Prayers of Devotion for Various Needs
1. In Thanksgiving for a favor received
Thank You, O God, for hearing my prayer and granting my request. Thank You for all the kindness You have shown me.
Thank You, Father, for Your great love in giving me my life, for Your great patience in preserving me despite my sinfulness, for Your protection in the past and for the opportunity to serve and honor You in the future.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for keeping me numberless times from sin and death by the toils of your life, the sufferings of your Passion, and by Your victorious Resurrection.
Thank You, Holy Spirit of God, for bestowing so many graces upon my soul and for having so frequently renewed Your life within me.
May my life, from now on, be a sign of my gratefulness. Amen.
2. The Serenity Prayer
God grant me
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and
Wisdom to know the difference.
3. Prayer for a Family
O dear Jesus, I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family. May our home be the shrine of peace, purity, love, labor and faith. I beg You, dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us, absent and present, living and dead.
O Mary, loving Mother of Jesus, and our Mother, pray to Jesus for our family, for all the families of the world, to guard the cradle of the newborn, the schools of the young, and their vocations.
Blessed Saint Joseph, holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by your prayers in all necessities of life. Ask of Jesus that special grace which He granted to you, to watch over our home at the pillow of the sick and the dying, so that with Mary and with you, heaven may find our family unbroken in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Amen.
4. Prayer in Time of Sickness
O Jesus, You suffered and died for us; You understand suffering; teach me to understand my suffering as You do; to bear it in union with You, to offer it with You to atone for my sins, and to bring Your grace to souls in need.
Calm my fears; increase my trust.
May I gladly accept Your holy will and become more like You in trial.
If it be Your will, restore me to health so that I may work for Your honor and glory and the salvation of all. Amen.
5. Prayer for the Sick
Dear Jesus,
Divine Physician and Healer of the Sick, we turn to You in this time of illness.
O dearest Comforter of the troubled, alleviate our worry and sorrow with
Your gentle love, and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden.
Dear God, we place our worries in Your hands. We place our sick
under Your care and humbly ask that You restore Your servant to health again.
Above all, grant us the grace to acknowledge Your holy will and know that
whatsoever You do, You do for the love of us. Amen.
6. Prayer During Difficult Economic Times
Gracious God,
We know that Your love is infinite and that You care about all areas of our
life.
In this time of economic insecurity, help us to trust that all of our
security is in You.
Keep us mindful that You always have and always will provide for our needs.
Apart from You can do nothing.
7. Blessing of a New Home
Lord, be close to Your servants who move into this home (today) and ask for Your blessing.
Be their shelter when they are at home, their companion when they are away, and their welcome guest when they return.
And at last receive them into the dwelling place You have prepared for them in Your Father's house, where You live for ever and ever. Amen.
8. Blessing on the Occasion of a Birthday
Loving God, You created all the people of the world and You know each of us by name.
We thank You for (Name), who today celebrates his/her birthday.
Bless him/her with Your love and friendship that he/she may grow in wisdom, knowledge, and grace.
May he/she love his/her family always and be faithful to his/her friends.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
9. Morning Offering
Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates, and for the general intention recommended this month for the Holy Father.
10. Prayer for Life
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life: Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to praise the glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. Amen.
Top
Index
Devotional
Prayer List
11. Daily Offering
O my Jesus, I include myself in all the Holy Masses which are celebrated this day throughout the world, and offer them to You in union with the intentions of Your Sacred Heart. I implore You to reserve for me, from each Holy Mass, Your most precious blood to atone for my sins and their punishment.
Grant me also the grace of obtaining through the merits of every holy sacrifice the release of one poor soul from the pains of purgatory, the conversion of one sinner, and also that one soul in the agony of death may obtain mercy, and that one mortal sin, which is so painful to Your Sacred Heart, may be prevented. Amen.
12. Prayer Before or After Communion
Christ Jesus, I acknowledge you as king of the universe. All that was made was created by Thee; exercise all Thy rights over me. I renew my Baptismal vows renouncing Satan and his works, and I pledge myself to strive according to Thy means for the triumph of God and of His Church.
I offer you my poor works to obtain that all hearts may acknowledge your sacred royalty; and thus may the reign of your peace be establish throughout the universe.
13. Prayer for Police Officers
Almighty God, whose great power and eternal wisdom embraces the universe, watch over all policemen and law enforcement officers everywhere.
Protect them from harm in the performance of their duty to stop crime, robbery, riots, and violence. We pray, help them keep our streets and homes safe, day and night. We commend them to Your loving care because their duty is dangerous. Grant them strength and courage in their daily assignments.
Dear God, protect these brave men and women. Grant them Your almighty protection, unite them safely with their families after duty has ended. Amen.
14. Prayer for the Pope
Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to Your shepherd__________, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care may he, as successor to the apostle Peter and vicar of Christ, build Your Church into a sacrament of unity, love, and peace for all the world.
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.
15. Prayer for Vocations
Lord, You told us that, "The harvest indeed is great but the laborers are few. Pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His fields." We ask You to strengthen us as we follow the vocation to which You have called us. We pray particularly for those called to serve as priests, sisters, brothers, and deacons:
Those who
You have called,
Those You are calling now,
Those You will call in the future.
May they be open and responsive to the call of serving Your people. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
16. Teacher's Prayer
I want to teach my students how to live this life on earth, to face its struggles and its strife and improve their worth.
Not just the lesson in a book or how the rivers flow, but how to choose the proper path wherever they may go.
To understand eternal truth and know right from wrong, and gather all the beauty of a flower and a song.
For if I help the world to grow in wisdom and in grace then I shall feel that I have won and I have filled my place.
And so I ask Your guidance, God that I may do my part for character and confidence and happiness of heart.
17. Prayer of Students
Eternal Father, through the gifts and fruits of Your Holy Spirit, enlighten and perfect my intellect, will and affections that in all things I may be what Your Divine Wisdom intended me to be, a bearer of Christ to all.
Illuminate my intellect with faith; strengthen my will with hope; and inflame my heart with Your Divine Love.
Create in me Christ-like ideals, attitudes, appreciations, and habits that will enable me to think, judge, and act in imitation of Your Immaculate Mother, a Bearer of Christ to all.
18. Prayer for Daily Neglects
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all of its love, all its sufferings and all its merits.
First – To expiate all the sins
I have committed this day and during all my life.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Second – To purify the good I
have done badly this day and during all my life.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Third – To supply for the good
I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and during all my life.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
19. Prayer to Mary for the Healing of Loved Ones
O Blessed Mother, health of the sick, intercede with your Divine son, Jesus Christ, for my loved ones who are ill, in particular (mention names). In your goodness, petition God to grant them improved health. Ask Our Lord to send His Angels to watch over and protect them, and to keep them safe from disease, injury or harm.
Embrace with your motherly love those dear to me who are ill, and assist them with your gentle, healing presence, so that God’s abundant goodness may always be their true source of comfort, strength and joy. Amen.
Top
Index
Devotional
Prayer List
20. For the Grace of Love
O Mary, my dear Mother, how much I love you! And yet in reality how little! You teach me what I ought to know, for you teach me what Jesus is to me and what I ought to be to Jesus. Dearly beloved Mother, how close to God you are, and how utterly filled with Him! In the measure that we know God, we remind ourselves of you. Mother of God, obtain for me the grace of loving my Jesus; obtain for me the grace of loving you!
21. Daily Offering
Most loving Father, I thank You for the gift of this new day. Please help me to use it for Your honor and glory. By Your mercy may all my thoughts, words, and actions be pleasing today in Yours sight.
In Your unfailing kindness, Lord almighty, forgive my past failings, preserve me this day without sin, and protect all Your people from every evil.
May the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of our Savior, keep us under her special protection. By her prayers and the aid of all Your Saints, kindly keep us every intent on doing good today for Your name’s sake.
These great blessings we ask in confidence through Your Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
22. An Act of Consecration
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of heaven and earth, and tender Mother of men, in accordance with your ardent wish revealed at Fatima, I consecrate to you myself, my country, and all my fellowmen.
Reign over our hearts, dearest Mother, so that we may be truly followers of Christ and His teachings, in prosperity and adversity, in joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, in life and death.
I want to atone for all my sins and those of all men. I desire God’s blessing on my country and the world peace between all nations, with love a justice practiced by all men.
23. Prayer of Consecration for the Country
Most Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, we adore Your majesty and acknowledge Your supreme eternal dominion and authority.
Most Holy Trinity, we place (country) into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to You. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic church in (country). Have mercy on our leaders and on all the officers of our government. Protect family life in our nation. Grant the precious gift of many vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, and all who are in need.
Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Our Mother, Patroness of (country), we honor you and ask your maternal protection and care for us. Obtain for us the graces we need to live and die according to the Will of your Divine Son. Amen.
24. Prayer after Communion
(St. Ignatius of Loyola)
Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight, and not to heed the wounds; to labor, and not to seek to rest; to give of myself and not to ask for reward, except the reward of knowing that I am doing your will.
25. Night Prayer
(St. Augustine)
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch or weep tonight, and give Your angels and saints charegew over those who sleep. Tend Your sick ones, O Loving Lord; rest Your weary ones' bless Your dying ones; sooth Your suffering ones; pity Your afflicted ones; shield Your joyous ones. And all for Your love's sake. Amen.
26. Evening Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I adore You and thank You for all the graces You have given me this day. I offer You my sleep and the moments of this night. I beseech You to protect me and keep me safe. Therefore I place myself within Your sacred side and under the mantle of Our Blessed Lady, my mother. Let Your holy angels stand about me and keep me in Your peace. Let Your blessing be upon me throughout the hours of this night, so I may awake to serve You, strengthened and refreshed, for a new day. Amen.
27. Prayer of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire You in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though You were already there, I embrace You and unite myself wholly to You. Permit not that I should ever be separated from You. Amen.
28. Preparation for Holy Communion
O Lord, Jesus Christ, King of everlasting glory, behold I desire to come to you this day, and to receive your Body and Blood in this heavenly Sacrament, for your honor and glory, and the good of my soul. I desire to receive you, because it is your desire, and you have so willed it: blessed be your Name forever.
I desire to come to you like Magdalen, that I may be delivered from all my evils, and embrace you, my only Good. I desire to come to you, that I may be happily united to you, that I may henceforth abide in you, and you in me; and that nothing in life or death may ever separate me from you. Amen.
29. Prayer before Holy Communion
O Lord, I believe and profess that you are truly Christ, the son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of your mystical supper, O Son of God; for I will not reveal your mystery to your enemies, nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to you:
Remember me, O Lord, when you shall come into your kingdom. Remember me, O Holy One, when you shall come into your kingdom. Remember me, O Master, when you shall come into your kingdom. Remember me, O Holy One, when you shall come into your kingdom.
May the partaking of your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. O Lord, I also believe and profess that his, which I am about to receive, is truly your most precious Body and you r life-giving Blood, which, I pray, make my worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.
Top
Index
Devotional
Prayer List
30. Prayer after Receiving Holy Communion
My Jesus, I love and adore you, You have come to me; I am one with You. I want You to remain with me forever, in this life and in the next. Thank You for allowing me to share Your divine life. May I become more like You through this sacred Food.
Let me never take You for granted, but always pray for those whose lives and dark with sin and ignorance and selfishness. Let me remember, in the words of Saint Paul, that, “there, but for the grace of God, go I.” Each day, I can become more like You, O Lord. And each day I can pray for those who have never beard the Gospel, or who have heard it and rejected it. Amen.
31. Prayer of Thanksgiving after Holy Communion
My good Jesus, I pray you to bless me; keep me in your love; grant me the grace of final perseverance. Help me to become a Saint. Safeguarded by you in soul and body, may I never swerve from the right road, but surely reach your kingdom, where, not in dim mysteries, as in the dark world of ours, but face to face we shall look upon you. There will you satisfy me with yourself and fill me with such sweetness that I shall neither hunger nor thirst forevermore: Who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns world without end. Amen.
32. Prayer after Holy Communion
Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being, so utterly that our lives may be only a radiance of yours. Shine through us, and be so in us, that every soul we come in contact with may feel your presence in our soul. Let them look up and see no longer us but only Jesus! Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, O Jesus, will be all from you; none of it will be ours; it will be you, shining on others through us. Let us thus praise you in the way you love best by shining on those around us. Let us preach you without preaching, not by words, but by your example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love of our hearts bear to you. Amen.
33. Prayer before Mass
St. Ambrose
Lord, Jesus Christ, I approach Your banquet table in fear and trembling, for I am a sinner, and dare not rely on my own worth but only on Your goodness and mercy. I am defiled by many sins in body and soul, and by my unguarded thoughts and words. Gracious God of majesty and awe, I seek Your protection, I look for Your healing, poor, troubles sinner that I am, I appeal to You, the fountain of all mercy.
I cannot bear Your judgment, but I trust in Your salvation. Lord, I show my wounds to You and uncover my shame before You. I know my sins are many and great, and they fill me with fear, but I hope in Your mercies, for they cannot be numbered. Lord Jesus Christ, eternal king, God and man, crucified for mankind, look upon me with mercy and hear my prayer, for I trust in You. Have mercy on me, full of sorrow and sin, for the depth of Your compassion never ends. Praise to You, saving sacrifice, offered on the wood of the cross for me and for all mankind.
Praise to the noble and precious Blood, flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ and washing away the sins of the whole world. Remember, Lord, Your creature, whom You have redeemed with Your Blood. I repent my sins, and I long to put right what I have done. Merciful Father, take away all my offenses and sins; purify me in body and soul, and make me worthy to taste the holy of holies.
May Your Body and Blood, which I intend to receive, although I am unworthy, be for me the remission of my sins, the washing away of my guilt, the end of my evil thoughts, and the rebirth of my better instincts. May it incite me to do the works pleasing to You and profitable to my health in body and soul, and be a firm defense against the wiles of my enemies. Amen.
34. Devotional Prayer before Mass
St. Thomas Aquinas
Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in Your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness.
May I receive the Bread of angels, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, with humble reverence with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and its reality and power. Kind God, may I receive the body of Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical body and numbered among His members. Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive Your beloved Son under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see Him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with You forever. Amen.
35. Devotional Prayer after Mass
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank You, for even
though I am a sinner, Your unprofitable servant, not because of my worth but in
the kindness of Your mercy, You have fed me with the precious Body and Blood of
Your Son, of Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring
me condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation.
May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will. May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions. May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience, and growth in the power to do good. May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses, bodily and spiritual. May it unite me more closely to You, the one true God, and lead me safely through death to everlasting happiness with You.
And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where You, with Your Son and Holy Spirit are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfect happiness to Your saints. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
36. Devotional Prayer After Mass
Saint Bonaventure
Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Your love, with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for You, that it may yearn for Your and faint for Your courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with You.
Grant that my soul may hunger after You, the Bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste; let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon You, upon Whom the angels desire to look and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Your savor; may it thirst after You, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the richness of the house of God; may it ever compass You, seek You, find You, run to You, and do all things to the praise and glory of Your name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, and with perseverance unto the end; may You alone be ever my hope, my entire assurance, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my fragrance, my sweet savor, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession and my treasure, in Whom may my mind be fixed and firm and rooted immovably henceforth and ever. Amen.
37. A Prayer of Love
Lord, I believe in You; increase my faith. I trust in You: strengthen my trust. I love You; let me love You more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow. I worship You as my first beginning, I long for You as my last end, I praise You as my constant helper, and call on You as my loving protector.
Guide me by Your wisdom, correct me with your justice, comfort me with Your mercy, protect me with Your power. I offer You, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on You; my words: to have You for their theme, my actions: to reflect my love for You; my sufferings: to be endured for Your greater glory.
I want to do what You ask of me: in the way You ask, for as long as You ask, because You ask it. Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and make me holy
Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian.
Let me love You, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies.
Help me conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.
Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.
Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions.
Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered.
Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish Your love for me, keep Your law, and come at last to Your salvation.
Teach me to realize that this world is passing, that my true future is the happiness of heaven, that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal.
Help me to prepare for death with a
proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in your goodness. Lead me safely
through death to the endless joy of heaven. Amen.
38. A Prayer of Charity
Gracious God, I offer You my heart-felt gratitude for Your countless graces and blessings to me and my loved ones each day.
In response to Your goodness, dear Lord, help me to be aware of the needs of my least sisters and brothers, and to assist those who are poor and less fortunate with generous expressions of charity, kindness and caring.
On that day, O Lord, when I finally stand before You to give an account of my life. I pray I will hear You say, "Come, O good and faithful servant to share your Father's joy, for when I was hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, ill and imprisoned, you offered your gifts in charity, and you lovingly did it for Me." Amen.
39. For Those in the Military
Almighty God, we stand before You asking for Your divine mercy and protection. Embrace with Your invincible armor our loved ones in all branches of the service.
Give them courage and strength against all enemies both spiritual and physical and hasten their safe journey back to their homes and families. Amen.
Top
Index
Devotional
Prayer List
40. My Prayer for Policemen
Oh Almighty God, whose great power and eternal wisdom embraces the universe, watch over all Policemen and Law enforcement officers.
Protect them from harm in the performance of their duty to stop crime, robberies, riots and violence. We pray, help them keep our streets and homes safe day and night.
We recommend them to your loving care because their duty is dangerous. Grant them your unending strength and courage in their daily assignments.
Dear God, protect these brave men, grant them your almighty protection, and unite them safely with their families after duty has ended. Amen.