DE LA SALLE SANTIAGO ZOBEL SCHOOL
CHRISTIAN LIVING DEPARTMENT
TERM 3 SY- 2010-2011
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION PRAYER RITUAL
(An adaptation from St. Pedro Poveda College CLE Department)
Materials Needed:
(C/o Students)
· Blank card & yarn (for name tag)
· Pencil, coloring materials/ marker
· Basket or open box that will serve as CRIB
· Piece of cloth
(C/o CLE Teacher)
· CD player
· Inspirational Music
· Microphones
· Birth Certificate & Death Certificate
· Marker
· Digital cam for documentation
· Fresh Eggs (ask them to bring 1 fresh egg for the ritual)
· Image of Our Lady- “Madonna & Child” preferably the one carrying baby Jesus (placed at the center with lighted candles)
Venue: Chapel/ Prayer Room
Seating Arrangement: 2 students / pew
Make sure materials are with them already (but not the fresh eggs yet)
Fresh eggs has to be placed inside a basket that looks like a crib
Place them in front of the image of Our Lady
I. Settling Down:
Disposition: Make sure everyone is quiet, the tone is ready. Remind everyone to
listen, to be open, and make sure to follow instructions given.
II. Flow: (You may still modify this according to the nature and needs of your students)
Please sit properly, put your hands on your lap, both feet on the floor…sit comfortably with your back touching the rest of the chair….Please close your eyes…. (make sure everyone closed their eyes, do not begin until everyone does)
Relax…breath in-breath out… (5x slowly)
Breath in God’s Spirit, allow Jesus to enter you…
Breath out all the negative emotions you have inside of you…your source of stress, your worries, your problems...continue to breath in God’ Spirit and breath out all the anxieties that you have at this very moment.
Be sensitive with all the sounds that you hear…
Focusing on the beating of your heart, your pulse beat…be more sensitive of the way you breathe…Thanking God for the gift of life you receive each day…breath- in.. breath-out… just relax…
This one moment that is very special for you. Time to be with Jesus, time to talk to Him and to listen to Him as well.. Let us temporarily leave this venue, let us leave this room and go to a place that is peaceful and quiet…a place that is sacred. A place where you would fell and find Jesus.. I invite you now to go to YOUR SACRED PLACE-YOUR SPECIAL PLACE! Slowly let us all walk and go to that sacred place where we can be alone, to find peace and quiet.. Imagine that you are in a garden.. a very beautiful garden… you look around and you see a beautiful flower…the place is very beautiful, you hear the chirping of the birds, you see colorful butterflies around…look how lovely is the place, you see and hear clearly the sound of the water flowing from the falls…look around and find a spot where you can sit and relax.. sit down & stay there for a moment… just breath-in and breath out…feel the warm and fresh breeze of the air that is touching your skin…
While being there alone…you feel someone tapping your shoulders, a loving touch, a touch with loving concern… a warm embrace.. and when you look- you recognize that it is Jesus embracing you.. Jesus now sits beside you, and asks you: “How are you my beloved?” look at the loving eyes of Jesus intently looking at you too.. talk to Him and unload all your worries.. everything that pre occupies you at this very moment…Jesus is listening to you now…Tell Him everything.
(pause, allow them to talk to Jesus and unload)Jesus assure that He’s always there with you.. He is always there for you… feel His loving embrace once again.. feel the love of Jesus and listen to Him… Jesus said there is also one special someone who wants to see you and talk to you… Jesus asks you to look far and see that special someone…You notice someone is approaching you, she’s wearing a white gown, with a blue sash, she’s beamingly beautiful, you know that she’s very familiar to you…and when she’s near, you recognize her as Our Lady, the Mother of Jesus, our Mother!-Mama Mary! You noticed that she is carrying a beautiful baby, she request you to hold the baby, smiling at you she handed you the baby that she is carrying., and lovingly with much care you get the baby from her. The baby smiles at you the moment you held her/ the moment you held him into your arms.. you feel that she/ he is so happy with you. You look at the baby very carefully, what’s the color of her blanket? Is she a girl or a boy? How does the baby look? Look at the eyes…what the color of the eyes? Is it black? brown? grey? bluish?...is it chinky? Big eyes? How about the eye lashes? How does it look? Remember everything that you see.. look at the nose, is it pointed? flat? Or just normal…How about the lips, thin lips? very red lips?
You look at the cheeks-rosy cheeks? How about the hair? How’s the hair, curly? straight or no hair at all?! Look at the baby’s complexion-white? brown? black?
Remember all the physical features of the baby that you are holding at the moment, keep them in mind! Remember the face! Hold the baby tight, embrace the baby lovingly.. Our lady has one request, listen to her: “ My child, the baby that you are holding right now is about to be aborted by her/ his parents… I am entrusting the baby to you now. Please pray for him/ her…pray that her/his parents will not abort her/ him anymore…that they will realize the value of life God has given to their child. Please take care of the baby for 2 weeks. Never leave the baby, bring her/ him every where you go. Please do not let the baby feel alone or neglected. I am asking you now to SPRITUALLY ADOPT the baby and pray for him/ her daily in the chapel. I am very thankful to you my dear child because you have saved this baby from being aborted for quite sometime…Please take good care of this precious baby and continue to praying that her/his parents will not abort her/ him anymore. Listen to our lady as she will tell you the name of the baby please listen: “ My dear child please call the baby______, call the baby by its name!” please repeat the name that I told you…______! Our Lady will now tell you the nationality of the baby, please listen again: My child, the baby’s nationality is__________! Please remember that. From now on you will be the mother/father of the baby you are holding right now… You may look also for a foster father/mother that will take care of him/ her. You look at the baby once again, you see her/him very happy knowing that you are very willing to take care of him/ her. Find out the weight of the baby…Is she/ he heavy or light? Approximately 7lbs? 6 lbs? or 8 lbs? You look at Our lady once again…she is smiling at you for she believes that you will be a responsible mother to the baby that she entrusted you with.
Promise Our Lady that you will take care of the baby ball the time. Our Lady said, they need to go… You look at Jesus once again.. He is also smiling at you because He knew that you will be a vey responsible mother and you will adopt the baby whole heartedly, and that you are going to pray for him/ her daily in the chapel or at home before you go to sleep.
Jesus and Mary is saying goodbye to you now.. They kiss the baby goodbye… say goodbye to them as well. Jesus and Mary said they will see you again here sometime soon, to get the baby back from you.. say goodbye.. slowly walk away… leave that sacred place and go back here in De La Salle Zobel, Our Lady of the star Chapel-here in the chapel…slowly open your eyes…Remember you still have the Spirit of the baby in your arms…
Each one of you now will approach the image of Our Lady, kneel before her and carefully get an egg and go back to your place… recall everything that you see and hear during your conversation with Our Lady…
(Give instructions when everyone is done getting an egg, can be 2 or 3 depending on what Mama Mary handed them)
Slowly and carefully draw the face of the baby now on the egg that you are holding. Remember the eyes, the nose, the lips, the face! Do it in a prayerful manner. If you cannot recall any… close your eyes again and go back to your experience.. Do not insist on what you like or decide upon yourself… always go back to your sacred place and recall everything…ask the guidance of the Blessed Mother. Remember after completing her face and after filling up the Birth Certificate, the egg is no longer an egg BUT a BABY! Remember that you are a “mother”/ “father” now… that you have spiritually adopted a baby that is about to be aborted by his/ her parents…. You now have the responsibility to act as the mother of the baby. PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!
Fix her/his crib now. Label the blank card that I asked you to bring.
Example: Hi I am Julio or I am Julia
My mother is Anna Villanueva who is in Sr-C Class
My father is James Lim who is in SR-B
Please fill up the Birth Certificate (to the CLE teacher, please create a Birth Certificate similar to the real one, you may modify it. CLE teacher will sign the BC and the baby eggs w/ his /her initials using marker)
II. CLOSING PRAYER:
(Ask everyone to stand up and face the image of Our Lady, make sure everyone is holding their babies with their bare hands and not inside the crib)
(Sign of the Cross)
<To be Repeated after the teacher >
Loving Mother, I thank you for entrusting me this beautiful baby whose name is (mention the name), I promise to pray for (mention the name), everyday. I will pray for (mention the name), parents as well so that (mention the name), will not be aborted anymore… Mama Mary help me to become a responsible and loving mother as I now Spiritually adopt (mention the name),…Amen.
(Sign of the Cross)
YOU MAY KISS YOUR BABY NOW!!!!
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS/ REMINDER:
“Remember that the baby you have now is the product of your Spiritual Adoption. They are still in the womb of their mother who is contemplating on aborting them. Your task is to take care of the baby and pray that his/ her parents will not abort him. Her anymore”.
1. From now on, the egg in your hands are no longer eggs but babies. NO one will call the baby baby egg but baby (mention the name),
2. Beware of “Baby Nappers”, if you leave your baby/ ies unattended your subject teachers or your classmates will baby nap!
3. Unattended babies will be brought to the Faculty Room (one grade down if your baby will be taken by someone)
4. Should there be casualties or your baby cracks (die) approach me and I will give you Death Certificate. Your baby deserves a proper burial. I need also prayer Ritual and documentation of the funeral.
5. In case you mess up any area or a place. Please BE RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN-UP!
Other things that you need to ensure: (optional, still up to you!)
1. Letter or Memo to the Faculty re your activity and what you expect from them.
2. Index Card of the students (Daily Journal will be written) day to day experience with the baby.
3. I also ask them to submit a Scrap Book (just like the usual BABY BOOK)
(with the Birth Certificate on it and pictures of: Baby’s Baptism, 1st Bday, etc..)
4. REFLECTION PAPER (summary of the whole experience, their realization/ reflection after the whole experience.
FOR Sharing in the class: (after the Spiritual Adoption in the chapel, next meeting day)
You may ask the following questions:
1. How’s the experience?
2. How/ What did you feel when our Mother told you that the baby is about to be aborted and that you have to Spiritually adopt the baby and pray for him/ her?
3. How many baby/ies was handed to you by Our Lady? Are you expecting or anticipating to have twins? How did you feel when you were given more than 1?
4. How did you feel when the baby smiled at you?
5. How about the name of the baby? Were you thinking of the name before
hand but suddenly you were given a different name?
6. Who wished to have a baby boy but a baby girl was given? How did you feel?
7. What are you moved to do now? Is there any message that came to you while doing the Spiritual Adoption?
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