Living the Love of Christ: everyone welcome, everyone matters, everyone involved
How God might answer our prayers:
I asked for strength: God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom; God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity; God gave me intelligence and the strength to work.
I asked for courage; God gave me dangers and challenges to overcome.
I asked for love; God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favours; God gave me opportunities.
I asked for peace; God gave me the chance to bring peace to others.
I received nothing I asked for, but got everything I needed.
~Hazrat Inayat Khan
Prayer for Grandparents:
Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary,
the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne, look with love on grandparents the world over. Protect them!
They enrich our families, the Church and society. Support them!
As they grow older, may they be strong pillars of Gospel faith for their families, guardians of noble ideals, living treasuries of sound religious traditions.
Make them teachers of wisdom and courage, that they may pass on to future generations the fruits of their mature human and spiritual experience.
Lord Jesus, help us value the presence and role of grandparents.
May they never be ignored or excluded, but always encounter respect and love.
Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed in all the years of life which you give them.
Mary, Mother of the living, keep grandparents always in your care, accompany their earthly pilgrimage,
and by your prayers, grant that all families may one day be reunited in heaven, where you await all humanity for the great embrace of life without end.
Amen!
(Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)
Parish Prayer
God of the Universe, we give you thanks for all that we share,
for the faith and community that sustains us.
God of our lives,you are challenging us to follow you into the future,
inviting us to new ventures, new challenges, new ways to care, new ways to touch the hearts of all.
When we are fearful of the unknown, give us courage.
When we worry that we are not up to the task, remind us that you would not call us if you did not believe in us.
When we get tired or disappointed with the way things are going, remind us that you can bring change and hope out of the most difficult situations.
Bless to us, O Lord the doors we open, the thresholds we cross, the roads that lie before us.
Go with us as we go, sharing the journey!
Prayer for all Creation
Blessed are you Lord God of all Creation.
All that we have, all that we are comes to us from your hands.
From your many gifts we bring you this bread and wine, food and drink.
Let them become the symbols of the lives we offer you in our mass.
See in this bread all that we do, all the work and effort in our world today, all the longing and aspiration, the creativity and the accomplishment.
All the beauty and relationships that build us up, make us one and bring us to gratitude
And see in this wine what is crushed and lost in that process, the cost of our living.
All our hurt and suffering, our sins, our failings, our frustration.
All the violence and cruelty in the world, the fear that drives us to selfishness and cynicism.
Take these our gifts which we place in the hands of Jesus your Son.
Take our lives. Make us into his body and blood that we – even we – in him may become food for eternal life.
Blessed be God for ever. Blessed be God for ever.
A Prayer for Guidance
Out of darkness lead us to your light
From illusion free us for your truth
Still our stormy minds and calm all our striving
Lord of all life, with life make us one
May our hearts be open to your love
May Christ’s Holy Spirit move in us, in all our thoughts and feelings, hopes, desires and choices.
Father in us may your will be done.
Amen
The Prayer of Resurrection:
I love you Jesus my love above all things.
You have called me to share in your Risen life and glory.
May you Holy Spirit make me a servant of your kingdom.
Amen
Resources from the Archdiocese of Liverpool now include:
- Christian homemaking
- Dealing with the COVID-19 crisis for the divorced or separated
- Messy Church at home
- Sustaining faith in difficult times: the Word of God
These can be accessed/downloaded at https://www.liverpoolcatholicresources.com/ or through http://www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/ by clicking on ‘Prayer and Other Resources’.
Archbishop Malcolm invites us to pray together with him through these times:
God Our Father, each person is precious to You.
You are the Giver of life.
Have mercy on us and protect us at this time, as the Coronavirus threatens health and life.
You are an ever-present Helper in time of trouble.
Watch over those who are suffering, give strength to those who are aiding the sick and give courage to all in this time of anxiety.
We ask this of you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Prayers for families adjusting to new ways of life
Holy Spirit, as families adjust to being at home – with businesses and schools closed, we ask that you guide people in their new realities. Give us grace for each other.
Lord, thank you for all key workers, as they serve our communities, we ask that you bless and protect them from contracting COVID-19.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Prayers of Hope
Churches Together in England has a poster to encourage #PrayersOfHope.
Download the poster below. There’s one for you if you can print in colour, or a black & white version if you prefer, or one to colour in.
St Paul tells us to pray continually. However, it helps to know that others are also praying at a specific time, so we encourage you to pray at 7pm each Sunday evening. If you want to join in online prayer, there are two options of which we are aware:
- Premier radio: Prayers of Hope service at 7pm on Sundays
- Baptists Together are broadcasting at 7pm on Sundays and Wednesdays
‘Praying for you, praying for everyone’ posters
01 Coloured poster (105.5KB) | |
02 Black & white (84.8KB) | |
03 To be coloured in (84.5KB) |
‘We are praying’ posters
01 Coloured poster (56.9KB) | |
02 Black & white (38.1KB) | |
03 To be coloured in (37.9KB) |