Prayer to the Virgin of the Magnificat on the Vocation & Mission of Lay People
(Pope John Paul II)
O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church, with joy and wonder we seek to make our own your Magnificat, joining you in your hymn of thankfulness and love.
With you we give thanks to God,"whose mercy is from generation to generation",
for the exalted vocation and the many forms of mission entrusted to the lay faithful.
God has called each of them by name to live his own communion of love and holiness
and to be one in the great family of God's children. He has sent them forth to shine with
the light of Christ and to communicate the fire of the Spirit in every part of society
through their life inspired by the gospel. O Virgin of the Magnificat, fill their hearts
with a gratitude and enthusiasm for this vocation and mission.
With humility and magnanimity you were the "handmaid of the Lord";
give us your unreserved willingness for service to God and the salvation of the world.
Open our hearts to the great anticipation of the Kingdom of God,
and of the proclamation of the Gospel to the whole of creation.
Your mother's heart is ever mindful of the many dangers and evils which
threaten to overpower men and women in our time.
At the same time your heart also takes notice of the many initiatives
undertaken for good, the great yearning for values, and the progress achieved
in bringing forth the abundant fruits of salvation.
O Virgin full of courage, may your spiritual strength and trust in God inspire us,
so that we might know how to overcome all the obstacles
that we encounter in accomplishing our mission.
Teach us to treat the affairs of the world with a real sense of Christian responsibility
and a joyful hope of the coming of God's Kingdom, and of a "new heaven and a new earth".
You who were gathered in prayer with the Apostles in the Cenacle, awaiting the
coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, implore his renewed outpouring
on all the faithful, men and women alike, so that they might more fully respond
to their vocation and mission, as branches engrafted to the true vine,
called to bear much fruit for the life of the world.
O Virgin Mother, guide and sustain us so that we might always live
as true sons and daughters of the Church of your Son.
Enable us to do our part in helping to establish on earth
the civilization of truth and love, as God wills it, for his glory. Amen
Articles
The Priest and the Ministry of the Word - Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Click Here
Zenit Article - The Priesthood & The Mass Click Here
Our Participation In The Mass - Fr. William G. Most Click Here
Thoughts To Lift Your Heart
The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.
- St. Anthony of the Desert
Put aside a little time in the evening especially for praying, for meditating, for reading a page of the Gospel or
an episode in the life of some saint. Create a zone of desert and silence for yourself in that way.
- John Paul II, Solitude and Silence Nourish the Spiritual Life, 1998
In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus
concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of
comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.
- Pope Benedict XVI – from his meeting with the Roman clergy March 2, 2006
When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then.
When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.
- Mother Teresa
Hear Mass daily; it will prosper the whole day. All your duties will be performed the better for it, and your soul
will be stronger to bear its daily cross. The Mass is the most holy act of religion; you can do nothing that can give
greater glory to God or be more profitable for your soul than to hear Mass both frequently and devoutly.
It is the favorite devotion of the saints.
- St. Peter Julian Eymard
