Intercessions ~ Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Aleksey Stemmer ~ First Frost

These last days of the Jubilee Year of Mercy/ we pray for Pope Francis,/ asking for him/ the continued blessings of safety and strength./ And that we would understand the breadth of God's kind-mercy,/ and live it./ We pray to the Lord.

With the approach of colder weather/ we pray perhaps to live more interior lives,/ resisting consumerism/ and the holiday's hectic pace/ which can leave us tired and un-reflective./ We pray to the Lord.

We offer prayers for people who have lost home or job,/ For the children who are waiting to be adopted./ For those who have made themselves sick with worry./ For the elderly who are alone./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for Christians who spend little time with Christ./ For anyone who feels trapped./ For families in crisis./ For those who are forgotten or rejected./ We pray to the Lord.

Election Day approaches./ We ask forgiveness for any divisiveness,/ arrogance or offense that has gotten inside of us these long months./ We ask for the nation/ a new spirit of healing and reconciliation./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for our planet,/ often spoiled by hard-heartedness,/ greed and even willful ignorance./ Give us new hearts/ to safeguard the world's people,/ the plants,/ the animals,/ the air,/ the water and ground./ We pray to the Lord.

Grant us what we need for our own salvation,/ and for all who have died this week:/ that endless life where everything is made clear./ We pray to the Lord.