Prayerful Concerns of Our Parish Community – 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We hope you find these Prayers of the Faithful for August 13 &14, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time helpful to you in your own prayerful reflections this week.

God, your word this week is a word of challenge and a summons to help bring about justice, peace, healing in our world. Part of Jesus’ call to us is that we should be an active, protesting people, involved in every area of life. We seek such courage and vision, and we pray:

You expect us to speak out like Jesus where there is injustice and unfairness, standing up for those who have no voice and whose hands are bound. Give us these words and the heart to speak them. We pray to the Lord.

When we hear about those who are prevented from working or living where they desire because of gender or class or background or accent or sexuality, make us want to interfere. We pray to the Lord.

When we hear the words and attitude which say ‘might is right’ or ‘ignore them, for they’re not important,’ make us want to interfere. We pray to the Lord.

When the hungry go without food and the poor have no money and the little people are cheated, give us the will and the energy and the means to support them. We pray to the Lord.

Help us to realize that our baptism is not just a sign of forgiveness but the gift of your Spirit so that we can respond to Jesus’ call to follow him; that the Eucharist is not just a source of comfort, but food to strengthen us for the task of standing up for those who suffer. We pray to the Lord.

For those who do serve Christ, who, often quietly and heroically, give their time to the sick, to those needing shelter and medical care, to the poor and to refugees who need help in navigating our legal system and to those working in non-profits and service agencies here in Maine. We pray to the Lord.

For all who have followed Christ and given of themselves and have now entered eternal life. May they be blessed. At this liturgy we especially commend:
4:30 PM Mary Litcher
7:30 AM Stephen John Charest
9:30 AM Mary Crowley
5:00 PM For the People of the Parish both Living & Deceased
We pray to the Lord.

God hear these prayers, Give us the grace to be courageous companions of Christ. Use our energies and passions until justice flows like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never runs dry.  Amen.