Second Sunday of Lent, A, March 5, 2023
During this holy season of Lent, we offer our prayers to the Father as we hear of the glory shown in Jesus Transfiguration.
- That Pope Francis’ efforts to show love and compassion to those suffering on the margins will reveal the transfigured Jesus as the Son of God whose brightness overwhelms all darkness. We pray to the Lord.
- That the millions who have left the lands of their kinsfolk fleeing war, poverty, and hatred will travel with the Lord, as did Abram and Sara, and know Him as their shield and savior. We pray to the Lord.
- That we may bear our share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God to each of us and to our communities. We pray to the Lord.
- That our lives may be holy, not according to our works, but according to the designs of God and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus. We pray to the Lord.
- That as Peter, James, and John were renewed in faith by their experience of the Transfiguration, we may rise unafraid and restored each time we experience Jesus with us in our lives. We pray to the Lord.
- That in our journeys of faith, we may not try to stop and build tents but may always seek to move forward better to know the Lord and to be a blessing for the communities of the Earth. We pray to the Lord.
- That the Christians of Iran, China, Pakistan, and Nicaragua, who face harassment, arrest, trafficking, or imprisonment only for practicing their faith may find relief from their suffering as they place their hope in the Lord. We pray to the Lord.
- That the “renewal and rejuvenation” of the Church by the Second Vatican Council may be embraced as a “visit of God to his church, … that God produces in history through holy people.”[1] We pray to the Lord.
- That the “[war] of shocking cruelty” in Ukraine that has terrorized children to the degree that Pope Francis has noted that he “has met many Ukrainian children but has never seen one of them smile”[2] may come to a swift end. We pray to the Lord.
- That the mercy of the Lord may be on the sick, the suffering, and the depressed as we place our trust in Him. We pray to the Lord.
- That the souls of the deceased, entrusted to the loving mercy of God, may find joy in the eternal life and light of heaven. We pray to the Lord.
Heavenly Father, inspired by the Transfiguration of your Son, may we put aside all our fears as we strive to hear your response to our prayers and see you in all aspects of our lives. We make these prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen.
[1] Quote from an interview with Pope Francis published in Belgium, February 28, 2023.
[2] Quotes from Pope Francis in his interview published in Belgium, February 28, 2023.
parishionersforjustice.com 