From the letter of St Paul to the Philippians:Phil 2, 6 - 11

Though his state was divine,

Jesus did not cling

to his equality with God

but emptied himself

to assume the condition of a slave,

and became as all men are,

he was humbler yet,

even to accepting death,

death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name

which is above all other names

so that all beings

in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,

should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim

Jesus Christ as Lord,

to the Glory of God the Father.

This is the Word of God.

Article 64

Our Saviour assured us that he came on earth to do not his own will but that of his Father in heaven.

By professing obedience we offer our will to God and by carrying out the mission entrusted to us we relive in the Church and in the Congregation Christ’s own obedience. Docile to the Spirit and attentive to the signs he gives us in the events of each day, we take the Gospel as our supreme rule of life, the Constitutions as a sure path to follow, and the superiors and the community as day by day interpreters of God’s will.

Article 196

Our living Rule is Jesus Christ, the Saviour announced in the Gospel, who is alive today in the Church and in the world, and whom we find present in Don Bosco who devoted his life to the young. In response to the predilection of the Lord Jesus who has called us by name, and led by Mary, we willingly accept the Constitutions as Don Bosco’s will and testament, for us our book of life and for the poor and the little ones a pledge of hope. We meditate on them with faith and pledge ourselves to put them into practice; they are for us, the Lord’s disciples, a way that leads to love.

The Director gives the homily, inviting the confreres to contemplate the obedience of Christ, to recognise their sins as disobedience to the Father’s project of love, and to invoke the gift of the Holy Spirit so as to walk with renewed fidelity the “way the leads to Love”

The cross of Christ is the glorious tree of our salvation. Incense is burnt, candles are lit and a suitable hymn is sung.

With Don Bosco we go to the school of Mary to renew our ‘Fiat’.

This novena can be done by the community during daily meditation.

Sunday 29 November: First Sunday of Advent – Evening Prayer and Eucharistic Adoration

Monday 30 November: lectio divina on the Annunciation, part I.

Tuesday 1 December: lectio divina on the Annunciation, part II.

Wednesday 2 December: lectio divina on the Annunciation, part III.

Thursday 3 December: meditation on the dream at nine, part I.

Friday 4 December: meditation on the dream at nine, part II.

Saturday 5 December: each confrere reflects on and writes about the birth of his vocation.

Sunday 6 December: Second Sunday of Advent – Evening Prayer and Eucharistic Adoration

Monday 7 December: each confrere composes his own prayer to Don Bosco

Before 18 December, the date on which all members of the Congregation will renew their profession, the community will arrange a meeting in which the confreres can tell the story of their vocation and share what has helped them most to be faithful to it.

Monday 30 November

Lectio divina on the Gospel of the Annunciation - First Part (Lk 1,26-28)

• Invocation of the Holy Spirit

• Reading of the text:

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.’.

• Brief starting points for “lectio”:

• The visit of the angel to Mary recalls visits from God to various women in the Old Testament: Sarah, the mother of Isaac (Gen 18,9-15), Hannah, the mother of Samuel, (1 Sam 1,9-18), the mother of Samson (Judges 13, 2-5). Each of them was told of the birth of a son who was to have an important mission in the fulfilment of God’s plan.

• The narrative begins with the phrase “In the sixth month”. It was the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. The condition of Elizabeth, mentioned at the beginning (Lk 1,26) and at the end of the angel’s visit (Lk 1, 36.39), is the background to this whole episode. Mary’s call is placed in the context of the meeting of God’s eternal plan for humanity and the concrete story of the small familiar world to which she belonged, in the meeting of the unimaginable gift of her vocation to be the mother of God and the humble call to be of service to her aging relative.

• “Rejoice”: the angel’s words are more than a greeting. Right from the beginning they are also an annunciation and an invitation to joy which recall and bring to fulfilment many similar expressions in the Old Testament: “O soil, do not be afraid; be glad, rejoice, for Yahweh has done great things. (Joel 2, 21-23) “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your hear, daughter of Jerusalem! Yahweh has repealed your sentence.” (Zeph 3,14) “Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is Yahweh who speaks.” (Zac 2, 14). Mary is the daughter of Zion who receives the message of messianic joy, the glad news that God’s coming among us is about to be fulfilled.

• “Full of grace”: this is the new name given to Mary, the name which reveals her true identity and her vocation. Mary is filled with God’s blessing. Her freedom is totally and permanently in harmony with God’s mystery. Reading this affirmation in the light of the Solemnuity of the Immaculate Conception we see how the figure of the woman who will crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3,15) is realized in Mary. She is also a foretype of the Church, the pure and faultless spouse (cf Eph 5,26) in which every baptised person is called ‘to be holy and spotless and to live through love.’ (Eph 1,4)

• “The Lord is with you”. Similar words were spoken to Moses (Exodus 3,12), to Jeremiah (Jer 1,8), Gideon (Judges 6,12) and other men and women chosen by God for a specific mission. Those who are chosen can rely on God’s presence in their lives. In Mary’s case the presence of God will take the form of the profound mystery of the Incarnation in which the Son of God becomes the Son of Mary.

• Personal meditaion

• Personal prayer

Tuesday 1 December

Lectio divina on the Gospel of the Annunciation - Second Part (Lk 1,29-33)

• Invocation of the Holy Spirit

• Reading of the text:

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 forever and his reign will have no end.

• Brief starting points for “lectio”:

• “She was deeply disturbed”. This is the sense of beng ‘disturbed’ that people experience when they come into contact with the mystery of God, with his ways which are not our ways, his thoughts which are not our thoughts. Mary realized that she had to bow down in faith before the overpowering mystery of God, and accept a proposal that was unforeseen and unforeseeable. She was faced with the challenge of faith, which she had to live more deeply than any other creature, in her interior pilgrimage which led her even to the darkenss of Golgotha.

• “You are to conceive and bear a Son ...”. Verses 30-33 are the heart of this passage, the moment of annunciation, the manifestation of God’s gift, of his power which acts through human weakness. The words of the Angel are inspired by various messianic passages in the Old Testament. They recall in particular the prophecy of Nathan (2 Sam 7, 1 ff): it is not David who will build a house or temple for God, but God who will establish the house or dynasty of David. Starting from this promise, which reaches beyond Solomon the immediate successor of David, there are several Old Testament prophecies on the Messiah, son of David (Is 7, 14; Micah 4, 14; Haggai 2, 23), which are fulfilled in the annunciation to Mary.

• “His reign will have no end”: the Son announced to Mary will inaugurate the messianic eschatology. The richness of this verse is seen in its link with the whole preaching of Jesus on the Kingdom of God and with the New Testament texts on the kingship of Christ. (especially Jn 12, 13-15; 18, 36-37).

• Personal meditaion

• Personal prayer

Wednesday 2 December

Lectio divina on the Gospel of the Annunciation - Third Part (Lk 1,34-38)

• Invocation of the Holy Spirit

- Reading of the text:

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 done to me.’ And the angel left her.

• Brief starting points for “lectio”:

• “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.” The conception of Jesus is something new, the first fruit of the future creation wrought by God’s creative power which comes up against the impossiblity of Mary’s conceiving since she was a virgin. (Lk 1,34). The shadow with which the Most High covered Mary recalls the cloud which accompanied the people in the desert by day (Exod 13, 22), which covered Mount Sinai revealing the Glory of the Lord for six days (Exod 19, 16; 24, 17). It is also the sign of God’s protection granted to those who invoke the name of the Lord and place themsleves in his hands during their trial (Ps. 17, 8; Ps. 57, 2; Ps. 140, 8). At the creation, the Spirit of God hovered over the water, sign of God’s creative power. (Gen 1, 2).

• “I am the handmaid of the Lord”. With these words Mary responds with total and unconditional faith to God who speaks to her. Elizabeth was to greet Mary with the words ‘blessed is she who believed’. Through her obedience Mary overturned the disobedience of Eve. Mary’s words echo the words of Psalm 40,6: “Here I am! I am coming!” - words which the letter to the Hebrews places on the lips of the Son at the moment of his incarnation. Mary’s response, “I am the handmaid of the Lord” is seen to be mysteriously joined to the “Here I am” which the eternal Son spoke when he took on our humanity. Mary applies to herself the title handmaid or servant of the Lord. In Isaiah this title presents the mission of the people not as a privilege but as a service to other peoples (Is. 42,1-9; 49,3-6). Later Jesus himself defines his mission as a service; “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” (Mt 20,28).

- Personal meditaion

- Personal prayer

Thursday 2 December

Meditation on the dream at nine – First Part.

• Invocation of the Holy Spirit

- Reading of the text:

From the Memoirs of the Oratory:

At that age I had a dream which remained profoundly impressed on my mind for the whole of my life. In my sleep I seemed to be near my home, in a very spacious yard, where a crowd of children were gathered playing. Some were laughing, others playing, whilst many of them were swearing. On hearing their bad language, I threw myself quickly into their midst, using words and fists to make them stop. At that moment a venerable Man appeared, of adult age, nobly dressed. A white cloak covered his whole person, but his face shone so brightly that I could not look directly at him. He called me by name and ordered me to place myself at the head of those children, adding these words: ‘You will win over these friends of yours, not with blows but with gentleness and love. Begin immediately therefore to instruct them on the ugliness of sin and the preciousness of virtue.’

Confused and frightened I added that I was a poor, ignorant child, incapable of speaking about religion to these young people. At that moment the boys stopped their quarrelling, shouting and swearing and they all gathered around the Man who was speaking. Almost without realizing it I said, ‘Who are you to command me to do the impossible?’

‘Precisely because these things seem impossible, you must make them possible by obedience and by acquiring knowledge.’

‘Where and how can I acquire knowledge?’

‘I will give you a Teacher under whose tuition you can become wise and without whom all knowledge is foolishness.’

‘But who are you, who speak in this manner?’

‘I am the Son of Her whom your mother taught you to salute three times a day.’

‘My mother tells me not to associate with people I do not know, without her permission, so tell me your name.’

‘Ask my mother and she will tell you my name.’

Suggestions for personal meditation:

• He called me by name and ordered me to place myself at the head of those children.

Am I conscious that I have been called to this particular way of life? Do I live in a state of profound gratitude for this way to holiness that God has chosen for me? Do I dedicate my time and my energies to the Salesian mission entrusted to me?

• Precisely because these things seem impossible, you must make them possible by obedience and by acquiring knowledge.

Am I conscious that to live in response to my Christian and religious vocation I need God’s help and mercy? Do I make the conversation with the Rector a privileged moment of dialogue for my own good and that of the community? Am I serious about preserving, improving and updating my educative and pastoral competence?

• I will give you a Teacher under whose tuition you can become wise and without whom all knowledge is foolishness.

Do I give the Mother of God a unique place in my life as a Salesian apostle? Do I pray the Roasry willingly? Do I have recourse with confidence to Mary who yearns with a mother’s heart to form Christ in me?

Friday 4 December

Meditation on the dream at nine – Second Part.

• Invocation of the Holy Spirit

- Reading of the text:

From the Memoirs of the Oratory:

At that moment I saw beside him a lady of majestic appearance dressed in a mantle which sparkled all over as if every stitch were a shining star. She realized that I was becoming more confused than ever in my questions and answers, and indicated to me to come close to Her. She took me kindly by the hand. ‘Look!’ she said. Looking around I noticed that the children had all disappeared, and in their place I saw a crowd of young goats, dogs, cats, bears and many other animals. ‘This is the field where you must work. Make yourself humble, strong and robust. What you see happening now to these animals is what you must do for my children.’

I looked again and instead of wild animals I saw gentle lambs running around, gambolling and bleating, as if to welcome the Man and the Lady.

At that point, still in my sleep, I began to cry and I implored the lady to please speak in a manner I could understand, because I did not know what she meant.

She then put her hand on my head and said to me, ‘You will understand everything in due course.’ As soon as she said this, a noise woke me and everything disappeared.

I remained bewildered. It seemed as if my hands were paining me from the blows I had given, that my face was sore from those I had received.

Suggestions for personal meditation:

• This is the field where you must work.

Does love for the young give meaning to my whole life? Am I father, teacher and friend of the young? Do I show loving kindness and practise the Salesian spirit?

• Make yourself humble, strong and robust. What you see happening now to these animals is what you must do for my children.

Am I docile to the Holy Spirit, developing the gifts and attitudes I receive from the Spirit? Am I convinced that consecrated life demands of me constant renewal and continuous conversion? Is my life dominated by a pastoral sense and an apostolic passion?

• You will understand everything in due course.

Is my whole life directed towards my final goal? Do I put the Word of God and the sacraments at the centre of my spiritual life? Do I trust that the seeds sowed in the field of the Kingdom of God will produce fruits of salvation?

Saturday 5 December

Each confrere, after meditating on the call of the Immaculate Virgin and Don Bosco’s vocational dream, is invited to reflect on when he first heard God’s voice calling him to Salesian life, in order to prepare well for the renewal of vows on 18 December. This can be done by reflecting or by putting in writing the memories of his call: moments of particular revelation, people who were significant, experiences which led to the decision ... We know from the Bible the value of ‘remembering’ in nourishing our faith.

Monday 7 December

Each confrere is asked to compose, preferably in writing, his own prayer to Don Bosco, expressing his personal gratitude for all that he has received from God through the experience of our Founder.

18 DECEMBER 2009

Celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Birth of the Congregation

Renewal of Religious Professione

A Eucharistic Celebration is suggested to mark the Jubilee of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Congregation. If it is deemed more appropriate to hold a Liturgy of the Word, the following texts may be used. A copy of the Constitutions in large format may be placed on a separate lectern.

Leader:

18 December 1859, in a humble room in Turin, seventeen young men were gathered around Don Bosco. This simple moment marked the birth of our Congregation. It was the humble beginning of a story of men called by the Lord to follow Don Bosco in offering their lives for the benefit of young people.

18 December 2009 – a story of 150 years:

A story of holy men and martyrs, humble people, people who have received special gifts, apostolic creativity, enthusiasm, a pastoral heart, joy, tears, fatigue and great consolations. A story of daily fidelity, courageous witness, charity which warms the heart, produces a welcoming smile, stimulates the mind and spurs them to ever more daring enterprises so that the young may meet the One who is Life and Life in abundance. It is a story of the evangelical daring, the heart, smile, and hands of Don Bosco which reach even to us. In grateful memory of so many brothers whom we have known, with admiration and joy, we discover that we too are part of this story of salvation. Eucharist – a day of giving thanks, of invocation, of renewed promise of fidelity to God and to Don Bosco.

Opening Prayer

Loving Father,

as we look forward to the coming of Our Lord

we celebrate the memory of the birth of our Congregation.

Send us your grace that our hearts may be inflamed,

that we may be faithful in following Jesus obedient, poor and chaste

in a life joyfully given for the young.

We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ ...

A Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah (23,5-8)

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks - when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practising honesty and integrity in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: The Lord-our-integrity. So, then, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!” but, “As the Lord lives who led back and brought home the descendants of the House of Israel out of the land of the North and from all the coun tries to which he had dispersed them, to live on their own soil”.

This is the Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 71)

R/. The Lord saves the poor.

O God, give your judgement to the king

to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

and your poor in right judgement. R/.

He shall save the poor when they cry

and the needy who are helpless.

He will have pity on the weak

and save the lives of the poor. R/.

Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,

who alone works wonders,

ever blessed his glorious name.

Let his glory fill the earth.

Amen! Amen! R/.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.
Ruler of the House of Israel,

who gave the Law to Moses on Sinai;

come and save us with outstretched arm.

Alleluia.

+ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 1,18-24)

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Jospeh, being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the word spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,” a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’. When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do. When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Homily

Renewal of profession and promise of fidelity.

Priest:

Recalling the moment of the birth of our Congregation, let us listen with fervour to the minutes of that historic moment as recorded by Fr Victor Alasonatti.

In the year of the Lord 1859, on the 18th of December, in the Oratory of St Francis de Sales, the following met at 9.00 p.m. in the room of the priest John Bosco: Fr Victor Alasonatti, Deacon Angelo Savio, Subdeacon Michael Rua, clerics John Cagliero, John Baptist Francesia, Francis Provera, Charles Ghivarello, Joseph Lazzero, John Bonetti, John Anfossi, Louis Marcellino, Francis Cerruti, Celestine Durando, Secundus Pettiva, Anthony Rovetto, Caesar Joseph Bongiovanni, and the youth Louis Chiapale, all with the intention of promoting and preserving the spirit of true charity which is required for the work of the Oratory for young people abandoned and at risk, who in these calamitous times are led astray in a thousand ways to the detriment of society, and are threatened by impiety and irreligion. Those present agreed to form a Society or Congregation with the aim of helping each other to strive for their own sanctification. They resolved to work for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, especially of those most in need of instruction and education. The proposed aim was agreed by common consent, and after a short prayer to invoke the light of the Holy Spirit, they proceeded to elect the members who were to form the government of the Society for this and other new congregations [communities or houses] if God wills that it should grow. Those present were unanimous in asking Don Bosco, the “originator and promoter” to assume the office of Major Superior.

In communion with the Rector Major, successor of Don Bosco, and with all the Salesians of the world, 150 years from the beginning of our Congregation, we renew our promise of fidelity to the call of the Lord to consecrated life at the service of the young.

All:

God my Father

You consecrated me to yurself 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

in communion of spirit and action with my brothers,

and in this way to share in the life

and mission of the Church.

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.

Priest:

We now sign the text of the Constitutions. It is the seal of our joyful commitment. May the grace of the Lord accompany us and keep us faithful.

In an atmosphere of prayer, each one signs the last page of the Constitutions.

Prayer of the faithful

Priest. On this day the Salesian Congregation recalls the memory of its first steps. We join our voices with those of our brothers throughout the world to intercede with God our Father. We pray together as we say: Lord, bless your people.

Don Bosco showed courageous fidelity to the Pope and the leaders of the Church. Lord, grant wisdom and discernment to all pastoral workers. May fidelity to the successor of Peter and to the Bishops strengthen the witness of unity of the Church. We pray:

Lord, we entrust to you the Rector Major and his Council. Give them wisdom in governing and fidelity to the charism of our Founder, that they may lead us to be generous and daring on behalf of young people, especially the poorest among them. We pray:

Lord, you raised up Saint John Bosco to work for civil and political rights in his own time. Grant that we may face up to our responsibilities to ensure that the voice of the poorest members of our society is heard. May our commitment and our nearness to the poor encourage those who govern to give special attention to the most needy. We pray:

Lord, we entrust to you our young people, those to whom we are sent in the first place. Don Bosco, moved by their suffering, gave his whole life for them even to his last breath. Even today the young are still victims of many forms of violence and injustice. Grant them the courage of faith, hope and charity to face the dificulties of life. We pray:

Many confreres have dedicated their lives to following Christ in the Salesian mission. We entrust each of them to you. May the fidelity and joy of their commitment be for our communities a source of fruitfulness and communion. We pray:

Lord, you raised up many faithful and generous co-workers with Don Bosco in the Oratory of St Francis de Sales. We entrust to you all those who share the Salesian mission at the present time. May their dedication to the service of the poorest be for them a school of charity and a path of holiness. We pray:

Priest: Lord, you raised up Don Bosco as father and teacher of a great apostolic family. On this day of celebration and thansgiving, look kindly upon your sons gathered to renew their radical decision to follow Jesus your Son. Confirm them in fidelity and enthusiasm that they may be generous in proclaiming the Risen Lord to the young. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

All the other texts are taken from the liturgy of 18 December.

Thanksgiving after Communion

We believe that the Society of St Francis de Sales

came into being not as a merely human venture

but by the initiative of God. (Cons.1)

We believe that the the Holy Spirit raised up St John Bosco,

through the motherly intervention of Mary,

to contribute to the salvation of youth,

and formed within him the heart of a father and teacher,

capable of total self-giving. (Cons 1)

To ensure the continuation of this mission,

the Spirit inspired him to initiate various apostolic projects

first among them our Society. (Cons 1))

We believe that each one of us has been called by God

to be part of the Salesian Society

and that we have received personal gifts from Him. (Cons 2)

We believe that our vocation is marked

by a special gift of God,

a predilection for the poor. (Cons 7)

We believe that religious profession

is a sign of a loving encounter between the Lord who calls

and the disciple who responds

by giving himself totally to God and to his brothers and sisters. (Cons 23)

We believe that the Salesian vocation places us

at the heart of the Church

and puts us entirely at the service of her mission. (Cons 6)

We believe that the action of the Spirit is for us

a lasting source of grace

and a support for his daily efforts

to grow towards the perfect love of God and men. (Cons 25)

We believe that Mary is present among us

and continues her mission as Mother of the Church

and Help of Christians. (Cons 8)