This prayer by Diana Macalintal was originally published in Give Us This Day, April, 2014. Although the canonization of these two popes will take place on April 27, 2014, the Second Sunday of Easter (or Divine Mercy Sunday), the prayers for Mass on that day should remain the prayers assigned for the Second Sunday of Easter. However, the prayer below might be used at the conclusion of the homily or as the concluding prayer to the Universal Prayer (general intercessions) at Masses that weekend or as a prayer used at home or in other gatherings.
We praise you and we bless you, good and gracious God,
for giving us Saints John XXIII and John Paul II
to be our brothers on the path of holiness
and examples of hope and light for the world.
Let their courage embolden us,
their missionary zeal for the Gospel inspire us,
and their contagious joy be ours
as we continue their work of preaching the good news
to a world in need of your divine mercy and love.
Saint John XXIII, pray for us!
Saint John Paul II, pray for us!
Blessed be God, for ever!
Parishes and communities in the Diocese of San Jose have permission to use, reprint, and distribute this prayer for their communities. When reprinting, please include the following credit:
Copyright © 2014, Diana Macalintal, “On the Canonization of Saints John XXIII and John Paul II,” from the April 2014 issue of Give Us This Day, www.giveusthisday.org (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2014). Used with permission.