Prayer Service

Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, September 17, 2023

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Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, September 17, 2023

We offer our petitions to the Father knowing that as we seek his mercy, we must also be merciful to all our neighbors.   

  1. That the Church will be a welcoming presence for all people, not judging faults or refusing mercy, recognizing that all are sinners in need of pardon and healing.  We pray to the Lord.
  2. That animosity, wrath, and anger between nations and cultures will be recognized as hateful attitudes not to be cherished but to be replaced by efforts to put all enmity aside.  We pray to the Lord. 
  3. That we may not live for ourselves but live for the Lord as examples of his love for all people.  We pray to the Lord.
  4. That we may have the grace and humility to offer forgiveness, not seven times but seventy-seven times, to those who have sinned against us.  We pray to the Lord.
  5. That first responders and aid workers in Libya and Morocco will be courageous and kept safe as they work to assist and save those imperiled by the flood and the earthquake.  We pray to the Lord.
  6. That we may knock with a humble and insistent spirit at the ever-open door of God’s heart as we seek peace that seems impossible on Earth, but which is possible with God.[1]  We pray to the Lord.
  7. That the Mediterranean Meeting in Marseille this week will be a source of joy and unity so that the mosaic of peoples, cultures, and religions that make up the Mediterranean can build and share the same hope.[2]  We pray to the Lord.
  8. That “those people on the margins of society in subhuman living conditions … may not be neglected by institutions and never be cast out.”[3]  We pray to the Lord.
  9. That religious freedom may be extended to Catholic people whose faith is under attack in Nicaragua, China, and other countries where hatred and intolerance are promoted by governments and those of other faiths.  We pray to the Lord.
  10. That those who are suffering from cancers and are enduring difficult treatments may not lose heart but may know the Lord’s kindness and mercy as they seek healing.  We pray to the Lord.
  11. That those who have died from storms, heat, earthquakes, floods, or other natural disasters will be welcomed with joy into the calm waters and whispering winds of heaven where God redeems life from destruction and crowns all with kindness and compassion.  We pray to the Lord.

O God, we ask that you hear and answer our prayers, not dealing with us according to our sins, but putting our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west.  We make our prayers through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

[1] Based on message of Pope Francis to the annual meeting of the Community of Sant’Egidio, September 10—12, 2023. 

[2] Based on the goals of Med 23 from September 17—24 in Marseille which Pope Francis will attend, September 22—23. 

[3] Prayer of Pope Francis in his video raising awareness of the monthly papal prayer intention for September. 

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