Section:
prayers
Call to Prayer
We place ourselves in the presence of God, who is the source of all hope.
Hymn
Suggestion: "Blest Are They" – David Haas
Reading
Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant power.
As we approach the elections, we renew our call for a new kind of politics focused on moral principles not on the latest polls, on the needs of the poor and vulnerable not the contributions of the rich and powerful, and on the pursuit of the common good, not the demands of special interests.
…this is not a time for retreat or discouragement. We need more, not less engagement in political life.
PSALM 67 Pray antiphonally.
God, show your faithfulness, bless us,
and make your face smile on us!
For then the earth will acknowledge your ways,
and all the nations will know of your power to save.
May all the nations praise you, O God;
may all the nations praise you!
Let the nations shout and sing for you
since you dispense true justice to the world.
You grant strict justice to the peoples;
on earth you guide the nations.
Let the nations praise you, God;
let all the nations praise you!
The soil has given its harvest;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
and let God be feared to the very ends of the earth.
Glory.
Leader
Our Catholic Faith compels us to address the world through the lens of our relationship with God and with one another. We need political leaders who will make peace with justice a top priority and who will actively seek nonviolent solutions to conflict.
That our political leaders will rebuild our communities and bring an end to the cycles of violence and killing, we pray…
That our political leaders will seek to reduce the disparity between the rich and the poor, we pray…
That our political leaders will actively promote racial justice and equal opportunity for everyone…
That our political leaders will recognize earth’s goodness, champion environmental justice and uphold our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation, we pray…
That our political leader will support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all, we pray…
Spontaneous petitions . . .
Let us pray: Spirit of Guidance, we see before us the numerous choices and decisions to be made as we cast our votes today. We entrust our decisions into your hands, knowing that we cannot make the right decision without your help. Lead us through all that is unclear, doubtful, hesitant and questioning as we search for the right way to go. Grant us the grace to choose freely. We place our decision in your hands. Lead us to choose the candidate that will lead our country in the way of peace and justice for all. Amen.
Reading is reprinted with permission from the Bishops’ letter, “Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility.”
Psalm is from Psalms Anew by Nancy Schreck, OSF, and Maureen Leach, OSF, © 1984 The Sisters of St. Francis, Dubuque, Iowa. Used with permission.
Our thanks to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia for preparing this prayer service.
Another useful resource is the Novena for Faithful Citizenship: http://faithfulcitizenship.org/resources/podcasts.
