Prayers. of love in. of self-lesss love. of children service to. this we pray. others. For. us who are. fathers and. supported.

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Joleen Andrews
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1 Prayer Services for f Vocatiions M Men s Prayyer Seervicee for Vocaationss 6 Openin ng Song: Select S a sonng of Call faamiliar to thhe communiity, eg. Yoou Are Minee by David Haaas, GIA Pub blications, Innc. Openin ng Prayer: In the Naame of the Father and off the Son andd of the Holyy Spirit, Ameen. Heavenlyy Father, you u created eacch of us male m and fem male - in yourr image and likeness andd call us to lovve like you. You Y createdd us to be fruuitful, to muultiply, to filll the earth and a subdue it. i As men, youu call us and d gift us to be b husbandss and fatherss both phyysically and spiritually - that others may m come intto being andd come to knno you throough our example and itness. It iss love that leadss to holinesss and happinness. Holinesss alays invvolves a com mplete self-ggift living one s o life for you y - and haappiness is living the fuulfillment of your plan for f our lives. As e listten to your Word, please heelp us to bettter hear, undderstand andd commit to your call in our lives annd the o and help h each of us to live thhat call for thhe fullness of o life. This e pray thrrough lives of others Christ Ouur Lord. Am men. Presideer: Our Holly Father, Pope Francis in his Apoostolic Exhortation Amooris Laetitia said, 55. Me en play an a equallly decisiv ve role in n family life, l partiicularly ith regard d to the protectio p on and support s o their ives of and childre en Many men m are consciou us of the importan nce of their role in i the fam mily and live their masculiinity acc cordingly.. The absence a of a fatther gravelly affects s family life and the upbrringing of o childre en and th heir integra ation intto societty. This absenc ce, hich h may be b physiical, emotio onal, psychologic cal and spiritua al, deprrives chiildren of a suitablle father figure Relatiio Finalis 20115, 28. Libre reria Editrice Vaticana Va 177. God G sets the fath her in th he family y so thatt by the gifts of his mascu ulinity he e can be close to o his iffe and sh hare eve erything, joy and so orro, ho ope and hardship p. And to o be clos se to his children n as MEN S PRAYER P SER RVICE Pagge 28

2 they gro hen they play and hen they ork, hen they are carefree and hen they are distressed, hen they are talkative and hen they are silent, hen they are daring and hen they are afraid, hen they stray and hen they get back on the right path. To be a father ho is alays present. When I say present, I do not mean controlling. Fathers ho are too controlling overshado their children, they don t let them develop..197 Some fathers feel they are useless or unnecess sary, but the fact is that children need to find a father aiting for them hen they return home ith their problems. They may try hard not to admit it, not to sho it, but they need it.198 It is not good for children to lack a father and to gro up before they are ready. 197 Catechesis (4 February 2015), L Osservatore Romano, 5 February 2015, p Ibid... Libreria Editrice Vaticana Presider: Our first reading from the Old Testament is a comforting, consoling one of God s intentions for our lives. First Reading: Je eremiah 29: For I kno ell the plans I have in mind for you oracle of the LORD plans for your elfaree and not for oe, so as to give you a future of hope. When you call me, and come and pray to me, I ill listen to you. When you look for me, you ill find me. Yes, hen you seek me ith all your heart, I ill let you find me oracle of the LORD and I ill change your lot; I ill gather you together from all the nations and all the places to hich I have banished you oracle of the LORD and bring you back to the place from hich I have exiled you. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95 may be sung eg. David Haas, GIA Publications, Inc. If Today You Hear God s Voice by Presider: Paul gave us much to follo in living our short second reading he is concise and to the point. Second Reading: : 1 Corinthians 16: Christian lives as men, but in this very Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Your every act should be done ith love. Presider: Each of us is called to serve the Lord in one another and Joseph is our perfect model of ho e are to be as spiritual men - as husbands, as fathers - so e look to his example. Page 29

3 Gospel : Matthe 1:18-25 No this is ho the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary as betrothed to Joseph, but beforee they lived together, she as found ith child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he as a righteous man, yet unilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such as his intention hen, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your ife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She ill bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he ill save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill hat the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be ith child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, hich means God is ith us. When Joseph aoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commandedd him and took his ife into his home. He had no relations ith her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. Presider: Joseph as not only open and available to hearing God s call, he as responsive as ell, this despite its impossibly marvelous nature. Joseph s first Yes in response to God s call made room for the many others to come later the flight into Egypt, the return to Nazareth, the search for Jesus for three days hen he had stayed behind in the temple in Jerusalem. Like Joseph each of us has been called by God for mission and each and all of us are called to let the fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-controfulfillment of that mission. All lives bear fruit. This is our deepest and most profound universal call. - shine in every moment, every relationship, every task of every day in Ho e live our mission, ho e anser our call either as a husband and father in marriage; as a single; priest; deacon; or religious - is our vocation. We have ith us today itnesses to explain ho they are fulfilling God s call in their lives and ho men have played a significant role initially and on-going. Witnesses: (As time and availability permits it ould be good to have a itnesss from each vocation but at a minimum a married couple ho can also include a fe statements regarding their single state prior to marriage and either a priest, deacon or religious ho also can include a fe comments on his/her single state prior to ordination/vos.) Page 30

4 Prayers of the Faithful: Presider: Let us bring our prayers of petition to our heavenly Father. For our Church alll the people of God that e may listen ith our hearts and lead holy lives of love in anser to God s call. For this e pray For our Holy Father - Pope Francis, all our bishops, priests, deacons, religious that their lives of consecrated love of God may as Christ s example lead each and all of us to lives of self-lesss love and service to one another. For this e pray For the gift of Joseph to sho us the ay as men in Christ that e may be inspired to follo his example and assist others to say Yes to God s call. For this e pray For the gift of our manhood, thatt e may alays live lives of chaste dignity and respect of others giving glory to God in the very being of ourselves and that e may alays nurture others to do the same. For this e pray For married couples and especially those of us ho are husbands - ho have ansered God s call to unite as one flesh that spouses love of one another may alays itness to their selfless gift to God - their openness to bear the fruit of children as ell as their lives of selfless love in service to others. For this e pray For parents especially those of us ho are fathers and grandfathers - that all may truly cherish and nurture the children God has gifted them to bring into being and raise for God s purposes/mission. For this e pray For priests that their selfless lives of love - as Christ loved - may alays bring God s grace to our Church and our orld. For this e pray For deacons - especially those of us ho are called to the diaconate - that they may alays be supported in their call to serve Gods people. For this e pray Page 31

5 For religious men and omen - ho give their lives in loving God, praying for the orld and serving Christ in all those in need. For this e pray For single men and omen ho also give their lives in love and service to God, but ithout the companionship of spouse or formal community, that they may be graced ith true friendships. For this e pray For each of us that e may recognize the vocation thatt God has or is calling us to and that e more fully commit to living out that vocation in selfless gift to God; that e may be aare of and nurture the call of others our children and one another in our community to more selflessly anser God s call to live out their on vocation. For this e pray Presider: Thank you to the itnesses and those ho have provided this prayer opportunity. Encourage each and all to be more truly open and receptive to the call of the Holy Spirit. That each and all become encouragers of the call of God in other s lives. Closing Prayer: All Saint John Paul III World Youth Day 2000 It is Jesus in fact that you seek hen you dream of happiness; he is aiting for you hen nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to hich you are so attracted; it is he ho provokes you ith that thirst for fullness that ill not let you settle for compromise; it is he ho urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he ho reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus ho stirs in you the desire to do something great ith your lives, the ill to follo an ideal, the refusal to allo yourselvess to be grounded don by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the orld more human and more fraternal. Copyright Libreria Editrice Vaticana Closing Song: Select a song of Call familiar to the community, eg. Here I Am, Lord by Dan Schutte, OCP Publications. Pray for Vocations Page 32

her mother- Page 23 uth 1: 6 19 prepared seen to people to the land of left the your May the sons in I other clung to Wherever you Your I will die,

her mother- Page 23 uth 1: 6 19 prepared seen to people to the land of left the your May the sons in I other clung to Wherever you Your I will die, Women s Prayer Service for Vocations 5 Opening Song: Select a song of Call familiar to the community, eg. You Are Mine by David Haas, GIA Publications, Inc. Opening Prayer: In the Name of the Father and