Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025

Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025

We come to the Father on this Easter Day with joy that life has overcome death and asking that the light of this day may penetrate the darkest corners of the world. 

1. That bishops will respond to the need for funds to help the displaced, refugees, and the impoverished with leadership that involves more than hand-wringing but that reflects the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in finding imaginative solutions.  We pray to the Lord. 
2. That world leaders will shun actions that bring death but will be inspired by Christ’s Resurrection to overcome hatred, torture, and persecution by seeking reconciliation and the advancement of all people.  We pray to the Lord.  
3. That we will believe in the Risen Jesus so that believing in him we will receive forgiveness of our sins through his name.  We pray to the Lord. 
4. That judges will not succumb to political pressures or the shouts of the crowds but will seek justice that overcomes hatred, fear, and death offering hope and opportunities to live well in this world.  We pray to the Lord.
5. That the common celebration of Easter on this day by Orthodox and Catholic communities will serve to promote unity of faith in the Risen Christ.  We pray to the Lord. 
6. That people dragged down by the old yeast of malice and wickedness will celebrate this Easter feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  We pray to the Lord. 
7. That those confused or in mourning because relatives have been arrested, displaced, deported, or disappeared will join in prayer with the women who encountered the empty tomb and find hope and consolation.  We pray to the Lord. 
8. That our Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving will have prepared us well for this Easter celebration and for continuing that celebration so that our lives will proclaim, “Christ is risen, he is truly risen!”  We pray to the Lord.
9. That we may avoid the temptation to focus on all that is wrong in our lives and in the world, but instead may exult in the message of Easter, a message of victory, light, promise, and joy.  We pray to the Lord.
10. That those who are ill, whose homes have been destroyed, who hunger or thirst, and all who are suffering during the uncertainty of these days will know the Risen Jesus, who overcame death, and is with them.  We pray to the Lord. 
11. That the people of the Holy Land, which has been so horribly infected with a culture of death, will see in the Resurrection of Jesus that life overcomes death and find life-affirming solutions to the problems which the region faces.  We pray to the Lord.

On this day, may we join with the disciple who entered the tomb and saw and believed knowing that your love is with us as you answer our petitions all the days of our lives.  We make these prayers through Christ our Lord.  Amen