Opening Prayer: Psalm 63
God, you are my God, I am seeking you
My soul is thirsting for you.
My flesh is longing for you
a land parched, weary and waterless.
I long to gaze on you in the sanctuary
and to see your power and glory.
Your love is better than life itself
My lips will recite your praise.
All my life I will bless you
In your name I lift up my hands.
My soul will feast most richly
on my lips a song of joy and in my mouth, praise.
Glory be… (Pause)
Let us pray…Lord, as we enter this season, we look with eagerness to your coming. We wait for you with reliance on your promise –more reliance than that of the sentry waiting for the coming of the dawn. For it is you who redeems us from our sins and shares with us the life of the Father through the gift of the Spirit.
(Let us now pause in silence for a few moments to open our hearts to the Lord with our personal desire for His coming.)
Reading: John 1: 6-14
(Pause for reflection)
Response: Let us pray…Sacred Heart of Jesus, we thank you for having given life to the Missionary Sisters of Your Heart. We thank you for the many graces you have given us during our journey of life; even today, you continue to hold us in the palm of Your hand. We look with hope to the future of the Institute in Your Church. Amen.
Prayers of Petition: Father, we thank you for the gift of our dedication to your word and your promise through the power of your spirit working in our community of MSCs. We await your power and your grace as we pray:
Response: LORD, WE WAIT WITH HOPE IN YOUR PROMISE.
~ That the church may be and continue to become a "prophetic proclamation of the Good News and a manifestation of the coming of the kingdom," we pray…
~ That the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus may grow in our mission to know the Lord and make Him known, to love Him and make Him loved, and to proclaim His coming in order that we may have life, we pray…
~ That we may daily respond to God's loving fashioning of each of us, as individuals and as a Community, we pray…
~ That our Community may be enriched by those who answer the call to "come and see," we pray…
~ That those in authority will fulfill their ministry guided by the action of grace in seeking the will of God within our Community, we pray…
Lord's Prayer
Prayer for Vocations: Loving God, send into the fields
the workers who will achieve the harvest of tomorrow
and prove their love in determined hours,
not counting moments, years
unless to note the joy of service for others,
not our own – but Yours.
Grant them the vision of those
Whose tomorrows depend upon the response
this generation makes today.
Help us to hear your Son;
Jesus says to our generation too:
Come follow me. Amen.