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November 1, 2024

Solemnity of All Saints

For Francis, our Pope, and __, our Bishop. May all who search for Christ surrender to the beauty of God and the call to humility, love and compassion.

We pray to the Lord.

For all followers of the Christ. May our lives find joy in our quest for the face of Jesus Christ. May our riches be known in our service toward others. May the saints show us how to generously live upon the earth.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who face difficult decisions. May we find courage to implement gospel truth. May we thrive in faith, hope and love.
We pray to the Lord.

For people whose lives feel barren and joyless. May we seek the face of Christ to inherit mercy and reconciliation in our day and in our relationships.

We pray to the Lord.

For all imprisoned by joblessness. May we all find work to enhance our gifts and adequate pay to support our families.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who ache to discover God in their daily lives. May we surrender in our prayer to the healing love of Christ Jesus. May our words and silence become the ground of love here on earth.

We pray to the Lord.

For Christian unity in our search or the face of Christ. May we all seek to become loving believers on earth so to find our home in eternal life.

We pray to the Lord.

For people living in severe pain and emotional loss. May all who know the threats of agony discover the healing power of Christ Jesus. May the love of Christ be upon us all.

We pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead. May we rely upon the saints of heaven to welcome our loved ones in death. May the face of Christ show us complete joy.

We pray to the Lord.

November 3, 2024

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Francis, our Pope, and ___, our Bishop. May our leaders seek Christ and view the needs of others with respect and honesty. May we offer all things to Christ and work for those who need the basics of life.

We pray to the Lord.

For a worthy expression of love constantly in our hearts. May we love people as ourselves. May God’s abundant grace flow through our lives and hearts.

We pray to the Lord.  

For a deeper and more loving response to the needs of the earth. May our rich heritage of science, education, skills and talents, be used for the common good of the earth.

We pray to the Lord.

For our nation as elections draw near. May we seek compassion and care for our lives, our families, our beloved poor. May our conscience find clarity and integrity. May our decisions rest in God’s care for us.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who resist change. May reconciliation and peace be constantly on our lips. May hope flourish even when we are reluctant to view life differently.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who survive in our prison systems. May love and support be offered for people who know the darkness of prison life. May hope in Christ not become a shallow treasure.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who feel they do not belong in society. May they find courage for another day and may their hearts flourish in Christ’s kindness and presence.

We pray to the Lord.

For our elderly who cannot sleep in the nighttime. May reconciliation and kindness be offered to our elders. May peace thrive and anxiety be eased.

We pray to the Lord.

For a new generation of seminarians within our church. May love be bountiful and in full measure as the next generation learns the beauty of faith and dedicated service.

We pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead. May our friends and relatives now sleep in peace. May they find the beauty and the glory of Christ’s presence for all eternity.

We pray to the Lord.

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Philip Casey has recently resigned from the Board of The Independent Catholic Magazine (commonly called Tui Motu Board) after nearly two decades of service. He talked to Ann Hassan about his time on the Board, the magazine, and his experience of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune condition which attacks the nervous system.

CLICK HERE to read the article and see my collage on the website.

October 27, 2024

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Francis, our Pope, and ___, our Bishop. May our leaders seek the face of Christ Jesus. May their eyes weep for inequality and may they set their sights on justice for all people.

We pray to the Lord.

For us who are blind to the needs of others. May our eyes gaze upon people living in tents and surviving on streets. May we see the hunger of our neighbors and help restore a vision of evenhandedness for people under heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

For sinners longing for new life. May we set our sights on God’s compassionate care for all who carry division in their hearts. May our sin turn into joy in our vision of Christ’s redeeming mercy.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who struggle with diminished eyesight. May our inner vision become a source of joy as we see the presence of Christ within our hearts. May hope be restored to all who are physically and spiritually blind.

We pray to the Lord.

For our children and their children. May we learn to see the gifts and talents of our next generations in faith. May we support the young and encourage their skill, their abilities, their futures.

We pray to the Lord.

For our nation in this election season. May we see clearly the needs of our abandoned poor and people who long for the basics of life. May integrity be lived in every community in our nation.

We pray to the Lord.

For people whom we overlook. May we truly see our loved ones with mental anguish, with physical and emotional disabilities, with different ideas and dreams. May our blindness be transformed into clear sight.

We pray to the Lord.

For people in need of change. May we help people who need a second chance in life. May we walk side by side with people who most need our care and concern.

We pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead. May all people who struggled in the dying process find rest in the eternal presence of Christ Jesus.

We pray to the Lord.

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Sent to Ease the Burdens

Some years ago, twenty women snuggled together around our church building one night because a local shelter had filled up early. At dawn, I went outside while they collected their belongings to tell them of our outreach resources. One woman quickly collected her possessions around her body, at first fearing my presence. She then blurted out at me, “Do you mean you are here to say something kind to us?”

Her fearful response reminds me of what the seventy-two must have encountered along the way. People needed time to listen and trust good news. They needed time to let go of fear that the new disciples might be robbers in the night or pretenders of good. Jesus sent the seventy-two with few possessions so they would have credibility among people who had few belongings and few defenses. 

We still witness to good even when darkness, war, poverty, and injustice all appear in lamb’s clothing. Love is easily lost under bright lights of hatred and evil ways. We are sent to ease the burdens of those who are weary, the houseless and jailed. We are sent among children in despair because of abuse and neglect, young-ones who have grown deaf to adults with good news.

Luke’s good news of Jesus Christ built a community of believers from those huddled against loss, unkindness, and the reality of poverty. Jesus Christ whispers in our ears to live in love–and Luke still shows us the beauty of God’s Kingdom on earth.       

Fr. Ronald Patrick Raab

Fr. Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC serves as religious superior at Holy Cross House, a medical and retirement facility at Notre Dame, Indiana. He is a retreat director, award-winning author, and visual artist. Learn more at ronaldraab.com.

I am grateful for the invitation to write for Give Us This Day, published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.

CLICK HERE to read my latest article from our Holy Cross Newsletter, October 2024.