The Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 12, 2023, Cycle A, The Prayers of the Faithful

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November 12, 2023

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

For our leaders in faith. May Francis, our Pope, and ____, our Bishop, seek wisdom for all people burdened by loss, poverty and injustice.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who wait for the wisdom of justice and lasting peace. May all people who work to pick up the pieces from war and violence be given our hands and resources to survive in such tragedies.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who speak only bitter words. May our words and actions speak of wisdom and goodness. May our relationships be based on love and not fear.

We pray to the Lord,

For people who are bedridden and separated from those they love. May each life on earth bear the mark of God’s love and fidelity. May we seek the stability of wisdom even in our bodily pain and emotional unrest.

We pray to the Lord.

For our children who seek brilliance and hope. May we all learn to play, to laugh and to be ready for love. May wisdom flow within our children and their children.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who feel lost in the dark. May our loved ones living with depression, anxiety and severe dementia be offered a light of faith, hope and love. May we walk together hand and hand to the promise of God’s Kingdom.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who carry the light of faith along our path. May spiritual directors, therapists, and social workers encourage us along our journey. May we discover the light of love within our hearts.

We pray to the Lord.

For people whose faces are stained with tears. May our loved ones who grieve discover hope to continue to live on earth. May we rejoice for our loved ones in heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

For our loved ones who have taken their last breath. May our beloved dead be led to God’s eternal and gracious Kingdom of Heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 2023, Reflection and Art

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Today is All Saints’ Day. I love the official catalogue of canonized saints. I take great consolation in their commitment. I am inspired by their lives here on earth. Some saints are quirky, some may seem eccentric and even weird. Yet, they all gave their lives to God in the ways in which they were called to love and serve. 

The saint is really someone here on earth who discovers love of God and love of neighbor. Saints discover an intentional life, that is, they pray in the moment, they love with integrity and they act with great discernment. Saints reveal that a relationship with God is absolutely possible here on earth. They learned in the deepest places of their hearts to trust God, to surrender everything to the mystery of God’s love for them. The amazing thing about saints is that we can’t imitate their lives. We can learn from them about God’s fidelity and grace, but to imitate them exactly does not make us saints. We have to do the work of prayer in our own lives. In other words, we can’t live someone else’s life. That does not make us a saint. 

The only way into the depths of God’s love and fidelity is to live the truth of our own lives. This may take us years to discover. Theresa of Avila and Oscar Romero show us that it takes many years to finally realize our call and act upon such a reality. Some people know it early in life or give up all they possess in order to carve a new path. Francis of Assisi is such an example. Mary Magdalene had the privilege of gazing into the eyes of Jesus and many other saints came to know the face of Christ in the poor, the suffering or disabled. Some saints are intellects and some are hermits. Some are clerics and some are widows. Each life on earth is a mystery, and each life on earth has the potential of becoming a mystic, that is a person who realizes that God’s love is the guide for his or her life. In many ways, each of us is called to become a mystic, to live a life of prayer and service and to realize that God is our true identity. 

The road map to becoming a saint is today’s gospel, Matthew 5: 1-12. The Beatitudes are always read on All Saint’s Day. We may hear this gospel at a funeral or even an ordination. These Beatitudes are the commandments of Jesus given to the disciples in his voice on the side of a mountain. They are often overlooked as a path to holiness because they are not as dogmatic as the Ten Commandments. This list is centered on Christ Jesus and at its core is love. Love is often dismissed as a way to faith because it is often seen as only romantic silliness. However, this list gives us the real mission of the Church. This list is far more difficult than the Ten Commandments.  

The Beatitudes offer us a path to heaven and a saintly life here on earth. They do so because they first lift up the poor. They affirm our challenge to offer mercy and not hatred, love and not violence. This list is the most radical statement of faith in the gospels and it is the list that is seldom trusted or made real. It changes not only hearts, but society and the world. It overthrows what we may think life should be and what justice is all about. It turns the tables on our notions of how to live and how to survive in society. Perhaps the Beatitudes are the reason why there are so few saints today, because at first glance, they turn life inside out. 

How difficult today it is to act mercifully. Mercy after all is not a commodity; it is a result of knowing God from within our hearts. We can’t manufacture mercy or peace or comfort toward the grieving. The Beatitudes are lived in hearts that first know and understand the fidelity of God. The Beatitudes carve an empty place within our hearts only to be filled with God’s love, integrity and power. These words from Jesus are radical and the concepts are countercultural. Yet, they remain a blueprint for sainthood. 

We all desire to live in the love God has for each of us. We can’t duplicate a life set free in God’s faithfulness nor can we copy exactly how God desires us to serve and to act in our Church and world. The fire of faith is given to each of us as God desires. Collectively in the Church, we call people who know such fire, saints. We celebrate such a gift and mystery this day on the Solemnity of All Saints. 

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” 

The Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 5, 2023, The Prayers of the Faithful

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November 5, 2023

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

For our leaders in faith. May humility always be our guide. May the force of love ignite the mission of the Church.

We pray to the Lord.

For warring nations. May hope be made real for our children and women in times of gunfire and looting. May new life be born in reconciliation and peace.

We pray to the Lord.

For all who sit at the bedside of our loved ones. May healing prevail in long-term illness and disease. May hope follow our restless nights.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who live in constant arrogance and revenge. May peace be sustained in our hearts when we do not get our way in life. May love be born even in our failure.

We pray to the Lord.

For constant conversations among parents and children. May all parents receive their children in humility and compassion. May our children respect people who are different from themselves.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who have changed jobs or who struggle to make ends meet. May we all receive wages to support our families and futures.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who stumble over words because of memory loss. May all who face dementia find support in their confusion and hope of God in their restlessness.

We pray to the Lord.

For people wearied by grief. May all people who wring their hands in despair raise their arms in love and praise of God and neighbor.

We pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead. May our pray in November proclaim hope for our loved in their new home in the Kingdom of God.

We pray to the Lord.

The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, October 29, 2023, The Prayers of the Faithful

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October 29, 2023

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For endurance and integrity among leaders of nations. May God whisper peace in the ears of political leaders. May hope thrive among nations. May retaliation end in assured peace.

We pray to the Lord.

For a kind and gentle end to the Synod in Rome. May true authority of Christ be realized in every baptized Christian. May hope for the future be realized in our surrender to the Holy Spirit.

We pray to the Lord.

For the future of religious life within the Church. May our next generation learn to offer their lives to the well-being of the poor, the marginalized and unhealthy. May our vocations speak of God’s integrity in our world.

We pray to the Lord.

For a new awareness of God’s gifts. May our hearts overflow with gratitude for the love God gives us. May we learn to extend that love to all people, races and nations.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who cannot love themselves. May forgiveness be within every human soul. May hope abound in us in times of discouragement, loss and unforgiveness.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who smother themselves in misery. May bitterness be washed away in love. May our youth and our elderly discover God’s abundant protection and peace. May we all find new reasons to live upon the earth.

We pray to the Lord.

For us to wake from our sleep in these times of war. May we see anew the tragic treatment of children and civilians. May our hearts long for justice as we offer our lives in service to people who most need us.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who live with mental and emotional illness. May we be patient among our loved ones who live with memory loss and severe decline. May we surrender to God’s abundant love for us all.

We pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead. May our loved ones who have died now find the love of their dreams in God’s eternal face.

We pray to the Lord.