This is part of a suite of texts on the theme of food and the environment. The petition in square brackets referring to Holy Communion (“this holy meal”) should be omitted in non-eucharistic contexts.
God the Father,
have mercy on us.
God the Son,
have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
have mercy on us.
For children who go to bed hungry at night, and for parents who cannot find food for them,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For communities hungry because of flood, fire or drought, and for governments who struggle to provide for them,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For farmers sowing seed and raising livestock to feed the world, and for their care for the land that provides their livelihood,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For subsistence farmers vulnerable to climate changes, and for cash-croppers vulnerable to market variations,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For plant and animal breeders, soil scientists and catchment managers, and for the technologies that increase the food we produce,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who use pesticides and herbicides with care in agriculture, and for those who are committed to organic farming practices,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the wellbeing and ethical treatment of livestock,
and for those who raise, transport and slaughter animals for food,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For affluent communities facing the diseases of excess consumption, and for the poor facing malnutrition and deficiency diseases,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For soup kitchens, food banks and aid agencies,
and for the donors, volunteers and staff who help to feed the hungry,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For remote communities in this country,
where fresh food is expensive and in short supply,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For policy-makers and planners in land use and food production, and for community educators in diet and nutrition,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For cooks, chefs and food scientists,
and those who work in food service and hospitality,
Lord, hear our prayer.
Give us thankful hearts for your generous providence whenever we eat and drink and are satisfied.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Give us Christ’s spirit of hospitality
to share our tables with the lonely and the outcast.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Keep us from carelessness, wastefulness and greed when we shop for food, prepare it and eat it.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Gather us around the table of your love,
where you feed us with the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Give us grace to recognise the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
Lord, hear our prayer.
[Send us in the strength of this holy meal
to bear witness to your power and peace in a hungry world.
Lord, hear our prayer.]
Bring us, with all your saints, to the heavenly feast
where those who hunger and thirst for justice will be satisfied.
Lord, hear our prayer.
As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to pray:
Our Father in heaven…
© The Anglican Church of Australia
This text may be reproduced for use in worship in the Anglican Church of Australia