants. The enthroned Bible will serve
as a powerful symbol of God’s living word and as a reminder to
make scriptural reflection and prayer a regular part of your life.
1. Opening Song
2. Opening Prayer
Leader. We gather together to honor the Book of the Church,
the sacred Scriptures. We believe that through these in-
spired writings, God speaks to us. We believe that through
the word of God we are taught, encouraged, and chal-
lenged. We pray that this enthroned Bible may be for us
a constant reminder to seek God’s word, to learn from its
saving truth, and to apply it to our lives each day. So we
begin our celebration in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Reader 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Word of the Father.
All. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Reader 2. You became one with us to tell of the Father’s love.
Reader 3. You are the light that shines in the darkness.
Reader 4. You save us from fear and break the bonds of sin
and death.
Reader 5. You come to guide our steps and lead us to God.
Reader 6. You are the Word of eternal life.
All: Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Reader 7. You fill us with the Holy Spirit.
All. Ever-living God,
we long for your presence and we thirst for your word.
Send your Holy Spirit so that the Bible can be for us
a source of spiritual growth and strength.
Give us a deep love for the sacred Scriptures
so that we may know your truth,
grow in love for you, and follow your way more faithfully.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
3. First Reading
Leader. Let us listen to the prophet Isaiah as he speaks about
God’s word as a penetrating rain, watering the earth so
that it may bear fruit.
Reader 8. (Reverently takes the Bible from its place and reads
Isaiah 55:10-11 slowly.) A reading from the Book of the
Prophet of Isaiah.
…
The word of the Lord.
(The Reader returns the Bible to its place, and all pause for
silent reflection.)
Silent Reflection
4. Response
Leader. The word of God is a life-giving rain for our dry land.
(Is 55:10)
All. Come and refresh us
so that we can grow in Christ and bear fruit for others.
Leader. The word of God is a lamp for my feet, a light to my
path. (Ps 119:105)
All. Come and guide us
through the dark valleys of life with your shining light.
Leader. The word of God is a fertile seed that depends on rich
soil. (Mk 4:20)
All. Come and take root within us
so that your word may flourish and bear a rich harvest.
Leader. The word of God is a flaming fire and a hammer shat-
tering rocks. (Jer 23:29)
All. Come and inflame our lives
and break the hardness of our hearts
so that our words may be faithful and true.
Leader. The word of God is living and effective, sharper than a
two-edged sword. (Heb 4:12)
All. Come and penetrate our spirits,
stirring our passion for goodness and justice.
Leader. The word of God motivates us to action, so that we can
be doers of the word and not hearers only. (James 1:22)
All. Come and energize us so that your presence
may inspire our daily decisions and actions.
Leader. The word of God will stand forever as all else passes
away. (Is 40:8)
All. Come and live with us always
as our source of unchanging truth and love.
5. Alleluia Song
6. Gospel Reading
Leader. Let us listen to the words of the risen Lord, as he speaks
to us through the Gospel according to Luke.
Reader 9. (Reverently takes the Bible from its place and reads
Luke 4:14-21 slowly.) A reading from the Gospel accord-
ing to Luke.
…
The Gospel of the Lord.
All. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
(The Reader returns the Bible to its place, and all pause for
silent reflection.)
Silent Reflection
7. Response
Leader. We have heard your words, Jesus.
All. They give us joy and bring light and truth into our lives.
Your presence gives us peace
in our troubled and divided world.
Leader. Let your Word create in our hearts a deep desire for you.
All. Be with us in our hearts and our community.
Give us your Holy Spirit to help us to understand your Word.
Leader. We enthrone now this Holy Bible in our midst.
All. Make your Word the center of our lives.
May your Word inspire all that we think and say and do.
May your Word bind us together in unity
with each other and with you, today and always.
8. Meditation Song
9. Church Reading
Leader. Let us listen to the teachings of our Church concerning
sacred Scripture from the Second Vatican Council and the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Reader 10. “Access to sacred Scripture ought to be open wide
to the Christian faithful. (DV 21-22, CCC 131) The Church
forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faith-
ful... to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by
frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. ‘Ignorance of the
Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’” (DV 25, CCC 133)
10. Commitment to the Word of God

Leader. Do you believe that the Creator of the world spoke
the Word to the people of ancient Israel for the salvation
of all the nations?
All. I do.
Leader. Do you believe that the Word of God was made flesh
and continues to live among us as the Good News for all?
All. I do.
Leader. Do you believe that God sent the Holy Spirit among
us to lead us to truth and to guide our understanding of
God’s word?
All. I do.
Leader. I invite you to approach the Bible individually and place
your hands upon it. This is a sign of our personal commit-
ment to seek the word of life in the Scriptures.
All approach the Bible, place their hands on its open pages, and
pray a silent prayer of personal commitment.
Leader. (The Leader reads the following line by line, which every-
one repeats after him.) We promise to respect the Word of
God in our midst.
We shall read and reflect on it as a community of disciples.
May we draw from it inspiration for our decisions,
strength for our work, and comfort in suffering.
Jesus, help us to be faithful to our promise,
you who live forever and ever. Amen.
11. Our Father

Leader. Let us now pray in the words our Savior taught us.
All. Our Father who art in heaven…
All. Loving God, help us to open our eyes, our ears,
our minds, and our hearts.
May we always welcome your word of life,
as you come to us with your wisdom,
your truth, and your love. Amen.
Leader. Let us offer one another a sign of the peace of Christ.
13. End Song
5
Called by Name
A prayer celebration prepared by Jeanne Hunt
Preparation: Place a bowl of water, red paper hearts, pens, a
Bible and a candle on a prayer table.
1. Opening Song
2. Opening Prayer
Leader. Dearest God, how wonderful are your ways! You have
claimed us as your own, called us by name. We are precious
to you. Loving us beyond our wildest dreams, you keep
and protect us as a mother protects her child. Clear and
refreshing water poured upon us changed us and made us
your rare treasures. Your love enfolds us in your embrace,
purifies us and empowers us.
All. Amen.
3. Scripture Reading
Reader. A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Is 43:1-7).
Thus says Yahweh, who created you, Jacob, who formed
you, Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you
by your name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When
you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When
you walk through ﬁre, you will not be burned; neither will the
ﬂames consume you. For I am your savior, I, Yahweh, your God,
the Holy One of Israel.
I give Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange
for you. Since you are precious in my sight and important—for I
have loved you—I give people in exchange for you and nations
in return for your life.
Fear not, for I am with you: I will bring your children from
the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north,
“Give them up!”and to the south, “Do not hold them!” Bring back
my sons from afar, my daughters from the ends of the earth, all
those called by my name.
The Word of the Lord.
4. Ritual
Write your baptismal name on the paper heart you received. Then
turn the heart over and write the name you like to call God: Savior,
Lord, Father, Friend, Shepherd, etc. (Pause.)
When you are ready, come forward to the water, bless yourself and
say both your baptismal name and the name for God you wrote on
your paper heart. Then put the heart into the water.
Play quiet, reflective music as everyone comes forward.
5. Closing Blessing
Leader. You and I were marked with the sign of the cross at
baptism. I invite you to reflect on the meaning of that
moment when you were claimed for Christ. Please turn to
someone near you and mark them with a cross on their
forehead, saying: “I sign you with the cross in the name of
the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
When they have completed this action, say:
Go now to love and serve the Lord as priest, prophet and
king.
All. Amen.
6. End Song
5
Breaking of the Bread
1. Opening Song
2. Greeting and Opening Prayer
Presider. We are here to celebrate God’s love in our community.
God gathers us as the living Body of Christ, so we pray to
him to strengthen our fellowship as brothers in the Lord in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Presider. Heavenly Father, you called your people to freedom
and you strengthened them in their journey in the desert
towards the land of freedom. You gave them manna in the
desert. Now, you call us to be free and you strengthen us
with the Bread of Life, Jesus, your Son, who is God forever
and ever.
All. Amen.
3. Liturgy of the Word
Reader 1. A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corin-
thians (11:23-26).
23
This is the tradition of the Lord that I received and that in
my turn I have handed on to you; the Lord Jesus, on the night
that he was delivered up, took bread, 24 and after giving thanks,
broke it, saying, “This is my body which is broken for you; do
this in memory of me.” 25 In the same manner, taking the cup
after the supper, he said, “This cup is the new Covenant in my
blood. Whenever you drink it, do it in memory of me.” 26 So, then,
whenever you eat of this bread and drink from this cup, you are
proclaiming the death of the Lord until he comes.
Song
Reader 2: A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew
(26:26-29).
All. Glory to you, O Lord.
Reader 2: 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said a
blessing and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup and
gave thanks, and passed it to them saying, “Drink this, all
of you, 28 for this is my blood, the blood of the Covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29
Yes, I say to you: I will not taste the fruit of the vine
from now until the day I drink new wine with you in my
Father’s kingdom.”
Reader 2: The Gospel of the Lord.
Silent Reflection
Sharing on the Word
Presider: We have heard the Word of God. As we pray using
God’s same words, let us “break” together the Word God
speaks to us and share it with one another.
Anyone may freely share their personal reflection.
Song
4. Breaking of Bread
Presider: Blessed are you, Lord, for you have given us bread,
the fruit of the earth transformed by human hands, to
sustain us in our work and life.
All. Lord, you have gathered us as one family, like this one
bread.
Grant that as we break bread together,
we may find meaning in the midst of our suffering and
brokenness.
May our sharing in the one bread make us ever one in your
fellowship
and in the service of our sisters and brothers.
The presider breaks the bread and everyone partakes of it.
Song
5. Shared Concluding Prayer
Presider: The Lord is with us for wherever two or three are
gathered in his name, there he is in their midst. We now
present our prayers to him, as we trust in his goodness.
Anyone may freely share their personal prayer.
Presider: Father, you are the source of all goodness and grace.
All. As you have called us in your Claretian community,
may we offer our life to others, like bread broken and
shared.
May we proclaim your presence in the world
in our words and deeds to give hope to those in despair,
consolation to the suffering, and faith to those in doubt.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Presider: May the Lord bless us in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
6. End Song
5
Celebrating the Gift of Language
An Opening Celebration for the English Camp
1. Invitation
Leader. As we begin our English Camp today, we remember
that Jesus whom we follow said that wherever two or three
are gathered in his Name, he is there in their midst. Jesus
is always with us. Let us hear his call, inviting us to follow
him and proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. Let
us ask him to send us his Holy Spirit to give us the gift of
language to speak that others may hear and understand,
to proclaim that they may believe.
2. Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Leader. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
All. And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Leader. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
All. And you will renew the face of the earth.
Leader. Come, Holy Spirit, ever full of surprises:
All. Thank you for birthing the Church.
You gathered us as God’s family
that we may bear witness to the love the Father has for all.
Come again and give us your gift of language,
and start a new Pentecost to strengthen your Church
and inflame in our hearts the love of God and neighbor.
Amen.
3. Opening Song
4. Psalm 119:105-112
Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Leader. Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path.
Left Side. I have sworn an oath and affirmed it,
to obey your righteous judgments.
Right Side. I am deeply afflicted, O LORD;
by your word, give me life.
Left Side. Accept, LORD, my freely offered homage,
and teach me your decrees.
Right Side. My life is in my hands at all times;
I do not forget your law.
Left Side. For me the wicked have set a snare;
yet I do not stray from your precepts.
Right Side. Your decrees are my heritage forever, the joy of
my heart.
Left Side. I incline my heart to carry out your statutes forever,
to the end.
All. Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path.
5. Praising Song
6. Meditation on Language
Reader 1. Language is one of the most important human
inventions, if not the greatest. With language, not only
do we have the power to express ourselves and com-
municate with one another, but we are also able to pass
on our memory, both personal and collective, to the next
generation. What started as spoken language developed
into a written form with its own systems and rules. So we
have history and the continuation of human civilization.
The experiences of women and men, their thoughts and
actions, have been “captured” and expressed in words. But
this somehow turned what was flowing and dynamic into
something frozen and unchanging. This is how human
words are, but God’s Word is always dynamic and ever-
flowing. God utters his Word from the very beginning and
is the Word through which everything was made and which
sustains everything. Unlike human words that embody our
human experiences, thoughts and actions, the Word of God
became a “Body” to experience, think and act like us; the
Word was made flesh and became human, one like us. In
him we see the language of God—what God wants to tell
us—and in his life, we see how God speaks to us.
Silent Reflection
7. Response
Leader. Father God, we are your children, and you continually
speak to us.
Left Side. In the past you spoke through different languages
until your Word became flesh in Jesus.
Now, we come to know his words,
specially through the language we learned
from our mothers and fathers.
Right Side. Yet you speak not only in one single language,
but in other tongues as well.
English has become the international
and common language of the world,
so through English we hear the many other voices
through which you speak to us.
Reader 2. English is a key that opens the door to the richness
of today’s research in philosophy, theology and Scripture.
With the use of English, we are able to have access to the
wealth of materials the Internet offers since English remains
the main language of the worldwide web and technology.
Reader 3. With the English language, we are also able to reach
out to people of other culture, languages and nationalities.
Leader. Different from how we learned our first language, we
will need time, effort and determination to learn English
as a second language. As human language is part of God’s
creative work, let us ask God’s Holy Spirit to help us learn
a new language. Let us pray for a new Pentecost that God
may send us his Spirit to open our hearts and minds that
he may teach us to learn English as a language of under-
standing and love.
8. The First Pentecost
Reader 4. A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-4).
1
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together
in one place. 2And suddenly, out of the sky, came a sound,
like a strong rushing wind; and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting. There appeared 3tongues, as if of
fire, which parted and came to rest upon each one of them.
4
All were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak other
languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
Silent Reflection
9. Sharing
10. Meditation Song
11. Commitment and Accompaniment
Leader. In the following weeks, we will learn English not as an
academic subject, but as the language of our daily life. We
will interact with one another in English, we will meditate
on and celebrate the Word of God and the Eucharist in
English, and hopefully learn to express the thoughts of our
hearts also in English. But we have to cooperate with God’s
grace so that the gift of language of the Holy Spirit may bear
fruit in our lives. Let us then make our commitment to God
to do our part in collaboration with his grace.
All. Lord Jesus,
you called us to follow you
and we are here in answer to that call
but we need to equip ourselves,
specially in the use of English
as the language of our life and ministry,
to respond more effectively and timely to our present
world.
In collaboration with the grace of the Holy Spirit,
I promise that I will use only English as the language of
my daily life
from Monday to Saturday throughout this English Camp.
Grant me the strength and determination
to be true to my promise.
Amen.
Leader. God called us his children, and as children of one Fa-
ther, we support, encourage and care for one another. We
learn a new language not in isolation and being alone,
but in interaction with our brothers and sisters. Let us
now express this bond of brotherhood and friendship
with the promise to support and encourage each other
in learning English.
Everyone will pray over their partner to ask for the grace of the
Holy Spirit by placing their hands on his/her head. Then, they
will tie the friendship band around their partner’s wrist. When
all have finished, the Leader will continue.
Leader. Let us thank the Lord for his grace.
All. Lord, we thank you
for your gift of vocation and brotherhood.
May this band be a constant reminder
of my commitment to you
to use English in my daily life
throughout this English Camp,
and of my mission to accompany my language partner
that both of us may learn English better
as a language of friendship and understanding.
12. Thanksgiving Song
13. Our Father
Leader. We now pray in the words Jesus taught us.
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
14. Closing Prayer
Leader. Father God, as your Holy Spirit came to the Apostles
and to Mary on that day of Pentecost. Let your same Spirit
continue to fill us with your light and power to open our
minds that we may hear and understand, to open our
hearts that we may see and feel your Word and the words
of our sisters and brothers in this new language. We ask
this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
15. Song to Mary
5
Celebrating the Gift of Community
A Closing Celebration for the English Camp
1. Invitation
Leader. We have come to the end of our English Camp. It was
the Spirit who brought us together as a community to learn
English as a language of interaction and understanding in
preparation for his call to proclaim the Gospel to all. It is also
that same Spirit that brings our Camp to a close as he binds
us in our love and concern for one another in our Claretian
community that we may continue learning even after this
Camp. We have seen and tasted the goodness of the Lord
these past weeks, so we thank God for all his blessings in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
2. Opening Song
3. Thanksgiving Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26.
Leader. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
All. for his mercy endures forever.
Reader 1. Give thanks to the God of gods,
Reader 2. Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
All. for his mercy endures forever;
Reader 3. Who alone has wrought marvelous works,
Reader 4. who in wisdom made the heavens,
Reader 5. who spread the earth on the waters,
Reader 6. It was he who made the great lights,
Reader 7. the sun to rule in the day,
Reader 8. the moon and the stars in the night,
Reader 9. He remembered us in our distress,
Reader 10. And he snatched us away from our foes,
Reader 11. He gives food to all living creatures,
Reader 12. To the God of heaven give thanks,
Leader. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
Spontaneous thanksgiving prayer
Anyone may thank the Lord for the graces they have received dur-
ing the English Camp. After every thanksgiving prayer, everyone
will say:
All. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
5. Shared Reflection
Some participants will read the reflections they have written about
their experience in the English Camp. There will be some moments
for silent reflection after each reading of the written reflections.
6. Response
In response to the shared reflection, the participants will perform the
presentations (songs, dance, drama, etc.) they have prepared.
7. Camp Theme Song

8. Thanksgiving Prayer
Leader. In these past weeks, we have learned English not as an
academic subject, but as the language of our daily life. We
interacted with one another in English, we meditated on
and celebrated the Word of God and the Eucharist in Eng-
lish, and learned to express the thoughts of our hearts also
in English. We have cooperated with God’s grace that the
gift of language of the Holy Spirit may bear fruit in our lives.
All. Lord Jesus,
thank you for calling us to follow you,
and for having brought us together
in this English Camp in answer to that call.
You gathered us as a learning community
that we may equip ourselves in the use of English
as the language of our life and ministry
to respond more effectively and timely
to our present world.
Thank you for the grace of the Holy Spirit,
that formed and strengthened our community
where we learned to use English
as the language of our daily life
from Monday to Saturday throughout this English Camp.
May the experience of these past days
strengthen my resolve to continue to use English
as part of my daily life
in view of my life and ministry as a Claretian Missionary.
Amen.
9. Our Father
Leader. As one community, we now pray in the words Jesus
taught us.
thy kingdom come;
Amen.
10. Closing Prayer
Leader. Father God, as your Holy Spirit came to the Apostles
and to Mary on that day of Pentecost. Let your same Spirit
continue to fill us with your light and power to open our
minds that we may hear and understand, to open our
hearts that we may see and feel your Word and the words
of our sisters and brothers in this new language. We ask
this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
11. Song to Mary
Praying
the Rosary
The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls
see and there enact the greatest drama of love
the world has ever known; it is the book of the
simple, which initiates them into mysteries and
knowledge more satisfying than the education of
other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes
close upon the shadow of this world, and open on
the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is
beyond description. —Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Praying the Holy Rosary
The holy rosary is a series of prayers and reflections on the
story of our salvation in Jesus Christ. It is composed of twenty
decades, divided into four parts. Each part consists of five de-
cades. Every decade refers to a mystery in our Lord’s life. The
first part recalls the birth and the hidden life of Jesus (Joyful
Mysteries); the second part remembers his passion and death
(Sorrowful Mysteries); while the third part brings to mind Jesus’
resurrection (Glorious Mysteries); and the fourth recollects
Jesus’ public life (Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of light).
Meditating on each mystery, we say one Our Father, 10 Hail
Marys and one Glory Be.
The Mysteries of the Rosary
Joyful Mysteries
Recited on Mondays and Saturdays,
Sundays of Advent and Sundays after the Epiphany up
to Lent
The First Joyful Mystery:
The Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary
The angel Gabriel came to Mary and said, “Rejoice, full of
grace, the Lord is with you…you shall conceive and bear a son,
and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly
be called the Son of the Most High.…” Then Mary said, “I am the
handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.”
(Lk 1:28,31-33,38)
The Second Joyful Mystery:
The Visitation of the Virgin Mary to the Parents of St. John the
Baptist
Mary set out for a town in the Hills of Judah. She entered
the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth
166
PRAYING THE ROSARY 167
heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth
was filled with holy spirit, and giving a loud cry, said, “You are
most blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of your
womb!” (Lk 1:39-42)
The Third Joyful Mystery:
The Birth of Our Lord at Bethlehem
They were in Bethlehem when the time came for Mary to
have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn.…
he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him... (Lk
2:6-7,21b)
The Fourth Joyful Mystery:
The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed God. Simeon
blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “See him, he will
be for the rise and fall of the multitudes of Israel. He shall stand
as a sign of contradiction, while a sword will pierce your own
soul. (Lk 2:28,34)
The Fifth Joyful Mystery:
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
The boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem and his parents did
not know it. They went back to Jerusalem searching for him, and
on the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them and asking questions. (Lk 2: 43,45-46)
Sorrowful Mysteries
Recited on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Sundays of Lent
The First Sorrowful Mystery:

The Agony of our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus left to go as usual to Mount Olives and the disciples
followed him. When he came to the place, he told them, “Pray
that you may not be put to the test. “As he was in agony, he
168 PRAYING THE ROSARY
prayed even more earnestly and great drops of blood formed
like sweat and fell to the ground. (Lk 22:39-40,44)
The Second Sorrowful Mystery:

The Scourging of our Lord at the Pillar
Pilate went out to the Jews and said, “I find no crime in this
man. Now, according to a custom, I must release a prisoner of
yours at the Passover. With your agreement I will release for
you the King of the Jews.” But they insisted and cried out, “Not
this man, but Barabbas!.”.. Then Pilate had Jesus taken away and
scourged. (Jn 18:38–19:1)
The Third Sorrowful Mystery:

The Crowning of our Lord with Thorns
The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown and put it on his
head… Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and
the purple cloak and Pilate pointed to him saying, “Here is the
man!” (Jn 19:2,5)
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery:
The Carrying of the Cross by our Lord to Calvary
Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
They took charge of him. Bearing his own cross, Jesus went
out of the city to what is called the Place of Skull, in Hebrew:
Golgotha. (Jn 19:16-17)
The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery:

The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord
When they had led him to the place called Golgotha …
they nailed him to the cross and divided his clothes among
themselves… When noon came, darkness fell over the whole
land and lasted until three o’clock; and at three o’clock Jesus
cried out (his last words)…and gave up his spirit.… The Captain
who was standing…saw how Jesus died and he said: “Truly, this
Man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:22,24,33,37,39)
Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
Recited on Thursdays
The First Luminous Mystery:

The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan
The Baptism in the Jordan is first of all a mystery of light.
Here as Christ descends into the waters, the innocent one who
became “sin” for our sake (cf. 2 Cor 5:21), the heavens open wide
and the voice of the Father declares him the beloved Son (cf. Mt
3:17 and parallels), while the Spirit descends on him to invest
him with the mission which he is to carry out.
The Second Luminous Mystery:

The Wedding at Cana
Another mystery of light is the first of the signs, given at
Cana (cf. Jn 2:1-12), when Christ changes water into wine and
opens the hearts of the disciples to faith, thanks to the interven-
tion of Mary, the first among believers.
The Third Luminous Mystery:

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
The preaching by which Jesus proclaims the coming of the
Kingdom of God, calls to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) and forgives
the sins of all who draw near to him in humble trust (cf. Mk 2:3-
13; Lk 7:47-48): the inauguration of that ministry of mercy which
he continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly
through the sacrament of reconciliation which he has entrusted
to his Church (cf. Jn 20:22-23).
The Fourth Luminous Mystery:

The Transfiguration
The mystery of light par excellence is the Transfiguration,
traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount Tabor. The
glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the
Father commands the astonished Apostles to “listen to him” (cf.
Lk 9:35 and parallels) and to prepare to experience with him the
agony of the Passion, so as to come with him to the joy of the
Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy Spirit.
The Fifth Luminous Mystery:

The Institution of the Eucharist
A final mystery of light is the institution of the Eucharist, in
which Christ offers his body and blood as food under the signs of
bread and wine, and testifies “to the end” his love for humanity
(Jn 13:1), for whose salvation he will offer himself in sacrifice.
Glorious Mysteries
Recited on Wednesdays
and the Sundays after Easter up to Advent
The First Glorious Mystery:
The Resurrection of our Lord from the Dead
After the Sabbath, at the dawn of the first day of the
week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the
tomb. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake: an angel of
the Lord descending from heaven …rolled the stone from the
entrance… and said to them: “Do not be afraid, for I know that
you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for
he is risen as he said.… go at once and tell his disciples that he
is risen. (Mt 28:1-2,5-6)
The Second Glorious Mystery:
The Ascension of our Lord into Heaven
He was taken up before their eyes and a cloud hid him from
their sight. While they were still looking up to heaven where
he went, suddenly, two men dressed in white stood beside
them and said: ... “This Jesus who has been taken from you into
heaven, will return in the same way as you have seen him go
there.” (Acts 1:9-11)
The Third Glorious Mystery:
The Descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles
When the day of Pentecost came they were all together
in one place. And suddenly out of the sky came a sound like a
strong rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they
were sitting. There appeared tongues as if of fire which parted
and came to rest upon each one of them. All were filled with
Holy Spirit and began to speak other languages, as the Spirit
enabled them to speak. (Acts 2:1-4)
The Fourth Glorious Mystery:
The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
Who is this coming like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright
as the sun, majestic as bannered troop?—but my dove, my
perfect one, is unique, the only daughter and favorite of her
mother, she was called blessed by the virgins and praised by
queens and concubines. (Song of Songs 6:10, 9)
The Fifth Glorious Mystery:
The Crowning of Mary as Queen of heaven and Earth
Among your ladies of honor are daughters of kings; at your
right hand, in gold of Ophir, stands the queen. Listen, O daugh-
ter, pay attention; forget your father’s house and your nation,
and your beauty will charm the King, for he is your Lord.… All
glorious as she enters is the princess in her gold-woven robes.
(Ps 45:10-14)
The Mysteries of the Rosary
Joyful Mysteries
Recited on Mondays and Saturdays,
Sundays of Advent and Sundays after the Epiphany up to Lent
1. The Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary
2. The Visitation of the Virgin Mary
to the Parents of St. John the Baptist
3. The Birth of Our Lord at Bethlehem
4. The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
Sorrowful Mysteries
Recited on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Sundays of Lent
1. The Agony of our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane
2. The Scourging of our Lord at the Pillar
3. The Crowning of our Lord with Thorns
4. The Carrying of the Cross by our Lord to Calvary
5. The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord
Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
Recited on Thursdays
1. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan
2. The Wedding at Cana
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
4. The Transfiguration
5. The Institution of the Eucharist
Glorious Mysteries
Recited on Wednesdays
and the Sundays after Easter up to Advent
1. The Resurrection of our Lord from the Dead
2. The Ascension of our Lord into Heaven
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles
4. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
5. The Crowning of Mary as Queen of heaven and Earth
Methods of
Prayer
We who have undertaken Christ’s Missionary work
should also imitate his constancy in prayer and take
to heart his recommendations and teachings on
prayer without ceasing. For this reason, we should
cultivate the spirit of adoptive sonship whereby we
cry: “Abba, Father”. Led by the light of faith, we
should search for signs of his will in what happens
in our lives, thus growing daily more responsive
to our mission. — CMF Constitutions 33-34
Some Prayer Exercises
Exercise 1: The Riches of Silence

Lao-tse said that silence is the great revelation.
We can only discover the revelation that silence brings
by attaining silence first.
And this is not easy.
Let us try to do this in our first exercise.
Take a comfortable posture. Close your eyes.
We will keep silence for a period of five minutes.
Try to attain silence as much as possible,
the total silence of your heart and mind.
(After 5 minutes)
You will notice that you are not accustomed to silence.
As you try to keep silence,
be aware that your mind wanders.
Now sense the silence that makes it possible for you
to be aware of the wanderings of your mind.
(After 2 minutes)
Realize that silence reveals yourself to you.
That is the first revelation of silence: your self.
Don’t seek for anything in silence; just observe.
Just take in everything that comes to your awareness.
Be aware of what you are thinking and how you feel,
even of how you are seated.
(After 5 minutes)
Now, slowly open your eyes.
Exercise 2: Body Sensations

Take a comfortable and restful posture.
Rest your hands on your lap.
Close your eyes.
174
METHODS OF PRAYER 175
Be aware of the touch of your clothes on your shoulders….
Now, become aware of your back
touching the back of your chair….
Now, be aware of the feel of your hands
as they rest on your lap….
Now become conscious of your thighs and buttocks
pressing against your chair….
Now, the feel of your feet touching your shoes….
Now, become aware that you are seated….
Once again: your shoulders… your back…
your right hand… your left hand…
your thighs… your feet… your sitting posture…
Once again: shoulders… back… right hand… left hand…
right thigh… left thigh… right foot … left foot…
sitting posture…
Continue to go the round by yourself now,
moving from one part of your body to the other.
Do not dwell for more than a couple of seconds
on each part, shoulders, back, thighs, and so on…
Keep moving from one to the other.
You may dwell on any other parts of your body as you wish:
your head, your neck, your arms,
your chest, your stomach…
The important thing is that you get the feel,
the sensation of each part,
that you feel it for a second or two
and then move on to another part of your body….
(After 5 minutes)
Now, open your eyes gently.
Exercise 3: Body Sensations through Control

176 METHODS OF PRAYER
Close your eyes.
Be aware of one part of your body to another.
Become aware of all the sensations
you can pick up in each part.
Do this for 5 minutes.
(After 5 minutes)
Now, choose just one small area of your face:
your forehead, for instance, or a cheek or your chin.
Try to pick up every sensation you can in this area.
Be aware of the kind of sensations that emerge:
itching, pricking, burning, pulling, vibrating,
throbbing, numbness…
If your mind wanders, bring it patiently back to the exercise
as soon as you become aware of the wandering.
(After 5 minutes)
Exercise 4: Thought Control

Close your eyes.
Now observe every thought that comes into your mind.
There are two ways of dealing with thoughts:
One is to follow them around as a puppy in the streets will
follow any pair of legs it finds in motion, no matter in what
direction they are moving; the other is to observe them as a
man stationed at his window watches passersby on the street.
Observe your thoughts this way.
(After 3 minutes)
Now, become aware that you are thinking.
Observe the thinking process that is going on within you.
If you find there are no thoughts in your mind
and your mind is blank,
wait for the next thought to make its appearance.
Be on the alert and, as soon as the thought appears,
become aware of it, or the fact that you are thinking.
Keep up this exercise for 4 minutes.
(After 4 minutes)
Exercise 5: Breathing Sensations

Close your eyes.
Spend some five minutes in becoming aware
of sensations in various parts of your body…
(After 5 minutes)
Now, move on to the awareness of your breathing.
Become aware of the air
as it comes in and goes out through your nostrils…
Do not concentrate on the air as it enters your lungs.
Limit your awareness to the air
as it passes through your nostrils….
Do not control your breathing; do not try to deepen it.
Just observe your normal, natural breathing.
Each time you are distracted,
return to becoming aware of your natural breathing.
Continue this exercise for five minutes more.
(After 5 minutes)
Exercise 6: Contemplation Practice 1

Choose some object--rock, tree, work of art, food, creature-
-and settle into some time of quiet observation. Whenever judg-
ments, labels, or critiques arise, whether positive or negative,
let them go and return to simply witnessing what is before you.
Take it all in: shape, texture, colors, sounds, smells, perhaps even
taste. If you are distracted by something else or the seemingly
random thoughts that perpetually float through your mind,
come back to this object, this moment.
Gradually let your gaze soften and behold the more-than-
matter-ness that is also here. Deepen your awareness of the
risen Christ’s presence within this thing and within you.
You might return to this object again and again, each time
deepening your seeing to the level of pure presence, including
and beyond what is visible and sensible.
5
Five-finger Prayer
http://www.scborromeo.org/prayers/5finger.htm
Your thumb is the nearest to you. So begin your prayer
by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to
remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once
said, a “sweet duty.”
The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who
teach, instruct, and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and
ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others
in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our
leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in industry and business,
and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide
public opinion. They need God’s guidance.
The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is
the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will
testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in
trouble, or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You
cannot pray too much for them.
And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all.
Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God
and others. As the Bible says, “The least shall be the greatest
among you.” Your pinky should remind you to pray for yourself.
5
The White Light
Position yourself lying down, or sit in a chair, or in the lotus
position. Make yourself comfortable; you can use a pillow, and
a blanket if you wish.
Next, say the “Our Father,” or any prayer that you are
comfortable saying. This brings you to a humble state of
consciousness.
Now envision a ray of white light coming down from God
into the top of your head, spiraling down through your head
and neck. The white light continues across each shoulder,
down to each arm and out of your fingertips. Then, it spirals
down through your chest and abdomen, and it circles your gut.
Option A:
Then, the white light continues down to each leg, and into
your feet and out the bottom of your feet. Your whole body is
now filled with that white light, which also envelops you. Feel
that that white light is God’s presence. Let go and relax for as
long as you want.
Option B:
Let go of all that is not from God as the white light continues
down to each leg, and into your feet and out the bottom of your
feet, sending all that is not from God into the earth.
Then, the white light loops back up to the top of your head.
And it spirals down again to the bottom of your feet. Repeat
this another time. Three times in all. Remain like this for at least
10 to 15 minutes.
Bring the white light down through you again to the bot-
tom of you feet. Create a foundation of white light under your
feet. Bring the white light back up around you, wrapping you
all around up to about one foot above your head. Envision
yourself being in a cocoon of white light. Again bring the white
light down again expanding the foundation of the white light
and wrap up to the top of your head, one foot above again.
Do this another time, three times in all. Picture your self being
wrapped as the white light.
To end:
Finally, say a prayer of thanksgiving, you are now finished
with your meditation.
5
Practical Ways of Praying with the Bible
o Praying with the Bible in the light of Jesus’ life, passion,
death and resurrection
o Praying with the Bible for the purpose for which Jesus
gave his life: the Kingdom of God.
Read the Bible from Life
o Read the Bible from the present situation of the world.
o Read the Bible for the present situation of the world.
The Bible is born out of an encounter of God with the
people, in the midst of life. God spoke to us and He wants us
to call on him using the same inspired words he used to com-
municate with us. He wants us to use the same name he used
to reveal himself: the name Yahweh and the name Father. Jesus
prayed with the Psalms of the Bible, and he showed us how to
use the biblical words that express the dream of God about
us: his Kingdom.
5
Ignatian Method:
The Word of God as a Movie Script
Think of the Ignatian Method, named after St. Ignatius of
Loyola (1491-1556), as a sort of virtual experience of the Scrip-
ture where you read the Scripture and, then, create in your mind
a short film about what you read. You use your imagination to
enter into the reading, asking yourself:
o What do I see and hear? What do I smell, taste, or touch?
o Who are the characters and what’s going on with them?
o If I were in this movie, what role would I play?
o If I were Jesus in this story, what would I be thinking,
feeling, saying?
In the Ignatian Method, you enter into the story so that you
can learn more about and participate more fully in the mind,
the heart, and the work of Christ.
5
The Word of God as Mirror
Preparation
As a remote preparation, try to remain conscious of God as
you go about your daily schedule. Frequently remind yourself
of this truth: God is everywhere and is very interested in my
welfare.
At the beginning of the meditation make a deliberate act
of faith regarding God’s presence. Ask him for pardon of any
faults. Ask for help to make a good meditation. Add a prayer
to our Blessed Mother and other favorite saints and angels.
Consideration
Read for a few minutes from the Bible—or other spiritual
book. Ask yourself: What have I read? What does it teach me?
How have I acted in regard to this till now? What shall I do
about it in the future?
Since the advantage of meditation is not so much in
the thinking as in the praying that it leads to, it is important
to devote the greater part of meditation to affections (short
prayers from the heart), petitions (requests for help from God),
and resolutions (practical plans for changing your life for the
better, with God’s help).
Affections: “Lord, I am sorry for having offended you.”“Thank
you for the blessings you have given me.” “I want to love you
above all things.” “Your will be done.”
Petitions. Ask for whatever you need: for example, forgive-
ness of sins, greater confidence, help in a stressful situation,
specific graces to forgive someone, to be more patient, for
good physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, for the
grace to die a holy death.
Resolutions. Make them short and specific: for example,
to stop gossiping with..., to be kind to..., not to lose patience
with…, to have needed rest and/or recreation or vacation…,
to be more faithful to times of prayer, etc.
Conclusion
Thank God for the insights and graces gained during this
meditation, your resolutions.
Ask for help to keep your resolutions.
Choose some special thought or short prayer to carry with
you during the day.
5
Lectio Divina
“Lectio Divina”, a Latin term, means “divine reading” and
describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually
let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants
to say to us. In the 12th century, a Carthusian monk called Guigo,
described the stages which he saw as essential to the practice
of Lectio Divina. There are various ways of practicing Lectio
Divina either individually or in groups but Guigo’s description
remains fundamental.
He said that the first stage is lectio (reading) where we read
the Word of God, slowly and reflectively so that it sinks into us.
Any passage of Scripture can be used for this way of prayer but
the passage should not be too long.
The second stage is meditatio (reflection) where we think
about the text we have chosen and ruminate upon it so that
we take from it what God wants to give us.
The third stage is oratio (response) where we leave our
thinking aside and simply let our hearts speak to God. This
response is inspired by our reflection on the Word of God.
The final stage of Lectio Divina is contemplatio (rest) where
we let go not only of our own ideas, plans and meditations but
also of our holy words and thoughts. We simply rest in the Word
of God. We listen at the deepest level of our being to God who
speaks within us with a still small voice. As we listen, we are
gradually transformed from within. Obviously this transforma-
tion will have a profound effect on the way we actually live and
the way we live is the test of the authenticity of our prayer. We
must take what we read in the Word of God into our daily lives.
These stages of Lectio Divina are not fixed rules of pro-
cedure but simply guidelines as to how the prayer normally
develops. Its natural movement is towards greater simplicity,
with less and less talking and more listening. Gradually the
words of Scripture begin to dissolve and the Word is revealed
before the eyes of our heart. How much time should be given
to each stage depends very much on whether it is used indi-
vidually or in a group. If Lectio Divina is used for group prayer,
obviously more structure is needed than for individual use. In
group prayer, much will depend on the type of group. Lectio
Divina may involve discussing the implications of the Word of
God for daily life but it cannot be reduced to this. The movement
of the prayer is towards silence. If the group is comfortable with
silence, more time could be spent resting in the Word.
The practice of Lectio Divina as a way of praying the Scrip-
tures has been a fruitful source of growing in relationship with
Christ for many centuries and in our own day is being rediscov-
ered by many individuals and groups. The Word of God is alive
and active and will transform each of us if we open ourselves
to receive what God wants to give us.
I. Benedictine Method
Preparation Pointers
Place. Find a quiet time and place. It helps when you can
find a consistent time and place.
Posture. Be relaxed and comfortable, but not in a posture
conducive to sleep.
Passage. Prepare your passage before you begin.
Prayer. Begin with a prayer to the Holy Spirit.
Simple Steps for Lectio
Let these four steps weave in and out of your time of
reading. They may not follow in direct sequence. Let the Spirit
move you.
Lectio. Read the passage slowly. Pause when you feel your
attention drawn to a word, phrase or thought. Dwell on it, as if
it’s your home. Or savor its taste as long as it lasts.
Meditatio. Ponder this passage and what it means for you.
Oratio. Talk with God about the passage and your reflection.
Contemplatio. When moved by God, rest in the quiet
presence of God; surrender to grace. When ready, return to
your reading.
II. A Prayerful Reading
A. Read and re-read the selected biblical text.
Read slowly, pay attention. While reading the text, identify
with the people that appear there and the action they take.
Ask yourself about the time when the events happened: What
situation were the people living in? Above all: What is their
experience of God according to the text read? What image of
God appears in the text? Put it simply: What does the text say?
B. Meditate it in your heart.
Ask yourself: What is the message of the text telling me
in today’s situation? In what way is the text challenging my
life? is way, through the biblical text, you will discover what
God wants to tell you. In short: What does the text say to your
present situation?
C. Pray the text.
So far you have let God speak to you through the text of
the Bible. Now it is time to answer him with your own lips and
from your heart. It could be an answer of praise, supplication,
forgiveness, petition or thanksgiving. The biblical text read
and mediated upon awakes your answer to God. How do you
respond to God who talked to you?
D. Contemplate the new face of God.
It means to look at the world with different eyes; it means
to let God transform you by inviting you to commit yourself in
the transformation of reality.
III. Lectio on Life

Applying lectio divina to my personal salvation history
Purpose: to apply a method of prayerful reflection to a life/work
incident (instead of to a scripture passage).
(A) Listening for the Gentle Touch of Christ the Word 
(The Literal Sense)
1. Each person quiets the body and mind: relax, sit comfort-
ably but alert, close eyes, attune to breathing...
2. Each person gently reviews events, situations, sights, en-
counters that have happened since the beginning of the
retreat/or during the last month at work.
(B) Gently Ruminating, Reflecting
(Meditatio—Meditation)
3. Each person allows the self to focus on one such offering.
a) Recollect the setting, sensory details, sequence of
events, etc.
b) Notice where the greatest energy seemed to be evoked.
Was there a turning point or shift?
c) In what ways did God seem to be present? To what
extent was I aware then? Now?
(C) Prayerful Consecration, Blessing
(Oratio—Prayer)
4. Use a word or phrase from the Scriptures to inwardly con-
secrate—to offer up to God in prayer—the incident and
interior reflections. Allow God to accept and bless them
as your gift.
(D) Accepting Christ’s Embrace; Silent Presence to the
Lord 
(Contemplatio—Contemplation)
5. Remain in silence for some period.
(E) Sharing our Lectio Experience with Each Other 
(Operatio—Action; works)
6. Leader calls the group back into “community.”
7. All share briefly (or remain in continuing silence).
IV. Lectio Divina Shared in Community

(A) Listening for the Gentle Touch of Christ the Word 
(The LiteralOF
METHODS Sense)
PRAYER 187
1. One person reads aloud (twice) the passage of scripture,
as others are attentive to some segment that is especially
meaningful to them.
2. Silence for 1-2 minutes. Each hears and silently repeats a
word or phrase that attracts.
3. Sharing aloud: [A word or phrase that has attracted each
person]. A simple statement of one or a few words. No
elaboration.
(B) How Christ the Word speaks to ME 
(The Allegorical Sense)
4. Second or third reading of same passage by another person.
5. Silence for 2-3 minutes. Reflect on “Where does the content
of this reading touch my life today?”
6. Sharing aloud: Briefly: “I hear, I see...”
(C) What Christ the Word Invites me to DO
(The Moral Sense)
7. Third or fourth reading by still another person.
8. Silence for 2-3 minutes. Reflect on “I believe that God wants
me to...... today/this week.”
9. Sharing aloud: at somewhat greater length the results of
each one’s reflection. [Be especially aware of what is shared
by the person to your right.]
10. After full sharing, place your hands on the head of the
person to your right as you pray for him in a way that he
hears you, so he can join you in prayer.
Note: Anyone may “pass” at any time. If instead of sharing with
the group you prefer to pray silently, simply state this aloud and
conclude your silent prayer with Amen.
5
Praying the Bible in Groups
I. Six-step Bible Sharing

A. First Step
We invite the Lord and his Spirit. The coordinator asks a
member of the group to invoke the presence of the Lord and
his Spirit. The rest of the group may complete the prayer and
share their prayer aloud.
B. Second Step
To read the text. The coordinator points out the chapter
and verses to be read. One member of the group reads the
text aloud. After the reading, all observe a moment of silence.
C. Third Step
Abiding with the text. Let each participant say aloud a word
or a sentence that is of special importance to him or her. After
each participant says the word or sentence, there is a short
moment of silence. Each one can repeat interiorly two or three
times the words that were spoken allowing them to sink in. Once
all have spoken, the whole text is read again, aloud and slowly.
D. Fourth Step
Silence. After a second reading of the text, the coordinator
invites everybody to keep silent letting them know how long
the silence will be (3 to 5 minutes). This silence prepares the
participants to reflect together on the text and to pray the text.
E. Fifth Step
Sharing what has touched their life. Participants are invited
to share spontaneously from their hearts what has touched
them. This is the time to put together the words reflected upon
from Scripture and the individual feelings and experiences of
each participant.
F. Sixth Step
Praying together. The coordinator invites the group to
pray. Participants respond with spontaneous prayers to God
who has spoken to them through the text. The meeting may
conclude with a song.
II. The “Drop of Water” Method (Based on Is 55:1-11)

o Let each participant choose a passage from the biblical
prayers below.
o Participants read the chosen verses as if it were a drop
of water. Read it as if praying that biblical prayer. Read
in a circle, as if forming a wheel.
o Read it again, repeating it with more emphasis.
o Let participants add to the verse given words or sen-
tences that come from the heart, always attuned with
the biblical passage that was assigned.
o Finish with a song.
Short List of Biblical Prayers
Old Testament
o Genesis 15:2-3: Supplication of Abraham for his son.
o Exodus 5:22-23: Moses complains to God about the
situation of his people.
o Exodus 15:1-18: Praise to God after crossing the Red
Sea.
o Deuteronomy 26:5-10: Prayer that recalls what God did
for his people. It was said at the time offering the first
fruits of God.
o Isaiah 12:1-6: Song of thanksgiving for the liberation of
the people.
o Jeremiah 15:15-18: Complaint/supplication of Jeremiah
about difficulties in his prophetic mission.
o Daniel 3:26-49: Prayer of the three youths condemned
to the furnace, interceding for the people.
o All the Psalms
New Testament
o Luke 1:45-55: Song of Mary, the Magnificat, for what
God has made in her and in history.
o Luke 1:68-79: Zechariah’s thanksgiving song for what
God has made for his people.
o Luke 18:13: Prayer of the tax collector.
o Matthew 6:9-13: The Our Father.
o John 11:41-42: Jesus’ prayer of thanksgiving at Lazarus’
resurrection.
o John 17:1-26: Jesus’ prayer for the new holy people.
o Acts 4:24-30: Communitarian prayer asking for interior
fortitude to announce the Word of God.
o Romans 11:33-36: Hymn of praise to the Wisdom of God.
o Ephesians 3:14-21: Paul’s prayer asking for interior
fortitude to understand God’s plans.
o Philippians 1:9-11: Paul’s prayer for the community.
o Revelation 5:9-13 and 21:3-4: Songs of praise to Jesus
Christ.
III. Re-reading the Psalms

We find in the book of Psalms an overflowing spring of
biblical prayers. Christians throughout the centuries have ex-
perienced the richness of praying with the Psalms. For us the
main Psalmist is Jesus: when we pray the Psalms, Jesus prays
with us. This is how we should pray the Psalms:
o Situating ourselves in the time when the events written
in the Psalms took place.
o Reading them through the light of the Gospels, where
we find the living Christ.
o Praying them from the present situation we are now
living, at the beginning of the third millennium.
In the book of Psalms we find:
o Hymns—Psalms 8, 19, 29, 33, 100, 103, 104, 117, 135,
136, 145 to 150.
o Individual Psalms—5, 6, 7,13, 17, 22, 25, 28, 31, 40, 62,
92, 116, 123, 124, etc.
o Didactic Psalms with teaching and orientation for
life—1, 35, 49, 73, 91, 112, etc.
o Historical Psalms that narrate the pilgrimage of the
biblical people and their infidelities—like Psalms 78
and 105.
o We could even discover today “ecological Psalms,” like
8, 19, 29, 148.
Method
1. Read one Psalm daily trying to reconstruct the situation
the Psalmist lived.
2. Read it in the light of Jesus life’ or as if Jesus were the
one saying it.
3. Apply it to your personal, family or communitarian
situation.
Exercise
Make a re-reading of a Psalm that has deeply influenced
your life, applying and adapting it to your present Christian
experience or to the situation of the world.
Example: Psalm 15 re-written by Ernesto Cardenal
And I said: There is no joy for me outside of you!
I do not worship movie stars, no political leaders, I do not
worship dictators.
We do not subscribe to their media nor belong to their
parties, neither talk with slogans nor follow their orders. We
do not listen to their programs nor believe in their advertising.
We do not dress by their fashion nor buy their products. We are
not members of their clubs nor eat at their restaurants. I do not
envy the menu of their banquets, neither will drink from their
bloody libations!
The Lord is my inheritance in the promised land. It was
my luck to get a beautiful land in the agrarian reform of the
promised land. You are always at my side and my whole being
rejoices even at night when I sleep and even in my unconscious-
ness I bless you!
IV. Communitarian (Popular) Reading of the Bible

A. Invocation to the Holy Spirit
B. First Level of Reading: Assimilation of the text
o Personal reading, proclamation of the text and sharing.
o Questions about assimilation of the text:
— place
— people: what do they do, what do they say, what do
they think, what do they feel ...
— oral recount (to try to repeat the text without reading it).
C. Second Level of Reading: Understanding the text
Now it is the moment of “formation.” Explanations of the
text: to locate places, to inform on personages.
D. Third Level of Reading: Deepening of the text
To socially locate:
— people
— institutions
— signs
— ideologies, tendencies...
— situations
— traditions
— places ...
E: Fourth Level of Reading: Applying text to life
Geared towards commitments at
— personal level (conscience)
— social level
— ecclesial level
F: Final prayer
The final prayer is again to the Holy Spirit asking for light
and strength to put into practice previous commitments.
V. A Simple Bible Sharing Method

Teka Muna Bible Sharing Community
P. O. Box 1608 Macau SAR China
Opening Song
Opening Prayer
Scripture Reading
Silent Reflection
Sharing
Shared Intercessions
Our Father
Greeting of Peace
Concluding Prayer
End Song
VI. The Lumko “Seven Step” Method

Lumko Institute
P.O. Box 5058 Delmenville 1403 South Africa
Introduction
It deals with a method of communal, prayerful approach to
the Sacred Scripture which may help us to encounter God and
one another and to help us open our eyes to the presence and
to the working of God in our everyday life. The Bible contains,
is and imparts the Word of God. It is a book which concerns us
personally and likewise can make us concerned. This method
provides the opportunity for allowing the Bible to speak to
oneself first and, out of this perplexity, to share with one another
(rather than just “talk about” the Bible).
On the other hand, the Bible is a book which renders the
faith experiences and faith testimonies of peoples from different
times and cultures. We are standing in the living tradition of the
People of God who has heard the Word of God since Abraham
and lived because of it. The Bible is therefore at times a strange
and disturbing book. Hence, the meditative prayerful approach
directed towards life is not the only one; rather it should be
supplemented by biblical study.
Bible discussion and Bible meditation groups should not
be too large. The ideal size is four to eight participants so that
everyone may have the opportunity to talk. An atmosphere of
quiet and calm is necessary. Just as important is an attitude of
openness, of reciprocal listening in addition to the readiness to
talk about oneself, that is, one’s life and one’s faith. The function
of the facilitator consists only of this—that he announces the
individual steps of the method.
The Seven Steps
Steps 1-4 help us to “persevere” with God, to “listen” to
participate in the biblical action, “to surrender ourselves to God.”
Step 5 brings us together as brothers and sisters because
we risk sharing our experience with God with one another.
This is not the most important step, but it gives great joy to
all those who want to build and experience a deeply human
community in God.
In step 6 we confront our life with the Word of God. It is
often the case that in this atmosphere of prayer, individuals
discuss problems which they wish to resolve as a neighborhood
group. In step 7 all are invited to share in spontaneous prayer.
First Step: We invite the Lord
Once the group settles down, the facilitator asks someone
to volunteer “to invite the Lord.”The belief in the living presence
of the risen Christ in our midst is the presupposition and basis
of our meditation.
We want to meet the Word who became flesh and dwells
among us. We remember Jesus’ promise: “Where two or three
are gathered in my Name, I am there among them” (Mt 18:20).
Second Step: We read the text
The facilitator announces the chosen text. First the book,
then the chapter. S/he waits until everyone has found the
chapter and only then does s/he announce the verse. When
everyone has found the passage, the facilitator invites someone
to volunteer to read the text. A moment of silence follows.
Third Step: We dwell on the text
The facilitator continues: “We dwell on the text. Which
words strike you in a special way?”
In doing so, almost the entire text is very listened to again.
The participants spontaneously read aloud the word or words
that have impressed them. Whole verses are not read, only short
phrases or individual words.
The participants are encouraged to repeat those words
silently to themselves three or four times. It is extremely im-
portant that a moment of silence be kept after each person
has spoken, allowing the message to “soak in.” As a result of this
step, “simple” words often take on new meaning.
Fourth Step: We are quiet
After spending time on the individual word, the entire
passage is read again slowly. Then the facilitator announces
a time of silence, giving the exact length of time, for example,
three minutes.
We advise the people to spend this time in silence before
God. “We are open to God.” “We allow ourselves to be loved by
him.” “We let God look at us.”
A helpful practice during this silence is to repeat a speific
word.
Meditation: Simply to be open to God, to wait for him,
to be with him, “he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27).
Fifth Step: We share what we have heard in our hearts
After the time of quiet, the facilitator announces the next
step: “We share with each other what we have heard in our
hearts.”
We do this to share with one another our faith experience
and to help each other to grow in the faith. The entire Sacred
Scripture is nothing less than a God experience which the
People of Israel and Jesus “share” with us.
It is somewhat strange that we can talk to friends about
almost every aspect of our life yet when it comes to sharing
with others our experience with God, we become shy. In this
Bible meditation method, however, anyone can learn “to risk”
this sharing in a very natural and unpressured way.
Sixth Step: We search together
The facilitator announces: “We search together.”
Now the time has come for the participants to examine
their lives in the light of the Gospel. At this stage, a basic com-
munity might discuss everyday problems as:
Someone needs help in the neighborhood... Children need
instruction in the faith...
Who will lead the Service of the Word next Sunday, since
the priest will not be there?...
How can we settle a discord that has arisen?...
What can we do about getting the street lamp repaired?...
None of these problems need to have a direct connection
to the Bible passage which had been read and shared. How-
ever, they emerge and can be resolved because of the mutual
confidence that now exists in an atmosphere of the presence of
God. Things look different when God is allowed to be present.
Seventh Step: We pray together
The facilitator now invites everyone to pray.
The words of Scripture, the various experiences of God’s
Word, the daily problems—these all become fuel for prayer.
Some find this form of sharing in prayer the easiest way to
communicate with others.
The participants are encouraged to incorporate in their
personal prayer whatever has been of special importance to
them during the meditation.
Only at the end is a formal prayer known to everyone
recited.
VII. The Vigan Method: A Simple Method of Bible

Sharing
John Paul I Biblical Center 2700 Vigan, Ilocos Sur,
Philippines
Introduction
The Group. Four to six persons who in trust, openness and
mutual respect listen in common to the Word of God, and try
to find answers to it; persons who, on the basis of the Word of
God, through mutual self-communication, try to find their way
towards a deeper Christian community.
The Atmosphere. For Bible sharing, a quiet atmosphere is
absolutely necessary: freedom from noise, thus a meeting-place
where the group will not be disturbed, freedom from time
pressure, thus sufficient time should be available, (according
to experience, a group of five people needs about 45 to 60
minutes for this method).
The participants sit in an open circle (not around a table), so
that each one can not only hear the others but also see them.
A burning candle in the midst reminds the participants that
Christ, the Word of God, is the Light of the World (Jn 1:1.9; 8:12;
12:46) and that he is present in the midst of those gathered in
His name (Mt 8:20).
All of these factors contribute towards creating the right
atmosphere.
The Group Facilitator. He/she need not be an expert because
it is not his/her task to convey actual knowledge. The task
rather is to lead the group in the Bible sharing by announcing
the individual steps of the method. He/she may also lead the
opening and closing prayer, or may ask for a volunteer. He/she
may invite someone in the group only to read, but not to share.
The Bible and the Scripture Text. It is advisable, but not ab-
solutely necessary, that all members have a copy of the Bible
in the same translation. It is recommended to choose one of
the three readings of the Sunday liturgy for this Bible sharing.
The Method. The group decides on the model they will use
(prayer—response, action—response, or a combination of both)
before beginning each session.
It is recommended to use the model “prayer—response”
for the first few times, and then the group may choose to go
on to “action—response.” After that, the two models may be
used alternately.
Model A: “Prayer—Response”
Opening Prayer or Song
The participants are endeavored to become aware of God’s
presence. Jesus said, “Where there are two or three gathered
in my name, there I am in their midst” (Mt 18:20). Also a prayer
of petition would be appropriate according to the words of
Scripture, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:0) or
“You have words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68) or a petition to the Holy
Spirit, who can open our ears and free us from everything that
would hinder us from hearing God’s Word, or a hymn to the
Holy Spirit, “Come Holy Spirit,” etc.
First Step
First contact with the text, with the “dead letter.”
Reading of the text: One member of the group reads it aloud,
the others participate by listening and/or reading it silently.
Silence: After the reading, all observe silence for about three
minutes, during which time they may go over the text once
more in their minds. Each chooses a word (words), a phrase
(phrases), a verse (verses) which strikes them.
Sharing: After about three minutes, the facilitator invites
the group members to share the word, phrase or verse which
struck them. They are not to give any explanation, only the word,
phrase or verse with the corresponding verse number, e.g. “I was
struck by the word ‘light’ in verse 5” (in 1 Jn 1). No explanation is
given, nor any reason why this particular word, phrase or verse
was found striking for the respective individual.
Second Step
The “dead letter” of Scripture becomes the “living word”
for each individual (and perhaps, through the individual, for
others as well).
Reading of the same text: After all have shared upon the
invitation of the facilitator, another member reads the same
text aloud. The others participate silently again.
Silence: After the reading all observe deep silence for about
five minutes, during which time each member listens intently
to God’s personal message to him/her. Prompted by the text
and/or the sharing of the other group members, something will
emerge as most meaningful to each group member, and true
to their own experience or applicable to their own lives. While
listening, the participants ask themselves, “What do you, God,
want to tell me personally for my very own life?”
Sharing of the Word for me with the others: After about five
minutes the facilitator invites the group members to share what
they have heard in the depths of their hearts. In order to keep
the sharing on a personal level and to refrain from moralizing,
they will try to use only the first person singular (I, me, my,
mine). It is a matter of simple sharing, not of discussion or of
preaching in the sense of moralizing. The word of Pope Paul VI
may be recalled here “Is there any other way of handing on the
Gospel, than by transmitting to another person one’s personal
experience of faith?” (Evangelii Nuntiandi)
Third Step
The Word demands a response.
Reading of the same text: After all have shared, another
member of the group reads the text aloud for a third time, while
the others listen and/or read silently.
Silence and personal answer to the Word: After the reading
the group observes deep silence once again, during which
time each individual tries to find an answer to what has been
perceived as the personal Word of God. There ought to be a
real correspondence between the Word and the answer, for
instance, expressing one’s trust if the Word was a promise; one’s
obedience if it was a command. The prayer could also be praise
and thanks, repentance, petition, intercession, depending on
the message received.
Sharing of the personal prayer response: Each person
expresses aloud the personal answer of his/her heart to the
Word received, so that it may be confirmed through the “Amen”
(expressed aloud or in silence) of the other participants.
Concluding Prayer or Song
A prayer of praise or thanks, a song, or the Lord’s Prayer
recited in common by the group, is a very fitting conclusion
to this Bible Sharing.
Model B: Action Response

Opening Prayer or Song
First Step
Same as in Model A: “Prayer—Response”
Second Step
Same as in Model A: “Prayer—Response”
Third Step
The Word demands an answer.
Reading of the text: as in model “Prayer—Response.”
Silence and personal answer to the Word (approx. 5 minutes):
Here each individual asks him/herself or God: “How can I put
into action in the concrete circumstances of my life the Word
which I have received.
Sharing of the personal action response: Each participant
shares with the others how he/she wishes to live the Word.
Bible sharing groups which form a natural community (family,
religious community, classmates, colleagues at work, etc.) could
try to reach a conclusion on how they, as a community, could
try to live their answer.
Concluding Prayer
Same as in Model A: “Prayer—Response.”
Model C: Combination of the Prayer and Action—Re-

sponse
“Prayer and Action—Response” could also be combined;
this of course would require more time, since this combination
usually consists of four steps, but it is not necessary to read
the text a fourth time, followed by the period of silence; in
sharing the “Action— Response,” the “Prayer—Response”
could be integrated as well.
5
Reflections
I will have in regard to God a
heart of a child, in regard to myself
a judge’s heart and with my
neighbor a motherly heart. —Claret
Guide for Catholic Living
The Bible
from the Christian Community Bible
Where do we begin our reading of the Bible?
The simplest way is to start with the Gospels where we
meet Christ, who is the Light, the Truth and the Word of God.
Obviously the Old Testament has many important les-
sons. Yet the person who reads them after having heard Christ
understands them differently and discovers a deeper meaning
in them.
Some are accustomed to opening the Bible at random,
thinking that the first paragraph they find will give them the
precise word they need at that moment. Certainly God can
answer their concerns in this way, but he never committed
himself to communicate with us in such a manner.
In any case, it is advantageous to have read each book
of the New Testament in sequence at least once. It is good to
begin with the Gospels.
How to avoid misunderstanding the Bible
1. Do not think that you are the first to understand God’s
message and that there were no true Christians before
you. This would be the way to become a founder of
another strange sect.
2. The word of God is life-giving, but that does not mean
that every word is an instant problem-solver today. Each
word was given by God to people living under concrete
circumstances. Let us ponder what their problem was
and what God wanted them to understand. Then we
may ask: What light does this message shed on the
present time and circumstances?
3. God taught his people for more than fifteen centuries
from Abraham to the apostles, but he did not teach
204
REFLECTIONS 205
everything from the beginning. Do not wonder, then,
that Moses and even the Prophets ignored important
matters as manifested by the witnesses of Jesus who
is the Word of God.
4. From the very first message which God gave his people,
he had in mind the coming of his Son and the mystery
of his cross and resurrection. All is to be understood in
this light.
5. In the Bible, what is most important is clearly taught.
However, some pages that actually have little to teach
us were written in a sophisticated way according to an
old literary style. Do not cling to some strange sentences
to the point of forsaking what is clear and fundamental.
6. Read your Bible continually not to learn what you do
not yet know, but as a proof of your love and faithful-
ness to God. If you persevere, he will give you all the
understanding you need.
The Old Testament
Eighteen centuries before Jesus Christ many nomadic tribes
leave Chaldea along with their flocks to go and to live in Egypt.
Among these tribes and nomadic clans there are a certain num-
ber of families whose chief is Abraham. For Abraham—quite
insignificant for the historians—this forced migration was
accompanied by a great hope: God had called him and had
promised him an extraordinary recompense: “Abraham, all
generations will be blest in you.”
When God revealed himself to the patriarchs Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, they were still nomads; they shared a simple
religion with other nomads, an attachment to the “God of their
forebears” and the veneration of a number of family idols. Their
meeting with the Living God led them to a new awareness: God
watches over those whom he chooses. Many trials seemed to
contradict God’s promise to them; but each time God intervenes
206 REFLECTIONS
in favor of his faithful people. This led to the establishment of a
privileged relationship between God and the patriarchs, marked
by God’s fidelity to his word and by the unshakable confidence
of his faithful people. Through them, Israel was incited to con-
template both the marvels of God for those he has chosen and
the unfailing faith of their ancestors.
Six centuries later, descendants of the patriarchs were in
the desert being guided by Moses towards the Promised Land.
The sojourn at Horeb was decisive: it was here that the nomadic
clans were to live a spiritual experience, such that the biblical
text would never cease referring to it. God solemnly committed
himself to his people at the same time that he gave them a Law:
the rule of a covenant with God and a code of personal and
communal behavior for Israel. The word spoken to Abraham was
echoed by the message of Sinai. The Promise, the Covenant and
Salvation will be the three pillars of Israel’s faith, and the strong
point of the first five books of the Old Testament.
With the entry to the Promised Land, Israel was confronted
by other people much more culturally advanced. For more than
two thousand years these people had an urban civilization,
developed agriculture, established commercial relations within
the region of the Near East, and beyond. This civilization, bril-
liant but pagan, would be a constant stumbling block for the
faith of Israel. God sent prophets to his people; they were his
representatives. David took hold of a small Canaan town and
made it his capital: Jerusalem. To it he brought the Ark of the
Covenant, the visible sign of the presence of God in the midst
of his people. From this date, not only did the Holy City enter
into the history of God’s people but its vocation surpassed time
and history as it appears in the last pages of Revelation as a
figure of humanity definitively reconciled with God. Solomon,
in building the Temple of Jerusalem, which in time would be
recognized as the only legitimate sanctuary, gave his people a
REFLECTIONS 207
rallying center: “God’s dwelling place.”
Condemnation for Israel’s numberless infidelities, remem-
brance of God’s tireless mercy towards Jerusalem, the demand
for truth and sincerity in the cult of the Temple, proclamation
of a coming salvation: all these are at the heart of the prophets’
message.
With the approach of the end of time the meditation of
Israel became more intense. Many trials refined hopes which
were too human. With the prayer of the psalms, with edifying
narratives or maxims, with the development of humankind
and society, sages undertook to guide Israel in the last stages
of its journey towards the One who would fulfill all things. The
Wisdom Scripture which constitutes the last and third part of
the Old Testament may appear less coherent than the Law or the
Prophets; they are in fact the reflection of a people distraught
and often divided. This was the time when God formed “a small
remnant” for himself in the midst of a nation attracted and car-
ried away by temptations to power, and the confusion between
the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God.
But after so many accumulated experiences by the people
of Israel, a period of crisis takes place: where God leads them
to overcome the greatest challenges of faith and of history. It
is then that Jesus comes.
The 46 books of the Old Testament make up the first and
most voluminous of the two parts of the Bible. It concerns
the gradual preparation of Israel for the definitive and eternal
Covenant that God would seal with humankind in the person
of Jesus Christ.
Just as items in a library might be classified differently by
one or another librarian, so the 46 books of the Old Testament
were classified in different ways from the first centuries of the
Christian era. Modern editors of the Bible have had to choose
between the two most frequent classifications adopted by the
208 REFLECTIONS
ancient manuscripts: the order of the Hebrew bible or the order
of the Greek bible.
In classifying among “the prophets” the books recording
that span of history, the Hebrew Bible highlights the originality
of these texts. For the Old Testament as well as for the New, every
event carried the word of God: history is not told for the pleasure
of knowing the past, but rather to witness God’s fidelity towards
his people, to know his will, and so prepare us to welcome the
grace of salvation. In this way every biblical text is “prophetic.”
In the order of the books according to the Hebrew Bible
we begin we find the five books of the Old Testament, called
the Law, the Torah for Hebrew-speaking Jews, the Pentateuch
for the Greek-speaking Jews. We see in them God in action
in human history to liberate a people he wants to make his
own. We see God instructing his people and making sense
of their history.
Then come the Prophetic Books: God intervenes in history
by the intercession of the prophets to whom he communicates
his Word and his Spirit “to destroy and to build, to uproot and
to plant.” These inspired prophets are going to play a decisive
role in the education of Israel’s faith.
Finally we have the Wisdom Books, that is to say a group
of many writings under the most varied forms which make us
enter into communion with the prayer, the wisdom and moral-
ity of the old covenant people. They teach the art of serving
God in everyday life and of becoming responsible persons in
our life of faith.
The New Testament
The New Testament is a collection of 27 books of the Bible
written in the seventy years following the resurrection of Jesus.
The Church of the apostles saw in them an authentic expression
of their faith. The Church has officially recognized these books as
inspired by God, as the Word of God. Just as in the Old Testament
REFLECTIONS 209
these books did not simply fall from heaven, rather we owe
them to the apostles and the evangelists of the early Church.
They make no pretense to answer all our questions concerning
the faith, but are a collection of testimonies where we discover
the person of Jesus, the way in which the early Church saw itself
animated and impelled by the power of his resurrection. It was
God’s will that Christians of every age would know Jesus and
his work of redemption through these powerful testimonies.
But why a New Testament after the Old?
Simply because each forms a part of salvation history and
the revelation of God within history. The cross of Jesus separates
these two phases.
In the Old Testament a people is being formed. They grow
through their experience, and after having hoped for the thou-
sand and one things that all people look for, they understand
that what really matters is to hope for and to seek a Kingdom of
Justice where people will be made new. When we read Sacred
History, we see the direction it takes and discern different stages
and key people. Israel discovers the great value of existence and
of social life. We understand why it took them many centuries to
discover something of the beyond. We grasp why the prosperity
of the ancient kingdom of Israel could not last and why it was
necessary for the people of God to gain insight and interiority
into what they were losing in earthly power and glory. We see
why, after many saviors, the unique Savior came for them while
experiencing the final crisis under Roman oppression and the
radicalization of political forces.
Thus, the message of Jesus was a call to overcome the
narrow-mindedness of their nationalism and fanaticism in
order to find here and now the kingdom and the justice of God.
The history of Israel had to flow into a new era with a universal
people of God, who would be rich in the knowledge of the
Father and the Son. Such a people would practice non-violence
210 REFLECTIONS
that can overcome divisions and oppression. We know that the
Jewish nation collapsed after a few years: it was the end of one
world and the rupture of destiny.
The New Testament does not replace the Old. Jesus’ preach-
ing does not make the warnings of the prophets irrelevant. Love
does not replace justice. The salvation promised to the Jewish
people is not replaced by a “salvation of souls,” but rather the
Gospel is presented as the liberating truth which redirects
history and moves all civilizations toward the goal of reunion
and reconciliation in Christ of all human powers and creative
energy in the universe.
When attempts to evangelize the Jews in Palestine failed,
the first Jewish Christians turned with added incentive to other
peoples and announced the Gospel to them. Within a few years,
the Church began to spread throughout the known world then,
that is to say, the nations of the Greco-Roman empire. At first, it
was a common belief among Christians that the message would
shortly reach the ends of the world, and Jesus would return in
glory for judgment. In the seventies this illusion disappeared:
history would last longer than they had expected.
The Christian communities began to gather what had been
written down to preserve the preaching of the apostles. They
also spent time recalling significant experiences of the first
Christians. Of the books thus produced, the Church approved
those which expressed the faith as it was received from the
apostles and rejected others which, although very commend-
able, did not seem to transmit the most fundamental and
universal message of the faith.
5
The Beatitudes
In the Beatitudes, Christ describes those who are truly
REFLECTIONS 211
“happy” in the Kingdom of God. Most people, according to St.
Thomas, relate happiness to: 1) sensible pleasures and satisfac-
tion of desires, or 2) success in undertakings and interpersonal
relations, or finally 3) deep reflection and contemplation. Christ
claims that instead of sensible satisfaction and many pos-
sessions (1) detachment (poverty or spirit), meekness and
compassion bring us true happiness. Instead of completely
self-centered activity, (2) thirsting for justice for all and merciful
forgiveness offer authentic human interpersonal relationships.
Instead of withdrawing from the problems and concerns in the
world to seek contemplation, those who are single-minded/
clean of heart, and work for peace among all will find God.
Such a life will undoubtedly bring trials and persecutions
because of our sinful selves and the world; but it is the life of
faith, hope and love of the disciples of Christ (Catechism for
Filipino Catholics 823).
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be com-
forted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteous-
ness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
212 REFLECTIONS
The Ten Commandments
For their part of the Covenant, the Israelites were called to
keep the “Ten Words” given to Moses at Mount Sinai (cf. Ex 20;
Dt 5:6-21). These commandments were to liberate them, as their
preface declares: “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery” (Ex 20:2). But they
also demanded of the people a fateful decision: a persevering
commitment to the liberating Covenant God (CFC 426).
The Ten Commandments provide credible and durable
moral norms for daily life, since they constitute the basic moral
imperatives flowing from our common “Human Rights”; the
pattern for living according to Yahweh’s “covenant” and Christ’s
double love Commandment; and an accepted basis for discuss-
ing moral matters with non-Christians. The Ten Commandments
are “signposts toward authentic freedom” (CFC 926).
1. Honor the Lord, your God, above all. You shall not have
other gods.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your
neighbor.
5
The Great Commandment
When asked “which commandment in the Law is the
greatest,” Jesus replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with
REFLECTIONS 213
all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This
is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like
it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole Law and
the Prophets depend on these two commandment” (CFC 812).
Now we are empowered to love both God and neighbor
since God’s own love “has been poured our in our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Rom 5:5).
In the strength of this divine Spirit of love, Christ gave his own
command: “This is my commandment: love one another as I
have loved you” (Jn 15:12).
The Sacraments
Sacraments are signs of God’s love in our life. The sacra-
ments include actions, words and symbols that make us experi-
ence Jesus Christ’s loving and life-giving presence.
1. Baptism welcomes us into the Christian community. It
gives us a membership for life in the Church. It is a sign
of acceptance by God and others of who we truly are.
2. Confirmation means “strengthening”; it is the sacrament
of Christian maturity. It initiates us more fully into the
Church by conferring the full gifts and life of the Holy
Spirit to help us live a courageous, mature Christian
faith, to choose for ourselves to follow Jesus.
3. Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” Eucharist is bread and
wine blessed, broken and shared. This bread and wine
is the Body and Blood of Christ. When we celebrate the
Eucharist we thank God for the love he has shown us
through his Son Jesus. This sacrament gathers Christians
around the table of the Lord, thus celebrating and creat-
ing the Christian community.
4. Penance or Reconciliation offers us a chance to be free
from the sins we have committed. It is a source of for-
giveness and emotional healing, a way to make peace
with God, others and ourselves.
214 REFLECTIONS
5. Matrimony is a sacrament where a man and a woman
accept each other and commit themselves before the
Church that they will love and be faithful to each other
until death and that they will take care of their children.
6. Holy Orders. The Church ordains deacons, priests, and
bishops to teach, lead, celebrate and care for and serve
their sisters and brothers.
7. Anointing of the Sick helps people who are sick find
pardon, comfort and healing. “It brings Christ’s compas-
sionate loving healing to bear on those suffering serious
sickness” (CFC 1822).
5
Examination of Conscience
The examination of conscience helps us realize how we
have lived according to our Christian calling and the values
of the Gospel. We can use either the ten commandments or
Jesus’ commandments of love as guide to examine ourselves.
Dear Holy Spirit, help me to know and be true to myself.
Help me to be faithful to my Christian calling and to the
Gospel.
5
Examen of Consciousness
St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), founder of the Society
of Jesus or Jesuits, proposed a daily exercise which he called
the Examen of Consciousness or the Daily Examen—a simple
exercise in discernment. Rather than focusing on what went
right or wrong, how you failed or succeeded throughout the
day, this exercise encourages you to reflect on moments when
you were aware of God—when you were present to Love—and
REFLECTIONS 215
those times when you were forgetful or distracted.
Center yourself in silence and an awareness of God’s pres-
ence. Recall the day with an open spirit. Notice the emotions,
sensations, and thoughts that arise as you review recent events.
Let your attention settle on one of these instances and look for
God’s presence within it, whether you were aware at the time
or not. Pray from this memory and within this present moment.
Release the day with gratitude and rest in God’s love.
5
Journaling
http://www.spirithome.com/spirjour.html, 11 March
2005
Devotional journals have been everything from a child
writing down her daily thoughts about God in a notebook, to
complex systematic projects with structured Bible passages and
discipline exercises and such. It is “a written record of personal
reactions to spiritual matters.” The key thing about a journal is
that it’s a place to spiritually share yourself with God and with
yourself. You’re pouring your thoughts out to God, but you’re
also part of the audience because you go back to it to see how
you’ve spiritually grown—or perhaps shrank.
What kind of things go into it?
– things you sense around you (observations),
– places you’ve been and what you draw from them
(pilgrimage and travel),
– insights you’ve had along the way,
– prayers you’ve prayed (formally-written, poetic, or said/
screamed/sobbed toward God),
– special things that others have written or said,
– ways you’ve surprised yourself,
216 REFLECTIONS
– things you’ve discovered while looking back in the
journal,
– that which comes to you while meditating on some-
thing.
As with most spiritual practices, there are important guide-
lines that help to make the journal effective. The most important
is that you must be honest with yourself and God when writing.
You probably won’t get that right from the start. Few of us have
any idea of what it really means to be honest to God, and so we
have to learn as we go along. Another good guideline is that
the date and time should be marked with each entry. You can
refer to that when you’re looking back, or trying to remember.
And, it is most helpful if the entries are tied into a rhythm of
regular Bible reading (such as in a lectionary cycle) and private
prayer. This is a spiritual journal, not a diary. Its focus is on the
relationship between you and God, not you and your husband
or you and your employer or you and your friend.
Get yourself a good, sturdy book for it because you’ll be
taking it with you when you move, travel, go on a retreat, or
make pilgrimage, or have your vacation. It’s too important a task
to be left to a flimsy notebook. Leave the book you’re currently
using where you can easily see it, so that it can invite you to
come and write. Think without analyzing. Leave yourself open
so the Spirit can get you to share honestly as you’re writing.
A journal is like a muscle: when you use it regularly, it can
carry more spiritual weight in your life.
5
REFLECTIONS 217
Who Am I?
Mans CMF (Indonesia-East Timor Delegation)
Everyone is a great miracle and mystery in this world. Ac-
cording to philosophy, every human being is a rational animal,
so the human being can think and be aware of this life. For
Christians, everyone is the image of God.
I am a man, a human being. I realize that I am a great miracle
and mystery in the world. I am different from others. As a mys-
tery, I don’t fully know who I really am nor do I understand or
can explain every feeling and thought I have. I simply am aware
that sometimes I think of or feel something. But I also see that
my feeling usually prevails over my mind, like when I get angry
with someone for very small reasons.
I am a Christian. I believe that God has given me everything I
need to be myself. I always give thanks to the Lord for his graces.
I’m happy because I realize that I’m a child of God, and he really
218 REFLECTIONS
loves me as his beloved son.
I am also a Claretian. As a Claretian, I am special because I
am a son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mother Mary is my
everything after Jesus. This is my special way to give thanks to
the Lord for his love I receive every day.
I’ve never actually asked God or my parents that I be born
into this world. I just know that I’m alive, and I live my life with
God and others.
Life is like a song, composed in a particular space and time.
For humankind, life is the harmony of the body, soul and spirit.
So many have never known this truth. They think that life is just
ordinary and common. So they lose their true life: their beautiful
song. Life is really a beautiful song.
5
Five Important Lessons
A pencil maker told the pencil five important lessons just
before putting it in the box:
1. Everything you do will always
leave a mark.
2. You can always correct the
mistakes you make
3. What is important is what is
inside you.
4. In life, you will undergo painful
sharpenings, which will only
make you better.
5. To be the best pencil, you must
allow yourself to be held and
guided by the hand that holds
you.
Community
Celebrations
Starting anew with Christ means imitating him by
leaving ourselves behind and going out to encounter
others. This is a beautiful experience, and yet a paradox.…
when we put Christ at the center of our life, we ourselves
don’t become the center! … he leads you out of yourself,
leads you from making yourself the center and opens you
to others…. God is the center, but he is always self-gift,
relationship, love that gives itself away. —Pope Francis
God’s Call
Leader. Holy Spirit of wisdom
and understanding, enlight-
en our minds to perceive the
mysteries of the universe in
relation to eternity.
All. Spirit of right judgment
and courage, guide us and
make us firm in our baptis-
mal decision to follow Jesus’
way of love.
Leader. Spirit of knowledge
and reverence, help us to
see the lasting value of jus-
tice and mercy in our everyday relationship with one another.
May we respect life as we work to solve problems of family
and nation, economy and ecology.
All. Spirit of God, spark our faith, hope and love
into new action each day.
Fill our lives with wonder and awe in your presence
which penetrates all creation. Amen.
Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Opening Song
An appropriate song may be sung.
Psalm 139
Reader 1. O Lord, you search me and you know me.
You yourself know my resting and my rising;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down;
you know all my ways through and through.
All read the preceding strophe, followed by a moment of silence.
220
GOD’S CALL 221
Reader 2. Before ever a word is on my tongue,
you know it, O Lord, through and through.
Behind and before, you besiege me,
your hand ever laid upon me.
Too wonderful for me, this knowledge;
too high, beyond my reach.
Reader 3. O where can I go from your spirit,
Reader 4. or where can I flee from your face?
Reader 3. If I climb the heavens,
All. you are there.
Reader 4. If I go down to Sheol,
All. you are there.
Reader 5. If I take the wings of the dawn
or dwell at the sea’s furthest end,
All. even there your hand would lead me;
your right hand would hold me fast.
Reader 5. If I say, “Let the darkness hide me
and the light around me be night,”
All. even darkness is not dark to you,
but night will be bright as the day,
and darkness the same as the light.
Reader 6. For it was you
who formed my inmost being,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you who wonderfully made me;
how wonderful are your works,
which my soul knows well!
Reader 7. My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being fashioned in secret
222 COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS
and molded in the depths of the earth.
Reader 8. Your eyes saw me yet unformed;
and all days are recorded in your book,
formed before one of them came into being.
All. My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being fashioned in secret
and molded in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw me yet unformed;
and all days are recorded in your book,
formed before one of them came into being.
Reader 8. To me how precious your thoughts, O God;
how great is the sum of them!
If I count them, they are more than the sand;
at the end I am still at your side.
The following verses will be repeated five times, with every repetition
getting softer and softer. Silence then follows.
All. O search me, God, and know my heart.
O test me, and know my thoughts.
Reading 1
Reader A. A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (1:4-10).
A word of Yahweh came to me, “Even before I formed you
in the womb I have known you; even before you were born I
had set you apart, and appointed you a prophet to the nations!”
I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! I do not know how to speak; I am
still young!”
But Yahweh replied, “Do not say; ‘I am still young,’ for now
you will go whatever be the mission I am entrusting to you,
and you will speak of whatever I command you to say. Do not
be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you—it is
Yahweh who speaks!”
Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and touched my
mouth and said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth.
GOD’S CALL 223
See! Today I give you authority over nations and over kingdoms
to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to
build and to plant.”
Silent reflection
Reading 2
Reader B. From the Autobiography of St. Anthony Mary Claret,
number 114.
There were passages that impressed me so deeply that I
seemed to hear a voice telling me the message I was reading.
There were many such passages, but the following stand out:
“You whom I brought out from the confines of the earth and
called from the ends of the world.” By these words I understood
how the Lord had called me without any merit on the part
of my birthplace, my parents, or myself. “You to whom I said,
‘You are my servant, I have chosen you, not rejected you’” (Is.
41:9).
End of the reading.
Song as Response to the Readings
Sharing
Prayer for Vocations
The Leader will read the following prayer meditatively. Then, after
some moments of silence, all will read the same prayer together.
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that, if I do this,
you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Amen.
Our Father
Leader. Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will to be done in our
life on earth, so we say:
All. Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
Amen.
Conclusion
Leader. Gracious God, you have called us to life and gifted us in
many ways. Through baptism you have sent us to continue
the mission of Jesus by sharing our love and life with others.
GOD’S CALL 225
Strengthen us to respond to your call each day. Help us to
become all you desire of us. Inspire us to make a difference
in others’ lives. Lead us to choose the way of life you have
prepared for us. Open our hearts to listen to your call. Fill
us with your Holy Spirit that we may have listening hearts
and the courage to respond to you. Enkindle in our hearts
the desire to make the world a better place by living and
working according to your call.
All. Amen.
Leader. May God’s call become clear to us that we may make
it a reality in our life.
All. Amen.
End Song
Claret
Leader. O God, send forth
your Holy Spirit
All. O God, send forth
your Holy Spirit,
Right Side. into our hearts
that we may perceive,
Left Side. into our minds
that we may remember,
All. and into our souls that
we may meditate.
Leader. Inspire us to speak
All. with piety, holiness,
tenderness and mercy.
Leader. Teach, guide and
direct
All. our thoughts and senses from beginning to end.
Leader. Teach us
All. to speak little and discreetly,
to do all things fervently,
and to praise God constantly.
Right Side. May your grace ever help and correct us,
Left Side. and may we be strengthened now with your wisdom
from on high.
All. Amen.
Opening Song
Psalm 16
A reader reads a strophe, then, all read the same strophe. This is
followed by a moment of silence before another reader reads the next
strophe.
Reader 1. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord.
My goodness lies in you alone.”
226
CLARET 227
Left Side. As for the holy ones who dwell in the land,
they are noble, and in them I delight.
Right Side. Those who choose other gods
increase their sorrows.
I will not take part in their offerings of blood.
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
Reader 2. O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who secure my destiny.
Pleasant places are marked out for me:
a fair heritage indeed is my lot!
Reader 3. I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,

who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord before me always;
with him at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Reader 4. And so, my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;

even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
nor let your faithful one see corruption.
Reader 5. You will show me the path of life,

the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand, bliss forever.
Reading 1
Reader 6. From the Autobiography of St. Anthony Mary Claret,
numbers 340 to 441.
The apostolic missionary should be a model of all the vir-
tues: he should, in fact, be virtue personified. Following Christ’s
example, he should first practice, then preach. “He began to do
and teach.” By his actions, the missionary should be able to say
with the Apostle, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
The virtue an apostolic missionary needs most of all is love.
He must love God, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and
his neighbors. If he lacks this love, all his talents, however fine
in themselves, are for nothing. But if, together with his natural
endowments, he has much love, he has everything.
An apostolic missionary must have both heart and tongue
ablaze with charity.
In truth, the fire of love acts in a minister of the Lord in
much the same way that material fire acts in the engine of a
locomotive or a ship: it enables them to move the heaviest
cargo with the greatest of ease. What good would either of
these two huge machines be without fire and steam to move
them? None at all. What good is a priest who has finished all his
studies and holds degrees in theology and canon and civil law
if he lacks the fire of love? None at all. He is no good for others
because he is like a locomotive without steam. Instead of be-
ing a help, as he should, he may only be a hindrance. He is no
good even for himself. As St. Paul says, “If I speak with human
tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy
gong, a clanging cymbal.”
End of the reading.
Silent reflection
Reading 2
Reader 7. From the Mission of the Claretian Today, numbers
132 to 133.
For us, being Claretians is the concrete way of being men,
Christians, religious, priests and apostles. It means reliving in
community the spiritual journey of Claret and his basic preoc-
cupation with serving and building up the Church through the
ministry of the Word, proclaiming the Kingdom of God. All of
CLARET 229
our life, consecration and mission is shaped by this charism,
which is offered and shared in community. In virtue of this grace
we can and should renew our works and structures. And only
if these have been impregnated with the spirit of Claret—our
gift and our inheritance—will we be able to call them Claretian.
As we can clearly see from this, our mission in the Church
is not specified by a name, and ideology, or a structure, but by
a grace which reaches us and congregates us in a community
of faith, life and service to the Gospel. And for this very reason,
a Claretian’s first and principal belonging must be his deep
communion with his brothers, who are called and sent, as he
is, to be witnesses and heralds of the Good News.
End of the reading.
Song as Response to the Reading

Reading 3
Reader 8. A reading from the book of Isaiah (41:9-10,13).
I have taken you from the ends of the earth. I have called
you from the remotest corners, and I said, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and will not cast you away.” Fear not, for I
am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will give
you strength, I will bring you help, I will uphold you with the
right hand of my justice. For I, Yahweh, your God, take hold of
your right hand and say to you: “Fear not, I am your assistance.”
Sharing
Praying with Father Claret
Leader. O God, you have been so good to us!
All. We have been very late in understanding
the many great graces
you have given us.
Leader. We have been useless servants
All. and have not properly invested the talent
you have entrusted to us.
Leader. But Lord, we give you our word
All. that we will work.
Right Side. Be a little patient with us.
Left Side. Don’t take our talents away;
we’ll invest them wisely now.
All. Give us your holy grace and your divine love
and we give you our word that we will work.
Leader. O God, how good you are!
All. How rich in mercy you have been to us!
Right Side. If you had given others the graces you have given us,
Left Side. they would have cooperated with them so much
more.
All. Mercy, Lord: with the help of your grace,
we’ll begin to be good from now on.
Leader. O God,
All. make all creatures come to know, love, and serve you
with full faith and fervor
for you are good and your mercy is endless. Amen.
Meditation Song
Our Father
Leader. Jesus taught us to ask for the coming of God’s kingdom
of justice and compassion, and so we pray:
thy kingdom come;
CLARET 231
Amen.
Conclusion
Leader. God, you called St. Anthony Mary Claret to be a servant
of your Word like the apostles to bring the Good News to
the world. You have gifted us this same grace by calling
us to be servants of the Word in the footsteps of Father
Claret. Make our hearts ablaze with the fire of your love
that we may, like Father Claret, be living words of love,
understanding and compassion to the world. Grant this
through Christ our Lord
All. Amen.
Leader. May we be faithful to the gift of vocation we have
received from the Lord.
All. Amen.
End Song
The Heart of Mary
Leader. Holy Spirit,
All. you are Love living in
us, the One who brought
us this day of grace.
Leader. Holy Spirit,
All. your prepare far more
surprising things in the fu-
ture, if only we let you act.
Leader. There is nothing
else worth living for:
All. only this infinitely
peaceful Love who is be-
yond words, beyond emo-
tion, beyond intelligence.
Leader. Cradle us, Holy Spirit,
All. in your dark silver cloud
Leader. and protect us
All. against the heat of our own speech,
our own judgments,
and our own vision.
Leader. Ward off the sickness
Right Side. of consolation and desire,
Left Side. of fear and grief
All. that spring from desire.
Leader. We give you our will for you to cleanse and rinse of
all this clay.
All. We want to give ourselves to you
Reader 1. without reserve or condition,
Reader 2. without fear or desire,
Reader 3. not seeking words or silence,
Reader 4. work or rest,
Reader 5. light or darkness,
232
HEART OF MARY 233
Reader 6. company or solitude.
All. For we will possess all things
if we are empty of all things,
and only you
can at once empty us of all things
and fill us with yourself,
the Life of all that lives,
and the Being in whom everything exists.
Amen.
Opening Song
Psalm 131
strophe.
Reader 7. O Lord, my heart is not proud,
nor haughty my eyes.
Reader 8. I have not gone after things too great,

nor marvels beyond me.
Reader 9. Truly, I have set my soul

in tranquility and silence.
Reader 10. As a weaned child on its mother,

so is my soul within me.
Reader 11. O Israel, wait for the Lord,

both now and forever.
Reading 1
Reader 12. From the document “In Prophetic Mission,” number
20.
Our prophetic lifestyle receives a distinctive imprint from
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of the Congregation.
She teaches us that without heart, without tenderness, without
love, there is no credible prophecy. Mary uttered the Word
because she had first conceived it in her heart; she proclaimed
her prophetic Magnificat because she had first believed; she
stood near the cross and was present at Pentecost because
she was the good earth that welcomed the Word with a glad
heart, made it bear fruit a hundred fold, and asked others to
do whatever the Word told them.
End of the reading.
Silent reflection

Reading 2
Reader 13. A reading from the Gospel according to Luke
(2:8-19).
There were shepherds camping in the countryside, taking
turns to watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly an angel of
the Lord appeared to them, with the Glory of the Lord shining
around them.
As they were terrified, the angel said to them, “Don’t be
afraid; I am here to give you good news, great joy for all the
people. Today a Savior has been born to you in David’s town; he
is the Messiah and the Lord. Let this be a sign to you: you will find
a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly the angel was surrounded by many more heav-
enly spirits, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the high-
est, and Peace, on earth, to those whom God loves.”
When the angels had left them and gone back to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go as far as Bethle-
HEART OF MARY 235
hem, and see what the Lord has made known to us.” So they
came hurriedly, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby ly-
ing in the manger. On seeing him they related what they had
been told about the child, and all were astonished on hearing
the shepherds. As for Mary, she treasured all these words, and
pondered them in her heart.
Sharing
Praying with Mary
Leader. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
All. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
Leader. my spirit exults in God my savior!
All. my spirit exults in God my savior!
Leader. He has looked upon his servant in her lowliness,
All. He has looked upon his servant in her lowliness,
Leader. and people forever will call me blessed.
All. and people forever will call me blessed.
Leader. The Mighty One has done great things for me,
All. Holy is his Name!
Leader. From age to age his mercy extends to those who live
in his presence.
All. From age to age his mercy extends to those who live in his
presence.
Leader. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scat-
tered the proud with their plans.
All. He has acted with power and done wonders,
and scattered the proud with their plans.
Right Side. He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
Left Side. and lifted up those who are downtrodden.
Leader. He has filled the hungry with good things,
All. but has sent the rich away empty.
Right Side. He held out his hand to Israel, his servant,
Left Side. for he remembered his mercy,
Leader. even as he promised to our forebears,
All. to Abraham and Sarah
and their descendants forever.
Meditation Song
Hail Mary
Leader. We join the angel as he greeted Mary to bring the good
news of salvation to her and to humankind :
All. Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us, sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Conclusion
Leader. Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God our Savior, we en-
trust ourselves entirely to your loving intercession and
care because you are our Mother and we are your dear
sons, though full of trouble, conflict, error, confusion and
prone to sin.
All. Our whole life must change,
but because we can do nothing to change,
we entrust ourselves
with all our needs and cares to you.
Right Side. Form us in the forge of your Heart,
purify us from all selfishness
Left Side. mold us according to the image of your Son,
that with him, the Word of God may take flesh in our lives.
All. Present us with pure hands to your Son.
Leader. Pray that we may gladly
Left Side. accept all that is needed
HEART OF MARY 237
to strip ourselves of ourselves
Right Side. and become his true disciples,
forgetting ourselves
All. and loving his kingdom, his truth,
and all whom he came to save
by his holy cross.
Amen.
Leader. May the Immaculate Heart of Mary our Mother lead
us to salvation.
All. Amen.
End Song
We Are Sons
Leader. Come, Holy Spirit,
All. Come, Holy Spirit,
Left Side. Replace the ten-
sion within us with a holy
relaxation.
All. holy relaxation.
Right Side. Replace the
turbulence within us with
a sacred calm.
All. sacred calm.
Left Side. Replace the
anxiety within us with a
quiet confidence.
All. quiet confidence.
Right Side. Replace the fear within us with a strong faith.
All. strong faith.
Left Side. Replace the bitterness within us with the sweetness
of grace.
All. sweetness of your grace.
Right Side. Replace the darkness within us with a gentle light.
All. gentle light.
Left Side. Replace the coldness within us with a loving warmth.
All. loving warmth.
Right Side. Replace the night within us with your light.
All. your light.
Reader 1. Straighten our crookedness.
Reader 2. Fill our emptiness.
Reader 3. Dull the edge of our pride.
238
WE ARE SONS 239
Reader 4. Sharpen the edge of our humility.
Reader 5. Light the fires of our love.
Reader 6. Quench the flames of our lust.
All. Let us see ourselves as you see us.
That we may see you as you have promised,
and be fortunate according to your word:
“Blessed are the pure of heart
for they shall see God.”
Opening Song
Psalm 133
strophe.
Reader 7. How good it is, how pleasant,
where brothers dwell as one!
Reader 8. Like precious ointment on the head,

running down upon the beard,
Reader 9. Upon the beard of Aaron,

upon the collar of his robe.
Reader 10. Like the dew of Hermon coming down

upon the mountains of Zion.
Reader 11. There the Lord has lavished blessings,

life for evermore!
Reading 1
Reader 12. From the document “Men on Fire with Love” (41)
and from the Letter of Father General.
Today, the congregation has many faces. We have been
enriched with brothers from different countries, ethnicities,
languages and cultures. The challenge to live in unity amidst di-
versity can be addressed with hope when we respond faithfully
to the gift of love for God and one another, which is the basis of
our communion. When we enkindle the charismatic fire of our
origins we can express and build up the global community of
Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Spirit,
who distributes his gifts and unites diversity, will strengthen
our ties and bring forth a new body.
The genesis of the congregation too was an answer to the
taunted Spanish church and the society. In 1841 out of seventy
four Spanish dioceses only ten had resident bishops; the others
either were in exile or had to be far away from their sees due
to political threats. The seminarians had to go to Rome to be
ordained priests since ordinations were forbidden in Spain. In
1845 the Catholic Church was suppressed by law. Communism,
with its anti-Church rhetoric, proliferated. In 1848 the Commu-
nist Manifesto was issued by Marx and Engels. It is within this
historical context that we were born in the Church on July 16,
1849, to become the hope of the hopeless and the heart of the
heartless world. Claret as a person passionately in love with the
Church and the society read these signs of the time and contem-
plated how to respond appropriately. The congregation was a
deep expression of the love of our Founder for the Church and
the world. Claret understood the congregation as a medicine
to the wounded side of the crucified Adam.
If we understand Mother as one who gives body and spirit,
then the congregation is a Mother for us in true sense. It is said
that the human body is composed of one hundred trillion cells.
These cells are in the process of degeneration and regeneration,
death and birth. In seven years all the cells die and the body
is totally made new. This being born again takes place once in
WE ARE SONS 241
every seven years. If this scientific process is true, then almost all
of us have lost the body, which we received from our biological
mothers. The ones we have now are from the congregation.
Some of our elder brothers have been born again and again
in the congregation. That is why we are sons not born of the
womb but of the heart.
End of the reading.
Silent reflection
Reading 2
Reader 13. A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians
(3:23-29).
Before the time of faith had come, the Law confined us and
kept us in custody until the time in which faith would show up.
The Law then was serving as a slave to look after us until Christ
came, so that we might be justified by faith. With the coming of
faith, we are no longer submitted to this guidance.
Now, in Christ Jesus, all of you are sons and daughters of
God through faith. All of you who were given to Christ through
baptism, have put on Christ. Here there is no longer any dif-
ference between Jew or Greek, or between slave or freed, or
between man and woman: but all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
And because you belong to Christ, you are of Abraham’s race
and you are to inherit God’s promise.
All.`Thanks be to God.
Silent reflection

Sharing
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
as Her Sons and Her Apostles
Leader. Virgin Mother of God,
All. we surrender ourselves to you
as your sons and servants;
we consecrate ourselves
to your motherly love,
Right Side. so that you may form us
in the likeness of Jesus,
the Son and the One sent of the Father,
anointed by the Spirit to announce
the Good News to the poor.
All. We place ourselves in your hands
Left Side. that you may send us to all the people,
your children and my sisters and brothers,
to reveal the Father to them.
All. Teach us to ponder the Word
in our hearts as you did
Right Side. until we become transformed
by God’s Word.
All. Make us receptive instruments
of your motherly love
Left Side. so that we may bring forth to you
new children through the Gospel.
Leader. Mother, here is your son.
All. Form me.
All. Send me.
All. Speak through me.
Love through me.
Leader. Watch over us
All. so that while we announce
the Gospel to others, we ourselves
may not be excluded from the Kingdom.
In you, our Mother,
WE ARE SONS 243
we have placed all our trust.
Amen.
Meditation Song
Our Father
Leader. Jesus, the Son of God and of Mary, showed us that
we are all sons of our Father God in heaven, even as we
are brothers to one another, so we pray as our Brother,
Jesus, taught us:
thy kingdom come;
Amen.
Conclusion
Leader. May our Father God be alive and present in our com-
munity as we love and care for each other.
All. Amen.
Leader. May we live out our sonship in brotherhood, as we
proclaim the Gospel in our life, words and deeds.
All. Amen.
Leader. May we truly live as God’s family In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
End Song
Prayer for Justice
Leader. Breathe in us, O
Holy Spirit,
All. That our thoughts may
all be holy.
Leader. Act in us, O Holy
Spirit,
All. That our work, too,
may be holy.
Leader. Draw our hearts, O
Holy Spirit,
All. That we love but what
is holy.
Leader. Strengthen us, O
Holy Spirit,
All. To defend that is holy.
Leader. Guard us then, O
Holy Spirit,
All. That we always may be holy.
Leader. In the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Opening Song
Psalm 111
strophe.
Reader 1. I will thank the Lord with all my heart,
in the meeting of the just and the assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who delight in them.
244
PRAYER FOR JUSTICE 245
Reader 2. Majestic and glorious his work;
his righteousness stands firm forever.
He has given us a memorial of his wonders.
The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Reader 3. He gives food to those who fear him;

keeps his covenant ever in mind.
His mighty works he has shown to his people
by giving them the heritage of nations.
Reader 4. His handiwork is justice and truth;

his precepts are all of them sure,
standing firm forever and ever,
wrought in uprightness and truth.
Reader 5. He has sent redemption to his people,

and established his covenant forever.
Holy his name, to be feared.
Reader 6. To fear the Lord is the first stage of wisdom;

understanding marks all who fulfill them.
His praise endures forever!
Reading 1
Reader A. From the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern World number 26.
The social order and its development must constantly
yield to the good of the person, since the order of things must
be subordinate to the order of persons and not the other way
around… The social order requires constant improvement; it
must be founded in truth, built on justice, and enlivened by love:
it should grow in freedom towards a more humane equilibrium.
If these objectives are to be attained there will first have to be a
renewal of attitudes and far-reaching social changes.
End of the reading.
Silent reflection
Reading 2
Reader B. From Pope Saint John Paul II’s Encyclical On Social
Concern number 41.
The church has no technical solutions to offer, but being
an “expert in humanity” the church has something to say about
the nature, conditions, requirements, and aims of authentic de-
velopment and the obstacles that stand in its way. The church’s
social teaching is not a third way between capitalism and com-
munism. It is not an ideology. Its aim is to guide Christians. It
asks for a “commitment to justice.”
End of the reading.

Reading 3
Reader C. A reading from the Book of Isaiah (1:11-20).
“What do I care,” says Yahweh “for your endless sacrifices?
I am fed up with your burnt offerings, and the fat of your bulls.
The blood of fatlings, and lambs and he-goats I abhor.
“When you come before me and trample on my courts, who
asked you to visit me? I am fed up with your oblations. I grow sick
with your incense. Your New Moons, Sabbaths and meetings,
evil with holy assemblies, I can no longer bear. I hate your New
Moons and appointed feasts they burden me.
“When you stretch out your hands I will close my eyes;
the more you pray, the more I refuse to listen, for your hands
are bloody.
“Wash and make yourselves clean. Remove from my sight
the evil of your deeds. Put an end to your wickedness and learn
to do good. Seek justice and keep in line the abusers; give the
fatherless their rights and defend the widow.
“Come,” says the Lord, “let us reason together. Though your
sins be like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they be
as crimson red, they will be white as wool.
“If you will obey me, you will eat the goods of the earth;
but if you resist and rebel, the sword will eat you instead.” Truly
the Lord has spoken.
Sharing
Prayer for Justice Echo
Leader. Holy Spirit, it is time.
Right Side. The children are hungry
and the poor can no longer plant hope.
Left Side. Your promise
to fill the poor with good things
and the rich send empty away
goes unfulfilled.
Right Side. It is an embarrassment,
a laughingstock,
a mockery of sacred promise.
All. Now overtake our hearts with your fire.
On earth let the flame of justice leap wildly.
Release in us a brilliant blaze of compassion.
Let the fires burn away all pettiness,
greed, selfishness and lust for security.
Let the embers of kindness fill the land.
Left Side. Whoever holds a debt, it will be forgiven.
Right Side. Whoever is rich will give half way.
All. land returned to the peasant,
prison doors thrown open,
military budgets dissolved,
a cup of water given in Jesus’ name.
Leader. Again.
Left Side. Again.
Right Side. And yet again.
All. Amen.
Right Side. Holy Spirit, it is time.
Left Side. Holy Spirit, it is time.
All. Holy Spirit it is time.
Meditation Song
Our Father
Leader. Jesus taught us to ask for the coming of God’s kingdom
of justice and compassion, and so we pray:
thy kingdom come;
Amen.
Conclusion
Leader. Grant us, Lord God, a vision of our land as your love
would make it: a land where the weak are protected, and
none go hungry or poor; a land where the benefits of civi-
lized life are shared, and everyone can enjoy them; a land
where different races and cultures live in tolerance and
mutual respect; a land where peace is built with justice, and
justice is guided by love. And give us the inspiration and
courage to build it, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
Leader. May God’s justice reign in us and in our world.
All. Amen.
End Song
Prayer for Peace
Leader. Come, Holy Spir-
it, for we are a fractured
people. Where divisions
are sinful, judge, forgive,
change us. Where differ-
ences are unique gifts
from you, use us toward
that great end when we
finally sing, “We are one
in the Spirit, we are one
in the Lord.”
All. Amen.
Leader. In the name of
the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Opening Song
Psalm 85
A reader reads a strophe, then, all read the same strophe. This is fol-
lowed by a moment of silence before another reader reads the next
strophe.
Reader 1. O Lord, you have favored your land,
and brought back the captives of Jacob.
You forgave the guilt of your people,
and covered all their sins.
You averted all your rage;
you turned back the heat of your anger.
Reader 2. Bring us back, O God, our savior!

Put an end to your grievance against us.
250
PRAYER FOR PEACE 251
Will you be angry with us forever?
Will your anger last from age to age?
Reader 3. Will you not restore again our life,

that your people may rejoice in you?
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy,
and grant us your salvation.
Reader 4. I will hear what the Lord God speaks;

he speaks of peace for his people and his faithful,
and those who turn their hearts to him.
His salvation is near for those who fear him,
and his glory will dwell in our land.
Reader 5. Merciful love and faithfulness have met;

righteousness and peace have kissed.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth,
and righteousness look down from heaven.
Reader 6. Also the LORD will bestow his bounty,

and our earth shall yield its increase.
Righteousness will march before him,
and guide his steps on the way.
Reading 1
Reader A. From Dag Hammarskjöld’s UN press release on
December 22, 1953.
Our work for peace must begin within the private world
of each one of us. To build for people a world without fear, we
must be without fear. To build a world of justice, we must be just.
And how can we fight for liberty if we are not free in our own
minds? How can we ask others to sacrifice if we are not ready
to do so?... Only in true surrender to the interest of all can we
reach that strength and independence, that unity of purpose,
that equity of judgment which are necessary if we are to mea-
sure up to our duty to the future, as people of a generation to
whom the chance was given to build in time a world of peace.
End of the reading.
Silent reflection

Reading 2
Reader B. A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians
(2:11-22).
Remember that you were pagans even in your flesh and the
Jews, who call themselves Circumcised (because of a surgical
circumcision), called you Uncircumcised. At that time you were
without Christ, you did not belong to the community of Israel;
the covenants of God and his promises were not for you; you
had no hope and were without God in this world. But now, in
Christ Jesus and by his blood, you who were once far off have
come near.
For Christ is our peace, he who has made the two peoples
one, destroying in his own flesh the wall— the hatred—which
separated us. He abolished the Law with its commands and
precepts. He made peace in uniting the two peoples in him,
creating out of the two one New Man. He destroyed hatred
and reconciled us both to God through the cross, making the
two one body.
He came to proclaim peace; peace to you who were far off,
peace to the Jews who were near. Through him we—the two
peoples—approach the Father in one Spirit.
Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow
citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God.
GOD’S CALL 253
You are the house whose foundations are the apostles and
prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. In him the
whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy temple
in the Lord. In him you too are being built to become the spiri-
tual sanctuary of God.
Sharing
Peace Prayer Echo
Leader. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Right Side. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Left Side. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Leader. Where there is hatred,
All. let me sow love;
Leader. where there is injury,
All. pardon;
Leader. where there is doubt,
All. faith;
Leader. where there is despair,
All. hope;
Leader. where there is darkness,
All. light;
Leader. where there is sadness,
All. joy.
Leader. O Divine Master,
All. grant that I may not so much seek
Right Side. to be consoled, as to console;
Left Side. to be understood, as to understand;
Right Side. to be loved, as to love.
All. For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying
that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Meditation Song
Intercessions
Leader. Christ is our peace; he reconciled us with God and
brought us together as God’s people. We now ask him to
make that peace a reality in our lives.
All. Lord, King of Peace, may peace reign in our hearts.
Anyone may present his prayer request, to which everyone answers:
All. Lord, King of Peace, may peace reign in our hearts.
Our Father
Leader. Jesus taught us a prayer as sisters and brothers because
we are all children of our Father God, so we now say:
thy kingdom come;
Amen.
Conclusion
Leader. Our God and Father, we praise you, for you created us
and made us sisters and brothers that we may love one an-
other and look after the wellbeing of each other. Open our
hearts, we pray, that we may welcome your gift of peace,
which you so desire for your family. Bless our community
with harmony and understanding that we may begin the
lasting peace our world needs in our day-to-day life. Where
there is bitterness, teach us forgiveness and reconciliation;
replace hatred with love, and indifference with care. We ask
this through Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
Leader. May Christ truly be our peace.
All. Amen.
End Song
Community Celebration of Reconciliation
Introductory Rites
1. Opening Song
2. Greeting
Presider. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
All. Glory to him forever. Amen.
3. Opening Prayer
Presider. Brothers, God calls us to conversion; let us therefore
ask him for the grace of sincere repentance.
All pray in silence for a brief period.
Presider. Lord our God, you are patient with sinners and accept
our desire to make amends. We acknowledge our sins and
are resolved to change our lives. Help us to celebrate this
sacrament of your mercy so that we may reform our lives
and receive from you the gift of everlasting joy. We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word

4. First Reading — Joel 2:12-18.
Reader. A reading from the book of Joel.
12
Yahweh says, “Yet even now, return to me with your whole
heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning. 13 Rend your heart,
not your garment. Return to Yahweh, your God—gracious and
compassionate.” Yahweh is slow to anger, full of kindness, and
he repents of having punished.
14
Who knows? Probably he will relent once more and spare
some part of the harvest from which we may bring sacred of-
ferings to Yahweh, your God.
256
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION 257
15
Blow the trumpet in Zion, proclaim a sacred fast, call a
solemn assembly.
16
Gather the people, sanctify the community, bring to-
gether the elders, even the children and infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his bed, and the bride her room.
17
Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests,
Yahweh’s ministers, weep and say: Spare your people, Yahweh.
Do not humble them or make them an object of scorn among
the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples: Where
is their God?
18
Yahweh has become jealous for his land; he has had pity
on his people.
5. Responsorial Psalm — Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
6. Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia
7. Gospel — Mt 25:31-46.
Presider. The Lord be with you.
All. And with your spirit.
Presider. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
All. Glory to you, Lord.
Presider. 31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his
angels, he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations
will be brought before him, and as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats, 33 so will he do with them, placing the
sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.
34
The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of
my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you
from the beginning of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you
fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. 36 I
was a stranger, and you welcomed me into your house. I was
naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was
in prison, and you came to see me.’
37
Then the good people will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see
you hungry, and give you food; thirsty, and give you something
to drink; 38 or a stranger, and welcome you; or naked, and clothe
you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and go to see
you?’ 40 The King will answer, ‘Truly I say to you: whenever you
did this to these little ones who are my brothers and sisters,
you did it to me.’
41
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Go, cursed people,
out of my sight into the eternal fire, which has been prepared
for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry, and you did not
give me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing
to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me into
your house; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick,
and in prison, and you did not visit me.’
44
They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry,
thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help
you?’ 45 The King will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you: whatever
you did not do for one of these little ones, you did not do it
for me.’
46
And these will go into eternal punishment, but the just
to eternal life.”
8. Homily
9. Examination of Conscience
A period of silence so that each person may personally examine his
or her conscience.
Rite of Reconciliation
10. General Confession of Sins
Presider. My brothers, confess your sins and pray for each other,
that you may be healed.
All. (After a brief period of silence, all say together:) I confess to
almighty God...
Presider. The Lord is merciful. He makes us clean of heart and
leads us out into his freedom when we acknowledge our
guilt. Let us ask him to forgive us and bind up the wounds
inflicted by our sins. Give us the grace of true repentance.
We pray: Lord, have mercy.
All. Lord, have mercy.
Presider. Pardon your servants and release them from the debt
of sin. We pray:
Presider. Forgive your people who confess their sins, and re-
store them to full communion with your Church. We pray:
Presider. Renew the glory of baptism in those who have lost
it by sin. We pray:
Presider. Welcome them to your altar, and renew their spirit
with the hope of eternal glory. We pray: 
Presider. Keep them faithful to your sacraments and loyal in
your service. We pray:
Presider. Renew your love in their hearts, and make them bear
witness to it in their daily lives. We pray:
Presider. Keep them always obedient to your commandments
and protect within them your gift of eternal life. We pray:
11. Our Father
Presider. Let us now pray to God our Father in the words Christ
gave us, and ask him for his forgiveness and protection
from all evil.
All. Our Father...
Presider. Lord, draw near to your servants who in the pres-
ence of your Church confess they are sinners. Through
the ministry of the Church free them from all sin so that
renewed in spirit they may give you thankful praise. We
ask this through Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
12. Individual Confession and Absolution
Then the penitents go to the priests designated for individual confes-
sion and confess their sins. Each one receives and accepts a fitting
act of satisfaction and is absolved. After hearing the confession and
offering suitable counsel, the priest extends his hands over the peni-
tent’s head and gives absolution. Everything else which is customary
in individual confession is omitted.
13. Concluding Prayer of Thanksgiving
After individual confession, the presider will introduce the procla-
mation of praise for God’s mercy.
Presider. We have experienced the love and mercy of our God.
Now we must dedicate ourselves to living lives worthy of
the grace we have received. Let us praise the Lord in song.
Presider. Almighty and merciful God, how wonderfully you cre-
ated us and still more wonderfully remade us. You do not
abandon the sinner but seek him out with a father’s love.
You sent your Son into the world to destroy sin and death by
his passion, and to restore life and joy by his resurrection.
You sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to make us your children
and heirs of your kingdom. You constantly renew our spirit
in the sacrament of your redeeming love, freeing us from
slavery to sin and transforming us ever more closely into
the likeness of your beloved Son.
We thank you for the wonders of your mercy, and with heart
and hand and voice we join with the whole Church in a
new song of praise:
Glory to you through Christ in the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
All. Amen.
Concluding Rite
15. Blessing and Dismissal
Presider. The Lord be with you.
All. And with your Spirit.
Presider. Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing. May the
Lord guide your hearts in the way of his love and fill you
with Christ-like patience.
All. Amen.
Presider. May God give you strength to walk in newness of life
and to please him in all things.
All. Amen.
Presider. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son
+ and the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Presider. The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace.
16. End Song
The Way
of the Cross
with Claret
We contemplate you, Lord, along this path which
you were the first to tread, and after which “you
built a bridge to death with your cross, so that
people might pass from the land of death to the
land of life.” We therefore place ourselves before
you with love, we present our sufferings to you,
we turn our gaze and our heart to your holy cross.
—Way of the Cross with Pope Francis, 2013
Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Leader. With Father Claret, let us fix our minds and hearts on
Jesus, specially on his way to Calvary. Let us meditate on his
words and actions, on how he willingly carried his cross and
accepted death to give to us God’s offer of life and love.
All. Lord, let me accompany you on this Way, with Mary, our
Mother. I do not seek or wish anything but to fulfill your
holy will. Let me be with you as you journey in this Way of
love and life that I may learn to carry the cross, that I may
know how to live like you. I want nothing but you, and in
you and for you alone all other things. You are more than
enough for me. Make me love you as you love me and as
you would have me love you. Amen.
Leader. Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise
you; because you have hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this
was your gracious will. Everything has been entrusted to me
by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no
one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the
Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:25-27)
All. Lord, let me come to you,
for I am weary and burdened,
that you may give me rest.
Let me take your yoke upon me and learn from you,
for you are gentle and humble of heart, that I may find rest.
For your yoke is easy and your burden is light.
Opening Song
264
First Station
Jesus is Condemned to Death
Leader. We adore
you, O Christ, and we
bless you,
All. because by your
holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
Reader 1. Pi l ate
brought Jesus out-
side and said to the
people, “Behold your
king!” But they cried
out, “Away! Take him
away! Crucify him!”
Pilate replied, “Shall
I crucify your king?”
And the chief priests
answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”Then Pilate handed Jesus
over to be crucified. (John 19:13-16a)
Leader. When you see a condemned man on his way to the
gallows, it moves you to pity. If you could do something to free
him, you’d do it. (Aut 209)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. you called us to a new way of life as Sons of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, and we have accepted to bring this new life
that we have found to a world, suffering and slowly dying
because of our inhumanity and indifference. Teach us to
learn how to accept the little deaths we face in our everyday
life that we may proclaim the God of life in our words and
actions, in our life in community. Amen.
Our Father…
265
Second Station
Jesus Carries His Cross
Leader. We adore
you, O Christ, and
we bless you,
All. because by
your holy cross, you
have redeemed the
world.
Reader 2. They
took Jesus, and led
him away. Bear-
ing his cross, Jesus
went out of the city
to what is called the
Place of the Skull, in
Hebrew Golgotha.
(John 19:16b-17)
Leader. It is the man who is tried, persecuted, and deprived of
friends…who bears the outer cross of work and the inner cross of
spiritual dryness… suffers and endures out of love; this is the man
you love...who pleases you and counts in your esteem. (Aut 421)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,,
All. we know from experience that the way we have chosen
is not always easy and full of joy. Our way of life is both a
blessing and a burden. But give us the strength we need,
broaden our shoulders to carry our crosses, and let us walk
with you to feel your companionship that we may have the
courage to go on. Amen.
Our Father…
266
Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time
Leader. We adore
bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 3. J e s u s
emptied himself,
taking on the nature
of a servant, made in
human likeness, and,
in his appearance,
found as a man, he
humbled himself by
being obedient to
death, death on the
cross. (Philippians
2:7-8)
Leader. Jesus is and will always be my Captain. I wish to follow
him, wearing his uniform and colors—the virtues he was clothed
in: poverty, acceptance of contempt, and humility. (Aut 7)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. when the burden of the cross we carry weighs heavy on
us, when the problems we have seem to crush us that we
want to give up, let us be clothed in your virtues. Grant us
your patience to endure all things, your humility to accept
any criticisms, and your love that we may hold on to your
outstretche hand to raise us up that we may continue fol-
lowing and journeying with you. Amen.
Our Father…
267
Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Mother
Leader. We adore
bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 4. Simeon
said to Mar y, his
mother, “Know this:
your son is a sign; a
sign established for
the falling and ris-
ing of many in Israel,
a sign of contradic-
tion; and a sword will
pierce your own soul,
so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.” (Luke
2:34-35)
Leader. Most Blessed Mother, may the courtesy of your Im-
maculate Heart, in accepting us as your Sons, be praised a
thousand times! (Aut 493)
Silence
Leader. Mother,
All. make us cooperate with Jesus, your Son, by becoming
daily more humble, fervent, and zealous for the salvation
of souls. May we be men on fire with love, who spread its
flames wherever we go, who desire mightily and strive by
all means possible to set the whole world on fire with God’s
love. May our only concern be how we can best follow Jesus
Christ for the greater glory of God. Amen.
Hail, Mary…
268
Fifth Station
Simon Helps Carry the Cross
Leader. We adore
bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 5. On the
way, they met Simon
of Cyrene, who was
coming in from the
countr yside, and
forced him to carry
the cross of Jesus.
(Mark 15:21)
L e a d e r. G o d b e
praised for it all: if
the Lord wants me to carry this cross, all I can do is submit to
his will. My God, I want nothing of this world, nothing but your
grace, your holy love and heavenly glory. (Aut 636)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. you yourself chose to be identified with those who suffer.
May we recognize you, suffering in them, as we proclaim
your Good News with a listening ear to the lonely, an
understanding heart to the excluded, an encouraging
smile to the disheartened, and words of hope to a world in
search of meaning to the point of laying down our lives in
solidarity with and for the sake of our sisters and brothers.
Amen.
Our Father…
269
Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes Jesus’ Face
Leader. We adore you, O
Christ, and we bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 6. ”Whoever
welcomes you, wel-
comes me; and who-
ever welcomes me, wel-
comes him who sent
me. And if anyone gives
even a cup of cold water
to one of these little
ones, because he is my
disciple, I assure you, he
will not go unrewarded.” (Matthew 10:40, 42)
Leader. I also set up a licensed credit union in the diocese, for
the use and benefit of the poor. For I saw that when the poor
have proper direction and are given a decent means to earn a
living, they are upright citizens; it is only otherwise that they
become debased. Hence my eagerness to help them was as
much spiritual as it was material. (Aut 569)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. grant that our communities, through our lifestyle and work
so develop and unfold our original gift for serving the
Church and the world that we become truly rooted in the
conditions and needs of the local Church and of the world
around us. Amen.
Our Father…
270
Seventh Station
Jesus Falls the Second Time
Leader. We adore
you, O Christ, and
we bless you,
All. because by
your holy cross, you
have redeemed the
world.
Reader 7. But I am
a worm and not hu-
man, scorned by ev-
eryone, despised by
the people. All who
see me make a jest of
me; they sneer and
shake their heads.
(Psalm 22:7-8)
Leader. In all of life’s disagreeable, sad, and humiliating events,
I always remind myself that they come from God’s hand for my
betterment. (Aut 420)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. let us experience within us your attitude that each of us may
be aware of our own sins and defects, inwardly acknowl-
edging our dependence on God. May this awareness be
manifest in our dealings and relationships with others. Give
us the courage to admit our shortcomings and mistakes, to
ask pardon of our brothers, and perform acts of kindness
for them, so that each of us may be in their midst as one
who serves. Amen.
Our Father…
271
Eighth Station
Jesus Meets the Women
Leader. We adore
bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 8. A large
crowd of people fol-
lowed him; among
them were women,
beating their breasts
and grieving for him.
(Luke 23:27)
Leader. I took great
care and wor ked
energetically, as if
everything depended on my work and, at the same time, I put
all my trust in God because everything really does depend on
him. (Aut 274)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. we share in your mission by raising up and strengthening
communities of believers, by leading people to conversion
to God, by renewing their life in Christ. In carrying out this
mission, teach us to use all means possible, with a sense
of alertness to whatever is most urgent, opportune and
effective, a sense of availability to be so open to the Spirit
and a sense of catholicity to lead us into all parts of the
world. Amen.
Our Father…
272
Ninth Station
Jesus Falls the Third Time
Leader. We adore
bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 9. I am like
water draining away;
all my bones are out
of joint; my heart
melts away like wax.
My throat is dried up,
like a potsherd; my
tongue clings to my
palate. You have laid
me down in the dust
of death. (Psalm 22:15-16)
Leader. The dog’s greatest joy is to be in his master’s presence
and walk along beside him. I shall strive always to walk joyfully
in the presence of God. (Aut 673)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. you were led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by
the devil, so must we undergo temptations. Grant that we
stand loyally by you who are still being put to the test in us.
Let us all put on the armor of God, not presuming on our
own strength, but trusting with unwavering hope in you
who will show yourself faithful to us in the midst of temp-
tation itself. Let us be on our guard, then, and pray to our
heavenly Father not to put us to the test. Amen.
Our Father…
273
Tenth Station
Jesus is Stripped of His Clothes
Leader. We adore you,
O Christ, and we bless
you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 10. The sol-
diers took Jesus’clothes
and divided them into
four parts, one part for
each of them. But as
the tunic was woven in
one piece from top to
bottom, they said, “Let
us not tear it, but cast
lots o decide who will
get it.”This fulfilled the words of Scripture: “They divided my cloth-
ing among them; they cast lots for my garment.” (John 19:23-24)
Leader. Throughout his life, He had only a coarse tunic, woven
by his mother, and a cloak. They even stripped him of these so
that he died naked, unshod, and uncovered. (Aut 429)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. we place all our trust in you and not in domination or wealth,
we seek before all else the kingdom of God, which belongs
to the poor. Let our voluntary poverty build up a fraternal
community that is one in heart and mind: a community ex-
pressed in sharing its material and spiritual goods with the
poor and in serving them. As apostolic missionaries, may we
be truly poor both in reality and in spirit. Amen.
Our Father…
274
Eleventh Station
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
Leader. We adore
bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 11. Bear-
ing his cross, Jesus
went out of the city
to what is called the
Place of the Skull, in
Hebrew Golgotha.
There he was cruci-
fied, and with him
two others, one on
either side, and Jesus
in the middle.(John 19:17-18)
Leader. Jesus, my Life, God forbid that I should glory, save in
the cross on which you were nailed for me and on which I, too,
would be nailed for you. So be it. (Aut 427)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. you told us that anyone who loses his life for your sake and
for the sake of the Gospel will save it. Let us, then, strive to
rejoice in all sorts of hardship: hunger, thirst, nakedness,
hard work, slander, persecution and every tribulation,
so that we may say with the Apostle Paul: “It is out of the
question that I should boast at all, except of the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world.” Amen.
Our Father…
275
Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies
Leader. We adore
bless you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 12. Jesus
knew all was now fin-
ished and he said, “I
am thirsty.” A jar full
of bitter wine stood
there; so, putting a
sponge soaked in the
wine on a twig of hys-
sop, they raised it to
his lips. Jesus took the
wine and said, “It is accomplished.” Then he bowed his head and
gave up the spirit. (John 19:28-30)
Leader. Ah, I can see him hanging dead upon the cross, scorned
by all. For this very reason I, even I, with the help of his grace,
am resolved to suffer pains, fatigue, contempt, and mockery,
complaints, slanders, persecution—even death. (Aut 752)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. you suffered and left us an example, teach us to bear our suffering
with submission to God’s loving will, realizing that through our
infirmity we fill up what is lacking in your sufferings. Let us show
great patience when we are ill and lack anything because of our
poverty. In this way we will preach to others through the witness of
our life, and offer our life for the salvation of all. Amen.
Our Father…
276
Thirteenth Station
Jesus is Taken from the Cross
Leader. We adore you,
O Christ, and we bless
you,
redeemed the world.
Reader 13. When the
soldiers came to Jesus,
they saw that he was
already dead, so they
did not break his legs.
One of the soldiers,
however, pierced his
side with a lance, and
immediately there
came out blood and
water. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen
cloths with the spices, following the burial customs of the
Jews. (John 19:33, 40)
Leader. On the cross I have lived and on the cross I wish to die;
from the cross I hope to come down, not by my own hands, but
at the hands of others, after I have finished my sacrifice. (Aut 658)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. we join our Mother, in crying, “Abba, Father!” as she holds your
dead body. Led by the light of faith, we should search for signs
of the Father’s will in what happens in our lives, to grow daily
more responsive to our mission. May we be converted to the
Gospel, become conformed to you and be set afire with your
love, the force that should impel us. Amen.
Our Father…
277
Fourteenth Station
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
redeemed the world.
Reader 14. Joseph
asked Pilate to let him
remove the body of
Jesus. Pilate agreed; so
he came and took away
the body. There was
a garden in the place
where Jesus had been
crucified, and, in the
garden, a new tomb in
which no one had ever been laid. And therefore, because the sep-
ulcher was nearby, and the Jewish day of preparation was coming
to a close, they placed the body of Jesus there. (John 19:38, 41-42)
Leader. What patience and meekness! Yes, by his labors, his suffering,
his silence and death on the cross, he redeemed us and taught us
how we must act to save the souls he has entrusted to us. (Aut 374)
Silence
Leader. Jesus, it is finished!
All. Yes, but only the beginning of a great enterprise: you called
us to the ministry of the word, you sent us to proclaim your
life, death and resurrection until you come, so that all who be-
lieve in you be saved. Make us share the hopes and joys, the
sorrows and trials of all, especially those of the poor, that we
readily offer to join efforts with all who are striving to trans-
form the world according to God’s plan. Amen.
Our Father…
278
Fifteenth Station
Jesus is Risen
holy cross, you have re-
deemed the world.
Reader 15. After the Sab-
bath, at dawn on the first
day of the week…sud-
denly, Jesus met them
on the way and said, “Re-
joice!” The women ap-
proached him, embraced
his feet and worshiped
him. But Jesus said to
them, “Do not be afraid!
Go and tell my broth-
ers to set out for Galilee;
there, they will see me.”
(Matthew 28:1, 9-10)
Leader. Whenever I went to a town, I did so without any worldly goal
in mind; my only aim was to glorify God and save souls. (Aut 199)
Silence
Leader. Jesus,
All. you were so driven by a burning love for the Father and
for humankind. Impel us by the fire of the Holy Spirit to
hurry throughout the world, witnessing to the joy of your
resurrection. May we spend every effort toward making
God known, loved and served, longing and working for
the day when all may share in the kingdom already begun
here on earth. Amen.
Our Father…
279
Concluding Prayer
Leader. Jesus,
All. with our Father Claret and Mary, our Mother, we have walked
with you in the Way of the Cross.
Leader. Jesus,
All. I believe, Lord, but let me believe more firmly. I hope, Lord,
but let me hope more surely. I love, Lord, but let me love
more warmly. I repent, Lord, but let me repent more deeply.
Leader. My Jesus,
All. there is one thing I ask that I know you will grant. Yes, my
Jesus, I ask you for love, for great flames of that fire you
brought down from heaven to earth. May that sacred fire
enkindle, burn, melt, and pour me into the mold of God’s
will.
Leader. Jesus,
All. Lord, you are my love. You are my honor, my hope, and
my refuge. You are my glory and my goal. My love, my
happiness, and my preserver. My delight, my reformer,
and my master. My Father, Spouse of my life and soul.
Amen.
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be…
Leader. May the God of peace make you holy and bring you to
perfection. May you be completely blameless, in spirit, soul and
body, till the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord; he who called you
is faithful and will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
End Song
280
The Way of the Cross for a Claretian Student
We accompany Jesus on the Way of the Cross, meditating on the
different events in his life, suffering, death and resurrection.
Opening Prayer
Jesus,
you called us to come and follow you.
You went ahead of us in your way of the cross,
that led you to your death on Calvary.
But the way of the cross brought death its end
with the triumph of life in your resurrection.
We again walk with you in the way of the cross;
may we trace with you the steps you took
to be with you in this journey towards life.
Be with us and be our source of strength and hope
that with you, we too may carry our crosses.
Amen.
First Station
The Last Supper
On the night before he suffered, Jesus celebrated the Jewish feast
of liberation, the Passover Meal, with his friends, his disciples.
The bread becomes his body which he breaks for us and the wine
becomes his blood which he sheds for us.
Jesus,
I remember the last supper I had with my family
the night before I left to come to the formation house.
I was happy to be with my father and mother,
my sisters and brothers
though I knew that the following day,
I would have to leave and be separated from them.
Now, I understand better how you felt that night.
I am here in answer to your call, not I alone,
but in the name of my whole family.
281
282 WAY OF THE CROSS
With you, I break the bread of my life
that you may form me into a bread that gives life;
with you, I drink the cup of being far from my loved ones
that you may pour my life as a blessing for all.
As we make present your sacrament of life and love,
may we be renewed and strengthened
by your Body and Blood which we receive in the Eucharist,
you who laid down your life for your friends.
Our Father…
Second Station
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was deeply troubled
and prayed to the Father. In spite of seeing the horror of what he
had to suffer, he accepted the will of God for him.
Jesus,
there are times that sadness overwhelms me,
I feel homesick and miss my family.
Such is the burden I have to bear, a cup I have to drink
as I continue with my formation in the Congregation.
Comfort us in our times of sadness,
heal the wounds of our heart,
and come to wipe away and dry our tears.
Help us to see beyond ourselves, beyond the here and now;
help us to overcome the feeling of separation;
help us to see the joy
that awaits those who truly love and believe.
Our Father…
Third Station
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
Jesus was presented to the authorities; the whole Council was
convened at night and tried to find evidence against him, so that
they might put him to death, but they were unable to find any.
FOR A CLARETIAN STUDENT 283
Jesus,
we live safe and secure as your followers in our country,
but there are places where faith is a crime
and where many prisoners of conscience
suffer torture and injustice.
Grant them and us the courage to remain firm
in the faith you have gifted us,
that even in the absence of trial and persecution,
we may stand strong and give witness to our Christian faith
in our day to day life.
Make us non-violent but strong to stand for justice and peace.
Our Father…
Fourth Station
Jesus Before Pontius Pilate
Jesus was presented to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. With
the insistence of his own people, Jesus was sentenced to death.
Jesus,
many still suffer injustice and oppression;
some are exploited and ill-treated.
You stand condemned with these victims of this world;
you stand with us to give us courage and hope.
Teach us how to be on the side of justice and truth,
help us to be strong
before any forms of injustice and oppression
as we live according to the values of the Gospel.
Our Father…
Fifth Station
Jesus Is Whipped and Crowned with Thorns
Pilate had Jesus taken away and scourged. The soldiers also twisted
thorns into a crown and put it on his head. They also mocked him,
beat him and insulted him.
Jesus,
you never lost your humanity
in the face of the inhumanity you suffered.
We also feel humiliated at times,
or that others do not really understand us.
Yet, despite being whipped and crowned with thorns like you,
may we never lose our humanity,
may we never give up seeing the good in others.
Teach us to resist the different forms of evil
and overcome it by doing good.
Our Father…
Sixth Station
Jesus Carries the Cross
Jesus laid the cross on his shoulders without any complaints. He
carried his cross and went out the city to the Place of the Skull,
Golgotha.
Jesus,
you invited us to follow you without reserve
for your yoke is easy and your burden light.
My life away from my family is a cross,
at times, too heavy to bear.
Grant me strength to bear the cross up to my Golgotha,
so that suffering and being crucified with you,
I may rise with you to a new life;
may we always find consolation in you
not only in times of trials and problems,
but everyday of our life.
Our Father…
Seventh Station
Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
On the way they met a man named Simon from Cyrene who was
entering the city. The soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
Jesus,
thank you for those who help us
carry the cross we bear;
through them, we feel that we are never alone
for you are always with us.
Teach us to help those in need
to offer them a smile of friendship and understanding,
a pat on the back of comfort and support,
a hug of acceptance and love,
and a shoulder they can cry on.
Our Father…
Eighth Station
Jesus Comforts the Women of Jerusalem
Jesus, forgetting all his pain and suffering, comforts the weeping
women of Jerusalem. Jesus turns to them and says, “Do not cry
because of me, but rather for yourselves and your children!”
Jesus,
there are days that I cry,
not so much for myself, for my family;
I cannot help but think and worry about them.
Because of the loneliness
our separation from each other brings,
our families and we weep.
Look upon us who left our families in response to your call;
make our faith strong
that we may entrust our families to your care.
Wipe away our tears
that we may share your joy with others.
Console us in times of sorrow
and bring us to that day
when we will all be one as God’s big family.
Our Father…
Ninth Station
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments and Crucified
Stripped naked, nailed to the cross, you have given your life for all
of us.
Jesus,
in our poverty and need,
we feel stripped naked and nailed to the cross,
but God, our loving Father, wants us
to discover the richness of his love.
We thank you for the grace of vocation
to follow you and be your disciples.
But in the midst of a consumeristic society,
help us to break the bonds of selfishness and materialism;
may we never lose sight of the truth
that before God we are all naked and poor.
With you on the cross,
open our hearts and hands
that we may share with others the blessings we have received.
Our Father…
Tenth Station
The Repentant Thief
There were two criminals at Jesus’ either side, the one on the right
has accepted his guilt and its terrible punishment. He did not ask
for a miracle, but for forgiveness from Jesus.
Jesus,
you are always ready to welcome and accept those
who come to you and ask for your help.
In my weakness and lack of resolve,
I sometimes turn away from God.
But in your great love for me, as you hang on the cross,
you bring me back to the Father;
help me to accept my faults and misgivings,
to be sorry for them and to begin again,
so that the day will come when I will be with you in Paradise.
Our Father…
Eleventh Station
Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross of Jesus
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister Mary,
Mary of Magdala and the disciple whom he loved.
Jesus,
before returning to the Father,
you entrusted your mother
and your beloved disciple to each other.
I, too, felt the same concern before leaving my family,
thinking that they will be without me.
To you, Lord, I entrust my family;
be with them that they may feel your loving presence.
Send us your Spirit to bind us in your love
that with Mary, your mother and our mother,
we may be strengthened in our love for one another.
Our Father…
Twelfth Station
The Death of Jesus on the Cross
Jesus cried out, “Father into your hands I commend my spirit.”
… He said, “It is accomplished.” Then, he bowed his head and gave
up the spirit.
Jesus,
your death on the cross brought us life.
We, too, experience death even in our daily life:
our being away from those we love,
our not being able to do whatever we want,
whenever and wherever we want.
We had to learn how to live a new and different way of life,
and had to die to ourselves
that you may transform us according to your will.
But as we die with you, may we also rise with you
to discover the richness of life in this way of discipleship,
that our following of you
may become life-giving to us and to others.
Our Father…
Thirteenth Station
The New Sepulcher
It was now evening…Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus,
wrapped it in a clean linen sheet and laid it in his own new tomb
which was carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across
the entrance of the tomb and left.
Jesus,
you died on the cross,
and just as you were born poor,
you were buried in another man’s tomb.
In spite of the richness of our country, so many still suffer,
as if entombed in misery and poverty.
May our comfortable and structured life in the formation house
not numb us to the harsh realities
of the poverty and misery of our people,
nor alienate us from the life our own families live.
Grant us, Lord, that in our poverty,
we may discover the true riches your Gospel brings to us;
turn our weakness into strength
that we may always hope and trust in you,
who bring us the good life.
Our Father…
Fourteenth Station
The Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus has risen from the dead, he has overcome the powers of death.
We firmly believe that just as Christ is truly risen from the dead
and lives forever, we will also be lifted up on the last day and
experience the everlasting life with the risen Christ.
Jesus,
you rose from death and triumphed over sin.
We embrace our crosses and accept the little deaths
we face in our daily life as students in formation.
May we rise with you to a new life,
transform us so that it is not we anymore who live,
but you living in us.
Make us joyful and courageous witnesses to your resurrection—
the triumph of life over sin and death;
help us to proclaim this Good News in word and deed.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
Destroyed because of our sins,
you were crushed for our wickedness.
Through your punishment we are made whole;
by your wounds we are healed (cf. Is 53:5).
Dear Jesus,
you brought us new life at the end of your way of the cross,
may we remain in your love to bring your good news
to herald peace and happiness
to proclaim salvation,
and announce that you are truly risen!
Amen.
Holy Hour
Adoration is being in front of the one and
only God, of that who do not have a price, who
cannot be negotiated, who cannot be changed,
and all that is outside of him is an imitation
of nothing, is idolatry.… Let us spend time
even without asking, without thanking, even
without praising, but only adoring, only
worshipping with a prostrate soul. —Pope Francis
An Hour with Jesus
Following the Call in the Style of Father Claret
1. Invitation
Leader. Benedict XVI said that “The discernment of a vocation
is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the
Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to
pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call.”
We, the living Body of Christ, gather as a community before
Jesus, the living Bread from heaven, to have an intimate
dialogue with him as his brothers for we are called to be
Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, his Mother. We will
gaze upon him that we may listen to his call, and on hear-
ing his voice, may we have the strength and the courage
to respond generously to this gift of Claretian vocation.
2. Opening Song
3. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
4. Opening Prayer
Priest. God, our loving Father, you called us to follow you in the
style of Father Claret. We came to know of the Congregation
of Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, ac-
cording to your plan. You brought us to this place that we
may continue to discover your will for us. Open our eyes
that we may see you present in our life, open our ears that
we may listen to your Word, open our hearts that we may
welcome you to dwell in us, and open our hands in gener-
ous service to others. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
5. Liturgy of the Word
Reader A. A reading from the first book of Samuel (1 Sam
3:1-10).
1
The boy Samuel ministered to the Lord under Eli’s care in
292
FOLLOWING THE CALL 293
a time in which the word of the Lord was rarely heard. Visions
were not seen.
2
One night Eli was lying down in his room, half blind as
he was. 3The lamp of God was still lighted and Samuel also lay
in the house of the Lord near the Ark of God. 4Then the Lord
called, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “I am here!” 5and
ran to Eli saying, “I am here, did you not call me?” But Eli said, “I
did not call. Go back to sleep.”
So he went and lay down.
6
Then the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel stood
up and went to Eli saying, “You called me; I am here.” But Eli
answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
7
Samuel did not yet know the Lord; and the word of the
Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8But the Lord called
Samuel for the third time, and he went again to Eli saying, “I
am here for you have called me.” Eli realized that it was the
Lord calling the boy. 9So he said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and
if he calls you again, answer: “Speak, Lord, your servant listens.”
10
Then the Lord came and stood there calling “Samuel!
Samuel!” as he did before. And Samuel answered, “Speak, for
your servant listens.”
Silent Reflection
Psalm 16:1-2a, 5, 7-8, 11.
Reader 1. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
All. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Reader 1. Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the Lord, “My Lord are you.
O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup.
you it is who hold fast to my lot.”
294 AN HOUR WITH JESUS
Reader 2. I bless the Lord who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the Lord ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Reader 3. You will show me the path of life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia
Gospel
Priest. + A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
(1:35-42).
All. Glory to you, O Lord.
Priest. 35On the following day, John was standing there again,
with two of his disciples. 36As Jesus walked by, John looked at
him and said, “There is the Lamb of God.” 37On hearing this, the
two disciples followed Jesus. 38He turned and saw them fol-
lowing, and he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They
answered, “Rabbi (which means Master), where are you staying?”
39
Jesus said, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he
stayed, and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about
four o’clock in the afternoon.
40
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two
who heard what John had said, and followed Jesus. 41Early the
next morning, he found his brother Simon and said to him,
“We have found the Messiah” (which means the Christ), 42and
he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You
are Simon, son of John, but you shall be called Cephas” (which
means Rock).
FOLLOWING THE CALL 295
Silent Reflection
Homily
6. Response to the Word of God

Reader B. The vocation to be part of the Congregation is an
internal and personal call from God, received and discerned
through the mediation of the Congregation, and is directed to
a commitment to live as missionaries in a community, either in
ministerial or lay service in the Church.
As a characteristic of our life we make a special dedica-
tion to the Heart of Mary, given by our Father Founder which
expresses and extends his spiritual experience. The presence
of the Heart of Mary gives our ministry the distinguishing mark
of humility, gentleness, tenderness and love.
Leader. Lord, you called us to begin our formation in the Con-
gregation of Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary or Claretian Missionaries.
All. Father, form us to be Claretians as our concrete way of being
men, Christians, religious, ordained ministers and apostles.
We are and feel as sons loved by God and Mary, with all her
heart.
Leader. In our Congregation, we live as a family.
All. Holy Spirit, you have sustained our family in the Church for
two centuries through the intercession of St. Anthony Mary
Claret. We come from many different countries and diverse
cultures, but we are all brothers. We hope to become mem-
bers of the Congregation of Missionaries either as priests,
brothers, or deacons in the future.
Leader. We have a particular style of life: to burn in love.
All. God, you make us burn in love for you and our neighbor. You
have given us the gift of following Christ and proclaiming
the Gospel to the whole world in the style of our Father
Founder, St. Anthony Mary Claret.
Leader. You call us to journey as disciples of Jesus.
All. Like Jesus may we seek your glory and the salvation of
humankind, praying, working, and suffering. We take on
the style of life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in poverty,
chastity, and obedience.
Leader. You send us on our mission: to light the whole world
on fire with the love of God.
Right side. You send us to announce the life, death, and resur-
rection of Jesus, which is our salvation.
Left Side. We share in the sufferings and hopes of people
looking for the transformation of the world according to
the design of God.
All. Our mission is to be fed by the Word of God and the
Eucharist.
Left Side. To illuminate the world under the sign of mercy and
tenderness which we learn in the Heart of Mary.
Right Side. We are led to those who are excluded from the love
of others and suffer from the consequences of injustice in
this world.
Leader. Claret summarized his call and that of his companions
in his “definition of the missionary.”
All. A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with
love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires
mightily and strives by all means possible to set everyone
on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts him; he delights in
privations; welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at
slander, rejoices in all the torments and sorrows he suffers,
and glories in the cross of Jesus Christ. His only concern
is how he may follow Christ and imitate him in praying,
working, enduring and striving constantly and solely for
the greater glory of God and the salvation of humankind.
Silent Reflection
7. Adoration with gentle music and contemplative silence
8. Song and Closing Prayer
Priest. Jesus, you became human and lived among us to show
us that the Way to the Father is the fullness of human life.
In the form of Bread, you satisfy the hunger of the world.
Nourish us with your life-giving Word and Body that as
we continue our vocation journey, we may become true
apostolic missionaries and sons of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, your Mother. You who live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
All. Amen.
9. Benediction
10. Divine Praises
Priest. Blessed be God.
All. Blessed be God.
Blessed be his Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be his Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be his Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in his Angels and in his Saints.
11. Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament
297
12. Song to Mary
5
An Hour with Jesus
Now is the time for plowing (from CMF Novice CJ’s Journal)
1. Invitation
Leader. The life of people is like a seed, so we need to choose
a good soil to produce good crop. We are little seeds and
now we are choosing the soil. The soil needs to be plowed
before the seed is sown, so now is the time for plowing. As
we spend an hour with Jesus, we let Jesus, the true Sun of
God’s grace, shine on the soil of our hearts that the seed of
vocation may sprout, grow and bear fruit in us.
2. Opening Song
4. Opening Prayer
Priest. God, you are always new, and you give us every day as
a new beginning of our life. We believe that whatever you
give us will always be good for us because you love us. You
know what is good for us, like our vocation, which is from
you. You have led us with your holy hands until now. We
never thought before that we would be here. But you made
a plan for us and saw to it that every phase would be good
for us. Grant us the grace to discover your will in all these.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
5. Meditation Song
6. Reflection
Leader. We are happy to be here in this community, that we
NOW IS THE TIME FOR PLOWING 299
have begun our journey in this way of life according to
the spirit of Father Claret. Let us now talk to Jesus from
our heart.
All. Jesus, our coming here is a gift from God! Here we know
that to be home is to be happy, where there is no fear, nor
anyone to push us around.
Left Side. I used to think that people are either my enemies
or my friends, but I realized that I should not differentiate.
Everyone around me is like an angel given by God.
Right Side. Coming here, I knew many good friends and I love
them because they are my angels in my life.
Left Side. God’s plan is very clever. Those I consider as my
enemies can actually help me grow. I may not realize this
yet, but in time I will know that everything that comes
from God is good! I need to learn how to cherish the angels
around me.
Right Side. I am happy because so many people love me, es-
pecially my friends. I thought before that life was without
meaning, but when I realized that so many people love me,
I felt very happy and gave up my childish idea.
Left Side. I am happy because it is like I am with my family.
How right that I chose to come here because God gave
me so many gifts!
Right Side. I am happy for having received so many gifts
from God, like my good friends. I need to look hard into
myself, and see what is the biggest return I can give them,
specially to myself.
All. Because of you, Jesus, we are together, which makes us so
happy, so this is God’s gift to us and we say: “Master, it is good
that we are here!”
Silent Reflection
7. Readings
Reader A. From the reflection, “Everyone is the Best,” by Little
Brother CJ.
We do not know how much potential we have. God gave
us a lot, but we are not aware of them, so I say that everyone
is the best. In a word, we see what we can because everyone is
valuable. “If you want, you can be the best.” I believe that this
is true because everyone plays an important role on earth.
I used to think before that to dream was far-fetched and I
was not brave enough to do it. Now, I understand that to dream
gives everyone hope. Without any dream, it will seem that we
lose the meaning of our life. We may not be successful, or even
suffer from an injury, but I think that it will still be meaningful
because we can do something. I think that that is the most
important for me.
I know that I have to learn how to do things myself, that I
have to follow my heart. It is easy to say and to write this, but it
is difficult to do. I need to change little by little. I trust that I can,
and that the Mother of God will always help me. I am happy.
If you want to, you can change but not just wait. We need
to act. “We do what we can,” then everyone will be the best in
the world.
End of the reading.
Silent Reflection
Leader. It is not easy to know ourselves. We need a long time and
a lot of experience. There are many things I need to fully
understand, things that my eyes cannot see.
Right Side. Life is not always calm nor does it always follow
a straight path that leads to our hearts and thoughts. We
strive for perfection, but we actually already have the best
though we do not know it yet.
Left Side. If we are not aware that we have a happy life, we
continue to suffer. Life is so short for us to waste our time.
We should learn to enjoy life.
All. In my life I am not able to do well what I can. I can do it
sometimes even if I do not want to, but there are things I
want to do, that I am not able to do.
Left Side. To know myself is very difficult, but I need to face
myself and make a decision. But I should not press myself,
and take things easy. I believe in the power of prayer.
Right Side. We may not have what others have, and perhaps
there are some other things we do not have, but if we pos-
sess what others have, these may not be good for us, as if
wearing others’ shoes, that are not comfortable.
All. In fact, we already have the best! I have such a beautiful
life, thank you, God!
Leader. Lord, open our hearts because we sometimes get lost
in the road of life. Let us find the way and discern your will.
We are sure that we came here because of your will and it
was you who told us to do this.
Silent Reflection
Leader. Jesus, it is not easy to follow you because we need to
give up everything, including ourselves. When we really
give up everything because of Jesus, we will feel peace
and happiness in our hearts, and people around us will also
always feel peace, happiness and energy from us.
All. Lord, many people, including myself, hope for miracles to
happen in their life. But a miracle is created; we cannot just
wait for it to happen. I believe there are miracles on earth.
Actually, ordinary life is a miracle if we live it well everyday.
Leader. Everyone needs to work and learn like your disciples
who needed to do more. Whether we stay in the Congrega-
tion or marry, whatever we do, you want us to be happy.
So whatever way we choose in our life, we need to choose
to be happy. You do not want us to be sad.
All. Lord, teach me how to build a relationship with you. Let
me be your flower. Let me experience you in my life, or else
it will be painful, like being in love with someone, who I
cannot be with. I am happy because you are with me and
you love me very much.
Reader B. A reading from the Gospel according to John (15:1-9).
1
I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower. 2If
any of my branches doesn’t bear fruit,he breaks it off; and he
prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even
more fruit.
3
You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to
you. 4Live in me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit
by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you,
if you don’t remain in me.
5
I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you
remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from
me you can do nothing. 6Whoever does not remain in me is
thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then
they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.
7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you
may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. 8My
Father is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you
become my disciples.
9
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain
in my love! 10You will remain in my love if you keep my com-
mandments, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
Silent Reflection

8. Intercessions
Leader. “A good tree always produces good fruit; a rotten tree
produces bad fruit.” We want to produce good fruit, so we
need nutrition from God.
All. Lord, nourish us with the Word and Bread of Life.
Reader 1. There are many difficult things in our life, that are
both a cross and a gift from you. Help us to be open to you,
to the people and to any situation in our life that we may
see everything as your grace.
Reader 2. Whether we choose to be priests or brothers, we will
experience and must be open to and accept being lonely
and sad at times, especially when we get old. Strengthen
our faith that we are never alone because you are always
with us.
Reader 3. We miss our parents and families, and wonder how
they are. As we follow you, what we can do is to pray for
them. Take our place in our respective families, be with
them and bless them in their need.
Priest. God, we thank you for having called us. Thank you for
this grace, which is your gift to us. Help us to cherish our
calling. We ask this through Christ, who lives and reigns
with you, one God, forever and ever.
All. Amen.
10. Benediction
11. Divine Praises
13. Song to Mary
5
An Hour with Jesus, Sent by the Father
CMF Chapter XIX Document, “The Mission of the
Claretian Today”
1. Invitation
Leader. The missionary and evangelistic awakening of the
Church in our times has aroused in us a yearning to re-
discover and bring new life to our own missionary and
apostolic vocation. We ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us
that we may reflect on “the mission of the Claretian today”
in the light of the response of Father Claret to God’s call.
During this hour with Jesus let us bear in mind the import
and implications for us of the “experience of the Spirit”
which Father Claret had and which the Congregation has
kept alive throughout its history.
JESUS, SENT BY THE FATHER 305
2. Opening Song
4. Opening Prayer
Priest. O Holy Spirit, through the response of St. Anthony Mary
Claret, you pointed out to us a special style of holiness and
apostolate. Enlighten us as we turn our gaze on our Founder
in whom, for the first time, the light of our community, of
our vocation and mission in the Church first shone. May
our Father Founder’s own experience of his missionary
vocation bring us to the true source of inspiration that
we may faithfully respond to our vocation in the Church
and the world today. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
5. Meditation Song
6. Meditation on the Present Reality
Leader. We recall Father Claret’s vocational journey, we affirm
the origin of the life that has been propagated and followed
by the Congregation:
All. A life that leads to communion, invites us to conformity
with Christ, and impels us to relive the prophetic spirit.
Leader. Father Claret describes his vocation as a result of a
complex experiential process that can be traced through
his infancy.
All. This includes an early sense of friendship with Christ, above
all, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, in whose deep sense
of sonship he gradually came to discover God the Father,
who sent Jesus to the world.
Leader. Another important element in this process was a
special experience of the “world,” which Claret, as a young
man, came to know in all its goodness, relativity and
dangerousness.
Left Side. He cultivated his radical experience of God in Christ
by persistent meditation on the Scriptures in which the
texts dealing with the vocation of the prophets and Jesus
impressed him with telling effect.
Right Side. He kept alive his keen awareness and grasp of what
was most urgent for the Church and the society in relation
to God’s plan of salvation.
All. A very important influence both on his closeness to Christ
and his grasp of the ways of salvation for the world was
the presence of Mary, with whom he sensed that his own
mission, in its origin and exercise, was closely linked.
Leader. The radical experience of God in Christ continued to
be manifested in various forms throughout Claret’s life
Left Side. As a synthesis of his special consecration to Christ
and to the Heart of Mary,
Right Side. In a perfect apostolic and evangelical life of prayer
and suffering for the salvation of humankind, to the glory
of God the Father.
Leader. Claret’s vocation was primordially centered around
conformity with Christ, consecrated and sent by the Father
for the world’s redemption.
Left Side. From the external imitation of Christ’s apostolic
virtues, to the living experience of his interior attitudes
Right Side. To the culmination of his life in full transformation
in Christ:
All. It is Christ who lives in me.
Reader 1. Imitating, reliving and allowing himself to be interi-
orly transformed by Christ, Claret driven by the dynamism
and urgency of his apostolic zeal, lived a life of abnegation,
poverty and meekness, cultivating all those virtues which
would dispose him to become an adequate instrument in
extending the Reign of God. The title, Apostolic Missionary,
sums up his essential definition.
Silent Reflection
JESUS, SENT BY THE FATHER 307
Reader 2. A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans
(10:12-17).
12
Here, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all
have the same Lord, who is very generous with whoever calls
on him.13Truly, all who call upon the name of the Lord will
be saved. 14But how can they call upon the name of the Lord
without having believed in him? And how can they believe in
him, without having first heard about him? And how will they
hear about him, if no one preaches about him? 15And how will
they preach about him, if no one sends them? As Scripture says:
How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of good news.
16
Although, not everyone obeyed the good news, as Isaiah
said: Lord, who has believed in our preaching? 17So faith comes
from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ.
Silent Reflection
Leader. Claret’s vocation was an answer from God to the cries
of his people. His calling to the apostolate opened his eyes
and his heart to perceive the discern the ills of the Church
and society, but it also suggested to him the resources and
means through which they could be remedied.
8. Intercessions
Leader. Lord, give us the same spirit Father Claret felt within
himself.
All. Lord, give us the same spirit Father Claret felt within himself.
Leader. Lord, open our eyes to the present situation of our
world, and the need for apostolic preachers who live a
truly evangelical life.
Leader. May our experience of life led us to a radical debate
with economic power, to an attitude of alienation from any
political faction, to a total commitment to evangelization.
Leader. May we accept the challenge of the human and social
urgencies of our time.
Leader. May we not hesitate to remedy as many bodily needs of
people as we could. May we be particularly sensitive to the
dignity of the human person, any human being, including
criminals and evildoers.
Leader. May we have a burning love, a passion, for the world
of labor and for the dignity of the laborer.
Leader. May we strive to bring people out of ignorance and
modernize the level of culture by all means possible.
Leader. May we have a powerful sense of justice.
Leader. May we choose to make use of all means in accomplish-
ing our mission, both our own personal gifts of nature and
grace, as well as the means which social evolution and
progress put at our disposal.
Priest. Almighty ever-living God, the founding of our Congre-
gation was your grace and the result and expression of
Father Claret’s apostolic zeal in reponse to your call. Grant
us the grace, that like him, we may be faithful to our call
as apostolic missionaries. Fill us with hope and trust in
the transforming and evangelizing power of our Claretian
charism. Though lowly and sinful servants as we are, you
called us to be instruments of your evangelization as we
JESUS, THE LORD OF LIFE 309
continue the great work you have begun with Father Claret
and companions. Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
10. Benediction
11. Divine Praises
13. Song to Mary
5
An Hour with Jesus, the Lord of Life
CMF Chapter XXIII Document, “That They May Have Life”
1. Invitation
Leader. The Church invites us to “start afresh from Christ,” “to
put out into the deep,” to enter into a “time of renewed
‘creativity’ in charity.” Jesus’ words, “That they may have life,”
inspire our response to the Church’s call. Our vocation and
prophetic mission places us at the service of life. We “enter
into Life” and to live it fully to be with the Master, and to be
sent to preach with the power to overcome evil. We walk
with Jesus that we may have life. As servants of life, let us
now unite ourselves with him, the Incarnate Word made
Bread of Life.
2. Opening Song
4. Opening Prayer
Priest. Father, Source and Breath of all life, you called us to life
and gathered us together as brothers of your Son in our
community. May our community be a “place of life” where
we find our personal fulfillment, where our identity and
sense of belonging are nourished in fellowship with you
and with one another in prayer, dialogue, service, and col-
laboration in the missionary task. May our community be
a place of welcome, of search for God, of solidarity and of
hope. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
5. Meditation Song
6. Meditation on Life
Leader. Life is exuberant and fruitful in nature and in humanity:
“God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good.”
The Creator, “Lover of life,” has entrusted us to defend it
and cultivate it.
All. Grant us, Lord, Creator and Lover of life, the eyes to ap-
preciate life, the strength to defend it, and the passion for
life as manifested today in many ways in those who work
on behalf of the poor, for human rights, and for peace.
Leader. The glory of God, which is one of the basic aims of our
Congregation, is the human person fully alive, the poor fully
alive, nature fully alive. The passion for life thus belongs at
the very heart of our missionary vocation.
All. May we glorify you, O God, proclaiming that “the Gospel
of your love for people, the Gospel of the dignity of the
person and the Gospel of life are one, indivisible Gospel.”
Leader. The Word which has been entrusted to us and which we
serve proclaims the Gospel of life: it discovers, accompanies
and empowers all the bursts of life that the Spirit, the Lord
and Giver of life, gives rise to in our world.
All. In this sense, our ministry of the word becomes your conso-
lation, O Lord, for people who most suffer the degradation
of life.
Left Side. It becomes a “mercy principle” for those torn apart
by hurts, failure, guilt and sin.
Right Side. It presents a horizon of hope to those who believe
that human life has no meaning.
All. We are your children, O God of Life, who will not allow his
faithful ones to experience decay.
Leader. The Word denounces the many threats against life,
which we discover in each context.
Left Side. The force of the Word does not give in to prejudices,
fashions, fears or pressures,
Right Side. Nor accepts as normal the culture of death pre-
sented in many cases as progress in human history.
Leader. It is accompanied by signs of life.
Left Side. In a globalized world, often indifferent to the signs
of death, your Word, Lord God, of which we are servants,
defends life at all its stages and in all its forms.
Right Side. The power of your Spirit defends and recreates life
through individuals and groups, organisms and associa-
tions that work on its behalf.
All. We and our communities collaborate with them in order to
give a total and credible Yes to life and life in abundance.
Reader 1. “What has come into being in him was life and life
that was the light of humankind.” Life is the “first book” of
God’s revelation. Sacred Scripture is that “second book” in
which God reveals his plan of salvation for life threatened
by death because of sin. Both books mutually interpret one
another. As servants of the Word in all its amplitude, the
commitment to justice, peace, and the integrity of creation
is not for us a matter of discretion; it is a genuine obligation
and also a fundamental right of all Christians that obliges
us particularly as religious and ordained ministers.
Silent Reflection
Reader 2. A reading from the First Letter of John (1:1-4).
1
This is what has been from the beginning, and what we
have heard and have seen with our own eyes, what we have
looked at and touched with our hands, I mean the Word who
is Life... 2 The Life made itself known, we have seen Eternal Life
and we bear witness, and we are telling you of it. It was with
the Father and made himself known to us. 3 So we tell you what
we have seen and heard, that you may be in fellowship with us,
and us, with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 And we
write this that our joy may be complete.
Silent Reflection
Leader. Would we be able to live as missionaries without feeling
ourselves deeply affected by the “culture of death”? Would
our prayers and acts as a community have any meaning if
they did not motivate us to serve with more dedication
those whose lives are diminished, to make our contribution
to the establishment a true “culture of life”?
8. Intercessions
Leader. Lord Jesus, reveal to us the meaning of life.
All. Lord Jesus, reveal to us the meaning of life.
Leader. Jesus, you made your whole existence a service to life,
so you could say in all truth, “I am the Life.”
Leader. Through words and signs you reveal to us the God
of life, who wants all his daughters and sons to live and
who, when the prodigal son returns home, is filled with
joy and orders a feast because his son was dead and “has
come to life.”
Leader. You declared finally, “It is the spirit that gives life.” The
Spirit is a law of freedom that gives us life in you.
Leader. Our communion with you, our crucified and risen Lord,
impels us to defend life, and gives meaning to all human
situations, especially those most painful: tragedies brought
on by natural disasters, situations arising from injustice and
ambition, illness, aging and death itself.
Leader. You tell us that “Anyone who loves his life loses it”
and whoever gives his flesh and life for the salvation of
the world—like you in the Eucharist— “will keep it for
eternal life.”
Priest. Almighty ever-living God, you created all things for us.
You sent your life-giving Word to become Flesh in our midst
that we may have life, and have it to the full. For this same
reason, you call and send us as your apostles and disciples.
May we find nourishment from the Bread of Life, the sacra-
ment of your Son’s abiding presence among us, that we
may commit ourselves fully to promoting the culture of
life as we proclaim the Good News of your life and love to
humankind. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
10. Benediction
11. Divine Praises
13. Song to Mary
5
MEN ON FIRE WITH LOVE 315
An Hour with Jesus
with CMF Chapter XXIV Document, “Men on Fire with Love”
1. Invitation
Leader. As men on fire with love, we, the Claretian Missionaries,
see the tension between light and shadows in the world
in which we live. As Christians we believe that the person,
created by God out of love and for love, is at the center of
our vision. All men and women have a common origin, a
common end and a common mission. The human race, to-
gether with all creation, forms a unity. This oneness reaches
its fulfilment with Jesus Christ, in him, and through him.
In this holy hour, we will be with him in the Sacrament of
his presence as he continues to reveal the dignity of each
person, the purpose of our existence. Let us focus our gaze
on him and listen to his Gospel, calling us to solidarity and
love, that we may respond to the challenge to live as broth-
ers and to care for the earth where we live.
2. Opening Song
4. Opening Prayer
Priest. Almighty God and Father, we want to welcome and listen
to your call; help us to recognize it in the situation of the
world, the Church and the Congregation. Make us experi-
ence your Spirit that we may live our missionary vocation
today to deepen and develop it with an openness towards
an ever new and creative action. Teach us to ask ourselves
about our Claretian identity, as we face the many new ques-
tions and challenges for which we need new answers. Open
our hearts to feel the call to rediscover the significance
of our missionary vocation in a new global, ecclesial and
congregational framework. Through Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
5. Meditation Song
6. We Are Men on Fire with God’s Love
Leader. We are, first of all, a gift of God.
All. We want to respond to this gift personally and as a com-
munity.
Reader A. We know that recovering our own Claretian identity,
creating a true communion of life and apostolic action and
achieving genuine availability for mission are not things
that can be brought about by decree or by mere informa-
tion or study, although these are certainly indispensable.
What we must do is to resituate ourselves in the very center
of our vocation experience. Let us listen anew to the call of
God and allow him to guide our interior processes to live
our vocation with renewed meaning and joy.
Silent Reflection
Leader. Claret summarized his call and that of his companions
in his “definition of the missionary.”
All. A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with
love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires
mightily and strives by all means possible to set everyone
on fire with God’s love.
Reader 1. Nothing daunts him;
Reader 2. he delights in privations;
Reader 3. welcomes work,
Reader 4. embraces sacrifices,
Reader 5. smiles at slander,
Reader 6. rejoices in all the torments and sorrows he suffers,
Reader 7. and glories in the cross of Jesus Christ.
All. His only concern is how he may follow Christ and imitate
him in praying, working, enduring and striving constantly
and solely for the greater glory of God and the salvation
of humankind.
Silent Reflection
Leader. To live the call to evangelize more fervently, we need to
remember who we are and to whom we belong.
All. God, may we return to the “definition of the missionary”
to help us to eliminate the ashes of routine and weariness,
rekindle the burning embers of our vocation, and renew the
enthusiasm we need to be “on fire,” “to spread the flames”
and “to set everyone on fire with God’s love.”
Leader. Thanks to the Spirit we recognize ourselves as sons
who are sent.
All. May this gift open us to gratitude and prepare us to share
freely that which has been freely given to us. With this
vocation we receive a new name, we become part of a new
charismatic family in the Church, we are gifted with a way
of living as “men on fire with love,” we are empowered to
follow an ongoing process of conformity with Christ and
we are sent to light up the whole world in this same love
of God. This is our vocation that gives our life a sense of joy
and meaning.
Reader B. A reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the
Corinthians (2 Cor 5:14-21).
14
Indeed the love of Christ holds us and we realize that if he
died for all, all have died. 15He died for all so that those who live
may live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and
rose again for them. 16And so from now on, we do not regard
anyone from a human point of view; and even if we once knew
Christ personally, we should now regard him in another way.
17
For that same reason, the one who is in Christ is a new
creature. For him the old things have passed away; a new world
has come. 18All this is the work of God who in Christ reconciled
us to himself, and who entrusted to us the ministry of reconcili-
ation. 19Because in Christ God reconciled the world with himself,
no longer taking into account their trespasses and entrusting
to us the message of reconciliation.
20
So we present ourselves as ambassadors in the name of
Christ, as if God himself makes an appeal to you through us. Let
God reconcile you; this we ask you in the name of Christ. 21He
had no sin, but God made him bear our sin, so that in him we
might share the holiness of God.
Silent Reflection
Leader. The fire of grace...over time, gets covered with ashes
caused by the coldness of the atmosphere of the world
which surrounds us, by our lukewarmness, by laziness in
work, the fear of persecutions and the inconsistency of our
resolutions; such ashes have the fire of charity covered up as
if dead. How, then, do we rake it, fan it, and add fuel to make
it return to life and make it flame? How do we fan it and fuel
it with prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, joy, vigilance
of spirit, study and a major effort toward the virtues? How
do we work singularly, watch over and obtain with greater
diligence and fervor the salvation of the people who have
been entrusted to us?
8. Intercessions
Leader. Lord, rekindle the fire within us.
All. Lord, rekindle the fire within us.
Leader. Contemplating the situation of the world, the Church,
the Congregation and our own lives in light of the definition
of the missionary, we feel the call to discover how Jesus
walks by our side, to listen to his word, to sit at his table
and, having been rekindled, to return to the community
to be sent anew.
Leader. We feel a special call of the Spirit to see the world with
the eyes of God, to reinforce the experience of God in our
lives, to live in continuous formation, and to recommit
ourselves to the community
Leader. We feel a special call of the Spirit to deepen our aware-
ness of being sent, to work apostolically in a renewed way
and “to work with others” in creating networks, instilling
creativity in our missionary activity and inviting others to
embrace our vocation.
Leader. We also feel the call of the Spirit to keep the Congre-
gation flexible and disposed to the service of the Church
and humanity and to pass on to future generations the
vocational gift which we have received. For this we want to
improve initial formation and to find structures of organiza-
tion and economy which better serve the new demands of
the mission and of formation.
Priest. God, our Father, the Covenant which unites us with you,
expressed in the profession which we share, makes us co-
responsible for the fire of love, which comes from heaven
and inflames us. The Spirit moves us to revive it, expand it
and to pass it on. Grant that your love urge us to rekindle
the fire within us, to set others ablaze, to pass on the fire to
future generations through the abiding presence of your
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you,
one God, forever and ever.
All. Amen.
10. Benediction
11. Divine Praises
13. Song to Mary
5
An Hour with Jesus to Care for Our Common Home
Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Laudato Si´”
1. Invitation
Leader. “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore”—“Praise be to you, my
Lord.” In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis
of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister
OUR COMMON HOME 321
with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who
opens her arms to embrace us. As we spend an hour with
Jesus, we unite ourselves with Pope Francis to marvel at
the wonders of God’s creation that we may truly care for
our common home.
All. Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us, and who produces various
fruit with colored flowers and herbs.
2. Opening Song
4. Opening Prayer
Priest. Father, our Sister Mother Earth now cries out to us
because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our ir-
responsible use and abuse of the goods with which you
have endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her
lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. This is why
the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the
most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans
in travail.” Remind us that we ourselves are dust of the earth;
our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe
her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
5. Meditation Song
6. Meditation on the Present Situation of our Home
Leader. Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, hu-
manity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming in
turn a victim of this degradation with the potential for an
ecological catastrophe under the effective explosion of
industrial civilization.
All. Grant us, Lord, to see the urgent need for a radical change
in our conduct as humankind in our most extraordinary
scientific advances, the most amazing technical abilities,
the most astonishing economic growth, that they be ac-
companied by authentic social and moral progress.
Leader. We, human beings, frequently seem to see no other
meaning in our natural environment than what serves
for immediate use and consumption. This resulted to the
destruction of the human environment that is extremely
serious.
All. God, you have entrusted the world to us, men and women,
and gifted us human life which must be defended from
various forms of debasement. Help us to make every effort
to protect and improve our world by profound changes in
our lifestyles, models of production and consumption, and
the established structures of power which today govern
societies. With full respect for the human person, let us also
be concerned for the world around us and take into account
the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in
an ordered system.
Leader. The world cannot be analyzed by isolating only one of
its aspects, since the book of nature is one and indivisible,
and includes the environment, life, sexuality, the family,
social relations, and so forth. It follows that the deteriora-
tion of nature is closely connected to the culture which
shapes human coexistence.
All. God, may we recognize that the natural environment has
been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behavior. The
social environment has also suffered damage. Both are
ultimately due to the same evil: the notion that there are
no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human
freedom is limitless. May we realize that creation is harmed
where we ourselves have the final word, where everything
is simply our property and we use it for ourselves alone. The
OUR COMMON HOME 323
misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize
any higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing
else but ourselves.
Leader. Each of us needs to repent of the ways we have harmed
the planet, for inasmuch as we all generate small ecological
damage, we are called to acknowledge our contribution,
smaller or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction
of creation.
All. God, forgive us for our sins in destroying the biological
diversity of your creation, degrading the integrity of the
earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the
earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands, con-
taminating the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life. We
have committed a crime against the natural world. Forgive
us for we have sinned against ourselves and against you.
Right Side. Teach us, O Lord, to replace consumption with
sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit
of sharing
Left Side. Instruct us in an asceticism which entails learning
to give, and not simply to give up, a way of loving, of
moving gradually away from what we want to what God’s
world needs.
All. Liberate us from fear, greed and compulsion, to accept the
world as a sacrament of communion, as a way of sharing
with you and our neighbors on a global scale, and to be
convinced that the divine and the human meet in the
slightest detail in the seamless garment of your creation,
in the last speck of dust of our planet.
Silent Reflection
Reader 1. A reading from the Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis,
Laudato Si´.
I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are
shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which
includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are
undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.…
Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the en-
vironmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of
powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of
interest. Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers,
can range from denial of the problem to indifference, noncha-
lant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. We
require a new and universal solidarity.
Silent Reflection
Leader. Care for nature is part of a lifestyle which includes
the capacity for living together and communion. Jesus
reminded us that we have God as our common Father and
that this makes us brothers and sisters. Fraternal love can
only be gratuitous; it can never be a means of repaying
others for what they have done or will do for us. That is why
it is possible to love our enemies. This same gratuitousness
inspires us to love and accept the wind, the sun and the
clouds, even though we cannot control them. In this sense,
we can speak of a universal fraternity.
8. A Prayer for Our Earth
Leader. All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
All. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out
upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life
and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers
and sisters, harming no one.
Reader 2. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.
Reader 3. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the
OUR COMMON HOME 325
world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not
pollution and destruction.
Reader 4. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at
the expense of the poor and the earth.
Reader 5. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be
filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we
are profoundly united with every creature as we journey
towards your infinite light.
All. We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we
pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace..
Priest. Almighty ever-living God, you call us to generous com-
mitment and to give you our all, you offer us the light and
the strength needed to continue on our way. In the heart
of this world, as the Lord of life, you love us so much and
are always present. You do not abandon us, you do not
leave us alone, for you have united yourself definitively to
our earth, and your love constantly impels us to find new
ways forward.
All. Praise be to you! Amen.
10. Benediction
11. Divine Praises
Priest. Praised be you, my Lord,
All. With all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun,
who is the day
and through whom you give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant
with great splendor;
and bears a likeness of you, Most High.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven you formed them clear
and precious and beautiful.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene,
and every kind of weather
through whom you give sustenance
to your creatures.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble
and precious and chaste.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful
and robust and strong”
13. Song to Mary
Responses in the Mass
Introductory Rites
Greeting
Priest. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Priest. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Penitential Act
Form A
Priest. Let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves
to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
All. I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore, I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Form B
Priest. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All. For we have sinned against you.
Priest. Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
All. And grant us your salvation.
327
328 THE MASS
Priest. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All. Amen.
Lord, Have Mercy
Priest. Lord, have mercy. All. Lord, have mercy.
Priest. Christ, have mercy. All. Christ, have mercy.
Priest. Lord, have mercy. All. Lord, have mercy.
On Sunday, feasts or solemnities:
Priest. Glory to God in the highest,
All. and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Priest. Let us pray.... Through Christ, our Lord.
All. Amen.
Liturgy of the Word

Reader: A reading from....
Responsorial Psalm
Alleluia
THE MASS 329
Gospel
Priest. The Lord be with you.
Priest. A reading from the Gospel according to...
All. Glory to you, O Lord!
After the Gospel proclamation:
Priest. The Gospel of the Lord.
All. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
Homily
Profession of Faith
(on Sundays and solemnities)
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us people and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
[bow during the next three lines]
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
330 THE MASS
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
or The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.
Intercessions
Liturgy of the Eucharist
THE MASS 331
Presentation and Preparation of the Gifts
Priest. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your
goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of
the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us
the bread of life.
All. Blessed be God for ever.
Priest. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through
your goodness we have received the wine we offer you:
fruit of the vine and work of human hands it will become
our spiritual drink.
All. Blessed be God for ever.
Priest. Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be accept-
able to God, the almighty Father.
All. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the
praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good
of all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Offerings
At the end, the people say in response
All. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
Preface Dialogue
Priest. Lift up your hearts.
All. We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest. Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
All. It is right and just.
Sanctus
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
332 THE MASS
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Mystery of Faith
Priest. The mystery of faith.
All. [A] We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your Resur-
rection until you come again.
or
[B] When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your
death, O Lord, until you come again.
or
[C] Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrec-
tion, you have set us free.
Doxology and Great Amen
Priest. Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty
Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is
yours, for ever and ever.
All. Amen!
Communion rite
Lord’s Prayer
Priest. At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teach-
ing, we dare to say:
All. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy
kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil.
Priest. Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant
peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may
be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await
THE MASS 333
the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
All. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now
and forever.
Sign of Peace
Priest. Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles, Peace I
leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but
on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace
and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign
for ever and ever.
All. Amen.
Priest. The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Priest. Let us offer each other a sign of peace.
Breaking of the Bread
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
have mercy on us.
grant us peace.
Communion
Priest. Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away
the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the sup-
per of the Lamb.
All. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Prayer after Communion
Priest. Let us pray.
At the end, the people say in response
All. Amen.
334 THE MASS
Final Blessing
Priest. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Dismissal
Priest. Go forth, the Mass is ended.
All. Thanks be to God!
Contents
Introduction: Come, Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
......5
Common Prayers
Sign of the Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Lord’s Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Padre Nuestro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Pater Noster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Hail, Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Dios te salve, María . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ave Maria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Glory Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Gloria (Spanish) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Gloria (Latin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Glory to God in the Highest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Apostles’ Creed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Nicene Creed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Prayers to the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Come, Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Prayer for Openness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Prayer for a New Pentecost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Divine Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Prayers for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . 13
335
Prayer to the Holy Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding
. . 13
A Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
St. Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pope St. Pius X’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pope St. John Paul II’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . . . . . 14
Cardinal Mercier’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . 15
St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Prayer for the Help of the Holy
Spirit . . . 15
St. Anthony of Padua’s Prayer for the Indwelling of the
Spirit  . . .15
Veni Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
St. Anthony Mary Claret’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . 17
Hildegarde of Bingen’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . . . . 17
St. Ephrem’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Peace Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Prayer for Peace (Pope St. John Paul II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
St. Benedict’s Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Prayer for Generosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Soul of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Prayer of Abandonment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
St. Francis of Assisi’s Vocation Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Serenity Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Prayer to the Sacred Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Prayer to the Guardian Angel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Prayer Before Meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
336
Prayer After Meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Act of Contrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Angelus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Queen of Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Hail, Holy Queen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Memorare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
O Mary, Bright Dawn of the New World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 23
Mary, Jesus’ Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
In Our Mother’s Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Prayer to Mary, a Migrant with Joseph and Jesus . . . . .
. . . . . . . 24
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 25
Prayer to Saint Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Prayer to Saint Jude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Prayer to Saint Anthony to Find What Is Lost . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 26
Prayer for Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Claretian Prayers
Prayers of St. Anthony Mary Claret
Apostolic Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Nothing More than to Love You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 28
337
Here I am, Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
You are More than Enough for Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Fire that Forever Blazes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Father, Teach Me Goodness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
My God, My Jesus, My All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Exercise on the Love of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Short Prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Immaculate Mary, Daughter of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mother of Divine Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Missionary Son of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Prayers of the Congregation

Conformity to Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Dedication to the Heart of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Filial and Apostolic Prayer to the Heart of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Dedication to the Heart of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Offering to the Heart of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
We are Missionaries!
Prayer Celebration 1:
Introduction Part 1 (MS 1-2) . . . . . . . . . 35
Introduction Part 2 (MS 3-4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Cry of Mother Earth (MS 5-8) . . . . . . . . 38
The Clamor of the Poor and for Justice (MS 9-10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The Dream for Peace and Reconciliation
338 (MS 11-13) . . . . . . . . . . . 41
The Meaning of Life and Its Care (MS 14-16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The New Digital and Technological Continent (MS 17-18) . . . . . 44
Prayer Celebration 8 :
A Church Going Forth (MS 19-20) . . . . . 45
Among the People with Many Faces and Charisms (MS 21-22) . . 46
Seduction by the Spirit (MS 23-24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
The Grace of Being a Missionary Community (MS 25-27) . . . . . . . 49
Fidelity to Our Claretian Missionary Vocation (MS 28-31) . . . . . . 50
Challenges from God in Our Time (MS 32-33) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Charismatic Traits in Mission (MS 34-38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Missionaries “with Spirit” (MS 39-41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Listeners and Servants of the Word of God (MS 42-45) . . . . . . . . . 56
Missionaries in Community (MS 46-48) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Sent to Evangelize Listening to the Poor (MS 49-52) . . . . . . . . . . 59
With the Whole Church and Those Seeking
the Transformation of the World (MS 53-57) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
339 Dialogue (MS 58-63) . . . . 62
Open to the Whole World in Prophetic
Processes of Transformation (MS 64-65) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
A Congregation “Going Forth” Part 1 (MS 66-67) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
A Congregation “Going Forth” Part 2 (MS 68) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Being a Community
of Witnesses and Messengers Part 1 (MS 69-70) . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Being a Community
of Witnesses and Messengers Part 2 (MS 71) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Being a Community
of Witnesses and Messengers Part 3 (MS 72) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Men who Adore God in the Spirit Part 1 (MS 73-74) . . . . . . . . 73
Men who Adore God in the Spirit Part 2 (MS 75) . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Prayer Celebration 29: Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
With Pope Francis:
Witnesses and Messengers of the Joy of the Gospel . . . . . . . . . . 78
With Pope Francis — To Adore, to Walk, to Accompany . . . . . . . . 79
Prayer of the Claretian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Thanksgiving for Our Vocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Definition of a Claretian Missionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Different Times
340 and Seasons
Prayer upon waking up in the morning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Sunday Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Monday Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Tuesday Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Wednesday Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Thursday Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Friday Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Saturday Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Midday Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Prayer Before Studying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Daily Visit to the Blessed Sacrament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Marian Prayer Day by Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Prayer Before Going to Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
When Sad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
When Feeling Homesick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
When Overwhelmed by Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
When Sick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Special Occasions
Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Prayer for Healing the Family Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
A Birthday Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
To Proclaim the Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
A Blessing of the Class or Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Bible Enthronement Prayer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Called by Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Breaking of Bread . . . . .341
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Celebrating the Gift of Language:
An Opening Celebration for the English Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Celebrating the Gift of Community:
A Closing Celebration for the English Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Praying the Holy Rosary

The Mysteries of the Rosary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Joyful Mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Sorrowful Mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Glorious Mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Methods of Prayer
Some Prayer Exercises
Exercise 1: The Riches of Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Exercise 2: Body Sensations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Exercise 3: Body Sensations through Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Exercise 4: Thought Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Exercise 5: Breathing Sensations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Exercise 6: Contemplation Practice 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Five-finger Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
The White Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Practical Ways of Praying with the Bible

Ignatian Method: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
The Word of God as a Movie Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
The Word of God as Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
342
Lectio Divina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
I. Benedictine Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
II. A Prayerful Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
III. Lectio on Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
IV. Lectio Divina Shared in Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Praying the Bible in Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

I. Six-step Bible Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
II. The “Drop of Water” Method (Based on Is 55:1-11) . . . . . . . 146
III. Re-reading Psalms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
IV. Communitarian (Popular) Reading of the Bible . . . . . . . . . . 148
V. A Simple Bible Sharing Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
VI. The Lumko “Seven Step” Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
VII. The Vigan Method: A Simple Method of Bible Sharing . . . . . 152
Model A: “Prayer—Response” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Model B: Action Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Model C: Combination of the Prayer and Action—Response . . . . . . . . .156
Reflections
Guide for Catholic Living
The Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
The Old Testament — 159
The New Testament — 161
The Beatitudes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
The Ten Commandments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
The Great Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
The Sacraments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Examination of Conscience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Examen of Consciousness .343
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Who Am I? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Five Important Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Community Celebrations
God’s Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Claret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
The Heart of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
We Are Sons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Prayer for Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Prayer for Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Community Celebration of Reconciliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Way of the Cross with Claret

Way of the Cross with Claret . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
The Way of the Cross for a Claretian Student . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Holy Hour
Following the Call in the Style of Father Claret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Now is the time for plowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Jesus, Sent by the Father . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Jesus, the Lord of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Men on Fire with Love” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
To Care for Our Common Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Responses in the Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
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345
346
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Claretian English Prayer Book General Use

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We should always keep this model of a missionary

The Word Made Flesh

Dios te salve, María

The Nicene Creed

Prayer for Openness

Prayer for a New Pentecost

Divine Holy Spirit

Prayers for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Prayer to the Holy Spirit of Wisdom and

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

St. Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Pope St. Pius X’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Pope St. John Paul II’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Cardinal Mercier’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Prayer for the Help of the

St. Anthony Mary Claret’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Hildegarde of Bingen’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Prayer for Peace

St. Benedict’s Prayer

Prayer for Generosity

St. Francis of Assisi’s Vocation Prayer

Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

Prayer Before Meals

Prayer After Meals

O Mary, Bright Dawn of the New World

Mary, Jesus’ Teacher

Prayer to Mary, a Migrant with Joseph and Jesus

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayer to Saint Joseph

Prayer to Saint Jude

Prayer to Saint Anthony to Find What Is Lost

Prayer for Parents

“I was driven to work for God’s greater glory and

Nothing More than to Love You

Here I am, Lord

Fire that Forever Blazes

Father, Teach Me Goodness

Exercise on the Love of God

Immaculate Mary, Daughter of God

Mother of Divine Love

Missionary Son of Mary

Dedication to the Heart of Mary

Filial and Apostolic Prayer to the Heart of Mary

Dedication to the Heart of Mary

Offering to the Heart of Mary

Leader. For us in the world of efficiency, we have lost the sense

Thanksgiving for Our Vocation

Definition of a Claretian Missionary

Prayer upon waking up in the morning

Sunday Morning Prayer

Monday Morning Prayer

Tuesday Morning Prayer

Wednesday Morning Prayer

Thursday Morning Prayer

Friday Morning Prayer

Saturday Morning Prayer

Prayer Before Studying

Daily Visit to the Blessed Sacrament

Marian Prayer Day by Day

Prayer Before Going to Bed

When Feeling Homesick

When Overwhelmed by Problems

10. Commitment to the Word of God

Prayer to the Holy Spirit of Wisdom and

St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Prayer for the Help of the