Prayer of Teilhard de Chardin

We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God can say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

I am... You are...

I am weak. You are strength. 

I am unable. You are capability. 

I am hesitant. You are assurance. 

I am confused. You are confidence. 

I am tired. You are rejuvenation.

Prayer of St. 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.

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 that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Prayer for Summer

For more light in the day, we thank you,
For gentle mornings, we thank you,
For nighttime conversations, we thank you,
For friends and family, we thank you,
For gardens and all manner of creatures, we thank you.
Help us, Creator and lover of our souls.
Help us love this earth.
Help us dwell wholeheartedly in our lives this day.
Help us pray as we walk, work, play, rest, and create.
Amen.

Armor of God

Dear Lord, as I get out of bed today, I know I'm stepping onto a
battlefield. But I also know You've given me everything I need to stand
firm. So in the power of Your Holy Spirit, I put on the armor of God:

First, I place the helmet of salvation on my head. Protect my mind and
imagination. Guard my eyes, allowing no sin to creep in. Focus my thoughts
on the things of God. 

Let the breastplate of righteousness keep my heart
and emotions safe. I pray that I won't be governed by my feelings, but by
truth. 

Wrap Your Word around me like a belt. And safeguard me from error.
I put on the sandals of peace to guide my steps. Plant my feet in Your
truth. Empower me to stand firm against attack.

Next, I take up the shield of faith. Protect me from Satan's fiery
arrows. Place me shoulder to shoulder with Your army to oppose the Devil's
schemes. 

Finally, I take up the sword of the Spirit, Your Word. Help me to
read the Bible in a fresh, exciting way so I will always be ready to
deflect attacks and pierce hearts with Your truth.

I know I'll face assaults today, Lord. But You've empowered me to stand
firm. Give me strength for the battle today.

We are Unworthy Servants: A Prayer from Luke 17

We are unworthy servants, Lord, delighted to serve at your pleasure. Please help us to listen carefully to your voice and obey with no other considerations. You have been faithful and generous, help us to be the same.

May It Be: Preparing for Prayer

May it be the real I who speaks.

May it be the real Thou that I speak to.

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Inner Groans

O God,
Your extravagant love has called us together.

Long has Your love been calling to us,

inviting us to be part of Your own family.
What amazing love You have shown toward us!

And so we come before You with groans and hopes,
offering You the worship of our hearts and lives,
and opening ourselves to the prompting and leading of Your Holy Spirit.

May each breath we take, in Your presence,
bring honor and glory to Your Name.
Amen.

At the Hour of Death

O most merciful Heart of Jesus,

I beg You to grant to ____________,

whom You love, 

to unite his/her heart to Yours.

Wash away with Your most precious Blood 

all the sins he/she has committed 

and for which he/she fears there may still be guilt.

Make his/her sufferings meritorious unto salvation. 

He/she wishes to pray in this manner: 

O Almighty God, I give You my body and soul for time and eternity. 

Forgive me all the sins that I have ever committed. 

I am sorry, I love You. 

I believe that Your divine Son became man and died for my sins. 

I believe that there are three persons in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

I trust in You, Lord Jesus, to Save me. 

Lord Jesus, grant me eternal salvation 

that I may be with You forever in the eternal bliss of my heavenly home. 

Amen.

Death to Life

Jesus Christ, may your death be my life
and in your dying may I learn how to live.
May your struggles be my rest,
Your pain my courage,
Your embarrassment my honor,
Your passion my delight,
Your sadness my joy.
In a word, may I find all my blessings in your trials.
Amen.

Knowing Jesus More

Jesus Christ, loving Savior,
please help me to
to know You more intimately,
to love You more intensely,
and to follow You more closely.

Psalm 30

I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
Lord, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
“What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”

You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Vocation

My good God, Father, and Savior, 

grant me aid by your Holy Spirit to now work fruitfully in my vocation, 

which is from you, 

all in order to love you and the people around me 

rather than for my own gain and glory. 

Give me wisdom, judgment and prudence, 

and freedom from my besetting sins. 

Bring me under the rule of true humility. 

Let me accept with patience whatever amount of fruitfulness 

or difficulty in my work that you give me this day. 

And in all I do, help me to rest always in my Lord Jesus Christ 

and in his grace alone for my salvation and life. 

Hear me, merciful Father, by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Principle and Foundation

I am created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord,

and by this means to save my soul.

The other things on the face of the earth are created for us, 

to us in our pursuit of the end for which we are created. 

From this, Lord, let me use these things 

to the extent that they help me toward the end
of praising, loving, and serving you.
And free me from them to the extent 

that they hinder me from that purpose. 

Make me indifferent to all created things, 

in regard to everything which is left to my free will and is not forbidden. 

Spirit, help me not to seek health rather than sickness, 

wealth rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, 

a long life rather than a short one, and so in all other matters. 

Rather, grant that I desire and choose only that 

which is more conducive to the end for which I am created.