The Secretary for the Service of Faith, Fr James Hanvey, prepared a prayer for the Advent time on the UAPS.

You can download it from this location in English, Spanish and French.

Although the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) may inspire us to confirm current ministries or lead to new ones, they are not primarily about things to do.

They represent four ways in which we are searching to discover the signs of the Spirit at work. In a sense, we may see the UAPs as four roads on which we are invited to walk with others. As we do so, we will discover new apostolic companions, many of whom may often be ahead of us. It is also a source of consolation for us that the UAPs express some of the key directions the Church has also identified as part of her mission. At the deepest level, they speak of our desire to be drawn more closely to God and to discern the ways in which God is working in our world.

The UAPs are part of our own process of renewal. They will become important ways into our processes of discernment. If they are to touch us in these ways, it would be good if we could first let them become part of our prayer. The liturgical season of Advent gives us a natural opportunity for this. With Lent, it marks out a time when the Church desires to prepare herself to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s incarnation and his work of redemption. In Advent we can let our prayer illuminate the UAPs, asking that we may be open to whatever graces of renewal, insight and understanding God wishes to offer us. What follows are suggestions for individual and community prayer. In so far as they help, then they will serve our purpose. But they may also stimulate further ideas and reflection at a personal, community or group level.