INTRODUCTORY REFLECTION
Moses on the mountain. It’s a great story, starring a lone shepherd, a holy mountain, a burning bush from which God speaks, a promise of liberation and a mysterious name.
What we never hear at Sunday Mass is the prelude to the event. Moses has murdered an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew worker and has fled for his life. Raised by Pharaoh’s daughter, he’s now a criminal on the run, forced to take refuge among strangers. Not a likely candidate for legendary leadership, yet that’s what he becomes, an outstanding example of weakness made powerful in God’s hands.
Is Lent a time for us to review our excuses of unworthiness and, like Moses and Mary, let God do great things in us?
THE WEEK’S PRAYER FOCUS
We pray for the unsung prophets of our time, that they will show us the way to hear the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth.
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, as we make our way through this season of repentance and renewal, Jesus calls on us to turn to God. Let us place our world in God’s patient and merciful hands.
READER
We pray for Pope Francis, that he will recover fully from his life-threatening illness and continue to lead the Church on the path of synodality and mission. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for the Church, that it will be purified this Lent to be a sacrament of salvation and a beacon of life for all the world to see. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for priests in this Jubilee Year of Hope, that they will truly be missionaries of God’s mercy amid the communities they serve. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for world leaders, that they will renounce imperial ambitions and choose to work together for the good of humanity and the health of the planet. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for Caritas Australia’s partners in Vietnam, that with support from Project Compassion their I-Shine project will enable young people with disabilities to fulfil their dreams. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for the flood-affected people of south-east Queensland and north-eastern NSW, that with help from their local community and government services they will be able to recover and rebuild their lives. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for Australia’s younger generations, that with energy and imagination they will call out injustice and help reverse the inequality that is dividing the nation. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
We pray for our faith community, that this week’s feast of the Annunciation of the Lord (25 March) will inspire us to lay open our lives to God’s work as Mary did. (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 see God face to face in the heavenly Jerusalem. (Pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
PRESIDER
God of all mercy, through your Son Jesus you never cease to call us to a new and more abundant life. Come to our aid and set us free from fear. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.