1. PRAY FOR CONVERSION and REPENTANCE - Pray that people who do not know the Lord will know the Lord and commit their life to him. Pray that people who already know the Lord will commit themselves to him at a deeper level. Pray that we shift more from admirers of Jesus to totally surrendered followers of Jesus. (i.e. Jesus is Lord of every area of our lives. This means Jesus is Lord of our finances, our work/businesses and work/business practices, our sexuality, our speech, and even our politics and the way we vote.) (Pray for letting go of/deliverance from any "false gods," and a total embracing of the Lord and his ways.)
2. PRAY FOR THE CHURCH - Pray that the Church will become even more evangelistic, proclaiming that God has a plan and that he changes lives, communities, and nations. May the Church be faithful to the Lord and the official teaching of the Church. Pray that our pope, bishops, priests and seminarians and other ministers will be wise, encouraged and faithful. Pray that the needs of the Church will be met. Pray that the Church will be warm and winsome and welcoming, yet courageous and uncompromising as it proclaims a life-changing Gospel. Pray that the government will respect faith, rather than suppress it. Pray that we Catholics will mature more, and mentor and help others come to the Lord and grow in the faith. Pray that the Church will deal appropriately with scandal, wrongdoing and improprieties. Pray that if there are people in seminaries or pulpits who are not called to be there, they will be removed. Pray that the Church will be proactive, rather than reactive, in its decisions and policies. Pray that our Bishops will courageously proclaim and accomplish God's priorities, and not their own. Pray that those who are lonely or hurting or broken will find God's love, care, and direction in and through his Church.
3. PRAY FOR LIFE AND FOR THE POOR - Pray that the Church will be a strong Pro Life witness, unafraid to speak out for life, for the elderly, and against abortion. Pray that the Church will love and care for the poor. Where there is an unhealthy dependency, may the Church encourage and facilitate the poor to get out of dependency, and be employed and occupied with meaningful work. At the most recent gathering of the US Bishops (November, 2019), they wrote, "The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family and because of the number of lives destroyed." Pray that our country will have good and fair and compassionate laws for immigration, and that we will enforce those laws. May we be a welcoming people (and Church) to those the Lord has called here, to genuine refugees, and those who were brought here at a young age by others. At the same time, pray that our borders will be secure and secured. May citizenship be a fair and orderly process. May the churches be united in causes and purposes in which they can work together.
4. PRAY FOR BUSINESSES, JOBS, AND THE ECONOMY - Pray that the economy will thrive. Pray that there will be good jobs for all who are able to work. Pray that the government will stimulate, rather than frustrate, the economy. Pray that there will be resourcefulness and creativity so that rural New Mexico and the Indian Pueblos and Reservations will be able to have industry and profitable businesses. Pray that work is respected and honored. Pray we affirm and bring about a greater awareness that there is great dignity in honest work, and that humans should work. (One way we are like God is when we work.) Pray that the delicate balance between business viability and wages/living wages (for major breadwinners) will be maintained.
5. PRAY FOR THE GOVERNMENT - Pray that government leaders will put faith and policy ahead of parties and party platforms. Pray that they will work together to legislate what is best for our citizens. Pray that legislation may stimulate jobs and the economy, and not stifle it. Pray that all government officials will know the Lord, and see their position as the ministry that the Lord has called them to. Pray that they will serve with wisdom, honesty and integrity, and will be faithful to the Lord above everything else. Pray for justice, including social justice.
6. PRAY FOR THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, AND MEDIA. Pray that the news will be fair, honest, relevant and objective. Pray that media will encourage and communicate godly values and behavior. Pray for Christian media to be faithful, led by the Spirit, and that the needs of the Christian media will be met. Pray it will be a vehicle to successfully evangelize and catechize, to form and inform. Pray that the arts and entertainment will be a vehicle for virtue, light, exhortation, and encouragement.
7. PRAY FOR FAMILIES. Pray that husbands and wives will love each other, be kind and faithful to each other, and lay down their lives unselfishly for each other and their children. Pray for a hedge of protection around marriages. Pray that married couples will be blessed with children, and accept children as both a great gift and great responsibility. Pray that they will give quality time to their children. Pray that they can raise their children knowing the Lord, with Judeo-Christian values and a strong work ethic. Pray for single parents and struggling parents that their needs will be met, and that they find peace, strength, guidance, support, and godly friends and godly fellowship.
8. PRAY FOR OUR SCHOOLS. May our schools be places of godly formation and education. May agendas of socialism, relativism and promiscuity be replaced with values and virtues that prepare young people to have a good life and build God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." May struggling Catholic schools find the finances and the students that they need in order to not only survive, but to thrive, be successful and make a strategic contribution/impact.
9. PRAY FOR BREAKING BONDAGE IN OUR STATE. This includes substance abuse (drug and alcohol), violence (including murder and abortion), crime, prejudice and hate, the occult, and children growing up in poverty. Pray for peace, freedom of religion, and racial reconciliation.
10. PRAY FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT. Pray that resources (water, gas, oil, coal, uranium, various minerals, even the wind and sun, etc.) be able to be properly, safely, and cleanly utilized. Pray that creation be recognized as a gift from the Creator, who charges us to be good stewards, not destroying this great gift, but nurturing it. Pray that our farmers and ranchers be able to survive and even thrive in favorable economic, environmental and governmental conditions. Pray for the right balance between environmental concerns and protection, and using well the land and resources and minerals that this state is blessed with.
11. PRAY FOR PEACE, HARMONY, AND RECONCILIATION among people with different religious, racial, ethnic, philosophical and national backgrounds, and political views and world views. Pray for world peace. Pray for protection of individuals, churches, cities and other institutions during times of civil unrest. Pray for restoration and maintenance of Law and Order.
12. PRAY FOR MORE PRAYER. Pray that we and others will realize the gravity of this time for individuals, the Church, and our state and nation.