This prayer is to be done in a group setting and the process is based on that used by the Christian Life Community, an Ignatian prayer movement. Use it for small meditation groups, before staff or parish meetings.
Check in
Sit quietly in a circle. Some music in the background might help people find a contemplative space. The person leading the session invites people to share a word or a phrase about how they are feeling as the prayer session begins.
Reading – Baruch 1:15-22
We have been disobedient to the Lord our God
Integrity belongs to the Lord our God; to us the look of shame we wear today, to us, the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, to our kings and princes, our priests, our prophets, as to our ancestors, because we have sinned in the sight of the Lord, have disobeyed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God telling us to follow the commandments which the Lord had ordained for us. From the day when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, we have been disloyal, refusing to listen to his voice. And so the disasters, and the curse which the Lord pronounced through his servant Moses the day he brought our fathers out of Egypt to give us a land where milk and honey flow, have seized on us, disasters we experience today. Despite all the words of those prophets whom he sent us, we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, but, each following the dictates of his evil heart, we have taken to serving alien gods, and doing what is displeasing to the Lord our God.
Contemplative silence
Feast Day Novena Prayer for Peace
St Therese, Flower of fervour and love, please intercede for us.
As we approach and celebrate your feast day,
make us more aware of the goodness of
God and how well He tends His garden.
Instill in us your little way of doing
ordinary things with extra-ordinary love.
Give us the heart of a child who wonders
at life and embraces everything with loving enthusiasm.
Teach us your delight in God’s ways
so that divine charity may blossom in our hearts.
Little Flower of Jesus, bring our petitions
(mention in silence here)
before God, our Father.
With your confidence, we come before Jesus
as God’s children,
because you are our heavenly friend.
As we celebrate the Feast Day of your
homecoming in heaven, continue to
shower roses and grace upon us.
Amen
Sharing
In their own time, people are invited to share their response to the reading or prayer to St Therese. Compare and contrast the first readings indictment of the disobedience of the Israelites who did not listen to God with the obedience St Therese. Consider the gardening images of a land of milk and honey, or the roses of St Therese. How do they strike you? Pope Francis’ prayer intention for October is to be missionary disciples. Think about the life and work of St Therese, who herself is the patroness of the missions.
The sharings are received in silence. After everyone in the group has finished their sharing, people are then free to add anything they wish to.
Review and closing
When the sharing and discussion is finished, group members are invited to enter a reflective space again. They are then invited to share a word or phrase describing how they are feeling at the end of the meeting – how has the meeting moved them?
The group closes the meeting with a shared prayer, e.g. Our Father.
[footnote]
This can be used as a template for any of meeting day – simply use the appropriate day’s readings, and then consider the reflection. The leader may prepare some questions from the readings to prompt discussion.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2021 edition of Madonna magazine.
