Sample Intercessions for September 10, 2006 - Anniversary of September 11

23rd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B – Anniversary of 9/11
September 10, 2006

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

• Click here for the readings of the day.
• The country observes the five-year anniversary of September 11, 2001.
• Immigration issues still pervade the news.
• Mexico works toward a peaceful resolution to their presidential elections as they prepare to celebrate their Independence Day on September 16.
• September 10, 2006, is national Grandparents Day.
• September 13 is the anniversary of the death of Jim McEntee.
• Parishes in our diocese celebrating their feast days are Holy Cross (September 14) and Saint Cyprian (September 16).
• Middle East peace is still tenuous.

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 a Step by Step Guide to help you write your own.


Presider:
The Lord says to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Therefore, let us lift our voices in prayer
for the world and those most in need.


Reader:
For the Church: [pause]
For renewed commitment to the poor;
for the eradication of distinctions that lead to judgment;
for eyes opened to see the dignity of every person.
We pray to the Lord.

For the world: [pause]
For Iraq and Afghanistan and all countries in conflict;
for cities and homes where terror and fear reign;
for rivers of peace to burst forth in the desert of hatred.
We pray to the Lord.

For our nation as we remember September 11: [pause]
for those who died and those who still mourn;
for our military and relief agencies;
for freedom from fear and release from the bondage of war;
for mouths opened to proclaim God’s mercy, justice,
and reconciliation.
We pray to the Lord.

For our families: [pause]
For grandparents and grandchildren;
for sons and daughters far from home;
for single persons and those who suffer loneliness;
for ears opened to hear words of friendship, love, and joy.
We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and the suffering: [pause]
for those whose bodies are failing them;
for their caregivers and companions;
for hope, healing, and strength, especially for those we now name….
We pray to the Lord.

For the dead: [pause]
for victims of terror and acts of violence;
for those who die frightened or alone;
for those killed by war, poverty, or disease,
especially those we now name….
We pray to the Lord.


Presider:
We praise you, Lord, for you have done all things well.
When our human limitations bind us, you free us with your word,
making the blind to see, the deaf to hear,
the mute to speak, and the frail to leap for joy.
Open us now to the healing word of your Son
that the thirsty ground of our lives may become springs of water
for those whose hearts are frightened and parched by fear.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.