Prayer
of St Benedict
Gracious and Holy
Father,
Give us wisdom to perceive You,
diligence to seek You,
patience to wait for You,
eyes to behold You,
hearts to meditate upon You,
and life to proclaim You,
through the power of the Holy Spirit
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
St Benedict c. 480 – c.
547
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
into all the dark and dreary places
of this world.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
into hearts that are broken and
lives
that are shattered.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
into sinful souls—my own included.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
bring to repentance
all nations of the world.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
fulfil your promise of reconciliation.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
bring your healing love to all.
Amen.
PSALM FOR PRAYING
O, Beloved, Heart
of my heart,
I call to You for my help by day;
I cry out in the night.
Let my prayer come before You,
bend your ear to my cry!
For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life sees like dust,
I have fallen into a pit of despair;
I have no strength and I feel powerless,
Like one from whom You have turned,
like the soil people walk upon.
You alone can comfort me in the
deep pit,
in the darkness of fear.
Separation from You is an agony,
hopelessness threatens to overwhelm
me.
Through You alone can I pray for
my enemies, for those who ignore
my plight.
I am in a prison chained by fear;
I am weary of tears.
Every day I call upon You, O Beloved;
I lift up my hands in supplication.
Will You raise me from this living
death?
Will You mend a broken heart?
Let not your steadfast love pass
me by;
have mercy on me, O Comforter!
Reach Your hand into the darkness
of my fears,
by your saving grace forgive my
unholy ways.
O Merciful Redeemer, I cry to You;
each day my prayer comes before
You.
Let not separation keep me from
your Heart;
be my strength as I face the darkness
inside.
Too long have I let fear control
me,
projecting onto others the demons
dwelling within.
Let Your Love circle and envelop
me;
in Your mercy raise me up.
Let peace become my companion all
day long;
By night free me from the bonds
of fear.
Let me be reconciled with family
and friends;
and may I know You
as Loving Companion Presence
as in days of old.
Amen.
SPIRITUAL
THOUGHTS
There is a difference
between silence and emptiness. Silence
is a very busy thing. It opens us
to the exploration of the self.
Emptiness is the vacuum we find
when something is missing from our
lives and needs to be replaced.
***************
Everyone is struck
down by something in life. It is
the detour that determines the definition
of the journey. We can lose our
way then and there, stay stuck in
unfamiliar territory, stall and
give up. Or we can take the new
direction confident that in the
end we will end up exactly where
we were meant to be whether we can
see how that is possible right now
or not.
***************
"All sins,"
Simone Weil wrote, "are attempts
to fill voids." When something
important - love, dignity, respect
- is missing in life, we find something
to replace it. Young people find
the gangs that will include them.
Adults find the drugs that will
numb them. When I find myself grappling
with any kind of excess, the question
must be, For what emptiness in me
am I trying to compensate.
Prayer Of St Clare
Whose beauty
all the heavenly hosts
behold forever,
whose love
inflames our love,
the contemplation
of whom is our
refreshment,
whose graciousness
is our delight,
whose gentleness fills us
to overflowing,
whose remembrance
makes us
glow with happiness,
whose fragrance
revives the dead,
the glorious vision
of whom will be
the happiness
of all the citizens of the
heavenly Jerusalem…
Happy the soul
to whom it is given
to attain this life
with him,
to cleave with all one’s
heart to him.
TRUE SPIRITUALITY
The Master was asked,
'What is Spirituality?'
He said, Spirituality is that which
succeeds in bringing man to Inner
Transformation.
'But if I apply the traditional
methods handed down by the Masters,
is that not Spirituality?'
'It is not Spirituality if it does
not perform its function for you.
A blanket is no longer a blanket
if it does not keep you warm.'
'So Spirituality does change?'
'People change and needs change.
So what was Spirituality once is
Spirituality no more. What generally
goes under the name of Spirituality
is merely the record of past methods.
Cut the coat to fit the person.
Don't cut the person to fit the
coat.
PSALM FOR PRAYING
Breathe on me, O
Breath of Inspiration,
in the silence of my tranquil heart,
infill me with your wisdom.
O, that I might radiate the compassion
and peace,
the truth and beauty of the Beloved!
Direct my steps, O Holy One, that
I may humbly walk with You.
The witness of your Life is my model;
therefore my soul yearns for You.
The unfolding of your Word gives
light;
it imparts understanding to the
simple.
My mouth pours forth praise continually,
for I am ever grateful for your
Promises.
You come to me and
you are gracious to me,
as You are to all who open their
heart's door.
Guide my steps according to your
Word,
and show me how to lovingly co-create
with You.
Let me not be lured by the world's
values,
that I may walk in the path of wholeness.
May your face shine upon your friend,
as You teach me of Love.
I weep over our wounded world,
our earth ravaged by greedy insensitive
hands.
EMPTINESS
Sometimes there
would be a rush
of noisy visitors and the silence
of the monastery would be shattered.
This would upset
the disciples; not
the Master who seemed just as content
with the noise as with the silence.
To his protesting
disciples he said
one day, "Silence is not the
absence
of sound, but the absence of self."
SERVICE
The Master was known
to favour
action over withdrawal. But he
always insisted on "enlightened"
action.
The disciples wanted
to know
what "enlightened" meant.
Did it mean 'right-intentioned'?
"Oh no,"
said the Master.
"Think how right-intentioned
the monkey is
when he lifts a fish from the river
to save it from a watery grave."
People who talk
a lot about themselves seldom want
to hear what others have to say.
PSALM FOR PRAYING
Restore us, O Holy One;
let your face shine upon us,
teach us to love!
You companion us
through the wilderness,
through the shadows created by fear.
You plant your Seed into each heart.
You uproot the weeds of our sin,
You cultivate the soil of our goodness.
Truly, in You, we become like a
tiny acorn,
holding the secret of a mighty oak.
You nourish us with the food of
Love,
with streams of Living Water.
Be our strength as we break down
walls
that separate and divide;
let not fear pluck away the gifts
we should share.
Roll way the stones that become
obstacles
to growth,
to producing a bountiful harvest.
Receive our gratitude,
O Heart of all hearts!
look upon us and see what
Love can do.
DROP YOUR NOTHING
He thought it was
of vital importance to be poor and
austere. It had never dawned on
him that the vitally important thing
was to drop his ego; that the ego
fattens on holiness just as much
as on worldliness, on poverty as
on riches, on austerity as on luxury.
There is nothing the ego will not
seize upon to inflate itself.
Disciple: I have
come to you with nothing in my hands.
Master: Then drop
it at once!
Disciple: But how
can I drop it? It is nothing.
Master: Then carry
it around with you!
You can make a possession
of your nothing.
And carry your renunciation around
you like a trophy.
Don't drop your possessions. Drop
your ego.
DETACHMENT
After a while you
learn the subtle difference
Between holding and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't
mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses
aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes
open,
And learn to build all you roads
On today because tomorrow's ground
Is too uncertain for plans, and
futures have
A way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even
sunshine
Burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and
decorate
Your own soul, instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers,
And you learn that you really can
endure. . .
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn. . .
With every good-bye you learn.
PRAYER OF ST. PATRICK
May the strength
of God pilot us,
May the power of God preserve us,
May the wisdon of God instruct us,
May the hand of God protect us,
May the way of God direct us,
May the shield of God defend us,
May the host of God guard us,
against snares of evil
and the temptations of the world.
REFLECTION
The Sufi Bayazid says this about
himself:
'I was a revolutionary when I was
young and all my prayer to God was,
"Lord, give me the energy to
change the world."
As I approached
middle age and realised that half
my life was gone without my changing
a single soul, I changed my prayer
to: "Lord, give me the grace
to change all those who come in
contact with me. Just my family
and friends, and I shall be content."
Now that I am an
old man and my days are numbered,
my prayer now is: "Lord, give
me the grace to change myself."
If I had prayed for this right from
the start I should not have wasted
my life.
SMALL BEGINNINGS
How did Christ begin
his great work, the salvation of
the world?
He began simply, quietly. No fanfare.
No fireworks. No public launching.
He began by calling a few people
- two in fact.
It was as simple as that.
He began with personal contact and
that is how his work developed.
It was passed on from person to
person by word of mouth.
We shouldn't be
surprised at this.
Things which begin with a splash
often peter out.
Whereas those which begin quietly
put down deep roots, grow steadily,
and survive to produce fruits that
last.
So, if there is
something which we want to do,
let us not hesitate and think too
much.
Let us make a start, however small.
Let us take one step. Let us plant
one seed.
Let us trust that if our cause is
good,
God will support us, and it will
grow and prosper.
PRAYER FOR INNER HEALING
Lord Jesus, you
know me perfectly. You know my good
qualities and my bad ones. You know
my past; you see it clearly. You
know my future, you see it happening.
You love me just as I am, without
any conditions, without any qualifications.
You do not condemn
me. You do not judge me. You do
forgive me. You have given your
life for me on the cross as though
I were the only person beside you
who ever walked on earth, and you
would do it again if you had to.
You call me by name, and you love
me.
Jesus, free me from
my pride, my complacency, my search
for the glory of this world and
for attention and prestige and appreciation.
Teach me humility.
Heal me of any spiritual
blindness, Lord, that I may see
your face with the eyes of faith,
with the eyes of my heart. Teach
me to know you through love, especially
for the powerful and personal love
that you have in your heart for
me.
Thank you for your love for me.
Amen.
Calm me, O Lord, as you stilled
the storm,
Still me, O Lord, keep me from harm.
Let all the tumult within me cease,
Enfold me, Lord, in your peace.
God be in my head
Sarum Missal [11th Century]
God be in my head
And in my understanding;
God be in my eyes,
And in my looking;
God be in my mouth,
And in my speaking;
God be in my heart,
And in my thinking
God be at my end,
And at my departing.
REFLECTION
Birth is a beginning
and death a destination.
And life is a journey from childhood
to maturity,
from youth to age;
from innocence to awareness,
from ignorance to knowing;
from foolishness to discretion
and then, perhaps, to wisdom;
from weakness to strength
or strength to weakness - and back
again;
from health to sickness
and back, we pray, to health again;
from offence to forgiveness, from
loneliness to love
from joy to gratitude, from pain
to compassion;
from grief to understanding, from
fear to faith;
from defeat to defeat to defeat
. . .
Until looking backward or ahead,
we see that victory lies
not at some high place along the
way
but in having made the journey,
stage by stage.
THE LONG VIEW
It helps now and
then to step back
and take the long view.
the kingdom is not only beyond our
efforts;
it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in
our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that
is God's work
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying that
the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could
be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings wholeness.
No programme accomplishes the church's
mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes
everything.
This is what we
are about.
We plant the seeds that one day
will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations
that will need further
development.
We provide yeast that produces effects
far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation
in realising that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is
a beginning,
a step along the way, an opportunity
for
the Lord's grace to enter and do
the rest.
We may never see
the end results
but that is the difference
between the master builder and the
worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not
our own. Amen.
SMALL BEGINNINGS
Many if not all
great undertakings
begin in small and often hidden
ways.
Seeds need the darkness, isolation
and cover of the earth in order
to germinate.
Therefore, for something to begin
small, hidden, anonymous, is an
advantage.
It means it can develop away from
publicity.
There are no pressures. No burden
of expectations.
It can develop at its own pace.
There is no hurry.
Hurry ruins so many thing.
Hence the importance of beginnings,
of taking care of things in the
beginning,
of the small in the accomplishment
of the great.
A PENTCOST PRAYER
Come, Spirit who
is our Light,
Shine among the shadows within.
Warm and transform our hearts
Come, Spirit who makes a home in
us.
Draw us to the treasures of your
dwelling.
Reveal to us the inner journey of
love.
Come, Spirit, Comforter and Consoler.
Heal the wounded. Soothe the anxious.
Be consolation for all who grieve
and ache.
Come, Spirit who energises our being.
Keep us from the tangles of toil
and travail.
Lead us to moments of prayer and
play.
Come, Spirit, consuming Fire of
Love,
Fill us with enthusiasm for your
vision.
May the desire for truth be vibrant
in us.
Come, Spirit, joy of our souls.
Dance amid life's hills and valleys.
Encircle us with the delights of
your dance.
Come, Spirit of wisdom and insight.
Draw us towards your goodness and
light.
Direct our growth and guide our
ways.
Come, Spirit, Strength of wounded
ones.
Be warmth in hearts of those who
grow cold.
Empower the powerless, rekindle
the weary.
Come, Spirit, source of our peace.
in us the action of peacemakers.
Heal the divisions that ravage the
earth.
*****************
INTERCESSIONS
Spirit of light,
let the fire of your wisdom burn
brightly within us.
Spirit of silence, in the still
moment may we be open to God's presence.
Spirit of courage, dispel the fear
that lingers in our hearts.
Spirit of fire, engulf us with the
passion of Christ's love.
Spirit of peace, help us to be attentive
to God's word in the world.
Spirit of joy, enthuse us to proclaim
aloud the Good News.
Spirit of love, compel us to open
ourselves to the needs of others.
Spirit of power, bestow the gift
of your strength upon us.
Spirit of truth, guide us to walk
in the way of Christ.
Dear God
We are all different
And live in very different places
But you love each one of us the
same
Because we are all part of your
family.
Help us to remember
How much you love us
And to remember our brothers and
sisters
In Ireland and around the world.
Amen.
Trocaire
Prayer
Dear God
You know all our names,
know all about us,
and care for us every day.
Help us to remember children
throughout the world
Who don’t have enough to eat,
And help us to make a world
Where everybody has enough.
Amen.
In Sickness
The Lord gives;
the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Lord, in sickness and in health,
I wish to serve you.
I ask for the gift of restored health
but if it is your will that my sickness
continue
please give me the strength to bear
my cross.
Canticle
of Simeon
Now Master you can
let your
servant go in peace
just as you promised
because my eyes
have seen
the salvation which you
prepared for all the nations
to see
a light to enlighten
the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel
The Nunc Dimittis,
Luke 2:29-32
At the beginning
of a New Year….
I am the light of
the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk
in
darkness but will have the light
of life.
John 8:12
Dear Lord,
When I have doubts and hesitations
act as my guide.
When I am in darkness, shine
like a lamp to light my path.
When I am worried or troubled,
help me to put all my trust in you.
When I feel lonely, help me to
remember that you are always with
me.
Prayer for Advent.
May the Lord bless you.
May he wipe away your tears.
May you weep no more.
May your ears be attuned to his
Word
and your steps follow his ways.
Then the Lord will guide you in
peace
and feed you from the abundance
of his love,
so that you may rejoice always and
never lose
from your heart the love he gives.
Amen
We cherish
the ‘Evening of Life’
as we pray:
May he support us
all the day
long, till the shades lengthen
and the evening comes, and the
busy world is hushed, and the
fever of life is over and our work
is done!
Then in His Mercy may He give us
a safe
lodging and a holy rest and peace
at last.
Cardinal Newman
Suscipe
of Catherine McAuley
My God
I am yours for
time and eternity
Teach me to cast myself entirely
into the arms of
Your loving Providence
with the most lively, unlimited
confidence in Your
compassionate, tender pity.
Grant me,
O most merciful Redeemer,
that whatever
You ordain or permit
may be acceptable to me.
Take from my heart all painful anxiety;
suffer nothing to sadden me but
sin,
nothing to delight me but the hope
of coming to the possession of You,
my God and my All,
in Your everlasting kingdom. Amen
Prayer of
the Pilgrim
Lord make us prophets of our times,
Pilgrims not wayfarers.
May each day begin with
prayerful preparation, opening
our hearts to you.
Make us aware, that although
individuals, we travel with others
and help us to keep vigil with you
in that holy place within the heart.
Deepen our awareness of your
abiding presence in us and
around us, as we journey
together today.
Amen
Sts Peter & Paul - 29th
June
Lord Jesus,
Peter denied you and
Paul persecuted you;
yet you made them witnesses
of your love and truth.
Open our hearts to the
good news they preached,
and grant that we may all love him
whom we do not yet see,
Jesus, your Son our Lord.
Reflection
‘O my God, Trinity whom I
adore, grant my soul peace;
make it your heaven, your beloved
dwelling, and the place of your
rest.
May I never abandon you there, but
may I be there, whole and entire,
completely vigilant in my faith,
entirely adoring, wholly given over
to
your creative action.’
(Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity)
Reflection Litany to the
Holy Spirit
Spirit of light, let the fire of
your wisdom burn brightly within
us.
Spirit of silence, in the still
moment may we be open to God’s
presence.
Spirit of courage, dispel the fear
that lingers in our hearts.
Spirit of fire, engulf us with the
passion of Christ’s love.
Spirit of peace, help us to be attentive
to God’s word in the world.
Spirit of joy, enthuse us to proclaim
aloud the Good News.
Spirit of love, compel us to open
ourselves to the needs of others.
Spirit of power, bestow the gift
of your strength upon us.
Spirit of truth, guide us to walk
in the way of Christ.
Prayer for
Vocations
Lord Jesus Christ,
While you walked the roads of Palestine,
you chose and called apostles
and confided to them the task of
preaching the Gospel, of feeding
your flock and ministering your
Sacraments.
Grant that, in our day,
Your Church may not be deprived
of holy priests who will share with
everyone the fruits of your Passion
and Resurrection.
Pope John Paul II
Prayer of the Pilgrim
Lord, make us the
prophets of our times,
Pilgrims not wayfarers.
May each day begin
with prayerful preparation,
opening our hearts to you.
Make us aware,
that although individuals,
we travel with others
and help us to keep vigil with you
in that holy place within the heart.
Deepen our awareness of
your abiding presence in us and
around us,
as we journey together today.
Amen.
We wish you Easter
eyes – Eyes that will allow
you see
Beyond death into life
Beyond sin to forgiveness
Beyond division to unity
Beyond wounds to beauty
Through the human to
the divine
Through the divine to
the human
From the ‘I’ to the
‘You’.
And - enabling all of this –
The totality of Easter energy!
Bishop Klaus Hemmerle
- Aachen 1993
Dear God,
Thank you for the
promises you
made us and for always looking
after us.
Help us to remember that all
people are our neighbours, and
help us to care for them as You
care for us.
Remember your Trócaire
Box
Macartan of Clogher
506-2006
A Diocesan Celebration
of Fifteen Hundred Years of Faith
– in St Macartan’s Cathedral,
Monaghan this Sunday 26th March
at 3.00 pm. Light refreshments afterwards
in the Hillgrove Hotel.
• Please be seated in the
Cathedral by 2.45 pm.
• The Bus (which is free)
will leave from the Library at 1.15
pm.
ST MACARTAN.
Saint Macartan was a companion of
Saint Patrick. His name associates
him with the Rowan Tree, or Mountain
Ash. Patrick gave him responsibility
for the early Christian community
in Clogher, where he died in 506.
This week we celebrate
1500 years of faith in Clogher Diocese,
which honours Macartan as
its patron Saint.
Some Prayers...
Glory be to him
whose power,
working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine;
glory be to him from generation
to generation in the Church and
in
Christ Jesus for ever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3: 20-21
2006
Talk with the year
which is coming
as with a friend who is crossing
your
threshold to bring you gifts.
Accept the Spring, the Summer, the
Autumn and the Winter of the year
and of life as perfect expressions
of the Creator and be thankful.
Then you will surely grow with it.
Ella W. Wilcox
Deep peace of the
running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to
you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to
you.
Deep peace of the shining stars
to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds
to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to
you. A Gaelic Blessing
A Family
Prayer around the Advent Wreath
O God,
as light comes from these candles,
may the blessing of Jesus Christ
come to us,
warming our hearts and brightening
our way.
May Christ our Saviour
bring life into the darkness of
this world,
and to us, as we wait for his coming.
Amen.
Father of love,
you made a new creation
through Jesus Christ your Son.
May his coming free us from sin
and renew his life within us,
for he lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Daily Prayer
O Wisdom, Come to teach me the way
of truth.
O Lord of Israel, Come to redeem
me with an outstretched arm.
O Root of Jesse, Come to bring me
new life; do not delay.
O Key of David, Come to open my
prison doors and set me free.
O Radiant Dawn, Come to bring light
to the darkness in my life.
O King of all Nations, Come to save
me and give me peace.
O God-With-Us, Stay with me and
send me forth in your name.
Amen. O Antiphons, adapted
Praise to the Holiest
in the height,
and in the depths be praise.
In all his words most wonderful,
most sure in all his ways.
CARDINAL NEWMAN
- 16th October 2005
We cherish the ‘Evening
of Life’ as we pray:
May he support us
all the day
long, till the shades lengthen and
the evening comes, and the busy
world is hushed, and the fever of
life is over and our work is done!
Then in His Mercy may He give
us a safe lodging and a holy rest
and peace at last.
Cardinal Newman
- 9th October 2005
Give us, Lord,
a humble, quiet, peaceable,
patient, tender, charitable mind
and in all our thoughts, words and
deeds
a taste of your Holy Spirit.
Give us Lord,
a lively faith,
a firm hope,
a warm charity,
a love of you.
Give us warmth and delight
in thinking of you
and your grace and tender compassion
to us.
The things that we pray for, Lord,
give us grace to work for,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. St Thomas More
I leave you now with this prayer:
that the Lord Jesus will reveal
Himself to each
one of you,
that He will give you the strength
to go out
and profess that you are Christian,
that He will show you that He alone
can fill your hearts.
Accept His freedom and embrace His
truth
and be messengers of the certainty
that you have been truly liberated
through the death and resurrection
of the Lord Jesus.
This will be the new experience,
The powerful experience,
that will generate, through you,
a more just society
and a better world.
God bless you, and may the joy of
Jesus
be always with you.
Amen - John Paul II
A prayer
for those who live alone
I live alone dear
Lord,
stay by my side.
In all my daily needs
be thou my guide.
Grant me good health, for that indeed
I pray,
to carry on my work from day to
day.
Keep pure my mind, my thoughts,
my every deed, let me be kind,
unselfish in my neighbours’
needs.
Spare me from fire, from flood,
malicious tongues,
from thieves, from fear and evil
ones.
If sickness or an accident I befall,
then humbly Lord I pray, hear thou
my call.
And when I’m feeling low or
in despair,
Lift up my heart and help me in
my prayer.
I live alone dear Lord, yet have
no fear,
because I feel your presence ever
near.
Amen
Dear Lord,
Let me know
the cool breeze of your Spirit over
me.
Let me know
the gentle warmth of your love within
me.
Let me know
that you are here, Lord Jesus.
Help me on dark
days
when it seems you have gone away.
Help me on sunny
days
when you are here to stay.
Let me know
that you are here, Lord Jesus. Amen.
PRAYER FOR
FINE WEATHER
All powerful and
ever living God, we find
security in your forgiveness; give
us the
fine weather we pray for so that
we may
rejoice in your gifts of kindness
and use
them always for your glory and our
good.
We ask this through Christ, our
Lord
Amen.
TIME TO
PRAY
I got up early one
morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I didn’t have time to
pray.
Problems just tumbled
about me,
and heavier came each task.
Why doesn’t God help me? I
wondered.
He answered, “you didn’t
ask”.
I wanted to see
joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, grey and
bleak.
I wondered why God didn’t
show me,
He said, “but you didn’t
seek”.
I tried to come
into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock,
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child, you didn’t
knock”.
I woke up early
this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I HAD to take Time to Pray.
PRAYER for
FATHER’S DAY
Bless, O God
our families.
Give to fathers
and mothers
and those who care for us
the spirit of understanding
and the spirit of love,
that our homes may be
places of peace and laughter.
Come into our homes,
O Lord,
and protect us with your love,
so that we may live in peace
and rejoice in the quiet beauty
of your blessing.
Christopher Herbert
EXAM PRAYER
Dear Lord,
Help me approach my exams
with a clear head and a calm mind.
Give me your strength
and your peace
and let me do justice to
all that I have learned.
Thank you Lord,
for all my talents and gifts.
Grant me,
O Lord,
the courage to change the things
that I can,
the serenity to accept the things
that I cannot,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
God of infinite
goodness,
from the very beginning of your
Church
you have enabled us to renew our
faith
through communion with the
Body and Blood of Christ.
May the sacrament of your love
sustain us as we journey towards
the day
when this mystery will stand unveiled
for ever and ever.
Open Wide
the Doors
If we let Christ into our lives,
we
lose nothing, nothing, absolutely
nothing of what makes life free,
beautiful and great. Only in this
friendship are the doors of life
opened wide. Only in this
friendship is the great potential
of human existence truly revealed.
Only in this friendship do we
experience beauty and liberation.
And so, today, with great strength
and great conviction,on the basis
of long personal experience of life,
I say to you, dear young people:
Do not be afraid of Christ! He
takes nothing away, and he gives
you everything. When we give
ourselves to him, we receive a
hundredfold in return. Yes,open,
open wide the doors to Christ –
and you will find true life. Amen.
Pope Benedict XVI
End of homily at Mass
of Inauguration, 24 April 2005
