June 17, 2020 | Keep in Touch

in

Leader: O Lord, it is good to give you thanks.

Psalm 65: 12-13
Reader 1: You adorn the year with your bounty; your paths drip with fruitful rain.
Reader 2: The meadows of the wilderness also drip; the hills are robed with joy.

Reading – Matthew 6: 16-18
Reader 3: Jesus said: “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen,
I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your
inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father
who see in secret will repay you.”
Reader 4: “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their
appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash
your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father
who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Reflection:
Leader: Jesus exhorts his listeners to reflect on the motives behind their pious acts of
almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. We know that these aren’t just good practices for
Lent; they help us to grow in our spiritual life at any time. Jesus says that those
who do these things so they can be noticed really don’t benefit from doing them.
This prompts us to question: Why do we give alms, or pray, or fast? Such
practices help us to keep in touch with the Lord.

Intentional Prayer
Leader: In your loving kindness, O God, hear us:
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer.
Reader 1: That CommonSpirit grows in the love of the Lord by our acts of charity, we pray
to the Lord:
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer.
Reader 2: That our eating habits remind us of the many who daily go without food, we pray to the Lord:
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer.
Reader 3: That we have the courage to pray daily and deepen our faith, we pray to the Lord:
All: Gracious God, hear our prayer.
Reader 4: That the elderly members of CommonSpirit’s faith community find strength in the witness of the baptized, we pray to the Lord:
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Personal Petitions:

The Lord’s Prayer
Reader 3: Our Father …

Closing Prayer
Reader 4: Almighty and creator God, you provide for us on our journey of faith. Sustain us with your protection and keep us always in communion with your Son, Jesus
Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen
Leader: O Lord, it is good to give you thanks.

Peace be with you all and have a wonderful week!