Prayer
Our Father - new wording approved by Pope Francis (Not yet approved for use by the Catholic Church in England)
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.
Do not let us fall into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen
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)
Psalm for this week Psalm 84 (85)
I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
Prayer for all Vocations
God of life and of the living
in baptism you bring us to new life
in your love you call us to fulfilment
and give us the promise of life abundant.
Single people — who live out your presence
in their lives responding to a diversity of needs.
Married couples - whose relationships serve as a sign
of your fidelity to your people, and whose love is fruitful in family and community life
Ordained ministers --
who are called to be servants
offering your people Word and Sacraments
to nurture and sustain them.
Religious sisters, brothers, and priests --
whose life in community fosters
a care for the poor and marginalised
and a service of prayer for the world.
May each of us respond with courage and generosity
to our particular vocation,
and may the Church recognize
the Spirit's call to men and women of good will,
trusting in your abundance to answer all our needs.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
From the National Vocations Office
Loving Father,
you call us to help you build a better world.
As we journey through life
listening to the voice of the Risen Lord,
make our hearts burn within us,
as we hear your Word in scripture,
and share in the Holy Eucharist.
Pour out on us your Holy Spirit,
that we might have wisdom and understanding.
Guide us in the footsteps
of holy men and women of every age
so that we may be transformed into the living image of Jesus your Son,
who lived at the service of all.
We ask this, through Christ our Lord, Amen
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.
Morning Prayer of St Therese of Lisieux
O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits ; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in Heaven for all Eternity. Amen.
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 of St Anselm for all people
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.
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
CAFOD Prayer for Peace
May God give wisdom and courage
to those who work for peace.
We pray that their efforts may be blessed,
that they may bring an end to violence
and solace and stability to suffering peoples.
May the gift of peace permeate all troubled souls,
convert all who live by violence
and comfort all children who live in menacing situations,
that the freedom to enjoy life and grow in safety may be theirs.
And may each one of us know
peace of mind and heart,
peace of body and spirit,
peace of community and world.
Holy Spirit of Peace, grant our prayer.
Amen.
Sr Bridgetta Rooney/CAFOD
Prayer of or attributed to St Ignatius of Loyola
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.
Prayers of St Teresa of Avila
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
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.
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.
Do not let us fall into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen
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)
Psalm for this week Psalm 84 (85)
I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
Prayer for all Vocations
God of life and of the living
in baptism you bring us to new life
in your love you call us to fulfilment
and give us the promise of life abundant.
Single people — who live out your presence
in their lives responding to a diversity of needs.
Married couples - whose relationships serve as a sign
of your fidelity to your people, and whose love is fruitful in family and community life
Ordained ministers --
who are called to be servants
offering your people Word and Sacraments
to nurture and sustain them.
Religious sisters, brothers, and priests --
whose life in community fosters
a care for the poor and marginalised
and a service of prayer for the world.
May each of us respond with courage and generosity
to our particular vocation,
and may the Church recognize
the Spirit's call to men and women of good will,
trusting in your abundance to answer all our needs.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
From the National Vocations Office
Loving Father,
you call us to help you build a better world.
As we journey through life
listening to the voice of the Risen Lord,
make our hearts burn within us,
as we hear your Word in scripture,
and share in the Holy Eucharist.
Pour out on us your Holy Spirit,
that we might have wisdom and understanding.
Guide us in the footsteps
of holy men and women of every age
so that we may be transformed into the living image of Jesus your Son,
who lived at the service of all.
We ask this, through Christ our Lord, Amen
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.
Morning Prayer of St Therese of Lisieux
O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits ; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in Heaven for all Eternity. Amen.
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 of St Anselm for all people
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.
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
CAFOD Prayer for Peace
May God give wisdom and courage
to those who work for peace.
We pray that their efforts may be blessed,
that they may bring an end to violence
and solace and stability to suffering peoples.
May the gift of peace permeate all troubled souls,
convert all who live by violence
and comfort all children who live in menacing situations,
that the freedom to enjoy life and grow in safety may be theirs.
And may each one of us know
peace of mind and heart,
peace of body and spirit,
peace of community and world.
Holy Spirit of Peace, grant our prayer.
Amen.
Sr Bridgetta Rooney/CAFOD
Prayer of or attributed to St Ignatius of Loyola
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.
Prayers of St Teresa of Avila
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
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.
