1.

Opening Prayer

God our loving Father, pour out on us afresh the gifts of your Holy Spirit. Open our ears to hear your Word, open our eyes to see your presence, open our minds to understand your Wisdom and open our hearts to be more available for your mission so that strengthened by your grace we can truly be a sign and instrument of your presence in our world today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading

"The church in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There he could see for himself that God had given grace and this pleased him and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion: for he was a good man filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith and a large number of people were won over to the Lord ... One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, 'I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.' So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 11:22-24, 13:2-3)

Reading

"Since the whole Church is missionary and the work of evangelisation is the fundamental task of the People of God, this Sacred Synod invites all to undertake a profound interior renewal so that being vitally conscious of their responsibility for the spread of the Gospel, they might play their part."
(Vatican II, Decree Ad Gentes on the Church's Missionary Activity, n.35)

2.

Personal Reflection