Almighty and loving God, by the grace of Christ your Son we have been baptized and made members of the Church. This grace has enabled us to participate in your inner life of love, consecrated us to be your adopted children, and empowered us to call you Our Father as Jesus taught us.
Therefore, Lord and Father of us all, this is for us what it means to be human, Christian and Catholic — a mandate to follow and a task to do. Hence we are happy, grateful, and hopeful.
Because of this hope, Lord, we consider the forthcoming local and national elections as a new opportunity to follow your mandate and to do the task of loving all our brothers and sisters, even those who are not Christians and Catholics. For, in some way, they are also your children.
But, Lord, the same electoral process also presents threats and dangers to this mandated love and God-given task. Already, Lord, hundreds of our brothers and sisters, non-Christians and non-Catholics, have suffered and died because this love has been distorted and disfigured by hatred and greed for riches and lust for power and popularity.
For this reason, Heavenly Father, we come to you again for help. In humility and on bended knees we ask you to bless us and awaken in us that baptismal grace and power to love and serve others humbly and sincerely without counting the cost and for the common good. This, and only this, should be our motive for participating as citizens and Christians in the coming electoral process.
We ask this grace, Lord, for all of us who are government officials, COMELEC commissioners and subordinates, military and police personnel, political party candidates and supporters, registered voters, accredited citizens arms of COMELEC, and all Filipinos.
Lord, with your grace we ask you to instill in us a renewed faith in our humanity and national identity as Filipinos. But especially, Lord, renew the baptismal grace that does justice and the faith that creates unity in diversity -- for, we all belong to different social groups and political parties or are independents. Our Christian faith and the common welfare of all Filipinos regardless of religion should be the dominant bond that must bind us and motivate us in the forthcoming elections. Otherwise, motivated by self-serving interests we would be mocking our dignity as human beings and believers, we would be putting into ridicule our identity as Christians and Catholics, and we would be destroying our God-given birthright as your adopted children.
Finally, Merciful Father and Lord, we beg you to forgive our past and present (uncharitable) behavior towards one another. Give us the grace and humility to forgive others. Give us the courage to make amends for our sins, to indemnify what we have willfully damaged, and to return what we have illegally taken. We know that our sins and crimes, however many and horrible they are, cannot surpass your infinite mercy and endless forgiveness. Your grace can enable us to change, to begin again because of the goodness you have planted in us which does not and cannot disappear with our sinful behavior. This is our hope and prayer, Lord.
We ask all these though your loving mercy and love in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother and our Mother, you who with Christ and the Holy Spirit are one God forever and ever.
Amen.
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