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| Mary hands off her Child to Simeon: a moment of separation |
As we contemplate Mary and Her Child/ we pray for the mothers of the world./ We hold in our prayer, those mothers who are ill-prepared,/ worried,/ expectant,/ sick or poor./ We pray to the Lord.
On the 8th day after His Birth,/ we contemplate the Infant Christ and the world's children./ We ask for human hearts to be turned to the protective care of the baby in the womb/ and the children who are most weak and vulnerable./ We pray to the Lord.
We remember the words of Pope Paul VI: "If you want peace, create justice."/ We ask for new hearts that seek what is best for all people,/ not just for some./ We pray to the Lord.
At the start of the New Year/ we consider the relationships in our own families,/ places of work and neighborhoods./ We ask God to continually make us grateful and to re-create us as sources of friendship/ forgiveness and healing./ We pray to the Lord.
We pray for those who begin the New Year in prison:/ for their inner healing and conversion,/ and blessings for those who celebrate birthdays and anniversaries in the month of January./ We pray to the Lord.
Always,/ we remember the sick,/ mindful of those struggling with chronic sickness,/ pain and fear,/ emotional or spiritual sickness./ We pray to the Lord.
Finally,/ we pray for those who have died this past year./ We pray for those who have died in wars or the year's disasters./ And that we would live our own lives only to please and glorify God in Jesus Christ./ We pray to the Lord.
