9 August 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time CYCLE A - PRISON MINISTRY

Priest or Deacon: Penitential Rite 

Lord Jesus, you calm the storms of our turbulent lives. 

Christ Jesus, you save us when we are fearful and weak. 

Lord Jesus, you lift us up when we call out to you. 

Priest: The Lord invites us to come to him and not to be afraid. With faith and hope, let us draw near to God in prayer:

 1. That in the midst of the storms of uncertain times, we may put our faith in Jesus to lift us up. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For our Church leaders and our governmental leaders. May the Lord grant them wisdom in the important decisions they make. We pray to the Lord. 

 3. For those affected by natural disasters and by the hot summer weather. That the Lord lead them to relief and recovery. We pray to the Lord. 

 4. For those discerning important decisions in life. May they set aside their fears and trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We pray to the Lord. 

 5. For those who are ill or injured or afflicted. May the the Lord stretch out his hand to them and grant them healing. We pray for those at CMCF in the BMU program and in the infirmary. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For all who have died, especially our loved ones and family members. For their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For our children. May the Lord accompany them in their studies and their school activities. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For first responders, the men and women in the military, veterans, and medical professionals. We pray to the Lord. 

9. For the prayers we hold in the silent of our hearts. For those who have asked for us to pray for them. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest:  Heavenly Father, when our lives are being tossed about by the waves of crisis, loss, and uncertainty, may we hear you calling us to step out in faith. May we respond with courage and conviction. We make our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.  

 

9 August 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction: We gather as a community of faith today. Our readings today show us how we can find God in the midst of the turbulence and storms of life. Jesus walks on the water and asks Peter to step out in faith. We are called to keep our focus on Jesus and our faith with whatever trials and struggles we are going through in life. May the message we receive at Mass today bring us hope and encouragement. 

Priest or Deacon: Penitential Rite 

Lord Jesus, you calm the storms of our turbulent lives. 

Christ Jesus, you save us when we are fearful and weak. 

Lord Jesus, you lift us up when we call out to you. 

Priest: The Lord invites us to come to him and not to be afraid. With faith and hope, let us draw near to God in prayer:

 1. That in the midst of the storms of uncertain times, we in the Catholic Church may put our complete faith in Jesus to lift us up above the waves of life. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For our Church leaders and our governmental leaders. May the Lord grant them wisdom in their leadership and in the important decisions they have to make. We pray to the Lord. 

 3. For those affected by natural disasters and by the hot summer weather. That the Lord lead them in relief and recovery. We pray to the Lord. 

 4. For those discerning important decisions in life. May they set aside their fears and trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We pray to the Lord. 

 5. For those who are ill or injured or afflicted. May the the Lord stretch out his hand to them and grant them healing. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For all who have died. For the repose of their souls. For their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For our children, youth, and college students. May the Lord accompany them in their studies and their school activities. 

8. For our first responders, the men and women in the military, veterans, and our medical professionals. We pray to the Lord. 

9. For the prayer we hold in the silent of our hearts. For those who have asked for us to pray for them. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest:  Heavenly Father, when our lives are being tossed about by the waves of crisis, loss, and uncertainty, may we hear you calling us to step out in faith. May we respond with courage and conviction. We make our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.  

9 August 2026 - reflection for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

You all know how much I love learning about the saints. This weekend on August 9, we celebrate Edith Stein, a Jewish woman who converted to Catholicism and who became a Carmelite nun. She was arrested for her Jewish background in World War II and was put to death in a concentration camp. Then on Friday of this upcoming week we will celebrate St Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan who ran a publishing house at his monastery and who also was put to death in a concentration camp. This two martyrs call out to us as examples of faith and service. May we give thanks to the community of saints who accompany on our journey with their prayers and their intercessions. Have a blessed week everyone. Father Lincoln. 

7 August 2026 - homily for Friday of the 18th week in Ordinary Time - Pope Sixtus II - Matthew 16:24-28

Pope Sixtus II was elected Pope in the year 257. We do not know a lot about him, but most Church historians believe that he originally came from Greece. He served during the reign of the Roman Emperor Valerian, who was very tolerant when he first came to power. However, Valerian later issued an edict that outlawed Christian worship and that directed that bishops, priests, and deacons be arrested. In the year 258, Sixtus and six deacons were put to death. He was buried in the Crypt of the Popes, within the Catacombs of Callixtus located on the Appian Way in Rome. Although we do not know much more about him, we know that he is a saint and among the early martyrs of our Church who also fought to unite the Church, to treat sinners with mercy, and to hold firm to the teachings handed down to us from the Apostles. As we honor this courageous saint and martyr today, we pray that all of us be able to give witness to Christ by our fidelity to him. 

In our Gospel from Matthew today, Jesus tells us that whoever wishes to come after him must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow him. We see this being lived out in the lives of a lot of the saints and martyrs that we honor and recognize. May we unite the crosses that we carry in life with the crosses that the saints and martyrs carried and with Jesus’ own journey to the cross. 

7 August 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 18th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Christ Jesus - you are a light shining in the world. 

Lord Jesus - you are the beloved son of the Father. 

Priest: With faith and hope, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For our Church leaders. For wisdom and strength. 

2. For peace in the world, especially in our communities here in the United States, in the Middle East and Ukraine. 

3. For all who are needy or lonely or suffering. For healing and wholeness. 

4. For our loved ones and those who support us in prayer. 

5. For all the faithful departed and for all who have died recently;

6. For the spiritual and physical well-being of all our parishioners and loved ones. 

7. For our children and youth and college students. May God bless them in their students and in their school activities. For our parents and teachers. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: We present these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

6 August 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the feast of the transfiguration

Lord Jesus - your dominion is everlasting. 

Christ Jesus - you receive honor and glory from God the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you are the beloved son.  

Priest: .  As we present our prayers today, let us envision a transfigured world where God’s love and mercy reigns: 

1. That our love of God and love of neighbor help transform the world.  

2. For those who are hungry, especially in those parts of the world where growing food is difficult.

3. That our hearts may be transfigured to welcome and value the stranger and the visitor.  

4. For our faith community, that we may be a home for those who wish to transform their lives, finding meaning in faith, hope, and love. 

5. That weapons of war may be beaten into plowshares so that violence may be transformed into bountifulness. 

6. In thanksgiving for our first responders, our veterans, the men and women currently serving in the military, and our medical professionals. 

7. For the repose of the souls of our deceased friends, family members, and community members. For their entry into eternal life. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts.  

Priest: Heavenly Father, help us listen to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, so that we may transform our lives. Grant this and all our prayers through your transfigured Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

6 August 2026 - Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration - Matthew 17:1-9

Just prior to the Transfiguration event, Jesus began to reveal to his beloved group of disciples that he would suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders of the community, be killed, and then would rise from the dead on the third day. What Jesus revealed to the disciples caused much fear in them as they struggled to understand the meaning of these words. We can see the transfiguration event as helping these disciples come to terms with Jesus’ journey to the cross, to his death and resurrection. 

What happened in the Transfiguration can be seen as an act of mercy. The disciples had never seen anything like it before. That event helped them accept the difficult truths that Jesus was trying to teach them about his journey to the cross. The disciples realized that if God the Father gave witness to his son, then everything that Jesus told them could be seen as trustworthy. 

Although we ourselves did not experience the Transfiguration event in-person like those Apostles did on the mountaintop, we must choose to believe the truth that was communicated in that event, that this is God’s beloved son and that we are to listen to him. Those words were not only spoken to the original group of disciples. They are also spoken for our benefit as well. 

Our transfigured Lord is glorious beyond what we human beings can imagine or comprehend. As Jesus revealed a small glimpse of his glory to his disciples to help them trust him more fully, may we pray that we may trust our Lord more completely, knowing that all Jesus has spoken to us is true. May we approach the Lord today with all our hearts with any apprehensions or doubts that we may have. May nothing keep us from our relationship with our Lord.