Thursday, August 1, 2013

Prayers for Advent - Advent of our God


Loving God,  as the shepherds found the Holy Child in a humble manger, so may we learn to look for you in our ordinary, everyday lives. Amen.



Father, in the wilderness of the Jordan you sent a messenger to prepare people's hearts for the coming of your Son. Help me to hear his words and repent of my sins, so that I may clearly see the way to walk, the truth to speak, and the life to live for Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.




Loving God of Advent, help us prepare ourselves for the celebration of your birth by caring for those who are less fortunate.  Amen. 



Father, all-powerful God, your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to heart the voice which announces his glory and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen



All-powerful God, help us to look forward in hope to the coming of our Saviour.  In honour of your coming into our world and sharing our humanity.  Help us to have a joyous vacation and return to school renewed in mind, body, and spirit. Amen. 

Prayers for Advent - Wait for the Lord!



God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.


Prayers for Advent - Come Long Expected Jesus!


Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your Father and ours. Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord who enlists me in God's own work for justice. Amen


Father, all-powerful God, your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to heart the voice which announces his glory and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.



Lord, fill our hearts with your love, and as you revealed to us by an angel the coming of your Son as man, so lead us through his suffering and death to the glory of his resurrection, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.



Lord Jesus, during this final week of Advent remind us that what we celebrate is your birth into our world.  As we approach the joy of Christmas, help us to think more of giving than receiving. Amen.



Father in heaven, the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world. May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him. May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.





Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Assorted Morning and Dismissal Prayers for Schools


My Creator, I pray that I may not only have the desire to know life, but the assurance to live it. Help me to understand that my earthly possessions are not the measure of my life, nor my body the boundary of my living. May I reach for the high standards that are free, without limit, to all. Amen.

O God, Creator of the universe, who extends your paternal concern over every creature and guides the events of history to the goal of salvation, we acknowledge your fatherly love when you break the resistance of mankind and, in a world torn by strife and discord, you make us ready for reconciliation. Renew for us the wonders of your mercy; send forth your Spirit that he may work in the intimacy of hearts, that enemies may begin to dialogue, that adversaries may shake hands and peoples may encounter one another in harmony. May all commit themselves to the sincere search for true peace which will extinguish all arguments, for charity which overcomes hatred, for pardon which disarms revenge. Amen

Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace, who are yourself our peace and reconciliation, who so often said, "Peace to you," grant us peace. Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love. Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace. Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace. May all peoples of the earth becomes as brothers and sisters. May longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always over us all. Amen

A prayer by St. John of the Cross: O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. Let your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of Peace. Amen

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow charity; Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth; Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; and Where there is sadness, joy. O, 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 to ourselves that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Christ, why do you allow wars and massacres on earth? By what mysterious judgment do you allow innocent people to be cruelly slaughtered? I cannot know. I can only find assurance in the promise that your people will find peace in heaven, where no one makes war. As gold is purified by fire, so you purify souls by these bodily tribulations, making them ready to be received above the stars in your heavenly home.

O Lord, you see how everywhere the winds have burst forth, and the sea is convulsed with the great violence of the rising waves. Command, we beseech you who alone are able, both the winds and the sea. Restore to mankind the true peace of your name, that peace which the world cannot give, and the calm of social harmony. Under your favor and inspiration may men return to due order, and having overthrown the rule of greed, bring back again as ought to be, the love of God, justice, charity toward neighbor, temperance in all desires. May your kingdom come. May all recognize that they are subject to you, and must serve you who are truth and salvation; that without you they labor in vain. In your law is reason and fatherly kindness. You are ever at hand with your strength and your copious power to help man to keep it. Life upon earth is a warfare, but you watch the contest and aim man to conquer. The weak you sustain; the victor you crown. Amen

Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you, and thereby to find and to fulfill my deepest longings. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead me to you. Amen

I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: into my mind, to show me what you want of me; into my heart, to give me the determination to do it, and to do it with all my love, with all my mind, and with all of my strength right to the end. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen

Father of all mercies We ask that you would bless
the youngest and littlest of learners, the most helpless and powerless of persons, with Your infinite and loving mercy,
granting them the strength to learn, concentrate, and act in love towards their teachers and fellow students. We also ask that You would watch over them, at home and at school
and give them proper direction so that they may learn
of Your wonderful virtues. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen

O Lord, Grant me your strength, so I will have courage in every situation; Grant me your love, so I will never give up on anybody; Grant me your wisdom, so I will show others the path to success; Grant me your mercy, so I will forgive those who have hurt me; Grant me your peace, so I will find the best in everybody; Grant me your hope, so I will never give up;
Grant me your joy, so I will be thankful for all my blessings;
And Grant me your grace, so you will always be at my side. Amen

Father, your truth is made known in your Word.
Guide us to seek the truth of the human person.
Teach us the way to love because you are Love.
Jesus, you embody Love and Truth.
Help us to recognize your face in the poor.
Enable us to live out our vocation to bring love and justice to your people.
Holy Spirit, you inspire us to transform our world.
Empower us to seek the common good for all persons.
Give us a spirit of solidarity and make us one human family.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Bestow on me, O Lord,
a genial spirit and unwearied forbearance;
a mild, loving, patient, heart;
kindly looks, pleasant cordial speech, and manners
in the exchanges of daily life;
that I may give offence to none,
but as much as in lies,
live in charity with all men. Amen

Almighty and everlasting God,
You made the universe with all its marvelous order,
its atoms, worlds, and galaxies,
and the infinite complexity of living creatures:
Grant that, as we probe the mysteries of your creation,
we may come to know you more truly,
and more surely fulfill our role in your eternal purpose;
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Give me O Lord, I pray Thee
firm faith, unwavering hope
perfect charity.
Pour into my heart
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding
the Spirit of counsel and spiritual strength
the Spirit of knowledge and true godliness
and the Spirit of Thy holy fear
Light eternal, shine in my heart
Power eternal, deliver me from evil
Wisdom eternal, scatter the darkness of my ignorance
Might eternal, pity me
Grant that I may ever seek Thy face
with all my heart and soul and strength;
and, in thine infinite mercy,
bring me at last to Thy holy presence
where I shall behold Thy glory
and possess Thy promised joys  
 
A Prayer by St. Augustine: O, God,
Grant us in all our duties your help;
in all our perplexities, your guidance;
in all our dangers, your protection;
and in all our sorrows, your peace.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
our body, and our blood,
our life and our nourishment. Amen.

O Lord, thou greatest and most true Light,
whence the light of the day doth spring! O Light, which dost lighten every man that cometh into the world! O thou Wisdom of the eternal Father, Enlighten my mind, that I may see only those things that please thee, and may be blinded to all other things. Grant that I may walk in thy ways, and that nothing else may be light and pleasant.

Teach me, O my Lord Jesus, instruct me that I may learn from Thee what I ought to teach concerning thee. Amen

Lord, May all that we do this day, from morning until night, begin with your inspiration, and continue with your powerful help. May our work this day be rooted in love and mercy, that we might love you, and love our neighbors, as perfectly as you love us. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Father,
May everything we do begin with your inspiration and continue with your saving help. Let our work always find its origin in you and through you reach completion. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Prayer of St. Francis: Make me a channel of your peace



Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we 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. Amen.

By: St. Francis of Assisi

Monday, June 25, 2012

Prayer for Hope, Strength, and Knowledge


Give me O Lord, I pray Thee
firm faith, unwavering hope
perfect charity.
Pour into my heart
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding
the Spirit of counsel and spiritual strength
the Spirit of knowledge and true godliness
and the Spirit of Thy holy fear
Light eternal, shine in my heart
Power eternal, deliver me from evil
Wisdom eternal, scatter the darkness of my ignorance
Might eternal, pity me
Grant that I may ever seek Thy face
with all my heart and soul and strength;
and, in thine infinite mercy,
bring me at last to Thy holy presence
where I shall behold Thy glory
and possess Thy promised joys. Amen

Prayer for Healing and Strength


God our loving Father, sometimes a cloud of depression and discouragement hangs over us, and we don't know what to do about it, Everything seems difficult and nothing seems to make any difference in how we feel. Other people irritate us, and we find it hard to do our work and participate in our classes and other activities. Help those of us ho feel depressed, O God. Bring healing, and give them the strength to ask for help. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Lord. Amen.