Prayers by Mother Teresa

Deliver me, O Jesus: From the desire of being esteemed From the desire of being loved From the desire of being honoured From the desire of being praised From the desire of being preferred to others From the desire of being consulted From the desire of being approved From the desire of being popular. Deliver me, O Jesus: From the fear of being humiliated From the fear of being despised From the fear of being rebuked From the fear of being slandered From the fear of being forgotten From the fear of being wronged From the fear of being treated unfairly From the fear of being suspected And, Jesus, grant me the grace To desire that others might be more loved than I That others might be more esteemed than I That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I decrease That others may be chosen and I set aside That others may be preferred to me in everything That others may become holier than I, provided that I, too, become as holy as I can. Amen. 

Heavenly Father, you have given us a model of life in the Holy Family of Nazareth. Help us, O loving Father to make our family another Nazareth where love, peace and joy reign. May it be deeply contemplative, intensely Eucharistic and vibrant with joy. Help us to stay together in joy and sorrow through family prayer. Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our family especially in their distressing disguise. May the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus make our hearts meek and humble like His and help us to carry out our family duties in a holy way. May we love one another as God loves each one of us more and more each day, and forgive each other's faults as You forgive our sins. Help us, O loving Father to take whatever You give and to give whatever You take with a big smile. Amen.

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and Joy. Amen

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole Return to being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. Amen.

Prayers for the Grace to Serve - Love one another as I have loved you

Loving God, help us become attentive to one another and to your Spirit present in each of us.  May we listen to one another with the same respect that the people of Israel gave to your messenger.   Amen.

Gracious God, we can hear the voice of God in the wisdom of one another, but we must listen.  May we listen and speak as God wills for us. This is the way of true wisdom.  Amen.

God of our light, You are the source of all truth.  Help us to speak the truth, remembering that we are part of the Body of Christ. Help us to forgive instead of turning to sarcasm, sniping, hateful words, or worse.  May 

we always keep before us as a prayer, “We are members of one another.”  Amen.

Loving God, you urge us to speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of the destitute.  Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.  May your words be a challenge to us as we come together.  Let us recall the rights of those who are not with us, especially people who are poor or powerless.  May our concern always be for the good of all your people.  Amen

God of Hope, help us learn to listen attentively.  Help us to remember these words from the Scriptures so that when we listen we will learn, and when we pay attention we will be planting the seeds of wisdom. Amen.

God of light, help us to choose words that we can all understand. May we communicate clearly so that we will all be wiser and better.  Strengthen us to share our stories and our experiences.   Amen.

Loving God, may we listen to your words, not only to those spoken in Scriptures but also to the words of truth and charity spoken by our sisters and brothers.  Give us ears to hear the prophet in one another. Amen.

God of our Journey, grant that our words may nourish the soul of one another.  May we all grow in wisdom and understanding.  All of us are of infinite value; may our words honour you, God, by their kindness, honesty and care. Bless us on our journey home. Amen. 

Loving God, help us to listen carefully.  Help us to have the humility to hold our tongue when we have nothing to contribute.  Aid us with the gifts of listening and speaking.  Amen.

Loving God, cleanse our heart of all that might make us cold, withdrawn, bitter, snide, sarcastic, or crude.  Instead, guide our words so that they provide encouragement and hope for one another. Amen.

God of all creation, You hear every desire of our heart. We ask you to give us the grace to keep in mind the words found in the Scriptures.  Help us be nourished by the words we share with one another.  Amen.

Loving God, create clean hearts and generous minds in us so that whatever comes from our mouth may be considerate, just and honest.  May we do our inner work so that our words will be filled with the Spirit of wisdom.  Give us the grace to love one another. Amen.

Healing God, open our ears.  Grant that we may hear your invitations to grace when they come through the Scriptures, nature, friendships, and every gathering of faith, such as this one.  Amen.

Faithful God, help us to use our voice for blessing, encouraging, reasoning, praising, and thanking.  May we always lift up your voice in joyful song to thank you for all your abundant gifts to us.  Amen.

Loving God, help us demonstrate your love every day.  Keep us strong and motivated to do good for everyone.  Help us love and serve one another, as Jesus showed us.  Amen.

Loving God, each of us is created in your image yet we are all unique.  May we learn to accept one another and give each other a chance to show who we are and what we are all about.   Amen.

Loving God, we thank you for all the gifts you have given to us.  May we always know that you are there and that we will not be given more than we can handle.  Amen.

Loving God, you have chosen us to help build your kingdom here on earth.  May we accept this call and respond by exercising prudence, understanding, and love.  Amen.

Loving God, may our words and actions reflect the gospel message.  May we always remain open to serving you through acts of love and compassion. Amen.

Loving God, life is often busy; filled with expectations and commitments.  May we always be willing to answer Jesus’ call to perform the spiritual works of mercy.  It is in taking time for others, that your love and your presence are made known to the world.  May your love inspire us to do this in your name.  Amen.