EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (# 23)
A Weekly Pastoral Tool for the YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
5th Sunday of Easter, Year A
May 1-7, 2005
“Another Advocate With You”
(+) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(A moment of silence)
SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or Easter song may be sung.
WORDS OF HAROLD BUETOW
The Holy Spirit – the best gift in love God can give – stands beside us, comforts us when we ask, helps us in difficult times, and speaks on our behalf when we are in need … The Holy Spirit is most often more quiet and simple – and more available – than some people believe. All spiritual life, all holiness comes from the Father through Jesus Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit … The Spirit is present in our common kindnesses, loving concern for one another, and bursts of inspiration … The Spirit’s coming will happen whenever we love God enough to keep his commands … Let us not be faint-hearted in receiving the Spirit and in communicating him to others by the witness of our lives.
SILENT ADORATION AND PRAYER
OPENING PRAYER
(Cf. St. Edith Stein’s Pentecost Novena)
Assembly: Who are you, sweet light, that fills me
and illumines the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother’s hand;
and should you let go of me,
I would not know how to take another step.
You are the space that embraces my being and buries it in yourself.
You, nearer to me than I to myself
and more interior to me than my most interior.
Holy Spirit – eternal love!
Holy Spirit – eternal life!
Holy Spirit – ray that penetrates everything!
Holy Spirit – victorious power!
Holy Spirit – God’s molding hand!
Holy Spirit – Creator of all!
Part I
JESUS MASTER TRUTH
Listening to the Word
GOSPEL READING: Jn 14:15-21
PERSONAL REFLECTION
(As a tool for personal reflection, please visit the PDDM Website: www.pddm.org // www.pddm.us for BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD [# 23]: A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy. The Biblico-Liturgical Reflections are an aid for a deeper understanding of the Gospel reading.)
SONG: Any suitable hymn of praise or Easter song may be sung.
Part II
JESUS MASTER WAY
Confrontation with the Word
POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
Leader: As resurrection people, we have received from the Risen Lord, the Holy Spirit, his Easter gift. In light of the Holy Spirit, let us probe our hearts for it is he who leads us to penetrate the profound mysteries of Christ.
1. How does the following exhortation of Jesus impact us personally: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth …” (Jn 14:15-16)?
2. How receptive are we to the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives? In our fragile lives affected by broken relationships, shattered dreams, intense disappointments, and tortured guilt, do we trust in the role of the Holy Spirit as Advocate and Consoler?
3. Strengthened and animated by the Holy Spirit for the great work of Christian witnessing in the face of a contrary world, are we – his resurrection people – ready to protest our love for Jesus and promote the quality of life that he lived on this earth?
PRAYERS
Leader: “You who are love itself give me the grace of love, give me yourself, so that all my days may finally empty into the one day of eternal life.” (Karl Rahner)
(Silent prayer)
Leader: “Break my bonds, raise my heart. Keep my whole being fixed on thee. Let me never lose sight of thee; and while I gaze on thee, let my love of thee grow more and more every day.” (John Henry Newman)
(Silent prayer)
Leader: “Lord, enfold me in the depths of your heart; and there hold me, refine, purge and set me on fire; raise me aloft until my own self knows utter annihilation.” (Teilhard de Chardin)
(Silent prayer)
SONG: Any suitable song may be sung.
Part III
JESUS LIFE
Acting upon the Word
PERSONAL PRAYER
PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
at the Last Supper,
your Son Jesus, our first Paraclete,
promised that we will have another Advocate to be with us always.
By the paschal event of Christ’s death and glory,
we have received the Holy Spirit, his ineffable Easter gift.
The Spirit of the Risen Jesus
is the “other Advocate” that he promised to stay with us
in the here and now of the Church.
By the indwelling in our lives
of this wonderful Counselor and Consoler
and by our receptivity to his divine grace,
may we be refashioned in the likeness of Christ’s love
and be efficacious instruments of divine healing and transformation.
Help us to bring joy and consolation
to those who languish in the death-dealing situations
of today’s dissipated and broken world.
Fill our hearts with the love of Jesus
and the grace of the Holy Spirit
so that, as resurrection people,
we too may be a “breath of life” and “other Advocates”
for our needy neighbors,
especially the marginalized, the downtrodden and the poor.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Assembly: Amen.
CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY THE FACE OF CHRIST: The Mysteries of the Rosary may be prayed in part or in full.
THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
Leader: My brothers and sisters, through this common prayer, let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, not only for ourselves and for our own needs, but for all mankind. We implore him:
(R.) LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
1. For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI: may the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, empower him for his task as pastor of the universal Church. Let our Pope be the visible center and foundation of our unity in faith and love as Church in the modern world. We pray: (R.)
2. For all peoples of the world: may the Holy Spirit unite them in peace and harmony, and in the quest for justice and prosperity. We pray: (R.)
3. For the Holy Father’s General Intention for this month of May: FOR PEOPLE PERSECUTED FOR THE SAKE OF FAITH AND JUSTICE: May they find consolation and strength in the Holy Spirit. We pray: (R.)
4. For the Holy Father’s Mission Intention for this month of May: FOR THE PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES: May they help all Christians, young and old, realize that they have a part to play in missionary work. We pray: (R.)
(Other prayers may be added.)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Leader: Ever-living God,
help us to celebrate our joy
in the resurrection of the Lord
and to express in our lives
the love we celebrate.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
FINAL SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or Easter song may be sung.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
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