Dear friends!
You are invited to Join me in Prayer.
Prayer is the raising up of our minds and heart to God and more things are wrought by Prayer than man dreams of!
How would I know?
If God was asking something of me, would I notice if there was some change in my life that God was asking me to make, how would I know?
Wanting to hear is the first condition There may be some areas of my life that I want to keep as no-go areas for God, issues where I just don't want to hear that there is need for change. I may feel discomfort when an area or issue like this comes up in conversation, and especially during my prayer, I may be itching to move on.
If I notice that feeling, it could be that I need to pray for the grace of freedom and openness to God's will for me.
Presence
Dear Lord as I come to you today
Fill my heart and my whole being
with the wonder of your presence.
Freedom
Lord, too often I think I am the one in control of my life.
Help me to see that I am powerless over so much.
I ask for the grace to be able to hand over my life to you
And experience the joy of that freedom.
Consciousness
I am surrounded by your loving presence, Lord,
But I am aware of my fragility and weakness.
Thank you that I can face my shortcomings
In your merciful embrace.
Conversation
“Stay and watch with me.”
Your words, Lord, to the disciples
before your suffering and death.
I know, Lord, You will stay and watch over me
all the days of my life.
Conclusion
I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for
any insights I may have been given concerning today's reading.
We are all
task-oriented people and very few of us can spare the time needed in becoming
aware of God’s presence, stilling our busy minds and opening ourselves to a
will other than our own. We might not be able to spare half an hour to sit and
pray but a few minutes on the preparatory stages (the presence of God and
praying for Freedom)
,
can make a big difference.
It is this preparation, this “disposing ourselves” to God,
that makes the rest of the prayer real and
effective.
To do this we need to
concentrate on the presence of God.
The Presence of God
I dwell for
a moment in the presence of God around me, in every part of my body, and deep
within my being. I remind myself that
there are things God has to teach me yet, and ask for the grace to hear them
and let them change me.
I think
seriously on where I am with God, and with others, and if there is something I
need to be grateful for, I give thanks.
I need to take people as I find them, giving them the benefit of the
doubt, even when the facts are not apparent.
Being aware of the devious ways that are used by some and not being
tempted to use them myself.
Praying before work and praying at our work.
The day should open with the morning offering of all our thoughts, words and actions to Jesus through Mary. This offering must be the guiding idea of the whole day. We do not need to repeat the words many times, but the thought of it must lie in the heart, and govern our daily life in such a way the we feel ourselves to be working for God and not for the world.
Praying At Work
We see that work and duty are holy things when the idea of God is in them. We must bring God closer to our work than by the mere offering of it in the morning. We must keep Him at our side by frequent thought of Him.
In order never to be distracted we can imagine those we serve to be Our Blessed Lord and His mother and the Apostles. While the distraction of our poor minds never cease with our occupations, we can confidently seek to return to
Him by prayer in our free moments.
In our endeavour to pray frequently we should not rely on vague resolutions but ensure we use regular calls to a word or thought of prayer, by using the Angelus, grace at meals, or any other time, which can be determined by our occupation. These frequent calls to prayer will then lead us to a natural lifting of the mind to God.
While we try to progress in acquiring the spirit of Prayer those things which are a hindrance must go. Not until there is quiet within us, can we attempt to build up a real spiritual life.
Immaculate Conception Of The Virgin Mary
O God, who by the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
didst prepare a
worthy dwelling place for thy Son,
we beseech thee
that, as by the foreseen death of this,
thy Son, thou didst
preserve her from all stain,
so too thou wouldst
permit us,
purified through
her intercession, to come unto thee.
Through the same
Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son,
who livest and
reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
God, world without
end.
Amen.
Novena to
St. Michael the Archangel
Saint Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His Catholic
people, I turn to thee with confidence and seek thy powerful intercession.
For the love of God, Who hast made thee so glorious in grace and power,
and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to
hear my prayer.
Thou knowest the value of my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of
evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts
me.
I desire to imitate thy loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and thy
great love for God and men. And since thou art God’s messenger for the care of
His people, I entrust to thee this special request:
(Here mention your
request)
Saint Michael, since thou art, by the will of the Creator, the powerful
intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in thy prayers. I earnestly
trust that if it is God’s holy will, my petition will be granted.
Pray for me, Saint Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all
dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs.
Through thy powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy
death and reach Heaven where we may praise and love God with thee forever.
Amen
We consecrate to You,
O Jesus of Love
All the trials, joys
and sufferings of our family life
And we beseech You to
pour out Your blessings
On all the members,
Absent and present,
living and dead
And when one after
another
We shall have gone
into eternity, O Jesus
May we find again our
family
United in Your Sacred
Heart. Amen
Prayer Of Mother Teresa
Dear Jesus
Help me to spread Thy
fragrance everywhere I go
Flood my soul with
thy spirit and love.
Penetrate and possess
my whole being so utterly
That all my life may
only be a radiance of Thine.
Shine through me and
be so in me that every soul
I come in contact
with may feel Thy presence
In my soul.
Let them look up and
see no longer me
but only Jesus.
Stay with me and then
I shall begin to shine as you shine,
so to shine as to be a light to others.
Written by Mother
Teresa
Workers
Prayer of St. Arnold
O
Lord, I have a busy world around me!
Eye
Ear and Thought will be needed for my work
Done
amidst that busy world.
Now,
ere I enter upon it, I would commit
Eye,
ear, thought and wish to Thee.
Do
Thou bless them and keep their work Thine,
That
as through thy natural laws,
My
heart beats, and my blood flows
Without
any thought for them; so my
Spiritual
life may hold on its course, at
Those
times when my mind cannot consciously
Turn
to thee, to commit each particular
Thought
to thy service. Hear my prayer
For
my dear redeemer’s sake. Amen
Prayer for the Spirit of Mary
Recite the
Prayer for the Spirit of Mary.
My powerful Queen, you are all mine
through your mercy, and I am all yours. Take away from me all that may
displease God and cultivate in me all that is pleasing to him.
May the light of your faith dispel the
darkness of my mind, your deep humility take the place of my pride, your
continual sight of God fill my memory with his presence. May the fire of the
charity of your heart inflame the luke warmness of my own heart. May your
virtues take the place of my sins. May your merits be my enrichment and make up
for all that is wanting in me before God.
St. Louis de Montfort
Prayer for
Guidance
Recite the
Prayer for Guidance.
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am
going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it
will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following
Your Will does not mean I am actually doing so.
But I believe the desire to please You
does in fact please You. And I hope that I have that desire in all I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if
I do this, You will lead me by the right road.
Though I may seem to be lost and in the
shadow of death I will not fear for You are ever with me. And You will never
leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.
Something
to think and pray about this week
Why
do the wicked prosper? The psalmist
complained to God about it, and the question still haunts us. It haunted Jesus, “My God, why have you
forsaken me?”
Before
his Passion when he looked down on Jerusalem, his religious capital, he had the
same sickness of heart, “why did you not use your opportunities while you had
them?” He foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and knew he could
do nothing to stop it. If Jesus felt
impotent in face of evil, so do we. Such
impotence is part of the human condition.
It means being passive, unable to act. It is the central suffering of
the Passion, whether the passion of Jesus or of any of us. It can lead to a
particular sort of prayer. King David in
the psalms is constantly crying to God, in a mood that blends anger and frustration
with childlike trust.
Why, O God, have you cast us off for ever? How
long O God, is the enemy to scoff? Is the foe to insult your name forever? Why, O Lord, do you hold back your hand? Why
do you keep your right hand hidden?
Prayer
is the raising up of our mind and heart to God, and if it is a heart heavy with
anger, impotence or anguish, that too can find expression.
Prayer
to the Sacred Heart
Sacred
Heart of Jesus
I’ve
asked you for many favours
But
I plead this one. Take it and place
It
in your open broken heart,
When
your heavenly Father looks upon it
He
will not refuse it (make your request)
Sacred
heart of Jesus I place my trust in You.
Prayer
in Preparation
Lord,
I so wish to prepare well for this time
I so
want to make all of me ready and
Attentive
and available to you.
Please
help me to clarify and purify my intentions.
I
have so many contradictory desires. I
get
preoccupied
with things that don’t really matter or last.
I
know that if I give you my heart,
whatever
I do will follow my new heart.
In
all that I am today, all that I try to do,
All
my encounters, reflections –
even
the frustrations and failings
and
especially in this time of prayer, in all of this
may
I place my life in your hands.
Lord,
I am yours. Make of me what you will. Amen.
Dear
Lord, help me to live this day Quietly, Easily
To
Lean upon Thy great strength, Trustfully, Restfully;
To
wait for the unfolding of Thy will
Patiently,
Serenely,
To
meet others Peacefully, Joyously
To
face tomorrow Confidently, Courageously
AFTER
CoMMUNION
Stay with me Lord, for without Thy Presence
I forget Thee; Thou knowest how easily I
abandon Thee.
Stay with me Lord, for without Thy
Strength I fall;
Thou knowest how weak I am.
Stay with me Lord for without Thee my
fervour fails;
Thou art my life.
Stay with me Lord, for without Thee I am
in darkness;
Thou art my light.
Stay with me Lord and show me Thy Will,
Stay with me Lord and let me hear Thy
voice,
Stay with me Lord that I may follow Thee,
Stay with me Lord that I may love Thee
more,
Stay with me Lord that I may stay with
Thee.
If Thou would have me to be faithful,
stay with me Lord.
Stay with me Jesus, for, though my soul is
poor,
it desires to be an abode of love for Thee,
a place of consolation.
Stay with me Lord, for it is getting late;
the day is ending, life is passing, death,
judgement,
eternity are coming soon.
Now I must muster all my forces
So that I do not faint on the road.
I have great need for Thee on this
Journey.
It is getting late and death is
Approaching—Darkness, temptations,
Dryness, crosses and troubles beset me –
and, Oh, how much I need thee,
My good Jesus, in this night of exile.
Stay with me Jesus because this night of
life is so full
of dangers and I have such need of Thee.
Grant that, like Thy disciples, I may
recognise
Thee in the breaking of bread.
Grant that the Eucharistic union may be
the
light which casts out the darkness,
the force to sustain me
and the one means to sanctify my soul.
Stay with me Lord because, when death
arrives,
if I cannot be really with Thee in Holy
Communion,
Then I shall wish to remain united with thee
at least through grace and love.
Stay with me Jesus, I do not ask Thee
for divine consolation because I deserve
it
but I beg of thee with all my strength for
the gift of Thy most Holy Presence.
Stay with me Lord —Thee alone I seek:
Thy Love, Thy Grace, Thy Will, Thy heart,
Thy Spirit—for I love Thee. Thee alone I love;
Let me seek no other reward but
the increase of that love,
that my love May be real and firm and
practical.
I ask no more than to love Thee with all
my heart
on earth and to follow Thee
with all-perfected love for all eternity.
Prayer To St Michael
Of All Saints
O Glorious St Michael of all Saints,
you now enjoy your reward with God in Heaven.
Be pleased to assist all those who suffer
From Cancer, since they have been entrusted to
Your powerful intercession.
Obtain for them the strength to endure their
Sufferings with patience and courage.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayer for Those With
An Incurable Disease
Father, we pray for those who suffer from an
Illness for which there is no known cure.
Give them courage when they are afraid.
Give them hope when they are dejected.
Give them confidence
in your love.
Help those working to discover the
Causes of incurable diseases.
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen
Prayer For All The Sick
Father, your Son accepted our sufferings
To teach us the virtue of patience in
Human illness.
Hear the prayers we offer for our sick
Brothers and sisters.
May all who suffer pain, illness or disease
Realise they are chosen to be saints.
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen
Prayer For The
Bereaved
Lord Jesus Christ, you said:
‘Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.’
Father, we trust in your love, and
Call on you to be with those who are
Experiencing pain, depression or loneliness
Because the one they love has died.
Let their minds and hearts be opened
To the touch of your healing strength.
We make this prayer through Christ
Our lord. Amen.
The True
Friend
I need Thee,
Heart of Jesus
I need a
friend like Thee
A friend to
soothe and pity
A friend to
care for me.
Sweet Jesus
keep me near Thee
Close by Thee
all the day;
Permit me
not, even though I would,
From thy
loved sight to stray.
Uphold me
with thy gentle hand
My tottering
footsteps guide
And though I
fall ten thousand times,
I fear not,
but confide.
And Thou wilt
teach me, wilt Thou not,
Each duty to
fulfill
And it shall
be my sole delight
To do Thy
gracious will.
And one request alone I ask
This
recompense implore
By every
thought, word, act, desire,
To love Thee
more and more.