3 Days to go before Congress

21 – 29 MAY 2022

NOVENA PRAYER FOR OBLATE VOCATIONS WITH MARY IMMACULATE
21 – 29 MAY 2022
“With Mary Immaculate, the faithful handmaid of the Lord, and under the guidance of the Spirit, we enter into closer communion with Jesus Christ.” (C. 36)

May 24, 2022
Hymn: The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor or other Scripture reading: From the Gospel of St. Luke 1:46-55And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices
in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness
of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me
blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy
is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to
generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered
the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the
powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled
the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has
helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according
to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his
descendants forever.”

Meditation:
There is a Marian “style” to the Church’s work of evangelization.
Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the
revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her we see that
humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the
strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important
themselves. Contemplating Mary, we realize that she who praised
God for “bringing down the mighty from their thrones” and
“sending the rich away empty” (Lk 1:52-53) is also the one who
brings a homely warmth to our pursuit of justice. She is also the one
who carefully keeps “all these things, pondering them in her heart”

(Lk 2:19). Mary is able to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in
events great and small. She constantly contemplates the mystery of
God in our world, in human history and in our daily lives. She is
the woman of prayer and work in Nazareth, and she is also Our
Lady of Help, who sets out from her town “with haste” (Lk 1:39) to
be of service to others (Evangelii Gaudium no. 288).
Moment of silence
2Spontaneous Prayers and Intentions

Concluding prayer:
Mary Immaculate, we give thanks for your smile upon St. Eugene. You confirmed his missionary project as an apostolic body in the Church that would generate abundant fruit for the mission of God and become a community of holiness. We come before you today and ask your smile to bless our vocational efforts. Help us to create apostolic communities of joy, with a fraternal spirit that will attract young people to join us. Give us an authentic spirit of prayer that witnesses to the truth that God is all for us. As we persevere in prayer for vocations, help us to have the courage to invite young people to join our way of life. We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son, the Lord of the harvest. Amen.

Hymn to Mary