Sample Intercessions for October 15, 2006

28th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B
October 15, 2006

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

• Click here for the readings of the day.
• The school-shooting tragedy amid the Amish community in Pennsylvania has shown how one community strives to forgive even those who attack and kill them.
• North Korea supposedly tested nuclear weapons, and tensions rise among the nations.
• Service men and women continue to be injured and killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• October 16, 2006, is the 28th anniversary of the beginning of Pope John Paul II’s papacy.
• The priests of the diocese begin their week-long Clergy Jubilee Retreat on October 22, 2006.
• Celebrating their patron’s feast day this week is the parish of Santa Teresa (October 15).

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 How To Write Intercessions to help you write your own.

Presider
For the sake of the Gospel and with faith in God,
let us pray for what may seem impossible,
yet is possible through God alone.

Reader:
For the Church: [pause]
For enduring commitment to God’s word,
for wisdom to follow Christ without reservation,
for strong leaders who model sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel.
We pray to the Lord.

For nations in turmoil: [pause]
For radical reconciliation in the Middle East,
for strengthened dialogue among world leaders,
for the destruction of weapons and the end to war.
We pray to the Lord.

For those living in poverty: [pause]
For strength to persist in this earthly world,
for those who have given up everything to follow Christ,
for generous sharing of the good things God has given us.
We pray to the Lord.

For all living creatures: [pause]
For the unborn, the infant, and their parents;
for the elderly, the diseased, and neglected;
for those on death row and those who live on the streets;
for the wisdom to recognize the value of all life.
We pray to the Lord.

For those sick and near death: [pause]
for the terminally ill, the homebound, and hospitalized;
for their caregivers, healers, and comforters;
for the goodness of God to deliver them from their suffering,
especially for those we now name….
We pray to the Lord.

For all who sleep in death: [pause]
for those killed by war, poverty, or disease;
for those who died peacefully in the embrace of loved ones;
for God to grant them eternal life in the age to come,
especially for those we now name….
We pray to the Lord.

Presider:
God, our Good Teacher,
with you, all things are possible,
for indeed, your Word is living and effective.
Hear our prayers and fill us with your love.
Then we shall sing for joy in this age and the age to come.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.