May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall softly upon your fields. Until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
Our Father
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.
Petition for Grace Prior to an Examination of Conscience
O my Lord Jesus Christ, Judge of the living and the dead, before whom I must appear one day to give an exact account of my whole life, enlighten me that I may know my sins which I have committed in thought, word and deed, and give me the grace of true contrition. Amen.
Pontifical Blessing
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Now and forever.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Who made heaven and earth.
May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Prayer After Confession
by Saint Odo of Cluny (879-942)
O only-begotten Son of the sovereign Father, look upon us with a benign countenance. It is you who called the penitent heart of the Magdalene to the pinnacle of glory. The lost penny is again restored to the royal treasury; and the gem wiped clean from mire surpasses the stars in brilliance. O Jesus, balm on our wounds and sole hope of the penitent, through the tears of the Magdalene wash away our sins. O most gracious Mother of God, take us, the weeping descendants of Eve, from a thousand waves in this life to a haven of safety. To God alone be glory for His manifold graces–to God who forgives the sins of sinners and bestows rewards. Amen.
Prayer After Holy Communion
by Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being, so utterly, that our lives may be only a radiance of yours. Shine through us, and be so in us, that every soul we come in contact with may feel your presence in our soul. Let them look up and see no longer us but only Jesus! Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as you shine; so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, O Jesus, will be all from you; none of it will be ours; it will be you, shining on others through us. Let us thus praise you in the way you love best by shining on those around us. Let us preach you without preaching, not by words but by our example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you. Amen.
Prayer After Meditation
I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections and inspirations that you have communicated to me in this meditation. I beg your help in putting them into effect. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me. Amen.
Prayer After Receiving Holy Communion
My Jesus, I love and adore you. You have come to me; I am one with You. I want You to remain with me forever, in this life and in the next. Thank You for allowing me to share Your divine life. May I become more like You through this sacred Food. Let me never take You for granted, but always pray for those whose lives are dark with sin and ignorance and selfishness. Let me remember, in the words of Saint Paul, that “there, but for the grace of God, go I.” Each day, I can become more like You, O Lord. And each day I can pray for those who have never heard the Gospel, or who have heard it and rejected it. Amen.
Let Me Be Free
by Bishop Fulbert of Chartres (970-1028)
Jesus Christ, the beginning and the end, the resurrection and the life, the perfect man who gave His life for sinners, I worship you, I adore you, I sing aloud your name. I am one of those whom you saved, whom you set free, when you died on the cross. You redeemed me from the slavery of sin. And yet I cannot escape the over-powering sense that I am still a wretched sinner, that my every action is worthless or evil. I am like the dry sand of a desert thirsting for water. I am like a criminal languishing in prison. Good people try to help me, and I pray that you will reward them; but their goodness does nothing to assuage my sense of wickedness. Patient people try to teach me your ways; but I am so stubborn that I cannot learn. Humble people seek to serve me; but in my pride I cannot truly appreciate their services. Lift the burden of wickedness; break down my stubbornness; root out my pride. Let me receive your life-giving love. Let me be free! Amen.
Lord, Open Our Eyes
Lord, open our eyes, that we may see you in our brothers and sisters. Lord, open our ears, that we may hear the cries of the hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed. Lord, open our hearts, that we may love each other as you love us. Renew in us your spirit. Lord, free us and make us one. Amen.