Prayer of the Faithful/Petitions for Sunday, October 25, 2015

Ellen McHugh wrote these beautiful petitions for St. Mary's Church in Painesville, Ohio, for the October 25th masses:

Prayer of the Faithful for October 25, 2015

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Celebrant:  As we celebrate our coming together for the Eucharist, let us, dear sisters and brothers, approach the one God to voice all our needs.

·         That we may be inspired by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who invites us all “to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others.”  We pray to the Lord. 

·         For a deeper sense of gratitude for the beautiful mystery celebrated today; we pray especially for our priests here at St. Mary: Father Steve, Father John, and Father Chris, who make Jesus present for us through the grace and gift of ordination.  We pray to the Lord.

·         For a greater awareness of the richness of every vocation to love Christ; we pray that more men and women will respond to Our Lord’s invitation to follow Him as priests, deacons and in the consecrated life.  We pray to the Lord.

·         That we may all be inspired by today’s Gospel; that the healing of Bartimaeus, who many sought to silence, may serve to inspire us in our daily lives to see Jesus fully and to respond to His mercy with faith, hope, and gratitude.  We pray to the Lord.

·         That as a people of faith we stand witness to the destructive power of gun violence. Never let our prayers serve as an excuse for inaction; motivate and empower us as individuals and as a nation to address our culture of gun violence with laws that serve to prevent violence and promote life.  We pray to the Lord.

·         Protect and defend those living with mental illness from exploitation, addictions and abuse.

Empower us to speak up for those who do not have a voice; guide us that we may unite to provide for and protect the poor, the homeless and those who suffer in mind, body and spirit.  We pray to the Lord.

·         And for those for whom this Mass is offered [name them].  We pray to the Lord

·         Let us pause now and silently offer to the Father our own particular intentions [allow for     silence. . .].  We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant:  Father, we believe that you will hear and respond to our sincere prayers, asked in the name of your Son, and in the power of your Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.