Adult / Couple
Pray!
During this month when we are so grateful for our many blessings, let us bring before the Lord, our thoughts, concerns and prayers for our families, friends, and God's people around the world.
God of mercy,
throughout history your goodness prevails,
open the hearts of all people to find you and your mercy that endures forever.
God of peace,
bend that which in inflexible,
the barriers that divide,
the attachments that thwart reconciliation.
Bring peace in this world, especially in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Holy Land.
Restore wholeness among us.
Show us your mercy.
God of justice,
healer and redeemer,
heal those who suffer from illness,
poverty and exclusion.
Hasten justice for those suffering under the power of evil.
Give new life to all.
Show us your mercy!
God, rock and fortress,
protect refugees,
those without homes or security,
all the abandoned children.
Help us always to defend human dignity.
Show us your mercy.
God, Creator,
all creation groans in expectation,
convert us from exploitation
Teach us to live in harmony with your creation.
Show us your mercy!
God of life,
heal painful memories,
transform all complacency, indifference and ignorance,
pour out a spirit of reconciliation.
Turn us to you and one another.
Show us your mercy!
God of love,
your son Jesus reveals the mystery of love among us,
strengthen that unity that you alone sustain in our diversity.
Your mercy endures forever! AMEN!
God of mercy,
throughout history your goodness prevails,
open the hearts of all people to find you and your mercy that endures forever.
God of peace,
bend that which in inflexible,
the barriers that divide,
the attachments that thwart reconciliation.
Bring peace in this world, especially in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Holy Land.
Restore wholeness among us.
Show us your mercy.
God of justice,
healer and redeemer,
heal those who suffer from illness,
poverty and exclusion.
Hasten justice for those suffering under the power of evil.
Give new life to all.
Show us your mercy!
God, rock and fortress,
protect refugees,
those without homes or security,
all the abandoned children.
Help us always to defend human dignity.
Show us your mercy.
God, Creator,
all creation groans in expectation,
convert us from exploitation
Teach us to live in harmony with your creation.
Show us your mercy!
God of life,
heal painful memories,
transform all complacency, indifference and ignorance,
pour out a spirit of reconciliation.
Turn us to you and one another.
Show us your mercy!
God of love,
your son Jesus reveals the mystery of love among us,
strengthen that unity that you alone sustain in our diversity.
Your mercy endures forever! AMEN!
Learn!
The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation which brought about a division in Christ's Church between Lutherans and Catholics. For the past 50 years both Churches, Catholic and Lutheran, at the highest levels of authority, have been working at finding and celebrating what we hold in common. They have also sought ways to heal the division between us. The dialogues have placed our Churches on a historic journey.
Catholics and Lutherans realize that they and the communities in which they live out their faith belong to the one body of Christ. The awareness is dawning on Lutherans and Catholics that the struggle of the sixteenth
century is over. The reasons for mutually condemning each other’s faith have fallen by the wayside. Thus, Lutherans and Catholics identify five imperatives - in the Document, "From Conflict to Communion" - as they commemorate 2017 together.
The first imperative: Catholics and Lutherans should always begin from the perspective of unity.
The second imperative: Lutherans and Catholics must let themselves continuously be transformed by the encounter with the other and by the mutual witness of faith.
The third imperative: Catholics and Lutherans should again commit themselves to seek visible unity, to elaborate together what this means in concrete steps, and to strive repeatedly toward this goal.
The fourth imperative: Lutherans and Catholics should jointly rediscover the power of the gospel for our time.
The fifth imperative: Catholics and Lutherans should witness together to the mercy of God in proclamation and service to the world.
Catholics and Lutherans realize that they and the communities in which they live out their faith belong to the one body of Christ. The awareness is dawning on Lutherans and Catholics that the struggle of the sixteenth
century is over. The reasons for mutually condemning each other’s faith have fallen by the wayside. Thus, Lutherans and Catholics identify five imperatives - in the Document, "From Conflict to Communion" - as they commemorate 2017 together.
The first imperative: Catholics and Lutherans should always begin from the perspective of unity.
The second imperative: Lutherans and Catholics must let themselves continuously be transformed by the encounter with the other and by the mutual witness of faith.
The third imperative: Catholics and Lutherans should again commit themselves to seek visible unity, to elaborate together what this means in concrete steps, and to strive repeatedly toward this goal.
The fourth imperative: Lutherans and Catholics should jointly rediscover the power of the gospel for our time.
The fifth imperative: Catholics and Lutherans should witness together to the mercy of God in proclamation and service to the world.
Do!
~ Talk with your non-Catholic relatives/friends about their
faith tradition and experience of Church.
~ Share with them the riches of our Catholic tradition and what
you most treasure.
~ Visit a Lutheran - or another Protestant Church. What is
unique to that Church; how is it like one of our Churches;
how is it different?
~ Watch this short YouTube video of the life of Martin Luther:
faith tradition and experience of Church.
~ Share with them the riches of our Catholic tradition and what
you most treasure.
~ Visit a Lutheran - or another Protestant Church. What is
unique to that Church; how is it like one of our Churches;
how is it different?
~ Watch this short YouTube video of the life of Martin Luther:
