Saturday, July 4, 2015

Cherish the Gift

     “If My people humble themselves and pray and seek My presence, I will revive their land.” 2 Ch 7 vs 14


     Today, as we gather to commemorate the anniversary of our country’s independence, let us get on our knees and ask God’s continued blessing upon us. Let us beg God’s forgiveness for the many ways we have walked away from His ways and truths. Let us ask for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin. May we repent of the ways we have offended Him and one another. May He give us a new heart on which He sits as King. May we never take for granted the great freedom we have to worship God by giving Him the honor and glory He so deserves. Our religious liberty is a gift that we cannot take for granted. We must cherish it, practice it and defend it with our lives.


Let us join as one and pray:

*O God our Creator, from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as Your people and given us the right and duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ.

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.

*Published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops





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