Embracing a Common Future

 

 

Edmund Rice Christian Brothers

North America

Thursday, 09 August 2007

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New Wineskins for New Wine

PRAYER SERVICE ON RESTRUCTURING

Restructuring is an urgent call

to transform minds and hearts.

It facilitates new life in mission and ministry,

promotes prophetic religious living and

ensures a redistribution of resources

in a spirit of fraternity.

 

Invocation of the Holy Spirit

Leader:     Spirit of wisdom, Guide us

                Spirit of openness, Change us

                Spirit of truth, Lead us

           Draw us closer to you and one another through our reflections,

                stories and your reconciling power. Amen.

 

Opening Prayer: CRT Prayer

 

The mission we receive from Jesus and Edmund

call us to pray ...

 

O God, Living Fire

you are ever fanning glowing embers.

 

Open our hearts and minds

to your presence and activity in all of life.

 

Fire our spirit ... to ...

 

accept ourselves,

 

love our humanity,

 

surrender to this time in history,

 

feel the joys and sorrows of living,

 

care for the earth,

 

encourage the young,

 

be compassionate to all, and

practice gently the art of being brother

and sister in an ever unfolding universe. Amen.

 

Leader: Fan a new fire in us, O God.

All: And set free our unlived dreams.

 

A Blessing Prayer

Making them true, good and just,

May it protect us from all evil.

 

May the fire be in our eyes;

May it open our eyes to see what is good in life.

We ask that the fire may protect us

from what is not rightfully ours.

 

May the fire be on our lips,

so that we may speak the truth in kindness;

that we may serve and, encourage others.

May it protect us from speaking evil.

 

May the fire be in our ears.

We pray that we may hear with a deep,

deep listening

So that we may hear the flow of water,

and of all creation, and the dreaming.

 

May we be protected from gossip

and from those things

that harm and break down our community.

 

May the fire be in our arms and hands

so that we may be of service and build up love.

May the fire protect us from all violence.

 

May the fire be in our whole being -

in our legs and in our feet,

enabling us to walk the earth

with reverence and care;

so that we may walk in the ways of goodness

and truth and be protected from walking away from what is true. Amen.

 

Leader: Fan a new fire in us, O God.

All: And set free our unlived dreams.

 

Reading 1: Isaiah 43:18-19

"Forget about what's happened;

don't keep going over old history.

Be alert, be present.

I'm about to do something brand-new.

It's bursting out! Don't you see it?

There it is!"

 

 

Personal Reflection:

For ten minutes you are asked to consider how you feel at this time about the restructuring of the new province.

Table Sharing:

When the group returns to their table, each one begins by sharing, saying a few words about how he is feeling now.

 

Closing Prayer:

 

Leader: Fan a new fire in us, O God.

All: And set free our unlived dreams.

 

How can an everlastingly new covenant

retain the freshness and vitality

Without injections of the new, the daring and the untried?

Come, O you who are ever-new,

wrap my heart in a new skin,

Ever flexible to be reformed by your Spirit.

Set my feet to fresh paths this day:

Inspire me to speak original and life-giving words

and to creatively give shape to the new.

Come and teach me how to dance with delight

whenever you send a new melody my way. Amen.

Leader: Fan a new fire in us, O God.

All: And set free our unlived dreams.