PRAYER FOR FIRST PROFESSION
“ITS ME
LORD” INVITATION
Introduction:
Dear fathers, Brothers and sisters, a
hearty welcome to you all to this Eucharistic celebration. Every gathering has
its own meaning and importance. Today is a special day for each one of us to
have this wonderful gathering to celebrate the love of God and His marvelous
blessings on those newly professed sisters. We welcome you dear sisters
specially to have a memorable celebration with us.
Dear sisters, each one of you is specially
chosen by God, very personally and unique way, before you were born. As an
infant you did not recognize Him but He was there, when you were baptized to
Himself as a little child, you made a union; he came to you at your Holy
Communion. You reached your teenage and adulthood, he was there to reconcile
you to Himself. When you entered the religious formation he was there at your
side.
Dear sisters, God’s guiding hand was
leading you all through your life. Now in love and gratitude as you come
forward holding the symbolic offering in your hands we pray for the manifold
blessings of God on each one of you. The symbol of boat in your life- a gift of
God given to you and you in turn offer it to your creator in loving sacrifice
and in intimate union with Jesus through your prayer and service. You have left
the worldly boat behind at the shore from where Jesus called you for Himself.
Jesus gives this boat for you to follow him and to carry the people of God who
will be entrusted to your care. To the eternity, where the actual union would
take place. You are to draw this boat in the world of sea where you will have
face many hardships and storms of life from every side. But if your boat were
strong with the lively presence of Jesus to face the challenges of life you
would reach the shore of eternity, the heavenly bliss.
Dear sisters after placing the boat in the
water, we request you to light the candle on the altar, symbolizing sacrificing
life. We pray for God’s abiding presence in your life journey, as we part take
in this Eucharistic meal with joy filled hearts.
The
sun rising in the east tells us the mighty power of the glory of God. Each
flower that opens its petals to show forth the beauty of the creator. The birds
are praising and thanking the Lord by their singing. Lord, all these convey to
us the message that you are the creator of this universe. We come before you
Father, son and the Holy Spirit to thank you for the gift of life and light
that you have given to each one of us. today is the new day that is laid open
to us, as we are waiting to step into it, and this is a joyful day to each one
of us. our hearts are filled with joy and laughter to thank the Lord for the
gift of our sisters and the gift of our vocation.
LET US BEGIN OUR PRAYER WITH A BHAJAN
INTRODUCTION
DEAR SISTERS ( Name)
You
are chosen by God form time eternal. He has called you by your name. This call
to continue his mission was received by
Biblical figures. Their call and their response sets examples to us to
understand and experience the depth of our own call.
Abraham
identified as the Father of faith realized his call to be a demand. ( Pause)
(Abraham enters and a voice
says)
God:- Abram, “Go from your
country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will
bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will
bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse: and in you
all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This
demanded a total remuneration from Abraham who left his known ones to enter in
to a land that is unknown.
Every
call is a demand. One who responds needs
to respond to this demand.
A call that is extended from the Lord Almighty
is genuine and it assigns us with a mission. In the call that was extended to Jeremiah,
this assigned mission was very clear and it says.( Pause)
( Jeremiah comes in and voice
from the background says)
God:- Jeremiah, Before I found
you in the womb I knew you.
And before you were born I
consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to
the nations”
Jeremiah:- “ Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak, far I am onl a boy.
God:- Do not say, ‘I am only a
boy; for to all to whom I send you , you
shall go, and what ever I command you shall speak. Be not afraid of them, for I
am with you to deliver you.”
( Lord touched Jeremiah’s
mouth)
God:- “ Behold, I have put my
words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over
kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant”
To
commit myself through a vowed life is to be a prophet. To be a prophet is to
announce the good news and to denounce all that is evil. Dear sisters(names of
sisters) you are called to build up a new Israel
One
who responds the divine call, is
cleansed by the Lord himself, for he who calls moulds his messenger to be Good
news bearer. Isaiah, the prophet who announced God’s good news was cleansed
when he was called. (Pause)
( Isaiah come in)
Voice:- “ Holy. Holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Isaiah:- Woe is me! For I am
lost; for I am a man of king, the lord of hosts.”
( Angel touched his mouth with
a live coal)
Angel:- “ Behold, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sins forgiven.”
God:- Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us?
Isaiah:- “here an I ! Send me.”
God:- “Go and say to the people.” (Pause)
The Lord who called each one of
us is a Lord of strength and power. He who called Jesus, His son to become one among us is the one who
strengthened him at the time of his baptism.(Pause)
( Jesus come out of the river Jordan
Voice:- “ thou art my beloved
son; with thee I am well pleased.”
This abba experience
accompanied him during his journey and so he became fully human and fully
alive.
Today the same abba is
strengthing you dear sisters (name) as he says to you
Voice:- “ You are my beloved
daughter, in you I am well pleased.
May he accompany you to accept
his demands, to continue his mission and to be cleansed by him through out your
life. May you, be strengthened by his words to constantly say ‘ It’s me Lord;
in your life to respond to the cry of the needy.
Song:- D-113
Psalm:- Ps 23
Psalm 23 speaks about the good
shepherd whose goodness and kindness shall follow after His sheep. The presence
of the shephered guarantees the sheep there will be no lack of any sort, that
there will be still clean waters, that there will be safe summers on the
highlands, that there will be freedom from
fear, that there will be antidotes for flies and disease and parasite;
that there will be quietness and contentment.
Yes,
dear sisters as you listen this psalm may you fell the goodness, mercy and
compassion of your shepherd and may he help you in your new mission. As you
experience the goodness of your shepherd, may you also, help others to
experience the same providence of God through your mission. May you be a fithny
instrument in the Good shepherd’s skill full hands.
Intercessions:-
1.Candle: Lord Jesus! You said” I am the
light of the world.” And you have invited me to become the same light. Here I
am Lord ready to be consumed, in order to spread your light, and help me to be
aware of your graces and blessings that you have granted to me. So that I may
be able to dispel the darkness by myself giving sacrificial love. Lord Hear our
prayer.
2. Here is my life, my whole self, that I bring
Lord. Here I come to your alter of love with my open hands are always ready to give and receive
all that life can offer. May I become
aware of the gifts which you have given me. Help me to give my whole
being your people with a cheerful heart for this let us pray to the Lord.
3. Clay:- Lord I bring this clay as the
symbol of my life. When clay is in the hands of a potter it can take a
beautiful shape of various size, which can be used for various purposes. In the
same way when I place myself totally and fully in your hands with faith and
confidence. May I become a beautiful person who can be at the service of your
people. Lord, I ask you to give me the grace to place all my trust in you alone
and let me never turn away from your foot steps. I am the clay and you are the potter.
Mould me, use me, and re-shape me according to your will. Let your will take
shape in my life and may I be a messenger of your love. Lord hear my…..
4. Seed:- This seed is so small, but it
is full of life, it has the capacity to produce fifty and hundred folds of
fruit. It can produce fruit only if it is ready to undergo pain, pain of
loosing its and shape. Lord I bring this seed as the symbol of my vowed life.
Like this seed I have immense amount of life and love within me. I need to let
go of my comfort and go through the process of reshaping so that through my
vowed life. May I give life to the people who come into my life. May the vows
that I pronune be a channel to spread your message of your love.
CONLUDING PRAYER:-
Dear sisters, God has specially chosen you to
work in his vineyard. You have freely chosen to respond his divine call. You
have renounced many pleasures of the world. Your renunciation is to live with
Jesus and be led by him from death to resurrection, from poverty to interior
riches, from nothingness to inner freedom. It is only in emptiness you can experience earthly life
in its genuine reality. Through your mission you are called to be light to
others to face the challenges of the world. Jesus calls you through your
mission to proclaim His merciful and compassionate love to all people and He to
promises you that he will guide you all through your mission of love and unity
bringing many more closer to God. May his constant accompaniment help you to
say “It’s me Lord.” We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
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