Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 4, 2024

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 4, 2024

We present our needs to the Father, grateful for the true bread from heaven offered to us in this Eucharist. 

1. That the Church may be effective in proclaiming the Eucharist as the real presence of Christ, the bread that the Lord has given us.  We pray to the Lord.
2. That the world so badly infected with hatred and violence may be blessed with wise leaders who seek to accomplish the works of God who gives life to the world.  We pray to the Lord.
3. That the cries of children and those exploited sexually or in the workplace as victims of human trafficking may be heard and receive a universal response that proclaims and protects the sacredness of all human life.  We pray to the Lord.
4. That those surrounded by war who are exhausted by ongoing displacement and unlivable conditions in small and overcrowded areas may find safe havens and be freed of the horrors they have been forced to endure.  We pray to the Lord.
5. That when we encounter difficulties, we may not grumble about our fate but will seek the Lord and know him as our God.  We pray to the Lord.
6. That we will put away former ways of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in spirit created in righteousness and the holiness of truth.  We pray to the Lord.
7. That we will not work for things in this life that perish but to strengthen our belief through the reception of the bread of God, come down from heaven, that gives life to us and to the world.  We pray to the Lord.
8. That in our prayers, we will have the humility to ask the question that the crowd asked, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God” and respond to grace by following in the path of Jesus.  We pray to the Lord.
9. That we will know Jesus as the bread of life so that we will never hunger, and believe in him so that we will never thirst.  We pray to the Lord.
10. That those who are sick in body, mind, or spirit may be fed by the true bread from heaven and find peace, healing, and relief from suffering.  We pray to the Lord.   
11. That those who have died from starvation, thirst, or lack of nourishment will feast forever on the on the food of heaven at the banquet of the Lord.  We pray to the Lord.  

O God, may we know your answer to our prayers and be sustained throughout our lives by the gift of your Son who is the bread of life and the cup of salvation.  We make these prayers through Christ our Lord.   Amen.