Pallottine Prayers on Friday, under the title:
"Our Vocation and Work: Mission and Apostolate"
Morning Prayer
| L. | Lord, teach us to pray. |
| R. | In the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
Praise of the Lord
Psalm 145(144)
| L. | I will give you glory, O God my King,
I will bless your name for ever. I will bless you day after day and praise your name for ever |
| R. | All your creatures shall thenk you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing. |
| L. | They shall speak of the glory of your Name
and declare your might, O God, to make known to all your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign. |
| R. | Let me speak your praise, O Lord,
let all peoples bless your holy name for ever, for ages unending. |
Reflection
A. St. Vincent Pallotti writes about the possibilities and value of the apostolate:
"God judges the perfection and value of our apostolic efforts according to the intentions of the heart and the ability of his creatures. Yes, in my opinion, all, [ ... ] important people and simple people, whether rich or poor, priests and lay people, alone or in community, old and young, men an women, the sick and the healthy, in any position of life assigned to them by God in his mercy, will be able to find some way of participation in the apostolic mission of Jesus Christ - with the merits due to them." (OOCC IV 182, cf. 326f)or:
B. St. Vincent Pallotti writes about faithfulness to one's vocation: mission:
"Let us remember that love is as strong as death: this conviction should help us never to lose courage but rather to strive diligently to overcome any difficulty and to bear whatever opposition and persecution we may encounter. Love is not halted by any by any difficulties: it overcomes them. Our rule is a means of observing love towards God and our neighbour in the most perfect manner possible. Keeping the rule as perfectly as possible will, therefore, help us to avoid any danger of breaking any of God's commandments and to avail ourselves of all the means of observing them as faithfully as possible." (OOCC VIII 264)Pause
Apostolic Prayer of St. Vincent Pallotti
Angelus or during the Easter season:
Regina Coeli
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and will be ever. Amen.
Angel of God, whom God has appointed my guardian,
enlighten,
protect, direct and govern me this day. Amen.
Conclusion
| L. | May the Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil.
May he keep us faithful in his service. |
| R. | To Him be honour and glory for ever and ever.
Amen. |
Prayer during the Day
| L. | Lord, we come to adore you. |
| R. | In the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
Adoration
| L. | Lord Jesus Christ, our food on the road to life. |
| R. | Lord, strengthen us with this food always. |
| L. | Jesus, you are the good shepherd
who leads his flock to green pastures and refreshes us at the fountain of life. |
| R. | You are the true Easter Lamb,
sacriced on the cross and given to us as food. |
| L. | You are the Bread of Life.
Whoever comes to you will never hunger. Whoever believes in you will never thirst. |
| R. | Lord, give us this bread always. |
| L. | You are the true bread from heaven.
Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. |
| R. | The bread that we eat is your flesh,
given for the life of the world. (Cfr. John 6) |
| L. | Lord Jesus Christ,
through this Sacrament you give us a share in your divine life. Let us never be separated from you but keep us in your love. You live and reign for ever and ever. |
| R. | Amen. |
Reflection
A. St. Vincent Pallotti about sincerity in our apostolic work:
"Just as Christ is the firstborn among many brothers and sister, so we must become more like him in all things. He, to teach and encourage usfirst did and then taught. He said: 'whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven' [Mt 5:19]. So, woe to us if we preach the crucified Christ, and live in wealth ourselves; if we preach his humility, and enjoy being held in honour ourselves. Woe to us, if we preach the mortification of Christ, and seek pleasure ourselves; if we preach alms, but do not open our hands to the poor; if we preach that Jesus Christ went about doing good and curing all, whereas we seek our own interestss and not the interests of God."(Pallotti to Melia and Faà di Bruno, àEpist. Latinae 1907, p. 24)or:
B. St. Vincent Pallotti speaks about our daily work:
"In the Holy Family at Nazareth service to God and prayer alternated with the laborious work of a carpenter and other duties necessary for earning a living. Laziness was unknown. Hence, every form of laziness must be banished from our houses. Keeping in mind the harmony and the perfect charitythat characterized the home in Nazareth, everyone must try to expedite one's tasks in as short a time as possible. This is in the interests of brotherly and sisterly co-operation which they thus offer to the others in the duties which they have to perform; moeover, it enriches them spiritually, ensuring for them the merits of acting according to charity and obedience." (OOCC VIII 318)Pause
Prayer
| L. | Lord, our God,
from your hands came forth everything that exists. You created everything and sustain it day by day. |
| R. | The heavens and the earth,
the seas and the mountains, human beings and animals are all the work of your hands. Their existence and their diversity come from you. You formed them. |
| L. | You have called us
to have a share in the creation of the world. Your word calls upon us to bring the earth to its fulfillment, to explore it and to use its mighty forces responsibly. |
| R. | Our daily work is your mission to us.
It is our service to you and fulfillment of your will. We become your co-workers. |
| L. | Lord, by increasing and spreading faith and love,
we share in the mission and in the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| R. | You send us into the fields to bring in the harvest.
In doing this, no labour should be too hard for us and no effort too strenuous. |
| L. | Send your Holy Spirit to give us confidence
and strengthen us with his power. |
| R. | Give us courage to start anew each day.
Help us not to look on our failures but let us receive from you what we lack. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
Angelus or during the Easter season: Regina Coeli
| 1 | Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit. |
| 2 | As it was in the beginning,
is now and will be for ever. Amen. |
| 1 | Angel of God, |
| 2 | whom God has appointed my guardian,
enlighten, protect, direct and govern me this day. Amen. |
For deceased members, relatives and benefactors:
Psalm 130(129) or
Psalm 51(50) & Closing Petitions
Evening Prayer
| L. | Lord, we come to thank you. |
| R. | In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
Introduction
| L. | Heavenly Father,
evening has come and the day has passed. We have laboured to do your will. |
| R. | We thank you
that we have been able to carry the burden. We thank you for all the good we have been able to do today. |
| L. | Lord,
give our spirit the consolation and strength of your grace. Lift us up in your gentle kindness.. |
| R. | Give us the forgiveness of all our sins. |
| L. | God our Father,
in this evening hour we stop to look back over the day and to reflect upon our love for you. Give us your light so that we may see. Give us your strength to help us bring to a successful end the good we have begun. We ask this through Christ our Lord. |
| R. | Amen. |
Examen
Reflection
A. St. Vincent comments on commitment in the apostolate:
"in working in the apostolate, it is not suffient that one has preached, prayed, helped and practiced the ministry, or used one's talents, job or influence. What is more important is that everyone works with the zeal and fervour according to one's state and limits. Anyone who acts with this attitude has the same right to the reward and merit of the apostolate as those who accomplished great apostolic deeds and achieved great success." (OOCC III 57)or:
B. St. Vincent Pallotti comments on the need for untiring effort in the apostolate:
"When the good thief asked Our Lord to remember him after coming into his Kingdom, Jesus promised him Paradise. Out of love for Our Lord Jesus Christ and with confidence in his infinite mercy, we must work for the conversion of poor sinners, although they have been obstinate during their whole life and even when in danger of death. In such cases, according to the spirit of the Union, we must multiply our prayers, and increase our humility, our confidence and all our spiritual efforts." (OOCC III 57)
| 1 | How has an apostolic spirit been expressed
in our work today? |
| (Pause) | |
| 2 | Let us remember that our lives
are a sharing in the apostolate of Jesus Christ. |
| (Pause) | |
| 3 | Let us reflect that we are called
to be quiet and humble, obliging and helpful in our service to others. |
| (Pause) |
Prayer
| L. | Lord Jesus Christ,
you alone know the value of this day. We have not done all that we should have done. Many things have been left undone. All too often selfishness has motivated our efforts. Many times we were lacking in love. |
| R. | Forgive us for not completing our tasks.
Let us rid ourselves of lukewarmness, envy and contempt. Give us strength to show our love for people in all that we do. |
| L. | Lord, we thank you for our talents, your gift to us.
We have tried to use them. You were with us. It was you who blessed our efforts. |
| R. | Lord, in this evening hour
we thank you for your continuing presence with us. We ask you to be near to all who offer their sickness and sorrow as their apostolate. Give them and us your protection this night. |
| L. | Lord, it is your will
that we accept success and failure. We stand before you as useless servants (Cfr. Luke 17:10) who with open arms, forever receive your divine gifts. |
| R. | Amen. |
Intercessions: Keep us this night, Lord... or Intercessions: Let us pray for vocations. ...
Blessing
| L. | Lord, we beg you to visit this house
and banish from it all the deadly power of the enemy. May your holy angels dwell here to keep us in peace, and may your blessing be upon us always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. |
| R. | Amen. |
| S. | God is love
and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (1 John 4:16). May Almighty God, the Father + and the Son and the Holy Spirit bless and protect us, and all the members of the Union. |
| R. | Amen. |
| L. | God is love
and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (1 John 4:16). The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring to everlasting life. |
| R. | Amen. |