In Dialogue with the Lord_en


In Dialogue with the Lord_en



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,N Oi LOQO
_IQN&[E
SALESIANS
DON BOSCO

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Graphics: Artia Comunicación
Printing: ??
All rights reserved by the Society of St Francis de
Sales (Salesians of Don Bosco)
Extra commercial edition (2020)
Sede Centrale Salesiana
Via Marsala, 42
00185 Rome

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,N Q!!lLOQO
____ IQN&[E
Rome 2020

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to the confreres who collaborated with
the Formation Department (Ivo Coelho, Salvador
Cleofas Murguía Villalobos – now bishop, Silvio
Roggia, Jose Kuttianimattathil, Francisco Santos
Montero) in the revision of this manual and in the
work of translation: Stefano Aspettati, Donatien
Banze, Giovanni Barroero, Osmar Bezutte, Salvador
Delgadillo Cornejo, Ian Figueiredo, Basilio Nuno
Gonçalves, Jesús Graciliano González Miguel, Josef
Gregur, Ferdinand Kalengayi, Zenon Klawikowski,
Jean-Claude Ngoy, Pascal Nyunda, Ignacio Ocampo
Uribe, Michael Pace, Bosco Ponthokkan, Salvatore
Putzu, Jean Rebellato, José Antenor Velho.
A special word of thanks to Francisco Santos
Montero who coordinated the whole work, and to
Ian Figueiredo who took care of this UK English
version.

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PRESENTATION
My dear confreres,
GC27 requested an updating of the manual In
dialogue with the Lord and other resources of
prayer as an expression of our commitment
to grow in the Salesian consecrated identity
(GC27, 67.7).
In the revision of the text, I asked the redaction
group to keep in mind three elements: the
multicultural context of the Congregation; the
new digital world; prayer with the young and
with our lay mission partners.
Perhaps the group has succeeded in paying
greater attention to the possibilities offered
today by the digital world than to the other two
elements. For this reason, apart from a text that
could be printed by Provinces or regions, they
have prepared a digital edition with several
alternatives, available on the Congregation’s
website (www.sdb.org). A very handy app
for Salesian prayer has also been designed
(Salesians@prayer), which includes, among
other things, the Salesian Proper, which of its
nature calls for frequent updating to include
every new beatification or canonization. The
digital format best serves this need.
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I hope that you will find these instruments
useful for personal and community prayer and
for moments shared with your young people
and lay mission partners.
May Mary, mother and teacher, help us to grow
in our dialogue with the Lord.
Affectionately in Don Bosco,
Ángel Fernández Artime
Rector Major
Rome, Easter – 12 April 2020
NOTE
MODIFICATION OF ACT OF
ENTRUSTMENT TO MARY HELP OF
CHRISTIANS
Please take note of the modification of the act
of entrustment to Mary, Help of Christians, that
was introduced by Fr Egidio Viganò in AGC
309, replacing “foundress and support of our
Congregation” with the more theologically exact
“you inspired the foundation of our congregation
and remain its support”.
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ABBREVIATIONS
AGC Acts of the General Council
ASC Acts of the Superior Council
BM Biographical Memoirs
Const. Salesian Constitutions
GC2121st General Chapter of the Salesians
of Don Bosco
LGDogmatic Constitution
on the Church Lumen Gentium
Reg. General Regulations
SCConstitution on the Sacred Liturgy
Sacrosanctum Concilium
A Assembly
L Prayer Leader
P Presider / Priest
R Reader
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Scripture texts have been taken from the
Jerusalem Bible.
Psalms have been taken from the Grail Psalter
(1963).
The blessing of the Advent wreath (option 1) has
been taken from the USCCB website http://www.
usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and
sacramentals/sacramentals-blessings/objects/
blessing-of-an-advent-wreath.cfm
The blessing of the Advent wreath (option 2) is
from ThisisChurch.com
The Christmas Novena in chant has been taken
from http://www.donboscowest.org/resources/
novena-prayers
The Via Lucis has been taken from http://www.
vialucis.org/index.php/en/
We thank Mario Galizzi and Carlo Maria Zanotti
for several prayers.
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1 DAILY RECURRENCES
2 MONTHLY RECURRENCES
3 ANNUAL RECURRENCES
4 SPECIAL OCCASIONS

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PART ONE
SALESIAN
PRAYERS

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1
DAILY
RECURRENCES

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MORNING OFFERING
I adore you, my God and I love you with all
my heart. Thank you for the gift of life, for
the blessing of Christian faith, and for your
watchful care throughout the night. I offer
you all my actions of this day. Grant that they
may be done according to your will and for
your greater glory. Keep me from sin and from
every evil. In your kindness, keep me and all
those who are dear to me always in your grace.
Amen.
ANGELUS
L The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
A And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary…
L Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
A Be it done unto me according to your
Word.
Hail Mary…
L And the Word was made flesh,
A And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
L Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
A That we may be made worthy of the
promises of Christ.
L Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech you, O
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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 be
brought to the glory of his Resurrection.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
REGINA CAELI (Easter Season)
English
L Queen of Heaven, rejoice alleluia.
A For He whom you did merit to bear,
alleluia.
L Has risen, as He said, alleluia.
A Pray for us to God, alleluia.
L Rejoice and be glad O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
A For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.’
L Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the
world through the resurrection of your
Son our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we
beseech you, that through the intercession
of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we
may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
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Latin
L Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia
A Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
L Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia,
A Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
L Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
A Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia
L Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem
Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi mundu
laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus,
ut per eius Genitricem Virginem Mariam
perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae, per
eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
A Amen.
MEDITATION
Introduction
Option 1
L Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of
your faithful and kindle in them the
fire of your love. Send forth your
Spirit and they shall be created.
A And You shall renew the face of the
earth.
L Let us pray. O God, who by the light of the
Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the
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faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His
consolation. Through Christ Our Lord.
A Amen.
Option 2
Come, O Creator Spirit,
visit our minds.
Fill with your grace
the hearts you have created.
O you who are called Paraclete,
gift of the Most High God,
living spring, fire, love,
anointing of the soul.
Finger of God’s right hand,
the Saviour’s promise,
send forth your seven gifts,
stir in us the word.
Be light to the mind,
burning love in the heart;
heal our wounds
with the balm of your love.
From the enemy defend us,
bring forth the gift of peace.
With your invincible hand
keep us from all harm.
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Light of eternal wisdom,
unveil to us the great mystery
of God the Father and the Son
united in one single Love. Amen.
L Send forth your Spirit and
they shall be created.
A And You shall renew the face of the earth.
L Let us pray. O God, who by the light of the
Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the
faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His
consolation. Through Christ Our Lord.
A Amen.
Option 3
Veni, creator Spiritus,
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia,
quae tu creasti pectora.
Qui diceris Paraclitus,
donum Dei altissimi,
fons vivus, ignis,
caritas et spiritalis unctio.
Tu septiformis munere,
dextrae Dei tu digitus,
tu rite promissum Patris
sermone ditans guttura.
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Accende lumen sensibus,
infunde amorem cordibus,
infirma nostri corporis,
virtute firmans perpeti.
Hostem repellas longius
pacemque dones protinus;
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.
Per te sciamus da Patrem
noscamus atque Filium,
te utriusque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore. Amen.
L Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur.
A Et renovabis faciem terrae.
L Oremus. Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti
Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis
in eodem Spiritu recta sapere; et de
eius semper consolatione gaudere.
Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
A Amen.
Option 4
L The Lord, who has called all of us to pray
without ceasing, makes us aware of his
presence, that we may be prepared for the
priceless gift of his Spirit. In silence let us
hear and meditate on the mystery of God.
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L Come, O Creator, Spirit blest
A And in our souls take up Thy rest/ Come
with Thy grace and heav’nly aid/ To fill
the hearts/ which Thou hast made.
Great Paraclete, to Thee we cry/ O
highest gift of God most high/ O fount of
life, O fire of love/ And sweet anointing
from above.
Thou in Thy sev’nfold gifts are known/
The finger of God’s hand we own/ The
promise of the Father, Thou/ Who dost
the tongue with fire endow.
Our senses kindle from above/ And
make our hearts o’erflow with love/
With patience firm and virtue high/ The
weakness of our flesh supply.
Drive far from us the foe we dread/ And
grant us Thy true peace instead/ So shall
we not with Thee for guide/ Turn from
the path of life aside.
O may Thy grace on us bestow/ The
Father and the Son to know/ And Thee
through endless times confessed/ Of
both the eternal Spirit blest.
All glory while the ages run/ be to the
Father and the Son/ Who rose from
death; the same to Thee/ O Holy Ghost
eternally. Amen.
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Conclusion
Option 1: Act of entrustment
L Blessed are those who listen to God’s word.
A And live by it every day.
L Let us renew our commitment to the
Lord and our dedication to our mission
on behalf of young people; let us ask
Our Lady for the gift of fidelity.
L Most holy
A and Immaculate Virgin, Help of
Christians,
Mother of the church,
you inspired the foundation of our
congregation
and remain its support;
we place ourselves under your motherly
protection,
and faithful to our Salesian vocation,
we promise to work always for the
greater glory of God
and the salvation of the world.
L With trust in your intercession,
A we pray for the Church, for our
Congregation and the Salesian family,
for the young, especially those in most
need,
and for all redeemed by Christ.
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L You were Don Bosco’s teacher;
A show us how to imitate his virtues,
especially his union with God, his purity,
humility and poverty,
his love for work and for temperance,
his kindness and wholehearted service
of others,
his loyalty to the Pope and to the
Bishops of the Church.
L Grant O Mary Help of Christians,
A that we may serve God with fidelity and
generosity until death.
Help us to come at last to the endless joy
of life together
in our Father’s home in heaven. Amen.
(As modified by E. Viganò, AGC 309)
Option 2
L Lord, to whom shall we go?
A You have the words of eternal life
L Calling to mind our father and
model Saint John Bosco, let us renew
our commitment to the Lord.
A Lord God, our Father,
Love ever faithful, total and freely
bestowed,
you are pleased to make use
of the service of those you have created
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in the unfolding of your saving design.
In free response to your call,
many have cooperated with you
throughout the long history of salvation:
Abraham and Moses, Mary and the
Apostles,
and Christian men and women
everywhere in your Church.
You called St. John Bosco to give himself
completely
in the service of young people.
and he dedicated himself entirely to the
salvation of youth.
You have called us also into the Salesian
Family
to continue his mission.
Lord, we thank you for our vocation.
Give us your Spirit. Keep us faithful to
our consecration,
so that freed from our selfishness,
we may share with young people
the living spirit of our Founder. Amen.
L Mary, Help of Christians,
A Pray for us.
Option 3
L In the morning let us know your love.
A And we shall praise you with joy
throughout the day.
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L Lord, we thank you for Don Bosco
A You have given him to us as our father
and leader. In him we celebrate the
wonders of your love, a splendid
blending of nature and grace, and source
of an original style of life and action in
the service of the young.
L Virgin Mary,
A You were Don Bosco’s constant guide
and support in his work. We believe that
you are present among us continuing
your mission as “Mother of the Church
and Help of Christians”. We entrust
ourselves to you, the humble handmaid
in whom the Lord has done great things,
that we may be signs and bearers of the
love of your Son for young people. Amen.
L Mary, Help of Christians
A Pray for us.
LECTIO DIVINA
Reading (Lectio). The first step consists of
an attentive, prayerful reading of a biblical
passage. It is a listening-reading that patiently
waits in trust for Jesus, the Word to reveal
Himself. As the passage is read one or two
times, be attentive to the phrase or word that
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stand out for you. After the reading, participants
may, in an unhurried way, speak that word or
phrase in turn, without commentary.
Meditation (Meditatio). The scripture is read
again. Here you ponder and ruminate what
was read. The Word is savored and meditated
upon in expectation - like Mary who “pondered
these things in her heart.” This stage engages
thought, imagination, emotion and desire. A
question to be asked is: what does this Word
mean for my life? After an appropriate time
of silence, participants may briefly share a
reflection.
Prayer (Oratio). You begin to dialogue with the
Lord Jesus, starting from the text, with praise,
thanksgiving, petitions. It is a response from the
depths of your heart. A very simple definition of
saint Teresa of Avila comes to mind: “Praying is
nothing more than an intimate sharing between
friends. It means taking time frequently to be
alone with Him who we know loves us”. After
an appropriate time of silence, participants may
voice a prayer.
Contemplation (Contemplatio). You sit
still with God, realizing that in this deep and
profound relationship, words are not necessary.
Be content and at peace with a wordless, quiet
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rest in God, which brings joy to the heart.
Remember that contemplation is not your action
or doing; rather, it is allowing God to act in you.
Action (Actio). Once you know what it is that
God is calling on you to do, the next step is
straightforward: do it. This is gospel action,
which follows from a choice, a decision: a
specific action is performed that changes the
heart, that transforms your life.
SPIRITUAL READING
The reading, done communally, unites the minds
and hearts. Our tradition has it that every day,
every Salesian community shall “reserve some
time for spiritual reading.” (Reg. 71)
Introduction
LA In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
L Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of
your faithful and kindle in them the
fire of your love. Send forth your
Spirit and they shall be created.
A And you shall renew the face of the
earth.
L Let us pray. O God, who by the light of the
Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the
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faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His
consolation. Through Christ Our Lord.
A Amen.
Conclusion
Option 1
L Let us pray to God our Father, whose
love for us gives us confidence that he
will hear us. You have given us Don
Bosco as our father and teacher.
A May we, like him, be signs and bearers
of your love for the young.
L Render fruitful with your grace
our apostolic work.
A May we imitate the zeal and gentle
charity of St. Francis of Sales.
L Comfort our suffering brothers
and sisters, especially those who
are suffering for the faith.
A Free them from all their tribulations.
L Help us in the varied activities of our
Salesian mission to assist the young in
discovering the divine call in their lives.
A May our witness, our invitation and
our accompaniment give rise to new
apostolic vocations for the Church and
the Congregation, for the missions and
for our provinces.
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L Let us remember our departed brothers.
(A reading of the Necrology
of deceased confreres)
L Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
A And let perpetual light shine upon them.
L May they rest in peace.
A Amen.
L O Lord, you have called us to follow
you more closely and to cooperate
with you in the salvation of youth.
Grant us the grace to be faithful to our
consecration and mission up to the end
of our life. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Option 2
L Merciful Lord, in your providence you
gave us St. John Bosco, to be a father and
teacher of the young, and with the help
of the Virgin Mary, to work with tireless
zeal for the Church. Impelled by a love
like his, may we seek souls and serve
you alone. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
L Mary Help of Christians,
A Pray for us.
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PRAYER BEFORE ACTIVITIES
Option 1
Lord, may your grace go before us and
accompany us always, so that sustained by
your fatherly help, we may never grow weary
of doing good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ
your Son who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and
ever. Amen.
Option 2
Actiones nostras, quaesumus Domine,
aspirando praeveni et adiuvando prosequere:
ut cuncta nostra oratio et operatio a te semper
incipiat et per te coepta finiatur. Per Christum
Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Option 3
O Father, you filled the heart of Don Bosco
with preferential love for the young: enrich
the heart of every Salesian with the same gift.
Help us to discover the presence of Jesus in
every young person so that we always may be
ready to offer them our time, our talents, our
energy, and our very lives. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
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PRAYER AFTER ACTIVITIES
Option 1
We give you thanks, Almighty God, for all your
benefits, you who live and reign for ever and
ever. Amen.
Option 2
Agimus tibi gratias, omnipotens Deus, pro
universis beneficiis tuis, qui vivis et regnas in
saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Option 3
Lord God, our lips sing your praise, our spirit
offers you praise, and since our very being
is your gracious gift of love, may our entire
life be an unceasing liturgy to your praise.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
VISIT TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
“If you cannot receive [Holy Communion], make
at least a spiritual Communion.
This means that you should arouse in yourself
an ardent desire
to receive Jesus in your heart.”
(St. John Bosco, BM III, 10)
Option 1
My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present
in the Blessed Sacrament.
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I love you above all things, and long for your
presence in my soul.
Since I cannot receive you sacramentally at
this moment, come spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you and unite myself intimately to
you. Grant that I may never be separated from
you. Amen.
Option 2
Jesus, my Lord,
in simplicity of heart and with living faith
I adore you truly present in the sacrament
of the holy Eucharist.
You Lord are the bread come down from
heaven,
the food that sustains us on the journey of life;
you are the font of self-giving, sacrificial love
you are the pledge of eternal life.
Lord Jesus, by an outpouring of infinite love
you remain with us in this sacrament
where you give yourself intimately and
completely to us.
Jesus, grant me the grace
to receive every sacramental communion
with pure faith and love.
O my Saviour,
draw me to close to you
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that I may die to myself
and live solely for others.
Lord, grant me the grace:
to live a new and divine life in communion
with you
until that day when I behold you beyond the
veil of the sacrament,
contemplate you face to face,
and love you for all eternity. Amen.
(St. John Bosco)
PRAYERS FOR VOCATIONS
Daily prayer for vocations to the Salesian life
Father of love,
you have sown in the hearts of many young
people
the seed of a vocation to the Salesian life.
Help them to discover and to develop the gift
of your call to be Salesian priests or Salesian
brothers.
Increase the family spirit in our Salesian
communities,
so that many young people will feel at home
with us
and be attracted to know and to follow our
Salesian vocation.
Grant that, through the witness of our personal
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and community life,
and our joyful and generous self-giving,
the young may find confirmation of your call
to live the gospel as sons of Don Bosco.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for perseverance in one’s vocation
Almighty God,
in your provident designs
you raised up Saint John Bosco
as a sign of your love for young people.
Confirm our faith in the young
and strengthen our dedication to their service.
You entrust them to us
as the privileged portion of your kingdom,
the hope and the future of the Church
who accompanies her children through time
as she marks them with the seal of eternity.
O Christ, who reminded your disciples
that the poor and the needy would always be
with them,
make us effective instruments of your grace to
the young;
help us to be sober and vigilant,
intent on helping them to discover and
rediscover
the joy and vibrancy of life that is appropriate
to their youthful age.
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O Spirit of true freedom,
make us intentional witnesses of your love,
defend us from those who would undermine
our work,
deliver us from the darkness of passion and
error
and usher us into a new era of deep fraternal
understanding and solidarity. Amen.
PRAYER TO DON BOSCO
(at the end of vespers)
Saint John Bosco,
Father and Teacher of youth,
docile to the gifts of the Spirit
and open to the reality of your times,
you were for the young,
especially the little ones and the poor,
a sign of the love and the special care of God.
Be our guide as we walk
the path of friendship with the Lord Jesus,
so that we may discover in Him and in his
Gospel
the meaning of our lives
and the source of true happiness.
Help us to respond with generosity
to the vocation we have received from God,
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so that in daily life we may be
builders of communion,
and may collaborate with enthusiasm,
and in communion with the whole Church,
in creating a civilisation of love.
Obtain for us the grace of perseverance
in living a high standard of Christian life,
according to the spirit of the beatitudes;
and grant that, guided by Mary Help of
Christians,
we may one day be with you
in the great family of heaven. Amen.
(Pascual Chávez)
ROSARY
Joyful Mysteries
(Monday and Saturday)
1. The Annunciation.
2. The Visitation.
3. The Nativity.
4. The Presentation in the Temple.
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple.
Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesday and Friday)
1. The Agony in the Garden.
2. The Scourging at the Pillar.
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3. The Crowning with Thorns.
4. The Carrying of the Cross.
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesday and Sunday)
1. The Resurrection.
2. The Ascension.
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit.
4. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
5. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Luminous Mysteries
(Thursday)
1. The Baptism in the Jordan.
2. The Wedding at Cana.
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of
God.
4. The Transfiguration of Jesus.
5. The Institution of the Eucharist.
PRAYER AT THE END OF THE DAY
I adore you, O my God, and I love you with all
my heart. I thank you for having created me,
for having made me a Christian and for having
preserved me this day. Pardon me for the evil I
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have done today. If I have done anything good,
be pleased to accept it. Protect me while I take
my rest and deliver me from all dangers. May
your grace be always with me and with those I
love. Amen.
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5 Pages 41-50

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2
MONTHLY
RECURRENCES

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AFTER BENEDICTION:
THE DIVINE PRAISES
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 St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His
Saints. Amen.
MONTHLY RECOLLECTION
“Our will for conversion is strengthened
in the monthly recollection”
(Const. 91)
Opening prayer
The recollection could begin with the
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corresponding hour of the Breviary or with the
following introductory dialogue:
L “Come away by yourselves
and rest a while.”
A At your invitation, O Lord,
we disconnect from the concerns of the
day
and remember that you alone give
meaning and purpose to our life.
L “One thing alone is necessary.”
A Open our hearts to receive your Word
with its promise of light, peace and
fullness of life.
L “The one who abides in me
will bear much fruit.”
A Renew us by your presence; make us
credible witnesses of your love.
Invocation to the Holy Spirit
A song dedicated to the Spirit or the following
prayer
Come Holy Spirit, sanctify me.
Come Spirit of wisdom, take hold of me.
Come Spirit of intelligence, enlighten me.
Come Spirit of counsel, advise me.
Come Spirit of fortitude, strengthen me.
Come Spirit of compassion, comfort me.
Come Spirit of knowledge, teach me.
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Come Spirit of the fear of God, guard me
Come Spirit of peace, give me your peace.
Amen.
L Let us pray. O Father, who guide believers
to the fullness of truth through your gift
of the Holy Spirit, help us to savour the
wisdom in the Spirit and to delight always
in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Meditation
Examination of conscience
Every month we examine our fidelity to the
Lord’s call: trusting in his mercy, we humbly
recognize our weaknesses and strive for growth
in our Salesian consecrated vocation. Each
month certain themes could be the focus of the
examen, or some questions could be chosen for
each theme.
L Let us pray. Lord Jesus, send us your
Spirit of Truth so that we may renew
once again our commitment to conform
our lives to you and to your Gospel. You
who live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Mystics in the Spirit
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I. The Word of God calls us to continual
conversion (Const. 90)
“You must therefore be perfect just as your
heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5, 48).
Have I slipped into spiritual mediocrity?
Do I strive to overcome my limitations? Do I
make compromises that weaken my spiritual
life? What was the fruit of my last monthly
recollection? Of the annual retreat? Do I
seek the voice of the Holy Spirit to guide my
conscience? How frequently do I approach the
sacrament of Reconciliation? Am I faithful to
the personal examination of conscience each
day?
II. Life of obedience (Const. 64)
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent
me” (Jn 4, 34)
Do I live obedience as a seeking for the will
of God in common with my community? Do I
obey “with a cheerful and humble spirit”? Do
I collaborate even if I see things differently
or when my opinion is not heeded? If I am
the superior, do I direct, guide and encourage
others with a discreet use of my authority? Do
I engage in the fraternal chat with the Superior
as a “privileged moment of dialogue” for my
own good and for that of the community and
the apostolate? Do I make efforts to know and
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to act in accordance with the documents of the
magisterium?
III. Life of poverty (Const. 72)
“If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you
own…...” (Mt 19, 21)
Am I detached from earthly goods, with a
standard of life that witnesses to consecrated
poverty? Do I accept to be dependent on the
community in the use of temporal goods? Do
I accept inconveniences and privations? Do
I share fraternally the fruits of my work, my
gifts, talents, energies and experiences? Do I
work diligently every day?
IV. Life of chastity (Const. 80)
“Happy the pure in heart: they shall see
God” (Mt 5, 8)
Do I live chastity as an expression of my
undivided love for God and for the young?
Does this “resplendent” virtue lead me to
sincere love for the young? Does it motivate
me to educate them in the ways of love and
purity? Do I practice necessary mortification
and custody of the senses? Do I make discreet
and prudent use of the means of social
communication? Do I make use of the natural
means that contribute to physical health
and psychological balance? Above all, do I
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have recourse to the supernatural means for
sustaining spiritual health such as prayer and
the sacraments? Do I have a spiritual guide
with whom I meet regularly and especially in
moments of trial and difficulty? Do I turn with
filial trust to Mary, the Immaculate Help of
Christians?
V. Life of prayer (Const. 86.93)
“We need to pray continually and never lose
heart” (Lk 18, 1)
Do I respect community prayer times?
Am I faithful to the practice of mental prayer?
Do I cultivate union with God that leads me to
celebrate the liturgy of life?
Do I meditate on the sacred Scriptures daily so
as to nourish my union with God?
Is the daily celebration of the Eucharist the
central act that enlightens my day?
Do I make frequent visits to the Blessed
Sacrament daily to draw energy and
constancy in my spiritual life?
Do I celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours with the
dignity and fervor recommended by Don Bosco?
Am I faithful to praying the Hours which are
not recited in common?
How attentive am I to the mysteries of the Lord
celebrated on Sundays and throughout the
liturgical year?
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What place does Mary hold in my life? Do I
pray the rosary willingly?
Do I pray to Don Bosco and to our patron saints?
Prophets of fraternity
VI. Fraternal and apostolic
communion (Const. 49)
“The whole group of believers was united,
heart and soul” (Acts 4, 32)
Do I carry out the tasks entrusted to me with
responsibility and in a collaborative spirit?
Do I participate faithfully and actively in
community meetings? Do I help create family
spirit in the community? Do I avoid gossip and
grumbling?
Am I prompt to forgive, taking the first step
towards reconciliation, if necessary?
Do I foster a sense of belonging to my
Province? Do I cultivate a true love for the
Church by means of a renewed and current
ecclesial awareness?
Servants of the young
VII. Pastoral charity is at the centre of the
Salesian spirit (Const. 10)
“The good Shepherd is one who lays down his
life for his sheep” (Jn 10, 11)
How zealous am I in my pastoral and apostolic
commitments? Do I dedicate all my time and
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energy to the mission entrusted to me? Have I
placed my personal interests before the good
of the young? Do I seek to improve and update
my educational and pastoral competencies?
Do I work on improving my character so as
to be welcoming and loving? Am I a father,
brother and friend to all I meet, without
discrimination or prejudice?
Do I allow difficulties to discourage me? Do I
spread joy and optimism? Do I have a spirit of
initiative? Do I evaluate my work periodically?
Closing Prayer
L Have mercy on us, Lord.
A For we have sinned against you.
L Lord, you call us to follow you in obedience
to the Father, Lord have mercy on us.
A Lord, have mercy.
L Christ, you made yourself poor to
offer us the riches of your forgiveness,
Christ have mercy on us.
A Christ, have mercy.
L Lord, you call us to love you with
undivided heart, Lord have mercy on us.
A Lord, have mercy.
L Let us pray. Lord, in your loving mercy, you
call us to ongoing conversion in Christ.
Grant that we may surrender more fully to
the power of your love, put on the new man,
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and be conformed to the image of your
Son, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Prayer for a happy death
O Father, Lord of time and lover of life,
who from all eternity call humanity to
everlasting life,
admit us, at the end of our earthly pilgrimage,
to the peace of heaven.
Grant that at every moment of life
we may know how to desire you alone,
until we come into your reign of infinite joy.
O Christ, only begotten Son,
who have prayed to the Father that your
disciples
might not be seduced by the world,
help us to have your name always on our lips,
to impart to the young a legacy of gratuitous love
and the desire to live in your friendship.
O Spirit of consolation,
who instil courage in those who are afraid
and hope in the afflicted,
help us to grow in holiness and wisdom,
so that with pure and undivided hearts
we may be admitted one day to the eternal
banquet of heaven.
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May the intercession of Mary our Help,
and the friendship of Don Bosco and all the
saints
assist us at the sunset of our lives,
so that, having been nourished each day by
Jesus, the Bread of Life,
we may take leave of our friends in this world
and embrace those who have preceded us to
the Eternal Banquet.
Amen.
REVIEW OF LIFE (SCRUTINIES)
During the Trimonthly recollection it is
advisable to have a review on some aspects
of community life. A few outlines have been
proposed below:
PRAYING WITH THE HEART OF DON
BOSCO (SCRUTINIUM ORATIONIS)
Invitation to prayer
Psalm prayer
Psalm 15
Choosing God as the only God and invoking him
with an attentive heart.
Ant. I will praise the Lord, for he guides my
steps (antiphon after every strofa)
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Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent
and dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue;
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord;
he who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm forever.
L Let us pray. Almighty Lord, at the sound
of your voice our hearts are filled with joy:
guide us on the path of holiness, that we
may see you face to face and rejoice in your
presence forever. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
1 Thess 5, 16-26
Unceasing prayer, joy and peace
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for
all things give thanks to God, because this is
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what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.
Never try to suppress the Spirit or treat the
gift of prophecy with contempt; think before
you do anything - hold on to what is good and
avoid every form of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfect
and holy; and may you all be kept safe and
blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you
and he will not fail you.
Pray for us, my brothers. Greet all the brothers
with the holy kiss.
Review of our community prayer
Community prayer in general
— Do we give prayer its due importance in our
community? Is there a disconnect between
our prayer and our apostolic life or are they
mutually enriching? Does work tend to
marginalize prayer time?
— Does prayer help to build up and to
strengthen the community?
— Is prayer the foundation of the community’s
seeking and discerning together of the will
of God?
— Do we offer the young and our lay
collaborators an example of a praying
community?
— Do we create moments to share community
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prayer with our youth? With our lay mission
partners?
— Are the rhythm and regularity of
community prayer sufficiently cared
for? Is there habitual absenteeism from,
or abandonment of the commitment, to
community practices of piety?
— Does youth ministry or pastoral activity
outside the community take confreres
away from community prayer? Is there a
willingness to seek practical solutions to
these difficulties where they exist?
— Are we faithful to our Salesian practices of
piety and live them in harmony with the
liturgical life of the Church?
Liturgical prayer
— Does our community participate actively in
liturgical prayer, with sufficient animation,
creativity, and variety?
— Are liturgical celebrations well prepared,
carried out with spiritual reverence and
enlivened by appropriate music and singing?
— Are the community celebrations of the
Hours sufficiently devout to inspire
recollection and assist reflection?
The Eucharist
— Does the maintenance, cleanliness, and
environment of the church or chapel
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convey the centrality of the Eucharist in our
community and Salesian life?
— Is there willing participation in community
celebrations, planned in accordance with
community commitments?
— Are the Church’s norms with regard to
worship and liturgical celebrations of the
Eucharist known and respected?
— Is care taken to introduce the young and
our lay mission partners to the central
importance of the Eucharist?
— Do individual confreres make frequent visits
to the Blessed Sacrament?
Continuous conversion and reconciliation
— Are the monthly, trimonthly recollections and
the community penitential celebrations well
prepared and carried out appropriately?
— Are the liturgical seasons celebrated
with due awareness, differentiation and
participation?
— Is the sacrament of Reconciliation, as a
privileged moment of on-going interior
renewal, celebrated as a community in the
Salesian spirit?
Meditation and spiritual reading
— Does the community offer all its members
the opportunity to make the meditation and
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spiritual reading in common or at least in
groups?
— Do we allow it the time required (30 minutes
for meditation; 20 minutes for spiritual
reading) and encourage creativity?
— Do we give pride of place to the Sacred
Scriptures in our meditation?
— Are we mindful to choose spiritual reading
that is formative? Does our spiritual reading
help us to learn more about Salesian
spirituality and to improve our life in
common as a family?
— Does it help us to grow in the knowledge of
Salesian spirituality and to improve our life
in common as a family?
— Is the “Good night” given and received with
the importance it merits?
Intercessions
L Let us ask the Lord to help us contemplate
his glory in our daily apostolic activity; let
us pray for perseverance in times of trial
and the capacity to inspire holiness in
the young and our lay mission partners.
A Lord, teach us to pray
(Spontaneous prayers)
L With the simplicity of Don Bosco,
let us turn in faith to Him who is the
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source of every grace and blessing
and pray as Jesus taught us:
A Our Father.....
L See, O Lord, our desire for openness and
faithfulness to your call; stay close to us
and accept the prayers we offer you today,
that we may be transformed by your grace,
delight in your presence and speak your
word of peace and holiness to the next
generation. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
THE FRATERNAL SPIRIT
.(..S...C....R...U.....T....I..N....I..U....M.......F...R....A....T....E...R....N.....I..T...A....T....I..S...)..
Invitation to prayer
Psalm prayer
Psalm 130
Trust and peace
Ant. My soul shall rest in peace like a child.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
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But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.
L Let us pray. Almighty God, the sound of
your voice fills our hearts with joy: guide
us on the path of holiness, that we may
see you face to face and rejoice in your
presence forever. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
1 Cor 13, 1-10
Hymn to charity
If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels,
but speak without love, I am simply a gong
booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have
the gift of prophecy, understanding all the
mysteries there are, and knowing everything,
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and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move
mountains, but without love, then I am nothing
at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by
piece, and if I even let them take my body to
burn it, but am without love, it will do me no
good whatever.
Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous;
love is never boastful or conceited; it is never
rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not
resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s
sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to
excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever
comes. Love does not come to an end. But if there
are gifts of prophecy, the time will come when
they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will
not continue for ever; and knowledge - for this,
too, the time will come when it must fail. For our
knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying
is imperfect; but once perfection comes, all
imperfect things will disappear.
Review of our fraternal life in community
Fraternal life as an expression of charity
— Is our fraternal communion rooted in a
personal and community encounter with
Christ in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, prayer, and the liturgical
seasons of the Church?
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— Do all the confreres build up our family
spirit through the fraternal sharing of
everything in community?
— Do confreres mutually accept and respect each
other, despite differences of culture or opinion?
— Is there a brotherly and familial rapport
between older and younger confreres?
— Does the community welcome each confrere
with an open heart and accept him as he is;
or does it limit itself merely tolerate him?
— Do the confreres feel committed and
optimistic about building up their
community through the faithful practice
of the friendly chat with the rector, and
through active participation in community
life and at meetings?
— Does friendship characterize all aspects of
our life together: moments of work, prayer,
meals, relaxation, gatherings and meetings?
— Do we support each other in genuine co-
responsibility by sharing our joys and
sorrows, our experiences and our apostolic
plans in mutual trust and affection?
— Do we practice warm-hearted hospitality?
— How prevalent is loneliness in
our community? Is there a lack of
communication among confreres, above all
at the spiritual level?
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Fraternity as belonging
— Do certain forms of individualism, such
as seeking work that is more personally
gratifying or lucrative, alienate confreres
from the community?
— Do confreres tend to escape from the
community during leisure time (week-ends,
evenings spent with relatives and friends...)?
— Does our community feel a sense of
belonging to the Province, take local
initiative to implement the provincial
educational and pastoral plan, and
participate in Province initiatives?
Fraternity as participation
— Does the community propose initiatives in
which all the confreres can participate?
— Are confreres mindful about not just
“informing” others about changes or
decisions, but actually including individuals
and groups in the decision-making process?
— Do community members avoid taking on
roles of service in leadership because “life is
easier” that way?
— Does our manner of participating in
community life make our vocation attractive
to the young people we serve? Do we invite
them to “come and see” our educational
mission among the young? Or is this
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vocational concern relegated only to the
Provincial vocation delegate or vocation
commission?
Intercessions
L The love of God unites us in a bond
of perfection. May that love deepen
our resolve to be of one heart and one
soul in our mission to the young. Let
us pray that in our Father’s love, we
may be witnesses to the joy of mutual
friendship and fraternal charity.
A O Lord, may we love one another as you
love us.
(Spontaneous intentions)
A Our Father...
L Lord our God, even in our religious
community
we do not always know where to find you
or what to do with our cries of loneliness
and pain.
So often we are blind to your presence,
like cold stones, oblivious to the warmth of
the sun;
there is no joy sparkling in our eyes,
nor heartfelt song flowing from our lips.
Listen to us, O Lord,
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let our prayer rise to you, who listen to all
your children
and transform hearts of stone into hearts of
flesh.
Send us your Spirit
so that our community may pulsate with
fraternal love.
Then we will recognize you
in a word that affirms and forgives,
in hands that reach out in friendship,
in trust that allows us to speak what
seemed unspeakable.
Build us up in fraternity, O Lord,
until every wall has crumbled,
every indifference is overcome,
every brother sees that, though many, we
are one,
and we shall see you in Jesus, your Son,
who is present to us in every confrere.
He lives and reigns for ever and ever.
A Amen.
THE BEATITUDES OF THE POOR
.(..S...C...R....U....T....I..N....I..U....M......P....A...U.....P...E....R...T....A...T....I..S...)..
Invitation to prayer
Psalm prayer
Psalm 25 (1-14)
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Ant. The Lord is good and just: he teaches
his will to the poor.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
I trust you, let me not be disappointed;
do not let my enemies triumph.
Those who hope in you shall not be
disappointed,
but only those who wantonly break faith.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
In you I hope all day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
His ways are faithfulness and love
for those who keep his covenant and law.
Lord, for the sake of your name
forgive my guilt, for it is great.
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If anyone fears the Lord
he will show him the path he should choose.
His soul shall live in happiness
and his children shall possess the land.
The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere
him;
to them he reveals his covenant.
Listening to God’s Word
Acts 4, 32-37
The whole group of believers was united,
heart and soul; no one claimed for his own
use anything that he had, as everything they
owned was held in common. The apostles
continued to testify to the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all
given great respect. None of their members was
ever in want, as all those who owned land or
houses would sell them, and bring the money
from them, to present it to the apostles; it was
then distributed to any members who might be
in need.
There was a Levite of Cypriot origin
called Joseph whom the apostles
surnamed Barnabas (which means ‘son of
encouragement’). He owned a piece of land
and he sold it and brought the money, and
presented it to the apostles.
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Response
L Sell what you have:
A and you will have treasure in heaven.
L Give your money to the poor:
A and you will have treasure in heaven.
L Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son and to the Holy Spirit
A Sell what you have: and you will have
treasure in heaven.
Outlines for the community review
— Do we as a community give true witness
to poverty: through a simple and humble
dwelling place, through a sober and austere
standard of living, through the renunciation
of superfluous comforts and conveniences,
through the moderate and reasonable use of
entertainment, through the constructive use
of our summer holidays?
— Do we spend community money as poor
people or do we incur unnecessary and
unjustifiable expenses?
— Is it obvious to the confreres that those who
have administrative responsibility do not
consider themselves “lords”, but responsible
administrators who are accountable to the
community?
— Among the expressions of poverty do we
find: a commitment to on-going professional
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qualification; the use of updated technology;
long-term planning for renovations to our
works; administrative vigilance, compliance
and transparency regarding all relevant
laws; preventive health care and healthy
living?
— Do all confreres in the community share the
same standard of living, and is that standard
coherent with evangelical poverty?
— In our spirit of poverty and family, do all
confreres do their part to maintain the
common spaces in the section of the house
reserved for the religious community?
— One quality that distinguishes the poor
and which characterized our founder is
hard work. Can the same be said of our
community and of each confrere?
— Are holidays and leisure time enjoyed in
a way that is consistent with the vow of
poverty or with a middle class mentality?
— Does the community engage with the great
and agonizing problems of the world such
as hunger, malnutrition, unemployment,
disease, natural, regional and global
disasters? Does it study practical ways of
getting involved, so that the community
gives concrete witness to Christian
solidarity in action? Is it prepared to
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make community and personal sacrifices
and adopt an austere lifestyle in order to
translate its solidarity into concrete and
significant assistance in terms of time, talent
and treasure?
Intercessions
L Let us pray for docility to the voice of
his Spirit so that we may follow Christ
on the way of authentic poverty.
Father, you have called us to follow Christ in
evangelical poverty:
— help us to live our choice joyfully, to place our
trust in your Providence and to give ourselves
entirely to the service of the Gospel.
You have revealed to us that poverty must
always be an act of love directed to you, an
expression of true filial trust in your fatherly
providence:
— grant that we may not reduce our poverty to a
purely legal observance.
Through Him who is your word you said
“blessed are the poor”:
— grant that when poverty causes us
inconvenience or suffering, we will rejoice
to share with the poor the blessing that you
have promised.
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You invite us not to cling jealously to whatever
you have given to us in your generosity:
— make us capable of sharing everything we
have so that our poverty may be a sign of our
love for our confreres and for the young.
You invite us to express our human dignity
through the daily work of our hands:
— help us to fulfill our duties with diligence,
enthusiasm and sacrifice, as a testimony to
the human and Christian meaning of work.
A Our Father
L Almighty Father, in your abundant
providence you clothe the fields with
flowers and color the sky in shades of blue.
Increase our faith, that we may abandon
ourselves fully to your providence and
become tireless co-workers in your vineyard
until the coming of your Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
A Amen.
RECONCILIATION SERVICE
(During the monthly recollection)
The sacrament of Reconciliation brings to its
fulfilment the commitment to conversion of each
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member and of the whole community. Prepared
by the daily examination of conscience and
received frequently, this sacrament gives us the
joy of the Father’s pardon…. (Const. 90)
Introduction
L As God’s chosen ones redeemed by
the blood of Christ and sanctified
by the Spirit, may abundant grace
and peace be with you.
A And with your spirit.
L If we walk in the light, as God is in
the light, we are in communion with
each other and the blood of Jesus
his Son cleanses us of all sin.
A Amen.
L Let us pray. O God, your abundant love is
manifest in the sacrament of forgiveness:
send us your Spirit of truth, that we may
see our sin and, with hearts renewed in
your mercy, learn to forgive others as you
have forgiven us. Reconcile us to yourself
and to one another, that with one heart and
one voice, we may gather in communion
around the Eucharistic table to your glory
and honour. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
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Listening to God’s Word
a) Do not delay. Now is the time for
conversion.
Mt 3, 1-12: Even now the axe is laid to the
root of the trees.
Mt 4, 12-17: Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is close at hand.
Jn 8, 31-36: The truth will make you free.
b) Conversion requires commitment.
Mt 5, 1-12: The beatitudes of the Kingdom.
Mt 5, 13-16: Either you are this or nothing.
Lk 19, 1-10: Today salvation has come to this
house.
c) Jesus encounters sinners
Lk 7, 36-50: A sinner is overcome with
grateful love.
Jn 8, 1-11: Only two were left: the adulteress
and Mercy.
Mt 26, 69-75: Even Peter was a sinner.
d) The Church has the power to forgive sins
Jn 20, 19-23: The gift of the Spirit signals the
new creation.
Lk 17, 1-4: Forgiveness is the sign of the
strong.
Mt 18, 15-20: The way to brotherly
forgiveness
Mt 18, 21-35: Forgive and you will be forgiven.
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e) We shall be judged on love
Mk 12, 28-34: Love your neighbour “as
yourself” has no loopholes.
Jn 15, 1-8: Branches that bear fruit.
Jn 15, 9-14: Love one another as I have loved
you.
f) Freely justified
Rom 3, 22-26: The price of gratuitous love.
2 Cor 5,17-21: Ministers of reconciliation.
Eph 2, 1-10: By grace you have been saved.
g) New life
Rom 6, 2b-13: Be who you are and be that
well!
Rom 12, 1-21: Right worship according to the
word.
Eph 4, 1-3.17-32: Preserve the unity of the
Church.
h) Walk in the light of charity
Col 3, 1-17: The ideal of the Christian life.
1 Pet 1, 13-23: Renewed by the Word of God.
1 Jn 1, 5-2, 2: He who claims to be without
sin, deceives himself.
1 Jn 2, 3-11: True knowledge of God.
d) Act on God’s Word
Jas 1, 22-27: Be doers of the Word of God.
Jas 2, 14-26: Faith without works is dead.
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Jas 3, 1-12: The grave responsibility of the
one who teaches.
e) Spiritual warfare
Rom 13, 8-14: Put on the armour of light.
Eph 6, 10-18: Put on the armour of God.
2 Pet 1, 3-11: Confirming one’s calling and
election.
(Brief homily)
Examination of conscience
Fraternal life as an expression of charity
— Is our fraternal communion rooted in a
personal and community encounter with
Christ in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, prayer, and the liturgical
seasons of the Church?
— Do all the confreres build up our family
spirit through the fraternal sharing of
everything in community?
— Do confreres mutually accept and respect
each other, despite differences of culture or
opinion?
— Is there a brotherly and familial rapport
between older and younger confreres?
— Does the community welcome each
confrere with an open heart and accept
him as he is; or does it limit itself merely
tolerate him?
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— Do the confreres feel committed and
optimistic about building up their
community through the faithful practice
of the friendly chat with the rector, and
through active participation in community
life and at meetings?
— Does friendship characterize all aspects
of our life together: moments of work,
prayer, meals, relaxation, gatherings and
meetings?
— Do we support each other in genuine co-
responsibility by sharing our joys and
sorrows, our experiences and our apostolic
plans in mutual trust and affection?
— Do we practice warm-hearted hospitality?
— How prevalent is loneliness in
our community? Is there a lack of
communication among confreres, above all
at the spiritual level?
Fraternity as belonging
— Do certain forms of individualism, such
as seeking work that is more personally
gratifying or lucrative, alienate confreres
from the community?
— Do confreres tend to escape from the
community during leisure time (week-
ends, evenings spent with relatives and
friends...)?
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— Does our community feel a sense of
belonging to the Province, take local
initiative to implement the provincial
educational and pastoral plan, and
participate in Province initiatives?
Fraternity as participation
— Does the community propose initiatives in
which all the confreres can participate?
— Are confreres mindful about not just
“informing” others about changes
or decisions, but actually including
individuals and groups in the decision
making process?
— Do community members avoid taking on
roles of service in leadership because “life
is easier” that way?
— Does our manner of participating in
community life make our vocation
attractive to the young people we serve?
Do we invite them to “come and see” our
educational mission among the young?
Or is this vocational concern relegated
only to the Provincial vocation delegate or
vocation commission?
Community prayer in general
— Do we give prayer its due importance in
our community? Is there a disconnect
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between our prayer and our apostolic life
or are they mutually enriching? Does work
tend to marginalize prayer time?
— Does prayer help to build up and to
strengthen the community?
— Is prayer the foundation of the
community’s seeking and discerning
together of the will of God?
— Do we offer the young and our lay
collaborators an example of a praying
community?
— Do we create moments to share community
prayer with our youth? With our lay
mission partners?
— Are the rhythm and regularity of
community prayer sufficiently cared
for? Is there habitual absenteeism from,
or abandonment of the commitment, to
community practices of piety?
— Does youth ministry or pastoral activity
outside the community take confreres
away from community prayer? Is there a
willingness to seek practical solutions to
these difficulties where they exist?
— Are we faithful to our Salesian practices of
piety and live them in harmony with the
liturgical life of the Church?
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Liturgical prayer
— Does our community participate actively in
liturgical prayer, with sufficient animation,
creativity, and variety?
— Are liturgical celebrations well prepared,
carried out with spiritual reverence and
and enlivened by appropriate music and
singing?
— Are the community celebrations of the
Hours sufficiently devout to inspire
recollection and assist reflection?
The Eucharist
— Does the maintenance, cleanliness, and
environment of the church or chapel
convey the centrality of the Eucharist in
our community and Salesian life?
— Is there willing participation in community
celebrations, planned in accordance with
community commitments?
— Are the Church’s norms with regard to
worship and liturgical celebrations of the
Eucharist known and respected?
— Is care taken to introduce the young and
our lay mission partners to the central
importance of the Eucharist?
— Do individual confreres make frequent
visits to the Blessed Sacrament?
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Continuous conversion and reconciliation
— Are the monthly, trimonthly recollections
and the community penitential
celebrations well prepared and carried out
appropriately?
— Are the liturgical seasons celebrated
with due awareness, differentiation and
participation?
— Is the sacrament of Reconciliation, as a
privileged moment of on-going interior
renewal, celebrated as a community in the
Salesian spirit?
Meditation and spiritual reading
— Does the community offer all its members
the opportunity to make the meditation
and spiritual reading in common or at least
in groups?
— Do we allow it the time required (30
minutes for meditation; 20 minutes
for spiritual reading) and encourage
creativity?
— Do we give pride of place to the Sacred
Scriptures in our meditation?
— Are we mindful to choose spiritual reading
that is formative? Does our spiritual
reading help us to learn more about
Salesian spirituality and to improve our life
in common as a family?
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— Does it help us to grow in the knowledge of
Salesian spirituality and to improve our life
in common as a family?
— Is the “Good night” given and received with
the importance it merits?
Intercessions
P Christ bore our sins in his body on the
wood of the cross, so that free from sin
we might live for righteousness. By
his wounds we are healed. With trust
in His mercy, we invoke his name.
L Jesus, physician of body and
soul, heal our wounds.
A Support us always with the strength of
your Spirit.
L Divest us of the corruption of the
old man that remains within us.
A And clothe us with the new man.
L Grant that through penitence we
may grow in fidelity to you.
A And attain the glory of your
resurrection.
L Through the intercession of Mary
your Mother, refuge of sinners,
A Grant us your pardon and peace.
L You who forgave the sinful woman,
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A Show us your mercy.
L You who sought the lost sheep and
carried it on your shoulders,
A In your kindness, welcome us back when
sin leads us astray.
L You who promised paradise
to the repentant thief,
A Admit us one day into the joy of your
kingdom.
L You who died and rose to life for us,
A Make us sharers in the fruits of the
Resurrection.
Act of contrition
I confess to almighty God and to you, my
brothers,
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,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Thanksgiving
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P It is truly right that we should give you thanks
Father of infinite love:
as high as the heavens are above the earth
so strong is your merciful love for us:
as far as the east is from the west
you take away our sins.
Through the prophets you had promised:
“I will sprinkle clean water over you to make
you clean;
from all your impurities and from all your idols
I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart, and put a new
spirit within you”.
In the fullness of time, in your faithfulness,
you sent your only begotten Son into the world
to fulfil your promise.
Having conquered sin and death,
in the splendour of his resurrection
he sent his Spirit on the apostles saying:
“Receive the Holy Spirit:
whose sins you forgive, they shall be forgiven
whose sins you retain, they shall be retained”.
Out of his love for sinners,
which he revealed throughout his earthly
mission,
he instituted the sacrament of joy and mercy,
so that forgiven and with hearts renewed
we may learn to forgive one another
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and be reconciled among ourselves and with
you,
united in praise around your altar.
Have mercy on us all, we pray.
Grant us patience and courage
to build a true community of free and
responsible brothers,
united in humble and selfless service to the
young.
With our fraternal bonds renewed through
your gift of forgiveness, we
say together with joy:
A Our Father......
Closing prayer
P Loving God, watch over your people,
pardon us our failings and renew us
in your love, that we may serve you
with total dedication all the days of
our life. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
MEETING OF THE HOUSE COUNCIL
Introduction
LA In the name of the Father...
L Preserve the unity of spirit in
the bond of peace (Ef 4,3),
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A And we shall grow in mutual love, a sign
of God’s love.
Option 1
L Let us pray. O Lord, you are present in our
midst when we gather in your name: make
our hearts open and attentive, humble and
trusting, so that through fraternal dialogue
we may learn to grow in truth and in love.
You live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Option 2
L God our Father, help us to reverence
the presence of Christ your Son among
us, promised to those who gather in his
name. Grant that, acting in the Spirit of
truth and of love, we might experience
within us an abundance of light, mercy
and peace. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Conclusion
L Let us live in peace,
A and the God of love and peace will be
with us (2 Cor 13,11)
L Let us give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
A His love endures forever.
Option 1
L Let us pray. Keep us united, O Lord, in
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fraternal harmony, that we might be of one
heart and one mind as we seek not our own
interests, but the good of all the brothers
you have given us. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Option 2
L O God, we have spent precious hours
seeking your will together in faith-
filled dialogue. Accept our efforts as
an offering to you; make it a light to
guide us going forward and a humble
contribution towards the salvation of
the young. Through Christ, our Lord.
A Amen.
L Mary, help of Christians,
A Pray for us.
MONTHLY COMMEMORATION OF
MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
(At the end of the Eucharist or at the end of
community morning prayer)
Option 1
O Mary Help of Christians, Mother of the
Church
O Mary, Help of Christians, Mother of the
Church,
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inspiration and guide of the Salesian Family,
with motherly insight you read the heart of all
every confrere,
you enlighten and protect his apostolic
consecration;
you understand and bring to fruition
the educational and pastoral work entrusted to
him;
you look with compassion on his limitations,
weaknesses and sufferings;
and love with tender prediction each young
person entrusted to his care.
We beg you, Holy Virgin Mother of God,
powerful helper of the Pope, of bishops
and of all their co-workers,
place under your special patronage
this humble and industrious Society of St.
Francis of Sales;
with filial confidence we solemnly entrust
ourselves to you.
As you were Don Bosco’s guide and teacher;
show us now how to imitate all his virtues.
Amen.
(E. Viganò, ASC 309)
Option 2
Mary our model of the radical Gospel
approach
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To Mary the Immaculate Help of Christians,
Mother of a “radical and unconditional ‘yes’”, we
entrust our assent of faith, our wish and desire
for communion and our apostolic commitment
to the young.
Blessed are you Mary, the Woman who
listened,
Because you lived in the search for God’s will
for you.
And when His plan for you was revealed
you had the courage to accept it,
abandoning your own life project
to make the Lord’s your own.
Mother of believers,
teach us to listen to God
and to make His will our own,
so that He may realise his plan
for the salvation of the young!
Blessed are you Mary, Mother of the new
community,
who at the foot of the Cross welcomed
as your son the beloved disciple of Jesus
and helped in the birth of the Church,
the new Body of your Son,
a mystical reality of brothers and sisters
united by faith and love.
You accompanied the life and prayer of the
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Apostles,
calling down the outpouring
of the Spirit of the Risen One in the Upper Room.
Mother of the brothers and sisters of your Son,
teach us how to build communities
which are of one heart and soul.
Let our communion, our fraternity and our joy
be a living testimony
to the beauty of faith and of our Salesian vocation.
Blessed are you Mary, Handmaid of the poor,
because you promptly set out along the way
to serve a mother in need
and you were there at Cana,
sharing the joys and sorrows
of a newly married couple.
You did not look to your own needs,
but to theirs,
and you pointed out your Son, Jesus,
as the Lord who could give to the human race
the new wine of peace and joy in the Spirit.
Mother of servants, teach us to go out of
ourselves,
to go and meet our neighbours,
so that while we respond to their needs,
we may offer them Jesus, God’s gift, the most
precious gift!
Amen.
(Pascual Chávez, GC27)
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BLESSING OF MARY HELP OF
CHRISTIANS
P Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
A Who made heaven and earth.
Hail Mary...
We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother
of God; despise not our petitions in our
necessities, but deliver us always from
all dangers, O glorious and blessed
Virgin.
P Mary, Help of Christians,
A Pray for us.
P O Lord hear my prayer.
A And let my cry come unto You.
P The Lord be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting
God, who by the cooperation of the Holy
Spirit did prepare the body and soul of the
glorious Virgin Mother Mary to become
a worthy dwelling for Your Son, grant
that as we rejoice in her commemoration,
we may, by her loving intercession, be
delivered from present evils and from
everlasting death. Through Christ Our Lord.
A Amen.
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P May the blessing of Almighty God, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend
on you and remain with you forever.
A Amen.
At the end of the community prayer, before the
blessing of Mary Help of Christians, we address
to Her this prayer, proposed for each month.
1. JANUARY
Mary, source of the goodness that flows
from Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you have given the world its true light,
Jesus, your Son – the Son of God.
You abandoned yourself completely
to God’s call
and thus became a wellspring
of the goodness which flows forth from him.
Show us Jesus. Lead us to him.
Teach us to know and love him,
so that we too can become
capable of true love
and become fountains of living water
for a thirsty world.
(Benedict XVI, Encyclical - Deus caritas est)
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2. FEBRUARY
Mary, support of consecrated persons
Mary, you are the image of the Church, the
Bride without spot or wrinkle.
You “preserve with virginal purity,
integral faith, firm hope and sincere charity”
those who imitate you.
Sustain all consecrated people
on their journey towards the sole and eternal
Blessedness.
We entrust them to you, Virgin of the
Visitation,
that they may go in haste
to respond to human needs, to offer help,
but above all to bring Jesus.
Teach them to proclaim the mighty works
which the Lord accomplishes in the world,
that all peoples may extol the greatness of his
name.
Support them in their work with the poor,
the hungry, the hopeless, the little ones
and all who seek your Son with a sincere
heart.
To you, our Mother,
who desire the spiritual and apostolic renewal
of your sons and daughters
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in their loving response and complete
dedication to Christ,
we address our confident prayer.
You who did the will of the Father,
ever ready in obedience,
courageous in poverty,
and receptive in fruitful virginity,
obtain from your divine Son
that all who have received the gift
of following him in consecrated life
may bear witness to that gift by their
transfigured lives
as they make their way joyfully
with their brothers and sisters
towards our heavenly homeland and the
eternal light which never fades.
We ask that in everyone and in everything
glory, adoration and love be given
to the Supreme Lord of all things,
who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
(John Paul II, Exhortation - Vita Consecrata)
3. MARCH
Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of
our Faith
O Mary, our Mother, help our faith!
Make our ears attentive to God’s word
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that we might recognize his voice and his call.
Awaken in us a desire to follow in his
footsteps,
to go forth from our own land and to receive
his promise.
Let us allow his love to touch us
that we may touch him in faith.
Help us to entrust ourselves fully to him and
to believe in his love,
especially in times of trial and beneath the
shadow of the cross,
when we are called to mature in faith.
Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One.
Remind us that those who believe are never
alone.
Teach us to see all things with the eyes of
Jesus,
that he may be the light for our path.
May this light of faith always increase in us,
until we behold the dawn of that undying day
which is Christ himself, your Son, our Lord!
Amen
(Francis, Encyclical - Lumen fidei)
4. APRIL
We entrust all the youth of the world to You
Hail Mary, full of grace, Mother of the
Redeemer!
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Blessed are you who believed!
As we honour Jesus, the meek and humble
one,
acclaimed as king by the simple hearted,
we hail you, too.
We call upon you, faithful Virgin and loving
Mother,
Virgin of Calvary and of Easter,
model of the Church’s faith and charity,
at the Cross and in the risen glory of our Lord.
Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church!
We welcome you into our hearts,
as the precious inheritance that Jesus
entrusted to us from the Cross.
And as disciples of your Son,
we entrust ourselves fully to your care
because you are the Mother of the Redeemer
and Mother of the redeemed.
Under your protection, may all families grow
in holiness.
Under your guidance, may all young people
fulfil their human and Christian vocation,
and build a society shaped by spiritual values.
We entrust to you all those who suffer:
the poor, the sick, the marginalized,
and those whom violence has taken from us,
but who remain present before the Lord of
history
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and are your sons and daughters, Mother of
Life.
Hail, Virgin of Hope!
We entrust to you all the youth of the world,
the hope of the Church and of her Pastors;
the evangelizers of the third millennium,
and witnesses of faith and love in Christ.
(St. John Paul II)
5. MAY
O Mary Help of Christians, Mother of the
Church
O Mary Help of Christians, Mother of the
Church,
inspiration and guide of the Salesian Family,
with motherly insight you read the heart of
every confrere,
you enlighten and protect his apostolic
consecration;
you understand and bring to fruition
the educational and pastoral work entrusted to
him;
you look with compassion on his limitations,
weaknesses and sufferings;
you love with tender predilection every young
person entrusted to his care.
We beg you, Holy Virgin Mother of God,
powerful helper of the Pope, of bishops
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and of all their co-workers,
place under your special patronage
this humble and industrious Society of St
Francis of Sales;
with filial confidence we solemnly entrust
ourselves to you.
As you were Don Bosco’s guide and teacher,
show us how to imitate his virtues. Amen.
(E. Viganò, ASC 309)
6. JUNE
Mother of the living
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life.
Look tenderly upon your countless children
discarded by society:
the babies who are not allowed to be born,
the poor whose lives are made unbearable,
the men and women who are victims of brutal
violence,
the elderly and the sick who are killed by
indifference or misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with courage, honesty and charity
to the people of our time.
Obtain for all people
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the grace of accepting the Gospel as a gift that
is ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with
gratitude throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it with bold
resolve,
so that, together, all people of good will
may build a civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the creator and lover of life. Amen.
(St John Paul II, Encyclical - Evangelium vitae)
7. JULY
Prayer to the Virgin Mary
O Mary, Virgin and Mother,
through your docility to the Holy Spirit,
you welcomed the word of life
into the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal
One,
help us to say our own “yes”
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,
to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
Filled with Christ’s presence,
you brought joy to John the Baptist,
causing him to exult in his mother’s womb.
Overcome with joy,
you sang the praises of the Lord for the great
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deeds he has done.
Standing resolutely at the foot of the cross,
you persevered in relentless faith
until you received the joyful consolation of the
resurrection,
and gathered the disciples to await the
promised Spirit
so that the evangelizing Church might be
born.
Obtain for us who share in Christ’s
resurrection
a burning zeal to proclaim
the Good News that life triumphs over death.
Give us holy boldness to discover new paths
by which this gift of unfading beauty
may come to all people.
O Virgin of listening and contemplation,
Mother of love, bride of the eternal wedding
feast,
pray for the Church whose purest icon you are,
that she may never be closed-in on herself
or lose her passion for advancing the reign of
God.
Star of the new evangelization,
help us to be radiant witnesses of communion,
of service, of ardent and generous faith,
of justice and love for the poor,
so that the joy of the Gospel
may reach the ends of the earth,
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and every periphery may be brought into its light.
Mother of the living Gospel,
well-spring of happiness for God’s little ones,
pray for us. Amen. Alleluia.
(Francis, Exhortation Evangelii gaudium)
8. AUGUST
Mary, Mother of silence
Mother of silence, guardian of the mystery of God,
deliver us from the idolatry of the present,
to which those who do not remember
condemn themselves.
Purify the vision of pastors with the eyewash
of memory:
let us return to the freshness of our origins,
as a prayerful, penitent Church.
Mother of the beauty which blossoms through
fidelity to one’s daily tasks,
rouse us from the numbness of laziness,
pettiness, and defeatism.
Clothe Pastors in that compassion which
unites and makes whole;
let us rediscover the joy of being a servant
Church, humble and fraternal.
Mother of tenderness, wrap us in your
patience and mercy,
let us burn away the sadness, impatience and
rigidity
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of those who feel like they do not belong.
Intercede for us to Jesus to obtain that that we
may have agile hearts, hands and feet,
eager to build his Church in truth and charity.
Mother Mary, walk with us, the People of God,
pilgrims bound for the Kingdom. Amen.
(Francis, to the Italian Episcopal
Conference, 23 May 2013)
9. SEPTEMBER
Mary, woman of listening
Mary, woman of listening, open our ears;
teach us to receive the word of your Jesus your
Son
amidst the relentless messaging of the world;
teach us to be in tune with the reality in which
we live,
attentive to every person we encounter,
especially the one who is poor, in need, or in
difficulty.
O Mary, woman of decision,
illuminate our minds and hearts,
so that we may obey the Word of your Son
Jesus,
without hesitation;
give us the courage to make decisions,
and not to let ourselves be dragged about by
others who would direct our life.
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Mary, woman of action,
give us hands and feet
that move “with haste” toward others,
to bring them the truth and love of your Son
Jesus,
so that like you, we might bring the light of the
Gospel to the world. Amen.
(Francis, Prayer to Mary at the end of the Holy
Rosary in St. Peter’s Square, 31 May 2013)
10. OCTOBER
Mary, star of the sea
Mary, star of the sea,
we turn to you in confidence,
seeking your solace and peace,
imploring your protection and help.
Mother of God and our Mother,
protectress of migrants and the homeless,
assist with your motherly care
every man, woman and child
who is compelled to flee their homeland
in search of a new hope for the future.
May their encounter with us and with our
people
never inflict new forms of
oppression, slavery or humiliation upon them.
Mother of mercy,
implore the Father’s forgiveness for us who,
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blinded by selfishness,
closed in on our own interests
and imprisoned by our own fears,
have been indifferent to the needs
and suffering of our brothers and sisters.
Refuge of sinners,
bring to conversion the hearts of those who
foment war, hatred and poverty,
exploit their weakest brothers and sisters,
and trade unscrupulously in human life.
Model of charity, bless all men and women of
good will,
who welcome and serve those who arrive at
our borders:
may the love they give and the love they
receive
sow new seeds of fraternal bonds
and announce the dawning of a new era of
peace in the world. Amen.
(Francis, Pastoral Visit
to Lampedusa, 8 July 2013)
11. NOVEMBER
We believe that Mary is the Mother of the
Church
We believe that Mary is the ever Virgin Mother
of the Incarnate Word of God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ,
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and that by reason of this singular election,
she was redeemed,
through the merits of her Son,
in a most eminent manner.
“Preserved from all stain of original sin”
and “filled, more than any other creature, with
the gift of grace”,
she was joined by an intimate and
indissoluble bond
to the mysteries of the Incarnation and
Redemption.
At the end of her earthly life the Immaculate
One, the Most Blessed Virgin,
was raised body and soul to heavenly glory
and configured to her risen Son
in anticipation of the reward of all the just.
We believe that the Blessed Mother of God,
the New Eve, “Mother of the Church”,
“continues in heaven her role as mother”
to all Christ’s members,
“cooperating in the birth and growth of divine life
in the souls of the redeemed”.
(The “Profession of Faith”
of Paul VI, 30 June 1968)
12. DECEMBER
Prayer to the Immaculate
Holy and Immaculate Virgin,
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to You, who are the honor of our people
and the watchful protectress of our times
we turn in confidence and love.
You are All Beautiful, O Mary!
There is no sin in you.
Awaken in us a renewed desire for holiness:
may the splendour of truth ring through our
words,
a song of charity resound in our work,
purity and chastity reign over our body and
spirit,
and all the beauty of the Gospel radiate
through our life.
You are All Beautiful, O Mary!
The Word of God was made flesh in You.
Help us to live in unhurried, attentive listening
to the voice of the Lord:
may the cry of the poor not leave us
indifferent,
the suffering of the sick and the needy not find
us distracted,
the loneliness of the elderly and the fragility of
children move us to compassion,
and every human life be loved and respected
by us all.
You are All Beautiful, O Mary!
In You is the perfect joy of a life spent in
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blessed union with God.
Help us not to lose the meaning of our earthly
journey:
may the gentle light of faith illumine our days,
the consoling strength of hope direct our
steps,
the infectious warmth of love animate our
hearts,
and the eyes of all of us remain focused there,
on God, where true joy is found.
You are All Beautiful, O Mary!
Hear our prayer, answer our supplication:
may the beauty of God’s merciful love in Jesus
be in us,
may this divine beauty save us, our city, and
the whole world.
Amen.
(Francis, Veneration of Our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception, Piazza di Spagna, 2013)
PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS – FIRST
THURSDAY OF THE MONTH
L Faithful to the invitation of Christ
to pray the Lord of the harvest to
send workers into his vineyard, let
us unite our voices and pray:
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Option 1
A O Loving Father, provident and holy,
who reconciled the world to yourself
through Christ,
the eternal priest of the new covenant,
do not scatter the flock to which you
promised,
in your infinite love, admission to your
Kingdom:
send new workers into your harvest
and fill the hearts of your shepherds
with perseverance and holiness.
O Christ Jesus, who on the shores of Lake
Galilee
called the apostles and made them signs
and bearers
of your grace of salvation,
do not abandon the flock that you have
entrusted to them;
sustain your Church in the world today,
that as your universal sacrament of
salvation,
she may grant courage to those whom from
all eternity,
you call to follow you under the sign of the
Cross,
and commission to sow God’s field with
the seeds of humility and wisdom.
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O Spirit of holiness,
in Baptism you consecrate a redeemed
humanity to God’s purposes.
Help those whom you raise up as leaders of
the community of believers
to read prophetically the signs of the times
so that they may be faithful interpreters
and proclaimers,
of your universal plan of salvation,
to people of every language
and nation. Amen.
Option 2
A God our Father,
with the mysterious whisper of your
Spirit
call forth new leaders from among the
young
to be the presence of Christ, your Son,
in the service of poor and abandoned
youth.
Open their hearts to the attractiveness of
your call.
Let them contemplate your face in their
peers who
left unaccompanied and forgotten,
become easy prey to the corruption of
the world.
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Teach them to follow the way of prayer,
to nourish themselves with your Word,
to participate in the Eucharistic banquet,
to celebrate with penitent joy your gift of
reconciliation,
to be aware of the urgent needs of today,
and to mature in wisdom and in grace.
Inspire them to make their life a self-gift
to others.
Grant them the courage to leave
everything
so as to find their treasure in you.
On their journey of life, support and
surround them with Salesian mentors
to help them to grow in youthful
holiness.
SACRED HEART – FIRST FRIDAY OF
THE MONTH
Option 1
I take You, O Sacred Heart, as my love’s sole
desire,
the protector of my life, the pledge of my
salvation,
the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy,
the atonement for the faults of my life,
and the secure refuge at the hour of my death.
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Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification
before God the Father,
and turn away from me His righteous
indignation.
O loving Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in
You,
for I fear the loss of all things because of my
wickedness and frailty,
but hope to gain every blessing through your
goodness and bounty.
Consume whatever in me might displease or
resist your holy will;
Set the seal of your pure love so firmly upon
my heart
that I may never forget You or be separated
from You.
In your kindness, let my name be written on
your heart,
so that my every happiness and my only glory
will be to live and die as your servant.
(St Margaret Mary Alacoque)
Option 2
Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Son of the eternal
Father,
born of the Virgin Mary,
continue to reveal to us, we pray, the mystery
of God:
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let us recognize in you “the image of the
invisible God”;
so that we might find Him in you, in your
divine person,
in the warmth of your humanity, in the love of
your heart.
Heart of Jesus, in which the fullness of divinity
resides!
Heart of Jesus, in whose fullness we all share!
Heart of Jesus, king and centre of all hearts,
for all eternity. Amen!
Heart of Jesus, victim of our sins,
accept our praise, our eternal gratitude,
our sincere contrition.
Have mercy on us, today and always. Amen.
(St John Paul II)
Option 3
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I offer you
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother
of the Church,
in union with the Eucharistic Sacrifice,
the prayers, actions, joys and sorrows of this day
in reparation for the sins and for the salvation
of all mankind,
in the grace of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of
God the Father. Amen.
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Litany of the Sacred Heart
Lord, have mercy / Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy / Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy / Lord, have mercy
Christ, hear us. / Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us. / Christ graciously
hear us
(after every invocation we respond ‘have mercy
on us’)
God the Father of Heaven,
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the
Virgin Mother’s womb,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the
Word of God.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of
heaven.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise.
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Heart of Jesus, King and centre of all hearts.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well
pleased.
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all
received.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy.
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who call upon You.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses.
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches.
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities.
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in You.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints.
L Lamb of God, who take away
the sins of the world,
A spare us, O Lord.
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L Lamb of God, who take away
the sins of the world,
A graciously hear us, O Lord.
L Lamb of God, who take away
the sins of the world,
A have mercy on us.
L Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,
A Make our hearts like yours.
L Let us pray.
God, our loving Father,
in the Heart of your Son
we celebrate the marvels of your love:
from this inexhaustible source
pour on us the abundance of your gifts.
Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE MISSIONS
– 11TH OF THE MONTH
P In the name of the Father...
The grace and peace of Jesus Christ
who has made all of us missionaries of his
Gospel
in the one Spirit of charity, be with you.
A Amen.
P Let us pray. Grant O Lord, that your
Church fulfil her mission as the universal
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sacrament of salvation and in obedience
to the command of Christ, bring the
good news of the Gospel to all peoples.
He lives and reigns for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
Is 2, 2-5
Peace in the Kingdom of God
In the days to come the mountain of the house
of the Lord shall tower above the mountains and
be lifted higher than the hills. All the nations
will stream to it, peoples without number will
come to it; and they will say: ‘Come, let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of
the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths; since the
Law will go out from Zion, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem’. He will wield authority
over the nations and adjudicate between many
peoples; these will hammer their swords into
ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nation
will not lift sword against nation, there will be no
more training for war. House of Jacob, come, let
us walk in the light of the Lord!
Psalm 121
Ant. Let us walk together to the house of
the Lord.
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I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
May he never allow you to stumble!
Let him sleep not, your guard.
No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,
Israel’s guard.
The Lord is your guard and your shade;
at your right side he stands.
By day the sun shall not smite you
nor the moon in the night.
The Lord will guard you from evil,
he will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming
both now and for ever.
Jn 10, 11-16
The Good Shepherd
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is
one who lays down his life for his sheep. The
hired man, since he is not the shepherd and
the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the
sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf
coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters
the sheep; this is because he is only a hired
man and has no concern for the sheep.
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I am the good shepherd; I know my own and
my own know me, just as the Father knows
me and I know the Father; and I lay down my
life for my sheep. And there are other sheep
I have that are not of this fold, and these I
have to lead as well. They too will listen to my
voice, and there will be only one flock, and one
shepherd.
Reflection
Choral prayer
Almighty Father,
Architect of history and Lord of life,
in your loving providence you order all things,
and fulfilled your promise to redeem
humanity from the ancient guilt of sin:
be mindful of every race and nation on earth.
May they encounter and welcome your
prophets
who announce the long-awaited Day of the
Lord,
and open their hearts to the seeds of your
truth.
Christ, obedient Son of the eternal Father,
who proclaimed salvation to Israel and to all
peoples:
send forth new messengers of peace, so that
every person of good will
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may hunger for righteousness
and be confirmed by your Grace.
Spirit of love,
who inspire sincere hearts
and pour out your gifts of redemption
on those who seek the Infinite with a renewed
heart:
make your Church holy and united;
confirm your sacred ministers and all the
baptized
in pastoral charity
that the love of Christ may urge them on
in their proclamation of salvation. Amen.
A Our Father...
P O Lord, renew in your Church
the Spirit of truth and love,
the gift of the paschal mystery of Christ.
May the Body of Christ be entirely
missionary
and every believer alive with zeal
to bring the newness of Christ into the
world.
He lives and reigns for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Blessing
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DON BOSCO
– LAST DAY OF THE MONTH
Option 1
L St. John Bosco, father of the young and
master of holiness, hear us when we pray:
A we follow in your footsteps as a living
presence among the young,
to offer them friendship and wisdom,
and to grow with them in holiness and
grace.
L We ask you to intercede for us so that:
A we may persevere in our Salesian
vocation,
be generous workers in the Lord’s
vineyard
and faithful collaborators of the Pope
and the Bishops of the Church.
As we face the challenges of today
may we always stand with those who are
defenceless and alone,
the last, the least and the lost,
those who are hungry to know Christ’s
love for them.
L Teach us, O Father of the poor,
A to be prophets who proclaim to the world
that the Reign of God abides in the heart
of every man.
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May your tireless zeal for the salvation
of souls,
your deep piety and your ecstasy of action
be our model for a life lived fully
in the spirit of the beatitudes
a life that is deeply human and deeply
spiritual,
guided by consistent faith
and generous in self-giving love and
kindness.
L Help us, O friend of the young,
A to take the first step towards the most
forgotten young people,
to offer them love in ways that speak to
their heart,
to be grateful that every day you send us
to welcome them
and to help them rediscover the joy of
being young.
L Grant us, ever-faithful servant of God,
A that at the end of our days,
we may share, with all those whom we
have loved,
the eternal reward reserved for the just.
L May your protection and the intercession of
Mary Help of Christians
be for us the path that leads to Love.
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A Amen.
Option 2
O merciful Lord,
in your providence you have given us St. John
Bosco,
father and teacher of the young
who, guided by the Virgin Mary,
worked with untiring zeal for the good of the
Church;
kindle also in us the same fire of love,
that impels us to save souls and serve you
alone.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Option 3
O St. John Bosco, Father and teacher of the
young,
who worked tirelessly for the salvation of
souls,
be our guide as we seek the good of our own
souls
and the salvation of our neighbour.
Help us to overcome our passions and the
need for human praise:
teach us to love Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament,
Mary Help of Christians and the Pope.
Intercede for us: that God may grant us a
happy and holy death,
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so that we may one day be with you in
Paradise. Amen.
Option 4
St. John Bosco, Father and Teacher of youth,
docile to the gifts of the Spirit
and open to the reality of your times,
you were for the young,
especially the little ones and the poor,
a sign of the love and the special care of God.
Be our guide as we walk
the path of friendship with the Lord Jesus,
so that we may discover in Him and in his Gospel
the meaning of our lives
and the source of true happiness.
Help us to respond with generosity
to the vocation we have received from God,
so that in daily life we may be
builders of communion,
and may collaborate with enthusiasm,
and in communion with the whole Church,
in creating a civilisation of love.
Obtain for us the grace of perseverance
in living a high standard of Christian life,
according to the spirit of the beatitudes;
and grant that, guided by Mary Help of Christians,
we may one day be with you
in the great family of heaven. Amen
(Pascual V. Chávez, 31 January 2011)
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3
ANNUAL
RECURRENCES

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CELEBRATION AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE ANNUAL RETREAT
“Our will for conversion is strengthened in the
monthly recollection and in the annual retreat.
These are occasions of spiritual renewal which
Don Bosco considered the fundamental part
and the synthesis of all the practices of piety”
(Const. 91)
Don Bosco frequently emphasized the efficacy
of grace operative in the annual retreat. This
prolonged period of prayer is an opportunity to
discover ourselves through an encounter with God.
It is suggested that the Annual Retreat begin with
a moment of Eucharistic adoration.
In the name of the Father….
Presider’s greeting
P Brothers, these days of retreat are precious
days for us because as the Constitutions
remind us, they are a “time of grace”
(Const. 91). We do well to stop a while,
to reconnect with ourselves in silence
and in prayer, to deepen and clarify the
true motivations of our vocation. But
above all we need to encounter God, to
listen to him, to let his Word pervade
our being so that guided by it we may
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then live it coherently and faithfully.
Together, let us invoke the light and
strength of the Holy Spirit who will be
the protagonist of these coming days.
A Veni, creator Spiritus…
Veni, creátor Spíritus,
mentes tuòrum vísita,
imple supérna grátia,
quæ tu creásti péctora.
Qui díceris Paráclitus,
altíssimi donum Dei,
fons vivus, ignis, cáritas,
et spiritális ùnctio.
Tu septifòrmis mùnere,
dígitus patérnæ déxteræ,
tu rite promíssum Patris,
sermóne ditans gùttura.
Accénde lumen sénsibus,
infùnde amórem córdibus,
infírma nostri córporis
virtùte firmans pérpeti.
Hostem repéllas lóngius
pacémque dones prótinus;
ductóre sic te prævio
vitémus omne nóxium.
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Per Te sciámus da Patrem
noscámus atque Fílium,
teque utriùsque Spíritum
credámus omni témpore.
Deo Patri sit glória,
et Fílio, qui a mórtuis
surréxit, ac Paráclito,
in sæculórum sæcula. Amen.
P O Lord, send us your Spirit,
so that our lives may be renewed
in the depth of your truth and your love.
Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
Hosea 2, 16-25
That is why I am going to lure her
and lead her out into the wilderness
and speak to her heart.
I am going to give her back her vineyards,
and make the Valley of Achor a gateway of hope.
There she will respond to me as she did when
she was young,
as she did when she came out of the land of
Egypt.
When that day comes - it is the Lord who
speaks –
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she will call me, ‘My husband’,
no longer will she call me, ‘My Baal’
I will take the names of the Baals off her lips,
their names shall never be uttered again.
When that day comes I will make a treaty on
her behalf
with the wild animals,
with the birds of heaven
and the creeping things of the earth;
I will break bow, sword and battle in the country,
and make her sleep secure.
I will betroth you to myself for ever,
betroth you with integrity and justice,
with tenderness and love;
I will betroth you to myself with faithfulness,
and you will come to know the Lord.
When that day comes - it is the Lord who
speaks –
the heavens will have their answer from me,
the earth its answer from them,
the grain, the wine, the oil, their answer from
the earth,
and Jezreel his answer from them.
I will sow him in the country, I will love
Unloved;
I will say to No-People-of-Mine, ‘You are my
people’,
and he will answer, ‘You are my God’.
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Psalm 119, 33-40
Ant. Lord, let me live in your justice
Teach me the demands of your statutes
and I will keep them to the end.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
Bend my heart to your will
and not to love of gain.
Keep my eyes from what is false;
by your word, give me life.
Keep the promise you have made
to the servant who fears you.
Keep me from the scorn I dread,
for your decrees are good.
See, I long for your precepts;
then in your justice, give me life.
Gospel: Lk 8, 4-15
With a large crowd gathering and people from
every town finding their way to him, he used
this parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed.
As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path
and was trampled on; and the birds of the air
ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it
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came up it withered away, having no moisture.
Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns
grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell
into rich soil and grew and produced its crop
a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen,
anyone who has ears to hear!’
His disciples asked him what this parable
might mean, and he said, The mysteries of the
kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the
rest there are only parables, so that
they may see but not perceive,
listen but not understand.
This, then, is what the parable means: the seed
is the word of God. Those on the edge of the
path are people who have heard it, and then
the devil comes and carries away the word
from their hearts in case they should believe
and be saved. Those on the rock are people
who, when they first hear it, welcome the word
with joy. But these have no root; they believe
for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As
for the part that fell into thorns, this is people
who have heard, but as they go on their way
they are choked by the worries and riches and
pleasures of life and do not reach maturity. As
for the part in the rich soil, this is people with
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a noble and generous heart who have heard
the word and take it to themselves and yield a
harvest through their perseverance.
(Homily)
Prayer of the Faithful
P Let us offer our prayers to the Father.
May He who gave Christ, the Word of
life to the world, dispose our hearts to
attentive listening and to meditation.
A Hear us, O Lord.
L —That the Lord will keep the tempter away
from us and that his Word will produce
in us the fruits of salvation. Let us pray.
— That we may welcome the Word with joy
and let it take root in our lives so that it
may sustain us in the times of trial. Let
us pray.
— That we may never allow the
thoughts and concerns of the day
to suffocate the power of the Word
within us. Let us pray.
— That we may listen to the Word with
open and sincere hearts, guard it with
care and allow it to bear fruit through
our perseverance. Let us pray.
P And now, we pray together:
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A O Holy Spirit, open our hearts to a
deeper awareness of the mysterious and
profound relationship that unites us to
Christ from whom we come, for whom
we live, and towards whom we journey.
During these days of spiritual renewal
we pray that we will be guided by no
other light than the light of Christ, who
is the light of the world; that no other
truth will interest us than the truth
revealed by the Lord, our one and only
teacher; that no other longing will
attract us, than the desire to be totally
faithful to Christ. To Him, our beginning,
our life and our guide, our hope and our
end, all honour and glory for ever. Amen.
Concluding hymn
CELEBRATION AT THE END OF THE
RETREAT
Presider’s greeting
P Brothers, at the end of these days of
spiritual renewal, let us take to heart
the words of St. James: “Do not merely
listen to God’s Word, and so deceive
yourselves; be doers of the Word.
Welcome the Word which you have
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heard with good and sincere hearts,
guard it and let it bear fruit through your
perseverance (cf. James 1, 22; Lk 8, 15).
Let us pray. O Lord, in these days you
have spoken to our hearts, you have
revealed your truth and have renewed
us with your love; grant that we might
live the Word that we have heard in joy
and in fidelity. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
From the letter to the Colossians
(2, 6-7.12-14; 3, 1-4)
You must live your whole life according to the
Christ you have received - Jesus the Lord;
you must be rooted in him and built on him
and held firm by the faith you have been
taught, and full of thanksgiving. Make sure
that no one traps you and deprives you of
your freedom by some second-hand, empty,
rational philosophy based on the principles of
this world instead of on Christ. You have been
buried with him, when you were baptised;
and by baptism, too, you have been raised up
with him through your belief in the power of
God who raised him from the dead. You were
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dead, because you were sinners and had not
been circumcised: he has brought you to life
with him, he has forgiven us all our sins. He
has overridden the Law, and cancelled every
record of the debt that we had to pay; he has
done away with it by nailing it to the cross.
Since you have been brought back to true life
with Christ, you must look for the things that
are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s
right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly
things, not on the things that are on the earth,
because you have died, and now the life you
have is hidden with Christ in God. But when
Christ is revealed - and he is your life - you too
will be revealed in all your glory with him.
Personal reflection
Meditation psalm (119, 26-27.29-35)
I declared my ways and you answered;
teach me your statutes.
Make me grasp the way of your precepts
and I will muse on your wonders.
Keep me from the way of error
and teach me your law.
I have chosen the way of truth
with your decrees before me.
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I bind myself to do your will;
Lord, do not disappoint me.
I will run the way of your commands;
you give freedom to my heart.
Teach me the demands of your statutes
and I will keep them to the end.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
From the letter to the Romans (12, 1-13)
Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and
worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy
of thinking beings, by offering your living
bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing
to God. Do not model yourselves on the
behaviour of the world around you, but let
your behaviour change, modelled by your new
mind. This is the only way to discover the will
of God and know what is good, what it is that
God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.
In the light of the grace I have received I want
to urge each one among you not to exaggerate
his real importance. Each of you must judge
himself soberly by the standard of the faith
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God has given him. Just as each of our bodies
has several parts and each part has a separate
function, so all of us, in union with Christ, form
one body, and as parts of it we belong to each
other. Our gifts differ according to the grace
given us. If your gift is prophecy, then use it as
your faith suggests; if administration, then use
it for administration; if teaching, then use it for
teaching. Let the preachers deliver sermons,
the almsgivers give freely, the officials be
diligent, and those who do works of mercy
do them cheerfully. Do not let your love be a
pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil.
Love each other as much as brothers should,
and have a profound respect for each other.
Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with
great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope,
this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if
trials come; and keep on praying. If any of the
saints are in need you must share with them;
and you should make hospitality your special
care.
Homily
Intercessions
P In confidence let us raise our prayer to the
Father who has called us to follow Christ in
the radical way of the evangelical counsels.
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L O Lord, in Baptism you consecrated
us to your service.
A Grant us the strength of the Holy Spirit
that we may be faithful to the way of life
that Jesus embraced when he came into
the world to fulfil the Father’s will.
L O Lord, Jesus lived among us
with an undivided heart.
A Help us to love and to live the
evangelical counsels of consecrated
obedience, poverty and chastity, as your
gift to us.
L O Lord, Christ became obedient
even unto death on a Cross.
A Help us to interpret the signs of your
will, with the help of our Constitutions,
our superiors and the community, and to
obey it with loving fidelity.
L O Lord, Christ became poor to stand in
solidarity with the least of his brothers and
sisters and to enrich us with his friendship.
A Grant us greater trust in your providence
and lasting joy in the simplicity of our lives,
so that our poverty may be a generous self-
gift to you and our neighbour.
L O Lord, You call us to celibacy
in the service of youth.
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A May our response be faithful, generous
and constant, and transform us into
prophets of the liberating power of
purity.
L O Lord, accept our prayer for the Church:
may she be a sign of the resurrection
and of your love for the world.
A May every heart be open to the message
of salvation, and with joy and humility
journey in sure hope to that place which
Jesus Christ has prepared for us.
L O Lord, send the abundant blessings of
your Spirit upon N., our retreat preacher,
and upon all those who have helped to
animate this week of prayer and renewal.
A May the Word that we have pondered
renew our fidelity to Don Bosco
and sustain our commitment to our
communities, our lay mission partners,
and our young people.
Renewal of profession
P Let us now renew our total commitment
to Christ and to our brothers in the
Salesian Society. May our choice
be a disciple’s loving response to
the love of the Father who calls.
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A God my Father,
you consecrated me to yourself on the
day of my baptism.
In response to the love of the Lord Jesus
your Son,
who calls me to follow him more closely,
and led by the Holy Spirit who is light
and strength,
with complete freedom I offer myself
totally to you.
I pledge myself to devote all my strength
to those to whom you will send me,
especially to young people who are
poorer;
to live in the Salesian Society
in communion of spirit and action with
my brothers;
and in this way to share in the life and
mission of your Church.
And so, in the presence of my brothers,
I renew the vow to live obedient, poor
and chaste
according to the way of the Gospel set
out in the Salesian Constitutions.
Father, may your grace, the intercession
of Mary Help of Christians,
of St Joseph, of St Francis de Sales, and
of St John Bosco,
together with the assistance of my
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brother Salesians
keep me faithful day by day. Amen.
P Let us pray. God our Father, origin
of our life, grant that through the
intercession of St. John Bosco, we may
work with renewed enthusiasm in your
vineyard and be credible witnesses
of your love among young people. We
ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
PRAYER AT A COMMUNITY
GATHERING
P Spirit of mercy and of wisdom,
we come into your presence,
weighed down by our sins, but
lifted up in your name.
Come and stay with us:
by your presence
purify our hearts and inspire us
to do what is right,
to pursue what is noble,
to reflect your goodness in our lives,
and so to accomplish your will in all things.
Spirit of wisdom, abide in us.
Be the guide and inspiration of our
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thoughts,
you who alone, with the Father and the Son,
are glorified.
Fashion us into artisans of justice,
you who alone are perfect justice.
Spirit of Truth, keep us from stumbling in
ignorance
and from being seduced by the pursuit of
personal gain.
Grant us your gift of unity,
that our community may abide deeply in
you.
Guide us in the ways of truth,
you who alone, with the Father
and the Son, are infinite truth.
Gathered in your name,
we ask that in all things
we may temper justice with love and mercy,
so that our human judgment
may be a faithful reflection of your own.
May the good we do today
find its fulfilment in the eternal rewards
you promise for all eternity.
P Send forth your Spirit, O Lord.
A And renew the face of the earth.
P Let us pray. Gracious God, you guide
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the faithful by the power of the Holy
Spirit. Enlighten our minds and hearts
with your holy wisdom that we may
seek and find our comfort in you
alone. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
BIRTHDAYS AND PATRONAL NAME
DAYS OF CONFRERES
PRAYER FOR A CONFRERE
ON HIS BIRTHDAY
O God, our days and seasons are in your
hands. We ask you to look with favour upon
our brother N., as he begins another year of
life. Grant that he may continue to grow in
wisdom and grace, and strengthen his trust in
your goodness all the days of his life. Watch
over him today and every day; bless and guide
him wherever he may be. Strengthen his
hands to do your work; comfort him in times
of trouble and sadness; raise him up when he
falls, so that his heart may always find peace
in your tender love. God our Father, just as
the birth of Jesus brought great joy to Mary
and Joseph, may the life of our brother N. be a
blessing to your people. We give you thanks
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for calling him to be an apostle and bearer of
your love to the young. May he ever grow in
faith, hope, and love! We ask this in the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
.P...R....A....Y....E....R.....O....N......O....N....E....’.S.....O....W......N.....B....I..R....T....H....D....A....Y....
Lord, may this commemoration of my birth
remind me of all the gifts and blessings I
have received from you today and every
day. I thank you for the gift of my life and
my vocation and ask for another year filled
with your presence so that I may continue to
grow as an instrument of your love to young
people. Gracious God, I thank you for the
love of my parents who loved me into being
and raised me. Thank you for calling me to
celebrate life in the midst of the young. I thank
you for all your goodness to me throughout
the years, holding me in the palm of your
hand. I do not know what lies ahead or what
the future holds for me. But I know that I can
trust your faithfulness to me. My faith in you
is but a shadow of your great fidelity to me.
Let my ways be pleasing to you for the rest
of my days. Be near me when the road I walk
is lonely; raise me up with your mighty arm
when I stumble; draw me back into your light
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may be as creative and loving as you want me
to be as your disciple. I ask this in the certain
knowledge of your love for me and in the sure
hope of meeting you one day, face to face, for
all eternity, Amen.
PRAYER FOR A CONFRERE
.O....N......H....I..S.....N....A.....M.....E.....D...A....Y....
Heavenly Father, in your wisdom you have
called women and men to consecrated life
so that through their prayerful dedication to
obedience, poverty and chastity, they may be
authentic witnesses of your love. You chose
them in your provident love and gave them
a name and an enduring identity as true
citizens of heaven. Look kindly on our brother
N. as he celebrates his name day today. Grant
him, Lord, the grace and joy of perseverance
in his holy Salesian vocation through the
intercession of his patron saint N. May he
continue to experience the power and beauty
of your call, even as your love leads him to
new horizons. We ask this through Christ, our
Lord. Amen.
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4
SPECIAL
OCCASIONS

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INSTALLATION OF A RECTOR
Option 1
Within a Eucharistic celebration
If the rite of installation takes place within a
Eucharistic celebration, it follows the Gospel
reading and a brief instruction. Articles of the
Constitutions are read. The Provincial, or the
one designated to take his place, reads the
Decree of Nomination and gives a brief homily.
The new rector makes the profession of faith,
followed by the intercessory prayers. After
communion the “Te Deum” may be sung.
Option 2
Outside of a Eucharistic celebration
Introductory hymn
Liturgical salutation and invitation
Prayer
P O Lord, who in St. John Bosco have given
to your Church a father and teacher of the
young, bless our brother N. whom you have
constituted in authority as he begins his
mandate of service, so that with pastoral
charity, discreet wisdom and attentive
care he may animate the community and
promote a renewed Salesian presence
among the young. Through Christ our Lord.
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A Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
Option 1
1 Cor 2, 1-16
Christ is my wisdom
As for me, brothers, when I came to you, it was
not with any show of oratory or philosophy,
but simply to tell you what God had
guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only
knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus,
and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far
from relying on any power of my own, I came
among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and
in my speeches and the sermons that I gave,
there were none of the arguments that belong
to philosophy; only a demonstration of the
power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your
faith should not depend on human philosophy
but on the power of God. But still we have
a wisdom to offer those who have reached
maturity: not a philosophy of our age, it is true,
still less of the masters of our age, which are
coming to their end. The hidden wisdom of
God which we teach in our mysteries is the
wisdom that God predestined to be for our
glory before the ages began. lt is a wisdom
that none of the masters of this age have ever
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known, or they would not have crucified the
Lord of Glory; we teach what scripture calls:
the things that no eye has seen and no
ear has heard,
things beyond the mind of man,
all that God has prepared for those who
love him.
These are the very things that God has
revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit
reaches the depths of everything, even the
depths of God. After all, the depths of a man
can only be known by his own spirit, not
by any other man, and in the same way the
depths of God can only be known by the Spirit
of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world,
we have received the Spirit that comes from
God, to teach us to understand the gifts that
he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in
the way in which philosophy is taught, but in
the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach
spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual
person is one who does not accept anything
of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense;
it is beyond his understanding because it can
only be understood by means of the Spirit.
A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to
judge the value of everything, and his own
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value is not to be judged by other men. As
scripture says: Who can know the mind of the
Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those
who have the mind of Christ.
Option 2
Eph. 4, 1-7.11-16
Various roles in one Spirit
I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you
therefore to lead a life worthy of your vocation.
Bear with one another charitably, in complete
selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all
you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by
the peace that binds you together. There is one
Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into
one and the same hope when you were called.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and
one God who is Father of all, over all, through
all and within all.
Each one of us, however, has been given his
own share of grace, given as Christ allotted
it. And to some, his gift was that they should
be apostles; to some, prophets; to some,
evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers;
so that the saints together make a unity in
the work of service, building up the body of
Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity
in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son
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of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully
mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Then we shall not be children any longer, or
tossed one way and another and carried along
by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all
the tricks men play and their cleverness in
practising deceit. If we live by the truth and in
love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who
is the head by whom the whole body is fitted
and joined together, every joint adding its
own strength, for each separate part to work
according to its function. So the body grows
until it has built itself up, in love.
Psalm 84, 2-3.4.5-6.10-11.12-13
Ant. Blessed is he who lives in your house,
Lord. Alleluia.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord, God of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning,
is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God.
The sparrow herself finds a home
and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
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They are happy, who dwell in your house,
for ever singing your praise.
They are happy, whose strength is in you,
in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed.
One day within your courts
is better than a thousand elsewhere.
The threshold of the house of God
I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a rampart, a shield;
he will give us his favour and glory.
The Lord will not refuse any good
to those who walk without blame.
Lord, God of hosts,
happy the man who trusts in you!
Gospel: Mk 10, 35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
approached him. ‘Master,’ they said to him ‘we
want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them,
‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They
said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right
hand and the other at your left in your glory’.
‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus
said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I
must drink, or be baptised with the baptism
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with which I must be baptised?’ They replied,
‘We can’. Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that
I must drink you shall drink, and with the
baptism with which I must be baptised you
shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right
hand or my left, these are not mine to grant;
they belong to those to whom they have been
allotted’.
When the other ten heard this they began to
feel indignant with James and John so Jesus
called them to him and said to them, ‘You
know that among the pagans their so-called
rulers lord it over them, and their great men
make their authority felt. This is not to happen
among you. No; anyone who wants to become
great among you must be your servant, and
anyone who wants to be first among you must
be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did
not come to be served but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many.’
From the Salesian Constitutions
(Const. 176; 44; 55)
176. The superior of each local community is
called the rector.
He is first in order of responsibility for its
religious life, its apostolic activities and the
administration of its goods.
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With the collaboration of his council he
animates and governs the community
according to the Constitutions and general
Regulations.
44. The apostolic mandate which the Church
entrusts to us is taken up and put into
effect in the first place by the provincial
and local communities. The members have
complementary functions and each one of
their tasks is important. They are aware that
pastoral objectives are achieved through unity
and joint brotherly responsibility.
The provincial and the rector, as promoters of
dialogue and teamwork, guide the community
in pastoral discernment, so that it may
accomplish its apostolic plan in unity and
fidelity.
55. The rector represents Christ who unites his
followers in the service of the Father. He is at
the centre of the community, a brother among
brothers, who recognise his responsibility and
authority.
His first task is to animate the community so
that it may live faithful to the Constitutions
and grow in unity. He coordinates the efforts
of all, bearing in mind the rights, duties and
capabilities of every member.
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He also has a direct responsibility toward
each confrere; he helps him realise his own
personal vocation and carry out the work
entrusted to him.
He extends his solicitude to the young for
whom we work and to our collaborators,
so that they may share in the community’s
mission with increasing responsibility.
In his words, frequent contacts and opportune
decisions he is a father, teacher and spiritual
guide.
Reading of the decree of nomination
(by the Provincial or his substitute, who
concludes with a brief homily)
The Litany of Saints
L Let us invoke the assistance of Mary
Most Holy, our Help, and the intercession
of the Saints upon our community so
that, guided wisely and growing in
fraternal collaboration, we may be a
visible sign in the Church of the universal
call to holiness in Christ Jesus.
The customary Litany of the Saints follows,
choosing significant names, glorified members
of the Salesian Family and the patron saint of
the new superior. At the end of the litany, the
Rector makes the profession of faith.
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Profession of faith
I N., firmly believe and profess all and every
one of the truths contained in the creed:
I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen
and unseen.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son
of God, eternally begotten of the Father. God
from God, Light from Light, true God from true
God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the
Father. Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came
down from heaven: by the power of the Holy
Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and
became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate; he suffered, died and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in fulfilment of
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. With the Father and the Son he
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is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken
through the Prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church.
I acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness
of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Furthermore, I accept and profess all and
every one of the tenets regarding faith
and morals that have been proposed for
belief by the Church, either through solemn
pronouncement or through ordinary
magisterium, especially those concerning
the mystery of the Holy Church of Christ, its
Sacraments and the Sacrifice of the Mass, as
well as the primacy of the Roman Pontiff.
Intercessions
P Enlightened and encouraged by these
teachings and exhortations, let us turn to
God in supplication, that He may bless us
and guide our new superior in his ministry
as spiritual guide of this community.
L For our community consecrated
to the service of the young in
the spirit of Don Bosco:
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— that the admirable fatherliness of our
Founder may be for us an example to be
contemplated, a point of reference to be
cherished and a value to be incarnated.
For the new Rector, N., called to
the service of authority:
— that he may direct the spirit and action
of each confrere with the charism of his
ministry.
For the new Rector, entrusted with the
duty of promoting unity and fraternal
communion with the blessing of the Spirit:
— that he may commit himself to building
up a true family based on mutual respect
and unity of purpose.
For the outgoing Rector N., to whom
we express our gratitude with a
fraternal remembrance in prayer:
— may the Lord continue to bless him
for the service he rendered to our
community and accompany him in his
new ministry.
For those to whom our mission is directed
and those whom we meet in our daily work:
— that we may welcome them with
kindness, educate them with patient
and firm goodness and love them with
friendship that always seeks their best
interests.
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For vocations to the Salesian life:
— that the Lord may raise up new workers
for his harvest and inspire a generous
response to the urgency of proposing
a radical Christian commitment to the
young.
For all of us gathered here to
welcome the new superior:
— that we might help each other to serve
God in the young and to share with one
another the joys and sorrows of our
mission.
For the brothers who will be
leaving our community:
— that our gratitude and fraternal
remembrance may only be surpassed by
the Lord’s gracious recompense.
For the new confreres who will
be joining our community:
— may our fraternal welcome, sustained by
God’s grace, empower them in their new
responsibilities.
Our Father
Sign of Peace
P In the Spirit of the risen Christ who has
made us brothers, and with the heart of
Don Bosco, let us share a sign of peace.
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Closing prayer
P God our Father, you offer us this moment
of transition in the service of authority,
as a sign of your on-going providence
which we receive in trust and gratitude.
Help us to walk together in pursuit of
our common mission to be signs and
bearers of your love for the young. As
we embark upon this new pastoral year,
may the help of Mary our Mother and the
intercession of St. John Bosco be our sure
source of grace, our support in times of
adversity, and our inspiration to overcome
difficulty and fatigue with zeal for your
kingdom. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
Final Marian hymn (Magnificat)
INSTALLATION OF THE NEW
PROVINCIAL
A celebration similar to the previous one,
appropriately modified, is suggested. In each
local community a specific prayer intention for
the new provincial may be inserted.
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PROVINCIAL VISITATION AND
EXTRAORDINARY VISITATION
Our communion and spiritual growth are
nourished, among other things, by moments of
evaluation and review, enlivened by the presence
of a Superior, Provincial or Extraordinary.
The Visitor proposes an annual review of the
vitality of a Salesian presence. He also meets
each confrere individually in fraternal dialogue,
focussed on the spiritual good of each confrere,
the community, and the improvement of our
educational-pastoral presence among young
people. It is an experience of that intense family
spirit which is the hallmark of our Salesian life.
It is suggested that the visitation begin with
a prayer service. This could be within the
Liturgy of the Hours, a liturgy of the Word,
or an opening prayer of invocation. It could
conclude with a Eucharistic celebration or with
a celebration of the Word.
Liturgy of the Word to begin or end the
Visitation
Opening Song
Introductory Rites
P The Lord who directs our steps in the
path of true wisdom be with you all.
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A And with your spirit.
Act of Contrition
P Lord Jesus, who were obedient to
the will of the Father: forgive us
for our lack of cooperation in the
fulfilment of your plan of salvation.
A Lord, have mercy.
P Christ Jesus, with operative charity you
made yourself available to those who
sought the Kingdom: forgive us for our
lethargy in the mission among the young.
A Christ, have mercy.
P Lord Jesus, who offered your life for the
forgiveness of sinners: forgive us for any
personal or community selfishness that
made us indifferent to the cry of the poor.
A Lord, have mercy.
Prayer
As an alternative to this prayer, one of the
proposals offered in the celebrations of
community meetings may be used.
P Father, you order all things for good
for those who place their trust in you.
Help us to live in mutual charity and
patience by interpreting wisely the
signs of the times, and by seeking in all
things to do not our own will but yours.
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We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
A Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
For the opening celebration
— Num 6, 24-26: The Lord be a blessing to
all.
— 2 Cor 13, 5-10: May Christ dwell in you.
— Rom 16, 17-20: Be careful of those who
cause divisions.
— Ef 6, 13-20: Spiritual warfare.
— Ps 66, 1-6
(or another responsorial hymn).
— Ant. May the Lord’s word be light unto
our path.
For the closing celebration
— 1 Thess 5,16-24: Requirements for
community living.
— Ps 132
(or another responsorial hymn).
— Ant. How good and pleasant it is when
brothers live in unity.
Introductory and Closing Conference of the
Provincial or Extraordinary Visitor
Intercessions for the Introductory
Celebration
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These may also be used in a Eucharistic
celebration.
P By God’s love we are gathered as brothers
to live in community and sent to be
signs of his pastoral charity towards
the young. Let us address our trusting
prayer to our heavenly Father, that he
may dispose our hearts for conversion at
this privileged time of fraternal review.
LA Lord, enlighten us with your wisdom.
L For the holy Church of God:
— that she might be an attentive witness of
God’s love for humanity by responding
generously to the urgent needs of our
times.
For priests and missionaries
of the Good News:
— that they may grow in holiness as they
proclaim the joy of the Gospel that sets
us free, and take up their cross each day.
For all peoples and nations:
— that they may heed the urgency of
building a society in which the dignity
of every person and the sanctity of life
are respected from conception to natural
death.
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For the young:
— that they may have the courage to grow
in true freedom and seek wise mentors
to accompany them along the way.
For Salesians:
— that we may keep Don Bosco’s spiritual
legacy alive through thoughtful and
creative attentiveness to the needs of the
various cultures.
For our provincial (extraordinary
visitor) Fr. N.:
— that the Lord may enlighten his review
of our community’s educational-pastoral
project and his personal encounter with
each confrere.
For our community:
— that this visitation may be a privileged
time to review our relationship with God,
with each other, and with the young
and so promote our spiritual growth in
fraternal unity and mutual understanding.
PA Our Father...
P Lord, accept our prayers and grant that
these days be enlightened by your
grace, wisdom and goodness. We ask
this through the intercession of Mary
our Help, of St. John Bosco and of all our
holy patrons in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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A Amen.
Intercessions for the concluding celebration
These may also be used in a Eucharistic
celebration
P Jesus Christ, Lord of history, has promised
us the spirit of wisdom, truth and goodness.
In this Spirit, we discern the Father’s will
to renew the Church constantly in holiness
and apostolic fruitfulness. At the end of this
[provincial / extraordinary] visitation, let us
entrust our confident prayers to the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our vocation
and revitalized for pastoral service.
LA Spirit of the living God, hear us.
L —For the Church, established on the
foundations of the apostles: that she may
confirm her witness to the risen Christ
in every age through wise teaching and
gospel-inspired pastoral action, we pray.
— For all those who accepted God’s call to
follow Christ on the way of evangelical
counsels: that they may be the salt of the
earth and light of the world, living and
vibrant expressions of the charism of
their founders, we pray.
— For us Salesians: that the Lord Jesus
may make us wise interpreters of Don
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Bosco’s educational-pastoral project
in the Church and in the world today,
and imbue us with tireless zeal for the
human promotion of the young in the
light of the Gospel, we pray.
— For our local work: that the Holy Spirit
constantly renew it to meet the needs of
the young “here and now”, and make it a
source of blessing for all who contribute
to its success, we pray.
— For all of us, called to holiness in this
religious community: that the spirit
of truth will open our eyes to habits
we need to change; open our hearts to
fraternal love and correction; open our
minds to reimagine our lifestyle in light
of our Superior’s observations, we pray.
— For renewed fraternal and apostolic zeal:
that the dialogue and exchange shared
during this visit may inspire new ways
to build community, to grow in mutual
respect and to work together for the
good of the Church and of the poor, we
pray.
— For the grace of unity in our lives:
that each confrere may achieve a
deeper synthesis of prayer and action
as he integrates the demands of our
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consecrated life with the demands of our
apostolate service, we pray.
— For N., our Visitor: that the Lord reward
him abundantly for his ministry of
listening, for his prudence and wisdom
during the fraternal dialogues, and for
his sincere concern for each confrere, we
pray.
PA Our Father...
During a Eucharistic celebration, this prayer
may conclude the intercessions.
P Receive, O heavenly Father, the resolutions
we have made at the end of this time of
grace and strengthen our bonds of fraternal
charity. Let difficulties not discourage
these sons of yours, let differences not
divide those whom you have brought
together in your name. Protect those
whom you have consecrated to follow
Christ your Son in obedience, poverty and
chastity. Bless their work, that they may
proclaim to the young your promise of
peace, justice and freedom, and inspire
confident hope in a blessed eternity. We
ask this through Christ Jesus our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing and final hymn
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Prayer for the community
In a Eucharistic celebration, this may be recited
after the communion hymn. In a Liturgy of the
Word, it may replace the intercessions.
P O God Almighty Father,
A you have fashioned all things in wisdom
and love and at the dawn of time you
fashioned humankind in your likeness and
image. Nothing escapes your merciful gaze;
to humanity afflicted by the ancient curse
you gifted the day of salvation in Christ
your Son. Every reality finds its meaning
in you; even sadness is but a prelude to
that day that will bring endless joy.
P Only begotten Son of the Father,
A you called the Twelve to yourself,
making them a sign of your grace;
with them you walked the paths of the
poor and the oppressed to announce
the day of liberation. In the sacrifice
of the Cross you founded the Church
and sent out missionary disciples
who, in your name proclaim the Good
News to every receptive heart.
P Spirit of holiness,
A you fill the Church with your wisdom,
and raise up compelling witnesses
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to the faith. Your ineffable presence
is the heartbeat of the Church; the
faithful whom you consecrate to
religious life testify to the growth of
the believing community in Christ.
P Bless our community, O Lord:
A help us to remain in your love
and to be signs of your grace.
P Bless and forgive us, O merciful God:
A may your love help us to resolve any
hostilities or misunderstandings.
P Bless our work, O Lord:
A guide us in our service to the young, in
our giving and receiving correction, and
in the discerning use of our energies.
P Bless, O God, all of us
gathered in your name:
A make our community rich in hospitality
that is serene, holy and open to the young.
P Loving God, help us to deepen our Salesian
consecration by contemplating you in our
presence among the young. May the young
find in us the welcoming heart of Don
Bosco as we grow with them in the holiness
and missionary fruitfulness of our founder.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
A Amen.
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PRAYERS TO PATRON SAINTS OF OUR
CONGREGATION
From the beginning of the Oratory, Don Bosco
presented the Saints to the young as realistic
models of the spiritual life. He proposed St
Joseph as the patron saint of young apprentices,
and the active charity of St Francis of Sales as a
style of working for the nascent Congregation.
In the celebrations of the Saints, the Church
proclaims the paschal mystery fulfilled in
those who have suffered with Christ and been
glorified with him; Indeed “she proposes them
to the faithful as examples drawing all to the
Father through Christ, and through their merits
she pleads for God›s favours” (cf. SC 104).
“The feasts of our saints and beatified members
should be celebrated as family events, and
devotion to our servants of God should be
fostered” (Reg. 75).
ST JOSEPH
Saint Joseph
To you, O blessed Joseph,
we turn in confidence
to invoke your patronage
and the intercession of Mary, your most holy
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Spouse.
Through that charity which bound you so
intimately
to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love
with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you to look upon the
inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his
Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in
our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the Church of Jesus Christ;
deliver us from all error
and from every vice that robs us of true
freedom.
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us
and from heaven assist us in our struggle
against the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from
deadly peril,
so now protect God’s Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all
adversity;
shield each one of us by your constant
protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
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we may live in virtue, die in peace with God,
and be admitted to eternal happiness in
heaven. Amen.
.S...T.....J...O....H....N......B....O....S....C...O....
St. John Bosco, Father and Teacher of youth,
docile to the gifts of the Spirit and open to the
reality of your times,
you were for the young, especially the little
ones and the poor,
a sign of the love and the special care of God.
Be our guide as we walk the path of friendship
with the Lord Jesus,
so that we may discover in Him and in his
Gospel
the meaning of our lives
and the source of true happiness.
Help us to respond with generosity
to the vocation we have received from God,
so that in daily life we may be builders of
communion,
and may collaborate with enthusiasm,
and in communion with the whole Church,
in creating a civilisation of love.
Obtain for us the grace of perseverance
in living a high standard of Christian life,
according to the spirit of the beatitudes;
and grant that, guided by Mary Help of
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Christians,
we may one day be with you
in the great family of heaven.
Amen.
.S...T.....F....R....A....N.....C...I..S.....O....F.....S...A.....L...E....S...
Option 1
O Saint Francis of Sales,
who carried out your pastoral ministry
with untiring dedication,
help us to be zealous builders of God’s
Kingdom.
Give us optimism and gentleness in
tribulations,
so that we may bring the love of Christ to the
young.
Teach us to cultivate a deep interior life,
rooted in trust in God and celebrated in
simplicity and joy,
so that following your example
we may be worthy to reach our homeland in
heaven. Amen.
Option 2
O Saint Francis de Sales, patron of meekness,
model of gospel virtues and living rule of
holiness,
through your benevolent patronage
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help us to imitate you in combining
humility with zeal,
gentleness with strength,
prayer and mortification with active charity.
Help us to live in communion with God and
with our brothers and sisters,
in fidelity to the commitments of our
baptismal consecration. Amen.
.S...T.....M.....A.....R...Y......M.....A....Z....Z...A.....R....E...L....L...O....
O Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello,
who were ever faithful to your baptismal
commitments;
help us to deepen, day by day,
our Christian vocation.
Help us in every situation of life
to believe in the fatherhood of God
and to walk in his presence,
serving our brothers with humble hearts,
detached from the allurements of this passing
world.
Help us at all times
to live in sincerity with God, with ourselves
and with our neighbour,
living each day in joy that is born of hope.
Under the maternal guidance of Mary Help of
Christians,
may our lives, like yours, be a continual act of
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self-giving love,
to the glory of the Father and the salvation of all.
Amen.
.S...T.....D....O....M.....I..N.....I..C.....S...A....V....I..O....
O God, source of all that is good,
we bless you for raising up St. Dominic Savio
and giving him to young people
as a resplendent example of charity and
purity,
a model for building up true spiritual
friendships.
Docile to the action of your Spirit,
Dominic pursued in his short years
a simple but sure path to holiness,
in joyfulness of heart and extraordinary
fidelity
to the ordinary commitments of daily life.
Help us to imitate his love for the Eucharist,
his entrustment to Mary Immaculate,
his apostolic zeal for the salvation of his
neighbour.
Grant that we too, as your sons,
may continually grow in joy and in love,
until we attain the full stature of Christ our
Lord,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
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PRAYER FOR THE RECOGNITION OF
HOLINESS
Merciful Father, we thank you
for giving the Servant of God N.
to the Church and to the world.
With his commitment to his brothers and
sisters,
he taught us to know and love Jesus Christ
who is present in a special way in the little ones.
A faithful disciple of Don Bosco,
he bore witness to your prevenient love,
and to the merciful love of the Good Shepherd
who seeks out and restores the lost sheep.
Grant us, O heavenly Father,
through the intercession of N., and in
accordance with your will,
the grace we ask for,
in the living hope that he will soon be
numbered among your saints.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen
ILLNESS
The spiritual significance of illness and
death for the sons of Don Bosco
“The community surrounds its sick and aged
confreres with care and affection. They, in
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their turn, accepting their condition and
serving the community in whatever way they
can, are a source of blessing for it; they enrich
its family spirit and deepen its unity” (Const.
53). The aged and sick confreres are a source
of blessing for the Salesian community. In
the experience of illness, especially when
it is terminal, their apostolic zeal acquires a
new meaning. They experience the mystery
of redemptive suffering in a more intimate
way for themselves and for others. The other
confreres are united with their suffering
brother in a genuine spirit of family and
of sharing in the redemptive sacrifice of
Christ. The enrichment is mutual. While the
ailing confrere renews and sanctifies his
community through his pain and suffering,
the community awakens in him, through its
fraternal assistance, ample reserves of love
and endurance.
“When the hour for him to bring his
consecrated life to its highest fulfilment
comes, his brothers help him to enter fully
into Christ’s paschal mystery. Death for
the Salesian is made bright by the hope of
entering into the joy of the Lord. And when
it happens that a Salesian dies working for
souls, the Congregation has won a great
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triumph. The memory of departed confreres
unites, ‘in a love that will not pass away’, those
who are still pilgrims with those who are
already resting in Christ” (Const. 54).
Don Bosco often reassured his first
missionaries: “In time of fatigue and suffering
do not forget that we have a great reward
prepared for us in heaven.” The Salesian is
an apostle to the very end. He lives, loves and
dies as an apostle of the young. His life echoes
the passion of Don Bosco: “I have promised
God that I would give of myself to my last
breath for my youngsters.”
In the evenof illness or death, the confreres of
the community gather together to pray and
to meditate on the mystery of suffering that
is accompanied in the history of salvation
by a specific gift of Christ – the sacrament of
the Anointing of the Sick – and to “prepare
ourselves for death”, as Don Bosco used to say.
This and the following section contain material
specifically adapted for community prayer,
taken from the liturgical texts of the Church.
Our solidarity with a confrere who is ill or
suffering has its origin in Christ who, during
his life on earth, shared the suffering of the sick
and worked miracles for them. Our sharing in
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the sufferings of another is a witness to family
life that invites all the members to share joys
and sorrows and to accept them in faith as an
expression of the will of God.
.V....I..S...I..T......T...O......A.....S....I..C....K.....P....E...R....S....O....N....
Blessing of a sick person is an ancient custom
that dates back to Christ and to the apostles.
Every community, besides caring for a
member’s material needs, is mindful of the
spiritual care of its sick members and seeks in
Christ the meaning of every circumstance in
life.
Greeting
P In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
P The peace of the Lord be with you always.
A And with your spirit.
With the following words the minister prepares
the sick person and those present to receive the
blessing.
P The Lord Jesus blessed and healed
sickness and infirmity of every kind. He
encouraged his disciples to take care of
the sick, to lay hands on them and to bless
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them in his name. At this celebration, we
entrust our infirm brother N. to God, that
he may bear all his sufferings of body
and spirit patiently, understanding that
only if he participates in the passion of
Christ will he share also in the joy of his
resurrection. May Don Bosco, who cared for
the health of his boys and Salesians, and
even worked miracles of healing for them,
direct all things to his spiritual benefit
and be our advocate and consolation!
Listening to God’s Word
Option 1
Acts 3, 1-10
Once, when Peter and John were going up to
the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, it
happened that there was a man being carried
past. He was a cripple from birth; and they
used to put him down every day near the
Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate
so that he could beg from the people going
in. When this man saw Peter and John on
their way into the Temple he begged from
them. Both Peter and John looked straight at
him and said, ‘Look at us’. He turned to them
expectantly, hoping to get something from
them, but Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor
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gold, but I will give you what I have: in the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!’ Peter
then took him by the hand and helped him to
stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became
firm, he jumped up, stood, and began to walk,
and he went with them into the Temple,
walking and jumping and praising God.
Everyone could see him walking and praising
God, and they recognised him as the man who
used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the
Temple. They were all astonished and unable
to explain what had happened to him.
Option 2
Mt 8, 14-17
And going into Peter’s house Jesus found
Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with fever. He
touched her hand and the fever left her, and
she got up and began to wait on him. That
evening they brought him many who were
possessed by devils. He cast out the spirits
with a word and cured all who were sick. This
was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah: “He took
our sicknesses away and carried our diseases
for us.”
Response
Ps. 102, 1-2.18-20.23-24
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Ant. Lord, listen to my prayer and let my cry
for help reach you.
O Lord, listen to my prayer
and let my cry for help reach you.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the
helpless;
he will not despise their prayers.
Let this be written for ages to come
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary
on high.
He looked down from heaven to the earth,
when peoples and kingdoms are gathered
together
to pay their homage to the Lord.
He has broken my strength in mid-course;
he has shortened the days of my life.
Prayer of the faithful
P As a community united in love, let us
pray with confidence to Christ, our
Saviour, that he may strengthen our
ailing brother N. with his grace.
L Let us say together: Lord, bless our
brother in his time of need.
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A Lord, bless our brother in his time of
need.
L —You who came as the physician of
body and spirit to heal our infirmities.
—Man of sorrows, you took on our
sufferings and our sins.
—You who had your mother at the foot of
the cross to share in your sufferings.
—You who desire that we complete in our
flesh what is lacking in your passion for
the salvation of your Body, the Church.
P Let us now pray together as our
Lord Jesus Christ taught us:
PA Our Father …
Closing prayer
P Father, your Son accepted our sufferings to
teach us the virtue of patience in sickness.
Hear the prayers that we offer up for our
brother N. May all those who suffer pain,
illness or weakness, understand that they
have been chosen to share in that holiness
that derives from their union with the
suffering Christ for the salvation of the
world. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P May God the Father bless you.
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A Amen.
P May Christ, the Son of God, grant
you health in body and in spirit.
A Amen.
P May the Holy Spirit guide you
today and always with his light.
A Amen.
P May Almighty God bless you, the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
.R....I..T...E.....O....F.....H.....O....L...Y.....C....O....M.....M.....U....N.....I..O....N.....T....O......T...H.....E.....S...I..C....K....
Greeting
Option 1
P The grace and peace of God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
A Amen.
Option 2
P Peace to you (to this house)
and to all who dwell here.
A And with your spirit.
Sprinkling with holy water
P Rekindle within us, Lord, in the sign of this
blessed water, the remembrance of our
Baptism and of our acceptance of Christ the
Lord, crucified and risen for our salvation.
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Penitential rite
P Brothers, let us acknowledge our sins
and ask the Lord for pardon. (Pause)
P Lord Jesus, you healed the
sick: Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
P Lord Jesus, you pardoned
sinners: Christ, have mercy.
A Christ, have mercy.
P Lord Jesus, you give yourself to heal us
and bring us strength: Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
Reading
Option 1
Jn 6, 51
“I am the living bread which has come down
from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will
live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is
my flesh, for the life of the world.”
Option 2
Jn 6, 54-58
“Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my
blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up
on the last day. For my flesh is real food and
my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh
and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in
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him. As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father, so whoever
eats me will draw life from me. This is the
bread come down from heaven; not like the
bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but
anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.”
Option 3
Jn 15, 5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever
remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in
plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.”
Silence / comment on the reading
Prayers of the faithful
Our Father
Communion
P Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who
takes away the sins of the world. Blessed
are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
A Lord, I am not worthy that you should
enter under my roof, but only say the
word and my soul shall be healed.
Silent prayer
Prayer after Holy Communion
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Option 1
P Almighty and eternal God, may the body
and blood of Christ your Son be for our
brother, N. a lasting remedy for body and
soul. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Option 2
P God, our Father, you have called us to
share the one bread and one cup, and
so become one in Christ. Help us to live
in him that we may bear fruit, rejoicing
that he has redeemed the world. We
ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
Option 1
P May God the Father bless you.
A Amen.
P May God the Son heal you.
A Amen.
P May God the Holy Spirit enlighten you.
A Amen.
P And on all of you present here,
may the blessing of almighty God, the
Father, the Son,and the Holy Spirit
come down and remain with you for ever.
A Amen.
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Option 2
P May the Lord be with you to protect you.
A Amen.
P May he guide you and give you strength.
A Amen.
P May he watch over you, keep you in his
care, and bless you with his peace.
A Amen.
P May Almighty God bless you, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
.R....I..T...E.....O....F.....A.....N....O....I..N....T....I..N.....G.....O....F.....T....H....E.....S...I..C....K....
As consecrated religious, we are called to be
vigilant and prepared for the coming of the Lord
and to live this moment in a meaningful way. It is
recommended that the sacrament of anointing of
the aged and the sick confreres be administered
solemnly during a community celebration.
If the sick confrere so desires, he may avail of
the sacrament of reconciliation before receiving
the anointing of the sick.
Greeting
Option 1
P The grace and peace of God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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A And with your spirit.
Option 2
P Peace be with you (this house)
and with all who live here.
A And with your spirit.
Sprinkling with holy water
P Rekindle in us O Lord, in the sign of this
blessed water, the remembrance of our
Baptism and of our acceptance of Christ the
Lord, crucified and risen for our salvation.
Instruction
P Beloved brothers, Christ our Lord is present
among us who are gathered in his name.
Let us turn to him with confidence as the
sick people did in the Gospel. He, who
suffered so much for us, commands us
through the Apostle James: “Whoever
is sick, let him send for the priests of
the Church, and let the priests pray over
him, anointing him with oil, in the name
of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will
save the sick person: the Lord will raise
him up and if he has committed any
sins, his sins will be forgiven him.”
Let us therefore commend our sick brother
to the grace and power of Christ, that
he may save him and raise him up.
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Penitential Rite
Option 1
P Brothers, to prepare ourselves for this holy
anointing, let us acknowledge our sins.
Option 2
P Brothers, let us acknowledge our sins
and ask pardon of the Lord that we
may be worthy of participating in this
holy rite along with our sick brother.
A I confess to Almighty God …
Option 3
P Lord Jesus, you healed the
sick: Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
P Lord Jesus, you pardoned
sinners: Christ, have mercy.
A Christ, have mercy.
P Lord Jesus, you give yourself to heal us
and bring us strength: Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
The celebrant concludes the penitential rite with
the following words:
P May almighty God have mercy
on us, forgive us our sins and
bring us to everlasting life.
A Amen.
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Reading
Option1
Mt 11, 25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed, “I bless you,
Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding
these things from the learned and the clever
and revealing them to mere children. Yes,
Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.
Everything has been entrusted to me by my
Father; and no one knows the Son except the
Father, just as no one knows the Father except
the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to
reveal him.
Come to me, all you who labour and are
overburdened, and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and
my burden light.”
Option 2
Mk 2, 1-12
When [Jesus] returned to Capernaum some
time later, word went round that he was back;
and so many people collected that there was
no room left, even in front of the door.
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He was preaching the word to them when
some people came bringing him a paralytic
carried by four men, but as the crowd made
it impossible to get the man to him, they
stripped the roof over the place where Jesus
was; and when they had made an opening,
they lowered the stretcher on which the
paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to
the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven’.
Now some scribes were sitting there, and they
thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk
like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive
sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was
what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do
you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which
of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your
sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your
stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that
the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins,’ - he said to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up,
pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the
man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and
walked out in front of everyone, so that they were
all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have
never seen anything like this’.
Option 3
Lk 7, 18b-23
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Summoning two of his disciples, John sent
them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who
is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’
When the men reached Jesus they said, ‘John
the Baptist has sent us to you, to ask, “Are you
the one who is to come or have we to wait for
someone else?”’ It was just then that he cured
many people of diseases and afflictions and of
evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many
who were blind. Then he gave the messengers
their answer, ‘Go back and tell John what you
have seen and heard: the blind see again, the
lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf
hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News
is proclaimed to the poor and happy is the
man who does not lose faith in me.’
A commentary on the reading or a moment
of silence
Litanic prayer and laying on of hands
P Brothers, in our prayer of faith let us appeal
to God for our brother N., and let us say
together:
Lord, hear our prayer.
A Lord, hear our prayer.
P Come and strengthen him
through this holy anointing
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A Lord, hear our prayer.
P Free him from all harm:
A Lord, hear our prayer.
P In your goodness relieve the
sufferings of all the sick.
A Lord, hear our prayer.
P Grant that this sick brother, consecrated
to Christ through profession of the
evangelical counsels (and holy orders)
may, through this holy anointing and the
laying on of hands, receive life and health.
A Lord, hear our prayer.
In silence, the priest lays his hands on the head
of the sick person. The other priests who are
present may do the same.
Thanksgiving over the blessed oil
P Praise to you, God, the almighty Father.
You sent your Son to live among us
and bring us salvation.
A Blessed be God who heals us in Christ.
P Praise to you, God the only-begotten Son.
You humbled yourself to share in our
humanity
and you heal our infirmities.
A Blessed be God who heals us in Christ.
P Praise to you God, the Holy Spirit, the
Consoler.
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Your unfailing power gives us strength
in our bodily weakness.
A Blessed be God who heals us in Christ.
P God of mercy,
ease the sufferings and comfort the
weakness of your servant, N.,
whom the Church anoints with this holy oil.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Anointing
The celebrant anoints the sick person with
blessed oil.
First he anoints the forehead saying:
P Through this holy anointing
may the Lord in his love and mercy
help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
Next he anoints the hands saying:
P May the Lord who frees you from sin,
save you and raise you up.
A Amen.
P Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
comfort our brother, N.,
whom you have chosen to follow you in the
name of Don Bosco.
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Heal his sickness and forgive his sins;
expel all afflictions of mind and body;
mercifully restore him to full health,
and enable him to resume his former duties,
for you are Lord for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father
P And now, as a community gathered
together by the God of love, we pray with
confidence as Christ our Lord taught us:
PA Our Father …
Rite of communion
The priest shows the Eucharistic bread to those
present, saying
P Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who
takes away the sins of the world. Blessed
are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
A Lord, I am not worthy that you should
enter under my roof, but only say the
word and my soul shall be healed.
Distribution of Holy Communion
P Body of Christ.
A Amen.
Concluding prayer
P All-powerful and ever-living God
may the Body and Blood of Christ your Son
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be for our brother N.,
a lasting remedy for body and soul.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P May God the Father bless you.
A Amen.
P May God, the Son, heal you.
A Amen.
P May God the Holy Spirit enlighten you.
A Amen.
P And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
come down upon all of you present here.
A Amen.
.R....I..T...E.....O....F.....V.....I..A....T...I..C....U....M.....
Greeting
P The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God the Father and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
A And with your spirit.
Sprinkling with blessed water
P With the sign of this blessed water, renew
within us Lord the remembrance of our
Baptism and of our acceptance of Christ the
Lord, crucified and risen for our salvation.
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Instruction
P Brothers, before leaving this world to
return to the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ
left us the sacrament of his body and his
blood. At the hour of our passing from
this life to union with him, he wishes to
strengthen us for our journey with this
food and to comfort us with the pledge of
the resurrection. United with our brother
in the love of Christ, we pray for him.
Penitential rite
P Brothers, let us turn with confidence to the
Lord and ask his forgiveness for all our sins.
PA I confess to almighty God…
A Lord, have mercy......
The priest concludes the penitential rite with
the following words.
P May almighty God have mercy
on us, forgive us our sins and
bring us to everlasting life.
A Amen.
Plenary indulgence
At the end of the penitential rite, the priest may
give the apostolic pardon for the dying using
one of the following formulae.
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Option 1
P By the authority which the Apostolic See
has given me,
I grant you a full pardon
and the remission of all your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
Option 2
P Through the holy mysteries of our
redemption, may almighty God release
you from all punishments in this life
and in the life to come. May he open
to you the gates of paradise and
welcome you to everlasting joy.
A Amen.
Reading
Option 1
Jn 6, 54-58
“Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my
blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up
on the last day. For my flesh is real food and
my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh
and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in
him. As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father, so whoever
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eats me will draw life from me. This is the
bread come down from heaven; not like the
bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but
anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.”
Option 2
Jn 14, 23
Jesus replied: “If anyone loves me he will keep
my word, and my Father will love him, and we
shall come to him and make our home with
him.”
Option 3
1 Cor 11, 26
“Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time
you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are
proclaiming his death.”
A commentary on the reading or a moment
of silence
Renewal of the baptismal profession of faith
P Do you believe in God, the Father
almighty, creator of heaven and earth?
A I do.
P Do you believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
was crucified, died, and was buried,
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rose from the dead, ascended into heaven
and is now seated at the right
hand of the Father?
A I do.
P Do you 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?
A I do.
Litany
P Brothers, assembled together in one spirit,
let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for our
brother N., who freely chose the narrow way
of the evangelical counsels to follow him
more closely. Let us pray together saying:
PA Assist him, Lord.
P Lord Jesus, you loved us to the very end
and gave yourself up to death that we
might have fullness of life. We pray:
A Assist him, Lord.
P Lord Jesus you said, “Anyone who
eats my flesh and drinks my blood
will have eternal life”. We pray:
A Assist him, Lord.
P Lord Jesus, you invite us to the
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banquet of heaven, where there will
be neither suffering nor tears, neither
sadness nor separation. We pray:
A Assist him, Lord.
(Other invocations may be added)
Viaticum
The Lord’s Prayer
Rite of Communion as Viaticum
When the priest gives Communion to the sick
person, he uses the form for Viaticum.
P Jesus Christ is the food for the journey;
he calls us to the heavenly table.
OR
This is the Lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world. Happy
are those called to his supper.
A Lord, I am not worthy that you should
enter under my roof, but only say the
word and my soul shall be healed.
Distribution of Communion
After giving communion to the sick person, the
priest adds
P May the Lord Jesus Christ protect
you and lead you to eternal life.
A Amen.
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Silent Prayer
Prayer after Communion
P Let us pray: Heavenly Father, look upon our
brother N. whom you consecrated to yourself
in religious profession (and holy orders)
and who now, with faith in Christ, entrusts
himself to your promises. Grant that,
strengthened by the Body of your Son, he
may enter into the peace of your Kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P May the Lord be with you and protect you.
A Amen.
P May he guide you and give you strength.
A Amen.
P May he watch over you, keep you in his
care, and bless you with his peace.
A Amen.
P May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
.C...O....M.....M.....E....N....D....A....T...I..O....N......O....F.....T....H....E.....D....Y....I..N....G....
As a testimony to our dignity as Christians and as
religious, it is opportune to revive our faith and our
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hope as the hour of a confrere’s death approaches.
These texts and prayers may prove helpful.
Brief scripture texts, words of Jesus, litany
— Who can separate us from the love of
Christ? (Rom 8, 35)
— Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s
(Rom 14, 8)
— We have an everlasting home in heaven
(2 Cor. 5, 1)
— We shall be with the Lord for ever (1
Thess. 4, 17)
— We shall see God as he really is (1 Jn 3, 2)
— To you, Lord, I lift up my soul (Ps 25, 1)
— The Lord is my light and my salvation
(Ps 27, 1)
— I believe that I shall see the goodness of
the Lord in the land of the living (Ps 27, 13)
— Though I walk in the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil, for you are with me (Ps 23,4)
— “Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you” (Mt 25, 34)
— “The Lord Jesus says, today you will be
with me in paradise (Lk 23, 43)
— “The Lord Jesus says, I go to prepare a
place for you, and I will come again to
take you to myself” (Jn 14, 2-3)
— “Everyone who believes in the Son has
eternal life” (Jn 6, 40)
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— Into your hands, Lord, I commend my
spirit (Ps 31,6)
— Lord Jesus, receive my spirit (Acts 7, 59)
— Holy Mary, pray for me.
— Saint Joseph, pray for me.
— Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my
last agony.
Readings
a) Old Testament
— Is 35, 3-4. 6c-7. 10
— Job 19, 1. 23-27
Responsorial psalm
— Psalm 23
Ant. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall
not want.
— Sal 25
Ant. To you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
b) New Testament
— 1 Cor 15, 1-8.
— 1 Jn 4, 16
— Jn 6, 37-40
— Jn 14, 1-6.23.27
Litany of the saints
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
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Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Christ hear us
Christ, graciously hear us
Holy Mary, Mother of God
pray for him
Holy angels of God
pray for him
Abraham, our father in faith
pray for him
David, leader of God’s people
pray for him
All holy patriarchs and prophets pray for him
Saint John the Baptist
pray for him
Saint Joseph
pray for him
Saint Peter and Saint Paul
pray for him
Saint Andrew
pray for him
Saint John
pray for him
Saint Mary Magdalene
pray for him
Saint Stephen
pray for him
Saint Ignatius
pray for him
Saint Lawrence
pray for him
Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity pray for him
Saint Agnes
pray for him
Saint Gregory
pray for him
Saint Augustine
pray for him
Saint Athanasius
pray for him
Saint Basil
pray for him
Saint Martin
pray for him
Saint Benedict
pray for him
Saint Francis and Saint Dominic pray for him
Saint Francis Xavier
pray for him
Saint John Vianney
pray for him
Saint Catherine
pray for him
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Saint Teresa
pray for him
Saint John Bosco
pray for him
Saint Mary Mazzarello
pray for him
Saint Francis of Sales
pray for him
Saint Dominic Savio
pray for him
Saint N. (Patron of the confrere) pray for him
All holy men and women
pray for him
Lord, be merciful
Lord, save your people
From all evil
Lord, save your people
From every sin
Lord, save your people
From Satan’s power Lord, save your people
At the moment of death Lord, save your people
From everlasting death Lord, save your people
On the day of judgement Lord, save your people
By your coming as man Lord, save your people
By your suffering
and cross
Lord, save your people
By your death and
rising to new life
Lord, save your people
By your return in glory
to the Father
Lord, save your people
By your gift of
the Holy Spirit
Lord, save your people
By your coming
again in glory
Lord, save your people
Be merciful to us sinners Lord, hear our prayer
Bring N. to eternal life, first promised
to him in baptism
Lord, hear our prayer
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Raise N. on the last day, for he was nourished
with the bread of life Lord, hear our prayer
Let N. share in your glory, for he has shared in
your suffering and death Lord, hear our prayer
Jesus, Son of the living God Lord, hear our prayer
Christ, hear us
Christ, hear us
Lord Jesus, hear
our prayer
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer
P Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in
the name of God the almighty Father, who
created you; in the name of Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God, who suffered for
you; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who
was poured out upon you. Go forth, faithful
Christian. May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion, with
Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with St.
Joseph, and all the angels and saints.
A Amen.
P I commend you, my dear brother, to
almighty God, and entrust you to your
Creator. May you return to Him who formed
you from the dust of the earth. May Mary
most holy, the angels and the saints come
to meet you as you go forth from this life.
May Christ who was crucified for you
receive you into eternal freedom and peace.
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May Christ who died for you admit you to
paradise. May Christ, the Good Shepherd,
welcome you into his flock. May he forgive
all your sins, and set you among his elect.
May you see your Redeemer face to face,
and delight forever in the vision of God.
A Amen.
P Welcome your servant, Lord, into the
place of salvation which, because of
your mercy, he rightly hoped for.
A Lord, save your people.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, from every
distress.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered Noah from the flood.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered Abraham from Ur of the
Chaldees.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered Job from his sufferings.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered Moses from the hand of the
Pharaoh.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered Daniel from the den of lions.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered the three young men from the
fiery furnace.
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— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered Susanna from her false
accusers.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered David from the attacks of Saul
and Goliath.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, as you
delivered Peter and Paul from prison.
— Deliver your servant, Lord, through Jesus
our Saviour, who suffered death for us
and gave us eternal life.
.P...R....A....Y....E....R....S....A.....F...T....E...R......D....E...A....T....H....
P Saints of God, come to his aid! Come
to meet him, angels of the Lord!
A Receive his soul and present him to God
the Most High.
P May Christ, who called you, take
you to himself; may angels escort
you to the bosom of Abraham.
A Receive his soul and present him to God
the Most High.
P Give him eternal rest, O Lord, and may
your light shine upon him forever.
A Receive his soul and present him to God
the Most High.
P Let us pray. All-powerful and merciful
God, we commend to you N., our brother
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and your servant. In your mercy and
love, blot out whatever sins he committed
through human weakness. He has
died to this world; grant him birth to
eternal life with you in Paradise. We
ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
DEATH
Death reunites us to Christ
We remember our deceased brother N. with
fraternal affection. While his passing fills us
with sorrow, our hearts do not yield to despair
because we believe that his death is his “birth”
to new life in the Kingdom of Heaven. We
are a resurrection people. Beyond the veil
of suffering and death we find the joy of the
empty tomb of Jesus. Don Bosco reminds us
that: “a piece of paradise fixes everything.”
This is the horizon that now opens up for
our dear confrere N. who gave his life to God
in the service of the young as a member of
our Congregation. As we recall his personal
virtues, we acknowledge that all the good he
did for the young, in and through the Church,
was by the grace of God. With proud and
grateful hearts, we honour his legacy because
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he worked, believed, hoped, suffered and
loved among us as our brother. He lives on in
our midst, urging us to persevere in our own
vocation with fidelity and enthusiasm, until
we too reach our journey’s end in heaven.
The prayerful vigil in the presence of the
deceased confrere is an act of faith in and a
testimony to the resurrection. The celebration
of the Eucharist and the funeral rites are
eloquent expressions of the paschal realities:
our pilgrimage of human life, marked by
weakness and sin, comes by grace to fullness
of life in Christ, through an intentional and
profound interior purification. While death ends
our earthly existence, the communion between
the living and the dead endures. The daily and
yearly suffrage offered for the intentions of a
deceased confrere are occasions for us to renew
our bonds with him and to strengthen the union
between the Church militant and the Church
triumphant.
Suggested prayer services for the dead include
vigils, the rosary, daily commemoration
during Evening Prayer, community visits to
the cemetery and prayers for the grieving
community.
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PRAYER VIGIL FOR THE DECEASED
··-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-···········-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-
Presider’s greeting
P Brothers [and sisters], we are gathered
here in faith, hope and love around our
brother N. whom God has called from this
world. He shared our life, he shared our
beliefs, he worked with us in the vineyard
of the Lord. And now, he has returned to
the house of the Father. His passing fills us
with sorrow. His death affects all of us, as
a community and as individual confreres
[and friends]. But we must see his passing
in the light of faith, and seek its meaning
and significance in the Word of God. Death
does not break our connection to our
brother. It merely transforms it. We can
still help him, and yes, he can still help us
through the power of prayer that unites
us. Let us continue to carry our brother in
prayer, even as we trust that he will pray
for us as our intercessor before God.
Introductory prayers
One or more of the following psalms may be
recited or chanted. They may be chanted in
two choirs, or alternating between a soloist
and assembly. Each psalm may be followed by
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a concluding prayer that recalls the deceased
confrere.
Psalm 130
Ant. To you, O Lord, I lift up my voice.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.
Psalm 23
Ant. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
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there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
P Let us pray. We ask you, O Lord, to
listen to the prayers for our brother N.
Just as the true faith united him to the
community of believers on earth so, by
your mercy, may he now be united to
the assembly of the saints in heaven.
Through Christ our Risen Saviour.
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A Amen.
Listening to the Word of God
First reading
One of these passages is suggested
— Job 19, 23-27a.
— 1 Cor 15, 1-4.
— Jn 6, 53-58.
Second reading
The following readings may be found in various
offices of the Liturgy of the Hours, as indicated
(1) Christ will change our lowly body (St.
Athanasius – Office of the Dead).
(2) The Risen Christ is the hope of all Christians
(St. Braulio – Office of the Dead).
(3) It is a holy thought to pray for the dead
(St. Gregory Nazianzen – Friday, XXXI
Week in Ordinary Time).
(4) Let us die with Christ, to live with
Christ (St. Ambrose - 2 Nov.: The
Commemoration of All the Faithful
Departed).
(5) God’s mercies shall be my song forever (St.
Aloysius Gonzaga –21 June: Memorial).
(6) Let us show Christ Crucified in our lives
(St. Ambrose – Saturday, XXXI Week in
Ordinary Time).
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(7) The one who overcomes shall not
be harmed by the second death (St.
Fulgentius of Ruspe – Monday, XXXIII
Week in Ordinary Time).
(8) Let us banish the fear of death and
think of the eternal life that follows it
(St. Cyprian – Friday, XXXIV Week in
Ordinary Time).
(9) The death of Saint Monica- Let us gain
eternal wisdom (St. Augustine – 27
August: Memorial).
(10) An exemplary death: St. Martin, a poor
and humble man (Sulpitius Severus – 11
November: Memorial).
Profession of faith
P This is the message that we have received.
A This is our faith: Christ died for our sins,
in accordance with the Scriptures; he
was buried; and he was raised to life
on the third day, in accordance with the
Scriptures; he appeared to Peter and to
the twelve.
P The Lord is risen: the first fruits
of all who have fallen asleep.
A As all die in Adam, so all will be brought
to life in Christ.
Thanksgiving
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Option 1
P The Lord be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Lift up your hearts.
A We lift them up to the Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
A It is right and just.
P It is truly right and just, our duty and our
salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
In him the hope of blessed resurrection has
dawned,
that those saddened by the certainty of
dying
might be consoled by the promise of
immortality to come.
By this mystery of salvation, O Father,
we know the greatness of your love for us.
Now, as we await the coming
of your Kingdom of justice and peace,
we turn to you with the prayer
that Jesus taught us
PA Our Father...
Option 2
Intercessions
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P Brothers [and sisters], because we are
intimately united to Christ through baptism,
we have a share in his infinite glory. In
the Risen Lord, we remain united to each
other even beyond death. Strengthened
by this hope, we turn to the Lord in faith.
A Lord, graciously hear us.
L —For the Church: that she may be
for the world a sign of hope, love
and life. We pray to the Lord.
— For the world: may the hunger for life
which God has planted in the hearts of
all his creatures triumph over sin and
death. We pray to the Lord.
— For those who believe that death has the
last word: may our testimony of faith
inspire them with new hope. We pray to
the Lord.
— For our brother N., who believed in Jesus
and placed all his hope in his death and
resurrection: may the Lord welcome him
to his eternal dwelling place of light and
peace. We pray to the Lord.
— For our brother N., who accepted the
Lord’s call and followed him to the end
of his days: may the Lord grant him the
reward of the good and faithful servant.
We pray to the Lord.
— For our brother N., who was nourished
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with the bread of life: may the Lord grant
him the joy of the resurrection. We pray
to the Lord.
— For our brother N., who like each one of
us, bore his own human weakness and
fragility: may the Lord in his mercy cleanse
him of all guilt and sin. We pray to the Lord.
— For all of us here present: may the Lord
help us to grow in fidelity to him day by
day. We pray to the Lord.
A Our Father…
Concluding prayer
Any prayer from the Masses for the Dead may
be used.
P O God, you are the life of the just and the
glory of believers because you saved us
through the death and resurrection of
your Son. Have mercy, we pray, on our
brother N., who through his self-giving to
the Salesian mission professed his faith in
the resurrection. Bless him with endless
joy. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
DAILY REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEPARTED
-·-·-·-·-········-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·····-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·····-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-········-··
Each community, as a sign of brotherly
communion, decides on an opportune moment
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for the daily reading of the necrology (Reg. 47).
A meaningful moment could be during Vespers,
just before the final intercession. Occasionally,
it would be appropriate to recall, in personal
and community prayer, the memory of all the
deceased members of the Salesian Family. The
“Good Night” would be another appropriate
moment to honour the memory of confreres
who made an exceptional contribution to the
Congregation at the local, provincial or world level.
Below are suggested formulae for introducing
and concluding the remembrance of deceased
confreres. These introductions express our
gratitude to God for the lives of our deceased
confreres, and our ongoing prayer for their
eternal repose.
Introduction
— Let us remember our deceased confreres
whose death anniversary occurs tomorrow/
today [add date].
— Let us pray for our deceased confreres,
mindful that our human weakness is healed
by the merciful love of our God.
— Let us pray for our deceased confreres who
sought to grow in holiness by dedicating
themselves to the good of the young in the
spirit of Don Bosco.
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— Let us implore God’s mercy and peace
upon our deceased confreres, whose living
memory is a blessing for those who knew
and loved them.
Conclusion
Option 1
L Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon
them. May they rest in peace.
A Amen.
Option 2
L Grant eternal rest, O Lord,
A To all who seek to dwell in your peace.
Option 3
L God the Father has raised
Jesus from the dead.
A May he grant new life to our mortal
bodies, through the power of the Spirit
who dwells within us.
.V....I..S...I..T.....T....O.....T....H.....E....C....E....M.....E...T....E...R....Y....
In addition to the funeraI rites and the daily
remembrance of deceased confreres, we
preserve the ancient Christian tradition of
visiting the cemetery to pray in suffrage for the
dead, professing our belief in the resurrection of
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those who have fallen asleep in Christ.
Where possible, it is laudable to celebrate a
community Mass for all the departed confreres
in the cemetery/chapel or other suitable place.
The community could go in procession from
the place where the Mass was celebrated to the
tomb and offer appropriate prayers. The Order
of Christian Funerals contains responsorial
psalms, readings, intercessory prayers that
are appropriate for such occasions. Prayers at
the tomb may begin with a brief invitation to
prayer, followed by a short scripture reading, a
responsorial psalm, the Our Father and a final
prayer followed by the blessing of the tomb with
the sprinkling of holy water.
Prayer of the faithful
P Gracious God, in your loving plan of
salvation, you created us in your likeness
and image, redeemed us from sin and
death and restored us to fellowship in
your divine life. We entrust our deceased
brothers to your infinite mercy.
L Look kindly upon those who have
died in the certain hope of reaching
their homeland in heaven.
A May they rise from the dust to enjoy
fullness of life in your presence.
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L Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
you conquered death and broke the
ancient curse, restoring the temple
in your risen body and unlocking
for us the gates of heaven.
A Welcome into your dwelling place of
eternal light and holiness those whom
you chose to follow you in the service of
the young.
L Spirit of peace, you consoled our
deceased brothers in their trials and
tribulations. They have left this world
to join those who have preceded them
in faith from time into eternity.
A Be mindful of us, too, as we continue our
pilgrimage on earth and seek the eternal
joy of heaven.
P In faith and hope, we turn to the
Father and pray as Jesus taught us
A Our Father...
P Let us pray. Welcome, O Lord, into the
company of your saints our departed
confreres (names could be mentioned). In
the name of Jesus Christ, they followed
the gospel way of perfect love. Grant that
their mortal remains be raised up at the
final resurrection. Bless those whom from
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all eternity you have destined to share
in your glory. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
The tomb may be sprinkled with holy water,
while all the priests present join in imparting
the blessing.
P May the souls of all our deceased confreres
and of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
A Amen.
An appropriate hymn may be sung.
PRAYER FOR A COMMUNITY
·G···R····I··E····V····I··N·····G·····A·····C····O····N····F····R····E···R····E····’·S·····P···A····S····S···I··N····G····
This community prayer may be offered in the
chapel or in any other appropriate setting.
Confreres are invited to sit in a circle, facing one
other. It is recommended to have a lit candle
at the centre of the circle as a reminder of the
Risen Christ who is the focus of our hope and
consolation. A smaller candle could be prepared
to be passed around during the fraternal
sharing.
Greeting
P In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
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A Amen.
P May the consolation of God the Father, the
love of Christ the Son, and the life-giving
presence of the Holy Spirit be with you.
A And with your spirit.
The presider addresses the confreres with these
or other suitable words.
P The memory of our confrere’s passing
is foremost in our hearts and minds. In
our sadness we turn to the Lord of all
consolation, that he may restore our joy and
our strength. In this time of grief, let us ask
the Lord for the grace of renewed trust in
him who is the God of hope, the God who
alone can restore peace through the power
of the Holy Spirit. Although the ways of the
Lord are not always clear to us, we entrust
our brother N. to the Risen Jesus who by
his death and resurrection transforms
human defeat into Godly victory.
P Let us pray. God of all consolation, be present
to this community and comfort us as we
grieve the passing of our beloved confrere
N. Be our strength at this time of loss and
sadness. Surround us with your love. Help us
to find rest in your paternal embrace. Watch
over us when we rest and bless us at our
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rising, so that each day we may give ourselves
generously in service, to the glory of your
name. As brothers, may we be of one mind
and one heart. Strengthen our fraternal bonds,
that the memory of our deceased brother
which unites us in sorrow may also renew in
us the joy of total self-giving to our Salesian
vocation. Guide this community as we seek
together the promises of your Kingdom.
Who live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
The Word of God
Suggested Reading:
2 Cor 1, 3-7 (or) 1 Thess 4, 13-18
Responsorial psalm
Option 1
Ant. Console me with your love, O Lord.
Wrap me in your powerful embrace
Be for me a shelter in the storm, O Lord,
Protect me with your loving care.
By day I entrust my heartbreak to you
By night I entrust my troubled thoughts to you.
In you I find refuge,
In you I will not be afraid,
for you hold me tight; with you I am safe.
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Calm my fearful heart, O God,
Restrain my anxious thoughts, O Lord.
Because my whole life is founded on you
My entire being is entrusted to you,
All my hope has its source in you.
Option 2
— Psalm 23
Ant. The Lord is my shepherd,
nothing shall I want.
— Psalm 71, 1-8
Ant. In you, O Lord, I find refuge.
— Psalm 121
Ant. My help comes from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Gospel reading
Jn 11, 28-37 (Or) Lk 24, 28-32
Fraternal sharing
Each confrere is invited to share how the
deceased confrere impacted his life or some
meaningful anecdote from his life. During
this sharing, the passing of a lit candle from
one confrere to the next is recommended. The
passing-candle is lit from the Christ-candle that
was placed at the center of the circle. At the end
of the sharing, the community leader invites the
group to pray together the Our Father.
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Our Father
P Jesus taught us to call God our Father.
With confidence and trust we sum
up all our sentiments in the prayer
that the Lord has given us:
Our Father …
P All powerful God, Author of life and Lord
of creation, we see your majesty revealed
in all the works of your hands, from the
humble beauty of a simple flower, to the
rich dignity of every human person. We
thank you for filling our days with hope
in eternal life. Your Son assumed our
human condition in all things but sin,
and like us experienced the sorrow of
losing those who were dear to him. As we
recall our brother N. we ask that you open
the pages of our lives to the outpouring
of your mercy: forgive our sins and fill
us with profound gratitude for your
provident care. You are the resurrection
and the life. You live for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Blessing
P Loving Father, ease our grief with firm trust
in your paternal care. May your tender
love bring healing and consolation.
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A Amen.
P Jesus our brother, strengthen our
faith as we pray for the dead. May
our suffrage hasten the purification
of their souls; in your mercy, bring
them to the glory of eternal life with
all those whom they have loved.
A Amen.
P Consoler Spirit, assist us as we ponder
the mysteries that exceed our human
comprehension. Grant us an abiding trust
in the communion of saints, the forgiveness
of sins, the resurrection and life everlasting.
A Amen.
P May almighty God bless you, the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
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5 SEASON OF ADVENT
6 SEASON OF CHRISTMAS
7 SEASON OF LENT
8 THE SEASON OF EASTER
9 ORDINARY TIME

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PART TWO
THE
LITURGICAL
YEAR
“The commemoration of the mysteries of the Lord….
makes of our life a time of salvation in hope”
(Const. 89)

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5
SEASON OF
ADVENT

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ADVENT WREATH SERVICE
Blessing of the Advent wreath
The blessing of the Advent Wreath takes place
on the First Sunday of Advent, usually in the
chapel just before Sunday Evening Prayer I, or
in the community room or dining room after
Evening Prayer. In the first week of Advent, one
purple candle is lit. Each week of Advent an
additional candle is lit. The rose candle is lit on
Week III, Laetare Sunday. If it is local custom
to add a fifth Christ-candle to the center of the
wreath, it is normally lit on Christmas Eve.
Two possible prayer services are offered here.
The second is more suitable for gatherings
where young people are present.
Option 1
Introduction
All make the sign of the cross as the presider says:
P Our help is in the name of the Lord.
A Who made heaven and earth.
Scripture Reading
One of the following passages may be read.
Is 9, 1-2, 5-6
Is 63, 16-17, 19
Is 64, 2-7
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R The Word of the Lord.
A Thanks be to God.
With hands joined, the presider says:
P Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, God with us, the hope of
the peoples.
He is the wisdom that teaches and guides
us,
he is the Saviour of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us
salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Prayer before lighting the candle
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Come, Lord Jesus, Word of the Father. Teach us
to keep vigil. Make us doers of your Word and
builders of your Church. Help us to recognize
the signs of your saving presence in the
ordinary events of daily life. Come, Lord Jesus,
Maranatha.
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The blessing may conclude with a verse from an
Advent hymn. The verse however is omitted if
Evening Prayer is celebrated immediately after
the wreath blessing and candle lighting.
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
O come, desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of humankind;
bid ev’ry sad division cease
and be thyself our Prince of peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Come, Lord Jesus. Bring us back from
whatever paths have led us away from you.
Help us to follow you, who are the way, the
truth and the life. May your Word be a light
unto our steps, opening us to your gift of true
joy. Come, Lord Jesus, Maranatha.
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Come, Lord Jesus. We await you in joyful
anticipation as sentinels watching for
daybreak. Your dawn is near. May all
Christians grow in the light of your love and
by their manner of living attract new brothers
and sisters to the beauty of your church, the
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light you promised to the nations. Come, Lord
Jesus, Maranatha.
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Come, Lord Jesus. Stir up in our communities
the courage of Mary who set out in haste to
bring prompt, humble and loving service
to those in need. Her words and her zeal
proclaim your presence in her life; she reveals
that you are the fulfillment of every human
desire. Help us to be like her, Lord: wherever
people walk in darkness Lord, send us to be
your light. Come, Lord Jesus, Maranatha.
Option 2
Week 1 - The Candle of Hope
The Patriarchs, Abraham, the Old
Testament Ancestors of Jesus
An advent hymn could be sung
P Light and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.
A Thanks be to God
R1 Today is the First Sunday of Advent. We
recall the hope we have in Christ.
God told Abraham that through him all
the nations of the world would be blessed,
because he trusted and put his hope in
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God. The Old Testament spoke of the
coming of Christ, of how a Saviour would
be born, a king in the line of King David.
He would rule the world wisely and bless
all the nations. We too believe in God’s
promise to send Jesus again to this world
to establish his kingdom upon the earth.
(A person lights the first candle)
R2 Hope is like a light shining in a dark place.
As we look at the light of this candle we
celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
P Let us pray.
A God of Abraham and Sarah and all the
Patriarchs of old, you are our Father
too. Your love is revealed to us in Jesus
Christ, Son of God, and Son of David.
Help us in preparing to celebrate his
birth, to make our hearts ready and to
place our hope in you. Help us today and
every day to worship you, to hear your
word, and to do your will by sharing
your hope with others. We ask this in
the name of the one who was born in
Bethlehem. Amen.
Week 2 - The Candle of Peace
The first candle is lit before the prayer begins
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The prophets who foretold the birth of Jesus
An advent hymn could be sung
P Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
A Thanks be to God
R1 Today is the Second Sunday of Advent and
we will light the Candle of Peace.
Last Sunday we lit the first candle of
our Advent Wreath, and celebrated the
patriarchs. This first candle reminded
us of our hope in Christ, our Saviour,
born a king in the line of King David.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the City
of David, and we believe that he will
come again to fulfil all of God’s promises
to us. Today we light the second candle
of Advent, the candle of peace.
(A person lights the second candle)
R2 We remember the prophets who spoke of
the coming of Christ. The prophet Isaiah
called Christ “the Prince of Peace”. The
prophets foretold how Jesus would rule
the world wisely and bless all the nations.
When Jesus came he taught people the
importance of being peace-makers. He said
that those who make peace shall be called
the children of God. When Christ comes
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to us he brings us peace and he will bring
everlasting peace when he comes again.
We light the Candle of Peace to remind
us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and
that through him peace is possible in our
hearts, our families, and in the world.
R3 Peace is like a light shining in a dark place.
As we look at this candle we welcome
the peace that we find in Jesus Christ.
P Let us pray.
A Lord Jesus, Light of the World, the
prophets said you would bring peace and
save your people from trouble. Give peace
to our hearts this Advent and Christmas
time. We ask that as we wait for you to
come again, your peace might reign on
earth. Help us today and every day to
worship you, to hear your word, and to
do your will by sharing your peace with
each other. We ask it in the name of the
one who was born in Bethlehem. Amen.
Week 3 - The Pink Candle of Joy
The first and second candles are lit before the
prayer begins
Mary the Mother of Jesus
An advent hymn could be sung
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L Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord
A Thanks be to God
R1 Last Sunday we lit the Candles of Peace
and Hope as we remember that Jesus,
born in Bethlehem, will come again to
fulfil all of God’s promises and bring us
everlasting peace. Today we light the
third candle of Advent, the candle of Joy.
(A person lights the rose candle)
R2 When the angel Gabriel told Mary that
a special child would be born to her she
was filled with joy. She sang a song that
began with the words: “My soul magnifies
the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my
Saviour”. Just as the birth of Jesus gave
great joy to his mother, so his presence
in the world brings joy to those who had
none before. Jesus is our joy because
he heals those who believe in him.
R3 Our joy comes from the hope and peace
of knowing Jesus is near to us. The
candle of joy reminds us that Jesus wants
to be born in us and that through him
there will be everlasting joy for all.
Joy is like a light shining in a dark place.
As we look at this candle we celebrate
the joy we find in Jesus Christ.
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P Let us pray
A Thank you God for the joy you give
us. We ask that as we wait for all your
promises to come true, and for Christ
to come again, that we would remain
in your presence. Help us today, and
every day to worship you, to hear your
word, and to do your will by sharing
your joy with others. We ask this in
the name of the one who was born in
Bethlehem. Amen.
Week 4 - The Candle of Love
The first, second and third candles are lit before
the prayer begins
John the Baptist
An advent hymn could be sung
P Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
A Thanks be to God
R1 Last Sunday we lit the candles of hope,
peace and joy as we remembered
Jesus, born in Bethlehem, our
hope, our peace and our joy.
Today we light the fourth Advent
candle, the candle of love.
(A person lights the fourth candle)
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R2 In their old age, God gave Zechariah
and Elisabeth a son named John. John
spoke to the people bravely in the desert
denying his own comforts and accepting
to die for what he believed. John taught
that we should share what we have
with others, treat each other kindly and
show God’s love. He did this because
he cared for people and wanted them
to repent and find God’s forgiveness.
R3 Love is like a candle shining in a
dark place. As we look at the light of
this candle we celebrate the Christ’s
love that draws people together.
P Let us pray.
A Lord God, your witness, John the Baptist,
grew up strong in spirit and prepared
people for the coming of the Lord. He
loved your people and baptized them
in the Jordan River to wash away their
sins. Help us to have the same kind of
love as John. Make us witnesses to Jesus
and help us spread the good news of
your love to others. As Christmas draws
closer day by day, help us to be ready to
welcome Jesus in our hearts. Amen
Christmas Day
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The Last Candle - The Birth of Christ
An advent hymn could be sung
P Light and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.
A Thanks be to God
R1 Today is Christmas Day, on which
we recall the hope we have in Christ
because he is Emmanuel, God with
us. Today we light again the candles
of hope, peace, love and joy.
(Each candle will be lit as the leader speaks)
R2 First Candle. We live in hope ….. because
God keeps his promises to us.
R3 Second Candle. We work for peace
….. because Jesus is the ‘Prince of
Peace’ and he calls his children to
work for peace in his name.
R4 Third Candle. We share joy …. because
the Holy Spirit fills our hearts and
minds with the presence of God.
R5 Fourth Candle. We show love ….. because
Jesus gave everything for us and led
us to know the forgiveness of God.
R6 Last Candle (Christ candle). Now we
light our last candle to remember the
birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. As the prophets promised so
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long ago, Jesus came among as our
brother; and with the shepherds, we are
filled with wonder and amazement.
(A person lights the white Christ candle)
P Lord, you come as a tiny, fragile baby;
yet we know that you are mighty God
and Saviour of the world. May the flame
of this candle remind us that you are the
light of the world and that if we follow
you, we will never walk in darkness,
but will have the true light of life.
A O come, let us adore him! Amen.
TRIDUUM IN PREPARATION FOR THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
First Day: Mary, Model of Contemplation
Introductory Rites
P May the peace and salvation of God,
who fulfils his promises through Jesus,
his only begotten Son, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P My brothers, let us look to Mary, our
hope, as we unite our hearts to hers in
faithful anticipation and contemplation
of God’s coming among us.
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Let us pray.
Lord, almighty God and Father,
you inspired the Virgin Mary to embrace
her vocation fully
as the mystical dawn of redemption.
Through her cooperation
you fulfilled your promise of salvation.
Grant that we, through her intercession,
may likewise embrace all that you call us to
be.
Give us robust faith as we await the coming
of your Kingdom,
confident hope to prepare your ways, and
selfless love to render generous service
to those you entrust to our care.
We ask this through Jesus
Christ and our Lord.
A Amen.
From the Magisterium of the Church
Contemplating Christ with Mary
Jesus was transfigured before them, and “his
face shone like the sun” (Mt 17,2). The Gospel
scene of Christ’s transfiguration, in which the
three Apostles Peter, James and John appear
entranced by the beauty of the Redeemer, can
serve as an icon of Christian contemplation.
To look upon the face of Christ, to recognize its
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mystery amid the daily events and sufferings
of his human life, and then to grasp the divine
splendour definitively revealed in the Risen
Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the
Father: this is the task of every follower of
Christ and therefore the task of each one of
us. In contemplating Christ’s face we become
open to receiving the mystery of Trinitarian
life, experiencing ever anew the love of the
Father and delighting in the joy of the Holy
Spirit. Saint Paul’s words can then be applied
to us: “Beholding the glory of the Lord, we
are being changed into his likeness, from one
degree of glory to another; for this comes from
the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3,18).
The contemplation of Christ has
an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique
way the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was
in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving
from her a human resemblance which points
to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one
has ever devoted himself to the contemplation
of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary. The
eyes of her heart already turned to him at the
Annunciation, when she conceived him by the
power of the Holy Spirit. In the months that
followed she began to sense his presence and
to picture his features. When at last she gave
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birth to him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able
to gaze tenderly on the face of her Son, as she
“wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger” (Lk 2,7).
Thereafter Mary’s gaze, ever filled with
adoration and wonder, would never leave him.
At times it would be a questioning look, as
in the episode of the finding in the Temple:
“Son, why have you treated us so?” (Lk 2,48);
it would always be a penetrating gaze, one
capable of deeply understanding Jesus,
even to the point of perceiving his hidden
feelings and anticipating his decisions, as
at Cana (cf. Jn 2,5). At other times it would
be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the
Cross, where her vision would still be that
of a mother giving birth, for Mary not only
shared the passion and death of her Son, she
also received the new son given to her in
the beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19,26-27). On the
Easter morning, hers would be a gaze radiant
with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally,
on the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the
outpouring of the Spirit (cf. Acts 1,14).
Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ,
treasuring his every word: “She kept all these
things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2,19;
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cf. 2,51). The memories of Jesus, impressed
upon her heart, were always with her, leading
her to reflect on the various moments of her
life at her Son’s side. In a way those memories
were to be the “rosary” which she recited
uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life.
Even now, amid the joyful songs of the
heavenly Jerusalem, the reasons for her
thanksgiving and praise remain unchanged.
They inspire her maternal concern for the
pilgrim Church, in which she continues
to relate her personal account of the
Gospel. Mary constantly sets before the
faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with
the desire that the contemplation of those
mysteries will release all their saving power.
In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian
community enters into contact with the
memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.
St John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae 10-12
Meditation (recited in unison)
Mary, our Mother,
we turn to you in confidence
because evil has no power over you
who, from the day of your conception,
are full of grace and unblemished in holiness.
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In our daily battle against evil,
you are our comfort, our hope, our strength.
Before he breathed his last on the Cross,
Jesus gave you to us as our Mother.
You do not leave us orphaned.
Although we are sinners, we are also your
children,
called to that same holiness which you
personify.
As your children,
we invoke your motherly protection
over us, our families, our city, and our world.
As you, by God’s foreseeing love, were
preserved from all sin,
may we, through your intercession, be freed
from every spiritual and material slavery.
May love for God’s plan of salvation grow in
our hearts and direct all our endeavours.
Mother of Mercy,
look upon us and grant that our human pride
may yield to divine grace.
Teach us to be merciful to others,
just as our heavenly Father is merciful to us.
As we anticipate the feast of Jesus’ birth,
teach us to swim against the tide:
to welcome Jesus the Eternal Word,
to humble ourselves,
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to strip ourselves of everything superfluous
and vain,
to shed all hypocrisy,
to reach out in generous service of others,
to listen,
to make silence,
to reject indifference,
to create a space in our souls for the beauty of
God,
the only source of true joy.
Mary, our Immaculate Mother, pray for us!
Listening to God’s Word
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Romans (Rom 8,18-27)
I think that what we suffer in this life can
never be compared to the glory, as yet
unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole
creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal
his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of
creation that it was made unable to attain its
purpose, it was made so by God; but creation
still retains the hope of being freed, like us,
from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the
same freedom and glory as the children of
God. From the beginning till now the entire
creation, as we know, has been groaning in
one great act of giving birth; and not only
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creation, but all of us who possess the first-
fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as
we wait for our bodies to be set free. For we
must be content to hope that we shall be saved
- our salvation is not in sight, we should not
have to be hoping for it if it were - but, as I say,
we must hope to be saved since we are not
saved yet - it is something we must wait for
with patience. The Spirit too comes to help us
in our weakness. For when we cannot choose
words in order to pray properly, the Spirit
himself expresses our plea in a way that could
never be put into words, and God who knows
everything in our hearts knows perfectly well
what he means, and that the pleas of the saints
expressed by the Spirit are according to the
mind of God
A brief homily may be given, or a reflection
by any member of the community, lay mission
partner, or young person.
Prayer of thanksgiving
P Truly it is right and just to give you thanks,
and to raise a hymn of blessing and praise
to your name,
almighty and eternal God, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
He was announced by all the prophets,
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the Virgin Mother waited for him and raised
him with perfect love.
John proclaimed his coming and pointed
him out to the world when at last he
appeared.
May the same Lord, whose coming we
anticipate in this season of Advent,
find us vigilant in prayer
and exultant in his praise.
And now, together with Mary, let
us sing our song of praise:
Magnificat
A My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord and my spirit exults in God my
Saviour…
Intercessions
P We invoke Mary, model and first fruit of the
new creation. In her trusting expectation
of the Saviour she welcomed into her own
being the fulfilment of God’s promises. As
we prepare joyfully for the celebration of
the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, let us pray together and say:
A Hail Mary, full of grace.
L —In your Immaculate Conception, O
Virgin Mary, you were blessed by
the Lord and sanctified by God.
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— All holy Virgin, conceived without a
shadow of sin, you have become the
Mother of the Lord.
— You are robed in white as with snow,
your face shines like the sun.
— You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of
Israel, the honour of your people.
— We follow you, O Immaculate Virgin, drawn
by your beauty, strength and holiness.
Option 1
P Lord Jesus Christ,
who constituted your Immaculate Mother
a luminous model and figure of the Church,
through her intercession,
free us from our faults
and strengthen our desire for holiness.
You live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Option 2
P As we eagerly await our Saviour,
accept, O Lord, the prayers we offer you
through the intercession of Mary, his
Mother and ours.
The Immaculate One is our beacon of hope,
the praying Virgin
who contemplates the Word she welcomed
in her womb:
Jesus Christ our Lord.
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A Amen.
Final Blessing
(a Marian blessing from the Roman Missal, may
be used)
P O God,
who by the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
prepared a worthy dwelling for your Son,
grant, we pray,
that as you preserved her from sin
by virtue of the Death of your Son, which
you foresaw,
so, through her intercession,
we too may be cleansed and admitted to
your presence.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Second Day: Mary, Collaborator in the Plan
of Salvation
Introductory Rites
(as on the First Day)
P My dear brothers, at the announcement of
the angel Gabriel,
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the Virgin Mary accepted God’s plan for her
in a courageous act of faith.
We turn to her with heart-felt devotion
as we invoke her intercession.
Mary, ever-faithful Virgin,
intercede for us before the Father.
May your total availability to God’s divine
plan for you
rekindle our own zeal for God’s plans for us.
May our lives, like yours, be transformed
by our encounter with Christ
who comes to us day by day.
He lives and reigns with the Father and the
Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
A Amen.
The Annunciation: A call and a response. “Let
it be done unto me according to your Word”
The story [of the Annunciation] is one of
the most beautiful in the Gospel of Luke. It
provides a lens through which we can read our
present times. The Gospel is not just about an
historic event; it is always an announcement of
something new. The narration recalls ancient
hopes, expresses current expectations and
anticipates man’s dreams of salvation. All of
this resonates within Mary who personifies
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humanity. She is called to place herself
completely at God’s disposition so that all of
humanity’s deepest yearnings may be fulfilled.
“Rejoice”: this is a greeting commonly used by
the prophets when they address the Daughter
of Zion. It ensures God’s benevolent will
towards a person and announces an election
that brings about unparalleled happiness:
“Exult! You have been highly favoured”.
“The Lord is with you”: these words of
reassurance often accompany God’s call
to a particular mission. They are repeated
in vocation narratives that play a key role
in salvation history. This reassurance
indicates that when God chooses someone
for a particular vocation and mission, he
continuously supports them by his presence,
assistance, company, and covenant. “Nothing
is impossible for God”: this expression is
spoken to Sarah, the wife of Abraham, in
the desperate moment of her sterility, prior
to her bringing forth offspring as numerous
as the stars in the sky. It expresses God’s
decision to intervene in human affairs
in favour of humanity, overcoming any
limitation of nature or human freedom in the
unlikely people whom God chooses for his
purposes. The Annunciation remains for us
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the announcement of an event of particular
importance for humanity. It is the “vocation”,
the “call” of Mary to collaborate in the plan
of salvation; and it is her answer in faith that
would allow her to become an instrument of
human mediation in God’s divine plan.
Mary is invited, first of all, to believe that the
event announced by the Angel is possible
and also to believe in herself (this is the most
difficult part!); then, she is invited to make a
commitment, and finally to remain faithful
to this commitment for her entire life. All this
requires an unconditional trust in God.
God has the mysterious power of making
fruitful that which, to the human eye, is
sterile, limited or lost. The Annunciation,
therefore, is an invitation to review our faith
in the action and strength of the Spirit! The
Annunciation calls us to our vocation. In fact,
the Annunciation was the inspiration that
moved us to follow the Lord Jesus, following
the example of Don Bosco. Proclamations like
this call us to commitment and responsibility,
in which we must entrust ourselves to God
and await the future with trust.
The Annunciation reminds us, above all, how
our personal response to God should be:
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docile, trusting, continuous, like that of Mary:
“Let your word be done in me”. Mary allowed
herself to be shaped by the Word of God, by
the Spirit of God, to be the Mother of the Word.
In the inner sanctuary of her heart, grace and
the Spirit were at work to perfect in Mary her
vocation as Mother. And so we appreciate
anew the expression so dear to the Fathers,
that Mary conceived Jesus in her soul before
she conceived him in her womb.
Similarly, each of us must choose to allow our
obedience in faith to mature in dialogue with
God and in docility to the Spirit. Sometimes
in our active, consecrated or lay life, a tension
arises between our personal relationship with
God, that is to say, attentiveness, dialogue,
affectionate acceptance and gratitude of the
Lord, and - on the other hand - concern for the
results of our activities. The latter challenges
us and often tempts us. We want to do more
and more, and little by little we put all our
trust in the means and activities, to the point
that they end up draining us. We need to
constantly connect our endeavours and plans
to the source from which they take energy
and meaning: God’s invitation to collaborate
with Him. This is the profound meaning of our
obedience.
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We recognize Mary’s role in the inspiration
and founding of our Congregation and of the
Salesian Family. We turn to her as our mother,
asking that her journey of faith, so beautifully
displayed at the Annunciation, inspire our
journeys of faith: may we recognize the inner
call of God, let ourselves become interiorly
fruitful under the influence of the Spirit, and
offer our own “Here I am” to bring forth new
apostolic life.
Juan Vecchi, AGC 375
Prayer [in unison or in two choirs]
O Virgin Mary,
your many children find refuge under your
mantle
because you are our Mother of Mercy.
Your tender heart reflects the love of God
who draws near to us in Emmanuel.
Jesus became flesh of your flesh
so that as your son, he might be our brother
and as the Son of God, our Saviour.
We look to you, our Immaculate Mother,
in whom we contemplate
the victory of divine mercy over sin and all its
consequences.
You restore our hope in newness of life, lived
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to the full.
Help us to avoid every occasion of sin,
free us from all fear and resentment,
preserve our dignity as sons and daughters of
God.
Teach us to live as brothers and sisters reborn
in your Son.
Accompany us on our journey of faith.
Lead us to that open Door that is Christ.
With maternal care, speak your uplifting
words to our heavy hearts:
“Do not be afraid. Trust and come near.
Behold Jesus, the face of the mercy of God.
Do not be ashamed, do not delay.
The Father awaits you with open arms,
eager to welcome you home.
Come, drink at the source of his peace and joy”.
We thank you, Immaculate Mother,
for walking before us on the road of
reconciliation and fullness of life.
Nurture our purity of heart, that we might see
God.
We trust you, our Mother, now and forever.
Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
A reading from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 1.26-39)
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The Visitation
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent
by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the House of David; and the virgin’s name
was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice,
so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She
was deeply disturbed by these words and
asked herself what this greeting could mean,
but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be
afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You
are to conceive and bear a son, and you must
name him Jesus. He will be great and will be
called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will
give him the throne of his ancestor David; he
will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and
his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the
angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I
am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon
you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the
Most High will cover you with its shadow. And
so the child will be holy and will be called
Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman
Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived
a son, and she whom people called barren
is now in her sixth month, for nothing is
impossible to God’. ‘I am the handmaid of the
Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be
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done to me.’ And the angel left her. Mary set
out at that time and went as quickly as she
could to a town in the hill country of Judah.
Prayer of thanksgiving
P The Lord be with you
A And with your spirit
P Lift up your hearts
A We lift them up to the Lord
P Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God
A It is right and just.
P Eternal Father, we praise and glorify your
name
for you created the universe
and breathed humanity into being, allowing
us to share in your divine life.
After the fall of Adam and Eve, you did not
abandon us,
but revealed your plan of salvation by
calling Abraham,
who hoped against hope,
and in faith brought forth the people of the
first covenant.
Throughout salvation history,
you have continued your patient dialogue
with humanity,
stirring bold and courageous hearts to
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respond to your call.
Finally, in the fullness of time, you sent
your messenger, an angel,
to Mary, a poor virgin who humbly
entrusted herself entirely to you.
In faith she received your Word within her
and became the Mother of your Son and of
all believers.
She is the cause of our joy as we rejoice in
her life-giving faith.
With her, we glorify your name:
Magnificat
A My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord….
Closing Invocation of Mary
P Hail Mary, full of grace, obedient handmaid
of the Lord:
your nuptial “Yes” to the Father continues to
bear fruit in every age.
Fertile and free, you opened your heart to
God without resistance or reserve.
As the mystical spouse of God, the seed of
his Spirit was planted within you,
and the invisible God was made visible in
your Son.
We honour you as queen of the kingdom of
God, ark of the covenant,
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tabernacle of the law, nest of the Spirit, seat
of wisdom,
uncorrupted witness of the Word given and
received.
In your maternal fidelity,
intercede for us when our faith is weak
that we may be reconciled with the Father
and bear fruit in his Kingdom.
He lives and reigns with your Son and the
Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Third Day: Mary, Figure of the Church,
Listening to the Word of God
Opening Dialogue
(as on the first day)
P Let us pray.
Gracious God, source of all goodness,
through Mary’s intercession
and in the power of the Holy Spirit,
keep your Church attentive to your Word,
that she may be strong in faith, rich in hope
and boundless in charity.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
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A Amen.
From the Church’s magisterium
Mary, “Mother of God’s Word” and “Mother of
Faith”
The human reality created through the word
finds its most perfect image in Mary’s obedient
faith. From the Annunciation to Pentecost
she appears as a woman completely open
to the will of God. She is the Immaculate
Conception, the one whom God made “full of
grace” (cf. Lk 1.28) and unconditionally docile
to his word (cf. Lk 1.38). Her obedient faith
shapes her life at every moment before God’s
plan. A Virgin ever attentive to God’s word,
she lives completely attuned to that word; she
treasures in her heart the events of her Son,
piecing them together as if in a single mosaic
(cf. Lk 2.19,51).
In our day the faithful need to be helped to
see more clearly the link between Mary of
Nazareth and the faith-filled hearing of God’s
word. […] The incarnation of the word cannot
be conceived apart from the freedom of this
young woman who by her assent decisively
cooperated with the entrance of the eternal
into time. Mary is the image of the Church
in attentive listening of the word of God,
which took flesh in her. Mary also symbolizes
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openness to God and others; an active
listening which interiorizes and assimilates,
one in which the word becomes a way of life.
Here I would like to mention Mary’s familiarity
with the word of God. This is clearly evident
in the Magnificat. There we see in some sense
how she identifies with the word and enters
into it; in this marvellous canticle of faith, the
Virgin sings the praises of the Lord in his
own words: “The Magnificat – a portrait, so
to speak, of her soul – is entirely woven from
threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from
the word of God. Here we see how completely
at home Mary is with the word of God, with
ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks
and thinks with the word of God; the word of
God becomes her word, and her word issues
from the word of God. Here we see how her
thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God,
how her will is one with the will of God. Since
Mary is completely imbued with the word of
God, she is able to become the Mother of the
Word Incarnate”.
Furthermore, in looking to the Mother of God,
we see how God’s activity in the world always
engages our freedom, because through faith
the divine word transforms us. Our apostolic
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and pastoral work can never be effective
unless we learn from Mary how to be shaped
by the working of God within us: “devout and
loving attention to the figure of Mary as the
model and archetype of the Church’s faith is of
capital importance for bringing about today
a concrete paradigm shift in the Church’s
relation with the word, both in prayerful
listening and in generous commitment to
mission and proclamation”.
As we contemplate in the Mother of God a life
totally shaped by the word, we realize that
we too are called to enter into the mystery of
faith, whereby Christ comes to dwell in our
lives. Every Christian believer, Saint Ambrose
reminds us, in some way interiorly conceives
and gives birth to the word of God: even
though there is only one Mother of Christ in
the flesh, in the faith Christ is the progeny
of us all. Thus, what took place for Mary can
daily take place in each of us, in the hearing
of the word and in the celebration of the
sacraments.
Benedict XVI, Apostolic Exhortation,
“Verbum Domini” 27-28
Prayer [in unison or in two choirs]
Mary, our Immaculate Mother,
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Through your maternal eyes
we behold all people and all creation
with respect and gratitude,
unfiltered by selfish interests or hypocrisy.
Through your immaculate heart,
we learn to love unconditionally,
unfettered by ulterior motives, masks or
manipulation,
always seeking the good of the other,
with a simple and sincere heart.
Through your immaculate hands,
we learn never to grab or strike,
but to caress with tenderness the flesh of Jesus
who is present in our poor, sick and
marginalized brothers and sisters.
We learn to lift up those who have fallen
and to support those who falter.
Through your immaculate feet,
we learn to go in haste
eager to encounter those who cannot take the
first step,
to bring back those who are lost,
and to acknowledge those who are overlooked
and forgotten.
We turn to you, our Immaculate Mother, ever
free from the illusion of sin.
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Your freedom foreshadows our own.
Remind us that before and after all that we
experience
there is the grace of God the Father who wills
us into being,
the love of Christ the Son who gave his life for
us,
and the power of the Holy Spirit who makes all
things new.
When we are discouraged, rekindle our trust
in your assistance.
Help us to be zealous co-workers of the Holy
Spirit,
that with hearts and minds renewed,
we may dream God’s dreams in every
generation.
Pray for us, Immaculate Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises
of Christ!
Amen.
Listening to God’s Word
A Reading from the Book of Revelation
(Rev12,1-12a)
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the
moon, and with the twelve stars on her head
for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour,
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crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then
a second sign appeared in the sky, a huge red
dragon which had seven heads and ten horns,
and each of the seven heads crowned with a
coronet. Its tail dragged a third of the stars from
the sky and dropped them to the earth, and
the dragon stopped in front of the woman as
she was having the child, so that he could eat
it as soon as it was born from its mother. The
woman brought a male child into the world,
the son who was to rule all the nations with an
iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight
up to God and to his throne, while the woman
escaped into the desert, where God had made a
place of safety ready, for her to be looked after
in the twelve hundred and sixty days.
And now war broke out in heaven, when
Michael with his angels attacked the dragon.
The dragon fought back with his angels,
but they were defeated and driven out of
heaven. The great dragon, the primeval
serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had
deceived all the world, was hurled down to the
earth and his angels were hurled down with
him. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven,
‘Victory and power and empire for ever have
been won by our God, and all authority for his
Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused
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our brothers day and night before our God,
has been brought down. They have triumphed
over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the
witness of their martyrdom, because even in
the face of death they would not cling to life.
Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there.’
Prayer of thanksgiving and Profession of faith
P The Lord be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Let us give thanks to the Lord for he is good
A He has worked marvellous deeds for us.
[adapted from the Preface of Mary, Image and
Mother of the Church I]
P Almighty and eternal God,
we proclaim your greatness
and thank you for your loving-kindness
as we honour the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Receiving your Word in her Immaculate
Heart,
she conceived Jesus in her virgin’s womb
and giving birth to the Creator
she nurtured the beginnings of the Church.
Standing beside Jesus at the cross,
she received the testament of divine love
and became the Mother
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of all those who, by the death of Christ,
are born to heavenly life.
As the Apostles awaited the Spirit you had
promised,
she joined them in faith-filled supplication
and so became the pattern of
the Church at prayer.
Raised to the glory of heaven,
she accompanies the pilgrim Church with a
mother’s love;
she watches in kindness over the Church’s
journey of faith
until the day when the Lord
shall come again in glory.
And so, through our Blessed Mother’s
intercession,
we ask you to overshadow us with your
Spirit
who gives us the joy of
proclaiming our faith:
Prayer [in unison or in two choirs]
A We believe in God the Father Almighty,
who in the fullness of time
sent his only begotten Son, born of a
woman.
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We believe in Jesus Christ
who for all humanity and for our
salvation
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and
became man.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who preserved the Mother of God from
original sin,
guided her always in the ways of
holiness,
and made her a new creation in Christ,
born in God’s mercy by the very Son she
bore.
We believe that Mary
conceived in her heart and in her womb
the eternal Word of God
and gave birth to the Life of the world.
We believe that Mary is the Mother of
God’s only Son,
beloved daughter of the Father
and temple of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that Mary
collaborated in a unique way
in the Saviour’s mission
through her obedience, faith, hope and
charity.
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Mary,
figure of the Church,
holy virgin and loving mother,
look with tender watchfulness upon the
pilgrim people of God.
Assist us with your motherly love and
intercession.
We have recourse to you,
who are Advocate, Rescuer, Help of
Christians,
Mother of God and our Mother!
Amen.
Blessing
CHRISTMAS NOVENA
(From 17 December to 23 December)
Each community can decide how to integrate
the novena into their common prayer. One
possibility is to combine the Novena with the
Liturgy of the Hours, singing the Prophetic
Song, Antiphons, Magnificat and Closing Prayer
from the Novena, and taking the rest from
Evening Prayer.
After the scripture reading, a brief
sermonette on it or on the daily “O” Antiphon
may be given. This may be given by
community members who do not normally
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have occasion to share in this way, such as
brothers or confreres in initial formation.
(For the full Christmas Novena in Chant, visit
http://www.donboscowest.org/resources/
novena-prayers)
The Prophetic Song
Chantn•
THE l'ROPIIETIC ONG
Loni ■10, the prophru rotd 10 glowlnl
u:aagc-,y tbc- aptrod«~ of Gmrs K.Lngdoa
1.n 1be ~,.. Jrrm ■ lie-m , the- Church. i.og
•hb them the woodc-H ol ChrUl1 1• C01111la3.
C..ng,qatlOfl
.,,..+.,, ~ of: J,o.,....,..(a.m1 for H• •-•• yovr lord -,d
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4A 1 nJ;rJII
yo..., Je.• n.,,.. .. ........
c...,. .totl. .
4'1 J J Jr JJ1J 1-t J
J'JJ;J,
a.;,,g.~ to .;. up-on Ki~
tfv--one. yoc.t ♦h..&1 s.e H;nt, .,'lid in
4A )' Jli ;, n .J ' II
IA ; c.........,..
JI JI ~ J jjji ; J I l J• ~ J· jjji .j J II
TI,,. Loni oi.r tG"~ is d.--ewwN"lg ,,_,., 0 conw, le+ u.• •-dore Him .
tft.i 1 J JJJJ)J J !J1.P) J
J. 11.- hdd, th. Ha..ly 0- af un.oi lhall appear, God,-• .i,;eld
t'I" J j JJJJJJJ• J ~J.,;
k,~ H•• and ~ • •nd the .li-a •clom ,if
.h&il r . .t "j>-on
ILJ 1J1 JJ! J )J•J i JI JI J•J•J I
i# ; ; ) ;, ; , , ; ; , n o i..-: Hi• do-_;,, ah.II OflCompau the l.,.d f......, ... h, ._,
J• J
and from +he Mv-air ,._...,." W"•¼o the ~ •• ,no.+ r-«- mo+.
IJtC.._11...
1 t J' f J• J ;, J I Ji J• J J ;, J J I
T\\.e Lord 04r ~ is ~ .,..,..: 0 c:ome, l•t '" • -do,,,,.• Hm"I .
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.,.,._r, 4. Ile-hold.. 11w l..ard ;.,deec( oh.If
and His word ahalf
for _;f+ and ....l-dan al,,all
C.J1tr•1otl0ft
TI.. i.-ct ...... Ki'lt i, clrewlng na.-, 0 come, I.......dor• Hirn .
o ...,.,..
ahall all ihe ~ and pnn- J tho land,all tho _.;_•
and •-,..,.,.Him.
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I' J• _, , 1 uI ;, J, J• J ;, u:tJ ;, o .,1 JI!
end ruJ. Hi, peo-,ple; for the go,,,.,.,,ment ,...b, un H;, ehauW.r,
,~ .fl J J V JI iii JI J I , J J• iii' , .J J I
1lw 1...-d ow- kAng i1o d r ~ near1 0 comtt &et va a -clor• H;m.
#4 1' Jo J ) J• ~ J i' J I ; 1 J J J•
,pnng 7. &.11,W-,,, city of God 11.... High, h'Offl 'Y"'4 ..i..11
ff..
44 ;, P i, J >) i I ; 1 J J ; ;, J J
4AJ• J•JJJ•J ,, ) X.-r••••, cho..., ~ of
•nd Hi• .,.,...;ng -h,rtl, .i...11 I,. ac
J!) JI JI} I J
°" fl.. ti-lo•• mom ol tt. dayo d .,.__.,..,ty, •o .hall
~ J• } J! J J• ) J• J ) JI J' J Ji
..,_ netion•• coun+leu ~ dw,,,t H;, ,....;.. in wond1"04.U
i#j,ifa J• .J I JI i"i J, 1•"
.J_i
1~ 1
1!!
?!!
::fJ
µI.
J~
--
conce..+ : .,.cl l&>hng p-.ce ""-JI fil .,..,. lo,nd
wh.n
b J J1 J II
He .i...a .... - ,...,.
c-,,....,Oft
4A JI ' J t , ) , J I JI J· , 1 Ji u J 11
The l.onf ow- tG.,_ ;,, drew~ .,,....., 0 c;arne, W ua • · dare Hi,...
*t;•0)1 O IRISTM/\\S h-YE Af>O TIIIS:
Oonter1-
J• Jl J> J•)) Ji) J• i, ) J ; ;J
ctW- To• rno,rr-ow shell ~ . Qrth be, frittd from a ll fn -; ..
♦y ,
Coogr090ff..,
,M JI J J• V J iii' J' ., I J J! JI iii' ;, J J
drew,~ ,_, TI,., I..Grd our Ki'1! ;..
0 .,...,. lo+ w • · dar-• H;.,_
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N..,. In- de-d i~ o,,;,i - Lord.
0 com•, t.+ ua .... d.or-• H:..,, .
II rn RION TTE
A ,~adin& &ca Ho.ly Sc-r1pt:urc= aad/ m 11
brief ,amOBC"nC'. Tia«!' n.ow far God'.s li•ing word:
Opta your~.,, to~ DJ.,1nc• Sowu.
111 THE PSAUI
A •oa1 lu 11r1rdJc.1im. In wards taftn from
chc- P••IIIL'l, •c= beg Ct.b e to come- qukldy
1111.ad br U11 I he- cw IJ Dt-tcy and pie ace=.
1.
z.
1 a.-
il>e Lord
4-. DNp
dew, h,...,..,,,, MM:IJ douda, rain
S. 0
do
l> S.-..-, Lord,
7. Lord Nnd ti. L.ri> , rui.- of
8. Com L....d 6od of hoot•, ..,d
u• ,. c,,,,.. L.....i, gr- in peace
_...., IQ May
iu-, Lord, on e..-th
11 A- ,..,. W~Po"'-
+he..._.. 12.ro-'-'<1,
a 0,,. ly
.....cl
and
I( c-, Lo.-d, ...nw,;, +o ...
Ii 61o- y -to +he F.ofher, S-, ..wl Ho -
... . ,...,..
wiih gi.d-
,1....1•.,,•.
.... ;. com• ing,
•• -IN
0...;
. .. =· •• r•-
ye.,;-
.,..,._ltff
c.y,
our
+ion,•
• "'-· liv.. . ,. u&I
your v.. - ;+, •
yow-,.... ing, .
and -1o ... . .
no long- ..- , •
COffla down to us; •
)OU•
ly Sp,-
i+. •
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l ..t, mowm-a.ns,
Z. Md, lowly
3. on Hie poor 1-t.
... ... ,,..
::!.I~ i--- +ice.
-- will "-w.
"-Y•
... - · . , . opw,ed - ......
forth • S.v- ior•
~ ancl vlait ua ...;+1,
"t-.-eiv-....,.,....,...._. ......~ •·,. .,_,. 1.
"°"" a . i - ... yo...r f.oc•, anc:1 ... .i..11
t. that _. may jvy bef!W'e
..Y. •
-- -- » your - lv.+ion
u - ~I.
-- ll. looae 11,e bond.
.,.,.,.,. -l•
..i-
d S:on••
.-..,_t
-i-
e ll
in all
.... ;,,
of >"'""
Ho - ly
n.o-
peo-
♦ion.
+ion.
11..nt
hon,
tlon,.
+y.
pl• .
U I.ow th. ,_+.,;,,. .....U ....it -:1 .t-
14. ....... dwell o -
.,.,.
15. • ., b "*aiow.ing, now .,,.. w - .,,_
)'Our
llw
-·
,._ -pr-- en~!
0.-- .. 1,;... .
IV TIIE SHORT READING
A tbou3-ht froa cbc lc:-1t.cr co chc Hcbrc••:
tht Clwi•t child H ctcraal HiJh Prluc •od
K.lo1 of agc:-s. ow Mrdlac« .,hb lhc- Father.
41C.lelN011t
JI J J J J J• JI JI } J J J )' J j
Ou.- f_,....,..,..., ~ lamb wi+hou• bl.m;.I,, goe• i,, f..- '41 1
J J•J• J J J ~., j J•J•J• J
• h:gh pnut far.-.- like l1elch,..d.ch1• He i, lhe 1(;"8
-J; J J J 1; J J J J J J .JU
c-,,.,..,... of j,Htic&, wilhou+ beginning ~ dey• o,-ond cl, life .
fi.&' JJ•J.IH
All +hank, be +o God .
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V TII E HYMN
Joy eod •oodc:r a, cbt myslcr)' ol God aadc
a&a, and the i. . ..cult.ct- btaucy ol Hi:11:
, , i ,f .fl iii .iii ~ _,, JI iii~ J JI J J, J• , I
""&"'' 11•---S A dorian ...,;.. ;.. lwonl • · I•
der ~ ......_.
$. Th a......J -
of 11,., ""-f A - - • i...ly form grcl• ..,, Our
-.o-d- 6. ,.., 6od the f ~ 6od the So,,, ..ct God 1he Sprit-- in
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VI OUR LADY'S SONG
Be-fore and after Mary'• Soag. dog ooe ol
lhc-sc andpboos or rdr■im wbkb . ~ tbc
hyaocc- ol cbc- clay'• lhwgy. Tbc-y are ricb
i11 •C-ripc.li#al c-oateot aod aoe:r utiscic io
fora aod aclody.
o..-kt 16tl, Aatlp....
I >1 ,. Jier ¢ cr c v , r 1 , ¼ , J•
Lo, the k•"8 ;. . _. lnsl\\.or<lof .U <re· .+;on, ...cl Ii. oholl W..
41 J! > Jl JI.jjJJJ i:J l'JJ II
SIMC OUR UDY'S SDMC
Ji(J iJ
0
J
trom 4'e ,_.. ot
• ---; u J• J! ,J ii!ilvod
pr-o ·
JI
c:...1- ;ng
J
and ruch• ing
f rom
"r/f w , s , a 0 JJ
encl 1-c,
ti I' j
end - - , d i$- pose all ti,ing•
, na Ji J I ., 3 J I J• J• □
,.;.., - t. ...... 0 ,ome to an- logh♦-
, ,n J I ) J• /J ; J .l
.. .... in #,e way, of pr..- dft>c:a .
II
SIHG OUR LADY' S SOHG
~· ., ~
JJ J Q _pJJ
0 - A-
J ~
,J, J J do- na -
I
laad- • • of the
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you op· peor-ecl - - a..cl S- him .,.,,.,. law
on
Si - nai . 0 come and do ,..,., -
30m '" in +he •+rength cl yaur • ...,, •• - t.,..f- eel ,
0 - - l?oot ol- J.s • M, • loft-y ~t•ndard un -
lo t+.e
si - lent :Jw,11 ,... - mai n - - - while all P-"l'lo Iv yo..
ah.II r-al - ly . 0
de- liv -
... "° .._. and de - loy
long- er.
SIHG OUR U.OY ' S SOHG
0 - Key al Oa- vid, ond smptr-• al- the
ho..,.. of Is - r-a - el, who O• pen and
hOne c..an dos• - - - , who close end nane
can
o- pen, 0 c.ome, r,-- +he c;ap -tive fra,n
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30.1 Page 291

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, " -?
pris•
J
on
I -I J•
...ho ai♦s
ii!
,n
J• J• J1 J1 J J K
d•.-k-n•••• in a-th'• .had-- ·
, .,-, ' JJJ JJ 0 J J• Jr J
0 - Qia- ing Oey- ,.••,., aplen . do.- of
, > ,, . 4~H fl
Jj
lL. •- Hsht
♦er- .....1 e nd
l
ff
ina .......
, s , s n ii JJ a, C] I
v
-.,. jus- iic.e - - , 0 come, and light wiln
yo...r- r-e- diance those who ,n dork -
, JJ J I J; J J' J1 Ji J J ]
~ dwell and lin - g.,- in d.a-th'a ahacl- ow -
iJ , ' - ~ 22nd AaliphM
/J JJ
i
Jl J!
0 - l(;ng of no· liono, long de - s i,-.d
" Ji ,J .J J I J• Ji J J a
and a- weit- eel, the bwld- ers' cor -
er a n 41' J°J r r , ~ v , , v
ner atone - - - , yo'4 bind in on. who♦ wao
IP 3 i J Js
- ~·..... di-
vid- ad. 0
.J I
to
.j I j .I
sin-
' I , ;J J I J J• j J
JJ
t•• ful rnon, mo.--
day you once fa.h-ionod-
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0 - Em - m• • nu- al,
J Jt
our- king and
J
1"1 - ia- la - +.,,-, n: . pec+- ed
~ ,b Ja aJ CJ ti S
'of
all na- tions. - - a...l +heir on- ly
,. R; Ji J I J3 -I I J, / fJ
liO J , ..r- - - +ion, 0 ~ be o...- ,.. _
J'J ,, 13;,
11
.....,_ -, l...-d our 6od and mas- t..-.
1' > ' /j .r J I • 1 ;QJ JI J J·
"r+ \\o/h., the fnt ,-v- of - " •
I
iho .,_.,,.... , ahall you
I>, WJ J Ji
iii I ;HJ JJJJ JJlJJ
1ie-1w1<1 4',e
""8 .,, "T r , r I' f,-, tt..
I J iii I Q ;, .Q J ,1.. J~ J; > U -1 I
F...,_,. aa • lwiclii~
i,t;a ~ - . - ._,,_ I"&.
SIii(; OUR LADY'S SONG
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OUR L•DY'S SOMC
n J'~ J
J J J! J
.... I. My ooul ,,._., .. nl • fl••
• Lord
' .._,_ . z. S.- C-.H> heh.. ~...-cMd ...... lo-'~. .. .,~•
.. .... iv,.,...._~..-- .... . r•• J.
a..
w kia
... ......, '' '"'8""v .... -
...,.cy ;, r,,.,..,~
..-... . 1 He
.i,..,. .... ~
,...;"
•-
•
i,;,
.. ... ........ -_,_ . ,. w•
,-.t down 11,e m~ty
f;,W th. hu"S.-Y wltl.
..... v..-.. .. ...... 8 He hu Ir,_. h•Jp io I.rad, hi•
'l £- v...
.,..... to
fa+h-
• - Clio ry to th. F.+he.-. Son
Holy
Spir-
it
;p I JI J II
.. ... - - .a,_.....;..., 2. l,r,bohol4, "--4,,,ih
J,oll e-.lf me l,lo,n-
ad.
ho- ly
s4.. .-..
~ who f...- .......
and._ ....._ 1 he 1- ecott,wwd ii,, ,......., ;n h
t.
~ h t ! ......,_ the,;r-COI"\\ cef♦
bl.,
ti,,,~·-· ..... -- 7. .,. .,., -♦ #,e nm away
e. mincltw
!l io ,.,,__, .,.J ... i.;, Po,....i-
lQ, .. ;,.
for-
-of- .+.y. .h.,e.n,.d_-
ty to.- -
A-
ad.
c..y...
,...."·
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c., ....... ,
Vll TIIE LCl5 ING PRAYE R
In thla pra)·c-r of the: u:1otmbt1 1 •ummoa
up ■ Ii the de-•irc- of you beatl aad UK' udor
ol yow JoYc: Coar, Lord JesW1 I
The l.,,rd be with you ,
And ,.,;th your apir - it ,
c., ....... ,
Le+ us pr,ry .
..+ 1-,d -lo •u•+ain us with )'>Ur g-aca; -Ina+ we who
lean on ycur loving cono+ancy may b. hear+oned by ~
•a•~ God, on• wah the Father and Ho - ly Spirit
Co111f•1otlN
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17 December
Scripture Reading (Wis 7,21-30)
The Nature of Wisdom
All that is hidden, all that is plain, I have come
to know,
instructed by Wisdom who designed them all.
For within her is a spirit intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
active, incisive, unsullied,
lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, sharp,
irresistible, beneficent, loving to man,
steadfast, dependable, unperturbed,
almighty, all-surveying,
penetrating all intelligent, pure
and most subtle spirits;
for Wisdom is quicker to move than any
motion;
she is so pure, she pervades and permeates all
things.
She is a breath of the power of God,
pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
hence nothing impure can find a way into her.
She is a reflection of the eternal light,
untarnished mirror of God’s active power,
image of his goodness.
Although alone, she can do all;
herself unchanging, she makes all things new.
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In each generation she passes into holy souls,
she makes them friends of God and prophets;
for God loves only the man who lives with
Wisdom.
She is indeed more splendid than the sun,
she outshines all the constellations;
compared with light, she takes first place,
for light must yield to night,
but over Wisdom evil can never triumph.
“O” Antiphon
O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!
Magnificat
Intercessions
Option 1: from the Liturgy of the Hours
Option 2:
P As we await the manifestation of our
Lord Jesus Christ, we place our trust in
his mercy. Even today, God is faithful
to his promises and wants to save
those who wait for him in hope.
L Our response to each petition is:
Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
A Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
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L —For the Church: that she may be a
faithful steward of God’s many gifts by
breaking open the Word, celebrating
the sacraments and practicing
evangelical mercy. We pray…
— For all men and women who seek God
with a sincere heart: that their hopeful
anticipation of the Lord will give meaning
and direction to their lives. We pray…
— For all of us present here today: that our
prayerful listening to the Word of God
may open us to the cry of the poor and
urge us to respond with the joy of the
Gospel. We pray…
— Additional intentions
18 December
Scripture Reading (Ex 19,16-19; 20,1-5a)
The Israelites consecrated on Mount Sinai
Now at daybreak on the third day there
were peals of thunder on the mountain and
lightning flashes, a dense cloud, and a loud
trumpet blast, and inside the camp all the
people trembled. Then Moses led the people
out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at
the bottom of the mountain. The mountain of
Sinai was entirely wrapped in smoke, because
the Lord had descended on it in the form of
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fire. Like smoke from a furnace the smoke
went up, and the whole mountain shook
violently. Louder and louder grew the sound of
the trumpet. Moses spoke, and God answered
him with peals of thunder. Then God spoke
all these words. He said, ‘I am the Lord your
God who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery. You shall have no
gods except me. You shall not make yourself
a carved image or any likeness of anything in
heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters
under the earth; you shall not bow down to
them or serve them’.
“O” Antiphon
O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty
power!
Magnificat
Intercessions
Option 1: from the Liturgy of the Hours
Option 2
P During this Advent season the Lord calls
us to stay awake and be ready for his
second coming. This is an invitation to
convert to the Lord with all our heart. As
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we wait in hopeful anticipation, we ask
the Lord for his help, that through him
and with him and in him, we may receive
his light and bring it to the world.
L Our response to each invocation is:
Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
A Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
L —For our community: that the light of
Christ may never diminish in us as
we witness to him as the Saviour,
the Light of the world. We pray...
— For all people: that the darkness of
selfishness, fear and mutual distrust may
be dispelled by the luminous rays of
courage, optimism, mutual respect and
virtue. We pray…
— For all of us present here: that we may
recognize the face of the Lord in all our
brothers and sisters, especially in those
who are weakest and most needy. We pray…
— Additional intentions
19 December
Scripture Reading (Is 11,1-12)
The Peaceful Kingdom and the Faithful Remnant
A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,
a scion thrusts from his roots:
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on him the spirit of Yahweh rests,
a spirit of wisdom and insight,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of
Yahweh.
He does not judge by appearances,
he gives no verdict on hearsay,
but judges the wretched with integrity,
and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of
the land.
His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,
his sentences bring death to the wicked.
Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,
faithfulness the belt about his hips.
The wolf lives with the lamb,
the panther lies down with the kid,
calf and lion cub feed together
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear make friends,
their young lie down together.
The lion eats straw like the ox.
The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s lair the young child puts his
hand.
They do no hurt, no harm, on all my holy
mountain,
for the country is filled with the knowledge of
the Lord
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as the waters swell the sea.
That day,
the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples.
It will be sought out by the nations
and its home will be glorious.
That day,
the Lord will raise his hand once more
to ransom the remnant of his people,
left over from the exile of Assyria, of Egypt,
of Pathros, of Cush, of Elam,
of Shinar, of Hamath, of the islands of the sea.
He will hoist a signal for the nations
and assemble the outcasts of Israel;
he will bring back the scattered people of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
“O” Antiphon
O Root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!
Magnificat
Intercessions
Option 1: from the Liturgy of the Hours
Option 2
P The Saviour for whom we are waiting is
the Prince of Peace. Let us pray that his gift
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of peace will have a lasting effect in our
lives, on our families, and in the world.
L Our response to each invocation is:
Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
A Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
L —For the Church: that every Christian
may be a sprout of Jesse, bringing
forth new life through the gifts of
the Spirit and working for a world
of justice and peace. We pray…
— For all government officials and those in
positions of power: that they may lead
with sincerity, seek the common good,
promote peaceful conflict resolution, and
respect the human dignity of all peoples,
especially the most vulnerable. We pray…
— For us gathered here: that our daily
choices and personal plans of life may
reflect the mission of Jesus Christ, who
came to bring peace to all nations even
through our active collaboration. We pray…
— Additional intentions
20 December
Scripture Reading (Is 22,22-23; 49,8-9)
Zion’s Children will be brought home to the
House of David
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I place the key of the House of David on his
shoulder;
should he open, no one shall close,
should he close, no one shall open.
I drive him like a peg into a firm place;
he will become a throne of glory for his
father’s house.
Thus says the Lord:
At the favourable time I will answer you,
on the day of salvation I will help you.
I have formed you and have appointed you
as covenant of the people.
I will restore the land
and assign you the estates that lie waste.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,
to those who are in darkness, ‘Show
yourselves’.
On every roadway they will graze,
and each bare height shall be their pasture.
“O” Antiphon
O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal
Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!
Magnificat
Intercessions
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Option 1: From the Liturgy of the Hours
Option 2
P In the fullness of time God the Father sent
his Son for our salvation. He has freed
humanity from the slavery of evil and sin.
As the Father’s beloved children, let us pray
that we may always live in that freedom
which Jesus our brother has won for us.
L Let our response be: Come,
Lord Jesus, do not delay.
A Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
L —For the holy Church of God: that she
may be a courageous herald of the
Gospel, proclaiming Jesus as the light
of the world. We pray to the Lord.
— For all Christians: that our attentive
listening to the Word of God may bring
about a revolution of tenderness in our
hearts and minds, and free us from
indifference and spiritual superficiality.
We pray to the Lord.
— For unbelievers and sinners: that they
may encounter Jesus as he truly is:
not a limitation to human freedom, but
freedom’s very source and fulfilment. We
pray to the Lord.
— Additional intentions
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21 December
Scripture Reading (Is 60,1-9)
The Ingathering of the Dispersed
Arise, shine out, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord is rising on you,
though night still covers the earth
and darkness the peoples.
Above you the Lord now rises
and above you his glory appears.
The nations come to your light
and kings to your dawning brightness.
Lift up your eyes and look round:
all are assembling and coming towards you,
your sons from far away
and your daughters being tenderly carried.
At this sight you will grow radiant,
your heart throbbing and full;
since the riches of the sea will flow to you,
the wealth of the nations come to you;
camels in throngs will cover you,
and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
everyone in Sheba will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing the praise of Yahweh.
All the flocks of Kedar will gather inside you,
the rams of Nebaioth will be at your service.
They will come up, for acceptance, to my altar,
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to adorn the Temple of my glory.
Who are these flying like a cloud,
like doves to their cote?
Yes, for me the ships are assembling,
vessels of Tarshish in the front,
to bring your sons from far away,
and their silver and gold with them,
for the sake of the name of the Lord your God,
for the sake of the Holy One of Israel who has
made you glorious.
“O” Antiphon
O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in
darkness and in the
shadow of death.
Magnificat
Intercessions
Option 1: From the Liturgy of the Hours
Option 2
P Jesus is the true light that illuminates every
man, woman and child. In Advent hope,
we pray for the grace of welcoming him
more fully into our lives so that in all our
relationships, others may encounter not
only us, but Christ shining through us.
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L Let our response be: Come,
Lord Jesus, do not delay.
A Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
L —For the Church of God: that as the
new Jerusalem, her divine light may
dispel the shadows of our human
limitations, and so fulfil her mission
as guide for all the nations on the
way of salvation. We pray…
— For the Pope and all bishops, priests and
religious: that, in the light of Christ, they
may see themselves as earthen vessels
chosen by God to carry a precious
treasure. We pray…
— For men and women who do not yet
know the joy of faith: that they may
welcome Christ into their lives and
accept his word as a light unto their
path. We pray…
— Additional intentions
22 December
Scripture Reading (Rev 1,12-19, 15,3-4)
A Vision of Christ and the Victors’ Canticle
I turned round to see who had spoken to me, and
when I turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands
and, surrounded by them, a figure like a Son of
man, dressed in a long robe tied at the waist with
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a golden girdle. His head and his hair were white
as white wool or as snow, his eyes like a burning
flame, his feet like burnished bronze when it
has been refined in a furnace, and his voice like
the sound of the ocean. In his right hand he was
holding seven stars, out of his mouth came a
sharp sword, double-edged, and his face was
like the sun shining with all its force. When I
saw him, I fell in a dead faint at his feet, but he
touched me with his right hand and said, ‘Do not
be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the
Living One. I was dead and now I am to live for
ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of
the underworld. Now write down all that you see
of present happenings and things that are still to
come’.
And they were singing the hymn of Moses, the
servant of God, and of the Lamb:
‘How great and wonderful are all your works,
Lord God Almighty;
just and true are all your ways,
King of nations.
Who would not revere and praise your name,
O Lord?
You alone are holy,
and all the pagans will come
and adore you
for the many acts of justice you have shown.’
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“O” Antiphon
O King of all nations and keystone of the
Church:
come and save man,
whom you formed from the dust!
Magnificat
Intercessions
Option 1: from the Liturgy of the Hours
Option 2
P We anticipate the coming of the Lord
who is Mighty Counsellor and Prince of
Peace. Let us entrust to him the needs of
the world, that he may heal the wounds
of hatred and division and unite the
human family in faith, hope and love.
L Let our response be: Come,
Lord Jesus, do not delay.
A Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
L —For the Church of God: that as the
new Jerusalem she may attract
all nations to her light and build
up the People of God, eager to do
God’s will. We pray to the Lord.
— For people who do not believe and for
those who are indifferent to faith: that
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they may recognize the signs of God’s
saving presence in the world and accept
him into their lives as Saviour. We pray
to the Lord.
— For those who suffer in body, mind or
spirit: that they may find strength, hope
and healing in the Lord. We pray to the
Lord.
— For our community: that we may be
living examples of the Gospel in action,
professing what we believe and living
what we profess. We pray to the Lord.
— Additional intentions
23 December
Scripture Reading (Is 7,10-15)
The Prophet’s Sign of Emmanuel
Once again the Lord spoke to Ahaz and said,
‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself
coming either from the depths of Sheol or
from the heights above’. ‘No,’ Ahaz answered
‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then he
said: Listen now, House of David: are you
not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a
sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and
will soon give birth to a son whom she will
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call Immanuel. On curds and honey will he
feed until he knows how to refuse evil and
choose good.
“O” Antiphon
O Emmanuel,
our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
Magnificat
Intercessions
Option 1: from the Liturgy of the Hours
Option 2
P Let us give thanks to God the Father
who, in his merciful love, sent his
Son into the world as Emmanuel,
“God-with-us”. With confidence in his
goodness, we turn to him and pray.
L Our response is: Come, Lord
Jesus, do not delay.
A Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay.
L —For the Pope and all bishops, priests
and religious: that they may always be
faithful and credible witnesses of the
presence of Christ in their lives and
in the world. Let us pray to the Lord.
— For all Christians: that they may
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be sentinels of the dawn, faithfully
announcing God’s creative action in the
world and witnessing to his love as the
guiding force in their lives.
— For all the people: that they may be open
to God’s loving kindness and welcome
the coming of Christ in their midst. Let
us pray to the Lord.
— Additional intentions
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6
SEASON OF
CHRISTMAS

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PROCLAMATION OF THE BIRTH OF
CHRIST (from the Roman Martyrology)
Proclaimed after Christmas Evening Prayer I or
before the beginning of the Christmas Eve Vigil
Mass
English
The Twenty-fifth Day of December, when ages
beyond number had run their course
from the creation of the world,
when God in the beginning created heaven and
earth,
and formed man in his own likeness;
when century upon century had passed
since the Almighty set his bow in the clouds
after the Great Flood,
as a sign of covenant and peace;
in the twenty-first century since Abraham, our
father in faith,
came out of Ur of the Chaldees;
in the thirteenth century since the People of
Israel were led by Moses
in the Exodus from Egypt;
around the thousandth year since David was
anointed King;
in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
in the year seven hundred and fifty-two
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since the foundation of the City of Rome;
in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar
Octavian Augustus,
the whole world being at peace,
JESUS CHRIST, eternal God and Son of the
eternal Father,
desiring to consecrate the world by his most
loving presence,
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and when nine months had passed since his
conception,
was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of
Judah,
and was made man:
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
according to the flesh.
Latin
Anno a creatione mundi, quando in principio
Deus creavit caelum et terram, quinquies
millesimo centesimo nonagesimo nono; a
nativitate Abrahae, anno bis millesimo; a
Moyse et egressu populi Israel de Aegypto,
anno millesimo ducentesimo quinquagesimo;
ad unctione David in Regem, anno millesimo
decimo; Hebdomada sexagesima quinta, juxta
Danielis prophetiam; Olympiade centesima
nonagesima quarta; ab urbe Roma condita,
anno septingentesimo quinquagesimo
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secundo; anno Imperii Octaviani Augusti
quadragesimo secundo, toto orbe in pace
composito, sexta mundi aetate, Jesus
Christus, aeternus Deus aeternique Patris
Filius, mundum volens adventu suo piissimo
consecrare, de Spiritu Sancto conceptus,
novemque post conceptionem decursis
mensibus (Hic vox elevatur, et omnes genu
flectunt) in Bethlehem Judae nascitur ex Maria
Virgine factus Homo. (Hic autem in priori voce
dicitur, et in tono passionis). Nativitas Domini
nostri Jesu Christi secundum carnem.
31 DECEMBER – LAST DAY OF
THE CALENDAR YEAR
At the end of each calendar year, we are
encouraged to complete a personal scrutiny of
life. This is an opportunity for us, as individuals
and as members of a local and provincial
community, to do an examen of consciousness
and a review of life as an expression of
thanksgiving for the grace of another year.
P On this last day of the calendar year, we gather
as brothers in the presence of the Lord. We
offer God our heartfelt thanks and praise,
in our own names and as members of this
community, for all the good that God has
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lavished upon us over this past year. We also
stand humbly before God, and before one
another, acknowledging our sins and failures,
united in our common need for forgiveness
and our trust in divine mercy. With confidence
in God’s providence, we look forward to the
year that lies ahead. Let us be intentional
about becoming ever more grateful stewards
of all that God entrusts to us. Let us ask for
the grace to be more loving to one another
and to our God who is always faithful to us.
Let us pray.
God of time and eternity, Father of every
grace and blessing, rich in mercy and love,
help us to review this past year and to
recognize your saving plan for us in the
daily circumstances of our lives. Nourish
within us a profound desire for conversion,
reconcile us to yourself, and guide us on our
way, that we may continue to grow into our
full stature in Jesus Christ, your Son and
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Penitential Prayer
A Reading from the First Letter of Peter
(1 Pet 4,7-11.17-19)
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Everything will soon come to an end, so, to
pray better, keep a calm and sober mind.
Above all, never let your love for each other
grow insincere, since love covers over many
a sin. Welcome each other into your houses
without grumbling. Each one of you has
received a special grace, so, like good stewards
responsible for all these different graces of
God, put yourselves at the service of others. If
you are a speaker, speak in words which seem
to come from God; if you are a helper, help as
though every action was done at God’s orders;
so that in everything God may receive the glory,
through Jesus Christ, since to him alone belong
all glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
The time has come for the judgement to begin
at the household of God; and if what we know
now is only the beginning, what will it be when
it comes down to those who refuse to believe
God’s Good News? If it is hard for a good man to
be saved, what will happen to the wicked and
to sinners? So even those whom God allows to
suffer must trust themselves to the constancy
of the creator and go on doing good.
Penitential Rite
(invocation with a sung penitential acclamation)
P Let us come before our Heavenly
Father in confidence to seek
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forgiveness and implore his mercy.
Penitential Psalm or other chant
Ps 31,1-9.20.24-25
In you, O Lord, I take refuge.
Let me never be put to shame.
In your justice, set me free,
hear me and speedily rescue me.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mighty stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
Release me from the snares they have hidden
for you are my refuge, Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
O God of truth, you detest
those who worship false and empty gods.
As for me, I trust in the Lord:
let me be glad and rejoice in your love.
You who have seen my affliction
and taken heed of my soul’s distress,
have not handed me over to the enemy,
but set my feet at large.
How great is the goodness, Lord,
that you keep for those who fear you,
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that you show to those who trust you
in the sight of men.
Love the Lord, all you saints.
He guards his faithful
but the Lord will repay to the full
those who act with pride.
Be strong, let your heart take courage,
all who hope in the Lord.
P Receive, O Lord, the contrite hearts of your
faithful. With the light of your presence,
purify our world, scatter the shadows
of hatred, heal the wounds of violence
and indifference. By your grace, make us
instruments of your peace and justice.
You live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
P Let us give thanks to the Lord for his
many gifts to us throughout this past
year. We thank him especially for his
presence among us and for our Salesian
vocation, which invites us to seek the
Kingdom of God with a humble spirit,
a pure heart, and a simple way of life.
A All glory and praise to you, Lord, who
are the fount of life and the artisan of
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marvellous works. Accept our sincere
gratitude for your countless blessings.
Receive the efforts of all people of good
will who, in your name, work diligently
to bring about a world of peace. Amen.
Te Deum
P Let us offer a hymn of praise to the Lord for
the marvellous deeds he has worked for us.
A We praise you, O God:
We acclaim you as Lord.
Everlasting Father,
all the world bows down before you.
All the angels sing your praise,
the hosts of heaven and all the angelic
powers,
all the cherubim and seraphim
call out to you in unending song:
Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the Lord God of angel hosts!
The heavens and the earth are filled
With your majesty and glory.
The glorious band of apostles,
the noble company of prophets,
the white-robed army who shed their
blood for Christ,
all sing your praise.
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And to the ends of the earth
your holy Church proclaims her faith in
you:
Father, whose majesty is boundless,
your true and only son, who is to be
adored,
the Holy Spirit sent to be our Advocate.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
Son of the eternal Father.
When you took our nature to save
mankind
you did not shrink from birth in the
Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the power of death
opening the Father’s kingdom to all who
believe in you.
Enthroned at God’s right hand in the
glory of the Father,
You will come in judgement according to
your promise.
You redeemed your people by your
precious blood.
Come, we implore you, to our aid.
Grant us with the saints
a place in eternal glory.
P Lord, save your people and
bless your inheritance.
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A Rule them and uphold them for ever and
ever.
P Day by day we praise you:
A We acclaim you now and to all eternity.
P In your goodness, Lord,
keep us free from sin.
A Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
P May your mercy always be with us, Lord,
A For we have hoped in you.
P In you, Lord, we put our trust:
A We shall not be put to shame.
Concluding Prayer
P Bless, O Lord, your pilgrim people,
guide humanity in the ways of your
Kingdom, set your peace on our hearts
and store up in heaven whatever
good we have done during this past
year through Christ, Our Lord.
A Amen.
Solemn Blessing
P [or deacon] Bow your heads for the blessing.
Option 1
P God, Our Father, Lord of time and eternity,
we offer to your glory all the sacrifices
and acts of charity which you inspired in
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us throughout this past year. In the year
that lies ahead, bless us with zealous
dedication to your service, and renewed
confidence in your provident care.
A Amen.
P Christ Jesus, Emmanuel, who came to
us as our brother to show us how to
be human, inspire us to be convincing
missionary disciples for the world today,
so that each passing year may render
more visible your plan of salvation.
A Amen.
P Spirit of grace, who bring divine power to
our human condition, deliver us from the
allurement of sin and empower us for service
through the outpouring of your manifold gifts.
A Amen.
P May the blessing of almighty God, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend
upon you and remain with you forever.
A Amen.
Option 2
P May God, the source and origin of all
blessing,
grant you grace,
pour out his abundant blessings upon you
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and keep you safe from harm
throughout the year.
A Amen.
P May he give you integrity of faith,
endurance in hope
and perseverance in charity.
A Amen.
P May he order your days in his peace,
grant your prayers in this and in every place,
and lead you happily to eternal life.
A Amen.
Concluding Prayer
P Let us go in peace, glorifying
the Lord with our lives.
A Thanks be to God.
Final Hymn
1 JANUARY – FIRST DAY OF THE
CALENDAR YEAR
This prayer may be inserted to Evening Prayer
II on 1 January, after the intercessions
Prayer for peace
Creator God and Lord of history,
who keep humanity in your watchful care,
we turn to you in prayer.
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From beyond the reach of time
your love and mercy are active in the world
breathing nothingness into being.
You reveal your majesty in the wonders of the
universe,
which you entrust to us as our common home.
In your likeness and image, you fashioned
man and woman
the crowning jewel of creation, stewards of all
your hands have made.
Heaven and earth are a symphony of your
infinite wisdom and goodness,
every human life, a song to your glory,
measured in time, but ringing into eternity.
The face of humanity reflects your wisdom;
in every sincere heart, your Spirit dwells.
Jealous guardian of human liberty:
in your loving-kindness, free us from every
slavery to sin and death;
deliver those who seek the truth in your word.
Ineffable presence of peace:
make every heart restless for you,
eager for freedom from the seduction of evil.
Where there is hatred, sow love,
where there is pride, inspire humility,
where there is violence, stir up the candour
of those who heed the cry of the poor.
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Patient lover of life:
gather all humankind into your truth.
Let those who suffer know your fatherly love
through the fraternal embrace we offer them.
Grant to those who give and those who receive
a living hope that today’s sorrow will yield to
eternal joy.
Deflate self-centred passions,
extinguish vengefulness and spite,
transform greed into responsible stewardship
that seeks the benefit of all.
We beseech you, our merciful God:
teach us to be artisans of peace,
free us from sterile conflicts,
make us builders of reconciliation and
communion,
let all people recognize their own human dignity
as they honour the dignity of others.
Watch over all of our endeavours,
increase our faith.
We thank you
for your gifts and graces,
for friendships that sustain us,
for acts of love that untie knots
and weave together the tapestry of your
Kingdom.
Amen.
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RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL PROMISES
(on the Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord)
By religious profession
we mean to live the grace of our baptism
radically and more fully.
(Const. 60)
P We bless you, God, our Father of mercy,
for the loving-kindness you show us.
A For while we were dead through our
trespasses,
you restored us to life in Christ.
P We bless you, Jesus Christ, Son of the
Father,
who became man for our salvation.
A With generous hearts, we desire to
follow you on the path of the evangelical
counsels.
P We bless you, Holy Spirit, the Intercessor,
who bestows upon us every spiritual
blessing in the heavens.
A Teach us to be signs and bearers of your
grace to the young,
and guide our feet into the way of peace.
P Let us pray.
Grant us, Lord,
the grace to stay fervent in our response to
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your call,
zealous missionary disciples to the young
in the spirit of St. John Bosco.
May our docility to you in the Salesian
mission
redound to your greater glory
like a symphony of praise offered in your
name,
who are Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
and live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Scripture Readings
Option 1
Second Letter of Peter (2 Pet 1,2-10)
The Power of God’s Promise
May you have more and more grace and peace
as you come to know our Lord more and
more. By his divine power, he has given us all
the things that we need for life and for true
devotion, bringing us to know God himself,
who has called us by his own glory and
goodness. In making these gifts, he has given
us the guarantee of something very great and
wonderful to come: through them you will be
able to share the divine nature and to escape
corruption in a world that is sunk in vice. But
to attain this, you will have to do your utmost
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yourselves, adding goodness to the faith that
you have, understanding to your goodness,
self-control to your understanding, patience
to your self-control, true devotion to your
patience, kindness towards your fellow men
to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.
If you have a generous supply of these, they
will not leave you ineffectual or unproductive:
they will bring you to a real knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. But without them a man is
blind or else short-sighted; he has forgotten
how his past sins were washed away. Brothers,
you have been called and chosen: work all the
harder to justify it. If you do all these things
there is no danger that you will ever fall away.
Option 2
Letter to the Romans (Rom 6,3-14)
You have been taught that when we were
baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised
in his death; in other words, when we were
baptised we went into the tomb with him
and joined him in death, so that as Christ was
raised from the dead by the Father’s glory,
we too might live a new life. If in union with
Christ we have imitated his death, we shall
also imitate him in his resurrection. We must
realise that our former selves have been
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crucified with him to destroy this sinful body
and to free us from the slavery of sin. When
a Christian dies, of course, he has finished
with sin. But we believe that having died with
Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ,
as we know, having been raised from the
dead will never die again. Death has no power
over him anymore. When he died, he died,
once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with
God; and in that way, you too must consider
yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God
in Christ Jesus. That is why you must not let
sin reign in your mortal bodies or command
your obedience to bodily passions, why you
must not let any part of your body turn into an
unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin; you
should, instead, offer yourselves to God, and
consider yourselves dead men brought back to
life; you should make every part of your body
into a weapon fighting on the side of God; and
then sin will no longer dominate your life,
since you are living by grace and not by law.
Salesian Reading
The first object of our Society is the
sanctification of its members.
To Don Rua and the other beloved sons of St.
Francis de Sales living in Turin:
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It is most likely that our Society will be
definitively approved in the near future.
I therefore feel the need to speak to my
beloved sons more frequently. Since it is not
possible for me to see you all in person, I will
endeavour at least to reach you by letter.
The first object of our Society is the
sanctification of its members. Therefore, each
one on entering must strip himself of every
other thought, every other concern. Whoever
enters to enjoy a tranquil life, to seek comfort
and pursue studies, to escape his parents’
commands or be exempt from obedience to
some superior would have a twisted purpose.
He would not be living the Saviour’s Sequere
me, but would be following his own temporal
interests and not the good of souls.
The apostles were praised by the Saviour and
were promised an eternal kingdom not because
they abandoned the world, but because by
abandoning it they showed themselves ready
to follow him along the way of tribulation, as
in fact happened, consuming their life with
fatigue, penance and suffering, and eventually
suffering even martyrdom for the faith.
Nor is it a good purpose for one to enter or
remain in the Society because he believes
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he is necessary for it. Let each one have this
firmly etched on his mind and in his heart:
beginning from the general superior down to
the least of the members, no one is necessary
in the Society. God alone is its head, its
absolute and necessary master. Therefore, its
members must turn to God, their head and
true master, the one who will reward them.
Let each one enrol in the Society out of love
for God, and out of love for him to work, obey
and abandon whatever he possesses in the
world in order to be able to say to the Saviour
whom we have chosen as a model: ecce nos
reliquimus [omnia] et secuti sumus te, quid ergo
dabis nobis? [we have left everything to follow
you, what then will you give us?]…
So, when we say that everyone must enter
the Society guided by the sole desire to serve
God with greater perfection, and to do good
to himself, he intends to do to himself the true
good, which is spiritual and eternal.
Whoever is seeking a life of comfort or leisure
will not fare well in our Society. We base
ourselves on the word of our Saviour who says:
“If any want to become my disciples, let them
sell all that they possess, give the proceeds to
the poor, and then come follow me”. But where
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shall he lead us, where shall we follow him,
if he did not have so much as a place to rest
his own weary head? “Whoever wishes to be
my disciple”, says the Lord, “will follow me in
prayer, through penance, and especially by
denying himself, taking up the cross of daily
tribulations, and follow me”. But just how far are
we to follow him? Until death, and, if he so wills,
even by death on a cross. This is what anyone
in our Society must do if he truly desires to
give himself completely to the sacred ministry,
to teaching or any other priestly services,
even if that means coming to a violent death
in prison, in exile, in chains, tormented by
water or flames, so that after having suffered
death with Christ on earth he may enjoy with
Christ the joys of heaven. This seems to me the
meaning of the words which St. Paul addresses
to all Christians: “Qui vult gaudere cum Christo,
oportet pati cum Christo”… Those who wish to
rejoice with Christ, must suffer with Christ”.
Once a brother has entered with these
good dispositions he must show himself
unpretentious and welcome any office that is
entrusted to him. Teaching, studying, working,
preaching, hearing confessions, in church or
out of church: he must accept the humblest
tasks cheerfully and without hesitation,
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because God does not look at the nature of
our work, but looks at the ends for which
they are done. Therefore, all responsibilities
are equally noble, because they are equally
meritorious in the eyes of God. My dearest
sons, have confidence in your superiors; they
must give a strict account to God for your
works; therefore, they discern your capacity
and inclinations, trying to meet every need in
a way that is compatible with your strengths,
always seeking the greater glory of God and
the advantage of souls.
Oh! If our brothers enter the Society with this
attitude, our houses will truly become heaven
on earth. Peace and harmony will reign among
the individuals of every community, charity
will be the daily garment of those in positions
of authority, and a superior’s every step,
work and thought will be met with respect
and obedience. In short, we will be a family
of brothers gathered around their father to
promote the glory of God on earth so that one
day we will able to love him and praise him in
the immense glory of the blessed in Heaven.
May God fill you and your labour with his
blessings, the grace of the Lord sanctify your
actions and help you persevere in goodness.
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Renewal of Baptismal Promises
P Do you renounce Satan, and all his
works and empty promises?
A I do.
P Do you believe in God, the Father
almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
A I do.
P Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only
Son, our Lord, who was born of the
Virgin Mary, suffered death and was
buried, rose again from the dead and is
seated at the right hand of the Father?
A I do.
P Do you 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?
A I do.
P This is our faith. This is the faith of
the Church. We are proud to profess
it in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A Amen.
Sprinkling with Holy Water
P The holy water with which we are about
to be blessed reminds us of the waters
of baptism in which we died to sin and
rose again to new life in Christ. Let us
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renew our fidelity to this great gift and
grace that God has bestowed upon us.
(The blessing may proceed in one of two ways:
(i) the presider sprinkles the assembly with
holy water, or (ii) each person comes to the holy
water font and blesses himself).
Our Father
P Through baptism we have become
members of the body of Christ and
children of God. As beloved children, let
us turn to the Father in confidence, and
offer the Lord’s prayer that was passed
on to us on the day of our baptism.
Our Father…
Final Blessing
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7
SEASON OF
LENT

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Lent is a privileged time for the conversion of
each Salesian and every community. It is an
ideal time for retreats, scrutinies and reviews of
life, community penitential and reconciliation
services, and the ancient practice of the “Via
Crucis” or Way of the Cross.
Two Ways of the Cross are proposed here. The
first is a meditation of the passion and death
of Jesus according to St. Luke. The second is
a meditation written by St John Paul II in the
Jubilee of 2000. The parts are shared by the
presider, assembly, and three lectors.
WAY OF THE CROSS (Meditation on the
Passion according to St Luke)
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father, and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord, Jesus Christ, who precedes us
on the way of the cross, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Brothers, let us meditate on the fulfilment
of the Scriptures in the condemnation and
death of the Son of man. We listen to the
testimony of the apostles and participate
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in their sorrow. Let us climb Calvary
with Jesus to share in his experience of
failure and death as a prelude to the joy
of fullness of life with him. United with
Jesus, let us pray and contemplate.
Prologue: The disciples journey with Jesus
(Lk 9,51-56; 18,31-34)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R1 Now as the time drew near for him to be
taken up to heaven, he resolutely took the
road for Jerusalem and sent messengers
ahead of him. These set out, and they
went into a Samaritan village to make
preparations for him, but the people would
not receive him because he was making
for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples
James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want
us to call down fire from heaven to burn
them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them,
and they went off to another village.
R2 Then taking the Twelve aside he said to
them, ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem,
and everything that is written by the
prophets about the Son of Man is to
come true. For he will be handed over
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to the pagans and will be mocked,
maltreated and spat on, and when they
have scourged him they will put him to
death; and on the third day he will rise
again.’ But they could make nothing of
this; what he said was quite obscure to
them, they had no idea what it meant.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, your journey towards the cross
is an invitation to follow you: a difficult
invitation to understand, one that is more
convenient to forget or abandon. Let your
Spirit be in us, that, contemplating your
way of the cross, we may embrace it more
deeply and live it more faithfully as the
lens through which we interpret our own
pilgrim way. You are Christ, our Lord.
A Amen.
First station: Jesus enters Jerusalem (Lk
19,37-40.41-44.45-48)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R1 As [Jesus] was approaching the downward
slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole
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group of disciples joyfully began to
praise God at the top of their voices for
all the miracles they had seen. They
cried out: ‘Blessings on the King who
comes, in the name of the Lord! Peace
in heaven and glory in the highest
heavens!’ Some Pharisees in the crowd
said to him, ‘Master, check your disciples’,
but he answered, ‘I tell you, if these
keep silence the stones will cry out’.
R2 As he drew near and came in sight of
the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If
you in your turn had only understood on
this day the message of peace! But, alas,
it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time
is coming when your enemies will raise
fortifications all round you, when they will
encircle you and hem you in on every side;
they will dash you and the children inside
your walls to the ground; they will leave
not one stone standing on another within
you - and all because you did not recognise
your opportunity when God offered it!’
R3 Then he went into the Temple and began
driving out those who were selling.
‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my
house will be a house of prayer. But
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you have turned it into a robbers’ den’.
He taught in the Temple every day. The
chief priests and the scribes, with the
support of the leading citizens, tried to
do away with him, but they did not see
how they could carry this out because the
people as a whole hung on his words.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, like the disciples in the Gospel,
it is easier for us to recognize you as the
prince of peace than the suffering servant.
How often do we invoke you only in words
but fail to recognize you in the trials of
everyday life? Therefore, we pray: let your
strength be with us, so that we may never
reject you, eternal God, Word of the Father,
who lives and reigns over the centuries.
A Amen.
Chant refrain (a strophe from Stabat mater after
each station)
Stabat mater dolorosa (At the Cross her station
keeping,)
iuxta crucem lacrimosa, (stood the mournful
Mother weeping,)
dum pendebat Filius. (close to her Son to the last.)
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Second station: The Institution of the Lord’s
Supper (Lk 22,14-15.19-23)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R1 When the hour came he took his place
at table, and the apostles with him. And
he said to them, ‘I have longed to eat this
passover with you before I suffer; because,
I tell you, I shall not eat it again until it
is fulfilled in the kingdom of God’. Then,
taking a cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take
this and share it among you, because from
now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine
until the kingdom of God comes’. Then he
took some bread, and when he had given
thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying,
‘This is my body which will be given for
you; do this as a memorial of me’. He did
the same with the cup after supper, and
said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my
blood which will be poured out for you.
And yet, here with me on the table is the
hand of the man who betrays me. The Son
of Man does indeed go to his fate even
as it has been decreed, but alas for that
man by whom he is betrayed!’ And they
began to ask one another which of them
it could be who was to do this thing.
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P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, on your way to the cross you
desired to remain with us by giving us
bread and wine as your body and your
blood, a sign of salvation and fraternal
communion. You know all that is within us;
help us to celebrate the Eucharist worthily
and to live according to what we believe.
You are the eternal priest of our salvation.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Cuius animam gementem, (Through her heart,
His sorrow sharing,)
contristatam et dolentem all (His bitter anguish
bearing,)
pertransivit gladius. (now at length the sword
has passed.)
Third station: Jesus prays in the Garden of
Olives (Lk 22,39-46)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R2 He then left to make his way as usual to
the Mount of Olives, with the disciples
following. When they reached the place
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he said to them, ‘Pray not to be put to the
test’. Then he withdrew from them, about
a stone’s throw away, and knelt down and
prayed. ‘Father,’ he said ‘if you are willing,
take this cup away from me. Nevertheless,
let your will be done, not mine.’ Then an
angel appeared to him, coming from heaven
to give him strength. In his anguish he
prayed even more earnestly, and his sweat
fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
When he rose from prayer he went to the
disciples and found them sleeping for sheer
grief. ‘Why are you asleep?’ he said to them.
‘Get up and pray not to be put to the test.’
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. In moments
of crisis, difficulties and trial, grant us
the courage to look towards you and
to imitate you in constant and trusting
prayer. You are Christ, our Lord.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
O quam tristis et afflicta (O how sad and sore
distressed)
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fuit illa benedicta (was that Mother, highly blest,)
Mater Unigeniti! (of the sole-begotten One.)
Fourth station: Jesus is betrayed and
arrested (Lk 22,47-53)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R3 He was still speaking when a number of
men appeared, and at the head of them the
man called Judas, one of the Twelve, who
went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said,
‘Judas, are you betraying the son of Man
with a kiss?’ His followers, seeing what was
happening, said, ‘Lord, shall we use our
swords?’ And one of them struck out at the
high priest’s servant, and cut off his right
ear. But at this Jesus spoke. ‘Leave off!’ he
said ‘That will do!’ And touching the man’s
ear he healed him. Then Jesus spoke to the
chief priests and captains of the Temple
guard and elders who had come for him.
‘Am I a brigand’ he said ‘that you had to set
out with swords and clubs? When I was
among you in the Temple day after day you
never moved to lay hands on me. But this
is your hour; this is the reign of darkness.’
P Christ gave his life for us.
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A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, save us from temptation,
deliver us from evil and forgive our
spiritual indifference. May your thoughts
be our thoughts, your actions our actions.
Help us to respond to evil with good, to
love those who persecute us. You are
the Emmanuel, Jesus Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Quae maerebat et dolebat, (Christ above in
torment hangs,)
pia Mater, dum videbat (she beneath beholds
the pangs)
nati poenas incliti. (of her dying glorious Son.)
Fifth station: Jesus before the Council
(Lk 22,66-71)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R1 When day broke there was a meeting of
the elders of the people, attended by the
chief priests and scribes. He was brought
before their council, and they said to him,
‘If you are the Christ, tell us’. ‘If I tell you,’
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he replied ‘you will not believe me, and
if I question you, you will not answer.
But from now on, the Son of Man will be
seated at the right hand of the Power of
God’. Then they all said, ‘So you are the
Son of God then?’ He answered, ‘It is you
who say I am’. ‘What need of witnesses
have we now?’ they said. ‘We have heard
it for ourselves from his own lips.’
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, help us to desire the splendour
of your truth. Help us not to fear suffering
and setbacks in our efforts to abide in you
with a sincere heart. Defend us, O Jesus,
from falsehood and error. You who are
the eternal truth, Christ Jesus, our Lord.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Quis est homo, qui non fleret, (Is there one who
would not weep,)
Matrem Christi si videret (whelmed in miseries
so deep,)
in tanto supplicio? (Christ’s dear Mother to
behold)
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Sixth station: Jesus before Pontius Pilate
(Lk 23,1-7)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R2 The whole assembly then rose, and they
brought him before Pilate. They began
their accusation by saying, ‘We found this
man inciting our people to revolt, opposing
payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming
to be Christ, a king’. Pilate put to him this
question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘It
is you who say it’ he replied. Pilate then said
to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no
case against this man’. But they persisted,
‘He is inflaming the people with his teaching
all over Judaea; it has come all the way from
Galilee, where he started, down to here’. When
Pilate heard this, he asked if the man were
a Galilean; and finding that he came under
Herod’s jurisdiction he passed him over to
Herod who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, help us to give faithful witness
to you and to proclaim your good news
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of salvation. Those who were in darkness
refused your light and rejected you, even
as you offered your life to save humanity
from sin and death. Lord Jesus, who prayed
for those who were not of the world, help us
to announce your presence and be signs of
salvation. You are Christ, the Lord of history.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Quis non posset contristari, (Can the human
heart refrain)
Christi Matrem contemplari (from partaking in
her pain,)
dolentem cum Filio? (in that Mother’s pain
untold?)
Seventh station: Jesus before Herod
(Lk 23,8-12)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R3 Herod was delighted to see Jesus; he
had heard about him and had been
wanting for a long time to set eyes on
him; moreover, he was hoping to see some
miracle worked by him. So he questioned
him at some length; but without getting
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any reply. Meanwhile the chief priests
and the scribes were there, violently
pressing their accusations. Then Herod,
together with his guards, treated him
with contempt and made fun of him;
he put a rich cloak on him and sent
him back to Pilate. And though Herod
and Pilate had been enemies before,
they were reconciled that same day.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, we thank you for the strength
you give to those who suffer injustice and
persecution. We too, in our weakness,
need the boldness and courage that
comes from your Spirit. Give us, Lord,
your Spirit of strength and love. You are
the presence that brings salvation.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Pro peccatis suae gentis (For the sins of His
own nation,)
vidit Iesum in tormentis (She saw Jesus
wracked with torment,)
et flagellis subditum. (All with scourges rent.)
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Eighth station: Jesus is condemned to death
(Lk 23,13-16.21-24)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R1 Pilate then summoned the chief priests
and the leading men and the people. ‘You
brought this man before me’ he said ‘as
a political agitator. Now I have gone into
the matter myself in your presence and
found no case against the man in respect
of all the charges you bring against him.
Nor has Herod either, since he has sent
him back to us. As you can see, the man
has done nothing that deserves death.
So I shall have him flogged and then let
him go.’ But they shouted back, ‘Crucify
him! Crucify him!’ And for the third time
he spoke to them, ‘Why? What harm
has this man done? I have found no
case against him that deserves death,
so I shall have him punished and then
let him go’. But they kept on shouting at
the top of their voices, demanding that
he should be crucified. And their shouts
were growing louder. Pilate then gave his
verdict: their demand was to be granted.
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P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, let those who courageously
follow you and endure persecution and
insults for your name share in your
salvation. Do not abandon them to
the culture of death that overshadows
this world. May your strength be in
them, so that the light of salvation may
shine through their days of pain and
condemnation. You are the innocent
victim who redeems the innocent.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Vidit suum dulcem Natum (She beheld her
tender Child,)
moriendo desolatum, (Saw Him hang in
desolation,)
dum emisit spiritum. (Till His spirit forth He
sent.)
Ninth station: Jesus carries his cross to
Calvary (Lk 23,26-32)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
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R2 As they were leading him away they seized
on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was
coming in from the country, and made
him shoulder the cross and carry it behind
Jesus. Large numbers of people followed
him, and of women too, who mourned and
lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them
and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not
weep for me; weep rather for yourselves
and for your children. For the days will
surely come when people will say, “Happy
are those who are barren, the wombs that
have never borne, the breasts that have
never suckled!” Then they will begin to
say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”; to the
hills, “Cover us”. For if men use the green
wood like this, what will happen when it is
dry?’ Now with him they were also leading
out two other criminals to be executed.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, we accept the hand of
reconciliation that you extend to us and
ask your forgiveness. If the world still
does not recognize you as its Saviour,
we are partly responsible because of
our lukewarm commitment to you and
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our reluctance to share our faith with
others. O God of mercy, forgive us. Grant
us the courage to profess what we
believe and to live what we profess.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Eia, Mater, fons amoris, (O thou Mother! fount of
love!)
me sentire vim doloris (Touch my spirit from
above,)
fac, ut tecum lugeam. (make my heart with
thine accord.)
Tenth station: Jesus is crucified (Lk 23,33-38)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R3 When they reached the place called The
Skull, they crucified him there and the
two criminals also, one on the right, the
other on the left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive
them; they do not know what they are
doing’. Then they cast lots to share out his
clothing. The people stayed there watching
him. As for the leaders, they jeered at
him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him
save himself if he is the Christ of God, the
Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too,
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and when they approached to offer vinegar
they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews,
save yourself’. Above him there was an
inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews’.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, your words are demanding;
it is difficult for us to love our enemies.
Apart from you, we can do nothing, but
with you all things are possible. May
your cross be the measure of our love, the
force by which you allow us to overcome
every intemperance, indifference and
discouragement. You are life beyond
death and a covenant that sets us free.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Fac ut ardeat cor meum (Make me feel as thou
hast felt;)
in amando Christum (Deum, make my soul to
glow and melt)
ut sibi complaceam. (with the love of Christ my
Lord.)
Eleventh station: Jesus and the repentant
thief (Lk 23,39-43)
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P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R1 One of the criminals hanging there abused
him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said.
‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the
other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have
you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You
got the same sentence as he did, but in
our case we deserved it: we are paying
for what we did. But this man has done
nothing wrong. ‘Jesus,’ he said ‘remember
me when you come into your kingdom.’
‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today
you will be with me in paradise.’
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, have mercy on us, for we too
are sinners. We ask for your help and
forgiveness. After being wrapped in the
shadow of pain and death, you rose and
ascended into heaven, where you are
seated at the right hand of your Father.
Be mindful of your servants who have
hoped in you; bring them to that glorious
and holy day when those redeemed by
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your death can contemplate your face
with joy. You are mercy and forgiveness.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Sancta Mater, istud agas, (Holy Mother! pierce
me through,)
Crucifixi fige plagas (in my heart each wound
renew)
cordi meo valide. (of my Saviour crucified.)
Twelfth Station: The death of Jesus
(Lk 23,44-49)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R2 It was now about the sixth hour and, with
the sun eclipsed, a darkness came over
the whole land until the ninth hour. The
veil of the Temple was torn right down the
middle; and when Jesus had cried out in a
loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into your hands
I commit my spirit’. With these words he
breathed his last. When the centurion saw
what had taken place, he gave praise to God
and said, ‘This was a great and good man’.
And when all the people who had gathered
for the spectacle saw what had happened,
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they went home beating their breasts. All
his friends stood at a distance; so also did
the women who had accompanied him
from Galilee, and they saw all this happen.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, your anguish over the sins
of humanity tormented you as much as
your passion and crucifixion. For our
sake, you endured loneliness and the fear
of being abandoned. Through apparent
failure you fulfilled the Scriptures. In our
moments of suffering and loneliness, in the
humiliation of failure, teach us to commend
our spirit to the Father. You are the God of
salvation, who died that we might live.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Tui nati vulnerati, (Let me share with thee His
pain,)
tam dignati pro me pati, (who for all my sins
was slain,)
poenas mecum divide. (who for me in torments
died.)
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Thirteenth station: The burial of Jesus
(Lk 23,50-53)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
R3 Then a member of the council arrived,
an upright and virtuous man named
Joseph. He had not consented to what the
others had planned and carried out. He
came from Arimathaea, a Jewish town,
and he lived in the hope of seeing the
kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate
and asked for the body of Jesus. He then
took it down, wrapped it in a shroud and
put him in a tomb which was hewn in
stone in which no one had yet been laid.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, with profound reverence some
of your followers reposed your lifeless
body in a newly hewn tomb. But the
temple of your body was not destined for
ruin and the tomb could not contain you.
The empty tomb proclaims your risen
glory. You are life and resurrection love.
A Amen.
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Chant refrain
Fac me tecum pie fiere, (Let me mingle tears
with thee,)
Crucifixo condolere, (mourning Him who
mourned for me,)
donec ego vixero. (all the days that I may live.)
Fourteenth station: The resurrection of
Jesus (Lk 24,1-7)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world.
L1 On the first day of the week, at the first sign
of dawn, they went to the tomb with the
spices they had prepared. They found that
the stone had been rolled away from the
tomb, but on entering discovered that the
body of the Lord Jesus was not there. As they
stood there not knowing what to think, two
men in brilliant clothes suddenly appeared
at their side. Terrified, the women lowered
their eyes. But the two men said to them,
‘Why look among the dead for someone
who is alive? He is not here; he has risen.
Remember what he told you when he was
still in Galilee: that the Son of Man had to be
handed over into the power of sinful men and
be crucified, and rise again on the third day?’
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P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, the shadow of death could not
obscure your name; what was impossible
for humanity is possible for God. A new
day dawns! A song of victory will rise
from Jerusalem to your glory and praise.
A Amen.
Chant refrain
Iuxta crucem tecum stare (By the Cross with
thee to stay,)
et me tibi sociare (there with thee to weep and
pray,)
in planctu desidero. (is all I ask of thee to give.)
Quando corpus morietur, (While my body here
decays,)
fac ut animae donetur (may my soul Thy
goodness praise,)
paradisi gloria. Amen. (Safe in Paradise with
Thee.)
Conclusion
P The passion of Jesus is not over: he continues
to suffer in our brothers and sisters who bear
the strain of sin and in those who hunger for
justice and freedom. Today it is his Church,
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you and I, members of his mystical body, who
must allow Jesus to “complete his passion in
us” for the redemption of the world. But the
death of Jesus in not the end; the resurrection
removes death’s sting. This is the hope that
guides our life: we too will pass through death
to share in the glorious life of the Risen Jesus.
P Christ gave his life for us.
A Let us share it with our brothers and
sisters.
P Lord Jesus, teach us to take up our cross
every day as we follow you. Strengthen us
to make amends for our sins and those of
humanity. Help us to make your salvation
known to our brothers and sisters. Make us
joyful witnesses of your resurrection. You
who live and reign in the glory of eternity.
A Amen.
WAY OF THE CROSS (ST JOHN PAUL II)
Introductory rites
Adapted from the introduction of St John Paul II
P In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
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P “If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up
their cross and follow me.” (Mt 16,24)
For twenty centuries the Church has gathered
to remember and to re-live the events of the
final stage of the earthly journey of the Son
of God. Once again this year, we follow the
footsteps of Jesus, who “went out, carrying his
cross, to the place called the place of the skull,
which is called in Hebrew Golgotha” (Jn 19,17).
We are here because we believe that Jesus’
Way of the Cross was not simply a journey
to the place of execution. We believe that
every step of the Condemned Christ, every
action and every word, as well as everything
felt and done by those who took part in this
tragic drama, continues to speak to us. In his
suffering and death, Christ reveals to us the
truth about God and humanity.
Let us contemplate the full meaning of that
event, so that what happened then may speak
with new power to our minds and hearts
today, and become a source of grace as we
participate in it.
To share means to have a part. What does it
mean to have a part in the Cross of Christ? It
means to experience, in the Holy Spirit, the
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love hidden within the Cross of Christ. It means
to recognize, in the light of this love, our own
cross. It means to take up that cross once more
and, strengthened by this love, to continue
our journey through life in imitation of the
one “who endured the cross, disregarding its
shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand
of the throne of God” (Heb 12,2).
Let us pray
Lord Jesus Christ, fill our hearts with the light
of your Spirit, so that by following you on your
final journey we may come to know the price
of our Redemption and become worthy of a
share in the fruits of your Passion, Death and
Resurrection. You who live and reign for ever
and ever.
A Amen.
Chant refrain (to the tune of Stabat Mater)
A Jesus, Lord, condemned, defiled,
May we too be meek and mild,
As we tread your holy Way.
May we feel no bitter hatred,
When we too are persecuted,
Left alone to walk with you.
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FIRST STATION:
.J..e...s...u...s.....i.s.....c...o...n...d....e...m.....n...e...d.....t..o.....d...e...a....t..h...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R1 “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Jn 18,33)
“My kingdom is not from this world. If
my kingdom were from this world, my
followers would be fighting to keep me
from being handed over to the Jews. But
as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (Jn
18,36). Pilate said to him, “So you are a
king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a
king. For this I was born, and for this I have
come into the world, to bear witness to the
truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears
my voice.” Pilate said in reply, “What is
truth?” At this point, the Roman Procurator
saw no need for further questions. He
went to the Jews and told them: “I find
no crime in him” (cf. Jn 18,37-38).
R2 The tragedy of Pilate is hidden in the
question: What is truth? This was no
philosophical question about the nature
of truth, but an existential question about
his own relationship with truth. It was
an attempt to escape from the voice of
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conscience, which was pressing him
to acknowledge the truth and follow it.
When someone refuses to be guided by
truth he or she is ultimately ready even to
condemn an innocent person to death.
R3 The accusers sense this weakness in
Pilate and so they do not yield. They
relentlessly call for death by crucifixion.
Pilate’s attempts at half measures are
of no avail. The cruel punishment of
scourging inflicted upon the Accused is
not enough. When the Procurator brings
Jesus, scourged and crowned with thorns,
before the crowd, he seems to be looking
for words which he thinks might quench
the mob’s thirst for blood. Pointing to Jesus
he says: Ecce homo! Behold the man! But
the answer comes back: “Crucify him,
crucify him!” Pilate then tries to buy time:
“Take him yourselves and crucify him,
for I find no crime in him” (Jn 19,5-7).
R1 Pilate is increasingly convinced that
the Accused is innocent, but this is not
enough for him to decide in his favour.
The accusers use their final argument: “If
you release this man, you are no friend
of Caesar; everyone who claims to be a
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king sets himself against the emperor” (Jn
19,12). This is clearly a threat. Recognizing
the danger, Pilate finally gives in and
pronounces the sentence. But not without
the contemptuous gesture of washing his
hands: “I am innocent of this man’s blood;
see to it yourselves!” (Mt 27,24)
And so Jesus, the Son of the living
God, the Redeemer of the world, was
condemned to death by crucifixion.
R2 Over the centuries the denial of truth
has spawned suffering and death. It
is the innocent who pay the price of
human hypocrisy. Half measures are
never enough. Nor is it enough to wash
one’s hands. Responsibility for the blood
of the just remains. This is why Christ
prayed so fervently for his disciples in
every age: Father, “sanctify them in the
truth; your word is truth” (Jn 17,17).
Prayer
P Lord Jesus Christ, you accepted an
unjust judgment. Grant to us and to all
the men and women of our time the
grace to remain faithful to the truth. Do
not allow the weight of responsibility
for the sufferings of the innocent to
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fall upon us and upon those who come
after us. To you, O Jesus, just Judge, be
honour and glory for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain (to the tune of Stabat mater)
A Now the cross as Jesus bore it,
has become for us who share it
the jewelled crown of victory.
.S...E....C...O....N.....D.....S...T....A...T....I..O....N.....:..J...e...s...u...s....t..a....k...e...s....u....p.....h...i..s....C....r..o...s...s...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R3 The cross. The instrument of a shameful
death. It was not lawful to condemn a
Roman citizen to death by crucifixion: it
was too humiliating. The moment that Jesus
of Nazareth took up the Cross in order to
carry it to Calvary marked a turning-point
in the history of the cross. The symbol of
a shameful death, reserved for the lowest
classes, the cross becomes a key. From now
on, with the help of this key, man will open
the door of the deepest mystery of God.
Through Christ’s acceptance of the Cross,
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the instrument of his own self-emptying,
men will come to know that God is love.
R1 Love without limits: “God so loved the
world that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3,16).
R2 This truth about God was revealed in the
Cross. Could it not have been revealed in
some other way? Perhaps! But God chose
the Cross. The Father chose the Cross for
his Son, and his Son shouldered it, carried
it to Mount Calvary and on it offered his
life. “In the Cross there is suffering, in the
Cross there is salvation, in the Cross there
is a lesson of love. O God, he who once has
understood you, desires nothing else, seeks
nothing else” (Polish Lenten hymn). The
Cross is the sign of a love without limits!
Prayer
P Lord Jesus Christ, who accepted the
Cross from the hands of your brothers,
transforming it into the sign of God’s
saving love for humanity, grant us and all
the men and women of our time the grace
of faith in this infinite love. By passing
on to every generation the sign of the
Cross, may we be authentic witnesses to
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the Redemption. To you, O Jesus, Priest
and Victim, be praise and glory forever.
A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain
A Weakened, prodded, cursed and fallen,
his whole body bruised and swollen,
Jesus tripped and lay in pain.
.T...H.....I..R....D.....S....T...A....T...I...O....N....:...J..e...s...u...s.....f..a...l..l.s.....t..h...e.....f..i.r...s...t...t..i..m.....e...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R3 “God laid on him the sins of us all” (cf.
Is 53,6). “All of us like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned everyone to
his own way; and the Lord has laid on
him the iniquity of us all” (Is 53,6).
R1 Jesus falls under the Cross. This will happen
three times along the comparatively short
stretch of the “via dolorosa”. Exhaustion
makes Jesus fall. His body is stained with
blood from the scourging; his head is
crowned with thorns. All this causes his
strength to fail. So he falls, and the weight
of the Cross crushes him to the ground.
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R2 We must go back to the words of
the Prophet, who foresaw this fall
centuries earlier. It is as though he were
contemplating it with his own eyes:
seeing the Servant of the Lord, on the
ground under the weight of the Cross,
he tells us the real cause of his fall. It is
this: “God laid on him the sins of us all”.
It was our sins that crushed the divine
Condemned One to the ground. It was
our sins that determined the weight of
the Cross that he carries on his shoulders.
It was our sins that made him fall.
R1 With difficulty Christ gets up again
to continue his journey. The soldiers
escorting him urge him on with
shouts and blows. After a moment
the procession sets out again.
R2 Jesus falls and gets up again. In this way,
the Redeemer of the world speaks without
words to all those who fall. He exhorts
them to get up again. “He himself bore
our sins in his body on the wood of the
cross, so that, free from sins, we might
live for righteousness. By his wounds
we have been healed” (cf. 1 Pet 2,24).
Prayer
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P O Christ, as you fall under the weight of our
faults and rise again for our justification, we
pray, help us and all who are weighed down
by sin to stand up again and continue the
journey. Give us the strength of the Spirit to
carry with you the cross of our weakness.
To you, O Jesus, crushed under the weight
of our faults, be our praise and love for ever.
A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain
A Jesus met his grieving Mother,
she who made the Lord our Brother,
now the sword her heart has pierced.
.F...O....U....R....T....H......S...T...A....T....I..O....N....:...J...e...s..u....s....m.....e...e...t..s....h....i..s....M.....o...t..h....e...r..
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R2 “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favour with God. And now, you will
conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you will name him Jesus. He will be
great, and will be called the Son of the Most
High, and the Lord God will give to him the
throne of his ancestor David. He will reign
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over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1,30-33).
R3 Mary remembered these words. She often
returned to them in the secret of her heart.
When she met her Son on the way of the
Cross, perhaps these very words came to
her mind with particular force. “He will
reign... His kingdom will have no end”,
the heavenly messenger had said. Now,
as she watches her Son, condemned to
death, carrying the Cross on which he
must die, she might ask herself an obvious
question: So how can these words be
fulfilled? In what way will he reign over
the House of David? And how can it be that
his kingdom will have no end? Humanly
speaking, these are reasonable questions.
R1 But Mary remembered that, when she
first heard the Angel’s message, she had
replied: “Behold, I am the handmaid of
the Lord. May it be done to me according
to your word” (Lk 1,38). Now she sees that
her word is being fulfilled as the word of
the Cross. Because she is a mother, Mary
suffers deeply. But she answers now as she
had answered then, at the Annunciation:
“May it be done to me according to your
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word”. In this way, as a mother would,
she embraces the cross together with the
divine Condemned One. On the way of
the Cross, Mary shows herself to be the
Mother of the Redeemer of the world.
R2 “All you who pass by the way, look and
see whether there is any suffering like my
suffering, which has been dealt me” (Lam
1,12). It is the Sorrowful Mother who speaks,
the Handmaid who is obedient to the end,
the Mother of the Redeemer of the world.
Prayer
P O Mary, who walked the way of the Cross
with your Son, your mother’s heart torn
by grief, but mindful always of your fiat
and fully confident that He to whom
nothing is impossible would be able to
fulfil his promises, implore for us and for
the generations yet to come the grace
of surrender to God’s love. Help us, in
the face of suffering, rejection, and trial,
however prolonged and severe, never
to doubt his love. To Jesus, your Son,
honour and glory for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father …
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Chant refrain
A Simon stopped in hesitation,
not foreseeing his proud station,
called to bear the cross of Christ.
FIFTH STATION: Simon of Cyrene
.h...e...l..p...s.....J..e...s...u...s.....t..o....c...a...r...r..y.....h...i..s....C....r..o....s..s...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R3 They compelled Simon to help Jesus (cf.
Mk 15,21). The Roman soldiers did this
because they feared that in his exhaustion
the Condemned Man would not be able to
carry the Cross all the way to Golgotha.
Then they would not be able to carry out
the sentence of crucifixion. They were
looking for someone to help carry the
Cross. Their eyes fell on Simon. They
compelled him to take the weight upon his
shoulders. We can imagine that Simon did
not want to do this and objected. Carrying
the cross with a convict was considered
an offensive to the dignity of a free man.
R1 Although unwilling, Simon took
up the Cross to help Jesus.
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R2 In a Lenten hymn we hear the words:
“Under the weight of the Cross Jesus
welcomes the Cyrenean”. These words
allow us to discern a total change of
perspective: the divine Condemned One is
someone who, in a certain sense, “makes
a gift” of his Cross. Was it not he who said:
“He who does not take up his cross and
follow me is not worthy of me?” (Mt 10,38)
R3 Simon receives a gift. He has become
“worthy” of it. What the crowd might see
as an offence to his dignity has, from the
perspective of redemption, given him a new
dignity. In a unique way, the Son of God has
allowed him to share in his work of salvation.
R1 Is Simon aware of this? The evangelist
Mark identifies Simon of Cyrene as the
“father of Alexander and Rufus” (15,21). If
the sons of Simon of Cyrene were known
to the first Christian community, it can be
presumed that Simon too, while carrying
the Cross, came to believe in Christ.
From being forced, he freely accepted,
as though deeply touched by the words:
“Whoever does not carry his cross with
me is not worthy of me.” By his carrying
of the Cross, Simon was brought to the
knowledge of the gospel of the Cross.
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R2 Since then, this gospel has spoken to many,
countless “Cyreneans”, called in the course
of history to carry the cross with Jesus.
Prayer
P O Christ, you gave to Simon of Cyrene the
dignity of carrying your Cross. Welcome us too
under its weight; welcome all men and women
and grant to everyone the gift of readiness
to serve. When we are tempted to turn away
from those who are crushed by the cross of
illness, loneliness, hunger or injustice, let us
help you by helping them. As we carry each
other’s burdens, help us to become witnesses
to the gospel of the Cross and witnesses to
you, who live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain
A Brave but trembling came the woman,
none but she would flaunt the Roman,
moved by love beyond her fear.
SIXTH STATION:
.V...e...r...o...n...i..c...a....w.....i..p....e...s....t..h...e.....f..a...c...e....o...f....J..e...s...u...s...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
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R3 Veronica does not appear in the Gospels.
Her name is not mentioned, even though the
names of other women who accompanied
Jesus do appear. It is possible, therefore, that
the name refers more to what the woman
did. In fact, according to tradition, on the
road to Calvary a woman pushed her way
through the soldiers escorting Jesus and
with a veil wiped the sweat and blood
from the Lord’s face. That face remained
imprinted on the veil, a faithful reflection, a
“true icon”. This could be the reason for the
name Veronica. If this is so, the name which
evokes the memory of what this woman did
carries with it the deepest truth about her.
R1 One day, Jesus drew the criticism of
onlookers when he defended a sinful woman
who had poured perfumed oil on his feet
and dried them with her hair. To those who
objected, he replied: “Why do you trouble
this woman? For she has done a beautiful
thing to me... In pouring this ointment
on my body she has done it to prepare
me for burial” (Mt 26,10.12). These words
could likewise be applied to Veronica.
R2 Thus we see the profound eloquence of this
event. The Redeemer of the world presents
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Veronica with an authentic image of his
face. The veil upon which the face of Christ
remains imprinted becomes a message
for us. In a certain sense it says: This is
how every act of goodness, every gesture
of true love towards one’s neighbour,
strengthens the likeness of the Redeemer
of the world in the one who acts that way.
R3 Acts of love do not pass away. Every act
of goodness, of understanding, of service
leaves on people’s hearts an indelible
imprint and makes us ever more like the
One who “emptied himself, taking the form
of a servant” (Phil 2,7). This is what shapes
our identity and gives us our true name.
Prayer
P Lord Jesus Christ, you accepted a woman’s
selfless gesture of love and in exchange
allowed future generations to remember
her by the name of your face. Grant that
our works, and the works of all those
who come after us, will make us like
unto you and will leave in the world
the reflection of your infinite love. To
you, O Jesus, splendour of the Father’s
glory, be praise and glory forever.
A Amen.
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Our Father...
Chant refrain
A Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother’s untold pain?
SEVENTH STATION:
.J..e...s...u....s....f..a...l..l..s....t..h...e.....s...e...c...o...n...d.....t..i..m.....e...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R1 “I am a worm, and no man; scorned
by men, and despised by the people”
(Ps 22,6). These words of the Psalmist
come to mind as we see Jesus fall to the
ground a second time under the Cross.
R2 Here in the dust of the earth lies the
Condemned One. Crushed by the weight of
his Cross. His strength drains away from
him more and more. But with great effort
he gets up again to continue his march.
To us sinners, what does this second
fall say? More than the first one, it
seems to urge us to get up, to get up
again on our way of the cross.
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R3 Cyprian Norwid wrote: “Not behind us with
the Saviour’s Cross, but behind the Saviour
with our own Cross.” A brief saying, but one
that conveys much truth! It explains how
Christianity is the religion of the Cross. It
tells us that every person here below meets
Christ who carries the Cross and falls under
its weight. In his turn, Christ, on the way
to Calvary, meets every man and woman
and, falling under the weight of the Cross,
does not cease to proclaim the good news.
R1 For two thousand years the gospel of the
Cross has spoken to humanity. For twenty
centuries Christ, getting up again from
his fall, meets those who fall. Throughout
these two millennia many people have
learned that falling does not mean the end
of the road. In meeting the Saviour, they
have heard his reassuring words: “My
grace is sufficient for you; for my power
is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12,9).
Comforted, they have gotten up again and
brought to the world the word of hope
which comes from the Cross. Today, we
are called to penetrate more deeply the
meaning of this encounter. Our generation
must pass on to future centuries the good
news that we are lifted up again in Christ.
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Prayer
P Lord Jesus Christ, you fall under the
weight of human sin and you get up
again to take it upon yourself and cancel
it. Give to us, weak men and women, the
strength to carry the cross of daily life
and to get up again from our falls, so
that we may bring to future generations
the Gospel of your saving power. To
you, O Jesus, our support when we are
weak, be praise and glory forever.
A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain
A May our sympathy for Jesus
turn to those who here now need us,
may we see Christ bruised in them.
EIGHTH STATION: Jesus speaks
.t..o....t..h....e....w.....o...m.....e...n.....o...f....J..e...r...u...s...a...l..e...m.....
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R2 “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for
me, but weep for yourselves and for your
children. For the days are surely coming
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when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren,
and the wombs that never bore, and the
breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will
begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on
us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they
do this when the wood is green, what
will happen when it is dry?” (Lk 23,28-31).
These are the words of Jesus to the women
of Jerusalem who were weeping with
compassion for the Condemned One.
R3 “Do not weep for me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children.” At the
time it was certainly difficult to understand
the meaning of these words. They
contained a prophecy that would soon
come to pass. Shortly before, Jesus had
wept over Jerusalem, foretelling the terrible
fate that awaited the city. Now he seems
to be referring again to that fate: “Weep
for your children. Weep, because these,
your very children, will be witnesses and
will share in the destruction of Jerusalem,
the Jerusalem which did not know the
time of her visitation” (cf. Lk 19,44).
R1 If, as we follow Christ on the way of the
Cross, our hearts are moved with pity
for his suffering, we cannot forget that
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admonition. “For if they do this when the
wood is green, what will happen when
it is dry?” For our generation, […] rather
than weep for Christ crucified, it is now
the time for us to recognize “the time of
our visitation”. Already the dawn of the
resurrection is shining forth. “Behold,
now is the acceptable time; behold, now
is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6,2).
R2 To each of us Christ addresses these
words of the book of Revelation: “Behold,
I stand at the door and knock; if any one
hears my voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and eat with him,
and he with me. He who conquers, I will
grant him to sit with me on my throne,
as I myself conquered and sat down
with my Father on his throne” (3,20-21).
Prayer
P O Christ, you came into this world to visit
all those who await salvation. Grant that
our generation will recognize the time
of its visitation and share in the fruits
of your redemption. Do not permit that
there should be weeping for us and for
the men and women of our times because
we have rejected our merciful Father’s
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outstretched hand. To you, O Jesus,
born of the Virgin Daughter of Zion, be
honour and praise for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father…
Chant refrain
A Jesus fell again in weakness,
stumbling as we do, to lead us
through our sorrow and our pain.
.N....I..N....T....H......S...T....A...T....I..O....N.....:..J...e...s...u...s....f..a....l.l..s....t..h....e....t..h....i..r..d.....t..i..m.....e...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R1 Once more Christ has fallen to the
ground under the weight of the Cross.
The crowd watches, wondering whether
he will have the strength to rise again.
Saint Paul writes: “Though he was in the
form of God, he did not count equality with
God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
himself taking the form of a servant,
being born in human likeness. And
being found in human form, he humbled
himself and became obedient unto death,
even death on a Cross” (Phil 2,6-8).
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R2 The third fall seems to express just this: the
self-emptying, the kenosis of the Son of God,
his humiliation beneath the Cross. Jesus had
said to the disciples that he had come not to
be served but to serve (cf. Mt 20,28). In the
Upper Room, bending low to the ground
and washing their feet, he sought, as it were,
to prepare them for this humiliation of his.
Falling to the ground for the third time on
the way of the Cross, he proclaims to us
once more the mystery of himself. Let us
listen to his voice! This Condemned Man,
crushed to the ground beneath the weight
of the Cross, now very near the place of
punishment, tells us: “I am the way, and
the truth and the life” (Jn 14,6). “Whoever
who follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life” (Jn 8,12).
R3 Let us not be dismayed by the sight of a
condemned man who falls to the ground
exhausted under the cross. Within this
outward sign of the death which is
approaching, the light of life lies hidden.
Prayer
P Lord Jesus Christ, through your humiliation
beneath the Cross you revealed to the
world the price of its redemption. Grant
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to the men and women of every age the
light of faith, so that, as they recognize in
you the Suffering Servant of God and man,
they may have the courage to follow the
same path which, by way of the Cross and
self-emptying, leads to life without end.
To you, O Jesus, our strength when we
are weak, be honour and glory forever.
A Amen.
Our Father…
Chant refrain
A Stripped and jeered by his own nation,
Jesus stood in desolation,
Giving all he had to give.
TENTH STATION: Jesus is stripped
.a...n...d.....o...f..f..e...r...e...d.....g...a...l..l...a...n....d.....v...i..n...e...g....a...r....t..o....d....r..i..n....k...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R1 “When he tasted it, he would not drink it” (Mt
27,34). Jesus did not want a sedative, which
would have dulled his consciousness during
the agony. He wanted to be fully aware as
he suffered on the Cross, accomplishing the
mission he had received from the Father.
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R2 That was not what the soldiers in charge
of the execution were used to. Since they
had to nail the condemned man to the
Cross, they tried to dull his senses and his
consciousness. But with Christ this could
not be. Jesus knows that his death on the
Cross must be a sacrifice of expiation.
This is why he wants to remain alert to
the very end. Without consciousness,
he could not, in complete freedom,
accept the full measure of suffering.
R3 Behold, he must mount the Cross, in
order to offer the sacrifice of the New
Covenant. He is the Priest. By means of
his own blood, he must enter the eternal
dwelling-places, having accomplished
the world’s redemption (cf. Heb 9,12).
R1 Conscience and freedom: these are the
essential elements of a fully human action.
The world has so many ways to weaken
the will and darken the conscience.
They must be carefully defended from
all violence. Even the legitimate attempt
to control pain must always be done
with respect for human dignity.
R2 If life and death are to retain their true
value, the depths of Christ’s sacrifice must
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be understood, and we must unite ourselves
to that sacrifice if we are to hold firm.
Prayer
P Lord Jesus who, with supreme dedication,
accepted death on the Cross for our salvation,
grant to us and to all the world’s people a
share in your sacrifice on the Cross, so that
what we are and what we do may always
be a free and conscious sharing in your
work of salvation. To you, O Jesus, Priest
and Victim, be honour and glory forever.
A Amen.
Our Father …
Chant refrain
A Pierced the hands that blessed and
cured us,
pierced the feet that walked to free us,
Walked the hill of Calvary.
ELEVENTH STATION:
.J..e...s...u...s.....i.s.....n...a...i..l..e...d.....t..o....t..h....e....C....r..o....s..s...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R3 “They tear holes in my hands and my
feet; I can count every one of my bones”
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(Ps 21,17-18). The words of the Prophet
are fulfilled. The execution begins. The
torturers’ blows crush the hands and
feet of the Condemned One against the
wood of the Cross. The nails are driven
violently into his wrists. Those nails will
hold the condemned man as he endures
inexpressible torments of his agony. In his
body and his supremely sensitive spirit,
Christ suffers in a way beyond words.
R1 With him there are crucified two
real criminals, one on his right, the
other on his left. The prophecy is
fulfilled: “He was numbered among
the transgressors” (Is 53,12).
Once the torturers raise the Cross, there
will begin an agony that will last three
hours. This word too must be fulfilled:
“When I am lifted up from the earth, I will
draw all people to myself” (Jn 12,32).
R2 What is it that “draws” us to the Condemned
One in agony on the Cross? Certainly,
the sight of such intense suffering stirs
compassion. But compassion is not
enough to lead us to bind our very life
to the One who hangs on the Cross.
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R3 How is it that, generation after generation,
this appalling sight has drawn countless
hosts of people who have made the Cross
the hallmark of their faith? Hosts of men
and women who for centuries have lived
and given their lives looking to this sign?
R1 From the Cross, Christ draws us by the power
of love, divine Love, which did not recoil from
the total gift of self; infinite Love, which on
the tree of the Cross raised up from the earth
the weight of Christ’s body, to counterbalance
the weight of the first sin; boundless Love,
which has utterly filled every absence of love
and allowed humanity to find refuge once
more in the arms of the merciful Father.
R2 May Christ, lifted high on the Cross,
draw us too! In the shadow of the Cross,
let us “walk in love, as Christ loved us
and gave himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph 5,2).
Prayer
P O Christ lifted high, O Love crucified, fill
our hearts with your love, that we may see
in your Cross the sign of our redemption
and, drawn by your wounds, we may live
and die with you, who live and reign with
the Father and the Spirit, now and forever.
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A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain
A Life eternal, death defiant,
bowed his head – the world was silent,
through his death came life anew.
.T...W ......E....L...F....T...H......S...T....A...T....I..O....N....:...J..e...s...u...s.....d...i..e...s....o...n.....t..h...e....C....r..o...s...s...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R1 “Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do” (Lk 23,34). At the height
of his Passion, Christ does not forget
humanity, especially those who are
directly responsible for his suffering.
Jesus knows that more than anything
else humanity needs love; humanity
needs the mercy which at this moment
is being poured out on the world.
R2 “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with
me in Paradise” (Lk 23,43). This is how Jesus
replies to the plea of the criminal hanging
on his right: “Jesus, remember me when
you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23,42).
The promise of a new life! This is the first
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fruit of the Passion and imminent Death
of Christ. A word of hope to humanity!
R3 At the foot of the Cross stood Mary, and
beside her the disciple, John the Evangelist.
Jesus says: “Woman, behold your son!”
and to the disciple: “Behold your mother!”
(Jn 19,26-27). “And from that moment the
disciple took her to his own home” (Jn 19,27).
This is his bequest to those dearest to his
heart. His legacy to the Church! The desire
of Jesus as he dies is that the maternal love
of Mary should embrace all those for whom
he is giving his life, the whole of humanity.
R1 Immediately after, Jesus cries out: “I am
thirsty” (Jn 19,28). A word which describes
the dreadful burning which consumes
his whole body! It is the one word which
refers directly to his physical suffering.
Then Jesus adds: “My God, my God,
why have you abandoned me?” (Mt
27,46; cf. Ps 22,2). These words of the
Psalm are his prayer. Despite their
tone, these words reveal the depths
of his union with the Father.
R2 In the last moments of his life on earth,
Jesus thinks of the Father. From this
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moment on, the dialogue will only be
between the dying Son and the Father
who accepts his sacrifice of love.
When the ninth hour comes, Jesus
cries out: “It is accomplished!” (Jn 19,30)
Now the work of the redemption is
complete. The mission, for which he
came on earth, has reached its goal.
R3 The rest belongs to the Father: “Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit” (Lk 23,46).
And having said this, Jesus breathed his
last. “The veil of the temple was torn in
two...” (Mt 27,51). The “Holy of Holies” of
the Jerusalem Temple is opened at the
moment when it is entered by the Priest
of the New and Eternal Covenant.
Prayer
P Lord Jesus Christ, in the moment of
your agony you were not indifferent to
humanity’s fate, and with your last breath
you entrusted to the Father’s mercy the
men and women of every age, with all
their weaknesses and sins. Fill us and
the generations yet to come with your
Spirit of love, so that our indifference
will not render vain in us the fruits of
your death. To you, crucified Jesus,
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the wisdom and the power of God, be
honour and glory for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain
A Stunned and stricken, Mary, Mother,
In your arms we placed our brother,
“Full of grace” now filled with grief.
THIRTEENTH STATION: Jesus is taken down
.f..r..o...m......t..h...e.....C...r..o...s...s....a...n....d....g....i.v...e...n.....t..o....h....i.s....M.....o...t..h....e..r...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
R1 They have placed the lifeless body of
the Son in the arms of his Mother. The
Gospels say nothing of what she felt at that
moment. It is as though by their silence the
Evangelists wished to respect her sorrow,
her feelings and her memories. Or that they
simply felt incapable of expressing them.
It is only the devotion of the centuries that
has preserved the figure of the “Pietà”,
providing Christian memory with the most
sorrowful image of the ineffable bond of
love which blossomed in the Mother’s heart
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on the day of the Annunciation and ripened
as she waited for the birth of her divine
Son. That love was revealed in the cave at
Bethlehem and was tested already during
the Presentation in the Temple. It grew
deeper as Mary stored and pondered in her
heart all that was happening (cf. Lk 2,51).
R2 Now this intimate bond of love must be
transformed into a union which transcends
the boundary between life and death.
And thus it will be across the span of the
centuries: people pause at Michelangelo’s
statue of the Pietà, […] and so they learn
the difficult love which does not flee
from suffering, but surrenders trustingly
to the tenderness of God, for whom
nothing is impossible (cf. Lk 1,37).
Prayer
P Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our
sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve, to you do we
send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in
this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious
advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and
after this our exile, show unto us the fruit of
your womb, Jesus. Implore for us the grace of
faith, hope and charity, so that we, like you,
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may stand without flinching beneath the
Cross until our last breath. To your Son, Jesus,
our Saviour, with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, all honour and glory for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father...
Chant refrain
A Jesus, Lord, your gift accepted,
in three days you resurrected,
You did first what we shall do.
FOURTEENTH STATION:
.J..e...s...u....s....i..s....l..a...i..d....i..n.....t..h....e....t..o....m.....b...
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross you have
redeemed the world.
R1 “He was crucified, died and was buried...”
The lifeless body of Christ has been laid
in the tomb. But the stone of the tomb is
not the final seal on his work. The last
word belongs not to falsehood, hatred and
violence. The last word will be spoken
by Love, which is stronger than death.
R2 “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it remains alone; but if
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it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12,24).
The tomb is the last stage of Christ’s
dying through the whole course of his
earthly life; it is the sign of his supreme
sacrifice for us and for our salvation.
R3 Very soon this tomb will become the first
proclamation of praise and exaltation of
the Son of God in the glory of the Father.
“He was crucified, died and was buried …
on the third day he rose from the dead”.
Once the lifeless body of Jesus is laid
in the tomb, at the foot of Golgotha, the
Church begins the vigil of Holy Saturday.
In the depths of her heart, Mary stores and
ponders the Passion of her Son; the women
agree to meet on the morning of the day
after the sabbath, to anoint Christ’s body
with aromatic ointments; the disciples
gather in the seclusion of the Upper
Room, waiting for the Sabbath to pass.
R1 This vigil will end with the meeting at
the tomb, the empty tomb of the Saviour.
Then the tomb, the silent witness of
the Resurrection, will speak. The stone
rolled back, the inner chamber empty, the
cloths on the ground, this will be what
John sees when he comes to the tomb
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with Peter: “He saw and he believed” (Jn
20,8). And with him the Church believed,
and from that moment she never grows
weary of communicating to the world this
fundamental truth of her faith: “Christ has
been raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15,20).
R2 The empty tomb is the sign of the definitive
victory of truth over falsehood, of good over
evil, of mercy over sin, of life over death.
The empty tomb is the sign of the hope
which “does not deceive” (Rom 5,5). “[Our]
hope is full of immortality” (cf. Wis 3,4).
Prayer
P Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the
Holy Spirit, you were drawn by the
Father from the darkness of death to the
light of a new life in glory. Grant that the
sign of the empty tomb may speak to us
and to future generations and become
a wellspring of living faith, generous
love, and unshakeable hope. To you,
O Jesus, whose presence, hidden and
victorious, fills the history of the world,
be honour and glory for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Our Father……
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Chant refrain
A Jesus, risen, be our lover,
In your food and in our brother,
Lead us home to heaven with you.
.C...L....O....S...I..N.....G...:...T....h...e.....R....e...s...u...r...r..e...c...t..i..o...n.....o...f...J...e...s...u...s...
(Optional. Omitted on Good Friday)
P We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
A Because by your holy cross you have
redeemed the world.
P When the Sabbath was over, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James,
and Salome bought spices, so that they
might go and anoint him. And very early
on the first day of the week, when the sun
had risen, they went to the tomb. They had
been saying to one another, “Who will roll
away the stone for us from the entrance to
the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw
that the stone, which was very large, had
already been rolled back. As they entered
the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed
in a white robe, sitting on the right side;
and they were alarmed. But he said to
them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking
for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here. Look,
there is the place they laid him” (Mk 16,1-6).
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Apostles’ Creed
A 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.
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8
IL TEMPO
DI PASQUA

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During the Easter Triduum, the community
is encouraged to focus its prayer life on the
various daily liturgies. It is advisable to pray
the Office of Readings together as a community,
and where possible to invite lay collaborators or
parishioners to participate.
The Salesian community pays special
attention to the Easter season
which deepens its knowledge of the Salesian
charism.
The Salesians form a community of the
baptized called to be in the Church,
at the school of Don Bosco, “signs and bearers
of the love of God for the young,
especially those who are poor” (Const. 2)
VIA LUCIS – THE WAY OF LIGHT
The Via Lucis or the Way of Light is culmination
of the Via Crucis, the Way of the Cross. It is a
continuation of the spiritual path of the Apostles
and the first disciples who passed from utter
disillusionment at Christ’s passion and death
to the breath-taking amazement of meeting
the Risen Saviour. It is presented to youth as
a journey of faith that invites them to live the
glorious fullness of the Paschal Mystery. The
Way of Light follows the pattern of the Way of
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the Cross: 14 stations, with corresponding New
Testament passages from the empty tomb to
Pentecost, with contemporary commentary and
reflections. It is a quintessentially Easter prayer.
Finally, as the Way of the Cross proceeds in the
company of Mary, full of sorrow because of her
Suffering Son, so along the Way of the Light,
Mary continues to accompany us, as our Mother
who rejoices in the resurrection of her Son.
This devotion is the fruit of the spiritual
experience of the “Witnesses of the Risen Lord
Towards 2000”, a branch of the Salesian Family.
An extended version may be found at http://
www.vialucis.org/index.php/en/
The parts are shared by the presider, assembly,
and two readers.
Introduction
P In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
A Amen.
P Life is a journey. We do not travel alone
for Jesus has promised us, “I am with you
always, until the end of time”. Today we
continue our journey with Jesus in the
light of God’s word and the Good News
of the Resurrection. Our mother Mary,
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Star of the Sea, also accompanies us on
the Way of Light, forever illumined by
her divine Son, the Light of all Nations.
(A Marian refrain or verse, suited to the Easter
season, may be chanted. Eg: “Regina caeli
laetare alleluia... Rejoice, Virgin Mother: Christ
has been risen. Alleluia”)
First Station: JESUS IS RISEN FROM
.T...H.....E.....D....E...A.....D.....(..M.....t...2...8...,..1..-.7...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you.
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Mt 28,1-7)
R1 After the sabbath, and towards dawn on
the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala
and the other Mary went to visit the
sepulchre. And all at once there was a
violent earthquake, for the angel of the
Lord, descending from heaven, came and
rolled away the stone and sat on it. His
face was like lightning, his robe white
as snow. The guards were so shaken, so
frightened of him, that they were like
dead men. But the angel spoke; and he
said to the women, ‘There is no need for
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you to be afraid. I know you are looking
for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not
here, for he has risen, as he said he would.
Come and see the place where he lay,
then go quickly and tell his disciples,
“He has risen from the dead and now he
is going before you to Galilee; it is there
you will see him”. Now I have told you.’
Reflection
R2 O death, where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting? The risen Jesus,
victorious over death, has triumphed over
every earthly power. He is a light unto
our path. In him, there is no darkness.
Prayer
P Lord Jesus, Risen One, you are the radiant
sun that never sets. In the storms of life,
may our hopes turn to you, the dawning
day that dispels every darkness. Grant
us living hope that in your light, we
will overcome every battle against evil,
temptation and even death itself. Help us
to think as you think, to love as you love,
to serve as you serve, and in this way to
bear witness to your Resurrection. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
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Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia.
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Second Station: THE DISCIPLES BEHOLD
.T...H.....E.....E...M.....P....T....Y.....T....O....M.....B.....(..J...n....2...0....,.1..-..8...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Jn 20,8)
R1 Then the other disciple who had
reached the tomb first also went
in; he saw and he believed
Reflection
R2 The empty tomb is the womb of our faith.
The Risen Jesus transforms emptiness into
fullness, darkness into light, the silence of
God into Beautiful News! Mary Magdalene
and the disciples are stopped in their
tracks as they behold the empty tomb,
speechless and confused: their world is
about to be shaken by the mysterious truth
that is beyond human understanding.
Prayer
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P Eternal Fullness that transforms all
emptiness, flood into our minds and
hearts, that we may believe the truth
proclaimed by the empty tomb. Help us
to distinguish what is permanent from
what is temporary, and to understand
the difference between them. May we
choose wisely how to live as disciples
renewed by Jesus’ Passover. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Third Station: JESUS APPEARS TO MARY
.M.....A....G....D...A.....L...E....N......(.J...n.....2...0...,..1..1..-..1..8...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Jn 20,15,16)
R1 Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you
weeping?....’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew
him then and said to him in Hebrew,
‘Rabbuni!’ - which means Master.
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Reflection
R2 The silence of the tomb is broken by a
resounding voice: “Mary”. He whom she
believed to be the gardener was in fact
her beloved Teacher, risen from the dead!
But Mary could not recognize him yet.
Her stumbling faith had yet to blossom
into bold conviction: Jesus is truly risen
and he reveals his love to those who hope
in him, bringing to fulfilment the reality
which even now we possess in faith.
Prayer
P Jesus our Teacher, may our preoccupations
and disappointments never blind us
to your presence among us. May we
always live in awe of your goodness
and majesty, our source of strength in
times of trial. Open our eyes to recognize
you in every moment of our lives,
offering us courage and confidence.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
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Fourth Station: JESUS WALKS WITH HIS
DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS
.(..L...k....2...4....,.1..3...-..1..9.......2...5...-..2..7...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Lk 24,15.16)
R1 Now as they talked this over, Jesus
himself came up and walked by
their side; but something prevented
them from recognising him.
Reflection
R2 The disciples were broken-hearted. Their
spirits were shattered. Discouraged and
afraid, they returned home, dazed by the
recent events. They tried to resume their
daily routine as if nothing had happened.
But indeed, something had happened.
Everything had changed. The Risen Jesus
walked among them with deep compassion.
Prayer
P Lord of the living, when our hopes are
dashed and our dreams fail, let us never
forget that you walk with us on our
pilgrim way. Stay with us Lord, when
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doubt and anxiety choke our spirit. As
our good shepherd, rescue us from our
fears and frustrations. Allow us to walk
in faith and acknowledge you by our
side, guiding us with new strength to
persevere daily in Easter joy. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Fifth Station: JESUS IS RECOGNIZED
IN THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD
.(..L...k.....2...4...,.2...8....-.3...5...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you
have given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Lk 24,30-31)
R1 Now while he was with them at table, he
took the bread and said the blessing; then
he broke it and handed it to them. And their
eyes were opened and they recognised
him; but he had vanished from their sight.
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Reflection
R2 “Stay with us!” They invited their travel
companion without knowing who he was
or what would happen. Their invitation
became an opportunity – an opportunity of
their own making - to receive an unexpected
blessing. The breaking of bread revealed
the stranger as their teacher and friend
who would never leave them abandoned.
Prayer
P O Lord, your words penetrate our hearts and
burn within us. They prepare us to receive
your life-giving Bread. Your love inspires
our faith: you are with us until the end of
days, in your church, in your sacraments,
in our brothers and sisters, in our friends
and neighbours, especially those who are
in need. With your seal on our hearts and
your words on our lips, we share you with
others as an “Easter people”. Make us spirit-
filled heralds of your resurrection. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
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Sixth Station: JESUS APPEARS IN THE
.C...E....N....A....C....L...E.....(..J...n.....2...0...,.1..9....-.2...3...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Jn 20,19)
R1 In the evening of that same day, the first
day of the week, the doors were closed in
the room where the disciples were, for fear
of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among
them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’.
Reflection
R2 Afraid and confused, the disciples hid
themselves behind the false security of
stone walls and locked doors. They felt
vulnerable, convinced that all their dreams
had died with Jesus on Calvary. But no
walls can block Jesus from fulfilling his
mission. Jesus is there, a friend and brother,
a risen Saviour, standing in their midst. His
word and his presence announce peace,
regenerate life and communicate love.
Prayer
P O Lord, Son of the living God, inspire our
confidence that everything we are going
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through is known to you, our Master.
Remind us that the Father has a loving
plan for each of us, and that all things
work for good for those who trust in you.
May we find in your word the light to
see beyond every obstacle. Free us from
every false image we have of you so that
nothing will separate us from your Easter
grace. You are the risen Lord. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Seventh Station: JESUS GIVES THE POWER
.T...O......F...O....R....G....I..V.....E.....S...I..N....S.....(..J...n....2...0....,.1..9....-.2...3...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Jn 20,23)
R1 ‘For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven; for those whose
sins you retain, they are retained.’
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Reflection
R2 The Son of Man came as our brother for a
singular purpose: to reconcile all peoples
with the Father and to one another. With
his death, Jesus reconciled humanity
with the Father; in his resurrection, he
extended this gift to all ages through the
ministry of reconciliation that he entrusted
to the apostles and their successors.
Prayer
P Risen Jesus, forgiveness of the Father,
reveal to us God’s merciful love that heals
and restores us day by day, no matter how
often we fall. May we never lose heart when
we falter, but grow more resolved to open
our lives fully to the Father’s steadfast
love. May we experience the sacrament
of reconciliation frequently and sincerely,
as a powerful means of transforming
our lives into a song of Easter joy.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
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Eighth Station: JESUS CONFIRMS
.T...H.....E.....F...A....I..T....H......O....F.....T....H....O....M.....A....S.....(..J...n.....2...0...,.2...4...-..2...9...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Jn 20,26)
R1 Eight days later the disciples were
in the house again and Thomas was
with them. The doors were closed,
but Jesus came in and stood among
them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said.
Reflection
R2 Thomas is burdened by doubts and
confusion. His spirit is restless. He
demands proof that Jesus is truly risen,
seeking the same certainty that already
fills the hearts of the other apostles. Finally,
his moment for a personal encounter
with the Master has come. He sees
resurrection light, and is able to profess
his faith in Jesus: “My Lord and my God”.
Thomas’ testimony reminds us that each
of us bears personal responsibility for
deepening our faith; it is a responsibility
and privilege not to be neglected. The
Spirit assists those who sincerely commit
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themselves to this pursuit. Blessed are
those who have not seen, and yet believe.
Prayer
P O Lord, resurrected Truth, illumine our
minds, that we may humbly accept God’s
awesome designs even when we struggle to
believe. Help us to trust your guiding light,
especially in the nuanced and perplexing
situations of our lives. Grant that we may
never doubt your abiding love and constant
accompaniment. Empower us to strengthen
each other’s faith as “Easter people”. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Ninth Station: JESUS APPEARS
TO HIS DISCIPLES AT THE LAKE OF
.T...I..B....E....R....I..A....S.....(..J...n....2...1...,.1..-..1..3...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
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Scripture (Jn 21,1-8)
R1 Later on, Jesus showed himself again
to the disciples. It was by the Sea of
Tiberias,…. and he said, ‘Throw the net out
to starboard and you’ll find something’. So
they dropped the net, and there were so
many fish that they could not haul it in.
Reflection
R2 Confused, frightened and seemingly
defeated, the disciples returned to their
former lives, having no idea what the next
day would bring, presuming it would
continue as it was before encountering
Jesus. But Jesus awaits them on the
beach of their lives. He invites them
to put out into the deep and to throw
out their fishing nets one more time in
obedience to his word. At Jesus’ word,
everything old is made new. They begin
to see what is invisible to human eyes,
and to understand in the light of faith!
Prayer
P O Lord, your light illuminates our
understanding of reality and challenges
us to see beyond external things. Remind
us that wherever we go, you are already
there, waiting for us. May we, like you, trust
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that our projects will come to fulfilment
only through obedience to the Father’s
will; a lesson you taught with your life,
your death and your resurrection. Help us
to follow your example and become true
followers of you, our Risen Lord. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Tenth Station: JESUS CONFERS THE
PRIMACY ON PETER AS LEADER OF THE
.C...H.....U....R....C....H.....(..J...n.....2...1..,.1...5...-.1..7...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Jn 21,15)
R1 After the meal Jesus said to Simon
Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love
me more than these others do?’ He
answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love
you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs’.
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Reflection
R2 Jesus asked Peter not once, not twice,
but three times, “Do you love me?” It was
not so much the question but the triple
repetition that grieved Peter so much.
Distraught, humbled and hopeful, he
replied: “Lord, you know how much I
love you.” In response, Jesus made him
the principal shepherd of his flock.
Prayer
P O Jesus, you are the sacrificial lamb
who became our Good Shepherd. Fill
us with love for our Pope, the Successor
of Peter, to whom you have entrusted
your flock. May he teach and lead
your disciples in the ways of faith and
holiness. May he strengthen them as
one people born of your Passover and
united by the bonds of charity. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
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Eleventh Station: JESUS SENDS HIS
DISCIPLES TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO
.T...H.....E.....W......H....O....L....E.....W.....O....R....L....D.....(..M.....t...2...8....,.1..6...-..2...0...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Mt 28,16-20)
R1 Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out
for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus
had arranged to meet them. When they
saw him they fell down before him,
though some hesitated. Jesus came up
and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all
the nations; baptise them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teach them to observe all the
commands I gave you. And know that I am
with you always; yes, to the end of time.’
Reflection
R2 The Church does not “have” a mission; the
Church “is” a mission: “Go and proclaim
the Good News, be my witnesses to the
ends of the earth”. This is the bold mission
that Jesus entrusted to his apostles while
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they were still trying to make sense of
his resurrection. They set out with an
uncertain step, but returned invigorated
by the Light of the Risen Christ! Today,
Jesus sends us to follow in their footsteps
by proclaiming him with boldness.
Prayer
P Risen Jesus, make us ready and willing
to bring the light of the Gospel even to
the ends of the earth. Grant us spiritual
boldness for the mission and confidence
that you will provide what we need to
accomplish what you ask of us. May our
example identify us as an Easter people,
following you, the Lord of history. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Twelfth Station: JESUS ASCENDS INTO
.H....E....A...V.....E...N......(..A....c..t...s....1..,.6...-..1..1..)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
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A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Acts 1,9)
R1 As he said this he was lifted up
while they looked on, and a cloud
took him from their sight.
Reflection
R2 The apostles gazed up towards heaven,
from where Jesus, the Light of the world,
had come and to where he ascended. Christ
returned to the Father not to distance
himself from us – who had abandoned him
while he gave his life for us - but to precede
us to that house of many rooms where he is
preparing a place for us even as he guides
our earthly journey and draws us to himself.
Prayer
P O Divine Light, your return to your Father
opens the way to our eternal dwelling
place with you. Let your light illuminate
our journey, that we may walk and never
grow weary, run the good race and
never lose our way. Give us confidence
to proclaim with every step that we are
your Paschal people forever. Amen.
Our Father…
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Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Thirteenth Station: THE DISCIPLES
AND MARY PREPARE FOR THE COMING
.O....F.....T...H.....E.....H....O....L...Y.....S....P...I..R....I..T.....(..A....c...t..s....1...,.1..2...-..1..4...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ,
and we bless you
A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Acts 1,14)
R1 All these joined in continuous
prayer, together with several
women, including Mary the mother
of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Reflection
R2 Jesus tells us, “It is to your advantage that
I should leave, because only when I return
to my Father will I send you the Teacher
who will instruct you, strengthen you and
enlighten you in the Truth”. Mary, at the foot
of the Cross, became the mother of John
and mother of the Church, the mother of the
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redeemed because she is the mother of the
Redeemer. She kept the disciples close to
her maternal heart and united to Jesus, so
that they could receive the Spirit of her Son.
Prayer
P O Wisdom that guides the world, teach us to
recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit and to
respond to his promptings, that our lives may
redound to the greater glory of the Father.
Grant us patience, perseverance, courage and
humility as you purify us of all foolishness
and set our hearts on the things of heaven.
Fill us, that we may desire nothing more than
to align our wills to the will of the Father, and
so, as stewards and witnesses of the Easter
promise, build up the Body of Christ. Amen.
Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Fourteenth Station: THE DISCIPLES
.R....E...C....E...I..V....E.....T....H....E.....P....R....O...M.....I..S....E...D.....S....P...I..R....I..T.....(..A....c...t..s....2...,.1..-..6...)..
P We adore you, O Risen Christ
and we bless you
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A Because by your resurrection you have
given divine life to the world.
Scripture (Acts 2,3-4)
R1 And something appeared to them that
seemed like tongues of fire; these separated
and came to rest on the head of each of
them. They were all filled with the Holy
Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages
as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.
Reflection
R2 The disciples were touched by the fire
of God’s love. Everyone who saw them
was amazed, because they had been
transformed and manifested extraordinary
abilities. The apostles were full of God;
the Spirit had taken possession of them!
Prayer
P O Spirit of the living God, gift of the Risen
Lord, illuminate our hearts and minds. May
our daily lives be a continuous Pentecost
as we receive the gifts you bestow upon us
and share them in loving service of others.
In every encounter, may our brothers and
sisters see not just us, but the spirit of Jesus
shining through us, even as we reverence
his presence in them. Make us credible
witnesses of Easter hope and joy. Amen.
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Our Father…
Glory be…
Marian verse or refrain:
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin
Mother of God, Alleluia
A Because the Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
P Let us pray for the intentions of
our Holy Father, Pope N.
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…
Final Prayer
P Risen Saviour, our light and our hope,
send forth your spirit and renew the
face of the earth. Empower us as Easter
people to lift the darkness of the world
with the power of your love, to revive
the weary through your life-giving
waters, and to strengthen the young as
witnesses of your eternal springtime as
they live the joy of the Gospel. You live
and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
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NOVENA IN PREPARATION
FOR PENTECOST
Hymn
Option 1
Veni, Creator Spiritus
VIII
V..
a:
•
•
•
•
•
E-ni re- a-tor pi- ri-tus, Mcntes tu- 6-rum vi- si-
•
Impl su-p~ma gnl-ti- a Qu , tu er - :\\sti p
1. Come Creator Spirit, visit the souls of Thy
people,
Fill with grace from on high the hearts
which Thou hast created.
•
2. Qui di-cc- ris Pa- racli-tus, Altissimi do-num De- i,
Fons vi-vus, i-gnis, a-ri- tas,
2. Thou Who art called the Comforter, gift of the
most high God,
Living fountain, fire, love and unction of souls.
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•
• ..
••
•
3. Tu septi- f6rmis mune-re, Digitus pa-terna, dexte-r.e, 1
Tu ri-te pro-mfssum Panis, Serm6ne di-tans guttu-ra.
3. Sevenfold in Thy gifts, finger of the Father’s
right hand,
Thou promised truly by the Father, giving
speech to tongues.
..
•
•
4. Accende lumen sensibus, lnfund, am6 -rem c6rdibus,
..
lnHm,a nostri c6rpo-ris Virtu-te firmans perpe-ti.
4. Inflame our senses with Thy light, pour Thy
love into our hearts,
Strengthen our weak bodies with lasting
power.
..
••
•
5. Hostem re-pcllas l6ngi- us , Pa-cemque dones pr6-1i-nus:
..
Ducl6-re .sic te pr~-vi- o Vi-ten1us on1ne n6 -xi- un1.
5. Drive far away the enemy, grant peace at all
times:
So under Thy guidance may we avoid all evil.
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..
6. Per te sci- amus da Patrem, Noscamus atque Fi- Ii- um,
Teque utri- usque Spi-ri-tum Credamus omn i tempo-re.
6. Grant us by Thee to know the Father and to
know the Son,
And Thee, Spirit of both, may we always
believe.
..
•
7. De- o Pa-tri sit gl6-ri• a,
•
Et Ff-Ii- o, qui a m6rtu• is
..
Surre-xit, ac Pa-r3.cli-to, In s~cu-16-rum s~cu-la. A -men.
7. To God the Father be glory, to the Son Who
rose from the dead
And to the Comforter, for all ages. Amen.
Option 2
Introductory Rite
r
I. Come, Ho • ly GhoaL, our aoula in - epire, and light-en
lL Thy blcoa - cd unc - tion from a - bovc ia com-fort,
3. A - noint and cheer our 110il • ed face with the a -
• · Teaeb iu to know t.he Fa .. tiler, Son, and thee, of
; s!
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r-
with ce • 1... tial l1~; Lhou the
a • noint-ing
life~ and fire of love; en - a
blc with JM!lr-
bun -dnn"" of thy g,-ace; kee-p far
ou.r roee; gi,..e
boLh, to be but One; thot through the a ge•
;- ;
II
-r
r
Spir - it art,
pet - uol light
peace at home;
oil .o. - long
r r·
who doat thy seven-fold
the dull-ness of our
where thou art guide, no
tbiA this mo.y be our
gil\\& im •
blind-ed
ill can
end -less
Afler kut •""=
Praise to thy e ter - naJ mer-it.,
come.
aong:
I':'\\
JJ
,----.J .I-
~
'-
r
r
Son, a.nd Ho • ly Spir-it.
men.
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P The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God the Father, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you.
A And with your spirit.
Prayer
P Let us pray. O God, who by the mystery
of the great feast of Pentecost sanctify
your whole Church in every people and
nation, pour out the gifts of the Holy
Spirit and renew the face of the Earth.
May the divine grace that was at work
when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill
the hearts of all believers. Through our
Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives
and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
A Amen.
.F...I..R....S...T......D...A....Y....:..T....H....E.....C....R....E...A....T....O....R.....S....P...I..R....I..T....
A reading from the Book of Genesis
(Gen 1,1-2; 2,5-9)
In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth. Now the earth was a formless void,
there was darkness over the deep, and God’s
spirit hovered over the water. There was as yet
no wild bush on the earth nor had any wild plant
yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain
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on the earth, nor was there any man to till the
soil. However, a flood was rising from the earth
and watering all the surface of the soil. The Lord
God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then
he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and
thus man became a living being. The Lord God
planted a garden in Eden which is in the east,
and there he put the man he had fashioned. The
Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every
kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat,
with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
Intercessions
P The Spirit is the source of life. We receive
it as a gift of love. God reveals to us
the power of his love in the wonders of
creation, especially in the life of every
man, woman and child. Inspired by
his goodness, let us turn to the Father,
imploring an outpouring of his Holy
Spirit through Christ. In confidence, let us
pray: Father, give us your Spirit of love.
A Father, give us your Spirit of love.
L1 For the Church, the living bride of Christ:
that she may be renewed continually
by the Holy Spirit and set the world
on fire with his love, let us pray.
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L2 For all those who promote peace
and harmony in the world: that
their initiatives may find a generous
response in all peoples, we pray.
L3 For those who are oppressed by anxiety
and difficulties: that they may know
the consolation of the Spirit, we pray.
L4 For us gathered here in the name of Jesus:
that the Lord may renew in us the grace
of Baptism and Confirmation, we pray.
P Let us pray. Turn your ears, O God, to your
Church, gathered today as in the Upper
Room with Mary and your apostles awaiting
the gift of Pentecost. Renew us with the
seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, inflame
our hearts with Easter joy and by the power
of your love empower all who have been
reborn in baptism to be your witnesses
and prophets even to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our
Almighty God continues to do great
things for us. With our Blessed
Mother, the Help of Christians, let us
exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
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Blessing
Regina caeli
Latin
P Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia.
A Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
P Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.
A Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
P Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
A Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
P Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii
tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum
laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus;
ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam,
perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per
eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
A Amen.
English
P Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
A For He whom you did merit to bear,
alleluia.
P Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
A Pray for us to God, alleluia.
P Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
A For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
P Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the
world through the resurrection of your
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Son our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we
beseech you, that through the intercession
of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we
may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
.S...E....C...O....N.....D.....D....A...Y....:...T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T.....O....F.....C....H....R....I..S...T....
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Romans (Rom 8,9-11)
It is the Spirit of God who guides the Messiah
in his mission of salvation, directs him on his
journey among his brothers and sisters, and
works prodigious signs.
Our interests, however, are not in the
unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit
of God has made his home in you. In fact,
unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you
would not belong to him. Though your body
may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ
is in you then your spirit is life itself because
you have been justified; and if the Spirit of
him who raised Jesus from the dead is living
in you, then he who raised Jesus from the
dead will give life to your own mortal bodies
through his Spirit living in you.
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Intercessions
P With the voice of the Spirit who
prays in us, let us raise our prayerful
intentions to the Father.
A Send us your Spirit, O Lord.
L —For the Church, reaching to the ends of
the earth: that she may be renewed in
love and in zeal for the mission, we pray.
— For the world, awaiting liberation from
sin and division: that the hearts of
all people may be open to dialogue,
forgiveness and reconciliation, we pray.
— For the young, seeking direction in
life: that they may find trustworthy
witnesses of the Gospel to guide and
accompany them, we pray.
— For our community: that we may
be sincere models of fraternal love,
prophetic witness, and generous self-
giving in our mission with the young, we
pray.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father…
P Turn your ears, O God, to your Church,
gathered today as in the Upper Room with
Mary and your apostles awaiting the gift
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of Pentecost. Renew us with the seven-
fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, inflame our
hearts with Easter joy and by the power
of your love empower all who have been
reborn in baptism to be your witnesses
and prophets even to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our Almighty
God continues to do great things for us. With
our Blessed Mother, the Help of Christians,
let us exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli – Queen of Heaven
.T...H.....I..R....D.....D....A....Y...:...T....H....E.....S....P...I..R....I...T.....O....F.....H....E....I..R....S...
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Galatians (Gal 4,1-7)
The Spirit introduces us into the family of God.
He alone can satisfy our thirst for God, bring us
intimately face to face with God, assure us that
our lives are held by an eternal Love, and open
our hearts to dialogue with God in prayer.
Let me put this another way: an heir, even if
he has actually inherited everything, is no
different from a slave for as long as he remains
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a child. He is under the control of guardians and
administrators until he reaches the age fixed by
his father. Now before we came of age we were
as good as slaves to the elemental principles of
this world, but when the appointed time came,
God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a
subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the
Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The
proof that you are sons is that God has sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that
cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you
a son, you are not a slave anymore; and if God
has made you son, then he has made you heir.
Intercessions
P With the voice of the Spirit who prays in us,
let us present our petitions to the Father.
A Send us your Spirit, O Lord.
L —That the hearts of believers may be
supple and receptive to the innovations
of the Spirit, eager to discern the truth
in new ideas and to overcome fear of
what is different. We pray to the Lord.
— That the Holy Spirit may motivate
us to test unnamed assumptions,
face unchallenged fears and change
unhealthy patterns. We pray to the Lord.
— For a new outpouring of the Spirit
that will make all people fluent in the
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language of love, mercy and peace. We
pray to the Lord.
— That the Holy Spirit may renew the
faith of all the baptized, allowing them
to profess what they believe and to live
what they profess. We pray to the Lord.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father…
P Turn your ears, O God, to your Church,
gathered today as in the Upper Room with
Mary and your apostles awaiting the gift
of Pentecost. Renew us with the seven-fold
gifts of the Holy Spirit and sustain our Easter
joy. By the power of your love empower
all the baptized to be your witnesses and
prophets even to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our
Almighty God continues to do great
things for us. With our Blessed
Mother, the Help of Christians, let us
exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli – Queen of Heaven
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FOURTH DAY: THE SPIRIT
.O....F.....R....E...S...U.....R....R....E...C....T....I..O....N....
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Romans (Rom 8,18-23)
Our life runs its course towards death. There
is nothing we can do to stop it because we live
under the influence of evil, sin and selfishness.
Only the Spirit, gift of the Risen One, can bring
us beyond death to a resurrection.
I think that what we suffer in this life can
never be compared to the glory, as yet
unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole
creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal
his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of
creation that it was made unable to attain its
purpose, it was made so by God; but creation
still retains the hope of being freed, like us,
from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the
same freedom and glory as the children of
God. From the beginning till now the entire
creation, as we know, has been groaning in
one great act of giving birth; and not only
creation, but all of us who possess the first-
fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as
we wait for our bodies to be set free.
Intercessions
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P My dear brothers, let us pray for an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us, who
comes to us through the Father and the Son.
A Father, send us your Spirit.
L —For the Church: that the Lord’s Spirit
will breathe anew upon the Body of
Christ and make it burn with ardent love
for the mission. We pray to the Lord.
— For all those who have received new life
through baptism and confirmation: that
the Spirit, the breath of God, may sustain
their faith and let nothing rob them of
Easter joy. We pray to the Lord.
— For all young people: that they may be
accompanied in the ways of the Spirit so
that their maturing faith will be seen in the
choices they make. We pray to the Lord.
— For victims of injustice and for those who
oppress them: that the Spirit may soften
hardened hearts, heal broken lives, and
guide the future of humankind in the ways
of love and solidarity. We pray to the Lord.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father…
P Turn your ears, O God, to your Church,
gathered today as in the Upper Room with
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Mary and your apostles awaiting the gift
of Pentecost. Renew us with the seven-
fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, inflame our
hearts with Easter joy and by the power
of your love empower all who have been
reborn in baptism to be your witnesses
and prophets even to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our Almighty
God continues to do great things for us. With
our Blessed Mother, the Help of Christians,
let us exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli – Queen of Heaven
.F...I..F....T....H.....D....A....Y...:...T....H....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T.....O....F.....T....R....U....T....H....
A reading from the First Letter of John
(1 Jn 1,5-10; 2,1-2)
We need truth in order to live, to know where
we come from and where we are going. Truth is
suffocated by sin. Sin is blindness. Sin is a lie.
Christ is the truth: he reveals to us God’s love,
and he reveals to us our sins.
This is what we have heard from him, and the
message that we are announcing to you: God
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is light; there is no darkness in him at all. If we
say that we are in union with God while we are
living in darkness, we are lying because we are
not living the truth. But if we live our lives in the
light, as he is in the light, we are in union with one
another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies
us from all sin. If we say we have no sin in us; we
are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the
truth; but if we acknowledge our sins, then God
who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and
purify us from everything that is wrong. To say
that we have never sinned is to call God a liar and
to show that his word is not in us.
I am writing this, my children, to stop you
sinning; but if anyone should sin, we have our
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who
is just; he is the sacrifice that takes our sins
away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s.
Intercessions
P With the voice of the Spirit who prays
in us, let us present our needs and
intentions to our loving Father.
A Lord, send us your Spirit.
L —For the Church: that the Spirit of
humility may purify her for greater
effectiveness, fidelity and credibility
in her mission We pray to the Lord.
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— For all the faithful: that their lives may be
guided by God’s saving Word, nourished
through the sacraments, and coherent
with the dignity of the children of God.
We pray to the Lord.
— For all people of goodwill: that the Spirit
may awaken in every heart a genuine
concern for those on the margins of
society, and a commitment to make the
world more just and fraternal for the
least, the last and the lost. We pray to the
Lord.
— For faith in action: that our sharing of the
Word of God and the Bread of Life may
draw us into communion with God and
with one another. We pray to the Lord.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father…
P Turn your ears, O God, to your Church,
gathered today as in the Upper Room with
Mary and your apostles awaiting the gift
of Pentecost. Renew us with the seven-
fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, inflame our
hearts with Easter joy and by the power
of your love empower all who have been
reborn in baptism to be your witnesses
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and prophets even to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our
Almighty God continues to do great
things for us. With our Blessed
Mother, the Help of Christians, let us
exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli – Queen of Heaven
.S...I..X....T....H......D....A...Y....:...T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T.....O....F.....W ......I..T....N....E....S...S....I..N....G....
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
(Act 5,26-33)
The Spirit, who works salvation in us, arouses
the need to announce to others the gift received.
The mission is not the fruit of our commitment,
but a free gift of the Spirit.
The captain went with his men and fetched
them. They were afraid to use force in case the
people stoned them. When they had brought
them in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest
demanded an explanation. ‘We gave you a
formal warning’ he said ‘not to preach in this
name, and what have you done? You have
filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem
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determined to fix the guilt of this man’s death
on us.’ In reply Peter and the apostles said,
‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to
men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised
up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed
by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God
has now raised him up to be leader and saviour,
to give repentance and forgiveness of sins
through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all
this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given
to those who obey him.’ This so infuriated them
that they wanted to put them to death.
Intercessions
P My dear brothers, let us pray for an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a gift
to us from the Father and the Son.
A Father, send us your Spirit of love.
L —For openness to God’s holy word:
that all peoples may welcome the
transforming newness of the Good News
of Jesus Christ. We pray to the Lord.
— For Church leaders: that all pastors of
Christian communities may be credible
witnesses of God’s love and draw all
people to the heart of the Father. We pray
to the Lord.
— For Christian unity: that the invocation of
the name of Jesus may reveal the Church
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as the one body of Christ, sign and
sacrament of unity for all humanity. We
pray to the Lord.
— For peace: that all people may walk
the path of nonviolence, seek peaceful
resolution of conflict, and promote
mutual respect through meek and
sincere dialogue. We pray to the Lord.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father…
P Turn your ears, O God, to your Church,
gathered today as in the Upper Room
with Mary and your apostles awaiting
the gift of Pentecost. Renew us with
the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit,
inflame our hearts with Easter joy and
by the power of your love empower
all who have been reborn in baptism
to be your witnesses and prophets
even to the ends of the earth. We
ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our
Almighty God continues to do great
things for us. With our Blessed
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Mother, the Help of Christians, let us
exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli – Queen of Heaven
.S...E...V.....E...N.....T...H......D....A....Y...:...T....H....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T.....O.....F....H.....O....L...I..N.....E...S....S...
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Galatians (Gal 5,16-25)
Justice and holiness are not trophies to be
earned by accomplishing demanding human
feats. Rather, they are the gifts of the Spirit, the
“fruits” of the Spirit. It is the Spirit of Jesus that
helps us to discover and live the new law of the
Beatitudes, purifying our hearts and giving us
its strength.
Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the
Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-
indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite
of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a
thing, and it is precisely because the two are so
opposed that you do not always carry out your
good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no
law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at
work the results are obvious: fornication, gross
indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry
and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy,
bad temper and quarrels; disagreements,
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factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar
things. I warn you now, as I warned you before:
those who behave like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very
different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-
control. There can be no law against things like
that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus
unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions
and desires. Since the Spirit is our life, let us be
directed by the Spirit.
Intercessions
P Through the voice of the Spirit who
prays in us, let us present our needs
and intentions to our loving Father.
A Father, send us your Spirit of love.
L —For new life in the Spirit: that God’s
breath of life may open all people
to the newness of the Gospel as the
inspiration for their choices, projects,
and relationships. We pray to the Lord.
— For healing: that the Spirit’s coming
upon us will heal the wounds of sin and
division, promote solidarity and restore
communion. We pray to the Lord.
— For the Pope and all bishops, priests and
religious: that the Spirit of wisdom may
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inspire their words and actions as they
lead their brothers and sisters in the
ways of the gospel. We pray to the Lord.
— For the young: that the Spirit may set
their hearts on fire with love for the
Risen Jesus who is forever young in
them. We pray to the Lord.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father…
P Turn your ears, O God, to your Church,
gathered today as in the Upper Room with
Mary and your apostles awaiting the gift
of Pentecost. Renew us with the seven-
fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, inflame our
hearts with Easter joy and by the power
of your love empower all who have been
reborn in baptism to be your witnesses
and prophets even to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our Almighty
God continues to do great things for us. With
our Blessed Mother, the Help of Christians,
let us exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli – Queen of Heaven
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.E...I..G....H....T....H......D....A...Y....:...T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T.....O....F.....T...H.....E.....C...H.....U....R....C....H....
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
(Acts 2,1-4.14-24)
Born in the mystery of Pentecost, the Church
lives and grows in the Spirit. It is the creator
Spirit, who builds the body of Christ. The
Spirit is the messianic gift, par excellence,
who draws humanity into a new and definitive
relationship with God and conforms it to Christ;
who preserves and nourishes the communion of
salvation among all people.
When Pentecost day came round, they had
all met in one room, when suddenly they
heard what sounded like a powerful wind
from heaven, the noise of which filled the
entire house in which they were sitting; and
something appeared to them that seemed like
tongues of fire; these separated and came to
rest on the head of each of them. They were
all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to
speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave
them the gift of speech. Then Peter stood up
with the Eleven and addressed them in a loud
voice: ‘Men of Judaea, and all you who live in
Jerusalem, make no mistake about this, but
listen carefully to what I say. These men are
not drunk, as you imagine; why, it is only the
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third hour of the day. On the contrary, this
is what the prophet spoke of: In the days to
come - it is the Lord who speaks - I will pour
out my spirit on all mankind. Their sons and
daughters shall prophesy, your young men
shall see visions, your old men shall dream
dreams. Even on my slaves, men and women,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit. I will
display portents in heaven above and signs
on earth below. The sun will be turned into
darkness and the moon into blood before the
great Day of the Lord dawns. All who call on
the name of the Lord will be saved. Men of
Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus
the Nazarene was a man commended to you
by God by the miracles and portents and signs
that God worked through him when he was
among you, as you all know. This man, who
was put into your power by the deliberate
intention and foreknowledge of God, you took
and had crucified by men outside the Law. You
killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing
him from the pangs of Hades.’
Intercessions
P Through the voice of the Spirit who
prays in us, let us present our needs
and intentions to our loving Father.
A Father, send us your Spirit of love.
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L —For the Church: that under the guidance
of the Holy Spirit she may bear credible
witness to the true, the beautiful and
the good. We pray to the Lord.
— For all peoples: that they may turn away
from hatred, violence and war, and work
together for peace. We pray to the Lord.
— For all those who have been born again
in the waters of baptism: that they may
put on the full armour of God in their
struggle against evil, and in the power
of the Spirit live as a “new creation” in
Christ. We pray to the Lord.
— For each one of us: that we may be docile
to the Holy Spirit whose perfect love can
cast out all of our fear. We pray to the
Lord.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father…
P Turn your ears, O God, to your Church,
gathered today as in the Upper Room with
Mary and your apostles awaiting the gift
of Pentecost. Renew us with the seven-
fold gifts of the Holy Spirit, inflame our
hearts with Easter joy and by the power
of your love empower all who have been
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reborn in baptism to be your witnesses
and prophets even to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our
Almighty God continues to do great
things for us. With our Blessed
Mother, the Help of Christians, let us
exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli – Queen of Heaven
.N....I..N....T....H......D....A...Y....:...T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T.....O....F.....U....N....I..T....Y....
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to
the Corinthians (1 Cor 12,4-11)
In the multiplicity of ministries, in the diversity
of charisms, in the variety of situations, it is not
the force of human effort, but the strength of
the Spirit’s love that gathers the Church in unity,
giving fulfilment to Christ’s prayer.
There is a variety of gifts but always the same
Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done,
but always to the same Lord; working in all
sorts of different ways in different people, it is
the same God who is working in all of them.
The particular way in which the Spirit is given
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to each person is for a good purpose. One may
have the gift of preaching with wisdom given
him by the Spirit; another may have the gift of
preaching instruction given him by the same
Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the
same Spirit; another again the gift of healing,
through this one Spirit; one, the power of
miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of
recognising spirits; another the gift of tongues
and another the ability to interpret them. All
these are the work of one and the same Spirit,
who distributes different gifts to different people
just as he chooses.
Intercessions
P Through the voice of the Spirit who
prays in us, let us present our needs
and intentions to our loving Father.
A Father, send us your Spirit of love.
L —Come, Spirit of truth, that the Church
may understand the gospel more deeply
and communicate it more effectively
in the new evangelization. We pray.
— Come, Spirit of love, that the Church may
be renewed as your instrument of unity
and communion. We pray.
— Come, Spirit of peace, that world leaders
may turn their swords into ploughshares
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and fight against every form of poverty
and injustice. We pray.
— Come, Spirit of wisdom, that scientists
may discover your creative genius in
the secrets of the universe and use their
learning to promote human dignity. We
pray.
— Come, Spirit of life, that young people
may bring about a new spring time in
the Church, because they are loved by
God, gifted for service in his name, and
empowered to draw others to him by
their good example. We pray.
P We have received God’s spirit of adoption,
and so we have the courage to say:
A Our Father....
P Listen, O God, to your Church united in
prayer, in eager expectation of the Holy
Spirit. May your Spirit illuminate the minds
of the faithful and enable all those reborn
in Baptism to be witnesses and prophets
in the world. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Blessing
P In the power of the Holy Spirit, our
Almighty God continues to do great
things for us. With our Blessed
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Mother, the Help of Christians, let us
exalt and invoke God’s holy name.
Regina caeli - Queen of Heaven
PREPARATION FOR
THE SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST
The Solemnity of Pentecost closes the Easter
Season. The Acts of the Apostles recall the
prolonged time of prayer of the early Church
waiting for the Holy Spirit. Each community
designates a moment in their daily prayer
schedule to emphasize this time of invocation of
the Spirit.
This prayer can be structured around the
outline of the Liturgy of the Hours: after a short
reading one can prolong the reflection with the
texts taken from the Church’s magisterium and
from the life of Don Bosco. Intercessions from
the Liturgy of the Hours may be replaced with
the prayers suggested below.
Hymn
Option 1
Veni Creator Spiritus
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Latin
Veni Creator Spiritus,
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia,
quae tu creasti, pectora.
Qui diceris Paraclitus,
donum Dei altissimi,
fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
et spiritalis unctio.
Tu septiformis munere,
dextrae Dei tu digitus
tu rite promissum Patris,
sermone ditans guttura.
Accende lumen sensibus,
infunde amorem cordibus,
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.
Hostem repellas longius
pacemque dones protinus;
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.
Per te sciamus da Patrem
noscamus atque Filium,
te utriusque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore.
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Deo Patri sit gloria
et Filio, qui a mortuis;
surrexit, ac Paraclito
in saeculorum saecula.
Amen.
English
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come
from thy bright heav’nly throne;
come, take possession of our souls,
and make them all thine own.
Thou who art called the Paraclete,
best gift of God above,
the living spring, the living fire,
sweet unction and true love.
Thou who art sevenfold in thy grace,
finger of God’s right hand;
his promise, teaching little ones
to speak and understand.
O guide our minds with thy blest light,
with love our hearts inflame;
and with thy strength, which ne’er decays,
confirm our mortal frame.
Far from us drive our deadly foe;
true peace unto us bring;
and through all perils lead us safe
beneath thy sacred wing.
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Through thee may we the Father know,
through thee the eternal Son,
and thee the Spirit of them both,
thrice-blessed three in One.
All glory to the Father be,
with his coequal Son;
the same to thee, great Paraclete,
while endless ages run.
Amen.
Option 2
Come Holy Spirit
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
Who does the tongue with power imbue.
Kindle our senses from above,
and make our hearts o’erflow with love;
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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.
First Day.
.T...H.....E.....G...I...F...T....S....O....F.....T....H.....E....S....P...I..R....I..T....:...W......I..S...D....O....M.....
A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to
the Corinthians (1 Cor 2,6-10)
But still we have a wisdom to offer those who
have reached maturity: not a philosophy of
our age, it is true, still less of the masters of
our age, which are coming to their end. The
hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our
mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined
to be for our glory before the ages began. It
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is a wisdom that none of the masters of this
age have ever known, or they would not have
crucified the Lord of Glory; we teach what
scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen
and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind
of man, all that God has prepared for those
who love him. These are the very things that
God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for
the Spirit reaches the depths of everything,
even the depths of God.
From the Church’s Magisterium
Looking forward to the solemnity of
Pentecost, towards which the Easter season is
proceeding, let us reflect together on the seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit, which the Tradition of
the Church has constantly proposed based
on the famous text of Isaiah, concerning the
“Spirit of the Lord” (cf. Is 11.1-2).
The first and most exalted of these gifts is
wisdom, which is a light that is received from
on high: it is a special participation in that
mysterious and supreme knowledge which
is proper to God. We read, in fact, in Sacred
Scripture: “I prayed, and understanding was
given me; I called upon God, and the spirit
of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to
sceptres and thrones, and I accounted wealth
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as nothing in comparison with her” (Wis 7.7-8.
Solomon’s prayer for wisdom).
This superior wisdom is the root of a new
knowledge, a knowledge imbued with charity,
thanks to which the soul acquires familiarity
with divine things and begins to yearn for
them. St. Thomas speaks of “a certain taste of
God” (“Summa Theologiae” II ° -II °, q. 45, a. 2, ad
1), by which the true scholar is not simply one
who knows the things of God, but the one who
experiences them and lives them.
Sapiential knowledge also gives us a special
ability to judge human things according to
God’s standards, in the light of God. Enlightened
by this gift, a Christian knows how to see into
the realities of the world: no one better than he
can appreciate the authentic values o​​ f creation,
looking at them with God’s own eyes.
St. John Paul II, Regina coeli, April 16, 1989
From the Life of Don Bosco
The Holy Spirit, through the gift of Wisdom,
strengthens in us the virtue of charity,
immerses us fully in the history of salvation
and gives us the ability to work in harmony
with God for the salvation of others. But by
what path do we come to possess the gift of
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Wisdom? First of all, we must become docile to
the action of the Spirit so as to acquire a taste
for God and his Word, and grow as much as
possible in the virtue of charity.
When Don Bosco was only nine years old, he
had a dream that revealed God’s divine plans
for him. He understood that he had to become
“the leader of mischievous boys” in order to
teach them to love what is good. Young John
protested, telling his interlocutor that this
task was impossible because he was only a
helpless child. But his interlocutor replied:
“I will give you a Teacher, under whose
discipline you can become wise and without
which all wisdom becomes foolishness”
Mario Galizzi
P Let us pray.
Lord, with you is Wisdom who knows your
works:
she delights in what pleases you.
Send her forth from your glorious throne
that she may help me and join me in my
labour,
that I too may delight in what pleases you.
May she guide me prudently in my actions
and protect me with her glorious power.
A Amen.
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Second Day.
.T...H.....E.....G....I..F...T....S.....O....F.....T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T...:...F....O....R....T...I..T....U....D....E....
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Romans (Rom 8,26-28)
The Spirit too comes to help us in our
weakness. For when we cannot choose words
in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself
expresses our plea in a way that could never
be put into words, and God who knows
everything in our hearts knows perfectly
well what he means, and that the pleas of the
saints expressed by the Spirit are according
to the mind of God. We know that by turning
everything to their good, God cooperates with
all those who love him, with all those that he
has called according to his purpose.
From the Church’s Magisterium
At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended
upon them, those men went out without fear
and began to announce to everyone the good
news of Christ crucified and risen. They had
no fear whatsoever, because they knew they
were in the hands of the mightiest power.
Yes, dear brothers and sisters, the Spirit of
God, wherever it enters, dispels fear; it makes
us know and feel that we are in the hands of
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an omnipotent love: whatever happens, his
infinite love will not abandon us.
This is demonstrated by the witness of
martyrs, the courage of confessors of the faith,
the tireless enthusiasm of missionaries, the
frankness of preachers, the example of all the
saints, some even adolescents and children.
This is demonstrated by the very existence of
the Church which, despite human limitations
and failings, continues to cross the ocean
of history, driven by the breath of God and
animated by his purifying fire. With this faith
and this joyful hope we repeat today, through
the intercession of Mary: “Send forth your
Spirit, Lord, to renew the earth!”
Pope Benedict XVI,
from a Pentecost Homily, 2009
From the Life of Don Bosco
John Bosco recounts: “One day, several bullies
planned to annoy and beat up Comollo and
another harmless boy….I decided to intervene
but no one paid attention to me. ‘Whoever keeps
bothering those two had better watch out,’ I said
loudly. Thereupon several of the more brazen
and strong among them assumed a threatening
and defensive stance toward me, while another
dealt Comollo two resounding slaps across the
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face. At that I completely forgot myself. Brute
force and not reason was now moving me. I
could not grab a chair or a stick because there
were none and so I gripped one of them by the
shoulders and used him as a battering ram
against those bullies. I knocked four of them to
the floor and the others lost no time in taking to
their heels.…..” After the description of the scuffle
in the classroom, Don Bosco, in his memoirs,
continues as follows “Comollo taught me many
other lessons”. ‘John’, he said to me as soon as we
were alone, ‘your strength scares me. Believe me,
God didn’t give it to you for slaughtering your
classmates. He wants us to love one another, to
forgive one another and to do good to those who
do evil to us’ (BM I, 252-253).
Many years later, when Don Bosco was
provoked again by two people, he responded
in a very different way, saying: “The strength
of the priest is his patience and forgiveness”.
(Carlo Maria Zanotti)
P Let us pray.
Faithful God,
if I climb to the mountains, you are there;
if I settle at the farthest ends of the sea, you
are there.
When difficulties beset me, be my fortress
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and my rock.
With your strong hand, hold me fast.
By the grace of your Spirit,
grant me fortitude and perseverance in faith,
that I may stand firm
in year steadfast your love for me.
A Amen.
Third Day. THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY
.S...P....I..R....I..T...:...U....N.....D....E...R....S....T...A....N.....D....I..N....G....
A reading from the Gospel of John
(Jn 14,25-27)
I have said these things to you while still with
you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, will teach
you everything and remind you of all I have
said to you. Peace I bequeath to you, my own
peace I give you, a peace the world cannot
give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your
hearts be troubled or afraid.
From the Church’s Magisterium
We know well that faith is adherence to God in
the chiaroscuro of mystery; it is also, however, a
desire to seek greater and deeper knowledge of
the truth that has been revealed. Now, this interior
thrust comes to us from the Spirit, who through
faith grants the special gift of intelligence almost
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as an intuition of divine truth.
Through this gift, the Holy Spirit who “searches
the depth of God” (1 Cor 2,10), communicates
a spark to the believer. This spark has such
a capacity to penetrate that it can open the
believer’s heart to the joyful perception of
God’s loving design. In this way, then, the Spirit
continually renews the experience of the disciples
of Emmaus, who, after recognizing the Risen One
in the breaking of the bread, said to each other:
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he
was talking with us along the way, while he was
explaining the Scriptures to us?”(Lk 24,32)
This supernatural intelligence is given not
only to individuals, but also to the believing
community: to the Pastors who, as successors
of the apostles, are heirs of the specific
promise made to them by Christ (cf Jn 14,26;
16,13), and to the faithful who, thanks to the
“anointing” of the Spirit (cf 1 Jn 2,20 and 27),
possess a special “sense of faith” which guides
them in their concrete choices.
St. John Paul II, Regina caeli, 16 April 1989
From the Life of Don Bosco
Everyone would agree that Don Bosco never
allowed himself to be influenced by external
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appearances, no matter what form they
took. Rather, he saw clearly the substance of
everything. He looked at all things with an
inner eye which allowed him to cut to the
chase and render a precise assessment of
the deepest realities. Don Bosco did not hide
the fact that his knowledge grew through his
continuous efforts as a lifelong learner and
through a serious commitment to regular
reading on many topics.
One example of this was Don Bosco’s discovery
of the book, “The Imitation of Christ”, which
he described as an opportunity to make a
qualitative leap in his intellectual development.
“I am indebted to this book”, acknowledged Don
Bosco, “for so much doctrine and morality”. In
fact, the author of the Imitation of Christ taught
Don Bosco to free his heart from intellectual
vanity and to go instead to the school of the
Master of the interior life who opens new
horizons for his acute mind to contemplate
with love. Don Bosco perceived deeply
the importance of opening oneself to the
illumination of the Holy Spirit.
“Guided by the Spirit, it was easier for him to
acquire divine truths and to develop further
his sense of the things of God, avoiding any
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danger of error or being led astray. In Don
Bosco’s life, the virtue of humility developed
little by little as he renounced the temptation
of displaying how learned he was, and to
speak instead in ways that were accessible
to the humble, the little, the uneducated. If
the gift of knowledge allowed him to see
his children in the light of God, the gift of
intelligence made him contemplate the
foundations of a true Christian education,
namely, to bring everyone to a true knowledge
of God. It was the gift of intelligence that
opened Don Bosco to Christ, the true revealer
of the Father, and who made him an authentic
Christian educator. When he wrote his Sacred
History, he endeavoured to present Jesus
in the New Testament as a model to imitate
because his total self-giving reveals the love
of the Father and in all his words and deeds he
indicates the way to the Father” (Mario Galizzi).
P Let us pray.
Come, Creator Spirit, visit our minds and fill
our hearts with your grace.
Sweet comforter, gift of the Father Most
High, living water, fire of love, finger of the
hand of God, promised one of the Saviour,
bestow your seven gifts upon us. Awaken
in us the power of the Word.
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Be a light for our intellect, a burning
flame in our hearts, a healing balm for our
wounded souls. Defend us from the enemy,
guide us safely from evil, refresh us with
your gift of peace.
Light of eternal wisdom, reveal to us the
great mystery of God who is Eternal Father,
Risen Son, and Consoling Spirit of Love. All
glory and praise to the God who creates,
redeems and sanctifies, now and forever.
A Amen.
Fourth Day. THE GIFTS
.O....F.....T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T...:...K....N.....O....W......L...E....D....G....E...
Option 1
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to
the Corinthians (1 Cor 3,16-19)
Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple
and that the Spirit of God was living among
you? If anybody should destroy the temple of
God, God will destroy him, because the temple
of God is sacred; and you are that temple. Make
no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of
himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the
word, then he must learn to be a fool before he
really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom
of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture
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says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he
knows how useless they are.
Option 2
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to
Timothy (1 Tim 6,3-5.20-21)
Anyone who teaches anything different, and
does not keep to the sound teaching which is
that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine which
is in accordance with true religion, is simply
ignorant and must be full of self-conceit - with
a craze for questioning everything and arguing
about words. All that can come of this is
jealousy, contention, abuse and wicked mistrust
of one another; and unending disputes by
people who are neither rational nor informed
and imagine that religion is a way of making
a profit. My dear Timothy, take great care of all
that has been entrusted to you. Have nothing to
do with the pointless philosophical discussions
and antagonistic beliefs of the ‘knowledge’
which is not knowledge at all; by adopting
this, some have gone right away from the faith.
Grace be with you.
From the Church’s Magisterium
Thanks to science we can know the true value of
creatures in their relationship with the Creator.
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We know that contemporary man, precisely
because of scientific development, is particularly
exposed to the temptation of giving a naturalistic
interpretation of the world: before the multiform
wealth of things, their complexity, variety and
beauty, he runs the risk of absolutizing them and
almost making them into gods until they become
the supreme goal of his own life.
Enlightened by God’s gift of knowledge, man
discovers the infinite distance that separates
created things from the Creator, their intrinsic
limitations, and, when misused because of sin,
the pitfalls into which they can lead us. It is a
discovery that leads man to regret his misery
and urges him to turn with greater enthusiasm
and confidence to the one who, alone, can fully
satisfy his yearning for the infinite.
This has always been the experience of the
saints; but in a completely unique way this
experience was lived by Our Lady, who with the
example of her personal journey of faith teaches
us to walk “among the events of the world, while
fixing our hearts on what can bring true joy”.
St. John Paul II, Regina coeli, 16 April 1989
From the life of Don Bosco
The Holy Spirit comes to help our faith with
the gift of knowledge and gives us the ability
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to understand, without error of any kind,
every reality of the physical, human and
spiritual world, in its relationship with God,
and to see everything in the light of God,
the Highest Good and the ultimate end of all
things. Now, among these existing and visible
realities, we find above all the human person.
So many contemplate the natural beauties:
the mountains, the seas, the sky, etc. which
leads them to exclaim with conviction: “Truly,
God exists!” But is it possible to say this with
conviction when millions of human beings
are hungry or subject to others as slaves?
Is not man the most important masterpiece
of creation? With the Psalmist, I ask myself:
“When I see the heavens, the work of your
hands, the moon and the stars which you
arranged, what is man that you should keep
him in mind, mortal man that you care for
him?” And with the Psalmist, I find the answer:
“And yet you have made him little less than a
god, with glory and honour you crowned him,
gave him power over the works of your hands,
and put all things under his feet”(Ps 8,4.6-7).
(Mario Galizzi)
The gift of knowledge is the gift through
which we are helped by the Holy Spirit in a
particular way to know the created reality and
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especially human beings in the light of God.
When the gift of knowledge is not developed,
due to laziness or lack of opportunity,
creatures can easily lead to temptation,
distraction, and deformation. But when things
are seen in the light of God, that is, with the
gift of knowledge, they proclaim the Lord,
reveal him, and are signs of his glory.
Don Bosco’s knowledge developed in this way.
He loved his young people very much: “My
dear young people”, he would say to them,
“you would be hard pressed to find anyone
who loves you more than I do in Jesus Christ,
and who wants your happiness more than
me”. And to his Salesians he loved to repeat:
“Strive to make yourself loved”. This love
brought Don Bosco to a profound conviction:
anyone who loves understands others more
quickly and more deeply. This “science” is also
the root of Don Bosco’s optimism. (Carlo Maria
Zanotti)
P Let us pray.
L You, O Lord, are my only treasure.
L —Lord, to know you is the source
of my hope and the object of all
my desires. In a world marked by
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constant and rapid change, keep
my soul firmly anchored in you.
— Lord, set my heart on fire with your
Spirit of Knowledge. Open my mind
to recognize you in the beauty of your
creation, to marvel at the work of your
hands, and so to know you better and
love you more.
— Lord, through your Spirit’s gift of
knowledge, grant me a deeper
understanding of your promises, that I
may proclaim your transforming love
to my brothers and sisters with greater
conviction.
P Come Holy Spirit, mighty Sanctifier, Fire of
love.
As in ancient days
when you filled the Virgin Mary with
gratitude,
miraculously transformed the hearts of the
Apostles,
and infused heroic faith in your martyrs,
come now and sanctify us:
illuminate our minds, strengthen our wills,
purify our desires, enflame our hearts with
love,
make us responsive to your promptings
so that we may be your faithful co-workers
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in renewing the face of the earth.
A Amen.
Fifth Day. THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT:
.G...O....O....D......C...O....U.....N....S...E....L...
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to
the Corinthians (1 Cor 2,9-13)
We teach what scripture calls: the things that
no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things
beyond the mind of man, all that God has
prepared for those who love him. These are the
very things that God has revealed to us through
the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of
everything, even the depths of God. After all,
the depths of a man can only be known by
his own spirit, not by any other man, and in
the same way the depths of God can only be
known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the
spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit
that comes from God, to teach us to understand
the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we
teach, not in the way in which philosophy is
taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us:
we teach spiritual things spiritually.
From the Church’s Magisterium
Good counsel, or advice, is given to the
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Christian to illuminate the conscience in moral
choices, which arise in everyday life
Good counsel is very much needed today
because we live in times that are marked by
a widespread uncertainty about true values.
There is a need to neutralize certain destructive
forces, which easily creep into the human
spirit when it is agitated by the passions, and
to introduce healthy and positive elements
in their place. The gift of counsel acts as a
new breath in the conscience, suggesting to
it what is lawful, what is appropriate, what
is most conducive to the good of the soul (cf
St. Bonaventure, “Collationes de septem donis
Spiritus Sancti”, VII, 5).
The conscience then becomes like the “healthy
eye” of which the Gospel speaks (Mt 6.22), and
acquires a new pupil of sorts, thanks to which it
is possible to see better what needs to be done
in a given situation, even if what needs to be
done is intricate and difficult. Helped by this
gift, the Christian penetrates the true meaning
of gospel values, in particular those expressed
in the Sermon on the Mount (cf Mt 5-7).
St. John Paul II, Regina coeli, May 7, 1989
From the Life of Don Bosco
Don Cafasso was for Don Bosco, as indeed
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he was for all the Piedmontese priests and
saints of the 19th century, a true “Man of
Good Counsel”. This is demonstrated by his
relationship with Don Bosco, for whom he
was a pivotal spiritual guide. One day a young
John Bosco went to Don Cafasso to tell him
that he wanted to become a religious. Don
Cafasso’s response was clear, firm and to the
point: “no”. But John Bosco did not understand,
so Don Cafasso explained that “in order for
a vocation to be firmly determined, it needs
to be further considered before the Lord and
matured in prayer”, and he sent John Bosco to
do the Spiritual Exercises.
But the idea of ​b​ ecoming a religious did not go
away. John returned to Don Cafasso and said:
“I want you to tell me what is the will of God
for me”. Don Cafasso replied: “Go and take a
few weeks off and I’ll take care of you”. Even
Don Cafasso needed to pray for the people
who sought his spiritual guidance. He was not
a “vending machine” for advice. There is much
to learn from him in this regard.
Some days later John was determined to have
an answer from Don Cafasso. He went to him
and reported that he had already packed a
trunk and was ready to go to the convent.
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Don Cafasso told him to go unpack his trunk
and offered this counsel: “Continue your work
among the young. This and nothing else is
God’s will for you”. On hearing Don Cafasso’s
advice, John lowered his head with a smile. He
finally knew God’s will for him, and so came to
understand that even the dream he had when
he was nine years old, which repeated itself on
various occasions, but which he found hard to
believe, had truly come by divine inspiration.
From that day onward, John dedicated his life
entirely to young people and matured into Don
Bosco, “the Man of Good Counsel” for young
people.
P Let us pray.
Holy Spirit of God, we come into your
awesome presence.
Mindful of our weakness, we entrust
ourselves to your mercy.
By your gift of good counsel, lift the veil of
ignorance from our eyes,
and bring order to the confusion in our
minds.
Teach us to discern what you want us to do,
show us the right path to follow,
accomplish in us all that you inspire,
be our steadfast guide when facing difficult
decisions.
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In your love for peace and order, deliver us
from all injustice.
Free us from all bias and prejudice,
courting neither the rich because they are
powerful,
nor the poor because they are weak.
In all things, help us to seek the truth that
sets us free.
As we heed your good counsel,
bring our lives into harmony with yours.
Keep us faithful day by day.
A Amen.
Sixth Day. THE GIFTS OF
.T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T...:...P....I..E...T....Y....
A reading from the Second Letter of St.
Paul to Timothy (2 Tim 1,6-9)
That is why I am reminding you now to fan
into a flame the gift that God gave you when
I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not
a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power,
and love, and self-control. So you are never
to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or
ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but
with me, bear the hardships for the sake of
the Good News, relying on the power of God
who has saved us and called us to be holy - not
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because of anything we ourselves have done
but for his own purpose and by his own grace.
This grace had already been granted to us, in
Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time.
From the Church’s Magisterium
With the gift of piety the Spirit heals our
hardened hearts and opens them to tenderness
towards God and towards our brothers and
sisters. Tenderness, as a sincerely filial attitude
towards God, is expressed in prayer. The
experience of one’s existential poverty, of the
emptiness that earthly things leave in the
soul, arouses in man the need to turn to God to
obtain grace, help and forgiveness.
The gift of piety guides and nurtures this
need, enriching it with sentiments of deep
trust in God, whom we experience as a
good and provident Father. This is St. Paul’s
conviction when he tells us: “God sent forth
his Son … so that we might receive adoption as
sons. And because you are sons, God has sent
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore, you are no longer a
slave but a son…” (Gal 4.4-7; cf Rom 8.15).
Tenderness, as an authentically fraternal
opening towards one’s neighbour, manifests
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itself in meekness. With the gift of piety, the
Spirit instils in the believer a new capacity
for love for his brothers and sisters, making
his heart participate in some way in the very
meekness of the Heart of Christ. The “pious”
Christian always sees others as so many
children of the same Father, called to be part
of the family of God which is the Church. He
is therefore inclined to treat them with the
concern and the amiability of a frank, fraternal
relationship.
Moreover, the gift of piety extinguishes in the
heart those sources of tension and division
which are bitterness, anger and impatience,
and nourishes feelings of understanding,
tolerance and forgiveness. This gift, therefore,
is at the root of that new human community
which is rooted in the civilization of love.
St. John Paul II, Regina coeli, May 28, 1989
From the Life of Don Bosco
The gift of piety is the deep feeling of being
children; it is the intimate ease with which
one can call God “Father”. Piety is therefore at
the root of every authentic devotion, of every
spirituality, and of every Christian prayer. One
testimony describes the piety of Don Bosco as
“simple, and yet his concentration in prayer was
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enchanting. Still and recollected in his physical
demeanour, his hands clasped on the kneeler
or leaning against his chest, his head tilted
slightly, his gaze fixed, his face smiling, with no
affectation; so pious was his bearing that those
who saw him were themselves stimulated to
pray well, perceiving in his face the splendid
reflection of his faith and love of God”.
For Don Bosco, piety was also an important
educational force. He understood that piety
was a means to bring each young person
and indeed everyone to God, the source of all
happiness. It can be said that Don Bosco spent
his whole life loving Jesus, especially in the
Eucharist, and inspiring others to do the same.
How often he exhorted the young with these
or similar words: “Ah, my dear ones, when
you enter the Church, fix your eyes on the
tabernacle, where Jesus Christ is truly present.
Although you don’t see him, he is there! Revive
your faith; consider that in every tabernacle
lives the One before whom all the legions of
Angels tremble and all the hosts of the Saints
bow down”.
“The Holy Tabernacle, that is, the Eucharistic
Jesus, is the source of all blessings and all
grace”.
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Fr. Albera, who grew up at Don Bosco’s school,
wrote these words to the Salesians: “If the
Salesian is not solidly pious, he will never
be fit to be an educator. But the best way to
teach piety is by example ... The great illness
of many people in the service of God is the
agitation and exaggeration with which they
deal with external things. How difficult it is to
put healthy limits on our various activities and
keep them from dragging us into activism! Let
us do all we can to stay fervent in our piety.
And what is fervour but a burning desire, a
generous desire to please God in all things”
(Carlo Maria Zanotti).
P Let us pray.
Come, Holy Spirit,
as you came upon the Blessed Virgin Mary,
that we too may ponder the example and
teachings of Jesus,
and treasure them in our hearts.
Transform us by your life-giving presence
among us.
As individuals and as the Body of Christ
make us more credible signs of
God’s saving action in the world.
A Amen.
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Seventh Day. THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT:
.F...E....A....R......O....F.....T...H.....E.....L...O....R....D....
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Philippians (Phil 2,12-16)
So then, my dear friends, continue to do as I
tell you, as you always have; not only as you
did when I was there with you, but even more
now that I am no longer there; and work for
your salvation ‘in fear and trembling’. It is God,
for his own loving purpose, who puts both the
will and the action into you. Do all that has
to be done without complaining or arguing
and then you will be innocent and genuine,
perfect children of God among a deceitful
and underhand brood and you will shine in
the world like bright stars because you are
offering it the word of life. This would give me
something to be proud of for the Day of Christ,
and would mean that I had not run in the race
and exhausted myself for nothing.
From the Church’s Magisterium
Sacred Scripture affirms that “the beginning of
wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Ps 111 [110],10;
Prov 1,7). But what is this fear? Certainly not
that “fear of God” which pushes us to avoid
thinking and remembering him, as if from
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something or someone who disturbs and
worries us. This was the state of mind that,
according to the Bible, led our ancestors, after
sin, to “hide themselves from the Lord God
among the trees of the garden” (Gen 3,8); this
was also the attitude of the unfaithful and
wicked servant of the Gospel parable, who hid
the talent he received underground (see Mt
25,18.26). But this type of anxious fear is not
the true concept of the fear-gift of the Spirit.
Here we are dealing with something much
more noble, lofty and exalted: it is the sincere
sense of awe and trepidation evoked in man
before the “tremenda maiestas”, the infinite
majesty of God, especially when he reflects
on his own infidelities and on the danger
of “being weighed on the scales and found
wanting” (Dan 5,27) at the eternal judgment,
which no one can escape. The believer
presents himself and places himself before
God with a “contrite spirit” and with a “broken
heart” (cf Ps 51[50],19), knowing full well that
he must wait for his own salvation “with
fear and trembling” (Phil 2,12). However, this
does not mean irrational fear, but a sense of
responsibility and the need to return to fidelity
to God’s law.
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It is all this that the Holy Spirit assumes and
elevates with the gift of the fear of God. It
certainly does not exclude the trepidation
that comes from the awareness of sins
committed and from the perspective of divine
punishment, but it tempers it with faith in
divine mercy and with the certainty of the
paternal concern of God who desires eternal
salvation for everyone. With this gift, however,
the Holy Spirit infuses above all a healthy filial
fear, which is a disposition rooted in love for
God: the soul is then concerned not to cause
sorrow to God, whom we loved as our Father,
not to offend God in anything , to “remain” and
grow in charity (cf Jn 15,4-7).
St. John Paul II, Regina coeli, 11 June 1989
From the Life of Don Bosco
There is a beautiful episode from the
childhood of John Bosco that beautifully
depicts his filial fear. One day when he was
only eight years old, Mamma Margaret was
out and John was home alone. He wanted to ​​
get something from a high shelf in the kitchen.
Unable to reach it from the floor, he climbed
up on a chair and tried again. As his little arm
stretched towards the prize, he hit a vase full
of oil that came crashing down on the floor.
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Realizing that he would not be able to hide
this accident from his mother, he thought of
a way to at least reduce her annoyance when
she learned about it. He cut a long branch
from a hedge, cleaned it well and went to meet
his mother as she arrived. He handed her the
branch. He was not afraid of punishment,
but it hurt him to know his mother would be
displeased with him.
This is the true sense of filial fear: avoiding
anything that displeases your loved ones,
especially God, who is the most beloved of
all. Those who truly fear God can no longer
distinguish between venial sin and mortal sin
because they always try to avoid every act,
no matter how small, that is not pleasing to
God who is so full of love for his creatures. The
surest sign of filial love is to be aware of the
horror of sin, even the smallest sin, because of
the fear of losing our friendship and intimacy
with God. “Why do we fear God? For one
reason only. In our weakness and human
frailty, we have the frightening power to
separate ourselves from God. More than God,
we fear our will because it is an easy prey to
the deceptions and seductions of sin. In short,
to fear God is to fear losing God”.
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P Let us pray.
A Come Holy Spirit,
wash us in your grace
and bring forth a new Pentecost
in your Church!
Come down upon your bishops and priests,
upon consecrated men and women,
upon all the faithful and those who do not
believe,
upon the most hardened sinners
upon each one of us!
Come down upon the world,
upon all nations and peoples!
Fill us anew with your breath of life,
cleanse us from all sin
and deliver us from all deceit and evil!
Refiner’s fire, purify our hearts of every
selfish desire.
Consume us with zeal for God’s house.
Help us to seek our fulfilment in God alone
who is the source of every joy,
and in whom our past, present, and future
find their deepest meaning.
Come to us Holy Spirit:
transform us, reconcile us, unite us,
consecrate us!
Teach us to be totally for Christ, totally
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for the Father, totally for you!
We ask this through the intercession
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of Jesus and our Mother!
A Amen.
Eighth Day. THE GIFTS OF
.T...H.....E.....S...P....I..R....I..T...:...P...E....A....C....E...
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the
Ephesians (Eph 4,1-7)
I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you
therefore to lead a life worthy of your vocation.
Bear with one another charitably, in complete
selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all
you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by
the peace that binds you together. There is one
Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into
one and the same hope when you were called.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and
one God who is Father of all, over all, through
all and within all. Each one of us, however, has
been given his own share of grace, given as
Christ allotted it.
From the Church’s Magisterium
In every person the desire for peace is an
essential aspiration which coincides in a
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certain way with the desire for a full, happy
and successful human life. In other words, the
desire for peace corresponds to a fundamental
moral principle, namely, the duty and right
to an integral social and communitarian
development, which is part of God’s plan for
mankind. Man is made for the peace which is
God’s gift. All of this led me to draw inspiration
for this Message from the words of Jesus
Christ: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children of God’ (Mt 5.9)”.
This beatitude “tells us that peace is both a
messianic gift and the fruit of human effort
… It is peace with God through a life lived
according to his will. It is interior peace
with oneself, and exterior peace with our
neighbours and all creation” (ibid., 2, 3). Indeed,
peace is the supreme good to ask as a gift from
God and, at the same time, that which is to be
built with our every effort.
We may ask ourselves: what is the basis,
the origin, the root of peace? How can we
experience that peace within ourselves,
despite problems, darkness and anxieties? The
reply is given to us by the readings of today’s
liturgy. The biblical texts, especially the one
just read from the Gospel of Luke, ask us to
contemplate the interior peace of Mary, the
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Mother of Jesus. During the days in which “she
gave birth to her first-born son” (Lk 2,7), many
unexpected things occurred: not only the birth
of the Son but, even before, the tiring journey
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, not finding room
at the inn, the search for a chance place to stay
for the night; then the song of the angels and
the unexpected visit of the shepherds. In all
this, however, Mary remains even tempered,
she does not get agitated, she is not overcome
by events greater than herself; in silence she
considers what happens, keeping it in her
mind and heart, and pondering it calmly and
serenely. This is the interior peace which we
ought to have amid the sometimes tumultuous
and confusing events of history, events whose
meaning we often do not grasp and which
disconcert us.
Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 1 January, 2013
From the Life of Don Bosco
The Count of Camburzano was a great friend
and benefactor of Don Bosco. He spoke
often and willingly of Don Bosco and his
work, not hiding his admiration for Bosco’s
ever-expanding work, and especially for the
supernatural gifts with which God had blessed
him. One day in Nice, while he was speaking
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publicly about Don Bosco, Camburzano
became the object of ridicule. One lady in
particular challenged him. “I would like to see”,
she said, “if this good priest of yours might be
able to tell me the state of my soul”. The lady
wrote to Don Bosco. So did Count Camburzano.
Don Bosco sent a prompt reply to the count,
saying: “Kindly inform the lady that, if she
wants peace, she must reunite with her
husband, from whom she is separated”. And
to the unknown lady he wrote: “Madame,
your conscience will be at peace only when
you return to the sacrament of reconciliation
which you abandoned twenty years ago, and
make amends for all the transgressions you
have committed in the past”. How did Don
Bosco know this? The truth is that God came
to his aid, giving him as much boldness to
speak the truth as he had zeal for the good
of souls. Peaceful in the knowledge that God
was leading him, Don Bosco would not be
intimidated by anyone in the battle for the
souls and the good of the Church (BM VI, 13).
P Let us pray.
Spirit of truth,
memory and prophetic voice of the Church,
you search us and you know us,
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you draw us into the infinite mystery of
God.
Lead all people to recognize in Jesus of
Nazareth
the Lord of glory, the Saviour of the world,
the supreme fulfilment of history.
A Come, Spirit of love and peace!
P Creator Spirit, eternal artisan of the
Kingdom,
enrich the Church with your holy gifts.
Make her a shining light to the nations,
drawing every generation
to the God who saves.
Spirit of holiness, divine breath that moves
the cosmos,
come, renew the face of the earth.
Stir up in Christians a desire for unity.
Make them witnesses of intimacy with God
and builders of fraternity
with all humankind.
A Come, Spirit of love and peace!
P Spirit of communion, soul and strength of
the Church,
bring into harmony the diverse charisms
and ministries that you inspire.
Teach lay people, consecrated religious and
ordained ministers
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to collaborate fruitfully in the Lord’s
vineyard,
so that the Body of Christ may grow,
and the Church become more attractive
as a sign and sacrament of the Reign of God.
Spirit of consolation, inexhaustible source
of joy and peace,
comfort the sick,
reassure the doubtful,
give hope to those who suffer,
and invigorate our common commitment
to build a better future for all.
A Come, Spirit of love and peace!
P Spirit of wisdom, inspiration of hearts and
minds,
guide the path of science and technology
in the service of life and human dignity
from conception to natural death.
Shape our dialogue with people of other
religions and no religion,
that all cultures may advance
in the light ​of the Gospel.
Spirit of life, through whom the Eternal
Word became flesh in a Virgin’s womb,
and is conceived anew in every discerning
heart,
make us docile to your stirrings.
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Open our eyes to your presence in the
ordinary events of daily life,
and in the signs of the times by which
you guide the course of history.
A Come, Spirit of love and peace!
P To you, Spirit of love,
with the almighty Father and only-begotten
Son,
be all honour, glory and
praise, now and forever.
A Amen.
Ninth Day. THE GIFTS OF
.T...H.....E.....H....O....L...Y.....S....P...I..R....I...T...:...J..O....Y....
A reading from the Gospel of John
(Jn 16,5-8.22-23)
But now I am going to the one who sent me.
Not one of you has asked, “Where are you
going?” Yet you are sad at heart because I have
told you this. Still, I must tell you the truth: it
is for your own good that I am going because
unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you;
but if I do go, I will send him to you. And when
he comes, he will show the world how wrong
it was, about sin, and about who was in the
right, and about judgement: So it is with you:
you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and
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your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no
one shall take from you. When that day comes,
you will not ask me any questions. I tell you
most solemnly, anything you ask for from the
Father he will grant in my name.
From the Church’s Magisterium
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace
...” (Gal 5,22). Only the Holy Spirit gives the
profound, full and lasting joy which every
human heart desires. Man is a being made
for joy, not for sadness, as Paul VI reminded
Christians and all people of our time with the
apostolic exhortation “Gaudete in Domino”.
True joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells
us that joy is linked to charity (cf. Gal 5,22). It
cannot therefore be an egoistic experience,
the fruit of disordered love. True joy includes
the justice of the kingdom of God, which St.
Paul describes as a kingdom of “justice, peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 4,17). It is a
question of evangelical justice, consisting in
conformity to the will of God, in obedience
to his laws, in personal friendship with him.
Outside of this friendship there is no real joy.
The Gospel is an invitation to joy, a joy that is
true and profound. Thus, in the Annunciation,
Mary is invited to joy: “Rejoice (Khaire), full of
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grace” (Lk 1,28). In the Visitation, Elizabeth is
full of the Holy Spirit and joy, as she shares
physically and spiritually, naturally and
supernaturally, in the stirring of the son who
is still in her womb: “The child rejoiced in my
womb” (Lk 1,44). Elizabeth perceives her son’s
joy, and she manifests it, but in both cases, it
is the Holy Spirit, according to the evangelist,
who is the source of this joy. Mary, in her turn,
is also overcome by joy. A song of exultation
wells up in her heart in which she expresses
the humble, clear and profound joy which is
the fruit of total availability to the Holy Spirit:
“My spirit rejoices in God, my saviour” (Lk 1,47).
In the Gospel pages concerning the public life
of Jesus, we read that, at a certain moment, he
himself “rejoiced in the Holy Spirit” (Lk 10,21).
Jesus expresses joy and gratitude in a prayer
that celebrates the benevolence of the Father:
“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from
the wise and the intelligent and have revealed
them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your
gracious will”. In Jesus, joy is strongest when
it directs him towards the Father. This remains
true for any joys inspired and sustained by
the Holy Spirit in the life of men: true joy is
recognized by its power to inspire love and
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gratitude for the Father. Every true joy has the
Father as its last word.
St. John Paul II, General Audience, June 19, 1991
From the Life of Don Bosco
St. Francis de Sales was fond of saying, “God
is the God of joy”. Another way of saying
this might be, in “God Himself everything is
joy, because everything is gift”. Don Bosco,
as a profound Christian educator, made joy
“the constitutive element of his [educational]
system, inseparable from study, work and
piety”, “the fruit par excellence of an authentic
practice of Salesian pedagogy”.
Joy is a basic need of life, a desire that is
intimately felt especially by the young. For
Don Bosco, joy is “the result of a Christian
understanding of life ... Because it is a religion
of love, salvation, and grace, it follows that
Christianity gives rise to joy, elation, confident
and positive optimism”. It is precisely for this
reason that at any Salesian house, “holiness
consists in being joyful”. This is eloquently
exemplified by the life of Dominic Savio and in
the other biographies written by Don Bosco. “A
young person”, says Don Caviglia, “who lives in
the grace of God will naturally experience joy”.
Don Bosco knew that while all young people,
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by virtue of their youth, tend to cheerfulness
and need fun and games, only those who live
in the grace of God will know true joy.
Don Bosco, obviously, was not the first “to
make the connection between happiness and
religion”. (...) His profound conviction that there
was no conflict between serving God and
living a happy life was based on the intense
love he nurtured for his young people: because
he loved them, he wanted them to be happy
now and in eternity, as he used to repeat so
often. (...) The fruit and proof of Don Bosco’s
pastoral charity is his educational system in
which “joy plays an indispensable role”. For
Don Bosco, joy is “not only recreation and fun,
but an authentic, irreplaceable pedagogical
reality”, the “trademark of [his] educational
love”.
Juan José Bartolomé, SDB,
Note di Pastorale Giovanile, March 2018
P Let us pray.
Lord, grant me sufficient humour
to live my life in joyful service to others,
even in the most difficult moments.
Teach me to experience human suffering
not as a curse,
but as an opportunity to draw closer to you
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who suffered and died for me.
In moments of fear and anguish, restore my
hope
as I draw inspiration from your temptation
in the desert,
your agony in Gethsemane,
your death on the Cross,
and finally, your glorious resurrection.
As I meditate your total self-giving for me
let my spirit be consoled.
Grant me, Lord, the courage to follow your
example
and commend my spirit into the Father’s
hands,
confident that I will find there the serenity,
meekness, charity and mercy I seek.
In all my thoughts, words and actions, may
your healing balm have its effect.
Grant me robust faith, living hope and
ardent charity,
that I may interpret all things according to
your truth
and love all people as you do,
secure in the knowledge that nothing
can separate me from your love.
A Amen.
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9
ORDINARY
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NOVENA IN PREPARATION
FOR THE FEAST OF ST JOHN BOSCO
P O God, come to my assistance.
A Lord, make haste to help me.
P Glory be to the Father and to the
Son and to the Holy Spirit,
A As it was in the beginning is now, and
ever shall be world without end. Amen.
FIRST DAY (22 JANUARY)
Theme: Love for Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament
St. John Bosco, you had a fervent love for Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament, and tireless zeal for
spreading true worship of his real presence
among us. By your words and example you
encouraged the devout celebration of Mass,
heartfelt and frequent reception of communion
and daily visits with Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament. Pray for us, that we, your spiritual
sons, may follow your example and grow in
love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Nourished
daily by his body and blood, may we live in
holy communion with all those we encounter
on earth until we come to the eternal banquet
of heaven. Amen
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Through your intercession, may God grant
us and our lay mission partners the grace
we need [pause], that we may inspire young
people with a deep love for Jesus in the
Eucharist.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Hymn/song in honour of St. John Bosco
Final invocation
A St. John Bosco and Mary, Help of
Christians, pray for us.
P May the blessing of almighty God, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
descend upon us and remain
with us always.
A Amen.
P Let us bless the Lord.
A Amen.
.S...E....C...O....N.....D.....D....A...Y......(..2...3....J..A.....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: Devotion to Mary, Help of
Christians
St. John Bosco, you had a filial love for the
Blessed Virgin Mary and invoked her as the
Immaculate Help of Christians. Your trust in
her as Mother and Guide made you an ardent
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promoter of true Marian devotion. Pray for us,
that we, your spiritual sons, may be inspired
by your example. May we grow in love for her,
seek her assistance, and obtain her powerful
protection throughout our lives and at the
hour of death. Amen.
Through your intercession, may God grant
us and our lay mission partners the grace
we need [pause], that we may imbue young
people with love for the Church and for the
Holy Father.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day.
.T...H.....I..R....D.....D....A....Y.....(..2...4.....J..A.....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: Fidelity to the Church
and to the Pope
St. John Bosco, you nurtured in your spiritual
family a filial love for the Church and for the
Pope. With courage and conviction, you spoke
out courageously and wrote passionately in
their defence.
Pray that we, your spiritual sons, may follow
your example. May we become ever more
faithful to holy mother Church, and witnesses
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of genuine love and fidelity towards our Holy
Father, the Vicar of Christ on earth.
Through your intercession, may God grant us
and our lay collaborators the grace we need
[pause], that we may imbue young people with
love for the Church and for the Holy Father.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day.
.F...O....U....R....T....H......D....A...Y......(..2...5....J..A.....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: love for the
young and their families
St. John Bosco, we honour you as the father,
teacher and friend of youth because of your
boundless love, tireless self-sacrifice for the
salvation of the young and the poor.
Pray for us, your spiritual sons, that we may
be inspired by your example. May we love
the young, especially those who are poor,
and support their families in raising them to
attain their full stature in Christ. May we give
ourselves generously in their service, guided
by the pastoral charity of the Good Shepherd.
Help us to welcome in every young person the
very presence of Jesus himself.
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Through your intercession, may God grant
us and our lay mission partners the grace we
need [pause], that we may assist, accompany
and guide young people to dream God’s
dreams for the world today.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day.
.F...I..F....T....H.....D....A....Y.....(..2...6.....J..A.....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: Vocational Perseverance
for Salesians and Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians
St. John Bosco, you founded the Salesian Society
and the Institute of the Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians to continue and extend your
mission to the young and the poor. In your
fatherly love, we ask you to pray for all members
of these two religious families. Inspired by your
example and imbued with your spirit, may we
be faithful to our religious consecration and
persevere in the fulfilment of our mission.
Through your intercession, may God grant
us the grace we need [pause], that we may
assist, accompany and guide the young in
the Salesian style and spirit that you have
entrusted to us.
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Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day.
.S...I..X....T....H......D....A...Y......(..2...7....J..A.....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: Salesian Cooperators and the Other
Members of the Salesian Family
St. John Bosco, you founded the Association of
Salesian Cooperators, the seed of the Salesian
Family throughout the world, to ensure
the widest possible participation in your
charitable work for young people.
Pray for all the members of the Salesian
Family. May they be inspired by your example
and united in your spirit. May they share
generously and faithfully in the Salesian
mission, imbuing their zealous work with
educational and pastoral charity.
Through your intercession, may God grant us
and all the members of the Salesian family
the grace we need [pause], that we may
collaborate wisely in our shared mission of
accompanying and educating young people
today.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day
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.S...E...V.....E...N.....T...H......D....A....Y.....(..2...8.....J..A.....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: Salesian Missionaries
St John Bosco, in your love and commitment
to all the dispersed children of God, you sent
your sons and daughters to the furthest ends
of the earth with the promise of eternal life,
which is to know God and his merciful love
through the light of the Gospel.
Pray for all our missionary priests, brothers,
sisters and lay volunteers, and pray for us too:
that inspired by your example and united in
your spirit, all of our corporal and spiritual
works of mercy may bring new brothers and
sisters to the Body of Christ.
Through your intercession, may God grant
us and all Salesian missionaries around the
world the grace they need [pause], that we
may accompany young people who are not
Christian to know and love Christ.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day.
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.E...I..G....H....T....H......D....A...Y......(..2...9....J...A....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: Loving and Defending Purity
St. John Bosco, you gave the virtue of purity
a privileged place in your educational and
pastoral project, and did everything to nurture
a love for purity in the hearts of adults and
young people.
Pray for us, your spiritual sons, that we may
be inspired by your example. May we protect
and promote purity in our hearts, minds, and
bodies. May we artisans of a culture of life that
effectively defends young people from the
pervasiveness of sexual perversion, confusion
and violence.
Through your intercession, may God grant
us, our lay mission partners, and all those
who influence modern culture, the grace we
need [pause], that we may protect the purity
of young people and empower them to love
purity as they mature into their full stature in
Christ.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day.
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.N....I..N....T....H......D....A....Y.....(..3...0.....J..A.....N....U....A....R....Y....)..
Theme: Our Families, Friends, and People
in Need
St. John Bosco, you were full of compassion
towards all those who suffer from illness,
poverty, hunger, injustice and alienation,
especially the young and the poor. Pray for
all those in need, and also for us, that God’s
blessings and the protection of Mary, Help of
Christians may bring healing, strength and
comfort to all.
Pray for our families, and especially for the
young, that they may be kept safe from all
harm and grow daily in the grace of God.
Intercede for us in life and in death, that we
may sing God’s praises forever in heaven.
Amen.
Through your intercession, may God grant us
and all our lay mission partners the grace we
need [pause], that we may empower young
people to love and serve Christ in the least of
their brothers and sisters: in their relatives, their
friends, and in those who are most in need.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Conclusion as on the First Day.
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WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR
CONSECRATED LIFE
(2 February – Presentation of our Lord)
Father, You consecrated me to yourself
on the day of my baptism
(Const. 24)
P Loving Father, you are our God.
A You are all that our hearts desire.
P Lord Jesus, you are the way,
the truth and the life.
A You were presented at the temple by
Mary and Joseph
and offered to God by Simeon who
anticipated your coming.
We ask you now to present us to your
Father,
who calls us to follow you more closely
as consecrated disciples.
P Holy Spirit, you are infinite love.
A Fill our hearts with love, that we may
live our consecration as an offering
pleasing to God.
Penitential Rite
L Lord Jesus, obedient servant, your strength
is to do the will of the Father who sent you
and to accomplish his mission, even to
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the point of accepting death, and death
on a cross. Forgive our intemperance, our
lukewarm commitment, our pursuit of
personal gratification. Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
L Lord Jesus, you did not deem equality
with God something to be grasped at,
but emptied yourself and became poor
so that we might become rich. In your
mercy, free us from unhealthy attachment
to earthly consolations. Keep us sensitive
to those who suffer, especially the young
and the poor. Christ, have mercy.
A Christ, have mercy.
L Lord Jesus, you came to reveal the
Father’s love, that we might have life,
and have it to the full. Tear down the
walls that hinder our total dedication
to the young: negativity, carelessness,
indifference, laziness. Empower us with
apostolic zeal. Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
From the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
(Rom 12,1-12)
Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and
worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy
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of thinking beings, by offering your living
bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing
to God. Do not model yourselves on the
behaviour of the world around you, but let
your behaviour change, modelled by your new
mind. This is the only way to discover the will
of God and know what is good, what it is that
God wants, what is the perfect thing to do. In
the light of the grace I have received I want to
urge each one among you not to exaggerate
his real importance. Each of you must judge
himself soberly by the standard of the faith
God has given him. Just as each of our bodies
has several parts and each part has a separate
function, so all of us, in union with Christ, form
one body, and as parts of it we belong to each
other. Our gifts differ according to the grace
given us. If your gift is prophecy, then use it as
your faith suggests; if administration, then use
it for administration; if teaching, then use it for
teaching. Let the preachers deliver sermons,
the almsgivers give freely, the officials be
diligent, and those who do works of mercy
do them cheerfully. Do not let your love be a
pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil.
Love each other as much as brothers should,
and have a profound respect for each other.
Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with
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great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope,
this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if
trials come; and keep on praying.
P In faith, let us turn to the Father who has
called us to follow Christ on the radical
path of the evangelical counsels.
L God our Father, we ask you:
A Help us to love the evangelical counsels
as your gift, and to remain faithful in
our consecrated obedience, chastity and
poverty.
L Through our rebirth in baptism you
consecrated us to your service.
A Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, may we
live faithful to the example of Jesus who
came among us to fulfil your will and to
show us how to be human.
L Your son Jesus became obedient
unto death, even death on a cross.
A With the assistance of our Constitutions,
of those in the service of authority, and
our confreres in community, teach us to
discern your will in our lives and to obey
it wholeheartedly in a free movement of
love.
L Lord, grant us your strength.
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A May our obedience always be the
conscious expression of a living faith:
intelligent, mature, free and responsible.
L Your Son Jesus accepted to become poor
to reveal his solidarity with the lowly
and to make us rich in his friendship.
A Grant us to be joyful in our poverty,
trusting in your divine providence
and united with our neediest brothers
and sisters in a courageous spirit of
gratitude and humility.
L In Nazareth, Jesus served you by
rendering humble service to others
as a conscientious tradesman.
A Teach us to express our poverty through
zealous work and sacrifice, sharing the
lot of the poor and standing shoulder
to shoulder with those who earn their
living by the sweat of their brow.
L Jesus revealed your fatherly heart
through his gratuitous love for all people.
From us, he took our human misery, and
from him, we received eternal life.
A We believe that chastity for the Kingdom
of God is not a choice we make ourselves,
but a gift we receive from you. Make our
consecrated chastity fruitful, a school of
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human maturity, an expression of total
self-giving to others, and a path towards
communion.
L Your gift of consecrated chastity is
the seed of our spiritual paternity as
missionary servants of the young.
A Guided by faith, may we courageously
embrace your gift, grow constantly in
our pursuit of holiness, and witness
authentically to the liberating force of
purity.
Lighting of individual candles from the Paschal
Candle and renewal of religious vows.
A God my Father,
you consecrated me to yourself
on the day of my baptism.
In response to the love of the Lord Jesus
your Son,
who calls me to follow him more closely
and led by the Holy Spirit,
who is light and strength
I renew the total offering of myself to you.
I pledge myself to devote all my strength
to those to whom you will send me,
especially to young people who are poorer;
to live in the Salesian Society
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in communion of spirit and action with my
brothers,
and in this way to share
in the life and mission of the Church.
And so, in the presence of my brothers,
I renew the vow to live obedient, poor
and chaste,
according to the way of the Gospel
set out in the Salesian Constitutions.
Father, may your grace,
the intercession of Mary Help of
Christians,
of St. Joseph, of St. Francis de Sales,
and of St. John Bosco
together with the assistance of my
brother Salesians
keep me faithful day by day. Amen.
Final Blessing
AVAILABILITY FOR THE MISSIONS
(Salesian World Mission Day)
We form a community of the baptized (…)
signs and bearers of the love of God for the poor
(Const. 2)
P Let us give thanks to Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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A He has made us worthy to proclaim his
Gospel.
P Let us praise his mighty name,
A That we might one day share in the
eternal feast in heaven.
Penitential Rite
P Lord Jesus, our teacher, you have entrusted
us with your mission of salvation,
commissioning us to be your witnesses to
the ends of the earth by reaching out to the
young, the stranger, the outcast and those
who do not yet know the Father’s love, and
making them our brother and sister in
your name. We acknowledge that at times
we have not been the missionaries you
empower us to be because our pastoral zeal
was dampened by human weakness: our
fears and prejudices, our harsh judgments
of others, our presumptions, laziness and
indifference. We ask your forgiveness.
L Lord Jesus, you have done all things well
to win the hearts of your brothers and
sisters. You overcame fear, rejection and
misunderstanding by your fidelity to the
will of the Father. Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
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L Christ Jesus, you are meek and humble
of heart, never harsh in your judgment of
others, always ready to extend your hand
in forgiveness and reconciliation to those
who have gone astray. Christ, have mercy.
A Christ, have mercy.
L Lord Jesus, you have redeemed
humanity at the price of your own
blood, sacrificing everything for the
good of others, always ready to help
others carry their cross, always present
to those in need. Lord, have mercy.
A Lord, have mercy.
Prayer
P God our Father,
you consecrated us to yourself in Baptism
and have chosen us to be Salesians,
instruments of your grace and hope among
the young.
May we be zealous missionary disciples in
the spirit of Don Bosco,
attentively listening to your word,
and tirelessly proclaiming you as the way,
the truth, and fullness of life.
Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
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From the book of the Prophet Ezekiel
(Ezek 34,11-16)
God, the True Shepherd
For the Lord God says this: I am going to look
after my flock myself and keep all of it in view.
As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when
he stands up in the middle of his scattered
sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall
rescue them from wherever they have been
scattered during the mist and darkness. I shall
bring them out of the countries where they
are; I shall gather them together from foreign
countries and bring them back to their own
land. I shall pasture them on the mountains
of Israel, in the ravines and in every inhabited
place in the land. I shall feed them in good
pasturage; the high mountains of Israel will be
their grazing ground. There they will rest in
good grazing ground; they will browse in rich
pastures on the mountains of Israel. I myself
will pasture my sheep, I myself will show
them where to rest - it is the Lord Yahweh who
speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back
the stray, bandage the wounded and make
the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and
healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 23)
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A The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell.
for ever and ever.
Gospel
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 10,1-9)
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two
others and sent them out ahead of him, in
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pairs, to all the towns and places he himself
was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is
rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord
of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.
Start off now, but remember, I am sending
you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no
purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one
on the road. Whatever house you go into, let
your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And
if a man of peace lives there, your peace will
go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to
you. Stay in the same house, taking what food
and drink they have to offer, for the labourer
deserves his wages; do not move from house
to house. Whenever you go into a town where
they make you welcome, eat what is set before
you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say,
“The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’
From a letter from Don Bosco to Don
Lasagna (BM XVII, 568)
My dear Fr. Lasagna,
I have been wanting to write to you for several
months now, but as my hands have become
old and weary I kept putting off this pleasure.
But now it seems the time is right for me to
share with you some thoughts that I send to
you as a written testament of one who has
always loved you and continues to do so.
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You have confirmed for me what I already
believed was the Lord’s will for the Catholic
Missions that have been entrusted to you. Your
intuition is correct. Mary will continue to be
your faithful guide. You will certainly have to
face difficulties and even malice on the part
of the world, but don’t be discouraged. Mary
will protect you. We want souls and nothing
else. Never get tired of reminding our brothers
of this. O Lord, we are prepared to endure all
sorts of crosses and thorns and persecutions,
if we can save souls and save our own at the
same time.
We are quickly approaching the annual retreat
season in America. Insist on the charity and
sweetness of Saint Francis of Sales that we
must imitate: on the exact observance of our
rules, on the constant reading of the Chapter
deliberations, on carefully meditating the
particular regulations of the houses. Believe
me, dear Fr. Lasagna, I too have had to deal with
confreres who completely ignore our precious
deliberations, and others who have never read
those parts of the rules or disciplines that
concern the duties entrusted to them.
Another plague that is menacing our
communities is the forgetfulness or, more
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specifically, the disregard for the rubrics of
the Breviary and of the Roman Missal. I am
convinced that the spiritual exercises will
achieve their goal if they manage to help
every Salesian pray the Mass and the Breviary
with an exact observance of the rubrics.
In some other letters that I have managed to
send in these days, I have insisted upon the
importance of nurturing vocations for both
Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of
Christians.
Study, make plans, spare no costs, do whatever
it takes to get more priestly vocations for the
Church, especially for the Missions. When you
can speak to our sisters or to our brothers, please
assure that I have received their letters and
greetings with much delight, and that it brought
profound consolation to my heart to know that
they have been keeping me in their prayers.
May Mary bless and protect our Congregation.
Heaven’s help will never fail us: our
collaborators are increasing, enthusiasm
seems to be growing, material means may not
be abundant, they are certainly enough.
God bless you, dear Fr. Lasagna, and all our
sons and daughters, religious and students.
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May Mary continue to guide us all safely on
the path to heaven.
My health is faltering a little, but I keep on
going the best I can. God keep us all in his
holy grace.
Your most affectionate friend,
Fr. John Bosco,
Turin, 30 September 1885
A symbolic gesture is offered as a sign of
renewed commitment to the mission (e.g. the
distribution of a crucifix)
Prayer
P Lord Jesus, you have called us
through religious consecration to
follow you more closely and to share
in your mission of salvation.
A Send us your Spirit, that we may
willingly leave everything in response to
your call and dedicate ourselves to you
fully in the service of the Kingdom.
P You accomplished your mission of salvation
through the suffering you endured.
A Grant us fortitude and courage when
we experience pain and suffering in
our ministry; help us to bear them with
serenity, as a sign of our trust in you.
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P Lord Jesus, you fulfilled your
mission by conforming yourself
perfectly to the will of the Father.
A Send us your Spirit of love to unite us
more intimately with the Father, so that
in times of trial we may draw strength,
courage and perseverance from the
depths of his heart.
P Lord Jesus, you call us to build up your
Church through our mission to the young.
A May our apostolic service help them to
grow in faith, hope and love, and inspire
them to make their unique contribution
to the vitality of the Church and the
Christian transformation of the world.
P Let us pray. Raise us up, O Lord, and
strengthen us, that we may be faithful
witnesses and courageous stewards
of the mission you have entrusted
to us. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
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NOVENA IN HONOUR OF MARY
HELP OF CHRISTIANS
FIRST DAY (15 MAY): MARY,
MOTHER AND HELP OF THE CHURCH
Introductory rite
P In the name of the Father, and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
A Amen.
P May almighty God, who made Mary
the Virgin mother, model and help
of the Church, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Mary’s role in the history of salvation and
all the privileges that God has granted
her are connected to the mystery of her
motherhood: Mother of the Redeemer and
Mother of all the redeemed. St. Paul VI, at
the end of the third session of the Second
Vatican Council, solemnly proclaimed
her “Mother of the Church”. Precisely
because she is Mother, Mary is the Help
of the Church, of the Help of Pastors and
the Help of all Christians. Therefore, the
Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church
“under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix,
Adjutrix, and Mediatrix” (LG 62).
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Mary found in Don Bosco a zealous
advocate of her role as helper. How often he
reminded his children that “the Madonna
wishes us to honour Her under the title of
Mary, Help of Christians” (BM VII, 197). As
we strive to become more like the Blessed
Virgin in her capacity for listening and
prayer, let us entrust ourselves with greater
confidence to her motherly assistance.
P Lord, our God, you have given us the Blessed
Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church
and powerful Help of Christians. As our
knowledge of her deepens, grant that we may
become more aware of her loving initiative in
our lives. You live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
The presider may introduce the scripture
reading with these or similar words.
P In the Old Testament, God raised up women
of great stature, through whom he wanted
to reveal his goodness and his power to
save his people. In these women the Church
sees “types” or prefigurations of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and her unique mission in
salvation history. In this light, we consider
Judith and her victory over Holofernes.
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First reading
A reading from the Book of Judith
(Jud 13,11-15.17-20)
From a distance, Judith shouted to the guards
on the gates, ‘Open the gate! Open! For the
Lord our God is with us still, displaying his
strength in Israel and his might against our
enemies, as he has today!’ Hearing her voice,
the townsmen hurried down to the town gate
and summoned the elders. Everyone, great and
small, came running down, since her arrival
was unexpected. They threw the gate open,
welcomed the women, lit a fire to see by and
crowded round them. Then Judith raised her
voice and said, ‘Praise God! Praise him! Praise
the God who has not withdrawn his mercy
from the House of Israel, but has shattered
our enemies by my hand tonight!’ She pulled
the head out of the bag and held it for them to
see. ‘This is the head of Holofernes, general-in-
chief of the Assyrian army; here is the canopy
under which he lay drunk! The Lord has struck
him down by the hand of a woman’! Overcome
with emotion, the people all fell on their knees
and worshipped God, exclaiming as one man,
‘Blessings on you, O our God, for confounding
your people’s enemies today!’ Uzziah then said
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to Judith: ‘May you be blessed, my daughter,
by God Most High, beyond all women on earth;
and may the Lord God be blessed, the Creator of
heaven and earth, by whose guidance you cut
off the head of the leader of our enemies. The
trust you have shown shall not pass from the
memories of men, but shall ever remind them
of the power of God. God grant you to be always
held in honour, and rewarded with blessings,
since you did not consider your own life when
our nation was brought to its knees, but warded
off our ruin, walking undeterred before our
God.’ All the people answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’
Second Reading
From the Canticle of Judith (Jud 16,1-2a.13-15)
A You are the glory of Jerusalem, the
honour of our people.
Praise my God with the tambourine,
sing to the Lord with the cymbal,
let psalm and canticle mingle for him,
his name, invoke it!
For the Lord is a God who shatters war;
he has pitched his camp in the middle of
his people
to deliver me from the hands
of my enemies.
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‘I will sing a new song to my God.
Lord, you are great, you are glorious,
wonderfully strong, unconquerable.
May your whole creation serve you!
For you spoke and things came into being,
you sent your breath and they were put
together,
and no one can resist your voice.
Should mountains topple
to mingle with the waves,
should rocks melt like wax before your face,
to those who fear you,
you will show mercy’.
Third Reading
P Faithful to the example of Don Bosco, our
Salesian tradition has always promoted
devotion to the Virgin Mary and sought
to deepen our appreciation of her role
as Mother and Help of the Church and
of Christians. What follows are some
reflections from the homily of Fr Ángel
Fernández Artime for the Solemnity of
Pentecost, prior to the feast of Mary Help of
Christians in Turin-Valdocco, in the context
of the 2015 bicentenary of Don Bosco’s birth.
R1 Dear young people, dear everyone, do you
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want to live in the Spirit of Jesus? Then
stay close to Mary at all times, and you
will become true missionary disciples,
moved by the Spirit. I repeat, Mary is
the best guarantee we have of living
intimately in the Spirit of God! Mary is the
young virgin of the Annunciation and the
virgin mother who was with the apostles
at Pentecost. She was the protagonist in
these two pivotal moments in the history
of humanity and of all creation. The
Annunciation and Pentecost are the two
exceptional milestones without which
we cannot explain human history. They
are two very solemn moments where the
true central protagonist is the Spirit of
God in person, and with Him, the fullness
of the Triune God. These two moments
highlight the unique bond between the
Holy Spirit and Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
R2 In the first event, the Annunciation,
Mary participates in an unexpected way,
in a surprising, “creative” action of the
Spirit. In 1874, a contemporary of Don
Bosco, Metropolitan Philaret, of Moscow,
expressed in a sermon for the Feast of
the Annunciation that: “In the days of
the creation of the world, when God
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pronounced his life-giving and almighty
‘Let there be’, the word of the Creator
introduced creatures into the world. But
on that unprecedented day in the history
of the world, when Mary pronounced her
short and obedient ‘Let it be’, something so
unexpected happened that I barely have
the courage to say it: the word of a creature
introduced the Creator into the world”.
R3 Indeed, he “barely” [had] the courage to say
“what happened because Mary’s response
gave a surprisingly new opening for the Spirit
to accomplish the will of the Father, namely,
that God’s eternal Son was able to become
man. Without Mary’s availability to the action
of the Spirit, our history today would not be
the history marked by the presence of the
Son, Jesus, the Risen Lord who gives meaning
to our life and whom we want to follow. Here,
a young woman, a girl, let herself not only
be guided by the Spirit, but allowed herself
to be fully inhabited by him. In so doing,
she has radically changed the history of the
world. She became a collaborator with the
Spirit and remained so for her entire life.
R1 You see, dearest young people, how
powerful it can be to say “Yes” to God… “Let
it be done” according to your will. You are
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courageous by nature, because courage
is proper to young people and to those
who, over the years, have preserved their
youthfulness deep in their hearts. Do not
be afraid to say “Yes” to the Lord of Life
and to become collaborators, you too, with
the Spirit of the Lord. If you do, you will
see that your life, although not without
difficulties, will be a life worth living.
R2 The second event in which Mary is present
in a significant way is Pentecost (...). Let us
allow her to take our hands. Let us allow her
to lead us into the mystery of intimate and
effective prayer. Let us allow her to help us.
Once, in a Regina Caeli message, Pope
Benedict XVI expressed with great
conviction: “In any place where Christians
gather in prayer with Mary, the Lord gives
his Spirit”. My dearest friends, there are
many places in our world today where
dark storm clouds loom on the horizon,
where the future seems bleak, and families
and communities are tall on betrayals
and short on smiles. In our world today,
the possibility of living in harmony with
others and enjoying tenderness and love
is no more obvious than it was in ages
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past. But we can be like Mary, that young
woman, that girl who was able to change
the world and who, once she became a
collaborator of the Spirit, helped other
disciples to become collaborators as well.
This is why Mary is Mother and Teacher.
R3 Don Bosco understood this very well.
Mamma Margaret was able to show by
her example and her simple words how
Our Lady helps us to be open to the
Spirit who transforms us into courageous
missionary disciples of Jesus, the Lord.
Ángel Fernández Artime, Pentecost Homily,
2015
Magnificat
Closing prayer
P Let us pray.
Almighty God, Father of Mercy, from
the cross, Jesus gave us his Mother
to be our mother as well. May your
Church, supported by the maternal
love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, rejoice
in the holy lives of her children and
unite all people in your family of
faith. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
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SECOND DAY (16 MAY): THE BLESSED
VIRGIN, GUIDE AND HELPER OF THE
.A....P....O....S...T....L...E....S.....A....N....D......O....F.....T...H.....E.....Y....O....U....N....G....
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father…
The Lord, who “with the motherly
intervention of Mary”, raised up
St. John Bosco for the salvation
of youth, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Don Bosco assures us that the Virgin
Mary, Help of Christians imparts a special
blessing on those who take care of youth (cf.
BM XVI,186). Just as Jesus showed signs of
particular affection and tenderness for the
young, so too is Mary’s maternal kindness
focused on them. For this reason, when the
Lord first revealed to John Bosco his unique
call for the salvation of the young, in the
prophetic dream which he had at nine years
of age, he assured John that: “I will give you
the Teacher”; and Mary, taking John kindly
by the hand, referred to all the children
in that dream as “my own children”.
Like Don Bosco, we too are called by the Lord
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and guided by Mary’s maternal intervention
to walk “side by side with the young to lead
them to the Risen Lord”. In so doing, we feel
that “the Virgin Mary is present in the process
as a mother” (Const. 34). As she enlightened
Don Bosco, she herself also enlightens us on
the beauty and importance of this mission,
and supports our efforts to bring it forward.
P Let us pray.
God of boundless providence, you entrusted
Don Bosco and his educational mission to
the motherly care and powerful help of your
Mother. May our hearts and minds be open
to her teachings and our lives be docile
to her guidance as Mother and Teacher.
You live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
P Mary, seat of wisdom, helper of educators
and maternal support of the young, nurture
in your children, whom God entrusts to us, a
profound desire for divine Wisdom as their
trustworthy guide on their journey of life.
A Reading from the Book of Sirach
(Sir 51,13-17.20.23-26)
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When I was still a youth, before I went
travelling,
in my prayers I asked outright for wisdom.
Outside the sanctuary I would pray for her,
and to the last I will continue to seek her.
From her blossoming to the ripening of her
grape
my heart has taken its delight in her.
My foot has pursued a straight path,
I have been following her steps
ever since my youth.
By bowing my ear a little I have received her,
and have found much instruction.
Thanks to her I have advanced;
the glory be to him who has given me wisdom!
I have directed my soul towards her,
and in purity have found her;
having my heart fixed on her from the outset,
I shall never be deserted;
Come close to me, you uninstructed,
take your place in my school.
Why complain about lacking these things
when your souls are so thirsty for them?
I have opened my mouth and spoken:
‘Buy her without money,
put your necks under her yoke,
and let your souls receive instruction;
she is not far to seek.
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Hymn to Mary
Second Reading
P In our call to Salesian life, we recognize
the motherly intervention of Mary. She
teaches us to be apostles to the young.
Like Don Bosco, we feel supported and
encouraged by her motherly presence as
we rely on her help to fulfil this delicate
mission. “We entrust ourselves to her … that
we may become witnesses to the young
of her Son’s boundless love” (Const. 8).
R1 I would like to comment on the biblical
passage of the wedding feast at Cana,
in the light of the interpretation that
Don Bosco offers in his booklet, “The
Wonders of the Mother of God”. This is
the most beautiful text written by Don
Bosco on Mary Help of Christians and
Mother of the Church. In it he writes:
“At the wedding at Cana, Mary manifests
her zeal and her power of intercession
with her son Jesus. Vinum not habent:
Mary prays, pleads and intercedes as a
tender and merciful Mother. One of the
characteristics of mercy is to make the
needs of others our own. Concern and
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diligence in foreseeing and providing the
appropriate help at the right moment is
both an expression and fruit of the intimate
union of the Mother with her Son in the
work of salvation. Mary shines forth as
a splendid example of faith, a teacher of
trust, love and obedience, and an example
of humility, promptness and prudence.”
R2 Mary prays, begs and intercedes. These
three verbs describe Mary’s maternal
mediation. Mary is the woman who
intercedes with the power of love. The
power of prayer must sustain us on our
journey, in our relationships, in the choices
we make, and in the hardships and trials
of family life. The family must not deprive
itself of the protection of prayer. When the
wine of joy, harmony, and peace runs short,
prayer must intensify. Many people and
many families are marked by loneliness,
abandonment and often resentment,
because they have run short of the wine
of joy that enhances the flavour to life. The
weakness and fragility of the family today
is often due to the absence of prayer and
the spiritual emptiness that follows. “The
family that prays together, stays together,”
said Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
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R3 Mary is a tender and merciful Mother
who confirms the truth of God’s love from
generation to generation. It is precisely in
the daily life of our families, and in marital,
parental and fraternal relationships, that
the merciful love of God must be revealed.
Our relationships are often wounded,
unhealthy and resentful. They need to
experience a love that welcomes, a love that
offers and seeks forgiveness, a love that
is able to rebuild relationships and open
them and extend them to new horizons.
One of the qualities of mercy is to make
the needs of others our own. This insight
helps us to understand that true love, the
love that heals, comes from the ability
to be moved by the needs of the other.
This is compassion: taking to heart and
doing something about the tears, the
mistakes, the needs of a husband, wife, son,
brother, sister, grandparent or relative…
healing and renewing the relationships.
R1 Concern and diligence in foreseeing and
providing: in this expression we have a
wonderful synthesis of our preventive
system which Don Bosco learned through
the inspiration and guidance of Mary Help
of Christians and at the school of Mamma
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Margaret. Led by Mary Help of Christians,
we too learn the art of an attentive, intuitive
love, like that of a mother, a woman who can
foresee and provide discreetly and at the
right time. What a lesson for family life! It
is the practice of this attentive, prompt and
diligent love that builds and strengthens
the network of emotional relationships
in the family, in the daily exercise of a
charity that makes visible the foreseeing
and provident love of God. The light it
radiates is the light of mercy and salvation
for the whole world, the light of truth for
every person, for individual families, and
for the universal human family. This light
encourages us to bring human warmth
to those family situations where, for
various reasons, peace, harmony and
forgiveness are absent. Practical solidarity
is also needed, especially towards
families who are experiencing difficult
situations of illness, unemployment,
discrimination, or emigration.
R2 Mary as a splendid example of faith: Mary
was present at a wedding feast at the
beginning of Jesus’ public life. His presence
at the beginning of a new family reminds
us that Jesus should always have first
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place at the heart of the family. When
parents and children breathe together
this atmosphere of faith, they have an
energy that allows them to face even
the most difficult trials. Faith is a lamp
that shines. It has to be transmitted as
a precious heritage from generation to
generation through the testimony of a
life inspired by authentic gospel values.
R3 Teacher of trust, love and obedience: Once
again Mary is the teacher at whose school
we can learn wisdom, as young John was
told in his dream at nine years of age. She
is the teacher of trust, love and obedience
as she demonstrated in the miracle of the
wedding at Cana. She trusted her Son
and turned to him to plead for what was
needed. She showed her love for the young
couple. She displayed obedience in faith
to God’s will and she taught the servants
to obey, telling them to do whatever
Jesus told them. Relationships within the
family grow where there is trust, where
love given and received becomes the
lifeblood of the family, and where there is
obedience through listening, availability
and sharing the journey together.
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R1 Mary is an example of humility, promptness
and prudence. Humility is the foundation
of the spiritual life. It is like the foundation
of a house. Promptness allows of no delay
in responding to the call of God and to
the inspirations of the Spirit. It is like
the walls of the house that define the
living space. Prudence means ordering
everything towards goodness. It is like
the roof of the house that complete
and protects the dwelling place.
(…) Today we ask Mary to be the Help of
the domestic church that is the family,
defending it from the many that seek
to destroy it, and freeing it from all
that is contrary to God’s designs.
Ángel Fernández Artime, VII International
ADMA Congress homily, Turin, 2015
Invocation of Mary Help of Christians
P United with Don Bosco, who said:
“Mary has always protected us; our
trust in her will never fail”, let us
make our filial prayer to the Virgin.
A Hear us, Mary, and intercede for us.
L O Virgin, Help of Christians, you loved as
your own children all the young people
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whom you entrusted to Don Bosco’s
care. Renew in us what you inspired
in him: the joy of participating in your
gift of predilection for the young.
L O Virgin, Help of Christians, the
beauty and urgency of our mission to
the young is fraught with challenges
and difficulties. Support and comfort
those who dedicate their lives to the
education and salvation of the young.
L O Virgin, Help of Christians, you showed
Don Bosco how to attract the young
and raise up his first collaborators from
among the boys he served. Teach us
to form the young as apostles to their
peers, and to attract many zealous
vocations from among those we serve.
L O Virgin, Help of Christians, Don Bosco
knew that “young people are the delight
of Jesus and Mary”. Protect all young
people from harm. Guide them to Jesus
who is alive and wants to live in them,
the hope of society and of the Church.
P Let us pray.
Mary Help of Christians, Mother of the
Church, inspiration and guide of the
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Salesian Family, you perceive with a
mother’s heart the inner needs of every
confrere; you enliven and preserve his
apostolic consecration; you know and guide
his pastoral projects; you understand his
weaknesses, limitations and sufferings; you
love each young person entrusted to his
care as a privileged gift to be cherished.
Holy Virgin, Mother of God, powerful
help of the Pope, the Bishops and all who
labour in the Lord’s vineyard, watch over
the Society of Saint Francis of Sales. Under
your benevolent gaze, keep us humble
and zealous for souls. Renew our filial
trust in you. Teach us, as you taught Don
Bosco, to love and imitate your virtues.
A Amen.
Closing hymn
THIRD DAY (17 MAY):
MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS AND
.T...H.....E.....S...A....L....E...S....I..A....N......C....O....N....G....R....E...G....A....T....I..O....N....
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father…
The joy of the Lord, who gave us
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Mary as our caring mother and
powerful help, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Mary is the Mother and Help of the Church.
She has a special love for the young, “the
most delicate and most precious part of
human society” (Const. 1). Through her
motherly intercession, she raised up Don
Bosco and the Salesian Congregation for
their salvation. Don Bosco was convinced
of this: “We owe everything to Mary” (BM
XVII, 471). The faith, devotion and trust
of Don Bosco for the Help of Christians
are the faith, devotion and trust of every
Salesian. We “believe that Mary is present
among us and continues her mission
as Mother of the Church and Help of
Christians” (Const. 8). We ask her to help
us be more aware of her presence and to
put more trust in her guidance. We are
certain that “the Congregation was born
and developed through the intervention
of Mary, and it will be renewed only to the
extent that we restore Mary to the status
she deserves in our charism” (GC21, 589).
P Immaculate Virgin, Help of Christians,
through your help and your guidance,
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may we open our hearts and minds to
the illumination of the Spirit, and so
become witnesses and instruments
of God’s love for young people.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
P Our souls rejoice in the Lord for entrusting
Mary with an active maternal presence
in his saving plan for his people. The
Church boldly celebrates this presence
through the liturgy by proposing Masses in
honour of Mary and proclaiming scripture
passages that speak of the wisdom of
God. The Blessed Virgin in the midst
of the People of God is both the “Seat
of Wisdom” and an instrument of God’s
wisdom actively at work in his people.
A Reading from the Book of Sirach (Sir
24,1.3-4.8-12.19-21)
Wisdom speaks her own praises,
in the midst of her people she glories in
herself.
‘I came forth from the mouth of the Most High,
and I covered the earth like mist.
I had my tent in the heights,
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and my throne in a pillar of cloud’.
Then the creator of all things instructed me,
and he who created me fixed a place for my
tent.
He said, “Pitch your tent in Jacob, make Israel
your inheritance”.
From eternity, in the beginning, he created me,
and for eternity I shall remain.
I ministered before him in the holy tabernacle,
and thus was I established on Zion.
In the beloved city he has given me rest,
and in Jerusalem I wield my authority.
I have taken root in a privileged people,
in the Lord’s property, in his inheritance.
Approach me, you who desire me,
and take your fill of my fruits,
for memories of me are sweeter than honey,
inheriting me is sweeter than the honeycomb.
They who eat me will hunger for more,
they who drink me will thirst for more.
Hymn or Psalm (Jud 13:18bc.19-20)
A You are the great pride of our nation
‘May you be blessed, my daughter, by God
Most High,
beyond all women on earth;
and may the Lord God be blessed,
the Creator of heaven and earth.
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The trust you have shown shall not pass
from the memories of men,
but shall ever remind them of the power of
God.
God grant you to be always held in honour,
and rewarded with blessings’.
Second Reading
P Devotion to Mary Help of Christians,
in the experience and teachings of
Don Bosco, is not just an accessory
to Salesian spirituality, but is rather,
as affirmed by Fr Egidio Viganò, the
seventh successor of Don Bosco, “an
essential element of our charism”.
R1 Devotion to Mary as Helper is an integral
element of the “Salesian phenomenon” in
the Church, because it becomes a vital
part of its totality. It would make no sense,
indeed it would be detrimental, to try to
separate our spirituality from devotion to
Mary Help of Christians, just as it would
be absurd to try to isolate Don Bosco from
Our Lady. Therefore, devotion to the Help
of Christians is an essential element of our
Charism; it permeates every recognizable
feature and vitalizes its components.
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R2 Without a healthy and vital Marian
dimension, our spirituality would lose
its vigour and fruitfulness; conversely,
giving appropriate attention to a
profound Marian vitality will reinvigorate
the whole Salesian vocation.
This becomes obvious if we recognize
how our devotion to the Help of Christians
has a very intimate, mutually life-giving
connection with both the Salesian “mission”
and the “spirit” proper to our Charism.
R3 First of all, the intimate link between Mary,
the Helper and the Salesian mission: it is
Mary, the “Shepherdess” of dreams, who
designates the particular parameters of the
mission and also identifies those to whom
she will entrust it, assigning to us the field
of “youth ministry”; it is her characteristic
as Help of Christians that opens the
Salesian mission to the great horizons
of today’s socio-religious challenges,
and expresses a clear choice in favour of
service to the universal Church including
close collaboration with her Bishops; it is
her maternal goodness that inspires our
pastoral criteria and teaches us a method
of supporting those whom we serve.
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R1 Next, we consider the Helper’s profound
relationship with the Salesian spirit: our
spirituality finds its inspiration and model
in Mary, embraced as Help of Christians.
It is centred on “pastoral charity”, inspired
by the motherly love of the Madonna and
reflected in the maternal love of the Church,
which implies an attentive listening to
the initiative of God, a total adherence to
Christ and total availability to his ways;
a spirit imbued with hope (certain that
“help” from on High will never fail), an
unshakeable inner disposition of optimism
in the natural and supernatural resources
of man; a spirit of apostolic fruitfulness
enlivened by zeal for the Church; a spirit
of industrious initiative and adaptability
appropriate to the changing vicissitudes
of our times; a family spirit characterized
by straightforward relationships,
goodness and uncomplicated attitudes
that come from a sincere heart; a spirit
of magnanimity (as in the “Magnificat”)
which has the humble boldness to do
all the good that can be done, even
when it seems reckless, letting oneself
be guided by the courage of faith and
common sense, while steering clear of
any extremism or perfectionism ...
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R2 In Don Bosco’s experience, devotion to the
Help of Christians became increasingly
explicit as his vocation matured. It was at
the same time both the launching pad for
his vast apostolic project and the point of
arrival after a life-long journey of growth.
So too for us. Devotion to Mary as Help
of Christians constitutes the concrete
synthesis of the various components of
our Salesian spirituality, and the vital
source of its dynamism and fruitfulness.
Egidio Viganò, AGC 289, pp. 28-30
Invoking Mary’s intercession
P Mary was called by God, formed by His
Spirit, and accompanied by Joseph and
Jesus for one singular purpose: that she
might grow in faith and remain committed
to God’s plan for her. Precisely because
she remained faithful to Jesus, even at
the foot of the cross, Jesus in his last
breath gave her to us as our mother.
A Mary, Mother and Teacher of every
disciple of your Son, we turn to you and
contemplate you as the first consecrated
person who responded to the Father’s
call with an undivided heart and
an unconditional surrender. Aware
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that only God makes possible what
is humanly impossible, you allowed
yourself to be inhabited and formed by
the Holy Spirit to conceive the Son of
God within your being.
P You lived to the full your unique mission
as Mother of the Son of God. You gave
Jesus flesh and brought him to the light
of day. With Joseph, you educated him in
the ways of truth. Under your care, Jesus
grew in wisdom, age and grace before
God and all people. As a true mother
you passed on to your Son the deepest
convictions and values t​​ hat guided your
own journey of faith: continuously seeking
the will of God; joyfully accepting God’s
will even when you could not understand
it; pondering God’s action in your life and
treasuring it in your heart; recognizing and
responding promptly to those in need.
A It is no surprise, then, to see your
example reflected in your Son. Jesus
withdrew to the mountains to spend
nights in prayer, in communion with the
Father. Through this supreme expression
of faith in action, your Son aligned
himself fully with the Father’s will for
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him, making this his only program of
life. Son though he was, Jesus learned
obedience through what he suffered; and
having been made perfect, he became
the source of eternal salvation for all who
obey him. For this purpose, Jesus had no
better occupation, no higher concern, no
other food than to do the Father›s will.
From you he learned how to live his God-
given vocation in responsible service to
others: the Son of man did not come to be
served but to serve and to give his life as
a ransom for many.
P Mary, our Help, you lived your life
in the fullness of charity. You reflect
every Gospel virtue and renew every
charism of consecrated life. Support us
in our daily commitment as consecrated
disciples of your Son, that we may give
shining testimony to his divine love,
and so, like you, we may fulfil St. Paul’s
exhortation to “lead a life worthy of the
calling to which we have been called.”
A Mary, you were given to Don Bosco as
mother and teacher. From the first dream
that gave meaning to his life, you formed
in him the heart of a father and educator,
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capable of total dedication to the mission
that you would entrust to him. Be our
constant guide, too. Fill our hearts with
passion for God and for the young. We
entrust ourselves to you, our Mother
and our Teacher. From you we learn to
be children of God and disciples of your
Son. Amen.
Pascual Chávez, AGC 416, pp. 53-54
Closing rite
Blessing of Mary, Help of Christians
P Our help is in the name of the Lord,
A Who made heaven and earth.
Hail Mary…
We fly to your Patronage, O holy Mother
of God; despise not our petitions in our
necessities, but deliver us always from all
dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
P Mary Help of Christians,
A Pray for us.
P O Lord, hear my prayer.
A And let my cry come unto you.
P The Lord be with you.
A And with your spirit.
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P Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting
God, who by the cooperation of the Holy
Spirit did prepare the body and soul of the
glorious Virgin Mother Mary to become
a worthy dwelling for your Son, grant
that as we rejoice in her commemoration,
we may, by her loving intercession, be
delivered from present evils and from
everlasting death. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
P May the blessing of Almighty God, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend
on you and remain with you forever.
A Amen.
FOURTH DAY (18 MAY): MARY, MOTHER
.O....F.....M.....E...R....C....Y....
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father…
May the Lord of grace and peace,
who, in the fullness of time sent us
his Son to be born of the Virgin Mary
by the Holy Spirit, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Let us pray.
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Lord our God, you made the Virgin
Mary the model for those who seek to
welcome your Word and live it day by
day. Open our hearts to the beatitude
of listening. Through the power of the
Spirit, make us, like Mary, dwelling places
in whom your living Word abides and
bears fruit. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
(Acts 1,12-14)
They were devoted to prayer with Mary
So from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, they
went back to Jerusalem, a short distance away,
no more than a sabbath walk; and when they
reached the city they went to the upper room
where they were staying; there were Peter and
John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of
Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son
of James. All these joined in continuous prayer,
together with several women, including Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Hymn or Psalm
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Ps 103 (1-2.3-4.6.8.13-17)
A The Lord’s kindness is everlasting
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord does deeds of justice,
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;
for he knows of what we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flowers like the flower of the field;
the wind blows and he is gone
and his place never sees him again.
But the love of the Lord is everlasting
upon those who hold him in fear;
his justice reaches out to children’s children.
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Second Reading
Mary is Mother of Mercy because her Son,
Jesus Christ, was sent by the Father as the
revelation of God’s mercy (cf. Jn 3,16-18). Christ
came not to condemn but to show mercy
and forgiveness (cf. Mt 9,13). The greatest
mercy of all is that he is present in our midst,
calling us to meet him and to confess with
Peter that he is “the Son of the living God”
(Mt 16,16). No human sin can erase the mercy
of God, or prevent him from unleashing all
his triumphant power, whenever we only call
upon him. Indeed, sin itself makes even more
radiant the love of the Father who, in order to
ransom a slave, sacrificed his Son: his mercy
towards us is Redemption. This mercy reaches
its fullness in the gift of the Spirit who bestows
new life and demands that it be lived. No
matter how many or how great the obstacles
which are put in his way by human frailty and
sin, the Spirit, who renews the face of the earth
(cf. Ps 104,30), makes possible the miracle of
the perfect accomplishment of the good.
This renewal, which bestows the ability to do
what is good, noble, beautiful, pleasing to God
and in conformity with his will, is in some way
the flowering of the gift of mercy, which offers
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liberation from the slavery of evil and gives
the strength to sin no more. Through the gift
of new life, Jesus makes us sharers in his love
and leads us to the Father in the Spirit.
Such is the consoling certainty of Christian
faith, the source of its profound humanity
and extraordinary simplicity. At times, in the
discussions about new and complex moral
problems, it can seem that Christian morality is
in itself too demanding, difficult to understand
and almost impossible to practice. None of
this is true, since Christian morality consists,
in the simplicity of the Gospel, in following
Jesus Christ, in abandoning oneself to him, in
letting oneself be transformed by his grace
and renewed by his mercy, which are gifts
that come to us in the living communion of
his Church. Saint Augustine reminds us that
“he who would live has a place to live, and has
everything needed to live. Let him draw near,
let him believe, let him become part of the
body, that he may have life. Let him not shrink
from the unity of the members”. By the light of
the Holy Spirit, the living essence of Christian
morality can be understood by everyone, even
the least learned, but particularly those who are
able to preserve an “undivided heart” (Ps 86,11).
On the other hand, this evangelical simplicity
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does not exempt one from facing reality in its
complexity; rather it can lead to a more genuine
understanding of reality, inasmuch as following
Christ will gradually bring out the distinctive
character of authentic Christian morality, while
providing the vital energy needed to carry it
out. It is the task of the Church’s Magisterium
to see that the dynamic process of following
Christ develops in an organic manner, without
falsifying or obscuring its moral demands, with
all of their consequences. The one who loves
Christ keeps his commandments (cf. Jn 14,15).
Mary is also Mother of Mercy because it is to her
that Jesus entrusts his Church and all humanity.
At the foot of the Cross, when she accepts John
as her son, when she asks, together with Christ,
forgiveness from the Father for those who
do not know what they do (cf. Lk 23,34), Mary
experiences, in perfect docility to the Spirit,
the richness and the universality of God’s love,
which opens her heart and enables it to embrace
the entire human race. Thus, Mary becomes
Mother of each and every one of us, the Mother
who obtains for us divine mercy.
Mary is the radiant sign and inviting model of
the moral life. As Saint Ambrose put it, “The
life of this one person can serve as a model
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for everyone”, and while speaking specifically
to virgins, but within a context open to all, he
affirms: “The first stimulus to learning is the
nobility of the teacher. Who can be more noble
than the Mother of God? Who can be more
glorious than the one chosen by Glory Itself?”
Mary lived and exercised her freedom precisely
by giving herself to God and accepting God’s
gift within herself. Until the time of his birth,
she sheltered in her womb the Son of God who
became man; she raised him and enabled him
to grow, and she accompanied him in that
supreme act of freedom which is the complete
sacrifice of his own life. By the gift of herself,
Mary entered fully into the plan of God who
gives himself to the world. By accepting and
pondering in her heart events which she did
not always understand (cf. Lk 2,19), she became
the model of all those who hear the word of God
and keep it (cf. Lk 11,28), and merited the title of
“Seat of Wisdom”. This Wisdom is Jesus Christ
himself, the Eternal Word of God, who perfectly
reveals and accomplishes the will of the Father
(cf. Heb 10,5-10). Mary invites everyone to accept
this Wisdom. To us too she addresses the
command she gave to the servants at Cana in
Galilee during the marriage feast: “Do whatever
he tells you” (Jn 2,5).
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Mary shares our human condition, but in
complete openness to the grace of God. Not
having known sin, she is able to have compassion
on every kind of weakness. She understands
sinful man and loves him with a Mother’s love.
Precisely for this reason she is on the side of
truth and shares the Church’s burden in recalling
always and to everyone the demands of morality.
Nor does she permit sinful man to be deceived by
those who claim to love him by justifying his sin,
for she knows that the sacrifice of Christ her Son
would thus be emptied of its power. No absolution
offered by beguiling doctrines, even in the areas
of philosophy and theology, can make man truly
happy: only the Cross and the glory of the Risen
Christ can grant peace to his conscience and
salvation to his life.
St John Paul II, Veritatis splendour 118-120
Invocation of Mary
Closing hymn
.F...I..F....T...H......D....A...Y......(..1..9....M.....A....Y....)..:...M.....A....R....Y...,...S...T...A....R......O....F....H.....O....P...E....
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father…
The Lord, who is our peace and
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has crowned his Mother Queen
of peace, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Let us pray.
Holy and merciful God, who listen to the
humble and accomplish in them, through
the power of the Spirit, the wonders of
salvation, look upon the innocence of
the Virgin Mary and grant us a gentle
and receptive heart. Make us prompt to
welcome your word and zealous to fulfil
your will. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
A reading from the Book of Revelation
(Rev 11,19a; 12,1-6a.10ab)
A great portent appeared in heaven, a woman
clothed with the sun.
Then the sanctuary of God in heaven opened
and the ark of the covenant could be seen
inside it. Then came flashes of lightning, peals
of thunder and an earthquake, and violent
hail. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the
moon, and with the twelve stars on her head
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for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour,
crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then
a second sign appeared in the sky, a huge red
dragon which had seven heads and ten horns,
and each of the seven heads crowned with
a coronet. Its tail dragged a third of the stars
from the sky and dropped them to the earth,
and the dragon stopped in front of the woman
as she was having the child, so that he could
eat it as soon as it was born from its mother.
The woman brought a male child into the
world, the son who was to rule all the nations
with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken
straight up to God and to his throne, while the
woman escaped into the desert, where God
had made a place of safety ready, for her to be
looked after in the twelve hundred and sixty
days. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven,
‘Victory and power and empire for ever have
been won by our God, and all authority for his
Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused
our brothers day and night before our God, has
been brought down’.
Hymn or Responsorial Psalm
A Hail, Virgin Mary, hope of God’s people
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
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because he has looked upon his lowly
handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will
call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
His mercy reaches from age to age for those
who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones
and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things,
the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant,
mindful of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our
ancestors of his mercy
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Second Reading
Mary, Star of Hope
With a hymn composed in the eighth or ninth
century, thus for over a thousand years, the
Church has greeted Mary, the Mother of God,
as “Star of the Sea”: Ave Maris Stella. Human
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life is a journey. Towards what destination?
How do we find the way? Life is like a voyage
on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a
voyage in which we watch for the stars that
indicate the route. The true stars of our life are
the people who have lived good lives. They
are lights of hope. Certainly, Jesus Christ is the
true light, the sun that has risen above all the
shadows of history. But to reach him we also
need lights close by—people who shine with
his light and so guide us along our way. Who
more than Mary could be a star of hope for
us? With her “yes” she opened the door of our
world to God himself; she became the living
Ark of the Covenant, in whom God took flesh,
became one of us, and pitched his tent among
us (cf. Jn 1,14).
So we cry to her: Holy Mary, you belonged
to the humble and great souls of Israel who,
like Simeon, were “looking for the consolation
of Israel” (Lk 2,25) and hoping, like Anna,
“for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk 2,38).
Your life was thoroughly imbued with the
sacred scriptures of Israel which spoke of
hope, of the promise made to Abraham and
his descendants (cf. Lk 1,55). In this way we
can appreciate the holy fear that overcame
you when the angel of the Lord appeared to
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you and told you that you would give birth to
the One who was the hope of Israel, the One
awaited by the world. Through you, through
your “yes”, the hope of the ages became reality,
entering this world and its history. You bowed
low before the greatness of this task and gave
your consent: “Behold, I am the handmaid
of the Lord; let it be to me according to your
word” (Lk 1,38). When you hastened with holy
joy across the mountains of Judea to see your
cousin Elizabeth, you became the image of
the Church to come, which carries the hope of
the world in her womb across the mountains
of history. But alongside the joy which, with
your Magnificat, you proclaimed in word and
song for all the centuries to hear, you also
knew the dark sayings of the prophets about
the suffering of the servant of God in this
world. Shining over his birth in the stable at
Bethlehem, there were angels in splendour who
brought the good news to the shepherds, but at
the same time the lowliness of God in this world
was all too palpable. The old man Simeon spoke
to you of the sword which would pierce your
soul (cf. Lk 2,35), of the sign of contradiction
that your Son would be in this world. Then,
when Jesus began his public ministry, you
had to step aside, so that a new family could
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grow, the family which it was his mission to
establish and which would be made up of those
who heard his word and kept it (cf. Lk 11,27f).
Notwithstanding the great joy that marked the
beginning of Jesus’s ministry, in the synagogue
of Nazareth you must already have experienced
the truth of the saying about the “sign of
contradiction” (cf. Lk 4,28ff). In this way you saw
the growing power of hostility and rejection
which built up around Jesus until the hour
of the Cross, when you had to look upon the
Saviour of the world, the heir of David, the Son
of God dying like a failure, exposed to mockery,
between criminals. Then you received the word
of Jesus: “Woman, behold, your Son!” (Jn 19,26)
From the Cross you received a new mission.
From the Cross you became a mother in a new
way: the mother of all those who believe in
your Son Jesus and wish to follow him. The
sword of sorrow pierced your heart. Did hope
die? Did the world remain definitively without
light, and life without purpose? At that moment,
deep down, you probably listened again to
the word spoken by the angel in answer to
your fear at the time of the Annunciation: “Do
not be afraid, Mary!” (Lk 1,30) How many times
had the Lord, your Son, said the same thing to
his disciples: “do not be afraid”! In your heart,
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you heard this word again during the night of
Golgotha. Before the hour of his betrayal he had
said to his disciples: “Be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world” (Jn 16,33). “Let not your
hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”
(Jn 14,27). “Do not be afraid, Mary!” In that hour
at Nazareth the angel had also said to you: “Of
his kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1,33).
Could it have ended before it began? No, at
the foot of the Cross, on the strength of Jesus’s
own word, you became the mother of believers.
In this faith, which even in the darkness of
Holy Saturday bore the certitude of hope, you
made your way towards Easter morning. The
joy of the Resurrection touched your heart
and united you in a new way to the disciples,
destined to become the family of Jesus through
faith. In this way you were in the midst of
the community of believers, who in the days
following the Ascension prayed with one voice
for the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1,14) and
then received that gift on the day of Pentecost.
The “Kingdom” of Jesus was not as might have
been imagined. It began in that hour, and of
this “Kingdom” there will be no end. Thus, you
remain in the midst of the disciples as their
Mother, as the Mother of hope. Holy Mary,
Mother of God, our Mother, teach us to believe,
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to hope, to love with you. Show us the way to
his Kingdom! Star of the Sea, shine upon us and
guide us on our way.
Benedict XVI, Spe salvi, 49-50
Invocation of Mary
P Let us pray.
Lord our God, you give us the joy of
honouring the Blessed Virgin Mary as the
Star of divine hope. In your mercy grant
that, through her prayers and help, we
may live as good citizens of this world,
with our hearts fixed on the world to come,
and so receive what we await in faith: the
fulfilment of all our hopes. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives
and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Closing hymn
SIXTH DAY (20 MAY): “MOTHER
OF THE WORD AND MOTHER OF JOY”
-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-···········-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-··
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father…
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The Lord, who from the Cross entrusted us
to his Mother,
constituting her Mother of the Church
and Mother of all the
redeemed, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Let us pray.
Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, we contemplate the Virgin Mary
who lived her entire journey of faith in a
spirit of selflessness and gratitude. Grant
us the gift of incessant prayer and interior
silence, that in our daily life we too may be
transformed by the life-giving presence of
your Holy Spirit. Through Christ, our Lord.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
A reading from the Book of Revelation (Rev
21,1-5a)
I saw a new Jerusalem, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;
the first heaven and the first earth had
disappeared now, and there was no longer any
sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem,
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coming down from God out of heaven,
as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her
husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from
the throne, ‘You see this city? Here God lives
among men. He will make his home among
them; they shall be his people, and he will be
their God; his name is God-with-them. He will
wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will
be no more death, and no more mourning or
sadness. The world of the past has gone.’ Then
the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am
making the whole of creation new’ he said.
Hymn or Psalm
Second Reading
“Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae”
The close relationship between God’s word
and joy is evident in the Mother of God. Let us
recall the words of Saint Elizabeth: “Blessed
is she who believed that there would be a
fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the
Lord” (Lk 1,45). Mary is blessed because she
has faith, because she believed, and in this
faith she received the Word of God into her
womb in order to give him to the world. The
joy born of the Word can now expand to all
those who, by faith, let themselves be changed
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by God’s word. The Gospel of Luke presents
this mystery of hearing and joy in two texts.
Jesus says: “My mother and my brothers are
those who hear the word of God and do it”
(8,21). And in reply to a woman from the crowd
who blesses the womb that bore him and
the breasts that nursed him, Jesus reveals
the secret of true joy: “Blessed rather are
those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
(11,28). Jesus points out Mary’s true grandeur,
making it possible for each of us to attain
that blessedness which is born of the word
received and put into practice. I remind all
Christians that our personal and communal
relationship with God depends on our growing
familiarity with the word of God. Finally, I turn
to every man and woman, including those
who have fallen away from the Church, who
have left the faith or who have never heard
the proclamation of salvation. To everyone
the Lord says: “Behold, I stand at the door and
knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the
door, I will come in to him and eat with him,
and he with me” (Rev 3,20).
May every day of our lives thus be shaped by
a renewed encounter with Christ, the Word
of the Father made flesh: he stands at the
beginning and the end, and “in him all things
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hold together” (Col 1,17). Let us be silent in order
to hear the Lord’s word and to meditate upon it,
so that by the working of the Holy Spirit it may
remain in our hearts and speak to us all the
days of our lives. In this way the Church will
always be renewed and rejuvenated, thanks to
the word of the Lord which remains forever (cf. 1
Pet 1,25; Is 40,8). Thus, we too will enter into the
great nuptial dialogue which concludes sacred
Scripture: “The Spirit and the bride say: ‘Come’.
And let everyone who hears say: ‘Come!’” The
one who testifies to these things, says: ‘Surely
I am coming soon!’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
(Rev 22,17.20)
Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini 124
Invocation of Mary
Closing hymn
SEVENTH DAY (21 MAY): MARY,
.M.....O....T...H.....E...R......O....F.....T....H....E.....H....O....L...Y......E...U....C....H.....A....R....I..S...T....
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father…
The Lord, who gave us Mary as
the maternal sign of his love for his
pilgrim Church, be with you.
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A And with your Spirit.
P Let us pray.
O Spirit of love, you accepted Mary’s “yes”
as part of your saving plan. Imbue us
with her wisdom and holiness, so that
we too may listen to your word in faith,
and lead lives that are coherent with
the Gospel. Through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke
(Lk 1,39-47)
Blessed is she who believed
Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as
she could to a town in the hill country of Judah.
She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted
Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard
Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women
you are the most blessed, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured
with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For
the moment your greeting reached my ears, the
child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is
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she who believed that the promise made her by
the Lord would be fulfilled.’ And Mary said: ‘My
soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and
my spirit exults in God my saviour.’
Hymn or Psalm
Second Reading
From the relationship between the Eucharist
and the individual sacraments, and from
the eschatological significance of the sacred
mysteries, the overall shape of the Christian
life emerges, a life called at all times to be an
act of spiritual worship, a self-offering pleasing
to God. Although we are all still journeying
towards the complete fulfilment of our hope,
this does not mean that we cannot already
gratefully acknowledge that God’s gifts to us
have found their perfect fulfilment in the Virgin
Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. Mary’s
Assumption body and soul into heaven is for
us a sign of sure hope, for it shows us, on our
pilgrimage through time, the eschatological
goal of which the sacrament of the Eucharist
enables us even now to have a foretaste.
In Mary most holy, we also see perfectly
fulfilled the “sacramental” way that God comes
down to meet his creatures and involves them
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in his saving work. From the Annunciation
to Pentecost, Mary of Nazareth appears as
someone whose freedom is completely open
to God’s will. Her immaculate conception is
revealed precisely in her unconditional docility
to God’s word. Obedient faith in response to
God’s work shapes her life at every moment.
A virgin attentive to God’s word, she lives in
complete harmony with his will; she treasures
in her heart the words that come to her from
God and, piecing them together like a mosaic,
she learns to understand them more deeply
(cf. Lk 2,19.51); Mary is the great Believer who
places herself confidently in God’s hands,
abandoning herself to his will. This mystery
deepens as she becomes completely involved
in the redemptive mission of Jesus. In the words
of the Second Vatican Council, “the blessed
Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and
faithfully persevered in her union with her Son
until she stood at the Cross, in keeping with
the divine plan (cf. Jn 19,25), suffering deeply
with her only-begotten Son, associating herself
with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and
lovingly consenting to the immolation of the
victim who was born of her. Finally, she was
given by the same Christ Jesus, dying on the
Cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these
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words: ‘Woman, behold your Son’.” From the
Annunciation to the Cross, Mary is the one who
received the Word, made flesh within her and
then silenced in death. It is she, lastly, who took
into her arms the lifeless body of the one who
truly loved his own “to the end” (Jn 13,1).
Consequently, every time we approach the Body
and Blood of Christ in the eucharistic liturgy, we
also turn to her who, by her complete fidelity,
received Christ’s sacrifice for the whole Church.
The Synod Fathers rightly declared that “Mary
inaugurates the Church’s participation in the
sacrifice of the Redeemer.” She is the Immaculata,
who receives God’s gift unconditionally and is
thus associated with his work of salvation. Mary
of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church, is the
model for each of us, called to receive the gift that
Jesus makes of himself in the Eucharist.
Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis 33
Invocation of Mary
Closing hymn
EIGHTH DAY (22 MAY): MARY,
JESUS’ GIFT TO HIS PEOPLE
-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·-·····-··
Hymn
Introductory rites
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P In the name of the Father…
The Lord, who for our journey of faith
gave us Mary as the sign of sure hope
and cause of our joy, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Let us pray. Lord Jesus, who came into
the world to establish your kingdom of
justice, love and peace, grant that, through
the intercession of the Virgin Mary, your
Mother, we may welcome your word
of truth and live as your holy people.
You live and reign for ever and ever.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke
(Lk 2,15-19)
Mary kept all these things, pondering them in
her heart.
Now when the angels had gone from them
into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,
‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing
that has happened which the Lord has made
known to us’. So they hurried away and
found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying
in the manger. When they saw the child they
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repeated what they had been told about him,
and everyone who heard it was astonished at
what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary,
she treasured all these things and pondered
them in her heart.
Hymn or Psalm
Second Reading
Jesus’ gift to his people
On the cross, when Jesus endured in his own
flesh the dramatic encounter of the sin of the
world and God’s mercy, he could feel at his
feet the consoling presence of his mother and
his friend. At that crucial moment, before fully
accomplishing the work which his Father had
entrusted to him, Jesus said to Mary: “Woman,
here is your son”. Then he said to his beloved
friend: “Here is your mother” (Jn 19,26-27). These
words of the dying Jesus are not chiefly the
expression of his devotion and concern for his
mother; rather, they are a revelatory formula
which manifests the mystery of a special
saving mission. Jesus left us his mother to be
our mother. Only after doing so did Jesus know
that “all was now finished” (Jn 19,28). At the foot
of the cross, at the supreme hour of the new
creation, Christ led us to Mary. He brought us
to her because he did not want us to journey
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without a mother, and our people read in this
maternal image all the mysteries of the Gospel.
The Lord did not want to leave the Church
without this icon of womanhood. Mary, who
brought him into the world with great faith,
also accompanies “the rest of her offspring,
those who keep the commandments of God and
bear testimony to Jesus” (Rev 12,17). The close
connection between Mary, the Church and each
member of the faithful, based on the fact that
each in his or her own way brings forth Christ,
has been beautifully expressed by Blessed
Isaac of Stella: “In the inspired Scriptures, what
is said in a universal sense of the virgin mother,
the Church, is understood in an individual
sense of the Virgin Mary... In a way, every
Christian is also believed to be a bride of God’s
word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and
sister, at once virginal and fruitful... Christ dwelt
for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s
womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in
the tabernacle of the Church’s faith. He will
dwell forever in the knowledge and love of each
faithful soul”.
Mary was able to turn a stable into a home
for Jesus, with poor swaddling clothes and an
abundance of love. She is the handmaid of the
Father who sings his praises. She is the friend
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who is ever concerned that wine not be lacking
in our lives. She is the woman whose heart was
pierced by a sword and who understands all
our pain. As mother of all, she is a sign of hope
for peoples suffering the birth pangs of justice.
She is the missionary who draws near to us
and accompanies us throughout life, opening
our hearts to faith by her maternal love. As a
true mother, she walks at our side, she shares
our struggles and she constantly surrounds us
with God’s love. Through her many titles, often
linked to her shrines, Mary shares the history of
each people which has received the Gospel and
she becomes a part of their historic identity.
Many Christian parents ask that their children
be baptized in a Marian shrine, as a sign of their
faith in her motherhood which brings forth new
children for God. There, in these many shrines,
we can see how Mary brings together her
children who with great effort come as pilgrims
to see her and to be seen by her. Here they find
strength from God to bear the weariness and
the suffering in their lives. As she did with Juan
Diego, Mary offers them maternal comfort and
love, and whispers in their ear: “Let your heart
not be troubled… Am I not here, who am your
Mother?”
Francis, Evangelii gaudium 285-286
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Invocation of Mary
Closing hymn
NINTH DAY (23 MAY): MARY,
.Q....U....E...E....N......O....F.....A....L...L.....C....R....E...A....T....I..O....N....
Hymn
Introductory rites
P In the name of the Father…
The strength of the Spirit, who through the
intercession of Mary, the faithful Virgin,
helps us to conform our lives to
the Gospel, be with you.
A And with your spirit.
P Let us pray.
Eternal Father, who made of the Virgin
Mary the throne of your Wisdom,
illuminate the Church with the light of
your Living Word, that she may walk in
the splendour of truth towards the full
knowledge of the mystery of your love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
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A reading from the Gospel of Luke
(Lk 2,41-51)
Your father and I have been looking for you
anxiously
Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem
for the feast of the Passover. When he was
twelve years old, they went up for the feast
as usual. When they were on their way home
after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind
in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it.
They assumed he was with the caravan, and
it was only after a day’s journey that they
went to look for him among their relations
and acquaintances. When they failed to find
him they went back to Jerusalem looking for
him everywhere. Three days later, they found
him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors,
listening to them, and asking them questions;
and all those who heard him were astounded
at his intelligence and his replies. They were
overcome when they saw him, and his mother
said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done
this to us? See how worried your father and
I have been, looking for you.’ ‘Why were you
looking for me?’ he replied ‘Did you not know
that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’
But they did not understand what he meant.
He then went down with them and came to
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Nazareth and lived under their authority. His
mother stored up all these things in her heart.
Hymn or Psalm
Second Reading
Mary, the Mother who cared for Jesus, now
cares with maternal affection and pain for
this wounded world. Just as her pierced
heart mourned the death of Jesus, so now she
grieves for the sufferings of the crucified poor
and for the creatures of this world laid waste
by human power. Completely transfigured, she
now lives with Jesus, and all creatures sing
of her fairness. She is the Woman, “clothed in
the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on
her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12,1).
Carried up into heaven, she is the Mother
and Queen of all creation. In her glorified
body, together with the Risen Christ, part of
creation has reached the fullness of its beauty.
She treasures the entire life of Jesus in her
heart (cf. Lk 2,19.51), and now understands the
meaning of all things. Hence, we can ask her
to enable us to look at this world with eyes of
wisdom.
At her side in the Holy Family of Nazareth,
stands the figure of Saint Joseph. Through his
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work and generous presence, he cared for and
defended Mary and Jesus, delivering them
from the violence of the unjust by bringing
them to Egypt. The Gospel presents Joseph
as a just man, hard-working and strong. But
he also shows great tenderness, which is
not a mark of the weak but of those who are
genuinely strong, fully aware of reality and
ready to love and serve in humility. That is
why Joseph was proclaimed custodian of the
universal Church. He too can teach us how
to show care; he can inspire us to work with
generosity and tenderness in protecting this
world which God has entrusted to us.
Francis, Laudato Si’ 241-242
Invocation of Mary
Closing hymn
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PRESENTAZIONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ABBREVIAZIONI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
RINGRAZIAMENTI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
PRIMA PARTE: PREGHIERE SALESIANE. . . . . . 10
1] APPUNTAMENTI QUOTIDIANI. . . . . . . . . . . . 12
• CONSEGNA DELLA GIORNATA AL RISVEGLIO. 15
• ANGELUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
• REGINA COELI (TEMPO PASQUALE). . . . . . . . . 16
• MEDITAZIONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
• LECTIO DIVINA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
• LETTURA SPIRITUALE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
• PRIMA DELLE AZIONI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
• DOPO LE AZIONI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
• VISITA AL SANTISSIMO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
• PREGHIERE PER LE VOCAZIONI. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
• PREGHIERA A DON BOSCO
(ALLA CONCLUSIONE DEI VESPRI) . . . . . . . . . . 30
• IL ROSARIO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
• Misteri gaudiosi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
• Misteri dolorosi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
• Misteri gloriosi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
• Misteri luminosi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
• CONCLUSIONE DELLA GIORNATA
PRIMA DEL RIPOSO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2] APPUNTAMENTI MENSILI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
• TANTUM ERGO SACRAMENTUM. . . . . . . . . . . 37
• ACCLAMAZIONI DOPO
LA BENEDIZIONE EUCARISTICA . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
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• IL RITIRO MENSILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
• SCRUTINIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
• Pregare con il cuore di Don Bosco
(Scrutinium orationis). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
• Uno spirito fraterno (Scrutinium fraternitatis). . . 52
• Le beatitudini del povero (Scrutinium paupertatis). 58
• CELEBRAZIONE DELLA RICONCILIAZIONE
(DURANTE IL RITIRO MENSILE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
• INCONTRO DEL CONSIGLIO DELLA CASA. . . 74
• MEMORIA MENSILE DI MARIA AUSILIATRICE. . 76
• BENEDIZIONE DI MARIA AUSILIATRICE. . . . . . 79
• PREGHIERA PER LE
VOCAZIONI – PRIMO GIOVEDÌ DEL MESE. . . 95
• PREGHIERA PER LA PERSEVERANZA
NELLA VOCAZIONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
• SACRO CUORE – PRIMO VENERDÌ DEL MESE. 99
• PREGHIERA PER LE MISSIONI
– L’11 DEL MESE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
• DON BOSCO – ULTIMO GIORNO DEL MESE . 107
3] APPUNTAMENTI ANNUALI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
• CELEBRAZIONE DI APERTURA
DEGLI ESERCIZI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
• CELEBRAZIONE DI CHIUSURA
DEGLI ESERCIZI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
• ONOMASTICO O COMPLEANNO
DEI CONFRATELLI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
• Preghiera per un confratello
nel suo compleanno. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
• Preghiera per il proprio compleanno . . . . . . . . . 131
• Preghiera per un confratello
nel suo onomastico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
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4] OCCASIONI SPECIALI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
• INSEDIAMENTO DEL DIRETTORE. . . . . . . . . . 137
• INSEDIAMENTO DELL’ISPETTORE. . . . . . . . . . 150
• LA VISITA ISPETTORIALE
E LA VISITA STRAORDINARIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
• PREGHIERE AI NOSTRI SANTI PATRONI. . . . . 159
• San Giuseppe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
• San Giovanni Bosco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
• San Francesco di Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
• Santa Maria Mazzarello. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
• San Domenico Savio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
• PREGHIERA PER IL
RICONOSCIMENTO DELLA SANTITÀ . . . . . . . 165
• MALATTIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
• Visita a un ammalato. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
• Rito della comunione dei malati. . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
• Rito dell’unzione degli infermi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
• Il rito del Viatico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
• Preghiere di affidamento dei moribondi. . . . . . . 190
• Preghiera dopo la morte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
• MORTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
• Veglia per il defunto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
• La memoria quotidiana dei defunti . . . . . . . . . . 204
• Visita al cimiitero. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
• Pregare insieme come comunità in lutto. . . . . . 208
SECONDA PARTE: L’ANNO LITURGICO. . . . . 216
5] IL TEMPO D’AVVENTO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
• TRIDUO IMMACOLATA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
• BENEDIZIONE DELLA CORONA D’AVVENTO. 246
• In chiesa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
• In refettorio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
• NOVENA DI NATALE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
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6] IL TEMPO DI NATALE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
• PRECONIO DI NATALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
• ULTIMO GIORNO DELL’ANNO CIVILE. . . . . . . 273
• PRIMO GIORNO DELL’ANNO CIVILE. . . . . . . . 277
• RINNOVO DELLE PROMESSE BATTESIMALI
(DOMENICA DEL BATTESIMO DEL SIGNORE). 279
7] IL TEMPO DI QUARESIMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
• MEDITAZIONE SULLA PASSIONE
SECONDO LUCA (VIA CRUCIS). . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
8] IL TEMPO DI PASQUA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
• VIA LUCIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
• NOVENA DI PENTECOSTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
• Primo giorno: Lo Spirito Creatore. . . . . . . . . . . . 337
• Secondo giorno: Lo Spirito di Cristo. . . . . . . . . . 339
• Terzo giorno: Lo Spirito di figli. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
• Quarto giorno: Lo Spirito di risurrezione. . . . . . 343
• Quinto giorno: Lo Spirito di verità. . . . . . . . . . . . 346
• Sesto giorno: Lo Spirito di testimonianza. . . . . . 348
• Settimo giorno: Lo Spirito di santità. . . . . . . . . . 351
• Ottavo giorno: Lo Spirito della Chiesa. . . . . . . . 353
• Nono giorno: Lo Spirito di unità . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
• PREPARAZIONE ALLA SOLENNITÀ
DI PENTECOSTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
• Primo giorno. I doni dello Spirito: La Sapienza . 362
• Secondo giorno. I doni dello Spirito: La Fortezza. 365
• Terzo giorno. I doni dello Spirito: L’intelletto . . . . . 368
• Quarto giorno. I doni dello Spirito: La Scienza . . . 372
• Quinto giorno. I doni dello Spirito: Il Consiglio . . . 377
• Sesto giorno. I doni dello Spirito: La Pietà. . . . . . . 381
• Settimo giorno. I doni dello Spirito: Il timor di Dio. 385
• Ottavo giorno. I doni dello Spirito: La Pace. . . . . . . 390
• Nono giorno. I doni dello Spirito: La Gioia. . . . . . . . 395
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9] IL TEMPO ORDINARIO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
• NOVENA DON BOSCO IN
PREPARAZIONE ALLA FESTA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
• Primo giorno (22 gennaio). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
• Secondo giorno (23 gennaio). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
• Terzo giorno (24 gennaio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
• Quarto giorno (25 gennaio). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
• Quinto giorno (26 gennaio). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
• Sesto giorno (27 gennaio). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
• Settimo giorno (28 gennaio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
• Ottavo giorno (29 gennaio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
• Nono giorno (30 gennaio). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
• GIORNATA DELLA VITA CONSACRATA. . . . . . 413
• DISPONIBILITÀ PER LA MISSIONE
(GIORNATA MISSIONARIA SALESIANA). . . . . 419
• NOVENA A MARIA AUSILIATRICE . . . . . . . . . . 426
• 1° giorno: Maria SS. Madre e
Ausiliatrice della Chiesa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
• 2 ° giorno: La Vergine Ausiliatrice guida
e aiuto degli apostoli della gioventù. . . . . . . . . . . . 435
• 3° giorno: Maria Ausiliatrice e la
Congregazione Salesiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
• 4° giorno: Maria Madre di misericordia. . . . . . . . . 454
• 5° giorno: Maria, stella della speranza. . . . . . . . . . 461
• 6° giorno: «Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae». . . . . . 467
• 7° giorno: L’Eucaristia e la Vergine Maria. . . . . . . . 471
• 8° giorno: Maria, il dono di Gesù al suo popolo . . . 476
• 9° giorno: La Regina di tutto il creato . . . . . . . . . . . 480
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Indice alfabetico
delle preghiere
• ACCLAMAZIONI DOPO
LA BENEDIZIONE EUCARISTICA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
• ANGELUS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
• BENEDIZIONE DELLA CORONA D’AVVENTO. . . . . 246
• BENEDIZIONE DI MARIA AUSILIATRICE. . . . . . . . . . . 79
• CELEBRAZIONE DELLA RICONCILIAZIONE
(DURANTE IL RITIRO MENSILE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
• CELEBRAZIONE DI APERTURA
DEGLI ESERCIZI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
• CELEBRAZIONE DI CHIUSURA
DEGLI ESERCIZI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
• CONCLUSIONE DELLA GIORNATA
PRIMA DEL RIPOSO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
• CONSEGNA DELLA GIORNATA AL RISVEGLIO. . . . . . 15
• DISPONIBILITÀ PER LA MISSIONE
(GIORNATA MISSIONARIA SALESIANA). . . . . . . . . . . 419
• DON BOSCO – ULTIMO GIORNO DEL MESE. . . . . . 107
• DOPO LE AZIONI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
• GIORNATA DELLA VITA CONSACRATA . . . . . . . . . . . 413
• IL RITIRO MENSILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
• IL ROSARIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
• INCONTRO DEL CONSIGLIO DELLA CASA. . . . . . . . . 74
• INSEDIAMENTO DEL DIRETTORE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
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• INSEDIAMENTO DELL’ISPETTORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
• LA VISITA ISPETTORIALE
E LA VISITA STRAORDINARIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
• LECTIO DIVINA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
• LETTURA SPIRITUALE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
• MALATTIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
• MEDITAZIONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
• MEDITAZIONE SULLA PASSIONE
SECONDO LUCA (VIA CRUCIS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
• MEMORIA MENSILE DI MARIA AUSILIATRICE. . . . . . 76
• MORTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
• NOVENA A MARIA AUSILIATRICE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
• NOVENA DI NATALE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
• NOVENA DI PENTECOSTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
• NOVENA DON BOSCO IN
PREPARAZIONE ALLA FESTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
• ONOMASTICO O COMPLEANNO
DEI CONFRATELLI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
• PRECONIO DI NATALE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
• PREGHIERA A DON BOSCO
(ALLA CONCLUSIONE DEI VESPRI). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
• PREGHIERA PER IL
RICONOSCIMENTO DELLA SANTITÀ. . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
• PREGHIERA PER LA PERSEVERANZA
NELLA VOCAZIONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
• PREGHIERA PER LE
VOCAZIONI – PRIMO GIOVEDÌ DEL MESE. . . . . . . . . 95
• PREGHIERA PER LE MISSIONI
– L’11 DEL MESE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
• PREGHIERE AI NOSTRI SANTI PATRONI. . . . . . . . . . 159
• PREGHIERE PER LE VOCAZIONI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
611

62.3 Page 613

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• PREPARAZIONE ALLA SOLENNITÀ
DI PENTECOSTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
• PRIMA DELLE AZIONI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
• PRIMO GIORNO DELL’ANNO CIVILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
• REGINA COELI (TEMPO PASQUALE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
• RINNOVO DELLE PROMESSE BATTESIMALI
(DOMENICA DEL BATTESIMO DEL SIGNORE). . . . . 279
• SACRO CUORE – PRIMO VENERDÌ DEL MESE . . . . . 99
• SCRUTINIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
• TANTUM ERGO SACRAMENTUM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
• TRIDUO IMMACOLATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
• ULTIMO GIORNO DELL’ANNO CIVILE. . . . . . . . . . . . 273
• VIA LUCIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
• VISITA AL SANTISSIMO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
612

62.4 Page 614

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613

62.5 Page 615

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