Crucify me.

Crucify me.

Crucify me.

We wait, we wait, the coming of the Light....

God of endless ages, Father of all goodness, we keep vigil for the dawn of salvation and the birth of your Son. With gratitude we recall his humanity, the life he shared with the sons of men. May the power of his divinity help us answer his call to forgiveness and life. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Yes and the vigil is not in vain for God is already at work running like a mysterious underground spring.

God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/...17&version=NIV

And that promise has been mysteriously materializing all over the world:
http://www.israelite.ca/research/spe...el_reject.html

(I found the PROPHETIC CROSS-CURRENTS section particularly profound.)

Joy to the world!

The Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room and

Heaven and Nature sing!

God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

John 8:12

Prayer to St. Gabriel, for Others

O loving messenger of the Incarnation, descend upon us: spread your wings over the cradles of the new-born babes, and hearts in new-found faith, and those looking again for the Light, O thou who didst announce the coming of the Infant Jesus.

Recall the sublime words spoken on the day of the Annunciation-- "Nothing is impossible with God," and repeat them in hours of trial to all for whom I pray, that their confidence in Our Lord may be established forever, against all doubt, where human help fails.



(the Archangel Gabriel by Guido Reni 17th century)

We thank You, Lord Jesus,
because the Gospel of the Father's love,
with which You came to save the world,
has been proclaimed far and wide in America
as a gift of the Holy Spirit that fills us with gladness.

We thank You for the gift of Your Life,
which You have given us by loving us to the end:
Your Life makes us children of God,
brothers and sisters to each other.

Increase, O Lord, our faith and our love for You,
present in all the tabernacles of the continent.
Grant us to be faithful witnesses to your Resurrection
for every generation of Americans,
that in knowing You, they may follow You
and find in You their peace and joy.

Only then will they know that they are brothers and sisters
of all God's children scattered throughout the world.

You who, in becoming man, chose to belong to a human family, teach families the virtues which filled with light the family home of Nazareth. May families always be united, as You and the Father are one, and may they be living witnesses to love, justice and solidarity; make them schools of respect, forgiveness and mutual help, so that the world may believe.

Grant that the Church in America may flourish
and grow richer in the fruits of holiness.

Give us strength to proclaim Your word with courage
in the work of the new evangelization,
so that the world may know new hope.

Bless us abundantly, O Lord.

Amen.



(adapted from a prayer by John Paul II)

It's a new month, New Year, and this month for myself, I am focusing on a new heart, a rededication that is impossible outside of the grace of God. In this deepest part of winter, I really feel a need for a time of quiet, reflection, and prayer for transformation. As always, everyone's prayer requests are welcome.




Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.


You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them, anyway.





Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

adapted from a prayer of St. Alphonsus De Liguori:







My dear Jesus! I believe in You, and confess You to be the true Son of God and my Saviour. I adore You from the abyss of my own nothingness, and I thank You for the death You suffered for me, that I might obtain the life of divine grace.

My beloved Redeemer, to You I owe all my salvation. Through You I have hitherto escaped hell; through You have I received the pardon of my sins. But I am so ungrateful, that, instead of loving You, I have repeated my offenses against You. I desire nothing but to love You with all my heart, but without Your help I can do nothing.

Since You command me to love, give me also the strength to fulfil this, Your will for me. O Lord, whatever You ask of the Father, it shall be done for you. Confident in this promise, my dear Jesus, I ask, first of all, pardon of all my sins; and I repent, above all things, because I have offended You, O Infinite Goodness! I ask for holy perseverence in Your grace till my death.

But, above all, I ask for the gift of Your holy love. Ah, my Jesus, my Hope, my Love, my All, inflame me with that love which You came to earth to enkindle! For this end, make me always live in conformity with Your holy will. Enlighten me, that I may understand more and more the immense love You have borne me, especially in giving Your life for me. Grant, then, that I may love You with all my heart through loving all, always, in this life. And that, dying in Your love, I may come one day to love You with all my strength in heaven, never to leave off loving You for all eternity.

Amen.





Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Luke 18:1 Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.

Romans 12:12-13 Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones

1Thessalonians 16-18 Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.





Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

- Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).

A partial explanation form the All About Prayer site about what happens when you wait on God:

Waiting for God – He Strengthens Us

As you are waiting for God, He strengthens you. “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings as eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

I once heard an illustration about how God strengthens us during trials. It went like this: “Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us, we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us; we can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.”

http://www.allaboutprayer.org/waiting-on-god.htm

Epiphany is celebrated by many Christians worldwide about two weeks after Christmas Day and represents the Wise Men being led to and meeting the Christ Child, that is, it celebrates the reality that Jesus came for everyone, not only Jews.



Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Thank you, Lord for this. Bless him abundantly, O Lord, bless his child and family and send him more strength and confidence and wisdom.

Merciful Father, bless us all here, all those we touch, all our families friends, enemies and those who have passed. Inspire us to pray, lead us home to You. In Jesus name, I pray,

Amen.




Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

With that most profound respect which divine Faith inspires,
O my God and Saviour Jesus Christ, true God and true man,
I adore You, and with my whole heart I love You.

In reparation of all the irreverences, profanations, and sacrileges, that I,
to my shame, may have until now committed,
and for those committed by others,
I offer to You, my God, my humble adoration;
not indeed such as You are worthy of,
nor such as I owe You,
but such, at least, as I am capable of offering.

And I wish that I could love You with the most perfect love
of which rational creatures are capable.
And I desire to adore You now and always and that
You may be known and loved by all.

Amen.




Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Madnak, I can understand why you would delete my last prayer but it was legit.

So I'm posting this slightly more conventional one that unlike the last one, I didn't write myself.

Lord, the world wants to pound us down. We are controlled by clocks,
traffic lights, endless lines, and requested participation in civic events.
Our energies are drained and our nerves become frayed. The trials and demands continue without end, and they often seem urgent, even chaotic.

Will any of it add one single minute more to my life Lord? Help me to separate trial from opportunity, replace demand with sacrifice. Help me to replace urgency with submission to Your will, understanding instead of antagonism. Jesus, slow down my life. Give me the gift of patience.
Help me to understand rather than demand.Relaxation rather than frustration.

Our world is often based on greed and ego,and it results in pain. Can it all be that important? That rush for success can result in physical, emotional and spiritual illness. Help all of us to see what is missing in our lives, Lord.
Your gift of patience is so important. We need to realize that You are the way.That peace we seek can only come from You. You can calm the waters, and tell the wind o be still. You can restore peace and love.

Good for you. Google Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 15 for the Prodigal Son's rewards and peace be with you .

Bless us with mercy, O Lord. Bless us to prayer for those afflicted by great tragedy, enormous loss, physical devastation, spiritual trial. Bless us all, Lord, to charity in the face off need, to faith in the face of mindless violence, disastrous forces, personal doubt.

Send Your Holy Spirit to Haiti, to all the lost, bereaved, suffering, the workers, the victims, send Your immeasurable healing power to them and hold them in Your hand.

Bless those that have passed, Father, bring them home. Bring us all home.

In Jesus name I ask,

Amen.



Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Psalm 67 (King James Version)

Psalm 67
1God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.

2That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

3Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

4O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.

5Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

6Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.

7God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Prayer for Special Intentions

Eternal Father, everyone has a special intention, a need or desire, a stumbling block, a struggle. Bless us abundantly, Lord, as we pray for one another and send Your Spirit of Grace and strength, light and hope; look kindly on our needs as we are helpless without You.

Amen





Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Some things aren't exactly prayers but can lead us to some meditation on manifesting the spiritual realities. This was sent to me (for obvious reasons) but I thought it fit well here:




Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.