Sample Intercessions for October 10, 2004

28th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year C
October 10, 2004

Things, events, and news items to keep in mind:

• Click here for this Sunday's readings.
• October 11 is the 42nd anniversary of the opening of Vatican II.
• October 15 is the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
• October 16 is the 26th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II.
• 11,900 layoffs announced at Bank of America and AT&T.
• British hostage killed and increase in car bombings in Iraq.
• Terrorist attacks in Sinai and Pakistan.
• Hotel workers' stike continues in San Francisco area.

The following are just samples meant to inspire your work. Use them as ideas for your own assembly's intercessions. Read 10 Principles for Writing Intercessions and Step by Step Guide to help you write your own.

Presider
Trusting all things to God, let us lift up the needs of the world.

Deacon/cantor/reader:
For the Church (pause):
for constant praise of God in all things,
for unfettered preaching of the Gospel,
for boundless welcome of the outcast.
We pray to the Lord.

For world leaders and those in authority (pause):
for a commitment to life in every decision;
for civil discourse in areas of disagreement;
for generous care for the sick and the dying.
We pray to the Lord.

For victims of violence (pause):
for those in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Egypt;
for those in Sudan and Haiti;
for our troops and workers serving in places of conflict;
for all who suffer daily in areas of war.
We pray to the Lord.

For all who seek a better life (pause):
for those unemployed and underemployed;
for those who work in thankless jobs;
for those chained by poverty and addiction.
We pray to the Lord.

For all who seek healing (pause):
for those who suffer incurable disease;
for those stigmatized by sickness;
for peace, comfort, and dignity in their illness.
We pray to the Lord.

Presider:
Lord God, nothing can chain your healing word.
Release our world from the bonds of fear
and heal us from the things that make us blind to your saving power.
In your mercy, make us a people faithful to your word
so that those who live on the boundaries
might find healing, peace, and welcome in this place.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.