EASTER SUNDAY | SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE: WE GIVE THANKS
In this week’s intercessionary prayers for parishes, we pray for all who lead daily lives of care and compassion. Easter Sunday Year C, 20 April 2025.
INTRODUCTORY REFLECTION
Northern Hemisphere Christians celebrating Easter can readily find signs of Resurrection in nature as winter gives way to spring. Not so for those living in the tropics and further south, but this difference can be turned to advantage.
Having to hunker down for chillier nights and days can reinforce our patience and resilience, precious virtues in these troubled times. They give us the wisdom and strength to hold together the ‘now and not yet’ in fruitful tension.
Our liberation from sin and death remains a work in progress. The path to glory is still a way of the cross, but on that way the Spirit of the Risen One gives us strength, peace, patience and purpose. For these gifts we give thanks today.
THE WEEK’S PRAYER FOCUS
For all who lead daily lives of care and compassion, that their faithful love will be a leaven of easter grace changing the world for good.
SAMPLE INTERCESSIONS
These intercessions are offered for selected use at Sunday Mass in the parish alongside those that express local needs and concerns.
PRESIDER
Dear friends, this holy night/day is radiant with the glory of the risen Lord. Let us pray for the light of the Risen Lord to shine healing rays upon our wounded world.
READER
We pray for the whole human family, that in this time of global turmoil nations will come together in a solidarity of hope, friendship and common purpose. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for the church, that in every place lively communities of easter faith will display the joy of the gospel and radiate God’s life-giving love. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for young believers, that next weekend’s Jubilee of Hope for teenagers will be a joyful celebration of their faith in Jesus, Lord of life and love. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for the many whose life is a daily struggle of survival in places of violence, hunger and hardship, that their cries for help will bring the relief they so desperately need. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for the people of Australia and New Zealand, that this week’s Anzac Day observance will unite them in remembrance of the fallen and in hope for peace on earth. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for the voters of Australia, that they will consider the candidates and their policies carefully and vote for those best suited to lead the nation wisely and well. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for Easter holiday-makers, that they will enjoy a refreshing break and return home safe and well. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for residents in aged care facilities, especially those with complex needs, that they will be looked after with understanding, kindness and compassion. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for those who have died recently . . . . , and those whose anniversary of death occurs around this time, that they will be raised to life by the Lord whose love has no end. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord.
PRESIDER
God of power and might, you raised your Son from the shame of the cross to the glory of heaven. Draw us ever more deeply into his victory over sin and death. We ask this through Christ, our risen Lord.
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PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE: THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION
In this week’s intercessionary prayers for parishes, we pray for all who long for a better world, that the life and work of Pope Francis will keep inspiring them to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Second Sunday of Easter Year C, 27 April 2025.
INTRODUCTORY REFLECTION
‘Christ’s Resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the Resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force.
‘Often it seems that God does not exist: all around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty. But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit . . . However dark things are, goodness always re-emerges and spreads.
‘Each day in our world beauty is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history. . . . Such is the power of the Resurrection, and all who evangelise are instruments of that power.’ – Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, #276
THE WEEK’S PRAYER FOCUS
We pray for all who long for a better world, that the life and work of Pope Francis will keep inspiring them to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
SAMPLE INTERCESSIONS
These intercessions are offered for selected use at Sunday Mass in the parish alongside those that express local needs and concerns.
PRESIDER
Dear friends, the risen Lord met his fear-filled disciples with a greeting of peace and sent them on a mission of mercy. As we mourn the death of Pope Francis and give thanks for his mission of mercy, let us pray for the human family in all its need around the world.
READER
We pray for Pope Francis, that he will be shepherded by Christ his risen Lord through the shadows of death to the light of eternal glory. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for all humanity, that people everywhere will be drawn together in the solidarity proclaimed by Pope Francis in his universal letter “On Fraternity and Social Friendship” (Fratelli Tutti). (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for all who dwell on earth, our common home, that everyone heed Pope Francis’ call in his letter Laudato si’ to love nature like St Francis of Assisi and do everything in their power to care for creation. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for the church, that all the baptised will relish the joy of the Gospel and answer Pope Francis’ call to be a missionary people announcing good news to all. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for journalists and publishers, that this week’s World Press Freedom Day (3 May) will underscore the importance of their work, especially in the many places where they are in peril of imprisonment and death. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for all who have yet to vote in the federal election, that they will cast their ballot conscientiously for a just society and the good of all. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for people living with disability, that the Jubilee of Hope for them this week will affirm their true dignity and encourage them to live life to the full. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for parents, teachers and school students, that the second term of the school year will be a shared experience of discovery and development. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
We pray for those who have died recently . . . . , and those whose anniversary of death occurs around this time, that they will gain eternal life through the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Pause) Let us pray to the Lord
PRESIDER
God of boundless mercy, you never cease to call us to new and more abundant life. Free us from fear and bless us with peace. We ask this through Christ, our risen Lord.