Each year, guides from all over the world prayer together the Guide Prayer each morning at 8am to celebrate a Week of Communion. This year the theme centres around the Canticle of the Sun.

Monday 3 October 2016 The Sun

“Be praised, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially my Lord Brother Sun, who brings the day and by whom we are enlightened; it is beautiful and radiant with great splendour, of thee, the Most High, he is the symbol.” Your Glory O God, for all your creations, Especially for Brother Sun, Who gave us the light in the day Which is beautiful and radiant with great splendour. Most Holy Father, Pope John Paul II said: "Christians know that their obligations are in creation and recognize that their responsibilities towards nature and the Creator is part of faith." So it is the Christian in particular that returns to initiate a dialogue with all creatures.

Here, we find ourselves in a conversation with my Lord Brother Sun, symbol of light and life. This hymn is in honour of the Creator because it is the anthem of the new man who found the forces of life first, the clarity of sources and the beauty of sunlight. These forces have conquered the darkness and have withered away. Thus, this praise expresses the reconciliation of man not only with his roots but with all creatures, despite everything in life like dark forces trying to enslave the human emancipation from nature by trying to control it.

Besides St. Francis with his hymn, we learn that we can make peace with the creature and the Creator. Now, the complete emancipation is not only reconciliation or total submission to God. St. Francis, after being purified and enlightened by the fire of the Holy Spirit, was able to refuse to enslave the world to him and want to possess it. Therefore, it was only open to the Creator's love for his creation, he went

willingly towards the game's creative love ... until the world became for him an obvious truth when man is not only called to live but above all to help create.

Activity With every sunrise, remember that God offers you a new day, where you can be more open and accountable. That day, work to spread the light of freedom and responsibility, that is in you to all those you meet and those around you. Pray You can… Only God can create … but you can appreciate what he has created. God alone can give life ... but you can get through it and respect it. God alone can give health ... but you can steer, guide or cure. God alone can give faith ... but you can give your testimony. God alone is the way ... but you can indicate to others God alone is the light ... but you can make it shine for all to see. God alone is sufficient alone ... but he preferred to count on you... From the Prayer of a team from Campinas

Tuesday 4 October 2016 The moon

"Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful. " Meditation Let us commit ourselves every day in the preservation of nature that shows us the magnificence of God in favor of life. Those distant stars and the moon, beacons of light illuminating the path of our lives in such an orderly manner, so precisely, that there is no room for doubt about the existence of God. We see the android belt, distant galaxies that twinkle on dark nights, letting us see their brightness, their grandeur, compared to which we seem like only tiny living creatures. They have not seen the stars. A poem by Ray Bradbury In the Book of Job, chapter 9, Job recognizes that God created the stars and the constellations: He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. And in Job, chapter 38, God reiterates the same. He, not man, is sovereign over creation, in particular, over the constellations: "Have you tied cords to the Pleiades, or loosened the bonds of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their season? Can you guide the Great Bear to her children? (Job 38:31 and 32) Many other writers of the Bible, in many passages, declare that God ordered the stars. For example, the book of Isaiah declares in Chapter 40: Lift up your eyes on high: Who has created all this? He who calls forth a multitude of stars one by one, and calls them all by name. By his great might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing! (Isaiah 40:26)

Several impressive passages on this topic were written by David. David is an outstanding figure in the Bible. He wrote a large portion of the Book of Psalms and some of the most beautiful passages in the Scriptures. Among these is Psalm 19, where David magnifies the work of God with respect to the stars. But he not only magnifies the work of God, he also tells us that the stars contain a message. The heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament proclaims the works of his hands. Day unto day pours forth speech; night unto night whispers knowledge. There is no speech, no words; their voice is not heard; a report goes forth through all the earth, their messages, to the ends of the world! (Psalm 19:1 to 4) They have not seen the stars, not one, not even one of all the creatures in this world in all ages since the sands touched the wind for the first time No animal, not even one among all the animals has stood on prairie, plain or hill and has known the thrill of seeing those flaming lights; our souls admire what they never, never knew. The spheres have spun for millions of years but not once in all those years has a lion, a dog, a bird that cleaves the air looked upon that. Oh, God! The stars! None has looked upon them! As if all time would never have been, neither Universe, nor Sun, nor Moon nor simple morning light. Their tragedy was mute and blind. It is even so. Our sight? Yes, ours? Knowing now what we are. Thinking about this and then choosing: and now... what? Being born in the rugged Earth, living on a stage, which, with all that it contains, scarcely seen, is left erased, bewildered as if all these miracles had never been. Vast whirlpools of sonorous light, of fire and ice, scarcely seen and already lost? And we, with our fragile flesh and the new eyes of God that look up and survey and study the heavens? We contemplate the successive seasons in the lunar tide and we recognize the years, remembering what has died. Oh, yes. Perhaps there were birds that, on some nights, felt Orion rising and fine-tuned their flight, turning toward the south, because there are star maps engraved in their sweet dreams of love, and so it seems. Yes, but, to see? To see and truly know?

And, knowing, wanting to touch those flaming lights, growing until the powerful forehead of the tall man of Lamarck surpasses earthquakes, hits the Moon, extends towards Mars and the rings of Saturn; and while it grows, aspires to teach the other creatures to fly with their dreams and not with old wings. Think about this, then. We are the first! The only ones whom God has honored with his rising suns. For us, these gifts: Aldebaran, the Centaur, our neighbor Mars. Wake up, says God. Look at that. Go toward them. The stars. Oh, God, many thanks. The stars! Taken from the book: Ray Bradbury/Aldo Sessa. GHOSTS FOREVER. Luis de Caralt, Editor. S.A. POEM: IN THE HEART OF THE STARLESS NIGHT, Albéric de Palmaert In the heart of starless nights, In the heart of times of stillness, Where tomorrow no longer has meaning, In the heart of our despair and our solitude, In the heart of our periods of hope, in spite of all, My God, You do not come, And yet I wait for You. Thus, in the heart of our silence, In the midst of our waiting, My God, I hear You whispering: I am at the heart of your starless nights, I am at the heart of times you think are still, I am at the bottom of your despair and your solitude, I am in the night of Bethlehem. And you, will you come? I will wait for you for all eternity. Albéric de Palmaert THE MOON AND THE STARS IN NATURE ACTIVITY PROPOSAL FOR BROWNIES/GUIDES: TO TAKE PLACE ON A NIGHT OF BIVOUAC OR CAMPING BY THE FIRE 1. Make a list of the different stages of the moon and how they differ. 2. Prepare posters depicting the various phases of the moon with differences in color, and with its

various forms and dimensions. This can be done using the color of the cardboard, or the color of a marker or pencil. Depict the path of the moon as it appears on one side of the card and finishes on the other, drawing four moons at different heights of the horizon. Draw a decorative text box and annotate the name of every lunar phase to which it corresponds. Make vivid the path of the moon by cutting out the silhouette and pasting pieces of white, clear blue, dark blue and yellow paper. Hang the poster in such a way that it reflects the light of a candle that will be placed behind it, or hang them in front of the fire in order to appreciate the different phases. Ultimately, there will be

four posters of the moon, one for each corresponding lunar phase: the new moon, the waxing moon, the full moon, and the waning moon.

3. What are the differences between each phase of the moon? How does the moon look in each phase? How do the different phases influence the tides? According to farmers, what effect do they have on the crops?

4. How does the luminosity of the moon vary according to the time of year? 5. Make up a dance about the moon, or a mime that represents it. 6. Observe the sky in order to deduce in what phase the moon is tonight and explain the reasons why. 7. Examine the other lights that you can see in the sky 8. Identify what they are: stars, celestial bodies, constellations? 9. Analyse: why did Native Americans have so much respect for the moon and the stars? 10. Go back to the Old Testament and read Genesis 1: 3-5 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there

was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day. Also read chapter 1: 14-15 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years” And it was so. God made the two lights, the great one to illuminate the day and the small one to illuminate the night. He also made the stars…. And so ended the fourth day. Analyse and share your experience.

PROPOSAL FOR AN ACTIVITY FOR GUIDES/RANGERS/ROVERS/CADETTES/SENIORS TO DO ON A STARRY NIGHT 1.Make a list of the different phases of the moon and how they differ. 1. Prepare posters depicting the various phases of the moon with differences in color, and with its

various forms and dimensions. This can be the colour of the cardboard, or with the color of the marker or pencil. Ultimately, there will be four posters of the moon, one for each corresponding lunar phase: the new moon, the waxing moon, the full moon, and the waning moon.

2. What are the differences between each phase of the moon? How does the moon look in each phase? How do the different phases influence the tides? According to farmers, what effect do they have on the crops? How does the luminosity of the moon vary according to the time of year?

3. Observe the sky in order to deduce in what phase the moon is tonight and explain the reasons why. 4. Check what other lights can be seen in the sky. 5. Identify what they are: stars, celestial bodies, constellations? 6. Analyze: why did Native Americans have so much respect for the moon and the stars? 7. Go back to the Old Testament and read Genesis 1: 3-5 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there

was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day. Also read chapter 1: 14-15 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years” And it was so. God made the two lights, the great one to illuminate the day and the small one to illuminate the night. He also made the stars…. And so ended the fourth day. Analyze and share your experience.

8. Make up a mime that relates the phases of the moon with the growing seasons. 9. Relate the constellations to one another and investigate by internet their names and the reasons

for those names. 10. Organize or remember a harvest festival that is celebrated in Colombia. Why is this festival

celebrated? Do a skit about a harvest festival and its relationship to the influence of the moon. 11. Adolescence is a period of life when the body starts to develop. Compare the harvest with the body

itself. How should it be cared for? What influence can the moon have on menstrual periods? Do some research online and share.

12. Look up the festival of ZEUS online and do a representation of what Zeus would be like in reality. ACTIVITY PROPOSAL FOR GUIDES/RANGERS/ROVERS/CADETTES/SENIORS IN THE OBSERVATORY 1. With the help of a telescope, or by visiting an astronomy observatory, observe the various

constellations. Learn their names and the reasons why they were given those names. 2. Determine why all the constellations do not appear in the sky at first sight. Do some research online

and share your findings. 3. On a field expedition, learn to locate Ursa Minor in the sky and share with everyone else, and

analyse technological advances by using a GPS as a modern geolocation tool. 4. With the help of a musical instrument, prepare a song about the moon and the stars. It can be a

song already known or made up, and share it with the other participants by the campfire.

Wednesday 5 October 2016 The wind

“Be praised, my Lord, for our Brother Wind” Meditation Francis walks with the Lord in the breath of the Spirit The wind which allows us to soar, to go further, to move forward The wind which clears the sky for us to see things clearly The wind breathing like a whisper The wind, which leads someplace else The wind, which rearranges, shakes, mixes, throws The wind, it is your force that pushes us, to make it happen, to move forward The air for existing, for cleansing, for living, for loving And all the time of every season …. Activity Go outside to a windy spot or a large space or on a hilltop Take the time to smell the air, feel the wind, to look at the sky and the clouds, in silence Inhale and exhale Sing a song of praise: Laudato si Read the meditation in the wind Expression of prayer: each person says a prayer that begins with “Praise to you, Lord, for Brother Wind who pushes me and makes me move when ……” while making a gesture or taking a relevant position. End by singing “The wind blows where it wants, and you hear its voice”

Thursday 6 October 2016 Water

Meditation Water, you have neither taste nor colour nor smell. We cannot define you, we taste you without knowing you. You are not necessary for life, you are life. By your grace, all of our heart’s dried up springs open up within us. You are the greatest blessing, the most fragile, you so pure in the earth’s womb. You fill us with an exceedingly simple happiness. Activity “Sharing water is sharing a life” Choose:

1. Buy one or several small half-litre bottles of water and give to one or several people who are not members of your family.

Explain the meaning of your gift or offering: “Sharing water is sharing a life”

2. Help a person to look for water in the well (B.A.) For a celebration of the Word Material One large bowl placed in the middle of the group. In front, a lectern with the book of the Word One small bottle or one very small pitcher per person One glass per person

Blessing of the water Water which purifies, which opens up to a new life Water which gives life, which quenches thirst, which allows the journey to continue Water which awakens, which renews, which gives life to creation. Water which nourishes for eternity, precious water to the Samaritan woman Water which dances, which offers music Water, a precious resource that we must take care of. Water, give it to me to drink. Reading from the gospel about the Samaritan woman Gesture of the water Each person comes and fills his/her pitcher from the big bowl, then offers that water to another while saying: “This is the water that gives life.”

Friday 6 October 2016 Fire

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, Through whom You brighten up the night; And he is beautiful, cheerful, robust and strong. REFLECTIONS There are times in life when we need no more than to look around and see the marvellous things God does in our lives, the joys and renditions from our brothers and sisters. Savouring these thoughts can make our heart burn with the fire of friendship and faith. For this reason, I want to share with you a reflection which is not mine but that of a great friend who is surely happily looking down from heaven, because after a long time we have brought to light her meditations about fire and movement. She gave me her writings as a gift and I look after them with great affection. But today I wish to share them with all of you. I am sure that Cristina shines among the saints and God for her love and dedication. I hope you benefit from them as I did.

Fr. Carlos, Regional Chaplain of ICCG Western Hemisphere "Evening falls over the camp. It’s a strange time of day when man stops to think about life. Those moments of dusk and beautifully reddened skies. Somebody collects wood and lights a fire. There is no wind and the smoke that rises without any difficulty can be seen from a great distance. Old wood from some dead tree crackles in the flames. This crackling sound has echoes of birds. Maybe from those whose nests it housed. Gnarled trunks burn, possibly like those to which Jesus was nailed. And maybe those flames are those of the Resurrection. Now the intense red of the sky is in the fire and the sunset is alive in it. And maybe the fire is a strange mixture of sun and night, of life and death. We gather together around it, around the heat and the light of its embers. The cooks begin to work. Others finish chores which the night interrupted.

The sky now has its darkest black shade timidly broken by some stars. The fire is fed and the flames grow. Singing and laughing can be heard around it and it seems as though it laughs as well. The cooking of dinner commences and more people arrive at the spot, tired from working all day. I, too, approach and sitting on the ground we can watch the flames. The fire has so many meanings! It has so many myths and legends. Even the Holy Spirit was seen in its form. Fire can be death but it also has so much to do with life! So much to do with life that it shares characteristics with love: it gives light, heat, it melts and transforms. One day it came alight in my chest and started to burn. And it has so much to do with Guiding as I got to know it in a camp like this one. It was reflected in the smiling faces of the guides and was continued and maintained by our hands. Hours of work with an axe and the efforts of friends were needed. When I was looking at the fire and thinking about all of that, somebody approached with an unlit camping light. They needed some embers from our flame to light it and illuminate the other part of the camp. We gave them a lit twig and on lighting the flame it was very bright. It was a different light, constant and white with the life of the fire inside it. They stayed a while longer among us and then they took it away. And although it was no longer in the clan’s ring, the flame stayed the same. It was not hidden under a table nor behind a tree so it could light up wherever was dark and where it was needed. The youngest sister Guides and those people sharing our table though they weren’t from our group. And maybe tomorrow the life of this camp will come to an end, but in the camp of life we will carry on being little lanterns that carry sunbeams in our light and from the burning embers of Guiding in order to serve God and all others." (Written by Cristina from the Community 80, Saint Pedro Armengol de Gerli, many years ago, when she was still on this earth with us) ACTIVITY FIRE CELEBRATION Instructions: This celebration will take place preferably at night. The Guide Leader will gather the group together around a bonfire. Each guide will hold a piece of wood that, at a given moment, they will throw on the fire. The Guide Leader starts the celebration with the following meditation: “We have a bonfire in front of us. A fire with many qualities: it illuminates, warms us and purifies… And God has given it all these qualities so it can be of use to serve mankind. Firstly, fire gives life. We can compare fire with Jesus, who has come so that we have life. In the moment when fire is lit everything comes back to life. We have to be like this fire: we must give life, communicate life and make this life grow more and more. Secondly, fire heats us and gives us warmth. Jesus asks us not to be lukewarm, but rather hot or cold. If somebody is hot it’s because they are a true Christian, the lukewarm person is one who neither loves nor hates. Our teacher invites us to be hot, like fire, to search for and give heat. Thirdly, fire sheds light, gives light, and illuminates the path we must follow. Christ has told us: I am the way. And we, as Guides, have to be like a burning candle, which is placed on the candlestick to illuminate all those around us. Just as once the fire is lit it’s very difficult to hide so it can’t be seen, we guides don’t have to hide the light of faith that God gives us to illuminate the path for our brothers.- We can meditate on all these teachings and many more around the fire. I invite each and every one of

you to reflect on which quality of fire you identify with. And after that, put your log in the fire saying out loud your chosen quality”. To end, the Guide Leader invites them to pray together: “In this moment in which we are all gathered here around the fire, We ask you Lord to make us true apostles That like burning torches we know how to give heat and light, That we know how to illuminate those that need it. That we may shed light in the spiritual darkness of many souls. That we may give warmth to the cold of many hearts. Purify our lips so that we can proclaim the Good News to others. We ask you, Oh Lord, for each one of us, to be able to love you more and more. Light up in us the fire of Your love”.-

Saturday 8 October 2016 The Earth

Lord, Each morning my eyes see the life in You My hands touch the flowers and trees of the seasons you created My ears awake to the sound of birds chirping and streams babbling My feet set out on a journey of discovering new paths created by You. Blessed art thou for giving us this earth, Thank you for helping us to cherish it forevermore. Blessed art thou for the dawn that gives me hope each morning.

Sunday 9 October 2016

Lord, you alone are the Most High, You watch over us each day, You are always nearby, You have faith that we will tell the world you are here. We thank you for your creation which never ceases to awaken our senses and all of our being, and for giving each of us a unique and special place in the world. You lift us up, invite us to stand up with dignity and nourish this earth from which you created all of humanity. Blessed art thou for this gift, this outstretched hand, the mercy you show to each woman and each man, making us brother and sister, and companions through our creation.