Prayer Corner

Prayer Corner

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. - Luke 18.1
Here is a collection of prayers that may help you strengthen your life journey.

Prayer for Earth Day

Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,
... The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,

help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
Amen. (LS 246)

Practicing Lent

(excerpt from a homily given by Friar Nick Wolfla, OFM Conv and reprinted by St Francis of Assisi Fraternity, PEI)

Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent will begin next week on February 17th. As we know, the three focal points of attention during the season of Lent are prayer, fasting and alms giving. The following are some ideas on how we might approach fasting in a way that move us beyond giving "something up".
• Fast from hurting words and offer kind words instead.
• Fast from pessimism. Be prayerful and hopeful in the Spirit.
• Fast from worries. Trust in God. You can’t trust in God unless you have a relationship with him, PRAY!
• Fast from complaints. Contemplate simplicity. Realize what you have - family, health, job, healthcare, sanity, friends, and many other gifts from God. Thank God for these gifts and don't complain about what you don’t have.
• Fast from pressures. Pray and be peaceful. Turn to prayer to settle the mind and soul. Even Jesus took time out when things got too busy to pray to his Father. If it is good enough for God, it's good enough for us.
• Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy. Holding grudges and not forgiving others hurts us, not them. Find the compassion in our hearts to move forward and eliminate anger in our lives.
• Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. Sometimes we slap the hand in need because we believe they don’t deserve what we have. We should always stretch out our hands to give to those who need to receive. It’s not ours to judge if they deserve it. There but for the grace of God go I. We need to grow in compassion in this world more than anything.
• Fast from grudges and be reconciled. Forgiveness relieves the soul and not only frees the other person, but frees us in the process. Release both the person and ourselves from the chains of hate or “holding a grudge.”
• Fast from words so we can listen. How can we understand each other if we don’t listen. We often hear to respond, not listen to the heart and needs of others. Open our ears so we can open our hearts. This is how we come through the darkness into the light.

Pope gives us a special prayer for 2020

On the May 24 feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, Pope Francis is encouraging that we pray a special prayer this year. It is a prayer to ask for the grace to care for our most fragile brothers and sisters, and for the home we all share.

Loving God,
Creator of Heaven, Earth, and all therein contained.
Open our minds and touch our hearts,
so that we can be part of Creation, your gift.
Be present to those in need in these difficult times,
especially the poorest and most vulnerable.
Help us to show creative solidarity
as we confront the consequences of the global pandemic.
Make us courageous in embracing
the changes required to seek the common good.
Now more than ever, may we all feel interconnected and interdependent.
Enable us to succeed in listening and responding
to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.
May their current sufferings become the birth-pangs
of a more fraternal and sustainable world.
We pray through Christ our Lord,
under the loving gaze of Mary Help of Christians,
Amen.

A prayer inspired by the St. Francis Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Lord, make me an advocate of all those who are discriminated and excluded.
Where people are discriminated because of their race,
Let me advocate for fraternity;
Where people are disadvantaged or persecuted because of their religion,
Let me advocate for religious freedom;
Where people are discriminated because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,
Let me advocate for equality and their dignity;
Where people are treated as slaves,
Let me advocate for their freedom;
Where people are migrating and seeking refuge,
Let me advocate for their protection and security;
Where people are evicted from their land and home,
Let me advocate for compensation;
Where people exploit the resources of the earth for their private interest,
Let me advocate for justice and solidarity;
Where our mother Earth is damaged and polluted,
Let me advocate for the protection and respect of Creation,
Where peoples and nations fight against each other,
Let me advocate for Peace and Reconciliation.

Because it is You, who is present in our Sisters and Brothers.
It is you, who gave us an inalienable dignity as your creatures.
Together with Jesus our Lord and Brother we pray to you:
Your Kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Written by Markus Heinze, OFM, Executive Director, Franciscans International

A Prayer from Pope Francis:

April 15, 2020
A moment of silent prayer.

Almighty ever-living God, only support of our human weakness, look with compassion upon the sorrowful condition of your children who suffer because of this pandemic; relieve the pain of the sick, give strength to those who care for them, welcome into your peace those who have died and, throughout this time of tribulation, grant that we may all find comfort in your merciful love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

GCCM Prayer for the Amazon

Dear Lord, we come before you with a heavy heart,
as we know Your heart must be heavy,
grieving for the loss of precious life
in the Amazon.

We pray that in Your mercy You will forgive
our ways of life, for we have created the markets
for beef, lumber, and minerals
taken from the Amazon.

We pray that You will forgive
those who set fires in the Amazon,
those who cut down the ancient trees,
those who plunder the waters
to fulfill our hunger.

Our God, Your mercy is infinite
and Your power to redeem is untold.
Grant us Your grace as we turn to new ways of life,
and send our love like a balm
to heal the scorched earth and its people.

In the precious name of Your son, Jesus, we pray.
Amen.

April 10, 2019

Felician Sisters of North America

No Harm to Creation Subcommittee

Monday, April 22, is Earth Day. The No Harm to Creation Subcommittee has created Morning and Evening Prayer for that day. To access the prayers, click here (Morning) and here (Evening).

To learn more about Earth Day and the theme for this year, "Species," click here.

Drawing inspiration from the prayer of St. Francis, the Pope offered his own prayers of hope, appealing to God to help make us instruments of truth. (Printed in Living With Christ May 2018)

Lord Make us Instruments of Your Peace

Help us to recognize the evil latent in a communication
that does not build communion.
Help us to remove the venom from our judgements.
Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters.
You are faithful and trustworthy;
May our words be seeds of goodness for the world:
          Where there is shouting, let us practice listening;
          Where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony;
          Where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity;
          Where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity;
          Where there is sensationalism, let us bring sobriety;
          Where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions;
          Where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust;
          Where there is hostility, let us bring respect;
          Where there is falsehood, let us bring truth.
Amen

JPIC Prayers of the Faithful for Franciscans

JPIC Prayers of the Faithful for Franciscans
Compiled by Andrew Conradi, ofs from various sources 17 Oct 2016 with subsequent additions

Loving God, creator of the Universe, you know every creature and its needs. With great trust we offer our petitions in the name of all creation.
Our response is: God, you who love all life, hear us!

That we and all people may respond to the signs of the times expressed in the cry of nature, wounded by humankind’s inability to recognize its vocation to be the custodian of all that exists, let us pray.
That international organizations and OFS may speak out strongly against the exploitation of the resources so generously offered by Sister Mother Earth, and for those many brothers and sisters who live in need due to waste and abuse on the part of individuals and nations, let us pray.

To see all of the 26 prayers click here

The litany of humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus. (repeat after each line)
From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being extolled,
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred to others,
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,
From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being suspected,
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. (repeat after each line)
That others may be esteemed more than I ,
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease,
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,

Canticle of Creation

Most high, all-powerful sweet Lord,
yours is the praise, the glory, and the honor
and every blessing.

Be praised, my Lord,
for all your creatures,
and first for brother sun,
who makes the day bright and luminous.

And he is beautiful and radiant
with great splendor,
he is the image of you, Most High.

Be praised, my Lord,
for sister moon and the stars,
in the sky you have made them brilliant and precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, for brother wind
and for the air both cloudy and serene
and every kind of weather,
through which you give nourishment
to your creatures.

Be praised, my Lord, for sister water,
who is very useful and humble
and precious and chaste.

Be praised, my Lord, for brother fire,
through whom you illuminate the night.
And he is beautiful and joyous
and robust and strong.

Be praised, my Lord,
for our sister, mother earth,
who nourishes us and watches over us
and brings forth various fruits
with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord,
for those who forgive through your love,
and bear sickness and tribulation;
blessed are those who endure in peace,
for they will be crowned by you, Most High.

Be praised, my Lord,
for our sister, bodily death,
from whom no living thing can escape.

Blessed are those whom she finds
doing your most holy will,
for the second death cannot harm them.

Praise and bless my Lord
and give thanks to him and serve him
with great humility.
— Francis of Assisi (translated by Stephen Mitchell)

Prayer for Peace

A short but powerful prayer from St. John XXIII that calls upon God to intervene and establish a lasting reign of peace.

Lord Jesus Christ,
who are called the Prince of Peace,
who are yourself our peace and reconciliation,
who so often said, “Peace to you,” grant us peace.
Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love.
Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace. Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace.
May all peoples of the earth becomes as brothers and sisters.
May longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always over us all.

Common Prayer for
Earth and for Humanity

Loving God,
Creator of Heaven, Earth, and all therein contained.
Open our minds and touch our hearts,
so that we can be part of Creation, your gift.

Be present to those in need in these difficult times, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.
Help us to show creative solidarity as we confront the consequences of the global pandemic.
Make us courageous in embracing the changes required to seek the common good.
Now more than ever, may we all feel interconnected and interdependent.

Enable us to succeed in listening and responding to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.
May their current sufferings become the birth-pangs of a more fraternal and sustainable world.
We pray through Christ our Lord, under the loving gaze of Mary Help of Christians.
Amen.

Prayer for the fifth anniversary of the Encylical Laudato Si'
"Common Prayer for Earth and for Humanity”

We thank God the Creator for the inspiration of those throughout the world who hear the cry of the earth and cry of the poor especially those who lost their lives by assassination because of their defence of the natural land and indigenous peoples.

In Amazonia they are many and include Fr. Ezechiele Ramin in 1985, Sr. Dorothy Stang, in 2005, and to name just two in 2019: Dilma Ferreira Silva, on 22 March and Maxciel Pereira dos Santos on 6 September. We ask that they may rest in peace through the grace of the God.

We pray that, as the Holy Father has asked, we will feel outrage as God does, in the face of the injustice, crimes and harm done to Amazonia and its indigenous peoples.

As Canadians this Share Lent we beg forgiveness for indifference and indirect responsibility as consumers and pray that we will respond by conversion and acts of solidarity through D&P/Caritas Canada to help protect and sustain the land and people. Amen
by Andrew Conradi, ofs 2020

Examination of Conscience
- based on the Canticle of Creation

The Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph have created an Examination of Conscience based on the Canticle of Creation. To access the examen, click here. Download the pdf.
(Shared by the Felician Sisters of North America)

Lockdown

A beautiful poem written by Fr. Richard Hendrick OFM Cap in Ireland called "Lockdown", March 13, 2020. Fr. Michael Perras OFM had posted it on their Franciscans of Canada site. Also see Fr. Michael's article "Lent 5: Turn up the radio"

Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.

It is likely that many of us will not get out to Stations of the Cross this Lent. Luke Stocking has shared a pdf booklet version of this year's Development and Peace Way of the Cross, focused on the Amazon. Please feel free to share these widely to friends and family sheltering at home
- from Anges Richard at GCCM Canada
PDF DOWNLOAD

Pray for peace to reign throughout the world with this prayer - by Pope Leo XIII (Aleteia)

O Lord, you see how everywhere the winds have burst forth, and the sea is convulsed with the great violence of the rising waves. Command, we beseech you who alone are able, both the winds and the sea. Restore to mankind the true peace of your name, that peace which the world cannot give, and the calm of social harmony. Under your favor and inspiration may men return to due order, and having overthrown the rule of greed, bring back again as ought to be, the love of God, justice, charity toward neighbor, temperance in all desires. May your kingdom come. May all recognize that they are subject to you, and must serve you who are truth and salvation; that without you they labor in vain. In your law is reason and fatherly kindness. You are ever at hand with your strength and your copious power to help man to keep it. Life upon earth is a warfare, but you watch the contest and aim man to conquer. The weak you sustain; the victor you crown.

Give us attentive hearts
(Jean Vanier's prayer recited daily in the homes of L’Arche)

O Mary, give us attentive,
humble and gentle hearts
to welcome with tenderness and compassion
all the poor you send to us.
Give us hearts full of mercy
to love them, to serve them,
to extinguish all discord
and to see in our suffering and broken brothers
the presence of the living Jesus.
Lord, bless us with the hands of your poor.
Lord, smile at us in the eyes of your poor.
Lord, you receive us one day
in the happy company of your poor.
Amen!

POPE FRANCIS' PRAYER

O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
who are so precious in your eyes…
God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth” (ibid., 246),
God of mercy, may we receive your forgiveness
and convey your mercy throughout our common home.
Praise be to you!

Amen.

Commentary: make it part of your daily prayers - FVC

Let us pray as Pope Francis taught us
in Laudato Si’:
Creator God, please guide us.
Help us act in love and courage
To honor You, O Creator,
And to fulfill our role as protectors of
The Earth, our common home.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Amen.

This was a prayer for the COP24 Climate Summit - From GCCM

Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
     where there is hatred, let me sow love;
     when there is injury, pardon;
     where there is doubt, faith;
     where there is despair, hope;
     where there is darkness, light;
     and where there is sadness, joy.
    Grant that I may not so much seek
     to be consoled as to console;
     to be understood, as to understand,
     to be loved as to love;
     for it is in giving that we receive,
     it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
     and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

JPIC and the "Our Father"

Excerpts from the Compendium - Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Our Father, the perfect prayer, presents in the form of prayer the essential content of the Gospel. The following articles highlights the essence of JPIC within this prayer given to us by Jesus.(579)

590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”?
The Church prays for the final coming of the Kingdom of God through Christ’s return in glory. The Church prays also that the Kingdom of God increase from now on through people’s sanctification in the Spirit and through their commitment to the service of justice and peace in keeping with the Beatitudes. This petition is the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). (emphasis added)

592. What is the sense of the petition “Give us this day our daily bread”?
Asking God with the filial trust of children for the daily nourishment which is necessary for us all we recognize how good God is, beyond all goodness. We ask also for the grace to know how to act so that justice and solidarity may allow the abundance of some to remedy the needs of others. (emphasis added)

A Prayer for our Earth
All-powerful God, You are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

Amen.
Pope Francis