Let us pray: June 21-July 4

The Catholic Bishops of the United States have called for a Fortnight for Freedom, two weeks of prayer for the protection of religious liberty in our nation, June 21-July 4.  Over these two weeks you can call up the prayers and links below through a box with the same logo on the sidebar.

For more information and material,

visit the US Catholic Bishops'

Fortnight for Freedom.org

 

You might be interested in the Bishops' 

Religious Liberty FAQs

Reflections for each day of the Fortnight for Freedom 

can be found at

Reflections

In Boston:
The Archdiocese of Boston is holding an interactive live town hall meeting
on Monday June 25 at 8pm on CatholicTV, www.CatholicTV.com, and 1060AM WQOM. 
There will be short presentations regarding the issues and what is at stake
and then questions from the studio audience and from viewers.

Below you'll find the  
Prayer for Protection of Religious Liberty

and

Litany for Liberty

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be
"one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.


Litany for Liberty

This prayer may be prayed by a group, led by a leader of prayer, who begins the litany with the introduction and who announces each invocation; or if it is prayed individually, the individual prays the entire prayer.

Introduction

Christ the Lord has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Let us turn to him in humble but fervent petition,
seeking the grace to root out from our hearts all trace of darkness,
and all that holds us back from walking
in the full freedom of the children of God.
As Christ is our great model for that inner freedom,
which enables us to do the right,
let us turn to him with confidence that we, too,
may follow him to the fullness of spiritual freedom.

Lord, have mercy/ Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy/ Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy/ Lord, have mercy

Jesus, victor over sin and death...
Free our hearts
Jesus, source of light and hope...
Jesus, fullness of truth and mystery...
Jesus, teacher of seeking hearts...
Jesus, healer of body and soul...
Jesus, bringer of mercy and justice...
Jesus, who humble the heart and mind...
Jesus, release of captives...
Jesus, voice against violence...
Jesus, courage for the lowlyand downtrodden...
Jesus, origin of all authority and power...
Jesus, true lawgiver...
Jesus, unity of order and passion...
Jesus, freedom of the Spirit...
Jesus, obedient Son of the Father...

For the freedom to love...
Give us your grace
For the freedom to believe...
For the freedom to hope...
For the freedom to worship...
For the freedom to serve in charity...
For the freedom to care for the suffering...
For the freedom to comfort the sick...
For the freedom to feed the hungry...
For the freedom to shelter the homeless...
For the freedom to proclaim the Gospel...
For the freedom to walk in chastity...
For the freedom to live in peace...
For the freedom to work in good conscience...
For the freedom to stand in solidarity...
For the freedom to seek justice...
For the freedom to reject sin...
For the freedom to reject coercion...
For the freedom to reject falsehood...
For the freedom to reject evil temptations...
For the freedom to reject injustice...

Closing Prayer

O God, who gave one origin to all peoples
and willed to gather from them one family for yourself,
fill all hearts, we pray, with the fire of your love
and kindle in them a desire for the just advancement of their neighbor,
that, through the good things which you richly bestow upon all,
each human person may be brought to perfection,
every division may be removed,
and equity and justice may be established in human society.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen.