Pallottine Prayers on Thursday, under the title:
"The Unity of Christians"
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
| L. | Most Holy Trinity,
we thank you for all the good things of our life and for this new day. May the Spirit of Jesus form us today. May Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, be our model. |
| R. | Our thoughts, our speech and our actions
are to give you honour and glory. Help us to do everything for love of you and our neighbour. Whatever anyone does in your service is for your greater glory. Whatever good is achieved in time of eternity is to be done out of gratitude for your love. |
| L. | With the whole creation we praise you: |
| L. | O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him, all you peoples. |
| R | Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever. |
| L. | Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. |
| R. | As it was in the beginning,
is now and will be ever. Amen. |
Reflection
A. St. Vincent Pallotti writes about the unity of Christians:
"Some priests and lay people of Rome made the resolution to unite themselves in complete love. They wanted to increase the spiritual and temporal means conducive to the spreading of faith and to rekindling charity. In the company of all good people they longed for the promised moment when there would be one fold and one shepherd." (OOCC IV 2)or:
B. The Second Vatican Council teaches about our ecumenical mission:
"The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. Christ the Lord founded the Church and one Church only. However, many Christian communions present themselves to us as the true inheritors of Jesus Christ; all indeed profess to be followers of the Lord but they differ in mind and go their different ways, as if Christ himself were divided (cf. 1Cor1:13). Certainly, such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages that most holy cause, the preaching of the Gospel to every creature." (UR 1)Pause
Apostolic Prayer of St. Vincent Pallotti
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. |
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, you became a human being like us
and are present here in the Blessed Sacrament. |
| R. | We adore you and we thank you,
since you are close to us in fellowship. |
| L. | All of us partake of the one bread;
hence all are one body. |
| R. | You tear down the dividing walls
and bring together all who are in disunity (Cfr. Eph 2:14). |
| L. | May we accept one another in love
and preserve the unity of the spirit (Cfr. Eph 4:2-3). |
| R. | Whether man or woman,
whether rich or poor, we are all one body in you. (Cfr. Col 3:15). |
| L. | Lord, the bread that we break
was once grains of wheat spread over the fields. They were gathered to become one single loaf. In like manner assemble your people from the ends of the earth into your Kingdom. Yours is the power and the glory for ever and ever. |
| R. | Amen. |
Reflection
A. Saint Vincent Pallotti writes about the unity of all Christians:
"Our Lord Jesus Christ predicted a time when the whole world would be united into one fold with one shepherd. The Divine Wisdom decreed that, by the prayers of all the righteous, and especially those of the Queen of the righteous, Our Blessed Lady, the advent of the Redeemer of the human race, our Lord Jesus Christ, be hastened, and this in spite of the fact that the world was so full of error and sin. Who can possibly doubt that the infinite clemency of the Father of mercies has already decreed that the moment desired by all the multitudes in heaven will arrive soon in which there will be but one flock and one shepherd." (OOCC III 146)or:
B. The Second Vatican Council teaches about our ecumenical mission:
"For, although the Catholic Church has been endowed with all divinely revealed truth and with all means of grace, yet its members fail to live by them with all the fervour that they should, so that the radiance of the Church's image is less in the eyes of our separated fellow Christians and of the world at large, and the growth of God's kingdom is delayed. All Catholics must, therefore, aim at Christian perfection and, each according to their situation, play their part that the Church, bearing in her own body the lowly and dying state of Jesus, may be daily more purified and renewed, against the day when Christ will present her to himself in all her glory without spot or wrinkle."(UR 4)Pause
Prayer
| L. | Almighty Father, during his life on earth,
Christ implored you earnestly for the unity of his followers. |
| R. | We are be one, as you, Father, are one
with the Son and the Holy Spirit. |
| L. | We confess that human weakness and guilt
have divided the Church. |
| R. | Give us, your people, the spirit of discernment.
Remove misunderstanding and prejudice from among us. Open our hearts to the full truth. |
| L. | Your people lack the love
that would bind them together. Indifference, discord and intolerance drive them apart. |
| R. | Send your Spirit of Love into the hearts of your Faithful
to guide them to work actively for the unity of Christians. |
| L. | Teach us to work with one mind
to fulfill the command that Jesus gave us. |
| R. | Remove from us all selfishness,
formalism and narrow-mindedness. Open our eyes, enlighten our minds, inflame our hearts that we may see and accomplish what will be for your greater honour and glory. 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. | We come to thank you. |
| R. | In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
Introduction
| L. | Lord Jesus Christ,
here in the Blessed Sacrament you are present among your Faithful. |
| R. | We praise and adore you. |
| L. | You desire to unite all humankind in your Church. |
| R. | The nations find salvation and truth in her. |
| L. | To all people of good will
you give the light and the consolation of your Holy Spirit. |
| R. | In your presence we ask you to enlighten us
as we examine ourselves on how we have served you this day. |
Examen
Reflection
A. The Law of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate speaks of the ecumenical mission:
"We undertake ecumenical initiatives in response to Christ's wish that 'all may be one' (Jn 17:11-21), endeavouring to support efforts to bring about Christian unity. Our work in this field should be done in a spirit of respect for the working of the Holy Spirit in other Christian communities." (SAC Law 206)or:
B. The Second Vatican Council teaches about our ecumenical mission:
"The concern for restoring unity involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone, according to the talents of each, whether it be exercized in daily Christian living or in theological and historical studies. This concern itself reveals to some extent the bond of fellowship existing among all Christians, and it leads toward full and perfect unity, in accordance with what God in his kindness wills." (UR 5)
| 1 | Let us listen in our hearts to Jesus' prayer
"that all may be one". |
| (Pause) | |
| 2 | Let us give thanks to God
that he has called us into his Church. |
| (Pause) | |
| 3 | Let us ask the Lord to forgive us
for the prejudices in our lives, and let us ask for the grace to accept one another openly. |
| (Pause) |
Prayer
| L. | Lord Jesus Christ,
we bear a great responsibility for the unity of Christians. The division in the Church is a scandal for the world. It weakens us in our struggle against unbelief and indifference. It hampers the missionary work of the Church We have turned away from your will - with tragic consequences. |
| R. | Do not be mindful of our sins.
Listen mercifully to the prayers of your Church and bless the initiatives we undertake for the unity of Christians. |
| L. | Lord, look graciously upon the prayers and efforts
of the other Christian Churches They bear your Name just as we do. They too have become children of your Father through baptism. They too pray for the unity of your Church. |
| R. | You alone can lead us all to the full truth of the faith
and to the fulness of grace in your Church. |
| L. | Lord Jesus Christ, you implored your Father:
"Let all be one that the world may know that you sent me". (John 17:21) Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your Kingdom where you live and reign for ever and ever. |
| R. | Amen. |
Intercessions: Keep us this night, Lord... or Intercessions: Let us pray for vocations. ...
Blessing
| L. | May the Lord, the Almighty,
the beginning and the end of all things, bless us. |
| R. | May he fulfil our hopes and give fruit to our labour,
protect us from all evil and save us from all danger; may he be our refuge in anxiety. |
| L. | Lord, give us peace.
Give us health of body and redemption for our souls. |
| R. | Amen:
this is the will of the Father, who is from eternity to eternity. |
| S. | May Almighty God,
the Father + and the Son and the Holy Spirit bless us and all our brothers and sisters. |
| R. | Amen. |
| L. | The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil,
and bring to everlasting life. |
| R. | Amen. |