 |
|
|
|
The entire arc of Fr. Alberione’s life was a
fabric woven with apostolic action and of prayer, according to the Benedictine
motto that was familiar to him, and which he translated as norm for his people:
"Prayer in the first place, above everything else, life of everything."
(CISP 97).
Just as Jesus, to the Twelve who pleaded that he taught them how to pray,
proposed the formula "Our Father," so did Father Alberione – while
intensely living a life of prayer – taught it to his people by means of
formulas held as concrete vehicles of a spirit, "containers" of a
heritage destined to last.
The prayers we are publishing here (taken from the "Prayers of the Pauline
Family") are a small sampler of the formulas expressing his faith in God,
his devotion to the persons of Christ, of Mary, of St. Paul, and expressing as
well the spirit that he wanted to pass on.
|
To the Most Holy Trinity
Divine Trinity, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit,
present and active in the Church
and in the depths of my soul, I adore you, I thank you, I love you!
And through the hands of Mary most holy, my Mother,
I offer, give and consecrate myself entirely to you
for life and for eternity.
To you, Heavenly Father, I offer,
give and consecrate myself as your son/daughter.
To you, Jesus Master, I offer,
give and consecrate myself as your brother/sister and disciple.
To you, Holy Spirit,
I offer, give and consecrate myself as "a living temple"
to be consecrated and sanctified.
Mary, Mother of the Church and my
Mother,
who dwells in the presence of the Blessed Trinity,
teach me to live, through the liturgy and the sacraments,
in ever more intimate union with the three divine Persons,
so that my whole life may be a "glory to the Father, to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit." Amen.
|
Invocations
to Jesus Master
Jesus
Master, sanctify my mind and increase my faith.
Jesus, teaching in the Church, draw everyone to your school.
Jesus Master, deliver me from error, from vain thoughts, and from eternal
darkness.
Jesus, Way between the Father and us, I
offer you all and await all from you.
Jesus, Way of sanctity, make me your faithful imitator.
Jesus Way, render me perfect as the Father who is in heaven.
Jesus Life, live in me, so that I may live
in you.
Jesus Life, do not permit me to separate myself from you.
Jesus Life, grant that I may live eternally in the joy of your love.
Jesus Truth, may I be, light for the world.
Jesus Way, may I be example and model for souls.
Jesus Life, may my presence bring grace and consolation everywhere.
|
Secret
of Success
Jesus
Master, accept the pact that we present to you through the hands of Mary, Queen
of the Apostles, and of our Father, St. Paul.
We must correspond to your sublime will,
arrive at the degree of perfection and heavenly glory to which you have destined
us, and perform the apostolate of social communication [the
pastoral apostolate / the vocational apostolate] in a holy manner. But we
see that we are very weak, ignorant, incapable and inadequate in every way: in
spirit, in knowledge, in the apostolate and in poverty. You instead are the Way
and the Truth and the Life, the Resurrection, our one and supreme Good. We trust
in you alone who said: "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, you will
receive it."
For our part, we promise and commit
ourselves to seeking wholeheartedly in all things, in life and in the apostolate,
only and always, your glory and peace to all peoples. We trust that on your part,
you will give us a good spirit, grace, knowledge, and the means for doing good.
According to your immense goodness and the needs of our special vocation,
multiply the fruits of our spiritual work, of our study, of our apostolate, and
of our poverty. We do not doubt you, but we fear our inconstancy and weakness.
Therefore, good Master, through the
intercession of Mary, our Mother, extend to us the mercy you used with the
Apostle Paul so that, faithful in imitating our Father here on earth, we may be
his companions in the glory in heaven. Amen.
|
Prayer
for the Apostolate of the means of Social Communication
God, to communicate
your love to men and women, you sent your only Son Jesus Christ into
the world and made him our Master, the Way and Truth and Life of
humanity. Grant that the media of social communication –press, films,
radio, television, records, and all audiovisuals– may always be used
for your glory and the good of all.
Raise up vocations for this
multi-media apostolate, and inspire all people of good will to
contribute with prayer, action and offerings, so that through these
means the Church may preach the Gospel to all peoples. Amen.
|
Before
Writing
Jesus, Divine Master,
I offer you my pen and this work of my apostolate with the intentions
with which you preached your Gospel. May everything only and always be
for the glory of God and peace to all men and women. May everyone know
you, Jesus Truth! May everyone docilely follow you, Jesus Way! May all
hearts love you, Jesus Life!
|
Before the Technical Apostolate
Jesus Master, you preached heavenly wisdom and disposed that it should
be communicated through the apostles. Look kindly upon us and upon our
apostolate.
We thank you for having given us the most ingenious, most rapid and
fruitful instruments. Everything is yours, as we ourselves are
instruments for your glory. We offer you our work with the same
intentions for which you worked, preached and suffered. We intend to
cooperate in the work of salvation in the way Mary, Joseph and St. Paul
cooperated.
Bless us, Jesus
Master, so that we may accomplish this apostolate intelligently, lovingly,
fruitfully, for the glory of God and peace to humanity.
|
Before
Evangelization
Jesus
Master, 1 offer you my evangelization with the same intentions you had
in preaching the Gospel: the glory of God and peace to humanity.
Mary, my Mother, keep your
protective hand over me and guide me wherever I go.
St. Paul the Apostle, grant that
the Gospel may reach everyone, and dispose hearts to receive it
docilely.
|
Consecration of the
Apostolate
Hail
Mary, Mother, Teacher and Queen of every apostolate. In heaven you are enthroned
as the Queen of angels and patriarchs,of apostles and martyrs, of confessors and
virgins. You look down upon the earth, upon the just and the erring, ever
concerned about the salvation of all. You remember that Jesus, when dying on the
cross, assigned you as our Mother, and inflamed your heart with universal love
and care. Therefore, continue to inspire, comfort and form holy vocations in
every apostolate for the kingdom of your divine Son.
And we, called to the holy apostolate of
the media of social communication, today consecrate to you all our pens,
machines, undertakings, and the fatigue of daily work Above all, we consecrate
to you ourselves, our strength, our intelligence, our will, our heart; we are
all yours, and all that we possess we offer to Jesus through you, dear Mother.
Obtain for us an abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as you did for the
first apostles. Enlighten our mind to understand our sublime vocation; fortify
our will; inflame our heart; sanctify writers, technicians and evangelizers.
Grant that we may listen to, follow and
love Jesus Christ the Divine Master! May sin never stain our souls consecrated
to you. Immaculate Virgin, crush the head of that insidious demon of
discouragement.
Live in our midst, Mary; blessed are they
who dwell in your house.
We promise to use all the means of our
apostolate with reverence because they belong to you, Queen. We want to pledge
that our works will be pastoral in content and worthy in form of the truths
which they contain, and together with you, present Jesus Christ, Way and Truth
and Life. We promise to do our utmost that the Gospel may be promoted and
enlighten the world in the spirit of our Father, St. Paul, and that all
generations may proclaim you blessed, Mary.
Speak, Jesus. Say your words of eternal
life; Send forth yourspiritover the world. May there be one teaching as there is
one Truth, one Master, one Faith and one Church.
You are with us and from here you want to
cast light. Grant us always a true sorrow for sin.
Bless all who cooperate with prayers,
offerings and deeds.
Come, Jesus, live in us and reign, through
Mary and with Mary, over the world.
Grant that our death may be serene: the
death of a person who has been faithful to his/ her vocation. And may our
judgment be the moment in which the hard-working laborer joyfully receives the
reward. May our heavenly crown be that reserved for the glorious company of the
apostles. Through you, Jesus, through you, Mary, glory to God throughout the
ages, and on earth peace to all. Amen.
|
Entrusting of Oneself to Mary
Receive me, Mary, Mother, Teacher and Queen, among those whom you love, nourish,
sanctify and guide, in the school of Jesus Christ, the Divine Master.
You identify in God’s mind those whom he calls, and for them you have special
prayers, grace, light and consolations. My Master Jesus Christ entrusted himself
wholly to you, from the Incarnation to the Ascension. For me this is doctrine,
example and an ineffable gift. I too place myself entirely into your hands.
Obtain for me the grace to know, imitate and love ever more the Divine Master,
Way and Truth and Life. Present me to Jesus, for I am an unworthy sinner, and I
have no other recommendation to be admitted to his school than your
recommendation. Enlighten my mind, fortify my will, sanctify my heart, during
this year of my spiritual work, so that I may profit from this great mercy, and
may say at the end: "I live now not I, but Christ lives in me."
|
Ecumenical Prayer to
Mary
Hail,
Mary, our Mother, Teacher and Queen. In your goodness, listen to the petition
which we present to you according to the will of Jesus: "Pray, therefore,
the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest."
Turn your merciful eyes upon the five
billion people living on this earth. Many of them are wandering in darkness
without a father, a shepherd, a teacher. God made you an apostle to give Jesus,
Way and Truth and Life, to the world. By having recourse to you, they will find
the road that leads to Jesus.
Through you may all Catholics work with all
their strength for all vocations, for all apostolates!
Through you, may all the faithful work for
all unbelievers, all the fervent for all the indifferent, all the Catholics for
all non-Catholics.
Through you, may all those called
correspond, may all apostles be holy, may they be welcomed by all men and women.
At the foot of the cross, your heart
expanded to welcome us all as your children.
Obtain for us an apostolic heart, modelled
after your heart, the hearts of Jesus and St. Paul, so that one day you may have
us all, apostles and faithful, around you in heaven.
Bless your spiritual son and daughters,
Mary, Teacher and Queen.
|
Prayer to St Paul the Apostle
Holy Apostle who, with your teachings and with your charity, have taught the
entire world, look kindly upon us, your children and disciples.
We expect everything from your prayers to the Divine Master and to Mary, Queen
of the Apostles. Grant, Doctor of the Gentiles, that we may live by faith, save
ourselves by hope, and that charity alone reign in us. Obtain for us, vessel of
election, docile correspondence to divine grace, so that it may not remain
unfruitful in us. Grant that we may ever better know you, love you, and imitate
you; that we may be living members of the Church, the Mystical Body of Jesus
Christ. Raise up many and holy apostles. May the warm breath of true charity
permeate the entire world. Grant that all may know and glorify God and the
Divine Master, Way and Truth and Life.
And, Lord Jesus, you know we have no faith in our own powers. In your mercy
grant that we may be defended against all adversity, through the powerful
intercession of St. Paul, our Teacher and Father.
|
To St. Gabriel the
Archangel
Father
in heaven, I thank you for having chosen St. Gabriel from among the angels to
bear the message of the Incarnation and Redemption of humanity. Mary accepted
the tidings with faith, and your Son became incarnate and, by dying on the
cross, redeemed all people.
But the majority of people still have not
received the message of salvation.
St. Gabriel, patron of the audiovisual
media –films, radio, and television– implore Jesus Master that the Church
may use these powerful means to preach the divine truth to be believed, to
indicate the way to be followed.
May these gifts of God serve to uplift and
save everyone.
May they never be employed for the spread
of error and the ruin of anyone!
May everyone docilely accept the message of
Jesus Christ.
St. Gabriel, pray for us and for the
apostolate of audiovisual media. Amen.
|
Pauline Offertory
Father, in union with all those who today celebrate
the Eucharist, I wish to offer myself, a small victim, with Jesus, the
Victim:
– in
atonement for error and scandal spread throughout the world through the
misuse of the media of social communication;
– to
appeal to your mercy for those persons, who deceived and seduced by the
influence of these instruments stray from your fatherly love;
– for the
conversion of those persons who in the use of these instruments reject
the teaching of Christ and his Church and thus warp the minds, the
hearts, and the undertakings of men and women;
– that we
may follow him alone whom you, Father, in your boundless love, sent into
the world, saying: "This is my beloved Son, hear him";
– to
acknowledge and to make known that Jesus alone, the Word Incarnate, is
the perfect Teacher, the trustworthy Way who leads to knowledge of you,
Father, and to a partaking of your life;
– that
there be in the Church an increase in the number of priests, religious,
and lay persons who, consecrated as apostles of social communication,
will make resound throughout the world the message of salvation;
– that
all those who work within the framework of social communication may grow
in holiness and wisdom and bear witness to an authentic Christian life;
– that
the undertakings of Catholics within the sphere of social communication
may continually increase so that by promoting more effectively genuine
human and Christian values the voice of error and evil will be
counteracted;
– that
well aware of our insufficiency and unworthiness we may realize the need
to draw near the font of life in all humility and trust and to be
nourished with your word, Father, and with the body of Christ, invoking
light, love and mercy for all men and women.
A Pastoral Worker’s Offertory Prayer
Father, in union with all the priests who today
celebrate the Eucharist, I offer myself, a small victim, with Jesus, the
Victim:
– to
atone for all the offenses committed against you, Jesus Good Shepherd,
visibly present in the person of your Church’s ministers;
– to
appeal to your mercy for all those who have strayed from the true fold,
and for those who, long scattered, wander in search of their shepherd;
– for the
conversion of irresponsible shepherds: those who let the flock stray
from Jesus the Good Shepherd who goes on laying down his life for his
sheep;
– to
honor, to love and to follow Jesus who alone is the Way and the Truth
and the Life;
– that
through instruction, counsel and prayer we may join forces with our
pastors and work for the salvation of all men and women;
– to ask
that all pastors and those who work more closely with them-specifically
parents and teachers-be holy and discerning, afire for God’s glory and
the salvation of humanity;
– for an
increase of vocations who will be effective in proclaiming your word;
may their apostolic prayer and example result in the fulfillment of your
words: that there be one flock, one Shepherd;
– that we
may become ever more aware of our lack of knowledge and worthiness; of
the need we have to remain humbly in your presence, prayerfully invoking
light, love and mercy.
Vocational Offertory
Our Father, who art in heaven, together with all
priests, I offer you Jesus, the Victim and myself:
– In adoration and thanksgiving, because in your
Son you are the author of the priesthood, of the religious life, and of
every vocation;
– In reparation to your fatherly heart for those
vocations which are neglected, hindered, or not corresponded to;
– To restore to you, in Jesus Christ, whatever
those called have lacked in regard to your glory, your people, and
themselves;
– That everyone may understand the appeal of Jesus:
"The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Pray the Lord of
the harvest to send laborers into his harvest;"
– That in every place a family, social and
religious environment may be formed that is favorable to vocational
development and response;
– That parents, priests and educators, with their
words and with material and spiritual help, may open the way for those
called;
– That Jesus Master, Way and Truth and Life, may be
followed in the direction and formation of vocations;
– That those who are called may become holy, and be
the light of the world, the salt of the earth;
– That in every person a deep vocational awareness
may be formed: all Catholics with all the means, for all vocations and
apostolates;
– That we may all recognize our ignorance and
unworthiness and our need to remain always humbly before the Eucharistic
Master to invoke light, mercy and grace.
|
The Worker’s Prayer
Jesus,
divine Laborer and Friend of workers, deign to look benignly down upon the
working world. We present to you the needs of all who carry on intellectual,
moral, or physical work See amid what fatigue, sufferings and snares we live our
hard days. See the physical and moral sufferings! Repeat the cry of your Heart:
"I have compassion on these people." Comfort us, through the merits
and intercession of St. Joseph, model of workers and artisans.
Grant us the wisdom, virtue and love which sustained you in your toil-filled
days. Inspire us with thoughts of faith, peace, moderation, and thrift, so that
together with our daily bread, we will always seek spiritual goods and heaven.
Save us from those who deceitfully try to deprive us of the gift of faith and
confidence in your providence. Deliver us from all exploiters who do not
recognize the rights and dignity of the human person. Inspire social laws which
are in conformity with the Church’s teaching. May charity and justice reign
together, through the sincere cooperation of all members of society. May
everyone consider the Vicar of Christ the teacher of the only social doctrine
which assures the worker of a gradual social betterment, and of the kingdom of
heaven, the inheritance of the poor in spirit. Amen.
|
Before Reading Correspondence and Receiving Persons
Jesus Master, enlighten my mind to understand correctly what those who write or
speak to me mean. Let me hear correctly; grant that I may answer in you and
according to you. Dispose their hearts and my heart to seek only your glory and
the peace of hearts.
|
For
Trips
Jesus-Truth,
enlighten me to travel only and always in charity and with my gaze fixed
on heaven, my ultimate destination.
Jesus-Way, be my guide, that I may
have complete self-control, a sure eye and constant moderation.
Jesus-Life, wherever I go be for me
and for those whom I accompany or meet, joy of spirit and salvation of
soul and body.
My angel, kindly precede me and
guard me. Amen.
|
Praying with Fr.
Alberione
