As Christ’s disciples, we must pray, experience God’s presence in ourselves and others, and listen to how he calls us to respond to those in need. These resources can help you consider many ways to pray, listen, reflect, and discern together.

Forms and Expressions of Prayer

This simple handout from the Diocese of San Diego describes five forms of prayer (blessing and adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise) and three expressions of prayer (vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer).
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Nine Ways to Pray

There are many ways to pray about problems that affect our communities and world. This resource offers helpful suggestions to pray in a variety of ways, including prayer with Scripture, current events, journaling, listening, intercession, and more.
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Scriptural Rosary for Justice and Peace

In praying the Rosary, we open ourselves to the mystery of God's love as we together pray the prayers of the Church, reflect on God’s Word, and intercede for those problems facing our communities and world that are most in need of attention.
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Prayers for Life and Dignity

These prayers from the U.S. Catholic bishops can assist you in praying for our brothers and sisters at home and around the world.
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The Word of God inspires and challenges us as we strive to love God and neighbor. Use the reflection resources below to prayerfully reflect on the scriptural call to discipleship.

Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching

This resource provides scriptural references which undergird the seven themes of Catholic social teaching:

Life and Dignity of the Human Person

Call to Family, Community and Participation

Rights and Responsibilities

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

Solidarity

Care for God’s Creation

Protecting Human Dignity: The Ten Commandments

Some people think of the Ten Commandments as simply DOs and DON’Ts, but they are much more.  The living tradition of the Church finds in them signposts along the road toward greater personal and social respect for human dignity. 
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Human Dignity and the Beatitudes: Today’s Living Saints—and You!

The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' teaching. How can you be poor, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, and peacemaking today?  
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Who is My Neighbor?

In order to discern God's timeless revelation to us in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we must reflect on our often unconscious understanding of who our neighbors are, and expose that understanding to the power of the parable. 
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Preaching and Homilies

Visit the "Preaching" tab in "Act Together" for numerous resources on preaching and social mission, homily helps, and more.
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Through the Eucharistic celebration, God draws us into communion with himself and with oth­ers, forming and transforming us to live as the Body of Christ in the world. These resources reflect on the connection between the Eucharistic Liturgy and the call to mission.

Linking Liturgy and Justice

This resource can help liturgical planners, music ministers, and homilists deepen awareness of prayer, liturgy and the mission of the Body of Christ in the world. Includes sample Prayers of the Faithful and helpful lectionary references.  
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The Roman Missal, Eucharist and Social Mission

This handout illustrates how the new Roman Missal draws attention to the social dimensions of our worship.  
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Eucharist and Social Mission: Body of Christ, Broken for the World

This two-page handout focuses on how the Eucharist, celebrated as a community, teaches us about human dignity, calls us to right relationship with God, ourselves, and others, and sends us on mission to help transform the world.  
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The Eucharistic Liturgy: Formed, Transformed, and Sent

This two-page handout explores the Eucharistic Liturgy, the celebration through which God draws us into communion with himself and with others, forming and transforming us to live as the Body of Christ in the world.  
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Liturgical Aids - by Topic

Resources for liturgy, including scriptural references, special occasions for prayer, sample intercessions, and preaching aids, are available for various topics. Homily Helps are available here.

Civic Participation
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Ecology and Care for Creation
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Immigration
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The sacraments the Church celebrates are signs of grace that make a deeper reality present to us. One reality we encounter through the sacraments is Christ's presence in the Church community, his body. This recognition of Christ's presence in the community should lead to a stronger awareness of being sent on mission to engage in concrete, love-inspired action in the world.

The resources below can help you to better understand the connections between the celebration of the sacraments and our social mission as followers of Jesus and the Body of Christ.

Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples

This 28-page booklet and study guide, which includes color handouts, small group session outlines, prayers of the faithful, and more, is for priests and lay ministers, teachers and students, adults and young people, those who are preparing for the sacraments, and all Catholics who seek to better understand the connections between the celebration of the sacraments and our social mission as followers of Jesus and members of the Body of Christ. Also available for $13.95/booklet from the USCCB Store. View in PDF format:

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Baptism: Incorporated into Christ's Body, Sent on Christ's Mission

This handout on Baptism, the rite of initiation into the Christian community, can help you consider the meaning of your own Baptism, your membership in the community, and the mission on which you are sent. 
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Eucharist and Social Mission: Body of Christ, Broken for the World 

This handout focuses on how the Eucharist, celebrated as a community, teaches us about human dignity, calls us to right relationship with God, ourselves, and others, and sends us on mission to help transform the world. 
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Confirmation: Strengthened by the Spirit, Called to Action

This handout is on Confirmation, which enriches the baptized with the strength of the Holy Spirit so that they can better witness to Christ in word and deed and carry out the Church’s mission of love and service. 
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Marriage: United in Love, Strengthened for Service

This handout reflects on Marriage, in which spouses model the love and self-gift of Christ. By giving of themselves and serving one another, their family, and community, they help one another live out Christ’s call to discipleship, marriage and service in the world.
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Holy Orders: Ordained to Serve, Gather, Transform and Send

This handout reflects on the special role of the ordained to model Christ’s love for the poor, preside at Eucharist, evangelize social realities, and help Christians imitate Christ’s mission of love and justice. 
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Penance: Reconciled to Right Relationship, Called to Heal and Restore

This handout reflects on healing our relationship with God and with others, recognizing our own participation in the “structures of sin” that degrade others’ lives and dignity, and becoming vehicles of Christ’s love to restore justice and witness love in our communities and world. 
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Anointing of the Sick: Joined to Christ, Witnesses of Hope and Healing

This handout focuses on the witness of the person who is ill, as well as the Church’s participation in Jesus’ mission of compassion and healing through this sacrament.
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Examination of Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching (also available en Espanol)

This examination can supplement a traditional examination to assess how well your choices and actions reflect love of neighbor. 
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Marriage: A Vocation of Service Together

This is a resource from Catholic Relief Services for couples about to celebrate the sacrament of Marriage. It focuses on the question, “How do the choices you make about your wedding ceremony and reception reflect your commitment to serve others as a couple?”  
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