c) Some Prayers

 

the power of prayer (Try it with these prayers)

Some Prayers:

Last updated 1st February 2023

The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Our Father
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Glory Be
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the:
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can; and
Wisdom to know the difference.

The Serenity Prayer (longer version):
God, grant me the:
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can; and
Wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

— this version appears in the booklet “Acceptance: the way to serenity and peace of mind” by Vincent P. Collins

A Prayer to your Guardian Angel
O Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.

In Our Hearts
“May Our Lord be in our hearts, and our hearts in his.”
—Saint Vincent de Paul I:213 

Two Tips From St Teresa of Avila
“Just remain in his presence
with the intellect quiet.”

— St Teresa of Avila (as quoted on page 56 of “A Little Book of Teresa of Avila”, the Columba Press, Blackrock, County Dublin, 2003, compiled by Don Mullan)

“If you are able, you should occupy yourself in looking at Christ who is looking at you, and you should speak, and petition, and humble yourself, and delight in the Lord’s presence, and remember that you are unworthy of being there.”

— St Teresa of Avila (as quoted on page 55 of “A Little Book of Teresa of Avila”, the Columba Press, Blackrock, County Dublin, 2003, compiled by Don Mullan)

A Light-Hearted Prayer For The Day
Dear God, so far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, and I haven’t lost my temper. I haven’t been grumpy, nasty or selfish, and I’m really glad of that! But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Thank you! Amen.

— A light-hearted prayer on the Reflections page of the monthly Reality magazine, October 2013, Irish Redemptorists

Pope Francis’ Five Finger Prayer Guide:
1. The thumb is the closest finger to you. So start praying for those who are closest to you. They are the persons easiest to remember. To pray for our dear ones is a “sweet obligation.”

2. The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others. Always keep them in your prayers.

3. The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders, the governors and those who have authority. They need God’s guidance.

4. The fourth finger is the ring finger. Even that it may surprise you, it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick or those plagued by problems. They need your prayers.

5. And finally we have our smallest finger, the smallest of all. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. When you are done praying for the other four groups, you will be able to see your own needs but in the proper perspective, and also you will be able to pray for your own needs in a better way.

— As documented on Catholicvote.org (and sourced from there the 3rd November, 2013)

Pope Franciss Five Finger Prayer Guide in Italiano

The Pope’s Intentions
To see this month’s Intentions click here.

Prayer for Wisdom
“May the Apostle John grant us this grace to know what is happening in our hearts, and to have the wisdom to discern what is of God and what is not of God.”

— Pope Francis, Jan 7 2014, in one of his morning Mass sermons while talking about humility

The Angelus:

  • The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
  • Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
    our death. Amen.
  • Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
  • Hail Mary…
  • And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
  • Hail Mary…
  • Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

Excerpt from the Novena Prayer in honour of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal…
Bearer of Life, Mother of our Saviour,
give birth in our hearts to Jesus your Son,
who forgives our sins and brings healing to our lives….

Teach us by prayer and self-control,
the meaning of truth and the beauty of love,
that with minds that are healed and hearts that are pure,
we may come in the end to where you are
the Queen of Angels and of Saints. Amen.

“A Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi”
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

You Can…
“Dear Lord,
you can, I can’t,
please do, thank you.”

— “a very simple prayer offered by the alcoholic”, as given by Bishop Brendan Comiskey in an interview with ‘The Irish Catholic’, 8th November (2011 or 2012)

Asking For the Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
Any you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray,
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolation, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Act of Sorrow
O my God,
I thank you for loving me,
I am sorry for all
my sins,
For not loving others
And not loving you.
Help me to live like Jesus,
And not sin again.
Amen.

Act of Faith
“My Lord and My God” — the apostle Thomas (John 20:28)

Act of Faith
O my God,
I believe in you
And in all that your holy Church teaches
Because you have said it and your word is true.
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
You are my Lord and my God.
Lord, I believe; increase my faith.

— From the prayers in the Alive-O series of books for primary school children

An Act of Great Faith, in Song: “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet”

If you don’t already know this song, sung with such frailty yet strength by an unknown homeless man in London in 1971, do yourself a favour and listen to it. Singing it is a powerful prayer. On youtube you will find various versions of it, including a powerful shorter one with a contribution by Tom Waits and his gravel-like voice. The man was living rough near Waterloo station. Here are the words:

Jesus’ blood never failed me yet, never failed me yet, blood never failed me yet. There’s one thing I know, for he loves me so.

Prayer for dark moments
“Tonight, we are praying together, entrusting ourselves to the intercession of St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family, Guardian of all our families. Even the carpenter of Nazareth knew the precariousness and bitterness. Though he worried about the future, he knew how to walk the darkness of certain moments, always letting himself be guided by God’s will without reservation.” (Pope Francis, as published on Vatican News 19th March 2020, downloaded 13th May 2020)

Spiritual Communion (as commonly used for online Masses in 2020 during Covid 19)
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if you were already there, and I unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

O Sacrament most holy (often recited three times)
O Sacrament most holy,
O Sacrament divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving,
Be every moment thine.

Eucharist Prayer
God of creation, as we share in the bounty of your gifts today, we ask that you bless the food we are about to eat together and that you bless the time we spend with one another. May our gathering be a true communion and an opportunity to nourish our spirits as well as our bodies, as we look to find you in our companions and in ourselves. We give thanks for all those who had a hand in bringing this meal to our table today: for the farmers who grew the food and for the cooks who prepared it. We pray that we may be ever mindful of those who do not have enough to eat, and that just as you have blessed us with your generosity, we will seek to bless those less fortunate with ours. May we leave this table encouraged and enriched as we go forth to do your work. May the energy we derive from this food sustain us in our ministries. Grow in us the awareness that you are the giver of all that is good and foster in us a sense of gratitude for the many ways you have gifted us. We thank you and we bless you. Amen.

Recommended by the parish priest of Multyfarnham, County Westmeath, Ireland; it appeared on the back of the Multyfarnham parish newsletter on the Feast of Corpus Christi, 29th May 2016.

“Jesus, I Believe in You…”
Jesus, I believe in you, deepen my faith.
Jesus I trust in you, strengthen my trust.
Jesus, I love you, help me to love you more and more.
Amen.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee.

Prayer Before Meals
Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which from thy bounty we are about to receive, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer After Meals
We give thee thanks, Almighty God, for all thy benefits, who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

Grace Before Meals
Bless us, O Lord, as we sit together.
Bless the food we eat today.
Bless the hands that made the food.
Bless us, O Lord. Amen.

Grace After Meals
Thank you God, for the food we have eaten.
Thank you God, for all our friends.
Thank you God, for everything.
Thank you God. Amen.

A Morning Prayer for Children That Is Used in Irish Catholic Primary Schools
Father in heaven, you love me,
you’re with me night and day.
I want to love you always,
in all I do and say.
I’ll try to please you, Father,
bless me through the day.
Amen.

The ‘Heartbeat’ Prayer
I kiss the wounds in your sacred head,
with sorrow deep and true,
may every thought of mine this day
be an act of love for you.

I kiss the wounds in your sacred hands,
with sorrow deep and true,
may every touch of my hands this day
be an act of love for you.

I kiss the wounds in your sacred feet,
with sorrow deep and true,
may every step I take this day
be an act of love for you.

I kiss the wounds in your sacred side,
with sorrow deep and true,
may every beat of my heart this day
be an act of love for you.

— A prayer by Fr Ignatius Spencer, aka George Spencer, as given by a Passionist priest to Tony Castle while Tony was in a seminary; Tony included it in his article ‘Sharing Good Practice’ in the magazine ‘Spirituality’, published by Dominican Publications, Ireland, Volume 21 March–April 2015; Tony writes how a Father Willie Doyle, the Irish Jesuit Army chaplain of World War I, wrote: “I have a little system for counting my prayers; to represent it by figures, I’m up to 100,000 aspirations a day, with the result that Jesus has entered my life as he has never done before” and Tony speculates that “as, on average, the human heart beats about 100,000 times a day perhaps, using Fr Ignatius’ prayer, he was offering every heart beat as a prayer.”)

“Christ’s Prayer”
Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
and so no need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

— composed by Charles de Faucauld, the prayer of the ‘Jesus Caritas Fraternity of Priests’, (“a movement inspired by the life and writings of Blessed Charles de Faucauld, the French hermit”), as given by Tony Castle in his article ‘Sharing Good Practice’ in the magazine ‘Spirituality’, published by Dominican Publications, Ireland, Volume 21 March–April 2015. (Tony writes how “after using it for 45 years” he now sees “as Christ’s prayer. It would fit perfectly into the Garden of Gethsemane scene”)

Prayer for Generosity (attributed to St Ignatius, but highly unlikely to be his)
Lord, teach me to be generous,
to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to look for any reward,
save that of knowing that I do your holy will.

A Prayer for the Child in the Womb
Lord Jesus, you are the source and lover of life.
Reawaken in us respect for every human life.
Help us to see in each child the marvellous
work of our Creator.
Open our hearts to welcome every child as a
unique and wonderful gift… (more…)

— (I’m unsure who wrote/crafted this prayer. It was/is in fairly common circulation in Ireland since late 2012 and a “dedicated Choose Life Month of Prayer”)

A Daily Prayer
(for adults or children; can be used as a morning prayer, a daytime prayer, an evening prayer, a class prayer)
(Maybe just choose parts of it to use; create your own Daily Prayer)

My friend Jesus,
(or “Our friend Jesus” or “Good morning, Jesus” or “Hi, Jesus”—or begin your own way)

It’s great to be alive.

Help me remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look to the future with confidence.

To start each day, help me remember to pray. To end each day, help me remember to say, “thanks.”

Today, help me replace my bad habits with good ones.
Today, help me put you at the centre of my life.
Today, help me choose you and your compassion as the Way: Guide me, as…
I welcome you into my body, mind, and spirit.

To take care of my body, help me get and stay fit and healthy.
To take care of my mind, help me aim for what is good and learn how to learn.
To take care of my spirit, help me learn about you more and listen to you more.

To take care of the Earth, help me reduce, re-use, recycle.
To take of other animals on Earth, help me cherish and respect their spirits.
To take care of other people on Earth, help me see with your eyes, listen with your ears, speak with your words, laugh with your laugh, and love with your heart.

When others need me, help me do what is right and not get in the way of your work.
When others hurt me, help me respond with love and forgive them.
When I need others, help me ask for help.
When I hurt others, forgive me.

To fight the temptations of the Devil, help me put your will before my will.
In all I do, help me give and receive Love.

A Night-Time Prayer for Children That Is Used in Irish Catholic Primary Schools
God our Father, I come to say, thank you for your love today.
Thank you for my family and all the friends you give to me.
Guard me in the dark of night, and in the morning send your light.
Amen.

A Daily Prayer to the Holy Spirit (May my heart be open…)
Holy Spirit may my heart be open to the Word of God,
may my heart be open to good,
may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day.

(Pope Francis… “Let’s ask ourselves: are we open to the Holy Spirit? Do I pray to him to enlighten me, to make me more sensitive to the things of God? And this is a prayer we need to pray every day, every day: Holy Spirit may my heart be open to the Word of God, may my heart be open to good, may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day. But I would like to ask a question to all of you: How many of you pray every day to the Holy Spirit? Eh, a few of you I bet, eh! Well, a few, few, a few, but we realise this wish of Jesus, pray every day for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to Jesus.”)

A Prayer of Saint Augustine (Spirit of God)
Breathe in me, Spirit of God, that I may think what is holy.
Drive me, Spirit of God, that I may do what is holy.
Draw me, Spirit of God, that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, Spirit of God, that I may preserve what is holy.
Guard me, Spirit of God, that I may never lose what is holy.

(as quoted in ‘A Faith for Life’ by Fr George Wadding, C.Ss.R., 2008, Redemptorist Communications, p.24)

Divine Praises…
Blessed be God.
Blessed be his holy name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be his most sacred heart.
Blessed be his most precious blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy sacrament of the altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and immaculate conception.
Blessed be her glorious assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, virgin and mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God, in his angels and in his saints.

May He Support Us
“May He support us all the day long, till the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done! Then in His mercy, may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last!”

— Cardinal Newman, as quoted in the April 2010 ‘Reality’ magazine page 21 in Joe Armstrong’s column ‘The key to serenity’.

Here is my body… Here is my heart… 
“Lord, Lord… My eyes, my hands, my mouth are yours.
This sad lady in front of me: here is my mouth for you to smile at her.
This child so pale he’s almost gray: here are my eyes for you to gaze at him.
This man so tired, so weary: here is my body so that you may give him my seat, here is my voice so that you may say softly to him, “Please sit down.”
This smug young man, so dull, so hard: here is my heart, that you may love him, more strongly than he has ever been loved before.”

— Madeleine Delbrêl (made ‘Venerable’ 26th January 2018), in her book ‘We, the Ordinary People of the Streets’, as stated in this article on her life in the Jesuit’s magazine ‘America’ 

Enlighten the darkness of my heart
Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart. Give me a right faith, a sure hope and a perfect charity. Grant me wisdom and knowledge that I may keep your holy and true commandment. Amen.

(Prayer of St Francis–he of Italy of the Middle Ages–before the Crucifix)(as seen on wall Adam and Eve Church, Dublin, Ireland, Sept 3rd 2017). Another translation is on the Fransicans.org.uk website, as downloaded 5th September 2017. They explain that Francis prayed this prayer before the crucifix in the little church of San Damiano in 1205/6, in the early days of his conversion.

Most High, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out Your holy and true command.

Examination of Conscience
Come Holy Spirit, enlighten my mind that I may know the sins I have committed and strengthen my will that I may be able to change my life and live according to your Holy Will.

“The Prayer of St. Catherine Labouré”
(as on the Miraculous Medal webpage, downloaded 26th May 2021)

“Whenever I go to the chapel,
I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to Him,
“Lord I am here. Tell me what You would have me to do.”
If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank Him.
If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him, since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that.
And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart.
I tell Him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen.
If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen.
God always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply.”

The Text of the Novena said in Ireland in honour of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (the Novena has been going on weekly since the 19th century; this particular set of words is since at least 2010)

O Immaculate Virgin Mary,
Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
With confidence we come
To implore your unfailing help.
Bearer of Life,
Mother of our Saviour,
Give birth in our hearts
To Jesus your Son,
Who forgives our sines
And brings healing to our lives.
Mother of the Church on earth,
Hear the cry of the lowly and the poor
Who hunger for Jesus, the Bread of Life,
And in your loving wisdom
Make our prayers your own.
(Pause to make your needs known to our Immaculate Mother.)
Virgin gentle in mercy,
Queen of the universe,
Cover us with the veil of your protection
And deliver us from the darkness of evil.
Teach us by prayer and self-control
The meaning of truth and the beauty of love,
That with minds that are healed
And hearts that are pure
We may come in the end to where you are
The Queen of Angels and of Saints. Amen.

More…

 

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