Category Archives: Prayers

Acts of Faith, Hope and Love

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Daily Readings for 9/1/24 Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time and Reflections

Beautiful prayers for everyday

Act of Faith

O my God, I firmly believe
that you are one God in three divine Persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I believe that your divine Son became man
and died for our sins and that he will come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe these and all the truths
which the Holy Catholic Church teaches
because you have revealed them
who are eternal truth and wisdom,
who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
In this faith I intend to live and die.
Amen.

Act of Hope

O Lord God,
I hope by your grace for the pardon
of all my sins
and after life here to gain eternal happiness
because you have promised it
who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind,
and merciful.
In this hope I intend to live and die.
Amen.

Act of Love

O Lord God, I love you above all things
and I love my neighbor for your sake
because you are the highest, infinite and perfect
good, worthy of all my love.
In this love I intend to live and die.
Amen.

Prayers excerpted from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, © Copyright 2005 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

St. Andrew Christmas Novena

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Please join me in praying the Saint Andrew Novena.

It is piously believed that whoever recites the St. Andrew Christmas novena prayer FIFTEEN times each day from the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas Eve will obtain the favor requested.
(From ASCENSIONPRESS.COM)

St. Andrew Christmas Novena
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother.

Amen

November 30 is the Feast of Saint Andrew. He is the patron saint of fisherman, singers, Scotland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Patras. Also known as Saint Andrew the Apostle, he was the older brother of Saint Simon Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church. In the Gospel of Matthew,  Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when He  saw Andrew and Simon Peter fishing. It was in that moment that Jesus famously asked them to leave their occupations as fishermen to become disciples and “fishers of men.”
(From catholic.org)

 

 

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel

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It is true. Angels are real and part of God’s creation.  One of the best things about angels is each of us is blessed to have  one especially  entrusted with guarding and protecting us on earth from the day we are born until the day we die. These are Guardian Angels.  To learn more about Guardian Angels read Don’t Name (Or Try to Discover the Name) of Your Guardian Angel  

What’s the best way to have a relationship with your Guardian Angel?
WATCH

 

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 336

‘From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their (the angels) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united to God. ‘

 

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.

Amen.

 

 

 

What is a Novena?

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What is a novena?
A novena is a set of prayers and devotions to God recited over nine consecutive days, hence the name “novena” which is derived from the Latin “novem” meaning “nine.” Novenas are prayed for specific purposes, requests or petitions and often are how we ask patron saints to pray and intercede for us when we have specific needs.

This pattern of prayer has biblical roots. It  is a tradition that is traced back to the Apostles, specifically to when Jesus  instructed the Apostles to pray together in anticipation of the Holy Spirit as he ascended to Heaven.

“But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” Acts 1:8-9.

You may remember that upon receiving these instructions from Jesus, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem which was a full day’s journey, found an upper room in a house and together with the blessed Virgin Mary, they prayed constantly for the next nine days (Acts1:12-14) until the Holy Spirit descended on them like “tongues of fire.”  (Acts 2: 1-4).

So you see, the novenas we pray today are not randomly concocted rituals. On the contrary. The tradition of praying novenas evolved from the Apostles obedience to the Lord’s command, when they prayed for nine days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Novenas are a wonderful way to remain faithful and persistent in prayer, something Jesus reminds us to do, time and time again, in the Gospel. Praying novenas is yet another simple way to live the faith everyday.

How to pray a novena.
It is traditional to begin praying certain novenas on specific days of the year, but you may choose to pray any novena any time you wish. All it takes is a sincere heart and a willingness to commit to the process, but if you a miss a day, don’t panic.  And don’t give up. You can skip the day you miss. You can recite two daily prayers to catch up for the one you missed. Or, you can resume without catching up and take longer to complete the novena.  Remember, God is forgiving and merciful!

It is also important to remember that God is in control of all things and praying a novena does not guarantee a desired outcome. Regardless of our petitions, God knows what is best for us. When we pray in faith we must accept that God’s will may not be what we want, but it is always what we need to fulfill his plan for our lives and for the lives of those for whom we pray.

For answers to answers to frequently asked questions about praying novenas, visit Pray More Novenas.

 

Prayers and Contemplation for a Happy New Year

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Whether it involves traveling to visit family and friends out of town, dinner reservations or a simple, quiet evening at home watching college football and sharing good food with my husband (and our dog), I often forget to invite God into my plans for ringing in the new year.  God is indeed present with us as we celebrate this holiday,  as He is in all days. Sacred tradition isn’t particularly obvious in the festivities surrounding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, but you might be surprised to learn there is some religious significance.

The close of the Christmas Octave, (the eight days following the Christ child’s birth) falls on January 1. In keeping with Jewish tradition, it was on this day that our Lord was circumcised and named Jesus, the name given to Him by the angel Gabriel, before He was conceived in the womb, when he appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary to reveal God’s plan for her life. ‘Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke, 1:38 NAB).  It is on this day, the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, that we honor Mary as the Mother of God.

“Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church’s Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the “Seat of Wisdom.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church 721

The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God is not a holy day of obligation this year because it falls on a Saturday, but I’m sharing today’s gospel reading because it is such a beautiful depiction of the Blessed Mother’s humble love.

 

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,  
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,  
they made known the message  
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed  
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,  
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,  
glorifying and praising God  
for all they had heard and seen,  
just as it had been told to them.  

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,  
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel  
before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke, 2:16-21)

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day is a time of renewal, refreshment, and recommitment. I often forget it is also an especially good time to spend a few minutes with God in prayer and contemplative thought.

Prayers for the New Year

  • As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends. Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. (https://www.xavier.edu › online-resources › prayer-index)
  • Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
    Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your     womb, Jesus.
    Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the our of our death. Amen.
  • I wish you a year filled with serenity and happiness: may you always be certain of God’s love for us. As he did two thousand years ago, Christ comes today with his saving Gospel to guide the uncertain and faltering steps of peoples and nations, leading them towards a future of true hope. I ask him to bless this moment of festivity and good wishes, that it may be the promising beginning of a new millennium filled with joy and peace. Let us enter the Year 2000 with our eyes fixed on the mystery of the Incarnation. Christ, yesterday, today and for ever. To him belong time and the ages. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen! I thank you. Happy New Year to all. Praised be Jesus Christ! —-Pope John Paul II, Jan. 1, 2000
  • Dear brothers and sisters, it is only by pondering in the heart, in other words, by piecing together and finding unity in all we experience, that, following Mary, we can penetrate the mystery of a God who was made man out of love and who calls us to follow him on the path of love; a love to be expressed daily by generous service to the brethren. May the new year which we are confidently beginning today be a time in which to advance in that knowledge of the heart, which is the wisdom of saints. Let us pray, as we heard in the First Reading, that the Lord may “make his face to shine” upon us, “and be gracious” to us (cf. Nm 6: 24-7) and bless us. We may be certain of it: if we never tire of seeking his Face, if we never give in to the temptation of discouragement and doubt, if also among the many difficulties we encounter we always remain anchored to him, we will experience the power of his love and his mercy. May the fragile Child who today the Virgin shows to the world make us peacemakers, witnesses of him, the Prince of Peace. Amen! —-Pope Benedict XVI, Jan. 1, 2008
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