FORMATION
FORMATION 2005
segment NO 4
theme:
first mystery – The Baptism of the Lord
call
to prayer & opening prayer:
As for the Order Prayers
intention:
“That we
may realise that the mission vested in us by virtue of our baptism is based on
the tremendous love of God for us”
word
of reflection:
Reflect on the reading of the following words of the Pope:
The
Mysteries of Light
Moving on from
the infancy and the hidden life in Nazareth to the public life of Jesus, our
contemplation brings us to those mysteries which may be called in a special
way “mysteries of light”. Certainly the whole mystery of Christ is a mystery
of light. He is the “light of the world”
(Jn 8:12).
Yet this truth emerges in a special way during the years of his public life,
when he proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom. Each of these mysteries is a
revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus. The Baptism
in the Jordan is first of all a mystery of light. Here, as Christ descends
into the waters, the innocent one who became “sin” for our sake
(cf. 2Cor
5:21),
the heavens open wide and the voice of the Father declares him the beloved
Son, while the Spirit descends on him to invest him with the mission which he
is to carry out.
John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis
Mariae – The Rosary of the Virgin Mary #21
Announcing
each mystery
Announcing
each mystery, and perhaps even using a suitable icon to portray it, is as it
were to open up a scenario on which to focus our attention. The words
direct the imagination and the mind towards a particular episode or moment in
the life of Christ. In the Church's traditional spirituality, the veneration
of icons and the many devotions appealing to the senses, as well as the method
of prayer proposed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises,
make use of visual and imaginative elements judged to be of great help in
concentrating the mind on the particular mystery. This is a methodology,
moreover, which corresponds to the inner logic of the Incarnation: in
Jesus, God wanted to take on human features. It is through his bodily reality
that we are led into contact with the mystery of his divinity.
This need for
concreteness finds further expression in the announcement of the various
mysteries of the Rosary. Obviously these mysteries neither replace the Gospel
nor exhaust its content. The Rosary, therefore, is no substitute for lectio
divina; on the contrary, it presupposes and promotes it. Yet, even though
the mysteries contemplated in the Rosary do no more than outline the
fundamental elements of the life of Christ, they easily draw the mind to a
more expansive reflection on the rest of the Gospel, especially when the
Rosary is prayed in a setting of prolonged recollection.
John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis
Mariae – The Rosary of the Virgin Mary #29
Allow a
few moments reflective silence
Leader:
The First Luminous Mystery – The Baptism of Christ. Here, as Christ descends
into the waters, the innocent one who became ‘sin’ for our sake, the heavens
open wide and the voice of the Father declares him the beloved Son, while the
Spirit descends on him to invest him with the mission which he is to carry
out.
The Word
of God is now proclaimed
word
of god
The
Gospel according to
Matthew 3: 13-17
The Word of God is now read aloud
slowly and prayerfully
Then Jesus
came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would
have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to
me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in
this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.
And when Jesus
had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens
were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased."
After a
brief time of reflection the prayer continues:
Leader & all:
Our Father…
Leader:
The Lord Jesus came to each of us in our baptisms. When we were baptized, the
Holy Spirit descended upon us and the Father said, “This is my beloved child,
with whom I am well pleased!” Thus, we became the light of Christ to shine in
the world. We have been invested with the mission of this light!
Leader & all:
Hail Mary (10 times)
Leader:
For the gift of being called to continue Christ’s mission of
light for the world, we give praise to God:
Leader & all:
Glory be to the Father…
The meeting proceeds
closing prayers:
As for the Order Prayers at the Closing of the Meeting.
