The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Other Prayers for Particular Purposes
Other Prayers for Particular Purposes.
PRAYER FOR TEMPERANCE.
MY Lord Jesus Christ, who for love of us didst suffer the agony of thirst upon the Cross, grant we beseech thee, through the merits of thy sacred passion and death, that we may subdue our sinful desires, and may never have the misfortune to commit the sin of drunkenness. This most grievous sin has cast innumerable souls into hell. It brings in its train innumerable other sins. It closes the heart against sanctifying grace, gives loose reins to the vilest passions, destroys Christian peace in families, leads to fighting and quarrelling, to cursing and swearing, to improper and sinful words. O God! through thy own great mercy, preserve us from the sin of drunkenness, and through thy love for all the Saints of Ireland, banish this terrible vice entirely from amongst us.
Say, from your heart, one “Hall Mary,” to obtain the blessing of Temperance, and add:
O sacred Heart of Jesus, through thy thirst and agony on the Cross, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Mary, through thy compassionate heart, obtain for me the blessing of Temperance.
FOR THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH.
DEFEND, O Lord, thy servants, we beseech thee, from all dangers both of body and soul; and, by the intercession of the blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, of blessed N., and of all thy saints, mercifully grant us the blessings of peace and safety; that all adversities and errors being removed, thy Church may freely and securely serve thee; through, etc.
FOR ALL DEGREES OF MEN IN THE CHURCH.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is sanctified and governed, mercifully hear our humble supplications for all degrees and orders therein; that by the gift of thy grace, all, in their several stations, may faithfully serve thee; through, etc.
FOR THE POPE.
O GOD, the Pastor and Governor of all the faithful, mercifully look upon thy servant N., whom thou hast been pleased to appoint the pastor of thy Church; grant, we beseech thee, that both by word and example he may edify those over whom he is set; and, together with the flock committed to his care, may attain everlasting life; through, etc.
FOR THE KING OR QUEEN.
WE beseech thee, O Almighty God, that thy servant Victoria our Queen, who, by thy mercy, has received the government of this kingdom, may receive also an increase of all virtues; wherewith being adorned, she may be able both to avoid the enormity of sin [vanquish her enemies ], and being made acceptable in thy sight, may come unto thee, who art the way, the truth, and the life; through, etc.
FOR BISHOPS, AND THE PEOPLE COMMITTED TO THEM.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who alone doest great marvels, send down upon thy servants the Bishops of thy Church [especially N. our Bishop], and all congregations committed unto them, the spirit of thy saving grace; and that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing; through, etc.
FOR A CONGREGATION OR FAMILY.
DEFEND, we beseech thee, O Lord, by the intercession of the blessed Mary, ever Virgin, this thy family from all adversity; and mercifully protect us, now prostrate before thee with our whole hearts, from all the snares of our enemies; through, etc.
FOR THE PRESERVATION OF CONCORD IN A CONGREGATION.
O GOD, who art the giver of peace and lover of charity, grant to thy servants true concord and union with thy holy will, that we may be delivered from all temptations which assault us; through, etc.
AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH.
HEAR the prayers of thy Church, O Lord, we beseech thee, and turn away thine anger from us; that all adversities and errors being done away, we may freely and securely serve thee; through, etc.
IN ANY NECESSITY.
O GOD, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, give ear to the fervent prayers of thy Church; that what we ask in faith we may effectually obtain; through, etc.
IN ANY TRIBULATION.
O ALMIGHTY God, despise not thy people who cry unto thee in their affliction; but for the glory of thy name, turn away thine anger, and help us in our tribulations; through, etc.
IN TIME OF FAMINE OR PESTILENCE.
GRANT, we beseech thee, O Lord, an answer to our hearty supplications; and, thy wrath being appeased, turn away from us this famine (or pestilence); that the hearts of men may know that these scourges proceed from thine anger, and cease
by thy mercy; through, etc. FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
O GOD, who rejectest none that come unto thee, but in pity are appeased even with the greatest sinners who repent; mercifully regard our prayers in our humiliation, and lighten our hearts; that we may be able to fulfil thy commandments; through, etc.
FOR THE TEMPTED AND AFFLICTED.
O GOD, who justifiest the ungodly that repent, and wouldst not the death of a sinner; we humbly entreat thy Majesty to protect thy servants with thy heavenly assistance,’ who trust in thy mercy, and preserve them by thy continual protection; that they may constantly serve thee, and by no temptation be separated from thee; through, etc.
FOR PERSEVERANCE IN GOODNESS.
GRANT, O my Lord Jesus Christ, that I may persevere in good purposes, and in thy holy service, to my death; and that I may this day perfectly begin, for all I have hitherto done is nothing. Amen.
FOR HERETICS AND SCHISMATICS.
O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast compassion on all, and wouldst not that any should perish; favourably look down upon all those who are seduced by the deceit of Satan; that all heretical impiety being removed, the hearts of such as err may repent, and return to the unity of thy truth; through, etc.
FOR JEWS.
O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who repellest not from thy mercy even the perfidious Jews; hear the prayer which we offer for the blindness of that people; that the light of thy truth, Christ our Lord, being known to them, they may be delivered from their darkness; through, etc.
FOR PAGANS.
O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who desirest not the death but the life of sinners; mercifully accept our prayers, and, delivering pagans from the worship of idols, unite them to thy Church, to the praise and honour of thy glorious name; through, etc.
FOR OUR FRIENDS.
O GOD, who, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, hast poured into the hearts of thy faithful the gifts of charity; grant to thy servants, for whom we implore thy mercy, health both of body and soul; that they may love thee with all their strength, and cheerfully perform those things which are pleasing to thee; through, etc.
A SHORT RECOMMENDATION TO GOD.
INTO the hands of thy unspeakable mercy, O Lord, I commend my soul and body; my senses, my words, my thoughts, and all my actions, with all the necessities of my body and soul; my going forth and coming in; my faith and conversation; the course and end of my life; the day and hour of my death; my rest and resurrection with the saints and elect. Amen.
FOR THE SICK.
V. Heal thy servants, O Lord, who are sick, and who put their trust in thee.
R. Send them help, O Lord, and comfort them, from thy holy place.
O Almighty and everlasting God, the eternal salvation of them that believe in thee, hear us in behalf of thy servants who are sick; for whom we humbly crave the help of thy mercy; that, their health being restored to them, they may render thanks to thee in thy Church; through, etc.
FOR THE DEAD.
O ALMIGHTY and eternal God, who hast dominion over the living and the dead, and art merciful to all, whom thou foreknowest shall he thine by faith and good works; we humbly beseech thee, that they for whom we hare determined to offer up our prayers, whether this present world still detains them in the flesh, or the world to come hath already received them out of their bodies, may, by the clemency of thy goodness (all thy saints interceding for them), obtain pardon and full remission of their sins; through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
A PRAYER BEFORE STUDY OR INSTRUCTION.
O INCOMPREHENSIBLE Creator, the true fountain of light, and only Author of all knowledge; vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to enlighten our understanding, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. [Thou, who makest eloquent the tongues of those that want utterance, direct our tongues, and pour on our lips the grace of thy blessing.] Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn, we may apply to thy honour and the eternal salvation of our own souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF A HUSBAND OR WIFE.
O GOD, who hast ordained and sanctified the holy estate of matrimony, for replenishing the earth, for mutual consolation, and as a type of the union of Christ and his Church; give me grace both thankfully to accept its blessings, and carefully to fulfil its duties. I beseech thee continually to bless our union , and to enable us to live together in peace and love, in the faithful discharge of all our duties to thee, and to each other. Deliver us from every evil temper, from every heedless action, which may in any way weaken or embitter the sacredness of that tie by which thou hast bound us together, and which can never be severed. Make me faithful and affectionate, studious to please, and ready to deny my own will and inclination in all things. Let not the trials and crosses of this life induce me to murmur, nor any earthly blessings cause me to forget thee, the Author and Giver of all; but by patience and meekness, by prayer and thankfulness, may all things be sanctified unto me, and fit me for eternal union with thee, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
A PRAYER OF PARENTS, FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
O FATHER of mankind, who hast given unto mo‘ these my children, and committed them to my charge to bring them up for thee, and to prepare them for everlasting life; assist me with thy heavenly grace, that I may be able to fulfil this most sacred duty and, stewardship. Teach me both what to give, and what to withhold; when to reprove, and when to forbear: make me to be gentle, yet firm; considerate and watchful; and deliver me equally from the weakness of indulgence, and excess of severity; and grant that, both by word and example, I may be careful to lead them in the ways of wisdom and true piety; so that at last I may, with them, be admitted to the unspeakable joys of our true home in heaven, in the unity of the blessed angels and saints, where thou, O Father; with Jesus, thy only-begotten Son, in the unity of; the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest one God, for ever and ever.
O Heavenly Father, I commend my children unto thee. Be thou their God and Father; and mercifully supply whatever is wanting in me, through frailty or negligence. Strengthen them to overcome the corruptions of the world, to resist the solicitations of evil, whether from within or without; and deliver them from the secret snares of the enemy. Pour thy grace into their hearts, and confirm and multiply in them the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that they may daily grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so faithfully serving thee enjoy thee hereafter; through the merits of the same Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest. Amen.
PRAYER OF A CHILD.
O ALMIGHTY God, who hast given unto me my father and mother, and made them to be an image of thy authority, and love, and tender watchfulness, and hast commanded me to love, and honour, and obey them in all things, give me grace cheerfully and with my whole heart, to keep this thy law. Help me to love them fervently, to honour them truly, to yield a ready obedience to all their commands, to comply with all their wishes, to study their happiness in everything, and to bear with patience and humility all their rebukes. Deliver me, O God, from pride, rebellion, and wilfulness, from passion and stubbornness, from sloth and carelessness. Make me diligent in all my duties and studies, and patient in all my trials; that so living, I may deserve to be thy child, who art our Father in heaven, through Jesus Christ, thine only Son our Lord. Amen.
A PRAYER FOR CHOOSING A STATE OF LIFE.
O LORD, I beseech thee to grant me thy divine light that I may know the designs of thy providence concerning me, and that, filled with a sincere desire for my soul’s salvation, I may say with the young man in the Gospel: “ What must I do to be saved? ” All states of life are before me; but, still undecided what to do, I await thy commands, I offer myself to thee without restriction, without reserve, with a most perfect submission.
Far be it from me, O Lord, to oppose the order of thy wisdom, and, unfaithful to the inspiration of thy grace, to strive to subject the will of the Creator to the caprice of the creature. It is not for the servant to choose the way in which he will serve his master: do thou lay upon me what commands thou pleasest. “ My lot is in thine hands.” I make no exception, lest perchance that which I except, be that which thou wiliest, and because I am too short-sighted to discover in the future the different obstacles I shall meet with, if, without thy guidance, I make myself the arbiter of my own conduct. Speak, Lord, to my soul; speak to me as thou didst to the youthful Samuel: “Speak to me, Lord; for thy servant heareth.” I cast myself at thy feet, and I am ready, if it be thy will, to sacrifice myself as a victim to thee for the remainder of my days, in such manner as thou shalt deem most worthy of thy greatness.
O my God, overrule the affections of my parents, and guide their projects according to the counsels of thy eternal wisdom. Lord, I desire to consult thee as the oracle of truth, sincerely and without preference; grant that they also may submit themselves to its decrees faithfully and without reserve.
A PRAYER IN TIMES OF CALAMITY.
O JESUS Christ, we call upon thee, holy, immortal God. Have mercy upon us and upon ail men. Purify us by thy holy blood, forgive us through thy sacred Passion, save us in thy mercy, now and for ever. Amen.