Praying Together 2021

136 Gather Light a candle as a sign of God’s presence and sit quietly. Ring a bell or chime to start the prayer. The Lord be with you! And with your spirit. COLLECT Let us pray for peace and healing. (pause) Merciful God, help us to forgive those who have hurt us, just as you forgive us when we turn back to you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians 4:31 – 5:2 Brothers and sisters: Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ. Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. RESPONSE It can be really hard to forgive someone who has upset us. Yet, when we are angry with someone, it makes us feel bad too. It’s only when we forgive them that we can start to feel better. In this short video by Christ Ministries, calle d “Forgiveness – Teach Your Children All About Forgiveness” you will hear some children talking about things that people have done to hurt them. Maybe some of these things have happened to you too. After the video, reflect on how the children changed after they decided to forgive. Let’s remember the words of today’s reading: “Be kind and merciful. Let love be your guide.” DISMISSAL May the mercy of God lead us to forgive others. 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. Thursday Week 18 Ordinary Time 5 August 2021 “Forgive others, just as God forgave you.”