Pause

Take a moment to still yourself. Take a deep breath and ask God for a renewed sense of presence with you in this moment.

Opening Prayer

Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sing or listen

First Reading – Mal 3:19-20a
Psalm 98 – Listen Here
Second Reading – 2 Thes 3:7-12

Gospel

Luke 21:5-19

Some of the disciples were talking about the Temple, how beautiful it looked with its fine stones and the gifts offered to God. Jesus said, “All this you see—the time will come when not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one will be thrown down.”

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will this be? And what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place?”

Jesus said, “Watch out; don’t be fooled. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t follow them. Don’t be afraid when you hear of wars and revolutions; such things must happen first, but they do not mean that the end is near.”

He went on to say, “Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and plagues everywhere; there will be strange and terrifying things coming from the sky. Before all these things take place, however, you will be arrested and persecuted; you will be handed over to be tried in synagogues and be put in prison; you will be brought before kings and rulers for my sake. This will be your chance to tell the Good News. Make up your minds ahead of time not to worry about how you will defend yourselves, because I will give you such words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to refute or contradict what you say. You will be handed over by your parents, your brothers, your relatives, and your friends; and some of you will be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a single hair from your heads will be lost. Stand firm, and you will save yourselves.”

This section is designed to be adapted depending on how you are gathering to pray. There are links to external resources for children and young people. There is also a reflection which can be used by individuals or adapted to be used in groups.

Closing Prayer

Prayer to make poverty history

Christ our Lord,
your light shines into the shadows,
and shows us
where the obstacles to change lie.
We know that often they are in our own hearts,
in the way we live, and in our daily choices and actions.

We pray that we may accept
the light of your love
as a challenge to change
ourselves and our world.

We pray that, each day,
we make the choices
and take the actions
that will bring an end to poverty and hunger,
and lead us all
towards a fairer world.

Be with us, Lord,
as we face your challenge
and learn how to live
our lives in love.

Amen.

Prayer by Linda Jones, Caritas Social Network UK