Prayer
Prayers to the Holy Spirit
Breathe into me, Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Move in me, Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Attract my heart, Holy Spirit,
that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may defend all that is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may always be holy.
Spirit of God, descend on me this day.
Grant me the Spirit of joy, to lift me,
the Spirit of hope to inspire me,
the Spirit of love to surround me and
the Spirit of truth to enlighten my path.
Holy Spirit, I pray for a new outpouring of your grace,
so that I may grow in worship of your name
in love of you in my prayer
and in my actions towards others.
Come Holy Spirit into my life to guide me.
Strengthen and defend me,
so that I may be drawn ever closer to you.
Help me this day and always
to be a channel of grace in all I say and do
and invite others into relationship with you. Amen
Seeking the Lord
Lord, where shall I find you?
High and hidden is your place.
And where shall I not find you?
The world is full of your glory.
I have sought your nearness,
With all my heart I called you
and in going out to meet you
I found you coming in to meet me.
(Judah Halebi)
Psalm 15
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.’
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
Prayers of St Augustine
Eternal God, who are the light of the minds that know you,
the joy of the hearts that love you,
and the strength of the wills that serve you;
grant us so to know you, that we may truly love you,
and so to love you that we may fully serve you,
whom to serve is perfect freedom, in Jesus Christ our Lord
Prayer of St Patrick (St Patrick's Breastplate)
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.
An Act of Contrition inspired by Psalm 51
Lord God, in your goodness have mercy on me: do not look on my sins, but take away all my guilt. Create in me a clean heart and renew within me an upright spirit.
Traditional Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins because they have crucified my loving saviour, Jesus Christ, because they have offended your infinite goodness and love. I firmly resolve, by the help of your grace, never to offend you again and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Thomas Merton
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 that I am
actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that 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 know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust You always 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.
St Thérése of Lisieux
O my God! I ask you for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfil perfectly your holy will, to accept for love of you the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all eternity. Amen.
Isaiah 54
The mountains may depart,
the hills be shaken,
but my love for you will never leave you
and my covenant of peace with you will never be broken,
says the Lord who takes pity on you.
The Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my saviour.
Because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
From this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm:
he has routed the proud of heart,
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
the rich he has sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
according to the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Prayer of St John Henry Newman
May God 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 mercy –
may God give us a safe lodging
and a holy rest
and peace at the last.
Prayer for Ukraine
O God, merciful & strong, you crush wars & cast down the proud, look with mercy on the Ukrainian people. Protect them from Russian aggression. Grant them peace & steadfast trust in your love. Give them courage to defend what is good, right & holy & provide all their needs. Through the powerful intercession of the Mother of God, Protectress of Ukraine & St Michael, the Archangel, Patron of Kyiv, banish violence swiftly from their midst & wipe away all tears. We make these prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Icelandic hymn 1208 (by the Viking, Kolbeinn Tumason)
Hear, maker of the heavens,
what the poet asks.
May softly come unto me
thy mercy.
So I call on thee,
for thou hast created me.
I am thy slave,
thou art my Lord.
Prayer of St Francis
Most High, Glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of our minds.
Give us a true faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity,
so that we may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will.
Prayers of St Anselm
O Lord, we bring before you the distress and dangers of peoples and nations, the pleas of the imprisoned and the captive, the sorrows of the grief-stricken, the needs of the refugee, the impotence of the weak, the weariness of the despondent, and the frailty of the ageing. O Lord, stay close to all of them. Amen.
O Lord my God,
Teach my heart this day where and how to see you,
Where and how to find you.
You have made me and remade me,
And you have bestowed on me
All the good things I possess,
And still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that
For which I was made.
Teach me to seek you,
For I cannot seek you
Unless you teach me,
Or find you
Unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire,
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
Let me love you when I find you.
Daily Prayer: St Thomas Aquinas
Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen
Prayer for World Peace (Pax Christi)
The peace Jesus gives us
is a peace for today and for the future.
May the Lord give us this peace,
full of hope,
that makes us fruitful,
that makes us communicative with each other,
that creates community
and that always looks to the definitive
peace of Paradise. Amen
Evening Prayer of St Augustine
Watch, Lord, with those who wake or weep tonight.
Give the angels and saints charge over those who sleep.
O Lord Jesus Christ, tend your sick ones, rest Your weary ones,
bless Your dying ones, soothe the suffering ones,
pity all the afflicted ones, shield the joyful ones,
and all for Your love's sake. Amen.
Prayer from Citeaux (Cistercian Abbey)
Father of mercy,
your love embraces all
and, through the resurrection of your Son,
You call them into your beautiful light.
Dispel our darkness
and make of us a single people
who sing praise without end
to our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Repeat at least three times thinking of each word in the prayer and about your relationship to God)
Words of St Augustine and a related prayer
God does not command impossibilities, but by commanding admonishes you do what you can and to pray for what you cannot, and aids you that you may be able.
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;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next. Amen
St Therese of Lisieux on prayer
In order to secure a hearing there is no need to recite set prayers composed for the occasion... I have not the courage to look through books for beautiful prayers. I only get a headache because of their number, and besides, one is more lovely than another. Unable therefore to say them all, and lost in choice, I do as children who have not learned to read--I simply tell Our Lord all that I want, and He always understands. With me prayer is an uplifting of the heart; a glance towards heaven; a cry of gratitude and love, uttered equally in sorrow and in joy. In a word, it is something noble, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites it to God. Sometimes when I am in such a state of spiritual dryness that not a single good thought occurs to me, I say very slowly the "Our Father" or the "Hail Mary," and these prayers suffice to take me out of myself, and wonderfully refresh me.
Breathe into me, Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Move in me, Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Attract my heart, Holy Spirit,
that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may defend all that is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may always be holy.
Spirit of God, descend on me this day.
Grant me the Spirit of joy, to lift me,
the Spirit of hope to inspire me,
the Spirit of love to surround me and
the Spirit of truth to enlighten my path.
Holy Spirit, I pray for a new outpouring of your grace,
so that I may grow in worship of your name
in love of you in my prayer
and in my actions towards others.
Come Holy Spirit into my life to guide me.
Strengthen and defend me,
so that I may be drawn ever closer to you.
Help me this day and always
to be a channel of grace in all I say and do
and invite others into relationship with you. Amen
Seeking the Lord
Lord, where shall I find you?
High and hidden is your place.
And where shall I not find you?
The world is full of your glory.
I have sought your nearness,
With all my heart I called you
and in going out to meet you
I found you coming in to meet me.
(Judah Halebi)
Psalm 15
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.’
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
Prayers of St Augustine
Eternal God, who are the light of the minds that know you,
the joy of the hearts that love you,
and the strength of the wills that serve you;
grant us so to know you, that we may truly love you,
and so to love you that we may fully serve you,
whom to serve is perfect freedom, in Jesus Christ our Lord
Prayer of St Patrick (St Patrick's Breastplate)
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.
An Act of Contrition inspired by Psalm 51
Lord God, in your goodness have mercy on me: do not look on my sins, but take away all my guilt. Create in me a clean heart and renew within me an upright spirit.
Traditional Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins because they have crucified my loving saviour, Jesus Christ, because they have offended your infinite goodness and love. I firmly resolve, by the help of your grace, never to offend you again and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Thomas Merton
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 that I am
actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that 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 know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust You always 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.
St Thérése of Lisieux
O my God! I ask you for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfil perfectly your holy will, to accept for love of you the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all eternity. Amen.
Isaiah 54
The mountains may depart,
the hills be shaken,
but my love for you will never leave you
and my covenant of peace with you will never be broken,
says the Lord who takes pity on you.
The Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my saviour.
Because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
From this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm:
he has routed the proud of heart,
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
the rich he has sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
according to the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Prayer of St John Henry Newman
May God 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 mercy –
may God give us a safe lodging
and a holy rest
and peace at the last.
Prayer for Ukraine
O God, merciful & strong, you crush wars & cast down the proud, look with mercy on the Ukrainian people. Protect them from Russian aggression. Grant them peace & steadfast trust in your love. Give them courage to defend what is good, right & holy & provide all their needs. Through the powerful intercession of the Mother of God, Protectress of Ukraine & St Michael, the Archangel, Patron of Kyiv, banish violence swiftly from their midst & wipe away all tears. We make these prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Icelandic hymn 1208 (by the Viking, Kolbeinn Tumason)
Hear, maker of the heavens,
what the poet asks.
May softly come unto me
thy mercy.
So I call on thee,
for thou hast created me.
I am thy slave,
thou art my Lord.
Prayer of St Francis
Most High, Glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of our minds.
Give us a true faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity,
so that we may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will.
Prayers of St Anselm
O Lord, we bring before you the distress and dangers of peoples and nations, the pleas of the imprisoned and the captive, the sorrows of the grief-stricken, the needs of the refugee, the impotence of the weak, the weariness of the despondent, and the frailty of the ageing. O Lord, stay close to all of them. Amen.
O Lord my God,
Teach my heart this day where and how to see you,
Where and how to find you.
You have made me and remade me,
And you have bestowed on me
All the good things I possess,
And still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that
For which I was made.
Teach me to seek you,
For I cannot seek you
Unless you teach me,
Or find you
Unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire,
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
Let me love you when I find you.
Daily Prayer: St Thomas Aquinas
Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen
Prayer for World Peace (Pax Christi)
The peace Jesus gives us
is a peace for today and for the future.
May the Lord give us this peace,
full of hope,
that makes us fruitful,
that makes us communicative with each other,
that creates community
and that always looks to the definitive
peace of Paradise. Amen
Evening Prayer of St Augustine
Watch, Lord, with those who wake or weep tonight.
Give the angels and saints charge over those who sleep.
O Lord Jesus Christ, tend your sick ones, rest Your weary ones,
bless Your dying ones, soothe the suffering ones,
pity all the afflicted ones, shield the joyful ones,
and all for Your love's sake. Amen.
Prayer from Citeaux (Cistercian Abbey)
Father of mercy,
your love embraces all
and, through the resurrection of your Son,
You call them into your beautiful light.
Dispel our darkness
and make of us a single people
who sing praise without end
to our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Repeat at least three times thinking of each word in the prayer and about your relationship to God)
Words of St Augustine and a related prayer
God does not command impossibilities, but by commanding admonishes you do what you can and to pray for what you cannot, and aids you that you may be able.
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;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next. Amen
St Therese of Lisieux on prayer
In order to secure a hearing there is no need to recite set prayers composed for the occasion... I have not the courage to look through books for beautiful prayers. I only get a headache because of their number, and besides, one is more lovely than another. Unable therefore to say them all, and lost in choice, I do as children who have not learned to read--I simply tell Our Lord all that I want, and He always understands. With me prayer is an uplifting of the heart; a glance towards heaven; a cry of gratitude and love, uttered equally in sorrow and in joy. In a word, it is something noble, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites it to God. Sometimes when I am in such a state of spiritual dryness that not a single good thought occurs to me, I say very slowly the "Our Father" or the "Hail Mary," and these prayers suffice to take me out of myself, and wonderfully refresh me.
