Prayer for the needs of others

St Clement of Rome (Pope Clement I AD88-99)

We beg you, Lord,
to help and defend us.
Deliver the oppressed,
pity the insignificant,
raise the fallen,
show yourself to the needy,
heal the sick,
bring back those of your people
who have gone astray,
feed the hungry,
lift up the weak,
take off the prisoner’s chains.

May every nation come to know
that you alone are God,
that Jesus Christ is your child,
that we are your people,
the sheep that you pasture.

Amen.

Prayer for the needs of others

St Anselm (1033-1109)

We bring before Thee, O Lord,
the troubles and perils of peoples and nations,
the sighings of prisoners and captives,
the sorrows of the bereaved,
the necessities of strangers,
the helplessenss of the weak,
the despondency of the weary,
the failing powers of the aged.
O Lord, draw near to each,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer for the Poor

(US National Catholic Rural Life Conference)

Let us pray for the poor, hungry, and neglected all over the world, that their cries for daily bread may inspire works of compassion and mercy among those to whom much has been given.

Let us pray for the farmers with limited or marginal land throughout the world, for those who lack access to water and other resources, and for the light of research and support services to shine in the lives of all God’s people.

Let us pray for the health of women, children, and families around the world, especially for an end to maternal and child mortality, that in building healthy families, all God’s people may be empowered to strengthen their communities and repair the breaches which divide nations and peoples.

Let us pray for an end to the waste and desecration of God?s creation, for access to the fruits of creation to be shared equally among all people, and for communities and nations to find sustenance in the fruits of the earth and the water God has given us.

Let us pray for all nations and people who already enjoy the abundance of creation and the blessings of prosperity, that their hearts may be lifted up to the needs of the poor and afflicted, and partnerships between rich and poor for the reconciliation of the world may flourish and grow.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Amen.

Prayer of Relief

(From a prayer of Catholic Relief Services following Typhoon Haiyan, November 2013)

Loving and gracious God,

All love and mercy compels us
to the side of our global brothers and sisters.

In our charity, and in our compassion,
-help us stand with them.
In our solidarity and in our sharing,
-help us stand with them.
In our advocacy, and in our prayer,
-help us stand with them.

And as we turn to them in their peril,
we ask your grace go with us;

To feed the hungry:
-give us your grace.
To give drink to the thirsty:
-give us your grace.
To clothe the naked:
-give us your grace.
To shelter the homeless:
-give us your grace.
To care for the sick:
-give us your grace.
To reach the trapped and the stranded:
-give us your grace.
To mourn the dead:
-give us your grace.

And in reaching out, may we find you in them.
And may they find you in us.

Amen.

Prayer that Poverty Be Made History

Loving God,
look with mercy upon the human race you have created.
May our hearts see your kingdom
in which the destructive poverty of our world is destroyed
and so that we will make poverty history. Amen.