Thursday, December 2, 2010

The Morning Offering & the Pope's Intentions for December - L’unité pastorale Notre Dame de l’Espérance (Paroisse de Limoges)

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for December 2010




The start of a new liturgical year is the time to renew personal prayer practices or to begin new ones.  Here is the new version of the Morning Offering, rooted in the Eucharist (whether I can attend or not) and the uniting of all of my life to the sacrificial self-offering of the Lord Jesus on his cross and in union with his new risen life.

While I more commonly use the traditional prayer, addressed to the Lord Jesus, which I learned in high school and have prayed most of the days of my life on rising or setting out for the day's activities, I sometimes pray the new formula directed to God the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ; it is more Trinitarian. One of my spiritual heroes Father Ciszek explains how this prayer sustained him during his imprisonment in the Communist Gulag. I find praying with the Holy Father nurtures my regard for him and his office (and the challenges he faces every day).

Daily Morning Offering of the Apostleship of Prayer

God, our Father, I offer You my day. I offer You my prayers, thoughts, words, actions, joys, and sufferings in union with the Heart of Jesus, who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit, Who guided Jesus, be my guide and my strength today so that I may witness to your love. With Mary, the mother of our Lord and the Church, I pray for all Apostles of Prayer and for the prayer intentions proposed by the Holy Father this month. Amen.

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Traditional Daily Morning Offering of the
Apostleship of Prayer


O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month (one can mention them or simply call them to mind).

Personal Suffering as a Help to Others who Suffer. That our experience of suffering may help us better understand the pain of the many people who are alone, sick, or aged, and stir us to generous help.

Opening our Doors to Christ. That the peoples of the earth may open their doors to Christ and to his gospel of peace, brotherhood, and justice.


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On the Morning Offering

Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J. in his book He Leadeth Me, a wonderfully insightful spiritual memoir, tells the story of how he not only survived the Soviet Gulag but also grew in his faith there. He writes:

"...in my opinion, the Morning Offering is still one of the best practices of prayer--no matter how old-fashioned some may think it. For in it, at the beginning of each day, we accept from God and offer back to him all the prayers, works, and sufferings of the day, and so serve to remind ourselves once again of his providence and his kingdom. If we could only remember to spend the day in his presence, in doing his will, what a difference it would make in our own lives and the lives of those around us!

"We cannot pray always, in the sense of those contemplatives who have dedicated their whole lives to prayer and penance. Nor can we go around abstracted all day, thinking only of God and ignoring our duties to those around us, to family and friends and to those for whom we are responsible. But we can pray always by making each action and work and suffering of the day a prayer insofar as it has been offered and promised to God."

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Prayer for Thursday of the First Week of Advent

Stir up your power, O Lord, and come to our help with mighty strength, that what our sins impede the grace of your mercy may hasten. Through our Lord.

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Notre Dame de l’Espérance

L’unité pastorale Notre Dame de l’Espérance comprend six paroisses à l’est d’Ottawa: Sainte Thérèse d’Avila (Marionville) et St. Jacques (Embrun); Sainte Euphémie de Casselman et Saint Albert de St-Albert; Saint Viateur (Limoges) et Saint Guillaume (Vars). On a déjà donné un rapportage sur ce blogue des quatre premières mentionnées.

Aujourd’hui nous complétons le comte rendu avec un court rapport sur la récente visite faite avec mon Vicaire épiscopal, l’abbé Daniel Berniquez, à Limoges et Vars ou m. l’abbé Gilles Tanguay est le curé depuis un an et demi.

Il y avait à chaque endroit visites aux écoles, à quelques foyers de personnes âgées, incluant l'onction des malades pour soixante personnes, une réunion avec des représentants des comites de chaque paroisse et célébration de la messe dominicale avec confirmations. Voici des images de chaque endroit (demain St. Guillaume de Vars).\

Paroisse Saint Viateur de Limoges :
























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