Introduction
It is four weeks away.
Where two or three are gathered in your name you are present, Lord Jesus Christ. Be present, Lord, be present now in this place and at this time.This evening, we gather together in your name to pray for life in Ireland at this time. We remember and offer this prayer for our sisters and brothers who are canvassing, explaining and clarifying the various issues arising from the 8th Amendment referendum.
Come Holy Spirit and give us courage, patience, perseverance, wisdom, tact and, above all, true compassion.
Pray for the 8 at 8th :
“I pray for the protection of the unborn child. Guide the people of Ireland to vote according to the truth of your word. Lord protect life by preserving the 8th Amendment. Amen”
Psalm
How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
Your majesty is praised above the heavens; on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel.
you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel.
When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged,
What is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honour you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hands, put all things under his feet.
All of them, sheep and cattle, yes, even the savage beasts, birds of the air, and fish that make their way through the waters.
Scripture Reading
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
Intercessions
For justice in society….
For the homeless…
For those cast aside, marginalised or judged by society….
For children facing poverty and social exclusion….
For all human life….
For those alive today because of the 8th…..
For mothers and their babies…
For those facing difficult news or challenging circumstances…
For fathers, partners and families….
For those working in our health services…
For those hurt by abortion…
For civic, church and political leaders….
Our Father …..
Concluding Prayers
Lord God, Thank You for creating human life in Your image.
Thank You for our lives and the lives of those we love.
Thank You for teaching us through Scripture the value You place on life.
Help us to uphold the sanctity of life in our churches and community.
Give us the strength to stand up to those forces that seek to destroy the lives of those most vulnerable, the unborn, the infirm and the elderly.
Today we commit ourselves never to be silent, never to be passive, never to be forgetful of respecting life.
We commit ourselves to protecting and defending the sacredness of life according to Your will, through Christ our Lord. Amen
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