Prayerful Concerns of Our Parish Community – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We hope that these Prayers of the Faithful for this 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb 11-12, 2023 are helpful to you in your own reflections and prayers.

God, your Word today invites us to look into our hearts. Let your Spirit be with us as we look at ourselves and pray for one another, for your invitation is always to growth and renewal and deeper trust in your love.  

For our brothers and sisters who have died in Turkey and Syria this week and those suffering injury and loss of their possessions. We pray also for all suffering pain or the loss of their homes or safety due to natural disasters and changes in the climate caused by human actions. We pray to the Lord…

For those who find these winter months difficult financially, emotionally, or physically. Help us to notice our neighbors who could use our help and inspire us to reach out to them. For those who support and staff shelters and other organizations seeking to help. We pray to the Lord…

This week many celebrate Valentine’s Day. We rejoice in all people who find they are made for one another and Covenant to live together in love, living the gift of their sexuality according to the way they were created. We pray for those of mixed gender who, like all of us, Lord, need your sustaining love for them, to be expressed by us in friendship. We pray to the Lord.

We rejoice in those who, through choice or ‘in the run of the play’ enlarge life for themselves and others as good friends and neighbors, expressing a different fullness of being which enriches their community. We pray for all of us when we struggle in relationships, in times of awkwardness, loneliness and pain. We pray to the Lord.

As we begin a new legislative year we pray for the grace of civility in our public life. At a time of great stress for your people, the prophet Isaiah said “come let us reason together.” Give us the grace and graciousness to listen and reason, even with those with whom we disagree. We pray to the Lord.

God, your ancient wisdom invites us to pray for those whom we find difficult, those who cause us pain. Help us to do that and in this way be delivered from our hurtful feelings and fear and, with your help, even come to a compassionate understanding of these people, we pray to the Lord.

That the goodness of God is a source of eternal life for our friends and neighbors and all who have died. At this liturgy we especially remember:

4:30 PM  Helen Polito by Roberta Platts
7:30 AM Anthony Caiazzo by Jim & Elizabeth Merrill
9:30 AM For The People of the Parish, both Living & Deceased
5:00 PM  Edward F. Dudar by the Dudar Miller Families
We pray to the Lord.

God of love, whose Son walked on water, hear these prayers and those carried in our hearts. Guide us to lives of grace and love, whatever the character of our relationships; may your risk-taking with us may prove to be justified and our sensitiveness to one another play its part in the coming of your kingdom and the doing of your will on earth as in heaven. We make these prayers through Christ our Lord.