Morning Prayer

www.awildcanary.com
February 2012

Hosted by
Father Patrick A. Martin

	#1 The Universal Prayer (Attributed to Pope Clement XI)
	Lord, I believe in You: increase my faith. I trust in You: strengthen my trust. I love You: let me love You more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow. I worship You as my first beginning, I long for You as my last end, I praise You as my constant helper, and I call on You as my loving protector. Guide me by Your wisdom, correct me with Your justice, comfort me with Your mercy, protect me with Your power. I offer You, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on You; my words: to have You for their theme; my actions: to reflect my love for You; my sufferings: to be endured for Your greater glory. I want to do what You ask of me: in the way You ask, for as long as You ask, because You ask it. Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and make me holy. Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian. Let me love You, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others. Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity. Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions. Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well ordered. Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish Your love for me, keep Your law, and come at last to Your salvation. Teach me to realize that this world is passing, that my true future is the happiness of heaven, that life on earth is short, and that the life to come is eternal. Help me to prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in Your goodness. Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Mary, Mother of God, Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed Mother of Love, help me to see God's love for me today like I've never seen His love for me before! Amen

	#2 Prayer of Intention for Mass
	My purpose is to celebrate Mass today and to make present the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the rite of the holy Roman Church to the praise of our all powerful God and all His assembly in the glory of heaven, for my good and the good of all His pilgrim Church on earth, and for all who have asked me to pray for them in general and in particular, and for the good of the holy Roman Church. May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us joy and peace, amendment of life, room for true repentance, the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in good works. Amen

	#3 Prayer of Saint Ambrose
	Lord Jesus Christ, I approach Your banquet table in fear and trembling, for I am a sinner, and dare not rely on my own worth but only on Your goodness and mercy. I am defiled by many sins in body and soul, and by my unguarded thoughts and words. Gracious God of majesty and awe, I seek Your protection, I look for Your healing. Poor troubled sinner that I am, I appeal to You, the Fountain of all Mercy. I cannot bear Your judgment, but I trust in Your salvation. Lord, I show my wounds to You and uncover my shame before You. I know my sins are many and great, and they fill me with fear, but I hope in Your mercies, for they cannot be numbered. Lord Jesus Christ, eternal King, God and Man, crucified for mankind, look upon me with mercy and hear my prayer, for I trust in You. Have mercy on me, full of sorrow and sin, for the depth of Your compassion never ends. Praise to You, Saving Sacrifice, offered on the Wood of the Cross for me and for all mankind. Praise to the noble and precious Blood, flowing from the Wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ and washing away the sins of the whole world. Remember, Lord, Your creature, whom You have redeemed with Your Blood. I repent my sins, and I long to put right what I have done. Merciful Father, take away all my offenses and sins; purify me in body and soul, and make me worthy to taste the Holy of Holies. May Your Body and Blood, which I intend to receive, although I am unworthy, be for me the remission of my sins, the washing away of my guilt, the end of my evil thoughts, and the rebirth of my better instincts. May It incite me to do the works pleasing to You and profitable to my health in body and soul, and be a firm defense against the wiles of my enemies. Amen.

	#4 Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas
	Almighty and ever living God, I approach the Sacrament of Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the Doctor of Life, unclean to the Fountain of Mercy, blind to the Radiance of Eternal Light, and poor and needy to the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Lord, in Your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, with the repentance and love, and with the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood, and its reality and power. Kind God, may I receive the Body of Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His Mystical Body and numbered among His members. Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive Your beloved Son under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see Him face to face in glory, Who lives and reigns with You for ever. Amen

	#5 Prayer of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
	Father, may I endure this in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your Son, according to His counsels and in reparation for all that is blame-worthy in my thoughts, words, and actions! Amen

	#6 Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola
	O eternal Lord of all things, in the presence of Thy infinite goodness, and of Thy glorious Mother, and of all the saints of Thy heavenly court, this is the offering of myself which I make today with Thy favor and help! I profess that it is my earnest desire and my deliberate choice, provided only that it is for Thy greater service and praise, to imitate Thee in bearing all wrongs, all abuse, and all poverty, both actual and spiritual, should Thy holy majesty deign to choose and admit me to such a state and way of life! Amen

	#7 A Prayer for Life
	Loving God, Creator of all we recognize that life is a gift from You. Open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit and renew in us a deep respect for all persons: the family, the unborn, the young, the adult, the sick, the disabled, the abused, the imprisoned, the aged, the dying, the homeless, the unemployed, and the oppressed in any way. Bless all of us in the Diocese of Norwich and instill in us a deep love for Your gift of life. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother and Virgin, may all our words and actions foster reverence for human life. May we be true witnesses to the truth that all life is precious and has sublime dignity. Lead our nation and world to this understanding so that we may be a people dedicated to the protection of all Your sons and daughters. We ask this through Your Son, Jesus Christ, the Word Who became flesh and lived among us. Amen.

	#8 Prayer of St. John de Brebeuf
	My sweet Jesus, may I die for Thee as Thou has so willingly died for me! May I give my life for You, to bring the broken of this world to You, as You laid down Your life to bring me to You. Amen

	#9 Litany of Love
	Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Christ, hear us! Christ, graciously hear us! God the Father of Heaven, Lord, I love You! God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Lord I love You! God the Holy Spirit, Lord, I love You! Holy Trinity, One God, Lord, I love You! In all of creation, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all of salvation, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all Holiness, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all of redemption, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In Your Incarnation, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all Your sufferings, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In Your Crucifixion, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In Your death and burial, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In Your Rising from the dead, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In Your Ascension to Your Father, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my peace, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my joys, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my trials, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my pains, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my struggles, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my questions, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my answers, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my unknowing, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my searching, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my finding, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my family, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my friends, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my homes, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my love, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my tears, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my brokenness, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my sinfulness, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my forgiveness, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my forgivingness, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all I love, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all who love me, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my work, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my play, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my prayer, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my sharing, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my silence, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my dreams, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my fears, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my hopes, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my disappointments, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my helpers, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all those I help, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my yesterdays, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all my tomorrows, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In my right now, Lord, I love You dearly! In all Your angels, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In all Your saints, LORD, I LOVE YOU! In our Blessed Mother Mary, Lord, I love You dearly! Lamb of God, Who take away all the sins of the world, LORD, I LOVE YOU! Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, LORD, I LOVE YOU! Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, Lord, I love You dearly! Lord, I love You dearly! May I love You more and more every moment of life that's mine! May my every thought, wish, word, action, breath and heart beat from this moment of life onward be simply and truly a LORD, I LOVE YOU! May all that's me and all that's mine, all that's us and all that's ours, exist only to say, to sing, to proclaim, to LIVE, LORD, I LOVE YOU DEARLY! I ASK THIS SPECIAL GRACE OF AN ALL-LOVING HEART IN YOUR HOLY NAME, JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD! AMEN

#10 Prayer of Saint Martin of Tours, at death,
with his priests pulling at him to remain with them

Lord, if Your people still need me here I am ready for the task; Your will be done! . . . That's my very prayer, Daddy, before sight; Lord, if I can serve Your people more as a blind priest, I am ready for that life; Your will be done. Amen

	#11 Prayer to The Virgin Mary
	Mother of mercy and love, blessed Virgin Mary, I am a poor and unworthy sinner, and I turn to You in confidence and love. You stood by Your Son as He hung dying on the cross. Stand also by me, a poor sinner, and by all the priests who are offering Mass today here and throughout the entire Church. Help us to offer a perfect and acceptable sacrifice in the sight of the holy and undivided Trinity, our most high God. Amen

	#12 Prayer of Saint Columban, Abbot
	Light everlasting in the Temple of the Eternal High Priest, how blessed, how fortunate, are these servants whom the Lord will find watchful when He comes! Blessed is the time of waiting, when we stay awake for the Lord, the Creator of the universe Who fills all things, and transcends all things. How I wish He would awaken me, His humble servant, from the sleep of slothfulness, and even though I am of little worth, how I wish He would enkindle me with that fire of divine Love! The flames of His Love burn beyond the stars! The longing for His overwhelming delights and the divine fire ever burn within me! The longing for His overwhelming delights and the divine fire ever burn within me! How I wish I might deserve to have my lantern always burning at night in the Temple of my Lord to give light to all who enter the House of my God. Give me, I pray You, Lord, in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and my God, that Love that does not fail, so that my lantern, burning within me and giving light to others, may be always lighted and never extinguished! Jesus, our most loving Savior, be pleased to light our lanterns so that they may burn forever in Your Temple, receiving eternal light from You, the Eternal Light to lighten our darkness and to ward off from us the darkness of the world! Give Your Light to my lantern, I beg You, my Jesus, so that by its Light I may see that Holy of Holies Which receives You as the Eternal Priest entering among the columns of Your great Temple! May I ever see You only, look on You, long for You! May I gaze with love on You alone, and have my lantern burning, shining always in Your presence. Loving Savior, be pleased to show Yourself to us, who knock, so that in knowing You we may love only You, love You alone, desire You alone, contemplate only You day and night, and always think of You! Inspire in us the depth of love that is fitting for You to receive as God. So may Your Love pervade our whole being, possess us completely, and fill all our senses, that we may know no other love, Love for You Who are everlasting! May our love be so great that the many waters of sky and land and sea cannot extinguish it in us! MANY WATERS COULD NOT EXTINGUISH LOVE! May this saying be fulfilled in us also, at least in part, by Your gift, Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever and ever! Amen

	#13 A Prayer to Saint Joseph
	Glorious St. Joseph, by the love you have for the Blessed Virgin Mary and the child Jesus, take all my affairs, temporal and spiritual, into your hands and direct them to the greater glory of God, and obtain for me this day the grace of always knowing and doing the Will of God. Amen

	#14 The Missionary Prayer (Given to Father Pat by a child in Fergus, Ontario, May 3, 1989)
	Source of all goodness, Creator of heaven and earth, We praise You, for all the love we have received. Source of the wind that blows wherever the Spirit wills, We ask You to fill us with Your love. Give us hearts that will share with everyone who crosses our path this day. Give us hearts that reach out to neighbors over the garden fence, that cross our parish boundaries that reach out beyond all borders to search out people everywhere. Give us hearts as big as the world, so that Your love and peace may be made visible everywhere! Amen

	#15 A Morning Offering
	Jesus, I love you! I am sorry for my sins. I thank You for dying on the cross for me. I celebrate Your resurrection this beautiful day by giving my life toYou. I invite You into my life, Into my home, Into my business, Into my school, Into my recreation, Into wherever I am! Come, Lord Jesus. I truly accept YOU as my Lord and my God and my Savior. Come now and fill me with YOUR spirit. Fill me, Lord Jesus, with YOUR holy spirit. Fill me, Lord Jesus, with YOUR love and send me forth to my family and friends To share with them YOUR love and YOUR concern. Jesus, I love YOU and I shall follow YOU as YOUR disciple every day of my life.

	#16 Discernment Prayer by A Friend of Father Pat
	My Dearest Lord and God, Open my eyes so I can see, What Your desire is for me. Open my ears to hear Your voice, That I may make the right choice. Into the future I am peeking, Help me to find what I am seeking. My heavy head is weary and dazed, With Your wonder may I be amazed. Help me to stop all this guessing, To understand Your great blessing. Give me the wisdom and the grace, Help me discern my perfect place. I put my total trust in You, Help me to find the path that’s true. Amen

	#17 Prayer of Saint Anselm (Prayer taken from the Breviary, Office of Readings, Friday, First Week of Advent)
	I seek Your face, O Lord, Your face, Lord, I desire. Lord, my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You, where and how to find You. Lord, if You are not here where shall I look for You in Your absence? Lord, if You are everywhere, why do I not see You when You are present? But, surely You dwell in light inaccessible. But where is light inaccessible? How shall I approach light inaccessible? Or, who will lead me and bring me into it that I may see You there? And then, by what signs and under what forms shall I seek You? I have never seen You, Lord, my God. I do not know Your face. Lord, Most High, what shall I do so far from You? What shall Your servant do, tormented by love of You and cast so far from You? He yearns to see You and Your face is too far from him. He desires to approach You and Your dwelling is unapproachable. He longs to find You and does not know Your dwelling place. He strives to look for You and does not know Your face. Lord, You are my God, and You are my Lord, and I have never seen You! You have made me, and You have named me, and You have given me all the good things I possess. And still I do not know You. I was made in order to see You and I have not yet done that for which I was made. Lord, how long will it be? How long, Lord, will You forget us? How long will You turn Your face away from us? When will You look upon us and hear us? When will You enlighten our eyes and show us Your face? When will You give Yourself back to us? Look upon us, Lord. Hear us and enlighten us. Show us Your very self. Restore Yourself to us that it may go well with us whose lives are so evil without You. Take pity on our efforts and our striving toward You for we have no strength apart from You. Teach me to seek You, and when I seek You show Yourself to me. For I cannot seek You unless You teach me, nor can I find You unless You show Yourself to me. Let me seek You and desire You in seeking You, find You in loving You, and love You in finding You! Amen! (Prayer taken from the Breviary, Office of Readings, Friday, First Week of Advent)

	#18 Prayer of Pope John Paul II
	Immaculate conception, Mary, my mother, Live in me, Act in me, Speak in and through me, Think Your thoughts in my mind, Love through my heart. Give me Your dispositions and feelings. Teach, lead and guide me to Jesus. Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior. Possess my soul. Take over my entire personality and life, and replace it with Yourself. Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving. Pray in me and through me. Let me live in You and keep me in this union always. Amen!

	#19 Prayer to the Guardian Angel
	Holy Angel, my couselor, inspire me. Holy Angel, my defender, protect me. Holy Angel, my faithful friend, intercede for me. Holy Angel, my consoler, fortify me. Holy Angel, my brother, defend me. Holy Angel, my teacher, instruct me. Holy Angel, witness of all my actions, purify me. Holy Angel, my helper, support me. Holy Angel, my intercessor, pray for me. Holy Angel, my guide, direct me. Holy Angel, my light, enlighten me. Holy Angel, whom God has assigned to lead me, govern me. Let us pray, Almighty, eternal God in Your ineffable goodness, You have assigned a special angel to all men and women, from the womb onwards, as a protection for body and soul. Graciously grant that I may follow my Holy Angel so faithfully and love him so dearly, that through Your grace and under his protection I may one day reach the heavenly Father's house and may merit to behold Your divine countenance together with him and all the holy angels. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

	#1 The Universal Prayer (Attributed to Pope Clement XI)
	Come Holy Spirit Of infinite holiness, Impart to us Thoughts higher than our own thoughts, Prayers deeper than our own prayers, powers beyond our own powers, So that under Your divine influence We may choose the ways of Truth, goodness, love, and mercy After the perfect image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. O blessed Mother Mary, we ask You to come graciously into our lives Today and every day. Come to pray for us. Come to pray with us. Come to pray in us The prayer of the Holy Spirit, So that we may be one with gentle Abba and one with one another in the peace, joy, and love Of Your own son Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen

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This page last updated January 29, 2012