APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER

January,  2012

THE MORNING OFFERING

Lord Jesus Christ, in the Eucharist you join us with yourself in your offering to the Father. Help me to live out that offering in the concrete circumstances of my life today. Send the Holy Spirit to be with me, to guide me and to enable me to live in imitation of you.
And I pray with Mary and the whole Church for the Pope's general Intention,

          That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect,
and for his mission intention,

          That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation.
 
 

 

          Christmas Prayer

Moonless darkness stands between.
Past the Past, no more be seen!
But the Bethlehem stat may lead me
To the sight of Him who freed me
From the self that I have been.

 Make me pure Lord: Thou art Holy;
 Make me meek, Lord:
Thou wert lowly;
 Now beginning, and always:

 Now begin, on Christmas day.                                             .
Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ

 

Daily Readings for December, 2011

         1. 1st Week of Advent                Matt 7: 21 - 27
         2. 1st Week of Advent                Matt 9: 27 - 33
         3. Francis Xavier        Matt 9: 35 – 10: 1, 5 - 8
         4. 2nd Sunday of Advent             Mark 1: 1 - 8
         5. 2nd Week of Advent              Luke 5: 17 - 26
         6. 2nd Week of Advent             Matt 18: 12 - 14
         7. 2nd Week of Advent             Matt 11: 28 - 30
         8. Immaculate Conception      Luke 1: 26 - 38
         9. 2nd Week of Advent            Matt 11: 16 - 19
        10. 2nd Week of Advent            Matt 17: 10 - 13
        11. 3rd Sunday of Advent John 1: 6 – 8, 19-28
        12. 3rd Week of Advent            Matt 21:`23 - 27
        13. Lucy                                    Matt 21: 28 - 32
        14. John Of the Cross                Luke 7: 19 -23
        15. 3rd Week of Advent              Luke 7: 24 - 30
        16. 3rd Week of Advent              John 5: 33 - 36
        17. 3rd Week of Advent                Matt 1: 1 - 17
        18. 4th Sunday of Advent         Luke 1: 26 - 38
        19. 4th Week of Advent                Luke 1: 5 - 25
        20. 4thWeek of Advent                Luke 1:26 - 38
        21. Peter Canisius                      Luke 1: 39 - 45
        22. 4thWeek of Advent               Luke 1: 46 -56
        23. 4thWeek of Advent               Luke 1: 57 - 66
        24. 4thWeek of Advent               Luke 1: 67 - 79
        25. Nativity  of the Lord                Luke 2:1-14
        26. Stephen                                  Matt 10:17-22
        27. John                                         John 20: 2 - 8
        28. Holy Innocents                     Matt 2: 13 - 18
        29.  Thomas a’Becket               Luke 2: 22 – 35
        30. Holy Family                         Luke 2: 22 - 40
        31. 7th day after Christmas            John 1: 1 - 18
 

A Way of Life

“Do not consider the importance of the things you do, for of themselves they are insignificant; consider only the dignity they have in being willed by God’s will, arranged by his Providence, and planned according to His Wisdom. In a word, if they are pleasing to God and acknowledged to be so, to whom should they be displeasing? ..

Do not love anything too much. I beg you, not even virtues, which we sometimes lose by our excessive zeal. It seems to me that white is not the colour proper to roses; for red roses are more beautiful and more fragrant; however, white is the distinctive characteristic of lilies.

Let us be what we are and be that well, in order to bring honour to the Master Craftsman whose handiwork we are.

People laughed at the painter who, intending to paint a horse, came up with a perfect bull; the work was handsome in itself, but not credit to the artist who had had other plans and succeeded in this only by chance.

Let us be what God wants us to be, and let us not be what we would like to be, contrary to His intention. Even if we were the most perfect creatures under heaven, what good would that do us if we were not as God’s will would have us to be?

St. Francis de Sales


Return to Home Page.

For more information contact The National Secretary.