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March 23, 2016We have arrived at Holy Week, the final period leading up to the events of Our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. At the same time, we have reached the end of our Building Prayer, on which we have been reflecting through Lent:Grant success to our endeavors,so that all we do may glorify your Name,and bear fruit in the salvation of souls.We ask this through Christ Our Lord.The prayer concludes by restating what it is we are fundamentally praying for in this and every other prayer: that we may accomplish God’s will for His glory and the salvation of souls. This is the mission of our parish community, and the reason for our building project. It is the mission that will inform every decision made in the building of our new church. But it is also the mission of our individual lives: the prayer is that “all we do” may have the effect of glorifying God and saving souls. This means that when we drive to work, cook a meal for our families, or spend time with friends, we are asking God’s help in doing all these things according to His divine will, which works for our ultimate salvation.The final sentence (“We ask this through Christ Our Lord”) is something you may remember from many other prayers offered by the Church. Why do we use this formula? Simply put, it is because our prayers are heard through the mediation of Christ; it is He who has restored our relationship with the Father through His perfect sacrifice, of which He is both Priest and Victim. And so it is that when we pray, we ultimately ask all things through Christ Our Lord, Who presents our prayers to the Father by virtue of His Eternal Priesthood. May Our Lord bless our building project, and all that we do!Pray the full text of the Building Prayer here.
