17 October 2021

Sunday intercessions on
17 October 2021, Trinity XX

Saint Luke depicted in a stained-glass window by Catherine O’Brien of An Túr Gloine in Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale … Saint Luke’s Day is on 18 October (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2021)

Let us pray:

‘Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!’ (Psalm 104: 1):

Heavenly Father,
we pray for the world and the nations of the world,
for those nations where rulers and leaders hold onto power
through violence, coercion and subjugation,
who seek to be served and not to serve their people,
that the hearts of those rulers may be changed,
so that the people may know mercy, peace and justice.

We pray for all who face discrimination …
who are denied equal opportunities …
who are denied access to public services …

Lord have mercy,
Lord have mercy.

‘The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve’ (Mark 10: 45):

Lord Jesus Christ,
we pray for the Church,
that we may seek to serve and not to be served …

In the Church, we are in communion with the saints
who have served Christ, the Church and the world,
including this week Saint Luke on Monday (18 October)
and Saint James, Brother of the Lord on Saturday (23 October).

We pray for our Bishop, Kenneth, as he prepares to retire,
we pray for all who are responsible for serving the Church
during this vacancy,
and for all who are charged with electing a new bishop,
that they may seek someone who offers servant leadership.

In the diocese, we pray for the clergy of these diocese
who hold their annual conference this week.
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer,
we pray for the Tralee and Dingle Unions of parishes,
the Rev Jim Stephens, and the congregations of
Saint John’s, Tralee, Saint Brendan’s, Killiney, Saint James, Dingle,
and the churches in Ballymacelligott, Ballyseedy and Kilgobbin.

In the Church of Ireland this month,
we pray for the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory,
and for Bishop Michael Burrows.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer,
we pray this week for the (Anglican) Church in the Province of the West Indies,
and the Primate, Archbishop Howard Gregory, Bishop of Jamaica.

In our community,
we pray for our schools,
we pray for our parishes and people …
we pray for our neighbouring churches and parishes,
and people of faith everywhere,
that we may be blessed in our variety and diversity.

And we pray for ourselves …

Christ have mercy,
Christ have mercy.

‘Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?’ (see Job 38: 36-37):

Holy Spirit, we pray for one another …

We remember Kenneth Smyth, who died last week,
we pray for those who grieve and mourn …
those who feel pain and loss …
those who are bewildered and without answers …
including Caroline, Victor and Gillian …
We remember Linda and Joe too …
May their memories be a blessing.

We pray for those we love and those who love us …
we pray for our families, friends and neighbours …
We pray for all who feel rejected and discouraged …
we pray for all in need and who seek healing …
and we pray for those we promised to pray for …

We pray for all who are sick or isolated,
at home, in hospital …
Ruby … Daphne … Sylvia … Ajay … Cecil … Pat …

Lord have mercy,
Lord have mercy.

A prayer in advance of Thursday’s Service of Reflection and Hope in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh:

Sovereign, wise and gracious God, in whose hands lie the past, present and future, we acknowledge before you our failures, our divisions, and the hurt we have caused you and one another. Forgive, restore, and heal us. The events of partition and formation, which took place 100 years ago on this island, changed, shaped, and determined the outlook for this place which we all call home.

As we reflect upon those times and bring to mind what happened then and in the years since, we acknowledge before you our different and often polarised interpretations of history.

As we travel onwards in our journey, may we learn from the experiences of the past and from those who trod these roads before us, so that the inheritance we pass on to the next generation is the gift of understanding, peace, and hope. In faith we pray, and humbly ask, in the name of him who is the light of the world and giver of all hope, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Merciful Father …

Saint James the Brother of the Lord (23 October) … an icon written by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG, for Saint James Episcopal Church, Parkton, Maryland

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