5th Sunday of Lent, March 18, 2018

5th Sunday of Lent, March 18, 2018

We come before the Lord recognizing our failures and asking that our sins be remembered no more as we offer our prayers and petitions.

1. For Pope Francis as he begins the sixth year of his papacy. That he may be blessed with the health, grace, and wisdom to lead the church faithfully seeking the welfare of all people.  We pray to the Lord.
2. That all nations may work for peace and tirelessly seek the well-being of those whose lives are torn apart by poverty, persecution, and war. We pray to the Lord.
3. That our Lenten sacrifices may make us resolute in seeking to obey and follow Christ, the source of our eternal salvation. We pray to the Lord.
4. That the Congregation for the Clergy may work in service to the whole Church and be guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in its deliberations. We pray to the Lord.
5. That our Lenten prayers and actions may point not only to the Crucifixion of Jesus but also to the renewal of all things through the Resurrection. We pray to the Lord.
6. That we may be willing to make sacrifices in our lives that they may be preserved for eternal life. We pray to the Lord.
7. That Father Christopher may be consoled that the attacks against him, like the death of a grain of wheat, will in due course produce much fruit. We pray to the Lord.
8. That those in our community who are fighting illness may receive the grace to remain hopeful and to be drawn closer to Jesus who suffered so much for us. We pray to the Lord.
9. That those who have died will be with all the angels and saints with their lives preserved for all eternity. We pray to the Lord.
10. For our own intentions that we recall in silence…….. We pray to the Lord.

O God, we try to use this Lenten period to assess our lives, to serve the Lord, to be his followers, and to truly know him.  Through our prayers and petitions, we seek your forgiveness to all humanity for our failures and shortcomings asking that you bestow your blessings on us all.  We make our prayers  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.