Prayer

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified,
died,
and was buried.

He descended into Hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God,
the Father almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.

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.

Soul of Christ,
sanctify me
Body of Christ,
save me
Blood of Christ,
inebriate me
Water from Christ’s side,
wash me
Passion of Christ,
strengthen me
O good Jesus,
hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen.

I give myself and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ,
my person and my life,
my actions,
pains and sufferings,
so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being other than to honor,
love and glorify the Sacred Heart.

This is my unchanging purpose,
namely,
to be all His,
and to do all things for the love of Him,
at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him.

I therefore take You,
O Sacred heart,
to be the only object of my love,
the guardian of my life,
my assurance of salvation,
the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy,
the atonement for all the faults of my life and my sure refuge at the hour of death.

Be then,
O Heart of goodness,
my justification before God the Father,
and turn away from me the strokes of his righteous anger.

O Heart of love,
I put all my confidence in You,
for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty,
but I hope for all things from Your goodness and bounty.

Remove from me all that can displease You or resist Your holy will;
let your pure love imprint Your image so deeply upon my heart,
that I shall never be able to forget You or to be separated from You.

May I obtain from all Your loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Your Heart,
for in You I desire to place all my happiness and glory,
living and dying in bondage to You.
Amen.

O Loving Jesus,
meek Lamb of God,
I miserable sinner,
salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross,
which so tore Thy flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of Thy Most Blessed Body.

I adore Thee,
O Jesus most sorrowful;
I praise and glorify Thee,
and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound,
beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain,
and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me,
a sinner,
to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins,
and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross.
Amen.

Remember,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help,
or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins,
my mother;
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Hail,
holy Queen,
Mother of mercy,
hail,
our life,
our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve:
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then,
most gracious Advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb,
Jesus,
O merciful,
O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary!
Amen.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

O Mother of Perpetual Help,
grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name,
which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying.

O Purest Mary,
O Sweetest Mary,
let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips.

Delay not,
O Blessed Lady,
to help me whenever I call on thee,
for,
in all my needs,
in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on thee,
ever repeating thy sacred name,
Mary.

O Blessed Saint Joseph,
faithful guardian and protector of virgins,
to whom God entrusted Jesus and Mary,
I implore you by the love which you did bear them,
to preserve me from every defilement of soul and body,
that I may always serve them in holiness and purity of love.
Amen.

St. Jude,
glorious Apostle,
faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many,
but the true Church invokes you universally as the Patron of things despaired of;
pray for me,
that finally I may receive the consolations and the succor of Heaven in all my necessities,
tribulations,
and sufferings,
particularly (here make your request),
and that I may bless God with the Elect throughout Eternity.
Amen.

O glorious St. Michael,
guardian and defender of the Church of Jesus Christ,
come to the assistance of this Church,
against which the powers of hell are unchained,
guard with especial care her august Head,
and obtain that for him and for us the hour of triumph may speedily arrive.

O glorious Archangel St. Michael,
watch over us during life,
defend us against the assaults of the demon,
assist us especially at the hour of death;
obtain for us a favorable judgment,
and the happiness of beholding God face to face for endless ages.
Amen.

O Lord,
we ask for a boundless confidence and trust in Your divine mercy,
and the courage to accept the crosses and sufferings which bring immense goodness to our souls and that of Your Church.

Help us to love You with a pure and contrite heart,
and to humble ourselves beneath Your cross,
as we climb the mountain of holiness,
carrying our cross that leads to heavenly glory.

May we receive You with great faith and love in Holy Communion,
and allow You to act in us,
as You desire,
for Your greater glory.

O Jesus,
most adorable heart and eternal fountain of Divine Love,
may our prayer find favor before the Divine Majesty of Your Heavenly Father.
Amen.

God,
our Father,
I turn to you seeking your divine help and guidance as I look for suitable employment.

I need your wisdom to guide my footsteps along the right path,
and to lead me to find the proper things to say and do in this quest.

I wish to use the gifts and talents you have given me,
but I need the opportunity to do so with gainful employment.

Do not abandon me,
dear Father,
in this search,
but rather grant me this favor I seek so that I may return to you with praise and thanksgiving for your gracious assistance.

Grant this through Christ,
our Lord.
Amen.

Lord,
I believe:
I wish to believe in Thee.
Lord,
let my faith be full and unreserved,
and let it penetrate my thought,
my way of judging Divine things and human things.

Lord,
let my faith be joyful and give peace and gladness to my spirit,
and dispose it for prayer with God and conversation with men,
so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.

Lord,
let my faith be humble and not presume to be based on the experience of my thought and of my feeling;
but let it surrender to the testimony of the Holy Spirit,
and not have any better guarantee than in docility to Tradition and to the authority of the magisterium of the Holy Church.
Amen.

Almighty and Everlasting God,
preserver of souls,
who dost correct those whom Thou dost love,
and for their betterment dost tenderly chastise those whom Thou dost receive,
we call upon Thee,
O Lord,
to grant Thy healing,
that the soul of Thy servant,
at the hour of its departure from the body,
may by the hands of Thy holy Angels be presented without spot unto Thee.
Amen.

Come,
Holy Spirit,
Divine Creator,
true source of light and fountain of wisdom!
Pour forth your brilliance upon my dense intellect,
dissipate the darkness which covers me,
that of sin and of ignorance.

Grant me a penetrating mind to understand,
a retentive memory,
method and ease in learning,
the lucidity to comprehend,
and abundant grace in expressing myself.

Guide the beginning of my work,
direct its progress,
and bring it to successful completion.

This I ask through Jesus Christ,
true God and true man,
living and reigning with You and the Father,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Eternal Father,
I offer you the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity,
of Your Dearly Beloved Son,
Our Lord,
Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Holy God,
Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Eternal God,
in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us,
that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent,
but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will,
which is Love and Mercy itself.

Jesus is made to carry the cross on which he will die. It represents the weight of all our crosses. What he must have felt as he first took it upon his shoulders!

With each step he enters more deeply into our human experience. He walks in the path of human misery and suffering, and experiences its crushing weight.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

The weight is unbearable. Jesus falls under it. How could he enter our lives completely without surrendering to the crushing weight of the life of so many on this earth!

He lays on the ground and knows the experience of weakness beneath unfair burdens. He feels the powerlessness of wondering if he will ever be able to continue. He is pulled up and made to continue.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Jesus’ path takes him to a powerful source of his strength to continue. All his life, his mother had taught him the meaning of the words, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord.” Now they look into each other’s eyes. How pierced through her heart must be!

How pained he must be to see her tears! Now, her grace-filled smile blesses his mission and stirs his heart to its depth. Love and trust in God bind them together.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Jesus even experiences our struggle to receive help. He is made to experience the poverty of not being able to carry his burden alone. He enters into the experience of all who must depend upon others to survive. He is deprived of the satisfaction of carrying this burden on his own.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Jesus’ journey is at times brutal. He has entered into the terrible experiences of rejection and injustice. He has been whipped and beaten. His face shows the signs of his solidarity with all who have ever suffered injustice and vile, abusive treatment.

He encounters a compassionate, loving disciple who wipes the vulgar spit and mocking blood from his face. On her veil, she discovers the image of his face – his gift to her, and, for us to contemplate forever.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Even with help, Jesus stumbles and falls to the ground. In deep exhaustion he stares at the earth beneath him. “Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.”

He has seen death before. Now he can feel the profound weakness of disability and disease and aging itself, there on his knees, under the weight of his cross.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

The women of Jerusalem, and their children, come out to comfort and thank him. They had seen his compassion and welcomed his words of healing and freedom. He had broken all kinds of social and religious conventions to connect with them.

Now they are here to support him. He feels their grief. He suffers, knowing he can’t remain to help them more in this life. He knows the mystery of facing the separation of death.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

This last fall is devastating. Jesus can barely proceed to the end. Summoning all this remaining strength supported by his inner trust in God, Jesus collapses under the weight of the cross.

His executioners look at him as a broken man, pathetic yet paying a price he deserves. They help him up so he can make it up the hill of crucifixion.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Part of the indignity is to be crucified naked. Jesus is completely stripped of any pride. The wounds on his back are torn open again. He experiences the ultimate vulnerability of the defenceless. No shield or security protects him. As they stare at him, his eyes turn to heaven.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Huge nails are hammered through his hands and feet to fix him on the cross. He is bleeding much more seriously now. As the cross is lifted up, the weight of his life hangs on those nails. Every time he struggles to pull himself up to breathe, his ability to cling to life slips away.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Between two criminals, a mocking title above his head, with only Mary and John and Mary Magdalene to support him, Jesus surrenders his last breath: “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

What tender mourning! Jesus’ lifeless body lies in his mother’s arms. He has truly died…A profound sacrifice, complete.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

They take the body of Jesus to its resting place. The huge stone over the tomb is the final sign of the permanence of death. In this final act of surrender, who would have imagined this tomb would soon be empty or that Jesus would show himself alive to his disciples, or that they would recognize him in the breaking of bread? Oh, that our hearts might burn within us, as we realize how he had to suffer and die so as to enter into his glory, for us.

Prayer:

We adore you,
O Christ,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

The Baptism in the Jordan:
The voice of the Father declares Jesus the beloved Son.

The Wedding at Cana:
Christ changes water into wine, his first public miracle.

The Proclamation of the Kingdom:
Jesus calls to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him.

The Transfiguration:
The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ.

The Institution of the Eucharist:
Jesus offers the first Mass at the Last Supper with his apostles, establishing the sacramental foundation for all Christian living.

The Agony in the Garden:
Jesus sweats water and blood while praying the night before his passion.

The Scourging at the Pillar:
Pilate has Jesus whipped.

The Crowning with Thorns:
Roman soldiers crown Jesus’ head with thorns.

The Carrying of the Cross:
Jesus meets His mother and falls three times on the way up Calvary.

The Crucifixion:
Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies before His mother and His apostle John.

The Resurrection:
Jesus rises from the dead.

The Ascension:
Jesus leaves the Apostles and bodily "ascends" to heaven.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit:
The Apostles receive the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire in the upper room with Mary.

The Assumption:
Mary is taken bodily–assumed–into heaven by God at the end of her life here on earth.

The Coronation:
Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.