Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us.
For the Church: That all who call upon the name of the Lord may discover their true identity hidden in Christ, moving beyond the spiritual striving and spiritual bypassing to find the baptismal consciousness that simply rests in God’s presence.
Reader: Lord, hear us. All: Lord, graciously hear us.
For World Leaders: That those in positions of power may recognize that earthly achievements and accumulations are but vapor, and may seek instead to build up what is eternal—justice, mercy, and peace for all people.
Reader: Lord, hear us. All: Lord, graciously hear us.
For Those Caught in Comparison: For all who oscillate between feeling spiritually superior or spiritually inadequate—may they discover that in Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither those who seem to have it all together nor those who struggle, but only beloved children breathing with God’s own breath.
Reader: Lord, hear us. All: Lord, graciously hear us.
For Our Community: That when we face the snakes of failure, inadequacy, and spiritual dryness, we may lift our gaze to Christ on the cross rather than focusing on our wounds, discovering that paradise emerges when we fix our eyes on Jesus.
Reader: Lord, hear us. All: Lord, graciously hear us.
For Those Who Mourn: That all who have lost loved ones may find comfort in knowing that what is truly eternal—love, relationship, the soul’s union with God—can never be taken away, even when earthly life proves to be but breath and vapor.
Reader: Lord, hear us. All: Lord, graciously hear us.
For Our Own Hearts: That we may remove whatever silver layer—whether wealth, achievements, or even our sins—keeps us from seeing clearly, and may we learn to call upon your name instead of trying to make a name for ourselves.
Reader: Lord, hear us. All: Lord, graciously hear us.
Celebrant: God our Father, you are the eternal continuum of our breath. Remove from us all that is merely vapor, and fill us with your Spirit, that we may live not for ourselves but as those whose life is hidden with Christ in you. Through the same Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
