Suggested Intentions for the Universal Prayer (Prayer of the Faithful) at
Sunday and Weekday Masses.
You might place one of these each week in your Intentions.
1. Pope Francis says in his Encyclical: "The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more
and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly
lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish." We pray that
that we may protect the world and not prey on it; that we may sow beauty, not
pollution and destruction.
Lord hear us
2. Pope Francis writes in his Encyclical: "We are not God. The Earth was here before us
and was given to us." May God teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be
filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with
every creature, that all is gift.
Lord hear us.
3. Pope Francis writes in his Encyclical "The idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which
proves so attractive to economists, financiers and experts in technology ... is based
on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the earth's goods, and this leads to the
planet being squeezed dry at every limit." May God touch the hearts of those who
look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Lord hear us
4. Pope Francis writes in his Encyclical with hope. He says “all is not lost. Human beings,
while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing
again what is good, and making a new start." May God, who embraces all that exists
with tenderness, pour out upon us the power of divine love that we may protect life
and beauty?
Lord hear us.
5. Pope Francis writes in his Encyclical "Never have we so hurt and mistreated our
common home as we have in the last 200 years." May God fill us with peace that we
may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one and nothing in creation.
Lord hear us
6. Pope Francis invites us to an open conversation on creation as he writes: "The
exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have
not solved the problem of poverty." So we pray: The poor and the earth are crying
out. May God enlighten those who possess power and money that the sin of
indifference may be avoided, that we call strive for the common good, advance the
weak, and care for this world in which we live.
Lord hear us
7. In his encyclical Pope Francis states "Doomsday predictions can no longer be met
with irony or disdain." We pray that the letter inspires us to open our eyes and be
more compassionate towards creation and our neighbours. Lord hear us
8. Pope Francis call us to an attitude of common good in his letter to us on climate
change: He affirms “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for
all." May we answer Pope Francis’s call to listen to the voices of our global family
who are confronting the changing climate.
Lord hear us
9. In his encyclical Pope Francis maintains that" We need to strengthen the conviction
that we are one single human family." In this time may we reflect and
pray for God's guidance that we may all love and care for creation, our common
home.
Lord hear us
10. In his letter to us on creation Pope Francis declares; “We must regain the conviction
that we need one another that we have a shared responsibility for others and the
world, and that being good and decent are worth it." So we pray that God may show
us our place in this world as channels of God’s love for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.
Lord hear us