The place of Christ's Birth ~ Bethlehem
At Christmas,/ may the simple beauty of Jesus' birth,/ summon us to love what is deeply human./ We pray to the Lord.
At Christmas,/ we pray for Pope Francis:/ his good health,/ protection and endurance./ We pray as well for those who do not understand his message/ or have closed their hearts to his teaching and example./ We pray to the Lord.
At Christmas,/ we pray for the Bethlehems of our world today:/ the people and communities that are out-of-the-way,/ often poor and exploited./ We pray to the Lord.
At Christmas,/ we pray for that part of the world we call the Holy Land,/ asking for a time of peaceful respect,/ cooperation and hospitality./ We pray to the Lord.
At Christmas,/ we pray for our families and friends,/ asking for healing gifts where faith has been abandoned,/ or where there is trouble,/ bitter division or sickness./ We pray to the Lord.
At Christmas,/ and the winter solstice in our hemisphere/ there begins the gradual return to light./ Where there is menace and fear,/ may Christian hearts be illumined by Christ's attractive and reassuring light./ We pray to the Lord
At Christmas,/ may the mothers of the world be blessed in the privileged work of raising children,/ and young people be graced with health,/ safety and growth in goodness./ We pray too the Lord.
At Christmas,/ we pray for all who have died this year,/ and for those who mourn them,/ asking as well for the conversion of hearts which foment violence,/ injury,/ destruction and death./ We pray to the Lord.
