Lord, we are weak, but You are strong. We fight temptation, but sometimes we fail. We fight discouragement, but sometimes we fail. We fight discontentment, but sometimes we fail. We fight for peace, but sometimes we fail. Lord, You are strong for the weak and You fight our battles for us. You are our bulwark and our fortress. You are the power that crushes the enemy. You are the Light that exposes the darkness. You are our security when the winds blow hard and the rains carry away the earth. You are our hiding place when the sun burns hot and the mountains fall into the depths of the sea. Whatever befalls us, Lord give us strong faith, knowing that nothing happens apart from Thy will. Our day of desperation is Your day to show grace. Our day of sickness is Your day of healing. Our day of sadness is Your day to bring joy into our hearts. In the end, the Lord will be glorified. What more could we ask?

Our Father, we pray for Thy Church. Lord, not only do You work in the hearts of men, but also ordinarily You accomplish Your great work through the instrument of the Church. Into the Church we must be Baptized. By the Church we must be taught and hear the Word of God. When the day of death comes, it is the Church that buries us. Lord, even though men today may despise Thy Church, even though She comes under ridicule, even though She is found with enemies within and without, and yet She is Thy Church, and She is a rock that shall outlive all of us. When we are dead and gone, the Church shall live on in all its glory, until Christ returns to take Her as His Bride. Lord, the Church is hampered by disbelief, by hypocrisy, by disinterest, by criticism, by Christians who fight one another. Yet, She in all Her glory is the power of God on earth.

She shall storm the gates of Hell itself and the gates of Hell will not prevail against Her. Even though She is weak, yet She is strong. Even though men treat Her with disdain, yet She is the dwelling place of the Lord God Almighty. Lord, with the power of the Word of God and the Sacraments made efficient by the Holy Spirit, what power on earth can stop Her? Hearts are converted and when we have the heart of a man, we have the man himself. When we have the heart of a man, we have his family. Lord, change the hearts of Thy people and draw them near unto Thyself.

Our Father in days to come and in years to come, keep this Church faithful to Thy Word. We thank You for the many who have grown up in this Church and have gone to other places to serve You. We thank You for those who have been faithful to their vows to serve the Church to the best of their ability. We thank You for those who have made it their desire to seek both the purity and the peace of the Church.

Lord, in days when the Church has become everything to every man, and when every man considers himself his own authority, guard the purity of the Church. Heresies abound and men are deceived. Churches have lost their salt and savor. We have used the methods of the world to grow our numbers. Yet, Lord one thing we miss seeing is the deep conviction of sin that drives men to tears. One thing we miss seeing is the cry from a black heart to the Lord Jesus Christ because of sin and misery. Lord, where is the man who sees himself as nothing but a worm? Where is the man who sees himself on the edge of Hell without hope except in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ? Lord, for so many, our commitment is so shallow and our experience lacks a transformation. Lord, give us converts that know the grace of God.