Day 2 – October 06

LET US PRAY

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Loving God,

We, the people of the broader St. Joan of Arc community, joined by people all over the world, turn to You in prayer, confident that You are with us and with all people in every moment. We ask that You make this time of continued “sheltering in place” truly a time of “sheltering in grace” – Your grace, heavenly Father.

We stand before You as people of hope and joy, trusting in Your care and protection. May Your faithful love support us and soothe the anxiety of our hearts. Revive our Easter faith; help us to know the saving proclamation, “He is Risen,” and to know, truly know, that You are by our side.

Our hope springs from the knowledge that just as this virus has been spreading throughout the world, so too has prayer and goodness been spreading because the power of prayer to You is infinite. Our union in prayer with Your Son, Jesus Christ, is our act of faith in You and Your goodness. We know You will send a flood of grace and consolation to those who suffer.

God of Peace,

We are concerned, distressed, sometimes even frightened … and we are sorrowful. We come to You today with our fears and concerns — You know our hearts. We love You, we trust You, we need You. We ask You to be with us. Stay with us. Help us through these times of uncertainty and sorrow.

Help us to end violence, looting and all acts of hatred. Calm all of us. Send us Your peace and overwhelming presence. Enable us to trust You completely and to follow the message Your Son gave us more than any other, “Do not fear.”

Grant us peace in our households. Show us the beauty of each person in our households and guide us to love each other more and more. Help us to listen to each other attentively and speak words of kindness and encouragement to each other.

Protect marriages, dear Father. Even strong sacramental unions can be strained in these uncertain times and troubled relationships may flounder. Turn those marriages around, God … use this time to bring couples closer together by keeping You at their center, seeing each other through Your eyes.

God of Unity,

Please protect our great nation, who professes, “In God we Trust.” Heal the divisions that threaten our unity. Guide us to focus on a universal goal: the common good. Steer us away from the path of tribalism, in which less powerful groups based on race, economic status, age, religion or health are marginalized by more powerful groups and denied the protection and services they need.

We pray: for all who have died at the hands of injustice and racism; for the consolation and support of their family and friends; for forgiveness for the those responsible for their deaths, especially police officers; for those dedicated police officers who are suffering for the unjust actions of their associates; for the commitment of heart and action necessary to end all hatred, injustice and racism in our country; and for the healing of our nation. And please give all of us the self-control to avoid exploiting this situation and other people for our own benefit.

God Who has a plan for each of us,

Help us to LEARN what You want us to learn during this time. 

Help us to DO what You want us to do during this time. 

Help us to CHANGE what You want us to change during this time. 

Help us to GROW in the ways You want us to grow during this time.

Teach us, Abba, to use this time wisely for Your purpose.

Please, especially help our young people who struggle to recognize Your plan for them. Ease the disappointments of those who have prepared for long-awaited graces and milestones; help them to see Your plan and love for them. Bless them with moments of joy and comfort at having reached these milestones in their lives.

God Who gave us the Eucharist,

This time of sheltering has made us hungry for You, Jesus, and for the Mass. You are the source and summit of our faith, our spiritual nourishment. Help us to experience the gift of Spiritual Communion, as each of us says this now together:

My Jesus, 
I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. 
I love You above all things, 
and I desire to receive You into my soul. 
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart. 
I embrace You as if You were already there 
and unite myself wholly to You. 
Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

And teach us to always cherish the amazing gift that being able to celebrate Mass and receive Your Eucharist every Sunday and any weekday is for us. We eagerly await the return of that privilege for all of us and pray that our time apart will increase our understanding, joy and appreciation.

God, our Heavenly Leader,

We pray in gratitude for all those in our country who have been working in so many essential fields of life for the sake of all of us. Touch the hearts of our earthly leaders. Give them wisdom, that they may make the right decisions for the well-being of people. Reveal Yourself to them and instill in them a sense of love, mercy, fairness, generosity, reason, caution and good judgment. Help them to trust in You.

Teach Your people patience and understanding towards those who sometimes have to make difficult choices on behalf of others, the consequences of which are not always clear. Grant strength, wisdom and empathy to all law enforcement and mental health personnel so that they have the compassionate words and actions to best help those who are victims of violence and those with mental health conditions.

Merciful God,

Have mercy on us and on the whole world. 

Protect us from calamities and natural disasters, especially during this time when we are so ill-equipped to deal with them. Do not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us, again, “Do not be afraid.” Show us how to cast our anxieties onto You … and how to let go of those anxieties, to rest in peace and confidence in You.

Help those who are experiencing economic strain, uncertain and overwhelmed about how to meet their financial obligations and provide for their families. Inspire those with financial means to help others.

Inspire the teachers, students and parents who are struggling to find their way as we adapt our education system indefinitely to a virtual environment.

Give us the grace to forgive others as You forgive us: swiftly, completely and with love. Make us better people, growing more and more like You each day, during this time.

Healing God,

We know You are the Divine Physician, the healer of all. By the power of Your Most Holy Name, grant us healing and protection from all sickness of body and soul. Deliver and defend us from every evil. Bring Your loving and healing presence to all those who are sick and suffering right now. Be with the most vulnerable now among us, especially those delivering babies during this time and the newborns, themselves.

Place Your Holy Spirit at the side of all medical professionals who are putting themselves at risk while they work to bring healing to others. Strengthen and protect them and all who work in our medical facilities. Bless them with the courage to do what they need to do to care for Your children with patience, tact and compassion.

Prompt patients to understand the often difficult life of doctors and nurses and inspire them to express their admiration and gratitude for work that the medical profession carries out every day.

God of the meek, the humble, the outcast, the desperate

So many people around the world are suffering as their means of support are taken away.

Some have been homeless before this virus and many more are becoming homeless. 

Some have been living in care facilities and can no longer receive visitors. 

Some have been trafficked and depend on captors whose means and willingness to feed and shelter them may be disappearing. 

Some have been imprisoned and can no longer receive visitors; some have been released early … only to find themselves homeless with no place to go as family and friends protect themselves while sheltering-in-place.

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Some, children and adults alike, have been victims of domestic abuse and can no longer escape briefly when they leave their homes for work or school.

And some are becoming victims of other crimes due to these times, victims of those who are sometimes not being held accountable for their grievous actions.

As a result, dear Father, some of Your children are feeling desolate and desperate … enough to end their lives. Reach them, God, love them, stay their hands. Guide us, too, God. Show us the way to do our part to care for these special souls. Teach us, God, to love each other the way You care for us.

God, Who commissioned us to be Your Church on earth,

We ask You, during these difficult days, to inspire us, Your Church, to welcome all in its loving embrace, to watch over Your Church, to lead our mission and to bless us for eternity.

Bless Your priests, pastors, deacons and lay Church leaders. We pray especially for our Pope Francis, our bishop, Michael, our St. Joan pastor, Fr. Ray and our St. Joan deacon, John.

Come, Holy Spirit, come. Make us new, God, in Your image. Bring us a New Pentecost that will embolden us to bring more and more souls to You. Use our studies to introduce You to those who do not yet know You and to strengthen others’ personal relationships with You. Help us to love Your children as You do, seeing all the potential You have bestowed on each and every one of us.

God of creation and life,

We place ourselves in Your protection: keep us safe. Guide us to give our children and grand-children virtuous examples of how faithful people deal with extraordinary times like these. Breathe new life into our families, our communities and our world … new life that honors and obeys You, our Creator.

Show us how to truly accept the Cross: to rekindle hope, to have the courage to embrace all hardships, to abandon our eagerness for power and possession, to make room for the creativity that only the Holy Spirit can inspire and to welcome new opportunities for hospitality and community.

May the mantle of Your peace enfold us this day and tomorrow.

Pope Francis Prayer To Protect The World

O Mary,
you shine always on our way
as a sign of our safety and hope.

We entrust ourselves to you,
Health of the Sick,
who at the foot of the Cross 
bound yourself to the suffering of Jesus,
keeping strong in your faith.

O Salvation of God’s people,
you know what we need
and we are sure you will provide it for us
just as at Cana of Galilee
the joy and feasting could return
after that moment of trial.

Mother of Divine Love, help us,
to conform ourselves to the will of the Father
and to do what Jesus tells us,
He who took upon Himself our sufferings
and is marked by our sorrows
and so lead us, toward the Cross,
to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.

At this time, we lift up our special intentions to You, Abba.

[Mention your special intentions to God, either in silent prayer or by voicing your intention in turn with others.]

We pray for all those on our prayer intentions list, most especially:

• the souls of those who have died, especially those who died of the corona virus
• all those who are sick, especially those who are suffering from the corona virus 
• those who are carrying new life within them

And we pray with gratitude:

• for the many prayers You have answered for us
• for those who have healed from serious illness, especially from the corona virus
• for the new lives that have been born during the pandemic

[Sit in contemplative silence as you listen to an inspirational song.

Say the Lord’s Prayer, a Holy Mary and a Glory Be OR say a decade of the Rosary.

Journal the thoughts that come to you as you meditate. Weave these into your prayers throughout the coming day.]

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PRAYER INTENTION LISTS

The Dead:

The Sick:

Those carrying new life:

New Lives Born to:

Those Recovered from the Virus: