Prayerful Concerns of Our Parish Community – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Below you will find the Prayers of the Faithful from the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Aug 26-27, 2023). May they offer further reflection for the week ahead.
God of all creation, in Jesus you have entrusted to us your mission: that we become a community committed to one another, offering a welcome to everyone, to work for justice, peace and to be a light for our world. In all this we need to hear and follow your Spirit. We pray:
Jesus gave the keys to this kingdom to Peter and the others with him. Holding the keys gives a person the ability to enter the doorway – and to allow others in or block their coming. May your church and leaders always be people who open the door and welcome people in. May women receive greater voice in the directing of your church. We pray to the Lord.
Your Spirit has taught us through the Vatican Council and now in preparing for the World Synod that it is through baptism that we are given the keys to your kingdom, not ordination. Let all your people know and experience their dignity and their importance and their voice in the church, we pray to the Lord.
We pray for those who are often “locked out” – those who are on the margins, burdened by addiction to drugs, or who have no home or do not feel at home in the place they now live, those with chronic or disabling illnesses, those in our community hurting today, those struggling financially, those without adequate healthcare, we pray to the Lord.
Bless our children and school staffs as they return to school. May they be safe from all harm. May the love and care given our children be, for them, the keys to a healthy and positive future, we pray to the Lord.
Give us the wisdom and courage to recognize that no matter what our situation may be, you have given each one of us gifts, abilities and talents that are the keys to realizing the dream you have for each of us. We pray we take up these keys and use them for our own good and the good of others. We pray to the Lord.
Baptism and Eucharist are the keys to eternal life. We pray that for our loved ones, your mercy and the lives they have led have opened the doors to eternal life. At this liturgy we especially remember:
4:30 PM Robert O’Connell by his Son Guy
7:30 AM Donald Ingalls by Jean & Family
9:30 AM Barbara Goodwin by her Husband & Family
5:00 PM The People of the Parish both Living & Deceased
We pray to the Lord.
Into your hands, O God, we commit these prayers and ourselves. Bless us with your power to heal, help, liberate and challenge. Bless us with your yearning for a better world and a fuller faith. Bless us with your Holy Spirit, within us and among us. Amen.