Weekly Prayer Service for St. Mary June 3—9, 2012

Sacramentals and Popular Devotion Call to Prayer ALL: (Sign of the Cross) Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created, and You will renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Spirit we may be ever wise and rejoice in his consolations. We make our prayer in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Word of God LEADER: A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians (Proclaim Eph. 1:3) ...The Word of the Lord. ALL: Thanks be to God.

Catechesis are sacred signs instituted by the Church that mediate spiritual effects such as bless- ings, protection, and peace through the Church. They bear resemblance to the sacraments and sig- nify effects, particularly spiritual effects, obtained through the mediation of the Church (CCC 1667). The Church instituted sacramentals so that the faithful may be better disposed to participate fully in the sacraments and receive divine blessings and protection. The use of sacramentals in daily life is often accompanied by a prayer, usually with a ritual gesture such as the Sign of the Cross or sprin- kling of . +Sacramentals include blessings, ritual actions such as processions, prayers and devotions such as the , and objects, such as medals of saints. They bear resemblance to the sacraments and signify effects—particularly spiritual effects—obtained through the mediation of the Church (CCC 1667). +Making the Sign of the Cross at the beginning and end of each day, praying morning and even- ing prayers, and praying before and after a meal are some of the daily ways in which we in- voke and experience God’s blessings on our lives. +Among the sacramentals, blessings hold a major place. There are blessings for persons, meals, objects, places, and important occasions such as graduations, welcomes, and fare- wells. All blessings focus on praising God for his manifold gifts. Most blessings invoke the Holy , expressed in the Sign of the Cross, together with the sprinkling of holy water. +Expressions of piety and devotion extend the liturgical life of the Church but do not replace it. Catholic devotions and prayers of piety are all directed to foster more active, full, and con- scious participation in the Eucharist (CCC 1675).

(Over) +Popular prayers and devotions are the means by which we permeate everyday life with prayer. In the Catholic tradition, examples of popular include pilgrimages, , processions in honor of Mary and/or the saints, the Rosary, the , the , venera- tion of relics, and the use of sacramentals. Properly used, such popular devotional practices extend the graces of the Eucharist into daily life, not replace it. +The Rosary is a prayer based on Scripture. It is the gospel turned into meditative prayer. The mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The repetition of the , taken from the words of the Archangel Gabriel in Luke’s Gospel (Lk. 1:29 and 1:42), are meant to lead us into a meditative and contemplative praying of the Gospel. +Sacred images—icons, statues and paintings of saints, and stained glass—are all meant to move the faithful to contemplation on the Word of God and on the mysteries of Christ through visible images of beauty. Just as the invisible God was made visible in Jesus Christ, Christian images make visible invisible mysteries of faith (CCC 1159-1162, 2500-2503).

Application to Culture/ Faith Sharing Question LEADER: Name one Catholic devotion in which you participate and share how it affects your faith life. Does it lead you to greater love of the Eucharist? Allow all members of your group to have 5-10 minutes To reflect or respond to the discussion question.

Concluding Prayer ( Prayer) ALL: O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. AMEN (Sign of the Cross)

Further Reading and Study U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, Chapter 22.

** Prayer service adapted from Study Guide for the U.S. Adult Catholic Catechism -

Jem Sullivan, Ph.D., Our Sunday Visitor (2006) **