Come, Follow Me

ÂŁ1.50

Group reflections on the Joy of the Gospel

Come, Follow Me 978-0-9927584-0-0

Nihil Obstat: Father Anton Cowan, Censor Imprimatur: H.E Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster Date: The Chair of St Peter, 22 February 2014 The Nihil obstat and Imprimatur are a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.

Writing Team: Dr Mark Nash and Mrs Margaret Wickware The Westminster Diocesan Agency for Evangelisation is grateful to the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A for use of the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition copyright © 1993 and 1989.

Excerpts from The Divine Office © 1974, hierarchies of Australia, England and Wales, Ireland. All rights reserved.

The majority of images contained in this booklet have been taken from those freely available at the Wikimedia Commons website and from diocesan stock.

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Produced by Agency for Evangelisation, Vaughan House, 46 Francis Street, London, SW1P 1QN. Tel: 020 7798 9152; email: evangelisation@rcdow.org.uk

booklets are published by WRCDT. Design by Mark Nash.

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Copyright © 2014, Diocese of Westminster, Archbishop’s House, Ambrosden Avenue, London, SW1P 1QJ. All rights reserved.

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Front cover: Salvator Mundi (1518) by Andrea Previtali Back Cover: Christ and the Children (1910) by Emil Nolde

Come, Follow Me

Contents About this book with

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In the Name of the Father

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And of the Son

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And of the Holy Spirit

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A Church for the Poor

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Culturally Speaking

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Accompaniment

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Daily Prayers

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Foreword by Cardinal Vincent Nichols (Westminster)

Made in God’s image and likeness to live in his love

Entering into a personal relationship through Christ the Son

Being open to the Spirit’s vitality and power

Being the hands, and voice, of Christ in the world

Embracing the challenges and joys of the world

Helping others to know God and yourself at the same time

Prayers from Sunday to Saturday

Supplementary materials

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Including extracts from Church documents and further reading

Come, Follow Me

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Why small groups?

In St Luke’s account of the Early Church we hear that three thousand were baptised following Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Guided by the Holy Spirit, the newly baptised ‘devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers‘ (Acts 2:42). In a similar fashion thousands of people have found spiritual nourishment in faith-sharing, in reflecting on Scripture and prayer as part of a small group.

This resource feeds such small groups drawing on the Scriptures with each session clearly rooted in a passage from the Bible. As the Second Vatican Council Fathers emphasised ‘in the sacred books the Father comes lovingly to meet his children and talks with them’ (Dei Verbum, 21).

Fellowship is a vital part of small group participation. In these small groups you are able to get to know your fellow Christians better and to form strong, mutually supportive bonds. The living community is essentially Christian as Jesus ‘did not come to save individuals without any bond between them’ (Lumen Gentium, 9).

Members of small groups are encouraged to share and gain confidence in talking about their faith. It is this confidence building in a trusting environment that helps participants to ‘love in all the circumstances of ordinary life’ (Gaudium et Spes, 38). Our prayers together help us to become the dwelling places of the Holy Spirit that we are called to be (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 2).

How do small groups work?

The sessions in this booklet are designed to last between 1 and 1 ½ hours. Those leading the session are, of course, free to add periods of silence, hymns and other readings of interest - these sessions are a guide but can be used as they are written.

It is vital that each person is given the opportunity to give their thoughts and share where they are on their faith journey. Small group sharing is not a place for argument or heated debate.

The atmosphere should be prayerful with the aim of helping each to feel welcome and conscious of God’s loving presence. Soft music, candlelight, a religious image or crucifix to focus attention can all be used to help in this aim.

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Come, Follow Me

Foreword Dear brothers and sisters, From its very foundation, the Church has been impelled to proclaim the Good News of our redemption by Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. This is the truth that we profess in church. This is truth that must shine brilliantly in our lives.

We come from varied backgrounds. We live in varied situations. But, without exception, we all share the same mission – to live as Christ commands and so bring his light to the world. This booklet, inspired by Pope Francis’ The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), helps us to do exactly this. It invites us to ask: How well do we follow our faith in every circumstance? How ready are we to stand out by the way we speak and act? How committed are we to do what is right and just?

How ready are we to help others obtain eternal life?

Pope Francis invites, ‘Christians, everywhere, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ’ (EG, 3). In this renewed encounter with Jesus we hear afresh the call to make his love present in every place, to issue to every person the Lord’s invitation to encounter him. Our calling to be missionary disciples receives new vitality.

In coming together to share our faith, let us reflect on how well we respond to this calling at home, at work, with friends and with strangers. Let us draw inspiration from the Scripture passages, prayers and reflections in this booklet. Then, strengthened in our shared faith, let us go beyond ourselves to those in physical, emotional and spiritual need. ‘Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over’ (Luke 6:38). For in giving with love we grow all the richer (see Proverbs 11:24).

This is the way of the Lord. This is the way of faith. Let us be unabashed in our proclamation of the Kingdom of God in our world today.

Yours devotedly, Cardinal Vincent Nichols Archbishop of Westminster

Come, Follow Me

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About this book ‘The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelisation marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come’ (Pope Francis - The Joy of the Gospel, 1).

Come, Follow Me is the Diocese of Westminster’s faith-sharing resource on the joy of communicating the gospel message which takes Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) as its main source document.

Come, Follow Me is divided into six group sessions which explore and aim to strengthen our personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the nature that our response to God’s gift of Christ may take. The first three sessions explore our relationship with the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These sessions also look at the places of encounter we have with God particularly in the sacraments and in Scripture. Sessions Four to Six then look at more practical examples of sharing our faith - in culture, in poverty and in accompaniment with others.

In addition to the Scripture and reflections now familiar to users of exploring faith booklets, you will find text boxes explaining various terms. For this booklet the focus will be on the RCIA process (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) as a way of understanding our own faith journey and the journey of those we are called to help come to Christ. The Scripture passages have been chosen to reflect the theme of their respective sessions and you will benefit from reading the passage in context (that is, reading the passages before and after the one featured in the booklet) either as a group or individually.

The booklet is illustrated with a selection of pictures and looking upon these images may stir a thought or feeling in a way that the text could not. We also invite you to make use of the materials in the second part of the booklet which include daily prayers drawn from the Divine Office.

Come, Follow Me is not tied to a particular time of year and the prayers and meditations may be used by individuals, groups or in a wider parish context throughout the year. This booklet and others in the exploring faith series can be viewed at and downloaded from the Diocese of Westminster’s website [http:// rcdow.org.uk/faith/small-groups/resources/].

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Come, Follow Me

1. In the Name of the Father Made in God’s image and likeness we have the immense privilege of being able to develop a personal relationship with God the Father, through God the Son and in God the Holy Spirit. By doing his Father’s will Christ made good the rupture caused by the sin of our first-parents, Adam and Eve. The story of our reconciliation is prefigured in the Old Testament and comes to fruition in the New. This session explores how we might be able to help others to see their place in this story.

Come, Follow Me

Image: The Baptism of Christ by Fra Angelico (c.1437-1446)

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In the Name of the Father

session one

Opening Prayers

Taken from Psalm 104(103) - to be said all together or the group can divide in half and alternate All:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A:

Bless the Lord, my soul!

Lord God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in light as in a robe!

B:

How many are your works, O Lord!

In wisdom you have made them all.

The earth is full of your riches.

A:

You hide your face, they are dismayed; you take back your spirit, they die, returning to the dust from which they came.

B:

You send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.

A:

May the glory of the Lord last for ever!

May the Lord rejoice in his works!

B:

May my thoughts be pleasing to him.

I find my joy in the Lord.

All:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

As we come together let us, either aloud or in the silence of our hearts, give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the things we have accomplished, the joys experienced, graces received and people met over the past week. Let us also remember all those in need of our prayers.

Introduction to the Scripture reading Let us listen carefully to the Word of the Lord, and attend to it with the ear of our hearts.

Let us welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.

St. Benedict of Nursia (c.480-c.547) adapted

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In the Name of the Father Come, Follow Me

Explore the Scriptures Mark 1:1-11 Note: Mark’s is the shortest of the four gospels and is principally concerned with the manifestation of the crucified Messiah, putting great emphasis on Christ’s rejection by his people. This passage, from the first chapter, serves as a prelude to Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee and is followed immediately by his temptation in the wilderness.

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” ’, John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

Please take a few moments in silence to reflect on the passage, then share a word or phrase that has struck you. Pause to think about what others have said then, after a second reading of the passage, you may wish to share a further thought.

Reflection Some people view the New Year as a time to take stock, to look back on the previous year’s achievements and to set goals for the coming months. While some may begin to plan holidays, others may decide to start the year afresh with resolutions to eat sensibly, to exercise more regularly or perhaps to begin a course of study. In a fashion, Ash Wednesday can also be seen as a time of taking stock.

Processing to the altar, each person’s forehead is marked with ashes in the shape of a cross and we hear the words; ‘Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.’

Come, Follow Me Session One

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In doing so, we are each called to consider the bigger picture - our beginnings as well as our destiny. Indeed, the very meaning of life.

As Catholics we believe that we were made in God’s image and likeness to live in his loving embrace for all eternity (Genesis 1:27). Through the creation of man and woman, God established a special bond between humankind and himself, our Creator. God, our Father chose to make us partakers ‘in his divine nature” (1 Peter 1:4). Sadly, this act of self-giving was ruptured by our first-parents, Adam and Eve who chose to turn away from God, to sin (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 295). Loving without measure, God was not deterred and he sent forth his Son, Christ Jesus. Through his suffering, death and resurrection, Jesus re-opened the way to God, our Father and re-established our likeness, made even more radiant, with the opportunity for each of us to share in God’s life as children of the Father and as brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 8:29; CCC, 655).

Yet, we know that Christ’s coming was not an immediate event, a strategy quickly implemented to address a particular problem. On the contrary, the Spirit-inspired writers of the Old Testament recount the time from the story of creation to that of Abraham, our Father in faith, and on through the two thousand years preceding the birth of Christ. Much more than an historical account, we see how God generously initiates an intimate personal relationship with every human being, slowing revealing himself and his plan of salvation. Revealing his name – first God (Genesis 1;1-2.3), then God Almighty (Genesis 17:1) and then ‘ “I am,” source of all existence’ (Exodus 3:14), he wants us to know him in a uniquely personal way, to call him by name (cf. CCC, 203-208). Just as with any meaningful relationship, the investment of time and attention is essential and God did not abandon his people but patiently waited as the Spirit made ready ‘a people prepared for the Lord’ (CCC, 716). His

A returning Catholic’s testimony ‘Having recently returned to the practice of attending Sunday Mass, I found a Catholic Church near our London flat. I arrived with trepidation just before Mass. While the exterior of the building was a bit tired, I opened the door and was immediately greeted by a smiling woman. This warm welcome was echoed by the parish priest who, just before the final blessing, came down off the sanctuary and spoke to everyone there. He even invited people to say if he had missed any announcements. There was clearly a sense of community given the various events to which everyone was invited. Then, just as I thought I would quietly slip away, the woman who greeted me before Mass sought me out and invited me to join her for tea in the hall. I now look forward to Mass.’

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In the Name of the Father Come, Follow Me

promises fulfilled - his blessings were manifold: the rescue of Noah and his family, the birth of Isaac, deliverance from slavery, food and water during their long years in the desert and eventually the promised land of Israel to mention but a few.

Sadly, however, time and again, his chosen people turned away much as we do, their trust in the Lord wavering. As an ‘exceptional sign of the image of God in [humankind]’, God had willed that each person should consciously decide, ‘as moved and drawn in a personal way from within’ to return his love and to follow his commandments (Gaudium et Spes, 17; CCC, 2339). In spite of rejection, our merciful Lord remained faithful, speaking to the prophets who, in faith and trust, heard the voice of God in the depths of their hearts. They were inspired to proclaim God’s love and the imminent coming of the Messiah.

As we read in the opening verses of St. Mark’s gospel, crowds came out from the busy cities and towns of Judea to hear John the Baptist and to witness firsthand to his life in the wilderness. Gathering together, they humbly opened their hearts and minds to the Lord. Seeking repentance, they longed for His presence in their midst.

In faith and trust, they sought a personal relationship with God which would be realised with the coming of Christ.

• • •

How often do we recognise the blessings received in our own lives today?

How can we help others to prepare so that they might hear the Lord’s voice in the depths of their being?

How can we prepare to receive Christ into our own lives more deeply?

Closing Prayers You may wish to end this session with the Lord’s Prayer or silent reflection.

Signpost

Heavenly Father, you are worthy of all honour and praise yet you call me child and I you Father.

Help me, daily, to understand more clearly, my place before you and in the world.

Amen.

This session explored our being made in the image (having free will) and likeness of God (our life in the Trinity) and His desire for us to know Him more deeply. Next session we will look at how we might form a personal relationship with Christ. Consider inviting a friend to the next session and before then meditate on the Sign of the Cross (p.58)

Come, Follow Me Session One

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2. And of the Son This week we look at our understanding of what the Church says about Christ and how this is said. While we may at times struggle with our understanding, we can turn to the Church and to God Himself to help us. Through his Incarnation, Christ, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, took on human flesh and became as fully man as he is God. He knew and knows human hopes and fears, joys and troubles. We have his pattern and his help, and we are called to be like him; will people know this by the way that we live?

Image: Calling Disciples by He Qi (2001)

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Come, Follow Me

And of the Son

session two

Opening Prayers

Taken from Psalm 22(21) - to be said all together or the group can divide in half and alternate All:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A:

Yet you, O God, are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you set them free.

When they cried to you, they escaped.

In you they trusted and never in vain.

B:

But I am a worm and no man, scorned by men, despised by the people.

All who see me deride me.

They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him; let him release him if this is his friend.’

A:

Yes, it was you who took me from the womb, entrusted me to my mother’s breast.

B:

To you I was committed from my birth, from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

All:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

As we come together let us, either aloud or in the silence of our hearts, give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the things we have accomplished, the joys experienced, graces received and people met over the past week. Let us also remember all those in need of our prayers.

Introduction to Reading of Scripture Let us listen carefully to the Word of the Lord, and attend to it with the ear of our hearts.

Let us welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.

St. Benedict of Nursia (c.480-c.547) adapted

Come, Follow Me Session Two

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Explore the Scriptures John 1:35-46 Note: ‘John, disciple of the Lord, who leant against his breast, brought out this gospel while at Ephesus,’ writes St Irenaeus. John, saw first-hand the wondrous events that took place and talks of ‘signs’ which would be understood by following the Spirit’s ‘lead’. Three days (it’s that time again) after the call of the first disciples we have the wedding and ‘sign’ at Cana.

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’

They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John.

You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’

Please take a few moments in silence to reflect on the passage, then share a word or phrase that has struck you. Pause to think about what others have said then after a second reading of the passage you may wish to share a further thought.

Reflection Living in a new country presents not only exciting opportunities but also all manner of challenges. Even if the language is the same, the task of understanding and or being understood can sometimes prove difficult. Learning new words or different meanings for familiar words are all a part of process of becoming a part of a new community.

In the same way, the Church offers us opportunities to learn new words and new meanings for others. An on-line dictionary defines the word ‘encounter’ as a verb ‘to meet or contend against obstacles’ or, as noun ‘a meeting of persons either unexpectedly or in conflict’. In its use of this word, the Church suggests neither a confrontation nor an unexpected event but instead our developing communion with the person of Jesus Christ, to enter into the closest of loving friendships.

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And of the Son Come, Follow Me

In faith, we are called to encounter Christ and it is through our ever-deepening encounter with Christ that we are impelled to share the Good News: to evangelise.

Sent forth by our loving Father to do his will, Christ came down to us, making that love known to us, visible through his human body. Through his incarnation, taking on human flesh, Jesus united himself with every human being (Gaudium et Spes, 22). As man, Christ entered into a loving relationship with all of humanity and through his suffering and death on our behalf; he paid the price of all our sins.

Rising to eternal life and ascending into heaven, Christ restored humankind to its divine image, its ‘original beauty” (CCC, 1701). It is by his grace alone that we are invited to participate in his divine life now and forever (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

When Jesus first spoke to those who would become his disciples, he began with a question. He invited them to dialogue, to begin a friendship. The Gospel writer St John further notes that Jesus was called ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means ‘Teacher’).

Over time, they gradually came to know the person of Jesus Christ and it is the inspired writings of their experiences of sharing in his life that we read about in the New Testament. A treasure of inestimable value, these sacred writings are ‘our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Saviour’ and it is through the Word that ‘the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children and talk to them’ (Dei Verbum, 18 and 21).

Although we might live on lands distant from the shores of the River Jordan and our footsteps are long after the time when Christ walked this earth, we too are invited into a close relationship with the person of Christ. Just as he shared his divinity, we offer our humanity; for it is through our minds and bodies that we live our faith. A prayerful mediation of the Gospels, that is ‘reading [them] with

Towards an Evangelizing RCIA In preparation for the first phase of the RCIA process (see pages 56-57), a parish might reach out with ‘welcoming events’ not just to those with an interest in becoming a Catholic but to all who wish to explore a lived relationship with the Lord. Besides general announcements, personal invitations might be extended to engaged couples or those recently married (where one is not a Catholic), parents of children recently baptised or preparing to receive First Holy Communion or Confirmation.

Parishioners of all ages and ministries would be invited to attend with some sharing how they came to love Jesus and how God is at work in their lives. The kerygma - the great story of Jesus (see p.61) as well as general information on RCIA could also be provided.

Come, Follow Me Session Two

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the heart’ (Evangelii Gaudium, 264) enables us not only to come to know him ever more profoundly but also to learn how to imitate him in our daily living: ‘to walk in his footsteps. Faith is a personal encounter with Jesus Christ making, of oneself a disciple of him. This demands a permanent commitment to think like him, to judge like him and to live as he lived’ (General Directory of Catechesis, 53).

Living one’s faith is not intended to go unnoticed. In fact, in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI notes that: Through this wordless witness Christians stir up irresistible questions in the hearts of those who see how they live: Why are they like this? Why do they live in this way? What or who is it that inspires them? Why are they in our midst? Such a witness is already a silent proclamation of the Good News and a very powerful and effective one. Here we have an initial act of evangelization (EN, 21).

From our baptism, we are blessed recipients of our Lord’s grace. Yet ours is not a passive role. Just as the first disciples were invited to follow Christ we, too, are invited to ‘Come and you will see,’ to respond with our lives.

• • •

How frequently do we stop to take stock, to contemplate the gift of our intimate friendship with Christ?

What relevance does Holy Scripture have our daily lives?

Would a visitor to your home know that you are a Catholic?

Closing Prayers You may wish to end this session with some different prayers or silent reflection.

Signpost

All-powerful Father, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to bring the new light of salvation to the world.

May he enlighten us with his radiance, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

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This session looked at how we develop a personal relationship with Christ which was established at our baptism. One way we can do this is through meditation on Scripture. Before the next session you might wish to read one of the following: Mark 1:16-34 or Matthew 11:28-30, line by line, reflecting on each phrase or choose one of your own.

And of the Son Come, Follow Me

3. And of the Holy Spirit This week we look at the Third Person of the Trinity who, though present elsewhere in the pages of Scripture and the story of salvation, is revealed at the Baptism of Christ and promised to us by Jesus himself. Infused in us at baptism, the Holy Spirit is at work drawing us in Christ to the Father. Though not visible we can see the fruits of the Spirit’s work in us and the Spirit’s power and presence in the sacraments of the Church. Our openness to the Spirit is vital in being fully Christian and in offering Christ’s message to the world at large.

Come, Follow Me

Image: The Holy Spirit (as a dove surrounded by angels)

by Corrado Giaquinto 15 (c.1750)

And of the Holy Spirit

session three

Opening prayer Taken from Psalm 51(50) - to be said all together or the group can divide in half and alternate.

All:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A:

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

In your compassion blot out my offense.

O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

B:

A:

B:

A:

All:

A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervour sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you.

O rescue me, God, my helper, and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.

O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.

For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse, my sacrifice, a contrite spirit, a humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

As we come together let us, either aloud or in the silence of our hearts, give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the things we have accomplished, the joys experienced, graces received and people met over the past week. Let us also remember all those in need of our prayers.

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And of the Holy Spirit Come, Follow Me

Introduction to Reading of Scripture Let us listen carefully to the Word of the Lord, and attend to it with the ear of our hearts.

Let us welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.

St. Benedict of Nursia (c.480-c.547) adapted

Explore the Scriptures John 16:4-15 Note: Before Jesus’ arrest we read, in John’s gospel, the ‘farewell discourses’ to his disciples. The priestly prayer, the hostile world, the true vine all serve to help the disciples in the challenging times ahead. This passage also hails the coming of the Spirit which serves to lead the Church in truth (see Acts 2:1-4 and Acts 10:44-48).

‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.’

Please take a few moments in silence to reflect on the passage, then share a word or phrase that has struck you. Pause to think about what others have said then after a second reading of the passage you may wish to share a further thought.

Reflection It is common practice to try to multi-task; to do two or even more things at the same time. One might suggest that at the most basic level our bodies are made to perform various functions concurrently. Speaking and breathing comes readily to mind. Though essential for living, the task of breathing does not often claim our full attention. Similarly, the work of the Holy Spirit, ‘the breath of God’, can often be overlooked. Yet, as we are taught, the Spirit’s efforts are vital for Christian living.

Although at work in the lives of the prophets, the Holy Spirit remained hidden through Old Testament times until the Annunciation – the announcement of

Come, Follow Me Session Three

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the impending birth of Christ, a work attributed to the Holy Spirit by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:35). Then, there was a glimpse as John the Baptist proclaimed to see the Spirit descend on Christ at his baptism in the River Jordan (John 1:32).

He accompanied Jesus through his earthly ministry after impelling him into the wilderness (Mark 1:12). Shortly before Christ was to do the will of the Father: to suffer, die and rise again for our redemption we hear Christ assure us that we would not be alone. He will go in order to send forth the Holy Spirit to be with us always (John 16:7).

In a one of his weekly audiences in St Peter’s Square in 1985, Blessed Pope John Paul II spoke of the Holy Spirit as the ‘personalised love of the Father and the Son’, a gift poured into our hearts (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 733). Just as our breath is invisible yet necessary for life, the Holy Spirit does the vitally important work of drawing us to Christ. ‘Every time we begin to pray to Jesus it is the Holy Spirit who draws us on the way of prayer’ (CCC, 2670). Every time we are confronted with a moral decision, it is the Holy Spirit dwelling deep within us guiding us to do this or to shun that. Every time we contemplate our ultimate goal: eternal life, we rely on the grace of the Holy Spirit (CCC, 1817).

The Holy Spirit keeps us in communion with Christ through the Church. Besides teaching us what Jesus said and did by inspiring the Gospel writers, the Holy Spirit continues to work through the sacred liturgies, most notably the celebration of the Eucharist. Standing in for Christ, the celebrant pronounces the words of Jesus and at the same time invokes the Holy Spirit upon the gifts of bread and wine placed on the altar, which become Jesus Christ’s Body and Blood. In this way the Holy Spirit leads us to Christ, really and truly present.

The Period of Enquiry This vitally important first period of the RCIA process (often about 3 months but can be as long as necessary) is not simply a matter of getting to know each other. It is about entering into a personal relationship with Christ, with the focus on the Good News - ‘The Great Story of Jesus’ - heard through Gospel stories (see p.61 on the Kerygma). Introduced to personal and communal prayer, inquirers are invited to respond to Christ’s gift of himself and his saving work on our behalf.

These gatherings afford time for questions and the opportunity to come to know members of the parish community who see faith not simply as a set of beliefs but as a way of life.

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And of the Holy Spirit Come, Follow Me

The Holy Spirit is at work in other sacraments as well. At baptism, we are gratuitously given our greatest honour – we are made a child of God and given new life in Christ through the removal of the stain of original sin. The Holy Spirit is infused in us and marks us with ‘the seal of the Lord,’ an indelible mark of our belonging to Christ that is further strengthened in the sacrament of Confirmation (CCC, 1272). Through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the divine life in Christ is freely given to each of us along with the task of sharing in Christ’s threefold mission as priest, prophet and king. In all this we need to be fearlessly open to the Holy Spirit (Evangelii Gaudium, 259).

This prophetic mission calls us not only to imitate Christ by our daily lives but also to clarify our actions with the spoken word. As Pope Paul VI explains, ‘The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelisation if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed’ (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 22).

• • •

Do I pray to the Holy Spirit? If so, how?

How can I use my special gifts to spread the Good News?

How aware am I of the support of my community when I talk to others of Jesus?

Closing Prayers You may wish to end this session this poem or with different prayers or silent reflection.

We stand before you, Holy Spirit, conscious of our sinfulness, but aware that we gather in your name.

Come to us, remain with us, and enlighten our hearts.

Give us light and strength to know your will, to make it our own, and to live it in our lives.

Amen.

Signpost

Extract from the prayer used by Pope John XXIII at the opening of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The full prayer can be found on page 59.

This session looked at the Holy Spirit who, experienced through the sacraments, leads us to a loving and enriching relationship with God. Next session will explore the role of charity in the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Before then, read the Cardinal’s foreword (p.3) and think who you know who might benefit from taking part in your group.

Come, Follow Me Session Three

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4. A Church for the Poor The Holy Father, as his predecessors have done before him, calls us to look to the margins of our communities - to the poor, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless. This week we look at the role of charity as an opportunity not only to encounter Christ but to bringing others to him. Through the working of the Holy Spirit, we see the face of Christ in others. In our acts of love, the other sees Christ in us, and may be led to the Father.

Image: The Good Samaritan wood carving from Our Lady Queen of the Most20 Holy Rosary Cathedral, Toledo, Ohio

Come, Follow Me

A Church for the Poor

session four

Opening prayer

The Magnificat taken from Luke 1:46-55. Alternatively the group could use Psalm 138(137) - to be said all together or the group can divide in half and alternate All:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant, and from this day all generations will call me blessed.

B:

The Almighty has done great things for me: holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

A:

He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.

B:

He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.

All:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

As we come together let us, either aloud or in the silence of our hearts, give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the things we have accomplished, the joys experienced, graces received and people met over the past week. Let us also remember all those in need of our prayers.

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Introduction to Reading of Scripture Let us pray with great confidence, with confidence based upon the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray.

St Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)

Explore the Scriptures Luke 12: 15-22, 32-34 Note: The people had ‘gathered in their thousands’ to hear the words of Jesus. First, speaking to the disciples and then responding to the prompts of people in the crowd, Jesus spoke boldly of those who would have him arrested. The following passage, which highlights a trust in providence and a focus on the world yet to come, is followed by encouragements to repentance and the healing of a crippled woman on the sabbath - to the outrage of the officials.

And Jesus said, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’ He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

Please take a few moments in silence to reflect on the passage, then share a word or phrase that has struck you. Pause to think about what others have said then after a second reading of the passage you may wish to share a further thought.

Reflection In 1977 Hubert H. Humphrey gave a speech in which he declared that: ‘...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped.’ While Humphrey was talking of governments, perhaps the same can be held true for us 22

A Church for the Poor Come, Follow Me

as individuals. How do we relate to those on the margins? How have we stood up for children, born and unborn? How have we fought for the rights of the elderly to a dignified ‘twilight of life’? What of the sick and the needy, both at home and abroad?

However we choose to describe our actions, as a work of justice and of peace, or a corporal work of mercy, the fact remains that such is of Christ; at the heart of gospel is engagement with others (Evangelii Gaudium, 177). If we, as a Church community, think we can comfortably go our own way without helping the poor to live with dignity and reaching out to everyone, we can easily drift into a spiritual worldliness camouflaged by religious practices (EG, 206).

In any act of charity we are called to see the face of Christ in the one we are serving (Matthew 25:40). In the very same act of charity we find ourselves in the place of Christ; doing to others what he did throughout his time on earth and following in the footsteps of his disciples in the centuries since (John 13:12-15).

God has conferred infinite dignity on all, regardless of the accident of birth – no matter where we are born or how wealthy our parents. Our ‘brothers and sisters’ deserve to live in dignity, to feel the warm embrace of love, to live rather than merely survive. Our ‘brothers and sisters’ deserve to hear the gospel message – to share our belief that God the Father loves all men and women with an infinite love. This message tells us that the Son of God assumed our human flesh and in doing so takes up each human person into the very heart of God. It says that Jesus shed his blood for us on the Cross removing any doubt about the boundless love which ennobles each human being (EG, 178).

The Catechumenate The Catechumenate phase (ranging anywhere from 3-12 months as required) builds on an openness and receptivity to Christ’s message and seeks to make it a part of one’s very being.

Catechesis or doctrinal formation may be the well-known focus of the Catechumenate yet it is often misunderstood as simply an intellectual endeavour. While we deepen our understanding of the mystery of Christ this phase also involves moulding a mindset and a lifestyle through a conversion of heart - ‘to think like Christ, to judge like him, to act in conformity with his commandments’ (Catechesi Tradendae, 20).

With the prayerful support of the whole parish community and with the guidance of a sponsor or godparent, it is a time to contemplate what saying ‘yes’ means in concrete terms.

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A truly Christian response to an emergency would feature both practical support and a readiness to share the fundamental truth of Jesus’ incarnation, life, death and resurrection. Proclamation of the Word without an offer of the necessities of life would lead the other to think that the message is empty of love. Aid without an explanation of its loving reason would simply be a short-term response.

While our offer of aid should never be conditional, how can it be a truly loving act without the opportunity to learn of the transformation that comes with knowledge of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8)?

• • •

How can the charitable acts we do help others to come to knowledge of Christ?

Where does the good work undertaken by the nonbeliever and adherents of other faiths stem from?

What might we do, as a group, to help those in need and learn about the love of God for each one of us?

Closing Prayers You may wish to end this session with different prayers or silent reflection.

Who is Jesus to me?

Jesus is the Word made Flesh. Jesus is the Bread of Life.

Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on the Cross.

Jesus is the Word - to be spoken. Jesus is the Truth - to be told.

Jesus is the Way - to be walked. Jesus is the Light - to be lit.

Jesus is the Life - to be loved. Jesus is the Joy - to be shared.

Jesus is the Hungry - to be fed. Jesus is the Naked - to be clothed.

Jesus is the Homeless - to be taken in. Jesus is the Sick - to be healed.

Jesus is the Lonely - to be loved. Jesus is the Beggar - to give him a smile.

Jesus is the Little One - to embrace him. Jesus is the Crippled - to walk with him.

Jesus is the Prisoner - to be visited. Jesus is the Old - to be served.

To me Jesus is my God, Jesus is my Life, Jesus is my Everything.

Amen.

Signpost

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

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This session looked at the way that we live the life of Christ concretely, being his hands but also his voice in the world. Next session we will look at how the Church, and we as part of the Body of Christ, may engage with culture. Before the next session, consider how your group may be a model for your parish in reaching out to your community.

A Church for the Poor Come, Follow Me

5. Culturally Speaking The Second Vatican Council’s document on the Church in the Modern World talks about the way that she and her members relate to the world. Jesus provides the model for evangelisation - we are called to ‘meet people where they are’ reaching across all cultural and social barriers. Just as Christ met the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and walked alongside them, listening to them and then opened the Scriptures so that their hearts burned inside them; we can embrace his pattern.

Come, Follow Me

Image: Adoration of the Magi by Albrecht Altdorfer (c.1530 - 1535)

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Culturally Speaking

session five

Opening prayer

The Benedictus taken from Luke 1:68-79. Alternatively the group could use Psalm 5 - to be said all together or the group can divide in half and alternate All:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, born of the house of his servant David.

B:

A:

B:

A:

All:

Through the holy prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by forgiving them their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet on the road of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

As we come together let us, either aloud or in the silence of our hearts, give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the things we have accomplished, the joys experienced, graces received and people met over the past week. Let us also remember all those in need of our prayers.

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Culturally Speaking Come, Follow Me

Introduction to Reading of Scripture Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labours.

St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Explore the Scriptures 1 Corinthians 9: 1-2, 16-23 Note: Here, in his first letter to the Corinthians, St Paul shows his emotion and dedication to the spreading of the Good News that Christ, by his death and resurrection, is the saviour of all, Jew and Greek alike. Corinth, a Greek port, was notorious for its immorality but also as a place where people of different nations and cultures congregated. As such, the church in Corinth was in need of Paul’s guidance and instruction (it is likely he wrote four letters of which we have just the two).

‘Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

‘If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

‘For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.

To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.’

Please take a few moments in silence to reflect on the passage, then share a word or phrase that has struck you. Pause to think about what others have said then after a second reading of the passage you may wish to share a further thought.

Reflection The Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, spoke eloquently of our changing times. We are in a new age of human history, the Church Fathers said, where people are increasingly aware of their own autonomy and the impact that each of us has on our community with the responsibility this brings (GS, 54-58). Many commentators have since suggested that the rate of social change has accelerated, that the

Come, Follow Me Session Five

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awareness of our own life has changed into a sort of individualism that has left us isolated from one another. This needs challenging. We are made for one another in the same way we are made to search for and to know the Lord. Indeed, many are searching for God and for fellowship today but may not know where to look.

There are many other changes that society has undergone in the years since the Council. There have been many developments that we, as a Church, may have looked upon with a sense of disbelief and foreboding. It may even be that many of our own views have changed, however imperceptibly, along with those of the world. This is natural – that we don’t wish to be seen as different or odd, that we wish to be accepted – but is it necessarily what God desires for us?

It is as people in the world that we are able to speak to others in the world (cf. GS, 1). United in Christ, and led by the Holy Spirit in our journey to the Kingdom of God the Father, we hold and affirm the news of salvation which is meant for all.

One of the fruits of the Second Vatican Council is the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Formed to help the Church place herself before the needs of the cultures of the world, its work reflects the variety of cultures and social realities that exist in the world. One of its key projects is ‘the Courtyard of the Gentiles’ – a place of encounter and dialogue with those asking questions about faith, a window open to the world and to contemporary culture. The inspiration comes from a meeting space in the Temple of Jerusalem where rabbis and teachers of the law were ready to listen to people’s questions about God and to respond in a respectful and compassionate exchange. As such this initiative marks a very definite way of

Period of Purification and Enlightenment Following the Rite of Sending, the catechumens and candidates take part in the Rites of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion respectively in the company of others from across the Diocese. These rites usually led by a Bishop start an intense period of preparation (generally commencing at the beginning of Lent) for the reception of the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil.

Over the course of the following Sundays, joined with the parish community, they reflect on the human tendency to sin. Through the Scrutinies they, along with all baptised, examine their lives in light of the Gospel and to turn again towards God. During this period, the parish community shares two of its greatest treasures: The Creed handed down from the Apostles and the Lord’s Prayer – the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray.

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Culturally Speaking Come, Follow Me

‘stepping out’ in dialogue. The ‘Courtyard’ serves as an example for local churches, parishes and for us too, to engage with others and share the truth that the Word of God pitched his tent among us all, and continues to offer succour to those needful of mercy (cf. John 1:14).

Pope Francis writes that culture ‘embraces the totality of a people’s life’ (EG, 115) and that we, as followers of Christ, are well-placed to understand and to bring a light to society, of whichever society we are a part. He reminds us that we can’t sit idly by while people remain unconscious of God’s love for them. By turning the Church into a museum piece where ‘evangelical fervour is replaced by the empty pleasure of complacency and self-indulgence’ (EG, 95), we risk losing contact with the lives of others (EG, 96). We, the Church, must constantly go out, ‘keeping her mission focused on Jesus Christ, and her commitment to the poor’ (EG, 97).This is not just a task for Pontifical Councils!

• Where and how might we create our very own ‘Courtyard of the Gentiles’?

• How might we use technology to engage with those seeking God in our communities?

• How do we respond to the questions, cares and concerns of others?

• How might ‘Catholic culture’ (books, theatre, historic sites etc.) be a part of my evangelisation efforts in helping family and friends turn to Christ?

Closing Prayers You may wish to end this session with some different prayers or silent reflection.

Signpost

O my Divine Saviour, transform me into Yourself.

May my hands be the hands of Jesus.

May my tongue be the tongue of Jesus...

Grant that I may live but in You and for You, and that I may truly say with St. Paul: ‘I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me’ Amen.

Attributed to St Jean-Gabriel Perboyre, missionary to China (1802-1840)

This session looked at the ways the Church, at a universal level, seeks to engage with society and culture. Naturally, given the differences in various places, this would be well done locally. Next session will look at personal accompaniment of others. Before then consider what you parish might do to create a ‘Courtyard of the Gentiles’.

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6. Accompaniment How many people do you know who are stirred to act solely through reading a book or through intellectual endeavour? More, likely we are stirred by another person talking to us, leading us to action or preventing us from doing wrong. This week we consider how we might accompany others, getting to know them and help them to see what a difference Christ would make to their lives. As Pope Paul VI reminds us: ‘society listens more to witnesses than to teachers, and if to teachers it is because they are witnesses!’ This is about a shared journey.

Image: Philip catechises the Ethiopian Eunuch stained 30glass window in Exeter College chapel, Oxford

Come, Follow Me

Accompaniment

session six

Opening prayer

Taken from Psalm 40(39) - to be said all together or the group can divide in half and alternate All:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A:

I waited, I waited for the Lord and he stooped down to me; he heard my cry.

B:

A:

B:

A:

B:

All:

He put a new song into my mouth, praise of our God. Many shall see and fear and shall trust in the Lord.

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear.

You do not ask for holocaust and victim.

Instead, here am I. Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly.

My lips I have not sealed; you know it, O Lord.

I have not hidden your justice in my heart but declared your faithful help.

I have not hidden your love and your truth from the great assembly.

O Lord, you will not withhold your compassion from me.

Your merciful love and your truth will always guard me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

As we come together let us, either aloud or in the silence of our hearts, give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the things we have accomplished, the joys experienced, graces received and people met over the past week. Let us also remember all those in need of our prayers.

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Introduction to Reading of Scripture Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me.

attributed to St. Patrick (c.387 – 493 or c.460)

Explore the Scriptures Acts 8:27-35 Note: St Philip the Evangelist was one of the seven chosen to care for the poor in the church of Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). This scene shows what is considered as the founding of the Ethiopian church and a clear response to Jesus’ command to baptise all the nations (Matthew 28:19).

Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia, and was in fact her chief treasurer. He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and meet that chariot’. When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ‘How can I’ he replied ‘unless I have someone to guide me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of scripture he was reading was this: Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter-house, like a lamb that is dumb in front of its shearers, like these he never opens his mouth.

He has been humiliated and has no one to defend him.

Who will ever talk about his descendants, since his life on earth has been cut short!

The eunuch turned to Philip and said, ‘Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else?’ Starting, therefore, with this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him.

Please take a few moments in silence to reflect on the passage, then share a word or phrase that has struck you. Pause to think about what others have said then after a second reading of the passage you may wish to share a further thought.

Reflection Imagine coming across a sculptress sizing up a block of granite. You ask what she is looking for and her reply is somewhat startling: ‘There’s a man in that stone’.

She chips away the granite, large chunks fall to the ground giving a general impression of form. ‘There’s the head,’ she says, and you get the idea, but she’s pushing it when she says that it looks anything like a head. More granite drops and the outline becomes more defined. Finally we make out not just the head but the individual features, the nose, the eyes, even the eyebrows lightly marked.

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Accompaniment Come, Follow Me

Clearly there are two ways of seeing what is going on here. First, the sculptress is showing what she knows is there, she is sharing her knowledge of the truth through her joyful art, technically, artistically, emotionally proficient. Second, from our perspective we are coming to a deeper understanding of what was always present in the stone but we needed the help of another to see.

Understanding our faith is something like this process. Once we understand that Jesus Christ loves each one of us, saves each one of us by his death and resurrection, and lives at the side of each one of us every day to enlighten us, strengthen us and free each one of us, then continuing on this path is an everdeepening process (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 164). It is a journey of dialogue and of determination as we seek to attain holiness and help others do the same. The story of salvation is not a solitary tale.

When we seek to accompany others, the first step is always personal dialogue.

‘When the other person speaks and shares his or her joys, hopes and concerns for loved ones, or so many other heartfelt needs. Only afterwards is it possible to bring up God’s word, perhaps by reading a Bible verse or relating a story, but always keeping in mind the fundamental message: the personal love of God who became man, who gave himself up for us, who is living and who offers us his salvation and his friendship’ (EG, 128).

Like the eunuch in today’s Scripture passage, there is a thirst for God and we have the privilege of leading others to him through Christ. This story is not one of anonymity but one of a willingness to get to know others and help them to understand a richer reality. Our parishes too must be places of welcome and communion so that people are never left on their own in their faith journey.

The period of Mystagogy and the Neophyte Year The great celebration of the Easter Vigil can sometimes be looked upon as a graduation - the completion of a course that frees up Monday evenings! Yet, these life-changing moments herald a new life in Christ, a decision ‘to put out into the deep and let down the nets for a catch’ (Luke 5:4). These beginners, known as ‘Neophytes,’ continue to need the nurturing support of the parish community in their fledgling journey of faith.

Helping to deepen the conversion and union with Christ the RCIA process suggests a period of post-baptismal catechesis (‘mystagogy’) focusing on the prayerful study of the lectionary readings (i.e. Lectio Divina) read at the Sunday Masses between Easter and Pentecost.

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It can take time to realise God’s love for each of us and it takes patience to show it to others. Our personal experience of being accompanied in this journey will teach us patience and compassion when it is our turn, when the sculptress hands us the hammer and chisel (EG, 172 and 173). It’s not a matter of waiting to learn everything and only then telling others, we cannot postpone the evangelising mission entrusted to us (EG, 121).

The process of evangelisation – showing God’s love present in people’s lives; the ‘man in the stone’ – is one of continually and simultaneously learning and teaching in faith, of giving and taking in love, of talking and listening in hope. It is a process where we help each other to grow despite our own imperfections.

Let us also turn to Mary, the Mother of God as our example and model. She, who carried Jesus in the tabernacle of her womb, gave Christ to the world, nourished him, mourned him and rejoiced in his resurrection. As he brought us to her at the foot of the Cross (John 19:27), she in turn leads us to him. May we imitate her faith in God and her way of maternal love – praising God, pondering Christ, serving others (Luke 1:39, 1:52 and 2:19) with joy and fervour.

• • • •

How do people show their willingness to learn about Jesus today?

What, if anything, is stopping me from preaching the Good News?

What, if anything, do I need to learn before I preach the Good News?

How might we follow the example of both Philip and Mary?

Closing Prayers You may wish to end this session with some different prayers or silent reflection.

Signpost

Most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.

Amen.

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St Richard of Chichester (1197–1253)

This session explored how we grow in leading others on the journey to Christ, even as we seek to help them grow in faith. Ours is a journey requiring prayer, reflection and a desire to turn and turn again back to God. You might consider, in between faith-sharing seasons, meeting on a monthly basis or joining us at dowsmallgroups on Facebook.

Accompaniment Come, Follow Me

Daily Prayer: Sunday to Saturday ‘The Office is... the prayer of the whole People of God.’ Apostolic Constitution, Canticum Laudis The daily prayers on the following pages are drawn from the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours). Together with the Mass, the Office constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. It is celebrated in both the Eastern and Western Churches. The Office is intended to be read communally but here we invite you to use it as a personal daily prayer. Each day contains a hymn, a Scripture reading, a psalm or canticle and a selection of prayers.

Come, Follow Me

Image: Apparition of the Virgin to St Bernard by Filippino Lippi (1480)

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Sunday - Spirit-Filled Evangelisers Introduction O God, come to our aid. Lord, make haste to help us.

Psalmody

Psalm 112(113) Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son May the name of the Lord be blessed and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the both now and for evermore! beginning, is now, and ever shall be, From the rising of the sun to its setting world without end. Amen. (Alleluia) omit Alleluias during Lent praised be the name of the Lord!

Hymn High above all nations is the Lord, A mighty wind invades the world, above the heavens his glory.

So strong and free on beating wing: Who is like the Lord, our God, It is the Spirit of the Lord From whom all truth and freedom spring. who has risen on high to his throne yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth?

The Spirit is a fountain clear For ever leaping to the sky, From the dust he lifts up the lowly, Whose waters give unending life, from the dungheap he raises the poor Whose timeless source is never dry. to set them in the company of princes, yes, with the princes of his people.

The Spirit comes in tongues of flame, To the childless wife he gives a home With love and wisdom burning bright, and gladdens her heart with children.

The wind, the fountain and the fire Combine in this great feast of light.

Glory be‌ O tranquil Spirit, bring us peace, Antiphon With God the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit, who comes from the We praise you, blessed Trinity, Father, will glorify me, alleluia.

Unchanging, and for ever One. Antiphon The Holy Spirit, who comes from the Father, will glorify me, alleluia.

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Reading

Ephesians 4:3-6 Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives, by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.

Daily Prayer Come, Follow Me

Short Responsory R The Holy Spirit is the Advocate.

V He will teach you everything.

Glory be…

Benedictus/Magnificat Antiphon Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love; though the peoples spoke different tongues you united them in proclaiming the same faith, alleluia.

Benedictus (if said in the morning) or Magnificat (if said in the evening) see inside front cover for these prayers

Our Father…

Concluding prayer Almighty, ever-living God, you ordained that the paschal mystery be completed by the mystery of Pentecost.

Gather together, by your gift of grace, the scattered nations and divided tongues to one faith in your Name.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Intercessions The apostles waited and prayed for the coming of the Spirit. We too pray for his coming, and joyfully proclaim the greatness of God. R Father, send us your Spirit.

In Christ you restored the universe which you had made; through the Spirit renew the face of the earth.

R Father, send us your Spirit.

You breathed into Adam the breath of life: breathe your Spirit into the Church, that the world may find life in her.

R Father, send us your Spirit.

May your Spirit bring light to our darkness; turn hatred into love, sorrow into joy, and doubt into hope. Cleanse and refresh us in the waters of the Spirit; where there is anguish and sin, bring healing and rebirth.

R Father, send us your Spirit.

Come, Follow Me Sunday

Detail from Cathedra Petri (1647-53) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome

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Monday - Everywhere, a sense of awe Introduction O God, come to our aid. Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Alleluia)

omit Alleluias during Lent

Hymn O fathers of our ancient faith, with all the heav’ns we sing your fame Whose sound went forth in all the earth To tell of Christ, and bless his name.

You took the gospel to the poor, The word of God alight in you, Which in our day is told again: That timeless word, for ever new.

You told of God who died for us And out of death triumphant rose, who gave the truth that made us free, And changeless through the ages goes.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Whose gift is faith that never dies: A light in darkness now, until The day-star in our hearts arise.

Psalmody

Psalm 115 (116) I trusted, even when I said: ‘I am sorely afflicted,’ and when I said in my alarm: ‘No man can be trusted.’

How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?

The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people.

O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.

Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; you have loosened my bonds.

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make: I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Glory be...

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal Antiphon

Antiphon You are my friends since you have remained in my love.

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You are my friends since you have remained in my love.

Reading Acts 2:42-45 They met constantly to hear the apostles preach, and to share the common life, to break bread and to pray. A sense of awe was everywhere, and many marvels and signs were brought about through the

Daily Prayer Come, Follow Me

apostles. All whose faith had drawn them together held everything in common: they would sell their property and make a general distribution as the need of each required.

Short Responsory R All will know that you are my disciples.

V If there is love among you. R Glory be… R

Concluding prayer Almighty God, grant that the example of your saints may spur us on to perfection, so that we may follow them step by step in their way of life.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Benedictus/Magnificat Antiphon You did not choose me: I chose you. I appointed you to go on and bear fruit, fruit that shall last.

Benedictus (if said in the morning) or Magnificat (if said in the evening) see inside front cover for these prayers Intercessions Since we are part of a building that has the apostles for its foundation, let us pray to the Father for his holy people.

R Lord, remember your Church.

Father, when your Son rose from the dead, you showed him first to the apostles; let us make him known, near and far.

R Lord, remember your Church.

You sent your Son into the world to proclaim the good news to the poor; grant that we may bring his gospel into the darkness of men’s lives.

R Lord, remember your Church.

Our Father…

Come, Follow Me Monday

The Four Evangelists (1625)

by Jacob Jordaens

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Tuesday - Faithful Imitation of Christ Introduction O God, come to our aid. Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Alleluia)

omit Alleluias during Lent

Hymn Let all on earth their voices raise, re-echoing heaven’s triumphant praise, to him who gave the apostles grace to run on earth their glorious race.

Thou art whose word they bore the light of Gospel truth o’er heathen night, to us that heavenly light impart, to glad our eyes and cheer our heart.

Thou art whose will to them was given to bind and loose in earth and heaven, our chains unbind, our sins undo, and in our hearts thy grace renew.

Thou in whose might they spake the word which cured disease and health restored, to us its healing power prolong, support the weak, confirm the strong.

Antiphon Through the gospel, God called us to faith in the truth so that we might share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, alleluia.

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Psalmody

Psalm 125 (126) When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, it seemed like a dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, on our lips there were songs.

The heathens themselves said: “What marvels the Lord worked for them!”

What marvels the Lord worked for us!

Indeed we were glad.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage as streams in dry land.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears, carrying seed for the sowing: they come back, they come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves.

Glory be...

Antiphon Through the gospel, God called us to faith in the truth so that we might share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, alleluia.

Reading 1 Corinthians 15:1-2a, 3-4 Brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established, because the gospel will save you. I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that

Daily Prayer Come, Follow Me

Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried, and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures.

Our Father‌

Concluding prayer Almighty ever-living God, who in the lives of the saints continually give us new proofs of your Short Responsory love: R They told of the glories of the Lord and lead us to the faithful imitation of Christ, of his might, alleluia. by the help of their prayer and the spur of V They spoke of the marvellous deeds he their example. had done.

Through Christ our Lord.

Glory be‌ Amen.

Benedictus/Magnificat Antiphon Let us give thanks to Jesus Christ, who has sent teachers and evangelists to be ministers of faith to all peoples who believe in him, alleluia.

Benedictus (if said in the morning) or Magnificat (if said in the evening) see inside front cover for these prayers Intercessions Our Saviour destroyed death and through the gospel revealed eternal life to us. With joyful praise let us make him know, and let us say.

R Strengthen your Church in faith and love.

Lord Jesus, in times past you have lighted the way for your people through wise and holy leaders; may Christians always enjoy this sign of your loving kindness.

R Strengthen your Church in faith and love.

You forgave the sins of your people when holy pastors prayed; continually cleanse your Church through their powerful intercession.

R Strengthen your Church in faith and love.

Come, Follow Me Tuesday

Disciples and Christ on the Road to Emmaus (1311) by Duccio di Buoninsegna

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Wednesday - Be not ashamed Introduction O God, come to our aid. Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Alleluia)

Psalmody

Canticle 21(Ephesians 1:3-10) Blest be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

omit Alleluias during Lent He chose us in him

Hymn O fathers of our ancient faith, with all the heav’ns we sing your fame Whose sound went forth in all the earth To tell of Christ, and bless his name.

You took the gospel to the poor, The word of God alight in you, Which in our day is told again: That timeless word, for ever new.

You told of God who died for us And out of death triumphant rose, who gave the truth that made us free, And changeless through the ages goes.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Whose gift is faith that never dies: A light in darkness now, until The day-star in our hearts arise.

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

Antiphon By your endurance you will gain your lives.

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before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us.

He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose that he set forth in Christ.

His purpose he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Antiphon By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Daily Prayer Come, Follow Me

Reading Romans 1:16-17 I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the saving power of God for everyone who has faith – the Jew first, but the Greek also – because here is revealed God’s way of righting wrong, a way that starts from faith and ends in faith; as scripture says, ‘he shall gain life who is justified through faith’.

Short responsory R Their voice has gone out through all the earth.

V Their message reaches to the ends of the world.

Concluding prayer Human weakness finds its anchor in you, Lord, and our faith is built on you as on a rock: give us a share in the passion and resurrection of Christ through the prayers of your saints so that we may come to joys that never fail.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Glory be…

Benedictus/Magnificat Antiphon Whoever does the will of my Father, says the Lord, is my brother, my sister, and mother.

Benedictus (if said in the morning) or Magnificat (if said in the evening) see inside front cover for these prayers Intercessions Our Saviour destroyed death and through the gospel revealed eternal life to us. With joyful praise let us make him known, and let us say.

R Strengthen your Church in faith and love.

In the presence of their brothers, you anointed your holy ones and poured on them your Spirit; fill with your Holy Spirit all the leaders of your people.

R Strengthen your Church in faith and love.

Our Father…

Come, Follow Me Wednesday

St Anthony Preaching to the Fish (c.1580)

by Paolo Veronese

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Thursday - We are reconciled Introduction O God, come to our aid. Lord, make haste to help us.

Psalmody

Hymn Let all on earth their voices raise, re-echoing heaven’s triumphant praise, to him who gave the apostles grace to run on earth their glorious race.

For your love is better than life, my lips will speak your praise.

So I will bless you all my life, in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, my mouth shall praise you with joy.

Psalm 62(63) O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son My body pines for you and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the like a dry, weary land without water. beginning, is now, and ever shall be, So I gaze on you in the sanctuary world without end. Amen. (Alleluia) to see your strength and your glory. omit Alleluias during Lent

Thou art whose word they bore the light of Gospel truth o’er heathen night, to us that heavenly light impart, to glad our eyes and cheer our heart.

Thou art whose will to them was given to bind and loose in earth and heaven, our chains unbind, our sins undo, and in our hearts thy grace renew.

Thou in whose might they spake the word which cured disease and health restored, to us its healing power prolong, support the weak, confirm the strong.

Antiphon Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life.

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On my bed I remember you.

On you I muse through the night for your have been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast.

Antiphon Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life.

Reading 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 God has entrusted to us the news that God and man are reconciled. so we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God.

Daily Prayer Come, Follow Me

Short Responsory R You will make them rulers over all the land.

V Your name, Lord, will be remembered.

Glory be‌ Benedictus/Magnificat Antiphon The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, alleluia.

Benedictus (if said in the morning) or Magnificat (if said in the evening) see inside front cover for these prayers

Concluding prayer Lord God, as you have taught your Church that all commandments are summed up in the love of you and of our neighbour, grant that as we perform acts of charity, we may be numbered among the blessed in your kingdom.

We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Intercessions Since we are part of that building which has the apostles for its foundation, let us pray to our Father for his holy people.

R Lord, remember your Church.

Father, you gave your Son to those in need; help us to bring the gospel to all.

R Lord, remember your Church.

Father, you sent to us your Word of life; may we labour to sow his word and reap a harvest of joy.

R Lord, remember your Church.

Father, your Son became our reconciliation; may we help to give peace to troubled hearts.

R Lord, remember your Church.

Our Father...

The Resurrection (c.1520) by Raffaellino del Garbo

Come, Follow Me Thursday

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Friday - Pushing the baptised onwards Introduction O God, come to our aid. Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Alleluia)

Antiphon It is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you, alleluia.

Psalmody

Psalm 109(110)

omit Alleluias during Lent The Lord’s revelation to my Master:

Hymn Come, O Creator Spirit blest, And in our souls take up Thy rest; Come, with Thy grace and heavenly aid, To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

Great Comforter, to Thee we cry; O highest gift of God most high, O Fount of life, O Fire of love, And sweet anointing from above!

The sacred sevenfold grace is Thine, Dread finger of the hand divine; The promise of the Father Thou, Who dost the tongue with power endow.

Kindle our senses from above, And make our hearts o’erflow with love; With patience firm, and virtue high, The weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread, And grant us Thy true peace instead; So shall we not, with Thee for guide, Turn from the path of life aside.

O may Thy grace on us bestow The Father and the Son to know, And evermore to hold confessed Thyself of each the Spirit blest.

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‘Sit on my right: your foes I will put beneath your feet.’

The Lord will yield from Zion your sceptre of power: rule in the midst of all your foes.

A prince from the day of your birth on the holy mountains; from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.

‘You are a priest for ever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.’

The Master standing at your right hand will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.

He, the judge of the nations will heap high the bodies; heads shall be scattered far and wide.

He shall drink from the stream by the wayside and therefore he shall lift up his head.

Antiphon It is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you, alleluia.

Daily Prayer Come, Follow Me

Reading 2 Corinthians 1: 21-22 If you and we belong to Christ, guaranteed as his and anointed, it is all God’s doing; it is God also who has set his seal upon us, and as a pledge of what is to come has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts.

Short Responsory R They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, alleluia.

V They began to speak.

Glory be…

Benedictus/Magnificat Antiphon Receive the Holy Spirit. Those whose sins you forgive will be forgiven them, alleluia.

Our Father…

Concluding prayer Lord God, you sanctify your Church in every race and nation by the mystery we celebrate at Pentecost.

Pour out the gifts of the Holy Spirit on all mankind, and fulfil now in the hearts of your faithful what you accomplished when the Gospel was first preached on earth.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Benedictus (if said in the morning) or Magnificat (if said in the evening) see inside front cover for these prayers Intercessions Strengthened with measureless hope, we pray to Christ, who is calling his Church together in the Holy Spirit.

R Lord, renew the face of the earth.

Lord Jesus, raised on the cross, you poured out the water of rebirth for the life of the world. Quicken the life of all with the gift of the Spirit.

R Lord, renew the face of the earth.

You promised to send us the Spirit of truth, that we might become your heralds throughout the world. Through his presence in the Church may we bear fruitful witness to you.

R Lord, renew the face of the earth.

Come, Follow Me Friday

Baptism of Christ (1622) by Guido Reni

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Saturday - Mary, our mother and model Antiphon O how wonderful exchange! The Creator of human nature took on a human body and was born of the Virgin. He became Glory be to the Father and to the son man without having a human father and and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the has bestowed on us his divine nature. beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Alleluia) Psalmody omit Alleluias during Lent Psalm 112(113) Hymn Praise, O servants of the Lord, Maiden, yet a mother, praise the name of the Lord!

Daughter of thy Son, May the name of the Lord be blessed High beyond all other, Lowlier is none; both now and for evermore!

Thou the consummation From the rising of the sun to its setting Planned by God’s decree, praised be the name of the Lord!

When our lost creation High above all nations is the Lord, Nobler rose in thee! above the heavens his glory.

Thus His place prepared, Who is like the Lord, our God, He Who all things made who has risen on high to his throne ‘Mid His creatures tarried, in thy bosom laid; yet stoops from the heights to look down, There His love He nourished, to look down upon heaven and earth?

Warmth that gave increase From the dust he lifts up the lowly, To the root whence flourished from their misery he raises the poor Our eternal peace. to set them in the company of princes, Lady, lest our vision, yes, with the princes of his people.

Striving heavenward, fail, To the childless wife he gives a home Still let thy petition with thy Son prevail, and gladdens her heart with children.

Unto whom all merit, Glory be…

Power and majesty, With the Holy Spirit Antiphon And the Father be.

O how wonderful exchange! The Creator Dante Aligheri 1265-1321 of human nature took on a human body Tr. R A Knox 1888-1957 and was born of the Virgin. He became man without having a human father and has bestowed on us his divine nature.

Introduction O God, come to our aid. Lord, make haste to help us.

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Daily Prayer Come, Follow Me

Reading Micah 5:3-5 Therefore only so long as a woman is in labour shall he give up Israel; and then those that survive of his race shall rejoin their brethren.

He shall appear and be their shepherd in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and he shall be a man of peace.

Short Responsory R The Lord has made known our salvation.

V He has revealed his saving power.

Glory be‌ Antiphon God loved us so much that he sent his own Son in a mortal nature like ours: he was born of a woman, he was born subject to the Law, alleluia.

Our Father‌ Concluding prayer God, our Father, Since you gave mankind a saviour through blessed Mary, Virgin and mother, Grant that we may feel the power of her intercession when she pleads for us with Jesus Christ, your Son, the author of life, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Benedictus (if said in the morning) or Magnificat (if said in the evening) see inside back cover for these prayers Intercessions Blessed be the Lord Jesus, our bond of peace with one another.

R Lord, give peace to all.

Lord Jesus you revealed the meaning of human living; may we never fail to give you thanks.

R Lord, give peace to all.

You made Mary, your Mother, full of grace; enrich the lives of all with your blessings.

R Lord, give peace to all.

Come, Follow Me Saturday

The Assumption of the Virgin (1670)

by Bartolome Esteban Murillo

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Supplementary Resources

Including: quotes for evangelisation, an introduction to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), reflections on the Sign of the Cross, a prayer to the Holy Spirit used at the Second Vatican Council as well as some suggestions for further reading.

Image: Icon of the Archangel Gabriel by unknown Byzantine 50 icon writer (c.1387 to 1395)

Come, Follow Me

Quotes for further reflection General To believe in a Father who loves all men and women with an infinite love means realising that ‘he thereby confers upon them an infinite dignity’. To believe that the Son of God assumed our human flesh means that each human person has been taken up into the very heart of God. To believe that Jesus shed his blood for us removes any doubt about the boundless love which ennobles each human being. Our redemption has a social dimension because ‘God, in Christ, redeems not only the individual person, but also the social relations existing between men’.

To believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in everyone means realising that he seeks to penetrate every human situation and all social bonds: ‘The Holy Spirit can be said to possess an infinite creativity, proper to the divine mind, which knows how to loosen the knots of human affairs, even the most complex and inscrutable’.

Evangelisation is meant to cooperate with this liberating work of the Spirit.

On the Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), paragraph 178 - Pope Francis (2013)

Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.

God is Love (Deus Caritas Est), 1 - Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2005)

For the Church, evangelising means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new.’ But there is no new humanity if there are not first of all new persons renewed by baptism and by lives lived according to the gospel. The purpose of evangelisation is therefore precisely this interior change.

On Evangelism in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi), 18 - Pope Paul VI (1975)

When Christians live the life of Christ with deeper faith, their hope grows stronger and their charity more radiant. That was the goal of the Synod, and it is the goal of the new evangelisation to which the Spirit is summoning the whole Church.

The Church in Oceania (Ecclesia in Oceania) - Blessed John Paul II (2001)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. attributed to St Francis of Assisi

Come, Follow Me

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Praying for holiness and the willingness to spread the Word It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life.

St John Chrysostom (347-407)

Without prayer nothing good is done. God’s works are done with our hands joined, and on our knees. Even when we run, we must remain spiritually kneeling before him.

St Luigi Orione (1872-1940)

We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our lives - that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with him.

St Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)

We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.

St Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)

The following quotes relate to the themes of the various group sessions Week One The life of Christ is offered also as a healing grace that makes it possible for humanity to be what the Creator intended it to be. Living the life of Jesus Christ implies a deep respect for all life. It also implies a living spirituality and authentic morality, strengthened by the word of God in Scripture and celebrated in the sacraments of the Church.

Ecclesia in Oceania, 8

Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.

St Augustine of Hippo

Your God is ever beside you - indeed, He is even within you.

St Alphonsus Liguori

Week Two It is therefore essential that the new evangelisation should be centred on a transforming encounter with the living person of Christ. The first proclamation ought to bring about this overwhelming and exhilarating experience of Jesus Christ who calls each one of us to follow him on an adventure of faith The Church in Africa (Ecclesia in Africa), 57 - Blessed John Paul II (1995)

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Come, Follow Me

There is no true evangelisation if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed.

Evangelii Nuntiandi, 22

Evangelisation will also always contain - as the foundation, centre, and at the same time, summit of its dynamism - a clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all men, as a gift of God’s grace and mercy.

Evangelii Nuntiandi, 27

Catechesis aims therefore at developing understanding of the mystery of Christ in the light of God’s word, so that the whole of a person’s humanity is impregnated by that word. Changed by the working of grace into a new creature, the Christian thus sets himself to follow Christ and learns more and more within the Church to think like Him, to judge like Him, to act in conformity with His commandments, and to hope as He invites us to.

It is true that being a Christian means saying ‘yes’ to Jesus Christ, but let us remember that this ‘yes’ has two levels: It consists in surrendering to the word of God and relying on it, but it also means, at a later stage, endeavouring to know better - and better the profound meaning of this word.

On Catechesis in our Time (Catechesi Tradendae), 20 - Blessed Pope John Paul II (1979)

Week Three Techniques of evangelisation are good, but even the most advanced ones could not replace the gentle action of the Spirit. The most perfect preparation of the evangeliser has no effect without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit the most convincing dialectic has no power over the heart of man. Without Him the most highly developed schemas resting on a sociological or psychological basis are quickly seen to be quite valueless.

It must be said that the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelisation: it is He who impels each individual to proclaim the Gospel, and it is He who in the depths of consciences causes the word of salvation to be accepted and understood. But it can equally be said that He is the goal of evangelisation: He alone stirs up the new creation, the new humanity of which evangelisation is to be the result, with that unity in variety which evangelisation wishes to achieve within the Christian community. Through the Holy Spirit the Gospel penetrates to the heart of the world, for it is He who causes people to discern the signs of the times - signs willed by God - which evangelisation reveals and puts to use within history.

Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75

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Evangelisation thus exercises its full capacity when it achieves the most intimate relationship, or better still, a permanent and unbroken intercommunication, between the Word and the sacraments.

Evangelii Nuntiandi, 47

Week Four A spirituality of communion indicates above all the heart’s contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us, and whose light we must also be able to see shining on the face of the brothers and sisters around us. A spirituality of communion also means an ability to think of our brothers and sisters in faith within the profound unity of the Mystical Body, and therefore as ‘those who are a part of me.’ This makes us able to share their joys and sufferings, to sense their desires and attend to their needs, to offer them deep and genuine friendship.

A spirituality of communion implies also the ability to see what is positive in others, to welcome it and prize it as a gift from God: not only as a gift for the brother or sister who has received it directly, but also as a ‘gift for me’. A spirituality of communion means, finally, to know how to “make room” for our brothers and sisters, bearing ‘each other’s burdens’ (Galatians 6:2) and resisting the selfish temptations which constantly beset us and provoke competition, careerism, distrust and jealousy. Let us have no illusions: unless we follow this spiritual path, external structures of communion will serve very little purpose. They would become mechanisms without a soul, ‘masks’ of communion rather than its means of expression and growth.

At the Beginning of the New Millennium (Novo Millennio Ineunte) Blessed Pope John Paul II (2001)

On the question of relating to our fellowman – our neighbour’s spiritual need transcends every commandment. Everything else we do is a means to an end. But love is an end already, since God is love.

St Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein)

Week Five The synthesis between faith and culture and faith is not only a demand of culture but of faith…A faith that does not become culture is not fully accepted, not entirely thought through, not faithfully lived.

Blessed Pope John Paul II, Address to the Italian National Congress of the Ecclesial Movement for Cultural Commitment 1982

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The world sees in our conduct, in our behaviour, the proof that we are the real children of God. Pope Shenouda III

Week Six What is your role in the Body of Christ? You’ve certainly got one, and it’s utterly unique! John Paul II calls it a ‘personal and unrepeatable life project’ that the Father entrusts to you as his gift to you- and as your gift back to him. Such a personal life project is not usually revealed all at once, it unfolds in and is discovered through a consistent life of prayer, discernment and spiritual direction.

From The ‘One Thing’ is Three by Michael Gaitley MIC

Evangelising is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelise.

Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14

God knows me and calls me by my name... God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.

Somehow I am necessary for His purposes... I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.

Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.

If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me - still He knows what He is about... Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see - I ask not to know - I ask simply to be used.

From Meditations and Devotions, Blessed John Henry Newman

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Introducing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) In essence, RCIA is a process available through most parishes whereby adults are offered the opportunity to discover God’s love and his message – the Good News – for all humankind.

Recalling the experiences of the earliest Christians, the Church of the late 20th century crafted a rite or a series of ‘gateways’ enabling individuals to respond to Christ’s gift of himself and to initiate their own journey of faith ‘in Christ’ – that is in the fullest sense of the word - within the Roman Catholic tradition. While this relationship with God is intensely personal, it is, at the same time, very much ecclesial or communal and the parish community has an integral part in this process. Led by the Holy Spirit, members of the parish community serve as catechists – transmitting the gift of faith by witnessing Christ to in their daily living and helping inquirers to begin to sense the work of the Lord in their own lives. Besides helping them to develop a habit of prayer, they guide inquires to deepen their knowledge the teachings of the Catholic Church and its relevance to daily living, to participate in the celebration of Mass and to prepare to receive the sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

It is in and through these long standing sacramental celebrations and various other liturgical celebrations that the journey is formally initiated. Through these ‘gateways’, God’s work is made present, his graces flow forth and the response to his loving invitation is affirmed in the presence of and with the prayerful support of the parish community.

Given that people approach the church from different starting points and with differing levels of knowledge of the Church’s teachings, the RCIA does not have a strict curriculum or schema. Guided by the teachings set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, catechists are entrusted to ensure that the church’s entire deposit of faith is presented ‘gradually, logically and completely’ to those seeking entrance into the Catholic Church. The RCIA process includes two distinctive pathways: one for the unbaptised and another for persons who have been previously been baptised. Recognising as a permanent seal, the Catholic Church does not repeat baptism but seeks to enliven the gift of faith previously received.

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The following chart illustrates the four periods through which inquirers gradually progress to full communion in the Church and shows the gateways or liturgical celebrations that frame this process.

Periods

Culminating Rite for the Unbaptised

Culminating Rite for the Previously Baptised

1 Precatechumenate -a time for evangelisation -a time to ask questions and to develop a longing to enter into a personal relationship with Christ

Rite of Welcome (1)

Rite of Acceptance (1)

2 Catechumenate - an extended period of catechetical formation giving time to make the message of Christ a part of daily living

Rite of Election (2)

Call to Continuing Conversion (2)

3 Purification and Enlightenment - generally a time of more intense internal reflection including the sacrament of reconciliation for the previously baptised.

Sacraments of Initiation (3)*

Reception into full Communion (3)

4 Mystagogy and the Neophyte Year -a time of spiritual growth and further deepening of faith within the parish community.

*Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation

(1) The first opportunity for the parish to welcome and begin to prayerfully support those considering ‘new life’ in Christ.

(2) The culminating celebrations are usually held at the beginning of Lent (3) The culminating celebrations are generally a part of Easter Vigil celebrations

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The Sign of the Cross The following reflection is taken from Fr Romano Guardini’s book, Sacred Signs

You can make the sign of the Cross, and make it rightly.

Nothing in the way of hasty waving of the hand, from which no one could understand what you are doing—no a real sign of the cross: slow, large, from forehead to breast, and from one shoulder to the other. Don’t you feel that it takes in the whole of you? Gather up all thoughts and all feelings into this sign, as it goes from forehead to breast; pull yourself together, as it goes from shoulder to shoulder. It covers the whole of you, body and soul; it gathers you up, dedicates you, sanctifies you.

Why? Because it is the sign of the whole man and the sign of redemption. On the Cross our Lord redeemed all men. Through the Cross He sanctifies the whole man, to the very last fibre of his being.

That is why we cross ourselves before our prayers, so that the sign may pull us together and set us in order, may fix thoughts, heart and will in God. After prayers, we cross ourselves, so that what God has given us may stay with us. In temptation, that is may strengthen us; in danger, that it may protect us; when a blessing is given, that the fullness of life from God may be taken into our soul, and may consecrate all in it and make it fruitful.

Think of this when you make the sign of the Cross. It is the holiest sign there is.

Make it carefully, slowly; make a large one, with recollection. For then it embraces our whole being, body and soul, your thoughts and will, imagination and feeling, doing and resting; and in it all will be strengthened, stamped, consecrated in the power of Christ, in the name of the Trinity.

A further thought This simple prayer in itself, typically starts and ends our periods of prayer. As we pass a church it serves as a mark of respect for the one who is reserved in the tabernacle. On entering the church, dipping the fingers of our right hand in holy water and making the sign of the Cross, we recall our baptism. Prior to the reading of the Gospel, we make three small crosses – on our forehead, on our lips and over our heart – to ask that Christ’s message be imprinted on our hearts, minds and in our words. Each of these acts is a prayer, a prayer that we be placed under the protection of the Cross in our daily lives and that the sacrifice it symbolises characterise our own actions.

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Prayer to God, the Spirit This prayer was composed by St. Isidore of Seville, to be used during the Second Provincial Council of Seville, Spain, in 619. It was also used during the Fourth Provincial Council of Toledo, Spain, in 633.

With this prayer the sessions of the First Vatican Council began in 1869. It was said in Latin before every morning meeting of the preparatory commissions and conciliar commissions of Vatican II.

We stand before you, Holy spirit, conscious of our sinfulness, but aware that we gather in your name.

Come to us, remain with us, and enlighten our hearts.

Give us light and strength to know your will, to make it our own, and to live it in our lives.

Guide us by your wisdom, support us by your power, for you are God, sharing the glory of Father and Son. You desire justice for all: enable us to uphold the rights of others; do not allow us to be misled by ignorance or corrupted by fear or favour.

Unite us to yourself in the bond of love and keep us faithful to all that is true.

As we gather in your name may we temper justice with love, so that all our decisions may be pleasing to you, and earn the reward promised to good and faithful servants.

You live and reign with the Father and the Son, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

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Your Personal Testimony Giving a personal testimony or sharing one’s faith story is a key element in the process of evangelization. It is only natural that people listen more closely and come to trust people that they know. Many people, however, find it difficult to speak about their relationship with Christ. Generally, a faith story comes from the heart but these few questions may help you prepare to tell your story in a few short sentences.

Introduction Provide a few introductory sentences to provide sufficient background for the story. Where are you from? What were you like before coming to know God at work in your life?

Faith Story Give an example or two when God has been at work in your life and how this has prompted you to want to grow in intimate friendship with Christ. Who is Jesus to you?

What softened your heart and helped you to hear the Gospel message?

Following your Conversion/Transformation How have your priorities been transformed? How does what you believe make a difference in your life? How does your faith guide your day-to-day living?

There is more space on p.62

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Proclaiming Christ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).

Jesus’ words to his disciples make it clear that he is sending them off with a message. That message which has come to be known as the Kerygma (Greek meaning ‘proclamation’) is the very heart of the Gospel. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis affirms that this first announcement ‘needs to be the centre of all evangelising activity and all efforts at Church renewal.’

The message - ‘Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you,’ is the very essence of our faith (EG, 164).

This message which all of us are called to proclaim is that same message that was handed down to Apostles and to each of us through Holy Scripture. As Pope Francis suggests we must hear again and again in different ways (cf. 164), and you will find this proclamation included in each reflection contained in this booklet.

It is intended to arouse faith, that is a genuine desire to want to know Jesus personally (General Directory of Catechesis, 61). It is an invitation to respond to our Lord’s great gift of himself to each one of us.

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Notes

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Further reading Church documents Many papal documents were mentioned in this booklet which can help us in our shared task to be missionary disciples. These are available from the Vatican website [www.vatican.va] or to buy in hard copy from the Catholic Truth Society. For example: Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), 2005 Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), 2013 Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evanglisation in the Modern World), 1975 Blessed John Paul II: Catechesi Tradendae (Catechesis in our Time), 1979 Eclessia in America (The Church in America), 1999 Eclessia in Oceania (The Church in Oceania) 2001 Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millenium), 2001 Ecclesia in Europa (The Church in Europe), 2003 General Directory for Catechesis, 1997 Other Resources Susan W.Blum (1998) The Ministry of Evangelisation, Liturgical Press Michael Duggan (1991) Consuming Fire, A Christian Introduction to the Old Testament, Ignatius Press Romano Guardini (1937) Sacred Signs, Sheed & Ward Scott Hahn (1998) A Father Keeps His Promises, Servant Books Matthew Kelly (2012) The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic: How Engaging 1% of Catholics Could Change the World, Beacon Publishing Sherry Weddell (2012) Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Our Sunday Visitor Cardinal Donald Wurel (2013) New Evangelization: Passing on the Catholic Faith Today, Our Sunday Visitor Radiating Christ (2012) WRCDT [http://issuu.com/exploringfaith/docs/radiatingchrist]

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exploring faith Some other booklets in the exploring faith group sharing series

Hail Mary, Full of Grace (published autumn 2010)

Six group sessions for faith-sharing which explore what the Scriptures and the Church say about Mary - the immaculately conceived, sinless, ever-virgin, mother of Christ, assumed into heaven.

978-0-9563514-4-9 £1.50 where sold

Sparks of Light (published Lent 2012)

Six group sessions for faith-sharing which explore, through the lives of four twentieth-century saints, the universal call to holiness and virtue.

978-0-9570793-2-8 £1.50 where sold

Teach Us to Pray (published autumn 2013)

Six group sessions for faith-sharing which explore, the call to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and the idea of faith in today’s world.

978-0-9570793-7-3 £1.50 where sold

Amazing Grace (published Lent 2013)

Six group sessions for faith-sharing exploring the call to continuing conversion and the mercy and love shown by God to his children.

978-0-9570793-6-6 £1.50 where sold

Each of the previous resources in the exploring faith series can be downloaded and viewed by visiting the Diocese of Westminster’s website or can be purchased from our bookstore. If you have a QR reader simply scan the code (right) and you will be directed to the relevant webpage (www.rcdow.org.uk/bookstore).

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The Song of Zechariah (Benedictus)

The Song of Mary (Magnificat)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, born of the house of his servant David.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant, and from this day all generations will call me blessed.

Through the holy prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by forgiving them their sins.

The Almighty has done great things for me: holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.

In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet on the road of peace.

The Benedictus can be found in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel (Luke 1:68-79). You can also find the Magnificat in Luke’s account, earlier in chapter one (Luke 1:46-55).

The latest booklet in the Diocese of Westminster’s exploring faith series contains six group sessions for faith-sharing which explore the joy of spreading the gospel.

Come, Follow Me also contains a number of prayers and reflections as well as a scheme of daily prayer based on the Divine Office.

Other booklets can be accessed online at issuu.com/exploringfaith or via the Diocese of Westminster website rcdow.org.uk following the links for small groups.