PRAYER SERVICE VISIT OF THE PILGRIM JUBILEE CROSS

PRAYER SERVICE
VISIT OF THE PILGRIM JUBILEE CROSS
 
ICTHUS  SONG
 
V./    In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
R./    Amen.
 
 
INVITATION TO PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
(Ephesians 1, 3-10)
 
Presider:
Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
R. Blessed be God forever.
 
God chose us in him
before the world began
to be holy and blameless in his sight.
R. Blessed be God forever.
 
He predestined us
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.
R. Blessed be God forever.
 
In him and through is blood,
we have been redeemed, and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.
R. Blessed be God forever.
 
God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased
to decree in Christ.
R. Blessed be God forever.
 
A plan to be carried out in Christ, in the fullness of time, to bring all things into one in him, in the heavens and on earth.
R. Blessed be God forever.
 
The presider introduces the celebration in these or similar words:
 
My dear brothers and sisters, let us turn with trust to God our Father, who is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, great in love and fidelity. We strike our breasts
and bow our heads in shame
as we recognize that our failures in renewal, our hardness of heart
and resistance to conversion.
 Let us ask him
to accept our repentance
as we humbly confess our sins
and grant us his mercy and forgiveness.
 
All pause for a moment of prayerful silence.
 
READING
 
The Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 5:1-12)
 
When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
 
The Gospel of the Lord.
 
CONFESSIO PECCATI
 
Leader: 
We pray that our confession and repentance will be inspired by the Holy Spirit that our sorrow will be conscious and deep, and that, humbly viewing the sins of the past in an authentic purification of memory, we will be committed to the path of true conversion.  Sanctified
in the blood of Jesus, the Church counts among her children in every age members whose holiness shines brightly forth and members whose disobedience against you contradicts the faith we profess and the Gospel we proclaim.
We beg the Lord to remain faithful, even when we are unfaithful,
forgive our sins and grant that we may bear true witness to you
before all men and women.
 
V./    Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.
R./    Lord, have mercy.
 
The first candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
Leader: 
We pray for all bishops, priests and religious called to be shepherds of the Church after the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  We pray for those who failed to be good shepherds but have become lost sheep themselves. God
has given his beloved priests
a share in your Son’s consecration
to the priestly service in your Church.
We implore God’s mercy on your sinful children
for failing to be servant-leaders
of the community entrusted to their care.
May the good Lord grant them the grace to be your faithful witnesses and a sign of your loving presence in the world.
 
V./    Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.
R./    Lord, have mercy.
 
The second candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
Leader: 
We beg the Lord to forgive us of our sins against social justice, for those who have suffered offenses against their human dignity and whose rights have been trampled, for all the men and women of the world especially the minors who are victims of abuses, for the poor, the afflicted, the defenseless, the unborn killed in their mothers’ womb, and for all the victims of our injustice.  God, our Father always hear the cry of the poor.
There were many times that we have failed to recognize Jesus in the hungry, the thirsty and the naked, in the persecuted,
the imprisoned and in those incapable
of defending themselves.
 We beg the Lord’s pardon for our own insensitivity to the needs of our brothers and sisters
for all violence against human life,
for abortion, euthanasia, death penalty, sexual abuse, and all other violence
against your beloved children.
We also ask forgiveness for trusting much
in wealth and power and showing contempt in little ones who are so dear to you.
We envisioned our Church
to be the Church of the poor.
 May the Lord have mercy on us and accept our repentance.
 
V./    Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.
R./    Lord, have mercy.
 
The third candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
Leader: 
We pray that our recognition of the sins through which we failed to be true disciples of Jesus, facilitate the way to build a community of disciples living and practicing the Gospel of Christ.  Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave us the responsibility
of proclaiming the Gospel
to the ends of the world, not only by our words
but more importantly, by our life.
 We envisioned ourselves to be a community of disciples always focused to our Lord, always ready to fulfill his commands gift of a repentant heart so that
we truly be a Church
working together for the coming
of your kingdom.

 
V./    Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.
R./    Lord, have mercy.
 
The fourth candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
CONFESSIO LAUDIS
 
Leader: 
Our confessio peccati would be gravely incomplete without making this prayer for conversion and renewal a confessio laudis too.  We rejoice in the perseverance and increase of many movements of renewal in the Church that have promoted the causes of women, the youth, farmers, laborers, fisher folk, the urban poor, overseas workers, families and the environment. We rejoice, too, that in the Church many committed lay people, religious women and men, clergy, communities and institutions have sustained efforts to effect renewal through faith formation and the building of Basic Ecclesial Communities, active love of the poor and the earth, renewed awareness of and commitment to mission, and deepened hope.
 
V./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
R./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
 
The fifth candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
Leader: 
We remember with gratitude Santo Domingo Ibanez, a Dominican missionary priest who served Binalatongan, Pangasinan.  He became a missionary in Japan performing clandestine priestly ministry at night under threat of death until he was arrested for his Catholic faith.  He was sentenced to the dreadful and mortal torture of hanging upside down from a gallows to a pit, which caused him death by bleeding and suffocation.   He showed heroic priestly dedication comforting the persecuted Christians, reconciling apostates and administering the sacraments under severe situations.  He was a tireless and courageous reconciler of those who have abandoned the Christian faith.  He inspires us to reach out to former Catholics who have abandoned the faith. The world needs apostles of mercy and compassion.
 
V./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
R./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
 
The sixth candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
Leader: 
We extol the holiness of San Francisco Gil de Federich for his example of joy in humiliation.  He served the Christian faithful in Binalatongan, Pangasinan. He was sent as a missionary in Tonkin.  He was arrested for being a Catholic priest and was sentenced to death by beheading.  He refused to step on the crucifix and deface the image of the Virgin Mary.  Even while is jail waiting for his execution, he heard confessions of fellow prisoners, baptized infants and anointed the sick and the dying. Subjected to humiliations, insults and maltreatment, he faced his tormentors with edifying calmness and courage. His example should give us courage to face humiliations without revenge; to endure insults with joy; and to give thanks to God when maltreated.
 
V./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
R./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
 
The seventh candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
Leader: 
We remember with great admiration and fondness Beato Jose Garcia Diaz and Beato Candido Fernandez Garcia for their courage and humility.  They served Dagupan as missionary teachers at the Colegio de San Alberto Magno. Both were arrested in Barcelona, Spain for being Catholic priests. They were shot and their corpses horribly mutilated were left on the streets by anarchists.  Intellectual brilliance must be crowned by humility and piety. The proof of humility is courage to stand up for the Lord. These beatos of Dagupan should inspire us to be high in learning the faith and deep in cultivating piety. Humility is not timidity. Courage is not pride. They need each other .
 
V./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
R./    Glory and praise to you, Lord.
 
The eighth candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
CONFESSIO FIDEI
 
Leader:
Let us now proclaim our faith in the Lord who has called us to be servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
 
V./   I will live what I believe.
R./   I will live what I believe.
 
I believe in the God of love,
the owner of everything who possesses everyone.
I believe in the God of mercies who has chosen me
to be a steward of Mother Nature and Mother Church,
in spite of who I am and what I have done,
and in spite of the infidelities He knows I will still commit.
 
V./   I will live what I believe.
R./   I will live what I believe.
 
I believe in the power of giving
and in the power of loving like Jesus;
because love is the only way to holiness;
giving is the best proof of loving;
and perfect renunciation leads to unlimited fruitfulness.
 
V./   I will live what I believe.
R./   I will live what I believe.
 
I believe that in freely giving my time,
in humbly sharing my talents,
and in generously sacrificing my treasures,
the Lord will always provide.
He will take care of all my needs,
and bless me with infinite reward on earth and in heaven.
I will be the first to give.
I will not wait for the others.
I will keep on giving even if others do not give.
I will not be afraid to have none.
I believe that the best time to share is now, not tomorrow,
for tomorrow is an excuse of the greedy.
 
V./   I will live what I believe.
R./   I will live what I believe.
 
I will keep my needs and wants simple and few,
for I believe that in reducing my selfishness,
I will grow in happiness and holiness.
I am a steward of the Lord.
I will return all these to Him with abundant yield!
Much is asked of me because much has been given to me
I praise the Lord for His kindness to me
 
V./   I will live what I believe.
R./   I will live what I believe.
 
The ninth candle is lit before the crucifix.
 
As a sign of penance, the Presider kisses and embraces the crucifix.
 
LORD’S PRAYER
 
Presider:  
Let us pray like Jesus:
 
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed by thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespass
as we forgive those who trespasses against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
 
CONCLUDING PRAYER
 
Presider:
Grant, O Lord, that we your servants,
who by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
turn back to you in whole-hearted repentance,
may experience your mercy
and receive the forgiveness of our sins.
 
Give us new eyes
to see more clearly that the gift of renewal
calls for a courageous response of faith and conversion. 
Create in us a new heart
that we can receive your gift of newness with love
at the cost of letting go of old ways,
of dying to ourselves
and of daring to risk new and unfamiliar paths.
 
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R./    Amen.
 
The Lord be with you.
R. And also with you.
 
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, ✠ and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
 
R. Amen.
 
PANANAGUTAN SONG
 
The faithful may now approach the pilgrim jubilee cross to venerate the stone relic from the Upper Room where the Last Supper and Pentecost took place.