Preparation for the Convocation
for your participation in the Convocation. Just as athletes train mentally and physically for upcoming sporting events, so too should Convocation participants prepare, so that their hearts may be ready to receive the graces offered at the event.
Here are a few suggestions:
• Read and pray with one of the following passages of the New Testament, considering how this passage connects with your call to missionary discipleship. Each passage focuses on some aspect of the Convocation: the mission field and outreach; the call to leadership; unity in the Church; the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Practice the prayer of lectio divina and take time every day( if possible) to return to the passage that you choose, asking God to continually reveal deeper meanings to you:
o Matthew 11:28-30: The invitation of Christ to all who labor and are heavy burdened
o Matthew 28:16-20: The call to make disciples of all nations
o Mark 6:7-13: The mission of the Twelve( see also Mt 10:1-42 for a lengthier commissioning, or Lk 10:1-12 for the sending of the seventy-two disciples into the towns and villages of Galilee)
o Mark 10:35-45: The ambition of James and John, and the invitation of Christ to true greatness
o Luke 5:1-11: The call of Simon Peter o Luke 10:29-37: The parable of the Good Samaritan
o Luke 15: The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son
o John 17:6-26: The prayer of Jesus for the disciples, that“ they may all be one”
o Acts 2:1-11: The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
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