In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is "the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with the whole human spirit." Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ. Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends throughout the Church, which is his Body. Its dimensions are those of Christ's love (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2565).
"Great is the mystery of the faith!" The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles' Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer (CCC, 2558).
WHAT IS PRAYER?
For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.(St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Manuscrits autobiographiques)
Prayer as God's gift
"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God." (CCC, 2559)
Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart: "We must remember God more often than we draw breath." But we cannot pray "at all times" if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it. These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration.(CCC, 2697)
The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart's resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer.(CCC, 2699)
Vocal prayer, founded on the union of body and soul in human nature, associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart, following Christ's example of praying to his Father and teaching the Our Father to his disciples.(CCC, 2722)
Meditation is a prayerful quest engaging thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. Its goal is to make our own in faith the subject considered, by confronting it with the reality of our own life.(CCC, 2723)
Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.(CCC, 2724)
In the living tradition of prayer, each Church proposes to its faithful, according to its historic, social, and cultural context, a LANGUAGE for prayer: words, melodies, gestures, iconography. The Magisterium of the Church has the task of discerning the fidelity of these ways of praying to the tradition of apostolic faith; it is for pastors and catechists to explain their meaning, always in relation to Jesus Christ.(CCC, 2663)
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
An Act of Contrition
O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee
and I detest all my sins, because of Thy just punishments
but most of all because I have offended Thee, my God,
Who art all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to sin no more and avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
Act of Faith
O my God,
I firmly believe all the truths that the Holy Catholic Church believes and teaches;
I believe these truths, O Lord,
because Thou, the infallible Truth,
hast revealed them to her; in this faith
I am resolved to live and die. Amen.
Act of Hope
O my God, relying on Thy promises,
I hope that, through the infinite merits of Jesus Christ,
Thou wilt grant me pardon of my sins,
and the graces necessary to serve Thee in this life
and to obtain eternal happiness in the next. Amen.
Act of Love
O my God, I love Thee with my whole heart and above all things,
because Thou art infinitely good and perfect;
and I love my neighbour as myself for love of Thee.
Grant that I may love Thee more and more in this life,
and in the next for all eternity. Amen.
Act of Self Dedication
Take O Lord, and receive my entire liberty,
my memory, my understanding and my whole will.
All that I am and all that I possess You have given me:
I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will.
Give me only Your love and Your grace;
with these I will be rich enough,
and will desire nothing more. Amen.
The Angelus
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary ...
Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh:
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts that we,
to whom the incarnation of Christ, Your Son,
was made known by the message of an angel,
may by His Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of His Resurrection,
through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
(CCC, 185)
I Confess - Confiteor
I confess to Almighty God, and to your my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God. Amen.
Prayer before a crucifix
Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus,
I cast myself upon my knees in Your sight,
and with the most fervent desire of my soul
I pray and beseech You
that You would impress upon my heart
lively sentiments of Faith, Hope and Charity,
true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment,
while with deep affection and grief of soul
I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate
Your five most precious wounds,
having before my eyes that which David spoke in prophecy of You,
O good Jesus: they have pierced my hands and feet,
they have numbered all my bones.
Prayer for the Dead
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed
rest in peace. Amen.
Evening prayer
O my God, at the end of this day I thank you most heartily for all the graces I have received from you.
I am sorry that I have not made a better use of them.
I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against you.
Forgive me, O my God, and graciously protect me this night.
Blessed Virgin Mary, my dear heavenly mother,take me under your protection.
St. Joseph, my dear guardian angel, and all you saints of God, pray for me.
Sweet Jesus, have pity on all poor sinners, and save them from hell.
Have mercy on the suffering souls in purgatory.
Generally, this evening prayer is followed by an act of contrition, which is usually said in conjunction with an examination of conscience. A daily examination of conscience consists of a brief recounting of our actions during the day. What sins did we commit? Where did we fail? In what areas of our lives can we strive to make virtuous progress? Having determined our failures and sins, we make an act of contrition.
The Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
Glory Be - Gloria
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen - Salve Regina
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us.
And after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
V. Pray for us, Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Hail Mary - Ave Maria
Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Prayer for the Home
Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this dwelling,
and drive far from it all snares of the enemy;
let Thy holy Angels dwell herein, to preserve us in peace;
and let Thy blessing be upon us forever.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer after Mass - Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, make me holy
Body of Christ, be my salvation
Blood of Christ, let me drink your wine
Water flowing from the side of Christ, wash me clean
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
Kind Jesus, hear my prayer
Hide me within your wounds
And keep me close to you
Defend me from the evil enemy
And call me at the hour of my death
To the fellowship of your saints
That I might sing your praise with them for all eternity, Amen.
Morning Offering
O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart,
in union with the holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.
I wish to gain all the indulgences attached to the prayers I shall say
and the good works I shall perform this day. Amen.
Our Father - Pater Noster
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.
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Prayer before meals
Bless us, O Lord,
and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive
from Thy bounty
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer after meals
We give Thee thanks, O Almighty God,
for these Thy benefits
Who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.
Guardian Angel prayer
Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom God's love commits me here
Ever this day (night) be at my side
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
Prayer to child's Guardian Angel
O Angels of God,from heaven so bright,
watching beside my children to lead them aright;
Fold your wings round them,and guard them with love;
Softly sing songs to them of heaven above.Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe into me Holy Spirit,
that all my thoughts may 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 always may be holy. Amen.
Come Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit
and they shall be created
and You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O God, Who did instruct the hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant us by the same Spirit
to have a right judgment in all things
and ever to rejoice in His consolation.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, or sought your intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired then with confidence,
I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother!
To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
Miserere (Psalm 50)
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness
In your compassion blot out my offence
O wash me more and more from my sin
And from my sin, cleanse me
For my offences, truly I know them
My sin is always before me
Against you, you alone have I sinned
What is evil in your sight, I have done
That you may be justified in your sentence
Vindicated when you condemn
Indeed, in guilt was I born
In sin, my mother conceived me
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
Nicene Creed - The Niceno-Constantinopolitan
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
and of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation,
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered died and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
(CCC, 185)
Prayer for the Pope
Let us pray for our Most Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
May the Lord preserve him and give him life,
and make him blessed upon the earth,
and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. Amen.
Queen of Heaven -The Regina Caeli
(To be said instead of the Angelus during the Easter Season)
Rejoice, O Queen of Heaven, Alleluia!
For He Whom thou didst merit to bear, Alleluia!
Has risen as He said, Alleluia!
Pray for us to God, Alleluia!
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
R. For the Lord has risen indeed, Alleluia!
Let us pray:
O God, who hast given joy to the whole world
through the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ;
grant that through the prayers of His Virgin Mother Mary,
we may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ, our Lord Amen.
Prayer to St. Andrew
Brother of Simon Peter,
you heard John the Baptist say:
"Behold the Lamb of God,"
and you chose to follow Jesus.
Leaving your nets,
you became a successful fisher of souls.
Lover of the Crucified Christ,
you too were crucified like him.
Teach us to live and suffer for him
and to win many souls for Christ. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Andrew the Apostle
O Glorious Saint Andrew,
you were the first to recognize and follow the Lamb of God.
With your friend Saint John you remained with Jesus for that first day,
for your entire life,
and now throughout eternity.
As you led your brother Saint Peter to Christ
and many others after him,
draw us also to him.
Teach us to lead others to Christ solely out of love for him
and dedication in his service.
Help us to learn the lesson of the Cross
and to carry our daily crosses without complaint
so that they may carry us to Jesus.
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light, and
where there is sadness, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled
as to console;
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Rosary Prayer
V. Let us pray.
R. O God, whose only-begotten Son, by his Life, Death and Resurrection,
has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life,
grant, we beseech you,
that we who meditate on these mysteries
of the most holy Rosary of the blessed Virgin Mary,
may both imitate what they contain
and obtain what they promise,
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen
Saint Michael Prayer
Saint Michael, the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God
cast into hell
Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Note: Prayers that contain V. and R. are for Verse and Response. These only apply while being said in a group setting.
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