Miscellaneous Prayers

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary;

and she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, etc.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord;

be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary, etc.

And the Word was made flesh;

and dwelt amongst us.

Hail Mary, etc.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray;

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,

Thy grace into our hearts that we,

to whom the incarnation of Christ,

thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel,

ay, by His Passion and Cross,

be brought to the glory of His Resurrection,

through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the divine assistance remain always with us.

And may the souls of the faithful departed

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

 Come, O Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of the faithful

and enkindle in them

the fire of your love.

Send forth your spirit

and they shall be created

and you shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful

by the light of the Holy Spirit,

Grant that by the same Spirit

we may be truly wise

and ever rejoice in his consolation.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Prayer for Expectant Mothers

(Saint Gerard Majella)

Almighty and everlasting God,

through the working of the Holy Spirit

you prepared the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mary,

Mother of God, to be a worthy dwelling for You Son.

Through the same Holy Spirit

you also sanctified St. John the Baptist before his birth,

and now I implore your to hear my humble prayer.

Through the intercession of St. Gerard,

I beg and entreat you to protect me (her) in motherhood.

Protect also from the evil spirit

the child you have given me (her)

so that it may receive baptism by the help of Your saving hand.

Grant also, I beseech you,

that having lived as good Christians on earth,

both mother and child may one day

be united in the everlasting happiness of Heaven. Amen.

Prayer To Be Like The Holy Family

God, Our Father,

in the Holy Family of Nazareth

you have given us the true model of a Christian home.

Grant that by following Jesus,

Mary and Joseph in their love for each other

and in the example of their family life

we may have peace and happiness in our home

and come to your home of peace and joy.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Anima Christi

(early fourteenth century)

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, fill me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me.

Hide me within your wounds.

Do not allow me to be separated from you.

From the malicious enemy defend me.

In the hour of death call me

and bid me come to you that

I may praise you for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Divine Praises

Blessed be God.

Blessed be his holy name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Blessed be his most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be his most Precious Blood.

Blessed Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.

Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.

Blessed be her glorious Assumption.

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.

Blessed be St Joseph, her most chaste spouse.

Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints.

Prayer for Self-Acceptance

Dear Lord,

you have given us all talents and skills

to use as best we can.

But the sad thing is that we are dissatisfied with them.

We want to be more successful,

more wealthy,

more popular than we are.

We bemoan the fact that we are not as clever

or as good-looking as other people,

and we over-look the good points about ourselves.

Help us Lord,

to make the best use of the talents we have

and help us to stop envying other people

and be satisfied with ourselves as we are.

Amen.

Prayer for Vocations

(Prayer of Pope John XXIII)

O Jesus,

send labourers into your fields,

which are awaiting holy apostles,

saintly priests,

heroic missionaries

and dedicated brothers and sisters.

Enkindle in the hearts of men and women

the spark of a vocation.

Grant that Christian families may desire

to give your Church helpers

in the work of tomorrow.

Amen.

A Student’s Prayer

O God,

it is good to be alive and here –

though it’s hard to wait to do all the things

I want to do.

You have made the world so rich,

so great,

so crammed full of possibilities.

You have made it so beautiful.

I thank you for all

who have given me this chance to learn,

and to get ready for life –

my family, my teachers and my friends.

Widen my horizons,

widen my sympathies,

and when I am finished here,

let me give myself to serve you and others,

in this wonderful world. Amen.

Prayer for Examinations

O God,

help me at my examinations

to remember the things which I have learned and studied.

Help me to remember well, and to think clearly.

Help me not to be so nervous and excited

that I will not do myself justice,

and keep me calm and clear-headed.

Help me to try my hardest and to do my best.

This I ask for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Preparation for Mass

Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas

Almighty, everlasting God,

I draw near to the sacrament of your only-begotten Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ.

I who am sick approach the physician of life.

I who am unclean come to the fountain of mercy;

blind, to the light of eternal brightness;

poor and needy, to the Lord of heaven and earth.

Therefore, I implore you, in your boundless mercy,

to heal my sickness, cleanse my defilement,

enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness.

Then shall I dare to receive the bread of angels,

the King of kings and Lord of lords,

with reverence and humility,

contrition and love, purity and faith,

with the purpose and intention necessary for the good of my soul.

Grant, I beseech you,

that I may receive not only the Body and Blood of the Lord,

but also the grace and power of the sacrament.

Most merciful God,

enable me so to receive the Body of your only-begotten Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ, which he took from the Virgin Mary,

that I may be found worthy to be incorporated into his mystical body,

and counted among his members.

Most loving Father,

grant that I may one day see face to face your beloved Son,

whom I now intend to receive

under the veil of the sacrament,

and who with you and the Holy Spirit,

lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of 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 troubled sinner that I am,

I appeal to you, the fountain of all mercy.

I cannot bear your judgement, 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 offences 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 defence against the wiles of my enemies. Amen.

Thanksgiving After Mass

Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas

I give you thanks, Lord, Holy Father, everlasting God.

In your great mercy, and not because of my own merits,

you have fed me, a sinner and your unworthy servant,

with the precious Body and Blood of your Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that this holy communion may not serve as my judgement and condemnation,

but as my forgiveness and salvation.

May it be my armour of faith and shield of good purpose.

May it root out in me all vice and evil desires,

increase my love and patience,

humility and obedience, and every virtue.

Make it a firm defence against the wiles of all my enemies,

seen and unseen, while restraining all evil impulses of flesh and spirit.

May it help me to cleave to you, the one true God,

and bring me a blessed death when you call.

I beseech you to bring me, a sinner,

to that great feast where, with your Son and the Holy Spirit,

you are the true light of your holy ones,

their flawless blessedness, everlasting joy, and perfect happiness.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.