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Preparation
for Holy Communion, The Real Man,
Her Story/Our Story,
My Prayer, The
Angelus,
Prayer for All
Things Necessary to Salvation,
On the Wings of Prayer,
The Jubilee Prayer, Prières
Preparation for Holy Communion
Dear Jesus, I ardently desire to receive You. The moment draws near, the rapturous moment, in which I shall receive You, my God, into my soul. I come to You, I run to meet You with the utmost devotion and reverence of which I, as a little child, am capable. Stretch forth Your most sacred hands to embrace my soul - Your pierced hands which were stretched forth amid the anguish of Your Passion to embrace all sinners. I stretch forth not only my hands, but my heart and my soul, to embrace You and to lead You into the innermost and secret recess of my heart.
Would that I had within me as great a devotion, love and purity as You have ever been adored with by the heart of any mortal. Would that I were filled with all virtues, with all holy desires, with perfect devotion. Would that I had the purity of all Your angels, the charity of all Your apostles, the holiness of all confessors, the chastity and cleanness of heart of all virgins and the holy fire of love of all the martyrs. Would that I could receive You now with all that devotion, reverence and love with which Your most Blessed Mother received You in Your Incarnation, and in Your adorable Eucharist! Would that I had Your own sacred and divine Heart, that I might receive You as Your ineffable Majesty deserves!
I offer You, my sweetest Jesus - to be my fitting preparation, to make amends for all my unworthiness, my negligence, my lack of preparation, devotion and affections - I offer You the love which the Saints and the Blessed Mother had when they received You in this Holy Sacrament.
I offer You, most holy Jesus, Your own meritorious Heart, and all the ineffable virtues and graces which the most Blessed Trinity bestowed without measure upon it, that all my vileness and all my unworthiness may be covered, and that a proper and most peaceful abode may be prepared for You in my soul. Amen
Consider
the eyes of a blind man, exactly what he sees,
For he has the eyes of reality, sees the forest through the trees,
The other man has eyes, yet he only sees reflections,
The reason he lacks of wisdom, for he has no connections.
Blind connects with his soul, a pounding, yearning desire,
For he stands as hard and straight as a tightly drawn piece of wire.
The other man is blind of materials he's always had.
The blind replaces these with knowledge, if not he would be sad,
Self-pity gets him nowhere, he must stand hard and strong.
He must correct all mistakes, and realize his wrong.
You take your eyes for granted, >tis why you lack in wit.
You may be more aware if you closed your eyes for a mile and a bit.
HER
STORY / OUR STORY
This story is a pattern of every believer's journey in faith. Like the woman,
we too meet the Lord with our flawed personalities, our weakness, our history,
our skeletons. We find in him not rejection or condemnation, but acceptance
and love. When we meet the Lord, we do not instantly find that we understand
everything, that we have a fully developed relationship with him. Faith takes
time. We misunderstand or only partially understand. We grow in our knowledge
and love of him, of who he is and what he means to us.
Like the woman, we ask questions. We grapple with the consequences of our faith in Christ - what it means for our lifestyle, our values, our relationships, our priorities. He is patient with us, and as we persist, as we spend time with him, so his offer of living water begins to become a reality. We come to that spring of water more and more frequently -- to be refreshed and quickened by him, as we meet him in prayer, in the sacraments, in his word, in day to day life. We become changed by this contact. And then the most natural thing in the world is to share that good news with others, to bring them to Christ, to let them experience for themselves the salvation which he offers. And in so doing, like that woman, we become reconciled with others, part of a community once more, a community of people who experience that Jesus is their saviour, and the saviour of the world. (Liguori Publications)
I asked for health, that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things....
I asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be wise...
I
asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God...
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things...
I got nothing I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.
(Unknown Confederate Soldier.)
Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
Response: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary ...etc.
Leader: Behold the Handmaid of the Lord,
Response: Be it done unto me according to Your Word.
Hail Mary...etc.
Leader: And the Word was made flesh,
Response: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary...etc.
Leader: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
Response: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Leader: Let us pray:
Together: Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord, Your Grace into our hearts; that as we have knows the incarnation of Jesus Christ, your Son by the message of an angel, so by His passion and cross we may be brought to the glory of His Resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Glory be....x3 (for the Holy Father).
Prayer for All Things Necessary to Salvation
I
believe, Lord,
but may I believe more firmly.
I hope, but may I hope more securely.
I love, but may I love ardently.
I grieve, but may I grieve more deeply.
I
adore You as my first beginning.
I aspire after You as my last end.
I praise You as my perpetual benefactor.
I invoke You as my merciful protector.
Direct
me by Your wisdom.
Keep me in Your grace.
Console me with Your mercy.
Protect me with Your power.
I
offer you, O Lord,
my thoughts, that they may be about You:
my words, that they may be spoken for Your glory;
my actions, that they may accord with Your will;
my sufferings, that they may be accepted for Your sake.
I
desire whatever You desire.
I desire it because you desire it.
I desire it insofar as you desire it.
I desire it for as long as You desire it.
I
pray, O Lord,
that You will enlighten my mind,
inflame my will,
cleanse my heart,
and sanctify my soul.
May
I repent of past sins,
repel future temptations,
correct wicked tendencies,
and cultivate virtuous ideals.
Good
Lord, grant that I may love You,
renounce myself,
do good to my neighbor,
and be detached toward the world.
May I strive to obey my superiors,
support my inferiors,
aid my friends,
and spare my enemies.
Help
me to overcome sensuality by self-denial,
avarice by liberality,
anger by meekness,
and tepidity by devotion.
Make
me prudent in councel,
steadfast in danger,
patient in adversity,
and humble in prosperity.
Grant,
Lord, that I may be attentive at prayer,
temperate at meals,
diligent at work,
and constant in resolutions.
Let
my conscience be upright,
my outward appearance be modest,
my conversation be edifying,
and my whole life be ordered.
Help
me to labor to overcome nature,
to cooperate with your grace,
to keep Your commandments,
and to further my salvation.
Teach
me the futility of earthly things,
the greatness of divine things,
the shortness of temporal things,
and the length of eternal things.
Grant
that I may be prepared for death,
fear judgement,
avoid hell,
and obtain paradise ----
through Christ our Lord.
Pope
Clement XI
Just close your eyes and open your heart
And feel your worries and cares depart,
Just yield youeself to the Father above
And let Him hold secure in his love---
For life on earth grows more involved
With endless problems that can't be solved
But God only asks us to do our best,
Then He will "take over" and finish the rest---
So when you are tired, dis couraged and blue,
There's always one door yhat is open to you---
And that is the door to "The House of Prayer"
And you'll find God waiting to meet you there,
and "The House of Prayer" is no farther away
Than the quiet spot where you kneel and pray---
For the heart is a temple when God is there
As we place ourselves in His loving care,
And He hears every prayer and answers each one
When we pray in His name "Thy Will Be Done"---
And the burdens that seemed too heavy to bear
Are lifted away on "The Wings of Prayer."
---Helen Steiner Rice
PRAYER
OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II
FOR THE CELEBRATION
OF THE GREAT JUBILEE
OF THE YEAR 2000
1.
Blessed are you, Father,
who, in your infinite love,
gave us your only
begotten Son.
By the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate
in the spotless womb of the Virgin Mary
and was born in Bethlehem
two thousand years ago.
He became our companion on life's path
and gave new meaning to our history,
the journey we make together
in toil and suffering,
in faithfulness and love,
towards the new heaven and the new earth
where You, once death has been vanquished,
will be all in all.
Praise
and glory to You, Most Holy Trinity,
you alone are God most high!
2.
By your grace, O Father, may the Jubilee Year
be a time of deep conversion
and of joyful return to you.
May it be a time of reconciliation between people,
and of peace restored among nations,
a time when swords are beaten into ploughshares
and the clash of arms gives way to songs of peace.
Father, grant that we may live this Jubilee Year
docile to the voice of the Spirit,
faithful to the way of Christ,
diligent in listening to your Word
and in approaching the wellsprings of grace.
Praise
and glory to You, Most Holy Trinity,
you alone are God most high!
3.
Father, by the power of the Spirit,
strengthen the Church's commitment
to the new evangelization
and guide our steps along the pathways of the world,
to proclaim Christ by our lives,
and to direct our earthly pilgrimage
towards the City of heavenly light.
May Christ's followers show forth their love
for the poor and the oppressed;
may they be one with those in need
and abound in works of mercy;
may they be compassionate towards all,
that they themselves may obtain indulgence
and forgiveness from you.
Praise
and glory to You, Most Holy Trinity,
you alone are God most high!
4.
Father, grant that your Son's disciples,
purified in memory
and acknowledging their failings,
may be one, that the world may believe.
May dialogue between the followers
of the great religions prosper,
and may all people discover
the joy of being your children.
May the intercession of Mary,
Mother of your faithful people,
in union with the prayers of the Apostles,
the Christian martyrs,
and the righteous of all nations in every age,
make the Holy Year a time of renewed hope
and of joy in the Spirit
for each of us and for the whole Church.
Praise
and glory to You, Most Holy Trinity,
you alone are God most high!
5.
To you, Almighty Father,
Creator of the universe and of mankind,
through Christ, the Living One,
Lord of time and history,
in the Spirit who makes all things holy,
be praise and honour and glory
now and for ever. Amen!
