This is 91 year old Ukrainian Holocaust Survivor Vanda Obiedkova/ who died last April while seeking shelter in a basement during the bombing of Mariupol./ Pope Francis has called this invasion:/ morally unjust, unacceptable, barbaric, senseless, repugnant, sacrilegious./ May we not forget/ and pray for the restoration of sanity wherever there are wars./ We pray to the Lord.
At the start of September we pray for those who celebrate birthdays,/ anniversaries and other days of remembrance,/ asking for good health,/ safety,/ well-being and growth in the things of God./ We pray to the Lord.
It is Labor Day weekend./ We pray gratefully for the many whose work provides the basic necessities of our lives:/ food,/ health care,/ law enforcement,/ safety./ For those who are paid unjustly./ For anyone whose work is dangerous./ For those who are out of work./ We pray to the Lord.
Thursday is the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary./ We pray for the little girls of the world,/ mindful that many are not allowed to attend school,/ others are enslaved or sex-trafficked,/ still others live sad lives where there is domestic violence or poverty./ Some little girls are thrown away./ We pray to the Lord.
In some places the Church is divided,/ having been infiltrated by political and cultural ideologies./ We pray for those Christians,/ including some among the clergy,/ who have lost the joy of the gospel,/ choosing instead a life of contention./ We pray for our healing and growth in Christ./ We pray to the Lord.
It seems that now for many,/ our go-to emotion when we disagree with others is to make death threats./ Some,/ including politicians and media types stir-up violence,/ danger,/ menace and fear./ We pray boldly for God to heal the national soul./ We pray to the Lord.
