Monday, August 30, 2010
RCIA Ministers
Reflection for the Ministry of Catechists of Christian Initiation
Yours is a share
in the work of the Lord's Spirit
who calls women, men and children
to faith and to communion with the church,
the assembly of believers, the body of Christ.
Yours is the task of echoing
the voice of God, who speaks and calls with love
In the hearts and minds
of inquirers, catechumens and the elect.
Yours is the warm welcome
that opens hearts to the Lord's story in the scripture,
to his presence in prayer,
to the promise of his gift in the eucharist.
Yours is the hand that helps newcomers
steady their steps along the road of faith's journey,
along the path of God's love,
along the way of the cross.
Yours is the companionship
that shines in the darkness of doubt,
that strengthens the heart that is weary,
and waits through the worries of fear.
You are the brother, the sister in Christ
who helps our newcomers
to know Christ as brother, as Lord, as Savior.
Come to your work
from your personal prayer,
the wellspring from which your faith is refreshed.
Come to your ministry
with your heart open to all the ways
the Lord may move, shape, mold and form you
as an icon of his presence for the catechumens.
Immerse yourself in the scriptures
of the Lord's story
so that his story becomes yours
and you become his.
Grow in your love of Jesus
and ask for the grace to share
the story of his love for you
with those you teach and sponsor.
Be patient with the questions, fears and anxiety
of those who seek to know the Lord
and to follow him.
Invite the catechumens to pray with you,
invite them to share the story of their journey,
their story of faith.
Be there for them
as the Lord is there for you:
fully, freely, and with forgiveness.
At the Sunday dismissal,
cherish the word proclaimed
and the eucharist you share,
and pray for that day when all will be one
in the sacrament of the Lord's table.
When the catechumens
praise and thank you for your work,
delight in the faith you share with them
and rejoice in the work
the Lord has accomplished through you.
Be faithful in the work you do,
for through it the Lord saves his people.
(From Austin Fleming's book "Preparing for Liturgy, a Theology and Spirituality")
Yours is a share
in the work of the Lord's Spirit
who calls women, men and children
to faith and to communion with the church,
the assembly of believers, the body of Christ.
Yours is the task of echoing
the voice of God, who speaks and calls with love
In the hearts and minds
of inquirers, catechumens and the elect.
Yours is the warm welcome
that opens hearts to the Lord's story in the scripture,
to his presence in prayer,
to the promise of his gift in the eucharist.
Yours is the hand that helps newcomers
steady their steps along the road of faith's journey,
along the path of God's love,
along the way of the cross.
Yours is the companionship
that shines in the darkness of doubt,
that strengthens the heart that is weary,
and waits through the worries of fear.
You are the brother, the sister in Christ
who helps our newcomers
to know Christ as brother, as Lord, as Savior.
Come to your work
from your personal prayer,
the wellspring from which your faith is refreshed.
Come to your ministry
with your heart open to all the ways
the Lord may move, shape, mold and form you
as an icon of his presence for the catechumens.
Immerse yourself in the scriptures
of the Lord's story
so that his story becomes yours
and you become his.
Grow in your love of Jesus
and ask for the grace to share
the story of his love for you
with those you teach and sponsor.
Be patient with the questions, fears and anxiety
of those who seek to know the Lord
and to follow him.
Invite the catechumens to pray with you,
invite them to share the story of their journey,
their story of faith.
Be there for them
as the Lord is there for you:
fully, freely, and with forgiveness.
At the Sunday dismissal,
cherish the word proclaimed
and the eucharist you share,
and pray for that day when all will be one
in the sacrament of the Lord's table.
When the catechumens
praise and thank you for your work,
delight in the faith you share with them
and rejoice in the work
the Lord has accomplished through you.
Be faithful in the work you do,
for through it the Lord saves his people.