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Prayer for Victims of Abuse in our Church
Loving Father, as members of your Church, we are deeply sorry and heartbroken by the depth of trauma inflicted on victims of crimes of psychological, physical, spiritual and sexual abuse in our communities by representatives of our Catholic faith. Lord open our hearts, minds, eyes and ears to the meaning of the ‘Body of Christ’ so that we hear the pain of those who were abused. Teach us to know how to act in genuine solidarity with all victims of abuse, their families and advocates as they strive for justice and healing.
A Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the true King of peace.
In You alone is found freedom.
Please free our world from conflict.
Bring unity to troubled nations.
Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart.
Dispel all darkness and evil.
Protect the dignity of every human life.
Replace hatred with Your love.
Give wisdom to world leaders.
Free them from selfish ambition.
Eliminate all violence and war.
Glorious Virgin Mary,
Saint Michael the Archangel,
Every angel and saint:
Please pray for peace.
Pray for unity amongst nations.
Pray for unity amongst all people.
Pray for the most vulnerable.
Pray for those suffering.
Pray for the fearful.
Pray for those most in need.
Pray for us all.
Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear our prayers.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE EARTH (Martyn Goss, Diocese of Exeter)
God our Creator, maker and shaper of all that is, seen and unseen; You are present in the breadth and depth of the whole of creation, and in the processes that make life possible. Yet, we are distracted by the gods of the marketplace. Our lives have become fractured and fragmented. In our brokenness we disturb the Earth’s capacity to hold us, Call us back from the brink. Help us to choose love and not fear, to change ourselves and not the planet, to act justly for the sake of the vulnerable, and to make a difference today for the life tomorrow. We make this our prayer in your name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
A Prayer for our Earth
All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Amen. (Laudato Si’, 246)
A Prayer Before Meals
Loving God, we ask you to bless this food which comes to us through the work of many people, from the sowing of seeds in the earth, to our table here today. Help us to always care for your beautiful creation. Amen.
PRAYER FOR RACIAL HEALING
God of justice, In your wisdom you create all people in your image, without exception. Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being. Open our minds to understand that all your children are brothers and sisters in the same human family. Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes, behaviors, and speech which demean others. Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial discrimination, and their passionate appeals for change. Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices and to right the wrongs of history. And fill us with courage that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive and be forgiven, and establish peace and equality for all in our communities. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
COMMUNION PRAYER
O Godhead Hid, Devoutly I Adore Thee
O Godhead hid, devoutly I adore Thee,Who truly art within the forms before me; To Thee my heart I bow with bended knee, As failing quite in contemplating Thee.
Sight, touch, and taste in Thee are each deceiv’d; The ear alone most safely is believ’d: I believe all the Son of God has spoken, Than Truth’s own word there is no truer token.
God only, on the Cross lay hid from view; But here lies hid at once the Manhood too: And I, in both professing my belief, Make the same prayer as the repentant thief.
Thy wounds, as Thomas saw, I do not see; Yet Thee confess my Lord and God to be: Make me believe Thee ever more and more; In Thee my hope, in Thee my love to store.
O thou Memorial of our Lord’s own dying! O living Bread, to mortals life supplying! Make Thou my soul henceforth on Thee to live; Ever a taste of Heavenly sweetness give.
O loving Pelican! O Jesu, Lord! Unclean I am, but cleanse me in thy blood; Of which a single drop, for sinners spilt, Can purge the entire world from all its guilt.
Jesu! whom for the present veil’d I see, What I so thirst for, oh, vouchsafe to me: That I may see thy countenance unfolding, And may be blest thy glory in beholding. Amen.
Words: St. Thomas Aquinas, 13th Century.
PRAYERS FROM POPE FRANCIS
PRAYER FOR PROTECTION FROM CORONAVIRUS
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Our Refuge and our Hope, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
“We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God”.
In the present tragic situation, when the whole world is prey to suffering and anxiety, we fly to you, Mother of God and our Mother and seek refuge under your protection.
Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes towards us amid this coronavirus pandemic. Comfort those who are distraught and mourn their loved ones who have died, and at times are buried in a way that grieves them deeply. Be close to those who are concerned for their loved ones who are sick and who, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, cannot be close to them. Fill with hope those who are troubled by the uncertainty of the future and the consequences for the economy and employment.
Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us to God, the Father of mercies, that this great suffering may end and that hope and peace may dawn anew. Plead with your divine Son, as you did at Cana, so that the families of the sick and the victims be comforted, and their hearts be opened to confidence and trust.
Protect those doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers who are on the frontline of this emergency, and are risking their lives to save others. Support their heroic effort and grant them strength, generosity and continued health.
Be close to those who assist the sick night and day, and to priests who, in their pastoral concern and fidelity to the Gospel, are trying to help and support everyone.
Blessed Virgin, illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research, that they may find effective solutions to overcome this virus.
Support national leaders, that with wisdom, solicitude and generosity, that they may come to the aid of those lacking the basic necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by farsightedness and solidarity.
Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that the enormous funds invested in developing and stockpiling arms will instead be spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Beloved Mother, help us realise that we are all members of one great family and to recognise the bond that unites us, so that, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, we can help to alleviate countless situations of poverty and need. Make us strong in faith, persevering in service, constant in prayer.
Mary, Consolation of the afflicted, embrace all your children in distress and pray that God will stretch out his all-powerful hand and free us from this terrible pandemic, so that life can serenely resume its normal course.
To you, who shine on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope do we entrust ourselves, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.
PRAYER FROM CHURCH OF IRELAND ARCHBISHOP MICHAEL JACKSON
Almighty and All–loving God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we pray to you through Christ the Healer for those who suffer from the Coronavirus Covid–19 in Ireland and across the world. We pray too for all who reach out to those who mourn the loss of each and every person who has died as a result of contracting the disease. Give wisdom to policymakers, skill to healthcare professionals and researchers, comfort to everyone in distress and a sense of calm to us all in these days of uncertainty and distress. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord who showed compassion to the outcast, acceptance to the rejected and love to those to whom no love was shown. Amen.
ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
St Alphonsus Liguori
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Blessed Sacrament,
I love You above all things and I desire You in my soul,
Since I now cannot receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart,
I embrace you and unite myself to you;
Permit not that I should ever be separated from You. Amen.
ACI Submission to Conference of Irish Bishops – 01/10/2019