The Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle A, December 11, 2022, The Prayers of the Faithful, Matthew 11:2-11

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Third Sunday of Advent: Prayers of the Faithful

December 11, 2022

Let us pray for our Universal Church. May we reach beyond the doors of our buildings to touch the suffering of every human concern. May John the Baptist open us to new possibilities and deeper compassion.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to seek joy this Advent. May our burdens be eased with gratitude, our sores be soaked in the healing balm of justice, and our failures be turned into paths of grace.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray that the blind may gain sight and the lame may dance with joy. May our bodies become the houses where healing thrives. May our souls rejoice and may we stand upright with gladness.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for hearts that are stored away in hurt. May our wounds of loss and grief be the house in which joy and compassion live forever. May we build our futures on mercy and tenderness.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people pushed to the margins of life from our disrespect and apathy. May reconciliation and peace bring people to the center of love and life.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for second chances and new opinions of people. May we not furrow our brows toward people with whom we disagree. May we truly see the beauty of people who are different from ourselves.

We pray to the Lord.  

Let us pray for our own prison doors to be opened in Advent. May we not settle for pettiness, jealously, and narrow mindedness. May God break open our darkened hearts and flood our lives with brilliance and faith.

We pray to the Lord.  

Let us pray for our loved ones who have fallen asleep in Christ Jesus. May the dead find new home in God’s eternal Kingdom.

We pray to the Lord.

The Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle A, December 4, 2022, Prayers of the Faithful, Matthew 3:1-12

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Second Sunday of Advent

December 4, 2022

Let us pray the river of justice may overflow its banks so to wash away our fears. May we bathe in God’s desire for our common good. May our pains be eased and cleansed.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to feel the warm breath of John the Baptist speaking out for those who live in silent desperation. May his words warm our cold declarations of hatred, illusions, and desolations.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to listen to the stories our poor try to tell us. May our ears listen attentively to the lives of people who have lost their employment, their warm homes, and their mental stability.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to stand firmly on earthly peace. May we not stumble as we ache for stable peace in Ukraine. May the sounds of gunfire in our nation challenge us to act for the benefit of our children.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to cut through our apathy with a prophet’s sword. May the weak find home with the strong, the illiterate turn pages of hope with the learned, and our children know the wisdom of our elderly.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to depend on love to heal our flimsy falsehoods. May we depend on the prophet’s presence to live with integrity. May Advent point us toward forgiveness and heavenly balm.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray our nightmares of self-hatred be transformed by God’s love. May we know God’s desire for us even when fear blankets us in the night.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our loved ones who have crossed the deserts of life. May the dead reach the eternal shore of God’s kingdom.

We pray to the Lord.