Weekly Prayers of the Faithful
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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time August 31, 2025

At this Eucharistic banquet, we humbly ask the Father that we may know his will for us.  

  1. That we will understand the Mass as “the most important event in the life of a Christian and in the life of the Church for it is the encounter where God gives Himself to us in love, again and again.”[1]  We pray to the Lord.
  2. That world leaders who dine in splendor will show mercy to those who are incarcerated, feed those subjected to famine, and exalt the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, humbly serving those who cannot repay them.  We pray to the Lord.  
  3. Recognizing that neither defiance nor silence will change the reality of famine in Gaza, may people of good will take strong action on behalf of those who are starving and thirsty, inviting those seated at the lowest places to seats where they will be fed and all thirst will be quenched. We pray to the Lord.
  4. That societies where coexistence seems more difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious, or ideological reasons.[2] We pray to the Lord.
  5. That we may receive “the grace to be able to forgive, even when we do not feel understood, even when we feel abandoned.”[3]  We pray to the Lord.
  6. That “working migrants, those volunteering in our parishes, paying taxes, sacrificing for their families and following our laws” will not be subjected to “fear and intimidation but [will receive} protection, solidarity, and a welcoming community.”[4]  We pray to the Lord. 
  7. That we will understand in our hearts and live the fact that “when we consider an unborn child only as a complication to be eliminated, and when we consider new arrivals only as problems to be removed, we become less merciful, less just, [and] less human.”[5] We pray to the Lord.
  8. That the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, will intercede with her Son for peace in the Holy Land, and for the consolation of all those afflicted by this and all conflicts.[6] We pray to the Lord.
  9. That workers who have been laid off, who have been frustrated in seeking employment, or who have been criminalized while laboring to support their families and communities will not lose hope but will find support through our generous response to the command to love our neighbors.  We pray to the Lord.
  10. That hope will accompany those who are ill and their caretakers and serve as an anchor in the storm of difficulties that inflict the sick and their communities.  We pray to the Lord. 
  11. That those who have died from violence in Mozambique, Gaza, Ukraine, and other parts of the world overwhelmed by terrorism, war, and inhumanity may rest for all eternity in the peace of heaven. We pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, we call to you from our places at this Eucharistic banquet.  May you bless us with hope and call us to higher places closer to you through your answers to our prayers which we offer through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

[1] Quote from comments of Pope Leo to altar servers, August 25, 2025.

[2] Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of August, 2025. 

[3] Quote from Pope Leo at his weekly General Audience, August 20, 2025.

[4] Quote from a pastoral letter on immigration by the Catholic bishops of Kansas, August 14, 2025.

[5] Quote from a pastoral letter on immigration by the Catholic bishops of Kansas, August 14, 2025.

[6] Based on comment of Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, August 22, 2025.

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