Sunday intercessions, 23 January 2022, Epiphany III (Week of Prayer for Christian Unity)

‘He went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom’ (Luke 4: 16) … inside the Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Let us pray:

‘For this day is holy to our Lord … for the joy of the Lord is your strength’ (Nehemiah 8: 10):

Heavenly Father,
we pray for the nations of the world and for own country…
we pray for all who make decisions about our health …
we pray for the poor, the captives,
the blind, and all who need freedom …
may they know God’s favour and God’s blessing.

Lord have mercy,
Lord have mercy.

We are the body of Christ and members of it (see I Corinthians 12: 27):

We pray for the Church,
that we may find unity in our respect for one another
in our differences …

In the Church of Ireland this month,
we pray for the Diocese of Armagh and Archbishop John McDowell.

We pray too for the Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe,
and the new bishop, Bishop Michael Burrows.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer,
we pray this week for the Anglican Church in Hong Kong.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer,
we pray for our schools,
all teachers and students,
boards of management,
school secretaries and cleaners.

In our community,
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.

Christ have mercy,
Christ have mercy.

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor’ (Luke 4: 18):

Holy Spirit, help us to bring good news to all who suffer …

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

We pray for all who feel pain and loss …
We pray for all we love and all who love us …
We pray for our families, friends and neighbours …

We remember all who have died recently, including Louise Corbett …
and all whose anniversaries are at this time,
including Cathy Casey-Byrne, Dorothy Bracken, and Kathleen Shire …

May their memories be a blessing to us.

Lord have mercy,
Lord have mercy.

The Prayer in the USPG Prayer Diary today (23 January 2022, the Second Sunday after the Epiphany) invites us to pray:

Liberator God,
you teach us to resist oppression,
lift up the disadvantaged
and centre the marginalised.
May we always pursue justice.

Merciful Father …

‘So they read from the book, from the law of God’ (Nehemiah 8: 8) … Torah scrolls in Venice (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)