Pastoral Reflection: Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026
After the Scripture readings and the sermon, we come to a series of litanies, beginning with the Litany of Fervent Supplication. It's called “fervent” because our response, “Lord, have mercy,” is repeated three times after each petition.
The litanies are like the connective tissue of the Divine Liturgy. The shorter litanies, with only three responses, are segues, leading us from one set of hymns or prayers to the next. The longer litanies draw us into a more focused prayer of intercession. While the Great Litany prayed for “the peace of the whole world,” the Litany of Fervent Supplication brings before God those more directly connected to our daily lives: Church and civil leaders, our family and friends who are in need of prayer, the departed, and all those gathered for the Divine Liturgy.
When a group of friends lowered a paralyzed man through the roof into the house where Jesus was preaching, the Gospel tells us that, “seeing their faith,” the Lord healed him. Notice that it was the faith of the man’s friends that moved Jesus to act. God honors the fervent prayers of His people offered on behalf of others.
With love in Christ,
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