Opening Prayer
Gracious and merciful God, we gather in one heart and mind to pray for all families and individuals who have left or fled their country, their land, their homes, seeking safer and better lives. We lift up to you their hopes and dreams, their fears and anxieties, and all their needs and necessities, and that they may be protected on their journeys, their dignity and rights may be fostered, honoured and upheld, and they may be welcomed with open arms into generous and compassionate communities.
All these we ask, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen
Vatican Kit for the 105th World Migrant and Refugee Day
Prayer
May God walk with refugees as God walked with Abraham. May Christ protect those who were forced out of their homeland as Christ experienced displacement since his birth. May the Holy Spirit lead and comfort those who are willing to lose everything, but keep the faith. Amen
A prayer for receiving communities
Courage.
In your name, Lord, we pray,
To truly accept your calling, we free our hearts from fears and anxieties. May your Grace strengthen our faith in opening our lives, our churches and our homes to migrants, whatever the cost may be.
We shall welcome them on the beaches. We shall welcome them on the landing grounds. We shall welcome them in the fields and in the streets. We shall welcome them in the hills. In your name, Lord, we shall never surrender to populism and fear of the stranger. We shall surrender all to your Spirit.
Amen
A prayer of intercession
God of family, we bring before you the parents who are weeping and lamenting, who are waiting for their children, whose trace is lost in the sea, in the desert, on railway tracks, in shipping containers and uncertainty: men, women and children who had escaped from the war zones, the famine and poverty of this world , with the hope for a better, safer life.
God of life, we bring before you our lament for the dead, stranded at the borders of safety, who died fleeing through deserts, over mountains and seas. We call to you and join in the cry of all those who sought justice and a better life for themselves and their children and perished in the process.
God of justice, we bring before you political leaders, advisers and decision-makers who hold the fate of others in their hands. Make them aware of the causes of migration and flight. Keep their consciences alive so that refugees are offered protection and dignity. Let them agree rules of residence that are based on human rights and guided by solidarity compassion.
God of peace, give us the strength to be witnesses of the suffering of the world and fill us with the fire of your spirit to renew our efforts to serve those in need and give us the grace to welcome, learn and share our lives with people who come to live in our communities. Amen.
A Celtic rune of hospitality
We saw a stranger yesterday.
We put food in the eating place,
Drink in the drinking place,
Music in the listening place.
And in the sacred name of the triune God
The stranger blessed us and our house,
Our cattle and our dear ones.
As the lark says in her song:
Often, often, often goes Christ in the stranger’s guise.
A prayer for migrants and refugees
We pray for the migrant, the refugee, the prisoner of war, the victim of hunger, disease, disaster and injustice throughout the world.
No farmer leaves her land through choice. No mother wants to pack a bag and pick up her children to leave all she knows. No father wants to risk the lives of his family. No grandmother wants to walk hundreds of miles to spend the remains of her life in a camp or a country where she understands nothing and is made to feel worthless.
Lord, in destroying the homes of innocent people – through war or through causing climate chaos – we destroy the common home you gifted us.
Give us wisdom to repair the damage, and the generosity of spirit to welcome and care for our sisters and brothers driven in desperation to step into a lorry, board a boat, set out on foot. May the Holy Spirit journey with them.
Amen
A prayer for guidance
In our quest for peace, we seek your guidance, Lord, to strive for justice.
Our common home is divided by fear and misunderstanding, by greed and lack of compassion.
Send your Holy Spirit to comfort the dispossessed, and to give us the wisdom to share their load. May we offer the migrant and the refugee dignity and fairness, love and the peace of Christ.
Amen
Litany of Justice
Reader: Jesus said,” I was hungry and you gave me food.” Made in the Image of God,
All: We see the face of Christ in all.
Reader: Jesus said, “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” Made in the Image of God,
All: We see the face of Christ in all.
Reader: Jesus said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Made in the Image of God,
All: We see the face of Christ in all.
Reader: Jesus said, “I was naked and you gave me clothing.” Made in the Image of God,
All: We see the face of Christ in all.
Reader: Jesus said, “I was sick and you took care of me.” Made in the Image of God,
All: We see the face of Christ in all.
Reader: Jesus said, “I was in prison and you visited me.” Made in the Image of God,
All: We see the face of Christ in all.
Reader: Jesus said, “In as much as you did to one of those considered to the least important, you did it to me.” Made in the Image of God,
All: We see the face of Christ in all. We go from here to see and serve Christ in all. Amen.
A benediction
May God bless us, our God, who called the world into being, who breathed us into life, who provides us with new strength. May God bless us, our God, whose love does not know borders nor walls, whose justice will come. Our God, who casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. May God bless us, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, Amen.
Prayers for those who mourn
May you be held by the God of compassion as you remember your loved ones today.
May God be with you in your sorrow, and comfort you in your loss.
May your God, your family and your friends, give you strength and confidence.
May your spirit be lifted, may your heart be filled with peace, and may the light of God’s promise fill you with joy and hope.
Amen.
Hold me to your heart
God of compassion, when I feel helpless in my grief, hold me to your heart.
God of gentleness, in those moments when life is dark, keep me close to you.
God of comfort, when I am overcome with sadness, shelter me under your wings.
Ever-faithful God, help me to find reassurance and hope in these words of hope to all your people – “Because you are precious to me, because I love you, there is no need to be afraid, for I am with you.” (Isaiah 43)
Advent: Come Lord, come again
Come Lord, come again
Come Lord, your wounded world is yearning
for you to come again.
Come Lord, your weary world is crying out
for you to lift us up
out of our despair, our hunger,
our thirst for something better,
our need for the food that will last.
Come Lord, come again,
we need to begin again.
Advent: Expectant God
Expectant God
The heavens can no longer hold your abundant love,
So you pour out the gift of your embodied self
Relinquishing the beauty of your majesty,
To adorn the pale colours of our humanity.
Choosing to enter into this world in a place of scarcity and need.
Reveal to us this hidden world
of poverty,
of refugees,
of suffering.
As you choose this as the place of your birth
Let us choose this to be the place of our rebirth.
Rebuild us,
Transform us,
Make us anew.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
More Advent prayers:
CAFOD have provided these and more Advent prayers available for free on their website:
Pentecost: Hearts Ablaze
Hearts ablaze
Beautiful Lord,
may we say “yes” to you
so that the Spirit in our hearts
will once again be set ablaze.
Spirit of Wisdom,
guide our actions so they tell of God’s love.
Spirit of Truth,
open our eyes to see the world as it really is.
Spirit of Power,
enthuse us to work for justice throughout the world.
Spirit of Love,
inspire us to respect the dignity of each person.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill us.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Come.
Pentecost: Listen to the blowing of the wind
Please stop, please!
Silence!
Listen to the beating of your heart.
Listen to the blowing of the wind,
the movement of the Spirit.
Be silent – said the Lord
and know that I am God.
And listen to the cry of the voiceless.
Listen to the groaning of the hungry.
Listen to the pain of the landless.
Listen to the sigh of the oppressed
and to the laughter of the children.
For that is authentic communication;
listening to the people,
living with people
dying for people.
Pentecost: Whirlwind Spirit
Whirlwind Spirit of God,
Roar through our timidities and fears,
Shake the foundations of our ill-placed securities,
Sweep away the cobwebs of our apathy,
Blow down the walls that separate us, one from another.
Then into all our empty spaces, breathe
re-strengthened courage to challenge injustice,
renewed belief in the urgency of our vocation,
revitalised passion to change our lifestyles,
re-dedication to speak only words that build and unite.
Let gentle breeze and still small voice
become in us today
mighty wind and loud proclamation.
Make of us a Pentecost people!
Amen
Eucharist
Holy God As we break and hold this bread We hold and offer to you
– The brokenness of those who live and struggle with hunger and disease
– The brokenness of those who are excluded or rejected from community
– The brokenness of communities and neighbourhoods – The brokenness in relationships between nations – The brokenness in household and personal relationships
– The brokenness in relationships between different faiths
– The brokenness in relationships between different Christian denominations
– The brokenness within congregations
– The brokenness we carry within our own bodies
– The brokenness we know when death tears away our loved ones
As we hold and offer you this broken bread, And as we eat it, Help us to keep trusting you are there in the midst of all our brokenness, Working to heal hurts, keep hope alive, and make all things new. Strengthen us that we may give and commit ourselves to share in your work. Make us people of resurrection. Feed us now and evermore. And feed the world so that none may be hungry And all may know welcome and hospitality. In the name of Christ. Amen.
A prayer before eating
Brigit, the 5th Century Irish Saint was known for her hospitality. The words following are attributed to her:
I should like a great lake of finest ale, for the King of Kings; I should like a table of the choicest food, for the family of heaven. Let the table be made from the fruits of faith, and the food be forgiving love. I should welcome the poor to my feast, for they are God’s children. I should welcome the sick to my feast, for they are God’s joy. Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest place, and the sick dance with the angels. God bless the poor, God bless the sick, and God bless our human race. God bless our food, God bless our drink, all homes, O God, embrace.
Prayers for safe arrival
A safe arrival can fill you with great gratitude. Gratitude to people who helped you on your way, but also gratitude towards God. Maybe an opportunity to pray one of the following Psalms.
Psalm 30 “I will praise you, Lord! You have saved me from the grave … you have turned my sorrow into joyful dancing”
Psalm 34 “I will always praise the Lord … I asked the Lord for help and he helped me”
Psalm 40 “I patiently waited, Lord, for you to hear my prayer. You listened and pulled me from a lonely pit.”
A prayer for a baptism
Creator God
Out of the darkness, you bring light;
out of the void, you bring life.
We thank you for this new life,
For the promise it represents,
For the hope it offers.
We pray for this child of Christ to be enfolded in welcome:
Open arms, hearts and minds.
We pray for this child of Christ to know community:
Give, receive and grow in strength
May life’s challenges serve only to encourage tenacity
May moments of despair serve only to encourage faith
May God’s love suffuse this soul with joy
And may it shine there throughout the years to come.
Amen
A prayer for a funeral
Tender God
Our hearts ache for the loss of our loved one
Lost days
Lost laughter
Lost potential
Despite this pain, we know
In death there is homecoming.
We, the left behind, must start again
New territory
New relationships
New lives
Despite this pain, we know
In death there is homecoming.
Help us to be at peace
Now that our loved one rests at last
Despite this pain, we know
In death there is homecoming.
Amen
