Prayers: April 19th, 2026

3rd Sunday of Easter/Te Rātapu Tuatoru o te Aranga

Prayers inspired by: Psalm 116:1-3,10-17; Acts 2:14a,36-41; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35, Pope Leo XIV, Prayer Vigil 11 April 2026.

An approach, an acknowledgment.

Hei whakatata, hei mihi.

E te Atua aroha
Loving God

Titiro atawhai mai
ki a rātou kua wehe atu ki te pō,
ki a mātou hoki, te hunga ora tonu

Look kindly upon our people,
who have passed into the night,
and upon we who live this day.

Bidding & response
“It is true! The Lord has risen!”
Areruia, areruia.

For the world

E te Atua
With our whanau in Christ around the world,
And with those who would know You;
We, in all our limitations,
Join in prayer with Your infinite possibility.
May our prayers make more possible
deeds of hope, in your name.
We pray for real peace
Deep, flowing, and lifegiving.
Grant us this peace in the hope of the Risen Son.

“It is true! The Lord has risen!”
Areruia, areruia.

For the Church

As realisation dawned -
of what we had done on that terrible Friday,
we cried out, “What then, shall we do?”
“Repent and be baptised”, came the answer.
Strengthen us, Your Church, in our turning to You,
In our love for one another,
And in our love for those different from us.
Strengthen Your servants far away
who face terror, fear, and deprivation.
We pray for all who have repented and turned their faces to You,
And those who would do so.
Bless our ministries,
however humble, however great.
Discomfort us Lord, in this country,
Help us to be in urgency and “reverent fear”,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he talked with us on the road
and opened the Scriptures to us?”

“It is true! The Lord has risen!”
Areruia, areruia.

Ihu
As we prepare
In this season,
For the Holy Spirit,
We pray for our communities,
our people in need;
Those in pain, those near death,
Those who want to learn and cannot,
those who cannot meet basic needs,
those who lack love,
and those who sense no light.

E te Karaiti, kia aroha mai.
Christ, have mercy.
Thank you for your hope.

“It is true! The Lord has risen!”
Areruia, areruia.