Prayers for different occasions
PRAYER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE JUBILEE OF MERCY
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.
FOR HEALING OF THE SICK
God, I know You have the power to restore us to good health. I ask You to work such a miracle now. You already know the details of the situation over which I pray. I await Your healing with much hope. At the same time, however, I pray for the faith and trust to accept Your will in this situation. If You choose not to heal this physical affliction, help me to remain faithful to You, even as I question Your actions and do not understand them. Enable me to trust Your judgement in this and in all things. Do not allow the sickness of the body to weaken my spirit. It is the health of our spirit, Lord, which is most important. Amen.
FOR A LOVED ONE WITH CANCER
Jesus, come and lay Your healing hands upon (name), who is suffering with cancer. I ask also, Jesus, that You shower Your compassion on all of us who love him/her.
We share with (name) much anger, fear, frustration, and worry. This cancer that has invaded our lives has the power to damage, even destroy, our relationships.
Inspired by Your love, however, we can use this situation to strengthen the bonds among us. Give us the strength to be compassionate and loving with one another. Enable us to walk together hand-in-hand with (name), supporting each other as we do battle with this disease and the suffering it brings not only to the afflicted but to all who love him/her. Amen.
FOR RELIEF FROM DEPRESSION
I don’t know what to do, Jesus, and so I come to You. I am so unhappy that I feel a dark cloud overshadows everything I do. Life has lost much of its meaning for me. I go through each day feeling that I want to escape to someplace better. But there is no place to which I can run because the depression is inside me and I carry it with me.
What am I do, Jesus? I feel alone and helpless. Please heal me of this depression. Lift it from my shoulders. Free my spirit from its grasp. Give me hope in a tomorrow filled with joy and energy and love for others.
Take my hand, Jesus, and lead me in the direction I must go to restore my mental health. Amen.
FOR COUPLES IN TROUBLED MARRIAGES
I seek Your help. God, for couples living in troubled marriages. Give them the strength and the courage to weather this storm and restore their union.
Help each to see the others point of view. Help them to forgive one another and to compromise if it is for their good. Rekindle the love that sparked their desire to marry. Let them find joy and support in one another. Show them how to use troubled times to strengthen their relationship, not destroy it.
Give each of them the ability to reach out to others, including professionals when necessary, to help them through this difficult period. Give them hope for a better future together. Let love reign above all else. Amen.
FOR A PEACEFUL DEATH
Jesus, I believe in Your promise — but the thought of dying frightens me. This life on earth is all I know and I cling to it. I cannot begin to imagine what eternal life with You will be like. It is the unknown I fear.
I do not know if death will come to me quickly, even in a flash, or if it will come creeping slowly.
Whichever it will be, Jesus be with me as I walk toward the transition from this life to the next. At the moment of my death, bring me peace through faith and hope in You. Take my hand and ease my fears. Walk with me into eternal life. Amen.
FOR THOSE WITH AN ADDICTION
Jesus, people with addictions are on my mind today. How painful it must be to have an alcohol, drug, gambling, or other addiction. How frightening it must be for someone to crave something that can destroy them and yet be able to control that behaviour.
People who suffer addictions not only harm themselves but also take its toll on society. I pray that people with addictions will hear Your voice calling them — and respond. I pray that they will confide in those You send to help them and that they will seek treatment for their addictions.
Be with them, Jesus, and give them strength to take the first difficult step that leads to recovery. Through You, Jesus, they can be healed and can find renewed hope. Amen.
FOR UNEMPLOYED AND UNDERPAID WORKERS
God, help us as a society to come to the aid of those who are unemployed and those who don’t earn enough to support themselves and their families adequately.
Guide them in their search for steady employment at a just wage. When they grow weary, refresh them and give them stamina. When they grow disillusioned or depressed, give them hope.
They are Your children and my brothers and sisters. They have a right to more than a mere subsistence existence. Please provide them with the material means to obtain adequate shelter, food, clothing, health care, and transportation. Nourish their bodies as You nourish their souls. Enable them to enjoy the bounty of this world, all of which comes from You. Amen
FOR THOSE WITH AIDS
God, make Your presence known to all those with AIDS. Millions of people, including many children, suffer with this dreadful disease. Help them to recognise Your love through those who care for them and who work to ease their misery.
Give them hope, Lord, through medicine that can ease their pain and even cause the disease to go into remission.
Guide researchers in their search for better treatment and a way to cure and prevent AIDS.
Help us all, God, to reach out to the victims of AIDS with love and compassion. Do not let us judge them or turn our back on them. They are our brothers and sisters. May they have the opportunity to live a full life of service to You on earth and to share the joy of eternity with You. Amen.
PRAYER AT A TIME OF EMOTIONAL PAIN
Dear Lord,
In the midst of this terrible place…..
In the midst of all this suffering…..
I have decided…..
I have decided to never abandon my love for you.
I have decided to trust you, even when I hurt.
So…..
I’m here, Lord, waiting on you.
I’m waiting for comfort.
I’m waiting for refreshment.
I’m waiting for guidance and direction.
I’m waiting for you, Lord, to rescue me.
Amen
PRAYER AT THE START OF THE DAY
Creator of the Morning, The new rays of morning light remind me of the streams of love that you are sending toward me today. I will meditate on the many facets of your love that sparkle more beautifully than the most brilliant diamond. I will meditate on your compassion, your mercy, your forgiveness, and your faithfulness; they are all reflected in the beauty of your love.
I look out my window and observe the beauty of the trees that reach their limbs up to you in praise. Lord, I lift up my heart, and I lift up my hands to you in praise. You are worthy of my praise.
Amen
LITANY: TO JESUS WITH ST. EUGENE DE MAZENOD
Response: St. Eugene de Mazenod, lead us to Jesus through the trials of life.
1.You who were rich and content at birth but afflicted by poverty and suffering very early in life. R/
2.You were in exile for the safety of life in face of the terrors of the French Revolution. R/
3.You lost everything in exile but were miraculously sustained by God’s providence. R/
4.When your parents were separated, you lost the warmth and love of your mother at a tender age but you were blessed with the loving presence of our Heavenly Mother. R/
5.Having failed in all your attempts to reconcile your parents, you experienced utter helplessness. R/
6.You were lonely and had no hope of a bright future in the prime of your youth and thus you experienced the depression of the idle youth. R/
7.When you returned to your motherland at the age of twenty you were showered with all the pleasures of worldly life and you were quick to discern their vanity. R/
8.You encountered the crucified Christ on a Good Friday and were awakened to the immeasurable love of the Saviour. R/
9. In your passionate love for the poor you founded the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. R/
10.You instructed the members of your Congregation before your death to show each other charity and to work with zeal for the salvation of people. R/
11.You were proclaimed a saint of the Church for the welfare of those in difficulties. R/
12.You mediate before our heavenly Father on behalf of the families that undergo trials and difficulties and you are quick to come to their aid. R/
Let us pray.
Almighty and loving God, you led St. Eugene de Mazenod through the sufferings and challenges of a dysfunctional family to a life of holiness. Through his constant intercession bless the children and the youth of broken families. Strengthen spouses to strive for unity. Grant them the gifts of understanding, patience, love and courage to overcome the problems of life.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
PRAYER TO OUR BLESSED LADY OF LOURDES.
Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes,
I call upon you this day
to be my special friend here on earth,
today and all the days of my life.
I ask you to be my special protectress
and I place all my thoughts,
words and deeds in your hands.
I ask you to be my guide and guardian
so I may please Jesus in all things.
MARIAN PRAYER OF MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
Give us a heart as beautiful, pure,
and spotless as yours.
A heart like yours,
so full of love and humility.
May we be able to receive Jesus
as the Bread of Life,
to love Him as you loved Him,
to serve Him under the mistreated face of the poor.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF GOD – Pope Benedict XVI
Mary, Virgin and Mother,
shows us what love is and whence it draws its origin
and its constantly renewed power.
To her we entrust the Church and her mission in the service of love:
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you have given the world its true light,
Jesus, your Son – the Son of God.
You abandoned yourself completely
to God’s call and this became a wellspring
of the goodness which flows forth from him.
Show us Jesus. Lead us to him.
Teach us to know and love him,
so that we too can become capable of true love
and be fountains of living water
in the midst of a thirsting world.
