Universal Prayers for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
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March 9, 2026
Sunday and Feast Day Universal Prayers
Suggestions for Leading Worship
Office of Worship
P.O. Box 2028
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-2028
Phone: (225) 242-0120
E-Mail: [email protected]
SAMPLE UNIVERSAL PRAYERS
The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A
March 21-22, 2026
Priest: With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. Let us call out to the Lord for his merciful response to our needs.
Deacon (or other reader if there is no deacon):
- May the Church be attentive to the Lord’s voice when he calls us out of our complacency to opportunities for growth, we pray to the Lord...
- May the nations of the world care for creation in ways that allow for the healing and regeneration of forests, waterways, and animal populations, we pray to the Lord...
- May the elect be awakened to the joys of life with Christ as they prepare to receive him sacramentally on Easter, we pray to the Lord…
- May the sick and disabled put their faith in the Lord’s power to save them from their afflictions, even when it seems as if he delays in coming, we pray to the Lord...
- May the Lord open the graves of those who have died and raise them to new life of glory in heaven, we pray to the Lord…
- For all who have died, especially [add deceased names or “parishioners of” (add your parish name)], and the intentions of this mass [add mass intentions], may they witness the Great Light, Jesus Christ, in his eternal glory, we pray to the Lord...
- In silence, we pray for own needs and the needs of others, confident in the promise of the kingdom… [pause; the presider alone concludes…]
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you called forth your friend Lasarus from the sleep of death and raised him to live again. Call us forth from our tombs of isolation and despair, from lethargy and fear, and breathe in us anew the spirit of life to animate us for your service and awaken us to joy in your presence. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
LITURGY NEWS AND NOTES:
The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A
March 21-22, 2026
- A sample Penitential Invocation could be:
Lord Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of God; Lord have mercy…
Christ Jesus, you are the fullness of redemption; Christ have mercy…
Lord Jesus, you are the resurrection and the life; Lord have mercy…
- The prayer texts are from the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
- Consider using the Apostles’ Creed throughout Lent and Easter.
- Use the same seasonal form of the PA you have been using throughout Lent.
- A Lenten collect may be used or adapted to conclude the UP.
- The preface that goes with the Year A readings is found among the pages in the missal for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (“Lazarus”).
- Consider using EPR-I and concluding Mass with the proper POP.
- If the scrutiny occurs, the proper prayers should be used; these Mass formularies are found in the “Ritual Masses” section of the RM, under section I – For the Conferral of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation, #2: For the Celebration of the Scrutinies, C: For the Third Scrutiny. For the actual ritual of the scrutiny itself, consult OCIA, 171-177. The scrutiny takes place after the homily.