Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2025
We turn to the Father with our needs asking for the grace to live the commandment that we love one another.
- That Pope Leo will be guided by the Holy Spirit as he leads the missionary outreach of the church to places where it is most desperately needed, places where Christians are “mocked, opposed, despised, or — at best — tolerated and pitied.”[1] We pray to the Lord.
- That leaders of the world who congratulated Pope Leo on his election will follow on those messages with real efforts to bring peace and social justice to people plagued by war, greed, and long-standing mistrust and hatred. We pray to the Lord.
- That merchants, sailors, seafarers, fishermen, port personnel and those who labor in the maritime industry will find safety and satisfaction through their efforts to bring raw materials, food, medicine, and relief supplies to those in need.[2] We pray to the Lord.
- That the International Day of Families celebrated this past week will strengthen resolve to keep families together and to support the well-being of children as they face the challenges of immigration, poverty, injustice, and the pressures of society. We pray to the Lord.
- That “humanitarian aid will be provided to the stricken civil population [of Gaza], and [that] all the [Israeli] hostages [will] be freed.”[3] We pray to the Lord.
- That the Church will demonstrate its discipleship through love for one another and by offering support, welcome, and respect for all people. We pray to the Lord.
- That we will understand the commandment to love one another is not to be lived with our specifications or with people or situations we have handpicked but is a call to be open to everybody, to welcome everybody, and to be available to everybody according to God’s will.[4] We pray to the Lord.
- That God himself will be with refugees, victims of war, the starving, and the thirsty, wiping every tear from their eyes so that that there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain as the sources of their agony pass away. We pray to the Lord.
- That we will praise the Lord at all times knowing that he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, good to all, and compassionate toward all his works. We pray to the Lord.
- That Eastern Christians be given “the opportunity, and not just in words, to remain in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence.”[5] We pray to the Lord.
- That the Eastern Churches in full communion with Rome will be “cherished and esteemed for the unique spiritual and sapiential traditions that they preserve, and for all that they have to say to us about the Christian life, synodality, and the liturgy.”[6] We pray to the Lord.
- That those who suffer from mental illness will find appropriate care, be helped in their struggles, and know that they are loved as part of God’s creation. We pray to the Lord.
- That those who have died in the service of peace, living Jesus’ command to love one another, will live forever in the eternal peace of heaven. We pray to the Lord.
God our Father, who sent your Son into this world as the example of love for all people, we ask for your grace in the answer to our prayers so that we may show that love to this divided world. We make these prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen.
[1] Based on first homily of Pope Leo XIV at his first Mass as pope, May 9, 2025.
[2] Petition in regard to observation of the Catholic Church observation of the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea, May 22, 2025.
[3] From address of Pope Leo XIV at Regina Coeli, May 11, 2025.
[4] Based on writing of Heather King in Holy Desperation: Praying as if Your Life Depends on It (2017)
[5] Pope Leo in welcoming Eastern Catholics to the Vatican for the Jubilee of Eastern Churches, May 14, 2025.
[6] Pope Leo quoting Pope Francis in his remarks to Eastern Catholics at the Jubilee of Eastern Churches, May 14, 2025.
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