Praying Together 2021

138 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 Yesterday the Church celebrated Saint Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint, who pioneered education for isolated and poor children. Let us pray for those who work in Australian schools today. (pause ) As we discover the world around us, O God, may we, like Saint Mary MacKillop, also understand your will for our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 14:12-14 Jesus said to the man who had invited him to dinner: “When you give a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends and family and relatives and rich neighbours. If you do, they will invite you in return, and you will be paid back. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. They cannot pay you back. But God will bless you and reward you when his people rise from death.” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. RESPONSE As we pray, the saints pray with us. Let us pray together with our Australian saint, Mary MacKillop. For those who work in Australian schools: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For children who live in poverty: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For those who do not receive an education: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For kindness to people who can’t pay us back: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For the prayers in our hearts today: (pause while students offer their prayers aloud) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. DISMISSAL May the love and generosity of God guide our minds. 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. Monday Week 19 Ordinary Time 9 August 2021 “When you give a feast, invite the poor.”