Second Sunday of Easter Sunday, April 11, 2021

Second Sunday of Easter Sunday, April 11, 2021

We offer our prayers with confidence in the Risen Lord who finds us wherever we are hiding from those things that trouble us or cause us to be fearful.  

1. That the Church may be a consistent voice proclaiming that the world is not conquered through violence, hatred, or war but hat true victory over the world comes through faith in Jesus, the Son of God.  We pray to the Lord.
2. That the nations of the world will bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord by providing resources to those most in need and relieving the suffering of the persecuted, those in flight, and those who hunger and thirst.  We pray to the Lord.
3. That while we spent much of the last year locked behind doors for fear of the pandemic, we may know that the Lord was in our midst and remains in our midst these days offering his peace.  We pray to the Lord.
4. That on this Divine Mercy Sunday, we may avail ourselves of the Lord’s forgiveness, confident that his mercy endures forever, and extend that forgiveness to those who have harmed us.  We pray to the Lord. 
5. That at times when our faith is weak, we may have friends as did Thomas, who do not reject us but who enable us to experience the Lord in our community.  We pray to the Lord.
6. That our episodes of unbelief may be few and may be resolved by joining with Thomas in his declaration of faith, “My Lord and my God.” We pray to the Lord.
7. That we may see and recognize the many signs of the presence of the Lord in our lives and through them come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  We pray to the Lord.
8. That in our daily lives, we will not find God’s commandments to be burdensome but experience them as principles whose truth provides us with peace and joy.  We pray to the Lord.
9. That despite what he has endured, Fr. Christopher may always proclaim with the psalmist, “I was hard pressed and was falling, but the Lord helped me.  My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior.”  We pray to the Lord.
10. That as we take note of the 27th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda that killed over 800,000 people, we may insist on an end to the genocide of the Uyghurs in China, the Yazidis in Iraq, and to the efforts to exterminate vulnerable populations throughout the world.  We pray to the Lord.
11. That victims of torrential rains and floods in Indonesia, North Korea, Afghanistan, China, Yemen, and Bangladesh may find safety and rebuild their lives in ways that protect them from future severe weather events.  We pray to the Lord. 
12. That those who are trapped by the sense of isolation that accompanies serious illness may know that despite their fears, Jesus comes to them offering his peace.  We pray to the Lord.
13. That we may know the solidarity between those who have passed to new life and us who are pilgrims in this one as our beloved deceased pray for us while we pray for them.^[1]  We pray to the Lord. 

Father, we offer these prayers with hearts full of joy at the resurrection of your Son.  With gratitude for your unwavering love and care for us, despite our lapses in faith, we pray through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

---

^[1] Based on the audience of Pope Francis, April 7, 2021