INTRODUCTORY REFLECTION
There’s rich fare in today’s readings as we resume Ordinary Time, but the ever-changing date of Easter means we rarely hear those for Sundays 7-9.
They’re worth checking out, especially those from 2 Corinthians. It’s a lively letter to say the least. Its abrupt changes of topic and extreme swings of emotion suggest it’s a composite of several letters.
What have we missed? That Jesus was ‘never Yes and No’ but ‘always Yes’ (7). That the new covenant is not chiselled on stone tablets but written by ‘the Spirit of the living God’ on ‘the tablets of your living hearts’ (8). That we are ‘earthenware jars’ that hold the treasure of God’s glory and power (9). Fine Pauline food for thought and prayer.
THE WEEK’S PRAYER FOCUS
We pray for all who work in the field of mental health, that they will tend their own wellbeing while accompanying those who are troubled in mind and spirit.
SAMPLE INTERCESSIONS
These intercessions are offered for selected use at Sunday Mass in the parish alongside those that express local needs and concerns.
PRESIDER
Dear friends, Jesus embraces as his own those who devote themselves to God’s will. As his family in faith, let us pray with him for God’s blessing on all humankind.
READER
We pray for Christian communities near and far, that they will be families of faith, forgiveness and hospitality. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for all preachers of the Gospel, that they will bear joyful witness to the divine love that makes all things new. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for all ministers of reconciliation, that by God’s grace they will set sinners free from guilt and shame and lay open for them the path of love. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for Jewish people celebrating Shavuot this week, that they will give thanks for God’s gift of the Law and happily live by its wisdom. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for peace-makers in every place of bloodshed, that the terrible toll of war may be brought to an end and a future of peaceful co-existence made possible. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for environmental justice, that the lands and peoples with the most to lose from global warming will receive the help they need from the nations driving climate change. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for the multitude of children still being forced into slave labour, that this criminal exploitation will be exposed and eliminated. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for all who live with a disability and those who help care for them, that they will have all the support they need to flourish and contribute to the common good. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for the recently deceased . . . and for those whose anniversary of death occurs around this time, that they will inherit the eternal glory revealed in Christ. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
PRESIDER
Ever-living God, you created humankind in your image and likeness and made us altogether new in Christ. Be with us always on our way home to you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.