Jesus Christ the Saviour

I cried, you've heard,
I called, you answered,
I called,
and I heard you're there.
But where are you?
It 'hard to believe
in place indefinitely
where it wants you to be.
Yet, there is life,
life without hope,
no sense
death without a reason.
I still have the principles,
ideas, words of love,
and your example
of life and death,
infinitely great

.

2. The Magnificat (cf. Luke 1:46-55)

Saturday Meditation

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior:

Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid; for behold, henceforth all generations shall

call me blessed;

Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name;

And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.

He has shown might with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.

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

He has given help to Israel, His servant, mindful of His mercy, even as He spoke to our fathers, to

Abraham and to his posterity for ever. Amen.

2b. Hail Holy Queen

Daily prayer of the Archconfraternity of

Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine & the AFC

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy; our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor ban-

40

ished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning, and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto

us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

2c. The Angelus (3 times daily)

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,

R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary…

V. Behold the Handmaid of the Lord,

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary…

V. And the Word was made flesh,

R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary…

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the

Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross

be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

6a-9. The Holy Rosary

Five decades of the Rosary should be prayed daily

For the Church’s teachings on the Rosary, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 971, 2678, and 2708.

How to pray the Rosary:

Pray the Apostles’ Creed (#6a) on the Crucifix. Then offer one Our Father (#6b) on the large bead, and

three Hail Marys (#6c) on each of the three small beads for the Holy Father, the Pope. After the three Hail

Marys, pray the Glory Be (#7a), the Fatima Rosary Prayer (#7b), and the Consecration Prayer (#7c).

Announce the Mystery for the decade (see #7d) and meditate on it while praying. Pray one Our Father

on the large bead. Pray the Hail Mary on each of the ten small beads. On the next large bead, pray the

Glory Be, the Rosary Prayer, and the Consecration Prayer. Then, on the same large bead, announce the

next Mystery and begin again with the Our Father. Continue until you have prayed all five decades.

After the Rosary, pray #8, 8a, 9, 10 & 11a. (Note: Pope Leo XIII asked for a prayer to St. Joseph to be recited at the end of the Rosary.)

Please see pages 582, 616, and 649 for Rosary meditation resources.

6a. Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son,

our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell, the third day He rose again from the dead, He

ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall

come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the

Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

For an explanation of the term “descended into hell,” see paragraphs 631-637 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For a complete explanation of

the Apostles’ Creed, see paragraphs 198-1065.

6b. Our Father

Our Father, Who art in Heaven; hallowed be 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who

trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

For a detailed explanation of the Our Father, see paragraphs 2759–2865 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

41

6c. Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of

thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

To learn about the Church’s teachings on Mary, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 411, 487–511, 721–726, 773, 829, 963–975,

2617–2619, and 2622.

7a. Glory Be

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.

For more on the Holy Trinity, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s index, under “Trinity.” Some key paragraphs are: 232-234, 238-246, 253-255,

683 and 687.

7b. Fatima Rosary Prayer

The prayer Our Lady of Fatima requested to

be said after each decade of the Rosary.

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those

who are in most need of Your mercy.

7c. The Apostolate’s Motto and Short Form Consecration Prayer

Said after every decade of the Rosary following 7b

All for the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of

Mary, all in union with St. Joseph.

After the Rosary, pray #8, 8a, 9, 10 & 11a

8. St. Joseph Prayer after the Rosary

Glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me and all the members of my family

and loved ones, a confident, sinless, generous, and patient heart, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will.

Be our guide, father, and model throughout life, that we may merit a death like yours, in the arms of

Jesus and Mary.

Help us, St. Joseph, in our earthly strife, to fulfill our responsibilities and ever to lead a pure and

blameless life.

Heavenly Father, please ask the Holy Spirit, Who resides in the innermost recesses of my soul, to help

me to call to mind all of my sins and faults. Help me to detach myself from these faults and sins so that I

can be a useful instrument in the hands of the Most Holy Family, to achieve Your distinctive plan for my

life.

Let me now pause for a few moments to think of my sins, faults, and omissions.

8a. Examination of

Conscience Prayer

Reflectively read your “key card” and part of the Examination of Conscience in section 53a–53m.

Mother Mary, please obtain for me, my family, and the members and families of The Apostolate the

Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the grace to live the virtues which will help us overcome our primary faults.

Let us be caught up in the Holy Spirit’s love for the Father and the Holy Family.

9. Act of Contrition

Recited daily

O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all of my sins, because I dread

the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they have offended Thee, my God, Who art

all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do

penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask You to release a Poor Soul

42

of one of our loved ones from Purgatory for each of us who have received Your Son in Holy Communion this

day, and we ask these souls being released to pray continually that our families and the members and families

of The Apostolate do Your will.

47. Ave Maris Stella

Hail, bright star of ocean,

God’s own Mother blest,

Ever sinless Virgin,

Gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave

Which from Gabriel came,

Peace confirm within us,

Changing Eva’s name.

Break the captives’ fetters,

Light on blindness pour,

All our ills expelling,

Every bliss emplore.

Show thyself a mother,

May the Word Divine,

Born for us thy Infant,

Hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling,

Mildest of the mild,

Freed from guilt, preserve us,

Pure and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless,

Make our way secure,

Till we find in Jesus

Joy forever more.

Through the highest Heaven

To the Almighty Three,

Father, Son and Spirit,

One same glory be. Amen.

The Holy Father essentially said that the next synod of bishops would be on the Fatima message,

reconciliation and penance. Upon his return from his pilgrimage to Fatima in 1982 he stated:

The message that came from Fatima in 1917, considered in the light of the teaching of faith,

contains the eternal truth of the Gospel, as applied particularly to the needs of our era.

The call to conversion and penance is the first and fundamental word of the Gospel. It never

loses its force, and in our century it takes on a particular dimension in the face of the increasing

awareness of the greater than ever struggle between the forces of good and evil in our human

world. This is also the central point of the Church’s concern, as attested by the voices of the pastors

who have indicated “reconciliation and penance” as the most relevant theme, dedicating the

treatment of it to the next session of the Synod of Bishops for this reason.

IX. Act of Entrustment to Mary

On October 8, 2000, during the Jubilee of Bishops, Pope John Paul II knelt before a statue of Our Lady of

Fatima in St. Peter’s Square and led the following prayer in union with over 1500 of the bishops of the world

and 80 cardinals, to entrust the entire world and the Church to Mary.

“Woman, behold your Son!” (Jn 19:26).

As we near the end of this Jubilee Year,

when you, O Mother, have offered us Jesus anew,

the blessed fruit of your womb most pure,

the Word made flesh, the world’s Redeemer,

we hear more clearly the sweet echo of his words

entrusting us to you, making you our Mother:

“Woman, behold your Son!”

When he entrusted to you the Apostle John,

and with him the children of the Church and all people,

Christ did not diminish but affirmed anew

the role which is his alone as the Savior of the world.

You are the splendor which in no way dims the light of Christ,

for you exist in him and through him.

Everything in you is fiat: you are the Immaculate One,

through you there shines the fullness of grace.

Here, then, are your children, gathered before you

at the dawn of the new millennium.

The Church today, through the voice of the Successor of Peter,

in union with so many Pastors assembled here

from every corner of the world,

seeks refuge in your motherly protection

and trustingly begs your intercession

as she faces the challenges which lie hidden in the future.

In this year of grace, countless people have known

the overflowing joy of the mercy

which the Father has given us in Christ.

In the particular Churches throughout the world,

and still more in this center of Christianity,

the widest array of people have accepted this gift.

Here the enthusiasm of the young rang out,

here the sick have lifted up their prayer.

Here have gathered priests and religious,

artists and journalists,

workers and people of learning,

children and adults,

and all have acknowledged in your beloved Son

the Word of God made flesh in your womb.

O Mother, intercede for us,

that the fruits of this Year will not be lost

and that the seeds of grace will grow

to the full measure of the holiness

to which we are all called.

Today we wish to entrust to you the future that awaits us, and we ask you to be with us on our way.

We are the men and women of an extraordinary time,

exhilarating yet full of contradictions.

Humanity now has instruments of unprecedented power:

we can turn this world into a garden,

or reduce it to a pile of rubble.

We have devised the astounding capacity

to intervene in the very well-springs of life:

man can use this power for good, within the bounds of the moral law,

or he can succumb to the short-sighted pride

of a science which accepts no limits,

but tramples on the respect due to every human being.

Today as never before in the past,

humanity stands at a crossroads.

And once again, O Virgin Most Holy,

salvation lies fully and uniquely in Jesus, your Son.

Therefore, O Mother, like the Apostle John,

we wish to take you into our home (cf. Jn 19:27),

that we may learn from you to become like your Son.

“Woman, behold your son!”

Here we stand before you

to entrust to your maternal care

ourselves, the Church, the entire world.

Plead for us with your beloved Son

that he may give us in abundance the Holy Spirit,

the Spirit of truth which is the fountain of life.

Receive the Spirit for us and with us,

as happened in the first community gathered round you

in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:14).

May the Spirit open our hearts to justice and love,

and guide people and nations to mutual understanding

and a firm desire for peace.

We entrust to you all people, beginning with the weakest:

the babies yet unborn,

and those born into poverty and suffering,

the young in search of meaning,

the unemployed,

and those suffering hunger and disease.

We entrust to you all troubled families,

the elderly with no one to help them,

and all who are alone and without hope.

O Mother, you know the sufferings

and hopes of the Church and the world:

come to the aid of your children in the daily trials

which life brings to each one,

and grant that, thanks to the efforts of all,

the darkness will not prevail over the light.

To you, Dawn of Salvation, we commit

our journey through the new Millennium,

so that with you as guide

all people may know Christ,

the light of the world and its only Savior,

who reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit

for ever and ever. Amen.

36

X. Marian Prayers and Devotions

Marian Prayers by

Pope John Paul II

1. O Mary,

Mother of Mercy,

watch over all people,

that the Cross of Christ

may not be emptied of its power,

that man may not stray

from the path of the good

or become blind to sin,

but may put his hope ever more fully in God

who is “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4).

May he carry out the good works

prepared by God beforehand (cf. Eph 2:10)

and so live completely

“for the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:12).

From the encyclical letter The Splendor of Truth (Veritatis Splendor)

August 6, 1993

=

2. Mary, image of the Church, the Bride without spot or wrinkle, which by imitating you “preserves with virginal

purity an integral faith, a firm hope and sincere charity,” sustain consecrated persons on their journey toward the

sole and eternal blessedness.

To you, Virgin of the Visitation, do we entrust them, that they may go forth to meet human needs, to bring help, but

above all to bring Jesus. Teach them to proclaim the mighty things which the Lord accomplishes in the world, that

all peoples may extol the greatness of his name. Support them in their work for the poor, the hungry, those without

hope, the little ones and all who seek your Son with a sincere heart.

To you, our Mother, who desire the spiritual and apostolic renewal of your sons and daughters in a response of love

and complete dedication to Christ, we address our confident prayer. You who did the will of the Father, ever ready

in obedience, courageous in poverty and receptive in fruitful virginity, obtain from your divine Son that all who

have received the gift of following him in the consecrated life may be enabled to bear witness to that gift by their

transfigured lives, as they joyfully make their way with all their brothers and sisters toward our heavenly homeland

and the light which will never grow dim.

We ask you this, that in everyone and in everything glory, adoration and love may be given to the Most High Lord

of all things, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

From the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Consecrated Life (Vita Consecrata)

March 25, 1996

=

3. O Most Blessed Virgin Mary,

Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church,

With joy and wonder we seek to make our

own your Magnificat, joining you in your hymn of thankfulness and love.

With you we give thanks to God,

“whose mercy

is from generation to generation,”

for the exalted vocation

and the many forms of mission

entrusted to the lay faithful.

God has called each of them by name

to live his own communion of love

37

and holiness

and to be one

in the great family of God’s children.

He has sent them forth

to shine with the light of Christ

and to communicate the fire of the Spirit

in every part of society

through their life

inspired by the Gospel.

O Virgin of the Magnificat,

fill their hearts

with a gratitude and enthusiasm

for this vocation and mission.

With humility and magnanimity

you were the “handmaid of the Lord”;

give us your unreserved willingness

for service to God

and the salvation of the world.

Open our hearts

to the great anticipation

of the Kingdom of God

and of the proclamation of the Gospel

to the whole of creation.

Your mother’s heart

is ever mindful of the many dangers

and evils which threaten

to overpower men and women

in our time.

At the same time your heart also takes notice

of the many initiatives

undertaken for good,

the great yearning for values,

and the progress achieved

in bringing forth

the abundant fruits of salvation.

O Virgin full of courage,

may your spiritual strength

and trust in God inspire us,

so that we might know

how to overcome all the obstacles

that we encounter

in accomplishing our mission.

Teach us to treat the affairs

of the world

with a real sense of Christian responsibility

and a joyful hope

of the coming of God’s Kingdom, and

of a “new heavens and a new earth.”

You who were gathered in prayer

with the Apostles in the Cenacle,

awaiting the coming

of the Spirit at Pentecost,

implore his renewed outpouring

on all the faithful, men and women alike,

so that they might more fully respond

to their vocation and mission,

as branches engrafted to the true vine,

called to bear much fruit

38

for the life of the world.

O Virgin Mother,

guide and sustain us

so that we might always live

as true sons and daughters

of the Church of your Son.

Enable us to do our part

in helping to establish on earth

the civilization of truth and love,

as God wills it,

for his glory. Amen.

From the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation The Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People (Christifideles Laici)

December 30, 1988

4. O Mary,

bright dawn of the new world,

Mother of the living,

to you do we entrust the cause of life:

Look down, O Mother,

upon the vast numbers

of babies not allowed to be born,

of the poor whose lives are made difficult,

of men and women

who are victims of brutal violence,

of the elderly and the sick killed

by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son

may proclaim the Gospel of life

with honesty and love

to the people of our time.

Obtain for them the grace

to accept that Gospel

as a gift ever new,

the joy of celebrating it with gratitude

throughout their lives

and the courage to bear witness to it

resolutely, in order to build,

together with all people of good will,

the civilization of truth and love,

to the praise and glory of God,

the Creator and lover of life.

From the encyclical letter The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae)

March 25, 1995

=

5. O Mary,

Mother of Jesus Christ and Mother of priests,

accept this title which we bestow on you

to celebrate your motherhood

and to contemplate with you the priesthood

of your Son and of your sons,

O holy Mother of God.

39

O Mother of Christ,

to the Messiah-priest you gave a body of flesh

through the anointing of the Holy Spirit

for the salvation of the poor and the contrite of heart;

guard priests in your heart and in the Church,

O Mother of the Savior.

O Mother of Faith,

you accompanied to the Temple the Son of Man,

the fulfillment of the promises given to the fathers;

give to the Father for his glory

the priests of your Son,

O Ark of the Covenant.

O Mother of the Church,

in the midst of the disciples in the upper room

you prayed to the Spirit

for the new people and their shepherds;

obtain for the Order of Presbyters

a full measure of gifts,

O Queen of the Apostles.

O Mother of Jesus Christ,

you were with him at the beginning

of his life and mission,

you sought the Master among the crowd,

you stood beside him when he was lifted

up from the earth

consumed as the one eternal sacrifice,

and you had John, your son, near at hand;

accept from the beginning those

who have been called,

protect their growth,

in their life ministry accompany

your sons,

O Mother of Priests. Amen.

From the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation I Will Give You Shepherds (Pastores Dabo Vobis)

March 25, 1992