Prayer for Pope Francis

Today is the anniversary of the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to the Papacy.  He took the name Francis and asked all of us to pray for him after Benedict XVI retired.  Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we ask you to bestow your grace and blessings upon Pope Francis whom you entrusted with the care of your Son's Catholic Church as His Vicar on Earth.  Give Francis the graces needed to do his Petrine ministry which is no easy task.  Give him the wisdom and knowledge to tackle today's errors and irrational ways of thinking.  Give him the strength to continue despite the stresses that will try to bring him down.

He has just completed one year on the journey as Pope and has done much in your name by making humility and poverty relevant again within the Church, reaching out to atheists, gays and others who are in defiance of you due to ignorance; as well as calling for renewal and Christian unity.  Continue to give him the grace that will allow him to bring more to the fold. To reach out to those far from you as he casts his net into the deep like St. Peter did as a fisherman.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen


*Pray 3 Hail Mary's asking for Our Lady of Lujan to pray for her Argentinian son.



      

Birthday Prayer

Life is a beautiful thing.  It may get hard at times, but God is always there.  We should thank God everyday especially on the day of our birth.  Life is a gift from God.  

Birthday Prayer

Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.

Thank you for all the people who remembered me today

by sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.

Thank you for all the experience of this past year;

for times of success which will always be happy memories,

for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,

for times of joy when the sun was shining,

for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me

for the hours I wasted,

for the chances I failed to take,

for the opportunities I missed this past year.

Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,

and through it to bring good credit to myself,

happiness and pride to my loved ones,

and joy to you. Amen.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Other/Birthday-Prayer.aspx#kFtVUSMbXrwbxgkc.99