Monday, September 14, 2026

PRAYER FOR PERSECUTION OF THE FAITH

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”

is the eighth Beatitude found in Matthew 5:10

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆 (𝗠𝘁 𝟭𝟲:𝟮𝟭-𝟮𝟳)

𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿, 𝗱𝗶𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀, 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿: “𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻! 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲.” 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻, 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳: 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀: 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲: 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 “𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲” 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 (𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆) 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲, 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲, 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.

𝗚𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 (𝗠𝘁. 𝟭𝟲:𝟮𝟭-𝟮𝟳)

𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺. “𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗱, 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱! 𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂.” 𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, “𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻! 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗼.” 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀, “𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲? 𝗢𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲? 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁.”

𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭-𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝗚𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 (𝗝𝗻 𝟭𝟱:𝟮𝟲; 𝟭𝟲:𝟰𝗮) 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀, “𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗺 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀; 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂.” 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗝𝗻 𝟭𝟱 𝟮𝟲 𝟭𝟲 𝟰𝗮

Traditional Prayer for Persecuted Christians

Almighty, everlasting God, look with compassion on all those who suffer persecution for justice’ sake. Grant them grace to carry their cross with patience in the name of Thy beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let the chalice pass from them is such by Thy holy Will: yet, in all things, may Thy Will be done. Grant to those who persecute, light to see the truth, and the grace of mercy and forgiveness, for they know not what they do. Mary, Mother of Jesus, Comfort of the Afflicted, help thy children in their time of bitter trial. O Lord our God, by the sign of Thy holy cross deliver us from our enemies. Amen.

PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

O God of all the nations, the One God who is and was and always will be, in your providence you willed that your Church be united to the suffering of your Son. Look with mercy on your servants who are persecuted for their faith in you. Grant them perseverance and courage to be worthy imitators of Christ. Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations to work for peace among all peoples. May your Spirit open conversion for those who contradict your will, that we may live in harmony. Give us the grace to be united in truth and freedom, and to always seek your will in our lives.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us. Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians, pray for us.

Prayer for protection

Dear God, be with all those Christians who are forced to hide their faith for their own safety. Protect them, and keep them safe from those who seek to harm them. Give them wisdom and courage as they work to protect themselves, their families, and other Christians within their community. Protect each of them from violence, from arrest, and from all other kinds of persecution that they face. Amen.

Prayer for church leaders

Dear God, thank you for those who are leading churches in secret across the world. Give them the wisdom, patience and guidance needed to remain hidden from authorities, ensuring that they can continue in their ministry. We ask that they receive the training, support and Biblical knowledge needed to lead their churches closer to you. Give them passion, and courage, as they lead their churches through such dangerous circumstances. Help their churches to thrive. Amen.

Prayer for those who persecute

Dear God, we pray for those who persecute Christians, because of their faith. We pray that you will work in their hearts, from foot soldiers to country leaders. Reveal to them the truth about your love, your majesty, and all that you have done for mankind so that they will come to know you and will turn away from their past acts of persecution. Bring them to a place where they are able to feel compassion, and repent for their sinful actions, releasing Christians from persecution. Amen.

Prayer for charities

Dear God, thank you for the charities and organisations who are working to serve the persecuted Church around the world. Bless their work, protect all those who put themselves in dangerous situations in order to share the good news of Jesus, and to support secret churches and Christians around the world. Help their work to continue in safety, and give them wisdom and guidance in the best ways to serve Christians in each country. Amen.

Prayer for the imprisoned

Dear God, we pray for each person who has been imprisoned for their faith. Protect them, keep them safe, and keep them healthy and strong throughout their imprisonment. Bring them strength, courage and hope for the future; help them to maintain their faith and continue to worship and serve you, sharing your love with those around them. Amen.

Prayer for growth

Dear God, above all we pray for the growth of your kingdom in every country around the world. Even in the midst of persecution and danger, give people the strength and courage to continue sharing your good news with those around them. Work in the hearts of non-believers and draw them to yourself, and to the existing secret church communities. Help churches to continue to grow, and to thrive both in numbers and in faith. Help them to trust in you and to continue to work to know you better. Amen.

Prayer

My Lord of abundant mercy, Your command to pray for those who persecute me was first lived by You to perfection. You prayed for those who crucified You as You hung upon the Cross. Give me the grace I need to not only forgive but to also pray for those who have and continue to try to inflict harm upon me. Give me a heart so filled with mercy that every sin committed against me is transformed into love and my own holiness of life. Jesus, I trust in You.

Prayer for Persecuted Christians

Dear Lord, Thank you for the gift of our faith. Thank you for coming to earth, Jesus, to teach us more about You and show us the way to get to Heaven. As you sent Your Apostles out two by two to teach the world about You, most of them were martyred. They chose to die rather than give up their faith and deny You. Today many Christians around the world are suffering persecution for their faith in You. Lord, please give them strength to endure their suffering and to even die as martyrs. Protect them from death, if possible, and help them to keep their faith in You burning and shining brightly. May their example of faithfulness to and belief in You lead others to believe in You or strengthen their belief in You. Lord, protect Your Church around the world and protect all who suffer and are persecuted for their faith in big and small ways. May all of Your people have a steadfast faith and hope in You no matter what is going on in their lives and in the world. Help us to remember that we are not of the world although we live in the world. Lord, please protect, encourage, and strengthen Your people who are being persecuted for their faith in You. May they remain steadfast and unwavering in their faith at all times. May their eyes behold You in Your majesty when they reach Heaven and hear Your voice, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Amen.

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