Praying Together 2021

11 Gather Light a candle as a sign of God’s presence and sit quietly. Ring a bell or chime to start the prayer. May the grace and peace of God be with you! And with your spirit. COLLECT Let us pray that we may trust in God’s promises. (pause) Lord and giver of life, may we hasten without stumbling towards the eternal life you promise. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE A reading from the letter of St James 5:16-18 Brothers and sisters: The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot. Elijah was just as human as we are, and for three and a half years his prayers kept the rain from falling. But when he did pray for rain, it fell from the skies and made the crops grow. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. RESPONSE Did you know that your prayers are powerful? Elijah prayed for rain. What would you like to pray for today? For the next minute or so, close your eyes and listen to the gentle sounds of rain falling. Use this time to pray to God in your mind. You might want to ask God for help with something. You might ask God to bless someone. You might want to say thank you to God for something wonderful in your life. Enjoy this time with God. DISMISSAL May Christ smile graciously upon us. Amen. May God bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ring the bell or chime to signal the end of the prayer. Extinguish the candle. Tuesday Week 5 Ordinary Time 9 February 2021 “The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot.”