15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - Parable of the Sower

 

One of the hallmarks of the Lord’s preaching and teaching is his use of parables. Through parables, the Lord drew upon images, ideas, and customs from the everyday life of 1st century Israel—like farming and seeds. Through the parables the Lord challenged the preconceptions of his listeners and lead them to truth, utilizing familiar imagery that even children could connect with. Yet the parables, when pondered, are profound enough to challenge the holiest of saints.

And I say the parables are challenging because they are demanding. They demand some personal engagement, a decision, usually to change our thoughts or behaviors.

In the parable of the good Samaritan, for example, the listener has a choice. Who do I want to be in that story? Who does God want me to be? The self-occupied Levitical priest who passes by on the other side of the road when he glimpses a man in need? Or the good Samaritan who comes to the aid of the stranger? Hearing this parable, you have a choice.

In the parable where Jesus likens the kingdom of God to the pearl of great price, again the listener, has a choice. Will I pursue the kingdom of God, the values of God as the most important thing in my life, or not? Will I allow God to order my priorities, or not?

This weekend, one of the great parables—the parable of the sower—where Lord talks about the different types of soil. And each of those different types of soil represent the different types of responses to his preaching. And again, the listener has a choice: will I make my mind and heart receptive to the truth of God, or not? Will I clear away the thorns of my earthly attractions and distractions or not?

Let’s examine those four different types of responses to the Lord’s preaching. First there is the seed thrown on the path which is quickly eaten up by birds. Seed thrown on the sidewalk can’t take root, the sidewalk is too hard. So, too, hearts can becomes so hardened to God by sin and pride, that the preaching of the Gospel really has no effect on them. They might hear a nice sermon in Church or a fully accurate presentation of the Church’s moral theology, but they are unwilling to trade their sins for conversion and deep faith. Their pride doesn’t allow them to learn or experience anything new about God, because they don’t think they need to.

Now there appear to be a lot of hardened souls these days. But there are countless stories of souls, once hardened toward God, stories of atheist whose hearts melted when exposed to a beautiful liturgy, or a beautiful act of charity by a Catholic.

So just because a soul is hardened in pride, right now at this very moment, doesn’t mean they will be lost forever. God is at work to soften all hearts, and likely his instruments to accomplish this miracle are people like you and me. So we do well to remember the hardened soul in our daily prayers, especially the rosary.

The second type of soil described by the Lord was the rocky ground. Our souls are rocky ground when we listen to the Gospel without the willingness keep the faith through rocky times. Here is the person who is initially enthused about the faith; maybe they have a powerful experience of the Lord at a retreat or in Catholic school, maybe they go through OCIA, but they get a glimpse of the cross and instead of taking it up, they run away from it.

There’s probably a lot of lapsed Catholics in this category. Those who experienced some rockiness in their life, and gave up on religion. Or those who have dug in their feet in opposition to some church teaching. Our souls fail to bear fruit when we do this. And we are sadder for it.

But, again, we shouldn’t despair for these souls either. Plenty of lapsed Catholics come home each year. But again, these souls are brought back to God through prayers and penances offered up for them.

Thirdly, we heard of the seed sown among thorns. Our souls are thorny when they are full of the attachments and distractions of the world. Thorns like selfishness, lust, impatience, or resentment can cause the fire of faith to diminish, the seed of God’s grace to be choked out. Addictions especially can become so thorny they rip our souls to shreds. These spiritual thorns hinder the life God wants to grow in us. So, new Catholics and life-long Catholics must ensure that we stop the thorns from growing by making frequent examination of our conscience and frequent confession.

Lastly, the Lord speaks of rich soil—the seed sown in rich soil. Our souls are rich soil when we hear God’s Word, when we accept its ramifications even with the willingness to suffer for it, when we clear out the thorns, the distractions and the attachments, and we seek to understand and live out the Gospel the best we possibly can.

When we allow the Gospel to be planted deep in our hearts, when we do our part to nurture the life of grace through prayer and charity, our souls bear tremendous fruit.

We see the flourishing of grace particularly in the lives of the Saints. This week, on Wednesday, July 15 we celebrate one of the great Franciscan saints, St. Bonaventure, who is considered a sort of “second Founder” of the Franciscan Order. In order to cultivate that exuberant and joyful Franciscan Spirit, Bonaventure stressed the importance of studying the Word of God and serving Christ with a burning heart.

Is your heart on fire with love of God? If not, why not? It’s possible, you know. It’s possible for each and every one of us, for our souls to catch fire. That’s the ultimate good fruit that’s available to us through study, and prayer, and charity—a burning love for Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified.

That’s the harvest God of abundant fruit that God wants for us—a burning love of Jesus that transforms us. And again Bonaventure, and so many of the saints, show us how to achieve that. We must make our souls into rich soil for the Word of God—through  prayer, frequent honest and humble confession of sins, meditation on Scripture, and intentional acts of mercy.

May we do all that we can to make our hearts into that rich soil praised by the Lord, hearts like his, obedient to the Father, full of mercy and compassion, and willingness to carry our crosses for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

14th Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Friday - Missionary Instructions

 

Chapter 10 of Matthew’s Gospel, from which our weekday Gospel readings have been taken the past few days, is often called Jesus’ “Mission Sermon”. He gave his Sermon on the Mount back on chapters 5 through 7, giving instruction about how to live a holy life, that attitudes and dispositions that we are to cultivate throughout our short time on earth. But in his Mission Sermon the Lord gives instruction about a particular task—the mission of spreading the Gospel.

It is the task of the Church, it is our task, to “make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all the Lord commands.” And for this task, the Lord, as we heard today, gives specific instructions.

First, he explains, he’s sending us like sheep amidst wolves”. The mission of the Gospel is a peaceful mission in a hostile world. Sheep possess no claws, fangs, or armor. The mission of the Gospel is not carried out through physical force. We are to carry out our mission entrusting ourselves to the protection and providence of the Good Shepherd.

Second, “be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves” Christians must not be naïve about the world. We must recognize deception, temptation, and hostility, and act with prudence. Yet our prudence must never become dishonesty or manipulation. We must remain innocent, sincere, and free from malice.

Thirdly, “do not worry about what you are to say”. Fear must not keep us from our missionary task. By all means, study the faith to the best of your ability. Study the Word of God so that it is so rooted in you, that you are able to converse about it, to stranger and kings.

Fourth, Jesus warns that the Gospel may cause division even within families. When one person embraces the faith and another rejects it, painful conflict may result. Nevertheless, we are called to give good Christian example through patience, prayer, and charity to all who disagree with the Church, including our family members.

Finally, Jesus teaches that the persecution of the Church will continue until his return. Christians should not be surprised when the Gospel is mocked, opposed, or punished. Such opposition does not mean the mission has failed. It places us in communion with Christ himself and with the martyrs who faithfully endured before us.

The Lord does not promise that the mission will be easy. But, He promises that his Spirit will remain with us and that those who persevere to the end will be saved.

May we take the Lord’s instruction to heart—may it shape our days—for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Let us offer our prayers to God, who sends his Church to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.

For the Church throughout the world: that she may proclaim the truth of Christ with courage, humility, and unwavering charity, let us pray to the Lord.

For Christians who are persecuted because of their faith: that the Holy Spirit may strengthen them, give them the words they need, and preserve them in fidelity to Christ, let us pray to the Lord.

For families divided by religious belief or practice: that patience, prayer, and loving witness may bring them unity in the truth, let us pray to the Lord.

For our parish community: that we may embrace our missionary responsibility and make Christ known through lives of holiness, prudence, sacrifice, and love, let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the suffering, and all who feel abandoned: that they may experience the protection and consolation of Christ the Good Shepherd, let us pray to the Lord.

For the faithful departed: that, having persevered in faith, they may be welcomed into the joy of God’s eternal kingdom, let us pray to the Lord.

Almighty Father, you call us to proclaim your Son in a world that often resists his truth. Strengthen us by your Spirit, preserve us in faith, and grant what we ask according to your holy will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

14th Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday - Patience in the apostolic mission

 

What a fascinating juxtaposition of readings today.

On one hand, we have the minor prophet Hosea describing the sad state of spiritual affairs in the northern kingdom of Israel. Recall, northern Israel had separated from Judah—politically and religiously. The North set up its own religion: it had this strange practice of worshipping both Yahweh AND the various pagan gods. And for a time, as Hosea described, northern Israel  experienced some prosperity. But, the more prosperous Northern Israel grew, the more corrupt the people became and the more they failed to be grateful to God for His blessings. The went from having a divided heart, to a heart that failed to acknowledge the one true God at all.

And for this, as Hosea prophesied, they lost God’s Divine Blessing, became subject to their enemies, and would be destroyed.

Contrast that reading, to the Gospel passage today—the naming of the twelve—their initial commission to preach the Gospel to Israel, which later in Matthew’s Gospel, would become a commission to preach to all nations—which is the mission of the Holy, Catholic, Church.

What’s the connection between these two readings? The Gospel reminds us of our mission, and the first reading reminds us to whom we are being sent.

We have been commissioned to preach the Gospel to a world with a divided heart, prone to forgetting about God in times of prosperity, vulnerable to bringing itself to the verge of collapse. These are the people to whom we are sent.

And that mission requires courage. It takes courage to speak of God to a world that often does not want to hear His name, courage to witness to the truth when hearts are divided and confused, courage to remain faithful when others have grown indifferent, cynical, or hostile.

But, courage must also be joined to patience. The divided heart is not usually healed in an instant. Conversion often takes time. People caught in confusion, sin, resentment, or unbelief may resist grace before they receive it. Hosea preached to a people who were slow to listen. The apostles themselves would often be rejected. And yet the Lord still sent them.

So, too for us. We must not give up on those who seem far from God, or discouraged because the world is confused—the word of God describes it as such. The Lord knew exactly what kind of world He was sending His apostles into. And He knows exactly what kind of world He sends us into.

Our task is not to give up when things get hard. Our task is to be faithful: to speak the truth with charity, to bear witness with courage, to pray for the lost, to invite patiently, to trust that grace can work in hidden ways. May the Lord give us apostolic courage without bitterness, patience without cowardice, and hearts undivided in His service, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Holy Church of God: that she may remain faithful to the mission entrusted to the apostles, preaching the Gospel with courage, charity, and patience, let us pray to the Lord.

For the nations of the world: that in times of prosperity they may not forget God, but seek justice, peace, and the protection of the vulnerable, let us pray to the Lord.

For the conversion of all whose hearts are divided by sin, confusion, resentment, or unbelief.

For all missionaries, evangelists, catechists, parents, and teachers: that they may not grow discouraged when their witness is resisted, but may persevere with apostolic courage, let us pray to the Lord.

For the sick, the suffering, the discouraged, and all who feel far from God: that they may encounter the compassion of Christ through the prayers and witness of His Church, let us pray to the Lord.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

 

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

 

14th Week in Ordinary Time 2026 - Tuesday - Those who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind

 

Every few years I like to reread, Dante’s Divine Comedy.  And this morning’s reading from the prophet Hosea reminds me of a scene very early on in Dante’s Inferno. After venturing through the gates of hell with his guide Virgil, Dante the pilgrim comes to the second level of hell—the level of hell set aside for the eternal punishment of those unrepentant of the sin of Lust.

In Dante’s poem, the punishments are different for every sin, and the punishments fit the crime. The Wrathful for example are condemned to an endless physical and violent battle against each other—they were wrathful on earth, and so they are subject to the wrath of others forever in hell.

The punishment for the Lustful is to be blown about by overwhelming winds and whirlwinds for all eternity. Dante was likely inspired by the line from the Prophet Hosea this morning: “those who sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind.” Those in hell reap in eternity what the sowed in their earthly life.

Dante reserves this particular punishment for the Lustful because in life they allowed themselves to be blown about by their sensual feelings and bodily craving. Ignoring the commandments and the use of right reason, they only followed their bodily desires, which are as fickle as the wind.

Yet, this is a problem not just for the Lustful. Saint Paul warns the Ephesians about “being tossed here and there, carried about by every wind”.  He warned the Ephesians of allowing themselves to be carried by the various cultural winds, the various ideological currents, making a political agenda or social ideology the impetus of their lives rather than the Gospel. 

This line from Hosea was the inspiration for another literary work, Harper Lee’s American Classic, “Inherit the Wind”…which focuses on the ideology and injustice of racism.

But again, those who “sow in wind” are not just the lustful, but those who are not firmly rooted in the truth of the Gospel.  If we are not rooted in prayer and knowledge of the Word of God, we’ll be blown about by whatever catches our fancy. 

Folks aren’t coming to Sunday Mass because they have some intellectual opposition to the Sunday obligation, but because they are doing whatever they want.  Young people aren’t cohabitating before marriage because they’ve studied the church’s theology on marriage and found it lacking. No, they are being blown about by the winds of the culture and their passions and choosing not to think about what they are doing. 

We even describe the sin of gossip as getting “caught up” in gossip, or grumbling and complaining, like we are “caught up” in some windstorm. 

When we surrender our intellect and our faith to the winds of human desire we are going to be blown to places we aren’t meant to go.  So, God help us, to remain firm against the various bad winds which blow throughout society today, and remain rooted in faith, prayer, the study of scripture, the lives of the saints, and works of charity, in order to be faithful to the Gospel of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That all bishops and clergy will lead the Church well in standing strong against the winds of error and immorality in our modern culture.

 

For all those who have fallen away from the Church, those who have fallen into serious sin, for their conversion, and the conversion of all hearts.

 

For Pope Leo’s prayer intention for the month of July: For respect for human life—for the respect and protection of human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God. Let us pray to the Lord.

 

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, for all those recovering from or undergoing surgery today, and for the consolation of the dying.

 

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

 

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

 

July 06 2026 - St. Maria Goretti - Lover of Chastity

 

Maria Goretti was born of a poor family in the central Italian town of Corinaldo. Her father died when she was 10 years old. One of the men who had worked with her father, 19 year old Alessandro Serenelli, had made several attempts to seduce the young girl. She told him that he could go to hell for what he wanted to do, but her refusal and her words of faith so angered him that he stabbed her, 14 times.

It took Maria two days to die from those stab wounds.  But as she lay dying, Maria, not only forgave Alessandro, but she said: “I hope that he too will join me in Paradise.”  Maria Goretti was scarcely twelve years old when she died on July 7, 1902. 

Alessandro remained unrepentant for his assault and murder of the young girl, but several years into his prison sentence, Alessandro had a dream in which Maria presented him with a bouquet of lilies. Repentance filled his heart and he turned to the mercy of Christ.  After 27 years in prison, Alessandro was released, and visited Maria’s mother, Assunta, whom he asked forgiveness. “If my daughter can forgive him, who am I to withhold forgiveness?" she said. Alessandro spent his last years as a third-order Franciscan and died in 1970.

Maria Goretti was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950, and it is the first time in history that the mother of a saint was present at the canonization.  Alessandro was also there, also probably the first time that the saint’s murderer was present at the canonization, and thanks be to God, his soul was right with God. He had testified in her cause for canonization.

It is said that "even if she had not been a martyr, she would still have been a saint, so holy was her everyday life".  And this is such an important lesson for all of his: the holiness of her everyday life helped her at a crucial moment to remain courageous, to forgive and love her murderer with the heart of Christ. And her sanctity brought about the eventual conversion of a very evil man, who probably only died in communion with Christ because of her.

May St. Maria Goretti help us to cultivate a love of innocence, chastity, and forgiveness, and help all of us to remain steadfast in faith in the moment of trial, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Through the intercession of the holy virgin-martyr St. Maria Goretti, may God help all Christians to practice the virtues of chastity, purity, and modesty and bring about a greater respect for the dignity of the human body and all human life.

 

That all of our young people on summer vacation may be kept safe from the poisonous errors and vices of our time and be kept in close friendship with the Lord Jesus.

 

That God may bring about repentance in all those guilty of sin and crime, and that the message of God’s mercy might reach the most hardened hearts.

 

 

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, for victims of abuse, especially children, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

 

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

 

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

 

 

 

 

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - "I will give you rest"

 

The Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper wrote a little book called Leisure: The Basis of Culture. His argument is that authentic leisure and rest are vitally important for human flourishing and for our souls. Authentic leisure is not wasting time, nor is it the same as entertainment. True leisure is taking the time to delight in what is good, true, and beautiful, which involves worship and contemplation. And without that kind of rest, human culture begins to collapse, because man forgets that he is made for something more than the earth, is more than a worker or consumer.

Pieper’s insights are important as culture is quickly losing sight of the spiritual needs of our human nature—how to rest well—how to rest in God. We fill what should be restful refreshing moments with noise, scrolling, videos, emails, sports, worries, and distractions. We fail to allow ourselves the rest we need for our bodies and minds and souls.

And so the words of our Blessed Lord Jesus in today’s Gospel are inviting, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” But they are also challenging: don’t go to those million and one artificial substitutes: “come to me” that you may rest well.

This theme of rightly ordered rest runs through the Scriptures from the very beginning. In the book of Genesis, after the six days of creation, what does God do? God rested on the seventh day. Now of course, God did not rest because he was tired. God does not get exhausted. Rather, God’s rest consisted in beholding and delighting in the goodness of his creation and inviting us into that life-giving delight. God shows us how to rest well—to rest well, is to participate in the Godly.

Now, of course, we humans do need rest. As Jesus says in Mark’s Gospel, “The sabbath was made for man” We do get exhausted. We need time for what truly refreshes—worship, communion with God--for a healthy physical, emotional, and spiritual life.

That is why the Third Commandment tells us to keep holy the Sabbath day. For Christians, the Lord’s Day is Sunday, the day of the Resurrection, and Sunday rest is not merely “time off” or a day to catch up on chores. The Lord’s Day has a revitalizing purpose when it is rightly ordered, to God—a peace that the world cannot give.

At Sunday Mass, we stop producing, achieving, managing, and controlling. We come before the Lord and receive what we need. We receive his Word. We receive his mercy. We receive the Body and Blood of Christ. We receive again the truth of who we are: beloved sons and daughters of the Father, redeemed by Christ, temples of the Holy Spirit, made for eternal life.

And yes of course, you can fulfill your obligation to participate at Mass on Saturday evening, but Sunday still needs to be a day of sabbath rest. And we certainly need restful refreshing prayer on a daily basis, too, and to limit the activity, outside of work, that does not refresh us.

That hour of doom scrolling through social media leaves us more drained than before. Three, four hours on the couch in front of the television leaves us empty. All of that media aimed at creating anxiety: no wonder why we are not at peace.

This does not mean every form of recreation is bad. Recreation is good when it truly re-creates us: a walk in nature, a meal with family, wholesome conversation, music, reading, exercise, art, laughter with friend. But when entertainment becomes addiction, when technology steals silence, when the screen becomes the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see at night—our leisure time becomes disordered.

A very practical spiritual discipline as technology becomes more prevalent, is to spiritually fast from it, for the few hours we have before bed. Refrain from screen time an hour or two before bed. Not because technology is evil, but because the soul needs silence. The soul needs space to breathe. The soul needs moments when it is not being provoked, stimulated, or sold something. We sleep better when we take a break. And of course that frees us for the prayer we need in the evening.

In the second reading today, St. Paul says in the second reading speaks of our “mortal bodies.” We are not angels. We are embodied creatures. Our bodies get tired. Our minds grow weary. Our emotions become strained, and our limits are real.

But St. Paul also says that the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, and that God will give life to our mortal bodies through his Spirit. But, attending to our spiritual needs, requires effort. Allowing the Spirit to fill us with life means turning away from the distractions of the world, in order to engage intentionally in the works of the spirit.

Today, the Lord invites us to examine how we use our time. Do I give my body the rest it needs, or do I treat my body like a machine? Do I give my soul silence, or do I fill every moment with noise? Do I rest in God, or do I only distract myself from my burdens with technology, excessive alcohol or other addictions. Do I make intentionally effort to align my mind, and heart, words and actions, to the life giving Spirit.

Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves”. Life-giving rest is found, not in having nothing to do, but putting on the meek and humble heart of Jesus, allowing him to reorder our lives. A yoke is an instrument of work, but Christ’s work brings us refreshment and peace.

Today, on this the Lord’s Day, our work is divine worship, offering ourselves in union with Christ as living sacrifices to the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. May this act of divine worship refresh us in our weariness, heal us in our brokenness, lift us up in our burdens, strengthen us for the work of the upcoming week, and provide a foretaste of the joy and peace of heaven for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

July 3 2026 - Apostle St. Thomas - Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe

 

Poor Saint Thomas the Apostle!  Whenever his name is heard, one tends to think of a skeptic, a doubter.  We even call people “doubting Thomas’s”. 

A homily of St. Gregory the Great has survived these many centuries in which St. Gregory considers the providence of God in this Gospel story.

“Dearly beloved,” he says, “what do you see in these events? Do you really believe that it was by chance that this chosen disciple was absent, then came and heard, heard and doubted, doubted and touched, touched and believed? It was not by chance but in God’s providence. In a marvelous way God’s mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his master’s body, should heal our wounds of disbelief…. What follows is reason for great joy: Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. There is here a particular reference to ourselves; we hold in our hearts one we have not seen in the flesh”.

In this Gospel account, we have much more than a cautionary tale about doubting. We shouldn’t doubt the divine truths of God, that’s true, of course. But, this story is included in the Scriptures, so that we can be emboldened in faith—to recognize that there is a blessedness in believing in the Resurrection even though we were not eyewitnesses to it.

As Thomas placed his hands into the wounds of the resurrected Christ, we too can do so, through faith. In our daily prayer, whenever we’d like, we can close our eyes, and consider this scene. We can imagine ourselves in the place of Thomas, the Lord entering into our midst and saying peace be with you. We can imagine the Lord inviting us “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side”.

And then we can open our eyes, and see with the eyes of faith, the Lord in the Eucharist: the one crucified and risen, who gives himself to us, to not only adore from a distance, but to receive into our bodies and souls.

There is an old custom, that when the consecrated host and consecrated chalice are raised up at mass, the faithful would repeat silently to themselves the words of Thomas, “My Lord and My God”, certainly words we do well to repeat whenever we have the chance to glimpse the Lord in the monstrance as well.

There is a blessedness to living in this age of the Church, this age of faith. And we have been chosen by God to live by faith. We grow in blessedness—in sanctity—as we walk by faith, not by sight—faith, that God is truly with us in the sacraments, and in the crosses and challenges of life, in the joys and sorrows, successes and failures, in our health and brokenness. May we celebrate our faith, draw strength from it, and share it generously to all the nations, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church throughout the world: that she may faithfully proclaim the Resurrection of Christ and strengthen all people to believe in him, though they have not seen. Let us pray to the Lord.

For a healing of schism in the church, for those who struggle with doubt, discouragement, or weakness of faith: that the mercy of Christ may heal their wounds and lead them to deeper trust in his love. Let us pray to the Lord.

For missionaries and all who share the Gospel: that the faith handed down from the apostles may be proclaimed generously to all nations. Let us pray to the Lord.

We pray in a special way for our nation on the occasion of our semi quincentennial, that our nation may be united by God’s Spirit, guarded from terror, observant of God’s Holy Laws, and vigilant against threats to our freedom, peace, and well-being. May the Wisdom of God guide our government leaders and legislators, our families, businesses, civil institutions, and all of our domestic affairs. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit: that they may find peace and strength in the wounds of the crucified and risen Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the faithful departed: that they may behold face to face the Lord whom they believed in and loved on earth. Let us pray to the Lord.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.