Dear God,
origin of life and creator of families,
when the appointed time came,
You chose to send Jesus into a family,
and made the home your dwelling place.
In this way, you consecrated each home and every family.
Today, we bring our families before you.
As we model our family around the Holy Family,
we pray that we might have a renewed awareness of Your presence in our homes.
Help us see every member of our family as your gift,
and help us to treat one another with the same honor that we have for you.
During this pandemic, we raise up:
- Families that are grieving the death of a loved one,
- Families or family members struggling in their faith,
- Families struggling with physical, mental, and emotional health,
- Families that are stressed and fearful because of unemployment and other financial burdens,
- Families that experience domestic abuse or substance abuse in any form,
- Children and youth who are finding education difficult,
- Families that face break-up because of the stress created by the pandemic.
Holy God,
hold our families in your protective, comforting, healing and redeeming embrace.
One day, may we be reunited with you in our eternal home in heaven.
Amen.
©Fr. Satish Joseph, December 26, 2020.