Almighty ever-living God,
who, while the Blessed Virgin Mary
was carrying your Son in her womb,
inspired her to visit Elizabeth,
grant us, we pray, that,
faithful to the promptings of the Spirit,
we may magnify your greatness with the Virgin Mary at all times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Category Archives: Prayer
Mary Immaculate, Star of the Morning
Mary Immaculate, star of the morning,
Chosen before the creation began,
Chosen to bring in the light of thy dawning,
Woe to the serpent and rescue to man.
Here, in this world of both shadow and sadness
Veiling thy splendour, thy course hast thou run:
Now thou art throned in all glory and gladness,
Crowned by the hand of thy Saviour and Son.
Sinners, we worship thy sinless perfection;
Fallen and weak, for thy pity we plead:
Grant us the shield of thy sov’reign protection,
Measure thine aid by the depth of our need.
Bend from thy throne at the voice of our crying,
Bend to this earth which thy footsteps have trod:
Stretch out thine arms to us, living and dying,
Mary Immaculate, Mother of God.
Renew Us Lord in Your Spirit
Blessed be Christ our Saviour. In him we become a new creation, the old order passes and all things are renewed. Let us pray in living hope.
– Renew us, Lord, in your Spirit.
You promised us, Lord, a new heaven and a new earth; renew us in your Spirit, that we may come to the new Jerusalem and rejoice in you for ever.
– Renew us, Lord, in your Spirit.
Let us work with you to fill the world with your Spirit; let us perfect our earthly city in justice, charity and peace.
– Renew us, Lord, in your Spirit.
Grant that we may put aside our apathy; help us to recognize with joy the power you have given us.
– Renew us, Lord, in your Spirit.
Set us free from all evil; show us in the confusion of our lives the things that really matter.
– Renew us, Lord, in your Spirit.
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Creator of the Earth and Skies
Hymn from the Stanbrook Hymnal
Creator of the earth and skies,
To whom the words of life belong,
Grant us thy truth to make us wise;
Grant us thy power to make us strong.
Like theirs of old, our life is death,
Our light is darkness, till we see
The eternal Word made flesh and breath,
The God who walked by Galilee.
We have not known thee: to the skies
Our monuments of folly soar,
And all our self-wrought miseries
Have made us trust ourselves the more.
We have not loved thee: far and wide
The wreckage of our hatred spreads,
And evils wrought by human pride
Recoil on unrepentant heads.
For this, our foolish confidence,
Our pride of knowledge and our sin,
We come to thee in penitence;
In us the work of grace begin.
Stay Close. The Battle is Already Won.
The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail. (Matthew 16:18)
The data can be troubling. Studies continue to show a decline in church attendance, especially among young people. Fewer and fewer people are calling themselves Christian, with many opting for the vague term of “spiritual, but not religious.” Each of us probably knows someone who is struggling with their faith or who has left the Church. And yet Jesus promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church. How can we believe this?
Perhaps the best place to start is by taking these words personally. Remember, Jesus has placed his Church in our hands, so it’s worth asking what role we have to play in fulfilling the promise. “What can I do to make sure the Church remains safe?”
The answer is as simple as it is challenging: stay close to Jesus. He has already won the battle against the devil, so he can defend you as well. Try as they might, the powers of sin and darkness won’t be able to sway you if you keep yourself connected to the Lord. It doesn’t mean you’ll be free from temptation, but it does mean that you’ll find the strength to stand firm. Be faithful to daily prayer. Make the most of your time at Mass. Pursue the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And serve Jesus as he is present in the poor and needy.
Of course, these are the obvious answers. But have you ever thought about how, when you are praying or celebrating Mass, you are also pushing back the devil and his power? Remember, you are a member of the body of Christ. There are very real spiritual consequences to your prayer life—consequences for the entire Church! As you stay close to the Lord, you are strengthening and defending all of your brothers and sisters around the world.
It’s because individual believers all over the world are clinging to Jesus right now that his Church remains protected. So as you intercede today for the Church or for family members who are struggling in their faith, you can be confident in Jesus’ promise. You can pray from a position of trust because you are part of the answer to your own prayers!
“Jesus, you are victorious! You have given new life to each member of your Church. Strengthen your body on earth.”
A Spirit Does Not Have Flesh and Bones
“And he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is myself. Touch me, and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Luke 24:38-39
Christ rising from the dead is the greatest truth about our faith. Just to make sure there is no mistake about its amazing reality, Jesus died in the most gruesome and horrible way possible. When he rose again, he could have made those wounds disappear, but he chose to keep them. It’s a sign of his love for us. It’s a sign of his love for you.
What is my response to this generous love? He paid my spiritual debts before I even realized that I was morally bankrupt. No greater love can be shown than the offering of his priceless life, a life of infinite value, for my meager life. What does his sacrifice say about the value of my life?
Oh Lord, have mercy on me! Forgive me for not loving you as I should.
Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament
My Lord Jesus Christ, for the love which You bear to men, You remain night and day in this Sacrament full of compassion and of love, awaiting, calling, and welcoming all who come to visit You. I believe that You are present in the Sacrament of the Altar: I adore You from the abyss of my nothingness, and I thank You for all the graces which You have bestowed upon me and in particular for having given me Yourself in this Sacrament, for having given me your holy Mother Mary for my advocate, and for having called me to visit You in this chapel. I now salute Your most loving Heart, and this for three ends:
- In thanksgiving for this great gift;
- To make amends to You for all the outrages which You receive in this Sacrament from all Your enemies;
- I intend by this visit to adore You in all the places on earth in which You are the least revered and the most abandoned.
My Jesus, I love You with all my heart. I grieve for having so many times offended Your infinite goodness. I promise with Your grace never more to offend You in the future.
Now, miserable and unworthy though I be, I consecrate myself to You without reserve;
I give You my entire will, my affections, my desires, and all that I possess. From now on dispose of me and of all that I have as You please. All that I ask of You and desire is Your holy love, final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Your will. I recommend to You the souls in purgatory; but especially those who had the greatest devotion to the most Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I also recommend to You all poor sinners.
My dear Savior, I unite all my affections with the affections of Your most loving Heart; and I offer them, thus united, to Your eternal Father, and beseech Him in Your name to vouchsafe, for Your love, to accept them.
Amen.
From Strength to Strength
Bless your people, Lord. You have given us the law that we may walk from strength to strength and raise our minds to you from this valley of tears. May we receive the gifts you have gained for us.
Keen for God 