A Moment of Prayer

The Feast of The Conversion of St. Augustine

April 24, 2020

 

 

 

  1. Song

  

  1. Sign of the Cross

 

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

R/. Amen

  

  1. Introduction

 

The Conversion of Saint Augustine: unconditional openness to the Lord – radical change: total trust and availability – Infinite love of God opens us up to hope – In this time of the pandemic we place ourselves in the merciful hands of the Risen Christ.

  

  1. Prayer from Saint Augustine

First reader: O God, Creator of the universe, grant me first rightly to invoke You; then to show myself worthy to be heard by You; finally, to receive redemption from You. God, through whom all things, which of themselves were not, tend to be. God, who withholds from perishing even that which seems to be mutually destructive. God, who, out of nothing, has created this world, which the eyes of all perceive to be most beautiful. God, who does not cause evil, but allows it in order to avoid greater evil.

Second reader: God, who art loved, wittingly or unwittingly, by everything that is capable of loving. God, in whom are all things, to whom nevertheless neither the vileness of any creature is vile, nor its wickedness harmful, nor its error erroneous. God, the Father of truth, the Father of wisdom, the Father of the true and crowning life, the Father of blessedness, the Father of that which is good and fair, the Father of intelligible light, the Father of our awakening and illumination, the Father of the pledge by which we are admonished to return to You.

First reader: God, from whom to be turned away, is to fall: to whom to be turned back, is to rise again: in whom to abide, is to stand firm. God, from whom to go forth, is to die: to whom to return, is to revive: in whom to have our dwelling, is to live. God, whom no one loses, unless deceived: whom no one seeks, unless stirred up: whom no one finds, unless made pure. God, whom to forsake, is one thing with perishing; towards whom to tend, is one thing with living: whom to see is one thing with having. God, towards whom faith rouses us, hope lifts us up, with whom love joins us.

Second reader: Heal and open my ears, that I may hear Your utterances. Heal and open my eyes, that I may behold Your significations of command. Drive delusion from me, that I may recognize You. Tell me whither I must tend, to behold You, and I hope that I shall do all things You may enjoin. If it is by faith that those find You, who take refuge with You then grant faith: if by virtue, grant virtue: if by knowledge, grant knowledge. Augment in me, faith, hope, and charity.

First reader: Whatever concerns the welfare of this mortal body of mine, so long as I do not know how it may serve either myself or those I love, to Thee, Father, wisest and greatest, do I commit it, and I pray that Thou wilt admonish me concerning it as shall be needful. You I entreat, O Goodness, singular and most to be admired! Amen! Amen!

 (Soliloquies 1,1,2-3.5-6).

 

  1. Brief silence (after each paragraph or at the end)

 One can also insert these antiphons after each paragraph:

 “Late have I loved You, O eternal Beauty, late have I loved You, Beauty so ancient and so new!”

 “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est”

 “Misericordias Domini, in aeternum cantabo”

  

  1. Pray together:

 

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory to the Father

  

  1. Prayer:

 + Almighty and merciful God, refreshment in our weariness, support in our weakness, comfort in our sadness. We come to you to invoke your mercy, since today we still experience the fragility of the human condition in the presence of this viral pandemic. Listen to the prayer we offer through the intercession of Saint Augustine, comfort your children, save us from the present distress and open our hearts to be people of hope.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

R/. Amen.

  

  1. Blessing

 + The Lord be with you.

R/. And with your spirit.

 

+ May almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

R/. Amen.

 or:

 + May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.

R/. Amen.

  

  1. Final Song

Download this moment of prayer

Moment of Prayer with Saint Augustine



The Maltese Augustinian Province is these days, thanking  the Lord on the occasion of the 50th Anninversary from the inauguration and the blessing of the Church dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, Tarxien which took place on the 18th April 1970. It is with regret that we are celebrating so many years of service and liturgical celebrations in such circumstances when all activity in the church, as in all other Churches, is suspended due to the present worldwide pandemic. In this spirit we eagerly hope to resume with the daily celebtrations and activity at the earliest possible. In the meantime, this is an occasion to commemorate so many Augustinian religious and lay people who served and celebrated their faith in this Church building.  

In the early years of the 20th century, on the site of the Church and Augustinian Friary, the hard-working priest Dun Gwann Mamo started a new pastoral project by building a small Chapel and an area which served as a trade school for young men. A few days before he died, Dun Ġwann expressed his wish to pass on the institute to the Augustinian friars.  In the years following the second world war the friars settled in the place serving in a small chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, a friary and another building to serve as a school. 

They also opened an oratory for the purpose of gathering the young people of the whereabouts and offering them a holistic formation. The building, which originally hosted Saint Augustine College, later served as a youth hostel, until in 1983 the Augustinians decided to offer it to the Ursuline Sisters of Saint Angela Merici to be used as a Children’s Home.

In the meantime, in the sixties, a need was felt for a bigger church and on the 23rd April 1967 the foundation stone of the new building was laid by the then Prior Provincial, Fr Ugolin Gatt O.S.A.. The new Church was inaugurated and blessed on the 18th April 1970 by the Assistant General of the Augustinian Order Fr Rikkardo Quacquarelli O.S.A..

It was  consecrated by Archbishop  Mons. Michael Gonzi on the 10th May 1975. The Church was later rinovated in 2005 on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of saint Nicholas of Tolentino. Over the years, many Augustinian friars served in Tarxien and are still working in collaboration  with a community of committed lay people in various pastoral initiatives not only in the Church itself, but also in the hall, the Oratory and the Cathecism Centre.

 


Today, Fr Xavier Mifsud is celebrating his sixtieth anniversary of Priestly Ordination. Unfortunately, as things stand, it will not be possible to celebrate this annniversary with the brethren in the larger community but, in his Augustinian community in Rabat, Fr Xavier will be thanking the Lord for these years in the ministerial priesthood.

Fr Xavier was born in Rabat in 1933 and joined the Augustinain family in 1952. After completing his studies he was ordained priest on the 2nd April 1960. During the first years of his ministry, he lived in the Augustinian Community in Tarxien and worked at Saint Augustine College. In 1964 he went to Brasil where he dedicated most of his ministerial life as a priest. In Brasil he served in different communities and also as parish priest of various parishes. After almost forthy seven years of missionary service he returned to Malta and was a member of the Saint Rita Community in Saint Julians and later in the Rabat Priory, where he still lives today.

Though due to the present circumstances we will not be phisically close to him at this time, we wholeheartedly wish him good health and joy in the Lord, whom he served through all his life. Thank you fr Xavier. Ad Multos Annos.

Ad Multos Annos.

Photo: Times of Malta - January 13 2019 - Matthew Mirabelli

 


Għeżież ħbieb,

Iż-żminijiet partikolari li qed ngħixu fihom, irriduċew il-ħajja tagħna għal dak li hu minimu. Jekk ir-Randan kien dejjem joffri stedina biex ninqatgħu xi ftit mir-rutina mgħaġġla tal-ħajja u nħarsu ’l ġewwa fil-qalb tagħna, din is-sena kien mument li fiżikament, qatagħna ħafna aktar milli qatt konna nimmaġinaw. Huma ġranet li poġġewna f’taħlita ta’ emozzjonijiet li jvarjaw minn biża’ u tensjoni għal mumenti aktar ferrieħa fil-preżenza ta’ dawk aktar għeżież jew ta’ xi ħadd li forsi ħaseb fina.

F’dawn iċ-ċirkustanzi xtaqt l-ewwel u qabel kollox nistedinkom biex nagħmlu mil-limitazzjonijiet tal-mument, opportunità. Forsi qatt daqs din is-sena mhu ser ikollna l-ispazju biex nirriflettu fuq il-misteru li dawn il-jiem ipoġġu quddiemna bħala Nsara anke jekk imċaħħda milli niltaqgħu u niċċelebraw flimkien fil-knejjes sbieħ tagħna. Ejjew napprofittaw mill-misteru tat-tbatija u s-salib, mill-opportunità li naqraw il-Kelma, mill-misteru tal-qawmien ta’ Kristu, u nħalluhom ikunu verament vleġeġ qawwija li jmissu l-qalb tagħna. Ejjew insegwu flimkien iċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet mid-djar tagħna permezz tal-mezzi ta’ komunikazzjoni u għalkemm fiżikament imbegħdin, inħossu l-preżenza ta’ xulxin f’komunità waħda ta’ fidi.

Dan iż-żmien jistedinna anke nkunu aktar solidari ma’ xulxin. Tkun ħaġa sabiħa li nagħmlu kull sforz biex inżommu lil xulxin fil-ħsieb u t-talb tagħna. Tajjeb li nkomplu nkunu kreattivi biex nużaw kull mezz biex nuru l-viċinanza tagħna lil dawk kollha li bħalissa jinsabu weħidhom jew dawk kollha li jeħtieġu kull forma ta’ għajnuna, minn dik finanzjarja għal dik ta’ ħtieġa konkreta jew ta’ viċinanza fis-solitudni tal-ħajja.

Jekk l-Għid il-Kbir huwa dejjem ċelebrazzjoni ta’ ferħ u tama, din is-sena għandu jkun iż-żmien per eċċellenza biex din it-tama nħalluha tissarraf f’kuraġġ u ferħ ġenwin. F’ċirkustanzi bħal dawn li qed ngħixu fihom faċilment inħossuna emottivament aktar qrib tat-tbatija ta’ Ġesù (u ta’ Ommu Marija). Din hi esperjenza partikolari li għexna b’mod aktar konkret matul dan ir-Randan aħna u nsegwu d-dinja kollha tinħakem ftit ftit minn din il-pandemija u li aktarx ser inkomplu ngħixu għal ftit ġimgħat oħra. Imma ċ-ċelebrazzjoni tal-Għid f’dawn iċ-ċirkustanzi nemmen li għandu jkollha timbru aktar qawwi minn qatt qabel tat-tama li Kristu rebbieħ inissel fil-qalb ta’ kull Nisrani. Il-Misteru tat-tridu tal-Għid isib il-milja tiegħu fiċ-ċelebrazzjoni tal-Qawmien mill-Imwiet: Kristu li rebaħ fuq il-mewt u d-dnub. Kristu huwa d-dawl li jibqa’ jurina lil hinn anke quddiem ċirkustanzi li xi drabi jħalluna bla kliem. Nhar is-Sibt mhux ser nagħmlu l-mixgħela tad-dawl fuq iz-zuntier, imma ejjew inħallu d-dawl veru ta’ Kristu jixgħel il-qlub tagħna.

Ix-xewqa tiegħi għalikom f’dawn il-jiem hija li l-esperjenza ċentrali tal-Għid ta’ din is-sena tkun verament messaġġ qawwi ta’ tama għalina lkoll. Jistqarr Santu Wistin, fl-Espożizzjoni għas-Salmi: “F’dan il-mument, it-tama tagħna hija l-ħajja tagħna, fil-futur tkun fl-eternità.” (103, 4, 7) Nawgura li dan il-mument ngħixuh verament f’esperjenza ta’ tama li tibqa’ tissarraf f’aktar pożittività; aktar apprezzament għal dak kollu li aħna u għal dak kollu li għandna; u fuq kollox aktar fidi fi Kristu li qatt ma jħallina weħidna. Aktar ma nimtlew bit-tama, aktar jirnexxilna nwassluha lil dawk kollha li jgħixu madwarna u li jeħtiġuha daqstant f’dan il-mument meta donnu sibna ruħna f’soċjetà mbeżżgħa minn statistika ta’ mard li nistennew kuljum.

Ma’ dan l-awguri nixtieq inwassal il-viċinanza tiegħi u tal-aħwa l-aktar lil dawk minnha li huma vulnerabbli kemm minħabba saħħa u anke età. Nieħu gost nara tant persuni li qed inkunu l-ewwel sinjal ta' tama għal xulxin meta nieħdu ħsieb xulxin, ngħinu lil xulxin u nsegwu d-direttivi b’rispett u mħabba għal xulxin. Nassigurakom li aħna l-aħwa Agostinjani qed inżommukom ħafna f’qalbna u fit-talb tagħna f’dawn il-jiem partikolarment aħna u niċċelebraw iċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet tat-tridu tal-Għid mingħajrkom. Il-vojt tal-preżenza tagħkom inħossuh imma jekk Alla jrid ma ndumux ma nerġgħu niltaqgħu u nkomplu niċċelebraw il-fidi tagħna flimkien.

Minn qalbi u f’isem l-aħwa kollha nawgura lilkom u lill-familji tagħkom il-ferħ ta’ Kristu rebbieħ fuq il-mewt.

P. Leslie Gatt osa

Pirjol Provinċjali


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