Leader
God of all life and healing, we come to you with humbled hearts.

All
You call us not to work in isolation but in partnership. Help us to support one another in all of our endeavors. Thank you for the graces of yesterday and for the time to enjoy the beauty of your creation. Be with us today as we gather to examine more deeply new directions for the future.

READING

Mission, in the sense of foundation or origin of the ministry, is a broad concept. It refers to the MISSION of the church, which is realized in part through the healing ministry. The church is called to be God's healing and reconciling presence in the world—to continue Christ's healing MISSION by serving the sick, the suffering, and the dying. The church is also called to influence the social conditions that contribute to illness and suffering. This fact—that the mission of the organization comes ultimately from the MISSION of Jesus and the church's ministry—provides meaning and a special energy to Catholic health care.

PRAYER RESPONSE

Leader
Happy those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.

I have chosen the way of faithfulness: I set your ordinances before me. Give me your understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.

Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.

Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it, I will keep your law continually, forever and ever.

Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.

Leader
O God of infinite love, You call us to go beyond boundaries which separate and divide us. Help all of us to work together as partners for the sake of your mission. May we always build on the common concerns we share, and grow in our trust and support of one another. Bless us and all those we serve in the health care ministry. Amen.