Prayer for the New Year

Almighty God, we have just begun a new year.  We ask you to bless it and bring peace and prosperity to all.  May humanity return to you, the author of time. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.   

Prayer For Paris & The World

Almighty God, we ask you to bring peace to our world which is full of so much discord, violence, distrust and hate.  

We ask you to bring solace to all those suffering from the recent attacks in Beirut and Paris. So many have suffered undered the threat and acts of terrorism which has been committed in your name. 

Bring to justice and conversion those who pervert religion in order to harm others. Protect cities, towns and countries from violence and acts of war. We are your children; we are brothers and sisters with you as our one Father. Teach us to love one another; cherish one another and protect one another. 

Bring peace to the hearts of those terrorists who believe that you justify division and violence. 

Bring peace to those who think Christianity and Islam are supposed to be opposing forces at war.  Protect the world from the wickedness and snares of the devil who has deceived many.

We ask you Our Lady to pray for us. Our Lady who is dear to the French and who holds many titles in France; Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Laus, Our Lady of Rue du Bac, and Our Lady of Pontmain.  

Please pray for your French children as well as your children suffering in Beirut and elsewhere. 

We ask you Our Lady to pray for the followers of Islam. The people of Portugal know you as Our Lady of Fatima; Fatima was the name of Mohammed's daughter. Only you can penetrate the hearts of your children, especially those few who use religion to cause harm.  Pray for them and lead them to your Son Christ and His Catholic Church.  

We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen     

Prayer to St. Anthony of Padua

"Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints"
O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heartwill ever be yours. Amen.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.

A Chaplet of St Patrick

Prayer on the Medal: The Apostle's Creed

On Each of the 12 Green Beads: Say 1 Glory Be, then: 
Through the intercession of St. Patrick, may God Almighty strenghen my faith, and grant the grace of faith for others. Amen.

Concluding Prayer: The Breastplate of St. Patrick
Christ as a light,
Illumine and guide me!
Christ as a shield, o'ershadow and cover me!
Christ be under me! Christ be over me!
Christ be beside me, On the left hand and right!
Christ be before me, behind me, about me;
Christ this day be within and without me!

Christmas & New Year's Meditation

We celebrate Christmas on December 25 and then New Year's day on January 1.  This may not seem like a big deal, but if we think about it then it is.  The birth of Christ is celebrated at the end of the year since December is the last month of the year. This celebration runs into the New Year with the commemoration of Mary the Mother of God,  the Holy Family, the Epiphany and then the Baptism of the Lord.  I have always meditated on this and Revelation 1:8 comes to mind.  In Revelation 1:8, Jesus tells John, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Do you see the connection?

We celebrate Jesus' birth at the end of the year; He is the Omega or the End.  This celebration continues into the New Year beginning with the one who gave birth to Him, Mary.  This continuation of the celebration of Christmas into the New Year shows us that Christ is also the Alpha, or the Beginning.  Mary as usual is in the middle of this temporal manifestation of the Divine. This is why she is appropriately called the "Theotokos" or God-bearer.  Christ is the Lord of space and time.  This is why we use AD (Anno Domini - Year of Our Lord) to designate time.  Jesus is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.      

Prayer For the Dead

Prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory English V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. R. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Latine V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen. Source:  https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/purgb3.htm

Litany of the Saints

Lord, have mercy on us.

CHRIST, have mercy on us.

LORD, have mercy on us.

CHRIST, hear us.

CHRIST, graciously hear us.

GOD, THE FATHER OF HEAVEN, have mercy on us.

GOD THE SON, REDEEMER OF THE WORLD, have mercy on us.

GOD THE HOLY GHOST, have mercy on us.

HOLY TRINITY, ONE GOD, have mercy on us.

HOLY MARY, pray for us.

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, pray for us.

HOLY VIRGIN OF VIRGINS, pray for us.

ST. MICHAEL, pray for us.

ST. GABRIEL, pray for us.

ST. RAPHAEL, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY ANGELS AND ARCHANGELS, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY ORDERS OF BLESSED SPIRITS, pray for us.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, pray for us. ST. JOSEPH, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS, pray for us.

ST. PETER, pray for us.

ST. PAUL, pray for us.

ST. ANDREW, pray for us.

ST. JAMES, pray for us.

ST. JOHN, pray for us.

ST. THOMAS, pray for us.

ST. JAMES, pray for us.

ST. PHILIP, pray for us.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW, pray for us.

ST. MATTHEW, pray for us.

ST. SIMON, pray for us.

ST. THADDEUS, pray for us.

ST. BARNABAS, pray for us.

ST. LUKE, pray for us.

ST. MARK, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY APOSTLES AND EVANGELIST, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY DISCIPLES OF OUR LORD, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY INNOCENTS, pray for us.

ST. STEPHEN, pray for us.

ST. LAWRENCE, pray for us.

ST. VINCENT, pray for us.

SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN, pray for us.

SS. JOHN AND PAUL, pray for us.

SS. COSMOS AND DAMIAN, pray for us.

SS. GERVASE AND PROTASE, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY MARTYRS, pray for us.

ST. SYLVESTER, pray for us.

ST. GREGORY, pray for us.

ST. AMBROSE, pray for us.

ST. AUGUSTINE, pray for us.

ST. JEROME, pray for us.

ST. MARTIN, pray for us.

ST. NICHOLAS, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY BISHOPS AND CONFESSORS, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY DOCTORS, pray for us.

ST. ANTHONY, pray for us.

ST. BENEDICT, pray for us.

ST. BERNARD, pray for us.

ST. DOMINIC, pray for us.

ST. FRANCIS, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY PRIEST AND LEVITES, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY MONKS AND HERMITS, pray for us.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN, pray for us.

ST. AGATHA, pray for us.

ST. LUCY, pray for us.

ST. AGNES, pray for us.

ST. CECILIA, pray for us.

ST. CATHERINE, pray for us.

ST. ANASTASIA, pray for us.

ALL YE HOLY VIRGINS AND WIDOWS, pray for us.

ALL YE MEN AND WOMEN, SAINTS OF GOD, make intercession for us.

BE MERCIFUL, spare us, O Lord!

BE MERCIFUL, graciously hear us, O Lord!

FROM ALL EVIL, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM ALL SIN, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM THY WRATH, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM A SUDDEN AND UNPROVIDED DEATH, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM THE DECEITS OF THE DEVIL, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM ANGER, HATRED, AND ALL ILL WILL, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM THE SPIRIT OF FORNICATION, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM LIGHTNING AND TEMPEST, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM THE SCOURGE OF EARTHQUAKE, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM PESTILENCE, FAMINE, AND WAR, O Lord, deliver us.

FROM EVERLASTING DEATH, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THE MYSTERY OF THY HOLY INCARNATION, O Lord, Deliver us.

THROUGH THY COMING, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THY NATIVITY, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THY BAPTISM AND HOLY FASTING, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THY CROSS AND PASSION, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THY DEATH AND BURIAL, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THY HOLY RESURRECTION, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THINE ADMIRABLE ASCENSION, O Lord, deliver us.

THROUGH THE COMING OF THE HOLY GHOST, THE PARACLETE, O Lord, deliver us.

IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, We Sinners beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST SPARE US, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST PARDON US, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO BRING US TO TRUE PENANCE, We Beseech Thee hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GOVERN AND PRESERVE THY HOLY CHURCH.... We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO PRESERVE OUR APOSTOLIC PRELATE AND ALL ECCLESIASTICAL ORDERS IN HOLY RELIGION. We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO HUMBLE THE ENEMIES OF THY HOLY CHURCH, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCH SAFE TO GIVE PEACE AND TRUE CONCORD TO CHRISTIAN KINGS AND PRINCES, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GRANT PEACE AND UNITY TO ALL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO BRING BACK TO THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH ALL THOSE WHO HAVE STRAYED AWAY, AND LEAD TO THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL ALL UNBELIEVERS, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO CONFIRM AND PRESERVE US THY HOLY SERVICE, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST LIFT UP OUR MINDS TO HEAVENLY DESIRES, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST RENDER ETERNAL BLESSINGS TO ALL OUR BENEFACTORS, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST DELIVER OUR SOULS AND THOSE OF OUR BRETHREN, RELATIVE, AND BENEFACTORS FROM ETERNAL DAMNATION, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GIVE AND PRESERVE THE FRUITS OF THE EARTH, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE TO GIVE ETERNAL REST TO ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED, We beseech Thee, hear us.

THAT THOU WOULDST VOUCHSAFE GRACIOUSLY TO HEAR US, We beseech Thee, hear us.

SON OF GOD, We beseech Thee, hear us.

LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKEST AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD, Spare us, O Lord.

LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKEST AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKEST AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD, Have mercy on us.

CHRIST, HEAR US.......

CHRIST, GRACIOUSLY HEAR US.......

LORD, HAVE MERCY ON US.......

CHRIST, HAVE MERCY ON US.......

LORD, HAVE MERCY ON US.......

Our Father, etc, (In Secret.)

V- And Lead Us Not Into Temptation.

R- But Deliver Us From Evil.

Psalm LXIX

Incline unto my aid, O God.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul.

Let them be turned backward and blush for shame that desire evils to me.

Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me, "Tis well, 'tis well."

Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let such as love Thy salvation say always, The Lord be magnified. But I am needy and poor: O God, help me.

Thou art my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, make no delay.

Glory Be To The Father, etc.

V- Save Thy servants.

R- Trusting in Thee, O my God.

V- Be unto us, O Lord, a tower a strength.

R- From the face of the enemy.

V- Let not the enemy prevail against us.

R- Nor the son of iniquity have power to hurt us.

V- O Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

R- Neither reward us according to our iniquities.

V- Let us pray for our chief bishop: (name)

R- 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.

V- Let us pray for our benefactors.

R- Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, to reward with eternal life all those who do us good.

V- Let us pray for the faithful departed.

R- Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

V- May they rest in peace.

R- Amen.

V- For our absent brethren.

R- Save Thy servants who hope in Thee, O my God.

V- Send them help, O Lord, from Thy holy place.

R- And from Sion protect them.

V- O Lord, hear my prayer.

R- And let my cry come unto Thee.

LET US PRAY:

O God, Whose property is always to have mercy and to spare, receive our petition, that we and all Thy servants who are bound by the chain of sin, may, by the compassion of Thy goodness, mercifully be absolved.

Hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy supplicants, and pardon the sins of those who confess to Thee, that, in Thy bounty, Thou mayest grant us both pardon and peace.

In Thy clemency, O Lord, show Thy unspeakable mercy to us, that so Thou mayest both loose us from all our sins and deliver us from the punishments which we deserve for them.

O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people, who make supplication to Thee, and turn away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.

O almighty and eternal God, have mercy on Thy servant (N)., our chief bishop, and direct him according to Thy clemency, in the way of everlasting salvation, that, by Thy grace, he may desire the things that are pleasing to Thee, and perform them with all his strength.

O God, from Whom are all holy desires, righteous counsels, and just works, give to Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that, our hearts being disposed to keep Thy commandments, and the fear of enemies taken away, the times, by Thy protection, may be peaceful.

Inflame, O Lord, our reins and hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit; that we may serve Thee with a chaste body, and please Thee with a clean heart.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that through pious supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.

Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy holy inspirations, and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance; that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and through Thee be happily ended.

O almighty and eternal God, Who hast dominion over the living and the dead, and art merciful to all who Thou foreknowest will be Thine by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we have purposed to offer our prayers, whether this present world still detains them in the flesh or the next world hath already received them divested of their bodies, may, by the intercession of Thy saints and the clemency of Thy goodness, obtain pardon and full remission of all their sins. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

R- Amen.

V- O Lord, hear my prayer.

R- And let my cry come unto Thee.

V- May the almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us.

R- Amen.

V- And my the souls of the faithful departed throught the mercy of God, rest in peace.

R- Amen.

Prayer to Guardian Angel

Angel of God

My guardian dear 

To Whom His love 

Commits me here 

Ever this day 

Be at my side 

To light and guard 

To rule and guide. Amen

Prayer to Therese of the Child Jesus

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus,

Please pick a rose for me

From the heavenly gardens

And send it to me

As a message of love.

O little flower of Jesus,

Ask God today to grant the favors

I now place with confidence

In your hands.

(Mention your specific requests)

St. Therese,

help me to always believe,

As you did,

In God's great love for me,

So that I might imitate your

"Little Way" each day. Amen

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

“O Glorious Prince of the heavenly host, St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in the terrible warfare that we are waging against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits. Come to the aid of man, whom Almighty God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of Satan.

“Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in Heaven. That cruel, ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity.

“These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where the See of Holy Peter and the Chair of Truth has been set up as the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be.

“Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious power of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly find mercy in the sight of the Lord; and vanquishing the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.
V. Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered the root of David.
V. Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
R. As we have hoped in Thee.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as supplicants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious St. Michael the Archangel, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all the other unclean spirits who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls. Amen.”

Pope Leo XIII
Roman Raccolta, July 23, 1898, supplement approved July 31, 1902,
London: Burnes, Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1935, 12th edition.

Prayer to Blessed Mother Teresa

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for me this day.  Help me to see Jesus in everyone that I encounter today. Teach me how to bring the sweet fragrance of Christ to everyone and how to service those in need, especially the poorest of the poor.  Secure for me the graces to minister to others and face disappointments and criticism with patience just as you had while on Earth.  You suffered doubts and other trials as you grew in the spiritual life.  Help me to endure my own trials and not give in to despair or doubt.  Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for me.  Amen

Back to School Prayer

 

Lord God giver of life, wisdom and knowledge.  We ask you to to bless and protect all students who will be returning to school now.  From pre-school to graduate school, medical, seminary and law school; impart your graces upon all: students, teachers, professors, administrators, janitors, cafeteria staff, chaplains, ministers, counselors, secretaries, and nurses.

From you comes all wisdom and knowledge.  You reveal to man the wonders of this universe, the wonders of nature, the wonders of the human body and mind, and the wonders of your grace.  Keep students focused on learning and give patience and kindness to instructors.  Send your angels to keep guard of all schools and institutions of learning.  Instill in all a desire to learn more and grow in grace.  Inspire students to focus on the good and to use their skills in service of others.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen 

Prayer for Peace in Israel & Palestine

Almighty God, we ask you to bring about peace, love and tolerance in your Holy Land.  This land which bears witness to your salvific work is now a battle ground between the children of Abraham, the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael.  Only you can breach the hardest of hearts and fill them with love.  For far too long many innocent men,women and children have died.  Blood is shed for reasons of hate, retaliation, immaturity, intolerance and territorial aggression.  They have forgotten the sacred place they kill each other on and that both the Jews and Arabs are children of Father Abraham regardless of how they express their faith.  Please unite your children in the Holy Land.  Bring them to set aside their weapons and replace them with a mutual genuine embrace that seeks peace, tolerance and co-existence.

AMEN      

Prayer for the Protection of Marriage

We ask you Lord to bestow your blessings upon all marriages and families throughout the globe.  Today they are under attack by the enemy.  The sacred institution of Marriage is being targeted because from it springs forth life and human stability.  Societies begin when marriage takes place and families are born.  

The enemy is using sophism to confuse many into believing that a marriage can be anything man invents as long as love is mentioned to justify it.  The enemy is cunning and knows how to manipulate.  He is a liar!  His time is running out so he is trying all to destroy the family and the human race.  

We trust in you Lord that you will not give us anything that we cannot handle. We trust that you are the victor in this despite facing losses in courts and mockery from those who are anti-marriage.  Only you can bring forth light in this dark world.  You can bring forth truth that will dispel the sophism and lies propagated by the enemy.  

We ask you to defend this sacred institution and restore the social order to the natural norm from which you established it having male and female as the sole union that complements love and connects the biological reality of both genders.  

Give strength, wisdom and courage to our leaders in the Church, to our leaders in government so that they can defend marriage and restore it as the sole union between one man one woman against a tyrannical minority bent on mocking your ways.  We ask this through Christ our Lord who has already won against the enemy and his lies.  Amen 

Prayer to End Abortion

Prayer to End Abortion



Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.

I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Source - http://www.priestsforlife.org/prayers/praytoendabortion.htm

Prayer for the New Year

All make the sign of the cross. The leader begins:

Let us praise the Lord of days and seasons and years, saying:
Glory to God in the highest!
R/. And peace to his people on earth!

The leader may use these or similar words to introduce the blessing:

Our lives are made of days and nights, of seasons and years,
for we are part of a universe of suns and moons and planets.
We mark ends and we make beginnings and, in all, we
praise God for the grace and mercy that fill our days.

Then the Scripture is read, Book of Genesis 1:14-19:

Listen to the words of the Book of Genesis:

God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it happened: God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night; and he made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

(The family’s Bible may be used for an alternate reading such as Psalm 90:1-4.)

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.

After a time of silence, members of the household offer prayers of thanksgiving for the past year, and of intercession for the year to come. On January 1, it may be appropriate to conclude these prayers with the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (in Part VII: Litanies) since this is the solemn feast of Mary, Mother of God. In conclusion, all join hands for the Lord’s Prayer. Then the leader continues:

Let us now pray for God’s blessing in the new year.

After a short silence, parents may place their hands on their children in blessing as the leader says:

Remember us, O God;
from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time,
blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year
and fill the months ahead with the bright hope
that is ours in the coming of Christ.
You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever.
R/. Amen.

Another prayer for peace may be said:

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;
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,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
R/. Amen.

—Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

The leader says:

Let us bless the Lord.

All respond, making the sign of the cross:

Thanks be to God.

The prayer may conclude with the singing of a Christmas carol.

—From "Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers"

Prayer to the Christ Child

Prayer to the Divino Niño In Difficult Times

Divine Child Jesus,
In my difficulties: help me
From the enemies of my soul: save me
In my errors: enlighten me
In my doubts and pains: comfort me
In my solitudes: be with me
In my diseases: invigorate me
When others despise me: encourage me
In temptations: defend me
In difficult hours: strengthen me
With your maternal heart: love me
With your immense power: protect me
And, into your arms, when I die: receive me
Amen

Advent Prayers

The following ceremonies are meant for every day during the weeks of Advent, beginning with the first Sunday. Dinner and bedtime are made even more special with this ritual. The family says the prayer as the candles on the Advent wreath are lighted.

The First Week of Advent

The family prays:

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.

The Second Week of Advent

The family prays:

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.

The Third Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Fourth Week of Advent

The family prays:

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 hear 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.

Source: http://www.loyolapress.com/liturgical-year-advent-prayers.htm

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!, who from this place reveal your clemency and your pity to all those who ask for your protection, hear the prayer that we address to you with filial trust, and present it to your Son Jesus, our sole Redeemer.

Mother of Mercy, Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice, to you, who come to meet us sinners, we dedicate on this day all our being and all our love. We also dedicate to you our life, our work, our joys, our infirmities and our sorrows. Grant peace, justice and prosperity to our peoples; for we entrust to your care all that we have and all that we are, our Lady and Mother. We wish to be entirely yours and to walk with you along the way of complete faithfulness to Jesus Christ in His Church; hold us always with your loving hand.

Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, we pray to you for all the Bishops, that they may lead the faithful along paths of intense Christian life, of love and humble service of God and souls. Contemplate this immense harvest, and intercede with the Lord that He may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole people of God, and grant abundant vocations of priests and religious, strong in the faith and zealous dispensers of God’s mysteries.
Grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love with which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children.
Our hope, look upon us with compassion, teach us to go continually to Jesus and, if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to Him, by means of the confession of our faults and sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which gives peace to the soul.
We beg you to grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth.

Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.




His Holiness John Paul II
Mexico, January 1979. Visiting Her Basilica during his first foreign trip as Pope.