Weekly Prayers of the Faithful

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024

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Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024

We offer our prayers to the Father on this joyful day knowing that evil and hatred never prevail as we offer our prayers with hope and expectation.   

  1. That the Church will proclaim the Resurrection of Jesus — the fact that life conquers death, the fact that light overwhelms darkness — with strength, zeal, beauty, and humility that draws all people to lives of faith.  We pray to the Lord.
  2. That despite the echoes of bombs, the blaring proclamations of hostility, and the deafening call to self-centeredness, the gentle message of Jesus who reached out to the margins to heal the sick, console the sorrowful, and lift up the needy will reverberate across the canyons of division and overcome all hatred.  We pray to the Lord. 
  3. That those baptized or received into full communion at the Easter Vigil will have joyful lives of faith and will be reminders of our call to draw all people to the Lord.  We pray to the Lord.
  4. That those who join with Jesus in risking their lives for the Gospel will be inspired by the Resurrection that proclaims death has no hold over truth.  We pray to the Lord.
  5. That those Catholics in the Holy Land “most affected by the senseless tragedy of war: the children robbed of their future, those who grieve and are in pain, and all who find themselves prey to anguish and dismay” will be “lamps shining in the night, seeds of goodness in a land rent asunder by conflict.”[1]  We pray to the Lord.
  6. That we will have the patience to “stay calm, control our instincts, restrain bad responses, [and to] defuse conflicts in the family, at work, and in the Christian community.”[2]  We pray to the Lord.
  7. That Almighty God will dispel the darkness of conflict and usher in a new dawn of hope and harmony in this wounded world through our prayers, our work toward peace, and our trust in the Risen Christ who conquered death and gave us true life.[3]  We pray to the Lord. 
  8. That the hearts of those entrenched in violence will be granted the grace that empowers them to embrace a path of reconciliation and finds ways to eradicate the divisive forces of hatred and strife.3 We pray to the Lord. 
  9. That on this Easter Day we will join in the experience of the disciple whom Jesus loved who on entering the tomb and finding it empty saw and believed.  We pray to the Lord. 
  10. That those suffering from illness, pain. or depression will look with hope to the promise of Easter and be relieved of their trials.  We pray to the Lord.
  11.  That those who have died in the wave of violence afflicting the world may be forgiven their sins and be with the risen Jesus in the everlasting life of heaven.  We pray to the Lord.

God our Father, on this day we are filled with gratitude for the gift of your Son. May he always be the light in our lives that shines brightly even into the darkest corners of the world.  We offer our prayers through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

[1] Quotes from Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Catholics of the Holy Land, Holy Week, 2024.

[2] From the remarks of Pope Francis at his Wednesday General Audience, March 27, 2024.

[3] Based on Letter of Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Myanmar, Embracing the Dawn of Peace, March 24, 2004

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