The Institute of Augustinian Spirituality in the General Curia of the Order of Saint Augustine, Rome sent a letter on October 11, 2023 to all Augustinians around the world inviting everyone for a day of prayer on November 13, 2023.
November 13 is a Feast of all Saints of the Order and a day of prayer for vocations. This year’s prayer theme is “Custodians of Creation, Custodians of our brothers and sisters.” Included in the letter is the prayer service guide.
Feast of All Saints of the Order And Day of Prayer for Vocations
November 13, 2023
Custodians of Creation, Custodians of our brothers and sisters
Song
Sign of the Cross
Introduction
In a time when Europe has been struck by a fratricidal war for nearly two years, when we are witnessing extreme events in the world due to climate change, we are invited to be peacemakers by living in fraternity with men and women, our brothers and sisters, and by cherishing our world created beautiful by God. Pope Francis continues to invite us to pray for peace and to make a responsible commitment to the care of creation.
On this day of All Saints of the Order and Prayer for Vocations let us then focus our prayer on the desire for peace and to make a concrete commitment to the care of creation. “In our lives we must constantly think of the praise of God” (St. Augustine, Ex pos. Psalms, 148:1). By praying and living fully in our world we can continue to proclaim the beau ty of the Gospel and live out our Augustinian charism, and thus others can be attracted to the beauty of giving themselves to God.
Let us pray antiphonally Psalm 148
Ant. From the highest heavens, praise the Lord, Alleluia
Praise the LORD from the heavens, *
praise him in the heights
Praise him, all you his angels; *
give praise, all you his hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon; *
praise him, all shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens, *
you waters above the heavens.
Let them all praise the LORD’s name; *
for he commanded and they were created,
Assigned them their station forever, *
set an order that will never change.
Praise the LORD from the earth, *
you sea monsters and all the deeps of the sea;
Lightning and hail, snow and thick clouds, *
storm wind that fulfills his command;
Mountains and all hills, *
fruit trees and all cedars;
Animals wild and tame, *
creatures that crawl and birds that fly;
Kings of the earth and all peoples, *
princes and all who govern on earth;
Young men and women too, *
old and young alike.
Let them all praise the LORD’s name,
for his name alone is exalted,
His majesty above earth and heaven.
He has lifted high the horn of his people; *
to the praise of all his faithful,
the Israelites, the people near to him.
Glory to the Father and to the Son *
And to the Holy Spirit
As it was in the beginning, is now, *
And will be forever. Amen.
Ant. From the highest heavens, praise the Lord, Alleluia
A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew 6: 26-33
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wildflowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we t o eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.
Passages for reading or for personal silent reflection
Saint Augustine, Confessions , X, 6.9
But what am I loving when I love you? Not beauty of body nor transient grace, not this fair light which is now so friendly to my eyes, not melodious song in all its lovely harmonies, not the sweet fragrance of flowers or ointments or spices, not manna or honey, not limbs that draw me to carnal embrace: none of these do I love when I love my God…I asked the earth and it answered: “I am not he”; and all things that are in the earth made the same confession. I asked the sea and the deeps and the creeping things, and they answered: “We are not your God, seek higher”. I asked the winds that blow, and the whole air with all that is in it answered: “Anaximenes was wrong; I am not God”. I asked the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, and they answered: “Neither are we God whom you seek”. And I said to all the things that throng about the gateways of the senses: “Tell me of my God, since you are not he. Tell me something of h im”.
And they cried out in a great voice: “He made us”. My question was my gazing upon them, and their answer was their beauty.
Papa Francesco, Laudato sì, 208 , 243 245
208.
We are always capable of going out of ourselves towards the other. Unless we do th is, other creatures will not be recognized for their true worth; we are unconcerned about caring for things for the sake of others; we fail to set limits on ourselves in order to avoid the suffering of others or the deterioration of our surroundings. Disin terested concern for others, and the rejection of every form of self centeredness and self absorption, are essential if we truly wish to care for our brothers and sisters and for the natural environment. These attitudes also attune us to the moral imperati ve of assessing the impact of our every action and personal decision on the world around us. If we can overcome individualism, we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society.
243.
At the end, we will f ind ourselves face to face with the infinite beauty of God (cf. 1 Cor 13:12), and be able to read with admiration and happiness the mystery of the universe, which with us will share in unending plenitude. Even now we are journeying towards the sabbath of eternity, the new Jerusalem, towards our common home in heaven. Jesus says: “I make all things new” ( Rev 21:5). Eternal life will be a
shared experience of awe, in which each creature, resplendently transfigured, will take its rightful place and have something to give those poor men and women who will have been liberated once and for all.
244.
In the meantime, we come together to take charge of this home which has been entrusted to us, knowing that all the good which exists here will be taken up into the heavenly feast. In union with all creatures, we journey through this land seeking God, for “if the world has a beginning and if it has been created, we must enquire who gave it this beginning, and who was its Creator”. Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.
245.
God, who calls us to generous commitment and to give him our all, offers us the light and the strength needed to continue our way. In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him.
Intercessions
You made us for yourself, O Father, and our heart is restless until it rests in You. We
invoke You and pray:
– Lord, hear our prayer.
- Lord, disarm our tongue and our hands, renew our hearts and minds, so that the word that brings us together may always be “brother,” and the style of our life may become: peace, mercy, care. Let us pray.
- Lord, Father of every creature, give us new eyes to recognize the beauty of the earth, the place of your presence and the space in which the Spirit works, and to inhabit it with love in sustainable forms. Let us pray
- For those who in respect for creation are committed to a sustainable way of life. Lord Jesus Christ, help them not to diminish their commitment to peace and reconciliation and give them courage, strength and constancy. Let us pray
- For young people, who care about their responsibility to our planet and the next generations. Lord Jesus Christ, send us your spirit of peace and reconciliation. Let us pray
- Lord God, who welcomes all to a good and God, who welcomes all to a good and beautiful place, grant us also the virtue of hospitality: for the wayfarer, for the migrant, for all who are forced to distance themselves from their homeland. Let us pray
The Father always hears our prayer and invites us to entrust ourselves to Him for any of our needs. Together, as God’s family, we turn to his mercy with the words Jesus himself taught us:
Our Father…
Prayer for Augustinian Vocations
O God the Father, through Your Son Jesus, You invite us to pray that there may be no lack of laborers in Your harvest: accept our prayer and look upon the Christian community in need of priests, brothers, nuns and missionaries.
Stir in the hearts of young people a strong faith and a burning love. Attract them to Christ, make them courageous and willing to say their “yes” and serve their brothers and sisters.
Father, it pleased you that your Son should also be proclaimed and witnessed to by the Augustinian family: call men and women willing to live the ideal of St. Augustine, in the search for God by the way of interiority and communion of hearts. Strengthen, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, the young men and women who have already begun the journey in Augustinian life.
We beg you Father to grant us through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, Holy Father Augustine, St. Monica, St. Rita and all the Augustinian saints. Through Christ Our Lord.
Blessing
Final Song
