2012 Prayer Intentions - 7. For the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI

In the midst of my prayer life, it's easy for me to think small, to pray for direction in my life, or for consolation for friends in distress, or for the health and well-being of my family and friends, but I realized when meditating on my intentions for this year that I tend to overlook praying for the continued health, well-being, and perseverance in faith of our Holy Father the Pope.

I admit I'm not only frequently selfish, but also likely to slip into the error of thinking that our priests, religious, bishops, and Holy Father have a sort of "privileged access" to holiness that I do not have as a layman. I know this not to be the case, but it's easy for me to lose track of the truth on a daily basis.

In order to remedy that, my prayers on Saturdays of this year will be for the intentions of the Holy Father, for his continued health and bold proclamation of the Faith, and for his courageous witness to the Cross and Resurrection in a world grown cold and hostile to the message of Jesus' love and plan for man's salvation.