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| The Holy Family |
Today is the Day
of Prayer for the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,
where our shepherds of souls will be discussing Pastoral
Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization. The bishops have called upon us to help out
with our prayers. Let’s do that, and pray abundantly. Let’s storm Heaven, because the Crisis of the
Family in modern society is among the greatest problems both for the transmission of
the Gospel (as I discuss here) and our ability to
maintain natural freedom (see here). There are those
who, through a misguided (if sincere) understanding of what Christian Mercy
entails, hope the upcoming Synod will recommend measures that weaken the Church’s
vital witness on the Sanctity of Marriage and the Family (see here). We should pray, rather, that the Synod works
to strengthen that witness, and to show that the teachings of the Church in
this area are an expression of the God’s love.
Saint Benedict’s motto was Ora et Labora. “Pray and Work”. That should be our strategy here: work tirelessly
to protect the Family in the public sphere, and at the same time pray for the Family
like St. Monica praying for the redemption of her wayward son , (the
not-yet-saintly) Augustine; let us pray not just today but throughout the Synod
(October 5th-21st ) and beyond.
(In furtherance of the former effort, the bishops have recommended a couple of prayers, the first composed by Pope Francis, which I have included after my Snippets below)
(In furtherance of the former effort, the bishops have recommended a couple of prayers, the first composed by Pope Francis, which I have included after my Snippets below)
And now, on to my posts for the week:
Tuesday –What started out as a brief comment on two recent news articles turned into a two-day rant: in part the first, we look at Obamacare svengali Ezekiel Emmanuel, who hopes he dies before he gets old: "Dispatches From The Culture Of Death Part One:
Should We Give Up At 75?" [here]
Wednesday - You don't think abortion is funny? Well then, you must be an Anti-Choice Nut: "Dispatches From The Culture Of Death Part
Two: The Joke Factory Known As Abortion" [here]
Friday - The final installment of my series on the Divine Office for laypeople: "Liturgy of the Hours: Daytime Prayer Sanctifies Our Labors (Throwback Thursday Edition)" [here]
Prayers For The Family:
I - Prayer to the Holy Family for the Synod
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendor of true love,
to you we turn with trust.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalized
find ready comfort and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the approaching Synod of Bishopsmake us once more
mindful
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.
Amen.
II - Prayer of the Faithful
Brothers and Sisters,gathered together as God’s family and
inspired by our faith, we raise our minds and hearts to the Father, that our
families, sustained by the grace of Christ, might become true domestic churches
where all live and bear witness to God’slove.
Together we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For Pope Francis: the Lord has called him to preside over
the Church in charity; sustain him in his ministry of service to the communion
of the episcopal collegeand the entire People of God, we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For the synod fathers and the other participants at the III
Extraordinary GeneralAssembly of the Synod of Bishops: may the Spirit of the
Lord enlighten their minds so that the Church might respond, in faithfulness to
God’s plan, to the challenges facing the family, we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For those who have the responsibility of governing nations:
that the Holy Spirit might inspire programs which acknowledge the value of the
family as the basic unit of society in God’s plan and which offer support to
families in difficulty, we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For Christian families: may the Lord who has sealed the
union of husband and wife with his presence, make our families cenacles of
prayer and ardent communities of life and love, after the example of the Holy
Family of Nazareth, we pray:
Lord, bless and sanctify our families.
For couples undergoing difficulties: may the Lord, rich in
mercy, be present to them through the Church’s motherly care and concern in
showing understanding and patience in their journey towards pardon and
reconciliation, we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For families who, for the sake of the Gospel, are forced
leave their fatherland: may the Lord who endured exile with Mary and Joseph,
comfort them with his grace and open for them paths of fraternal charity and
human solidarity, we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For grandparents: may the Lord who was received in the
Temple by the elders Simeon and Anna, make them wise collaborators with parents
in transmitting the faith and the raising their children, we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For children: may the Lord of life, who in his ministry
welcomed them and made them a model for entering the Kingdom of heaven, inspire
a respect for life in the womb and programs in raising children which conform
to theChristian outlook towards life, we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
For young people: may the Lord, who made holy the Wedding at
Cana, lead them to discover the beauty of the sacredness and inviolability of the
family in God’s plan and sustain engaged couples as they prepare for marriage,
we pray:
Lord, bless and
sanctify our families.
O God, you never forsake the work of your hands, hear our
prayer; send the Spirit of your Son to enlighten the Church as the synodal journey
begins, so that contemplating the splendor of true love which shines forth in
the Holy Family of Nazareth, she might learn the freedom and obedience to
respond with boldness and mercy to the challenges of today’s world. Through
Christ Our
Lord.
Amen.
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