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| The Sun-Reflecting Jordan River |
As Jesus steps down into the River Jordan,/ God begins to reclaim creation./ We pray for the earth,/ the water,/ air and soil,/ the living things,/ the plants and animals,/ that have been degraded by human greed and destruction./ May we love the planet God has entrusted to our care./ We pray to the Lord.
The land of the Jordan River is often a land of poverty,/ division and dispute,/ a land of people demoralized by fighting./ We ask for the will to solve problems with honesty and courage./ We pray to the Lord.
We pray for Pope Francis who is preparing to visit Panama City for World Youth Day,/ then back to Rome for a global bishop's conference on the clerical sex abuse crisis/ which has so weakened and shamed the Church./ We pray to the Lord.
As Jesus is Baptized,/ we pray for ourselves and each other who have been baptized as well./ May we realize in some new way what it means for us to be the friends of Jesus./ We pray for those for whom Baptism signals a life of poverty,/ threat and trouble./ We pray to the Lord.
We pray for the many people whose lives are impacted by the current government shutdown./ We pray for the President of the United States and our Congress/ to be mindful of the citizens who are feeling terrible anxiety and insecurity./ We pray to the Lord.
For the children we know,/ and for the multitudes unknown to us./ For those who live stressed lives of desperation and crisis,/ in family dysfunction,/ exploitation or neglect./ For the turning of adult hearts to the needs of children./ We pray tot he Lord.
For the children we know,/ and for the multitudes unknown to us./ For those who live stressed lives of desperation and crisis,/ in family dysfunction,/ exploitation or neglect./ For the turning of adult hearts to the needs of children./ We pray tot he Lord.
