FOR MISSIONARIES AND VOLUNTEERS
Pope Francis' message:
Vocation Promotion has to be EVANGELICAL and, as such, committed and responsible. The faith proposal, as the vocational proposal to consecrated life, must stem from the center of all pastoral care: Jesus Christ exactly as He is presented in the Gospel. Evasion or intimate flights or merely social commitments are no good — far from the Vocational Pastoral, “the “pastoral show” or the ”pastoral hobby.” A youth must be faced with the exigencies of the Gospel. “The Gospel is demanding and calls for being lived radically and sincerely”. A youth must be put in a situation in which he accepts responsibly the consequences of his faith and the following of Christ. In this type of pastoral, it is not about recruiting social agents, but true disciples of Jesus with the Lord’s new commandment as watchword and with the code of the Beatitudes as style of life.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we ask You to accompany with Your blessings will Christians who by their lives spread the Gospel; let them feel Your closeness and love. Grant Your grace to missionaries that they have an open heart for the joys and hope, as well as for the suffering and anxieties of today’s people. Lead and direct them in everything they do. Bless all their efforts in spreading Your Kingdom and keep them in Your love and protection. By the power of Your Spirit wake up in young men and women the desire for mission vocation. We ask You this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
Lord Jesus, Your Church turns her attention to all young people of the world. We pray that they might boldly take courage of their lives, aim for the most beautiful and profound things of life and always keep their hearts unencumbered.
Accompanied by wise and generous guides, help them respond to the call You make to each of them, to realize a proper plan of life and achieve happiness. Keep their hearts open to dreaming great dreams and make them concerned for the good of others.
Like the Beloved Disciple, may they stand at the foot of the Cross, to receive Your Mother as a gift from You. May they be witnesses to Your Resurrection and be aware that You are at their side as they joyously proclaim You as Lord. Amen.
Prayer of Surrender
I surrender to You, Lord, my life; make it fruitful.
I surrender to You, Lord, my will; make it according to Your will.
Take my hands and make them embracing.
Take my heart and enkindle it.
Take my feet and do not let them be tired.
Take my eyes and make them transparent.
Take my everyday moments and make them new.
Take my tiredness and it be Yours.
Take my ways and make them Your way.
Take my lies and make them truth.
Take my death and make it a life.
Take my obedience and make it delight.
Take my nothingness and make from it what pleases You.
Take my family and make it Yours.
Take my friends and make them Yours.
Take my sins, my lack of love, and my constant disappointments.
Change everything.
Take my crosses and let me to spread my wings.
Take my dried flowers and let me be free.
Renew me in giving, in joy of self-giving, in unlimited giving of my life, and to wear myself out in Your service. Amen.