CIS NEWSLETTER 
No. 38 - December 2006

The Offering in the Apostleship of Prayer (AP) 
and in the Spiritual Exercises (SE)

For Ignatius, being Christian means receiving a call from the Lord and answering it swiftly and generously. Hence in the beginning of the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises (SE) (##91-98), the Lord calls each person individually to participate in a grandiose campaign of conquest. The answer consists in an offering to participate in the Lord's work of conquering the whole world. It is important to note that this participation is not only a matter of offering oneself to remain with Jesus, but rather to work with Him in His suffering and glory in order to win all the people to the Father.

In its own original manner, the AP endeavours to educate and lead people to this same experience of the call-reply of the meditation of the King. Though it took off in the middle of the nineteenth century, a time of great missionary flowering, the AP proposed itself to persons who could not devote themselves to the direct apostolate for the good of souls. Fr Gautrelet of the Toulouse Province proposed it primarily to the Jesuit scholastics whose enthusiasm for the missions was having a negative effect on their studies. Later, these scholastics transmitted the same message to the poor and hard-working peasants of that Southern France area. The core of the message was: live your calling by offering your daily routine to the Lord. 

The Daily Offering was linked to the Eucharist, for the personal offering is done in union with Christ's sacrificial offering during Holy Mass. As recently as 2005, Proposition 43 of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist says the following: "The Daily Offering (taught, for example, in the Apostleship of Prayer, practised by millions of Catholics worldwide) can help each one to become a 'Eucharistic figure', following the example of Mary, uniting one's own life to that of Christ, who offers himself for humanity."

In the light of what is said above concerning the call of the King in the SE, being a 'Eucharistic figure' implies not only a life of intimacy but also one of desire to be instruments of God's action in the world. In fact Fr Gautrelet wrote: "The members will not be satisfied with contributing through their prayers and good works to the conversion of the infidels. They will have to make an effort to help all whom they meet, carrying out in as far as it is their role, the function of leaven among masses." (Apostolat de la Prière en union avec le Sacré Coeur de Jésus: Lyons 1874, p 152). This same preoccupation is highlighted in the latest AP statutes (1968, Arrupe) when dealing with the promoters "…that they learn to unite prayer and action, in order to be able to carry out the apostleship not only through a life of testimony, but also may succeed in leading non-believers to Christ through their words and stimulate the faithful to a more fervent life" (Statutes III,1).

The Daily Offering, in union with the Eucharist, has led millions of people not only to a greater intimacy with the Lord in their everyday circumstances, but also to a more zealous apostolic presence in the ordinary challenges of life.

Reflection
During this past week, what did the Lord offer to you? How did you respond?

Book review 

"A Retreat with the Psalms: Resources for Personal and Communal Prayer" 
By John Endres and Elizabeth Liebert

"A Retreat with the Psalms: Resources for Personal and Communal Prayer" is a resourceful guide for personal and corporate praying with a difference. This interactive book stems from a retreat to guides in which the long and rich tradition of Psalm prayer is re-introduced into contemporary living.

John Endres and Elizabeth Liebert present five styles of praying with the Psalms. First they take the traditional prayer Lectio Divina as a starting point for this retreat and then transform it into other modes of praying, such as: the handmade midrash using creativity and art; bodily movement and dance to express the intimate connection between body and spirit, also know as Liturgical Dancing; hymnody through singing or playing a musical instrument; and in daily morning and evening prayer The Office.

A retreat with the Psalms is also a reference book or a school of prayer in its own entity. The 150 Psalms collection is categorized into types: lament; personal; corporate; thanksgiving; praise; penitential; wisdom; knowing oneself; and Christological. In fact Endres and Liebert's love for the Psalms is evident throughout their book. They try to capture its poetry by describing and enticing our senses, emotions and feelings "the Psalms model great breadth of affects, metaphors, images and cadences, offering rich patterns for our prayer".

A retreat with the Psalms is not a book for light reading as it moves beyond reasoning towards stillness and being. It is intended for those who are ready to move deeper within themselves thus offering a more holistic form of prayer. John Endres and Elizabeth Liebert urge us to accept this invitation, to set aside time and place to invite God into our heart and explore new vistas in worship and prayer.

Maria Montebello

"A Retreat with the Psalms: Resources for Personal and Communal Prayer" 
By John Endres and Elizabeth Liebert
ISBN: 0-8091-4026-8

THE DAILY OFFERING

God our Father,
I offer you my day.
I offer you my prayers, thoughts, words,
actions, joys and sufferings
in union with Your Son Jesus Christ
Who continues to offer Himself
in the Eucharist
for the salvation of the world.
May the Holy Spirit who guided Jesus
be my guide and strength today,
so that I may witness to Your love.
With Mary, 
the mother of our Lord and of the Church,
I pray especially for this month's intentions
as proposed by the Holy Father

From the CIS Diary

Min Laqa' 'l Dak li Gie fostna? 
Nemmnu li Dak li Gie fostna fil- Milied huwa Gesù, l-Iben ta' Alla nnifsu. Quddiemu kulhadd kellu jaghmel ghazla: min laqghu u min ma tax kasu jew ma laqghux. Matul dan l-irtir sejrin naraw ahna ma' liema nies konna nkunu. Billi l - Gimgha, 8 ta' Dicembru hi vaganza, dawk li jixtiequ jistghu jigu l-hamis, 7 filghaxija u l-ghada nipprofittaw mis-sbuhija ta' Ghawdex biex nohorgu flimkien. Meta tibbukkjaw avzaw jekk intomx gejjin ghall-harga tat-8 ta' Dicembru jew le.

Data:           Mill-Gimgha 8 ta' Dicembru 2006 fis-6.00 pm sal-hadd 10 wara l-pranzu. 
Post:           Dar Manresa - Ghawdex
Imexxu:       Dr Edward Warrington u Fr. Paul Zammit SJ


Workshop fuq ir-Rabja
Fil-hajja taghna jistghu jigru hafna affarijiet li jweggghuna, jirrabjawna u jimlewna b'hafna sens ta' htija li jhawduna u johdulna l-paci minn qalbna. Din is-sitwazzjoni tant difficli tista' tghinna nikbru! Dan il-weekend joffri spazju u ambjent ta' accettazzjoni u tolleranza biex naqsmu l-esperjenza taghna... filwaqt li nhallu 'l Alla jghinna nsibu l-paci u s-sens ta' din it-tbatija nterjuri f'hajjitna.
 
Data:           Mill-Gimgha 19 ta' Jannar fis-6.00pm sal-Hadd 21, fil-5.00pm
Post:           Mount St Joseph Retreat House, Mosta 
Imexxu:       Fr. Vince Magri S.J. flimkien ma' Ms Mary Cassar u Ms Polly Schembri 


Weekend Seminar (In English) on The letter to the Galatians and Select Themes from the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius 
St Paul's letter to the Galatians is commonly considered to be the 'Magna Carta' of Christian freedom. It is could be viewed as Paul's passionate exposition on the basic principles of Christianity which he later set out more calmly and thoughtfully in his letter to the Romans. What is at stake is the basic issue of whether we are saved completely free of charge by Christ's gift of himself and all that we need to transform us into Himself, or whether we could ever justify ourselves independently of His grace. However, in no way does this tenet of Christianity block us form cooperating with God's gift. Indeed, we are called to freedom towards God and others, and not towards self-centredness; hence the letter to the Galatians urges us to delve into practical Christianity. In this seminar (where there will also be time for personal reflection and/or prayer), themes similar to those found in the letter to the Galatians will be examined from the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius.

Date:           From Friday 26th January, 2007, at 6.30 pm till Sunday 28th , at 5.00pm 
Place:         Mt St Joseph Retreat House, Mosta
Given by:    Prof. Anthony J. Frendo (Professor in Scripture and Biblical Archaeology)