Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

General Intercessions

Celebrant: We are called to serve our brothers and sisters.  Let us carry out our responsibilities as disciples and call on the name of the Lord on behalf of those in need. 

That the Church may continue to preach the Gospel with vigor and call us to turn away from sin to a new life in God's love, we pray to the Lord.

That all ministers of the Gospel may receive the strength they need from the Lord through prayer and their celebration of the sacraments, we pray to the Lord.

That leaders of nations may seek the guidance of the Lord to enable them to better serve their people with integrity and justice, we pray to the Lord.

That Jesus, who sympathizes with our weakness, may grant forgiveness and healing to all who have committed the sin of abortion, we pray to the Lord.

That the victims of war, violence, poverty or injustice may be assisted and comforted by those who serve in the name of Jesus, we pray to the Lord.

That those who have died may experience the grace and mercy of Jesus and enter into eternal life with him, we pray to the Lord. 

Celebrant: Lord God, hear our prayers for all those in need.  We trust in your faithful love which is your gift to all, and ask you to hear and answer our prayers, through Christ our Lord. 

Bulletin Insert

“Imposing” values

“Religious faith has long been a cornerstone of the American experience. From the Mayflower Compact, which begins “In the name of God, Amen,” to our Declaration of Independence, we hear loud echoes of our faith in God. It finds expression in our deep-seated conviction that we have unalienable rights from “Nature and Nature’s God.” …To speak out against racial discrimination, social injustice or threats to the dignity of life is not to force values upon society, but rather to call our society to its own, long-accepted, moral principles and commitment to defend basic human rights, which is the function of law.” – Most Rev. Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, in homily at Red Mass, October 1, 2006. 

Homily Suggestions on Pro-life Themes  

“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.” In the Kingdom of God, and therefore in the Culture of Life, even those in authority recognize that their subjects are their brothers and sisters, and that no distinction in role implies an inequality in dignity. The smallest, the weakest, the most insignificant in the eyes of the world are, nonetheless, persons worthy of equal honor, respect, protection, and service. That is because in the Kingdom of God, we recognize that we have a King, and that the smallest human person still belongs to him, and may never be disposed of. 

Government officials and candidates, therefore, would never imagine for a moment that they have the authority to declare some human beings to be “non-persons.” They would never support the affirmation that some people are outside the protections of the law – as Roe vs. Wade did in regard to children in the womb. 

The second reading today provides a clear basis for this respect for the very least of our brothers and sister, and that is that our human nature has been taken to the heights of heaven. Jesus, the “great high priest who has passed through the heavens,” is a priest precisely because, while remaining Divine, he also shares our human nature – the same human nature shared by every person, born and unborn. He has taken this human nature to the heights of heaven, where he continues to intercede for us. Human life was sacred at its creation, and becomes all the more sacred as Christ the High Priest takes it to the very throne of the Father. We who acknowledge that human life has been taken to the heights of heaven can never sit idly by while it is thrown in the garbage by abortion and other acts of violence.

Liturgical Resources