Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, August 2, 2020

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, August 2, 2020

O God, our minds are distracted these days by the pandemic that threatens the well-being and lives of your people throughout the world.  In this time when we hunger for safety, normalcy, and community, we offer our prayers knowing that your hand feeds us and you answer all our needs.

1. That Pope Francis may be strong in leading the Church, hungering and thirsting for God, to the delight of the rich fare of the Gospels. We pray to the Lord.
2. That world leaders will unite in implementation of compassionate measures to satisfy the hunger and thirst of the victims of famine and drought. We pray to the Lord.
3. That in this time of turmoil and strife, local governments and officials will provide wise leadership for those they serve so that all may live in health, happiness, and safety. We pray to the Lord.
4. That all people will demonstrate respect for life by sacrifices in daily actions that limit the spread of disease, support those who are bowed down, resist a culture of death, and unite communities in mutual love. We pray to the Lord.
5. That those who work to protect the seas and those sailors, fishermen, and their families who live from its bounty may be successful in their current endeavors and assure future generations of a healthy resource.^[1] We pray to the Lord.
6. That the unemployed and their families may not lose heart, may be successful in their searches for new work, and remain confident that not present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor any creature will be able to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We pray to the Lord.
7. That we will be generous with the resources we have knowing that if five loaves and two fish entrusted to Jesus can feed thousands, what God has entrusted to us – offered in Jesus’ name – can uplift those who suffer from hunger, violence, and abandonment. We pray to the Lord.
8. That we will receive the gift of the Eucharist knowing that in the same way simple bread and wine is transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, so too does that sacrament transform us from our simplicity into God’s holy people. We pray to the Lord.
9. That the enslavement of people throughout the world – based on poverty, religion, ethnicity, and greed – will give way to an atmosphere of mutual respect, reconciliation, and personal opportunity for every individual. We pray to the Lord.
10. That Fr. Christopher and all who suffer from the failures and injustice of those who have power over them will be consoled by the Lord who is just in all his ways, holy in all his works, and near to all who call upon him in truth. We pray to the Lord.
11. That the victims of coronavirus and debilitating illnesses and their families who suffer anguish, distress, and peril will conquer overwhelmingly through Jesus who loves us. We pray to the Lord.
12. That those who have died hungering and thirsting for things the world cannot give may feast for all eternity at the banquet of the Lord. We pray to the Lord.

O God, as we look to you hopefully for answers to our prayers, may we hear in your response the call to come to the water that quenches thirst and to the bread that gives us life.  We offer these prayers through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord.  Amen.

^[1] Based on Pope Francis’ intention for August for the Maritime World: We pray for all those who work and live from the sea, among them sailors, fishermen and their families.