Without Prayer There Will Be No Synod
n a letter addressed to bishops and eparchs from all over the world, Cardinal Mario Grech, General Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, invites the faithful from around the world to prayerfully participate in the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that will open in the Vatican on 4 October.
For the XXV and XXVI Sundays of Ordinary Time (A) which precede the opening of the Synod Assembly, we propose several intentions for Universal Prayer:
For the Church, on the eve of a new phase in the synodal journey, that the presence of the Gospel, alive and at work in her, may make her like the vineyard in the parable, a vital place where all men and women who seek meaning in their life find a place, a word, and a breath of hope, we pray:
For the bishops and all the participants in the Synodal Assembly, that proposals may spring forth from their listening to the Holy Spirit, so that the entire People of God, in a dynamism of communion, may feel that they are truly participating in the life of the Church and be a living and attractive witness to the newness of the Gospel in the world, we pray:
For theologians: may the gifts of wisdom and revelation accompany their contribution to the work of the Synodal Assembly, so that the gift of faith may become life in all God’s people, we pray:
For young people, seekers of truth and authentic witness, concreteness and spirituality; that, as a result of the synodal journey, they may feel increasingly involved in the Church’s life and mission in the midst of the challenges of today’s world, giving to so many, with the enthusiasm of their age, the hope that springs from an encounter with Jesus, we pray:
For us gathered here in communion with Christian communities throughout the world: that by tasting the goodness of the Lord that comes to each one in the body and blood of Jesus, we may receive from him a fresh view of our neighbor and be made witnesses to generosity in the world in which we live, we pray:
Source: synod.va
