Friday, March 16, 2007

Selected Prayers

Selected Prayers

Sacred Cross Prayer

Oh Lord, Almighty, You have suffered death at the cross, for our sins. Oh Holy Cross of Jesus be my true light. Oh Holy Cross of Jesus fill my soul with good thoughts. Oh Holy Cross help me in my salvation. Oh Holy Cross safely guard me against unholy thoughts and worldly dangers that i may worship the Holy Cross of Jesus of Nazareth Crucified. Have pity on me. Oh Holy Cross of Jesus be my hope. Oh Holy Cross have mercy on me, forever and ever amen. In Honor of the precious blood of Jesus and His fearful death and resurrection and his glorification which leads to everlasting life as true as Jesus is born on Christmas and crucified on good friday, as true as Joseph and Nicodemus took Jesus down from the cross. As true as Jesus ascended to heaven may He preserve me from my enemies be visible and invisible forever and ever amen. Lord Almighty into your hands i give my soul and my body. Oh Lord Jesus grant me strength to bear the cross as yourself. Teach me to bear with humility all the thrills, that the Virgin may fill me with Holy Spirit. Preserve my soul and lead it to life everlasting amen.

Act of Consecration To the Most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I CONSECRATE myself and my whole family to you...

We consecrate to you; our very being and all our life...all that we are...all that we have....all that we love...To you we give our bodies, our hearts and our souls...To you we dedicate our home and our country...

Mindful of this CONSECRATION,we now promise you to live in the christian way by the practice of christian virtues, without regard for human respect...

O most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, accept our humble confidence and this ACT OF CONSECRATION by which we entrust ourselves and all our family to you...

In you, we put our hope and we shall never be confounded.

MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, HAVE MERCY ON US!

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, BE OUR SALVATION

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Lord, I pray that in my home, peace and quiet and well being may prevail under the shadow of Your holy mantle. Bless and protect, O Lord, my endeavours, my enterprises and all those who depend on me and everything I long for and desire. Banish from my mind and my heart false ideas and evil sentiments. Infuse in me a love of my neighbor and grant me the means to help him. Give me resignation and fortitude of spirit in time of adversity, so that I may rise above the contradictions of life. Guide and protect, O Lord, my own who are exposed to the dangers and contingencies of this world. Do not forget, O my Jesus, our loved ones with whom we were united in life and whose departure from this earth causes us sorrow, at the same time consoled by the thought that, because they remained faithful to You, You did not abandon them at the hour of deah. Have pity on them, O Lord, and bring them to their eternal glory in heaven. AMEN

Parents Prayer to the Holy Family

Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, we most fervently implore You to take our children under Your special care and enclose them in the love of Your Sacred Heart. Rule and guide them that they may live according to our holy faith, that they may not waiver in their confidence in You and may ever remain faithful in your love.

O Mary, blessed Mother of JEsus, grant to our children a place in your pure maternal heart, Spread over them your protecting mantle when danger threatens their innocence; keep them firm when they are tempted to stray from the path of virtue; and should they have the misfortune to fall, oh, raise them up again and reconcile them with your Divine Son

Holy foster father, St. Joseph, watch over our children. Protect them from the assaults of the wicked enemy, and deliver them from all dangers of soul and body.

Mary and Joseph, dear parents of the holy Child Jesus, intercede for us that we may be a good example and bring up our children in the love and fear of God , and one day attain with them the Beatific Vision in Heaven. AMEN

Prayer for a Family

O Dear Jesus, I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family. May our home be the shrine of peace, purity, love, labor and faith. I beg You, dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us, absent and present, living and dead.

O Mary, loving Mother of Jesus, and our Mother, pray to Jesus for our family, for all the families of the world, to guard the cradle of the newborn, the schools of the young and their vocations.

Blessed Saint Joseph, holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by your prayers in all the necessities of life. Ask of Jesus that special grace which He granted to you, to watch over our home at the pillow of the sick and the dying, so that with Mary and with You, heaven may find our family unbroken in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. AMEN

Prayer of Spouse for Each Other

Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. GRant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we alwaus bear with one another's weaknesses and grow from each other's strengths. Help us to forgive one anothers failing and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the wellbeing of one another ahead of self.

May the love that brought us together grow mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection.

---

Lord, bless this dear person whom You have chosen to be my spouse. Make his life long and blessed. May I become a great blessing to him, a sharer in all his sufferings and sorrows, and a suitable helper in his changes and difficulties in this life. Make me lovable forever in his eyes and forever dear to him. Keep me from all unreasonableness of passion and whims. Make me humble and giving, strong, dedicated, appreciative, prudent and understanding. May we ever take delight in each other, according to Your blessed Word, both sharing in Your Divine love. Amen

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your apostles and Disciples-deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, to perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your love.

Grant me the spirit of WISDOM- that I may not be attached to the perishable things of this world, but aspire only after the things that are eternal.

The spirit of UNDERSTANDING- to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth.

The spirit of COUNSEL- that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven.

The spirit of FORTITUDE- that I may bear my cross with You, and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation.

The spirit of KNOWLEDGE- that I may know God and know myself, and grow perfect in the science of the Saints.

The spirit of PIETY- that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable.

The spirit of FEAR- that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may avoid anything that may displease Him.

Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with your Spirit. AMEN.

Citizen's Prayer to St. Michael

Please protect us, St. Michael the Archangel, against violence, murder and robbery. In your goodness preserve us today from all thee malice of sinful and wicked men. In your sleepless vigilance watch over the safety and welfare of our homes, and keep guard over our possessions. Ever hold in our special care, most triumphant St. MIchael, the forces of public order against the crimes of evil men, and defend all honest citizens in time of peril. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. AMEN.

Glorious St. Michael, Prince of the heavenly hosts, who standest always

ready to give assistance to the people of God; who didst fight with the

dragon, the old serpent, and didst cast him out of heaven, and now valiantly defendest the Church of God that the gates of hell may never

prevail against her, I earnestly entreat thee to assist me also, in the painful and dangerous conflict which I have to sustain against the same formidible foe.

Be with me, O mighty Prince! that I may courageously fight and wholly vanquish that proud spirit, whom thou hast by the Divine Power, so gloriously overthrown, and whom our powerful King, Jesus Christ, has, in our nature, so completely overcome; to the end that having triumphed over the enemy of my salvation, I may with thee and the holy angels, praise the clemency of God who, having refused mercy to the rebellious angels after their fall, has granted repentance and forgiveness to fallen man. Amen.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord, help me to remove from my mind every thought or opinion which You would not approve of. Grant that I may spend the hours of the day gladly working with You according to Your will. Help me just for today and be with me in it; in the long hours of work, that I may not weary or grow slack in serving You; in conversations that they may not be to me occassions of uncharitableness; in the day's worries and disappointments, that I may be patient with myself and with those around me; in moments of fatigue and illness, that I may be mindful of others rather than of myself; in temptations that I many be generous and loyal, SO THAT WHEN THE DAY IS OVER I MAY LAY IT AT YOUR FEET WITH ITS SUCCESSESS WHICH ARE ALL YOURS AND ITS FAILURES WHICH ARE ALL MY OWN, and feel that life is real and peaceful and blessed when spent with You as the Guest of my soul. AMEN.

Specia Prayer for Holy Souls in Purgatory

By St. Gertrude

O Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory and for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal church, for those in my own home and for those within my family.

This prayer will deliver 1000 souls from purgatory to heaven each time it is said.

Spiritual Links

Chief Corporal Works of Mercy

Feed the hungry.

Give drink to the thirsty.

Clothe the naked.

Shelter the homeless.

Visit the sick.

Visit the imprisoned.

Bury the dead.

Chief Spiritual Works of Mercy

Admonish the sinner.

Instruct the ignorant.

Counsel the doubtful.

Comfort the sorrowful.

Bear wrongs patiently.

Forgive all injuries.

Pray for the living and the dead.

7 Gifts of the Holy Ghost

1. Wisdom

2. Understanding

3. Counsel

4. Fortitude

5. Knowledge

6. Piety

7. Fear of the Lord

12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit

1. Charity

2. Joy

3. Peace

4. Patience

5. Forvearance

6. Goodness

7. Benignity

8. Mildness

9. Fidelity

10. Modesty

11. Continency

12. Chastity

4 Cardinal Virtues

Prudence

Justice

Fortitude

Temperance

4 Last Things

Death

Judgement

Hell

Heaven

3 Theological Virtues

Faith

Hope

Charity

Ten Commandments

1. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

4. Honor thy father and thy mother.

5. Thou shalt not kill.

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

7. Thou shalt not steal.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

9. Thou shalt not covet the neighbor's wife.

10. Thou shalt not covet the neighbors goods.

Sin

Being in a state of sin separates us from God.

Mortal sin is a conscious choice to separate from God.

Conditions of Mortal Sin: Knowledge, Free Will, Grave Matter

(what makes it a mortal sin?)

1. KNOWLEDGE- You know it is wrong because it goes against a divine law,

human law not

contrary to divine law, morals, the good.

2. FREE WILL - You did it anyway and knowingly. It is a voluntary choice

and act, freely performed - knowing it is wrong.

3. GRAVE MATTER - It causes damage and disorder in regard to God, our

neighbor ourselves or society.

Effects of Mortal Sin

Deprived of sanctifying grace.

Makes the soul an enemy of God.

Takes away the merit of good actions.

Deprives the soul of Heaven.

Makes the soul deserving of hell.

Effects of Original Sin on Every Person

Loss of sanctifying grace.

Loss of the right to Heaven.

Subject to death and suffering.

Strong inclination to evil.

Driven from the Garden of Paradise.

Nine Ways of Being an Accessory to Another's Sin

By Counsel

By Command

By Concealment

By Consent

By Defence of the Evil Done

By Partaking

By Provocation

By Praise or Flattery

By Silence

7 Deadly Sins & the Opposite Virtues

Pride VS Humility

Covetousness Liberality

Lust Chastity

Anger Meekness

Gluttony Temperance

Envy Brotherly Love

Sloth Diligence

Sins Against God the Holy Ghost

Presumption of God's Mercy

Despair

Impugning the Known Truth

Envy at another's spiritual good

Obstinancy in Sin

Final Impenitence

Graces Derived from Assisting at Mass
(Note: Assisting at Mass simply means attending Mass. By attending a Mass, Catholics are actually assisting in Mass.)

1. The Mass is Calvary continued.

2. Every Mass is worth as much as the sacrifice of our Lord's life, sufferings

and death.

3. Holy Mass is the most powerful atonement for your sins.

4. At the hour of death the Masses you have heard will be your greatest

consolation.

5. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon.

6. At Mass you can diminish more or less temporal punishment due to your

sins, according to your fervor.

7. Assisting devoutly at Holy Mass you render to the sacred humanity of Our

Lord the greatest homage.

8. He supplies for many of your negligences and omissions.

9. He forgives the venial sins which you have not confessed.

10. The power of Satan over you is diminished.

11. You afford the souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief.

12. One Mass heard during life will be of more benefit to you than many heard for

you after your death.

13. You are preserved from dangers and misfortunes which otherwise might have

befallen you. You shorten your Purgatory.

14. Every Mass wins for you a higher degree of glory in Heaven.

15. You receive the priest's blessing which Our Lord ratifies in Heaven.

16. You kneel amidst a multitude of holy angels, who are present at the adorable

Sacrifice with reverential awe.

17. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

"WHY Should I Go To Mass Every Day?"

"The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!"

For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us

at death. (revelation of Christ to St. Gertrude the great).

Padre Pio, the stigmatic priest, said, the world could exist more easily without the sun than without the Mass.

The Cure'd' Ars, St. Jean Vianney said, if we knew the value of the Mass we would die of joy.

A great doctor of the Church, St. Anselm, declares that a single Mass offered for one-self during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice supports this statement by saying that one Mass before death may be more profitable than many after it.

"The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death." (Pope Benedict XV).

Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's Goodness and asked Our Lord, "How can I thank you?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR BELOVED PRIESTS

THAT THEY MAY OFFER THE MASS

WITH HOLY LOVE AND REVERENCE.

O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep Your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Keep unsulled their lips daily purpled with Your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts selaed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. Let Your Holy Love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here, and in heavan their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen. (St. Therese of the Child Jesus)

Other Prayers

Here are some of our other favorite devotional prayers that we like to share with others and we encourage many to pray these either alone or with their families.