Prayers to End Hunger: Hope
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Advent season is a time to celebrate the anticipation of new life despite adversities! New life brings hope.
Luke 2:4-5 reminds us of this hope in the narrative of Mary and Joseph when they anticipated the birth of the Christ Child and their family life together. Their story still inspires hope today.
Despite the adversities of COVID-19, and other challenges of uncertainties in 2020, we welcome this season of Advent that invites us to remember this hope and to find signs of new life. Let us pray:
Almighty God,
We thank you for sending us the Christ Child and his holy parents, Mary and Joseph.
We remember and embrace the hope they showed us in the face of the adversities of travel and migration, violent governmental policies against children, and lack of appropriate shelter that threatened their lives.
Despite these challenges, we give thanks for the spirit of welcome and hope they found with their family identity as they gave public witness to their lineage of David in the census, the shepherds, the angels, and the Wise Men.
Today, we give thanks to those who also welcome us and give us hope despite our adversities. We especially give thanks for the opportunity to be welcoming to those affected by hunger and poverty and other similar experiences of the Holy Family.
May this hope of welcome and life be realized for all.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child."
—Luke 2:4-5
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