Prayer
Inherited words are not a lesser form of prayer. On days when you have nothing of your own to say, these carry you, and they are printed here in full, so nobody has to pretend they already know them.
Short, ancient, and easy to learn.
The prayer Jesus himself gave us when his friends asked how to pray.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13 · Luke 11:1-4
Open this prayer on its own pageAsking the mother of Jesus to pray with you and for you.
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 our death. Amen.
Luke 1:28 · Luke 1:42
Open this prayer on its own pageA short prayer of praise you can say in a single breath.
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.
A summary of what Christians believe: you can pray it even on days you are unsure.
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; on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will 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.
The oldest and shortest Catholic prayer: a way of beginning and ending in the name of God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Asking the angel God gave you to watch over you today.
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, to rule and guide. Amen.
A short prayer of sorrow for sin, often prayed in Confession or at the end of the day.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you,
and I detest all my sins because of your just punishments,
but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
Rosary, Divine Mercy, and novenas.
A slow, repeating prayer that walks through the life of Jesus with Mary.
The Rosary is meant to be unhurried. If you only pray one decade today, that is enough.
You do not need beads to begin: you can count on your fingers.
A prayer of trust in God's mercy, often prayed for oneself and for the whole world.
Begin with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed.
On the large bead: '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.'
On each of the ten small beads: 'For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'
Repeat for five decades, then pray three times: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'
Nine days of praying for the same intention: a way to stay with something that matters.
A novena is simply nine days of prayer for one intention. It is not a formula that forces God's hand; it is a way of staying, honestly and repeatedly, in his presence.
How to pray one: choose a single intention and name it plainly. Choose nine consecutive days, and a fixed time you can realistically keep, even if it is two minutes before bed.
Each day, pray in this order: the Sign of the Cross; one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be; then say your intention out loud or silently; then finish with a sentence of your own, such as 'Lord, I trust you with this. Amen.'
Many Catholics pray a novena to the Holy Spirit before a decision, or ask a particular saint to pray with them for the nine days. Asking a saint to intercede is asking for prayer, not worship.
If you miss a day, you have not broken anything. Pick the novena up where you left off, or begin the count again, whichever is easier for you.
A novena that ends without the answer you asked for is still a prayer that was heard. Nine days of returning to God with the same honest need is itself the fruit.
A very old prayer asking Mary's help, traditionally attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
An ancient prayer of surrender, often prayed after receiving Communion.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me,
and bid me come to you, that with your saints I may praise you forever and ever. Amen.
A beloved peace prayer long associated with St. Francis of Assisi, though historians note it cannot be traced to him in writing: it first appeared in print in the early twentieth century.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, 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. Amen.
Two small anchors for the day.
A quiet way to hand the day over before it begins.
God, before I do anything today, I want to remember that you are here.
I offer you what I am carrying, and what I am afraid of.
Help me to be gentle: with others, and with myself.
Whatever this day holds, do not let go of me. Amen.
For the end of the day, especially the hard ones.
Lord, the day is over and I am tired.
Thank you for what was good in it. I leave the rest with you.
Watch over the people I love, and over the people no one is watching over.
Let me sleep in peace. Amen.
Psalm 4:8
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