We pray for our world,/ so full of variety and beauty,/ so self-renewing,/ but also so lacking in joy,/ light,/ certitude,/ peace or help for the many who are pained./ May we not hide/ or run away in fear from the struggle,/ where ignorance and brutishness seem to win,/ but may we learn God's true love./ We pray to the Lord.
Columbus Day is Monday./ Like every story,/ this one is tainted./ We pray for our country which bears the stubborn stain of hatred for persons of color./ We pray for those who deny ugly truths./ We pray for the indigenous peoples of this land whose story is rife with exploitation,/ theft,/ disease,/ lies,/ cultural destruction and murder./ We pray to the Lord.
More than one hundred people were left dead after Hurricane Ian./ We pray for them and for those who mourn them./ We pray for the injured and those who have lost everything./ For those who so carefully continue recovery efforts./ We pray to the Lord.
Ours is an often violent country./ But today,/ violence has been given a new permission or empowerment./ There are politicians who everyday receive violent threats in numbers beyond counting./ People in high places spew violent, hater-rhetoric and speak of others in degrading and menacing ways./ We ask God for the much needed healing of the national heart./ We pray to the Lord.
October is the month when the leaves change their colors./ May we experience the change or transformation that comes with knowing Christ deeply./ October is also the month of leaf drop and behind each fallen leaf is next spring's leaf-bud./ May we drop resentment/ and know Christ's promise of new life./ We pray to the Lord.
Gun manufacturing and gun sales are big business in our country./ More than 1400 people have been shot in Philadelphia alone this year./ In that same city there have been more than 400 gun deaths./ Some of the injured and dead are children./ This gun defense and gun adulation is simply not the way of Jesus./ May we learn what he has to teach us./ We pray to the Lord.
We pray for ourselves and those around us at Mass today./ For the many who stay away./ For those who have lost faith or who are discouraged./ We ask the Lord to bless us with gifts of renewed hope and joy./ We pray to the Lord.
