BPS Lay Ministry · BPS Mission | Confidential BPS Lay Ministry I love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. 4/3/2014 BPS

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BPS Mission | Confidential

BPS Lay Ministry I love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength.

4/3/2014 BPS Mission Salman Metobo [email protected] [email protected] ǁ MOBILE: +254718534064 ǁ P.O BOX 3526 – 40200, KISII.

©2015

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2 | B P S K E N Y A 2 0 1 5 D R A F T w w w .fa c e b o o k. c o m / B P S L a y M i n i s t r y

CONTENTS: INTRODUCTION BPS STRUCTURE - THREE CHIEF ELEMENTS………………………….…….…..PG 4

SCRIPTURE.……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….PG 6

SO WHY IS THE WORD OF GOD IMPORTANT?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WORD OF GOD IS READ?

WHAT DID OUR SPIRITUAL PARENTS EXHORT US TO DO?

HOW DO I READ THE BIBLE EFFECTIVELY?

PRAYER

WHAT IS PRAYER?

PRAYER IS IN FIVE BROAD CATEGORIES:

WHY IS PRAYER SO IMPORTANT?

HOW TO ACHIEVE EFFECTIVE PRAYER

WHEN SHOULD WE PRAY AND TO WHOM?

SERVICE- YIELDING GOOD FRUIT………………………………………………………………………………..PG 19

WHY SERVE GOD?

HOW DO WE SERVE GOD?

BPS MINISTRIES………………………………………………………………………………………………………..PG 21

1. TEACHING (BIBLE) MINISTRY:

2. MUSIC MINISTRY:

3. FORMATION MINISTRY:

4. CHARITY (COMPASSIONATE) MINISTRY: ‘The Good Samaritans’ Luke 10:25-37

5. INTERCESSORY MINISTRY:

BPS COUNCIL FOR INSTITUTIONS……………………………….………………………………….……………...30

STANDARD BPS PRAYER MEETING/FELLOWSHIP FORMAT…………..……….……………………….31

A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON FOUNDER BPS APOSTOLATE……………………………………………..

OFFICIAL CHURCH DOCUMENT ON LAY APOSTOLATE, LUMEN GENTIUM……………………..36

Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem)


Sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation. Dance with vigor, Play the instruments with

passion, let your prayer come from the deep of your hearts; meditate on his precepts night and day.

For this is our God, whose people we are; God’s well-tended flock.

PS Lay Ministry is an apostolate that promotes intensive focus on scripture in the ordinary life of a Christian, and exploitation of the varied natural and supernatural abilities God gives to each one, in knowing him, loving him, and serving him. BPS consists of Christians from all walks. This is a group of lay and religious men and women who strive in their daily lives to live a life of holiness,

inspiring Godliness in ordinary circumstances, serving all men with the love of Christ and treating each one with dignity for the image of God that they bear. They seek to glorify God at every chance, storing up all treasures in heaven where nothing can destroy. BPS family is inclusive of all categories of people, although it embraces the Catholic doctrine.

The mystical body of Christ flourishes when individual members flourish because each member is designated his own functions. Each one is equipped for his functions by the grace of the same Holy Spirit so that the Church lacks in nothing. Every single person is extremely precious to God whose love is not limited, and now he waits upon men to come to the knowledge of truth, to embrace this love and respond with confidence in his power to save. Christ has already poured his Spirit upon the Church so that she may bring all men to this grace of salvation. All of us that Jesus continues to anoint with this same Spirit are in a sense blended with one another and with God because the Spirit unites us. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to bear much fruit. “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law – Galatians 5:22-23 The goal of BPS family across the world is to bring the biblical principles into practical application for as far as possible. BPS apostolate encourages a bible culture among all Catholics and other members of BPS, ensuring that the name of our Father in heaven is revered, that his kingdom among us continues to grow and his will done everywhere on earth as it is in heaven, that we may obtain for ourselves and for the world our daily nourishment, that we may forgive freely with the power Christ has given us so that we also may be forgiven, that by the grace of God we may conquer all temptation and be free of all evil, as we peacefully await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. BPS What – The Truth BPS Who – Jesus Christ BPS Where – The Whole World, everyone, to the ends of the earth BPS When – Once Clothed with Power from on high, the Holy Spirit BPS How – With Hope, Faith and Charity

The whole of BPS mission is summarized in this theme from [Mk 12:30]

I shall love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength; and I shall love everyone he has made in his image

B


BPS STRUCTURE CONSISTS IN THREE CHIEF ELEMENTS:

1. The Word of God - nourishment

We promote study and understanding of scripture by all, the very word of God made man that is our spiritual food. Faith, by which we live, and without which it’s impossible to please God, comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We grow in faith through nourishment provided by the word of God. Through the word of God we are truly enlightened and this appreciation of truth seems to be in line with loving God with all our minds.

2. Prayer - strength

We promote a healthy prayer life among all believers, for by prayer we are strengthened in faith. By this faith we are able to overcome all obstacles as we build the kingdom of Our Father which we must for we love him. We are strengthened in faith through prayer. Prayer in all its forms including musical, involves uplifting our hearts and minds to God. Wherever your heart goes, let God be there first, and you will be a safe traveler! Loving God with all your heart

3. Service - treasure

The saving faith of a Christian is only that which is working through love.Love is properly demonstrated and manifest through actions and indeed prayer too is dead without actions.

We serve God when we serve others, fulfilling our duties in the family, in the society and as members of the ecclesial body. In serving you get the opportunity to love God with all your strength

Jesus Christ, whom we follow for our salvation is the vine to which we are connected as branches. He nourishes us readily with sufficient nutrients and in response we are to yield fruit, good fruit in its abundance as Abba Father continually prunes us.

Catechism questions (Baltimore):

1. Who made us?

God made us.

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. (Genesis 1:1)

2. Who is God?

God is the Supreme Being, infinitely perfect, who made all things and keeps them in existence.

In him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)


3. Why did God make us?

God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven.

“Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him.” (I Corinthians 2:9)

4. What must we do to gain the happiness of heaven?

To gain the happiness of heaven we must know, love, and serve God in this world.

--

This is how the first Christian community in Jerusalem lived:

“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of

bread and to the prayers.43 Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through

the apostles” Acts 2:42-

Again, note the four elements that marked the life of the early family of faith which included the twelve

apostles on whom the whole Church is founded since Christ –

1. The teaching of the apostles which basically forms the liturgy of the word during mass.

2. The breaking of bread which now forms liturgy of the Eucharist, the body of Christ that gives life.

3. Communal life, fellowship, a demonstration of love, and there you find service.

4. Prayer is just never absent, it’s a wonderful gift where we lift our hearts and minds to God.

There you have it! That the whole duty of man is to know God,to love him and to serve him; and in return man will share in his eternal life of happiness.

Mark 12:30

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”


SCRIPTURE

Scripture is the starting point for BPS mission because it contains the very words of God.

The human person has a physical body that requires physical food, the mind that requires intellectual food and the soul which requires spiritual food. We need health of body, health of mind but most importantly, health of the soul which translates to eternal life.

The soul is spiritual and flourishes on spiritual nutrition. The word of God and the holy Eucharist are the key spiritual nutrients and all others draw from it.

SO WHY IS THE WORD OF GOD IMPORTANT?

1. It causes life and sustains it. He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God’” - Mt 4:4

2. It gives a path to follow in life so we do not get lost “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.” – Psalms 119:105

3. We can depend on it because it will stand forever “Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of God stands forever” – Is 40:8

4. It is perfect and should not be modified “Every command that I enjoin to you, you shall be careful to observe, neither adding to it, nor subtracting from it.” Deut 12:32 5. It is powerful and effective “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” – Heb 4:12

Charity Prayer Word of God

Holy Eucharist


6. All scripture is from God and is used to equip one for every good work “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. ” – 2 Tim 3:16 7. It was in the beginning, we have heard it, we have seen it, we have touched him and

he is the life “What was from the beginning,

What we have heard, What we have seen with our eyes, What we looked upon and touched with our hands Concerns the Word of life” – 1 John 1:1 8. it is a strong weapon and a shield in spiritual battle “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” – Eph 6:17

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WORD OF GOD IS READ?

1. Cleansing takes place “You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.” – John 15:3

2. Miraculous healing takes place

“In their distress they cried out to the LORD, who saved them in their peril, Sent forth the word to heal them snatched them from the grave.” – Psalms 107:19-20

3. The powers of evil are cast out

“When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick,” – Mt 8:16

4. Manifestation of Great power

By God’s word and through it, everything came to existence. Gen 1:3-24 5. There is peace and great calm.

“Lovers of your teaching have much peace, for them there is no stumbling block.” – Psalms 119:165

6. God accomplishes his will through his word “…At God’s word were his works brought to being; they do his will as he has ordained for them.”- Sirach 43:15


What did our spiritual parents exhort us to do? 1. “Devout yourselves to public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and to sound

teaching.” -1 Tim 4:13-

2. Read and meditate it all day, every day! – For wisdom, for success in everything. “Reflect on the precepts of the Lord, let his commandments be your constant meditation; then he will enlighten your mind, and the wisdom you desire he will grant.” - Sirach 6:37 “Keep this book of the law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night that you may observe carefully all that is written in it; then you will successfully attain your goal.” – Joshua 1:8 3. Do not just hear the word of God, do as it says for it benefit you “…But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundred fold.” – Mark 4:20 4. Hearing without doing is like a mere reflection in the mirror “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does.” -James 1:22-25

HOW DO I READ THE BIBLE EFFECTIVELY?

Step one – Pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit Psalms 119:162-176

All Scripture is inspired by God (2Tim 3:16) and therefore, all Scripture is not a matter of personal interpretation (2Pet 1:20) but by the Holy Spirit who:

1. Helps you pray worthily(Rom 8:26) 2. Leads you to the living Word, to the truth, the way to life.(John14:6) 3. Opens you minds to understand (Sir 6:37) 4. Opens your hearts to receive of the message God wants to give to you(2 Mac 1:4)

5. Gives you the grace to build your life upon the word you receive(1Cor 15:10) Step two – Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26)

Some often ask me, the Bible is too big how do I know what part to read? My answer is always the same, be attentive to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and respond. Once you have welcomed the Holy Spirit to take control of your senses, just open the Bible and go where your heart and mind take you even if it’s just opening a random page directly to a random verse. You will be surprised how random is not so random after all!


One time while attending the usual prayer meeting with other St Therese SCC members at the University, a friend told us about an interesting crisis he was facing earlier that day. Some of his junior friends from his former high school had called him to join them for a random get-together and he had quickly promised he would. It’s only much later that he remembered how they had also talked about him buying for them lots of alcohol, probably because they knew him as carefree back then. He was confused not knowing how to call them and politely turn down the invitation he had just accented to, and then he thought of meeting them anyway to compromise just this once, after all it would be so much fun and probably they won’t have that much alcohol to get drunk. He was the one to lead us through the theme of the day, prayer, and was therefore to prepare a scriptural reference. So he told us how he had opened his Bible and the first verse he had bumped into wasn’t exactly speaking about prayer! It went on addressing his situation so directly and specifically that his dilemma now became all the more comical. This verse was Sirach 12:3 “No good comes to him who gives comfort to the wicked, nor is it an act of mercy that he does.”

Be sensitive to the thoughts and feelings at this point and yield as much as possible, avoiding any distractions and intrusions. This is why it’s often best to read the bible in a calm, quiet and somewhat isolated place. Some usually prefer to play some gentle preparatory music to usher them into the mood, some light candles, some hold the rosary, some wear special clothing e.g. a white gown, some concentration in nature, maybe by a waterfall or fountain, under tree shade, in a flower garden etc . Whatever it is you do, let your senses be focused on the word of God and everything God is saying through it at that moment. Sometimes it could be difficult to achieve the ideal setup, let it not keep you from reading the word of God because He is not limited and can speak to your heart even in the most chaotic circumstances. Like Moses and his staff, the Holy Spirit often uses what you already have to advance his cause for instance, in the process of reading you might get an inspiration to check out some area on the internet, perhaps the Catechism, the readings of mass on that particular day, some sermon from last week might come to memory in relation to what you’re reading, sometimes you might even look around and see something that seems to reinforce what you’re getting from the word of God e.g. a priest reading out the lectionary that depicts the trinity, then 3 doves fly across from nowhere and it stirs your spirit. Basically, be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and try to discern his voice because he can speak in a thousand and one ways ranging from natural to outright supernatural (Heb 1:1). Short prayer – Father in the name of Jesus, anoint me with your Holy Spirit, so that I may understand your word and live according to your will. Amen! Step three – Understanding the Word As you read the word through the leading of the Spirit, let Him also give you understanding. Meditate the word and as you reflect on it, God will give you understanding (2Tim 2:7). Note that ‘the four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their centre.


The unity of the two Testaments proceeds from the unity of God's plan and his Revelation. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfils the Old; the two shed light on each other; both are true Word of God.’

However, on a personal level sometimes discernment of proper interpretation and application might not always be clear, besides the evil one can also quote scripture and pervert its meaning so that he misleads us. This means you should be on guard by:

Leaning solely on the formal interpretation of the Church, ‘…the household of God, which is the

church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.’ (1Tim 3:15)

enriching thyself with the word of God

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'" Mt 4:5-7 Your understanding should be such that its application will align perfectly with the commandment of love. That is, ‘it should lead you to act justly’, making you more like Jesus and yielding no other fruit but that of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-

control and such (Gal 5:22-23)

Step four – Storing the Word in the heart Since the world of electronics came to be, electronic information has often been stored in electronic memory or chips. Spiritual information too is stored in spiritual memory and the heart is our spiritual memory. Perhaps we can illustrate this process although imperfectly, using a modern telecommunication concept: Now optical information obtained from its source e.g. LASER equipment, is first encoded and transmitted through an appropriate media, mostly optical fibre. At reception, the optical information is decoded into electrical form which then can be stored in electronic memories for usage in executing various functions. Today, internet has become a great tool for interconnecting with the world, sharing knowledge and information in breathtaking speeds thanks to fiber optics. This optical communication system is not so different with the spiritual communication system whose data this time is either the word of God and all that is good, or some other corrupt data from the evil one. The word himself is Jesus and we receive it in the form that our senses can perceive. Our minds, empowered by the Holy Spirit, start encoding the information as our hearts receive, decode, and store it; whatever is stored in the heart will be disseminated as commands to execution elements and the result will reflect the nature of the data. The devil and the worries of the world always want to install viruses into the spiritual system to corrupt or delete all good data, and


Chanel/ transmitting medium (Optical fibre)

Faith and reason

this is why Christians have to ensure that faith, their spiritual antivirus, is always installed and updated regularly through prayer, frequent reading of scripture, holding fast to all that is good and honorable. Fig: approximate optical communication system block

Fig: approximate spiritual communication system block

Transmitter Receiver

Electrical signal

Electrical sign

al

Light sign

al

deco

der

written, spoken, infused etc

Receiver

Word of God

Wo

rd o

f Go

d

Tho

ugh

ts/ reflection

s

The m

ind

Heart

Memory

Memory


Heart – spiritual memory module: Proverbs 13:33 –

“In the heart of the intelligent wisdom abides, but in the bosom of fools it is unknown.”

Luke 6:45 –Jesus therefore exhorts us that to be good, we need goodness stored in the heart “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Luke 8:11-15 "This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones, who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of trial. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.

inally, it is important to note that Jesus Christ is the Word of Godperfect, pure, true,

powerful, ever living, ever-loving, the good shepherd, compassionate, wisdom

incarnate, begotten of the Father, the everlasting light, the lamb of God who takes

away the sins of the world, the great hope for mankind and the way to eternal life.

Praise the Lord, Halleluiah!

Jesus is the word of God and through this Word that is truth, we come to know God:- “All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. ” – Luke 10: All scripture therefore points to Christ Jesus and is to be treated with due reverence through all generations within time CCC V. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church

131 "and such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor,

and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of

spiritual life."109 Hence "access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful."110

133 The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful... to learn the surpassing knowledge

of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of

Christ.111

F


PRAYER

What is prayer?

Prayer is lifting the heart and mind to God.

Prayer is in five broad categories:

1. Blessing and Adoration 2. Petition 3. Intercession. 4. Thanksgiving 5. Praise

Why is prayer so important?

1. Prayer brings peace to the heart and to the mind Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

2. Prayer brings healing At that very time, the prayer of these two suppliants was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God. So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the cataracts from Tobit's eyes, so that he might again see God's sunlight Tobit 3:16-17 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. Jas 5:16

3. Prayer increases faith Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith." Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." Luke 17:5

4. Prayer obtains great power to do

Jesus: When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer." Mark 9:28-29

So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me." And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"


The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. John 11:41-45

Elijah:

At the time for offering sacrifice, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses." The LORD'S fire came down and consumed the holocaust, wood, stones, and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" 1 Kings 18:36-39

Elisha:

Meanwhile, Gehazi had gone on ahead and had laid the staff upon the boy, but there was no sound or sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and informed him that the boy had not awakened. When Elisha reached the house, he found the boy lying dead. He went in, closed the door on them both, and prayed to the LORD. Then he lay upon the child on the bed, placing his mouth upon the child's mouth, his eyes upon the eyes, and his hands upon the hands. As Elisha stretched himself over the child, the body became warm. He arose, paced up and down the room, and then once more lay down upon the boy, who now sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite." She came at his call, and Elisha said to her, "Take your son." She came in and fell at his feet in gratitude; then she took her son and left the room. 2Kings 4:31-37

5. Prayer obtains invaluable gifts from God

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him? Mt 7:11 But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. James 1:5 Then God remembered Rachel; he heard her prayer and made her fruitful. She conceived and bore a son, and she said, "God has removed my disgrace." So she named him Joseph, meaning, "May the LORD add another son to this one for me!" Gen 30:22-24

6. Prayer strengthens and secures

When he arrived at the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not undergo the test." After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.) When he rose from prayer and returned to his


disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test." Luke 22:40-46

7. Its pleasing to God that we pray to Him

First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,

for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.

This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. - 1Tim 2:1-3

How to achieve effective prayer

1. Pray continually With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.” –Eph 6:18

2. Be sincere like a little child

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” – Mt 6:5-6

3. Let the righteous ones pray for you

The prayers of mother Mary, the angels, the saints and all the righteous ones are powerful

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.

Elijah was a human being like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit” – Jam 5: 16-18

4. God already knows what you need, approach him confidently because he is your loving father

In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. – Mt 6:7-8


5. Remove the blocks of prayer

Sin Some fell sick from their wicked ways, afflicted because of their sins Psalm 107:17

Unforgiveness

But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Mt

6:15

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Mt 5:23-24

Lack of faith

But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Titus 11:6

Insincerity

Refusing generosity to the poor and mistreating them

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard. Proverbs 21:13

Selfish-ambition

Every prayer should be according to God’s will

You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James 4:3,

Pride & self-righteousness The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted

When should we pray and to whom? We should pray at every opportunity, continually, and fervently for it is proper to commit everything to

the Lord, obtaining from him the grace to do all things. (Eph 6:18, John 15:5)


CCC 2658 ………Love is the source of prayer; whoever draws from it reaches the summit of prayer. In the words of the Cure of Ars:

I love you, O my God, and my only desire is to love you until the last breath of my life. I love you, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving you, than live without loving you. I love you, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love you eternally.... My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love you, I want my heart to repeat it to you as often as I draw breath.1

CCC 2659 We learn to pray at certain moments by hearing the Word of the Lord and sharing in his Paschal mystery, but his Spirit is offered us at all times, in the events of each day, to make prayer spring up from us. Jesus' teaching about praying to our Father is in the same vein as his teaching about providence:12 time is in the Father's hands; it is in the present that we encounter him, not yesterday nor tomorrow, but today: "O that today you would hearken to his voice! Harden not your hearts."131 Prayer to the Father 2664 ….Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray "in the name" of Jesus. The sacred humanity of Jesus is therefore the way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father. Prayer to Jesus 2665 ….prayer is addressed above all to the Father, but certain psalms, given their use in the Prayer of the Church, and the New Testament place on our lips and engrave in our hearts prayer to Christ in the form of invocations: Son of God, Word of God, Lord, Savior, Lamb of God, King, Beloved Son, Son of the Virgin, Good Shepherd, our Life, our Light, our Hope, our Resurrection, Friend of mankind.... 2666 But the one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: JESUS. The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity the Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus," "YHWH saves."16 The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him.17 2668 The invocation of the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always. Holy Spirit 2670 "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit."21 Every time we begin to pray to Jesus it is the Holy Spirit who draws us on the way of prayer by his prevenient grace. Since he teaches us to pray by recalling Christ, how could we not pray to the Spirit too? That is why the Church invites us to call upon the Holy Spirit every day,


2672 The Holy Spirit, whose anointing permeates our whole being, is the interior Master of Christian prayer. He is the artisan of the living tradition of prayer. To be sure, there are as many paths of prayer as there are persons who pray, but it is the same Spirit acting in all and with all. It is in the communion of the Holy Spirit that Christian prayer is prayer in the Church. In communion with the holy Mother of God 2674 Mary gave her consent in faith at the Annunciation and maintained it without hesitation at the foot of the Cross. Ever since, her motherhood has extended to the brothers and sisters of her Son "who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties."28 Jesus, the only mediator, is the way of our prayer; Mary, his mother and ours, is wholly transparent to him: she "shows the way", and is herself "the Sign" of the way. SAMPLE PRAYER:

My God of splendor and majesty: My Father upholds me with his right hand; I shall not be afraid. Everything that draws me closest to you Lord of heaven and earth; Everything that will keep you in my heart and me in yours; That I shall think, That I shall do and That I shall treasure. I may not have much to offer you dearest Father, But all I have to you I give. My life is yours, your will is mine, and my love for you shall flow from this day through the timeless days of perfect joy and everlasting peace. Oh gentle Spirit of God, Yet as powerful as power, Oh sweet gentle Spirit, Teach me your way of perfection, Hold me in your purity, Sing a comforting melody to my heart, And I shall not be afraid.

My tears I shed for you, My life I live for you, Oh gentle Spirit of God, Breathe unto me the breath of life, Teach me how to be strong, And show me path of righteousness. I love you deeply oh Spirit of truth. Jesus you are my life, My way to salvation, The only truth I have come to know. When I partake of your body Jesus master, I feel the palpitations of joy welling within me, Bubbled quiet laughter of peace escapes my lips. I glory in your beauty oh King of kings, You owe me nothing yet you give me everything! Oh gracious king of all that is, And master of all that ever will be, I love you my precious savior, And I thank you for loving me first. Amen


SERVICE- YIELDING GOOD FRUIT The word of God nourishes and gives us freedom, it burns our hearts with truth. The body of Christ opens our eyes to see fully this truth by which we obtain eternal life. By prayer we continue to grow in this freedom of truth, and finally we can start to yield good fruit. We can yield good fruit acceptable to the vinedresser if we remain one with the vine. We should also be ready to be prooned so that we may fit the specifications of the

vinedresser,unifying our will with that of God.Pruning is a sign of love and it may be painful but it’s end is pleasant.

Deut 8:5 So you must realize that the LORD, your God, disciplines you even as a man disciplines his son. 2 Mac 6:16 He never withdraws his mercy from us. Although he disciplines us with misfortunes, he does not abandon his own people. Heb 12:5-14 You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges." Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards. Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not (then) submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live? They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness. At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it. So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

WHY SERVE GOD?

1. Whoever serves Jesus will dwell in heaven and will be honoured there. “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” – John 12:26

2. God gives eternal life and fulfills the desires of those that serve him “Trust in the LORD and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure.


Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart's desire.” - Psalm 37:3-4

3. God notices every little thing you do because of your honor for him “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.” – Heb 6:10

4. God desires only useful servants, each according to what he receives God has lent you life and with it all forms of ability, use this ability to serve only him, doing all kinds of good and yielding every good fruit. Build magnificent structures on the stable foundation that has freely been laid for you. God desires useful servants, obedient workmen willing to build his Kingdom with the grace He himself provides. Mt 25

5. It’s necessary for salvation to serve God through Works of Charity

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Mt 25:33-41

HOW DO WE SERVE GOD? Do everything with God in mind “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.” – Colossians 3:23-24

Do everything with a genuine motive As for you, Solomon, my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing soul, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the mind's thoughts. If you seek him, he will let himself be found by you; but if you abandon him, he will cast you off forever. – 1 Chronicles 28:9

Do every good you have an opportunity to do Look to the greater reward in heaven in all circumstances “Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth; where the rust and moth consume and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven; where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20)


Do not aim just for little, go as far as God’s grace takes you! As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Pet 4:10-11

BPS MINISTRIES:

Music Charity

Intercessory Formation

Bible

BPS


MUSIC MINISTRY:

St Paul treasured the role of Music ministry in the life of a Christian - Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. David Sang, ‘the man after God’s heart’ - 2 Sam 22 David sang the words of this song to the LORD when the LORD had rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. This is what he sang: I "O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer…” David and other leaders set up music ministry for liturgy in their time – 1 Chr 25:1 David and the leaders of the liturgical cult set apart for service the descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, as singers of inspired songs to the accompaniment of lyres and harps and cymbals.

The wisest man ministered with a thousand songs - 1Kings 5:12 Solomon also uttered three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. Instruments are a form of music; they ought to be played with passion in worship 2 Chr 13:7-8 They transported the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab; Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart, while David and all Israel danced before God with great enthusiasm, amid songs and music on lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. The Lead Music minister will gather a team of people for various forms of music, and this team will be fulfilling all the musical needs of BPS. The Lead minister shall encourage spirituality within his ministry, knowing that it is a key area of worship. The Lead music minister will set up his own structure to ensure that all music ministers are adequately prepared for their ministry. He will review progress for his team and communicate this to the BPS council whenever the coordinator reconvenes a council meeting.

Patron Saint, Music: St Cecilia


FORMATION MINISTRY:

Involves:

counseling services for free to all people in the community,

motivation of other ministries, the society and especially the poor and the downtrodden

spiritual guidance,

catechizing within BPS and outside as according to the needs of the Parish,

involving themselves as representatives of BPS family in all Church activities,

Encouraging BPS members and all other Catholics into frequent confession, mass, Eucharistic adoration, and all other items that will help everyone lead a healthy Christian life.

David the the King needed a counselor and had one,we all need counsel too in spiritual life - 2nd Samuel 15:12 Absalom also sent to Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, an invitation to come from his town, Giloh, for the sacrifices he was about to offer. Effective counselors or Formators must let the Holy Spirit to guide them – 2 Sam 16:23, 17:14 “Now the counsel given by Ahithophel at that time was as though one had sought divine revelation. Such was all his counsel both to David and to Absalom.” “Then Absalom and all the Israelites pronounced the counsel of Hushai the Archite better than that of Ahithophel. For the LORD had decided to undo Ahithophel's good counsel, in order thus to bring Absalom to ruin.”

The Formation ministry is also to encourage spirituality among non Catholics, with love and in the spirit of ecumenism. We all share in the image of God and therefore everyone ought to be treated with dignity. Build everyone for their good, find what belief they have in common with the Church and encourage them from there upwards. Share the Catholic faith prudently with much gentleness and patience, using more


of actions than words. Let everyone see how you live, how you love and desire to be like you. Show your light to the world and let them come to it. Christ never imposed but invited, so shall we. The lead Formator will gather a team of his own, distribute various roles with much prayer and discernment, and have everyone ready for their form of service. He will review progress for his team and communicate this to the coordinator and the BPS family during weekly BPS prayer meetings

Patron Saint of Mercy: St Foustina Kowalska


CHARITY (COMPASSIONATE) MINISTRY:

“But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth

nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For

where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” —

Mat 6:20-21

Involves: • All forms of charitable activities

• Help for the poor in material needs: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, shelter for the homeless and strangers, visiting the neglected, comforting those who are losing hope etc • Showing compassion to all in need of it • Speaking for the voiceless • Attending to the aged • Support for the disabled • Taking part in helping emergency victims – • Mobilizing BPS family and everyone else in environmental conservation projects • All other activities the lead Charity minister discerns to be linked to the ministry

The lead Charity minister will gather a team of his own, design a program for the activities to be carried

out and the response pattern as need arises. He is to lead with much prayer and discernment,

motivating everyone to be on the ready to respond quickly to arising needs apart from the usual

planned activities. He is to ensure a strong spiritual foundation across all the ministry activities. He will

review progress for his team and communicate this to the coordinator and the BPS family during BPS

prayer meetings.

God has always desired that we give to the poor and be hospitable to strangers Leviticus 19:9-10

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very

edge, nor shall you glean the stray ears of grain. Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor

gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the

LORD, am your God.

Those who help the Poor lend to God, and he repays them (Proverbs 19:17) -PSALM 41:2-4 Happy those

concerned for the lowly and poor; when misfortune strikes, the LORD delivers them. The LORD keeps

and preserves them, makes them happy in the land, and does not betray them to their enemies. The

LORD sustains them on their sickbed, allays the malady when they are ill.


St Paul, one of the most blessed apostles knew that Charity marked Christianity Hebrews13:1-3 Let

mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained

angels. Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,

for you also are in the body.

To Love is to fulfill the commandment of Christ and loving is in charity 1John 3:17-18 If someone who

has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain

in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.

God created a beautiful world and gave dominion to man, this is why we are to guard it. Gen 1:27-31

God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the

fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth." God also said: "See, I

give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be

your food; and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl

on the ground, I give all the green plants for food." And so it happened. God looked at everything he

had made, and he found it very good.” When you attend to the aged, you honor God Leviticus 19:32

"Stand up in the presence of the aged, and show respect for the old; thus shall you fear your God. I am

the LORD.

Patron Saint, Charitable organizations: St Vincent de Paul


TEACHING/BIBLE MINISTRY:

“Your word is a lamp to my

feet, a light to my path.” – Psalms 119:105

Involves:

evangelizing Christ to the world

Preaching and proclaiming the gospel

Promoting a Bible culture among all Catholics and other Christians promoting a deeper understanding of the Church teachings and doctrine

Fulfilling all the scriptural and doctrinal needs of BPS, guiding bible studies

compiling verses and Church teachings for the growth of the other ministries

encouraging testimonies from those God has touched, sharing on the Church miracles and other activities to build faith of BPS family and promote spirituality among Catholics and all other Christians

organizing occasional interdenominational forums to pray together, to read scripture together, and to share the Catholic faith in the spirit of ecumenism

All other activities inspiring everyone to live the gospel of Christ Jesus

To be effective in this ministry, each Bible minister will need to: Do intensive study of Scripture on a daily basis

Studying the teaching of the Church on all kinds of issues

Reading on saints and teaching their examples to others Teach not your own things, but those of the one that has sent you John 7:16-17 “Jesus answered them

and said, "My teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me. Whoever chooses to do his will

shall know whether my teaching is from God or whether I speak on my own.”

The purpose of teaching/preaching is to promote godliness in form of Love. All else is empty talk and

should be avoided. 1Tim 1:3-7 I repeat the request I made of you when I was on my way to Macedonia,


that you stay in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to teach false doctrines or to concern themselves

with myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the plan of God that is to

be received by faith. The aim of this instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a

sincere faith. Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, wanting to be

teachers of the law, but without understanding either what they are saying or what they assert with

such assurance.

Jesus wants the gospel Proclaimed to everyone so that all who believe are saved- Mark 16:15-16 Jesus

said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes

and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

The Church is the pillar and foundation of Truth; do not therefore deviate from her teaching for you

will be deviating from truth, instead seek wisdom and understanding so that you ‘have confidence in

your faith’ – Ephesians 3:15 But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household

of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth. Of this fold The Lead Bible

minister will gather a team of people gifted in teaching, preaching, exhortation and everyone the Holy

Spirit prompts to help drive this ministry. The Lead minister is to design a program for his team to

ensure that every bible minister is well equipped to perform the tasks at hand. He is also to lead the BPS

Bible sessions or arrange earlier which minister is to lead. The lead minister also monitors progress for

his team and frequently communicates this to the coordinator.

Patron Saint, Bible Study: St Jerome

Patron Saint, theologians: St Augustine


INTERCESSORY MINISTRY: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and

petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” — Phil 4:6-7

Involves: Praying continually for all people to attain salvation Praying for the nation, for the citizens and for government Praying for the Catholic Church, for the whole Christian community, for all those that believe in God, for all those that do not know God. Fulfilling all prayer needs of BPS family, committing all the ministries and their leaders into prayer so that they’re always equipped with everything they need for the success of the ministry Inspiring daily prayerfulness among all Christians Teaching first all BPS members, and then all people everywhere, how to pray effectively Encouraging BPS family and all Catholics to always seek the intercession of Mother Mary and the saints. Let everyone know of the immense goodness of this practice! Visiting the suffering and praying for them Praying for all the sick and healing them in the name of Christ Cooperation with Bible ministry in organizing prayers for the occasional interdenominational forums meant for sharing the Catholic faith and strengthening the areas of commonality with other religions. Organizing weekly rosary prayers or joining with any group saying rosary and taking time afterwards to share something on behalf of BPS to better their prayer-life and also to learn from them anything that can be used to build BPS To be a successful intercessor whose prayers God listens to and responds, there are things we can do that we learn from Christ as he speaks through the Church, through his written word, through the experience of various saints and that of ordinary people in ordinary circumstances. We have already covered some of those things but here is a summary: Know the holy Spirit, and let Him be the helper, the divine intercessor Honor God not with your lips, but with your hearts first Remove day by day the various blocks to prayer as explained earlier Have faith and go for more Let your love be poured out for all you pray for The lead intercessor will gather a team of Spirit filled-people of faith to carry out the functions of this

ministry. He will creatively come up with a mode of operation for his team. All prayers are to be in line

with scripture and the Catholic doctrine, and common Church prayers are to be encouraged too but let

everyone learn how to say such prayers from the heart. The lead intercessor is to monitor the progress


of his team and the whole of BPS family, communicate this to the coordinator and other lead ministers

for further growth. Col 4:2-4 Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; at the same

time, pray for us, too, that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak of the mystery of Christ,

for which I am in prison, that I may make it clear, as I must speak.

Patron Saint, Bodily illnesses, shepherds : St Salvator of Horta


BPS COUNCIL FOR INSTITUTIONS:

BPS leadership in the council is like that of Christ. There is no directing, but only leading, and the Lead

coordinator is the servant of all Ministries in an institution.

Ministry leaders coordinate with each other and with the lead coordinator to drive the BPS mission.

Leaders are to embrace the gentle and obedient spirit of Mother Mary, placing nothing above the will of

God.

Provisionary BPS Rule for institutions:

1. Obedience to the Church leadership is mandatory for BPS family because our mission is tied to that of

the Church. We are just but members of the body of Christ, widely varied in function but all to the

benefit of the whole body to which Christ is the head. The Church being the pillar and foundation of

Truth, BPS must operate within her protection 1 Tim 3:15

2. All decisions are by popular vote, with utmost cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

3. Each lead minister will creatively provide needed leadership in his own Ministry as he wishes, with

much prayer and sensitivity to God’s will. Each Ministry is free to make their own decisions on how

they will operate, but the lead coordinator will oversee these operations and suggest various changes

to ensure everything is in line with the spirit of BPS mission.

4. The lead coordinator, with the support of at least two lead ministers, can overrule the decision of a

Ministry in the case where the lead coordinator and the lead minister of that ministry do not have a

way of agreement on a particular issue.

5. A lead minister, with the support of at least two other lead ministers, can overrule an operational

decision of the lead coordinator.


STANDARD BPS PRAYER MEETING/FELLOWSHIP FORMAT

1. Praise song, and then worship

“Long faces cannot proclaim Christ.” – Pope Francis Praise songs accompanied with vigorous dance will energize everyone in the presence of the Lord so that we don’t approach Him with long faces but radiant ones befitting the King of Glory! Worship songs or any other calm song with hands lifted up or folded in submission to usher everyone into prayer The Leader of music ministry will coordinate various roles among other music ministers but all are to yield to the leading of the Spirit during singing.

2. Opening prayers:

The Lead intercessor though the leading of the Holy Spirit, will have selected from his intercessory team

the people to lead through various prayers, but if anyone outside of the intercessory team wishes to

pray they should be encouraged to do so. Prayers may vary according to the needs of the moment but

the lead intercessor is to ensure that the following elements are included and given utmost priority:

The Lord’s Prayer, prayer for the Holy Spirit.

The Lord’s Prayer –this is the model of all BPS prayers and therefore the Person Leading to say it loudly, clearly and in a reflective manner so that all in attendance may appreciate every word of it. Our Father art in heaven – First we acknowledge that He is our Father and we are His loving children Psalms 2:7-8 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD, who said to me, "You are my son; today I am your father. Only ask it of me, and I will make your inheritance the nations, your possession the ends of the earth. Hallowed be thy name – Revered be His name, honored by all and given utmost respect for He is God Exodus 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven – the Life of a Christian is all about doing the will of God. Those that do the Father’s will are the true family of Jesus and belong with him in this age and the age to come. Seeking righteousness and the kingdom of God should come first, and then all other things will be added to the seekers. Mt 12:50 For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."


2nd Chronicles31:20-21 This Hezekiah did in all Judah. He did what was good, upright and faithful before the LORD, his God. Everything that he undertook, for the service of the house of God or for the law and the commandments, was to do the will of his God. He did this wholeheartedly, and he prospered. Give us this day our daily bread – We ask for sustenance, spiritual food, intellectual food, physical food and all that we are in need of And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us – God will forgive us if we ourselves are willing to forgive, He will show us mercy if we show mercy, He has loved us and asks us to love the same way so that we may be worthy of him. Mt 6:14-15 If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Sirach 28:1-2 The vengeful will suffer the LORD'S vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from all evil. The evil one is looking for every opportunity to draw man away from God into evil, and the weakness of man in the flesh does not help but with God, and in the example of Christ, men are able to stand strong and endure to the end where they will then be saved. 1Pet 5:8 Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for (someone) to devour. 1John 5:18We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit is the teacher of all truth, the helper, the divine consoler and

one whom searches the deep things of God and reveals to us, the intercessor and the very love of God.

Mt 16:13-15 – the guide to all truth But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

John 14:26 – the teacher The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you. Romans8:14 – the seal of God’s children For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 1 Cor 2:11-14 – the only one that reveals deep mysteries of God


Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.

Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually.

3. Common invocations throughout the session

“Praise the Lord!” Response: “Halleluiah!” (Psalms 111:1)

4. Teaching and Sharing from Scripture and free Discussion

The leader of Bible Ministry will have compiled a list of verses to be read that day, and he himself should

have meditated upon them in light of official Church teaching so that he guides everyone easily during

the reading and discussions and also to check that the conclusions are consistent with Church teaching.

No one should read twice even if it’s repeating the same verse, unless everyone present has already had

a chance to read so that everyone is involved.

The leader of Bible Ministry guides the process or selects the person to guide the process in advance.

Reading of scripture should be done with enthusiasm and every word should be heard loud and clear. It

is better to move slower but gain much understanding.

If any matter is unsettled and needs further consultations, the leader of Bible Ministry takes note and

researches on it for the next meeting.

5. Healing through Love and Forgiveness, Prophecy, Words of Knowledge

and other charisms are welcome, with continual discernment

Music ministry sings healing & Thanksgiving Songs even as the intercessors say a prayer for forgiveness of all kinds of sins, to act both as a form of examination of conscience and to plead with God for forgiveness.

He is to exhort everyone to forgive those that have hurt them so that they may receive forgiveness too. Move on to healing prayers only after the forgiveness session because healing requires forgiveness.

Music continues as the intercessors and everyone prompted by the Holy Spirit pray over those who need healing for themselves and their loved ones, placing hands on them gently. Other prayers may be said at this point, including litanies.

6. Testimonials, Announcement from lead coordinator, Leader of Charity

ministry and Lead Formator


Brief testimonials are encouraged, details of which the lead formator may obtain later and make a record of. The Lead coordinator makes his brief announcement, reminding everyone what BPS is all about and exhorting them to continue pushing ahead the BPS mission. He then explains in brief the nature of each BPS Ministry and then he passes the registration sheet to record details of any new members. Let the Registration sheet include a column for the new member to indicate what ministry they would prefer to join. The lead coordinator then invites the Leader of Charity ministry to give a summary report on what happened that week and the projects of the week ahead. He is also to communicate to the members what is happening in the Church regarding the same. The Coordinator then invites the Lead Formator to give a summary report on any cases they dealt with that week so that others may grow from the experience. But the lead coordinator and the whole team

7. Ending Charismatic Prayer-

Loud charismatic Prayer with Musical background and here prayer in tongues is

encouraged and everyone is encouraged to pray out loud like Bartimeus

After sometime, the lead intercessor concludes with a

Hail Mary……..Calls on the saints to intercede……….Glory be……etc! END Now with a gentle smile and loving hugs and greetings, everyone may leave as they wish.

Finally,

“My son, when you come to serve the LORD, prepare yourself for trials.

Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity.

Cling to him, forsake him not; thus will your future be great.

Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient;

For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation.

Trust God and he will help you; make straight your ways and hope in him.

You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall.

You who fear the LORD, trust him, and your reward will not be lost.

You who fear the LORD, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy.”


BPS is a great way to live and evangelize! Christ is always calling and BPS is simply responding the way

our Mother Mary would, by saying:

“Here I am Lord; let it be done unto me as you will.”

********************************************************************************

By the grace of God I have managed to prepare this humble draft with all my imperfections, and even as

I continue to advance it to be better and better for BPS evangelization, it is my prayer that the

information inside will help you become a better BPS minister of Christ so that together we can build the

Church and get to heaven with the whole world behind us!

I wish you all a successful apostolate!

May the Lord bless us all in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Below is a document from the Church showing her support for the lay ministry and explaining the

necessity of it especially in these modern times of new evangelistic challenges.


A little Background on BPS Founder

Salman Metobo is a mere Christian, raised in a big family

of 12 in Kisii Kenya by his loving parents Michael Metobo

and Phelisters Metoboxs .He’s a young

Telecommunications & Information Engineer by

profession and an enthusiast of Art & Design. He loves

people and always seeks opportunities to serve them

better, to play his part in their journey of holiness, and

to respond with obedience in all the Work God calls Him

to do. He was baptized a little child under the care of

parents and grew up imitating their devotion to prayer

and their simple faith. During his time of receiving the

Sacrament of Confirmation, he experienced a profound

presence of the Lord Jesus and has remained in an

intimate relationship with Him ever since. As a Catholic

Christian raised in the Church in the midst of a loving

community of faith, a Son, brother and friend of many,

he has faced many spiritual and temporal challenges. All

of these in the Will of God have contributed in forming

him for the service he offers as a follower of Christ; a lay

teacher who’s gifting the Lord blessed through a

prophetic word given to the very anointed Fr. Antony

Parankmalil VC, Director Vincentian Prayer House

Nairobi.

BPS apostolate is one way of mobilizing others who share in the vision of Christ among the laity, in co-operation

with the clergy in yielding good fruit in the vineyard of the Lord.

Salman Metobo, born 3rd April 1989


Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem)

By Vatican II

Document Information

Description:

This decree of the Second Vatican Council was proclaimed by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, on

November 18, 1965.

Publisher & Date: Vatican, November 18, 1965

Introduction Chapter I: The Vocation of the Laity to the Apostolate Chapter II: Objectives Chapter III: The Various Fields of the Apostolate Chapter IV: The Various Forms of the Apostolate Chapter V: External Relationships Chapter VI: Formation for the Apostolate Exhortation

INTRODUCTION

1. To intensify the apostolic activity of the people of God,1 the most holy synod earnestly addresses itself to the laity, whose proper and indispensable role in the mission of the Church has already been dealt with in other documents.2 The apostolate of the laity derives from their Christian vocation and the Church can never be without it. Sacred Scripture clearly shows how spontaneous and fruitful such activity was at the very beginning of the Church (cf. Acts 11:19-21; 18:26; Rom. 16:1-16; Phil. 4:3).

Our own times require of the laity no less zeal: in fact, modern conditions demand that their apostolate be broadened and intensified. With a constantly increasing population, continual progress in science and technology, and closer interpersonal relationships, the areas for the lay apostolate have been immensely widened particularly in fields that have been for the most part open to the laity alone. These factors have also occasioned new problems which demand their expert attention and study. This apostolate becomes more imperative in view of the fact that many areas of human life have become increasingly autonomous. This is as it should be, but it sometimes involves a degree of departure from the ethical and religious order and a serious danger to Christian life. Besides, in many places where priests are very few or, in some instances, deprived of due freedom for priestly work, the Church could scarcely exist and function without the activity of the laity.

http://www.catholicculture.org/search/resultslist.cfm?requesttype=docbrowseauth&resourcetype=1&catlabel=author&catid=1157

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#intro

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#I

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#II

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#III

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#IV

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#V

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#VI

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5407#exhort


An indication of this manifold and pressing need is the unmistakable work being done today by the Holy Spirit in making the laity ever more conscious of their own responsibility and encouraging them to serve Christ and the Church in all circumstances.3

In this decree the Council seeks to describe the nature, character, and diversity of the lay apostolate, to state its basic principles, and to give pastoral directives for its more effective exercise. All these should be regarded as norms when the canon law, as it pertains to the lay apostolate, is revised.

CHAPTER I THE VOCATION OF THE LAITY TO THE APOSTOLATE

2. The Church was founded for the purpose of spreading the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth for the glory of God the Father, to enable all men to share in His saving redemption,1 and that through them the whole world might enter into a relationship with Christ. All activity of the Mystical Body directed to the attainment of this goal is called the apostolate, which the Church carries on in various ways through all her members. For the Christian vocation by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate. No part of the structure of a living body is merely passive but has a share in the functions as well as life of the body: so, too, in the body of Christ, which is the Church, "the whole body . . . in keeping with the proper activity of each part, derives its increase from its own internal development"(Eph. 4:16).

Indeed, the organic union in this body and the structure of the members are so compact that the member who fails to make his proper contribution to the development of the Church must be said to be useful neither to the Church nor to himself.

In the Church there is a diversity of ministry but a oneness of mission. Christ conferred on the Apostles and their successors the duty of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling in His name and power. But the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own share in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world.2

They exercise the apostolate in fact by their activity directed to the evangelization and sanctification of men and to the penetrating and perfecting of the temporal order through the spirit of the Gospel. In this way, their temporal activity openly bears witness to Christ and promotes the salvation of men. Since the laity, in accordance with their state of life, live in the midst of the world and its concerns, they are called by God to exercise their apostolate in the world like leaven, with the ardor of the spirit of Christ.

3. The laity derive the right and duty to the apostolate from their union with Christ the head; incorporated into Christ's Mystical Body through Baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation, they are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord Himself. They are consecrated for the royal priesthood and the holy people (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-10) not only that they may offer spiritual sacrifices in everything they do but also that they may witness to Christ


throughout the world. The sacraments, however, especially the most holy Eucharist, communicate and nourish that charity which is the soul of the entire apostolate.3

One engages in the apostolate through the faith, hope, and charity which the Holy Spirit diffuses in the hearts of all members of the Church. Indeed, by the precept of charity, which is the Lord's greatest commandment, all the faithful are impelled to promote the glory of God through the coming of His kingdom and to obtain eternal life for all men--that they may know the only true God and Him whom He sent, Jesus Christ (cf. John 17:3). On all Christians therefore is laid the preeminent responsibility of working to make the divine message of salvation known and accepted by all men throughout the world.

For the exercise of this apostolate, the Holy Spirit Who sanctifies the people of God through ministry and the sacraments gives the faithful special gifts also (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7), "allotting them to everyone according as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:11) in order that individuals, administering grace to others just as they have received it, may also be "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10), to build up the whole body in charity (cf. Eph. 4:16). From the acceptance of these charisms, including those which are more elementary, there arise for each believer the right and duty to use them in the Church and in the world for the good of men and the building up of the Church, in the freedom of the Holy Spirit who "breathes where He wills" (John 3:8). This should be done by the laity in communion with their brothers in Christ, especially with their pastors who must make a judgment about the true nature and proper use of these gifts not to extinguish the Spirit but to test all things and hold for what is good (cf. 1 Thess. 5:12, 19, 21).4

4. Since Christ, sent by the Father, is the source and origin of the whole apostolate of the Church, the success of the lay apostolate depends upon the laity's living union with Christ, in keeping with the Lord's words, "He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). This life of intimate union with Christ in the Church is nourished by spiritual aids which are common to all the faithful, especially active participation in the sacred liturgy.5 These are to be used by the laity in such a way that while correctly fulfilling their secular duties in the ordinary conditions of life, they do not separate union with Christ from their life but rather performing their work according to God's will they grow in that union. In this way the laity must make progress in holiness in a happy and ready spirit, trying prudently and patiently to overcome difficulties.6 Neither family concerns nor other secular affairs should be irrelevant to their spiritual life, in keeping with the words of the Apostle, "Whatever you do in word or work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col. 3:17).

Such a life requires a continual exercise of faith, hope, and charity. Only by the light of faith and by meditation on the word of God can one always and everywhere recognize God in Whom "we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28), seek His will in every event, see Christ in everyone whether he be a relative or a stranger, and make correct judgments about the true meaning and value of temporal things both in themselves and in their relation to man's final goal.


They who have this faith live in the hope of the revelation of the sons of God and keep in mind the cross and resurrection of the Lord. In the pilgrimage of this life, hidden with Christ in God and free from enslavement to wealth, they aspire to those riches which remain forever and generously dedicate themselves wholly to the advancement of the kingdom of God and to the reform and improvement of the temporal order in a Christian spirit. Among the trials of this life they find strength in hope, convinced that "the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that will be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).

Impelled by divine charity, they do good to all men especially to those of the household of the faith (cf. Gal. 6:10), laying aside "all malice and all deceit and pretense, and envy, and all slander" (1 Peter 2:1), and thereby they draw men to Christ. This charity of God, "which is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom. 5:5), enables the laity really to express the spirit of the beatitudes in their lives. Following Jesus in His poverty, they are neither depressed by the lack of temporal goods nor inflated by their abundance; imitating Christ in His humility, they have no obsession for empty honors (cf. Gal. 5:26) but seek to please God rather than men, ever ready to leave all things for Christ's sake (cf. Luke 14:26) and to suffer persecution for justice sake (cf. Matt. 5:10), as they remember the words of the Lord, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matt. 16:24). Promoting Christian friendship among themselves, they help one another in every need whatsoever.

This plan for the spiritual life of the laity should take its particular character from their married or family state or their single or widowed state, from their state of health, and from their professional and social activity. They should not cease to develop earnestly the qualities and talents bestowed on them in accord with these conditions of life, and they should make use of the gifts which they have received from the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, the laity who have followed their vocation and have become members of one of the associations or institutes approved by the Church try faithfully to adopt the special characteristics of the spiritual life which are proper to them as well. They should also hold in high esteem professional skill, family and civic spirit, and the virtues relating to social customs, namely, honesty, justice, sincerity, kindness, and courage, without which no true Christian life can exist.

The perfect example of this type of spiritual and apostolic life is the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Apostles, who while leading the life common to all here on earth, one filled with family concerns and labors, was always intimately united with her Son and in an entirely unique way cooperated in the work of the Savior. Having now been assumed into heaven, with her maternal charity she cares for these brothers of her Son who are still on their earthly pilgrimage and remain involved in dangers and difficulties until they are led into the happy fatherland.7 All should devoutly venerate her and commend their life and apostolate to her maternal care.


CHAPTER II OBJECTIVES

5. Christ's redemptive work, while essentially concerned with the salvation of men, includes also the renewal of the whole temporal order. Hence the mission of the Church is not only to bring the message and grace of Christ to men but also to penetrate and perfect the temporal order with the spirit of the Gospel. In fulfilling this mission of the Church, the Christian laity exercise their apostolate both in the Church and in the world, in both the spiritual and the temporal orders. These orders, although distinct, are so connected in the singular plan of God that He Himself intends to raise up the whole world again in Christ and to make it a new creation, initially on earth and completely on the last day. In both orders the layman, being simultaneously a believer and a citizen, should be continuously led by the same Christian conscience.

6. The mission of the Church pertains to the salvation of men, which is to be achieved by belief in Christ and by His grace. The apostolate of the Church and of all its members is primarily designed to manifest Christ's message by words and deeds and to communicate His grace to the world. This is done mainly through the ministry of the Word and the sacraments, entrusted in a special way to the clergy, wherein the laity also have their very important roles to fulfill if they are to be "fellow workers for the truth" (3 John 8). It is especially on this level that the apostolate of the laity and the pastoral ministry are mutually complementary.

There are innumerable opportunities open to the laity for the exercise of their apostolate of evangelization and sanctification. The very testimony of their Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have the power to draw men to belief and to God; for the Lord says, "Even so let your light shine before men in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5: 16).

However an apostolate of this kind does not consist only in the witness of one's way of life; a true apostle looks for opportunities to announce Christ by words addressed either to non-believers with a view to leading them to faith, or to the faithful with a view to instructing, strengthening, and encouraging them to a more fervent life. "For the charity of Christ impels us" (2 Cor. 5:14). The words of the Apostle should echo in all hearts, "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel" (1 Cor. 9:16).1

Since, in our own times, new problems are arising and very serious errors are circulating which tend to undermine the foundations of religion, the moral order, and human society itself, this sacred synod earnestly exhorts laymen--each according to his own gifts of intelligence and learning--to be more diligent in doing what they can to explain, defend, and properly apply Christian principles to the problems of our era in accordance with the mind of the Church.

7. God's plan for the world is that men should work together to renew and constantly perfect the temporal order.


All those things which make up the temporal order, namely, the good things of life and the prosperity of the family, culture, economic matters, the arts and professions, the laws of the political community, international relations, and other matters of this kind, as well as their development and progress, not only aid in the attainment of man's ultimate goal but also possess their own intrinsic value. This value has been established in them by God, whether they are considered in themselves or as parts of the whole temporal order. "God saw that all He had made was very good" (Gen. 1:31). This natural goodness of theirs takes on a special dignity as a result of their relation to the human person, for whose service they were created. It has pleased God to unite all things, both natural and supernatural, in Christ Jesus "so that in all things He may have the first place" (Col. 1:18). This destination, however, not only does not deprive the temporal order of its independence, its proper goals, laws, supports, and significance for human welfare but rather perfects the temporal order in its own intrinsic strength and worth and puts it on a level with man's whole vocation upon earth.

In the course of history, the use of temporal things has been marred by serious vices. Affected by original sin, men have frequently fallen into many errors concerning the true God, the nature of man, and the principles of the moral law. This has led to the corruption of morals and human institutions and not rarely to contempt for the human person himself. In our own time, moreover, those who have trusted excessively in the progress of the natural sciences and the technical arts have fallen into an idolatry of temporal things and have become their slaves rather than their masters.

The whole Church must work vigorously in order that men may become capable of rectifying the distortion of the temporal order and directing it to God through Christ. Pastors must clearly state the principles concerning the purpose of creation and the use of temporal things and must offer the moral and spiritual aids by which the temporal order may be renewed in Christ.

The laity must take up the renewal of the temporal order as their own special obligation. Led by the light of the Gospel and the mind of the Church and motivated by Christian charity. they must act directly and in a definite way in the temporal sphere. As citizens they must cooperate with other citizens with their own particular skill and on their own responsibility. Everywhere and in all things they must seek the justice of God's kingdom. The temporal order must be renewed in such a way that, without detriment to its own proper laws, it may be brought into conformity with the higher principles of the Christian life and adapted to the shifting circumstances of time, place, and peoples. Preeminent among the works of this type of apostolate is that of Christian social action which the sacred synod desires to see extended to the whole temporal sphere, including culture.2

8. While every exercise of the apostolate should be motivated by charity, some works by their very nature can become specially vivid expressions of this charity. Christ the Lord wanted these works to be signs of His messianic mission (cf. Matt. 11:4-5).

The greatest commandment in the law is to love God with one's whole heart and one's neighbor as oneself (cf. Matt. 22: 37-40). Christ made this commandment of love of neighbor


His own and enriched it with a new meaning. For He wanted to equate Himself with His brethren as the object of this love when He said, "As long as you did it for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it for Me" (Matt. 25:40). Assuming human nature, He bound the whole human race to Himself as a family through a certain supernatural solidarity and established charity as the mark of His disciples, saying, "By this will all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

In her very early days, the holy Church added the agape to the Eucharistic supper and thus showed itself to be wholly united around Christ by the bond of charity. So, too, in every era it is recognized by this sign of love, and while it rejoices in the undertakings of others, it claims works of charity as its own inalienable duty and right. For this reason, pity for the needy and the sick and works of charity and mutual aid intended to relieve human needs of every kind are held in highest honor by the Church.3

At the present time, with the development of more rapid facilities for communication, with the barrier of distance separating men greatly reduced, with the inhabitants of the entire globe becoming one great family, these charitable activities and works have become more urgent and universal. These charitable enterprises can and should reach out to all persons and all needs. Wherever there are people in need of food and drink, clothing, housing, medicine, employment, education; wherever men lack the facilities necessary for living a truly human life or are afflicted with serious distress or illness or suffer exile or imprisonment, there Christian charity should seek them out and find them, console them with great solicitude, and help them with appropriate relief. This obligation is imposed above all upon every prosperous nation and person.4

In order that the exercise of charity on this scale may be unexceptionable in appearance as well as in fact, it is altogether necessary that one should consider in one's neighbor the image of God in which he has been created, and also Christ the Lord to Whom is really offered whatever is given to a needy person. It is imperative also that the freedom and dignity of the person being helped be respected with the utmost consideration, that the purity of one's charitable intentions be not stained by seeking one's own advantage or by striving for domination,5 and especially that the demands of justice be satisfied lest the giving of what is due in justice be represented as the offering of a charitable gift. Not only the effects but also the causes of these ills must be removed and the help be given in such a way that the recipients may gradually be freed from dependence on outsiders and become self-sufficient.

Therefore, the laity should hold in high esteem and, according to their ability, aid the works of charity and projects for social assistance, whether public or private, including international programs whereby effective help is given to needy individuals and peoples. In so doing, they should cooperate with all men of good will.6

CHAPTER III THE VARIOUS FIELDS OF THE APOSTOLATE


9. The laity carry out their manifold apostolate both in the Church and in the world. In both areas there are various opportunities for apostolic activity. We wish to list here the more important fields of action, namely, church communities, the family, youth, the social milieu, and national and international levels. Since in our times women have an ever more active share in the whole life of society, it is very important that they participate more widely also in the various fields of the Church's apostolate.

10. As sharers in the role of Christ as priest, prophet, and king, the laity have their work cut out for them in the life and activity of the Church. Their activity is so necessary within the Church communities that without it the apostolate of the pastors is often unable to achieve its full effectiveness. In the manner of the men and women who helped Paul in spreading the Gospel (cf. Acts 18:18, 26; Rom. 16:3) the laity with the right apostolic attitude supply what is lacking to their brethren and refresh the spirit of pastors and of the rest of the faithful (cf. 1 Cor. 16:17-18). Strengthened by active participation in the liturgical life of their community, they are eager to do their share of the apostolic works of that community. They bring to the Church people who perhaps are far removed from it, earnestly cooperate in presenting the word of God especially by means of catechetical instruction, and offer their special skills to make the care of souls and the administration of the temporalities of the Church more efficient and effective.

The parish offers an obvious example of the apostolate on the community level inasmuch as it brings together the many human differences within its boundaries and merges them into the universality of the Church.1 The laity should accustom themselves to working in the parish in union with their priests,2 bringing to the Church community their own and the world's problems as well as questions concerning human salvation, all of which they should examine and resolve by deliberating in common. As far as possible the laity ought to provide helpful collaboration for every apostolic and missionary undertaking sponsored by their local parish.

They should develop an ever-increasing appreciation of their own diocese, of which the parish is a kind of cell, ever ready at their pastor's invitation to participate in diocesan projects. Indeed, to fulfill the needs of cities and rural areas,3 they should not limit their cooperation to the parochial or diocesan boundaries but strive to extend it to interparochial, interdiocesan, national, and international fields. This is constantly becoming all the more necessary because the daily increase in mobility of populations, reciprocal relationships, and means of communication no longer allow any sector of society to remain closed in upon itself. Thus they should be concerned about the needs of the people of God dispersed throughout the world. They should especially make missionary activity their own by giving material or even personal assistance. It is a duty and honor for Christians to return to God a part of the good things that they receive from Him.

11. Since the Creator of all things has established conjugal society as the beginning and basis of human society and, by His grace, has made it a great mystery in Christ and the Church (cf. Eph. 5:32), the apostolate of married persons and families is of unique importance for the Church and civil society.


Christian husbands and wives are cooperators in grace and witnesses of faith for each other, their children, and all others in their household. They are the first to communicate the faith to their children and to educate them by word and example for the Christian and apostolic life. They prudently help them in the choice of their vocation and carefully promote any sacred vocation which they may discern in them.

It has always been the duty of Christian married partners but today it is the greatest part of their apostolate to manifest and prove by their own way of life the indissolubility and sacredness of the marriage bond, strenuously to affirm the right and duty of parents and guardians to educate children in a Christian manner, and to defend the dignity and lawful autonomy of the family. They and the rest of the faithful, therefore, should cooperate with men of good will to ensure the preservation of these rights in civil legislation and to make sure that governments give due attention to the needs of the family regarding housing, the education of children, working conditions, social security, and taxes; and that in policy decisions affecting migrants their right to live together as a family should be safeguarded.4

This mission--to be the first and vital cell of society--the family has received from God. It will fulfill this mission if it appears as the domestic sanctuary of the Church by reason of the mutual affection of its members and the prayer that they offer to God in common, if the whole family makes itself a part of the liturgical worship of the Church, and if it provides active hospitality and promotes justice and other good works for the service of all the brethren in need. Among the various activities of the family apostolate may be enumerated the following: the adoption of abandoned infants, hospitality to strangers, assistance in the operation of schools, helpful advice and material assistance for adolescents, help to engaged couples in preparing themselves better for marriage, catechetical work, support of married couples and families involved in material and moral crises, help for the aged not only by providing them with the necessities of life but also by obtaining for them a fair share of the benefits of an expanding economy.

At all times and places but particularly in areas where the first seeds of the Gospel are being sown, or where the Church is just beginning, or is involved in some serious difficulty, Christian families can give effective testimony to Christ before the world by remaining faithful to the Gospel and by providing a model of Christian marriage through their whole way of life.5

To facilitate the attainment of the goals of their apostolate, it can be useful for families to be brought together into groups.6

12. Young persons exert very important influence in modem society.7 There has been a radical change in the circumstances of their lives, their mental attitudes, and their relationships with their own families. Frequently they move too quickly into a new social and economic status. While their social and even their political importance is growing from day to day, they seem to be unable to cope adequately with their new responsibilities.

Their heightened influence in society demands of them a proportionate apostolic activity, but their natural qualities also fit them for this activity. As they become more conscious of their


own personalities, they are impelled by a zest for life and a ready eagerness to assume their own responsibility, and they yearn to play their part in social and cultural life. If this zeal is imbued with the spirit of Christ and is inspired by obedience and love for the Church, it can be expected to be very fruitful. They should become the first to carry on the apostolate directly to other young persons, concentrating their apostolic efforts within their own circle, according to the needs of the social environment in which they live.8

Adults ought to engage in such friendly discussion with young people that both age groups, overcoming the age barrier, may become better acquainted and share the special benefits each generation can offer the other. Adults should stimulate young persons first by good example to take part in the apostolate and, if the opportunity presents itself, by offering them effective advice and willing assistance. By the same token young people should cultivate toward adults respect and trust, and although they are naturally attracted to novelties, they should duly appreciate praiseworthy traditions.

13. The apostolate in the social milieu, that is, the effort to infuse a Christian spirit into the mentality, customs, laws, and structures of the community in which one lives, is so much the duty and responsibility of the laity that it can never be performed properly by others. In this area the laity can exercise the apostolate of like toward like. It is here that they complement the testimony of life with the testimony of the word.9 It is here where they work or practice their profession or study or reside or spend their leisure time or have their companionship that they are more capable of helping their brethren.

The laity fulfill this mission of the Church in the world especially by conforming their lives to their faith so that they become the light of the world as well as by practicing honesty in all their dealings so that they attract all to the love of the true and the good and finally to the Church and to Christ. They fulfill their mission also by fraternal charity which presses them to share in the living conditions, labors, sorrows, and aspirations of their brethren with the result that the hearts of all about them are quietly prepared for the workings of saving grace. Another requisite for the accomplishment of their task is a full consciousness of their role in building up society whereby they strive to perform their domestic, social, and professional duties with such Christian generosity that their manner of acting should gradually penetrate the whole world of life and labor.

This apostolate should reach out to all wherever they may be encountered; it should not exclude any spiritual or temporal benefit which they have the ability to confer. True apostles, however, are not content with this activity alone but endeavor to announce Christ to their neighbors by means of the spoken word as well. For there are many persons who can hear the Gospel and recognize Christ only through the laity who live near them.

Children also have their own apostolic work to do. According to their ability they are true living witnesses of Christ among their companions.

14. A vast field for the apostolate has opened up on the national and international levels where the laity especially assist with their Christian wisdom. In loyalty to their country and in faithful


fulfillment of their civic obligations, Catholics should feel themselves obliged to promote the true common good. Thus they should make the weight of their opinion felt in order that civil authority may act with justice and that legislation may conform to moral precepts and the common good. Catholics skilled in public affairs and adequately enlightened in faith and Christian doctrine should not refuse to administer public affairs since by doing this in a worthy manner they can both further the common good and at the same time prepare the way for the Gospel.

Catholics should try to cooperate with all men and women of good will to promote whatever is true, whatever just, whatever holy, whatever lovable (cf. Phil. 4:8). They should hold discussions with them, excel them in prudence and courtesy, and initiate research on social and public practices which should be improved in line with the spirit of the Gospel.

Among the signs of our times, the irresistibly increasing sense of the solidarity of all peoples is especially noteworthy. It is a function of the lay apostolate sedulously to promote this awareness and to transform it into a sincere and genuine love of brotherhood. Furthermore, the laity should be aware of the international field and of the questions and solutions, doctrinal as well as practical, which arise in this field, with special reference to developing nations.10

All who work in or give help to foreign nations must remember that relations among peoples should be a genuine fraternal exchange in which each party is at the same time a giver and a receiver. Travelers, whether their interest is international affairs, business, or leisure, should remember that they are itinerant heralds of Christ wherever they go and should act accordingly.

CHAPTER IV THE VARIOUS FORMS OF THE APOSTOLATE

15. The laity can engage in their apostolic activity either as individuals or together as members of various groups or associations.

16. The individual apostolate, flowing generously from its source in a truly Christian life (cf. John 4:14), is the origin and condition of the whole lay apostolate, even of the organized type, and it admits of no substitute.

Regardless of status, all lay persons (including those who have no opportunity or possibility for collaboration in associations) are called to this type of apostolate and obliged to engage in it. This type of apostolate is useful at all times and places, but in certain circumstances it is the only one appropriate and feasible.

There are many forms of the apostolate whereby the laity build up the Church, sanctify the world, and give it life in Christ. A particular form of the individual apostolate as well as a sign specially suited to our times is the testimony of the whole lay life arising from faith, hope, and charity. It manifests Christ living in those who believe in Him. Then by the apostolate of the spoken and written word, which is utterly necessary under certain circumstances, lay people


announce Christ, explain and spread His teaching in accordance with one's status and ability, and faithfully profess it.

Furthermore, in collaborating as citizens of this world, in whatever pertains to the up building and conducting of the temporal order, the laity must seek in the light of faith loftier motives of action in their family, professional, cultural, and social life and make them known to others when the occasion arises. Doing this, they should be aware of the fact that they are cooperating with God the creator, redeemer, and sanctifier and are giving praise to Him.

Finally, the laity should vivify their life with charity and express it as best they can in their works.

They should all remember that they can reach all men and contribute to the salvation of the whole world by public worship and prayer as well as by penance and voluntary acceptance of the labors and hardships of life whereby they become like the suffering Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 4:10; Col. 1:24).

17. There is a very urgent need for this individual apostolate in those regions where the freedom of the Church is seriously infringed. In these trying circumstances, the laity do what they can to take the place of priests, risking their freedom and sometimes their life to teach Christian doctrine to those around them, training them in a religious way of life and a Catholic way of thinking, leading them to receive the sacraments frequently and developing in them piety, especially Eucharistic devotion.1 While the sacred synod heartily thanks God for continuing also in our times to raise up lay persons of heroic fortitude in the midst of persecutions, it embraces them with fatherly affection and gratitude.

The individual apostolate has a special field in areas where Catholics are few in number and widely dispersed. Here the laity who engage in the apostolate only as individuals, whether for the reasons already mentioned or for special reasons including those deriving also from their own professional activity, usefully gather into smaller groups for serious conversation without any more formal kind of establishment or organization, so that an indication of the community of the Church is always apparent to others as a true witness of love. In this way, by giving spiritual help to one another through friendship and the communicating of the benefit of their experience, they are trained to overcome the disadvantages of excessively isolated life and activity and to make their apostolate more productive.

18. The faithful are called to engage in the apostolate as individuals in the varying circumstances of their life. They should remember, nevertheless, that man is naturally social and that it has pleased God to unite those who believe in Christ into the people of God (cf. 1 Peter 2:5-10) and into one body (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12). The group apostolate of Christian believers then happily corresponds to a human and Christian need and at the same time signifies the communion and unity of the Church in Christ, who said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20).


For this reason the faithful should participate in the apostolate by way of united effort.2 They should be apostles both in their family communities and in their parishes and dioceses, which themselves express the community nature of the apostolate, as well as in the informal groups which they decide to form among themselves.

The group apostolate is very important also because the apostolate must often be performed by way of common activity in both the Church communities and the various spheres. For the associations established for carrying on the apostolate in common sustain their members, form them for the apostolate, and rightly organize and regulate their apostolic work so that much better results can be expected than if each member were to act on his own.

In the present circumstances, it is quite necessary that, in the area of lay activity, the united and organized form of the apostolate be strengthened. In fact, only the pooling of resources is capable of fully achieving all the aims of the modern apostolate and firmly protecting its interests.3 Here it is important that the apostolate encompass even the common attitudes and social conditions of those for whom it is designed.

Otherwise those engaged in the apostolate are often unable to bear up under the pressure of public opinion or of social institutions.

19. There is a great variety of associations in the apostolate.4 Some set before themselves the broad apostolic purpose of the Church; others aim to evangelize and sanctify in a special way. Some purpose to infuse a Christian spirit into the temporal order; others bear witness to Christ in a special way through works of mercy and charity.

Among these associations, those which promote and encourage closer unity between the concrete life of the members and their faith must be given primary consideration. Associations are not ends unto themselves; rather they should serve the mission of the Church to the world. Their apostolic dynamism depends on their conformity with the goals of the Church as well as on the Christian witness and evangelical spirit of every member and of the whole association.

Now, in view of the progress of social institutions and the fast-moving pace of modern society, the global nature of the Church's mission requires that apostolic enterprises of Catholics should more and more develop organized forms in the international sphere. Catholic international organizations will more effectively achieve their purpose if the groups comprising them, as well as their members, are more closely united to these international organizations.

Maintaining the proper relationship to Church authorities,5 the laity have the right to found and control such associations6 and to join those already existing. Yet the dispersion of efforts must be avoided. This happens when new associations and projects are promoted without a sufficient reason, or if antiquated associations or methods are retained beyond their period of usefulness. Nor is it always fitting to transfer indiscriminately forms of the apostolate that have been used in one nation to other nations.7


20. Many decades ago the laity in many nations began to dedicate themselves increasingly to the apostolate. They grouped themselves into various kinds of activities and societies which, while maintaining a closer union with the hierarchy, pursued and continue to pursue goals which are properly apostolic. Of these associations, or even among similar and older institutions, those are specially noteworthy which followed different methods of operation and yet produced excellent results for Christ's kingdom. These societies were deservedly recommended and promoted by the popes and many bishops, from whom they received the title of "Catholic Action," and were often described as the collaboration of the laity in the apostolate of the hierarchy.8

Whether these forms of the apostolate have the name of "Catholic Action" or some other title, they exercise an apostolate of great value for our times and consist in the combination and simultaneous possession of the following characteristics:

a) The immediate aim of organizations of this kind is the Church's apostolic aim, that is, the

evangelization and sanctification of men and the formation of a Christian conscience among them so

that they can infuse the spirit of the Gospel into various communities and departments of life.

b) Cooperating with the hierarchy in their own way, the laity contribute the benefit of their experience to, and assume responsibility for the direction of these organizations, the consideration of the conditions in which the pastoral activity of the Church is to be conducted, and the elaboration and execution of the plan of things to be done.

c) The laity act together in the manner of an organic body so that the community of the Church is more fittingly symbolized and the apostolate rendered more effective.

d) Whether they offer themselves spontaneously or are invited to action and direct cooperation with the apostolate of the hierarchy, the laity function under the higher direction of the hierarchy itself, and the latter can sanction this cooperation by an explicit mandate.

Organizations in which, in the opinion of the hierarchy, the ensemble of these characteristics is realized, must be considered to be Catholic Action even though they take on various forms and titles because of the needs of different regions and peoples.

The most holy council earnestly recommends these associations, which surely answer the needs of the apostolate of the Church among many peoples and countries, and invites the clergy and laity working in them to develop the above-mentioned characteristics to an ever greater degree and to cooperate at all times with all other forms of the apostolate in a fraternal manner in the Church.

21. All associations of the apostolate must be given due appreciation. Those, however, which the hierarchy have praised or recommended as responsive to the needs of time and place, or have ordered to be established as particularly urgent, must be held in highest esteem by priests, Religious, and laity and promoted according to each one's ability. Among these


associations, moreover, international associations or groups of Catholics must be specially appreciated at the present time.

22. Deserving of special honor and commendation in the Church are those lay people, single or married, who devote themselves with professional experience, either permanently or temporarily, to the service of associations and their activities. There is a source of great joy for the Church in the fact that there is a daily increase in the number of lay persons who offer their personal service to apostolic associations and activities, either within the limits of their own nation or in the international field or especially in Catholic mission communities and in regions where the Church has only recently been implanted.

The pastors of the Church should gladly and gratefully welcome these lay persons and make sure that the demands of justice, equity, and charity relative to their status be satisfied to the fullest extent, particularly as regards proper support for them and their families. They should also take care to provide for these lay people the necessary formation, spiritual consolation, and incentive.

CHAPTER V EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

23. Whether the lay apostolate is exercised by the faithful as individuals or as members of organizations, it should be incorporated into the apostolate of the whole Church according to a right system of relationships. Indeed, union with those whom the Holy Spirit has assigned to rule His Church (cf. Acts 20:28) is an essential element of the Christian apostolate. No less necessary is cooperation among various projects of the apostolate which must be suitably directed by the hierarchy.

Indeed, the spirit of unity should be promoted in order that fraternal charity may be resplendent in the whole apostolate of the Church, common goals may be attained, and destructive rivalries avoided. For this there is need for mutual esteem among all the forms of the apostolate in the Church and, with due respect for the particular character of each organization, proper coordination.1 This is most fitting since a particular activity in the Church requires harmony and apostolic cooperation on the part of both branches of the clergy, the Religious, and the laity.

24. The hierarchy should promote the apostolate of the laity, provide it with spiritual principles and support, direct the conduct of this apostolate to the common good of the Church, and attend to the preservation of doctrine and order.

Indeed, the lay apostolate admits of different types of relationships with the hierarchy in accordance with the various forms and objects of this apostolate. For in the Church there are many apostolic undertakings which are established by the free choice of the laity and regulated by their prudent judgment. The mission of the Church can be better accomplished in certain circumstances by undertakings of this kind, and therefore they are frequently praised or


recommended by the hierarchy.2 No project, however, may claim the name "Catholic" unless it has obtained the consent of the lawful Church authority.

Certain forms of the apostolate of the laity are given explicit recognition by the hierarchy, though in various ways.

Because of the demands of the common good of the Church, moreover, ecclesiastical authority can select and promote in a particular way some of the apostolic associations and projects which have an immediately spiritual purpose, thereby assuming in them a special responsibility. Thus, making various dispositions of the apostolate according to circumstances, the hierarchy joins some particular form of it more closely with its own apostolic function. Yet the proper nature and distinctiveness of each apostolate must be preserved, and the laity must not be deprived of the possibility of acting on their own accord. In various Church documents this procedure of the hierarchy is called a mandate.

Finally, the hierarchy entrusts to the laity certain functions which are more closely connected with pastoral duties, such as the teaching of Christian doctrine, certain liturgical actions, and the care of souls. By virtue of this mission, the laity are fully subject to higher ecclesiastical control in the performance of this work.

As regards works and institutions in the temporal order, the role of the ecclesiastical hierarchy is to teach and authentically interpret the moral principles to be followed in temporal affairs. Furthermore, they have the right to judge, after careful consideration of all related matters and consultation with experts, whether or not such works and institutions conform to moral principles and the right to decide what is required for the protection and promotion of values of the supernatural order.

25. Bishops, pastors of parishes, and other priests of both branches of the clergy should keep in mind that the right and duty to exercise this apostolate is common to all the faithful, both clergy and laity, and that the laity also have their own roles in building up the Church.3 For this reason they should work fraternally with the laity in and for the Church and take special care of the lay persons in these apostolic works.4

Special care should be taken to select priests who are capable of promoting particular forms of the apostolate of the laity and are properly trained.5 Those who are engaged in this ministry represent the hierarchy in their pastoral activity by virtue of the mission they receive from the hierarchy. Always adhering faithfully to the spirit and teaching of the Church, they should promote proper relations between laity and hierarchy. They should devote themselves to nourishing the spiritual life and an apostolic attitude in the Catholic societies entrusted to them; they should contribute their wise counsel to the apostolic activity of these associations and promote their undertakings. Through continuous dialogue with the laity, these priests should carefully investigate which forms make apostolic activity more fruitful. They should promote the spirit of unity within the association as well as between it and others.


Finally, in keeping with the spirit and norms of their societies, Religious Brothers and Sisters should value the apostolic works of the laity and willingly devote themselves to promoting lay enterprises.6 They should also strive to support, uphold, and fulfill priestly functions.

26. In dioceses, insofar as possible, there should be councils which assist the apostolic work of the Church either in the field of evangelization and sanctification or in the charitable, social, or other spheres, and here it is fitting that the clergy and Religious should cooperate with the laity. While preserving the proper character and autonomy of each organization, these councils will be able to promote the mutual coordination of various lay associations and enterprises.7

Councils of this type should be established as far as possible also on the parochial, interparochial, and interdiocesan level as well as in the national or international sphere.8

A special secretariat, moreover, should be established at the Holy See for the service and promotion of the lay apostolate. It can serve as a well-equipped center for communicating information about the various apostolic programs of the laity, promoting research into modern problems arising in this field, and assisting the hierarchy and laity in their apostolic works with its advice. The various movements and projects of the apostolate of the laity throughout the world should also be represented in this secretariat, and here clergy and Religious also are to cooperate with the laity.

27. The quasi-common heritage of the Gospel and the common duty of Christian witness resulting from it recommend and frequently require the cooperation of Catholics with other Christians, on the part of individuals and communities within the Church, either in activities or in associations, in the national or international field.9

Likewise, common human values not infrequently call for cooperation between Christians pursuing apostolic aims and those who do not profess Christ's name but acknowledge these values.

By this dynamic and prudent cooperation,l0 which is of special importance in temporal activities, the laity bear witness to Christ, the Savior of the world, as well as to the unity of the human family.

CHAPTER VI FORMATION FOR THE APOSTOLATE

28. The apostolate can attain its maximum effectiveness only through a diversified and thorough formation. This is demanded not only by the continuous spiritual and doctrinal progress of the lay person himself but also by the accommodation of his activity to circumstances varying according to the affairs, persons, and duties involved. This formation for the apostolate should rest upon those bases which have been stated and proclaimed by this most holy council in other documents.1 In addition to the formation which is common for all Christians, many forms of the apostolate demand also a specific and particular formation because of the variety of persons and circumstances.


29. Since the laity share in their own way in the mission of the Church, their apostolic formation is specially characterized by the distinctively secular and particular quality of the lay state and by its own form of the spiritual life.

The formation for the apostolate presupposes a certain human and well-rounded formation adapted to the natural abilities and conditions of each lay person. Well-informed about the modern world, the lay person should be a member of his own community and adjusted to its culture.

However, the lay person should learn especially how to perform the mission of Christ and the Church by basing his life on belief in the divine mystery of creation and redemption and by being sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit who gives life to the people of God and who urges all to love God the Father as well as the world and men in Him. This formation should be deemed the basis and condition for every successful apostolate.

In addition to spiritual formation, a solid doctrinal instruction in theology, ethics, and philosophy adjusted to differences of age, status, and natural talents, is required. The importance of general culture along with practical and technical formation should also be kept in mind.

To cultivate good human relations, truly human values must be fostered, especially the art of living fraternally and cooperating with others and of striking up friendly conversation with them.

Since formation for the apostolate cannot consist in merely theoretical instruction, from the beginning of their formation the laity should gradually and prudently learn how to view, judge and do all things in the light of faith as well as to develop and improve themselves along with others through doing, thereby entering into active service to the Church.2 This formation, always in need of improvement because of the increasing maturity of the human person and the proliferation of problems, requires an ever deeper knowledge and planned activity. In the fulfillment of all the demands of formation, the unity and integrity of the human person must be kept in mind at all times so that his harmony and balance may be safeguarded and enhanced.

In this way the lay person engages himself wholly and actively in the reality of the temporal order and effectively assumes his role in conducting the affairs of this order. At the same time, as a living member and witness of the Church, he renders the Church present and active in the midst of temporal affairs.3

30. The training for the apostolate should start with the children's earliest education. In a special way, however, adolescents and young persons should be initiated into the apostolate and imbued with its spirit. This formation must be perfected throughout their whole life in keeping with the demands of new responsibilities. It is evident, therefore, that those who have the obligation to provide a Christian education also have the duty of providing formation for the apostolate.


In the family parents have the task of training their children from childhood on to recognize God's love for all men. By example especially they should teach them little by little to be solicitous for the material and spiritual needs of their neighbor. The whole family in its common life, then, should be a sort of apprenticeship for the apostolate. Children must be educated, too, in such fashion that transcending the family circle, they may open their minds to both ecclesiastical and temporal communities. They should be so involved in the local community of the parish that they will acquire a consciousness of being living and active members of the people of God. Priests should focus their attention on the formation of the laity for the apostolate in their catechetics, their ministry of the word their direction of souls, and in their other pastoral services.

Schools, colleges, and other Catholic educational institutions also have the duty to develop a Catholic sense and apostolic activity in young persons. If young people lack this formation either because they do not attend these schools or because of any other reason, all the more should parents, pastors of souls, and apostolic organizations attend to it. Teachers and educators on the other hand, who carry on a distinguished form of the apostolate of the laity by their vocation and office, should be equipped with that learning and pedagogical skill that are needed for imparting such education effectively.

Likewise, lay groups and associations dedicated to the apostolate or other supernatural goals, should carefully and assiduously promote formation for the apostolate in keeping with their purpose and condition.4 Frequently these groups are the ordinary vehicle for harmonious formation for the apostolate inasmuch as they provide doctrinal, spiritual, and practical formation. Their members meet in small groups with their associates or friends, examine the methods and results of their apostolic activity, and compare their daily way of life with the Gospel.

Formation of this type must be so organized that it takes into account the whole lay apostolate, which must be carried on not only among the organized groups themselves but also in all circumstances throughout one's whole life, especially one's professional and social life. Indeed, everyone should diligently prepare himself for the apostolate, this preparation being the more urgent in adulthood. For the advance of age brings with it a more open mind, enabling each person to detect more readily the talents with which God has enriched his soul and to exercise more effectively those charisms which the Holy Spirit has bestowed on him for the good of his brethren.

31. Various types of the apostolate demand also a specially suitable formation.

a) In regard to the apostolate for evangelizing and sanctifying men, the laity must be specially formed to

engage in conversation with others, believers, or non-believers, in order to manifest Christ's message to

all men.5

Since in our times, different forms of materialism are spread far and wide even among Catholics, the laity should not only learn doctrine more diligently, especially those main points


which are the subjects of controversy, but should also exhibit the witness of an evangelical life in contrast to all forms of materialism.

b) In regard to the Christian renewal of the temporal order, the laity should be instructed in the true meaning and value of temporal things, both in themselves and in relation to all the aims of the human person. They should be trained in the right use of things and the organization of institutions, attentive always to the common good in line with the principles of the moral and social teaching of the Church. Laymen should above all learn the principles and conclusions of the social doctrine so as to become capable of working for the development of this doctrine to the best of their ability and of rightly applying these same principles and conclusions to individual cases.6

c) Since the works of charity and mercy express the most striking testimony of the Christian life, apostolic formation should lead also to the performance of these works so that the faithful may learn from childhood on to have compassion for their brethren and to be generous in helping those in need.7

32. There are many aids for lay persons devoted to the apostolate, namely, study sessions, congresses, periods of recollection, spiritual exercises, frequent meetings, conferences, books, and periodicals directed toward the acquisition of a deeper knowledge of sacred Scripture and Catholic doctrine, the nourishment of spiritual life, the discernment of world conditions, and the discovery and development of suitable methods.8

These aids in formation take into consideration the various types of the apostolate in the milieu where it is exercised.

For this purpose also centers or higher institutes have been erected, and they have already proved highly successful.

The most holy council rejoices over projects of this kind which are already flourishing in certain areas, and it desires that they may be promoted also in other areas where they may be needed. Furthermore, centers of documentation and study not only in theology but also in anthropology, psychology, sociology, and methodology should be established for all fields of the apostolate for the better development of the natural capacities of the laity--men and women, young persons and adults.

EXHORTATION

33. The most holy council, then, earnestly entreats all the laity in the Lord to answer gladly, nobly, and promptly the more urgent invitation of Christ in this hour and the impulse of the Holy Spirit. Younger persons should feel that this call has been directed to them especially and they should respond to it eagerly and generously. Through this holy synod, the Lord renews His invitation to all the laity to come closer to Him every day, recognizing that what is His is also their own (Phil. 2:5), to associate themselves with Him in His saving mission. Once again He sends them into every town and place where He will come (cf. Luke 10:1) so that they may


show that they are co-workers in the various forms and modes of the one apostolate of the Church, which must be constantly adapted to the new needs of our times. Ever productive as they should be in the work of the Lord, they know that their labor in Him is not in vain (cf. 1 Cor. 15:58).

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BPS Lay Ministry · BPS Mission | Confidential BPS Lay Ministry I love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. 4/3/2014 BPS