3rd Week of Lent - 12 March 2023 - Prayers of the faithful

Introduction: On this third Sunday of Lent, we hear of the Samaritan woman at the well.  She comes to the well to draw water, a part of her daily routine.  But on this day, she encounters the Messiah and her whole life changes.  We also have an opportunity to encounter the Lord in the word of God today.  May our lives be changed by the words we hear. 

Lord Jesus - you are the living water.

Christ Jesus - you are a fountain of grace and mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you are our peace and reconciliation. 

Priest: We place our trust that the Lord is in our midst, so now let us give voice to our needs in our prayers:

1. For the Church, that the woman at the well be a model for us, leading us to give witness that Jesus is the source of living water, we pray to the Lord. 

2. For governmental leaders, that they ensure that our precious water resources be well cared for and that fair and equitable ways be found to secure that all people have sufficient clean water.  We pray for those in the state and federal government working toward a solution to the water problems in the city of Jackson, we pray to the Lord. 

3. For those who lack the basic necessities in life, that they may have the resources they need to live in dignity as children of God, we pray to the Lord. 

4. For those preparing to enter the Church through our RCIA program, may they find their spiritual thirst quenched by the living water that Jesus offers to them, we pray to the Lord. 

5. For those we are suffering in life, for those who have hardened their hearts, for those struggling with addictions and mental illness, that they way feel the love of God pouring out into their hearts through the Holy Spirit, we pray to the Lord. 

6. For healing and wholeness for the sick and the afflicted in body, mind, and spirit.  For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, for their entry into enteral life, we pray to the Lord. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, for our intentions spoken and unspoken, we pray to the Lord. 

Priest: God of compassion, when we struggle through the deserts in our lives, may you quench our thirst with life-giving water.  Hear the prayers that we make today in trust and love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.