Tuesday, August 12, is International Youth Day and the last of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph’s selected days to participate in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ “100 Days of Prayer, Fasting, and Advocacy.” You are asked to join in prayer, fasting, and advocacy for local and global efforts to support, nourish, and protect children and youth. Perhaps these thoughts or ideas might help provide some focus or direction for you.
Join us once again in prayer with an Ursuline custom by including in your time of prayer our traditional devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
Prayer
Prayer for Prompt Succor
God of Justice, who knows and desires peace for all your sons and daughters, grant in your merciful goodness that the Blessed Virgin Mother, Mother of Your Divine Son, may defend our world. May all people across the globe be protected, through her intercession, with PROMPT SUCCOR, may all Your children, in their diversity and uniqueness, be delivered from harm. God of Peace, heal us from actions and words of hostility and intolerance, and transform the hearts of all. May we move forward through this time of chaos into the future with dependence on you. We turn to You to act in haste to bring about peace, healing, and reconciliation.
Refrain:
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
The traditional Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor can be found here
A Prayer for International Youth Day
Loving and Gracious God, on this International Youth Day, we celebrate and uplift young people across the globe, who are growing up in a rapidly changing and chaotic world. We thank you for their creativity, energy, and the passion they bring to addressing the challenges of our time.
We ask that the urgent concerns that weigh on the hearts of our children and youth, the need to protect the environment, the fight against inequality, violence and discrimination, the uncertainties of food and shelter, and the mental health challenges be addressed with promptness and compassion. Grant all your people the courage and wisdom to lead with vision, helping us to move toward a more just and sustainable world.
We are mindful of the growing concerns in the digital age where social media, body image, and bullying can be overwhelming. Remind our young people of your unwavering love that welcomes them just as they are. May they find their worth and identity in You, a love that holds them close and gives them strength to navigate these challenges with grace and resilience.
We pray for all children and youth who are fearful, hungry, abandoned and those who feel isolated, lonely, or burdened by stress with no one to turn to for guidance. Surround them with a community of care and support where they can find belonging, purpose and peace.
God help us to listen, value their insights, and support their dreams. May we all work together to weave Christ’s love across cultures and boundaries, creating a tapestry of hope for present and future generations to come. Amen.
The Scriptures are rich with references to the richness and gifts of children in our faith lives. Here are just a few passages. You might let these lead to your own reflections or reflect on your own favorite passages.:
- Behold, daughters and sons are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb. Psalm 127:3
- Just then, the disciples came up to Jesus with this question, “Who is the greatest importance in the kingdom of God?” He called a little child over and stood him in their midst and said, “I assure you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God. Whoever makes themselves lowly, becoming like this child, is of greatest importance in that heavenly reign. Matthew 18:1-3
Fasting
As we are asked to fast from whatever keeps us from being Spirit-led and mission-focused, each person’s fast may vary. We might consider these and other ways of fasting:
- Fast from a particular food or drink.
- Fast from rhetoric that does harm to others
- Fast from social media or non-essential technology.
- Fast from judging.
- Fast from a single meal.
- Fast from foods not available to the most vulnerable.
Prayer before Fasting:
As I begin this time of fasting, I pray that you will fill me with Your grace and grant me strength and resolution to endure the hunger and discomfort for the intention on my heart and the needs of our world. May this fast lead me, and those for whom I pray, a deeper faith, renewal, and healing. May this fast be instrumental in the dawning of a holy and just world built on love and peace. Amen.
Advocacy
The needs of families and children both locally and throughout the world clamor for our attention daily. Our prayers, our letters, our conversations, and our shared awareness can serve as advocacy, assisting the work of so many who give their time, their efforts, and their lives in service.
Local initiatives that support, protect, and enrich children include places and programs such as Saint Joseph Peace Mission, the Catholic Schools, the Neblett Center, Puzzle Pieces, Girls Inc., and many more.
National and international programs that support and enrich children also need our prayers and support and advocacy. Programs and services such as UNICEF, public and parochial schools, Save the Children, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, medical services, and many more.
Children and families in so many locations are in danger and need our prayers and support – and advocacy. Think of the children and families in war zones, unable to receive needed aid – for example, in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Russia, in the Sudan, and other sites throughout the world.
Remember and name in prayer each of these, and others of which you are aware, throughout the day on August 12th.
Thank you for adding your heart prayers to these efforts on “our” last day of the LCWR’s “100 Days of Prayer, Fasting, and Advocacy.” We join our prayers with so many others for the protection of all God’s children.